A new year means new music from the Michigan Pops Orchestra. For the fall semester, Michigan Pops is taking over the world with its show, “The Reign of Pops.” The great theme of royalty can be seen in the music of Swan Lake, Prince of Egypt, and many Disney tunes. As usual of Pops concerts, The Reign of Pops will combine vocal performers, special effects, and multimedia for an unforgettable musical experience. The concert is Sunday, November 18 at 7pm at the Michigan Theater. Tickets are $5 for students, $8 for adults, and free for students in public schools and seniors 65+. Tickets are available at the door on the night of the concert.
Category: Student Organization
REVIEW: Weaving
It all started with a quote.
“I said to the sun, ‘Tell me about the big bang.’ The sun said, ‘it hurts to become.’” -Andrea Gibson
This quote actually embodies the theme of the play “Weaving” quite beautifully and fittingly, a story about becoming one’s true self and finding a place of belonging as that acceptance starts to settle in.
Vero and Bastion are two best friends in high school, both struggling to accept an identity that is true yet scary. Avery starts talking to Vero, lending her many books. Dominic and Bastion have been friends for a while, playing basketball every so often, but as Dominic is in his senior year of high school and Bastion is a year younger, confusing tensions and dynamics start to flare up.
In this play, Vero and Bastion were experiencing similar journeys in their denial and reluctant acceptance of their sexuality. However, they both couldn’t bring themselves to admit this to each other, showing how isolating such a revelation can be. It can be hard to admit something that the government and society has deemed as a sin or a vice or an indecent and inhumane act, whether it’s to yourself or your closest friend or your potential love interest that has sparked this all within you.
Bastion delivered a moving soliloquy during his history presentation, using prohibition as a metaphor for the LGBT community. The government can try to restrict people with all its power and the law, but the people will always persevere and push back. There was a rhythm and emotion to this speech, giving it a slam poetry-esque vibe that Sébastian Butler nailed with every trembling word and frantic pace.
Books played an important part of this play, with Avery giving Vero many books as her way of dropping a hint. For her paper, Vero wrote a literary criticism from a feminist lense, and while her teacher failed to appreciate what she had to say since she didn’t follow the prompt and quickly dismissed her objections to the heavily male-dominated curriculum in literature, Vero expressed the frustrations and the desire for recognition that many women feel today.
Hodges Adams wrote a chillingly realistic play of the everyday life of high schoolers in a town they couldn’t stand any longer. Every character in this story had some struggles. No one’s life is perfect, not the bullies or the happy, supportive friend. Natasha felt the pressures of applying to colleges and a suffocating grandfather. Though Marcus beat up Bastion in an act of homophobic violence, he was struggling with a substance-abusive family, having his own powerful take on prohibition. While this doesn’t excuse his intolerable behavior, it just shows that everyone is dealing with something under the surface others can’t see, accurately capturing the complexity of life and people.
I am incredibly grateful that Hodges Adams wrote this important piece of art and that they got to see it come alive in the Keene Theater by the RC Players. This play was incredibly moving and difficult to watch, precisely because it portrays the hard and strong life people of the LGBT community have to live to survive within themselves and within society.
REVIEW: Candide
Having never seen an opera performed live before, I was especially excited to see the University Opera Theatre and University Symphony Orchestra’s production of Candide. It was a fantastic show, and after all, it’s Leonard Bernstein!
The themes of the show were somewhat surprising to me – for an opera known for its exuberance and optimism, there were many much darker themes under this joyful guise. While Pangloss, Candide’s tutor, teaches that it is “the best of all possible worlds,” Candide believes that his love, Cunegonde, is dead, yet in reality, she is being prostituted out. There is an obvious disparity between Pangloss’s view of the world and what the audience perceives as the character’s actual experiences. In another scene, when Pangloss contracts syphilis, he cheerfully notes that bees both sting and make sweet honey, and the satire could not be more evident. By the end of the show, Candide has become disillusioned by his tutor’s effervescent optimism, but is still able to begin to make a life with Cunegonde, whom he has been reunited with. In the end, it is not ignorant optimism that brings them together, but acknowledgement of all they have been through.
On another note, I especially enjoyed the opera’s set. All the scenery and props consisted of drawings or writing on chalkboards, an artistic choice that seemed to carry with it much symbolism. For example, when there was a battle scene, the characters were armed with chalkboards reading “bayonet” or “sword.” Trees were drawn on large chalkboards, and in one scene, large framed chalkboards with drawn chandeliers were lowered from above. The plot is narrated throughout by Voltaire (author of the novella Candide), and the combination of the narration and the chalkboard set casts the audience in the role of student. In my opinion, it emphasized the satirical aspect of the operetta, illustrating that the audience is supposed to learn or realize something as a result. It certainly caused me to think.
