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Saturday evening the Michigan Opera Theatre’s production of Franz Lehár’s The Merry Widow started more than a few minutes late – but for good reason.  April 8^th marked David DiChiera’s 80^th birthday, and as founder and artistic director of Michigan Opera Theatre, DiChiera brought opera to Detroit in 1971 helping to begin the rebirth of a city torn apart by riots in the 1960s. So before the curtain was raised, Ron Raines led the audience in a rendition of Happy Birthday after Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan called DiChiera “a visionary who helped transform Detroit” and DiChiera’s grandchildren wheeled out a birthday cake complete with a lighted candle waiting to be blown out.

The celebration continued as the curtain was raised, revealing the party that is taking place at the beginning of the opera. The set, designed by Utah Opera, and the costuming was consistently a highlight of the show. In the first act a large ballroom was built with white drops glowing a light pink framing the stage and a grand staircase. Principles and choristers were all dressed in crisp white and black creating a uniform visual picture, but at times making the principles blend in a little too well. When a man entered stage left during the opening number in a bright red vest I assumed he must be a man of significant dramatic importance as my eyes were immediately drawn toward the red among a sea of white. Alas, he was a non-singing, non-speaking extra playing a butler and wearing a distracting vest which, in hindsight, seems much better suited for the burlesque scene of the third act.

Some were concerned that following her substantial work with heavy Wagnerian repertoire Deborah Voight would struggle in a lighter role with its share of coloratura. However, her performance Saturday night put any and all doubts to rest. Her coloratura did not come as easy as recordings of Joan Sutherland or Beverly Sills in the role but her superb acting expunged any flaws one may have found with her performance vocal. Regal and charming while always mischievous, Voight stole the heart of each and every audience member.

Performing along side Voigt were Roger Honeywell (Prince Danilo), Richard Suart (Baron Mirko Zeta), Amanda Squirieri (Valencienne) and Aaron Blake (Camille) who all gave strong performances. Honeywell, a tenor, struggled to project some of the lower notes that the role of Prince Danilo required but marvelously soared through the higher passages. Suart sang well with strong diction, but his monologue at the beginning of the second act was lost without a single hard consonant. Squirieri and Blake proved a remarkable pair and I was at a loss for which of the performances I preferred musically or dramatically. Squirieri masterfully sang through the difficult passaggio sections and Blake’s voice resonated throughout the theatre with impressive clarity.

The production that director Kelly Robinson and conductor Gerald Steichen presented Saturday night was a testament to all that David DiChiera has done for opera and for Detroit. A fun, yet touching piece, The Merry Widow had me dancing in my seat and wondering what MOT will do next.

Oh my soul, the concert I attended Tuesday evening must have been the most spiritual, uplifting, heart-warming, concert I have ever attended. If you were not in the audience of the Fillmore Tuesday night, I truly believe you missed out on something special. Something only a few of us here were lucky enough to witness. But worry not, there will be another chance. Like me, you should already be looking into the next Walk the Moon concert and desperately trying to find front row tickets. Every ounce of sweat you feel come off the band is just another step closer to heaven.

I seriously believe this group has some of the most inspiring souls I have ever had the chance to be in the presence of. Every song was so much more than just some notes traveling through the room. They poured their hearts into every word and were living their music, revealing to everyone what life really is through every word they sang. This is exactly what a concert should be. You forget about everything else in your life except the music and the people around you. Then, after you leave the concert hall, you feel like you have just been told the meaning of life, knowing exactly how to approach the world, realizing you can of course deal with all the annoying little things of your daily routine.

Their music reminds you how happy you can be, if you just focus on the good side of life. As Nick (the lead singer) told everyone in the Fillmore to release all the bullshit we have in our lives and give up on everything outside of the now, you could feel the entire audience loose a million tons of stress. Everyone suddenly forgot why they had been worrying about that essay they had to turn in, or why they were worried about some Facebook post their friend made that day. Even the politics of the day faded into the distance. What we felt in that moment can only be expressed as pure ecstasy. And no ensemble has been able to do that for me quite in the same way Walk the Moon did.

