Handel’s glorious, “Messiah” was in three parts.
The first part discussed the coming of the Messiah; the second part ( my favorite) deals with his purpose of being on earth and all the sacrifices he made; and the last part discusses why we should be thankful for him.
I loved how some of the notes ( from musical instruments) fulfilled the perfect cresendo and decresendo in the second part as they described some of the more sacrifices that Christ made. Hence, it made the second act the most heightened and dramatic of the three. There were several instruments which helped create this music.
My favorite were the notes from the harpsichord. But perhaps, I am a little biased because the harpsichord is my favorite instrument. I will also add that the choral voices were very uplifting. The performance by Brenda Rae was rather elegant. But my all-time favorite part of this event was when we in the audience got to sing “Hallelujah, Hallelujah.” That truly felt grand to be part of a classically and well known musical verse- and it was fun!
Preview for Handel’s Messiah
Handel’s Messiah is an Ann Arbor Holiday Tradition! Many townies say that the Holiday season hasn’t officially started here until one sees Handel’s Messiah. So, why not take a break from frenzy-final-studies and go to this glorious masterpiece of music. The instrumental music and glorious voices are offered by the UMS choral union. It is rumored that the Hill Auditorium is decorated with holiday magic for this performance:) Go and See it!!
Review–Ching’lish
Thursday evening I attended a screening of a theatrical performance of the play Chinglish by David Henry Hwang. I was interested in checking out this comedic examination of cultural and linguistic barriers between the US and China because I relate to the problem–in my visits to India, I go through a lot of goofy exploits trying to adapt to the different culture. I’m happy to say I enjoyed the play very much. The entire audience was in uproar, laughing at a show full of great performances inspired by a stellar script.
This production could not have been possible without support from multiple on-campus departments and groups: the Confucius institute, the Department of Theatre & Drama, The School of Music, Theatre and Dance: Collaborative Student Assembly, The International Institute, The Department of Asian Languages and Cultures, Center of Chinese Studies, MESA/Trotter Multiethnic Student Affairs, Basement Arts.
Ching’lish is the story of a small time Cleveland businessman trying to weasel his company in as the head of Chinese-English signage translations for major Chinese buildings, but this businessman speaks no Chinese, making negotiation particularly difficult. He relies on a talented translator who helps to avoid some major translation errors. These dialogues are a comedic goldmine. Failing to recognize the importance of enunciation while speaking Chinese, the businessman accidentally makes several lewd comments during his meetings. Fortunately, his translator navigates through these goofy gaffes and business relations start.
The acting in throughout the play, but particularly in the comedic scenes, was excellent. The comic timing was spot on, each actor carefully tiptoeing the line between believable and farcical. The protagonist’s role as an earnest businessman in an absurd predicament is both sympathetic and humorous. His translator’s devotion to Chinese culture was clear in the performance–he spoke in flawless, unaccented Chinese. The Chinese developers and politicians embodied the distinct cultural character of the country–I could feel a cultural difference between American and Chinese business tactics through body language alone.
I think the performances were so successful in large part because of great writing. The writing centers around idea of communication gap due to linguistic and cultural barriers. The story’s dramatic problem relates directly to its theme–you have two parties who want to start a business translating each other’s languages. In order for them to start this business, they need to translate each other’s language successfully. The stakes of every scene are compelling for this very reason–if translation in a single business deal goes awry, it is a bad omen for the businessman’s long term goals. Moreover, the source of tension is also the source of comedy–this is a comedy of communication error. A common pitfall in writing humor is succumbing to gags over plot and character development. Hwang avoids this pitfall with his clever subject matter–the more ridiculous a scene, the more characters are growing as they learn to avoid repeating their mistakes.
I believe treading the line between comedy and drama serves to enrich as much as entertain. The first step towards problem solving can only begin when we stop running away from the problem and start to face it. Humor is a good coping mechanism for reason, as it exposes flaws while keeping things light.
Watch and maybe even contribute to this show.
REVIEW: ComCo
ComCo’s show last night featured nine ComCo players clad in ridiculously precious holiday sweaters to embody the winter/holidays/December spirit. With each player introducing themselves as “Carol” in the opening number only to sing a tune that mocked traditional Christmas caroling and music, the Carols brought great joy and laughter to the full house at Angel Hall’s Auditorium A.
