Category: Theatre

The Druid Theatre Company’s production of The Plough and the Stars, from Sean O’Casey’s Dublin Trilogy, raises salient questions about the nuances and cost of violence in the name of nationalism. The play captures the months preceding and during Ireland’s Easter Rising of 1916, focusing not on the “heroes” who participated in the Rising but on the common people living through the conflict, a major theme in O’Casey’s work. O’Casey eloquently portrays the tension between normalcy and wartime through the everyday lives of and relationships among his characters.

I thought O’Casey’s treatment of gender in the plays I saw was interesting. While I disliked the way Nora’s character in The Plough and the Stars was used to convey the tragedy of war by playing into stereotypes of the “hysterical” or “unstable” woman, I appreciated the way all of the female characters were endowed with strong personalities and ideologies. Even though O’Casey occasionally used these strong personalities as the punchline to jokes based on binary expectations of masculinity and femininity, they meant that each character in the minimal cast was given weight and their perspectives meaning.

While I recognize that the conflicts portrayed in the Druid Trilogy are still salient in Ireland and the Irish diaspora, for me, O’Casey’s critique of Irish nationalism and religion were a little too far out of context to feel particularly compelling. That said, the relation of the play with conflicts occurring right now elsewhere in the world left much for me to consider. The program for this production explains that after The Plough and the Stars debuted in Dublin, demonstrations against O’Casey’s depiction of the conflict interrupted subsequent stagings. I think it’s interesting how the history of the production is one of collective reckoning with the value and cost of violent conflict.

I wouldn’t argue that Ireland’s wars in the early 20th century are contextually similar to modern wars such as those in Ukraine and Palestine, but I feel that there are certain overarching themes which apply to the way we conceptualize these conflicts. For me, watching O’Casey raised the idea that one can hold and examine many ideas at once. Pointing out the costs of violent conflict needn’t be synonymous with delegitimizing a cause. Even in the heat of the moment, it is essential to create space for critical thinking about ideological causes, especially when the choices we make invoke life-and-death consequences for innocent people.

Frank Loesser’s Guys and Dolls dazzled the stage this weekend at the Lydia Mendelsohn Theater. The world-renowned University of Michigan Musical Theater department consistently illuminates the community with their work, and Guys and Dolls proved to be a successful production, brimming with high-energy performances.

I am consistently impressed by the professionalism and dedication to the craft that each of the performers brings to the stage in the Musical Theater Department University Productions. The level of theater presented throughout SMTD is undeniably inspiring. Each of these characters has been meticulously shaped, both in terms of their design and costuming, as well as the emotional and physical portrayals by the actors.

Standout numbers included, “Sit Down, We’re Rocking The Boat” and “The Crapshooter’s Ballet”. These were the most intricately choreographed and truly exhilarating to watch. The assistant choreographer, Cole Newburg, was a delight to watch on stage. I am consistently impressed by his polished work. I was exceedingly impressed with the dancing aspect of this show. The different styles were skillfully portrayed, and the ensemble work was precise and visually stunning.

The voices of Alex Humphreys and Diego Rodriguez as Sarah Brown and Sky Masterson were nothing short of spectacular. I admired their meticulous stylistic approach to the music, and in moments together, their vocal harmony was just as beautiful as their chemistry as characters. I applaud both of them for their fantastic work in these roles.

As I exited the theater, I found myself pondering the relevance of staging a show like Guys and Dolls in 2023. The 1950 show didn’t shy away from portraying the female characters as mere accessories to their male counterparts (implied by the term “Dolls” used throughout the show). This classic production continues to captivate audiences and evoke a warm sense of nostalgia, yet it raises the question: Can Golden Age shows be adapted for modern times? This is something I often contemplate as a lover of Golden Age works, but I sometimes cringe at its outdated dialogue.

Another brilliantly done Musical Theater Department show is nearly in the books— There is one more opportunity to catch Guys And Dolls at the Lydia Mendelsohn on Sunday, October 15, at 2 pm. The Musical Theater Department will be performing The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee starting NEXT weekend, running from October 19 to 29 at the Encore Theater in Dexter, MI. It’s a show not to be missed!

Photo thanks to The University of Michigan SMTD Facebook, 2023.