Tag: Michigan theater

REVIEW: Michelle Zauner in Conversation

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Michelle Zauner’s last stop for her book tour was yesterday night at the Michigan Theater. I arrived an hour early for the event, but the line was already so long that I couldn’t get a front-row seat… understandable because the tickets sold out within a week.

Michelle was interviewed by one of the University’s professors, Kiley Reid, and they touched on a variety of topics such as how the cover of Crying in H Mart was designed, how her book came to be published, what kind of scenes she wishes she could’ve included, and many more. I can’t capture all the details of their conversation, but here’s a quick summary of how Crying in H Mart came to be:

After her mother died, she found a ‘real’ job in New York advertising wallpapers. During that time Michelle found herself deeply engrossed in cooking Korean food. This experience inspired her to write an essay that she submitted to thousands of agencies. It was only after a year of rejections that an agent reached out to her, which was also around the same time her band, Japanese Breakfast, began to grow popular.

She prioritized her music career, but as she traveled around the world she strived to write 1,000 words a day during plane rides or as she waited backstage. Most of the book was written during her world tour for Japanese Breakfast. After reading her first draft, though, Michelle realized that her writing was so full of anger: anger at every person and anger at all her experiences, which wasn’t the kind of memoir Michelle wanted to write. Once she reached her last destination in South Korea however, the place where her mother grew up, she learned that there was more to write about outside her grief, and after continuously cutting down, editing, and revising her work, she had her final product: the first chapter titled Crying in H Mart.

After her interview with Kiley, there was also a Q&A session. Many people asked Michelle for advice on how to connect with their culture and progress their careers as a writer. She advised people to continuously interact with aspects of their heritage, whether it be learning history, taking language classes, or cooking food until it becomes a part of them. She also emphasized that to be a good writer, you have to write a lot of shit.

Overall, it was a super inspirational experience. It was also the first time I met an author, and Michelle was so humorous and down to earth. I initially thought the event would be a serious discussion due to the topic of the memoir, but it turned out to have a light-hearted atmosphere. There will also be a movie adaptation of the book!

I can’t wait to see what Michelle has planned for us in the future.

REVIEW: Michigan Pops Orchestra “A Night at the Popscars”

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The featured image above was taken from their Instagram: @michiganpops

This semester’s Michigan Pops Concert has been my favorite out of all the concerts I’ve attended! There was a crazy line at the door and the crowd turnout was also the largest I’ve seen, so much so that the start time was postponed to accommodate more audience members. It’s always refreshing to see that both children and the elderly are present in addition to college students; it shows that this student organization is popular among locals too.

They had a large and impressive list of repertoire (most were already familiar to the audience thanks to the theme they chose) and I appreciated how well they balanced the amount and order of classical and contemporary music. My favorite and most anticipated piece was Howl’s Moving Castle, but I wished it was longer. I felt that the arrangement could’ve been better too, though that doesn’t mean the Pops Orchestra didn’t play it well.

It seemed like there were more featured soloists in this concert than in the previous ones, but I think it still showcased the orchestra as a group pretty well without being overshadowed. Unfortunately, there were some balance issues and at times it was hard to hear the soloists.

The winner of this year’s high school concerto competition was a Sophomore from Huron High School, which is so impressive since the winners have historically mostly been Seniors. She played the Lalo Violin Concerto, and she exuded so much power and charisma as she performed. Shoutout to the violist who gave an amazing show of Bohemian Rhapsody and the pianist who shined during La La Land! You can watch them on Youtube, but nothing will beat the live music so pull up next year!

As for the skits, the most memorable part for me was when some students wore paper swans on their heads as they performed swan lake. It impressed me how well-made the swans looked!

It appears lots of members will be graduating, which is a little sad, but I’m looking forward to what changes the remaining and new Pops board and members will bring us next year.

 

REVIEW: Cocaine Bear

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To be completely honest, I was rather disappointed after watching this movie. Perhaps it was because my friends hyped it up so much or the comedy just wasn’t to my taste, but it had too many plotholes for it to be satirically viable. Having a comedy movie be understandable is a personal preference though, so I’m sure a lot of people didn’t mind that. There were certain scenes that I found funny since they caught me off guard (I won’t elaborate much to avoid spoilers), but most of the time I got upset about the character development and storytelling.

They use gore and of course, the consumption of cocaine, as their comedic selling point, so if you’re easily squeamish or not interested in that I don’t recommend this movie. Well, I don’t recommend it in general. There are also lots of jump scares, so beware if you’re startled easily! If I had to rate it on a scale of 1-10, I’d give it a 4.5; that may be a controversial statement though.

I did end up watching this movie twice to show others how ridiculous it is; I guess watching this with others could be a good bonding experience! The second time around I could understand more of what was going on. Many of the characters have Southern accents and there are a lot of characters in general that become hard to keep track of, so if you can watch it with subtitles it’d be super helpful.

