Category: Theatre

Preview: “Pentecost’

krithika

The University of Michigan Department of Theatre & Drama kicks off the year with a compelling and well-acclaimed  drama, David Edgar’s “Pentecost”, a play that was originally commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company. The play opened on October 7th.

Pentecost, courtesy Dept. of Theatre & Drama
"Pentecost", courtesy Dept. of Theatre & Drama

The theme for the play seems pretty intriguing. It is set in Europe after the fall of the Berlin Wall. The drama  is set in an unused church in an Eastern European country. A museum curator discovers a fresco which she believes may be valuable to restore her country’s image. She has many people vying for its ownership. Meanwhile, a group of  refugees from various ethnicities take over the church and  hold the historians hostage.The refugees share their woeful tales in their own language and the resulting confusion and interaction among the various characters forms the basis of the play.

Just one unknown foreign language can confuse us. Imagine Bulgarian, Arabic, Polish, Russian, Turkish, Sinhalese and others in the same play.  That too without translation. Wow, that would be interesting!

Malcolm Tulip is the director of this challenging drama. It is a tough one as the acting has to be really good to convey what language can’t as surely the audience would not know all the languages! And the theme is significant too in context of multitude of  immigrants trying to flee to countries with stable societies.

If you are wondering about the title of the play, it is from the Bible. The Holy Spirit descends over the Apostles and gives them different languages to converse. Surprisngly, the Apostles find that they can still understand each other and language is no longer a boundary. A very fit title for this drama indeed!

This will be the last week of the performances! So do catch the show.

Show times: Oct 15,16 @ 8 pm and Oct 17 @ 2 pm at the Arthur Miller Theatre

Tickets at the League Ticket Office!

Review: Su…su..rrus… gone with the wind!

krithika

When something new is tried for the first time, there are many expectations. And since in today’s world, it takes a lot to even make us look- let alone sit in one place for more than a hour,  playwrights  have to resort to a lot of tricks. But sometimes, as a playwright, you just have to stick to the old but  time-tested plots to live up to expectations.  This was proved when I went to see David Leddy’s “Susurrus” at the Matthaei Botanical Gardens.

This part radio, part “guide to opera”, part “101 to bird dissection”, part “best way to get you outside” play was one without actors or a stage. Set in the ever beautiful (yet surprisingly still verdant- for this time of the year that is) Matthaei botanical gardens, this play was quite novel in many ways- the use of technology, the use of a sprawling garden as a set, the creative use of different themes supporting the main plot,etc.

The play is about a family and there are  four actors – four “voices” in your iPod who guide you through the garden  ( you are also given a map). Supposedly, as you plod along the trails, the plot and the location blend to give you an unforgettable experience. So how can this  fail? There are four elements involved here- the location, the techonology, the plot of the play and you, the audience.

Let’s take the location. I went on a day when the temperature was in the nippy 68-70 F and there  was a balmy breeze and you could hear the susurrus of the stream as well as in the trees! It was an azul sky with a very benevolent sun. So location was perfect!

As for the technology, I had no trouble using the map and syncing the “track” on the iPod Shuffle  to the directed location as it was all spelt out very well. And as for the audience, I was fed and watered and I had gone there with a very good friend! So you couldn’t have asked for a more attentive or contented audience.

And the plot? That’s where things went wrong! The play is about a family but about a dysfunctional one! It was dark and completely disturbing. Suicide, sexual abuse by a parent,the blissful obliviousness of the other parent to the behavior of the first parent, disconnected and confused characters – I found it to be perverted  and extremely dark for my liking. Agreed that I wasn’t looking for a Disney version of a play just because it was set in a gorgeous location, but this was not what I had expected either.The scenic setting or the novel use of technology had no connection to what I deem a really blotchy plot.

References to Shakespeare’ s “A midsummer’s night dream” were perverted. Oberon and Titania fighting over the Indian boy for totally the wrong reasons!!! Well, I don’t know. This is not what I think a “new” look is!

