Preview: “Pentecost’

krithika

The University of Michigan Department of Theatre & Drama kicks off the year with a compelling and well-acclaimed  drama, David Edgar’s “Pentecost”, a play that was originally commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company. The play opened on October 7th.

Pentecost, courtesy Dept. of Theatre & Drama
"Pentecost", courtesy Dept. of Theatre & Drama

The theme for the play seems pretty intriguing. It is set in Europe after the fall of the Berlin Wall. The drama  is set in an unused church in an Eastern European country. A museum curator discovers a fresco which she believes may be valuable to restore her country’s image. She has many people vying for its ownership. Meanwhile, a group of  refugees from various ethnicities take over the church and  hold the historians hostage.The refugees share their woeful tales in their own language and the resulting confusion and interaction among the various characters forms the basis of the play.

Just one unknown foreign language can confuse us. Imagine Bulgarian, Arabic, Polish, Russian, Turkish, Sinhalese and others in the same play.  That too without translation. Wow, that would be interesting!

Malcolm Tulip is the director of this challenging drama. It is a tough one as the acting has to be really good to convey what language can’t as surely the audience would not know all the languages! And the theme is significant too in context of multitude of  immigrants trying to flee to countries with stable societies.

If you are wondering about the title of the play, it is from the Bible. The Holy Spirit descends over the Apostles and gives them different languages to converse. Surprisngly, the Apostles find that they can still understand each other and language is no longer a boundary. A very fit title for this drama indeed!

This will be the last week of the performances! So do catch the show.

Show times: Oct 15,16 @ 8 pm and Oct 17 @ 2 pm at the Arthur Miller Theatre

Tickets at the League Ticket Office!

REVIEW: Rosanne Cash @ the Hill Auditorium!

krithika

Does this happen to you? You know that you have forgotten something but don’t now what and you let it remain at the back of your mind.

And then suddenly it comes to you-at the stoplight as you wait for the lights to go green, tapping your fingers on the steering wheel impatiently and hear the bells in the bell tower  nearby chime “500 miles away from home!”

Eureka! Oh, yeah,  of course I forgot to post the review for Rosanne Cash’s performance at the Hill Auditorium! Now, how did that happen? Well, I do have to tell you about the first show for the UMS for this year at the Hill Auditorium.

Rosanne Cash was here at the Hill auditorium in the not-so-recent past (in today’s world, I believe that anything more than a day old gets archived under “the not-so-recent past” category) performing songs from her album,The List.  The  songs were from a list of 100 that her father Johnny Cash gave her when she was 18 so that she could learn what he considered to be “the essential songs that  every country singer must know.”

Rosanne Cash
Rosanne Cash

I loved the way the stage was set. We had the guitarists, the pianist, the fiddler and the drummer all neatly spread out with  screens in ths backdrop. Paintings and drawings  of exotic birds, flowers and patterns (they seemed amateurish but very colorful) were projected onto the screens and they were interesting. My friend and I tried to make connections between the songs and the paintings. Unless someone would deem to correct me, I guess the projections were just random and nice distractions.

Miss Cash walked in to big applause and started off on a great song, William Heagney’s “miss the mississippi and you”. What struck me first as I listened to her live was  that her voice was very different. Neither too melodic nor too shrill, it seemed to have something very unique. I felt that her voice wasn’t suited to all the songs. But her rendition of “she’s got you”, “500 miles”  and ” miss the mississippi and you” was really very pleasant.

The song “500 miles” was my favorite. Ms Cash sang it more slowly than the Hedy West’s original and it was even more moving. The pace of West’s version made it  rushed and it feels as if the railroader was resigned  to his fate and so he shrugs it off in a  matter-of-fact manner with this song. Cash, on the other hand,  made it more like a lament and hence there was more pathos in it leaving room for even more empathy from the listener.  There is a Hindi song with this very same tune (the slow version) that I have loved for years  and I was surprised and sad to find that it had been, to put it euphemistically,   “inspired by” 500 miles! Well, I will leave that matter at that. <shrug>

Ms.Cash’s  songs were from a vide variety of genres that included folk, blues, pop and  rock. I loved her band. They were superb and made her shine. Especially when it came to them doing their lil solo improvisations, they were awesome! I loved the lead guitarist, John Leventhal, Ms.Cash’s husband, who would not be out of place in a rock band as he was so full of energy and really good.

