The problem with previewing a mystery-thriller film is that one doesn’t want to spoil the movie for oneself or for their readers. Simultaneously, I want to build anticipation for this film that has intrigued me since it was shown at the Cannes Film Festival this summer. So, I begin this preview with much trepidation and excitement. The film in question, is Burning. Directed by Lee Chang-dong, it is a Korean film based on a Haruki Murakami novel. Steven Yuen, most famous as Glenn on the Walking Dead, is Ben. Ben meets Jong-su (Ah-in Yoo) after Jong-su cat-sits for Ben’s girlfriend. It seems the men are drawn together. By fate or on purpose, it is difficult to see just yet. The film looks full of beautiful landscape, rich households, and tense atmospheres. More than that, I cannot tell, but am certainly excited to find out. Burning is currently showing at the State Theater. Tickets can be bought online or at the box office ($8 with a student ID).
REVIEW: The Book of Mormon
The Book of Mormon was a wonderful production, put on by Broadway in Detroit at the Fisher Theatre. It is undeniable that the stage was almost glowing throughout the entire show. The bright lights and set decor were a defining part of the experience, giving it the livelihood that such a musical, with compelling identities and enthusiastic characters, deserves. The vibrant colors of the costumes further complemented these strong production aspects, while also playing well into building the separate identities of the characters. The animated performances of the cast were obviously doing the heavy-lifting. Between the identifiable characters, the strong choreography, or the catchy, witty tunes, the cast managed to bring life to the entire show.
For people who are unfamiliar with the show, here it is: two 19-year-old mormon missionaries, Elder Price and Elder Young, are sent out to Uganda for their first two year mission, and it’s not what they expected. Price had hoped to be sent to Orlando Florida, and follower Young just wanted to be Price’s sidekick – but instead he ends up converting many Ugandans on his own terms. Through their adventures with religion, culture, and interaction, the show expresses satire, and sometimes even deeper emotion.
My favorite parts of the show would have to be the songs “Baptize Me” and “Joseph Smith, American Moses” and the choreography. In the former, Elder Young goes through the process of baptizing Nabulungi, which is full of sexual implications. I think I loved this one because Young is such a charismatic character – he brings many laughs to the show, while also forcing the audience to empathize with him because of his low self-esteem. In the latter, the villagers put on a show for the Mormon missionaries, which is entertaining thanks to the juxtaposition between the Ugandans and the Americans reaction. The choreography is a major part of the show, paying tribute to all different genres and parts of musical history. Such complexity and variety from song to song is refreshing, fun, and completely classic. I guess it’d be foolish to expect anything but hyper-theatricality, even if it is a show focused on Mormons in Uganda.
The only issue I had with the show was, well, the show. I knew that it was somewhat controversial, but generally hailed as a brilliant production. However, as I sat through the first act, it took me some time to warm up to the jokes and feel comfortable with them. This is not because I don’t like or am not used to comedy – I love it. And beyond that, find it to be an extremely effective means, specifically when battling confusing identities, ones that are often stereotyped or oppressed. Comedy is awesome. But for some reason, the portrayal of the Ugandans, an imperative part of the show, was not cutting it for me. And despite having thought and read about the story, I still cannot put my finger on what exactly turned me off. It could be due to the current climate our world is in – one where outlandish, seemingly ridiculous ideas that appeared and functioned as jokes are finding their footing in societies that are supposed to be increasingly “progressive” and “forward-moving.” It could be a variety of reasons, objective or subjective. I’m toying with ideas here, still trying to understand why I didn’t love my matinee musical experience quite as much as I hoped that I would. Instead I’ve been left as a slightly confused google-searcher and review-hunter.
However, I saw that by the second act, as a whole, the Ugandans were more humanized and credible. They knew that everything Young was spewing to them, about kissing frogs to cure AIDS and yatta yatta, was metaphors. And by the end of the show, we’re on a positive note again, just as hopeful as Elder Price was at the beginning when he hoped to be sent to Orlando, acknowledging the importance of religion and beliefs to many people, no matter their differences. All in all, I’d say The Book of Mormon is a put-together production worth seeing, and one worth taking a more critical look at, too.
PREVIEW: Pls Hire Us–Comedy Sketch Show
As we all know, exam season is a rough time to be alive. The work seems endless, the career goals start looking a little blurry, and dropping out feels like a more and more attractive option with each failed practice quiz.
