Doors Open for Roof Access

Theater

Avenue Q, the runaway Broadway hit featuring a cast of puppets navigating life’s pesky obstacles in New York City, is coming to the Skylight Music Theatre this Friday. Winner of three Tony Awards, this hilarious R-rated spoof on Sesame Street showcases real-life hardships with extraordinary wit and heart. The show runs September 21-October 14. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday and 2:30 p.m. on Sundays. Buy tickets online or call (414) 291-7800.

The Marcus Center for the Performing Arts will be hosting the Upright Citizens Brigade Touring Company, bringing the best of improv talent from New York and LA right here to Milwaukee. The UCB has fostered incredible improv comedians, Amy Poehler, Horatio Sanz, and Ed Helms among them. Shows are at 7:30 and 10 p.m. Friday, Sept. 21 and Saturday, Sept. 22, at the Todd Wehr Theater. All seats are general admission, $30. Call the box office at (414) 273-7206 or order tickets online.

A Man Like Hong Kong, a unique thriller about the secrets that lie just beneath the surface, will be on stage at Off The Wall Theatre. A talented cast gathers to deliver a witty and suspenseful story (written by Off the Wall’s Dale Gutzman himself) about a double agent in Hong Kong ordered to assassinate himself. The play will run September 20-23 and September 27-30, with curtain times at 7:30 Wednesday-Saturday and 4:30 on Sundays. Order tickets here or call the theater at (414) 327-3552. Tickets are $22.50 or $25.50 for reserved seating.

Bay View’s Boulevard Theatre opens its season with Life (x) Three, a comedy of a dinner party gone wrong. Playwright Yasmina Reza crafts a sharp, witty tale of civilized behavior teetering on the edge of catastrophe. The show will run Sept. 19 through Oct. 14, at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2:30 p.m. Sundays, with occasional 7:30 weeknights. Visit Boulevard’s website for more information.

Music

This weekend, the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and conductor Edo de Waart present Gustav Mahler’s Fourth Symphony, a moving piece meant to represent the worldview of a child. Soprano Miah Persson joins the orchestra, as well as the Milwaukee symphony chorus and the Milwaukee Children’s Choir Jubilante. The concert will also play John Adams’ 9/11 commemorative, On the Transmigration of Souls. Performances are at 8 p.m. Friday Sept. 21 and Saturday Sept. 22, at Uihlein Hall. Tickets range from $25 to $102, call (414) 291-7605 or visit the MSO online box office.

UWM kicks off its new free concert series, Milwaukee Unplugged, this Thursday with Trapper Schoepp and the Shades. The series will present local Milwaukee artists in an intimate setting at the Helene Zelazo Center. The concert begins at 8 p.m.; visit UWM’s website for more information.

Transit Authority comes to Wisconsin Lutheran College’s Guest Artist Series with their tribute to the band Chicago. TA will cover more than three decades of music by Chicago, including countless hits (we all know this one). This show promises to be a sing-along flashback. Tickets are $12 to $28. Click here or call the box office at (414) 443-8802.

 

Dance

Wild Space Dance Company‘s Milwaukee 360 promises an evening of stark beauty. Dancers will perform on three levels of The Brewery parking structure (home to the former Pabst Brewery) including the roof, backlit by the city lights. Shows are at 8 p.m., September 20-22. Tickets are $20, or $15 for students and seniors. You may also choose premium tickets, which include a pre-show talk at 7:15 with Jim Haertel of Best Place, in The Brewery. Purchase tickets online here.

Special Events

Doors Open MKE returns for its second year Sept. 22 & 23, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Doors Open provides exclusive access to Milwaukee’s downtown buildings and beyond. Start at any building and create your own walking tour. The event is free. Check out the list of participating buildings here.

Join the party at the Wisconsin Avenue Bridge Celebration, Saturday Sept. 22 from noon-10 p.m. The after party will be at John Hawks Pub. The newly opened bridge will host all-day events including a bridge rising ceremony, the Flotilla boat parade, live music, and a game of tug-of-war. The Riverwalk Art Walk will also take place, providing live art demonstrations throughout the celebration.

Ongoing

Sunset Playhouse: Stage Door, through Sept. 30

American Players Theatre: Season closures begin Sept. 27, see website for details

Milwaukee Rep: Assassins, through Oct. 7;  Gutenberg! The Musical!, through Oct. 14

Last Chance

Soulstice Theatre: Rocket Man, through Sept. 22