Milwaukee Riverkeeper’s Spring River Cleanup
If you’re going to go out and enjoy a walk along any of Milwaukee’s rivers, now may be the team to do it. This past Saturday approximately 3,000 volunteers, myself included, descended upon Milwaukee’s river beds to clean up everything we could. This was the second year I had participated in the event, and I elected to work at the North Avenue/Hometown site again this year. Our group of 49 aimed to clean the east Milwaukee River bank from the former North Avenue Dam to just south of Locust Street. Walking under the bridge for the first time is always a reality check, especially this year, where it appeared seven individuals had made been living there It will be interesting to observe how the new UWM dorm on the Hometown site will affect the number of homeless individuals living under the bridge next year (and the amount of garbage). One would assume it would have the affect of reducing the number living there, and also reducing the amount of garbage. Unfortunately this doesn’t solve the obvious issue, that there are too few beds for the less fortunate in our community. Other sites, as the Journal Sentinel story indicates, aren’t about cleaning up the land around the river, but cleaning out the actual river itself. It appears sites along the Menomonee and Kinnickinnic Rivers are hotbeds for shopping carts and other non-natural things to inhabit the rivers. If you have a chance to next year, participate in the 2009 river cleanup. It’s a great opportunity to volunteer, as your hard work is immediately visible.
Apr 22nd, 2009 by Jeramey Jannene
Around town with Bones – 4/22/09
Don't miss it: Michelle Grabner’s show wraps up soon at Green Gallery East. It’s entitled “Black Circle Paintings: Metalpoint Drawings and Monoprints”, and is a collaborative piece twixt Ms.Grabner and spouse Brad Killam.
Apr 22nd, 2009 by Stella Cretek
Q & A SMACKDOWN with ANDREW GORZALSKI of MONDO LUCHA
The First Mondo Lucha took place last fall, and watching was like having your senses slammed onto a sweaty mat. A misfit crew of masked luchador wrestlers, circus performers, a house band (this show the band is Maritime), and tantalizing burlesque dancers gave the audience the wow wow wee, and left everyone hungry for more. TCD caught up with Mondo Lucha co-producer and promoter Andrew Gorzalski to ask him about the second Mondo Lucha this Saturday, April 25 at Turner Hall Ballroom.
Apr 22nd, 2009 by Tea Krulos
Performance and Visual Art Openings April 22-29
This Spring week's new offerings include a night of comedy and trivia at the Cedarburg Cultural Center, a play offering an unusual look at waitressing, the return of Insurgent, . Here are some openings and highlights.....
Apr 21st, 2009 by Brian Jacobson
Commission Approves Near South Side Area Plan
Although this meeting of the City Plan Commission was light on large scale development projects, there were two items of interest on the agenda.
Apr 21st, 2009 by Dave Reid
Social Security at Sunset Playhouse Theater
Successful New York art dealers Barbara and David Kahn are about to have a problem. That problem comes in the form of a elderly, walker-using, bitter woman named Sophie. She is Barbara’s mother, and ever since Sophie’s husband died and children have grown up she has developed a penchant for creating arguments and difficulties with all those who surround her. Barbara’s sister Trudy and her husband Martin — who had been taking care of the aging mother — are flying off to Buffalo to end their college daughter’s involvement in a situation of extreme debauchery. This encompasses the first act of the low gravity comedy by playwright Andrew Bergman. From this point on, surprises of character, witty retorts, and twists of plot try to keep us engaged. Social Security, despite its unaffected title, is essentially a play about romantic lust: from the initial exploration of it by someone in her later teens, to the nourishment or dissolution of it by couples in their mid-years, and finally in the inspiring rediscovery of it by someone in the winter of life. Dialogue exchanges are well-handled by the two different couples, but it does not support the script. It requires a more grounded and naturalistic acting approach, rather than the screwball ping-pong pace this staging undertakes. The energy and commitment by the actors is right, but the broad tone is off. As a result, the audience is set up for an uproarious heart attack of bawdy engagement but instead the verbal-based jokes flatline, producing only a modicum of laughter. There are moments of broad humor that bring gasps and guffaws, but overall they seem misplaced in this production. Actor Susan Dwyer Loveridge plays Barbara with sufficient talent but at times her emotional reactions are at such a high precipice that it leaves her nowhere to go. Donna Daniels (Trudy) and John Roberts (Martin) share equal talent in their roles as an overly worrisome and neurotic couple, however they approach the play with a reserved commitment and come across as caricatures. Bonnie Krah (Sophie) and Glenn Villa (David) are the standouts of the cast. Krah’s role as the mother is a bold, extreme, and yet genuine creation. Despite Sophie’s overboard behavior, Krah plays her with professionally trained honesty from moment to moment. We totally buy her both as the crotchety parent and into the transition of a romantic woman. As the cut-up, abrasive art dealer, and son-in-law, Villa shows how to make a sparsely written character come to life and play it without pretense. He treats the character as a real person. Douglas Smedbron rounds out the able cast as the love-swooned artist Maurice. The set looks amazingly posh, giving the illusion of an upscale Manhattan apartment. The general wash of lighting works for a comedic piece and the changes of mood are supported by invisible modifications to the illumination. A lengthy set/costume change between the scenes of act two felt long enough to break the story flow, though. Sunset’s production of Social Security […]
Apr 21st, 2009 by Michael Madden
Cherry Orchard at the Milwaukee Rep
The drama also fluently moves through comedy and sadness, although it would have been interesting to see if Chekhov felt enough of the maudlin -- which he hated -- was removed. The dual nature of this play has always haunted each staging, and this one has decided to end on the overly sentimental and tearful instead of farce.