It’s time to take a little break. The SAC 403 class will be performing a comedy act at North Quad Studio A, with the frighteningly relatable title “Pls Hire Us.” Showtimes are Wednesday, December 12th at 5 and 8 PM, as well as Thursday, December 13th at 10 PM.
Come on out to celebrate surviving your first round of exams with an entertaining show. It’s free, but seats are first come, first served, so arrive a few minutes early.
REVIEW: 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
For some kids, their school’s annual spelling bee is the event of the year. They spend hours practicing, working through the standard lists, reading swaths of the dictionary just in case. They pester their parents to quiz them, stand in front of the mirror, poised with shoulders back and chest out, reciting the letters clearly and precisely. All the while, the rest of their friends make fun of their earnestness, asking (as any sane person would) what’s the point?
Whether or not I was a three-year participant in my middle school’s bees, striking out on “rhythmic” in sixth grade right before I would have made regionals, is not important. And whether I Googled “rhythmic” to make sure I was spelling it right, seven years after, is similarly irrelevant.
It takes a certain kind of kid to really get jazzed about spelling bees. They need to be more than a little weird, maybe gawky and awkward, known to be a nerd. She could be the type to have an enormous collection of rocks, or wear exclusively brightly-patterned knee socks.
This musical understands the spelling bee phenomenon very clearly. The participants in the 25th Annual Putnam Country Spelling Bee are all afflicted by some circumstance that they carry in their personality. Olive’s parents are neglectful; she speaks in a small voice, cautiously wondering at her place in the world, though as the play goes on, we see her emerge as an incredibly soulful singer. Leaf has a learning disability and what seems to be multiple personality disorder, of which his family never fails to remind him. He gains confidence as he sticks around in the bee for longer than anyone thought was possible. William’s parental situation is less than ideal, and he moves through life sulkily as a result, but he learns compassion for others. Marcy, by fault of her parents, instructors, and herself, is a severe perfectionist, though an intervention from Jesus H. Christ himself allows her to see failing is okay. Logainne is under similar pressure as one father pushes her hard to succeed, while the other is softly loving, yet she remains positive and learns about fairness. And Charlito has…hormonal issues. As every middle school boy must, he grows to love his erections.
Individually, everyone in the cast performed wonderfully. Though part of the character is a product of the playwright, the actor has a lot of freedom to either enhance or detract from the audience’s experience. These actors provided the high-energy vivaciousness only children can apply to life. William was probably my favorite, acting-wise; he is expressive in both facial expressions and body movement. In terms of singing, Rona Lisa and Olive took the cake, especially in the song where they sing as mother and daughter, voices soaring high and strong.
This dramatization of a spelling bee is exactly how bee participants feel. The pressure is incredibly oppressive, the nerves run thin, it feels like the most important performance of their life. Maybe there’ll be a point when a spotlight comes down and you have to sing a jazzy rendition of your life story. Anything feels possible, especially if (when) you win.
REVIEW: Twelfth Night
I have had the pleasure of seeing many plays this semester, including King Lear in HD by the National Theater of London, yet this performance of Twelfth Night has been my favorite show. It was absolutely hilarious, I was completely invested in the story, and I felt a connection with every actor on stage. Shakespeare can be very hard to watch for three hours straight, more so than most theatre because of how hard it is to understand Shakespearean English. Twelfth Night was my first time seeing a Shakespeare comedy, and I now realize that it is only Shakespeare tragedies that are difficult to watch. The constant comedic relief from Sir Andrew, Malvolio, and Sir Toby made it easy to stay focused the entire time.
The funniest character was Sir Andrew because of how goofy he was. However, In my opinion, the star of the show was Malvolio. Ben Rodenmeyer did a fantastic job giving Malvolio a tight-ass conceited persona that stuck with the character throughout the play. My favorite “monologue” of the play was when Malvolio was reading the letter where he is tricked into thinking that Olivia, his boss, loves him. He was whimsical and clueless in nature but describes himself as clever and dashing which was hilarious because as an audience we knew he was getting fooled. I found Malvolio to be a Jesus like character who experienced a crucifixion. He was a loyal servant to Olivia with no malintent but was punished for having the only genuine love in the entire play. All the other characters were falling in love with fake personas and incorrect genders, similar to worshipping false idols. As a result of his true love Malvolio was tied up in the dark (arms raised over his head like he was on the cross) and flogged. Everyone got a happy ending except for Malvolio who ran away embarrassed and hurt. Even Olivia was laughing at Malvolio at the end, joining her evil relative Sir Toby, who was deceptive throughout the play like the devil.
