Tag: Musical theatre

REVIEW: Green Day’s American Idiot

Jeannie Sandefer

Cast of American Idiot

On Sunday afternoon, I walked into the Mendelssohn Theatre ready to be dazzled by the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance’s performance of American Idiot. When I left, I’m not sure if dazzled is the right word for what I felt…it was closer to disappointment. Not quite disappointment, but pretty dang close.

I’ve been anticipating this show since the summer when it was announced, so perhaps my expectations were to blame for this feeling. But it was something more tangible than that. But let’s start with the good first.

From the moment I walked into the theatre, I knew this was yet again the work of masters of their craft. The set design was amazing – two television sets on the side, one burbling with static before the show began, a rickety looking staircase looking like it was lifted straight from a NYC fire escape, leading up to the walkway, with two doors cut into the massively graffitied wall. It was gorgeous, a perfectly fitting for the edgy American Idiot. The only complaint I had was that the action on stage turned insular. After seeing masterpieces such as Stupid Fucking Bird and Cabaret where the whole theatre and stage was used, I was surprised that all the main action happened on stage or on the walkway – the only time the TVs on the sides were used was the very beginning of the show. But overall, the set was amazing and perfectly set the mood for the show, the graffitied American flag large but covered by the drum kit.

The other highlight was definitely the actors. Of course they were amazing – this is an SMTD show we’re talking about. I really felt like I had been transported to early-2000s suburbia/city/America, not to mention the emotional intensity (or lack of, in some character’s cases), was perfect and real. I was also thoroughly impressed with the singing. The danger of doing a musical like American Idiot is how it twists genres. Sure, it’s a musical, but there’s nothing explicitly musical about the songs off of the critically acclaimed album. These are rock songs, and what’s more is that their famous rock songs – it’d be hard to find someone that’s never heard “Wake Me Up When September Ends.” Even though it’s been adapted to the stage brilliantly, with so many lovely harmonies, the songs still have the spine of a rock song – not an easy thing to sing, when you come from a musical theatre background.

The actors went above and beyond all my expectations, especially the lead, James Kilmeade playing Johnny. There were times when I could tell their training kicked in (especially any time St. Jimmy was on stage – fantastic, but not quite hitting the rock spectrum), but overall, I loved the music – it was all perfect.

What surprised me was the fact that I wasn’t a fan of a lot of the choreography. At times it was brilliant – “Give Me Novocaine” in particular, when Johnny and Whatshername do some floor work, so to speak. There was also a lot of creative use of staging along with the choreography – that stairway in particular got a lot of use around the stage. But a lot of it felt very normal and safe to me. Lots of headbanging – at one point I wondered if any of them were suffering the effects of it after four straight shows – lots of stomping, lots of angst.

What bothered me wasn’t the headbanging; I guess in my heart I expected it. But that’s exactly why I cringed a bit – it was exactly what I expected from a performance of American Idiot. In short? It was safe. I’ve seen SMTD shows that branch out, doing new, unexpected things, like their entire production of the quasi-experimental Stupid Fucking Bird. Headbanging around the stage didn’t feel new or creative or unique to me. Sure, it made sense, when you have high energy songs like “American Idiot” opening the musical, or crowd favorite “Holiday.” But with the large cast and the general formula of slow song-fast song-slow song, the headbanging got old really quickly. It also felt really out of place in a musical working against the cookie-cutter version of suburban America, calling for freedom. Where’s the freedom in being perfectly lined up to headbang in sync? I’m not saying choreography should be thrown out the door – the structure was perfect when Tunny went off to war in “Are We The Waiting” (which was another highlight of mine). But overall, the choreography constantly took me out of the action, reminding me that it was a musical and not just the lives of these three characters.

Even so, I still highly recommend seeing it. The music alone is enough, and it is a certain kind of spectacle. However, it definitely doesn’t top some of the other productions I’ve seen the school do. Also, don’t see it if you’re expecting a straight musical with an easily defined plot – there’s very little dialogue, and is written to be intensely symbolic. Think Across the Universe minus Jim Sturgess and with less dialogue.

American Idiot runs for one more weekend, Thursday at 7:30pm, Friday and Saturday at 8pm, and the last performance is the Sunday matinee at 2pm. You can buy tickets here or in person at the League Ticket Office.

REVIEW: Into The Woods

Chelsea Zabel

For those unfamiliar with the musical Into the Woods,

Mostly, the show follows a narrator telling the story of Cinderella, Jack (of the beanstalk), Little Red Ridinghood, a witch, a baker, and the baker’s wife. Their lives intertwine in the first act as the baker and his wife go on a quest to find objects to lift a spell that was placed on the baker by the witch. The end of Act 1 sees everyone getting exactly the happy ending they wished for, and Act 2 shows that the world is darker and more complicated than simply granting wishes.

This show is consistently one of my favorites (I have been familiar with it for nearly a decade), and Musket’s performance on Sunday afternoon offered a refreshing take on this beloved musical.

The large tree set pieces moved smoothly between engaging forest arrangements, despite reaching higher on the stage than the eye could see. Fog machines lived inside a few of the trees as well as upstage, and the liberal use of fog was much appreciated by this audience member. What’s the point of doing a show that takes place in the woods if you don’t fill the stage with fog at every available chance? That’s a trick question, because there is no point.