That she gave two encores and the audience was still clamoring for more, goes to show her popularity. Would I listen to her? Hmm…yes, to some of her songs. I think her voice is something that grows on you and is more like a cultivated taste. As for her song choice from the list of 100, it is really good. That she chooses to “rerelease” these songs to introduce them to new generations is commendable.

Overall, it was a very pleasant evening. And thanks to the bells chiming “500 miles away from home” at noon in Kerry Town for reminding me about what I had forgotten.

more than 500 miles (8549 to be exact) from home ,

Krithika for  [art]seen

REVIEW: Answer This!

hannahrye

Just as I expected, Michigan Theater was packed to the brim on Friday night for the sneak preview of Answer This! I arrived right at 7:30 pm after having some parking issues (as in, there were no parking spots left), and managed to snag two seats in the very last row of the balcony.  I felt like I needed binoculars to see the men speaking on stage.  Ralph Williams delivered a few opening words – I’ll never tire of hearing him talk.  The next to speak was Mr. Farah, father to the writing/directing/production duo Michael and Christopher Farah.  He told a few amusing anecdotes about his sons, then handed them the microphone.  They thanked everybody for coming many times over, and seemed genuinely blown away by all the attention this film has received.  I saw one of them taking pictures of the crowd at the end of the show, even as many members of the crowd were taking pictures of him on stage.  Both brothers refused to take all, or even most of, the credit for the movie – a large portion of their opening speech was dedicated to pointing out all of the actors in attendance and asking us to give each one a hearty round of applause.  Around 7:50 pm, the curtain was pulled back, and the movie started.

Even with all the press surrounding this event, I really wasn’t sure what to expect.  Part of me wondered whether or not the Ann Arbor setting and Ralph Williams’ presence would be the only interesting aspects of the movie.  As it turned out, though, the recognition factor was only icing on the cake.  The script, while somewhat predictable at times, is nothing short of brilliant in most places.  A brief plot summary:  Paul Tarson (Christopher Gorham) is in his eighth year of grad school, and is being hounded by his father (the renowned Professor Tarson, portrayed by the renowned Professor Ralph Williams) to finally finish his dissertation and become a professor at U of M.  Paul has spent his entire life in Ann Arbor, and seems destined to spend the rest of it there, as well.  It takes a cute girl and a passion for a local trivia tournament to provide him with an adjusted outlook on life and his own potential.

Christopher Gorham did an excellent job as Paul, and Ralph Williams slipped into the role of Professor Tarson without a hitch, but the two standout characters were Naomi (Arielle Kebbel) and James (Nelson Franklin).  Naomi, Paul’s sort-of girlfriend, is charming, feisty, and spontaneous:  Paul’s complete opposite.  She gives him a lot to think about in terms of his own dreary, complacent way of stumbling through life.  She’s by no means perfect, but she has a lot more fun learning from mistakes than he does by not making any mistakes.

His best friend, James, is hilarious: he’s a pompous, highly intellectual man who teaches test prep and has a heart of gold.  And even amidst his complaining about his atrocious students, one can tell that he has a better grip on life than Paul does.  During the scene in which Paul yells at James and calls him a failure, I felt a strong urge to stand up and defend the man who was really a more likeable character than Paul.  (Don’t worry – I didn’t actually do it!)

The only character I didn’t appreciate was Paul’s peer, Lucas (Kip Pardue).  He’s nothing but a jerk, and not even a fully-developed one.  He shows up in several scenes, but never has much to say.  Where Naomi and James add depth to the script, Lucas seems like an afterthought.  I was left wondering what the audience was supposed to gain from Lucas’ interactions with Paul.

Overall, I thought the film was beautifully made.  For those of you who saw it, I hope you enjoyed it as well.  For those of you who didn’t get a chance, keep your eyes peeled!  It starts its festival run next year, and I imagine it will be pretty successful.  This won’t be the last we hear from the Farah brothers.

