The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Arts
Wednesday, November 27, 2019 — 5
Shakespeare is remembered as the
greatest playwright of all time. The
greatest
struggle
with
putting
on
Shakespeare now, though, is to make it
fresh and relevant for audiences all over
the globe. His narratives are geniusly
concocted, but the vernacular more closely
resembles rocket science than a light-
hearted rom-com, which was how they
were originally performed. Such struggles
were not the case for National Theatre
Live’s
production
of
Shakespeare’s
comedy,
“A
Midsummer
Night’s Dream”
presented
Sunday
evening
by
the
University
Musical Society
at the Michigan
Theater.
The
most
extraordinary
aspect
of
the
production was
how
specific
and
clear
the
storytelling
presented itself.
Usually, I can
barely make out every other phrase in a
Shakespearian play. In this production,
the actors, among them Gwendolyn
Christie (“Game of Thrones”), Oliver Chris
(“Green Wing”), David Moorst (“NT Live:
Allelujah!”) and Hammed Animashaun
(“The Barber Shop Chronicles”), managed
to relay the plot in such a way that I was
able to enjoy myself the entire time. I
relaxed into the storyline so much that
I found myself laughing hysterically
through most of the production.
In a society full of Twitter feeds and
Instagram captions slaughtering any
sort of poeticism we have left in the
English language, I felt refreshed by how
decadent Shakespeare’s language was
while maintaining the playfulness and
absurdity of the comedy.
Director Nicholas Hytner changed one
key aspect of the plotline. He switched
Titania, played by Christie, and Oberon’s
lines around so that the king ended up
having sex with the donkey, Longbottom,
instead of the queen. The reason for the
switch was because Hytner lamented
how serious productions of “Midsummer”
were becoming. Originally, the queen is
constantly being humiliated by the king,
and has no choice but to be presented
as a very sexist parable. In Hytner’s
production, the king is tricked by the
queen and the end result was hysterical.
Their “lovemaking” was interpreted by a
dance/silk number to Beyonce’s “Love On
Top.” Pure genius.
Initially, I was worried by the fact that
much of the audience stood on the stage for
the immersive experience. Shakespeare’s
plays are more of a marathon than a
sprint. However, the performance was so
inventive and immersive that I understood
why the director
Hytner
opted
for
audience
participation.
At times, they
served as the
forest for which
the dream takes
place. Silks were
also suspended
above
the
audience
for
most of the play
from
which
the actors did
trapeze
tricks
to
show
that
they
were,
indeed,
fairies
in the production. At intermission, Hytner
casually said that the performers, world
class actors, who had never interacted
with silks before were given three months
to learn how to maneuver their way
around silks some 20 feet in the air while
reciting Shakespearian monologues.
National Theatre Live brings world
class British theater to cinemas around
the globe. It’s not difficult to surmise why
this production of “Midsummer” was so
brilliant. Theater in Britain receives more
funding from the government compared
to the U.S., and actors are allowed a
significantly longer time to rehearse and
prepare for each production.
Last year, I attended NTL’s production
of “Antony and Cleopatra,” and was
equally impressed. It is such a privilege
to experience world class performances
for a low student price, even if it is relayed
on a screen. In a society full of reality
television
and
superhero
franchises,
the ability to refresh classic works as
efficiently as National Theatre Live did is
reassuring.
‘Midsummer’ a needed
relief during this winter
COMMUNITY CULTURE REVIEW
NATALIE KASTNER
Daily Arts Writer
After “Ray Donovan” relocated from Los
Angeles to New York City at the beginning of
Season 6, there was reason to be concerned
about how long the crime-drama could
continue. The change in the setting of a
television show is often followed by a decrease
in quality. Some notable examples that come
to mind include “Glee,” the final season of
“Scrubs” and the upcoming fourth season of
“Stranger Things.” But “Ray Donovan” is the
exception. Moving away from L.A. has allowed
the show to successfully and logically change
its
direction.
