Tag: Theatre

REVIEW: Hay Fever

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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.

PREVIEW: Romeo and Juliet

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WHO: The Department of Musical Theatre

WHAT: William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet

WHERE: Arthur Miller Theatre

WHEN: February 20-23

COST: $10 for students

Shakespeare’s most famous tragedy tells the story of Romeo and Juliet, a couple of young star-crossed lovers from feuding families. As they try to be together, a series of unfortunate events and misunderstandings ultimately lead to their deaths.

PREVIEW: Hay Fever

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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.

 

REVIEW: Royal Shakespeare Company: Richard II

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David Tennant as Richard II   (photo courtesy of The Daily Mail)

 

In his first production as artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, director Gregory Doran presented a expertly crafted and wonderfully mesmerizing production of Richard II. Set in its own time period, this production details the downfall of King Richard II, a vain and somewhat villainous king who bases his power on divine right. Through the use of a simple stage design, lighting, and beautifully sung music, this production felt as if it were in a church, which heightened the religious undertones of the play. King Richard’s assumed god-like authority was further highlighted through the costuming choices, most notably his long mane of hair, white or light colored flowing robes, and the ever present cross around his neck.

The simplicity of the stage design and prop choices allowed the audience to focus on what was really important in the production–Shakespeare’s diction and the spectacular acting of the ensemble. David Tennant’s portrayal of Richard plays up Richard’s powerful and vain nature with a gold manicure and a sense of haughtiness. The real strength of Tennant’s performance, however, is the emotion he pulls out of the character. In one of his best moments on stage, Tennant forces everyone to sit on the ground with him and, as he pulls his knees to his chest and rocks with grief, tell the sad stories of the deaths of kings. Showing Richard’s vulnerability in the moment he realizes his power as king is gone allows Tennant to succeed in attracting the audience’s sympathy for a king who throughout the play is seen as wasteful and abusive of his power.

Although Tennant drew a lot of the attention, in no way was this production a solo act. With Nigel Lindsay’s portrayal of Bolingbroke as an intense and powerful man who is not afraid to mock and scorn Richard’s theatricality, Oliver Ford Davies’s emotional and somewhat comedic portrayal of the Duke of York, a man torn between two loyalties, and Michael Pennington’s portrayal of John of Gaunt as a dying man enraged with Richard’s actions, the entire ensemble worked together to create a production that was nothing short of fantastic.

There will be another broadcast of the play December 11th at 7pm at the Michigan Theater. I highly recommend it to anyone with any interest in Shakespeare.

REVIEW: The Comedy of Errors

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Set during Mardi Gras in the 1960s, the School of Music, Theatre, & Dance presents an interestingly humorous production of William Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors. Like so many of Shakespeare’s comedies, The Comedy of Errors is full of mistaken identity, entertaining situations, and nearly tragic events. As a father faces death for arriving in Ephesus to search for his twin sons (both named Antipholus), both of the twins and their twin servants (both named Dromio) unwittingly wreak havoc as they are constantly mistaken for each other.

Full of the slapstick and running gags, this production’s strength was the physical and nonverbal humor. From a martini glass that keeps getting bigger to a duke constantly finding new ways to stay hidden, the best moment was the over the top chase sequence in which a sequence of characters bike by on progressively smaller bikes. At the center of the slapstick humor were the two Dromios (Ben Blackman, Elliot Cruz) who where frequently being hit with bright yellow hats and rubber fish, punched in the stomach, and kicked in the butt. Although that took up a lot of their time on stage, Blackman and Cruz played up the humor with witty lines, dancing, and rapping, which were playful and entertaining.

While this production was appropriately comical and well acted, it had some struggles with the verbal humor. Since this is thought to be Shakespeare’s first comedy, his hallmark wordplay and wit is less pronounced than in the later comedies, which is why most productions play up the physical humor. In this production, however, some of Shakespeare’s most famous lines from, interestingly enough, histories and tragedies including Macbeth, Richard III, Romeo and Juliet, and Hamlet were added in an attempt to heighten the verbal humor and wit. Although it was an interesting idea, for the most part it fell flat and made the play feel less like Shakespeare and more like an awkward tribute.

Overall, this production was unique and entertaining. The Mardi Gras setting worked well and the cast gave admirable performances. Although the additions to the play sometimes felt awkward and out of the place, when the existing humor was played up, the production was wonderfully engaging.

 

 

PREVIEW: Royal Shakespeare Company: Richard II

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David Tennant in Richard II

WHO: Royal Shakespeare Company featuring David Tennant

WHAT: Willam Shakespeare’s Richard II

WHERE: The Michigan Theater

WHEN: Sunday 12/8 at 7pm, Wednesday 12/11 at 7pm

COST: $12 for students, tickets available online or at the Michigan League Box Office

David Tennant (of Doctor Who fame) returns to the stage in the title role in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of Richard II. This is a cinema broadcast from the RSC stage in England where the production is currently running. Given Tennant’s quality acting and his previous success with Shakespeare, this is sure to be a fantastic production.

For more information, visit this website