When? Saturday, Nov 12 at 8:00 pm and Sunday, Nov 13 at 4:00 pm
Where? Hill Auditorium
How Much? Students: $20, General Admission: $50 – $185
Why? It has been 7 years since the Berlin Philharmonic last came to Ann Arbor, and it is the final US tour of the orchestra with their director Simon Rattle. They are performing some of the most spectacular pieces ever composed, including Mahler’s 7th Symphony and Brahms’ 2nd Symphony. It will be a couple days you do not want to miss.
by Kim Sinclair
Roméo et Juliette can be described in two words: beautifully tragic. Staying true to Shakespeare’s original Romeo and Juliet, director Paul Curran took the audience on an extraordinary journey with his cast of the UMSMTD University Opera Theatre students. And the University Symphony Orchestra led by conductor and music director Martin Katz certainly did not disappoint!
I have never been to an opera before so I didn’t know what to expect. All I knew going into it is that operas are extremely long and I’ve heard many stories of people falling asleep during them! But that was not the case with Roméo et Juliette. Sure, the opera was five acts with two intermissions, but the cast kept the show moving right along. The audience was captivated by the French singing (subtitles in English), the elaborate costumes, and the incredible set.
I honestly have nothing negative to say about the leading couple. Juliette (played by Janel Speelman on 11/10 and 11/12, and Kara Mulder on 11/11 and 11/13) not only looked stunning, but her voice was stunning as well. And Romeo (played by Tom Cilluffo on 11/10 and 11/12, and Darius Gillard on 11/11 and 11/13) was as charming and handsome as ever. These two were hard not to fall in love with. The talent between these two leads was out of this world.
Not only were the characters of Romeo and Juliette wonderful, but the whole cast truly did not disappoint. Juliette’s nurse, Gertrude (played by Helen Hass on 11/10 and 11/12, and Olivia Johnson on 11/11 and 11/13), helped Juliette run into the arms of her loved one. Friar Lawrence (played by David Weigel on 11/10 and 11/12, and Samuel Kidd on 11/11 and 11/13) was loveable in every way. His emotions were captured perfectly throughout the whole show. Stephano (played by Isabel Signoret on 11/10 and 11/12, and Blair Whiteside 11/11 and 11/13) may have gotten the biggest applause after her solo that opened up Act III, scene 2. And Mercutio (played by Yazid Pierce-Gray on 11/10 and 11/12, and John Daugherty on 11/11 and 11/13) found any humorous moment that he could and soaked it in, leaving the audience in lengths of laughter. As I said before, the whole cast was truly phenomenal.
The show of Roméo et Juliette runs on November 10 at 7:30pm, November 11 and 12 at 8:00pm, and November 13 at 2pm in the Power Center. Student tickets are $12 each (or FREE with a passport voucher!) and general tickets are $22-$28.
http://tickets.music.umich.edu/single/EventDetail.aspx?p=2936
Tonight, October 10th, 5:10 PM, acclaimed artist Athi-Patra Ruga will be taking to the stage as part of the Stamps Speaker series. Hailing from South Africa, Athi-Patra Ruga combines performance art, textiles, printmaking, photography, and mixed media to explore ideas of cultural identity, utopia, and dystopia.
The following short video clip provides footage of his piece of performance art for the Roskilde Festival. The lively colors and surreal nature of this piece are both very characteristic of Ruga’s individual style.
This work is a part of his continuing series,The Future White Women of Azania which features the unique motif of exaggerated female characters, often played by Ruga himself. A contrast is drawn between their exposed legs and their upper bodies, which are completely swallowed by brightly colored balloons.
Tonight’s lecture will also mark the debut of Ruga’s latest project, Queens in Exile. Bellow are several assorted photos relating to this project, taken from his studio’s Facebook page, giving us a brief taste of what’s to come.
Tonight’s presentation, like all of the speaker series, will be free to the general public. I advise you to get there early to secure the best seats!
Featured Image from Lumieres D’Afriques
We could all take a cue from the age-old-adage “laughter is the best medicine.” After a long, long week
of stresses and woes, loosen up and laugh for a bit with one of the University’s oldest and most well developed comedy groups, Comco, as they present Battle Espresso Royal. For those who have never attended an improv comedy show before, it’s a spontaneous, one-of-a-kind performance that features talented actors and comedians bouncing off one another with a quick wit and good comedic timing.
The show will be in Angell Hall Auditorium A starting at 8 PM Tomorrow, November 11th. Tickets are only $2 at the door, so for the price of a Starbuck’s (or Espresso Royale!) latte bring a friend or two and take some time to laugh together.
As a special treat, the Stamps Lecture Series will be offering not one, but two lectures this week. Today, November 9th at 5:10 pm at the Rackham Amphitheater, the esteemed artist, Mary Mattingly will give us a personal glimpse into her creative process. You will soon be able to see her installation work either on the diag as a part of your daily walk to class, or at the Institute for Humanities. Tomorrow, November 10th, join us in the Michigan Theater at the same time to see a speech by the inventive and inspiring Athi-Patra Ruga.
Mattingly’s installation at the Institute for Humanities is entitled, “Objects Unveiled: Boxing, Rolling, Stretching and Cutting,” and it explores the use of cobalt as a pigment throughout the ages, and the social issues surrounding it. There will be an opening reception for this exhibit immediately following her lecture today. You can find more information about the event here.
https://events.umich.edu/event/33059
Mattingly uses her work to explore ideas such as nomadic lifestyles and travel, connections and human relations, and exactly what it is that defines our home. Her work merges performance art, architecture, sculpture and more in harmony to make a bold statement.
Her project to design “wearable portable architecture,” and to create a “wearable home,” embody this melding of ideas perfectly. The contrast between fashion, and the most extreme form of function, is strikingly obvious in the following pictures.
One of her most exciting projects is the Waterpod Project, a livable floating platform that was docked outside New York and has housed many artists. You can watch a video highlighting some of what made this project so special below.
Her “House and Universe” photo series is also strikingly resonant, and the photos featured here are just a small sample of those in the series.
Lastly, she returned to many of the ideas she has worked with on the Waterpod Project, in her 2014 project WetLand. This work explored the responses to the changing environment and the future of the human race because of this changing environment. Mary and several other artists created and lived in this work as it floated along the Philadelphia river, making a statement about sustainable living. I have included another video about the project below.
All images and videos are from www.marymattingly.com
Ready to scream into the void about the results of last night’s election? Why not dance your troubles away with the Norwegian indie electronic duo, Lemaître, before launching right back into the thick of things like a true wolverine? They will be performing Tonight, November 9th at Necto Nightclub as a part of their “We Got U” tour.
I have personally been listening to their music for years, and love their sound, but the best way to showcase their music would be to simply listen to it for yourself. The following video is for “Playing to Lose,” off their latest EP, Afterglow. The video also features some footage of their live show in London, perhaps giving us a sneak peek of what awaits us tonight.
The following music video is for “Closer” off of their Singularity EP. This song was used in one of the first promotional videos released for the launch of Google’s Pixel Phone.
The doors will open at 9 PM, and you can buy tickets online or at the door for $18. You can find more information about the event at Necto’s Website.
Tickets are available for pre-sale here. Note that while online tickets are only $15, there is an additional $3 charge for the transaction.
Featured Image from Interview Magazine.
