This is Entitled

By Jaymee Sherman On a muggy Thursday evening they filed into the dark space in search of something cool and refreshing. But it wasn’t air conditioning or beer on tap that beckoned them – it was hip and, for the most part, satisfying theater that was anything but escapist. Tonight, beyond the Fourth Wall, the audience would be invited to explore along with the actors the existential ruminations of three playwrights. The Alchemist Theatre in Bay View currently hosts Insurgent Theatre’s original series of meta-theatre pieces that all take aim at the Fourth Wall – prodding it, peeking through it, breaking it down and sometimes completely demolishing it. At evening’s end one is left to ponder just when fiction and reality began to merge and where scripted lines gave way to improv. Everything melds into one and the rules fall by the wayside. The evening started out with a bang with Russ Bickerstaff’s Please Wait Ten Minutes, the story of two hired assassins, polar opposites in demeanor, who debate over their profession, life and the findings of the Warren Commission. Pensive Nova, played deftly by Peterson Kuyk-White, laments over the absence of honesty and morality in the modern world. Soma, played to perfection by Kirk Thompson, is a guy who asks no questions and just gets it done. When responding to Nova’s sudden meeting with conscience he replies with a sardonic, “We’re assassins,” and then the play takes off. Thompson’s comic prowess and his unselfconscious portrayal make Soma a likeable guy – for a hitman. Nova, the neophyte, is more philosophy professor than assassin’s protégé. The Fourth Wall begins to crack when Nova admits to being ill-at-ease in the presence of witnesses. At any moment, their target could appear and they’d be called to action before this strange group of people, the audience. Soma completely dismantles the Fourth Wall when he reminds Nova that they’re only actors playing a part. No one will really be killed, therefore no one need feel guilty. Thereafter, while seated at a table, the actors flip through the script referring to lines of dialog and the playwright’s intent in a casual and off-the-cuff style. Their skillfulness with comedy and their unaffected delivery throughout made laughter both easy and irresistible. Companion piece Systems by Peter J Woods featured the delightfully fresh and funny Tracy Doyle as the superficial Diawl and Cynthia Kmak as Mior, the perfect picture of today’s modern worker lost in the system and trying to find a way out. Another study in opposites, here two people pressed into the same lifestyle cope with futility – one thrives, the other squirms, frets and struggles to find meaning where there is none. Diawl, content to live a lifetime of redundancy, is cheery and playful, taunting her co-worker and companion in a space-age style version of the office cubicle. She jabs at Mior with impish glee as Mior strains to lift herself out of an existence devoid of promise. Beyond the Fourth Wall, where the light […]

Committee Cuts Off Funding to West End Dev Corp

At the June 23rd, 2008 meeting of the Community & Economic Development Committee Alderman Bob Bauman brought forward resolution 080293 which cut off funding to the West End Development Corporation.  This was done because of the groups inability to complete the redevelopment of WestPointe Commons despite nearly 7 years of efforts.  Following that resolution the West End Development Corporation board voted to dissolve the corporation ending their efforts.  Due to the dissolving of their efforts resolution 080447 was brought forward to reallocate the Community Block Grant Development (“CBGD”) funds that had been allocated to West End Development Corporation to other organizations.  This resolution was approved by the committee and will go before the full Common Council.Resolution 080408 approved the Funding Allocation Plan for 2009.  This plan allocates the Community Block Grant Development (“CBDG”) funds to various efforts which benefit low income citizens, by addressing urgent needs with the intent to prevent or eliminate blight.  Alderman Joe Davis made a series of amendments adjusting the allocation levels.  The amendment that stood out resulted in the creation of an entitlement allocation for Housing – Graffiti Abatement in the amount of $90,000.  Funding of graffiti abatement programs has in this past year run out prior to the summer months and this new allocation appears to be a response to that funding shortage.  This resolution and its amendments was approved by the committee and will go before the full Common Council.

