REVIEW: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

hannahrye

I really had no idea what to expect from this musical.  Before last Saturday, I’d never seen it performed or heard any of the songs.  Perhaps that’s the best way to go to a musical–with a completely open mind.  Let the cast members do what they will with the story.

One of the first things I noticed, before the show even started, was how amazing the set was.  Kudos to whoever designed it and set it up.  The spelling bee was set to take place in a school’s gymnasium, complete with wooden floorboards, crappy metal bleachers, and even a basketball stuck between the hoop and the backboard.  It was perfect.

The musical itself was a delicate balance between hilarious and touching.  Much of it was lighthearted and funny–the definitions and sentences given for each word were my favorite part.  The introductions of each contestant were great, too:  someone was “writing an opera in Braille,”  while another was “kicked off Project Runway for creating that outfit.”  Audience participation was a huge part of the first half, but just because someone was brave enough to go on stage in front of hundreds of people didn’t mean they would get treated gently.  Aside from the Project Runway line, someone was referred to as “Babycrombie and Fitch,” and the last holdout in the spelling competition was given the most difficult words possible, until he failed and left no one on stage but the cast members.  I was really, really glad I hadn’t volunteered!  I just laughed comfortably from my vantage point in the auditorium seating.

I thought there were a couple standout performances (Maddy Trumble, Jordan Harris, Tyler Jones), but the real magic came from how the cast worked with each other.  In a musical that could have easily coasted on the hilarity and quirkiness of the writing, everyone on stage dug a little deeper and found a way to make each character’s story poignant and gripping.  By the time the contestants are whittled down to Olive and William, the audience has felt the loss of each kid that dropped out, and doesn’t quite know who to root for to win it all.  Even so, when one kid does win, all of a sudden it feels like that’s exactly how it should work out and everyone goes home happy.  All in all, I felt like the show did exactly what a show should do:  it was entertaining, and at the same time, it left the audience with some deeper issues to think about on the way home.  If you ever get a chance to see it performed, I highly recommend it!

Preview:58 Greene A Cappella’s Teach Me How to Greenie

Christine Hildebrand

Tonight at 7pm, 58 Greene A Cappella performs Teach Me How to Greenie at Rackham Auditorium. The multicultural a cappella group will sing an eclectic mix of music, ranging in hits from 70’s classics to modern day favorites. Songs include Diana Ross and the Supreme’s “Cant Hurry Love,” Bruno Mar’s “Just the Way You Are,” and Alicia Key’s “How it Feels to Fly.” Ticket’s cost $5 in advance, or $8 at the door. However, if you have time to stop by the Office of New Student Programs on the first floor of the LSA building before 5pm today, you can pick up a Passport to The Arts voucher in exchange for a FREE ticket.

(P.S) The event’s Facebook page reports rumors of Lupe Fiasco stopping by for a special appearance before his own performance at Hill Auditorium. No one knows for sure, then again, it is April 1st….

Review: Little Women, An Opera?

Danny Fob

Yes folks, Little Women, the classic novel by Louisa May Alcott, has gone from book to play, musical, movie, and Opera. The Libretto was written by Mark Adamo and performed by UofM’s School of Music, Theater, and Dance at Mendelssohn Theatre in the League. I had

never read the novel, but since I love the operas presented here at the University, I went to see how it turned out. This past weekend the only day I had free was Thursday, so I went then and thouroughly enjoyed the show.

Like all the operas at the university, this one had subtitles projected above the stage so that we could all understand the libretto. Even though it was sung in English, it was still hard to hear exactly what they were saying through the vibrato and the many operatic accents that make classic operas what they are.

I loved the story of the show. Though I’ve never read the novel Little Women, I am now planning on reading it this summer. It’s the story of 4 sisters and their best friend and the process of change that cannot be stopped, no matter how hard you try in life. One sister gives up so much just so that her family won’t change, and in the end it just leads to her regretting and realizing her mistakes. It’s a harsh lesson, but an important one to learn and understand. Another theme the story touches on is that of art verses entertainment. Jo begins to sell out on her story writing because people will pay her for trashy stories. Her artistic talent is pushed to the wayside until a suitor made her question it and learn to embrace her originality and creativity.

