REVIEW: Oliver!

Ronald McTrump 1 Comment

This performance was by the Ann Arbor Civic Theatre.

Oliver is one of my top three favorite musicals in the world, but I am always very nervous when I go to see a performance of Oliver because it stars children. Children are often terrible actors and when they start singing out of tune don’t adjust their voice accordingly for the remainder of the song. Mistakes happen in every performance of Oliver, but the musical is so great that it is easy to ignore them.  This performance by the Ann Arbor Civic Theatre was better than average because the main roles were fantastic.

Fagin is a difficult role because he is supposed to be hilarious. Not just because of his script filled with one-liners, but every awkward mannerism and dance move he makes is supposed to make the audience laugh. Peter Sonnberg who played Fagin accomplished this. Every song I couldn’t take my eyes off Fagin, even if he wasn’t the main singer like in “I’d Do Anything”, because the way he moved was so entertaining. He is like a warm-hearted silly old man who doesn’t realize how goofy he is. When Bill Sikes brought Fagin his bounty of stolen goods for the day, I was laughing out loud, not because of the jokes being said but from Fagin’s lighthearted laugh after every joke.

Oliver’s voice was incredible. Emmanuel Morgan, who played Oliver, should be in a national boys choir. His voice was innocent, pure, and hit every high note with a beautiful falsetto. Oliver’s acting felt unnatural at times and his dancing was choppy, but this actually fit Oliver well who’s personality is supposed to be earnest and naive. The Artful Dodger had a great cockney accent and amazing stage presence. It was easy to see when he was performing with the other kids how much more natural his movements and acting was. Per Bergman who played The Artful Dodger really shone in every choreographed scene. This was important because The Artful Dodger is supposed to be a clever and talented character. Nancy was all around incredible, and perhaps the star of the show because of it.

Now for some complaints. The instrumentals were too quiet. I felt as though the singers were not able to project their voices because the music wouldn’t be able to accompany the volume. Scenes that usually feel intense were missing this intensity because the singing was too soft. For example in the opening song “Food,  Glorious Food” I didn’t think the kids were actually hungry and wanting food, and in “I Shall Scream!” there was no screaming. However, on a positive note the lead violinist did a wonderful job playing the mournful notes.

I also didn’t like Bill Sikes costume. I thought he looked like a vampire with slicked back hair, white faced make-up with dark black eyes, and a black cape over a red vest.

PREVIEW: Cory Wong

Angela Lin Leave a comment

Vulfpeck is one of Ann Arbor’s greatest phenomena, and now, their funkiest guitarist is finding success with his solo project, the Cory Wong Band. Following the release of his latest solo album, The Optimist, Cory Wong is spreading his unique multi-instrumental rhythmic music across the country with his tour, which includes a stop at the Blind Pig on Saturday, January 19 at 9pm. Tickets are $20 and can be bought online at www.blindpigmusic.com.

PREVIEW: Carrie Newcomer

JM Leave a comment

This Sunday, January 13, one of my all-time favorite artists will be performing at the Ark in Ann Arbor! Carrie Newcomer is a folk singer-songwriter, as well as a writer, and I have been listening to her for a good portion of my life, having been introduced to her music by my dad. I have seen her in concert once previously, and it was one of my favorite concerts I’ve been to. My family drove to Indiana over my high school spring break to see her perform in a small auditorium at Ball State University, and it did not disappoint.

Described as a “prairie mystic” by the Boston Globe, her music has an intimate spiritual inclination that celebrates human connection. If you have never heard Carrie Newcomer before, check out the video below for a sample!

Tickets are general admission and can be purchased online for $20 through 11 am on Saturday, January 12. After that, they may be purchased at the door on the night of the show. The show begins at 7:30 pm and doors open at 7 pm. The Ark is located at 316 S Main St in Ann Arbor.

REVIEW: Vox Lux

Corrina Lee Leave a comment

Some movies just leave you wondering: “Why?” That is all I remember thinking as I exited the theater following the film Vox Lux. Never has anything, not even my final exams, left me with such a general air of confusion. And most bewildering of all, it might have been intentional!

Vox Lux stars Natalie Portman as Celeste, an aging pop star. But even that might have been a sort of false advertising. For the film begins when Celeste is still a teenager, portrayed by Raffey Cassidy. Her career begins then, under the shadow of an enormous tragedy, a school shooting. Perhaps, it was the depiction of that tragedy that decisively turned me against the film. It was senseless and horrifying. Worst, it felt as if the movie was exploiting the chilling nature of the event to send a message. Whatever that message, I was certainly not ready to hear it, much less understand it.

