REVIEW: A night to remember with Patti LuPone

krithika

Patti LuPone’s “Coulda, Shoulda, Woulda” at the Hill Auditorium on Nov 20, 09

The one and only Patti Lupone
The one and only Patti LuPone

You gotta love a woman who starts a show with “Go Blue” and “Buckeyes suck”. To those of you who don’t know Patti Lupone (come on now, really? 😉 ), she’s one of the divas of  Broadway whom you just gotta see. If you love musicals, then you would have definitely come across her.

The list of her awards- including Tonys, Best Actress in a Musical, etc. – is almost as long as her list of stage credits. She is one of the most illustrious stars of Broadway. Her critically acclaimed roles include Evita (she was the original Evita!), Sweeney Todd, “Fantine” in Les Miserables, Rose in Gypsy, just to name a wee few.

Patti LuPone was in town yesterday for her one-woman show “Coulda, Shoulda, Woulda”. This show is about the roles and songs that she could have, should have and would have done “had she been asked or had she been around or had she been a guy” (I faithfully quote her). She also delighted us with the roles she did play (oh yeah, she has had a great run).

Now, in concerts, the relationship between an audience and the artist is so different. Some artists are so god-like (and hence so cool and aloof) that the listeners, with a mingled feeling of respect and awe, sit up straight in their chairs, afraid to shift their bulk around. You can compare this to watching Zeus in heaven use his thunderbolts or the Berliner Philharmoniker perform, for instance.

Some other artists are so down-to-earth and warm that you feel as if you have been invited to a party in the artist’s very own living room and you kick off  your shoes and swing your legs up on the chair in front of you. This would be like going to a party that playful musically-gifted Hermes throws or watching  Patti (see, she made us feel so at home that I feel like I have known her for a really long time and I want to call her by her first name instead of the socially appropriate Ms. LuPone) perform.

Now about the show.

There was only Ms. Lupone’s magnificent brassy (and unique) voice and Mr. i-never-miss-a-beat-or-tune Joseph Thalken’ s  piano sounds on stage.

Mr. Thalken
Mr. Thalken

Ms. Lupone, started off with a lovely opening melody followed by “An English Teacher” from “Bye, Bye, Birdie”. She then regaled us with tales about her own career in between the songs. She was just so hilarious that you gotta see it. There was never a dull moment to the show. Her choice of songs was great and that is very important for any artist. Had Patti played those roles, she would have definitely owned these too. Throughout her show that night, you could see the stamina, the mannerisms and the unmatchable multi-tasking ability of a true Broadway actress. Only an actress from Broadway can sing, act, pose, mimic, dance and look fabulous while doing it all.

Here’s a list of songs that she performed and my comments about them. I wish they had posted the list in the program notes. But then again, it would have ruined the surprise. I am giving this list as I want people to go check these out. They are the perfect songs for a gloomy winter day (sigh, we will be having so many of those soon).

An English Teacher- Bye Bye Birdie (hilarious!)

A Wonderful Guy- South Pacific

Don’t rain on my parade- Barbra Streisand (Oh, this was so power-packed and she rocked this song)

Easy to be hard-  Hair (the high notes she hit in these were just mind-blowing)

Everything’s coming up Roses- Gypsy

She won a Tony award for her performance in this musical.  You will know why when you listen to her.

You mustn’t be discouraged- Fade out Fade in (my second favorite)

This was her audition song for Juilliard. This song is set in one of those make-you-feel-good tunes…until you hear the lyrics.

“When you think you’ve hit the bottom
And you’re feeling mighty low,
You mustn’t feel discouraged –
There’s always one step further down you can go.”

The song only gets better and everybody was cracking up  and I was laughing so hard that I almost fell off my seat (the guy sitting next to me didn’t notice as he was busy guffawing too).

Meadowlark- The Baker’s Wife

A boy Like that/ I have a love- West side story

Oh, this was so good- like eating fresh Creme Brulee at La Dolce Vita (hey, i just LOVE their desserts and am not advertising for them, ok).

A quiet thing- Flora the Red Menace (Originally sung by Liza Minelli)

Never Never Land- Peter Pan

This song is from the 1960 production of J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan, with Mary Martin as Peter. Aww…this was so good. I would love to be in a place where time is never planned. Wouldn’t we all?

