Magical Movement: The Milwaukee Ballet’s breathtaking Mirror Mirror, a world premiere by Michael Pink, was received with a well-deserved standing ovation on opening night. At a pre-show dinner at Gallerie M in the InterContinental Hotel, patrons were dining, including major donors Donna and Donald Baumgartner, Katie Heil with her son Ryan Minahan, Justin and Susanna Mortara and Nita Soref. Also spotted were London composer Philip Feeney, set and costumer designer Todd Ivins, Realtor Rachel Bloch and Adam Christian, Harley-Davidson’s Tonit Calaway, interior designer José Antonio Carlino, designer Amy Carman, Sarah and Peter Damsgaard, Alan Trask and Peabody’s Interiors’ Teresa Manns, Paul Handle of Mahler Real Estate Group, Mahler Enterprises’ Peter Mahler, and Billie Kubly with her daughter, Kerry Bolger.
Chatting during intermission were theatrical producer Judy Hansen and Bronwen Davis, preparing for her September nuptials to John Knappenberger; Suzy Walter with Andy and John Grant; and Margaret Elsner and Jeff Martinka. After the show, the crowd convened again at the InterContinental for more frivolity.
Pink, the ballet’s artistic director, was recently recognized for his commitment to the arts with a prestigious Headliner Award from the Milwaukee Press Club.
Arts ’n’ All: Cedarburg’s Bohemia Home Design offers a charming array of home decor, local art, handmade gifts and repurposed furniture, and it features local artists. At its latest exhibit, “On Wisconsin—Landscape Art Featuring Our Home State,” the colorful, impressionist plein air work of Pam Ruschman, Susan Hale and Lynn Rix was showcased. Husbands on hand to lend support were Kelly Ruschman, Jack Hale and Paul Rix, author of From a Balcony and High Alert.
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Hosting storeowners were Julie Mullarkey and Jenny Frontier; the work of Jenny’s husband, photographer Tony Frontier, will be displayed in August. Helping out was friend Sonia Jabbal. Admiring the paintings were artist Jill Coffman; Brook and Liz Brown, owners of the Stage Coach Inn in Cedarburg; and illustrator Renee Graef wearing her signature chapeaux.
Heartbreaking: HBO selected Milwaukee as one of only five cites for a special premiere of “The Normal Heart,” a poignant retelling of the ’80s AIDS epidemic. Among the supporting groups of this special premiere were the AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin (ARCW), Cream City Foundation and LGBT Film. HBO’s Mike Hopper invited the audience to an open-bar/après-party at nearby Colectivo.
Among the filmgoers were Cream City’s Paul Fairchild, Carlton Stansbury, Ross Draegert and Dr. Robert Starshak, ARCW’s Dan Mueller, Roger Krawiecki, Jerry (Gin and Tonic) Skalmusky, Aurora’s Michael Johnston with Mary H. Nelson, Brian Buchberger and Andy Schaidler, film buffs Roger Kocher and Todd Siefert, and Julie Solochek and Jeff Rodman, readying for an Ixtapa getaway.
Hooray for Summer: Over the thankfully summery Memorial Day weekend, locals were outside in force. B&D dropped in at the first Gathering by the Waters Summer Kickoff, sponsored by Community Shares of Greater Milwaukee and Discovery World. Backgrounded by the schooner Denis Sullivan, an afternoon of six lakeside musical performances included a hootenanny honoring the late Pete Seeger. The show was organized by David HB Drake, with more than a dozen musicians participating.
Community Shares’ Executive Director John Jansen, enthused about the turnout, was there with his wife, Annie Jurczyk, of Big Brothers Big Sisters. Inside Discovery World, 40-some local nonprofits handed out info. Among the exhibitors were Friends of Lakeshore State Park’s Manuel (Manny) Raynal; Center for Resilient Cities’ Karen Hunt; Evan Conklin, Wellspring farm manager; and Urban Ecology Center’s Jay Burseth.
Sharing the museum, wedding guests wearing a sea of colorful saris celebrated the traditional Indian nuptials of Taryn Hicks and Ajay Singh.
At Veterans Park, the 27th annual Maggiano’s Family Kite Festival attracted hundreds of blue-sky worshippers to enjoy the amazing array of highflying kites. Other offerings included a chance to test one’s inner claustrophobia by crawling through a Midwest Speleo Cave crawl maze, the brainchild of West Allis firefighter Randy Abbrederis and his wife, Lisa.
Milwaukee County Correctional Officer Wayne Grutza with German shepherd Kondo and officer Gary Poetz accompanied by dog buddy Flynn demonstrated their service skills. Yasser Abu with his son, Josh, promoted their Wireless/Boost Mobile products. Artist Alice Konkel pulled a trio of adorable toddlers in a tractor-wheeled wagon, designed by her nephews Chris and Jeremy Larson. Konkel, also a VA therapist, was out and about with niece Jamie Larson and coworker Courtney Zeller.
Then it was south to Hamburger Mary’s parking lot for the Bay View restaurant’s annual Mary’s Market Day. GM Gary Olson served up delicious sliders with special sauce and pickles, as well as the decadently delicious gravy-laden poutine. Keyboardist Billy Kirchen entertained with his mellifluous voice. Mary’s owner Ashley Wright visited from Chicago.
Attracting buyers were crocheted boas created by event organizer Brian Williams, Mary’s day bartender; handcrafted items from Tracy (The Zewing Girl) Potrzebowski; screen prints by Michael Arms; and beautiful hand-sewn pillows by writer Jenna Kashou, there with her puppy Atlas, an Australian cattle herder. Mark Hagen sold Taste of Home cookbooks to benefit Ruthie’s Kennel Club, and Dixie Kuppe, the Drag Queen of Tupperware, peddled her goodies.
If you have any tips for Boris and Doris, contact them at borisanddorisott@aol.com. Their next column will appear in the June 12 issue of the Shepherd
