There is plenty of theater and dance happening this week. The ever popular Mumenschanz morphs in to Brookfield’s Wilson Center. And several smaller companies open shows. Acacia Theatre goes Dickensian with an adaptation of Great Expectations featuring Jonathan Wainwright as Pip. And The World’s Stage Theatre opens its adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale with Kelly Doherty.
But music is the headliner this weekend, a fine way to celebrate the Spring Equinox. Here’s the rundown.
#5: Low Down Dirty Blues at the Milwaukee Repertory Theater
Why? Because the Milwaukee Rep’s Stackner Cabaret is a great place to hear great music, and there should be some terrific numbers in this tribute to blues legends like Ma Rainey, Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters and Sophie Tucker (Sophie Tucker!?). To honor these legends, the Rep has assembled a formidable quartet of theater, blues and gospel stars, including Chic Street Man, Tony-award nominee Felicia Fields, Blues Music Awards nominee Caron “Sugaray” Rayford, and Robert Stephens.
#4: Present Music’s Equinox at Turner Hall Ballroom
Why? Because for Present Music, celebrating Spring apparently means assembling a greatest hits sampler of the best contemporary composers around. PM regulars will love it, and anyone new to contemporary “art music” will find plenty to love in this program, including pieces by John Luther Adams, David Lang, Astor Piazzolla, Osvaldo Golijov, John Tavener, and Elena Kats Chernin. The centerpiece of the concert, however, is a world premiere by Molly Joyce, a recent Juilliard graduate whose work has been performed by groups ranging from the New World Symphony to My Brightest Diamond.
#3: William Tyler at Alverno College’s Chapel of Mary Immaculate
Why? Because critics have lauded Tyler’s two albums of solo guitar music. Spin magazine said 2013’s Impossible Truth, culls folk-templates from around the world, but channels them through a distinctly modern and American sensibility. Alverno Presents puts Tyler in an intimate setting, which should allow Tyler to stretch out and gather in a world of music, channeling it all through his guitar.
#2: Phil Woods, Brian Lynch & Friends at the Wilson Theater in the Marcus Center.
Why? Because Phil Woods is a legend. At 83, he’s still cooking with his distinctive post-bebop sound, dazzling listeners with snaking improvisations at a breakneck pace. Thirty-some years ago, when American jazz stars still played the Middle-American road, you could hear Phil Woods careen through bebop standards at local haunts like The Jazz Gallery and The Jazz Riverboat. Those days are gone, so this gig—part of the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music Jazz Festival–will create some lasting memories. Future legend and Milwaukee favorite son Brian Lynch (who played with Woods in the ‘90s) joins the master alto player. And they’ll be backed by the excellent WCM sextet, We Six.
#1: Milwaukee Opera Theatre’s The Mikado at Next Act Theatre
Why? Back in the day, Gilbert & Sullivan was a staple of the Skylight Theatre, and you could count on a D’Oyly Carte dose of musical Brit wit every season or so. But Milwaukee has probably never seen a G&S production like the Milwaukee Opera Theatre’s journey to the town of Titipu, which features an orchestra composed solely of toy pianos, trombones, ukulele, and percussion. In what qualifies as the performing arts understatement of the year, MOT Artistic Director told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, “It won’t be boring.”
