VITAL
A Bye Week
With the upcoming holiday weekend, there isn't much starting up, besides a few items of note. We look at what's going on and why the next few weeks are going to be huge, like an elephant big.
Jun 30th, 2009 by Brian Jacobson
Bummerfest! (40-35)
The slightly greasy aroma of fried foods; the muffled rumble of motorcycles and fireworks echoing in the night; the same interchangeable headliners year after year. Do you know what all this means? It's Summerfest, Ken -- can you feel the excitement? You may not realize it, Ken, but the musical acts at Summerfest have a lot in common with your players. Let's examine a few of those happy and not-so-happy similarities...
Jun 29th, 2009 by Rob Vosters
The Winter’s Tale, told in the dead of summer
If the acting of Winter's Tale shines, then it's the APT stage design that intensifies the illumination. The production has been set in the late 19th (and early 20th) century.....Set changes are inventively pared down to the modified placement of a single and simple chair.
Jun 28th, 2009 by Michael Madden
An Open Letter to Skylight
An excerpt from Sarah Krieg Hwangs letter: Being a company with 501(c)(3) status means you benefit the public. If you benefit the public then shouldn't that public be informed? Don't they deserve it?
Jun 28th, 2009 by Brian Jacobson
Day Three with Cultural Zero
Those who wander around the Summerfest grounds near the lakeshore may happen across a tiny little stage that is getting no coverage whatsoever and isn’t even listed on the Summerfest website—the Refugee Stage.
Jun 28th, 2009 by DJ Hostettler
Day One with Cultural Zero
Summarizing Summerfest's opening night with one easily-digestible anecdote.
Jun 26th, 2009 by DJ Hostettler
Dispatch from a Chuck Klosterman book reading
"So, Michael Jackson is dead." So Chuck Klosterman, journalist/essayist/pop culture commentator and author of Killing Yourself to Live -- in which the writer visited famous rock and roll death sites -- begins his Thursday night lecture at Boswell Books.
Jun 26th, 2009 by Brian Jacobson
Karma’s a bitch. Or is it?
On a bad day, I think the ouchy kind of karma is God saying, “Na-na-na-boo-boo.” But it’s more likely something like, “Listen, I’m paying more attention than you think. So shape up and give that whole ‘do unto others’ thing some more thought, wouldya?” The thing is, even though I’ve made some questionable decisions in my youth, in haste and/or under the influence, I’m generally a nice person. So what gives with this whole boomerang effect anyway?
Jun 26th, 2009 by Michelle Sieg
The Philanderer at American Players Theatre
Contrasted against a rugged outdoor setting, the sumptuous turquoise and red late 19th-century scenery at the American Players Theatre production of The Philanderer prepares the audience for contrasts that George Bernard Shaw invokes in his play. Progressive for the time (it was banned at first by British Censorship in 1893), the story contains themes of feminine vs. masculine, father vs. daughter, love vs. lust, and marriage vs. friendship - all mingling together in a captivating script performed by the APT in their Spring Green home.
Jun 25th, 2009 by Peggy Sue Dunigan
Move On, Folks, Ain’t Nothin’ to See Here
When I found myself writing about Le Affaire Flynn/McBride last week, I promised myself that I’d return with a thoughtful reflection on why these stories are so irresistible. Then the Mark Sanford story broke and last week seems so, so long ago.
Jun 25th, 2009 by Ted Bobrow
Chorus Line brings renewed relevance to the stage
In a time in which theater is hurting due to the economy, and in a pop culture environment of reality show competition formats - think American Idol, Survivor, Big Brother, where unknowns compete for a semblance of fame - the current national tour of A Chorus Line is more relevant than ever.
Jun 24th, 2009 by Brian Jacobson
For your consideration, an ALDI flyer in June
On the front cover, young white kids are blasting each other with water cannons attached to an 18-foot self-contained water slide. There is no sense of place like a backyard or street since the photo has been skillfully edited. The price? $199.99 each. Not bad, considering most above or in-ground pools run more than that. Four tickets to Noah's Ark in the Wisconsin Dells costs almost $150.00 (not counting transportation).
Jun 23rd, 2009 by Brian Jacobson