The orchestra played very well, especially considering the stamina that’s needed for a Sondheim score: even in scenes with the most dialogue, a song is not far behind. The cast was full of beautiful singers who excelled with the music as well.

A special commendation to the person or people behind deciding on Milky White’s costume. (Milky White is Jack’s best friend/cow whom he trades for magic beans.) Whether or not the designer was aware of the internet phenomenon of Low Budget Milky Whites, this trouble was avoided by dressing the cow actor simply in white clothes and wisely leaving it to him, the other actors, and the audience to project cow-ness onto the scenes.

The whole cast, obviously, was phenomenal. I was seriously impressed by how much fun they all seemed to be having. It’s hard to keep your energy up in a show that’s 2 hours and 45 minutes, especially for your last show, and especially when it’s a matinee, but if this cast was feeling tired it was impossible to tell. Their enthusiasm for the story was infectious.

If you’ve never seen a performance by Musket, I would recommend that you make an effort to see what they can do.

P.S. If anyone from the production is reading this, the narrator was the baker’s son, right? That’s what the ending was telling me? It was different from what I’m to, so I imagine that the difference meant something. He was wearing the same shirt as Jack, and the same hat as the baker/the mysterious man. And the baker gave him the story…because he’s the son! Right? If not, I’m sorry for reading too much into things, but if so, that was a beautiful ending.

 

 

PREVIEW: Into The Woods

Chelsea Zabel
Image from the event Facebook page

You’ve seen the movie, now see it live: Musket is presenting Into The Woods on March 27 and 28 at 8pm and March 29 at 2pm!

The entirely student-run theater organization will be performing the Sondheim musical at the Power Center for Performing Arts.

Don’t wait until the last midnight to get tickets! Buy yours in advance from the League Ticket Office for $7 for students and $13 for adults. At the door they’ll be $10 for students and $15 for adults.

REVIEW: Sea Legs: A Nautical New Musical

Natalie Minor

To say that Sea Legs: A Nautical New Musical blew it out of the water would be quite an understatement.  Set in the small New England town of Sweet Ann Harbor, this original musical introduces us to four orphaned adventurers fascinated with the sea beyond their small town.  After a time jump they find themselves reunited in adulthood in the midst of a search for the man who pulled the plug on Periscopia, an underwater utopia the friends dreamed of searching for as kids.  The residents of this underwater world, an eccentric bunch who eat bubbles and have an affinity for prom dresses and leather, make waves as they settle in Sweet Ann Harbor, intent on creating a new home for themselves.  Chaos ensues when it is revealed that one of our orphaned friends is more connected to the crime than he lets on, and we see the true meaning of friendship as he races to prevent one of his own from taking the fall.

At the heart of this seaside tale is an important message about the journey into adulthood and to finding identity.  The orphans we follow throughout the play see their lives develop in ways they hadn’t expected, and some have trouble coming to terms with how things have panned out. Yet by the end they have discovered where it is they are meant to be, whether it is sailing the seas or raising kids in a small port town.  It seems that this struggle is analogous to the futures faced by many of the cast and crew of the production, as well as many in the audience.  The play finishes with a number about how Sweet Ann Harbor will always be there for the characters to return to, and a tear was brought to the eyes of many seniors in attendance.  The song transcends the musical and serves as a message to the graduating class about the place many will think of as home as they start their journey beyond college.

As writer Tyler Dean finishes his theater career here and embarks on an adventure to bigger and better things, the song serves as a farewell to him as well, and also as a grounding connection to a home where he found great success.  In the same theater where he and partner-in-crime Mike Tooman have grown and sparked, we see their final original production fittingly cap off their time here.

Beyond the core message of the play was a highly enjoyable cast of characters and deviously catchy soundtrack – I pity the poor soul who thought he could make it out of that theater without at least one of those tunes banging around in his head.  From the retired sailor turned pigeon whisperer who sings about his ability to see the future in bird droppings to the fully choreographed pop zinger about the glamorous city of Periscopia, each piece takes on a life of its own. If you don’t trust me on this you can see for yourself in the coming months – Sea Legs: A Nautical New Musical is set to hit YouTube just as Dean and Tooman’s previous work Zombie Farm: A New Musical did, and a soundtrack is in the works.

PREVIEW: Sea Legs: A Nautical New Musical

Natalie Minor

 

If you’re looking for a refreshing new musical created by some of our very own University of Michigan students, Sea Legs: A New Nautical Musical may be just what you need.  Prepare to follow four orphaned friends as they meet travelers from an underwater utopia determined to avenge their destroyed home. What will happen when our four friends who long for a journey on the sea find an adventure in their own backyard? You’ll have to go on the voyage with them to find out!

WHO: Basement Arts

WHAT: Sea Legs: A Nautical New Musical

WHEN: Friday, February 21st at 7pm
Saturday, February 22nd at 3pm and 7pm

WHERE: Studio 1, Walgreens Drama Center

COST: Free!

Still not convinced? Writers Tyler Dean and Michael Tooman are also the creators of Zombie Farm: A Musical, which you can find on YouTube here.

REVIEW: A Little Night Music

csatter
Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler’s classic musical A Little Night Music is brought to life in a new production by the School of Music, Theatre & Dance. 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 humourous 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 humourous 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 do next.

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.