The Chieftains plays at Hill Auditorium, courtesy of UMS, on Saturday, March 5. (Photo by Kevin Kelly)

Washtenaw Community Concert Band presents “Presidential Portraits.” Chris Heidenreich directs this 80-piece ensemble in marches, hymns, and tone poems to honor past presidents. The program is highlighted by Jay Dawson’s musical Civil War reenactment, Gettysburg: The Third Day. Also, a solo by the winner of the band’s 2nd Annual Concerto Competition for young local musicians, Jonathan Lynn. Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in WCC’s Morris Lawrence Bldg., in Towsley Auditorium, located at 4800 E. Huron River Dr. in Ann Arbor. Free admission.

“Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris,” presented by Penny Seats Theatre Company. Laura Sagolla directs this local company in Eric Blau and Mort Shuman’s cabaret-style 1968 show showcasing the songs of Belgian composer Jacques Brel, whose pointed political commentary and heartfelt chansons made him one of the most venerated singer-songwriters of his time. Four singers share the stage, performing solo and ensemble numbers ranging from “Marathon,” a ferocious commentary on the events of the 20th century, to the famous anthem, “If We Only Have Love.” EncoreMIchigan.com critic Marin Heinritz wrote, “Director Laura Sagolla gets Brel and his sensibility and guides a terrific cast.” Thursday’s show at 7:30 p.m. is sold out, so an added 9:15 p.m. performance (dinner seating starts at 7:30 p.m.) will be your last chance to catch the 70 minute show. Conor O’Neill’s Celtic Room, 318 S. Main in Ann Arbor. Tickets cost $10 ($20 includes dinner entree) in advance at pennyseats.org/box-office and (if available) at the door. Continue reading →

Generally, I’m not a big fan of revues – stage shows that gather together the songs or dances of a single artist – but you know what I am a fan of? Documentaries about creative types.

And Sondheim on Sondheim, now being staged by Dexter’s Encore Musical Theatre, is a unique kind of hybrid (conceived by James Lapine) that doesn’t simply let Stephen Sondheim’s songs speak for themselves, but instead intersperses film clips of the man talking about his process; the evolution of his career; and his life. And this makes all the difference.

Encore’s production, directed by Dan Cooney, features 8 cast members who perform the songs (plus music director Tyler Driskill, who plays a grand piano at center stage): Peter Crist, Leah Fox, Daniel A. Helmer, Lauren Norris, Kelsey Pohl, Thalia Schramm, Jim Walke, and Adam Woolsey. Dressed by costume designer Sharon Larckey Urick in what my family calls “dressy casual” – jewel toned dresses for the women, neutral-color suits with colorful button-down shirts for the men – various configurations of performers appear on stage to perform Sondheim’s songs, usually on the heels of a video clip of Sondheim talking about his work on a particular show, or part of his personal history.  READ THE REST HERE

Before a special, packed, “Direct from Sundance” screening of The Lobster got underway on Thursday, February 3, at the Michigan Theater, Executive Director/CEO Russ Collins appeared on stage with Sundance Film Festival programmer Hussain Currimbhoy.

By way of introducing The Lobster, which won the Grand Jury Prize at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, Currimbhoy said, “This one has a certain sense of humor and sense of irony, and it addresses structures that control us and stop us from being ourselves. … (The film’s) absurd, but we figured this was the town that brought us Madonna and Iggy Pop, so you can handle absurd, right?”

Filmed in Ireland, and directed by Greek filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos, The Lobster tells the story of a newly dumped husband (Colin Farrell, sporting glasses, a moustache, and extra weight) who must now go to a hotel to try and find another partner. He has 45 days to do so, or he will be turned into an animal of his choosing. (His brother, now a dog, accompanies him.) At this hotel, masturbation is forbidden; hotel staffers, as part of their duties, bring guests to arousal without orgasm; and potential partners must share a trait. Consequently, one widower hotel guest with a limp (Ben Whishaw) regularly bangs his face against things to make his nose bleed, in order to match with a nosebleed-prone woman; and Farrell’s character pretends to be callous to match with the hotel’s longest-surviving guest, who has earned her extended stay by successfully shooting down the escaped, off-the-grid “Loners” that live as a tribe in the wilderness.

When Farrell’s ruse is revealed, he flees and joins the Loners, who allow masturbation but forbid romantic coupling of any kind, punishable by mutilation. Yet it’s in this setting, of course, that Farrell finds love with another short-sighted person, played by Rachel Weisz. The two develop a secret language of gestures, but when the loners’ sadistic leader (played by Lea Seydoux) figures out what’s happening, she metes out a cruel bit of justice, leaving Farrell with an excruciatingly painful choice. READ THE REST HERE