The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee presented by Skylight Music Theatre runs Feb. 7-23. 2020 in Cabot Theatre.
This week, the Florentine Opera Company’s Baumgartner Studio Artist Showcase opens with Leonard Bernstein’s one-act, semi-staged opera, Trouble in Tahiti.
Theater
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Winner of two Tony Awards, this musical follows a group of quirky, socially awkward over-achievers who find joy, heartache and purpose as they compete at the regional spelling bee. The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is an audience charmer with its effortless wit and humor, as well as its quick-paced, touching story. Featuring music and lyrics by William Finn (Falsettos, A New Brain) and a Tony Award-winning book by Rachel Sheinkin, Spelling Bee teaches the lesson that winning—and, for that matter, losing—isn’t everything.
Making his Skylight Music Theatre debut as director will be Brian Cowing. Based in Madison, Wis., Cowing has directed at the Capital City Theatre, Four Seasons Theatre and Children’s Theatre of Madison. As an actor, he was featured in national tours of Annie and Something Rotten. “There’s no denying that comedy really drives this piece,” Cowing says. “Spelling Bee is often times described as hilarious, zany and kooky, but this show also succeeds in bringing true heart and relatability to its characters. The audience gets to experience each character’s insecurities, fears and dreams. It’s this balance that makes it such a unique and beloved show.” (John Jahn)
Feb. 7-23 in the Cabot Theatre, 158 N. Broadway. For tickets, call 414-291-7800 or visit skylightmusictheatre.org.
Opera
Trouble in Tahiti
The Florentine Opera Company’s Baumgartner Studio Artist Showcase opens with Leonard Bernstein’s 45-minute, semi-staged opera, Trouble in Tahiti. Bernstein was working on the opera during his honeymoon with Felicia Montealegre. The story is based on the relationship of the composer’s own parents, Sam and Jennie (though he changed the wife’s name to the more singable Dinah, after his grandmother). Trouble in Tahiti received its first performance in June 1952 at Bernstein’s Festival of the Creative Arts on the campus of Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass.
This American gem incorporates Bernstein’s quintessential jazzy idioms and a plot that runs the gamut from sneaking out of a kid’s concert to see a movie and some “Mad Men”-era shenanigans at the office. Throughout the one-act opera, a jazz trio functions as a contemporary Greek chorus, providing satirical commentary to the unfolding drama. The second half of this Baumgartner Showcase features the young artists performing the songs that make them shine. Trouble in Tahiti is certainly an accessible entrée into the world of opera for the uninitiated—a “friendly music theater experience great for all ages, including your ‘I-don’t-like-opera’ friend,” as the Florentine helpfully explains. (John Jahn)
Feb. 8-9 in the Wilson Theater at Vogel Hall of the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts, 929 N. Water St. For tickets, call 414-273-7206 or visit marcuscenter.org.
Dance
Out of Many, One
After a smashing one-night debut in the hallways, galleries and grand staircase of Saint Kate—The Arts Hotel in November, the Danceworks organization’s new professional multicultural dance company, named Danceworks Performance MKE, will present its first full-length concert run in the beautiful Jan Serr Studio on Prospect Ave. and Kenilworth Place. The Studio’s sensational floor-to-ceiling, two-story view of Milwaukee’s Lower East Side and Downtown as seen from the building’s sixth floor will serve as the backdrop for a performance that aims to celebrate the city’s diversity as collectively represented by this skilled troupe of dancers, choreographers and educators.
The concert’s title, Out of Many, One, suggests the subject: differently trained dance artists finding common ground and working together for the good of all. It’s an appealing vision, for sure; and given time and support, the potential for new ideas and expressions seems pretty unlimited. For this concert, artistic director Dani Kuepper, company member Gina Laurenzi and guest artist Dawn Springer will serve as the choreographers, working in collaboration with the members of the large troupe who are all distinguished creative artists in their own right. It will all be set to music by the brilliant Milwaukee area composer Allen Russell. (John Schneider)
Feb. 6-8 at the Jan Serr Studio at 2155 N. Prospect Ave. Call 414-277-8480, ext. 6017 or visit danceworksmke.org.
More to Do
The Diary of Anne Frank
Kettle Moraine Playhouse presents this award-winning play based upon the famous book Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl, which so many of us encountered in our youth. This Pulitzer Prize-winning stage adaptation was written by the husband-and-wife team of Albert Hackett and Frances Goodrich, who are also well known for the popular series of Thin Man movies and Father of the Bride. It took the couple two years and eight rewrites before they came up with a draft which pleased Otto Frank, Anne’s father. It pleased critics as well, and won the 1956 Tony Award for Outstanding Play, as well as other honors. The show continues to move audiences today with its story of resilience and hope. Feb. 7-23 at Kettle Moraine Playhouse, 204 Kettle Moraine Drive S, Slinger, Wis. For tickets, visit kmplayhouse.com.
Beyond Therapy
First performed in the early 1980s, Beyond Therapy is about two single adults trying to find companionship in an era of rapidly changing attitudes toward sex and sexuality and the onset of an ever-increasing health crisis in America. Encouraged by their therapists, each one places an ad in the personal section of the newspaper in the hopes of finding a person to spend their lives with. Prudence (Bailey Haag) becomes romantically involved with Bruce (Tom Forshee), who mentions that he is bisexual. Prudence’s bigotry against LGBTQ people quickly becomes apparent, and homophobia rapidly emerges as a theme of the play. Playwright Christopher Durang inserts this subject and corresponding language into the play, allowing you to witness just how petty this kind of hatred is. What happens over the course of the two acts is an absurd, hilarious view of dating difficulties and outrageous therapy sessions. Feb. 7-23 at Village Playhouse’s Inspiration Studios, 1500 S. 73rd St. For tickets, call 414-207-4879 or visit villageplayhouse.org.
Come Back
Erin has passed away, and best friend Sky has been left with the task of finding the perfect resting place for her remains. Sky’s cross-country trip following Erin’s detailed instructions is thrown off by Erin’s mother, insisting the final resting place should be in the family plot. Through unexpected twists and turns, Sky’s adventure teaches that it’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey. Feb. 6-23 at Waukesha Civic Theatre, 264 W, Main St. For tickets, call 262-547-0708 or visit waukeshacivictheatre.org.
“Melodious Women”
This Sunday afternoon concert kicks off at 2 p.m. with a “Special Pre-Concert Presentation” by Rebecca Kleefisch regarding the history of the 19th Amendment and Wisconsin’s significant role in its passage. The ensuing Wisconsin Philharmonic concert then features two works by female composers. These are Joan Tower’s Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman (a response to/companion of Aaron Copland’s famous Fanfare for the Common Man of an earlier era) and Libby Larsen’s Symphony No. 3, subtitled Lyric. Larsen will also be in attendance. The final work is the monumental Piano Concerto No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 30 (1909) by Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff, which has the reputation of being one of the most technically challenging piano concertos in the standard classical repertoire. The soloist for that work will be Lucille Chung. Sunday, Feb. 9, at the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Performing Arts, 3270 Mitchell Park Drive, Brookfield. For tickets, call 262-547-1858 or visit wisphil.org.