The performers were wonderfully talented, providing us with just the right amount of humor and depth. We laughed often at the clever comedy and at the reenactments of childhood memories, and then cried as the changes of the characters’ lives emerged. I think that the School of Music, Theater, and Dance has found another magnificent production and by making it their own they’ve connected with audiences and families from all over Ann Arbor. This show receives an A+ from me.

As always,
This is Danny Fob: Artist and Art Reviewer

REVIEW: Ann Arbor Film Festival: ‘Disorder’ with ‘The Sole of the Foot’

lysperez

Running back into Michigan Theater to catch the next screening, I sat down among a full crowd for two films, The Sole of the Foot (Robert Fenz, 2011) and Disorder (Huang Weikai, 2009).

The Sole of the Foot, a 34-minute film, focused on various real-life scenes in France, Israel and Cuba.  It specifically addressed the concept of borders and their ability to simultaneously keep some people “in”, while keeping other people “out”.  In France, Fenz focused on a North African community that was not well-accepted among those that lived within their vicinity,  in Israel, he portrayed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and in Cuba,”their right to rule themselves denied by foreign powers”.  There was artistic quality in that Fenz chose to incorporate different stylistic elements for each country he shot.  “Israel definitely featured more experimental shooting,” he said, as he explained the many bombings that occurred during his stay that became a bit of an obstacle.  “I was shooting from the window of our apartment”, and with that, he developed a fascination for the many winding, uneven walkways of Jerusalem.  The film, as a whole presented a tapestry of cultures, landscapes and people.

Disorder captures a chaotic China, and the problems that plague  its major cities due to increasing urbanization: pigs run wild on a highway, a baby is found in a park abandoned, a community is severely flooded, a supermarket is caught in possession of frozen bear claws…The black and white footage of these scenes compiled from amateur videographers creates a security camera ‘caught-on-tape’ effect that invites the viewer into a world full of ugly truths.  The absurdity that is Disorder almost produces a feeling of discomfort among the audience because the events are so inconceivable, and not to mention, uncontrollable.  The film portrays a reality, in which problems only seem to worsen because of a lack of cooperation between Chinese police and citizens, who many times find such upheavals to be a spectacle, rather than issues of concern.  Weikai’s work is truly brilliant in that it illustrates the dysfunction and dangers that harm Chinese society as a result of the country’s accelerated industrialization and expansion.

Watch the trailer here:

Disorder

Overall, this was my favorite screening yet.  Both The Sole of the Foot and Disorder illustrated realities in ways that immersed the audience in exploration and understanding of life as it is, beautiful and complex.

REVIEW: Ann Arbor Film Festival- ‘Time and the Other’

lysperez
Yesterday I went back to Michigan Theater for the screening entitled ‘Time and the Other’.  This grouping was described as a collection of shorts capturing, “Tender itemized moments from life in the new economy.”  Below is the list of films shown:
I would have to say that the first film, Woman Waiting, made the most sense, and carried a theme very appropriate to life in the new economy.  The film featured one main character, a woman, who is assumed to be suffering from poverty.  In the first scene, the viewer watches her wake up get dressed and brush her teeth.  She then is seen in a phone booth, where she leaves a message for someone she plans to have a meeting with.  It is evident that she has no cell phone nor house phone, because of the trouble she has articulating where the woman can reach her.  She leaves a phone number in the message, although it is assumed that the number is probably not her own, because she stresses that she is available to drop by and meet with the woman later in the day.  The viewer finds out that the woman she is to meet with works at an apartment building, which could probably be a temporary housing shelter.  When the main character is handed a few papers to fill out and dismissed, she realizes there will be a long process before she can move in anywhere.  Another scene shows her at a gym, where she negotiates her way into getting a week free, after it becomes obvious that she cannot pay for any type of membership.  Throughout the film, she is waiting in various places.  She is never quite able to enjoy herself.  Below is a shot taken from the scene in the pool, where she gets in a free swim as part of her trial week at the gym.  However, she is unable to fully take advantage of it, without thinking that very soon, she will not have access to any luxuries at all.  In essence, Woman Waiting, is a depiction of one woman’s reality: her eventual fall into poverty, amidst the climate of economic crisis.
Another film I liked was Berlin Tracks, a 3-minute photographic, and “mesmerizing” (as aaff says) piece that creates a moving picture of railway tracks in Berlin, by night and day.  The photographs create a linear roller coaster for the viewer that is fast and dizzying, but beautiful and simplistic.
The other films, Non-Aryan, Aliki, and Arsenic were interesting as well.  Aliki portrayed the life of dying flamingoes on Lake Aliki, and Non-Aryan displayed photographs of a woman’s personal belongings and documents (which revealed that she was Jewish, and probably a victim of the Holocaust). Arsenic was so ambiguous, I couldn’t really describe in words, what the film was about, because the picture itself was a mysterious blend of images and sounds.  However,  while the festival exhibits many films that are of a more experimental genre, it’s expected.  As for the last film, Compositions in Departure,  I missed it in order to go buy tickets and come back in for the next screening.  Review to come!

