Do you sing show tunes in the shower? Are you an avid theatre junkie? Or are you maybe planning a trip to New York City sometime soon? The chances are good that your bucket list includes seeing a play or musical on show business’ most famous circuit.

Each year, the Tony Awards recognize the best of the best gracing Broadway stages. Here are some highlights from the just-released list of nominations, featuring the usual hefty dose of movie stars and book adaptations. Leading the pack with 12 nominations each are new musicals “An American in Paris” and “Fun Home.”

Be sure to tune in on Sunday, June 7 at 8 p.m. for the full show, hosted by Kristin Chenoweth and Alan Cumming, and see who goes home with the awards. For now, let these lists and links satisfy your theatre craving.

Best Musical

An American In Paris

Something Rotten! – by the folks who brought us The Book of Mormon.

The Visit

Fun Home

Best Play

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime– based on the best-selling book by Mark Haddon

Disgraced

Hand to God- hand puppets are involved.

Wolf Hall Parts One & Two– also based on best-selling books, these by Hilary Mantel

Best Revival of a Musical

The King & I

On The Town– features the Broadway classic “New York New York”

On The Twentieth Century- Kristin Chenoweth plays a starlet, which is almost as shocking as Helen Mirren playing a queen.

Best Revival of a Play

The Elephant Man- Bradley Cooper stars as a 19th century man with a severe disfigurement.

Skylight

This is Our Youth

You Can’t Take it With You

Best Actor in a Play

Steven Boyer, Hand of God

Bradley Cooper, Elephant Man

Ben Miles, Wolf Hall Parts One & Two

Bill Nighy, Skylight

Alex Sharp, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime

Best Actress in a Play 

Geneva Carr, Hand to God

Helen Mirren, The Audience

Elisabeth Moss, The Heidi Chronicles

Carey Mulligan, Skylight

Ruth Wilson, Constellations

Best Actor in a Musical

Michael Cerveris, Fun Home

Robert Fairchild, An American In Paris

Brian d’Arcy James, Something Rotten!

Ken Watanabe, The King and I

Tony Yazbeck, On The Town

Best Actress in a Musical

Kristin Chenoweth, On the Twentieth Century

Leanne Cope, An American in Paris

Beth Malone, Fun Home

Kelli O’Hara, The King and I

Chita Rivera, The Visit

Be sure to check out the rest of the nominations and plenty of additional information on the Tony Awards’ website.

On 15th Avenue, sandwiched between Global Scholars Hall and the University of Oregon School of Law, sits the Museum of Natural and Cultural History. You’ve probably passed by the building on your way to class, but how much do you really know about the MNCH?

For a lot of students at UO, the answer to that question is probably “not too much.” That’s where the museum’s Student Ambassadors Program comes in.

The MNCH’s Student Ambassadors Program is a group of students who work to connect the museum and the student body. The group hosts a variety of outreach events, from the “de-stressing” dead week craft parties to its signature once-a-month trivia night at the museum.

First year student Chelsey Luiz, a member of the Student Ambassadors program, sees events like trivia night as essential to the campus-museum connection.

“There are so many students who have come to trivia and said that they didn’t even know we had a museum on campus,” Luiz said. “I think if we didn’t have these opportunities that this program is providing, then students wouldn’t have that awareness.”

The fun, competitive atmosphere of trivia night has been consistently successful.

“We haven’t really had a problem getting people to our events,” senior ambassador Erin Christ said. “That’s been a great thing — we’ve had good turnouts.”

Christ added, however, that the Ambassadors program has faced challenges in the past. When she joined the program in February of 2013, it had been around for a long time but was in the process of creating a stronger presence on campus.

“For a while we had a really difficult time with getting people to join,” Christ said. “We’d been really trying to get freshman in, but we really weren’t reaching any freshmen.”

This fall, the ambassadors increased their presence at events like the Week of Welcome’s Flock Party.

“I think a lot of (the group’s success) has to do with the outreach efforts and recruitment efforts early on fall term,” group advisor Steve Dobrinich said.

Luiz was one of the freshmen to take notice of these efforts, and she’s glad she did.

“I definitely would say that it’s helped me, especially in connecting me with upper-division and graduate students,” she said.

