VITAL
The Magic Flute at Florentine Opera
Magic Flute is one of Mozart's most heart-snatchingly beautiful operatic works, and the Florentine's company delivers a sparkling, joyful performance that is a delight from start to finish.
Apr 19th, 2009 by Amy Elliott
Gallery Night & Day April 2009
There’s no pulling punches when Milwaukee Magazine editor Bruce Murphy writes his weekly “Murphy’s Law” column. A recent one gave a full and lucid explanation about the Janet Zweig saga, i.e., how ideas for that particular public sculpture evolved and where (more or less) the project is going, if anywhere. I laugh when writers “take ownership” of what they deem to be hot stories, and laugh even more when readers are laboriously reminded that a particular writer developed (you read it here first folks!) a particular story. Murphy was correct when he compared much of today’s journalism with kudzu growing rampant. All surface and no depth, with windbags, bozos (Murphy’s word) and other folks who like to see their name in print checking in! And now, wow! A star is born, courtesy of the Haggerty Museum, which put the eccentric works of Peter Bardy on display in Current Tendencies, running through June 14. Eccentricity isn’t a bad thing. In fact, we have several locals who fit that mold: Bob Watt and Jimmy Von Milwaukee are two, but they’ve been stars for years. Bardy shot himself dead last summer, leaving behind a west side home filled with items he’d fashioned from scavenged stuff, and voilà! The formerly unknown is now known. Is the Haggerty making a run to roust the rather exclusive territory carved out by the Kohler Museum in Sheboygan, the realm of Outsider Art? (But don’t call it that, because actually Outsiders are more Insiders these days.) The curator of the Haggerty exhibit, Lynn Shumow, came to Milwaukee from the vaunted Kohler. Every curator loves a good back story, and Bardy’s is apparently hers. But does that make it “art?” Stella thinks that of more import is the possibility of the green ash borer decimating the green ash grove on the north side of the Haggerty Museum itself. It’s frightening to imagine, but a group of In:Site artists (including Mike Brenner) are preparing to present plans on temporary art for the Park East land, long vacant and more or less a cause for concern. This may be an even bigger boondoggle than the Zweig flap and the Lincoln Park sculpture madness, whose flames were fanned by Pegi Taylor, noted for nay-saying everything and everyone but herself. Shameless self-promotion: Stella has a feature story (“Fleecing”) in the current issue of INFO magazine, about how American taxpayers are getting shorn. It looks pretty cool alongside all those hot shots of babes and studs. The taxpayer is wearing a barrel. And as the grandkid of a major rancher of sheep, she’s an expert on the subject. John Riepenhoff and a host of other young artists and Milwaukee-based gallerists are in Cologne, Germany for an exhibition. Painter Peter Barrickman’s work, installed in a booth, made the trip packed in a big suitcase which Riepenhoff lugged along to its final destination. Meanwhile, Green Gallery East and West remain open for action. My personal pick for this weekender, Gallery Night and Day, is a small […]
Apr 16th, 2009 by Stella Cretek
The Pavilion
“This is a play about time,” the Narrator of The Pavilion announces. And “time” here is both an intriguing theme an theatrical snag. The Pavilion is the latest entertainment offering of Next Act Theatre. Although the play has moments of genuine humor, literary beauty and acting prowess, overall, the production’s full-size sheet felt stretched out over a queen-size bed. The plot of The Pavilion is a simple one. It’s the summer of 2000 and Pine City, Minnesota is having it’s twenty year high school reunion. Peter has returned to his home town to win back the heart of Kari, his high school love. Twenty years ago Peter skipped out on Kari to go to college, her pregnancy the reason for his abrupt exit. Kari was left alone and bitter to deal with her impending child. Now Peter is back, using the highschool reunion to make amends with Kari and rectify his now conscionable stupidity. The Pavilion, the old dance hall location where the class reunion of 1980 takes place, is also a metaphor for the universal covering under which