Classical
June 2 – 8
June is the definitive start of the off-season for stage, except if you're the venerable and fun American Players Theater. Well, it's for sure the time in which the city of festivals silences the horn section for some rowdier fare. Unless, of course, you're in the French Horn section sending maestro Andreas Delfs off in style. At least the streets will be safe, unless you happened to be standing in the way of a couple hundred bicyclists this weekend who have a big heart for the arts community in southeastern Wisconsin.
Jun 2nd, 2009 by Brian Jacobson
Poster Children in Champaign, IL: On Vacation For Forever and a Day
It occurred to me during the drive down to Champaign that more than any other band, the Pkids are the band of my 20s. I saw them for the first time in early 1995, when I was 20; the last time I saw them, we were opening the Champaign record release show for their No More Songs About Sleep and Fire album in 2004, the year I turned 30. But instead of honoring that sublime piece of synchronicity by turning around and driving straight back to Wisconsin, we pushed on.
May 30th, 2009 by DJ Hostettler
May 26 – June 1
With spring awakening ancient feelings, Milwaukee's fine arts scene turns to a celebration of the spirit. We suspect many artists, actors, and musicians are oiling up their bikes for next weekend's Miller Lite Ride for the Arts (more on that in a feature article for TCD next week). But there are several programs for kids, by kids, and by up-and-comers featured this week.
May 26th, 2009 by Brian Jacobson
May 19 – 25
This week on ThirdCoast Digest's weekly look at highlights in the world of local stage and music:the opening of Skylight Opera's staging of Gilbert and Sullivan's best known comic opera, right before the Florentine Opera concludes a 75th Diamond Anniversary year with a huge concert celebration. Also, Stonefly Brewery plays host for one night to an unusual traveling comedy examing surrealism, and a international pop star of sorts is coming to the Milwaukee Theatre.
May 18th, 2009 by Brian Jacobson
Hamlisch, Ambassadors, and an ingenue enchant Milwaukee audience
From the minute Hamlisch stepped on stage, the program soared as the Emmy/Grammy/Oscar/Tony/Pulitzer Prize winning composer paid homage to audience member Mary Youth, who was celebrating her 101st birthday. When Hamlisch asked her to divulge the secret of long life, Youth emphatically stated, "I laughed my way through life."
May 11th, 2009 by Peggy Sue Dunigan
May 12-18
This week in Performance and Visual Arts: live improv comedy, Ko-Thi's 40th anniversary, "Common People" (yep, the Shatner ballet) at Milwaukee Ballet, Paul Cebar and David Greenberger at the Pabst, pajama jamborees, a "no instrument spared" musical event at the WCM, True Skool (sic) at MAM and much, much more.
May 11th, 2009 by Brian Jacobson
May 4-12, 2009
It's a splashy week in Milwaukee performing and visual arts: Marvin Hamlisch, old-time radio, The Great Divorce, Beauty and the Beast, 42nd Street, Willy Wonka, Mad Hot Ballroom, Cirque du Soleil and more.
May 3rd, 2009 by Brian Jacobson
April 29 to May 4
We’re adjusting the timing of this weekly preview to give you a better jump on planning your outings. As a result what you see here are the events going on just through this weekend (and one event beyond). Check back Monday, May 4 for a new selection of performing, musical, and visual arts happening in Milwaukee and the surrounding areas. The first days of May (May Day! May Day!) presents new offerings from a wild farce from Windfall Theater (I had seven margaritas!), a Wild Space Dance performance about Jones Island (Kaszubes in ballet shoes!), and a standout from Alverno Presents (Inyembezi Zam!). Comedy Headline Comedian Mike Kosta, JD’s Comedy Café, 4/30-5/2 Also Featuring Josh Alton, Steve Hartman, Geoff LaFleur. Contact: 414.271.5653 or JD’s. The Midnight Show, ComedySportz, 5/2 at 12:00 a.m. (naturally) The hardest working day of the week for this venue is Saturdays, when they regularly host a 3:00 p.m. matinee for kids and then two more shows at 7:30 and 10:00 p.m. But it’s the adults only, must be 18 or older show that takes place late which has the most ribald sass. Contact: 866.512.5233 or ComedySportz. Headlining Comedian Billy Gardell, Jokerz Comedy Club, 4/30-5/2, 8 p.m. Star of Hit TV Series such as Heist, Yes Dear, and the King of Queens, Billy Gardell is the kind of comedian that makes you laugh your ass off. Sort of a mix of a New Jersey guy doing the Redneck Comedy Tour material as Jackie Gleason. See here: _ Dance Map of Memories, Wild Space Dance Company at Studio 1661, 5/1. Back by