Christ has been a part of the Ambassadors program for almost three years and shares Luiz’s positive experience.

“I just think the group just really attracts the right kind of energy. We’re all just so passionate about being there, so we have a fun time together,” she said.

These interpersonal relationships are a fringe benefit to the core work of the ambassadors: promoting all the MNCH has to offer. Dobrinich sees the museum as an often overlooked and extremely valuable tool.

“The museum is a huge resource for students who are interested in geology, anthropology, or history in general,” Dobrinich said. “I think it offers a lot of different levels of engagement.” Admission is free, and exhibits focus on multiple aspects of natural history in the Pacific Northwest.

For the ambassadors, the MNCH is more than just a hub of information. It has become, for some of the more dedicated, a home.

“The museum vibe is just right for me,” Christ said. “It’s my favorite place on campus.”

The next MNCH Ambassadors Trivia Night is May 20 in the museum’s Galleria. For more information about the museum and the Ambassadors program, visit the museum’s website or email mnchambassadors@uoregon.edu

Just about anyone could tell you the story of Hansel and Gretel, if you asked them. Boy and girl get lost in forest. An evil witch almost eats them for dinner.

But not quite.

You’ve probably seen and read this fairytale more times than you can count, but have you ever heard it sung? In German?

With their production of Engelbert Humperdinck’s opera “Hänsel und Gretel,” the UO Opera Ensemble did just that. Friday night, the Ensemble opened their well-performed and surprisingly hilarious interpretation of the classic tale to an excited audience at the Hult Center’s Soreng Theater.

The UO Opera Ensemble is an auditioned performance class offered through the School of Music and Dance. Led by Dr. Karen Esquivel, the ensemble experience is designed to acquaint students with the opera discipline and prepare them for potential careers in the art form.

This focus on professionalism was clear in Friday night’s performance. Every moment of the two-hour show was sung in German so confident that it was easy forget the true challenge of that task. There was not a single weak vocal link in the cast; each performer sang their role with energy and skill and exhibited remarkable stamina through long songs and scenes.

Timothy McCoy and Matthew Blumenstein were especially impressive as the Father and Witch, respectively. McCoy’s goofy “tra-la-la”’s and drunken shimmies lit up the first act, and secured “Hänsel und Gretel”’s place outside the stuffy opera stereotype. Blumenstein, too, defied stuffiness without sacrificing quality. His strong vocal tone and impeccable diction stood out even as he stamped around the stage in platform boots and sashay-ed with a broom between his legs.

When the actors weren’t singing, however, “Hänsel und Gretel” was less enthralling. The English supertitles, projected above the stage, were difficult to read while still watching the performances. Though scene changes and transitions were set to beautiful music (performed by the excellent UO Opera Orchestra), they at times were choppy and awkward. On several occasions, a cheesy projection of a clip-art witch darted along the backdrop and drew illicit chuckles from audience members.

These low-budget woes, however, faded in significance when compared to the overall quality of the production. Layers of language, energy and technical ability kept the age-old plot from ever feeling stale. “Hänsel und Gretel” was an entertaining taste of opera performance, and an outstanding exhibition of the talent on this campus.

“Hänsel und Gretel” gives its closing performance at 3 p.m. on Sunday, April 26, at the Hult Center in downtown Eugene. Tickets are $7 with your student ID, and can be purchased at the door or online. For more information, see the School of Music and Dance website.

Thursday night, the lights on Oregon Contemporary Theatre’s intimate downtown stage came up to reveal a modest, slightly cluttered living room scene. Buckets and bowls were scattered over the set, knick-knacks lined the bookshelves, and the patterned furniture was covered with crinkly plastic. The set felt friendly, sweet and a little strange — all qualities shared by the show that unfolded over the following two hours: Robert Caisley’s Lucky Me.

Lucky Me tells the story of Sara, a single woman plagued by bad luck, and Tom, a TSA agent who moves in next door. Oregon Contemporary Theatre is Lucky Me’s last stop on its rolling world premiere through the National New Play Network.

The play is billed as a “whimsical comedy,” and was not without a good one-liner or two, but few jokes garnered more than an amused half-smile. The real achievement of Lucky Me was not the characters’ lines, but their relationships. My overall impression was of an unusual but endearing love story.