This certainly obscured one of the best parts of the film, which was Cassidy’s performance as young Celeste. I was always left wondering what she was thinking. Alternatively, she acted her age and then well beyond her years. Contributing to this, was her odd demeanor, calm when she should be tense, prepared when she should be caught off guard. Celeste was a constant enigma that never ceased to intrigue me, at least when Cassidy was playing her.

Perhaps the greatest disappointment, then, was Natalie Portman’s performance. Whatever subtlety was created in the first few acts of the movie was completely lost by these last few parts. In fact, there seemed to be little connection between the two, which contributed to the overall lack of cohesiveness in the film. This adult Celeste has been jaded by years of public performance and has, at least outwardly, left the past behind. She is always looking to cover up her messes and make everyone as forgetful as she is. This is the philosophy that the film espouses best. The film, itself, wants to move as quickly as possible. It blurs everything together into a hyperactive montage of images. When there is so much information, none of it will matter.

It is a cynical stance that this film takes. But it is a cynicism about the 21st century that means nothing because we are no longer invested in any of the characters nor the world they inhabit. We don’t know what they want because they strive for nothing. We don’t care. Celeste doesn’t care. There is simply no weight in the film at all. Vox Lux is frenetic mess that sprints through scenes but ends up nowhere at all. Maybe that is exactly where it wanted to be?

REVIEW: Burning

Corrina Lee Leave a comment

Most of the movies that I watch are sharply split between the hero and the villain. Bad movies, to me, are ones that shovel viewers to one side. You have no choice but to support the hero against a one-dimensional, mustache-twirling bad guy. Good movies allow me to understand the villain, even sympathize with their cause, before ultimately siding with the hero. But the great ones mess with that divide instead. These films make picking sides difficult. These films make things complicated. I have watched a lot of good, a couple of bad, and only one great movie in 2018. I squirmed through, was hypnotized by, and ultimately loved Burning.

The protagonist of the film is Jong-su (Ah-in Yoo). Recently graduated from college, he moves not with nervous excitement of a newly independent adult, but with a blank-faced neutrality. After all, there is little to be passionate about. He works small, insignificant jobs around the city while he chips away at a novel. He dreams of being a novelist, he is stuck being a laborer. He seems to tread into each scene, carefully evaluating each situation, revealing little. The movie, too, is reluctant to show too much at once. Each detail is another pop of color on an expanding portrait. It is not, perhaps, until the very end when Jong-su becomes fully realized. And that moment of realization, is absolutely stunning.

But, of course, before that finale, there is an entire film of radiating unease. When Jong-su reunites with his childhood friend, Hae-mi (Jong-seo Jun), he is instantly enamored. But like much of the rest of the film, their relationship feels a little unmoored from reality. At first, Jong-su does not even recognize her face. She claims its plastic surgery. Secretly, you wonder if there is something she is hiding under her brilliant smile. There are constantly pieces missing, each adding to the waves of unrest. As much as the film reveals, it also keeps certain elements unknown. Carefully it teeters, yet it remains perfectly balanced.

After their first dinner together, Hae-mi asks Jong-su to look after her cat while she embarks on a trip to Africa. He agrees, showing up everyday to refill the emptying bowls of food and water. Mysteriously, he never sees the cat. Equally, he yearns for her return and the gleaming towers that he can glimpse from her apartment window. But when she returns, Hae-mi is already in a relationship with one of her fellow travelers, Ben (Steven Yuen). Ben has everything, and it bores him. Jong-su bristles at his nonchalance, for his beautiful apartment, for his fast car, even for Hae-mi’s earnestness. And it is easy to take Jong-su’s view. Ben’s riches seem unearned, his fortune unappreciated. Instinctively, we side with the underdog. That is what I find most brilliant about the film. It makes you question your own biases and preconceptions.

Burning is reflexively thrilling. You can’t help but search for clues in the spare Korean landscape, in the guarded eyes of Jong-su, Ben, and Hae-mi. Which is the hero? Which is the villain? Where is the cat? That is only for you to determine.

PREVIEW: Mary Poppins Returns

Fareah Fysudeen Leave a comment

Mary Poppins Returns is a sequel to the whimsical 1964 movie starring Julie Andrews. In this new adaptation with Emily Blunt, beloved nanny Mary Poppins returns to take a new and old generation of Banks family children into exciting, high-flying adventures, to lift them away from their struggles, and show them a colorful new perspective. The musical was nominated for four Golden Globes. Mary Poppins Returns is playing now in the Michigan Theatre.