As a saving grace, the story was suspenseful in the sense that you wanted to know what was going on and what had happened to the main character. And the operatic fillers in between were very pleasant.  That part  was cleverly done .

While I certainly don’t recommend looking at the world with rose-colored lenses, I don’t want to take a microscope to its weird and disturbing behavior either and I certainly don’t want to be thinking of dysfunctional families with members with suicidal tendencies in a serenely calm environment like at the gardens.(Look at this bloom that I photographed at the gardens that day- who wants to think of suicide or crazy bird dissections?)

Lovely bloom that I caught at the Matthaei Botanical Gardens during Susurrus
Lovely bloom that I caught at the Matthaei Botanical Gardens during "Susurrus"

Portraying dark and such depressing themes in an effort to shock the audience into acceptance of the novelty is not the way to go. The play would have been so so tedious were it just set in a normal set!

Till the end, I could not understand the necessity for the “garden” as a stage and  I felt that the play had no connection whatsoever.  Was the susurrus of  the  trees and the stream supposed to calm you down as you listened to this weird stuff?  Sometimes, even “special effects and new technology” are no substitute for a good plain old solid script!

To misquote from the play,”Sorry, I will not be thinking of you!”.

Yours truly,

for [art]seen

Review: “Trafford Tanzi”- A Definite A-show!

krithika

April 9,2010

Grappling, booing, catcalls, cheers, lock ups, sleeper holds, a flying referee, take down, venus flytrap, countout, submission,sweat pouring down faces both on and off the ring! You are thinking of WWE RAW right? No, I wasn’t watching the WWE. I was at this  true-to-life wrestling ring constructed for the Malcolm Tulip production of  Claire Luckham’s play “Trafford Tanzi” at the Arthur Miller Theatre, replete with posters from the seventies and the dazzling blue lights as well as the seats arranged around the ring in true pro-wrestling style!

This play is about “Trafford Tanzi”, a girl who lives in a uncompromising and hard world where she is not allowed to pursue her dream of being a professional wrestler. It is all about how she fights (literally) her way through this. It is an interesting play where the struggles of a character are portrayed so clearly and yet subtly in a way that will make the audience feel exactly what the character feels. The essence of each character (the referee cum school psychiatrist, Platinum Sue, Tanzi’s Mum& Dad, Tanzi’s husband Dean Rebel) shows in the way each fights Tanzi. The wrestling is so important to this play. The actions speak and actually, the actors don’t really have too many lines (except for the comic and talented referee).  The character’s internal conflicts are more clear and there isn’t much use of ambiguous complicated metaphors. This simplicity of showing the character’s emotions is unique and hats off to Claire Luckham for this! It is fascinating to think of life this way. Of course, this play reflects strong feminist views and Tanzi emerges the winner at the end.

As a part of the audience, you sit there and watch Tanzi getting pushed around and hit many times and when she ends as the winner, naturally you root for her. In this production, I didn’t  watch a play. I was in one, watching a real fight. This ability to engage the audience completely is why Malcolm Tulip’ s production of “Trafford Tanzi” wins full points. This production has everything right. The physical element in this play is crucial to delivering its message and the actors under the tutelage of Charles Fairbanks, ( a filmmaker and wrestler who goes to the MFA program in Art and Design at Uof M) got this right! The audience were encouraged to be cheer or boo and if there had been beer, cigarette smoke and vendors with peanuts, we would have been in a real wrestling match! If one had walked in midway he/she would have assumed that it was a wrestling show. It was that good!

There were  many scenes where I was extremely uncomfortable. For instance, the character Dean is in his briefs throughout the play. Even though we see a lot of nudity and of course tons of skin exposure on TV these days, this sudden encounter with a almost-naked actor felt so in-the-face and it was disconcerting initially. But I think this “costume” was quintessential to the definition of Dean’s character. The other costumes were so cleverly designed too. Tanzi’s mom wears pearls and apron over a tight swimsuit as if to show that she was a conforming shallow woman who knows that males are hypocrites but still basks under their attention.

