Don’t let the warhorse program lull you into apathy over the Milwaukee Symphony’s offering this weekend. Sure, you can be blasé about another performance of Scheherazade or the First Chopin Piano Concerto, but the concert features a couple of performers to keep your eye on. 
Conductor Vassily Petrenko signed on as Music Director of the St. Petersburg Opera and Ballet when the rest of us were going to Senior Prom – at the fresh age of 18. He’s now a seasoned 32, which will give him plenty of energy to tackle Rimsky-Korsakov’s tone poem. Canadian pianist Louis Lortie has some admirers in the British press. One critic called his Beethoven interpretations the finest since the days of Wilhelm Kempf (that’s about 50 years ago for those keeping score at home). And another said he was the finest Chopin player ever. Probably worth a listen.
For pop fans, there’s some fine listening to be had at Shank Hall Friday with Slo-Fi, the latest project of late, great Pet Engine alums Al H. and Stephen Ziel. Great song craft from some of the best the city’s seen in a long time.
Over at Danceworks, Playtex meets performance in Kelly Anderson’s epic exploration of underthings, The Bra Project. Now, goodness (and Madonna) knows that underwear and dance have had a curious relationship over the years, and Anderson’s evening-length piece blends a little theater and a lot of dance to, um, unpack those intertwined stories. Expecting big crowds for this one, Danceworks has extended performances into two weekends, and tickets are going fast.
For those testosteroned few who are more comfortable around jockstraps than brassieres, there’s always Bob Uecker’s Baseball Warm-Up, a pick-me-up for baseball fans who are certainly NOT ready for some football and counting the days until spring training. Brewers’ pre-season ticket sales are at record levels, and a lot of folks are counting on another great season (even sans Sabathia). Uecker hosts some serious conversations with members of the team (“I just went out there and played hard for the team, Bob!”), but there will also be some horsing around and light-hearted moments.
And there’ll be plenty of horse-play at the Pabst this weekend as Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood return to town with their very popular Whose Line Is It Anyways? tour. You’ve seen them on the telly, but there’s nothing like watching improv comedians work live, without a net. Whose Line features the usual collection of improv games (“OK, you’re a starfish with asthma at a Metallica concert….Go!”), but these guys and gals are the best in the business. And if you get pulled up on stage for one of the audience participation skits, remember….THEY are the funny people. If you try to be funny, you’ll just look like a complete fool. And not in a good way.
Film for Grownups. With Oscar noms and Golden Globes out, you’ll probably want to head to the theaters and see what all the fuss is about. The biggest buzz is about Kate Winslet getting nominated for The Reader rather than Revolutionary Road (she won Golden Globes for both!). That means Road will be hitting the highway pretty soon, but don’t miss it. The jockeying of Winslet’s nom is more about studio politics (Road isn’t selling many ticket, so studios pushed The Reader as the better box office alternative), than which performance is better. See them both.