I think many of us have given up on the idea that musicians aren’t jaded by the money, lifestyle, or fame, but I truly believe Walk the Moon may be one of the last groups left that truly just loves music and wants to move some people on this Earth. Another one of my favorite bands, Johnnyswim, convinces you of the same thing. I don’t believe I will ever tire of listening to their music because of this reason. You can’t help but feel more connected to the Earth and just smile because you are happy to be alive when listening to their music. I cannot stress how much this concert meant to me, and I highly HIGHLY encourage you to go see them live if you ever have the chance. They are totally worth the money, and you will not be disappointed.

 

Thursday began the 2 weekend run of Iphigenia at Aulis by Euripides presented by the University of Michigan Theatre Department. Written over 2,400 years ago, I was initially concerned that the play’s language would be difficult to understand and that the subject matter would be unrelatable to our modern age. However, within minutes my ears adjusted to the language, which was far less foreign than Shakespeare, and was drawn into a play which subtly stated its relevance through modern prop weaponry and costuming.

As the play begins, the Greek troops have become stuck at Aulis, impatiently waiting for the winds to change so that they may sack Troy and return Helen to her rightful husband. Agamemnon, the leader of the Greek troops, has been told that he must sacrifice his daughter to the goddess Artemis in order to change the winds. Using the false pretense of a marriage to Achilles, he summons his daughter to Aulis and to her death.

Blair Price (Clytemnestra, the wife of Agamemnon) commanded a powerful presence on stage and was the clear standout of the cast. From her first entrance, where she portrayed the dutiful wife and excited mother of the bride, to the final tableau of the piece Price became Clytemnestra and at no times allowed her true self to show. Her most powerful performance was during her daughter’s, Iphigenia (Anaztasia Zavitsanos), monologue. As Iphigenia accepted her fate as a human sacrifice, Price’s eyes darted across the theater while her body remained completely still except for her deep panting breaths. The panic which appeared on her face was genuine, not merely an actress playing “panicked”. As her eyes darted across the theatre the slow realization was made that there was no escape from the situation. Again, this transition from panic to despair was not forced, rather the natural progression of emotion as she realized the gravity of the situation. Her tears, red eyes and runny nose sacrificed beauty for realistic portrayal of desperation and grief and as her daughter was murdered by her father’s hand, her shriek left a haunting silence in the auditorium.

The Greek Chorus transitioned between their function as an ethereal chorus and mortal women with surprising ease. These transitions were assisted by dance like movement choreography that drastically changed their bodies’ shapes from a natural resting position to a contorted position, clearly showing that these were not mortal beings subscribing to human behavioral norms.

Director Malcolm Tulip in collaboration with Costume Designer Kayleigh Laymon gave this production a modern twist by outfitting the Greek soldiers not in tunics but in camouflage pants and green fitted t-shirts with hand guns and rifles rather than swords. These updates made the piece feel more modern but a no times felt awkward as there were no direct references to a prop gun as a sword etc.

Overall this was a solid production with a clear artistic vision that felt appropriate and natural throughout the entire piece. Performances will continue April 9 – 12 at the Arthur Miller Theatre.

According to www.alz.org, a website dedicated to Alzheimer’s disease, as of 2015 5.3 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease. Less than 200,000 of that number have early onset Alzheimer’s. The movie Still Alice is the story of one person who has this disease.
Alice is brilliant Columbia University professor ( And might I add played brilliantly by Julianne Moore) whose life unravels because of this monstrous ailment. She is unable to remember words when she lectures; she is unable to find her way around the house to the bathroom, and eventually she is unable to speak. Her life takes so many twists and turns it is heart wrenching.
But this movie shows us the power of the human spirit as Alice, does the best she can to fight her disease, and uses as many tactics that she can to fight her disease.
I understand that it is close to Finals season for many of us, so perhaps watching a woman losing her memory isn’t the most uplifting movie. But, if you are interested in seeing a woman fight for herself, her mind, and her family- then this is the movie. This movie is after all about strength, resolve, and determination- in the face of life’s troubles; and that type of inspiration is something we can use- at any time.

“The Cherry Orchard” is the last play written by Russian playwrite, Anton Chekhov, at the end of the 19th century. It follows the story of an aristocratic family who needs to seek their estate in order to pay off debts. Accounts of each of the family members presents their own way of coping with the reality of their situation and sets out a tragic and somewhat comedic storyline.

Who: Performed by the Rude Mechanicals
What: The Cherry Orchard
When: Friday and Saturday at 8pm. Sunday at 2 pm.
Price: $8 regular/$5 students