we all interact. For interconnectedness, how everything we do, from whom we choose to love to every thought we think, has an affect and effect on everyone and everything else in the universe. It’s a rich and interesting concept but one that’s presented here with blocks of ennui I found difficult to ignore. Angela Iannone (Narrator) watches over Mark Ulrich (Peter) and Mary MacDonald Kerr (Kari) The unique story element in The Pavilion is the inclusion of a Narrator character played by Angela Iannone. Narrator is an extremely modest character name for one who fulfills multitudinous theatrical elements. Iannone is an exceptionally apt protean performer. For in this small triumvirate cast she plays not only our cosmic force and commentator, but a myriad of other reunion attendees, both humorous and tragic, for Peter and Kari to interact with. The mutable actress changes body and voice like most of us change TV channels. Mark Ulrich plays Peter. In less capable acting hands Peter could come across with a certain false pretense. But Ulrich takes his time with the role and plays it simply. The highlight of his performance comes when he presents Peter’s monologue about how and when he first fell in love with Kari. There’s an earnest gentleness to his delivery that defies anyone with a brain to lose their attention. Mary MacDonald Kerr, virtuoso director of Next Act’s past production of Going to St. Ives, plays Kari. Kerr, with the honesty and openness of someone with nothing to lose, does the best she can with the unsympathetic role of a character who blames the universe for her current marital and childless dilemma, but unfortunately just comes across as annoyingly petulant. Director David Cecsarini puts his actors sufficiently, if tediously, through the emotional obstacle course of the plot. The blocking of the actors and the use of the performance space is well handled. Only once did I notice a clunky transition […]
Apr 16th, 2009 by Michael Madden
Classic cocktail recipes from your friends at TCD
ThirdCoast Digest’s Erin Petersen went on the prowl for the city’s best (and most atmospheric) cocktail hours. But for those of you that aren’t feeling the bar scene, host your own Depression-Era cocktail hour at home with some of these lively libations: Brandy Old Fashioned 3 oz brandy 4 dashes Angostura bitters 1 tsp sugar 1 dash water Sweet or Sour soda (7-Up, 50/50, etc) Muddle the sugar with the bitters and the water in the bottom of an old-fashioned glass. Add the brandy, ice cubes and sweet soda. Stir, garnish with a lemon peel, and serve. If you want to make it true- Wisco style, muddle a couple of Maraschino cherries with the sugar and bitters and garnish with an orange slice. If you’re from south of the state line, use whiskey in place of brandy and mix with sour soda. Manhattan 2 oz rye whiskey 1/2 oz sweet vermouth 2-3 dashes Angostura bitters Maraschino cherry for garnish Pour all ingredients into a glass full of ice, stir well and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Rob Roy 2 1/2 ounces Scotch 1 ounce sweet vermouth Dash of angostura bitters Maraschino cherry or twist of lemon peel Shake the Scotch, vermouth, and bitters with ice; then strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a maraschino cherry or lemon peel. Sidecar 1 1/2 oz. Brandy 1/2 oz. Triple Sec 1/2 oz. Lemon or Lime Juice Combine all the ingredients in a shaker filled with ice, shake well and strain into a cocktail glass. The Kentucky Dandy 2 oz. Maker’s Mark 4 oz. Ginger beer Stir, then add a dash of cayenne pepper. Serve over ice in an 8 oz. tumbler. Thanks to Howie Goldklang for this recipe! The Blue Blazer 2 1/2 ounces Whiskey 2 1/2 ounces Boiling Water 1 Teaspoon Powdered Sugar 1 Lemon wedge 1 Lemon Twist Take two large fireproof mugs. In one, pour in the whiskey. In the other, pour in the water. With a match or lighter, ignite the whiskey. To mix the whiskey and water, pour the liquids back and forth cup to cup about four or five times which will create the effect of liquid fire. To the blended whiskey and water, stir in the powdered sugar and squeeze in the lemon wedge. Pour into a 4-ounce heat proof whiskey glass and garnish with lemon wedge. Recipe courtesy of TCD’s own Cate Miller. Did we miss your favorite? Leave a comment and share your own fave drink tips.
