Theater
Social Security at Sunset Playhouse Theater
Successful New York art dealers Barbara and David Kahn are about to have a problem. That problem comes in the form of a elderly, walker-using, bitter woman named Sophie. She is Barbara’s mother, and ever since Sophie’s husband died and children have grown up she has developed a penchant for creating arguments and difficulties with all those who surround her. Barbara’s sister Trudy and her husband Martin — who had been taking care of the aging mother — are flying off to Buffalo to end their college daughter’s involvement in a situation of extreme debauchery. This encompasses the first act of the low gravity comedy by playwright Andrew Bergman. From this point on, surprises of character, witty retorts, and twists of plot try to keep us engaged. Social Security, despite its unaffected title, is essentially a play about romantic lust: from the initial exploration of it by someone in her later teens, to the nourishment or dissolution of it by couples in their mid-years, and finally in the inspiring rediscovery of it by someone in the winter of life. Dialogue exchanges are well-handled by the two different couples, but it does not support the script. It requires a more grounded and naturalistic acting approach, rather than the screwball ping-pong pace this staging undertakes. The energy and commitment by the actors is right, but the broad tone is off. As a result, the audience is set up for an uproarious heart attack of bawdy engagement but instead the verbal-based jokes flatline, producing only a modicum of laughter. There are moments of broad humor that bring gasps and guffaws, but overall they seem misplaced in this production. Actor Susan Dwyer Loveridge plays Barbara with sufficient talent but at times her emotional reactions are at such a high precipice that it leaves her nowhere to go. Donna Daniels (Trudy) and John Roberts (Martin) share equal talent in their roles as an overly worrisome and neurotic couple, however they approach the play with a reserved commitment and come across as caricatures. Bonnie Krah (Sophie) and Glenn Villa (David) are the standouts of the cast. Krah’s role as the mother is a bold, extreme, and yet genuine creation. Despite Sophie’s overboard behavior, Krah plays her with professionally trained honesty from moment to moment. We totally buy her both as the crotchety parent and into the transition of a romantic woman. As the cut-up, abrasive art dealer, and son-in-law, Villa shows how to make a sparsely written character come to life and play it without pretense. He treats the character as a real person. Douglas Smedbron rounds out the able cast as the love-swooned artist Maurice. The set looks amazingly posh, giving the illusion of an upscale Manhattan apartment. The general wash of lighting works for a comedic piece and the changes of mood are supported by invisible modifications to the illumination. A lengthy set/costume change between the scenes of act two felt long enough to break the story flow, though. Sunset’s production of Social Security […]
Apr 21st, 2009 by Michael Madden
Cherry Orchard at the Milwaukee Rep
The drama also fluently moves through comedy and sadness, although it would have been interesting to see if Chekhov felt enough of the maudlin -- which he hated -- was removed. The dual nature of this play has always haunted each staging, and this one has decided to end on the overly sentimental and tearful instead of farce.
Apr 21st, 2009 by Brian Jacobson
Acacia Theatre seeks auditions for summer musical version of Little Women
ACACIA THEATRE will be holding auditions on Monday and Tuesday, April 27 and 28 between 6:30 and 9:30 for its summer musical, Little Women. This production will require 6 women and 4 Men (17 – 60). Please prepare 12 – 16 bars of a song (accompaniment provided) Readings will be from script. Auditions will be held by appointment only at Church in the City, 2648 N. Hackett, Milwaukee. Performances (July 10 – 19) are at Concordia University. To make an appointment: (414) 744-5995 or email acacia@acaciatheatre.com. Additional info: Little Women: The Broadway Musical, book by Allan Knee, Lyrics by Mindi Dickstein, Music by Jason Howland, will be directed by Janet Bouman Peterson. Music Director is Jane Foerster. A very few copies of the script are available at Acacia’s office. They may be borrowed for 2 days for a $25 returnable deposit (our cost). (Call office first to make arrangements). Large portions of the script have been posted online at: http://www.littlewomenonbroadway.