With
the unique job held
by Ray Donovan (Liev
Schreiber, “Spotlight”)
—
it’s
easiest
to
describe him as a more
violent
Olivia
Pope
(Kerry
Washington,
“Scandal”) but a “fixer”
nevertheless
—
no
matter
the
location,
there will always be
someone in need of his
services.
After years of Ray
battling
alcoholism,
anger issues and arrogance, the Season 6
finale hinted that a change was on the horizon.
Not just for Ray, but for everyone in his life.
Each character seems to be on a path of self-
improvement. His father, Mickey (Jon Voight,
“24”), has finally gone to jail. His brothers,
Bunchy (Dash Mihok, “Whiskey Cavalier”)
and Terry (Eddie Marsan, “Deadpool 2”) are
both living healthier lifestyles. His college-
aged
daughter,
Bridget
(Kerris
Dorsey,
“Moneyball”) even apologizes to him. This is
the newer and happy Donovan family … for
now.
If there’s one member of the Donovan
family that deserves eternal happiness, it’s
Terry, Ray’s brother. Unfortunately, his
Parkinson’s disease has gotten worse. He
meets a woman at the drugstore that Bunchy,
Ray’s other brother, works at who urges him
to try a natural remedy that will disinfect his
liver. Elsewhere, Bridget considers ending
her marriage with Smitty (Graham Rogers,
“Atypical”) because she has met someone else.
Ray has begun therapy with Dr. Arthur Amiot
(Alan Alda, “The Good Fight”), who suggests
he forgive his father Mickey and let go of all his
anger. Flash forward four months, and some
fishermen discover the heads of one of the
officers that the Donovans killed in the season
five finale. To make matters worse, there is
still a bullet in the victim’s head and is going
to be tested by ballistics which could lead the
police back to Ray. Like I said, how long could
this path of self improvement really last for the
Donovans?
This is what sets the episode in motion
as Ray tries to move on from his past while
still being haunted by it. Ray shows flashes of
this new lifestyle — he
punches a guy for one
of his clients but then
apologizes
and
says
he could have handled
things better and urges
the guy to “get the help
he needs.” But Ray is
still under the control of
New York City Mayor Ed
Ferrati (Zach Grenier,
“The Good Wife”). Ray
cannot possibly keep up
this “new lifestyle,” as
he is still involved in the
same “fixer” business
that forced him to turn the very violent
behavior he’s setting out to end, but he’s trying
to do better.
Oh, and remember the bullet in the victim’s
head? Well, Ray decides he will put Mickey’s
fingerprints on the gun as he is already in
jail. But, he can’t do that if Mickey never gets
there. Most of Ray’s problems are rooted in
his relationship with Mickey so it comes as no
surprise that another huge one is created in
the final minutes of this episode.
The episode ends with a bus full of convicts
— including Mickey — getting transferred to
a maximum security prison upstate. Up the
road, a tanker truck driver has a heart attack
while inclining. This results in the tanker
rolling back down and smashing into the bus
full of convicts with an explosion that could
have been seen from a zip code over. What
does this mean for the rest of the season? Is
he dead? Did he live and escape? Regardless,
Ray’s therapist is going to have his hands full.
‘Donovan’ is still intense
TV REVIEW
JUSTIN POLLACK
Daily Arts Writer
NETFLIX
Compared to other legendary hip-hop producers
that got their beginnings in the ’90s, DJ Shadow has
not quite kept up. Just look at his peers who are on top
of the world right now, even after 25 years in the game.
El-P is pumping out some of the hardest production
of his career as part of Run The Jewels, somehow
competing with contemporary experimentalists like
clipping., Death Grips and JPEGMAFIA. Madlib is
still a prolific music making machine, maintaining
his iconic lo-fi sound for modern rap rock stars like
Kanye West, cooking up beats on his iPad for shits and
giggles. And then there’s DJ Shadow. The eccentric.
The kooky collector with more vinyl records in his
possession than the average American household’s
yearly income. The hip-hop trailblazer who has never
been able to turn heads with his music the way his
debut album did in ’96. Behold: He is out with a brand
new 90-minute behemoth.
