An Identity Crisis (Or Two)

 

Last weekend I enjoyed a bit of a Mozart extravaganzafest in our fair city of Houston: Saturday night I went to the Alley Theater’s production of Amadeus with Paul, and Sunday afternoon I saw Houston Grand Opera’s production of Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro with Jennifer and Patty.  Let’s investigate, shall we?!

Peter Shaffer’s Amadeus, a fictionalized historical play about the rivalry between famed composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and his contemporary, Antonio Salieri, premiered in London in 1979 and quickly transferred to a multi-Tony award winning production on Broadway the following year.  Four years later it was turned into a film of the same name and went on to garner a gazillion (approx.) Oscars.  I had never been to a production at the Alley before and figured this was as good a time as any!

 

I remember watching the movie a loooong time ago and so I was pretty much going into it with a fresh perspective on the piece.  Even at about three hours and just one intermission I was com.plete.ly entranced by the entire production—Jeffrey Bean and Stanley Bahorek’s portrayals of Salieri and Mozart, respectively, are still with me.  An added bonus of seeing the show is that a studio mate of mine from Michigan, Amanda Kingston, played the singing-only role of the soprano Katherina Cavalieri.  Not only does the girl know her way around some coloratura, but she can rock the hell out of a period costume as well!

 

The following afternoon I continued my HGO series with Jennifer and Patty to see Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, which now provides me the perfect venue to do a little retroactive blogging from the University of Michigan’s 2009 production of the same opera (and in which I played the role of Count Almaviva).

 

It would take a bit too long to explain the whole plot of Figaro, what with all the mistaken identities, geniological revelations, trickery and musicological implications of the work… for all that and the connection with Beaumarchais’ triology you can check out wikipedia’s article here.  Suffice it to say, the Count spends the whole show trying to sleep with his wife’s maid, Susanna, who is to be married to Figaro, the count’s attendant.  They, in turn, spend the whole opera trying to keep this from happening. Plus their’s bumbling gardeners, women-crazy soldiers, conniving cougars and much more!

Kyle Knapp, Basilio; Mary Martin, Susanna; Kate Wakefield, Cherbuino (video courtesy of Kyle’s iPhone) AND since I’m always up for a little inter-website promoting: check out Kyle’s website here and look for an ub-sessed shout-out in the “Links” section!

 

Now, some of you may have noticed an 8 foot tall portrait resembling a certain yours truly…

Dear art department: Thanks for superimposing my head onto this painting.  Next time, could you take a couple of inches off the middle, please!

 

 

Seducing who I think is Susanna but is, in actuality, my wife in disguise.       Hai gia vinta la causa-ing it

 

Best. Picture. EVAR!! Just look at the kuh-crazy we are all giving.  Anticdotally, it was during the end of this 20 minute long Act II finale that at one point I started seeing stars everywhere.  I thought to myself: “Now wait a minute, did someone change the stage direction and start throwing glitter from the rafters?!?”  No… in fact someone did not… I was just singing balls-to-the-walls and may or may not have almost passed out! (L to R: Ben Sieverding, Kristin Eder, Kyle Knapp, Joseph Roberts, Mary Martin)

 

I also really love this backstage shot Kyle took. (L to R: Rhea Olivacce, Kyle, Me, Ben, Kate)

 

Because I had such a substantial role in the opera, I had a substantial Texas delegation to come up and see it!!  This was actually Matt and Mallory’s first time away from their baby Paige and I’m so happy I had such strong support.

Lunch at Zingerman’s Deli!!!  Everyone minus Matt and Joanie, who had eaten there before when they came to see La boheme and did a little off campus sight seeing that day.

 

Artist: Andrew Lloyd Webber/ Album: By Jeeves

School’s Out

So unfortunately, as these things tend to go, moving away comes with having to say goodbye to friends I’ve grown to tolerate adore and places I’ve come to love.  I spent four years and two degrees at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theater and Dance and will certainly miss it!

 So.. this pond is shaped like a piano when looked at from above, except it’s actually not facing the right way.  Too bad it’s so full of algae that it matches the grass, but there is a pretty fountain that is usually on which helps distract from the verdant nature of the water

 

One of the joys of living basically near the woods is that deer pop up from time to time in the parking lot of the school!

Saturday night a group of my music friends and I went out for drinks as a last goodbye before I head back to the home country.

