Photo by Tim Fuller.
Arizona Theatre Company's Five Presidents.
Rick Cleveland’s ability to write about presidents and other political figures is very incisive—see TV series “The West Wing” and “House of Cards”—and his fourth and newest work about presidents, Five Presidents, is another enthralling look into a world behind closed doors. “I’ve always been fascinated with the office of the presidency and with the presidents themselves,” says the Emmy-winning screenwriter and playwright. “It may be the only job in our country that comes with a risk of assassination, and it’s also largely a thankless job.” Commissioned by The Milwaukee Repertory Theater as part of its new play development program, Five Presidents offers audiences a fly-on-the-wall look into the meeting and conversations between Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton at Richard Nixon’s funeral. “There is an iconic photo of those five presidents attending Nixon’s funeral and that photo sparked my imagination. What did these five men talk about?” says Cleveland. “I hope [audiences] take away a greater understanding of both the toll the presidency takes on a person as well as a greater empathy for these five men.” This is the writer’s second collaboration with The Rep’s Artistic Director Mark Clements and he hopes there are many more to come. “He’s a brilliant director,” says Cleveland.
Five Presidents runs March 10-April 5 at the Quadracci Powerhouse, 108 E. Wells St. For tickets, call 414-224-9490 or visit milwaukeerep.com.
Also coming up is Skylight Music Theatre’s world premiere of The Snow Dragon, composed by Somtow Sucharitkul and based on his short story, The Fallen Country. “A kid suffers terribly in the real world and escapes into a fantasy universe in order to work through his problems, his suffering,” says Sucharitkul. “What I’ve tried to do in this opera is to make it about what would really happen with real people even though it has a dragon. It’s not about an incredibly evil person; it’s about discovering the road to compassion in order to conquer the darkness.”
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The Snow Dragon runs March 13-29 at the Cabot Theatre, 158 N. Broadway. For tickets, call 414-291-7800 or visit http://skylightmusictheatre.org.
Theatre Happenings:
■ Troupe America’s 2015 national tour of Love, Loss, and What I Wore comes to the Marcus Center (929 N. Water St.) March 13-15. For tickets to this intimate collection of funny and poignant monologues, call 414-273-7206 or visit http://marcuscenter.org.
■ The Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning drama The Diary Of Anne Frank by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett is an enduring testament to the human spirit and a reminder of the horrors of war. Show runs at Waukesha Civic Theatre (264 W. Main St.) March 13-29. For tickets, call 262-547-0708 or visit http://waukeshacivictheatre.org.
■ Cooperative Performance Milwaukee presents the world premiere of MKE Carries, a work that tells the story of five individuals living in Milwaukee, simultaneously. Incorporating dance, music, visual art, film and theater, the performance loops three times each evening and includes interactive installments. Show runs March 13-28 at 143 N. Broadway; for more information and tickets, call 414-324-0037 or visit http://cooperformke.com.
■ Theatrical Tendencies brings to stage Diana Son’s Stop Kiss. This stirring production tells the story of Callie and Sara, who unexpectedly fall in love and are then violently attacked after their first kiss. Show runs March 13-28 at Soulstice Theatre, 3770 S. Pennsylvania Ave. For tickets, visit http://theatricaltendencies.com.
■ Next Act Theatre and Ronald Reagan IB High School are partnering to produce a full-length production of Our Country’s Good by Timberlake Wertenbaker, a companion project to Nilaja Sun’s No Child. With professional direction and supervision, students will be responsible for all aspects of the show. This humorous and inspirational play runs March 13-15 at 255 S. Water St. For tickets, call 414-278-0765 or visit nextact.org.