Our Pathetic Age is more interesting before
listening, with its flashy
Roy
Lichtenstein-esque
cover art and two-pronged
structure: The first half is
all instrumentals, while the
second half is packed with
features. Guest vocalists are
an unconvential mix of OG
rap legends (Nas, De La Soul,
some of Wu-Tang Clan’s
hardest
hitters),
modern
hip-hop kings (Run The Jewels, Pusha T) and random
nobodies (who the fuck is Barny Fletcher?).
DJ Shadow doesn’t shy away from flexing his
technical ability on this record. “Slingblade” is
horrifying and perplexing, with freaky pitched vocal
samples and sputtering cyberpunk synths. There’s
something weird going on with the percussion that
makes it unsatisfying to the listener’s expectations,
creating an intentional discomfort that might be better
unpacked by someone who understands music theory.
By the time “Juggernaut” comes on, it’s obvious DJ
Shadow wants you to feel an oppressive weight through
the music. His weapons of choice are overwhelming
noisey blares, too many snares and that creepy sound
you always hear in horror movie trailers. Then plays
a vocal sample where a man says, “Sometimes you
are so charmed by the music, he might be saying
‘death, death, death,’ and you would not notice.” The
title is Our Pathetic Age and the album cover is a girl
staring at a smartphone. It takes very little effort to
decipher the album’s message. It’s like that episode of
“SpongeBob” when Squidward accidentally gets stuck
in the Krusty Krab freezer for 2,000 years. This album
is just DJ Shadow curling on the floor screaming
“FUUTUUUREEE.”
OK boomer.
There are some other neat cuts in the mix on
side A. “Firestorm” is an orchestral composition;
that’s something new for DJ Shadow, whose debut
Endtroducing has a Guinness World Record for being
the first album recorded with only sampled sounds.
It’s got some Toby Fox vibes going on, invoking the
magic and nostalgia of the “Undertale” soundtrack.
That’s an influence I never expected to find on a DJ
Shadow album. The highlight instrumental is “Rosie.”
The way the vocal sample gets chopped up and
deconstructed is terrifying. By the midpoint, when the
eerie oscillating synths and sticky bassline kick in, I’m
seeing little Rosie in my midnight dreams.
For the most part, though, the beats on disc one
sound a little too sterile, a little too unfocused, a little
too lost and rambling in their runtime. That leaves
the weight of this bloated album on the backs of all
the zany disc two features. Could fire verses save this
album?
Maybe they could have, but the majority of the raps
on this half are not fire. They’re not even mediocre.
They’re mostly dirt that snuffs this album out. If disc
one invokes the OK boomer meme, then disc two is
cashing it in for all its worth. Immediately on “Drone
Warfare,” the societal commentary is extremely heavy
handed. There is nothing clever about lines like “I
duct tape the cam on a Mac Pro” or “My smartphone’s
listening.” It’s like DJ Shadow got a bunch of hip hop
legends on the album just to
spout off vague doomsday-
sounding bullshit.
That unwoke commentary
on society today pervades
throughout
most
of
the
verses
on
the
album.
The
worst
offender
is
“C.O.N.F.O.R.M.,” featuring
the most uninspired and
cringe-inducing lyrics about
social media I have ever heard. The production isn’t
bad at least. It’s just that the piano keys literally sound
like the intro to the “Goosebumps” TV series, and I
cannot unhear it for the life of me.
There are bits of gold that shine beneath DJ
Shadow’s
oppressively
unimpressive
thematic
direction. Inspectah Deck, Ghostface Killah and
Raekwon of Wu-Tang Clan spit some of the album’s
smoothest verses on “Rain On Snow,” sandwiched
between a blood-chilling chorus. “Rocket Fuel” is
blessed by De La Soul’s unwieldy groove, the only
instance of cheer on the entire album that makes for
a breath of fresh air among the futuristic despair. The
beat on “Taxin’” would not sound out of place on an
album from a modern LA rapper like ScHoolboy Q or
Jay Rock. Unsurprisingly, Run The Jewels bring the
heat on “Kings & Queens,” rapping over a gorgeous
soul sample. And the best vocal performance goes to
Pusha T on the bonus track “Been Use Ta.” He raps
over the unfortunate beat from “C.O.N.F.O.R.M.,” but
with far better writing and delivery than the random
wackjobs DJ Shadow enlisted for the not-bonus
version.