While many of my favorite jokes are too dirty for me to repeat, ComCo not only excels in crude humor but simple humor anyone can laugh at. In a game called “four square” where different scenes are assigned to players two at a time based on suggestions from the audience, “sand” came to give life to a story of a man and woman growing sand in order to make a profit, and describing their frustrations when the sand wouldn’t grow. While trivial and somewhat elementary, the absurdist nature of much of the sketches and games makes the show lie on a high level of fun.
My favorite game the players do is “I like my men like I like my blank,” which uses audience suggestions to fill in the blank and then explain in the tag line of the sentence. For example, “I like my men like I like my sandwich—covered in mayo.” Many responses used hilarious euphemisms in order to complete the sentence.
Another crowd favorite was a segment where one player would be the hands for another player speaking. Somehow the two men, a foreign exchange student and his host father, ended up in the Arb looking for a Christmas tree to chop down for their home. This in itself was particularly funny considering cutting down a tree in the Arb would just be something someone would never do. The physical comedy this game lends itself to let the audience see the bodies of two people figuratively hopping and chopping on an imaginary tree. Quite comedic material here.
At the end of the show the ComCo players lovingly tossed an assortment of stuffed animals and plastic toys into the audience for their appreciation of attendance. I earned a toy Sully from Monsters, Inc. While this was the material reward for attending the show, I also earned the nonmaterial award of joy: a full 90 minutes of holiday laughter and cheer.
I recommend going to the next ComCo show and every one after that if you have not yet. It’s truly a great experience that’s all about making the audience feel good, and of course, laugh.
REVIEW: The Comedy of Errors
Set during Mardi Gras in the 1960s, the School of Music, Theatre, & Dance presents an interestingly humorous production of William Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors. Like so many of Shakespeare’s comedies, The Comedy of Errors is full of mistaken identity, entertaining situations, and nearly tragic events. As a father faces death for arriving in Ephesus to search for his twin sons (both named Antipholus), both of the twins and their twin servants (both named Dromio) unwittingly wreak havoc as they are constantly mistaken for each other.
Full of the slapstick and running gags, this production’s strength was the physical and nonverbal humor. From a martini glass that keeps getting bigger to a duke constantly finding new ways to stay hidden, the best moment was the over the top chase sequence in which a sequence of characters bike by on progressively smaller bikes. At the center of the slapstick humor were the two Dromios (Ben Blackman, Elliot Cruz) who where frequently being hit with bright yellow hats and rubber fish, punched in the stomach, and kicked in the butt. Although that took up a lot of their time on stage, Blackman and Cruz played up the humor with witty lines, dancing, and rapping, which were playful and entertaining.
While this production was appropriately comical and well acted, it had some struggles with the verbal humor. Since this is thought to be Shakespeare’s first comedy, his hallmark wordplay and wit is less pronounced than in the later comedies, which is why most productions play up the physical humor. In this production, however, some of Shakespeare’s most famous lines from, interestingly enough, histories and tragedies including Macbeth, Richard III, Romeo and Juliet, and Hamlet were added in an attempt to heighten the verbal humor and wit. Although it was an interesting idea, for the most part it fell flat and made the play feel less like Shakespeare and more like an awkward tribute.
Overall, this production was unique and entertaining. The Mardi Gras setting worked well and the cast gave admirable performances. Although the additions to the play sometimes felt awkward and out of the place, when the existing humor was played up, the production was wonderfully engaging.
PREVIEW: Royal Shakespeare Company: Richard II
WHO: Royal Shakespeare Company featuring David Tennant
WHAT: Willam Shakespeare’s Richard II
WHERE: The Michigan Theater
WHEN: Sunday 12/8 at 7pm, Wednesday 12/11 at 7pm
COST: $12 for students, tickets available online or at the Michigan League Box Office
David Tennant (of Doctor Who fame) returns to the stage in the title role in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of Richard II. This is a cinema broadcast from the RSC stage in England where the production is currently running. Given Tennant’s quality acting and his previous success with Shakespeare, this is sure to be a fantastic production.
For more information, visit this website
