The Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan will be performing at the Power Center on Friday October 21st and Saturday October 22nd at 8 p.m. The company will perform Water Stains on the Wall, artistic director Lin Hwai-min’s newest piece. The work is a metaphor for the exquisite beauty of Chinese calligraphy, the dancers’ movement like flowing ink on pure rice paper. With dancers trained not only in ballet and modern dance, but also tai chi, meditation, and Chinese opera movement, the unique quality and control of the movement is sure to be breathtakingly ethereal.
And to get a taste of the art of Chinese calligraphy before seeing the show, come to the Power Center from 7-7:45 p.m. on Friday and Saturday to work with local calligraphers.
Yes folks, Little Women, the classic novel by Louisa May Alcott, has gone from book to play, musical, movie, and Opera. The Libretto was written by Mark Adamo and performed by UofM’s School of Music, Theater, and Dance at Mendelssohn Theatre in the League. I had
never read the novel, but since I love the operas presented here at the University, I went to see how it turned out. This past weekend the only day I had free was Thursday, so I went then and thouroughly enjoyed the show.
Like all the operas at the university, this one had subtitles projected above the stage so that we could all understand the libretto. Even though it was sung in English, it was still hard to hear exactly what they were saying through the vibrato and the many operatic accents that make classic operas what they are.
I loved the story of the show. Though I’ve never read the novel Little Women, I am now planning on reading it this summer. It’s the story of 4 sisters and their best friend and the process of change that cannot be stopped, no matter how hard you try in life. One sister gives up so much just so that her family won’t change, and in the end it just leads to her regretting and realizing her mistakes. It’s a harsh lesson, but an important one to learn and understand. Another theme the story touches on is that of art verses entertainment. Jo begins to sell out on her story writing because people will pay her for trashy stories. Her artistic talent is pushed to the wayside until a suitor made her question it and learn to embrace her originality and creativity.
The performers were wonderfully talented, providing us with just the right amount of humor and depth. We laughed often at the clever comedy and at the reenactments of childhood memories, and then cried as the changes of the characters’ lives emerged. I think that the School of Music, Theater, and Dance has found another magnificent production and by making it their own they’ve connected with audiences and families from all over Ann Arbor. This show receives an A+ from me.
As always,
This is Danny Fob: Artist and Art Reviewer
This Sunday night I went to the Power Center (my favorite campus venue) to see the Druid and Atlantic Theater Company production of Martin McDonagh’s The Cripple of Inishmaan. It was crazy funny! We laughed so hard at the dry Irish humor. The actors were so talented. No matter how much we laughed or what crazy things they did on stage, not a one of them ever broke character. And they did some pretty ridiculous things, including breaking eggs on heads, being incredibly boring to the point of laughter, and beating on each other.
The play is set on the small island of Inishmaan in 1934. There is nothing of interest happening on the island, so the people are forced to consider things such as sheep being born without ears to be interesting. Also in this category of things that should be reported; Cripple Billy is staring at cows again, a goose bit a cat, the egg man’s eggs didn’t lay today, and, what’s this? A team of Hollywood moviemakers are on the next island filming a movie? This really is big news! In fact, it’s the biggest news that the town gossip/self-proclaimed news carrier John Patine Mike has ever had. So big that a group of townspeople are sailing over to the island to see the filming and hopefully get a chance at acting in it. Billy Claven, called Cripple Billy by most on account of his severe deformities, is one interested in going. After winning the heart of the boatman with a doctor’s note reporting his eminent death, he sails with the group. Fortune smiles on him and Billy go’s to America for the chance of starring in a film about a cripple in Ireland. What a chance!
Throughout the production, constant jokes, insults, and egg throwing keeps the audience laughing and saying “I can’t believe they just said that!” Constantly people praise their homeland with the phrase “Ireland must not be such a bad place if dentists/Frenchmen/colored fellas/earless sheep/Americans want to come here.” The younger brother of the love interest, Helen McCormick, constantly talks of sweeties from America and his obsession with telescopes. Helen chucks eggs, swears like a sailor, and is the village slut that no one knows about (in order to maintain the name of the actual one and to avoid competition). The aunts that adopted Billy both have their quirks. One eats the sweets of their shop when stressed, the other talks to rocks when she’s worried. John Patine Mike has tried and failed to kill his mother for 65 years by giving her constant alcohol. There is so much comedy and brilliant writing in this production that it’s hard not to laugh, even when the setting makes the word “Cripple” a joke. You sort of feel guilty laughing when the characters, even his loving aunts, make fun of Billy’s disabilities. But then you remember the setting and realize it is realistic; what would have actually happened, and it’s okay to laugh.
The play was a wonderful way to spend a Sunday afternoon and I would thoroughly enjoy it if the Druid and Atlantic Theater Company returned to the Power Center in the future. It takes an open mind and a taste for dry humor to understand the comedy of this play. It also takes a sensitive character to understand the sadness, emotion, and tragic life that Cripple Billy leads. I would strongly advise going to plays like this. Everyone can learn and laugh a little from such a production and I am very happy to have attended.
