A quartet turns 65, fool’s love at Alchemist

Music

For any performing arts group to make it 65 years is a major milestone, but for a chamber music ensemble like Milwaukee’s Fine Arts Quartet, it’s an admirable feat made more impressive by the group’s distinguished history. Three of the ensemble members, cellist Wolfgang Laufer and violinists Ralph Evans and Efim Boico, have been performing together for nearly 30 years and have produced more than 80 of the group’s 200-plus recordings. (Laufer recently announced his retirement, from the quartet and from UWM, where the FAQ is in residence, due to health issues. This explains the guest cellists on the Summer Evenings of Music series.)

The 2009 addition Nicolò Eugelmi on viola completes the internationally renowned quartet, based at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee since 1963. To celebrate, the Quartet is offering their annual Fine Arts Quartet Summer Evenings of Music concerts free to the public, starting with their first two concerts Wednesday, June 1 and Sunday, June 5. The Wednesday show features pieces from Hugo Wolf, Ernest Chausson and Franz Schubert, along with guest cellist Ronald Thomas, violinist Ilana Setapen and pianist Xiayin Wang; the Sunday show offers Joseph Haydn, Joaquin Turina and Robert Schumann with guest cellist Eric Kim and pianist Wang.

Both concerts begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Helen Bader Concert Hall at the Helene Zelazo Center for the Performing Arts, 2419 E. Kenwood Blvd., and pre-concert talks held by Stephen Basson, former Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra principal bassoonist, will begin at 6:30 p.m. Due to space limitations, tickets must be reserved at the Box Office, (414) 229-4308.

This weekend, the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra will host Xavier Phillips, a cellist with the approval of none other than Mstislav Rostropovich, considered one of the greatest cellists of all time. Such a recommendation promises great things from Phillips, who will perform Edward Elgar’s Cello Concerto. Additionally, Edo de Waart will lead the orchestra in Dvořák’s Seventh Symphony. Performances are Friday, June 3, at 11:15 a.m. and Saturday, June 4, at 8 p.m., in Uihlein Hall. Tickets are $23-$77 Friday and $23-$93 Saturday. Call the MSO ticket line, (414) 291-7605, visit the MSO website or call the Marcus Center box office, (414) 273-7206.

The Anderson and Roe piano duo is a great favorite of PianoArts, which will present the duo again at 4 p.m. Sunday (pre-concert gathering at 3 p.m., post-concert party), June 5, at Cardinal Stritch University Fine Arts Center, 6801 N. Yates Road. (Tickets $35, $12 for students, 20% off for UPAF bike riders, call 414 962-3055.) For starters, Elizabeth Joy Roe won the first PianoArts competition, back in 1999. Second, Anderson and Roe have been big hits for PianoArts in previous engagements. Third, the two pianists have a unique way of interacting at the keyboard, and they are media-savvy beyond belief. But seeing is believing:

Dance

The dance department at UWM’s Peck School of the Arts opens their summer season with Summerdances: Essential/Essensual, a collection of choreography from both faculty and guest artists including MFA alumni Leonard Cruz and New Work Award-winning Gerald Casel. Among the show’s works are a premiere by faculty member Janet Lilly featuring nine women, piles of paper and the glass ceiling, and a piece by Simone Ferro which asks “What is behind DNA?”

The show comes with a warning of adult themes, so be advised. Summerdances runs from June 2-4 at the Arts Center, 2400 E. Kenwood Blvd., with shows at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $17 general admission, $12 for seniors, faculty, staff and alumni, and $10 for students. Call the box office at (414) 229-4308 for tickets or more information.

Theater

Any play about lovers set in a gritty motel room is bound to be at least interesting, and Sam Shepard’s Fool for Love, premiering Friday, June 3 at the Alchemist Theatre is a good play, to boot. Taking place in the middle of the Mohave Desert, Fool for Love features a woman torn between her current love and an old flame trying to pull her back to the life she is running away from. With the small, intimate setting of the Alchemist’s theater, a visceral, in-your-face experience is almost guaranteed. Fool for Love features Jeff Ircink, Alex Grindeland, Bethany Ligocki Peters, and Derek Burton Morris, and is directed by Bo Johnson. The show runs Fridays and Saturdays through June 18, with a Sunday matinee at 4 p.m. on Jun 12 and a pay-what-you-can performance Monday, June 6. All evening shows start at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 if purchased online or $17 at the door.

Over-the-top theatrical violence isn’t something that’s usually associated with Shakespeare, but Carte Blanche’s production of Titus Andronicus may change your mind. One of Shakespeare’s earliest plays, Titus tells the story of parents seeking revenge for the deaths of their children, and features a gruesome level of violence that would have appealed to an Elizabethan audience much like our modern-day horror movies do today. The show opens June 3 and runs Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through June 19, with Friday and Saturday shows at 8 p.m. and Sunday shows at 6 p.m. Tickets are $20 with discounts for students and seniors, and can be purchased online or via phone at (262) 716-4689.

Special Events

Milwaukee’s annual UPAF Ride for the Arts, benefiting the United Performing Arts Fund, is happening Sunday, starting and finishing at the Summerfest grounds. This year, several routes will go over the Hoan Bridge, which will be closed from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. for riders. Registration for teams is already closed, but individuals can register all the way up through June 4 in person at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts or at their website. And even if you’re not riding, stop by the Finish Line Party at the Summerfest grounds that afternoon to say hi to Team TCD and enjoy the variety of activities planned.

Ongoing

Skylight Opera Theatre: The Adding Machine, through June 12.
Fireside Dinner Theatre: A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline, through June 26.
Youngblood Theatre: An Apology, through June 21

Last Chance

Uprooted Theatre: Pink Champagne, co-produced with the Milwaukee Gay Arts Center, through June 5.
First Stage: Miss Nelson Is Missing!, through June 5.

Note: On Stage is not comprehensive. For more events, please check the TCD performance calendar listings.