‘Tis the season just before The Season, which means it’s not yet the performing arts version of black Friday, but it is a time when groups start preparing for holiday shows, and perhaps stage their last “non-holiday” concert before things start jingling and jangling. One of the big recent additions to the holiday fare is the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music’s Festival of Trees and Music. Now in its second year, the festival boasts an impressive roster of performers over 10 days (Nov. 14-23), including Sam Llanas, MSO Principal Flautist Sonora Slocum, Guitarist Matt Schroeder, and piano duo Stefanie Jacob and Teresa Drews.
And before you leave Veteran’s Day behind, there’s a chance this weekend to see how local veterans are using Shakespeare to explore and dramatize their experiences. Actor and UWM Peck School faculty member Jim Tasse is behind the Feast of Crispin Project —named for Henry V’s famous “St. Crispin’s Day” speech before the battle of Agincourt. The project will present some of its work this Sunday at 2:30 pm at the Zablocki Medical Center, 5000 W. National Ave.
#5: The Lion King at The Milwaukee Theatre.
Why? Because it’s big. Because it’s Broadway. Because everyone is going to see it. How Julie Taymor’s lush and inventive production will play in the 4,000-seat Milwaukee Theatre (more than 2-½ times the size of Broadway’s Minskoff Theatre, where it has played since 2006), is a big question. But you can’t argue with the stagecraft–and the appeal of the Elton John-Tim Rice score.
#4: Frankenstein at the Off the Wall Theatre.
Why? Because there will be body parts in jars and angry townsfolk with pitchforks. And isn’t it much more interesting when it all happens in a theater that’s the size of a suburban living room? That’s one of the appeals of Dale Gutzman’s Off the Wall space, and another is the energy with which is actors throw themselves into character and story. Nick Dear’s adaptation of Mary Shelley’s classic tale premiered a few years ago in London, with none other than Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller alternating the roles of the doctor and the monster. Here the parts are played by Nathan Danzer (the doctor) and Jeremy C. Welter (the monster).
#3: The Philomusica Quartet at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music.
Why? Because the resident string quartet at the WCM is playing better than ever, and this program of familiar classics is a real treat for fans of great chamber music. Start each half of the program with short “curtain raisers” by Puccini and Sibelius, then get to the meat of the matter with pieces by Beethoven and Schubert. Beethoven’s early Op. 18, No. 1 is the greatest of his early quartets, with muscular motifs and a tender adagio (inspired by the finale of Romeo and Juliet). Schubert’s “Rosamunde” Quartet bears the influence of Beethoven, and is one of the most beautifully melancholic pieces in all chamber music. Don’t miss it.
#2: The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra plays Scheherezade at the Marcus Center.
Why? Because familiar isn’t necessarily better, but hearing a concert version of music that is firmly in your memory can make listening a heady and engaging experience. How will Frank Almond phrase that famous solo violin “invocation” at the beginning of Rimsky-Korsakov’s evocative tone poem? How will the MSO brass tackle some of the thundering, militaristic fanfares? How will conductor Marcelo Lehninger bring out the brilliant color and textures of this rollicking music? Come to the Marcus Center to find out. And get a little Stravinsky (Suite No. 2 for Small Orchestra) and Saint-Saëns (Sean Chen playing the barnburner Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 22) while you’re there.
#1: Heresy at Next Act Theatre.
Why? Because playwright A. R. Gurney is usually concerned with the lives of the gentile upper crust–cocktail-party habitués with names like Preston or Bitsy. But every so often, he takes a stab at political satire, such as this 2012 play, which offers an evening-length meditation on that old saw, “What Would Jesus Do?” Here, “Chris” has been offering his anti-consumerist gospel in the church of YouTube, and faces some resistance from the American powers-that-be. David Cescarini directs an impressive comic cast that includes Carrie Hitchcock, Alexandra Bonesho, Drew Brhel and Doug Jarecki. Afterward, the cast stages an original cabaret piece by Jarecki and Brian Myers that offers further comment on Gurney’s themes.
