How these things came about: so shall you hear
Of carnival, lusty, and artistic acts
Of accidental brilliance, maverick genius;
Of hits put on by airships and hard work,
And, in this upshot, musical theatre
That does Milwaukeeproud.”
So Colin Cabot paraphrased Hamlet’s Horatio, in describing the first 30 years of The SkylightTheatre. Twenty years later, The Skylight Opera has invited prodigal son DaleGutzman to direct An Evening with Gilbertand Sullivan (May 28 - June 20 at the Broadway Theatre Center’s StudioTheatre) returning to the material of its maiden performance a half-centurypast.
Gutzman, a prolific producer, director, actor andplaywright, is well known to Milwaukeeaudiences. He’s presented shows at nearly every venue in town in a career whichhas also seen him direct professionally in England,Russia, Thailand and the Ukraine.
Currently on Wells Street, in the shadow of thelarger, and infinitely better funded Milwaukee Repertory Theater, he continuesto present controversial material at his Off the Wall Theatre, often to mixedreviews, which doesn’t bother the workhorse showman. “Milwaukee audiences are particularlyconservative in their theater tastes,” he says, adding “My shows have alwaysbeen known for a kind of off-the-wall quality. I take risks in my work.”
Such risk-taking made Gutzman a natural fit for theSkylight, where he directed 23 shows, including many he wrote, including The Bathtub Gin Revue, Beertown Burlesque and the original Holiday Punch, which in later yearsbecame a yuletide favorite.
Then, abruptly, the phone stopped ringing. “A changeof policy at the theater brought in directors and talent from out of town,”says Gutzman, “and I was not used for two decades. Nothing was ever explainedto me, so I’m not exactly sure why. Perhaps I was considered too local forthem.”
Undeterred, Gutzman continued to produce showsabroad and locally, including a three-year stint as resident playwright at thePerforming Arts Center (now Marcus Center for the PerformingArts). “I’ve admitted more often than I care to, that it always seemed to bethe only thing I could really do. I did teach for almost 20 years, but teachingis in itself a kind of performance.”
However, when the idea of doing a Gilbert andSullivan revue for the 50th anniversary came up, Skylight artistic directorBill Theisen knew who he wanted helming the project. “There was no question inmy mind that he was the right man for the job. My first performing experienceat the Skylight in 1981 was a production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Mikado directed by Dale.”
Theisen goes on to describe Gutzman as “one of themost creative people that I have ever had the pleasure of working with. Hisscript for the show is very fresh, extremely funny and definitely in the spiritof The Skylight.”
Despite his already heavy schedule, Gutzman says hewas “thrilled” when the Skylight approached him to return. “One of my dreamsbefore I retire was to be able to return to the Skylight to do another show.The Skylight was a huge part of my life for many years, and I think I reallyconnected with the Skylight audience.”
Of the show, Gutzman explains, “I was free to doanything I wanted to do, and they gave me no constraints or limitations exceptthat I was to use three performers. I decided to take the show in a differentdirection from the original G and S revue upon which it was based.
“Thisshow is an actual play within a revue setting. It takes place in Heaven andGilbert and Sullivan, who never got along in their lifetime, are faced withbeing together for eternity. They use 22 of their songs to explore theirrelationship and the times in which they lived. It explores how culture andtime affect artistic creation.”
In the waning hours of the 1950s, after an impromptuperformance of Gilbert and Sullivan tunes by two church musicians, SpragueVonier turned to his business partner Clair Richardson and asked, “Do youreally want to have some fun? I’ll get these guys to put on a show in the emptyspace upstairs.” Fifty years and thousands of performances later, The Skylightcontinues to entertain Milwaukeeaudiences with every stripe of musical theatre. Gutzman’s comic sensibilities,coupled with the madcap material of Gilbert and Sullivan, are sure to keep thefun rolling.