Apr 16th, 2009 by Amy Elliott
Take it from a former vampire …
I’m not a vampire, but I played one on TV … bah, dum, bum … rim shot. Old joke … I did play a vampire though, throughout the first season of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, a turn of the (20th) century Warner Brothers Television show that was a pretty big hit and to some a cult classic. It is credited with bringing vampiriana back from the dead. But the truth is vampires never die, and as an icon of popular literature they have always been around. Sometimes they seem to be everywhere; sometimes they must be asleep in their coffins. I played “The Master,” the oldest, the original, and the baddest vampire around. He lived underground in an old church that had been buried in a California earthquake. For reasons I don’t remember he couldn’t go up on to the surface of the earth until a certain moment in time. There was a lot of pre-destination in this particular vampire tale and it all was “written” in a book that only scholars could decipher. Luckily that book happened to reside in the library of the high school in Sunnyvale, the small California town where my church was buried, and the librarian of that high school library just happened to be an Englishman whose special obsession was vampires and the occult. Very convenient. The series lasted for seven or so seasons, so it is way more complicated than I can remember, and I have probably already annoyed devout fans, of which there are many. To prepare for the part, I studied as many of the vampires of our cultural history that I could, revisiting Bram Stoker’s Dracula, the first vampire film, Nosferatu, a true classic made in 1922 by F.W. Murnau, starring the phenomenal Max Schrenk, as well as the 1979 Nosferatu remake by Werner Herzog, starring the great Klaus Kinski. There is a wealth of literature about vampires and werewolves, and it evolves as the times require. The rules change. Joss Whedon, who created Buffy The Vampire Slayer in movie form and then for television, once said that the fun thing about writing about vampires is that you get to make up the rules as you go along. Someone before you made up the previous rules, so essentially there are no rules, as long as you can justify the behavior of your particular undead creature by making up a rule. In television, you can even change the rules you made up in the first season when they become inconvenient in the fifth season. There are some rules, though, that I think are inviolate.Twilight breaks one of the oldest and most established vampire rules: they die if touched by the sun. They hedge their bets by setting it in the Pacific Northwest on the Olympic Peninsula where the sun seldom shines, but it is still a major re-write of the rules. When the lead vampire walks deliberately into the sun, he sparkles as though his skin was encrusted with diamonds. […]
Apr 16th, 2009 by Mark Metcalf
Art and performance 4/15 to 4/21
Visual Art Gallery Night and Day, metro Milwaukee area, Friday evening on April 17 and Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 18 (most locations) *See our special section for a preview of this quarterly must-see event. Multimedia Tile, Quilt, Pixel: Paul Berger, UW-Milwaukee, Wed. April 15 at the Arts Center Lecture Hall. Starts at 7 p.m. Paul Berger talks about the trajectory of his composite and collage works over the course of the last thirty-five years. Currently a professor of art at the University of Washington’s School of Art where he founded the school’s photography program, Berger moved from traditional forms to digital manipulation and gained fame throughout Europe plus grants from the National Endowment of the Arts. A retrospective of his work showed at the Museum of Contemporary Photography in 2003. He will be speaking about his work as part of UWM’s 2008-09 Artist Now series. Merengue: Visual Rhythms, Latino Arts museum, now through June 5. Open M-F 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. In this Milwaukee stop on a national tour organized by International Arts and Artists showcases 27 classic and cuurent artists from the Dominican Republic. The focus of the show looks at that country’s national music form through mediums including photographs, sculpture, paintings, and videos by “analyzing the rhythm’s artistic components and environmental contexts”. Admission is free. Theater Last of the Red Hot Lovers! , Broadway Baby Dinner Theatre, now until April 26. Milwaukee’s longest-running dinner theater is putting on Neil Simon’s successful 1969 comedy. The story revolves around a middle-aged and shy man who hopes to join the sexual revolution before it’s over. Lacking experience and chutzpah, he arranges three separate seductions with women of various neuroses — one of whom is his best friend’s wife. The Cherry Orchard, Milwaukee Rep at the Quadracci Powerhouse Theatre, April 14 to May 10. Anton Chekhov’s last