Don’t Cry for me Argentina- Evita

My first favorite. This was so awesome. This is “her” song and she owns it. It doesn’t get better than this. You could see her transform into Evita (or Evita as we know her from musicals) almost instantly. The humor was gone and was replaced with the pleading in her voice that also conveyed power and charisma. I had to see it to believe it. This alone was worth going to the show.

Oh what a beautiful morning- Frank Sinatra (It was definitely a very beautiful evening for me.)

Trouble in River City (“Ya got Trouble”)– the Music Man

You just gotta listen to this song. Patti never missed a beat and it just suited her voice so well.  She just fired all her guns and sang it at a faster pace than Robert Preston. I love Patti’s version better now. Wish she would release a recording of that. Sigh! Patti, are you listening?

How to handle a woman- King Arthur’s lament from Camelot

Cole Porter’s “So in Love”- from Kiss me, Kate

Sleepy man– Robber Bridegroom

This “duet” was awesome. Mr.Thalken did the background vocals while flipping the pages of the sheet music while continuing his smooth playing of course. I just love it when a person multi-tasks. 🙂

As long as he needs me- Oliver!

She then did a Sondheim Set.  What a great composer Stephen Sondheim is!

I never do anything twice (the Madam’s song)– from the film The Seven-per-cent solution

Anyone can whistle-Anyone can whistle

As per the lyrics: “What’s hard is simple. What’s natural comes hard. ” What ??? I think will have to see the original musical to understand.

Send in the clowns– A Little Night Music

My Way- Frank Sinatra (loved this).  With this perfectly apt song, Patti ended the absolutely beautiful evening.

Did you think that we let her go so easily? We begged for more. She sang Sondheim’s  “Ladies who lunch” from the musical “Company”, Kurt Wiell’s “September Song” and a classic Sinatra “The way you look tonight” (she sang this without the mike and it was just so beautiful).

We were greedy and still wouldn’t let her go. The evening ended with the entire audience standing and Patti singing Sinatra’s  “A 100 years from today” sans the piano and sans the microphone. The air was electrifying and there was complete silence except for Patti’s golden voice. The scene is still etched in my mind and that I feel is what every artist strives for- the undying adoration of a devout audience.

Still enchanted, Krithika, for [art]seen

Krithika is learning to whistle and if you hear sounds like the squeak of a trapped  mouse or a horribly out-of-tune piccolo on campus, just ignore.

Disclaimer: If I have left out any song from the night’s performance or cited the wrong song, do lemme know. Folks, I am striving to be politically correct here, ok. 😉

Review: Woh, Berliner Philarmoniker

Bennett

It’s the Berlin Philharmonic.  They tell me that Berlin is one the greatest orchestras in the world today –  maybe the greatest.  So, how does this kid prepare for a taste of high culture? Roll out the tie and iron the slacks.  Unfortunately, it is officially No Shave November so the scruffier-by-the-day beard effectively brought down the class level a few points.  Nonetheless, roomie Evan and I looked relatively ready to face off against the suits that dominate the culture of classical music (a few pulls of the whiskey later, we felt ready as well).  Again, in another affront to our front of respectability, running late, we rolled up our right pant legs and took the quick ride to Hill Auditorium, locking up the bicycles next to the heavily Cadillac’d valet service (at least they’re American, right?).

Now inside Hill, we raced to beat the bells telling us how many minutes until showtime (count the lobby bells – one bell a minute until takeoff at the typical Broadway show) – we quickly learned that, in Germany, there are only 25 seconds in a minute or the orchestra was really in a hurry to start.  Finally, relaxed and seated in the velvety, red chairs of the Mezzanine, the show began.

Even for this inexperienced symphony-goer, it truly was a magical evening.  I expected a very disciplined, accurate, and direct expression of the Brahms and Schoenberg on the program as this is a fairly common stereotype of German art and culture.  Instead, we witnessed extreme emotional expositions from the 128 world-class musicians and their conductor and artistic director, Sir Simon Rattle.  Rattle seemed to prompt the emotional outpouring with his long, white, curly, unkempt locks.  Throughout the evening, Rattle flailed his entire body to all parts of the conductor platform engaging every member of the orchestra (and audience) in every movement of the orchestral pieces.

