Tag: 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: Stupid F###ing Bird

Jeannie Sandefer

I’m not sure exactly what I was expecting, but it definitely wasn’t what I got Thursday night at the Mendelssohn Theatre. I’m familiar with Chekhov’s original, having seen it over three years ago, however I’m not so familiar that I remember every detail. So I found myself in a pretty good place coming in, seeing as Stupid F###ing Bird is a parody/adaptation of sorts.

What I wasn’t expecting was the tour-de-force production that the cast and crew of SMTD put on.

First things first, go see this show. Before I say anything else about it, just know that it is phenomenal and you need to see it. This play deserved a packed house last night, but unfortunately it was low on patrons – there were only a couple hundred people there at most. Tickets are free (yes, free) with a Passport, so please take advantage of it and go see it.

Now then, this play.

Being a writer and all, I have to first acknowledge what incredible writing this play contains. I’ve heard it said that good writing doesn’t need to use, ah, alternative language, but this play certainly uses it and abuses it and it works. But more than the profanity is the sheer truthfulness to the dialogue. Multiple times the actors talk over one another, fighting for dominance in the conversation, and then suddenly drift away, ums and ands included. While I can’t be sure all of this was written in the script and some of this should be attributed it to the actors, the script cannot be forgotten. At times I just marveled in how clear the play was. At one point, the actors line up, facing the audience, and rattle off what they want, to be loved, to be famous, to have a big bowl of ice cream (I feel ya, Dev). This kind of directness is rare to see in plays, and was a surprising but refreshing change from the usual.

However, it didn’t surprise me as much as the meta-textual elements that I found running rampant throughout the play. From the small, intimate looks the actors would give to the audience, to Con, our main character, calling for the house lights as he jumps off the stage and demands the audience tell him how to win his girlfriend Nina back. This was a particular high point for me, because it highlighted both the inevitability of life and of the play going on; there was a plant in the audience who prompted Con to rejoin the scene at hand. But it was more than that. As Sorn celebrates his 60th birthday, he demands to know if he’s the only one acting. Of course, the audience laughs, as yes, they are all acting on stage in the moment. But beneath those laughs is that very true question: do people put on an act even throughout their daily lives?

And that’s where this play’s writing shines. Most serio-comedies struggle with the balance between the two, instead making a drama with elements of comedy sprinkled throughout in order to keep the audience from leaving too depressed. Posner’s play does the exact opposite, relying heavily on drama to save the play from its own absurdness. Whenever things get too serious, true comedy, not a cheap joke, comes in to remind the audience that they came to see a comedy, and a comedy is what they’re getting.

As far as the actors go, they handled all of Posner’s randomness with the utmost perfection. The switches from life to scene could be jarring for some actors, and yet this cast does it with such ease, you’d think all plays include direct audience address and participation. I was also happily surprised that the majority of the cast also played instruments throughout. I knew there were musical elements in Stupid F###ing Bird, but I didn’t exactly know to what to expect. The actress portraying Mash, the gloomy yet always poignant sidekick, shined here, toting around a ukulele, always ready to show off her songwriting ability to either her friends or to the audience.

But the best acting really goes to junior Graham Techler for his superb portrayal of main character Conrad, or Con for short. While I had my doubts at the beginning of the play, he juiced Con’s character arc for all its worth. From his first appearance shouting START THE FUCKING PLAY at the audience, to his ultimate humiliation when firing his gun, demanding to know why he has to die and again, shouting at the audience to STOP THE FUCKING PLAY.

I could honestly go on about how amazing this production was, from all of the actors to the incredibly detailed and yet simple set designs, but I’ll spare you. All you need to know about Stupid F###ing Bird are these three things:

  1. This is a quality production

  2. This is quality writing, both the funny and the insightful

  3. You do not need to know anything about Chekhov to understand it

While the majority of the play functions as Posner using Con as his mouthpiece to berate Trigorin/Chekhov, this really isn’t the main point of the play. Asking the big questions, either to the audience or to the other characters, challenging current notions of what art can and cannot be, and being absolutely hilarious along the way – that’s what this play gives. It gives its heart, even if it amounts to nothing except a Stupid F###ing Bird.

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: Hay Fever

csatter

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

csatter 1 Comment

 

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.