The Ann Arbor Civic Theatre is bringing the classic show of Cabaret to the stage! If you’ve never seen this show before, I would highly recommend it! And I haven’t even seen the performance yet! But the story itself is so beautifully heartbreaking. I had the honor of assistant directing it at a different theatre last year, so I am super interested in seeing how they transform the story through different eyes.
I won’t spoil much of the story right now, but as the Ann Arbor Civic Theatre posted in their website, “Set against the crumbling decadence of the [Kit Kat Club], with darkly witty, bawdy, and sometimes scathing songs, Cabaret is a reminder of what the winds of political change, particularly when ignored, can bring.” Like I said, you have to see this show at least once in your lifetime! So might as well make it now! And I suggest bringing some tissues 🙂
Cabaret runs at the Arthur Miller Theatre, October 26-29. The Thursday show is sold out, but Friday through Sunday still have tickets! Tickets are $14-16. Buy them online now at http://www.a2ct.org/tickets/buytickets.
Photo Credit: found on their website at http://www.a2ct.org/.
I was a little apprehensive going into The Penny Seats Theatre Company’s performance of The Turn of the Screw, this Thursday at the First Congregational Church of Ann Arbor. I had just recently finished reading the book version of The Turn of the Screw, by Henry James, and I had no idea of what to expect in terms of seeing it done on the stage — especially since I knew the production was only going to involve two actors.
When the lights went out at the beginning of the production and the church filled with the eerie voices of children singing, I already knew it was bound to be a good time. From then on out, in my opinion, the night was a success.
The show featured two actors: Mary Dilworth and Will Myers. Dilworth played the main character, the governess from whose perspective the entire story is told. Myers, very interestingly, played every single other character: the narrator; the handsome bachelor who recruits her to work at his estate; Mrs. Grose, the elderly caretaker of the estate and the governess’s ally; and Miles, the precocious, secretive, and endlessly creepy ten-year-old of whom the governess is charged with taking care. There is a second child, the young Flora, but there is no actor at all for her; her presence is only mimed by the other characters, addressed as thin air.
Considering this, it must be emphasized how impressive both of these actors were. Dilworth played with and cradled the invisible Flora so convincingly that she may as well have actually been there. She played the governess with an enthusiastic, girlish charm that I wasn’t expecting, but found completely believable. Myers, meanwhile, slipped so easily between his roles that it never once managed to come across as confusing, not even when he was given less than a second to transition.
The Turn of the Screw tells the story of the young woman, who is “seduced” into taking the job of the governess at Bly, an isolated estate in the countryside. The strange happenings that follow prompt her to question what happened between the previous governess, Miss Jessel, and the now-deceased gardener, Peter Quint; why Jessel and Quint are dead, and why they now seem to haunt the premises; and what part the innocent-seeming children, Miles and Flora, have to play in all of it. Needless to say, it is a classic ghost story, which means that most of the audience probably came to the church looking to get scared. (At least, I did.) The production did not disappoint–Myers and Dilworth utilized the entire church space, walking between the pews and lurking behind the rows and up in the balconies, so that it came to feel like the play was taking place not just before us, but all around us. The church ended up being the absolute perfect setting for the play, really lending itself to the element of creepiness.
I also really enjoyed seeing the textual changes made between the novel and the play adaptation. There were a lot of elements added–for instance, Miles’s affinity for riddles, and some surprising encounters between Miles and the governess. I won’t spoil everything, but it’s definitely a production worth checking out, especially if you’re looking to get into the spirit of the Halloween season. The Penny Seats Theatre Company will be putting the play on for two more weekends at the First Congregational Church of Ann Arbor, at 8:00 p.m.
Tonight I had the opportunity to see The Little Mermaid performed by students in U of M’s School of Music, Theatre & Dance, and it was wonderful!!! It brought me right back to my childhood and dreams of being a Disney princess. There honestly was not one character in the show that I didn’t like. The audience immediately fell in love with the quirky, adventurous mermaid Ariel (Halli Toland) and the charming Prince Eric (Trevor Carr). And Sarah Lynn Marion rocked those crazy Ursula solos, with thunderous applause after each one! Other noteworthy characters included Ariel’s best friend Flounder (Matthew Kemp), the “smart” seagull Scuttlle (Barrett Riggins), Ariel’s father King Triton (Jordan Samuels), Prince Eric’s guardian Grimsby (Elliot Styles), and the crustacean Sebastian (Liam Allen).
