School’s out for summer, and most performing artists have
made for the hills—or at least the beach or the lake cabin or the lonely
garrett, where they are working on next season. Culture Club goes on its yearly
hiatus this week, but we leave you with a whole host of offerings—this weekend
and beyond–to keep you going through mid-August, when we return.
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Billy Elliot at the Marcus Center.
If you like your shows big and Broadway, there’s a chance to whet your appetite without heading to Manhattan. The Marcus Center’s Broadway in your Backyard celebrates the little Midlander who could with Elton John’s musical about a working-class English boy who dreams of being a dancer. Big cast, big music, big inspiration. Big show.
Milwaukee
Opera Theatre’s Iolanthe at Carroll University’s
Otteson Theatre.
MOT continues its smart and innovative ways by paring down
the pomp of Gilbert & Sullivan’s tale of fairies, mortals and politicians.
Director James Zager focuses instead on the glorious music and lyrics, leading
a cast that includes Doug Jarecki, and MOT founders Jillian Bruss and Jill Anna
Ponasik.
Milwaukee
Symphony Orchestra at the Marcus Center.
The MSO stages a two-concert homecoming after it’s big
Carnegie Hall splash in May, winding up its season with some Romantic and
modern classics. This weekend (June 1-3), it’s a Russian spectacular with
Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake and Prokoviev’s
stirring choral suite from the film Alexander Nevsky. Next weekend (June 8-9), Matthias Pintscher leads
the orchestra in Stravinsky’s Firebird, and in Aaron Copland’s Clarinet Concerto featuring the MSO’s Todd Levy. He’ll also perform his
own composition, Ex Nihilo for
chamber orchestra.
Present
Music’s “Love” at Turner Hall Ballroom.
PM closes its 30th anniversary season by wrapping
its musical knowledge around the idea of love, featuring a world premiere by
one of the most celebrated American composers of our day. Michael Daugherty’s
work has won Grammy’s, medals, citations, and other accolades. And it’s
celebrated for its freshness and accessibility. The world premiere work Labyrinth
of Love (commissioned by PM) celebrates
female thoughts on love from Sappho to Elizabeth Taylor. Also on the program,
pieces by Michael Gordon and Bright Sheng, and several songs featuring Robin
Pluer.
Help
Wanted at Alchemist Theatre.
Unlike most theaters in the city, Bay View’s intrepid
Alchemist keeps on trucking through the summer, presenting original work in its
intimate and comfortable setting (see the article in the July 2012 issue of
Milwaukee Magazine). This month, Alchemist offer’s Aaron Kopec’s Help Wanted, set in the business world during World War II. In
July, Bad Example Productions presents a topsy-turvy version of Shakespeare’s Romeo
and Juliet.
Optimist
Theatre’s Macbeth at Alverno College.
For its third outdoor offering, Optimist leaves comedy
behind and turns to the Scottish Play, Shakespeare’s Macbeth, featuring an impressive cast directed by Optimist
Artistic Director Ron Scot Fry. Marti Gobel is Lady Macbeth, Tom Reed is
Macbeth and Jim Pickering is Duncan. The ensemble also includes Andrew Voss,
Michael Cotey, David Ferrie and Libby Amato. The pent-up demand for free summer
Shakespeare means that tickets go fast, so reserve them now.
Rooftop Dance at In Vivo
Wellness.
Everyone seems to move outdoors in the summer, so why not
dancers? Steven Moses and Jaimi Patterson present an evening of solos and duets
set under the summer sky, and far above the honking drag racers and partying
hoards. Moses and Patterson have enlisted a who’s who of Milwaukee dance,
including Luc Vanier, Javier Marchan Ramos and Elizabeth Johnson. Turn out the
stars.
DanceLAB
at Danceworks Studio.
Danceworks doesn’t close up its doors over the summer,
keeping kids busy with classes and artists busy with interesting programs.
Among the offerings for this DanceLAB season are an Indian performance and
workshops with Sulakshana Jayaram, a performance by New York’s De Facto Dance,
and the MFA Thesis concert by New York choreographer Juliana May. In August,
the always interesting Art to Art brings together artists of different
disciplines to create new work that push and cross boundaries.
