Presented by the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance, students studying opera will be performing “The Magic Flute” on Thursday, March 27 at 7:30pm; Friday, March 28 at 8:00pm; Saturday, March 29 at 8:00pm; and Sunday, March 30 at 2:00pm.
This performance of Mozart’s opera at the Mendelssohn Theatre is sure to be terrific, and tickets may already be sold out! For up-to-date information, you can contact the League Ticket Office at 734-764-2538.
In their delightfully funny and entertaining production, The School of Music, Theatre & Dance brings Noël Coward’s comedy Hay Fever, full of eccentric characters, witty dialogue, and intriguing plot, to life. Set in the English countryside during the 1920s, Hay Fever is centered around the Bliss family, Judith, David, Sorel, and Simon, a somewhat bizarre cast of characters who have a very theatrical lifestyle. The play takes place over the course of a weekend, when each member of the Bliss family has invited a romantic interest to stay at the house without telling any of the other family members. Unsurprisingly, numerous misunderstandings and hilariously awkward situations ensue.
One of the best features of the performance was the strength of the cast. Although the portrayals of the Bliss family were all wonderful, Liz Raynes’ portrayal of mother Judith, a retired actress longing for drama and a return to the stage was particularly great. The cohesiveness of the group and the ease with which they interacted with each other created a great family dynamic which let all of the members shine. Not be overlooked though, were the strong portrayals of the four houseguests, Richard, Sandy, Myra, and Jackie. Arguably just as eccentric as the Bliss family, the houseguests’ distinct characters highlighted the outrageousness of the Bliss family and added humor to all aspects of the play.
Although great separately, when the Bliss family and the houseguests came together, the result was spectacular. One such moment was during the second act when after a series of misunderstandings and accidental run-ins by Judith, half of the houseguests find themselves engaged to members of the family, while the other half are being held responsible for breaking up a marriage. As the houseguests look on in horror, Judith alternates from dramatically accusing everyone of hurting her to accepting the turn of events. Matching her theatricality, the rest of the family gets in on the fun and plays along. The highlight of the scene, however, is when, to the confusion of the guests, Judith and the children seamlessly break into a scene from one of Judith’s plays. As the audience roared with laughter and the houseguests cowered in the corner, the Bliss family took center stage and showed just how hilariously outrageous they could be.
Overall, Hay Fever, was a wonderfully entertaining production filled with great acting and lots of laughs. I highly recommend seeing it. Hay Fever runs through Sunday 2/23. Tickets can be purchased at the Michigan League Box Office.
WHO: The Department of Theatre and Drama
WHAT: Hay Fever a comedy by Noël Coward
WHERE: Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre
WHEN: February 20-23
COST: $10 for students
Set in the English countryside, the play focuses on the eclectic Bliss Family. Unbeknownst to the others, each member of the family invites a romantic interest to spend the weekend. As things take a turn for the outlandish, the guests become caught in the middle and must decide if they are willing to stay. Described as a cross between high farce and a comedy of manners, Hay Fever is sure to be entertaining.
The School of Music, Theatre & Dance, brings Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler’s classic musical A Little Night Music to life in a new production. A Little Night Music presents the story of long lost lovers Desiree Armfelt and Fredrik Egerman, who, after 14 years, 2 children, and 1 new marriage find themselves together again. Of course life, and love, is never simple and this play seeks to discover what happens when the past and present collide during a summer weekend in the country.
Although slow to start, A Little Night Music found its stride during the very end of the first act and presented an interesting reflection on the nature of love and what can happen when love is lost but not forgotten. The strength of the production was the portrayal of the two leads, Desiree (Eleanor Todd) and Fredrik (Conor McGiffin), and the humorous supporting couple Count Carl-Magnus (Elias Wygodny) and his wife Charlotte (Jordana Grolnick). Todd and McGiffin had great on-stage chemistry and the ease with which they bantered and laughed with each other made all of their scenes together extremely enjoyable. Although they represented a different kind of love, the characters of Carl-Magnus and Charlotte were similarly fun to watch. Wygodny’s portrayal of jealous lover and mostly proper soldier Carl-Magnus was intriguing and humorous, and Grolnick’s deadpanned depressive one-liners provided a hilarity that often stole the scene. Together Wygodny and Grolnick presented a wonderfully amusing couple who shone in every scene they were a part of.
While the music was mostly enjoyable and the bits of witty dialogue were definitely appreciated, the overall production was not completely compelling and oftentimes I found myself wishing we were at the closing number. The plot itself was rather predictable and there were moments full of exposition and almost no action, which made it hard to be fully invested in what was happening onstage. Although not all of the cast’s individual performances were as strong as the leads, they did perform well as an ensemble, which made up for some of the awkward and duller moments.
Overall A Little Night Music was an interesting production. Although somewhat predictable, it did have humorous moments and some well sung songs, including the most recognizable “Send in the Clowns.” I’m glad to have seen it once, and am looking forward to see what the School of Music, Theatre, & Dance does next.
Friday night, I had the privilege of seeing UMGASS’s presentation of Pirates of Penzance, or The Slave of Duty. It was such a great show – whimsical, cheery, and largely optimistic, I am officially an avid fan of UMGASS and the work that they do.
The play itself was actually pretty similar to what I was expecting for my first Gilbert and Sullivan show. The humor worked on so many levels. There was, of course, the absurdity of pirates in this bizarre setting in Cornwall, the main character Frederic having an identity crisis and wondering what a “true beautiful woman is” when all he has known is his charming yet elderly guardian Ruth, and of course who could forget the Major-General, an attested genius who asserts the depth of his knowledge while insulting his own at the same time. The whole concept is absolutely crazy.
The other operating level of humor was of course that of intellectually-based, political satire. Beginning with a rendition of “God Save the Queen,” audience participation insisted, we are immediately placed in a time period where everyone respects, yet mocks the queen to which they serve. Not to mention the lyrics of the songs are all at once brilliant and thought-provoking. It is almost too much to see it once and understand all that is going on in the show.
Job well done to the fine folks at UMGASS – can’t wait for what’s next!
As embarrassing as this is to admit, Thursday night was actually my third time seeing Legally Blonde the musical. I love the show, as goes without saying, but this production was especially special. First off, my friend was playing the character Vivian and she was phenomenal. Second, the girl playing Elle Woods, the lead, was perhaps the best Elle I’ve ever seen. She not only looked the part, but absolutely rocked the vocals.
The songs were wonderfully executed and well backed by the Greek Chorus when Elle needed a little bit of cheering up while away at Harvard. Even the side characters fleshed their parts out with finesse and originality, which is saying something considering I could practically recite the show in my sleep.
The set design was awesome too, especially for a community theater production. They maintained the structure of Delta Nu, Elle’s sorority house at UCLA, but added the Harvard flag once she was transported to law school. It was clever and low-budget, so both functional and well-serving. I thought it worked very well.
The two dogs in the show, as are always a highlight for the audience, were well-behaved and adorable. Everyone oo-ed and awe-ed when they came on stage, and giggled when they looked about ready to make their exit a beat too early. It was precious.
So all and all, a fantastic production. The vocal talent was superb and the choreography was spot on. I give it a hardy two-thumbs up and hope everyone who was curious, got to see it. It was well worth your evening.