The thuds from the numerous falls of the actors as they wrestle each other make you flinch and you want to jump up and see if the actor is alright.  But then that is how the play was so realistic. The grossness quotient in this play was a lil high too. For instance scenes like a 1-year old Tanzi with her fingers full of boogers and up in her nose, like Dean pulling out hankies and flowers from his underwear- YUCK! . But this is what set the scenes where Tanzi is made to kiss the ground  by her opponents apart. The hilarious (and disgusting) scenes along with the other semi-serious scenes infused realism and it seemed so genuine. I loved the fact that the actors all spoke (or as per Mr.Tulip, “tried to”) speak in pitch-perfect British accents.  It added that little extra element of humor.

As for the music, Carlos Valdes was amazing. His covers for Gloria Gaynor’s”I will survive” and Beatles’  “I wanna hold your hand” were absolutely hilarious. His background score was cheeky, fun and brilliant!  He has done a great job.I loved the referee’s acting  (played by Torrey Wigfield). His frequent flamboyant entries like diving across the ring  or in a cowboy outfit as well as his witty delivery was fun to watch. His rendition of the French song “non, je ne regretten rien” had the audience in splits. Dean Rebel, the character most booed in this play and played by Louis Marino  who had to wear in a blue brief throughout, did a very confident job. His acrobatic skills and fluid movements were great too. The totally disgusting and obnoxious character of  Tanzi’s Dad was portrayed perfectly by Nicholas Strauss-Matathia (his pronunciation of “buttercups” in that fake British accent had me cracking!). For this performance, the understudies Aimee Garcia and Charlotte Vaughn Raines performed the roles of Tanzi and Tanzi’s Mum respectively. Charlotte rocked the song “Stand by me” and Aimee gave a very strong performance too.  The endearing   (and as it turned out humorous) director Malcolm Tulip came out with the crew  for the talk after the performance and this was so illuminating. This is definitely a great success for Mr. Tulip and his team.

I had read a preview for this play and the plot didn’t appeal to me. But somehow I ended up going to this play and trust me when I say this- it is one of the best all-round entertainment you can ever get. I had such a delightful time! You are entitled to one too.

Don’t forget to catch one of the following shows:

Saturday April 10 @ 8 pm or Sunday April 11 @ 2 pm @ Arthur Miller Theatre

tickets available at box office or online: http://www.music.umich.edu/performances_events/productions/09-10/trafford.htm

A  delighted,

Krithika, for art[seen]

Review: Who is Anton Chekhov?

krithika

March 22,2010

Ok, in today’s age, an answer to the above question is just a click away. It is convenient but do we really grasp the information? Does the life of Chekhov unfold in front of your eyes?  And so the “Who is….” series from the UMS, was very informative and entertaining. And relevant. As it was looking at Chekhov’s life in order to understand more about “Uncle Vanya”.

“Who is Anton Chekhov” consisted of two parts- a presentation on Chekhov’s life by Professor Makin and a talk by Kate Mendeloff about the challenges in directing “Uncle Vanya”.  There was also a scene from “Uncle Vanya”, enacted by  Residential College students.

Professor Michael Makin, from the department of Slavic Studies, started this presentation on Chekhov, in his very charming accent. His delivery was quick and very erudite and it goes to show how well he knows the subject matter at hand. Anyway, so who was Anton Chekhov?

Unlike all the popular Russian writers who were counts or members of the Russian nobility, Anton Chekhov was born to a serf as the third of six  surviving children. He attended a gymnasium- comparable to our English grammar school. His father went bankrupt and fled to Moscow leaving his children and wife behind.   Anton joined medical school and also took over the responsibility for the whole family. To pay his tuition fess and to support his family, he wrote stories and sketches.