Our Pathetic Age has its high points on both discs, but
bloat is the death of this record. On the instrumental
half, it’s mediocre bloat, and on the feature-packed
half, it’s poisonous bloat. Cut out the unfocused tracks
from side A and the god-awful tracks from side B,
string it together a little more cohesively, and this
album might have been memorable. Too bad it’s only
middling at best.
DJ Shadow’s latest is heavy
ALBUM REVIEW
DYLAN YONO
Daily Arts Writer
The most
extraordinary aspect
of the production
was how specific and
clear the storytelling
presented itself.
Only Dolly Parton could get away with “Dolly
Parton’s Heartstrings.” That is, if Dolly herself didn’t
appear in each episode, this show would be nothing
more than Netflix’s attempt to corner the Hallmark
feel-good movie market.
“Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings” consists of eight
episodes with unrelated storylines all based on the
most famous of Parton’s songs. Each episode explores
a different aspect of family, friendship, love, loss or
acceptance, and features Dolly’s own commentary on
the history of each song’s creation and legacy.
The series’s first episode takes inspiration from
famed song “Jolene” and reimagines the titular
character (Julianne Hough, “Grease Live!”) as a
struggling musician stifled by the traditions of a
small town. The next story, “Two Doors Down,”
has a similarly light, comedic tone and follows an
estranged family as they each reveal personal secrets
during a lavish New Year’s Eve wedding. Other than
a few various petty conflicts, every loose end in these
episodes ties up nicely and each have happy (albeit
slightly unrealistic) endings.
While the opening episodes of “Heartstrings” are
framed as lighthearted comedies, the series becomes
more of a melodramatic tragedy than the average
holiday heartwarmer as it progresses. “If I Had
Wings” and “Cracker Jack” delve into Parton’s sadder
tunes and depict fractured families or friend groups
torn apart by terminal illness or addiction. Though
some moments are genuinely emotional, most of these
episodes feel engineered to produce tears, rather than
to elicit the emotions so central to Parton’s music.
Despite its best attempts to connect with what
makes Dolly Parton an icon, “Heartstrings” feels
too commercial and hollow in comparison to its
source material. With vapid and occasionally
ridiculous dialogue, characters closely resemble
two-dimensional archetypes employed to easily
move stories forward. Even the storylines, which
consistently rely on plot twists, seem too simplistic
and trite to get invested in.
Without the compelling narratives of Parton’s
original lyrics, “Heartstrings” fails to capture the
heart of the country singer’s music. However, for
all its faults, the show succeeds in capturing the
fun of her storytelling. Dolly Parton has long been
one of the kindest and truly positive musicians in
American pop culture. Despite the cheesiest aspects
of “Heartstrings,” the wholesome joy of the series
is undeniable. Even with iffy writing and moments
more worthy of eye rolls than tears, the
show’s heart is in the right place.
Dolly’s personal involvement with
each episode serves as the perfect
reminder to the audience that her
music is more about feeling than
judging.
Although
“Heartstrings”
tries its hardest to manufacture these
feelings in abundance and loses out on
some of her songs’ subtleties, the show
still retains some of the sentiment in
Parton’s lyrics.
“Heartstrings” is less focused on
technical quality and devotes itself
instead to being a comforting show
for
the
holiday
season.
Without
Dolly’s
infectious
personality,
the
show probably wouldn’t work. But
if you love the Queen of Nashville
enough to overlook the show’s flaws,
“Heartstrings” is worth the watch.
‘Heartstrings,’ because Dolly
TV REVIEW
ANYA SOLLER
Daily Arts Writer
Ray Donovan
Season 7 Premiere
Showtime
Sundays @ 8 p.m.
Dolly Parton’s
Heartstrings
Season One, Episodes 1-4
Netflix
Now Streaming
Our Pathetic Age
DJ Shadow
Mass Appeal Records