Jennie Nash and Kristin Eder (the Armide twins)

While waiting for other people to show up I was going to take a picture of the coaster on the table from Arbor Brewing Company for the blog. “Oh that’s boring, let’s do something silly with it,” said Jennie.

 

This was the first  attempt at the picture, but it fell from my glasses as Kristin was taking the picture.  I happen to like this one better!

L to R: Stephanie, Mary, Brandon and Nicole!

Emily, Jennie, Carroll, Kristin.  THE MOMMIES ARE OUT WITH HEELS AND MAKE UP ON!!

(PS Carroll is having a blast)

Uncle and niece

One of these is not like the other…

You’re so young! Why are you even hanging out with me!

You better skype me, biscuits!

There were also some other people who I was able to see but couldn’t make it out on Saturday.

Kelly and Puffer! Thanks for letting me use your place so muchhhhh!

Jamie (a fellow Texan) and his wife Sofiya (definitely NOT a Texan… she’s from the far away land of Bulgaria)

Lizzie Randolph, whom you might remember was my partner in crime when we got busted by the cops

A Lovely Day to Be Out of Jail

The other night I was walking past our Borders downtown (that would be Borders store number 1 for those of you who don't know) and saw a poster announcing that Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings would be doing a performance and CD signing this week and I absolutely knew that I couldn't miss it... especially since it was free! All I had to do was get up early and be at the store yesterday morning when they opened to get an armband and all was set!!

SO... Sharon Jones is a soul/funk singer who is a part of this neo-Motown resurgence happening who has since retired from her former job as a correctional officer at Rikers Island. Needless to say, she will beat you down if you don't applaud. The Dap Kings, her back-up band, is the house band for Daptone Records and were an implemental part in Amy Winehouse's buh-mazing album Back to Black, among other collaborations. If you remember from one of my first posts, I have a huge affinity for this type of music.

You MUST watch this:

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings - She Ain't a Child No More
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Fox News

I had the great pleasure of going to the short concert and signing with Mary Martin, who I mentioned in my last post, as she sang the national anthem for President Obama at the University of Michigan graduation.
Below are some of my own pictures, but here are some from AnnArbor.com that are of a slightly immensely higher quality than those from my BlackBerry Pearl.

BANDS FOR THE BAND!

Where are they!?!

Being interviewed by some guy from 107.1-- celebrities EVERYWHERE!

A girl gotsta take her shoes off to give a good performance

My friend Timothy was actually in attendance and standing next to me... she called him up and sang to him!!

I believe this was post "Pony-ing" and pre "Turky-ing"

Post concert was the CD signing and Mary and I didn't have anything for her to sign. 

"Do you think she'll sign this?"

The Borders guy actually told us we couldn't meet her because we hadn't purchased anything from the store but Ms. Jones had a lil' somethin' else to say about that and waved us by.  He is now in the hospital with a broken rib for not obeying her the first time

We also got a chance to chat with Starr and Sandra (that's pronounced "Sahndra" as in "laundry" and not "Sandra" as in "pasty white actresses"... and don't you dare call her anything different!) who are her back up singers appropriately named the Dap-Queens.  Naturally, Mary and I are now Dap-Queens, but only on Thursdays and Sundays. Okaaaaaay.  As a side note... we are smiling because we are with the Dap-Queens, and they are smiling because I told them Mary has sung for the President.

Another National Anthem

Okay okay... so I realize that it's been a while since I last posted, and I apologize! However, I've got a lot to post about in the next couple of days so hopefully what will make up for the delay.  (Because I'm just certain y'all have been waiting with baited breath over these last few weeks.)

It's going to be a tad out of order chronologically... I'm waiting to get some pictures from when my mother came up for my voice recital and our subsequent trip to Detroit.

NOW: for the Presidential run-in!!!  This past Saturday was my last ever day as a student *insert parent's applause here* and I had the great pleasure of getting to see President Barack Obama's commencement speech at The Big House *insert parent's boo's here*!!!! Whatever your political leanings, I think we can all agree that getting to see a sitting president speak is still a pretty cool thing, so keep it clean in your comments. 

