As the summer sun climbs higher into the sky, it’s time for Culture Club to shift into semi-hibernation mode. This will be the last column of Friday Five previews until mid-August, but read on for a list of some of the performing arts events that will add a little zip to your summer.
First, this weekend offers two long-awaited events:
Andreas Delfs and the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra at the Marcus Center
Why? Because it’s “old home week” at the MSO, which concludes its season with the always rousing cantata Carmina Burana by Carl Orff. Guest conductor Andreas Delfs is sure to bring his signature energy and theatricality to the proceedings, and he’s joined by an impressive roster of soloists—soprano Caitlin Lynch, countertenor Michael Maniaci, and baritone Corey McKern (recently seen here in the Florentine’s L’Elisir d’Amore). The concert opens with Frank Almond shows his stuff playing Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1—by itself worth the price of admission.
Fairy Queen Fantasy at the Lynden Sculpture Garden
Why? Because it’s hard to imagine a better way to usher in summer. Anticipating the summer solstice (here, it’s Sunday at 11:39 a.m.), the folks at Danceworks and Milwaukee Opera Theatre have created an original spectacle based on Henry Purcell’s “masque” and Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Over 50 dancers—along with a dozen singers and assorted actors and musicians join in the fun. Oberon and Titania (Norman Moses and Tami Workentin) will meet you at the door. And you’ll be treated to some of the most glorious melodies of the baroque era.
If you prefer your theater indoors and a little more contemporary, check out All In Productions’ high-charged staging of Little Shop of Horrors at Next Act Theatre. Or if the Skylight’s recent production of Into the Woods has you pining for some Sondheim, stop in at In Tandem Theatre for Broccoli Theatricals’ Sondheim on Sondheim, a staged concert of some of the master’s greatest songs.
To plan the rest of your summer, take a peek at my column from the June issue of Milwaukee Magazine, which hits some of the highlights, including more Shakespeare from Optimist Theatre and American Players Theatre.
Other productions announcements came in too late for the June issue. In July, The World’s Stage theatre company continues its season of social relevant dramas with Martin Sherman’s riveting story of gays in Nazi Germany, Bent. The Umbrella Theatre Group stages Melanie Marnich’s These Shining Lives at Next Act Theatre, which chronicles the plight of women factory workers in the 1920s. Theatre Gigante offers an evening of animated films by Ladislaw Starewicz, along with music by Little Bang Theory. And dance fans can rejoice—the exceptional Mauriah Kraker gathers friends from Chicago and New York for an evening of performances titled decimation blues.