The show’s plot plodded along leisurely with rather lengthy breaks between scenes. Unexplained happenings and odd behavior punctured the slow-moving storyline, however, and pushed the play forward. By reserving any kind of resolution for these phenomena until the very end of the play, Lucky Me maintained a bizarre suspense that was entertaining, if not utterly riveting.

Kelly Quinnett was a standout as the chronically misfortunate Sara. Her performance was quirky, to say the least, and bounced from nervous emotion to dry humor with remarkable agility. Joe Cronin and Eric Hadley also gave commendable performances as Sara’s aging father and newfound friend, respectively. All three created characters who were larger than life, but still honest: hardly an easy task.

All through Act I, Quinnet, Cronin and Hadley maintained this delicate balance between “quirky” and uncomfortably strange. Their unconventional family dynamic was odd but lovable, and by intermission, I was rooting for all three and dying to know the explanations behind their strange behavior.

The beginning of Act II, however, took a turn for the bizarre. A new character, Yuri the landlord, seemed intended for comic relief amid the increased dramatic tension. Unfortunately, actor Tony Stirpe’s highly exaggerated Hungarian accent and overplayed comedy bits didn’t mesh well with the rest of the cast.

This jolt, however, was relatively minor. The show found its way back on track to a sweet and unconventional love story. I cringed, giggled and ultimately left my seat glowing with live-theatre feel-good vibes. Lucky me.

Lucky Me runs Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. through May 2, with 2 p.m. matinees on Sunday, April 16 and Sunday, April 26. Student tickets are $15. For tickets and more information, visit the Oregon Contemporary Theatre’s website.

When Suzie Barrientos, the ASUO Women’s Center Intersectionality Coordinator, interviewed for her position, she was asked: “If you had all the money in the world, who would you bring to campus to speak?”

For Barrientos, the answer was easy: Mia McKenzie.

“Mia McKenzie is a voice that definitely needs to be heard in a place like Eugene, like the UO. Because we do claim ourselves to be very progressive, and very welcoming and open, but a lot of times we kind of just say it,” Barrientos said.

McKenzie is a black feminist, writer and editor of Black Girl Dangerous, a blog dedicated to centralizing the experiences of queer and trans* people of color. After months of planning, a cancellation and other setbacks, Barrientos and the rest of the ASUO Women’s Center, along with other sponsors, finally brought McKenzie to the UO on Tuesday, April 14, as part of the Lyllye B. Parker Women of Color Speaker Series.

“[McKenzie] can speak in an academic sense, but a lot of times students need someone who will talk to them like they’re people. Like, this isn’t a lecture, it’s a conversation,” Barrientos said.

This was certainly true on Tuesday night. As McKenzie spoke, her words bristled with anger, urgency and dry humor. Jokes, swear words and academic jargon were sprinkled into a powerful message about white supremacy and other forms of oppression that are the cause of profound harm to many people.

Among many other things, McKenzie asserted that “diverse” environments and passive acknowledgement of privilege are not enough to fight oppression. She emphasized the importance of self-education about social justice issues and of listening to marginalized voices. She challenged white audience members to realize that racism does not live in “whack-jobs” and “other people.” It is ingrained in the very identity of whiteness.

McKenzie took heavy terms and concepts and shaped them into a moving, challenging presentation. As a white, privileged person, it was impossible to hear her speak and not feel uncomfortable and confused. Those feelings, however, are necessary in order to make the radical changes McKenzie calls for. Mia McKenzie is not around to protect white peoples’ feelings or make concessions to social norms. She doesn’t have to. After all, racism is and should be an uncomfortable topic.

I was assigned to review this key-note, but I can’t. I am in no position to question or evaluate McKenzie’s words. Not to mention that as a white, cisgender, highly privileged woman, to do so would be to actively perpetuate the very system McKenzie asks us all to resist.

All I can say is that I’m going to take her advice. I’m going to listen and educate myself. In her words, I’m going to try to “fight the oppressor inside of [me] with as much courage as the oppressor ‘out there.’” I’m going to “get out of [my] feelings and do the damn work.”