PREVIEW: Paul Taylor Dance Company

krithika

Paul Taylor is a name that is revered in American contemporary dance. He has done over 130 dances and is known for his lively, creative and powerful choreography.  This week, the Paul Taylor Dance Company is in Ann Arbor.  This will be a visual treat as the dancers are known for their athletic and powerful performances on a variety of subjects.  There are 3 shows and each one of the shows offer something very unique.

Paul Taylor Dance Company
Paul Taylor Dance Company

The program for friday has Taylor’s version of the well-acclaimed “Orbs”  and another recent dance called “Also playing”.  This latter dance is set to Donizetti ballet music and has an element of humor to it.

The legendary Paul Taylor
The legendary Paul Taylor

For saturday, we have the sizzling “Piazzolla Caldera” and a couple of other lovely pieces from Taylor’s vast repertoire.

Click this link for a glimpse of Taylor’s awesome work- Scudorama

Show times:

Thursday, October 7 | 8 pm
Friday, October 8 | 8 pm
Saturday, October 9 | 8 pm

@ Power Center

Tickets @ $ 10 at Michigan League  or the Box Office before the show

See you there!

for art[seen],

Krithika

PREVIEW: Answer This

hannahrye

Tomorrow, at 7:30 pm at the Michigan Theater, there is a sneak preview of the new movie “Answer This.”  It’s a locally produced film by Christopher and Michael Farah, and features our very own Ralph Williams, along with Christopher Gorham, Arielle Kebbel, Nelson Franklin, and Chris Parnell.  It’s the story of a thirty-year-old University of Michigan graduate finally coming of age through his experience with the First Annual Ann Arbor Trivia Tournament.  It should be a good time, and not just because we’ll see some familiar faces!  As a senior myself, I’m looking forward to watching a story about someone coming to terms with their graduation from U of M – it’s hard to imagine leaving.

Given the excitement over this film, the 7:30 showing is sold out…but there was a second screening added!  Same night, 10 pm.  If you’re interested, here’s more info!

REVIEW: Brandon Flowers, “Flamingo”

hannahrye

Brandon Flowers, lead singer of The Killers, has officially begun his solo career with the release of Flamingo. It’s clear from the very first song that he hasn’t strayed too far from The Killers’ sound – “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” opens with a sound that could be pulled from any one of their four albums. “Only the Young,” the second song, plays with an African influence that can first be detected on Day & Age. Indeed, there are familiar elements all throughout Flamingo. Flowers isn’t letting the listener forget where he’s from, or where he’s been.

However, Flowers certainly didn’t limit himself to the sound he created with his band. This album sounds first and foremost like an artistic experiment. For the first time, he sings a duet with a female musician: Jenny Lewis, who is both a solo artist and the lead singer of Rilo Kiley. A couple of the songs, most notably “Was it Something I Said?,” have a few Arcade Fire-inspired qualities to them, which is an influence I hadn’t yet heard in a Killers album. There are even hints of country music throughout Flamingo – this was perhaps the most surprising to me.

Flowers is perfectly comfortable having most of a song’s focus on his voice, rather than the band as a whole. These tracks are musically complex, but the instrumentation does not compete with or overwhelm Flowers’ voice in any way. He doesn’t stick to safe, easy melodies, either – he’s really pushing his talents to a new level. “Playing with Fire” demonstrates that there are still limitations to his voice, but songs like “Crossfire” and “Magdalena” show how far he’s come as a vocalist since the days when he could barely get through a performance of “Somebody Told Me.”

For me, the experiment paid off. Brandon Flowers has a gift for storytelling and clever lyrics, which shines through no matter what project he’s working on. The fact that he’s pushing himself on this solo album suggests that when the time comes for The Killers to reunite, they’ll be even better than ever.

For your listening and viewing pleasure, here’s a link to the video for “Crossfire.”  It’s a little graphic, though – for fairly unexplained reasons, Flowers is being tortured.  Luckily, a pretty blonde saves the day.