play is the newest production by members of the Resident Acting Company and other guest actors. While Chekhov intended this to be a comedy, its first director set it as a tragedy. Directors have been wrestling with what it is ever since. Brooklyn Boy, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre at the Cabot Stage. Opens April 16 running through May 3. The MCT will finish its 34th season with Pulitzer Prize-winning Playwright Donald Margulies’s drama about a best-selling author of a loosely autobiographical novel describing growing up Jewish in Brooklyn. But the author also experiences a midlife crisis as he struggles to come to terms with an aging father, a failing marriage and lost roots. Zombies From the Beyond, Cardinal Stritch at the Nancy Kendall Theater. April 17-19 and April 24-26. The school’s Music and Theater Department is premiering this hit Off-Broadway play, adapted for local reference. The original musical comedy by James Valcq skewered American ideals during the Eisenhower era using a sci-fi B-movie structure. The local production sets the play at “the Milwaukee Space Station, where a flying saucer lands, piloted by Zombina, an alien aviatrix”. How I Became a Pirate, Milwaukee First Stage at the Todd Wehr stage. Opens April 17 running weekends until May 17. based on the well-known children’s book by Melinda Long and given new lyrics and notes by […]
Apr 14th, 2009 by Brian Jacobson
One more reason to respect Iowa
“I’m almost ready to up and leave Iowa and move back to Minnesota,” one woman said angrily. “There’s something about it happening in the heartland that has got to accelerate this process for the whole country,” said another. On April 4, the Iowa Supreme Court overturned the ban on same-sex marriages, giving lie to the myth that Iowa folks are strictly conservative. Some would say they are, indeed, Progressives. Whatever your take on the same-sex marriage issue, the court’s web site had 1.5 million viewers on the day of the decision. The court’s seven members made it a unanimous decision. I have a beautiful niece, one of several. Not only is she highly intelligent, she is a hard-working and has for many years supported herself. She is loved by her father, her mother, her sister, and her devoted partner, Annie. My niece is a lesbian. In the building I occupy are several gay and lesbian couples. They come and go like other occupants, off to shop or walk their pets. One of the gay partners is a well-respected judge in our county court system, and I volunteered for his re-election campaign. If you placed these couples (or individuals) in a crowd, you’d never be able to identify their gender preference. For instance, is that fellow over there gay, the one dressed in a suit and tie? Yes, he is. He’s a parole officer. His partner works for Milwaukee’s Health Department. And the lady in the flowered suit and fashionable shoes? Oh, she’s one of our State Representatives. She’s a lesbian. The aforementioned judge and his partner throw a big Halloween costume party each fall. It’s a blast. That said, no one swings from the chandeliers brandishing sex toys. At the last one I attended, the guy I was standing next to was dressed as a Milwaukee police officer. A gay chap, he really is a Milwaukee police officer. Milwaukee has churches friendly to gay and lesbian couples. In the summer, the city celebrates Pride Fest and I can think of no place in town that would single out lesbian and gay couples as “unwelcome,” though Pride Fest is sometimes picketed by those who think their way is the only way. We have a center for “Gay Arts,” but it isn’t the art that’s gay, it’s the artists who produce it. I have a lady friend who, after an unsuccessful heterosexual marriage, partnered with a woman. When one of their mothers died last year, the two of them steered her wheelchair through small town Iowa, in a “Race to Beat Cancer,” event. Together, they grieved over their loss. A teacher gal pal married and raised a fine son who is currently serving in Iran. When her child rearing days were over, she left her marriage to live with a woman who leads a blues band. She told me she knew early on that she preferred the company of women, but societal pressures directed her toward a heterosexual marriage. Incidentally, the lady […]
Apr 13th, 2009 by Judith Ann Moriarty
Welcome Home, Ken! (2-4)