Twombly Tale

Cy Twombly, “Untitled” (1967) There it hangs in Gallery 18 at the Milwaukee Art Museum: Cy Twombly’s “Untitled” (1967). I first saw it three decades ago, and it’s still a thrill. It’s been moved here and there over the years, most recently during the re-hanging of the contemporary galleries. I had a moment of panic when I found it missing from the east wall of the Flagg Gallery, replaced by a really bad painting. “How could they?” I wondered. Was “Untitled” stored in the bowels of the museum? In 1968, the museum purchased this particular Twombly from the great abstract painter’s first solo retrospective at MAM. In those days, I had yet to visit the museum because I was busy raising three kids, studying for a degree in Art Education, and trying out French and Greek recipes on my suburban friends. Years later, around 1980, I decided to leave my tri-level and work as a museum volunteer. Russell Bowman was chief curator, and my assigned space at MAM was in the Cudahy Gallery of Wisconsin Art, tucked into a small room on the first floor of what I now call “the old museum.” I must have discovered “Untitled” during a lunch break. My Art Education training was just getting started and most of the images I’d experienced were in my History of Art book and/or slides projected on a screen in a stuffy lecture room at Carroll College, where I frequently fell asleep wondering if I’d made a mistake in career choices. Only one piece of art hung in my tri-level: a big blue moonscape which I purchased at an art fair. The artist delivered it to my home and together we hung it over my gold brocade couch, a room full of faux Country French furniture and windows draped in fussy brocade drapes. I wonder what ever happened to that painting. The artist died a few years ago, but what I remember about him isn’t the moonscape, but rather the fact that he strolled around summertime art fairs wearing a leopard skin bikini. His work was the total opposite of Twombly’s. By the mid-80s, I had divorced and moved to an 800-sq-ft. home on some Kettle Moraine acreage. I started trying my hand at making paintings and took a modest job as an art teacher in Pewaukee, where the idea of “art” was to give the kids something to take home to hang on the family fridge. When I suggested to the confused administrator that art could be taught to elementary kids, not as a brief cut-and-paste session, but rather by teaching them how to “see” at an early age, he turned pale and replied, “Oh, the parents wouldn’t like it if the kids didn’t bring something home.” “Untitled” was, and still is, the best teacher I ever had. No fuss, no nonsense, no glued-on artifacts dangling, or gold leaf applied to bring on some dazzle. I doubt if there are many viewers who would tap Twombly as their […]

Zoning, Neighborhoods and Development Committee

City Hall 200 East Wells Street Milwaukee, WI 53202 Room 301-B Agenda

Community & Economic Development Committee

City Hall 200 East Wells Street Milwaukee, WI 53202 Room 301-B Agenda

Weekly Bookmarks – Monday, 21. July 2008

Play in the City : Hog Heaven OakcreekNOW.com: Neighbors try to stamp out postal facility JS Online: Milwaukee County official proposes bus fare cut as test Chicago area reaching limit on fresh water supply — chicagotribune.com North Powerhouse building being torn down – Small Business Times Controversy Surrounds Milwaukee Harbor Development – Milwaukee News Story – WISN Milwaukee New Land to unveil condo tower plans tonight – Small Business Times Last downtown gas station for sale as condo site – The Business Journal of Milwaukee: Downtown Milwaukee parking costs below national average – Small Business Times Milwaukee receives $1.3 million in brownfield grants – Small Business Times Windsor Court rehabilitation complete – Small Business Times OnMilwaukee.com Marketplace: Barrett reacts to MillerCoors move OnMilwaukee.com Marketplace: Historic tower moves to new home this morning MillerCoors taps Chicago for HQ, will invest in Milwaukee – The Business Journal of Milwaukee: Time for Chicago-Milwaukee commuter line has come, employees, companies say — chicagotribune.com JS Online: Harley-Davidson Museum draws crowds for grand opening weekend New Work: Harley-Davidson Museum | New at Pentagram | Pentagram

27-Story Tower on Prospect Faces Opposition – But Why?

This plan would add $60 million to the City of Milwaukee's tax base, enhance the skyline, bring new residents to the city and save the Goll Mansion.