Want to learn and listen more? Start by checking out Black Girl Dangerous, or McKenzie’s website.

On April 16, University of Oregon’s University Theatre will open its production of Sila in the Hope Theatre on campus. The play combines themes of Arctic culture and climate justice activism to raise questions about the future of our planet and the human community.

The Emerald talked with director Theresa May about the challenges and rewards of bringing this play to life:

Rachel Benner: Sila is described as “equal parts Inuit myth and contemporary Arctic policy.” As an artist and environmental justice scholar, why do you think it is important to produce theatre about these concepts?

Theresa May: I think often in a university setting, we remain in our disciplines and we forget to ask ourselves the question: What ways of knowing exist that are different than my own? This play includes several different ways of looking at the world — different ways of understanding what knowledge is.

RB: Are there any especially compelling elements of this play, in terms of theatrical effects and special elements?

TM: There are two characters who are polar bears. We’ve attempted to work with those two characters not as the kind of “Disney bears” that you see and that we’ve all become accustomed to. Instead, we’ve tried to look to the traditional knowledge that’s represented in the play: that the polar bear and Inuit culture are closely linked. One of the characters in the play says “there was a time when animals and people shared the same skin and spoke the same tongue.” We let that inform how we approached the bear.

RB: What were some unique challenges you faced as you directed this play?

TM: Some of it’s written in French, some of it’s written in Inuktitut and some of it’s written in English. We had actors who did not speak French who had to learn. We have native actors who have helped us with some of the Inuktitut pronunciation. Obviously most of the play is in English, but I think that’s a really important aspect of the play that Chantal, who herself is Québécoise, tried to bring together. Language, in a sense, is a way of knowing, and we’re limited if we only speak one language. We’re limited by that language’s construction of certain ideas.

RB: Do you have a favorite moment or memory from the creative process for Sila?

TM: We did a lot of movement workshops very early in the process. I think the discoveries that the ensemble made during that process in terms of how they could become one living community— in a sense, one body— was a really exciting piece of the process, for them and for me.

RB: Why should UO students see this play? What should they expect?

TM: They should come to see it because it’s about one of the most important challenges of this era, of this generation… I think they should come see it because it will open up different ways of thinking about climate change and climate justice that they might not have considered before. They can expect to be challenged. They can expect to be drawn into a story that is complex and many-voiced and multiple in its meanings and in its conclusions.

Sila runs April 16-18 and 23-25 at 8 p.m., and 26 at 2 p.m. in the Hope Theatre on campus. Visit the University Theatre website for tickets and more information.

Set aside, for a moment, what do you think a ballet should look like. Replace the twinkling classical music with an album by The Who. Replace the tutus with dancing pinball machines.

Sound intriguing? This is Eugene Ballet’s upcoming production of Tommy, a brand-new rock opera ballet choreographed by company artistic director Toni Pimble. Tommy will be performed at the Hult Center in Downtown Eugene for just two shows: Saturday, April 11 at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday April 12 at 2 p.m.

Tommy tells the story of a young boy who finds fame and fulfillment thanks to a talent for pinball. The ballet is set to the music of The Who’s iconic album by the same name. The Eugene Ballet has adapted rock albums in the past (Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon, for example), but according to Pimble, Tommy is “a first” in that it combines the music of a concept album with a specific plot.

This combination is both difficult and exciting for the company.

“Because Tommy is telling a specific story and each scene is vignette length, creating a seamless story that flows from scene to scene easily was challenging,” Pimble said. For Pimble, however, “creating new work is always rewarding.”

Tommy also features a live band, which Pimble described as extremely energizing for both the dancers, and the show as a whole.

“They are as much a part of the performance for us as the dancers,” she said. The music is close to Pimble’s heart. As a self-described “baby boomer,” she grew up with The Who. “Tommy the rock opera has great music in it and I am sure many students don’t know the music and would love it,” she said.

Tommy’s transcendence of ‘normal’ ballet standards doesn’t stop at the soundtrack. The entire rock opera ballet pushes the boundaries of classical ballet. The choreography features large, moving pinball machines — the dancers had to practice with Bi-mart shopping carts to prevent onstage collisions — and for both performances, the Hult Center lobby will feature pinball machines and arcade games for audience members to enjoy.

