The Milwaukee Rep’s Othello.
Photo by Michael Brosilow
#5: The Turin Horse at UWM Union Theatre.
Why? Because it’s a chance to see the final film of Hungarian Bela Tarr, one of the most original directors in the history of cinema. Tarr crafts his films from long, choreographed shots and crisp black-and-white images. He doesn’t tell stories, he says. He conveys “being.” And his slow style allows you access to his characters in ways unlike anything you’ve seen. Here, Tarr was inspired by the anecdote that Frederick Nietzsche once witnessed a cart horse being whipped and broke down in tears. Tarr follows the horse after the beating.
Linda Stephens and Jonathan Gillard Daly in One Time.
#4: One Time at Next Act Theatre.
Why? Because this world premiere by Chicago playwright Richard Lyons Conlon features performances by two of the city’s best actors: Jonathan Gillard Daly and Linda Stephens. They last worked together at the Milwaukee Rep’s Cabaret playing a touching romantic couple kept apart by Germany’s turmoil. Here, they are a couple of another sort, meeting each other at a park bench to talk about old times and possibly new times. David Cecsarini directs.
#3: Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra at the Marcus Center.
Why? Three pieces from three centuries—not a bad mix for a single excursion. Guest conductor James Gaffigan (not to be confused with Jim Gaffigan, standup comedian of “Hot Pockets” fame) leads the orchestra in a Haydn symphony that was originally written for Easter week. And in Dvorak’s Symphony No. 6, one of the first works to assert the composer’s true “Czech” style. The centerpiece of the concert, however, is Alexander Glazunov’s gorgeous and splashy violin concerto, featuring the MSO’s own concertmaster, Frank Almond.
#2: West Side Story at the Marcus Center.
Why? Because the Sharks are in gear, and in this recent Broadway revival, the famed musical Puerto Rican gang doesn’t sound like they walked out of an episode of “77 Sunset Strip.” Original playwright Arthur Laurents directed the production, and liberally added Spanish language dialogue to the script. The highlights, however, are still the terrific Leonard Bernstein score and the Jerome Robbins choreography, which are still part of the show.
#1: Othello at the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre.
Why? Because it puts two of Shakespeare’s most memorable characters together on the same stage, and director Mark Clements ups the ante by giving the story a contemporary setting—the world of motorcycle gangs. It’s an apt fit for the lawless Mediterranean that was the play’s original setting, and it allows the Clements’ designers to have some visually splashy fun. But Othello and Iago are still the true heart of the play, and here Clements taps Rep company member Gerard Neugent (Iago) and Philadelphia actor Lindsay Smiling (Othello). Mattie Hawkinson makes her Rep debut as Desdimona. And familiar faces like Deborah Staples, Lee Ernst, Reese Madigan, Jonathan Wainwright and James Pickering round out the cast.