overwhelming public demand, Map of Memories will return for an encore performance, telling the story of Milwaukee’s Jones Island. Inspired by the lives of Polish, Kaszubian, and Eastern European immigrants who founded the Island’s fishing village in the 1870s, Map of Memories merges expressive contemporary dance with historic images and text. Prior to the evening performances, Milwaukee historian and author John Gurda will discuss the island’s journey from thriving fishing village to harbor hub. Contact: 414.271.0712 or Wild Space. Rhapsody in Blue, Cashiel Dennehy School of Irish Dance at South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center, 5/2 A high-flying, powerful performance that combines the traditional, innovative and unique. Rhapsody showcases all that Irish dancing has to offer – there is truly something for everyone in this show. The event features dancers of all ages shining on stage, a raffle, a silent auction and much more. Contact: 414.766.5049 or SMPAC. _ Theater Stations Of The Cross, Boulevard Ensemble Studio Theater, 4/29 Boulevard closes its 23rd season by staging the premiere of local Milwaukee playwright and actress Beth Monhollen’s comedy of waitressing. As an actress, Monhollen has appeared with many companies in Milwaukee (Late-Night Theatre X, Inertia Ensemble) and has consistently won accolades for her work. A founding member of Milwaukee’s WIND-UP DOLLS THEATRE (an all-women improvisational-based theatre company), Monhollen has performed countless times with the feminist ensemble as well as creating many of its pieces. This production marks Ms. […]
Apr 28th, 2009 by Brian Jacobson
Ain’t Misbehavin’s Trenyce Cobbins dishes on the show
"It's amazing," says Cobbins. "Now it's like a well-oiled machine - but somehow it's a different show every day. [Players] keep adding to the show. The way you say a line, a harmony with more emotional investment in it."
Apr 22nd, 2009 by Brian Jacobson
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
FREE SCREENING of Wilco Documentary ASHES OF AMERICAN FLAGS Mon 4/20
Monday 4/ 20 (holler): Free Wilco Movie @ Turner Hall (double holler): Pull up a chair and remenise on Wilco's sold out 2 day run at the Pabst at this amazing FREE SCREENING!!
Apr 18th, 2009 by Howie Goldklang
Art and performance, 4/9 – 4/14
Visual Art Check back next week for our celebrated Gallery Night guide, with staff picks and a complete directory of local events! Music UWM Guitar Series, UWM Peck School of the Arts, 4/10. Classical guitarist René Izquierdo joins Elina Chekan in a benefit concert for UWM’s program for young guitarists. They will perform solo and duo works by Astor Piazzolla, Leo Brouwer, Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Hector Villa-Lobos and others. Theatre I Just Stopped By To See The Man, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, 4/8. This passionate and political ode to the power and truth of the blues tells the story of Jesse Davidson, the greatest living bluesman. Long believed dead, he lives his simple life with his activist daughter in a Mississippi Delta shack. Legend surrounds Jesse—like the story about him selling his soul to the devil so that he could play guitar. But when Karl, a famous English rocker, probes for the truth about Jesse, he triggers a confrontation of mythic proportions. Barney & Bee, Renaissance Theatre, 4/12. CLOSING. Barney & Bee tells the tale of Jo and Stephen, hosts of an ill-fated dinner party to which Stephen has asked Barney, the husband in a newly separated couple. Unbeknownst to Stephen, Jo has also invited the wife (Bee) and her new boyfriend – a recipe for social catastrophe! Two talented actors play all five comic characters in Frayn’s witty, fast-moving farce. Old Time Radio: Sherlock Holmes, Alchemist Theatre, 4/12-4/19. Wisconsin Hybrid Theater and Alchemist Productions bring a series of Sunday “Old Time Radio” Matinees to the Alchemist. Each month, a familiar classic will be adapted for your imagination by the wacky cast and crew of Vintage Radio Station WHT. Wild Honey, Off the Wall Theatre, 4/12. CLOSING. The Cherry Orchard, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, 4/14. Set in 1904 on the edge of the Russian Revolution, this bittersweet and haunting comedy is Chekhov’s final play and masterpiece about a rapidly changing world and a way of life on the brink of destruction. With fortunes fading fast and the auction of their estate looming on the horizon, an impoverished Russian family is uncertain of what the future will bring. For venue, tickets, showtimes and more, visit Footlights Milwaukee online.
Apr 9th, 2009 by Amy Elliott