REVIEW: Ann Arbor Film Festival- ‘Always Elsewhere’

lysperez

Thursday night I headed to the Michigan Theater for my first Ann Arbor Film Festival screening (I plan to go to more this weekend).  I had looked through the program schedule online (http://aafilmfest.org/49/index.php/events.) earlier this week to discover that many of the showings were groupings of shorts according to theme.  Perfect! I thought, I love shorts.  I had been to the Sundance shorts that were shown at the Michigan Theater ( in addition to Cedar Rapids) a few months ago, and was excited to return for some more film fest entertainment.

The screening that night entitled, “Always Elsewhere” featured 5 shorts.  Arriving early, my friend and I walked in and visited a few of the tables in the theater lobby.  Arbor Teas and RoosRoast were offering locally-produced and delicious tea and coffee with a suggested $1 donation.  “This is just what I wanted”, I said to the woman at the Arbor Tea stand as I decided on some Jasmine Green.  “I was just contemplating sneaking in a hot drink from Starbucks”.  She laughed and told me that Arbor Tea would be offering different flavors every night, along with RoosRoast.

My friend and I entered the screening room in the back (not the main theater) for the showing.  Below are the films we saw:

If I were to pick a favorite, I would say that I liked Immokalee, My Home the best.  The film documented the harsh realities of Guatemalan, migrant farm workers in Florida, in which three narrators tell their stories of their arrival to the US, their subjectivity to unfair labor conditions, and their longing to return home.  The film is narrated in Spanish and in an indigenous language native to Guatemala with English subtitles. The filmmaker really experimented with color and composition.  As the migrant workers told their story, images of their daily routine were blurred and unfocused, emphasizing the tedious and monotonous nature of their work.  As they described their home in Guatemala compared to their living situations in the US, a juxtaposition between color and black and white photographs was created.  The viewer eventually discovers that their desire to return home can never be fulfilled, because of the ’embarrassment of returning home with nothing.’  In the end, the migrant workers discuss their importance to the changing face of North America.  The viewer then sees close-ups of their faces, and reflects on the reality of their lives;  they have journeyed to the states in efforts to achieve an unattainable dream, but the culture they carry with them is ever-reminiscent in the stories they tell.

Two other interesting films were Castaic Lake and Forsaken.  Castaic Lake was a 30-minute short, in which the camera surveyed leisurely activity at a small lake within Los Angeles County.  Capturing the fragmented happenings within the lake’s surroundings, McCaffrey observed these interactions, often from a distance, but focused on a few characters by interviewing them and telling their story (why they were at the lake, what they did there).  Forsaken was a 7-minute black and white, silent film that combined photographs of a juvenile detention center to produce a flashy movement of the room’s appearance and emphasized the neglected, run-down space.  Sansing focused on a blowing curtain and aged, confidential probation documents, with which he photographed to create visuals of what still remained.

Both McCaffrey and Sansing were in attendance for a Q&A after the screenings. They both had focused on their subjects over a long period of time.  It was obvious that they were very drawn both to the lake and the detention center.  “I just love abandoned buildings and places”, Sansing said.  “California is really lacking abandoned buildings, so I often find myself venturing to the east coast to discover them.”  Sansing said he was also working on more photography of the detention center which will be published as a book.  To me, both McCaffrey and Sansings’ films were created from seeming obsessions that suggested they were, in fact, ‘always elsewhere’, captivated by the worlds their films portrayed.