He became a physician and suffered from tuberculosis for a long time.  Chekhov didn’t take his writing seriously until Dmitry Grigorovich, one of the leading Russian writers of the time sent him a letter telling him about his immense talent. Chekhov’s artistic ambition bloomed and he soon won a Pushkin Prize for the short-story collection- “At Dusk”.  From being the son of an impoverished serf, he became a landowner when he bought the small estate of Melikhovo.

Ok, so how is this all relevant?

It is important for us to understand Chekhov as a person before we understand Chekhov as a playwright or writer- as most of who he was and what he valued can be reflected in his characters and work.  Well, Chekhov wrote what he saw and about a life that he was immersed in. His writings abound with references to the simple country life and the trials faced by a Russian in those days. It is also important to understand his background as to why he stands out from among the other Russian writers.

That said, Professor Makin told us that as a playwright, Chekhov was a flop initially. His plays “the Sea Gull” and “the wood demon” were fiascos when they were first staged. To some extent, they were way ahead of their times as they lacked the melodrama. They were waiting for the right people to act and direct it. Everytime, Chekhov failed as a playwright, he threatened never to return to it. But he always came back.

The innovative  Moscow Art Theatre found by Stanislavski for doing “naturalistic” theatre was what Chekhov needed. The production of “The Seagull” by Stanislavski was a huge success. Subsequently, Chekhov wrote his other plays for the Moscow Art Theatre  and “Uncle Vanya” is one of them.

“Uncle Vanya” is the story of Vanya (duh!), who is the uncle of Sonya (Actually it is a cleaned-upversion of “The wood demon”). He takes care of Sonya’s farm which was bequeathed to her by her now deceased mother. The two of them send the proceeds from the farm to Professor Serebryakov. The Professor marries a woman who is very young , Elena and sicne he can’t afford to live in the city anymore, he comes back to the country estate. This arrival causes such a ruckus in the lives of Vanya and Sonya.

So the plot is about Vanya feeling that he has totally wasted his life and what he does. Why Chekhov called it a comedy is unclear. Though it has a few laughs in it, I don’t think it is comedy.

Professor Kate Mendeloff  explained how Chekhov and his plays helped in actually laying out the foundation of the rules for all theatre and acting today.  The techniques and methods developed by Stanislavski are taught in every drama school today.

Residential college is putting up a production of “Uncle Vanya” which Mendeloff is directing. They enacted a scene from it. It was the opening act where the “long night” where the professor keeps everyone up by his constant griping is shown. It was interesting and cleverly done.

On the whole, it was a very interesting session. It made me wonder as to how how much of the writer was in the character they created and how much of it was what the writer wanted to be.

Review: My Story? …

Danny Fob 1 Comment

First of all I just want to say wow… just wow. This production was so well put together and performed. It was incredible. Incredibly incredible. For those who don’t know what the “What’s Your Story?” event was, it is an innovative play, new this year, created from the stories of students around campus. Anonymous stories were requested and received and then retold through the talent of actors from our campus. It contained a spectrum of different stories, from ridiculous exploding thermoses anecdotes to dramatic coming out and soul searching tales. The show was deeply emotional, yet still provided us with the comedy that makes our weekends so great.

The Pendleton Room in the Union was a terrible choice for venue. It was way too small for the huge crowd gathered to attend. Many of us were left standing around the edges listening intently to each portrayal, the standing of which is really just a reflection of how big the event was. No matter, it was worth standing, and definitely worth the small $5/person donation requested. All proceeds went to a good cause to help high-schoolers in Ann Arbor: The Neutral Zone, which is a place that teenagers can go to hang out and to receive guidance.

There were so many good stories and amazing actors to relive them. The setting is a street in Ann Arbor where a table is set up with a woman collecting stories in anonymous journals. Actors approached the table and delivered their reflections to the audience. One girl read us a letter written for her ex-boyfriend. She explained what he had done to her and how he had so easily forgotten her once she went to school. It was such a great performance, the actress actually cried as she poured her heart out on stage.

