This week, the Milwaukee Ballet presents Léo Delibes’ glorious music set to great choreography in the comic ballet, Coppélia.
Theater
The Roommate
Sharon (Isabel Quintero) has been respectable her whole life. Now in her mid-50s and recently divorced, she needs a roommate to share her Iowa home. Robyn (Marti Gobel), of similar age, needs a place to hide and a chance to start over. But, as Sharon begins to uncover Robyn’s secrets, she realizes her own deep-seated desire to transform her own life completely. Jen Silverman’s 2015 dramedy is about what it takes to reroute your life, as well as what happens when the wheels come off along the way.
A well-calibrated play with natural, witty dialogue, The Roommate portrays the way identities shift in different stages in life. Silverman has stated that she wanted to put two women in their 50s on stage that defy routine stereotypes and are recognizable as complex, flawed individuals who simply require a judgement-free zone to be themselves. “The Roommate just delights me,” says director Suzan Fete. “It’s so rare to find a play with interesting, meaty roles for women of this age, and the play is a laugh-out-loud comedy with a truly surprising twist.” (John Jahn)
Oct. 18-Nov. 10 at the Broadway Theatre Center, 158 N. Broadway. For tickets, call 414-291-7800 or visit r-t-w.com/the-roommate.
Classical Music
“The Great Cathedrals”
Throughout the centuries, much of the world’s choral music has been written for cathedral and church choirs. With “The Great Cathedrals” concert, Master Singers of Milwaukee opens its 47th season by shining a light on some exemplars of that glorious music, exploring the genius of composers whose work stems from the distant past through today.
A cornerstone of the concert is Felix Mendelssohn’s most popular choral work, Hear My Prayer, which the composer once described as “a trifle.” The work, which has long-survived Mendelssohn’s somewhat dismissive comment about it, was first performed at a concert at Crosby Hall, London, in 1845. Several of the other pieces featured on the concert are movements from larger choral works, including Johann Sebastian Bach’s Magnificat, Arvo Pärt’s Berliner Messe and Zoltan Kodaly’s Missa Brevis. (John Jahn)
Saturday, Oct. 19, at 7:30 p.m. at All Saints Cathedral, 818 E. Juneau Ave., and Sunday, Oct. 20, at 4 p.m. at Wauwatosa Presbyterian Church, 2366 N. 80th St. For tickets, call 888-744-2226 or visit mastersingersofmilwaukee.org/the-great-cathedrals.
Dance
Coppélia
Coppélia is a classic comic ballet set to the glorious, romantic music of Léo Delibes (1836-’91), with a libretto by Charles-Louis-Étienne Nuitter. His libretto and mise-en-scène was based upon two stories by E.T.A. Hoffmann: Der Sandmann (The Sandman) and Die Puppe (The Doll). In this three-act ballet, we find one Dr. Coppélius, who has made a life-size dancing doll which is so lifelike, in fact, that Franz, a village youth, becomes infatuated with it to the point of setting aside his affections for his heretofore heart’s desire, Swanhilda. Will Swanhilda save Franz from his folly, or will he become ensnared forever by the doctor’s compelling creation?
Milwaukee Ballet has gathered some prominent women from its history to be guest speakers for its pre-show entertainment series for Coppélia. These are associate director Mireille Favarel, who danced Swanhilda in 1979 and 1990); former artistic director Gloria Gustafson; JoJean Retrum, who danced in the company’s original Coppélia production in 1970; and (schedule permitting) Marize Fumero or Annia Hidalgo, who will be dancing Swanhilda in the current production. (John Jahn)
Oct. 17-20 at the Marcus Center’s Uihlein Hall, 929 N. Water St. For tickets, call 414-273-7206 or visit milwaukeeballet.org.
More To Do
Alabama Story
Seat of Our Pants Readers Theatre Troupe will present Kenneth Jones’ two-act play, Alabama Story, based on an actual controversy caused by a children’s book, in an enhanced Readers Theatre performance. Placed on library shelves in Alabama, the book caused a racially charged storm in 1959 when Alabama Senator E.O. Eddins—with the support of the segregationist White Citizens Council and other racist groups—argued for removal of the book from state libraries, claiming that it promoted interracial marriage and racial integration. The controversy made national news—perhaps the first time that a librarian was at the center of a politically pivotal battle. With stage lighting and live music, the reading will be held at 53212 Presents, a new community-focused arts and performance space, at 731 W. Center St., Oct. 17-19 at 7:30 p.m. Call 414-534-6328 or visit mkereaderstheatre.com for more information.
The Mousetrap
A heavy snow has fallen upon Monkswell Manor, trapping a group of strangers inside; among them is a murderer. Could it be the married couple, the curious spinster, the architect, the retired army major, the jurist or the traveler? A policeman arrives, but before he can solve the mystery, one of the guests is killed. Experience shuddering suspense and a brilliantly intricate plot where murder lurks around every corner. That’s Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap. Oct. 18-Nov. 3 at Racine Theatre Guild, 2519 Northwestern Ave., Racine. For tickets, call 262-633-4218 or visit racinetheatre.org.
Kaleidoscope
Told almost entirely through dance and movement, Kaleidoscope follows the story of two individuals who experience sexual and physical assault via relationship abuse. While their stories progress at different rates, there are times when they inevitably converge. Without being explicit, Kaleidoscope is inspired by seven true stories from college-age students and seeks to inform its audience that there is no true end to the stories and the patterns of abuse. Developed over two-and-a-half years, this Cooperative Performance project began with exploring improvisational movement and emotional structures developed by performers at UW-Eau Claire. Oct. 19 and 26 at Danceworks Studio Theater, 1661 N. Water St. For tickets, visit cooperativeperformance.org.
Hamilton
By now, this huge Broadway hit, now touring the country, needs little introduction, but here goes. Hamilton is the story of one of America’s Founding Fathers, Alexander Hamilton, an immigrant from the West Indies who became George Washington’s right-hand man during the Revolutionary War and was the new nation’s first treasury secretary. Featuring a terrific, high-energy score that blends hip-hop, jazz, blues, rap, R&B and more Broadway musical styles, it is the story of America way-back-when as told by Americans right now. With book, music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda, direction by Thomas Kail, choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler and musical direction and orchestrations by Alex Lacamoire, Hamilton is based (albeit loosely) on Ron Chernow’s eponymous biography. Oct. 22-Nov. 17 at the Marcus Center’s Uihlein Hall, 929 N. Water St. For tickets, call 414-273-7206 or visit marcuscenter.org.