Simon Rattle Going Nuso
Simon Rattle Going Nutso (not at Hill, unfortunately)

In cooperation with Rattle, each musician moved with the flow of the music.  At all other symphony performances I have attended, the musicians seemed intent on showing little personal emotion, letting the music have full control of the auditorium.  The musicians would move nothing outside of the requisite for creating the note on the page in front of them.  The musicians of the Berliner Philharmoniker, instead, more intimately evoked the headbanging performances of The Ramones (“The Berliner Philharmoniker Live @ CBGB! One Night Only!”).  Each musician, on the edge of his or her (almost entirely his, unfortunately) chair, rolled back and forth with each note, expressing anguish in face and movement.

Oh, right, and the music.  Hill Auditorium -the Ann Arbor stop in the middle of the New York, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles tour – was filled to capacity with the full sounds of the Brahms’ 3 and 4, and slightly challenged with the quieter, more internal study of Schoenberg’s ‘Music For A Cinema Scene’ (Begleitmusik zu einer Lichtspiel Szene).  The symphony is a musical phenomenon, in itself, in its ability to so intensively align so many musicians in a common musical goal.  The Berliner Philarmoniker fully accentuates this characteristic, totally engrossed in their communal need to be one.

And so, after 15 minutes of loud clapping and attempted whistles, we left amazed and emotionally drained.  Although very much out of the comfortable habitat of $5 cover and over-power amps, we fit into our ties on Tuesday evening, forgot the cultural implications of classical music, and fixed ourselves in the orchestral experience.

Berlin Philharmonic @ Hill Auditorium (photo by AnnArbor.com)
Berlin Philharmonic @ Hill Auditorium (photo by AnnArbor.com)

Bennett. bstei@umich.edu.

PREVIEW: Michigan Pops Orchestra – aPOPScalypse

Cynthia

Date: Sunday, Nov 22nd, 2009
Location: Michigan Theater
Time: 7pm
Tickets: $5 students and $8 adults
Buy them from the Pops Orchestra members or at the Michigan Theater right before the concert.

Watch this exciting performance by the only student-run and student-directed orchestra at Michigan! The Michigan Pops Orchestra, comprised of about 100 students, performs popular music from movies, shows, and classical works. In addition to the captivating music, there’s often a fun PowerPoint presentation full of fun pictures.

The Pops Orchestra was founded in 1995 by Warren Hsu to provide non-music major undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to continue playing their instruments. From within the orchestra, chamber ensembles and a smaller string orchestra is formed, giving students even more chances to play their instruments in a relaxed atmosphere.

The theme this semester is aPOPScalyse. The program has not been posted yet, but based on the name, there will be a lot of music related to fighting, the end of the world, and whatever other themes the name conjures up.

Preview: “Collapsing Borders—Einstürzende Grenzen.”

krithika

Sometimes, all the good stuff come at the same time. This week is one such week where there are  just so many great events to choose from. One  great event is the “Collapsing Borders—Einstürzende Grenzen” on Fri, Nov 20, 2009 between 6-8.30 pm.

This is a live digital audio-video jam session with Markus Guentner (from Regensburg, Germany) and nospectacle (Detroit- Ann Arbor, USA) at the Video and Performance Studio, Duderstadt Center, 2281 Bonisteel Blvd.

Guentner, hailed as “the inventor of pop ambient”, is a dj as well and is known for his work on Cologne’s Kompart record label.  Here’s a sample of Guentner’s music.

nospectacle is based right here in Detroit. The group is made up of  Christopher McNamara (who teaches at the U of M’s Dept of Screen arts and Cultures), Jennifer A. Paull, and Walter Wasacz and is an electronic music, video and DJ project.They play mostly McNamara’s original compositions.They performed  a set of music to Andy Warhol’s multimedia experience at the Cranbrook Art Museum.Here’s a link on youtube.

Both the artists are known for melding sound, art and visuals. As per the program flyer, “The point of focus is to show how art and entertainment technologies play a crucial role in transcending political, cultural, and psychological borders.”

This free event is followed by an after-party, 9 p.m. – 2 a.m. at Sava’s (in the space once occupied by Zanzibar), 216 S. State St., Ann Arbor. Called Sonic Subliminal, the dance-friendly event features DJ sets by Guentner, nospectacle and Forest Juziuk of Dark Matter. $5 for the party.