“Under the Sea” (Photo Credit: Peter Smith Photography)
The applauses were endless after numbers like Halli Toland’s beautiful solo of “Part of Your World”, the biggest number with dancing fish and even a giant stingray – “Under the Sea”, and Sarah Lynn Marion’s evil “Poor Unfortunate Souls”. If I could see this show over and over again, I would!
The Little Mermaid can still be seen Saturday and Sunday April 15-16 at 2pm. Tickets are on sale now: Reserved seating $26-$32 and Students $12 with ID.
Ticket information can be found at: http://tickets.music.umich.edu/single/eventDetail.aspx?p=3001
If you have ever felt the pride of being a Michigan Wolverine, being at this event magnified that feeling by 100%. True Blue! A Tribute to Michigan brought together those who share the love and passion of two colors: maize and blue. Some of the biggest celebrities were on the stage of Hill Auditorium, telling their stories of their time at the University of Michigan, and everything that they have accomplished after graduating with a U of M diploma.
Tribute to Ann Arbor squirrels (Photo Credit: Matt Weigand)
There were so many amazing performances that I will do an overview. Many videos were played throughout the night including ones of the history of U of M, the Diag, the Ann Arbor squirrels (my personal favorite), U of M couples, Bo Schembechler’s “The Team” speech, U of M professors, and the alumni.
“The Victors” performed by the Department of Musical Theatre Majors (Photo Credit: Scott C. Soderberg)
The Jazz Ensemble played a nice medley of “Michigan Through the Ages”. The Department of Musical Theatre Majors did a stunning rendition of “The Victors” that definitely made me tear up a little as I felt the pride of being a Michigan wolverine. The Department of Theatre & Drama Acting Majors performed multiple pieces such as “Catholepistemiad Rap” about the history of U of M, “Clarence Darrow and the Ossian Sweet Trial” alongside Emeritus Professor of Voice George Shirley, and “Tribute to Activism”. The Michigan Men’s Glee Club sang a chilling “Glory” from the movie Selma and “I Remember, My Michigan”. The Contemporary Directions Ensemble played multiple pieces such as “The Little Victors”, “Concerto for Two Violins”, “Back to Michigan”, and the cellists played a “Tribute to Raoul Wallenberg”.
The Friars and Theatre & Drama Acting Majors in the tribute to the Engineering Arch (Photo Credit: Matt Weigand)
The Friars made an appearance to sing “In the Still of the Night” as a hilarious tribute to the Engineering Arch, in which Theatre & Drama Acting majors acted out couples walking through the “arch”. The Department of Dance Troupe performed “The Little Victors”. The RFD Boys, alumni of U of M, played a “Michigan Medley”. Multiple professors spoke such as Ralph Williams, Kathleen Sienko, and also the chair of the Department of Neurosurgery Dr. Karin Muraszko. “The University” was sung by the University Chamber Choir. Shortly after, the Michigan Marching Band flooded the stage performing all of the classics: “Victors Valiant”, “The Yellow and Blue”, and “Michigan Fanfare and The Victors”.
Emcee Darren Criss (Photo Credit: Robert Buechler)
The emcees included actors Darren Criss and Jacqueline Tobini, neurosurgeon and medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta, and NBC sportscaster Andrea Joyce, all of which are U of M alumni. Other famous alumni speakers included: Civil Rights activist Cecilia Munoz, mayor of Ann Arbor Christopher Taylor, sports legends Desmond Howard and Jim Harbaugh, Broadway producer
Alumni and football legend Desmond Howard with other U-M sports legends onstage (Photo Credit: Scott C. Soderberg)
Jeffrey Seller, space explorers Afred Worder, Kiko Dontchev, Steve Walton, Mike Hess, and Hashmita Koka, Zingerman’s co-founder Ari Weinzweig, co-founder of Americans Committed to World Responsibility Judy Guskin, and of course U of M’s President Dr. Mark Schlissel.
This event was absolutely extraordinary and I couldn’t be more proud to be a wolverine! Go Blue!!!
