#5: Looney Toones and Three Stooges at the Times Cinema:
Why? Because the depressing success of Kick Ass has you yearning for good old-fashioned toon-violence, whether between rabbits and ducks or between the trio of stooge masters. And because the masterful art of Chuck Jones and company rarely finds itself on the big screen these days, and those wide-open Monument Valley plains just don’t look the same on your iPhone screen.
#4: Scene Showcase at the Florentine Opera Center:
Why? Because sometimes you just want the concert equivalent of a greatest hits album. And sometimes you want to see singers up close and watch the melodies light up their faces. And because you want to see the Florentine’s new-ish digs in Riverwest, and hear the Florentine’s up-and-coming Studio Artists. They’ll perform an evening-full of beloved arias, and offer a sneak preview from the Rio de Sangre, the world premiere which opens the Florentine’s 2010-11 season.
#3: American Fiesta at Renaissance Theatreworks:
Why? Because “fechting,” as my German grandmother used to call it (a glorious hybrid of rummage sale and window shopping), is a favorite Milwaukee pastime. And this one-man show’s search for the perfect set of Fiestaware is fechting of the noblest kind. And because John McGivern is funny enough when he’s simply being John McGivern, but in Steve Tomlinson’s play, he gets to play over 20 versions of John McGivern.
#2: Wildspace Dance Company’s Speaking of Happiness at the Stiemke Theatre.
Why? Because pondering happiness and the meaning of life will only get you so far—sometimes you just have to shut up and move. And because no company brings the depth of thought to its movement like Wild Space. And because you loved Monica Rodero and Dan Schuchart’s meditations on relationships in “Gone, Gone, Gone,” so you can’t wait to see their collaborative project with Wildspace’s Deborah Loewen.
#1: Youngblood Theatre’s Spirits to Enforce at Miller and Campbell Costume Service.
Why? Because superheroes have taken over the multiplex recently, but are still woefully underrepresented in the “legitimate” theater, and Mickle Maher’s fanciful play gives you not one, not two, but twelve costumed crusaders. And because these intrepid crusaders spend their stage time engaged not in crime fighting, but in the most heroic of contemporary pastimes: raising money via telemarketing. And because Youngblood Theatre is doing terrific work that is changing the landscape of Milwaukee theater.
