INVADER! I Hardly Know Her runs April 24-28 at the Kenilworth Five-0-Eight Theatre
Classical (and classical crossover) music hits it big with concerts by the Prometheus Trio and Black Violin.
Theater
INVADER! I Hardly Know Her
The story opens with a young couple, Jack and Jennifer, on their wedding day. The nuptials don’t quite go as planned, however, as Jennifer turns out to be from another planet, and her bridesmaids are genetically engineered spies for the U.S. government! This is the stuff of UW-Milwaukee Peck School of the Arts’ production of INVADER! I Hardly Know Her, with book, music and lyrics by Jason Powell, direction by Katie Cummings, choreography by Darci Wutz and music direction by Vanessa Weber.
Take one clueless groom, add an alien disguised as his bride, mix in a few secret agents, throw in more aliens, and you end up with a humorous musical romp. Powell’s comic space pop opera had its world premiere in Milwaukee nine years ago and subsequently had a successful run at the New York Fringe Festival.
April 24-28 at the Kenilworth Five-0-Eight Theatre, 2155 N. Prospect Ave. For tickets, call 414-229-4308, email psoatix@uwm.edu or visit uwm.edu/arts.
Classical Music
Black Violin: “Impossible Tour”
Black Violin is led by classically trained instrumentalists Wil B. (viola) and Kev Marcus (violin), who will be joined in this live concert by DJ SPS and drummer Nat Stokes. The band uses its unique blend of classical and hip-hop music to overcome stereotypes and encourages people of all ages, races and economic backgrounds to join together and break down cultural barriers. In the past year, Black Violin has performed for more than 100,000 students in the U.S. and Europe and is currently on its “Impossible Tour.”
The band has performed alongside Yo-Yo Ma and Sir Elton John, has been on “The Tonight Show,” “Ellen,” “The Wendy Williams Show” and other TV shows and has collaborated creatively with Kanye West, Aerosmith, Tom Petty, Wu-Tang Clan, Wyclef Jean and Alicia Keys. Black Violin’s most recent album, Stereotypes, hit number one on Billboard’s Classical Crossover chart and number four on Billboard’s R&B chart. Its members are currently writing and recording their next studio album, which is expected to be released this summer.
Saturday, April 20, at 7:30 p.m. in Uihlein Hall, 929 N. Water St. For tickets, call 414-273-7206 or visit marcuscenter.org.
Schubert, Ravel, Martinů, Schoenfield
Works on this Prometheus Trio concert are, for the most part, reasonably modern and rather obscure—all the better to hear some “new” music! Compositions range from the late-19th century to just a few decades ago. The Prometheus Trio is the resident chamber music ensemble at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, where it’s been ensconced for almost two decades now.
Works on the trio’s April concert program are the one-movement Fantasie for Violin and Piano, D. 934 (1827, by far the oldest piece being played) by Franz Schubert; the Cello Sonata No. 2, H. 286 (1941) by Czech composer Bohuslav Martinů; the Sonate pour Violon et Violoncelle, Op. 73 (1922) by Maurice Ravel; and American composer Paul Schoenfield’s Café Music (1986). The latter work was inspired by Schoenfield’s stint as the “resident pianist” at a Minneapolis steakhouse!
April 22 and 23 at 7:30 p.m. in the Helen Bader Recital Hall at the McIntosh/Goodrich Mansion, 1584 N. Prospect Ave. For tickets, visit wcmusic.org.