Football coach and alumni Jim Harbaugh (Photo Credit: Matt Weigand)
Upcoming Bicentennial events include:
June 26 & October 26: President’s Bicentennial Colloquia
Ping Chong receiving the National Medal of the Arts
Before Ping Chong’s talk in this week’s Stamps speaker series, we were reminded of how influential and highly lauded of a figure he is in the art community, having been recently awarded the National Medal of the Arts by Obama himself. Ping Chong is a seminal figure in American contemporary theater, having created over 90 productions in the span of his career. He was born in Toronto but was raised in New York City’s Chinatown. He then attended the School of Visual Arts and the Pratt Institute for filmmaking and fine arts respectively, and as he admitted in his presentation, did not expect to end up working in theatre. He started working with Meredith Monk in 1969, first stepping foot into the world of experimental theater. After collaborating with her he went on to found his own theatre company, now known as Ping Chong & Company.
Cast members from Beyond Sacred
The presentation began by showing a what I estimate to be a 15 minute long video about the cast members of Beyond Sacred and exactly how the project was put together. It was interesting to get to know each of the cast members, and get glimpses of their personal stories in preparation for the show on Saturday. What was even more interesting was seeing the way that that Ping Chong was able to take real people, and weave their stories together into an inspiring production. Hearing the cast members speak so highly of his skill and delicacy as a director was extremely inspiring. Watching this video only made me more excited to attend Beyond Sacred and witness the performance for myself. The video is on youtube and I have attached it to the end of the this blog post for your viewing pleasure.
an example of the Undesirable Elements series format
Beyond Sacred is part of his widely known Undesirable Elements series. He first began this series in 1992 to explore the experiences and identity of various communities, particularly those who identify as outsiders. All of the works in this series follow the same format, which is seated cast members, usually real people belonging to that specific community that he had interviewed and hand selected, reading a script off binders to a rich soundscape and supplementary projections. This format is highly adaptable to the needs of different communities and relatively quick to produce, while also allowing non-actors who might be uncomfortable with memorizing script or blocking preform and share their stories.
A scene from Collidescope
When Ping Chong finally began his talk, he wasted no time quickly dived into describing one of his more recent productions, Collidescope: Adventures in Pre-and Post-Racial America. The main plot of the production is that a group of aliens came across the Earth and confused as to why humans were killing each other over race, and summarily set off trying to find answers. An interesting look into race and class in America, Ping Chong adapts the production for each location it is performed at, bringing in a local event to be discussed by the aliens.
Another scene from Collidescope
The production also showcases his unique skill in blending theater performance, video projections and soundscape into a singular production. He talked briefly about how in the past, traditional theater often ignored the use of sound, instead purely focusing on the script as a text. He, instead, enjoys using a rich and dynamic soundscape to further the immersive environment of this works. He also talked about how he cast people across all races and genders to play each and every role, to further drive home the absurdity of racial divides when we are all one human race.
Finally, we were given a brief peek into what Ping Chong has coming up in his undesirable elements series. He talked shortly about a project he is working on about the history and peoples of the state of Alaska.
While I find Ping Chong’s insight into specific piece to be fascinating, I only wish he had talked longer, having only taken the mic for around twenty minutes after the video about Beyond Sacred was finished. I’m not entirely sure Ping Chong knew exactly what the format of the Stamps Speaker Series was, and I wish all of the students and community members in attendance could have gotten a better insight into his works and creative process.
The Penny Stamps Speaker series will return March 9th with Andrew Logan, and will continue for the rest of the semester with new talks every Thursday at 5:10 in the Michigan Theater. All of the talks in the series are free to the public and and you can check out the full schedule here.
Ping Chong is a contemporary theater director, choreographer, and visual artist who has amassed many awards and fellowships across his career. Many of his pieces focus on culture and cultural identity. In total, he has created over 90 different productions, with one of his most recent ones, Beyond Sacred: Voices of Muslim Identity, currently touring. Join Stamps for a special peek into Chong’s artistic process, perspective, and inspirations, and gain new insight into Beyond Sacred, which will be making it’s stop in Ann Arbor this weekend.
Ping Chong’s UMS performance Beyond Sacred, will be held in the Power Center on Saturday, February 18th at 8PM. This event will be included on the most recent passport to the arts, but the voucher must be redeemed in advance.
This talk will be held on Thursday, February 16th, at the Michigan Theater at 5:10 PM. Like all of the lectures in the Stamps Speaker Series, this one will be freeand open to the public. Arrive there 10-15 minutes early for prime seating. Immediately following the talk there will be a Q&A section for those interested.
