Boris and Doris On the Town

<strong>Free Counseling:</strong> Got a problem? Perhaps it can easily be resolved at Hamburger Mary's monthly Shrink-N-Drink. Clinical psychologist <strong>Julie Helmrich, Ph.D.</strong>,<strong> </strong>who is astute, serious and realistic, as well as clever and funny, fielded handwritten questions from the audience. Subjects included sex, family and relationship issues. Sidekick <strong>Lisa Brierton</strong> warmed up the audience, with Hamburger Mary's stand-in, <strong>Elle Cammarano</strong>, as the evening's hostess. <strong>Brandon Wright</strong>, who owns the Chicago and Milwaukee restaurant franchises with his twin brother, <strong>Ashley</strong>, showed off their new open-when-weather-permits outdoor lanai. A “Mary's” veggie garden is planned for this summer.<br /><br />Catching the act were regulars <strong>Angela Cornejo-Kapuler</strong> and <strong>Jen Hansen</strong> taking a break from family obligations, plus <strong>Nick Schuster </strong>and pal <strong>Chris Krum</strong>. At another table were <strong>Alyssa Olson</strong>, <strong>Kristin Burbey</strong> of Regis Salons, <strong>Jesse Nelson</strong>, <strong>Lauren Brzeski</strong>, <strong>Ruthy Michals</strong>, signing interpreter <strong>Michael Mendoza</strong> and friends. Perched in a booth were the always-dashing <strong>Ron Manville</strong> and <strong>Roger Joerres</strong>, both single and available.<strong><br /><br />Playing Around:</strong> It was a red-letter marathon drama weekend for B&amp;D, with all the productions dealing with love and sex issues. First &quot;stop&quot; was the opening of Milwaukee Chamber Theatre's <em>Bus Stop</em> by William Inge. The delightful collaboration with UW-Parkside was the company's third piece in its University Collaboration Series. More than 55 UW-Parkside theater students, alumni, faculty and staff, many of whom helped with the show, were among those gathering for kudos and noshing in the Skylight Bar &amp; Bistro after the standing-ovation-worthy performance.<br /><br />UW-Parkside celebrators included beaming sponsor <strong>Donald Cress</strong>, dean emeritus of arts and sciences; director <strong>Lisa Kornetsky</strong>; <strong>Keith Harris</strong>, who created a perfect set à la 1955; cast members <strong>Jamie Cheatham</strong>, the university's acting program director; and students <strong>Anne Walaszek, Brenna Kempf and Ethan Hall</strong>. Front and center were Chamber Theatre's board president, “top dentist” Dr. David Paris, there with friends <strong>David Baldwin</strong> of the Safe House and his wife, <strong>Shauna Singh Baldwin</strong>, celebrating the completion of her latest novel, <em>The Selector of Souls.</em><br /><br />Board members included <strong>Cathy Costantini</strong> with her husband, <strong>Mario</strong>, and son <strong>Nick</strong>, a teacher; <strong>Marsha Sehler</strong> with <strong>Kal Lawler</strong> and <strong>Mayda Crites</strong>; <strong>Debbie Pavletich</strong> with her husband, <strong>Jim</strong>; and <strong>John Holland</strong> and <strong>Konrad Kuchenbach</strong>. The latter three are stepping down after nine-year Chamber board stints. Actors <strong>Ruth Schudson </strong>and <strong>Gladys Chmiel</strong> and theater junkie <strong>Josh Jaszewski</strong> also partied, with Miss Katie's Diner donating scrumptious pulled pork with trimmings. Ensuring that all went well were the Chamber's powers-that-be: <strong>C. Michael Wright</strong>, <strong>Kirsten Mulvey</strong> and <strong>Cara McMullin</strong>.<br /><br />B&amp;D then caught the final performance of Renaissance Theatreworks' <em>Honour</em>. The gripping, often-funny tale of a May-December affair was directed by <strong>Marie Kohler</strong>, whose husband, <strong>Brian Mani</strong>, was in the talented cast, along with veteran actor <strong>Laura Gordon</strong>, <strong>Greta Wohlrabe</strong> and <strong>Karen Estrada</strong>. In her welcome, producer <strong>Julie Swenson</strong> announced details of the company's upcoming 20th anniversary.