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?num=1113524273/0#0 Please be prepared to provide all “conflicts” from May 26 – July10. If new to Acacia, please provide a photo. If needed: Callbacks will be Sunday, May 3rd at 2:00. (If unable to attend, please still come to initial audition) Rehearsals are at Church in the City. For directions to Church in the City, go to: www.citcweb.org Ages: Since the musical portrays the girls in the same way as the book, the youngest daughter is Amy who eventually gets married. Even though she may still be a teen when she gets married, it is important that it isn’t a huge stretch for the modern eye to see that actress as both an impetuous early teen and a young married. Beth is even older. Therefore, we will not be able to see anyone who still looks like a younger teen. If a girl is 16 or 17 and we could imagine them as married, they are welcome to audition. If we cannot imagine that, then it is respectfully requested that they not audition. Thank you so much for understanding. Song suggestions: It would be wise to pick something short (which is why we are requesting only 12-16 bars), which shows your musical strengths and/or suggests the character you are auditioning for. If your voice lends itself to two completely different styles, you may do two contrasting 12 bar selections (to show range or style differences). Please … no longer. We hope to provide accompanists for all auditions … remember they are sight-reading. A very ROUGH estimation of the roles and ranges: Marmee – alto, ballads Jo – gutsy, strong, wide range, but primarily alto Meg – legit soprano Beth – sweet soprano Amy – primarily alto Aunt March – wide range, character Laurie (Theodore Laurence III) – Energetic, wide range tenor Professor Baehr – Baritone John Brooke – Baritone – to II Tenor Mr. Laurence – Baritone, character
Apr 13th, 2009 by Brian Jacobson
Special “pay what you can” for opening of Cherry Orchard
The Milwaukee Repertory Theater indicates on its website that first two opening performances of “The Cherry Orchard” by Anton Chekhov will be “pay what you can” starting with a $5 minimum available just two hours before curtain. It’s a chance to see this Tuesday, Apr. 14 or Wednesday Apr. 15 evening for some great theater in Milwaukee by a good company of actors for possibly a fraction of the usual cost. Contact The Rep’s box office (414-224-9490) for more information, and stayed tuned to TCD for a future review of this staging.
Apr 13th, 2009 by Brian Jacobson
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
Milwaukee Rep Announces Latest Pay-What-You-Can Performances
If you’re looking for an affordable way to see some great live theater, Milwaukee Repertory Theater offers Pay What You Can for select performances, you literally pay what you can afford for the ticket. (A minimum donation of $5.00 is suggested.) Tickets go on sale at 5:30 on the day of the Pay What You Can Performance. There is a limit of 10 tickets per person for the Quadracci Powerhouse performances and 4 tickets per person for the Stiemke Theater performances. Pay What You Can Performances for I JUST STOPPED BY TO SEE THE MAN are Wednesday, April 8th and Thursday, April 9th. Dates for THE CHERRY ORCHARD are Tuesday, April 14th and Wednesday, April 15th. I JUST STOPPED BY TO SEE THE MAN will be playing in The Rep’s Stiemke Theater, and THE CHERRY ORCHARD is in The Rep’s Quadracci Powerhouse Theater. All Pay What You Can Performances begin at 7:30. Both theaters are located at 108 E. Wells Street. For more information, please call The Rep’s Ticket Office at 414-224-9490. Enjoy!
Apr 7th, 2009 by Jon Anne Willow
Art and Performance April 2-8, 2009
Visual Art Art in Bloom, Milwaukee Art Museum. 4/2 through 4/5. Celebrating springtime, Art In Bloom showcases the talents of more than 40 renowned floral designers interpreting masterworks from the Museum’s Collection. This year’s expanded exhibition also includes lectures and workshops with celebrity floral designers and master gardeners, book signings, plein air painters, a multi-vendor indoor marketplace, a garden sculpture sale, and floral-inspired dining in the Café Calatrava Garden Room. Presenting lectures, demonstrations, and book signings will be Michael George—one of the most sought after floral designers in the United States; Milwaukee native Michael Weishan, former host of PBS television’s The Victory Garden; Portland-based vine expert Linda Beutler; landscape designer Craig Bergmann; Chicago Master Gardener and radio host Mike Nowak; local horticulture expert Melinda Myers; renowned children’s book author Lois Ehlert and many others. Awesome Art Sale, Racine Art Museum, 4/3 Due to overwhelming success, this awesome event is back with more artwork than ever! Many one-of-a-kind items priced as low as $20! Discover original, museum-quality artwork donated by collectors and nationally known artists from across the