We had been getting e-mail after e-mail giving us a detailed list of  things we could not bring (guns, bags, umbrellas, etc) and informing us that the gates would open at 6:30 am and no one would be allowed in after 9:00 am.  Mind you, the actual ceremony didn't start until 11:00 am.   Luckily, my friend Maureen lives two blocks from the stadium and I was able to park there and miss all of the kuh-raziness of catching the bus (in the pouring rain, might I add).

Me and the General.  If you know me, then you understand how big of a deal it was to get up before 8 10 noon on a Saturday

 

We waited a bit at her place for the rain to subside and then headed out.  People could be seen walking from every direction towards the stadium and once we rounded the corner it was astonishing to see the line of attendees SNAKING all over the place.  It's at points like that that you just switch into "sheep" mode and basically follow the crowd and go wherever the security officers point you. Where that put us was at the end of what seemed like an endless throng of people, only to hear the security guards there telling us that we could go up and around to another open gate.  So we proceeded to do just that, only to be told up there that we had to go back to the end of the line and couldn't go through. 

The line goes back and back and back and back until about Ypsilanti

At this point one of the presidential motorcades came through and in the confusion some of us were able to cut through the other side of the line and get around the other entrance very very quickly!!

Ooooh, pretty lights! (P.S. The girl in the pink hoodie does NOT seem pleased)

 

It took only about five minutes to get through that gate and then the light at the end of the tunnel: the security check!! So now it's about 9:30, we still have two and half hours until the ceremony actually begins, and my energy level is at buh-zero!  Luckily there was a coffee line inside, and luckily (I guess) it ate up another hour of our time because apparently there was only one coffee pot in use.  I mean, did they get caught off-guard that there were going to be thousands of people sitting around with nothing to do early in the morning?

Annnyway... we then found our seats and only had to wait about thirty minutes before the ceremony started.

 

 

Now, it may not surprise a lot of you that I had not been to the football stadium-- also known as the Big House-- in my entire time at the University of Michigan.  Depending on when you check the statistics, it holds more spectators (I kid you not I wrote "audience members" first) than any other stadium in the United States.  As you can see, they left  a section of the stadium clear behind the podium area, but the number of people in attendance I heard being bandied about was somewhere around 83,000.

The arrival of Marine One!

Besides getting to see President Obama speak, the next amazing thing was that my friend and colleague Mary Martin got to sing the national anthem for the President, the thousands of people in the stadium, and the even more thousands of people watching on television.  Some of you may remember Mary from my previous post about Armide several weeks ago, and I couldn't have been more proud to see her sing!!!!

An AMAZING screen capture of Mary after meeting Obama

One of the other special guests in attendance at the speaker's podium was Michigan's governor, Jennifer Granholm.  For those of who you didn't know, she was chosen to be Joe Biden's sparring partner during his practice for the Vice Presidential debate because she's kind of the anti-Sarah Palin.  So.. you know... she's okay in my book.  [Jan, take it out on your blog... not on my comments :) ]

After all the other speeches it was finally time for President Obama's.  Of course it was amazing to hear one of the greatest, if not THE greatest speaker of our time dispensing word after word of wisdom. I was a bit surprised, I'll admit, to hear later that ours was the largest crowd he had spoken to since his becoming the president.

Look! Presidential port-a-potties!!!

 

    The crowd went kuh-razy... I mean, this is Ann Arbor after all... it's not like he gave the speech in Waco

 

 

Now... I'll admit that I chose not to participate with the graduates on the field and there is a small part of me that regrets not taking place in the camaraderie with my fellow graduates.  However, the other, much larger part of me was quite glad to be able to leave directly after the speech, as did around 10,000 other people from what I later heard.  I did make sure to get one last picture with the statue of the Wolverine right outside of the stadium because I knew my mother would want a graduation photo!

 

I'm ONCE... TWICE...THREE times a graduate!

 

 

"The men and women who sat in your chairs ten years ago and fifty years ago and one hundred years ago - they made America possible. And there is no guarantee that the graduates who will sit here in ten or fifty or one hundred years from now will enjoy the same freedoms and opportunities that we do. America's success has never been a given. Our nation's destiny has never been certain.

 

What is certain - what has always been certain - is our ability to shape that destiny. That is what makes us different. That is what makes us American - our ability at the end of the day to look past all of our differences and all of our disagreements and still forge a common future. That task is now in your hands..."

~ President Barack Obama

May 1, 2010
click here for a full copy of the speech

Artist: Stephen Sondheim/ Album: Assassins