As always,
This is Danny Fob: Artist and Art Reviewer
On November 22, the Lydia Mendelssohn Theater was filled with existentialist romance novels, epic pinky swears, unicorns, samurai ducks, and, of course, oatmeal. Thanks to U of M’s MFA Creative Writing Program and 826michigan, as well as several other sponsors, students from schools all around the area got to see their plays come to life on stage. The evening consisted of four one-act plays, each incorporating a bowl of oatmeal in some way (the last one contained two), and three playwrights’ studios. Joe Morton, a second-year grad student in the MFA program, hosted discussions with several of the authors – the youngest was 8, and the oldest was 15. It was a nice spotlight moment for the kids, and a wonderful insight into their active imaginations for those of us in the audience.
Seven professional actors, directed by Jacqui Robbins, portrayed the various characters in the plays. They were reading scripts (which I thought was a bit odd, since this had been planned for several weeks), but they still did a good job of creating the different personalities on stage. I’m sure it was exciting for the authors to see their work performed by seasoned professionals. Personally, though, I wish the plays had been performed by fellow students – while young kids may not have been as technically good as the trained actors, I think the authors’ peers would’ve been even more charming and energetic in those roles. Even so, the authors’ splendid imaginations and senses of humor were evident in a big way – I was laughing the whole evening.
Much like any other 826michigan fundraiser, this event was creative, off-the-wall, and a lot of fun. If it happens again, make sure you see it!
Tonight, at 7:30 pm in the Mendelssohn Theater, you can witness what is probably the most adorable thing to have hit this stage: five one-act plays written by 11-to-15-year olds, all somehow involving a bowl of oatmeal. It’s cohosted by the University Department of English Language and Literature and 826michigan, a nonprofit literacy organization for kids ranging from 6 to 18 years of age. They provide tutoring and writing opportunities for children, and profits from your ticket ($15 for general admission) will benefit these programs. So come! Watch the kids! And bask in the glory of knowing you’re helping them in more ways than one.
Bravo! Bravo! Bravisimo! That is what everyone has been exclaiming all weekend as they left the Power Center. The Elixir of Love, presented by the ever-brilliant School of Music, Theater, and Dance, is the first of two operas that are performed this academic year, and let me just say it was a huge success! The opera was so funny; both within the plot and the body acting of the performers. And the music…Oh the music! Italian opera is perhaps the most beautiful song form in the world.
Most people I know have never seen an opera (aside from the movie Phantom of the Opera, which doesn’t count). So when I told them I was going they were completed shocked that UofM even had operas. “Isn’t it all in Italian?” they said. Yes it is, but it doesn’t really matter. They give you a synopsis of what will be happening, character names, and even subtitles above the stage. It isn’t difficult to understand at all. Plus, with Italian opera phrases are repeated endlessly in different runs and notes, so you only need to read about a third of the show. The rest you can just listen and watch.
I love going to the Power Center. I know I say that all the time, but I really do enjoy it. There is a fair amount of leg room, you’re close enough to the stage pretty much anywhere you sit, and the performers are always genuinely excited to be on the stage performing for you.
The show starts with the curtain going up and us seeing the set for the first time. It’s a classic Italian town. The chorus and the characters come on stage and begin the performance. And then it’s two hours of laughter, smiling, and my mouth hanging open in awe of the beautiful notes coming from the mouths of the singers. Absolutely astonishing. It is truly a joy to see something come to life like this. And if only wine could work the wonders it does in this show. Or maybe a dilluted effect. Instead of everyone falling falling in love with you and wanting to get married, maybe just a date on friday night? A cup of coffee or something? Wine sales would sky-rocket! (Disclaimer :WINE DOES NOT CAUSE SPONTANEOUS LOVE OR THE SUDDEN EXISTENCE OF DATES. DO NOT CONSUME FOR THESE PURPOSES UNLESS YOU WANT TO EMBARRASS YOURSELF)
Wine is great and all, but probably not what the topic of this review should be. I would like to end it with a shout out to all of the stars of the show who were all fantastic and for the chorus who made the show possible and entertaining. Part of the Cast for November 11&13
Cast
November 11 & 13, 2010
Amy Petrongelli as Adina
Kyle Matthew Knapp as Nemorino
Steven Eddy as Belcore
Nicholas Ward as Dulcamara
Ariel Halt as Giannetta
November 12 & 14, 2010
Anne Jennifer Nash as Adina
Kyle Tomlin as Nemorino
Brian Rosenblum as Belcore
Benjamin Sieverding as Dulcamara
Kristen Seikaly as Giannetta
I left the show with a wonderful feeling of happiness and contentment, and maybe a little contact love tipsyness 🙂 I hope that I’ve left you with the same.
As always,
This is Danny Fob: Artist and Art Reviewer.
