Illustration credit: Anna Ward
Shakespeare’s classic romantic tragedy ‘Romeo and Juliet’ has been morphed into a comedy by Patrick Schmitz for a new production at the Marcus Center’s Wilson Theater.
Theater
The Comedy of Romeo and Juliet… Kinda Sorta
As the Marcus Center explains: “Faithful to the original script, the greatest love story of all time is told yet again... kinda sorta. When overdramatic, lovesick, crybaby Romeo falls in love with feuding family member, straight-faced Juliet, forbidden love (and comedy) ensues.” Quite obviously, this is not your great-great-great-great-great grandfather’s Romeo and Juliet as penned by William Shakespeare, but it’s a comedic riff thereupon courtesy of the aptly named Shakesparody Players.
The production is written and directed by Patrick Schmitz, who’s currently in his seventh year as the theater instructor at Brown Deer High School. The Comedy of Romeo and Juliet... Kinda Sorta is the 12th play he’s written. Schmitz has worked as the lead improvisation coach at First Stage Children’s Theater for 20 years and has performed and taught for ComedySportz and performed stand-up comedy throughout the state. He’s also worked as the co-producer for the Milwaukee Comedy Festival. (John Jahn)
Aug. 8-10 in the Marcus Center’s Wilson Theater at Vogel Hall, 929 N. Water St. For tickets, call 414-273-7206 or visit marcuscenter.org.
Dance
Tap Talk
How do human beings communicate through sound and rhythm? That’s always a consideration for the artists of Danceworks on Tap, the long-running tap dance company in which virtuosity in this American dance form is put to thoughtful, innovative use. In this year’s annual summer concert in the Danceworks DanceLAB series, that question is jockeyed to the front line. The company of 10 women ranges in age from college students to middle-agers; most have been tapping since childhood. They’re good. They’ll be joined onstage by 15 community dancers chosen through audition and—if past summers are an indication—by some first-rate special guests.
“Tap Talk” includes nine original works in a range of styles from classic to contemporary to storytelling, according to co-founder, artistic director, choreographer and dancer Amy Brinkman-Sustache. “I always want to break the mold of what people think tap dancing is,” she said, then she added, “I think this show has something for everyone.” She pointed to a piece called Dendritic by company member Annette Grefig, a 2012 UW-Milwaukee dance department graduate who currently works in physical therapy. In this dance, the performers represent a human central nervous system at work and then show “what happens when things go awry.” (John Schneider)
Performances are Saturday, Aug. 10, at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 11, at 2:30 p.m. 6 p.m. at Danceworks Studio Theatre, 1661 N. Water St. For tickets and more information, call 414-277-8480 or visit danceworksmke.org.