Can’t take our eyes off these shows

Theater

Thanks to the uncultured savages running programming over at MTV and Bravo these days, thinking of anyone from Jersey makes me genuinely embarrassed for the entire human race. I hope Jersey Boys, the Tony Award-winning musical opening Wednesday at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts, will be able to erase some of Jersey’s shame.

The musical tells the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, one of the greatest pop groups in history, and their tumultuous relationship. The show features almost all of the Seasons’ hits, including December 1963 (Oh, What a Night), Sherry, Can’t Take My Eyes Off You and Working My Way Back to You, and looks to have secured a place as one of the catchiest jukebox musicals in recent years.

Jersey Boys opens Wednesday, July 20, and runs through Aug. 14. Shows begin at 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, and 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sundays . Tickets are $25 and up at the Marcus Center Box Office, 929 N. Water St., (414) 273-7206, and the Marcus Center website for more information. For group orders (10 or more), call (414) 273-7121, ext. 210. The Milwaukee engagement is presented by Broadway Across America – Milwaukee and the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts, as part of the Time Warner Cable Broadway at the Marcus Center series.

Dance

Alverno Presents’ decision to put Japanese dance duo Eiko and Koma in the Lynden Sculpture Garden on a midsummer’s evening sounds like artistic overkill. And it is—of the best kind. The duo, known for stark, daring works such as Hunger (performed at Alverno in 2008), will be performing Raven, a piece inspired by their 1991 work Land and designed to be the focus of their three-year Retrospective Project, on Saturday, July 23 at 6 p.m. As if that wasn’t enough, Alverno’s hosting a picnic summer in the garden after the concert — majorly upping their awesome quotient. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at Alverno’s website.

Music

Linda Eder returns to the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts this Saturday, to sing pop standards, country, jazz and everything in between. She’ll be performing songs from her new album Now at the Wilson Center’s Gerlach Outdoor Theater, in Brookfield’s Mitchell Park. The concert begins at 7 p.m., and tickets are $50 for prime seating, $30 for general admission and $15 for lawn seats. For tickets or more information, call (262) 781-9520, or visit the Wilson Center’s website.

Ongoing

Off the Wall Theatre: Aspects of Love, through July 24

Acacia Theater Company: Emma, through July 24

Bad Example Productions:Cannibal! The Musical, through July 30 (at the Alchemist)

Sunset Playhouse: The Drowsy Chaperone, through Aug. 7

Marcus Center: Church Basement Ladies, through Aug. 7

Fireside Theatre: David, through Aug. 21

American Players Theatre: Blithe Spirit, through Sept. 9

APT: The Critic, through Sept. 10

APT: The Taming of the Shrew, through Oct. 2

APT: The Glass Menagerie, through Oct. 15

APT: Crime and Punishment, through Oct. 16