<br /><br />Also seeing the show were Kohler's sister <strong>Julilly</strong> andflying in from Spartanburg, S.C. their brother <strong>Michael</strong>, his new wife, <strong>Lilly</strong>, nephew <strong>Stephen </strong>and his wife, <strong>Michelle</strong>, plus members of the Milwaukee arts community, such as <strong>David Cecsarini</strong>, <strong>Chris Flieller</strong>, <strong>Mark Clements</strong>, <strong>Brent Hazelton</strong>, <strong>Sandy Ernst</strong>, <strong>Michael Cotey</strong>, <strong>Ray Jivoff</strong>, <strong>David Frank</strong> and <strong>Brenda DeVita</strong>. Applauding at the final show were Renaissance board members <strong>Paula Penebaker</strong> and <strong>Jean Bernstein</strong>, actor <strong>Nick Harazan</strong> and actor/dialogue coach <strong>Reva Fox</strong>, poet <strong>Louisa Loveridge-Gallas</strong>, <strong>Peter Goldberg</strong> and his cousin <strong>Sandy Lewis</strong>, guitarist <strong>Brett Kemnitz</strong>, and former Rep interns, director <strong>Geoffrey Bleeker</strong> and actor <strong>Giuseppe Ribaudo</strong>. Burke Candy donated chewy chocolates throughout <em>Honour</em>'s run.<br /><br />And finally: A delightful Milwaukee Rep production of <em>In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play) </em>dealt with Victorian love and sexual repression. Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin held a fund-raiser in conjunction with the play, including a reception and chat about the production and the history of the vibrator as a perceived remedy for hysteria rather than for sexual enhancement. Planned Parenthood CEO <strong>Teri Huyck</strong> introduced discussion leaders: the aforementioned <strong>Laura Gordon</strong>, who directed <em>Vibrator</em>, and <strong>Anne Brosowsky-Roth</strong>, Planned Parenthood's community education resource specialist.<br /><br />Planned Parenthood supporters included special events co-chairs <strong>Lisa Remby</strong> and <strong>Sarah Fierek</strong>; <strong>Laura Emir</strong>, <strong>Linda Neff</strong> and board members <strong>Karen Campbell</strong>, <strong>Jackie Boynton</strong>, <strong>Edie Brengel Radtke</strong>, <strong>Andrea Taxman</strong>; and <strong>Harry Drake</strong> with his wife, <strong>Barb</strong>. <strong>Lynnea Katz-Petted</strong>, artist <strong>Jean Roberts Guequierre</strong>, <strong>Sandra Priebe</strong>, <strong>Jennifer Williams</strong>, <strong>Leslie Fillingham</strong>, attorney <strong>Alyce Katayama</strong> and <strong>Shirin Cabraal</strong> enjoyed the show.<strong><br /><br />Bookish Bent:</strong> Three major Wisconsin authors discussed the “Importance of Locale and Setting in Their Writing,” presented by the North Shore Library and its Friends. Participants included <strong>Lauren Fox</strong> (<em>Still Life With Husband</em> and <em>Friends Like Us</em>), <strong>John Bolinski</strong>, writing as Mickey Polansky (<em>Referendum for Murder</em>) and <strong>Lesley Kagen</strong>, whose best-selling <em>Good Graces</em> is soon due out in paperback. The program, honoring the memory of longtime library board member Norman Gill, was hosted at Nicolet High School. From the library were <strong>Dick Nelson</strong> with his wife, <strong>Kathy</strong>, and board members <strong>Tessa Bartels</strong> and <strong>Venora McKinney</strong>, listening in with husband <strong>Lafayette</strong>. <strong>Hannah Johnson-Breimeier</strong> of Next Chapter Bookshop directed <em>apres</em>-panel book signings.<em><br /><br />If you have any tips for Boris and Doris, contact them at borisanddorisott@aol.com. Their next column will appear in the May 3 issue of the </em>Shepherd<em>.</em> <p> </p>