Additionally, the show opens with a performance of Fluctuating Hemlines, a ballet by Septime Webre, artistic director of the Washington Ballet in Washington, D.C.. The piece is set to percussion music by Robert Benford, and explores the way people hide their true natures through social behavior.

Taken together, this production promises to be no ordinary evening of ballet. According to Pimble, Tommy will be worthwhile for aficionados and newcomers alike. “The storyline has a strong message about overcoming tribulations by pursuing your passion and not losing sight of reality,” she said. “A ballet like Tommy is a great way to be introduced to dance and to the Eugene Ballet Company”

Tommy is about an hour long, with no intermission. Tickets start at $15 and can be purchased online. See the Eugene Ballet website for more information.

When Alex Mentzel was just 11 years old, he came across an ad on Craigslist for a small role in a feature film. He auditioned, and was cast alongside Morgan Freeman and Greg Kinnear in Feast of Love.

Today, as a sophomore theatre arts and German major at the University of Oregon, Alex is just as determined, and even more successful. He just wrapped up his debut with the Eugene Opera as Tobias Ragg in Sweeney Todd. This fall, he also spent several weeks in Los Angeles, filming the final season of Glee.

These high profile gigs are neither the beginning nor the end of Alex’s performing arts career. As a young boy, he attended a cathedral choir school in Germany, and performed in his first show in second grade.

“My dad is a singer and my mom is an instrumentalist, so I grew up with music all around,” he said.

His father, Eric Mentzel, is an Associate Professor of Voice here at the U of O, and Alex’s longtime vocal coach. “My Dad and I get along really well,” he said. “I haven’t always studied weekly with my Dad, but I have been working on my voice regularly with him. He’s always been there to help me when I needed it.”

His father echoed this sentiment. “It’s been nice because we spend a lot of time together working on music, something that we both love.”

He insists that Alex’s pursuit of a musical career was never forced. Though he has coached Alex through many of his gigs and projects, “It would probably be more accurate to say that I was there to encourage him on a path that he was interested in following anyway,” he said.

This genuine interest is easy to spot. As Alex talked about his experience filming on the set of Glee, everything from spontaneous jam sessions with Darren Criss to 16-hour work days seemed exciting.

Alex described his time both on the show and in Eugene Opera’s Sweeney Todd as extremely valuable. “I learned a lot from both experiences, particularly the importance of learning material quickly and efficiently, which is expected in a professional setting,” he said. “It was an intense process (for both productions).”

According to Mark Beudert, general director of the Eugene Opera and director of Sweeney Todd, Alex handled the pressure with grace. “It’s a tremendous role, and Alex was great,” Beudert said. “He’s smart. There are a lot of people out there with talent. But talent and brains together aren’t as common as you might think.”

Alex’s father would agree. “(Alex’s) greatest strength is his constellation of strengths… I think that he has a very good chance of pursuing a career as an actor/singer/dancer in some combination, but it’s not a done deal. He could do a lot of things.”

For Alex, however, music is definitely part of the future. “I have a strong interest in film and television, but my roots are in stage work, so I’ll be up ‘on the boards’ whenever I get the chance.” he said. “I’d love to potentially teach.”

Alex’s options are wide open, but his motivation is clear.

“I didn’t start doing this because I wanted to be famous, or because I wanted to see my name up on some marquee on Broadway… I really like the craft,” Alex said.

When Alex Mentzel was just 11 years old, he came across an ad on Craigslist for a small role in a feature film. He auditioned, and was cast alongside Morgan Freeman and Greg Kinnear in Feast of Love.

Today, as a sophomore theatre arts and German major at the University of Oregon, Alex is just as determined, and even more successful. He just wrapped up his debut with the Eugene Opera as Tobias Ragg in Sweeney Todd. This fall, he also spent several weeks in Los Angeles, filming the final season of Glee.

These high profile gigs are neither the beginning nor the end of Alex’s performing arts career. As a young boy, he attended a cathedral choir school in Germany, and performed in his first show in second grade.

“My dad is a singer and my mom is an instrumentalist, so I grew up with music all around,” he said.

