The ADD1NG MACHIN3 Arrives!

#5. Maceo Parker at the Wilson Center. Why? Because when the King of Soul tells you to blow, you blow. And not in a bad way. Parker helped give James Brown his signature funk through most of the ‘60s, ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s. And he also helped bring some soul sugar to the likes of George Clinton, Bootsy Collins and Prince. He’s also going on four decades as a bandleader in his own right. He’s making a stop in Milwaukee (or Brookfield, to be precise) before he heads to Europe for the summer. And if anyone can generate some pre-summer…

#5. Maceo Parker at the Wilson Center.
Why? Because when the King of Soul tells you to blow, you blow. And not in a bad way. Parker helped give James Brown his signature funk through most of the ‘60s, ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s. And he also helped bring some soul sugar to the likes of George Clinton, Bootsy Collins and Prince. He’s also going on four decades as a bandleader in his own right. He’s making a stop in Milwaukee (or Brookfield, to be precise) before he heads to Europe for the summer. And if anyone can generate some pre-summer heat, it’s him.

#4. Bel Canto Chorus’s “Give Us Peace” at the Oconomowoc Arts Center.
Why? Because you’re still a little queasy about the adolescent “Boo-yahs” that greeted the death of Osama Bin Laden, and while you’re waiting for Disney to come out with its Seal Team Six Action Heroes, you’re looking for a more thoughtful and dignified way to reflect on the gruesome ways of war and 21^st-century violence. Bel Canto closes its innovative season that marked the 150^th anniversary of the Civil War with this concert. Two works feature the celebrated words of Frederick Douglass (Kirke Mecham’s Song of the Slave) and Walt Whitman (Ralph Vaughan Williams Dona nobis pacem). Bel Canto director Richard Hynson has assembled some great groups outside of his chorus, including the Milwaukee Symphony, the Waukesha Choral Union and the Baptist College of Ministry Concert Chorale.

#3. The Cooking Show at Latino Arts.
Why? Because sometimes Paula Dean and Rachel Ray are just too bland, no matter how much cayenne is involved. Mero Cocinero Karimi (his mother was Guatemalan and his father Iranian) just might be the Food Network’s worst nightmare, using recipes, history and storytelling to preach about a revolution that isn’t just about where your porcini mushrooms come from. His logo is a spoon clenched in a revolutionary fist, and his kitchen tips explain the difference between a julienne and a Guiliani: one cuts zucchini into little sticks, the other cuts education, social services and the arts.

#2. The Milwaukee Ballet’s Coppelia at the Marcus Center.
Why? Because after a few concerts of contemporary ballet, you’re eager to see some “old-fashioned” pointe-work, and it’s hard to imagine a more rewarding 19^th-century ballet than Coppélia. Depending on the performance, you’ll see a pair of the ballet’s finest dancers (Ryan Martin and Luz San Miguel or Julianne Kepley and David Hovhannisyan) in the lead roles. And veteran Milwaukee actor Daniel Mooney in the role of Dr. Coppelius. If anyone can show us why a work from almost 150 years ago can still be charming and compelling, it’s Pink.

#1. The ADD1NG MACHIN3 at Skylight Opera Theatre.
Why? Because it is about time. Milwaukeean Josh Schmidt wrote this adaptation of Elmer Rice’s expressionist American classic with the Skylight in mind, but the theater’s various ups and downs in recent years have kept them from staging it. Since it premiered in Chicago in 2007, it has won awards in Chicago, New York, Miami, and has been produced around the world. When Schmidt’s next musical, A Minister’s Wife, opened in New York a few weeks ago, critics were comparing him to Stephen Sondheim. In short, this is where American musical theater is going, and Schmidt is at the forefront. Skylight taps Chicago director Kate Buckley for this one, with the lead roles played by Liz Pazik and Ray Jivoff.