Pride and Prejudice

Jane Austen’s romantic drama Pride and Prejudice, originally published in 1813, is one of the most beloved and revisited classics of the English literary canon. Its adaptations have been numerous, from standard-issue stage and screen presentations to Broadway musicals, cheeky modern-day retellings like Bridget Jones’s Diary and Bollywood flicks. Audiences will inevitably bring all of their love, excitement and expectations to this month’s production of the Jon Jory adaptation at Concordia University’s Acacia Theatre. The charismatic Anne Miller stars as Elizabeth Bennet, a sharp-witted young woman living in England in the early 19th century. Elizabeth is a strong-willed woman who isn’t nearly as enchanted with the idea of romance as her two sisters. Things change for her as she meets the alarmingly conservative, even-tempered Mr. Darcy (Neil Vanides). The two begin a reluctant romance destined to shake both of their conceptions of social reality. Jon Jory’s script cuts the lengthy novel into a very expedient three hour drama, reminiscent of Deborah Moggach’s much-nominated 2005 screen adaptation. The Acacia adaptation, directed by Bradley Winkler, lacks the finesse of that film adaptation, but manages more than enough humanity to recommend it. While the drastic differences in wealth present in that film aren’t seen onstage here, a profound sense of social stratification permeates the production. Of particular note is Mr. Darcy’s first appearance – Darcy (Neil Vanides) is a deftly carved statuette, silent and motionless in a mass of conservative dancers in a huge ballroom. Bradley Winkler orchestrates large groups of actors with excellence in the few scenes that require them. Notable performances on the edges of the production include Glenna Gustin as Elizabeth’s mother, who seems overwhelmingly focused on the wellbeing of her daughters, and Richard Gustin’s shrewd interpretation of the Elizabeth’s father, the patriarch of the Bennet household who refuses to be completely reverent to those of higher social strata. Miller and Vanides make for an attractive romantic center, but they seem to lack some sort of chemistry as a pair. Though Miller musters emotional strength as Elizabeth, Vanides’ deftly aloof social awkwardness keeps him at a distance that precludes any notion of intimacy. This is disappointing, as the two of them look exceptional together. Had there been more of an effort to bring the two together emotionally, this could have been a compelling production overall. As it is, this is a reasonably satisfying stage adaptation of Austen’s story that should serve as an appetizer for fans of the novel until the Milwaukee Rep stages its own adaptation in March. It should be noted that, although the Rep’s Quadracci Powerhouse production will doubtlessly be more extravagant than Acacia’s, the money spent here is visually impressive. The set may not look like much, but when paired with Denise Elfe and Marie Wilke’s sumptuous costume design, there’s a potent visual reality to the production that leaves little to be desired. VS Acacia Theatre’s production of Pride and Prejudice runs through July 20 at Concordia University’s Todd Wehr Auditorium. (414) 744-5995 or acaciatheatre.com

Friday Photos Friday, 18. July 2008

The Edge The North End Milwaukee Intermodal Station Train Shed Iron Horse Hotel Harley-Davidson Museum

Paint the Town

By Burt Wardall What if a pair of terrorist revolutionaries lived among us? These days we tend to picture terrorists as olive-skinned men who speak in broken English. But what if terrorists looked and sounded just like us? What would they do? How would they act? How would they live in today’s society? Rex Winsome’s Paint the Town provides a glimpse into just that. Paint the Town is a tale of young revolutionary couple Big Red (Winsome) and his girlfriend Nadia (Kate Pleuss), who live in a cardboard shack in a long-forgotten corridor of a subway system. They have isolated themselves from the norms of society and live by their own rules. They rob and steal for the majority of their sustenance. Nadia’s mother was also a terrorist once, but has since changed her name, married and lives a “normal” life. Red – clearly severely disturbed – believes it’s Nadia’s birthright to continue the life her mother forsook. Nadia’s half-brother Arthur (Jason Hames) has chosen a different path in life, following his father’s footsteps to become a doctor. Nadia and Arthur still maintain a close relationship, but obviously Arthur doesn’t understand or approve of his sister’s lifestyle, nor does he care for Red. Red thinks he’s “saving” Nadia from her perfect little family – so he sets out to eliminate them, creating explosive devices both deceptive – one is designed to look like a present – and elaborate. Red may be a horrible murderer, but he is passionate about his craft. Winsome conveys Red’s despicable personality so skillfully that you’d probably hate him just as much if he were a bank teller rather than a killer. He’s highly intelligent – but he’s annoying. He’s condescending. And his always-calm demeanor makes you want to smack him! You can just tell that his character gets a perverse pleasure from flustering his verbal opponents while he remains stoic and composed. Paint the Town is satisfying, disturbing and highly entertaining. Its glimpse into a world of terror – devoid of emotion – chills, even when we feel, somehow, a little sympathetic toward Nadia, even though she is every bit the monster that Red is, or distressed for Arthur when he loses it. A quote on the back of the program reads: “If all society is a sculpture, then a revolutionary has to be an artist.” Nadia’s final scene takes this quote to grotesque proportions. And that’s a good thing. VS

NBC

Dark Knight Review