Dear Ken Macha, After going 1-2 out in San Francisco, you took the Crew back to Milwaukee for the unofficial holiday that is the Brewers’ home opener. Just in case you were wondering: that smell was from all the brats, that large contraption in the parking lot with the multitude of tubes is a 12-person beer bong and, yes, Cubs fans are really like that all the time. I’m sure you were excited to get your first home game under your belt and to see how Braden Looper would pitch in his first start as a Brewer. After straining a back muscle during a particularly vicious sneeze, Looper spent most of spring training in an allergen-free suite at Miller Park. Well-rested, Looper looked to start his Brewers career off on the right foot against the Cubs. And indeed he did, scattering four walks and five hits, including a home run to Milton “Chutes n’ Ladders” Bradley, in a reasonably solid five innings of work. That’s got us feeling good, I’m sure you as well. But like Miller Chill, things turned horribly sour after Seth McClung gave up that two-run home run to Koyie Hill in the sixth. You probably weren’t very happy with that, but you managed to keep your composure without making weird faces like a certain ex-manager used to do all the time. Fortunately for you, Ryan Braun brought back fonder memories of 2008 when he plated a huskier-for-2009 Rickie Weeks to win the game in the bottom of the ninth. Your first game in the stadium that the tenth-of-a-penny tax paid for was a success, and everyone in Milwaukee drank even more to celebrate. Well done, Ken. Saturday was a similar story, but a different ending. Our victory was snatched from our non-beer hand by Alfonso Soriano’s two-run home run off the non-twittering Villanueva (Carlos) in the top of the ninth. As disappointing as that was, it’s important to remember that Dave Bush pitched well, and Prince Fielder was able to make Carlos Zambrano forget about his no-hitter at Miller Park last year. Even Jon Corey Hart showed improved patience at the plate, walking twice in each of the first two games of the series. That’s not bad for someone who walks about as often as a Waukesha motorist parked at a Sonic. You had sufferin’ Jeff Suppan on the mound on Sunday, much to the chagrin of everyone who likes to win baseball games. Jeff’s been getting a bad rap lately from fans, blogs and admirers of good pitching everywhere, but at least he’s earned the respect of Doug Melvin and the rest of the Brewer’s front office. Does he still have your respect after Sunday’s horrible outing? Three consecutive bases loaded walks? Srsly? I know you’re calm as the other side of the pillow, Ken, but Soup’s struggles have to be bothering you, right? Well, chin up. I don’t need to tell you it’s early yet. Best regards, Rob Vosters
Apr 13th, 2009 by Adam Lovinus
Welcome aboard, Ken (1-1)
4/9/2009 Dear Ken Macha, Welcome aboard! How does it feel to be a Milwaukee Brewer? We’re so glad you’re here; it’s great to see someone that’s not Ned Yost in the dugout this spring. I don’t know if you followed the Brewers last year, but ol’ Nedly was run out of town when his playoffs-bound ball club nearly derailed at the end of last season. So live up your not-Ned honeymoon – it should last at least through May or so. I’m familiar with your work in Oakland, so I know you’re a playoffs-type guy. That’s good; we’re all expecting playoffs in Milwaukee after our taste in ’08. Other more pessimistic bloggers are predicting a .500 season. Not me, and I know not you either. You took a lot of guff for starting Jeff Suppan opening day. Admittedly, yeah, I thought it was a weird move. Jeff’s a good guy and a veteran; he came with a pedigree to be ice-cold in big games. But you’ll learn he puts an inordinate amount of runners on base, and that’s frankly annoying. You’ll catch on, and probably become annoyed too. I like your aggressiveness running the bases, and the way you deked-out the FSN guys talking about your “conservative” approach. Very sneaky. I’m glad to see Ryan Braun and Mike Cameron attempt steals; it brings me back to the run-and-gun days of Tom Trebelhorn. Also, thank you for having a short string with relief pitchers who can’t find the strike zone. Nedly used to let pitchers have focus meltdowns on the mound. When you pulled Mitch Stetter after walking one batter in the 7th inning last night, it was a relief. Thanks. I think the two-hole is a great place for Corey Hart. He’ll see better pitches and maybe he won’t be so apt to flail at garbage like he did at the end of last year. Stick with him. Please tell Ricky Weeks to set an example for Little Leaguers and catch pop flies with TWO HANDS! Makes me nervous otherwise. You know that Yovani Gallardo is your staff ace. What you might not know is he can bat fifth — did you see what he did with that Randy Johnson fastball last night? Something to consider. Tell Prince Fielder and Bill Hall to lay off the high ones. That’s all for now. Go out at take this series from the Giants, and we’ll see you this weekend. Thanks again, and welcome aboard! Sincerely, A. Lovinus
Apr 9th, 2009 by Adam Lovinus
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
great Chipotle recipes
