June 16 to June 22

Gotta sing, gotta dance! Gotta thrill the whole world without pants! There’s a great benefit show for the Milwaukee Gay Arts Center at the end of this week, A Chorus Line kick-steps off at the beginning of next week in what’s lining up to be a stellar national tour season for the Marcus Center — all the while Every Little Step screens in Milwaukee running up to that live show. Plus, the Florentine Opera plans on getting lots of fresh air at two events.

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Music

Fine Arts Quartet: Summer Evenings of Music Festival, Helen Zelazo Center for the Performing Arts, 6/17 and 6/21
The foursome from UWM celebrate the bicentennial of two of the world’s greatest composers: Haydn (who died in 1809) and Mendelssohn, born the same year. They begin the annual summer festival with Haydn’s String Quartet in G Major, Op. 77, No. 1, Hob.III:81; Alban Berg’s Sonata, Op. 1 (1907-08); and the Trio No. 2 in C Minor, Op.66 (1845) by Felix Mendelssohn. They will be joined by pianist Karen Davis and Daniel Laufer, cello, on Sunday. Visit the Peck School of the Arts for more information or call 414.229.4308.

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Anderson and Roe Piano Duo, PianoArts 10th Anniversary Concert at the Bradley Pavilion in the MCPA , 6/18 at 7:15 p.m.

“Known for their adrenaline performances, inventive programming, original compositions and refined artistry, Greg Anderson and Elizabeth Joy Roe bring a fresh and visionary approach to the concert stage, dazzling audiences around the world as a four-hand and two-piano team. ”

Call 414.962.3055 or visit the PianoArts website for more. Reception begins at 5:30 p.m. and students can get a substantial ticket discount for a truly beautiful and intriguing display of fingerwork. Plus, a Master Class will be held at 10 a.m. the following day at the Steinway Piano Gallery in Wauwatosa with this piano team at the helm.

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Doc Severinsen, El Ritmo de la Vida at the Pabst Theatre, 6/19
7:30 p.m.
This benefit concert for the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music will be (frequent Pops conductor) Doc Severinsen’s only appearance in Milwaukee this year, and it will be a significantly different one. Flanked by Gil Gutierrez and Pedro Cartas, Doc will be blowing his trumpet through some Latino and American tunes including some gypsy jazz. For tickets call 414.286.3663 or visit the featured Pabst page. Visit the WCM .pdf document for special pricing and info on a private event that you can add to the night.

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Music of Billy Joel with Michael Cavanaugh, Still Rock & Roll to Me, Uihlein Hall at the MCPA, 6/19-6/21 at 8 p.m.
Jack Everly conducts the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra (following a gig at Boerner Botanical Gardens) to the music of the New York rock icon. Michael Cavanaugh, handpicked by Billy Joel to perform his music in the Broadway musical Movin’ Out, will perform a variety from the “Piano Man” greatest hits. Call 414.273.7206 or go here for more ticket info.

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Naked Boys Singing!, a benefit for the Milwaukee Gay Arts Center at Turner Hall Ballroom, 6/19 and 6/20 at 8 p.m.
The famous off-Broadway cabaret of brave song and dance men without a stitch will take to Milwaukee’s stage via a collection of the Chicago performers led by show director John Cardone. This is a triumphant return of sorts after a failed attempt to bring the benign show here in 2005, which resulted in a legal battle with city over an ordinance that eventually was disputed and resolved. Now, to recoup costs for that snafu, the wildly popular show makes a special appearance for the MGAC in a timeframe meant to coincide withPride Fest. Watch for a full TCD feature article Friday. For more information and ticketing, call 414.286.3663 or visit the Pabst Theater website.

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Theater

Opera in the Courtyard, Florentine Company Chorus at the Italian Community Center, 6/17 at 6:30 p.m.
Sure, you already know about the great Florentine series at the Alterra on the Lake this summer, but did you know that its performers also moonlight al fresco at the ICC? Tracy Wildt (Soprano), Brianne Sura (Mezzo soprano), R. Stuart Mitchell (Tenor), Doug Clemons (Baritone), and accompanist Anne Van Deusen will be performing their favorite Italian opera favorites including preview selections from both Tosca and Rigoletto from the upcoming season. The live performance at the Café La Scala is done while the audience dines on food of the ICC. Reservations are strongly recommended; contact 414.223.2185 – or visit the ICC for directions.

