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Theater
The Chinese Lady
The Chinese Lady centers on Afong Moy, who was brought from Beijing to America in 1834 and put on display as the “Chinese Lady.” Over the next several decades, she performed in a sideshow that both defined and challenged her own view of herself as she witnessed stunning transformation in the U.S. Inspired by the true story of America’s first female Chinese immigrant, playwright Lloyd Suh unearths hidden history and questions the way we look at ourselves and others in this new play.
Directed by Milwaukee Repertory Theater associate artistic director May Adrales, The Chinese Lady’s cast features two Rep newcomers—Lisa Helmi Johanson (as Afong Moy) and Jon Norman Schneider (as Atung). Its creative team includes sets by Collette Pollard, costumes by Melissa Ng, lighting by Noele Stollmack, sound design by Andre J. Pluess and dialects by Clare Arena Haden. Dramaturgical consultant Nancy Davis and stage manager Kimberly Carolus round out the team behind this powerful play’s production. (John Jahn)
Feb. 13-March 24 at the Milwaukee Rep’s Stiemke Studio, 108 E. Wells St. For tickets, call 414-224-9490 or visit milwaukeerep.com.
Classical Music
“Con Amore”
“Con Amore” (“with love”) is a title that should give you a great deal of information about what you’ll hear at this Florentine Opera Company concert performance featuring their quartet of studio artists. Solo arias and ensembles will focus on matters of the heart from a theater-music genre in which such fairly abound—opera. The vocalists are soprano Nicole Heinen, mezzo-soprano Briana Moynihan, tenor Nicholas Huff and baritone Nathaniel Hill.
As the Florentine explains the event: “See the next generation of great opera artists shine in this intimate and romantic show. Our world-class Baumgartner Studio Artists perform a charming concert of love songs from the world of opera and beyond. ‘Con Amore’ will also feature the Jamie Breiwick Quartet.” (John Jahn)
Feb. 8-10 in Wilson Theater at Vogel Hall, 929 N. Water St. (Marcus Center for the Performing Arts). For tickets, call 414-273-7206 or visit florentineopera.org.
Dance
Torch and Glamour: An Exploration of Love and Illusion
The audience will enter the Danceworks Studio to the music of guest artist Ryan Cappelman at the piano. Guest writer-performer Andréa Moser, instigator of this newest escapade in Danceworks Performance Company’s glorious history of side-splitting comic dance concerts, will emcee an audience-interactive, lounge-style variety show about romance and heartbreak.
Audience members will be guest artists, too, sharing their own romantic mishaps as material for improvisation by the excellent cast of Melissa Anderson, Kim Johnson, Liz Licht, Elisabeth Roskopf, Zach Schorsch, Maggie Seer, Christal Wagner, Andrew Zanoni and artistic director Dani Kuepper (also the show’s main choreographer). One lucky guest will be honored with a glamorous makeover designed for soothing broken hearts.
“I’ve always liked making funny dances,” Kuepper said. “It’s really hard. I know some tricks, it’s true, but then it’s dangerous to be formulaic. This show has some similarities to last year’s Mad Li(m)bs, but the audience interaction and the kind of raucous nature of this is stylistically very different, and this probably has more choreographed dances. Everyone sings or raps throughout the show. Christal Wagner sings while tap dancing. She’s really good. Andrew Zanoni rewrote Nicki Minaj’s ‘Stupid Hoe.’ The content of his writing and his delivery are virtuosic.” (John Schneider)
Feb. 9-16 at Danceworks Studio Theatre, 1661 N. Water St. For tickets, call 414-277-8480 ext. 6025, or visit danceworksmke.org.
More To Do
Fiddler on the Roof
Tony Award-winning director Bartlett Sher and his team bring a fresh, authentic vision to this beloved musical theater masterpiece from Joseph Stein, Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick. Fiddler’s original production won 10 Tonys (including a special one for being the longest-running Broadway musical of all time). This new production—with stunning movement and dance from acclaimed Israeli choreographer Hofesh Shechter—is based on the original staging by Jerome Robbins. A full cast and orchestra make this a top-notch production. Feb. 12-17 at Uihlein Hall, 929 N. Water St. For tickets, call 414-273-7206 or visit marcuscenter.org.
Allusion/Illusion
Allusion/Illusion sounds like a magic show; in a sense, perhaps it is. Specifically, though, it’s an audience-interactive performance piece that explores the conflict between what we perceive as reality—our “illusion”—and what is alluded to that lies beyond our senses. Kelly Coffey, Don Russell and Andrea and Daniel Burkholder have created a maze of experiences using movement, text and multimedia to create a unique trip through our questionable consciousness. Feb. 8-23 at Cooperative Performance’s storefront space in the Historic Third Ward, 329 N. Broadway. For tickets, visit cooperativeperformance.org.
The Hundred Dresses
Wanda just wants to have friends like everyone else, but in 1930’s small-town America, a Polish immigrant doesn’t quite fit in. When Maddie’s best friend, Peggy, teases Wanda, Maddie knows it is not right. When the teasing doesn’t stop, Wanda and her family move away from the town’s prejudices. Maddie decides that a line has been crossed and that something needs to be done to prevent this from continuing—or ever happening again. Though set in a time and place some nine decades ago, the drama surely fits Donald Trump’s America today in many respects. This Milwaukee Youth Theatre production runs Feb. 7 (school shows) and Feb. 8 (public show at 7 p.m.) at the Lincoln Center of the Arts, 820 E. Knapp St. For tickets, visit milwaukeeyouththeatre.org.
Driving Miss Daisy
Daisy—an elderly Jewish widow living in Atlanta—is determined to maintain her independence, but when she crashes her car, her 40-year-old son arranges for her to have a chauffeur—an African American driver named Hoke. Their relationship gets off to a rocky start, but Hoke puts up with the somewhat crotchety “Miss Daisy” with dignity. She teaches Hoke to read when she learns that he cannot, which comes naturally to her, having been a teacher. Ultimately, they gradually form a close friendship in the ensuing 25 years, one that transcends racial prejudices and social conventions. Feb. 8-24 at Village Playhouse’s Inspiration Studios, 1500 S. 73rd St., West Allis. For tickets, call 414-207-4879 or visit villageplayhouse.org.
“The Music of Hank Mobley”
Tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley recorded with Blue Note Records for a decade-and-a-half during the label’s golden era. Often ranked just a notch below John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins, Mobley recorded more than 30 albums as a leader, and his sound was featured in Horace Silver’s, Art Blakey’s and Miles Davis’ bands. In their 16th season of residency at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music (WCM), adding new tenor saxophonist Jonathan Greenstein, We Six interpret Mobley’s hard-bop sounds, featuring selections from the albums Soul Station and Workout. At the WCM Feb. 7 and 8. For tickets, visit wcmusic.org.