I don’t normally plug chain restaurants, but Chipotle is one I’d like to have in my own neighborhood. The meat they use is a special attraction to me because every time I’ve supped there, everything from the steak to the chicken or pork has been tender and lean. Although I generally prefer independently owned places, I recently stopped in an a Mexican eatery, to remain nameless, that served meat so tough and greasy it was inedible. With both pinto and black beans and fajita-style vegetables on the menu, Chipotle works for vegetarians as well. Even for my friend who is a strict macrobiotic vegetarian. For about $10 bucks you can have a massive burrito with a beer or Margarita. The Margaritas are large, potent and also rank with the best I’ve had at corner-in-the-wall ethnic gems. For just a couple of dollars more, you can have outstanding (it tastes like what I make at home) guacamole and chips. None of the stores have the convenience of drive through service and according to corporate sources, that’s not in the works. Considering the prices, the fast buffet service and the quality of product, I would project Chipotle to be relatively recession proof. Chipotle does not offer coupons or specials, but if you come in on Halloween dressed like a Chipotle burrito, your burrito is on the house. Two recipes from Chipotle Ancho Chile Marinade for Meat by Steve Ells, Founder & CEO, Chipotle Mexican Grill 1 pkg (2 oz.) dried ancho chilis or dried pepper of choice 1 tsp. black pepper 2 tsp. cumin powder 2 tbsp. fresh oregano, chopped 6 cloves garlic 1/2 red onion, quartered 1/4 cup vegetable oil 4 cuts of meat of choice Soak dry chilis in water overnight or until soft. Remove seeds. Add all ingredients except meat in food processor. Puree until smooth. Spread mixture over meat and refrigerate at least one hour, up to 24 hours. Heat grill to about 400 degrees, or if cooking inside heat small amount of oil in skillet or grill pan over high heat. Salt meat to taste. Grill meat about 4 minutes per side, depending upon thickness, until done. Serve with rice, black beans, or choice of side dish. Garnish with fresh cilantro. Chipotle Adobo Marinade for Grilled Vegetables by Steve Ells, Founder & CEO, Chipotle Mexican Grill 1 small can Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce 1 – 2 tbs. Soft butter (olive oil for vegans) 1 – 2 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice Use four tablespoons of the Chipotle adobo sauce. Save the Chipotle peppers for another use. Mix adobo sauce with butter and lemon juice. Brush over vegetables before and during grilling. Salt and pepper to taste. Recommended vegetables Corn on the cob Peel back husks but don’t remove remove silks. Brush with adobo mixture, rehusk and wrap in foil. Grill 10 – 15 minutes, turning occasionally until tender. Japanese eggplants Quarter lengthwise and parboil until bright in color (2 – 3 minutes). Brush with adobo mixture. […]
Apr 8th, 2009 by Cate Miller
Tales from the Dugout
Pink Banana Theatre Co. opened its annual show comprised completely of original one-acts on Friday, March 27. Staying true to its mission of encouraging new artists, Pink Banana used locally grown writers, actors and directors. With few mis-steps, Pink Banana once again showed itself to be a hot bed of young Milwaukee talent. Using a video screen as a back drop served two-fold: first, as a way of introducing the writers, actors and directors of each one-act and also as a set piece to suggest location. In Along for the Ride, a video of the retreating road through a back window added scenic depth and clarity to what could have just been actors in chairs on stage. Muffin’s Man was certainly the best received by the audience. Written by Patrik Beck and directed by Michael Cotey, it’s the perfect storm of wit and absurdity. Three men wait outside a coffee shop on an ordinary morning and at least one of them is not what he seems. Rob Maass, Daniel Koester and Travis A. Knight form a perfect triad for this brief yet action packed comedy. The last scene before the intermission proved to be a bit off kilter. Written and directed by Stephanie AB Wiedenhoeft, A Squirrels Nest aimed to examine the lives of five women. While obvious that the point was to highlight the internal and external conflicts that unite women, it was generic and used too many blanket statements to be truly insightful. Subject to Change, written by Alison Niles and directed by Joe Foti, lived up to its title by showcasing the rapid adjustments women in the armed forces must make. Unrequited Hate, written by Russ Bickerstaff and directed by Fjosh Redbeard, was an intriguing look into the relationship between co-workers. Complemented by actors Nick Firer and Adrian F. Feliciano, this fast-paced spoof was another audience favorite. Rounding out the show was The Interpreters, written by Artistic Director Rose Wasielewski and directed by Patrik Beck. A couple seeking marriage counseling receives help and answers in a pair of frank and outspoken interpreters who voice the true meanings of their words. For complete schedules and ticket information for all of Milwaukee’s theaters, visit Footlights online.
Apr 7th, 2009 by Russ Bickerstaff
