Born in 1909 as the Milwaukee Auditorium, thevenerable space has hosted political rallies, sporting events, concerts, bikeraces, even circuses. It was reinvented as a state-of-the-art theater in 2003,complete with a new name. Over the last six years, Milwaukeeans have laughedwith Robin Williams and Jerry Seinfeld, rocked out with David Bowie and Prince,enjoyed the song and dance of Chicagoand Fosse, and revisited theirchildhood innocence with The Wizard of Ozand The Lion King.
If these walls could talk, we would be consumed bythe most incredible stories. Even a fresh bullet wound from an assassinationattempt couldn’t stop Teddy Roosevelt from delivering a campaign speech here in1912. As his thick manuscript provided enough armor to save his life, hestubbornly spoke his words, shocking the audience by announcing, “I have justbeen shot, but it will take more than that to kill a Bull Moose.”
In 1964, Martin Luther King Jr. spoke to an eagercrowd ready for change. His voice bellowed strongly against the walls, “Time isneutral. It can be used either constructively or destructively… We must helptime and we must realize that the time is always right to do right.”
The Milwaukee Theatre continues to make the rightmoves in the world of performing arts, with artists and productions that remindaudiences to live, laugh and love. During the fall season, patrons will havethe opportunity to take a cheerful stroll with George Burns in the Tony-winningBroadway hit Say Goodnight Gracie,surrender to illusion with David Copperfield, belt it out with Kelly Clarkson,embrace their inner dancing queens with ABBAMania, indulge in rhythmic combustion with Stomp and forget their hard-knock lives with Annie.
It’s nowonder that thousands have walked through the Milwaukee Theatre’s grand doors,seeing and being seen, for the past century, ready to have their worrieswhisked away by the venue’s golden warmth and majestic history.
According to Richard Geyer, president of WisconsinCenter District, which is also responsible for the Midwest Airlines Centerand the U.S. Cellular Arena, “The Milwaukee Theatre is so much more thanan entertainment venueit’s a gathering place for community events, businessmeetings, as well as a showcase for today’s outstanding performers. We’vehosted the best over the years, and we look forward to continuing this richtradition in the future.”
