Photo courtesy of the Milwaukee Repertory Theater
This week, The Rep presents ‘Eclipsed,’ a play about five extraordinary women and their tale of hope and resilience in the midst of the Second Liberian Civil War.
Theater
Eclipsed
Eclipsed is a play about five extraordinary women and their tale of hope and resilience set in the midst of the Second Liberian Civil War (1999-2003), an internecine conflict in the small West African nation that saw the deaths of up to 300,000 people. Drawing on reserves of wit and compassion, these defiant women ask: When the fog of battle lifts, could a different destiny emerge? Written by Black Panther and “The Walking Dead” star Danai Gurira, Eclipsed was nominated for six Tony Awards, including Best Play.
The cast for Eclipsed consists of Ashleigh Awusie as Wife #2; Nancy Moricette as Rita; Jacqueline Nwabueze as Wife #1; Matty Sangare as Wife #4; and Nigerian-born, Milwaukee-raised actress Sola Thompson as Wife #3. Eclipsed will be directed by Milwaukee Repertory Theater associate artistic director May Adrales, with set design by Collette Pollard and costume design by Kara Harmon. Every week of the play’s run, The Rep will highlight the work of three individual women of color who are fighting for the betterment of the community as a “Milwaukee SHEro,” which they describe as someone who “exemplifies the values of dedication to one’s community, collaboration and sisterhood."
March 3-29 in the Quadracci Powerhouse, 108 E. Wells St. For tickets, call 414-224-9490 or visit milwaukeerep.com.
Carrie—The Musical
An outcast at school, where she is bullied viciously for her differences, Carrie is also lost at home, with a fervently religious mother whose love traps her in its maw. When teacher Miss Gardner, kind classmate Sue Snell and boyfriend Tommy Ross reach out to try to help Carrie cope with it all, it seems that for once, she might have a shot at being accepted. But Chris Hargensen, the class’s most vicious bully, has other ideas. Pushed to the brink, Carrie’s powers threaten to overwhelm her and devour everyone around her in flame. And it’s all set to music!
Outskirts Theatre Company’s production of Carrie—The Musical will be directed by Ryan Albrechtson, with music direction by Julie Johnson, choreography by Samantha Paige Deibler and stage management by Mark Morris. It stars Francesca Steitz as Carrie.
Feb. 28-March 8 at Waukesha North High School, 2222 Michigan Ave., Waukesha. For tickets, visit Outskirts Theatre’s Facebook page.
The Tap Pack
The Tap Pack is an elegant, high-energy, tap comedy group inspired by the famous “Rat Pack” of legend and lore, which included the illustrious A-listers Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. With dazzling performances on stage, dressed in slick suits and equipped with sharp wit, The Tap Pack is a modern twist on the classic Rat Pack. They alternately joke, compete, croon and cajole.
This energetic quintet of young men infuses tap dance with swing music and witty banter in their show. The Tap Pack is a taste of a new, highly entertaining act featuring some of Australia’s finest tap-dancing performers tapping up a storm. With credits on stage, film and television and with more than 20 musical theater productions among them, The Tap Pack is pure entertainment suitable—and in this way most certainly unlike the original Rat Pack—for all ages.
Saturday, Feb. 29, at 7:30 p.m. at the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center, 901 15th Ave., South Milwaukee. For tickets, call 414-766-5049 or visit southmilwaukeepac.org.
More to Do
Noises Off
As a company of actors attempts to deliver a comedy onstage, we go behind the scenes where the real farce explodes. Everything that can go wrong does, as the actors try desperately to hang onto their lines, their sanity and their clothes! This stage classic takes a fond look at the follies of theater folk, whose out-of-control egos, memory loss and passionate affairs turn every performance into a high-risk adventure. Noises Off returns to Furlan Auditorium after successful prior runs back in ’89 and ’09. Feb. 27-March 15 at Sunset Playhouse, 700 Wall St., Elm Grove. For tickets, call 262-782-4430 or visit sunsetplayhouse.com.
Female Transport
Written by Steve Gooch and directed by Bill Watson, UW-Milwaukee Theatre’s Female Transport is a stark, hard-hitting drama detailing the journey of six women convicted of petty crimes and sentenced to hard labor in Great Britain’s penal colonies “down under.” Feb. 26-March 1 at Kenilworth Five-0-Eight (Kenilworth Square East, fifth floor), 2155 N. Prospect Ave. For tickets, visit uwm.edu/arts/event/female-transport.
The Trojan Women
Written by Euripides in 415 BCE and directed by Marti Gobel, The Trojan Women is a harrowing look at war through the loss and suffering experienced by women captured and enslaved during conflict. The Trojan Women is a stark reminder that the devastation of war continues long after the battles end. This Greek tragedy remains one of the best anti-war plays ever written. March 4-8 in the Mainstage Theatre (UW-Milwaukee Theatre Building), 2400 E. Kenwood Blvd. For tickets, visit uwm.edu/arts/event/trojan-women.
Down the Road
A serial killer has admitted to the murders of 19 women and claims he has even more to divulge. A young married couple is hired to help him write his story, but the closer they get to the truth, the more uncertain things become. A dark thriller that questions the consumption of violence as entertainment and the dangerous pliability of the human mind, Lee Blessing’s Down the Road stars Jeb Burris, Melisa Pereyra and Robert R. Doyle and will be directed by James Ridge. Feb. 27-March 8 at Two Crows Theatre Company, 137 W. Jefferson St., Spring Green, Wisc. For tickets, visit twocrowstheatre.org.