After seeing King Lear, I made sure to pay special attention to the fool, as I learned the fool is often the character of wisdom and clarity in Shakespeare’s plays. In this play the fool was wise, but his role was less of a philosopher and more of a cupid. It was the fool’s songs and interactions that got the others to fall in love. Gian Perez has an amazing voice and great stage presence while singing.
This rendition of twelfth night, mixed a classic Shakespeare play with the feel of an American theatrical. The extrinsic dance scenes reminded me of an American play and songs were sung in normal English, not in Shakespearean English. In fact, I am not used to hearing music at all in Shakespeare plays, but I almost felt like I was watching a musical. The fool had many songs and the extras were music performers. I was impressed that the music was played live with real instruments. Whenever a character was falling in love, they would symbolically show this by having the character lip sync an old American jazz song. Throughout the play, especially during scenes where characters were running around chasing each other, they would play Fats Waller, which I really appreciated as a giant Fats Waller fan.
My favorite line was the scene when Viola was reflecting on why Olivia loved her. “Poor lady, she were better love a dream. Disguise, I see thou art a wickedness, Wherein the pregnant enemy does much. How easy is it for the proper false In women’s waxen hearts to set their forms! Alas, our frailty is the cause, not we, For such as we are made of, such we be.” Olivia understands a women’s love and in this beautiful verse touches upon how delicate the love of a women is but also how naïve love is and how easily women are tricked.
My favorite scene was when Orsino and Viola were falling in love. They kept looking at each other, but never crossed eyes while the fool played beautiful music. The whole time it felt like a kiss should happen, and then the music stopped without a kiss being placed. A few awkward moments later a rushed kissed was placed and a feeling of surprise and relief filled my body. The acting in this scene was genuine and reminded me of how I feel like I am always missing the opportunity to kiss the one I love, and then when it finally happens it is after the perfect moment has already passed. Kissing became a very prominent part of this play. The end was a little overwhelming as it turned into a kiss orgy amongst all the characters. The most passionate kissing was amongst the male actors between Sebastian and Orsino.
Seeing Twelfth Night has inspired me to go and watch more Shakespeare comedies. Only Shakespeare’s tragedies are very famous and emphasized, but I find comedies much easier to watch and understand. Congrats to the school of SMTD on a fantastic job.
REVIEW: UM Slam Poetry December Show
Disclaimer: (The first paragraph builds off of my last review of UM Slam Poetry , please check it out, it is called REVIEW: UM Slam Poetry and is a little further down on the website!)
I absolutely love listening to slam poems, it is my favorite form of verbal art, so I was disheartened from the turnout of the event. My favorite part of the last poetry slam, the open mics, were nonexistent at this slam. In fact, the turnout was so low that they could not even find a sufficient amount of judges in the audience. Something needs to be changed in the marketing and setup of UM Slam Poetry, because I cannot imagine there is such little interest in slam poetry at the University of Michigan, one of the largest academic institutions in the world. The setup of the slam poems should be changed, in fact I think almost everything should be changed. The venue needs to be different for sure. There needs to be some presence of a stage and there needs to be a more dramatic and intimate feel. Slam Poems are more than the words said, they are a performance and performances need an environment that fits the essence of the art. The Kalamazoo room in the league does not provide this. Also the judges should have some sense of authority. It is okay that they are random people from the audience, but they should not be jeered at every time they hold up their score. Maybe they should sit up front, or should just turn in their scores privately.
Now on to the actual poems. The night started off with professional poems being read by the presidents of UM Slam Poetry. If you want to hear an amazing slam poem, with a classic american bad girl feel, listen to Backpedal by Olivia Gatwood. It defines what it means to be a girl while telling the story of an indifferent man. The narrative voice of the poem was very strong like the character of the poet portrayed. Another good read from the night was What was said on the bus by Danez Smith.
In my last review I talked about how I really connected with Kai, one of the presidents, slam poem. This time the other president Vivian read a poem, and again I was astonished. I am not surprised these two lead the club. The strongest imagery I got from Vivian’s poem was how I feel like my life is similar to a trapped fly. My favorite poem, and most unique one I heard from the night was about self violence, but told through the mouth of the Grim Reaper. The reader did a phenomenal job performing, I could see his lips curling and spit flying from his passion. I hope I am able to hear more slam poems this year.
