UW-Milwaukee Peck School of the Arts spring dance concert performances run April 25-28 at Kenilworth Square East. The show is titled "Landing Sites."
Tinker Bell comes to the Marcus Center to tell the story of Peter Pan, et al from her own unique perspective in a fun new musical.
Theater
Tinker Bell
“In 2010, First Stage premiered Doug Rand’s Peter Pan and Wendy—a production not without risk. We took inspiration from Japanese theater techniques to lift our actors and create not just the illusion of flight but [of] a magical life to the entire show, and we’re so gratified when our audiences embraced our efforts,” says Tinker Bell’s director-artistic director Jeff Frank. “Taking this leap launched a journey into the world of physical theater that continues to this day. Now, nine years later, Tinker Bell has provided us an opportunity to put all of our skills together to illuminate Tink’s take on this classic story with puppetry, koken work and transformative set elements.”
Written by playwright Patrick Flynn and based on the works of Sir J.M. Barrie, this family friendly adventure brings to the stage characters audiences know and love: Peter Pan, Wendy the Lost Boys and Captain Hook. In this play’s case, however, we see things from the unique perspective of the feisty fairy, Tinker Bell. First Stage’s production includes more than a dozen puppets, original music and a large cast of adult and child performers. (John Jahn)
April 26-June 2 at the Marcus Center’s Todd Wehr Theater, 929 N. Water St. For tickets, call 414-273-7206 or visit marcuscenter.org/show/tinker-bell.
The Fabulous Lipitones
When the fourth member of a vocal quartet called The Fabulous Lipitones dies in mid-song while belting out a B-flat with gusto, the remaining three must scramble to find a replacement in time for the national competition. When they hear the angelic voice of “Bob” over the phone, they’re all ears. But when they meet him, he’s not quite who they expected. What follows in John Markus and Mark St. Germain’s musical is a humorous take on tolerance and preconceived notions.
In Tandem’s cast for The Fabulous Lipitones—all with several previous acting roles with many theater companies—includes Ethan Brittingham (Bob), Steve Koehler (Phil), Nathan Marinan (Howard) and Rick Pendzich (Wally). The production will be directed by In Tandem’s producing director, Jane Flieller. (John Jahn)
April 26-May 19 at the Tenth Street Theatre, 628 N. 10th St. For tickets, call 414-271-1371 or visit intandemtheatre.org.
Dance
Springdances 2019: “Landing Sites”
This year’s UW-Milwaukee Peck School of the Arts spring dance concert is landing in a new site: the Jan Serr Studio of the university’s Kenilworth Square East with its panoramic sixth-floor views of the city. The concert includes world premieres by faculty members Daniel Burkholder, Maria Gillespie, Mair Culbreth, Gina Laurenzi (Danceworks Performance Company) and guest artist Melanie George (Jazz is…Dance Company) in collaboration with composers Barry Paul Clark and Devin Drobka and visual artist/set designer Nicole Bauguss. This is an altogether remarkable group of creative artists, each an experimenter in their discipline. Each dance is also a collaboration with its student performers, “the next generation of artists-activists,” as the dance department’s announcement proudly describes them.
The site is part inspiration for Gillespie, Culbreth and Bauguss. According to Gillespie, her Wild Gods is “a dance theater piece based on mythologies and magical realism that takes place in an imaginary future where the lost take on other identities to question what is real versus what is true.” Culbreth teamed with Bauguss, whose eco-conscious art is focused on issues of sustainability, to create “an installation that allows the dancers to mobilize, climb and orient themselves in the space in powerful ways.” (John Schneider)
At 7:30 p.m. April 25-28 at Kenilworth Square East, sixth floor, 2155 N. Prospect Ave. For tickets, call 414-229-4308 or visit uwm.edu/arts/tickets.
More To Do
Wonderful Town
Two sisters, one incredible city and unlimited possibilities are the stuff of Wonderful Town (with music by the great Leonard Bernstein). Join Ruth and Eileen Sherwood as they leave behind their mundane Ohio lives in pursuit of making it big in the Big Apple in a story filled with swinging show tunes, breathtaking choreography and effervescent charm. This Falls Patio Players production takes place April 26-May 5 at North Middle School Auditorium, N88 W16750 Garfield Drive, Menomonee Falls. For tickets, call 262-255-8372 or visit fallspatioplayers.com.
Spamalot
Lovingly lifted from the classic comedic film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Spamalot is a musical theater piece which is becoming a classic in its own right. It recounts the legend of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table and features showgirls, cows, killer rabbits and, yes, the French. The 2005 Broadway production of Spamalot won three Tony Awards, including Best Musical. It’s recommended for mature audiences. This Sunset Playhouse production takes place April 25-May 12 in Furlan Auditorium, 700 Wall St., Elm Grove. For tickets, call 262-782-4430 or visit sunsetplayhouse.com/shows/spamalot.
The Secret Comedy of Women
The Secret Comedy of Women is a laugh-out-loud, immersive theatrical piece about the challenges of womanhood. Women in audience (and those who love them) will certainly find great humor in all those “inside stories” about such as boys, bras, pantyhose and menopause. It’s definitely a celebration of the joy of the journey from girlhood to womanhood. April 25-28 in Wilson Theater at Vogel Hall, 929 N. Water St. For tickets, call 414-273-7206 or visit marcuscenter.org.
The Children’s Hour
What is the price of a lie? What can happen when accusations are left unchecked by critical thinking? Set in a prestigious boarding school for girls, a disgruntled and privileged student accuses the two headmistresses of having an affair, setting in motion a careening path of total destruction. Originally produced in 1934, The Children’s Hour was banned in several major cities amid controversial questions of “indecency.” This UW-Milwaukee Theatre Department production takes place May 1-5 in the Mainstage Theatre (Theatre Building), 2400 E. Kenwood Blvd. For tickets, call 414-229-4308, email psoatix@uwm.edu or visit uwm.edu/arts.
“The HeART of War”
The sixth annual Lake Arts Project dance concert enlarges the themes of last year’s “Moving Beyond the Battlefield.” Again, Lake Arts Project worked closely with Feast of Crispian—Milwaukee’s theater company of post-deployment military veterans who tell their stories through the works of William Shakespeare, and DNAWorks, which approaches movement as a healing tool. The new partner this year is Milwaukee Alliance School: a public high school for students who, for various reasons, have faced harassment, intimidation and abuse in traditional school environments. Performers include students from the school, Milwaukee Ballet School and Academy, MBII and other guest professionals. The project’s dedicated choreographers are Catey Ott Thompson, Thom Dancy, Ashley McQueen, Katharina Aberholden, Bonnie Watson and co-founders Karl von Rabineau and Jennifer Miller. April 27 and 28 at Danceworks Studio Theatre, 1661 N. Water St. For tickets, visit lakeartsproject.com. Free for Veterans.
Cadance Collective at Carroll University
Carroll University presents an all-too-rare performance by the Cadance Collective as part of its four-day Spring Arts Festival. Founded in 2012 by its three virtuoso artists: flutist Emma Koi, cellist Alicia Storin and dancer Christal Wagner, the group creates performances that integrate original musical compositions and choreography in intimate, witty and moving ways—sometimes thematically driven, sometimes as pure sound and movement that sparks intuitive response. The group has been featured in concerts by Danceworks Performance Company (Wagner is a longtime member) and most recently and memorably in the experimental Milwaukee Opera Theatre and Quasimondo Physical Theatre collaboration of Zie Magic Flute. Sunday, April 28, from 4-6 p.m. in Freisch Recital Hall of Shattuck Music Center, 100 N. East Ave., Waukesha. For information, visit carrollu.edu/events/arts.
