SummerStage of Delafield
SummerStage of Delafield presents Pride and Prejudice; Doc Danger and the Danger Squad receives its premiere via Milwaukee Opera Theatre; and Theater RED presents This Prison Where I Live.
Pride and Prejudice
Jane Austen’s romantic novel, Pride and Prejudice, was written in 1813. Its comedic moments, and there are plenty, arise from the author’s depiction of manners, education, marriage and money; though written in the milieu of early-19th century upper-crust British society, the plays themes still hold relevance for modern audiences. Indeed, Pride and Prejudice remains on many a most-loved-books list, and it has appeared in live stage, TV and feature film adaptations galore.
SummerStage of Delafield describes their production of Pride and Prejudice as a “fast-paced and engaging new adaptation [that] captures all the wit, sophistication and romance” of the original novel. Brian D. Zelinski directs this adaptation by Jon Jory. The cast includes Victoria Hudziak as Elizabeth Bennet, Paige Bourne as Mary Bennet, William Molitor as Mr. Bennet and JJ Gatesman as Mr. Darcy.
Aug. 23-Sept. 8 at the Lapham Peak Unit of Kettle Moraine State Forest, W329 N846 County Highway C, Delafield. For tickets, visit summerstageofdelafield.org/pride-prejudice.
Doc Danger and the Danger Squad
Jason Powell, the creator of Fortuna the Time Bender vs. the Schoolgirls of Doom, has written a new musical that conjures the pulp adventures of a bygone era—Doc Danger and the Danger Squad—which receives a fully staged premiere via Milwaukee Opera Theatre. In keeping with its mission, Milwaukee Opera Theatre commissioned 10 original musical theatre works in 2009, several of which have been shown since. Doc Danger is the latest production towards fulfillment of that mission.
In terms of overall style, Powell’s new work owes as much to the witty, polished flair of 19th-century operetta as it does pulp novels of the 1920s and ’30s. “I more or less worship at the altar of Gilbert and Sullivan,” Powell says, adding that most of his works are strongly influenced by the legendary British team. “Maybe there’s something in my brain that is automatically attracted to artistic works from bygone ages,” he explains, “which is how you get a mash-up of 1890s musical style and 1930s adventure fiction; sometimes, you can’t beat the classics.”
Aug. 23-30 at the Studio Theatre of the Broadway Theatre Center, 158 N. Broadway. For tickets, call 414-291-7800 or visit milwaukeeoperatheatre.org.
This Prison Where I Live
Theater RED revisits beloved Shakespearean actor, Edwin Booth, for another Milwaukee premiere. Written and directed by Angela Iannone, this new work is the second collaboration between the playwright and local theater company and follows closely on—and is a companion piece to—Ianonne’s The Seeds of Banquo.
In This Prison Where I Live, we find Booth rehearsing for an upcoming production of a play by The Bard of Avon. As he prepares, the ghosts of his past, including that of his disreputable brother, interrupt him repeatedly. Edwin Booth, incidentally, is not a fictional character. He was an American actor who toured throughout the country and Europe in the latter-half of the 1800s performing Shakespearean plays; indeed, many theatrical historians consider him the greatest American actor. In Theater RED’s production, Booth will be played by company alumnus and Chicago-based actor and playwright Jared McDaris.
Aug. 24-Sept. 9 at the Tenth Street Theatre, 628 N. 10th St. For tickets, visit theaterred.com.