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A Winter’s Tale, American Players Theatre in Spring Green, opens 6/18 at 8 p.m.
Just “Up the Hill,” you can enjoy the third in a five-part set of heavy-duty play fare put on by the able actors outdoors, the way summer stock should be. A Winter’s Tale is an adaptation of a Robert Greene Pandosto, about a homesick king with a lot of issues. It’s considered a ‘problem play’, and it will be interesting to see performed. For more information, visit APT’s website and calendar or contact 608.588.2361 for more.

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The Lady With All the Answers, Pennisula Players at Theater in a Garden, Door County, 6/16 – 7/5
A play written by David Rambo and drawn from the life and letters of Ann Landers (with the cooperation of Margo Howard), it’s a one-woman comedic peek into the life of the advice columnist and her relationships, including her twin sister Abby. “If one needed blunt advice, from wandering spouses to nude housekeeping or lovelorn teens to dispensing the toilet paper correctly, they wrote to Ann who answered numerous letters in a syndicated newspaper column. But to whom can Ann turn when life hands her lemons?”

This is the first in a series from Wisconsin’s oldest summer resident theatre program. For information on this show and the rest of series visit Pennisula Player’s website or call 920.868.3287 for tickets.

… In that same breath, let’s give a shout-out to Door County’s Folklore Theatre, whose summer season has begun. With rotating titles of such as Cheeseheads: the Musical, Sunsets & S’mores, and Muskie Love, nothing could be more Wisconsin. Visit the FT website or call 920.854.6117

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A Chorus Line, Marcus Center for the Performing Arts, opens 6/23 at 7:30 p.m.
The national tour has been building up a buzz as this latest incarnation has been touring over 13 months now. The famous behind-the-Broadway scenes fictionalizes an audition for 17 dancers as the director Zach asks them questions about their life experiences. In the true spirit of the musical, the roster includes no big name stars. Instead, watch a surreal documentary at the Downer Theater about the dancers from the show trying out for the cast you’ll see live all this week. Got it?

For ticketing information of the live show, call 414.273.7206 or visit Ticketmaster for tickets.

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BEZERK! The King Lear Edition, the Alchemist Theatre, 6/20 at 8 p.m.
Ben Turk from Insurgent reports: “[We] were recently involved in a five company promenade desert theatre production of Shakespeare’s King Lear in Minneapolis. They were responsible for Act 5 and are excited to bring their show back to Milwaukee for one night only! The play was developed collaboratively in a workshop format and grew into a sort of 20 minute long meta-theatre interrogation of Shakespeare as cultural institution.”

The whole affair Saturday night will be 90 minutes of bizarre Shakespeare for cheap. For more information call 414.426.4169 or visit Insurgent’s explanation of the event.

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Other Events

11^th Annual Youth Chopin Competition, Polish Fest on Summerfest grounds, 6/21 at 12:30 p.m.
Pianists ranging from 10-18 years old bang out nocturnes and etudes centered around works by the composer from Żelazowa Wola, in hopes of winning some big cash prizes and some bragging rights. It’s a big deal to these kids and should be another fascinating concert experience. Applications to enter are closed, but visit the competition’s website for more information.

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Kidz Days, live at the Marcus Center Kidz Stage, starting 6/16 at 10 a.m. (FREE)
First Stage Children’s Theater gleefully opens a summer series of interactive community programming showcasing a variety of performing arts presented by local, regional, and national groups that runs Tuesdays through Thursdays through August. Upcoming June events will include presentations by Discovery World, Milwaukee Ballet, and the Syrenka Polish Folk Dance Ensemble. Click here for details.

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For more articles and ticketing information to

a variety of events in the Milwaukee area, visit