Category: Uncategorized

Even though the snowstorm outside had most of us turning up the heat, making hot cocoa and warming our feet in our rooms, Spring Awakening had me extremely enthusiastic. We all thought how ironic it was that we were going to watch a performance with the mention of ‘Spring’ on the day of the season’s first snow!
The Broadway cast had sent a video to MUSKET telling them that we have awesome lights – and that was the first thing I noticed when I entered the Power Centre. The hues of purple and the grey, ominous trees created the perfect set piece.
The show finally started and the cast ran onto stage in their innocent dresses and school boy clothes. The comic timing and expressions of each character were impeccable – we learned about each one of them and fell in love instantly with Moritz and Wendla immediately. The hilariously cute emotions of adolescents took me back to the days where I changed seats just to get a better look of the secret someone I crushed on.
The first notes of Mama Who Bore Me gave me the goosebumps. Coming from a culture where sex is a taboo, the relationship between Wendla and her mother made me think about how all of us hear about sex for the first time – with euphemisms, symbolic suggestions and things left to our own dear imagination.

The classroom scene also reminded me of a reflection of the education system. This was when I was charmed by the character of Melchior. The highly intelligent, precocious gentleman’s character made me feel like there’s going to be a lot in store from him. It was great to see his character develop yet see such a mature teenager in a show.

However, the highlight of the show was Totally Fucked. As soon as Moritz broke into song, the audience couldn’t stop singing along or hooting to the lyrics. As the audience was dominated by students, the mood around midterms season and finals soon approaching made Totally Fucked an anthem. Furthermore, the choreography and energy of this song were unparalleled. I was in my seat, ready to start dancing and sing totally fucked at that moment!

The portrayal of love in Spring Awakening had some of the purest emotions in my opinion. The scene between Hanschen and Ernst was totally unexpected, but I loved how all the sides of love and exploration came through in this musical. Most of the time, only heterosexual romances take place in musicals like these but this scene seemed like it had been put into place for comic relief, as it was a reprise of the song “Word of your Body” which was performed by Moritz and Wendla. I thought it was still like gay people living in the shadow of straight people on the performance front, but the chemistry was impeccable between the two men.

Spring Awakening highlighted the rises all of us face. Be it not doing well academically, having infinite questions about sex and sexuality, the need to explore to find our own truth, attraction, desire, love and most of all, being spectators to all the problems in the world such as abuse, sadness and injustice. Many parts of it were relatable to me as I come from a very conservative upbringing where I had to find out a lot of things about growing up by myself or through friends.

Finally, The Song of Purple Summer was the perfect ending to the musical. The mellow music yet bright tones to it had a sense of hope yet was so melancholy. I felt like Spring Awakening summed up a very large part of my life, even though I did not have the same experiences as any of the characters did.

I had a great time that night and still listen to the soundtrack for study music (PS: Totally Fucked should not be on your playlist around finals, we should have something more motivational!) It is hard to resist singing along to the entire playlist and relive the experience of the performance on the night of the first snow.

PS : MUSKET is putting up Big Fish next semester and all performers are invited to Mass Meetings in the Union in January!

The concert began with an introduction about Paul Lewis’ heroic short-notice fill in for Leif Ove Andsnes.  I knew about his loaded schedule because of the research I had done beforehand, but until after the concert I didn’t even consider the fact that he must’ve been extremely jet lagged while playing.  Lewis was still in another time zone.  By the time he began to play for us, it was about 1am or 2am to him.  Under those circumstances, I was utterly impressed that he was able to stay focused to play for 90 minutes after all of the travel and lack of sleep.  

I had never been to a professional classical piano concert before.  I expected to check my watch every 10 minutes and just want to sleep for the whole entire time, but my experience at Paul Lewis’s concert was soothing and satisfying.  I was surprised at how quickly Paul Lewis began playing once he came onto the stage.  He took a quick bow then began playing almost as soon as he was seated.  This was a much different approach than what I read about Leif Ove Andsnes.  Andsnes apparently thinks that it is important to talk briefly before playing.  I didn’t feel much excitement when the concert started because of the fact that classical piano music is usually what I listen to when I really need to focus while studying.  Since I’m used to listening to that style of music in the background while I am doing something else, it was hard for me to only focus on the music at times.  I found myself closing my eyes and trying to imagine a story to stay engaged during the first song.  Each keystroke seemed so delicate.  Classical music is always relaxing and beautiful but being inside of Hill Auditorium with the dim lights and beautiful background amplified the tranquil feeling.  The audience was startled when the mood changed at first because it was so sudden.  The changes in tone and volume in this piece were not my favorite because I like when classical music flows and this piece seemed a little bit choppy.  Some people might say that they liked this because it kept them on the edge of their seat.  

