Marquette Theatre’s production of Clybourne Park—a 2010 play by Bruce Norris based on Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun—portrays events set both prior to and in the wake of that classic play.
Theater
Clybourne Park
Clybourne Park—a 2010 play by Bruce Norris written as a spin-off to Lorraine Hansberry’s classic A Raisin in the Sun—portrays fictional events set both prior to and in the wake of Raisin’s events. As The Washington Post described it, Clybourne Park “applies a modern twist to the issues of race and housing and aspirations for a better life.” Norris’ play went on to receive the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and 2012 Tony Award for Best Play.
This wonderfully acidic serious-yet-comedic play about race and real estate focuses on the story of one house separated by 50 years. In 1959, the prospect of an African American family moving into an all-white neighborhood creates uneasiness; decades later, concerns about gentrification in the now predominantly black neighborhood create new anxiety and reflection. Those attending should know that Clybourne Park contains mature language.
Nov. 9-18 at Marquette University’s Helfaer Theatre, 1304 W. Clybourn St. For tickets, call 414-288-7504 or visit marquette.edu.
The Tempest
The players and the stage are ready, and Prospero has been cued for his grand entrance to meet his enemies who have been washed ashore on the strange and fantastical island he rules over. With power beyond imagination, he must choose which story will truly set him free: One that ends in the revenge he craves, or one that ends in forgiveness.
The Tempest is a play by William Shakespeare set on a remote island, where the sorcerer Prospero plots to restore his daughter, Miranda, to her rightful place using illusion and skillful manipulation. UW-Milwaukee Peck School of the Arts’ production will be directed by Michael Cotey. The Thursday, Nov. 15, performance will be an ASL-interpreted performance. ASL (American Sign Language) priority seating will be available.
Nov. 14-18 in the Mainstage Theatre of the UWM Theatre Building, 2400 E. Kenwood Blvd. For tickets, call 414-229-4308 or visit uwm.edu/arts/box-office.
Music
“The Voice of the Clarinet”
Frankly Music has assembled a fascinating concert program that surveys some of the best chamber music that focuses on the clarinet. Unlike many Frankly Music concerts, the voice will be heard in addition to purely instrumental sounds; the former courtesy of soprano Susanna Phillips.
Wolfgang Mozart’s aria “Parto! Ma tu ben mio” is from his late opera seria La Clemenza di Tito (The Clemency of Titus), K. 621. Franz Schubert’s “Der Hirt auf dem Felsen” (“The Shepherd on the Rock”), D. 965, is a song for soprano, clarinet and piano composed in 1828 during the final months of his life. Gustav Mahler’s original song “Wir genießen die himmlischen Freuden” (“We Enjoy Heavenly Pleasures”) stems from his splendid Symphony No. 4 in G Major (1900); the song evinces a child-like vision of heaven. Finally, Contrasts is a 1938 composition for clarinet, violin and piano by Béla Bartók; it’s a three-movement piece based on Hungarian and Romanian dance melodies.
Monday, Nov. 12, at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 914 E. Knapp St. For tickets, visit franklymusic.org.
More To Do
The All Night Strut!
Conceived and originally directed and choreographed by Fran Charnas, with musical arrangements by Tom Fitt, Gil Lieb and Dick Schermesser, The All Night Strut! takes you on a musical journey through popular song from the ’30s and ’40s. Classics by the likes of Duke Ellington, Frank Loesser and George and Ira Gershwin will be heard via five actor/musician/dancers. From the jive of Harlem to the romance of the stage-door canteen, this revue brims with jazz, blues, bebop and the great American songbook. Nov. 9-Jan. 13 at the Milwaukee Repertory Theater’s Stackner Cabaret, 108 E. Wells St. For tickets, call 414-224-9490 or visit milwaukeerep.com.
3C
Over Our Head Players presents a bold new parody by David Adjmi with 3C—a funny and occasionally horrifying alternate-universe sitcom. Brad, an ex-serviceman, is just back from Vietnam. He moves in with two women who are looking for a roommate. A series of misunderstandings ensues, spiraling downward from farce to devastation. If a guy moving in with two women sounds like a familiar TV sitcom of the past, indeed, that show did inspire Adjmi to create 3C. Nov. 9-11, 16-18 and 23-25 at the Sixth Street Theatre, 318 Sixth St., Racine. For tickets, call 262-632-6802 or visit http://overourheadplayers.org/.
The Koala Who Could
This production is part of Sunset Playhouse’s Children’s Theater Series; it is adapted from a popular children’s book by Rachel Bright with the central character of Kevin the Koala, who loves every day to be the same, where it’s snug and safe. But Kevin is also missing out on exciting opportunities to play with his friends and explore the beautiful land he lives on. The importance and inevitability of change—whether you like it or not—is a central theme of the play. Nov. 14-17 at Sunset Playhouse, 700 Wall St., Elm Grove. For tickets, call 262-782-4430 or visit sunsetplayhouse.com.
The Elves and the Shoemaker, The Musical
Lockhart Cobblestone, a shoemaker, has a big heart but small wallet. Moved by the plight of an old woman, he gives her his last pair of shoes. This leaves Lockhart with only enough supplies to make one more pair of shoes, but it’s then that the fun begins. This musical retelling of an old favorite is filled with delightful characters and holds a gentle message about the nature of kindness. Racine Theatre Guild bills this as a “Packy Play,” that is, a play that’s most appropriate for children ages 4 and up. Nov. 9 and 10 at Racine Theatre Guild, 2519 Northwestern Ave., Racine. For tickets, call 262-633-4218 or visit racinetheatre.org.
Up and Away
Directed by Herschel Kruger and written by Eric Simonson, Up and Away is part of Carthage College Theatre’s New Play Initiative. This will be the world premiere of Simonson’s Up and Away, which is set in rural Wisconsin. This black comedy follows budding YouTube stars Madison and Clara striving to escape their dead-end, impoverished lives, but instead wind up getting caught in a tangle of desire and opioid addiction. Told in a fractured and non-chronological fashion, Up and Away touches on current issues of immigration, social media stardom, drugs and the timeless quest for the American Dream. Nov. 9-17 in the Wartburg Theatre at Carthage College, 2001 Alford Park Drive, Kenosha. For tickets, call 262-551-8500 or visit carthage.edu/fine-arts/tickets.
