Category: Theatre

REVIEW: Legal Courtship

Madison Krumins Leave a comment

NERDS (Not Even Really Drama Students) return to the stage with a full-length original musical written by Adrian Beyer and Emma Laible. A fun, quirky story about a court case, a very big building, and finding love amidst (or even through!) conflict, Legal Courtship centered around a lawsuit over scientist Jeff Spaceballs’ laboratory building in the city of Courtlandia.

With a pun-loving judge, a distracted jury, and a defense and prosecution that can’t stop bickering, the pressure builds… but what explodes in the end isn’t Jeff Spaceballs’ building (through which he intends to commit insurance fraud), it’s love. Prosecutor Zephyr and defense attorney Jove, who have long-seated conflict from back in the law school days, end up finding their gay love for each other in the middle of a heated trial, coming together to figure out just what to do with Spaceballs’ building. Jeff Spaceballs also rediscovers love, discovering that insurance fraud and his capitalistic tendencies just aren’t worth it, when his building and his wealth could be used to serve the community and he could fully dedicate his time to his ex-wife, who he still loves.

Congrats to NERDS for their return to the stage and for their continued dedication to produce and perform student work! It’s always inspiring to see such support for student creativity and the enthusiasm the performers and crew bring.

REVIEW: Choir Boy by the Rude Mechanicals

Himaja Leave a comment

The subtitle “…A moving story of sexuality, race, hope, gospel music, and a young gay man finding his voice” was already enough to get me to the Lydia Mendelssohn Theater on a Saturday night to see this play. Then I found out that Choir Boy was written by Tarell Alvin McCraney, the Academy Award-winning writer of the film Moonlight, and I was doubly sold. Something to know about me: I love any chance to walk in someone else’s shoes for a bit, especially those with vastly different stories than mine.

This production was put on by Rude Mechanicals, a student-run theater group on campus. They produce one play a semester and run everything themselves, from costumes to set design to the actors and crew. This was the first Rude Mechanicals production I’d ever been to and I was impressed. The trailer they made for the play was really cool and just shows how much work they put into it:

I won’t spoil the plot for anyone who has yet to see this gem of a play, but I will say that it is so very RELEVANT. A recurring theme throughout the story is intimacy: who gets deprived of it in society, who you’re allowed to have it with. The actors were so incredibly talented and displayed the intimacy of the play so well. My favorite character was Anthony, the main character’s roommate, for this reason. Whenever the cast sang together it filled the entire theater and gave me chills. They harmonized like they could do it in their sleep. The audience was super into it – cheering and clapping after each musical number, ooh-ing in sympathy when characters got hurt, hmm-ing to the lines of dialogue that struck the deepest.

I will say that I don’t think this was a very accessible production. None of the performers wore microphones which made it hard to hear them at times, especially when they were speaking with their backs to the audience. More than once I would hear the audience burst out into laughter around me and wonder what joke I had just missed on stage. The seating arrangement of the Lydia Mendelssohn theater is also not my favorite and isn’t tiered in a way that allows you to see the stage well from the rows that are not at the front. It’s a historic theater which is something to keep in mind. All in all I think the students did what they could with the space they had.

If you have a chance to go see the Rude Mechanicals’ production of Animal Farm next March, I highly recommend you take it!

REVIEW: Funny Girl

IseeUsee Leave a comment

I remember walking past the sign “Funny Girl Auditions ↘” in the Michigan league and wondering what “Funny girl” was. This was in September. I find it hard to wrap my head around the fact that Ummusket was able to audition for people in September and showcase something as good as Funny Girl in November.

The actors were phenomenal. From the very beginning, watching the protagonist Fanny walk down the theatre aisle, I could guess this will be a show to remember. The actors had skillful control over their voice and there were hardly any-if any at all-moments when the signing or the dialogue delivery was not good. The actors had good chemistry: not just the main lead and her love interest but the mother, the brother, the aunt, and many more.

The dances were well done. There were scenes where Fanny took a trust fall while singing, actors sang while jumping, pretending to fall etc. and their singing was still impeccable. The costumes mimicked the period of the play very well. The props, the lighting-all these were planned strategically and their use was top notch.

The orchestra, like always, was just wonderful and really helped the musical.

One thing about the musical was that the story does jump around a little. The beginning is about Fanny not being pretty/skinny enough to be a broadway star but she gets the main roles quite easily and then the story turns into a romantic drama and we don’t really touch on the subject we started off with. The jokes, dances, and songs of the play keep the story interesting.

All and all, hats off to everyone who worked in the production of Funny Girl. All throughout the play, the audience members were loving it and cheered everyone on. In the end, people gave the cast a standing ovation so you know this was a crowd favorite!

Do. Not. Miss any productions from Ummusket.

REVIEW: Funny Girl

avameester Leave a comment

Musket’s production of Funny Girl, originally a Broadway musical with Barbara Streisand, has an electric energy that can’t be forgotten. Running for just three nights at the Power Center on Central Campus, it can easily be missed; but, for all musical-lovers and Michigan students within walking distance of the theatre, keep your eye out for future productions at this location and other productions by Musket. The effortless humor and colorful characters of Funny Girl filled the venue with a liveliness that stuck with me even after I left.