country. Purchase a great piece of art and know that you are contributing to the sustaining growth of RAM’s exhibition and education programs. This is a fabulous time to add to your art collection or start one now! For more info click here! Frankie Martin, Green Gallery West. 4/3 Get down with the (original) Green Gallery on their momentous fifth anniversary with an exhibition of new works by Frankie Martin, whose work was a part of the very first Green Gallery show. In Life or Death?, Martin will show new video work as well as paintings and video stills. Who Died? is a five part, non-linear narrative video that reinterprets popular representations of death and the transcendence of the human body. Some light paintings will accompany this piece. Frankie will also present part of her series Left Behind which features paintings and mobiles based on the idea of what normally gets discarded. To do this she stretches her drop cloths as finished paintings that expose the materials and process of the work done in her studio. Frankie also incorporates objects from her neighborhood or from her own garbage into the work. In Frankie’s words “the idea is that these things become non-things, then become re-contextualized as things again.” Frankie will also exhibit Born Again, a video in which Botticelli’s Birth of Venus is translated into the video format. Frankie Martin’s work has appeared in galleries all over the world, from Milwaukee to Oslo to Paris to San Francisco and New York, where she now lives. Bon anniversaire, Green Gallery! Marina Bychkova: Enchanted Doll, Villa Terrace, 4/8 Exploring the dark, dreamy side of folklore and fantasy, Bychokova transforms a children’s toy into an exploration and reinterpretation of femininity, tradition and fairy tales. Says the artist, ““Creating a visual narrative is the most intriguing way of articulating my ideas and a doll is a perfect medium because of its potential for such visual story. My […]
Apr 1st, 2009 by Ryan Findley
Same Time, Next Year
Romantic commitment tangles with social convention in a love story laced with humor. Same Time, Next Year, the latest selection from the Sunset Playhouse, continues to charm audiences with this complicated liaison that spans 25 years. The 1975 Drama Desk Award-winning play by Bernard Slade centers around two characters, Doris and George, who meet unexpectedly away from home and fall deeply and madly in love. Yet they are each married (to other people) and have children, a major inconvenience. The six scenes in two acts spans 1951-1975 revealing the growth that Doris and George experience as individuals and a couple while committing to meet once each year on the same weekend. Not only do they love each other, but each other’s families as well. This highly unconventional combination provides the framework that gives the production its heart. Even though this story decidedly resists social norms, this unlikely pair displays concern, dignity and humanity throughout the production. Sarah Laak Hughes and Cesar Gamino play Doris and George with all these essential qualities while imparting a genuine chemistry to their relationship, filled with sexual tension and affection, but appreciating each other as a man and woman. Although opening night provided a bit of nervousness in dialogue, the run will only become better. Several poignant scenes defy time, including those dealing with growing children, growing up and growing older, even struggling with death. Director Mark Salentine finds a balance between the humor and the guilt inherent in this obviously complicated situation that complements set and technical designer J. Michael Desper’s comfortable and pleasing guest cottage setting. Even new managing director Jonathan West appears to have touched the Sunset with his distinguished expertise as seen in the impressive quality of their last two productions. But ultimately, Hughes and Gamino discover the core of the script and believe throughout these many years that, “Life is saying yes… even when one’s life can be a mess.” Through each heartthrob and heartache, the positive energy of love and concern is demonstrated for all persons, including the spouses of the couple, Harry and Helen, which shines through the production and becomes applicable to any relationship. Kudos to Hughes and Gamino for giving Doris and George yet another 25 years on stage in Same Time, Next Year, however unconventional their romance might be. In life, everyone needs support and commitment from friends and others to get by in an often-heartless world, and this March at the Sunset Playhouse, love expresses itself in its own unique way. The Sunset Playhouse presents Same Time, Next Year until March 21. For information: 262.782.4430.
