A Little Business at the Big Top

A Little Business at the Big Top

When we last saw David Gaines, he was brandishing swords and masks on a simple set, reimagining the classic movie Seven Samurai as a one-man act. This month, Theatre Gigante brings him back to town with a new show, A Little Business at the Big Top, wherein a popcorn vendor takes a wild ride through the world of the circus. Trained at Paris’ legendary physical theater school, L’Ecole Internationale de Theatre Jacques Lecoq, Gaines knows well the big top world, and his witty and imaginative approach to storytelling has made him a revered staple of fringe festivals around the world.…

When we last saw David Gaines, he was brandishing swords and masks on a simple set, reimagining the classic movie Seven Samurai as a one-man act. This month, Theatre Gigante brings him back to town with a new show, A Little Business at the Big Top, wherein a popcorn vendor takes a wild ride through the world of the circus. Trained at Paris’ legendary physical theater school, L’Ecole Internationale de Theatre Jacques Lecoq, Gaines knows well the big top world, and his witty and imaginative approach to storytelling has made him a revered staple of fringe festivals around the world.
 

➞ A Little Business at the Big Top (Nov. 14-16). UWM Kenilworth Studio 508. 1925 E. Kenilworth Pl., 414-961-6119, 
theatregigante.org.

Paul Kosidowski is a freelance writer and critic who contributes regularly to Milwaukee Magazine, WUWM Milwaukee Public Radio and national arts magazines. He writes weekly reviews and previews for the Culture Club column. He was literary director of the Milwaukee Repertory Theater from 1999-2006. In 2007, he was a fellow with the NEA Theater and Musical Theater Criticism Institute at the University of Southern California. His writing has also appeared in American Theatre magazine, Backstage, The Boston Globe, Theatre Topics, and Isthmus (Madison, Wis.). He has taught theater history, arts criticism and magazine writing at Marquette University and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.