I am typically not a musical-goer, as I prefer the believable effects and immersive atmosphere of typical movie theaters, but something about Funny Girl set it apart and drew me directly into the bustling and competitive setting of New York City. Surrounding the life of the awkward, stubborn, yet uniquely charismatic actress Fanny Brice, the musical explores her strenuous rise to fame. We witness her navigate the cutthroat competition of theatre in the Big Apple; we see her embrace her triumphs and mourn her defeats; and, most notably, we watch as she learns how to navigate the complexities of love and family in her gold-gilded life as a star. My favorite aspect of the story— besides experiencing the exciting growth of such an interesting character— is the focus on theater. Watching a musical about musicals adds a sense of realism; the actors are performing a story, but it is a story that is relevant to their own experiences. Many songs are performed in a fictional musical, so watching those scenes in an actual musical theater setting feels completely immersive.

The stellar cast raises the performance to another level. Carly Meyer, who plays Franny, captures the awkward humor and headstrong demeanor of the character perfectly. From classic clumsiness to goofy dance moves, the loud and unapologetic ambition of Franny echoes throughout the venue, as well as her strong and expressive voice. Each cast member brings incredible vocal talent to the stage as well as a specific energy and personality; ranging from the mysterious and wealthy Nicky Arnstein, played by Sohil Apte, to the brashly humorous Mrs. Meeker, played by Gavin Brock, the variety adds to the excitement of the show.  The score is iconic and unforgettable, featuring fast-paced classics and romantic ballads. The live pit orchestra added dimensionality and depth to the lively music. Through the live music and incredible vocal talents, the sound of Funny Girl is magical at the very least.

The relatable and in-touch nature of the subjects of Funny Girl— the awkwardness, the difficulty of love, and the blinding allure of success— creates a production that is far from fantasy. Funny Girl enticed me with its characters, drew me in with its realism, and captured my heart with its nostalgic score. Next time Funny Girl comes around, or any other Musket production, be sure to grab your $7 student ticket and catch it while you can.

Review: Men on Boats

IseeUsee 1 Comment

Men on boats was a good event. The Arthur Miller theatre was very well set up. The ambiance of the play was very cozy and rustic. It fit the theme of an 1860s story.

The actors of the play were very enthusiastic and did their best to carry the story. But. The story was quite bland to put it frankly. The jokes were sparse and the funniest scenes were usually slapstick kind about boats breaking. Though I must say the slow-motion scenes of the boats breaking were very funny especially as they broke to background music of contemporary meme songs.

An interesting thing about Men on Boats was that even though it portrays only men, in this rendition, the cast was all female so it was supposed to be a “satirical, gender-flipped” story making fun of the explorers’ “cockiness and cluelessness.” But as I sat through the play I did not see much of this. Having an all-female cast did not really add much to making the play funnier or adding to the satire element of the play.

It was a little unsettling to watch because it deals with aspects of colonization: the men are “discovering” new parts of America and traversing through the Colorado River, being the first white settlers to do so. And though the play ends on a conflicting note where the explorers are not really satisfied with having “discovered” the places they saw and finishing the journey, it did not address some important issues in an important way. The main conflicts of the play were the explorers not having enough food or leaving because the waters were unkind to them. Seeing men dilly-dallying their way through the land natives have lived on for centuries before wasn’t that great. The play acknowledges that aspect but not in a serious way. The satire is not really aimed towards the colonization aspect of their work but rather their silly antics. I don’t think this was a good choice for a play to show in these times.

Regardless of that, the actors were phenomenal—their energy was contagious and some of the best scenes included them stampeding the floor and acting out the river travel. The character Mr. Hopkins was my favorite and had great comedic timing. The lighting details in the show were very impactful and one of my favorite parts of the event.

REVIEW: A THOUSAND WAYS (PART ONE): A PHONE CALL

Himaja 2 Comments

I didn’t know what to expect when I sat down in my room after a long day of classes and dialed a random phone number that had been emailed to me 24 hours before. The guidelines were vague:

“On a simple phone call, you and another audience member – nameless strangers to one another – follow a carefully crafted set of directives. Throughout the journey, a portrait of each other emerges through fleeting moments of exposure and the simple sound of an unseen voice.”

That sounds very poetic and all, but how much can really happen in one phone call?, I thought.

Oh, how clueless I was.

The first thing I heard was a low-key electronic voice. “You are in the right place.” it said. “The experience will start as soon as someone joins the line. Please hold for now. There will be music.”

A strange but chill instrumental beat of guitar, drums, and what sounded like a flute and shamisen started up in my ears. A minute passed, then five. I panicked for a moment, thinking that the other audience member had bailed on me. Then the electronic voice came back and counted down.

“5,4,3,2,1.”

A short pause.

“This is not going to be a conversation, it may feel like it but it’s not. This is a way to see one another. Will you both say hello?”

The electronic voice guided us, painting scenes of a story where we were both the protagonists, prompting the conversation. The questions ranged wildly:
What color is your hair?
Name a person you love
Have you ever been to a forest?
Have you ever saved someone’s life?

Over the course of an hour, I strung together these bits and pieces of a stranger into a full human person who I felt like I could see: their weird habits, the color of their eyes, the things they’ve lost since childhood.

“I hope it’s okay to be visible like this,” the electronic voice said at one point.

I won’t spoil the call in too much detail, but I will say that I’ve never felt more like the main character in my own life. I learned things about myself that I had never slowed down enough to think about. Despite being in separate places and not even knowing each others’ names, we reached levels of intimacy and togetherness that I have not felt for a very, very long time.

At the end, we both shared something that we would remember about each other.

“Now it’s time to say goodbye,” the electronic voice said, and I felt an actual pang of sadness.

This was a conversation I will think about and treasure for the rest of my life.

If you have not yet, I would really encourage you to sign up for this experience here before it ends on November 14: https://a2sf.org/events/a-thousand-ways-part-one-a-phone-call/. I think you’ll be surprised at what you find.