Hmm…electronic music and a dance party on a friday night after a hectic week full of studying appeals to me immensely. You ready to party too?

Krithika, for [art]seen

REVIEW: IASA Cultural Show – Vistaara

Cynthia

Having grown up in a very American household, I was quite confused by the cultural differences in the IASA Cultural Show. I enjoyed the experience though, even though I was not able to appreciate it the way my Indian friends did.

I have heard jokes about “Indian standard time” and many of my Indian friends have told me that Indians always arrive late to events, but I did not believe this stereotype until I sat in Hill Auditorium from 7pm (the supposed start time) to 7:30 with my Indian friend, Bella, wondering when the show would start. To add to that, another Indian friend texted me at 8pm and told me he just arrived. And after the 4th act, the people sitting next to me finally arrived!

The theme, Vistaara, was prevalent throughout the performance but I didn’t notice it right away. Luckily, Bella explained that the first couple of pictures in the slide show were from movies and TV shows that were popular a long time ago, and the last couple pictures were ones from more recent films. The organizers of the show did the same thing for the music, choosing a mixture of old and new songs. At that point, part of me wished I were Indian so I would catch the references!

I watched the show and admired the costumes the way a tourist looks at a famous painting, noticing the colors and sparkles and comprehending the beauty in the costume, but not understanding the culture and history embedded in the piece of art. It was the same thing with the music; I loved the rhythm and melodies but I had no idea about the meaning or the cultural implications. Most of the songs were upbeat, and I found myself bouncing in my seat wishing I could stand up and dance with the performers!

When I realized that I enjoyed bollywood and bangra the most, I began to wonder whether it was because I was the most familiar with those two forms of dance. I thought about a previous post by Laurie about what it means to appreciate music (she wrote about the Itzhak Perlman concert in September). My friend, Bella, was entranced by the different dances and she smiled whenever a new song was played, obviously recognizing the song and catching the reference to “Vistaara – a progression through time.” However, after a few minutes of watching unfamiliar dances, I started getting distracted and made faces at the little baby next to me (by the end of the show, I had taught her how to blow a kiss!). I was able to appreciate the hard work that went into the performance, but I wasn’t able to appreciate the references and allusions to the various aspects of the culture.

I truly enjoyed the show, I just felt mildly “uncultured” and wished I had watched a few more movies and listened to different songs before the show. When walking out of Hill Auditorium, I wanted to watch a Bollywood movie and practice the new dance moves I learned watching the dancers. Unfortunately, I needed to work on homework. But there’s always this weekend…

Time to break out my bangra moves!

Preview: Frank Vignola & The Hot (Hot, Hot, Hot) Club Of Detroit

Bennett 1 Comment
The Hot Club of Detroit
The Hot Club of Detroit
Frank Vignola and Les Paul
Frank Vignola and Les Paul

Perhaps never again will there be a Django Reinhardt.  However, tomorrow evening at The Ark, Frank Vignola and the Hot Club of Detroit will attempt to reincarnate the man himself – or at least his very distinct style of gypsy jazz music.  The band, hailing from our neighbor down the block, currently consists of Shannon Wade (bass),  Carl Cafagna (Saxophone), Julian Labro (Accordion), Paul Brady (guitar) and the main man, Hot Club of Detroit founder Evan Perri on the lead guitar.  Although locally based and having played many Ann Arbor shows lately – including gigs at the Ann Arbor Summer Festival and the Firefly Club (RIP) – the Hot Club of Detroit is known nationwide for their musicianship and deep study of Django Reinhardt grooves.  They will be joined tomorrow night by New York jazz guitarist, Frank Vignola.  Vignola is a veteran of the gypsy jazz scene and it is a treat that he will be in town playing with this already-stellar group.  Along with this, the intimate setting of The Ark will be the perfect setting for this cast of musicians (other than maybe an outdoor candle light dinner on the coast).

The Ark. November 19. 8 pm. $20. Tickets at MUTO or The Ark before the show.

Below: Hot Club of Detroit’s ‘Swing One’

Below: Django Reinhardt’s ‘The Sheik of Araby’