A&E

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 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 performance 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!

Martin Short in Three Amigos!

Contributed photo

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.

Chicago-based dance group, Bomba con Buya.

Contributed photo

Bomba con Buya brings dance and culture to campus

By Francesca Divincenzo Contributing Writer

Have you ever heard of the “bomba” dance style or wondered where it came from? Or maybe even why people perform it?

In colonial Spain, West African slaves and their descendants developed bomba.

The towns of San Juan, Mayagüez, Ponce and Loíza, and others along Puerto Rico’s coast had sugar plantations where these people worked and subsequently created this dance style.

Bomba was a way that cane workers in the area would be able to decompress and get all the bad feelings out.

Bomba was also a way to communicate and celebrate events such as baptisms and marriages. Bomba is definitely an important dance to teach because it is more than just a dance; it is a history that others need to understand.

Bomba is a crucial piece in understanding the life and traditions of this culture to cultivate an understanding and appreciation.

There is more to learn than just the steps; the dance teaches about culture and how the ancestors survived. Now that you know about bomba, you can learn how to do it.

A Chicago-based Puerto Rican music and dance group, Bomba con Buya, will give a workshop on Oct. 7 at 7p.m.

The workshop aims to relate this piece of history to people of all levels of dance experience and truly embody what bomba is all about.

Bomba con Buya will also be performing at the Martin Luther King Center at 312 Chestnut Street in Erie on Friday, Oct. 8 at 7 p.m.

Whether you are interested in deep-diving into history, dancing with talented people or learning something new, Bomba con Buya is the perfect way to have fun while celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month.

There are many other types of dances that are associated wit Hispanic culture and they all give great insight into that specific culture.

Be sure to keep an eye out for more activities to attend during the rest of National Hispanic Heritage Month until its conclusion on Oct. 15.

Hurst Hot Take: Requiem for a Dream

By Hannah Brooks Contributing Writer

***Spoiler Alert***

“Requiem for a Dream,” a 2000 film directed by Darren Aronofsky, is a psychological thriller about the devastation of drug addiction.

Based on the 1978 book by the same name written by Hubert Selby Jr., this movie illustrates drug addiction in a very dramatic and heart-wrenching way.

The movie follows its four main characters through their descent: Sara Goldfarb (Ellen Burstyn), a lonely retired widow who loves nothing more than her television set and troubled son; Harry Goldfarb (Jared Leto), a simple person who truly loves his girlfriend and mother despite his rampant addiction; Marion Silver (Jennifer Connelly), Harry’s girlfriend who comes from money but has ambitions to open a clothing store one day; and Tyrone C. Love (Marlon Wayans), Harry’s best friend who wants “peace and happiness” and to make his late mother proud of him.

The movie begins with Sara hiding in her closet as her son steals her television set (again) to pawn it for drugs.

Harry and Tyrone take the set to the pawn shop and then get high. Sara goes back to get it from the pawn shop (again), then goes home to watch television.

Suddenly, she receives a phone call: she was selected to appear on television!

Though it is nothing more than a scam, Sara does not realize this and very excitedly scrambles to get ready for her appearance, including losing weight so she can fit into her favorite red dress.

She eventually ends up seeing a doctor who prescribes her amphetamines to lose weight.

Meanwhile, Harry and Tyrone are addicted to drugs, which they pay for mostly through petty thefts (such as pawning Harry’s mother’s television set).

They suddenly have the idea to not only foot the bill for their addictions, but also “make it big” by selling drugs themselves.

The movie continues as they do well with their new professions and live quite comfortably through the summer.

Harry and Marion come up with a goal of using some of the money to follow her dream of opening a clothing store.

Harry is also very excited about having the ability to buy his mother a brand new television set.

The three seem to be living comfortable lives during the summer, but things suddenly begin to shift along with the seasons once fall comes.

Tyrone is arrested and charged with a crime, which he did not commit. Harry is able to bail him out, but is forced to use a majority of the cash that they made over the summer.

With less money, things become much more strained between the group.

They suddenly find themselves without the necessary money to purchase drugs.

Pushed by her now-desperate boyfriend, Marion goes against her own morals and sleeps with her sleazy therapist for money that Harry and Tyrone can use to buy more drugs.

The drug deal goes wrong, as they end up with no drugs at all, and Marion finds herself infuriated and degraded.

As a last-ditch effort, Harry and Tyrone leave for Florida in hopes of purchasing more drugs.

Meanwhile, Sara continues to lose weight at home, but is dealing with a plethora of side effects as a result of the pills.

She eventually ends up voicing her concerns to the doctor, who simply brushes her off and refills her prescription.

She continues to descend down this hole, having delusions including her refrigerator chasing her through the house and the characters on her television coming out of the screen and walking through her apartment, laughing at the state of it.

Her delusions continue to become more and more powerful until she suddenly finds herself roaming the streets in a severe state of confusion trying to find out “when she is supposed to appear on the show.”

The movie ends with a tragic, heart-breaking and powerful montage scene that can only be experienced through watching the movie for yourself.

As the spiral continues, we watch as their actions and addictions throughout the movie drag each to their own “rock bottom”, respectively.

This film is classified by some as a “psychological thriller” and by others as a “modern-day tragedy”. It truly is both.

While the movie can be seen as dramatic and scary, the sad truth is that it is nothing more than a harsh reality that Aronofsky presents in a very illustrative way.

The events that each character endures in this movie are events that happen to people every day as the drug epidemic continues.

I highly recommend watching this movie at least once, if not many times more. It is one of my all-time favorite movies because of the powerful message and portrayal of the message. Alongside the directing skills by the very talented Aronofsky, the acting is absolutely phenomenal, with each actor putting on a stellar portrayal of their characters.

The movie was released in October of 2020 and is an oldie but a goodie as some might say.

Be sure to watch the trailer on YouTube before watching the whole movie. But if the trailer is to your liking, be sure to watch the whole movie. It is not on any of the main streaming services, however it can be bought on YouTube or through an HBO Max subscription.