Gilbert and Sullivan’s Pirates of Penzance and Johann Strauss II’s Die Fledermaus are just two works whose memorable choruses are performed in concert by the Master Singers of Milwaukee.
Theater
Side Show
Side Show is based on the true story of conjoined twins Violet and Daisy Hilton who became stars during the Great Depression. As such, it is a moving portrait of two women joined at the hip whose extraordinary bond brings them fame but denies them love. With book and lyrics by Bill Russell, music by Henry Krieger and additional material by Bill Condon, Side Show—an After Sunset Studio Series presentation—is recommended for mature audiences.
This Sunset Playhouse production will be directed by Becky Spice and feature music direction by Paula Tillen and stage management by Danielle Lemmermann. Violet Hilton will be played by Amy Barrett, and Daisy Hilton will be played by Isabel Manel—among a cast of nearly 20 performers. Side Show will be in a concert version performed in the Marla Eichmann Studio Theater. (John Jahn)
May 30-June 2 at Sunset Playhouse, 700 Wall St., Elm Grove. For tickets, call 262-782-4430 or visit sunsetplayhouse.com.
Classical Music
“A Night at the Oper(etta)”
This Master Singers of Milwaukee concert seeks to delight audiences with the antics of pirates, policemen and bats; it features excerpts from two beloved operettas: W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan’s Pirates of Penzance (1879) and Johann Strauss II’s Die Fledermaus (1874). There will also be several other memorable choruses from other operettas—all sung in English. The Master Singers of Milwaukee, now in its 46th season, is an adult mixed-voice choral ensemble composed of talented vocal musicians from the greater Milwaukee area.
Operetta as a music genre developed out of earlier theatrical forms such as commedia dell’arte, vaudeville and ballad opera. A popular form of live music entertainment that flourished throughout Europe during the mid-to-late 19th century, the typical operetta featured light, romantic melodies or a satiric look at then-contemporary life. In the early decades of the 20th century, it gained a strong foothold in this country. (John Jahn)
Saturday, June 1, at St. Boniface Episcopal Church, 3906 W. Mequon Rd., Mequon; and Sunday, June 2, at Wauwatosa Presbyterian Church, 2366 N. 80th St., Wauwatosa. For tickets, call 888-744-2226 or visit mastersingersofmilwaukee.org.
Dance
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Milwaukee Ballet, with its orchestra, second company and school children—along with the Milwaukee Children’s Choir and the Florentine Opera Studio Artists—closes its 49th season with American choreographer Bruce Wells’ smash dance theatre adaptation of William Shakespeare’s comedy set to Felix Mendelssohn’s wonderful music, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Last presented here in 2008, it was an all-around joy. Dancer Barry Molina has the lead role of Puck—the magical trickster and master of ceremonies in Wells’ telling.
“It’s fun to play, because you’re invisible,” Molina says. “The other fairies can see you, but none of the human lovers know you’re there. You do a lot of interacting with them—partnering them and dancing around them—but the dancers you’re partnering have to pretend they don’t see you. You’re like the wind or some strange force of nature. It’s fun and it’s freeing, too. Puck is the only character who interacts directly with the audience. He’s telling the story, but he’s also part of it. He’s in the whole story, and the challenge for me is to make a cohesive storyline and tie myself into it. I’m constantly trying to figure out new ways to think about it and to make it lively for the audience.” (John Schneider)
May 30-June 2 at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts’ Uihlein Hall, 929 N. Water St. For tickets, call 414-273-7206 or visit marcuscenter.org.