Mar 10th, 2009 by Peggy Sue Dunigan
The Elephant Child and Other African Tales
One of the only remaining auditoriums in the Milwaukee Public School System resounded with children’s voices last week. In Ivory Hall at Lincoln School for the Arts, Milwaukee Youth Theatre presented The Elephant Child and Other African Tales. Through the tradition of folklore, writer and editor Frederick KD Diggins reformatted stories from Rudyard Kiplings’s Just So Stories together with additional African legends to create this appealing children’s production. The ninety-minute performance included five folktales incorporating a beautiful borrowed set from Ko-Thi Dance Company that fills the stage with a massive tree hung with fiber sways resembling the jungle. This provided the perfect backdrop for the tropical printed skirts and knotted headpieces worn by the LCA African Dance Company. Skillfully choreographed by Shirley Gilbert, these dancers established a rhythmic and cultural link to the tales as well as serving to separate each scene from its predecessor. Accompanied by narration from an older actor, each tale revealed a moral or explained intriguing phenomena of the natural world, such as how the elephant acquired such a long nose (adapted from Rudyard Kipling). The actors spanned several age and experience ranges, portraying the tiniest mouse to a fierce crocodile in colorful and clever attire from Kim’s Costumes Limited. Several performers debuted on stage for the first time, while others demonstrated additional stage presence including Deonata Griffin and Daphne Cain. The overriding effect was entertainment. All children will appreciate the participation encouraged in the Swahili fable, The Three Tasks, which asked them to choose from several endings for each feat the Prince needed to complete in fulfilling a promise to his father. It’s disappointing MYT remains without sufficient microphones for all their actors to use because in the large theater the smallest voices lose their projection, taking away from the performance as a whole as well as robbing the performers of deserved recognition. Yet whether providing acting experience, technical skills or for pure enjoyment, this “theater by children, for children” inspires school programs that will develop future participants and supporters of the arts. This is clearly seen at the Lincoln MPS center where the timely vision of MYT continues on May 21 and 22 at 7:00 p.m. in the LCA Studio Theatre 208 with their next production Winnie The Pooh. Complete schedule and tickets for Milwaukee Youth Theatre performances are available online at Footlights.
Mar 10th, 2009 by Peggy Sue Dunigan
Oedipus Rex
Oedipus Rex is one of the few surviving plays from ancient Greece. Written by Sophocles as the second of a trio of plays about King Oedipus and his family, Oedipus Rex is rife with the impact of following fate and choosing to exercise free will. The University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee’s theatre department takes an tale of ancient Greece and moves it to 300 years in the future where humans have reverted to being subject to the will of the gods. The city of Thebes is in turmoil because a horrible plague has descended upon it. King Oedipus vows to do whatever is needed to save the citizens. Word comes down from the gods that Thebes is dying because the murderer of the former King still resides in the city. When badgered into confessing, the blind seer, Tieresias, tells Oedipus himself murdered the former King. Oedipus will not believe it and thinks it is a conspiracy of his bother-in-law’s to usurp power. A series of stories from the gods reveal that Oedipus was told that he would murder his father and marry his mother, so he left his parents. Queen Jocasta reveals that she and the former King had a baby that the gods said would murder its father, so the former King banished the baby. Jocasta realizes first that everything the gods foretold has come to pass. Oedipus requires more persuasion and proof that he is his wife’s son. Director Tony Horne’s re-imagining of Oedipus Rex into the future puts the play into an interesting light. Disaster after disaster has moved people to revere Greek gods and visit the Oracle for guidance, instead of becoming more rational. Horne does not let this artistic choice impact the language of the play. It’s an affecting choice, although if the audience doesn’t read the program before hand they probably won’t notice the fast forward in time. The chorus provides commentary and also voices the inner thoughts that characters cannot say aloud. Choreographed by Shell M. Benjamin and orchestrated by Raeleen McMillion, the chorus is gorgeous and terrifying. Their movement and dance seem spontaneous and effortless. Andrew Edwin Voss shoulders an incredible responsibility as the title character. While adept and suitably heroic, one wishes he would express a few more emotions than just anger and impatience. Oedipus Rex is a classic play that UWM has made timeless. Its themes of fate versus free will present questions that may never be answered, which may be one of the reasons this particular play has become such an enduring dramatic work. UWM’s production certainly showcases the department’s talent and work ethic. Complete schedule and tickets for events in the Peck School of Arts can be found online at Footlights.