Another one of my favorites was one about a girl that had a secret. She never told anyone, but she had spent four months in a psychiatric hospital for an eating disorder. No matter how close her friends were, she couldn’t bring herself to tell them, so she wrote it in this journal. And of course there was a great coming out story from the flamboyant and energetic guy. He told us all about how his Jewish parents accepted it so easily and tried to help him find boyfriends and about how the CAPS program at the University helped him through his own problems with his sexuality. His story was funny and emotional as it needed to be.

“What’s Your Story?” reminded me of Yoni Ki Baat’s show, except that it was about different issues. Both are poetic masterpieces, but in this case I think that the actors in WTS were closer to the pieces they were performing. Where I had seen disconnects in YKB’s show, I saw none in “What’s Your Story?” The actors all seemed more genuine and realistic with their stories.

I really hope that this show comes back next year. I think it would be an awesome production to take part in, whether sending in a story of my own or acting in. Leaving the Union (and heading to support friends at Dance Marathon) I started to think of my own story and its many values. That is what I think this show was trying to leave us with. And I am so glad that arts@Michigan was able to help put this on. Just another reason I should thank my fabulous employers!

As Always,
This is Danny Fob: Artist and Art Reviewer

Review: Ring of Steel For Real

Danny Fob

Exciting! That is the one word that can be used to embody this event. So many magnificent swordfights and weapon expertise all in one morning really made the day start better than a cup of coffee does. They had the showcase at the Student Theater Arts Complex (which is down by Chrysler Arena connected to some kind of “plant operations” building). I had never heard of it before today, but I realized that it so far away because it needs a lot of room for all of the mats, props, scaffolds, and other theater equipment that this organization owns.

This open house was an interesting experience. While we waited for the show to begin, some of the other club members showed us the slew of weapons on display and described where they came from, what they were for, and told us the history behind them. It was very educational and we learned a lot about medieval weapons and their evolution through time.

The host of the show and leader of the group, the Maestro, began by telling us a brief history of “The Ring of Steel.” Apparently they have performed in venues from student productions to movies like “Hook” with Robin Williams and Disney’s “Three Musketeers.” Some of their favorite events are smaller, like a wedding in which they abducted the bride and than the “bridesmaids” rescued her back. So funny!

When the production began, it was exhilarating! So much fast movement and all of the clashes of sword collisions really got our hearts beating. The performers all had such aggression and concentration on what they were doing. And the passion…just beautiful. The actors were able to put stories into their scenes, from Shakespearean lines to funny babysitting battles. And they even used some parts from “Princess Bide” to liven up the show. It was great, especially since that is one of the best movies of all time (disclaimer: my opinions, no matter how correct, are not endorsed and do not reflect any specific opinions of art[seen] or the University of Michigan. They are mine and they are not considered theirs through affiliation).

We saw many different types of weaponry, including rapier, rapier and dagger, rapier and buckler, two-handed broadsword, staff, and the leather whip. There are 16 different classes of weapons that one can be trained in, and this group can train in most of the classes and also teach many of the stunts done in movies. The whip master was amazing! He had great stage presence, entertainment value, and comedy. He used plenty of targets, from flowers thrown from his own hand to a hat on his head, to show off his skill. We learned from him that the whip is the first human invention to break the sound barrier. The “crack” of the whip is actually a sonic boom! I thought that this was a really cool little trivia fact.

David Melcher-Whip Master
David Melcher-Whip Master

This group practices multiple times a week to build up an endurance. In movies they don’t show you how tired one gets after a few minutes of swordplay. But these actors were keeping it up and doing so beautifully. They are doing another show in May, so feel encouraged to look them up and go see their show!

As Always,
This is Danny Fob: Artist and Art Reviewer.