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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Wednesday, October 6, 2021
Martin Short kicks off Fall MIAC programming season By Bella Lee Staff writer
After the spring half of the 201920 season and the entire 2020-21 season were robbed of in-person performances due to the COVID pandemic, MIAC was finally able to return to the stage — instead of the screen, with their performances over the summer. The summer performances included Mike Super, Bryan Stokes Mitchell, Matthew Morrison and Betty Buckley. This year marks 25 years since the Mercyhurst Institute for Arts and Culture, or MIAC, was first established. To celebrate, a very exciting lineup that includes Ana Gasteyer, Leslie Odom Jr. and David Sedaris was announced for the 2021-22 season. On Sept. 23, Mercyhurst and MIAC welcomed Martin Short to the D’Angelo Performing Arts Center to kick off the season. Throughout his entire performance, Short proved to the soldout crowd that he is a jack of all trades. He began his performance with a musical and comedy sketch discussing his early life and his relationships with other celebrities. The next part consisted of Short discussing his time in the movie “Three Amigos,” his film debut. He proved that he could still hold the high note for the approximately 30 seconds that the theme song lasts in the movie, then proceeded to bring in three members
Contributed photo
Martin Short in Three Amigos!
of the crowd and teach them the salute that the Three Amigos perform throughout the movie. The next skit that Short performed was reprising his role as Franck Eggelhoffer, a foreign and extremely flamboyant wedding planner in “Father of the Bride,” also starring Steve Martin and Diane Keaton. While in character, Short poked fun at certain celebrities and their looks. He jabbed at Kim Kardashian’s
excessive use of makeup and when asked to show her without makeup, he showed an image of Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler. Similarly, when showing what Bernie Sanders would look like with makeup, Short produced an image of Steve Martin as a way to joke about his co-star and friend. Following a time of hysterics, Short launched into another skit that had him performing as perhaps one of his most famous characters, Jiminy Glick.
This character, most prominent in the late 90s and early 2000s, was a satirical celebrity interviewer who would chat with other celebrities, often asking them embarrassing questions that would send them and the audience rolling in laughter. This time was no exception, as Short brought in yet another member of the audience and engaged in a hilarious interview with him. The final part of Short’s per-
formance had him poking fun at some of the Saturday Night Live skits he had the privilege of taking part in over the years. It was a night that had audience members laughing until their insides hurt. Whether you know him as Jack Frost from “The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause,” Franck Eggelhoffer from “Father of the Bride” or Ned Nederlander from “Three Amigos!” Short is guaranteed to make anyone laugh. Short was able to fill the D’Angelo Performing Arts Center with people of all different ages, proving that the MIAC performances are perfect for anyone. If you were not able to attend this show, be sure to check out future performances. Mercyhurst students are eligible for one free ticket per show, so go to the box office and claim your ticket while you can. The box office is open from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Additionally, tickets can be bought last minute as the box office will open up 90 minutes before any ticketed event. MIAC is excited to welcome the Wind Ensemble on Oct. 10 and Vanessa Williams on Oct. 22 for the upcoming performances!
First masterclass in Roche series develops student performers By Ashley Barletta News Editor
The Roche Guest Artist Series is a collection of numerous events that celebrate music. The organization is celebrating it’s 32nd season this year. Since the Roche series was founded in 1988, it continues to be made possible by the Terry and Margaret M. Roche family. There are many exciting events within the Roche series this year, including a voice masterclass that happened on Sept. 21. This event was free as well as open to the public. Those who participated in the masterclass performed a song to compliment their vocal abilities for Ms. Xiu-ru Liu, who provided them with feedback. According to Abby Eyler, a senior Music and English double major, “The general idea of the
class is to perform a piece of music and to gain a sense of what was done well and constructive criticism of what can be done better.” “It allows guest artists to notice different things the performer needs to work on or reiterate what was already said by the performer’s private lesson teacher.” Students who attended the masterclass were able to learn what they did well in their performance and what can be improved upon. Eyler said, “Overall, from a performer’s perspective, I sang the aria “Kiss Me Not Goodbye” from The Mighty Casey by William Schuman, and I got constructive criticism on performing with more than just the voice (acting the song through gestures), not looking down so I can focus on the audience and learning stage presence such as how to bow.” Constructive criticism was given to those who participated in
the masterclass so that they will know what to work on in future performances. “Another thing that the masterclass helped me recognize was that my diction could be better, especially since consonants are needed to understand the English language. It felt good to hear that I could increase the storytelling through basic fixes that all singers can achieve,” Eyler said. Other events within the Roche series included the Guest Artist Series, which happened on Sept. 20 in the Walker Recital Hall. This was the first performance in over a year for the Roche series due to the COVID pandemic. Guest artists included Xiu-ru Liu, a mezzo-soprano, Guenko Guechev, a bass-baritone, and David Allen Wehr, who played the piano. There will also be a performance by George Burton, who will play
the piano, on Oct. 11 in the Walker Recital Hall. He will hold a masterclass for the piano on Oct. 12, which will not be live streamed like other events, so be sure to attend in person if you are interested in the piano masterclass. Performances offered by the D’Angelo Department of Music take place in the Mary D’Angelo Performing Arts Center, Taylor Little Theater and Walker Recital Hall. The Roche Guest Artist events all take place in Walker Recital Hall in Hirt. Due to COVID, capacity is at fifty percent for all of these venues. For this reason, free events are live streamed. However, events that are ticketed will not be live streamed, so be sure to get your tickets while you still can. The Roche Guest Artist series
gives those in the Erie community access to performances by many different artists for free. The opportunity to see these artists won’t be around forever, so be sure to check out the Roche series if you can. The events are always open to the public and always free for everyone due to the continuous generosity of the Terry and Margaret M. Roche family.