Apr 21st, 2009 by Brian Jacobson
Britain’s Got Talent, But Will You Care Tomorrow?
I’d like to throw a wet blanket of cynicism over our little beach blanket party and ask the following question: Will the Susan Boyle story finally expose American Idol to the general populace as a complete joke?
Apr 20th, 2009 by DJ Hostettler
Revitalize Broadway with Street Improvements
Broadway is the center of the action in the Third Ward, it works for business, pedestrians, and even automobiles. But just across I-794 it is a wasteland of surface parking lots and empty storefronts. While there are surely numerous factors in place that have hurt the vitality of this street, an area that can be addressed by the city to make it more attractive to business is to improve the pedestrian environment.
Apr 20th, 2009 by Dave Reid
Milwaukee Streetcar Round-Up
The Milwaukee circulator streetcar is moving forward, but there is still confusion in the mind of many. We've covered the issue in the past, but this article attempts to bring everything together in one place, the history, the frequently asked questions, and the proposed route.
Apr 19th, 2009 by Jeramey Jannene
Weekly Bookmarks – Monday, 20. April 2009
Hope, stress mingle over I-94 work UW President: Santiago said move would not be about pay – JSOnline Bryant & Stratton to open campus at Bayshore, expand downtown Milwaukee campus – BizTimes Law firm considers anchoring new project – The Business Journal of Milwaukee: Gokhman, Lee alter plans for Downer Avenue hotel – The Business Journal of Milwaukee: Despite win at City Hall, Milwaukee still lacks a plan for public art – JSOnline Fed to invest $13 billion in nationwide high-speed rail project – The Business Journal of Milwaukee: Obama says Midwest high-speed train is ‘close to my heart’ – BizTimes Rehab projects compete for tax credits – JSOnline Landowner resists Milwaukee’s bid for property The art criticism you’ve dreamed of (part 1) – JSOnline OnMilwaukee.com Milwaukee Buzz: Two Downtown traffic gripes Pfister Hotel launches artist-in-residence program – BizTimes Between the Bars: Milwaukee Should be More Receptive to Art Yay for old school – JSOnline Real Estate Weekly for Wednesday, April 15, 2009 – BizTimes Barrett launches Milwaukee economic stimulus website – BizTimes How Barrett Could Take Over the Schools – Murphy’s Law – Milwaukee Magazine State superintendent may use power to impose major change on MPS – JSOnline Primer on the Janet Zweig Project – JSOnline Aldermen approve public art project for Wisconsin Ave. – JSOnline Midwestern governors unite to support high-speed intercity passenger rail – BizTimes The Janet Zweig controversy: It was all a dream! | Features | City Life | Arts | Milwaukee | Decider General Growth Properties Files for Bankruptcy – DealBook Blog – NYTimes.com Former Prospect Mall could become apartments – JSOnline Amtrak joins Mets at Citi Field’s Acela Club | mets.com: Official Info Former Blue Cross headquarters sold for $7 million – JSOnline
Apr 19th, 2009 by Dave Reid
Hot Coffey! (4-8)
Dear Ken Macha, You hanging in there, Ken? After another tough week filled with frustrating losses, it’s like you just can’t catch a break. While some fans are already wondering who we can jettison mid-season in order to add another starting pitcher, I think it’s a little hasty to think about those questions just yet. Perhaps our most vocal of fans are a little too accustomed to the “every game counts” mentality of the football season or maybe they just want to give Tom Haudricort an aneurysm. Either way, it’s about time we focused on some of the better moments and performances of this short season. Maybe it’ll cheer you up a bit. Let’s start with the offense. Mike Cameron is earning love from Miller Park Drunk for being the equivalent of chairs at a tailgate party. Does that make Craig Counsell the ever-helpful beer-fetching child? Corey Hart is starting strong, too, sporting a robust .385 OBP. He’ll look even more brooding on the basepaths now that he dyed his hair black. Ok, maybe that’s about all the good news on the offensive side. Everyone else is doing just enough to keep the fans at bay for now. The pitching is where you should find some solace in the poor start. Our starting pitching has been characterized as erratic, but every starting pitcher has had a quality start this week. Even Jeff Suppan had a quality start on Sunday; maybe that talking-to you gave him did some good. This hasn’t necessarily translated into success for you yet, but it’s a good sign that soon you won’t have to answer questions about your starting pitching woes from everyone with an opinion about your starting pitching woes! The bullpen, Ken, is where you can find the best news so far. Five words: Mike DiFelice and Todd Coffey. This dynamic duo is keeping you in games long enough for your defense to make game-losing errors or for your closer to blow saves — sometimes both! Throw in R.J. Swindle — what a great name for southpaw strikeout artist — and maybe you’ll be able to put your middle-relief on auto-pilot once Trevor Hoffman returns. Coffey, with his barrel-chest and ginger beard, single-handedly saved the day on Sunday, pitching out of a bases-load jam for you and then going another two innings for his first save since 2006. Even more impressive is that he hasn’t given up a run in 17 innings dating back to last year. This guy is hungry, Ken, and not just for the tasty desserts in the Metavante Club. Keep him fed with innings, save opportunities and Dippin’ Dots. There’s a lot going for you, Ken. Your team hasn’t been blown out 22-4 and you’re only 3.5 games out of first place. Plus, you get to face a struggling Phillies squad for a three game tilt starting Tuesday. Tune out the naysayers, feed the Todd and let’s get some revenge on the Phillies! Best Regards, Rob Vosters
Apr 19th, 2009 by Adam Lovinus