To summarize, I don’t think this film was a must-watch.

PSA: I had mistakenly thought and questioned how much of the film was true but none of it is, which may have played a factor in my disappointment. Now that you know what you’re getting yourself into, give the movie a shot! Or don’t, it’s up to you.

PREVIEW: Michigan Pops Orchestra Concert “A Night at the Popscars”

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As we approach the end of the semester, the time for the Michigan Pops Orchestra’s concert approaches too! This semester’s theme is “A Night at the Popscars,” meaning they’ve selected a variety of music that’s related to Oscar and other award-winning films.

Many pieces they have selected are teased on their poster (the featured image above) which can be found around campus and on their Instagram @michiganpops. It looks like Howl’s Moving Castle, Star Wars, and West Side Story will be featured, with Howl’s being my most anticipated one!

I’m wondering how the Pops members will have done justice to the Oscar-winning films with their own directing and acting. I’m sure they won’t disappoint though, and I’m looking forward to which movies they’ve chosen to recreate (Star Wars probably being the most likely one).

The concert is at 7:00 PM at the Michigan Theater on Saturday, April 8th. Tickets can be bought online, at the ticket office, and sometimes at Mason Hall, or you can even get a free ticket with a passport of the arts!

PREVIEW: Michelle Zauner in Conversation

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The author of the 2021 American Book Award, Crying in H Mart, is coming to the Michigan theater on April 23rd, Sunday, at 7:00 PM. There will be pre-signed books with potential personalized signatures as well as a speech about the background of her memoir. Michelle Zauner wrote about her experience growing up as a Korean American, specifically focusing on her tumultuous relationship with her mother.

I highly recommend reading this book. It was the first book I read as a college student and a game-changer in my journey as both a reader and writer. Her expression of emotion and vulnerability regarding culture, food, and family had me crying toward the end. It also is the first memoir I read that inspired a whole new genre for me to explore in my own writing.

Although I first learned of Michelle Zauner through Crying in H Mart, she’s also famous as the lead vocalist for a band named Japanese Breakfast that creates alternative pop songs. In fact, before she was an author, she made a living off of music.

Since many of this event’s tickets have been sold out, it may be difficult to attend. However, I’ll do my best in writing a thorough review to give others the same learning experience!

UPDATE: DUE TO SEVERE WEATHER CONDITIONS, MICHELLE ZAUNER MOVED THIS EVENT FROM APRIL 5th TO APRIL 23rd.

REVIEW: Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra – Dvorak Symphony No. 7

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Despite having performed at the Michigan Theater several times as part of the Michigan Pops Orchestra, last Saturday was the first time I experienced the stage as an audience member. It is truly a gem on campus–the shining gilded walls, rich carpets, and warm lighting never fail to transport you to a different world. Plus, where else can you hop over to your nearby movie theater to see your local symphony orchestra play live?

On Saturday, March 18th, I had the pleasure of hearing the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra perform with violinist and International Tchaikovsky Competition medalist Kyung Sun Lee. Initially drawn in by the promise of Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2, I was also awarded lovely performances of Dvorak’s Symphony No. 7 and Debussy’s “Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun”.

The concert opened with “Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun”, featuring a solo meandering flute that is later joined by mellow horns and shimmery harp runs. Strings provide a soft, dreamy foundation for the woodwind melody to unwind and give the impression of a rolling, natural landscape. The ensemble did a wonderful job of melding sounds together into a cohesive form despite the fluid nature of the piece.

Following Debussy was the highly anticipated Prokofiev Violin Concerto No. 2, performed by Kyung Sun Lee. Lee’s sound was distinctly dark and rich, even through bright double stops and etude-like passages at the beginning of the concerto. The concert program mentioned that she plays a Guanerius violin, which was interesting to evaluate the sound quality live. I could go on and on about why I love this concerto, but here I will specifically highlight the second movement. The delicate violin solo is extremely exposed, both in terms of being octaves above the orchestra bed of lilting triplets and by having a different rhythmic feeling. Lee’s interpretation was a touch faster than what I was used to, but beautiful nonetheless. Because of the awkward rhythmic timing involved, entrances and exits are extremely difficult to place–I felt like the orchestra could have spent a little more time nailing these down with the soloist.

Concluding the concert was Dvorak’s Symphony No. 7. Juicy, triumphant, and distinctly Czech, this work was a pleasure to behold. Even as a somewhat regular classical concert-goer, I have difficulty digesting entire symphonies. However, the parts that definitely grabbed my attention were the second (Poco Adagio) and fourth (Finale Allegro) movements. The Poco Adagio features a rich string melody that gets passed off to the warm brass, while the Finale Allegro is a dark and explosive conclusion to the work.

Overall, I had a wonderful time listening to the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra. Looking forward, I hope to keep an eye out for the rest of the season to catch any interesting performances coming up!