Blog Post
The Play Ground
by Albert
"It's an Art Thing": Performance Network Children's Theater Network.The local modern dance company People Dancing performs a trio of original dances for kids in kindergarten through 5th grade. Caps is a modern dance based on Esphyr Slobodkina's classic tale Caps for Sale, an absurd and simple story about a peddler who walks around selling caps from a tall pile on his head.
A Better View is a dance drama exploring an Asian aesthetic that's set to the text of Arthur Lobel's children's book Ming Lo Moves the Mountain about a wise man who tells Ming Lo how to move the mountain away from his house.
Madcap Masks celebrates the relationships between music, dance, and visual art. Performance Network, Saturday, April 28, 11:00 am, 63-0681.
Blog Post
The Play Ground
by Albert
Getting good reviews out in Chelsea at the Purple Rose Theatre company is When The Lights Come On by former football coach Brian Letscher. Letscher played football for the University of Michigan and was the wide receiver coach and recruiting coordinator at Eastern Michigan University in the late '90s. The play explores the high-stress coaching world and the things these driven men do to the women in their lives. Apparently, some high powered coaches feel closer to their staff than they do to their families. The play is also able to impart the thrill of the locker room and the tensions at home. For mature audiences. Through June 2. Box Office: (734) 433-ROSE (7673) for reservations.
Blog Post
The Play Ground
by Albert
Just say the word "Tommy" and the beginning of the famous lyrics pop into our head and stay there for a very long time: Tommy Can You Hear Me? Can you feel me near you?. And we have never even seen the play. Well, now we have our chance to watch the story that follows the life of Tommy Walker and his dysfunctional family in post-WW II England. Originally brought to Broadway in 1993 the play won a record breaking eleven Tony Award nominations and won five. Power Center through April 15. 764-2538
Blog Post
The Play Ground
by Albert
The Reverend James Morell's joy in his comfortable marriage to Candida is shaken by the arrival of the young poet, Marchbanks. Both men adore her and she is attracted to them for their very different qualities. They both forget she is her own woman. In "Candida,'' first produced in England in 1898, George Bernard Shaw turns his eye on marriage and how and why successful unions become and stay that way. Through April 15 at the Performance Network, 663-0681.
Blog Post
The Play Ground
by Albert
Klezmer music originated in the shtetl and ghettos of Eastern Europe, where itinerant Jewish troubadours, known as 'klezmorim', performed at joyful events since the early middle ages. David Krakauer's music is truly a joyful event. Krakauer combines klezmer music with the avant-garde, funk and jazz. He is not your "grandmother's klemzmer' and UMS is bringing his Klezmer Madness to Hill Auditorium on Saturday, March 31 at 8pm.
Blog Post
The Play Ground
by Albert
"Its My Party" and I'll Cry If I Want To...Ah, the memories. We ruined our hips twisting away to music from the 60's. At least we can still tap our feet and snap our fingers and we will get that chance at the Ark this Sunday night. Lesley Gore makes her Ark debut, just 42 years after she began her career with great pop instincts and an independent spirit. Sunday's program is called "Stories of self-revelation in song." Should keep us moving. Show starts at 8 pm and doors open at 7:30 pm
Blog Post
The Play Ground
by Albert
For those of you who missed last week's lunar eclipse like we did because of cloudy skies, there can still be stars and planets in your future. On March 9 & 23 at the Angell Hall Observatory there are two Open Houses sponsored by the U-M Astronomy Department. All are invited to peer through the telescopes in the observatory on the Angell Hall roof and to view shows in the planetarium. Also, Student Astronomy Society members give short presentations on a variety of astronomy topics. Fifth floor rooftop observatory, Angell Hall (from the large State St. entrance, take one of the elevators on the left to the fifth floor). Free. 764-3440. 9-11 p.m.
Blog Post
The Play Ground
by Albert
On our way home yesterday we saw a forlorn Collie walking down the road. A dangerous proposition for man or beast. He finally turned up a driveway, hopefully on his way home. This weekend Collies, in all their glory, are on display at the Washtenaw Farm Council Grounds. Around 160 collies from all over the country compete, in rally and obedience trials, in one of the largest collie shows in the country. Food concessions. Morning & afternoon time TBA (Mar. 2 & 3) & 8 a.m.-afternoon (Mar. 4), 5055 Ann Arbor-Saline Rd. Free admission. (419) 836-2612.
Blog Post
The Play Ground
by Albert
Midori has been playing the violin for 24 years though she is only in her mid-30s. A true child prodigy, her career was launched at age 11 when she was invited by Zubin Mehta to appear as a guest solist for the New York Philharmonic's New Year's Eve celebration in 1982. She made her University Musical Society debut at age 19 during the 1991 May Festival and was last here in 2004. Midori is a passionate educator and devotes a good portion of her time to five organizations she has founded, dedicated to improving access to great music. Hill Auditorium, Sunday, March 11 at 4pm.
Blog Post
The Play Ground
by Albert
Oh man, The Chieftains are back in Ann Arbor after 5 long years of having to make due with just their CDs. They have been playing together for 43 years and have greatly contributed to the wide appeal of Celtic music. They have received six Grammy Awards and this program will feature some of the group's greatest hits. As usual, there will be special guests appearing with them in concert. Hill Auditorium, Sunday January 21, 4pm.