The arrival of summer here doesn’t mean concert halls and theaters close their doors. There’s still plenty of events to break up this long weekend orgy of bratwurst and backyard badmitton. To whit:
#5: “A Collection’s Legacy” at the Haggerty Museum:
Why? Because Marquette University hasn’t gotten much love lately, especially concerning its relationship with women. But this exhibit celebrates the contributions woman have made to the university’s fine museum (like this Agnes Martin donated by Martha W. Smith), honoring both the Haggerty’s 25th anniversary, and the 100th anniversary of Marquette’s decision to admit women into its august halls.
#4: “An Evening with Gilbert & Sullivan” at the Skylight
Why? Because nothing livens up the summer like a good British feud, and since English Tories and Social Democrats have made nice, we may as well journey back to the days of those eminent Victorians, Bill and Arthur, and see what tiffs and spats they’ve been getting in to. It won’t hurt to have 20 of their best songs woven into the verbal sparring, and to have the pair portrayed by two of the best G&S men the Skylight has to offer, Gary Briggle and John Muriello.
#3: Love Song at Soulstice Theatre.
Why? Because we all feel like Switzerland sometimes, and John Kolvenbach’s Love Song offers a funny and touching look at what happens when an isolationist is forced out into the open. Love Song was nominated for a 2007 Olivier Award (London’s equivilent of The Tony’s), and featured A-list actors like Michael McKean and Kristen Johnston, which makes us think the playwright was doing something right.
#2: Milwaukee Symphony’s all Saint-Saens program at the Marcus Center.
WHY? Because you loved Joseph Johnson’s great reading of the Cello Concerto a few weeks back, and now you’ve got a real hankering for some Saint-Saens, a composer who loved the excesses of Liszt as well as the clarity of Mozart. This concert makes this season a DeWaart-Saint-Saens hat trick, adding his best-known symphony and piano concerto to the cello concerto. Simon Trpceski plays the Second Piano Concerto. And De Waart conducts the majestic Organ Symphony.
#1: The Lynden Sculpture Garden.
Why? Because the first lady of Milwaukee art, Peg Bradley, had a perfect sensibility to populate an outdoor sculpture garden—colorful, abstract and, yes, sunny. And now, her collection of monumental sculptures (including work by Isamu Noguchi, Barbara Hepworth, Mark di Suvero and Henry Moore) moves from private to public as the north side estate opens its doors to the public. The grand opening Sunday features music and dance performances, and lots of chances to wander the grounds (and the house) to look at art.