His father, Eric Mentzel, is an Associate Professor of Voice here at the U of O, and Alex’s longtime vocal coach. “My Dad and I get along really well,” he said. “I haven’t always studied weekly with my Dad, but I have been working on my voice regularly with him. He’s always been there to help me when I needed it.”

His father echoed this sentiment. “It’s been nice because we spend a lot of time together working on music, something that we both love.”

He insists that Alex’s pursuit of a musical career was never forced. Though he has coached Alex through many of his gigs and projects, “It would probably be more accurate to say that I was there to encourage him on a path that he was interested in following anyway,” he said.

This genuine interest is easy to spot. As Alex talked about his experience filming on the set of Glee, everything from spontaneous jam sessions with Darren Criss to 16-hour work days seemed exciting.

Alex described his time both on the show and in Eugene Opera’s Sweeney Todd as extremely valuable. “I learned a lot from both experiences, particularly the importance of learning material quickly and efficiently, which is expected in a professional setting,” he said. “It was an intense process (for both productions).”

According to Mark Beudert, general director of the Eugene Opera and director of Sweeney Todd, Alex handled the pressure with grace. “It’s a tremendous role, and Alex was great,” Beudert said. “He’s smart. There are a lot of people out there with talent. But talent and brains together aren’t as common as you might think.”

Alex’s father would agree. “(Alex’s) greatest strength is his constellation of strengths… I think that he has a very good chance of pursuing a career as an actor/singer/dancer in some combination, but it’s not a done deal. He could do a lot of things.”

For Alex, however, music is definitely part of the future. “I have a strong interest in film and television, but my roots are in stage work, so I’ll be up ‘on the boards’ whenever I get the chance.” he said. “I’d love to potentially teach.”

Alex’s options are wide open, but his motivation is clear.

“I didn’t start doing this because I wanted to be famous, or because I wanted to see my name up on some marquee on Broadway… I really like the craft,” Alex said.

Theatre can make you think. It can ask significant questions about the world we live in. It can even move an audience to reevaluate their own understanding of life.

The Very Little Theatre’s A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum did none of these things — but that’s okay, too. Stephen Sondheim’s classic musical farce is nothing but ridiculous from beginning to end, and the Very Little Theatre’s production stayed true to that spirit in their matinee performance Sunday afternoon.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum tells the story of Pseudolus, a Roman slave hoping to win freedom by uniting his young master with the beautiful maiden next door. Mishaps and shenanigans ensue, of course, all set to Sondheim’s clever score. Sondheim is renowned for a reason. The soundtrack is laden with wordplay, chock-full of humor, and incredibly challenging to perform.

For this reason, fans and purists likely won’t be satisfied with the VLT’s production. While some numbers did justice to their Tony-winning roots, others fell flat. The vocals were frequently pitchy or forced as the cast tried to navigate difficult rhythms and pitches. What the singers lacked in technical ability, however, they made up for in energy. This was especially true of actor Tom Wilson, who played Pseudolus. From beginning to end, Wilson committed completely to his larger-than-life character with outrageous physicality and animated expressions. Even through musical struggles, the story and comedy were crystal clear.

Throughout Forum’s two acts, the audience encountered all types of comedy, from puns to cross-dressing. While some of the jokes, especially those about women, were borderline creepy, and a few moments felt over-played, it would be very difficult to watch this production and not laugh. In the colorful melange of wordplay, misunderstanding, and lewd physical humor, it was easy to enjoy the play.

In his note to the audience, director Michael Watkins asserts that “there is nothing subtle about this show.” The actors interact with the audience, and openly make fun of each other and themselves. There is no moral or message to this show, but it’s clear that’s exactly what Forum is all about. It is unapologetically offensive, stupid and just plain funny. This production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum wasn’t flawlessly produced or especially thought-provoking. Regardless, it was entertaining and sometimes that’s all you need.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum runs through April 4. Shows are Thursday through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. at the Very Little Theatre (2350 Hilyard St.) Tickets are $20. Visit the Very Little Theatre website for more information.

The post Review: VLT’s ‘Funny Thing’ delivers a lighthearted, unpretentious show appeared first on Emerald Media.