The second piece, Sonata No. 31 in A-flat major, Op. 110, was my favorite because of its spontaneity.  The piece flowed together beautifully even though the tone of the piece changed frequently and abruptly.  For most of the concert, Paul Lewis was pretty stiff while performing so during this song it was pleasant to see him get more into the music and use more dramatic movements with his arms.  At the end of the concert, I knew that I appreciated the second song the most because they all sounded similar to me and this piece seemed to be the most different.  There was a climax when he played louder and louder, building up tension and giving the piece a different feel than the other two.  This piece seemed to actually have a story behind it because it conveyed specific feelings at times.  I wish the song didn’t drag out for so long because towards the end it started sounding like the end of the first Sonata.  I could tell that the audience enjoyed this Sonata the most as well because the clapping for this song was significantly longer than the other pieces.  

Paul Lewis began to play the third piece immediately after the clapping died down.  This song sounded like background music to a horror movie for the majority of it.  I could imagine something mysterious happening.  He even slammed on the keys a few times which created intensity.   This song was impressive because he was able to assimilate many different variations of speeds and tones into the piece.  At the end, I was getting a bit restless since the third song began to sound identical to the other pieces.  

As I zoned out, I started thinking about how difficult the show must have been to put on.  Not only did I find it amazing that Paul was able to come so last minute, but the fact the UMS was able to have such a highly renowned pianist come to replace Leif Ove Andsnes is incredible.  UMS must have such great connections and Hill Auditorium is such a desirable place for pianists to play.  I can only imagine how hectic it was to deal with transportation for the musician, making new programs, and the upset people who already bought tickets specifically to see Andsnes.  I wanted to make sure I gave a shoutout to UMS for such a successful turnout.  

Overall, the talk at the beginning of the show made me appreciate the concert even more because it showed that Paul Lewis is so passionate about performing that he was willing to make such a last minute adjustment to an incredibly busy schedule.  I thought he was extremely talented and the music was enchanting, but I just wish there was more of a variety.  I think that it would’ve been nice to hear a program similar to what Leif Ove Andsnes was going to perform.  

Tomorrow, November 20th at 8:00pm, Leif Ove Andsnes was supposed to perform at Hill Auditorium.  Sadly, at the last minute, it was announced that he is ill and was told by his doctors not to fly.
Paul Lewis will be replacing Leif Ove Andsnes.  Paul Lewis is known to be a “full-blooded Beethoven interpreter whose virtuoso brilliance and deft touch illuminate every familiar phrase.” by the Chicago Tribune.

I am very excited for Paul Lewis’ performance because the fact that he made such a last minute change in his busy schedule to play for us shows how passionate he is about sharing his music.  The UMS website informed me that he is performing a recital this evening (Thursday) at the Wimbledon International Music Festival, hopping on a plane on Friday morning to arrive here in the early afternoon, and then leaving after the concert by car for Chicago, where he will catch an early morning flight back to the UK.  This is just incredible and will make me appreciate the concert even more.

The tickets range from $30-$65 and are still available!
**If you have already bought a Leif Ove Andsnes ticket that will be valid for this concert.**

You can learn more about Paul Lewis by visiting his website.

I have been told that the secret to happiness is quite simple: ensure that your expectations are lower than that which is bound to happen, because otherwise you will always be disappointed. It was through my own folly then, that this premise was not kept in mind as I attended Ann Arbor in Concert’s An Evening with Shoshana Bean and Whitney Bashor at the Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre on Saturday evening. Overall, the production was entertaining and well laid out, however, I found it much too long and rough around the edges.

As students, we are able to attend any of the School of Music, Theatre and Dance productions for $12. These productions are never flawless but they are quite good – while they are current students, many of the performers go on to sing, dance and act on major stages across the country including Broadway. So when I purchased tickets for $25 a person to see two current Broadway stars, my expectation was that this performance would be significantly stronger than anything I had seen on the Lydia Mendelssohn stage.