The singing, as well as the orchestra, was also fantastic and very professional. I left the show with themes from the songs stuck in my head for the rest of the night, which was hardly surprising given that they were composed by Leonard Bernstein! This production of Candide was a part of Leonard Bernstein at 100, the “world-wide celebration of the 100th birthday of Leonard Bernstein, the composer, conductor, educator, musician, cultural ambassador, and humanitarian.” The celebration began on August 25, 2017, which would have been Bernstein’s 99th birthday, and continues through August 25, 2019. For more information about Leonard Bernstein at 100, or just about Leonard Bernstein in general, visit https://leonardbernstein.com/at100.
Bernstein’s Candide was a compilation of beautiful music and a thought-provoking and challenging story line that I am glad to have witnessed! Excellent job to all those involved!
REVIEW: MACFest
MACFest had all the elements of a typical a cappella concert: people standing in a half circle, many hand gestures, and neat beatboxers. All 15 University of Michigan a cappella groups performed, along with a special guest performance by the Flint Octaves. Everyone sang great, but some groups stood out in particular with some memorable highlights of the night.
Amazin’ Blue kept up its legendary reputation with “Nowhere to Run,” bringing quality music that they are known for. Maica Mori of Good News sang “Hills and Valleys” with a soothing elegance and beauty, her pure voice floating through the air. Maica literally has the voice of an angel, and I could listen to her sing forever. Then, Maize Mirchi sang a calming and gentle “Au Re Chanda Pt. 4”, showing how diverse and talented the groups on campus are.
Friars, the a cappella group of the Men’s Glee Club, pulled a fast on on us. Starting out with “Ava Maria”, they quickly turned the tables and started rocking out to the Jonas Brothers’ classic hit, “Burnin’ Up.” This got the audience excited, who previously thought they were going to have to sit through the beautiful yet less-than-exciting “Ava Maria.” Instead, they pull out freshly dorky dance moves and gave us an enjoyable throwback to the 2008 hit.
The DJs brought some classy sass to the stage, with Taylor Adams rapping and singing “White Lillies/White Lies.” The all-female group Sirens had a sultry yet powerful rendition of “Cotton Eye Joe” with tantalizing harmonies and melodies. Finally, the G Men ended the concert in a way only the G Men could, storming the auditorium in soccer jerseys before closing with “Other Side of Paradise,” soloist Kyle Kim filling the stadium by hitting some impressive notes.
The groups all brought power and energy to the stage with only the miraculous sounds of their voices. While they all only performed one song, it was clear each group had their own dynamic and style and they’ll have a great year of music and passion ahead of them.
PREVIEW: Cabaret
Cabaret is the 1966 musical that focuses on the Kit Kat Klub in 1931 Berlin. Young American writer Cliff Bradshaw and English cabaret performer Sally Bowles navigate a relationship during this tumultuous time. Meanwhile, German boarding house owner Fräulein Schneider and her elderly suitor Herr Schultz, a Jewish fruit vendor, come to grips with their doomed romance.
Even though it takes place during the rise of the Nazi Party, this musical is timeless, so come out in 2018 and watch MUSKET put on a performance that remains powerful today. Tickets are on sale at MUTO (in the Michigan League Underground) or can be purchased online. Shows are November 16 and 17 at 8pm and November 18 at 2pm at the Power Center.
PREVIEW: Candide
Come celebrate American composer, conductor, and pianist Leonard Bernstein’s 100th birthday with the University Opera Theatre and University Symphony Orchestra!
Bernstein’s opera is adapted from a satirical novella of the same name by Voltaire. It follows the title character, an optimistic young man named Candide, on his adventures across the globe, and is known for its emotional power.
Performances will take place at the Power Center on Nov. 8 at 7:30 PM, Nov. 9 & 10 at 8 PM, and
Nov. 11 at 2 PM. Tickets are $24 or $30 for the general public, and $12 with a student ID. This event is also on the Passport to the Arts, so grab one to get a ticket for free! For more information, visit https://events.umich.edu/event/52126.
If you would like to see one of the works of an American musical great right here at the University of Michigan, don’t miss the School of Music, Theatre and Dance’s performance of Candide!
