A wealth of theater openings are on tap for this weekend, from the slickest Broadway touring shows to the local avant-garde (including several world premieres). Among smaller companies, Soulstice Theatre collaborates with pianist Elena Abend to present a reading of Moisés Kaufman’s story of a musicologist’s obsession with Beethoven, 33 Variations at Villa Terrace; First Stage Young Company heads off to Grovers Corners for a production of Our Town at Milwaukee Youth Arts Center; building on the fictional high school production at the center of Next Act Theatre’s recent No Child, Next Act and Ronald Reagan High School present Timberlake Wertenbaker’s story of Australian convict thespians, Our Country’s Good at Next Act; Cooperative Performance Milwaukee offers an environmental, participatory drama about the lives of five Milwaukeeans, MKECarries, at 143 N. Broadway in the Third Ward; and Alchemist Theatre offers the first of its ‘70s- and ‘80s-era New York City trilogy, Another Tale of Eddie.
If that’s not enough to get you out and about this week, here’s the Friday Five.
#5: Beauty and the Beast at the Marcus Center
Why? Because it’s been 20 years since Alan Menken’s Disney musical played on Broadway, and there have already been tours galore. But this Beauty is probably not the one you’ve seen—a new production that nonetheless involves the same creative team that created the Broadway original: director Rob Roth and Tony-winner costume designer Ann Hould-Ward. We’re not sure your 9-year-old daughter will give two teakettle-toots about this, but it will certainly make it easier for you.
#4: Early Music Now presents The Newberry Consort at UWM’s Zelazo Center
Why? Because Rosa das Rosas – Cantigas de Santa Maria isn’t your typical lute & therebo early music concert. To perform this 13th-century Spanish song-suite, the Chicago-based group expands its ranks to 11 musicians, and performs this suite of thanksgiving to the Virgin Mary with projected images of the illustrated manuscripts. And there’s chocolate! Early Music Now’s silent auction and chocolate fundraiser starts things rolling two hours before the concert begins.
#3: Florentine Opera’s Elmer Gantry at the Marcus Center
Why? Because five years isn’t too long to wait for the reprise of a great opera, and Florentine’s restaging of Robert Aldridge & Herschel Garfein’s Grammy winning music-drama based on Sinclair Lewis’s novel. Since the Florentine’s 2010 production, Gantry has been recorded, winning two Grammy’s, and has been performed in Minnesota and Oklahoma. This production features a new cast, including Florentine veterans Craig Verm as Gantry and Katherine Pracht as Sharon Falconer. Frank Kelley, who sang in the 2010 production will direct.
#2: Skylight Opera’s The Snow Dragon at the Broadway Theatre Center
Why? Because Somtow Sucharitkul is an impressive triple threat in the world of music theater. Not only did he write both the lyrics and music for this world premiere, but it’s also based on his own 1982 short story, The Fallen Country. The opera tells the story of a physically abused boy whose rages opens a pathway into another world, the “Fallen Country,” which is ruled by an evil prince and home to the snow dragon. To stage it, Skylight turned to Matthew Ozawa, who has several world premiere operas in his resume.
#1: Five Presidents at the Milwaukee Repertory Theater
Why? Because a world premiere play by an Emmy winning writer like Rick Cleveland doesn’t happen too often. Knowing that Cleveland has been a writer-producer for television series such as Six Feet Under (set in a funeral home), The West Wing and House of Cards (set in political Washington), it’s pretty clear that this play about five living Presidents gathered at Richard Nixon’s funeral is in Cleveland’s wheelhouse. It’s also the chance for five terrific character actors to (as well as makeup designer Lauren Wilde) to have some fun putting Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford, Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush onstage.
Read more about “Five Presidents” in the new issue of Milwaukee Magazine.