For those that have attended one of Audra McDonald’s concerts at Hill Auditorium, it is easy to understand the vibe which the performance was striving for. There was a beautiful bright red couch on the right side of the stage where Shoshana Bean and Whitney Bashor sat when not singing and a white swivel chair from which Mike Mosallam controlled the length and subject of conversation between songs. They strived to seamlessly interpolate conversation between each piece the girls sang, including stories from their childhood, audition nightmares and backstage antics, but instead of naturally flowing through conversation, it came off as forced and unrehearsed. There were extremely endearing moments during which I was grateful for the insights into these girls lives, but as the conversation dragged on I became disinterested. For a performance that contained approx. 50 minutes of music and no intermission, it lasted much too long. Overall, the conversation took away from the experience so that by 10:25 when it was over (the performance began at 8:10 with no intermission), I was more than ready to leave.

The obvious highlight of the evening was the singing. Both Bean and Bashor are extremely talented performers and every time they stepped up to the mic they performed like the professionals they are. I was pleasantly surprised by inclusion of several of the musical theatre majors who functioned primarily as backup for Bean and Bashor, but some of who were featured in a Wicked medley. The medley finished with Bean taking back the mic, and I felt bad for the student featured right before her because the difference in the quality of instruments was extremely apparent. During this medley two students of note were Cameron Jones and Jillian Slade, both commanded the space physically and vocally holding their ground among an incredibly talented crowd. Since there was no program, I am unable to properly credit another incredibly talented student who performed during the “guess-that-riff” section of the evening. She performed difficult passages from Bean’s repertoire and nailed every single note, leaving everyone, includng Bean, obviously impressed.

An Evening with Shoshana Bean and Whitney Bashor had the potential to be a performance that would exceed the highest of expectations, yet, the performance which they put on was simply good not extraordinary. The dialog which occurred between songs lacked “performance energy” and lasted far too long causing the performance to drag. However, for the opportunity to see Bean and Bashor perform live, it was well worth the price of admission.

 

Since I was a kid, like mostly everyone else, I loved stories. I would relish the visits my family took to my grandma’s house because she would always tell us stories in her bedroom before we went to bed. My siblings and I would lie there listening intently, and as soon as she would finish we would all plead, “Just one more Grandma.” This would go on until finally she would remind us that she had already taken her medication and had to go to sleep, which would result in a reluctant sigh from all of us. I never really outgrew this love for storytelling. Whether it be sitting around a campfire with my family or hanging out with friends I always loved hearing and telling stories. I think that this passion of stories is illustrated by the fact that I chose to start off this very review with a story…

On Friday night I went to the 10th edition of Ignite Ann Arbor, a story telling event where the speakers get exactly five minutes to talk, with twenty slides cycling through automatically behind them. There were fourteen stories in all. The topics spread from reforming the justice system to how to design your city to optimize the party scene. I have been a long time listener of The Moth, a podcast that features stories told at Moth events that are very similar to this; so I had high expectations. Ignite did not disappoint at all. I found myself engaged and learning new things about space as astronomer Keren Sharon showed us the huge activity in a seemingly empty part of space. I found myself laughing as Ry4an Brase (the 4 is silent) showed the flaws of the typical map by placing the faces of the Brady Bunch on the globe and showing how distorted they came out on the map. I also found myself close to tears as Michelle Massey Barnes told a story about her experience photographing a woman who had cancer and her daughter. She talked about the mom trying to help the daughter deal with her hair falling out when they would wrestle, and in the end the mom allowed her daughter to shave her head, empowering her. My favorite story told was by Lucy Tobier, an eleven-year-old girl who is the editor of The Murray Ave Times. This is a hyper-local newspaper she started for her street as a way to make money. Her first interview was with her neighbors’ dog and she has now scaled to interviewing people as well. She talked about how she believed every street should have its own newspaper and described some of her experiences with owning the newspaper and interviewing people.

All the stories were clearly well-rehearsed and fit the time constraints and slide transitions perfectly. The program was put on very well and all the stories were not only interesting but thought-provoking. I would recommend anyone who loves stories to go to the next installation of Ignite. I will definitely be there.

Picture taken at a previous Ignite Ann Arbor event

 

For more on Ignite and the speakers, visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ignite-ann-arbor-10-tickets-18971794147 or https://www.facebook.com/ignitea2/?fref=ts