#5: Umbrella Theatre’s The View from Here at Soulstice Theatre and a woman’s Place at Danceworks Studio
Why? Two small theatre companies tackle some ambitious work. The View from Here is a 2004 one-person musical about a would-be novelist landing in New York City. The talented Doug Clemons plays the writer, who tells of his adventures in letters sent to his girlfriend back home. Danceworks Performance Company and Cooperative Performance Milwaukee combine forces to stage an original work by Kelly Coffey about the female inhabitants of a Wisconsin asylum. Original music by Nineteen Thirteen and aerial choreography by Andrea Burkholder.
#4: The Baltimore Consort at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church (914 E Knapp St)
Why? A must-hear for Shakespeare lovers, this Early Music Now concert features Elizabethan era vocal and dance music written for Shakespeare’s plays. All your favorite “hits” from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Twelfth Night, As You Like It, and others. Danielle Svonavec is the featured soprano.
#3: Florentine Opera’s Vienna, City of My Dreams at the Marcus Center’s Wilson Theater
Why? The Florentine’s own William Florescu hosts an evening of love songs just in time for Valentine’s Day. The Florentine’s quartet of Studio Artists—Ariana Douglas, Katherine Fili, Thomas Leighton, and Leroy Y. Davis (right) —sing selections from light opera, operetta and Broadway. Fashion designer Timothy Westbrook adds to the ambiance, providing original designs for the singers.
#2: Bronx Gothic at Alverno College’s Pitman Theatre
Why? Because Okwui Okpokwasili’s solo performance (created in collaboration with designer and filmmaker Peter Born) combines theater, dance and visual art for a visceral and dramatic look at coming of age in 1980s New York City. She’s one of the most talked-about solo performers on the scene, the recipient of a Bessie Award and other acclaim. The New York Times called hear a “magnetic performer.” And her story of two girls discovering their sexuality through written notes is refreshingly frank and often sheer poetry.
#1: The Milwaukee Ballet’s Dorian Gray at the Pabst Theater
Why? Because it’s hard to imagine Oscar Wilde’s classic novel performed exclusively through wordless dance. But Michael Pink is a savvy storyteller, so he’s enlisted actor James Zager to play Lord Henry Wotton, the hedonistic aristocrat who’s famous for the line: “The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it.” One of Pink’s original story ballet’s, this world premiere will feature a score by Philip Feeney, and lighting by Emmy Award winner David Grill. One of the highlights of the season.