Mar 10th, 2009 by Russ Bickerstaff
The Neverending Story
The power of imagination overflows the Todd Wehr Theater when The Neverending Story arrived this weekend courtesy of First Stage Children’s Theater. The production crosses elements of fairy tale and science fiction while the story revolves around saving the land of Fantastica, which requires a chosen hero to be sent on a quest for the cure. The familiar novel by Michael Ende was adapted for the theater by David S. Craig and will recall for audience members several favorite movies, including one in 1984 directed by Wolfgang Peterson. Yet on this stage imagination demonstrates its power through every aspect of the production’s technical collaboration: scenic designer David Minkoff’s Zen-like circular steel stage with floor to ceiling silky curtains allows the audience to sink into Fantastica’s surreal nothingness with the cast. Lighting Designer Keith Parham creates larger than life creatures by shadowing the actors with white light against the black backdrop. Puppeteer/Props director Mark Hare together with costume designer Debbie Baer fashion mythical figures from the novel, both monstrous and miniature, with delight. All these technical supports give credence to Bastian’s fantasy that when reading, the mind transcends everyday life and sorrows. Bastian is struggling with the death of his mother, and Bastian’s alter ego, Atreyu, battles for the Child-Empress’s life to save Fantastica as Bastian battles real life bullies at school. The contrasting comedy and tragedy of the journey, including several incidents tinged with fright, sustain the tension to Atreyu’s great quest that Bastian eventually enters. Every adult actor expertly conveys several characters without a slip that adds to the performance’s seamless flow, which Director Jeff Frank moves at a pace with a clear crescendo. In the “Adventure Cast” for opening weekend, Mack Folkert imbues Atreyu with youthful wit and growing wisdom. Thomas Mazza captures Bastian visually as emotionally the lost boy gains confidence. While the production is recommended for children over six, adults will be attracted to the performance and ingenious theater elements, which portrays this magical world that emphasizes the pleasures of reading. Perhaps everyone will find appreciation for gnome Urgl’s remark, “Humans: most of all their youth have the power to see the truth.” What truth needs to be seen? That creativity inspires the answers to real life obstacles through wishing, dreams, fantasy, inventing and imagining, all acts of creating. Who first imagined the ipod, iphone or blackberry, this advanced means to communicate? Certainly never Franklin, Edison or Bell dreamed their now crude predecessors would reach such technological heights that might also detract from this formidable creative power. The enchanting production reminds the audience these key issues deserve consideration, because when each individual forgets to wish or imagine society will be swallowed by an empty void of reality, perhaps unable to find solutions to its burgeoning problems. This truth inhabits the extraordinary story of Bastian and Atreyu that First Stage retells, but also implies the 21st century’s neverending story. Complete schedule and tickets for this performance are available at Footlights online.
Mar 10th, 2009 by Peggy Sue Dunigan
Secrets of a Soccer Mom
Soccer Mom. It’s a term that crept into the American vernacular near the end of the twentieth century. It’s a woman who drives a mini-van or an SUV, visits Starbucks everyday and has an expensive cell phone that constantly ringing with calls about the PTA. She ‘runs errands’ every day of the week and manages her ‘schedule’ around her children’s athletic and extra-curricular activities. Right? Outwardly, that’s a generic description of Soccer Moms. The Boulevard Theatre’s Secrets of a Soccer Mom shows both the typical Soccer Mommian attributes as well as the deeper mysteries and enigmas of all those blond-highlighted women driving luxury mini-vans. Written by Kathleen Clark, Secrets of a Soccer Mom begins with three women meeting to play in a Mom vs Son soccer match. They agree to play poorly in order to let their third grade sons win. While waiting on the sidelines for their turn to rotate into the game they at first talk over classic Soccer Mom topics; the PTA, pizza day at school and field trips. As the day goes on, the three veer off from the pre-approved small talk subjects and delve into their innermost beings. As a result of exploring their pasts and presents, the three decide not to hand over a victory to their sons. Even though it looks like a silly suburban soccer game it turns into a personal battle for Nancy, Lynn and Alison. Alison, played by Marion Araujo, is at first not completely on board with playing badly. It comes out that she was an athlete before she got married. Her husband didn’t like her competing or playing on any kind of team. She sees the afternoon as a chance to leave the confines of her marriage behind; figuratively and maybe even literally. Araujo’s early enthusiasm seemed a bit contrived. However, she portrays Alison’s sincere yet naïve plans to run away in a simple and frank manner. As Nancy, Kathleen Williams outwardly seems incredibly archetypal. In a fleece and capris she chats with her fellow Soccer Moms while keeping an eye on her own children as well as others. It’s discovered that she ran in college and used to be a model. While Nancy loves her children with her entire heart, it’s obvious that she gave up much of who she was before she had them. Williams especially shines while flipping through a children’s picture book, pointing out her favorite characters and scenes as though it’s the latest Zadie Smith novel. While all three women hold their own in the Boulevard’s studio theatre, it’s really Brooke Wegner playing Lynn that steals the show. Lynn is a former social worker turned PTA-school volunteer-Soccer Mom. She organizes absolutely everything and still manages to keep up on her gossip and refrain from throttling her mother-in-law during Sunday dinner. Wegner seems to live two roles on stage; Public Lynn and Inner Lynn. Public Lynn chats, jests and conspires with her fellow Soccer Moms. While Inner Lynn rarely utters a word, Wegner’s expressions […]
Mar 10th, 2009 by Russ Bickerstaff
