The Miró Quartet
Frankly Music brings the Texas-based Miró Quartet to Milwaukee for a concert of three, well, quartets.
Billy Elliot the Musical
The plot of Billy Elliot (originally a 2000 feature film) revolves around a British motherless boy who trades boxing gloves for ballet shoes. His story of personal struggle and ultimate fulfillment is balanced against a counter-story of family and community strife amid the 1984-’85 miner’s strike in northeastern England. Elton John wrote the music, and Lee Hall contributed the book and lyrics for the musical version of the story.
From its 2005 West End premiere, Billy Elliot the Musical quickly moved on to Australia, Broadway and Europe. Its New York production garnered 10 Tony and 10 Drama Desk Awards, including (in both cases), those for Best Musical. Waukesha Civic Theatre’s production features a 32-member cast and, despite the title character being an 11-year-old boy, is recommended for mature audiences due to language. (John Jahn)
Oct. 25-Nov. 11 at Waukesha Civic Theatre, 264 W. Main St., Waukesha. For tickets, call 262-547-0708 or visit waukeshacivictheatre.org/current-season.
The Lion King JR
The African savannah comes to life with Simba, Nala, Pumbaa, Timon, Mufasa and Scar as these beloved Disney characters journey from Pride Rock to the jungle and back again in Elton John and Tim Rice’s inspiring, coming-of-age musical, The Lion King. The animated film proved immensely popular and has remained so with kids too young to have seen it when it premiered in 1994. The live musical adaptation premiered three years later in Minneapolis.
To date, more than 95 million people worldwide have seen The Lion King on stage, and it has won numerous honors, including six Tony Awards. It remains Broadway’s third longest-running show and grossed more than $1 billion, making it The Great White Way’s all-time money-making champ. The “JR” in Falls Patio Players’ production references the fact that this already kid-friendly show features a virtually all-kid cast. (John Jahn)
Oct. 26-28 at North Middle School Auditorium, N88 W16750 Garfield Drive, Menomonee Falls. For tickets, call 262-255-8372 or visit fallspatioplayers.com.
The Pillowman
Directed by Jaimelyn Gray and written by Martin McDonagh, The Pillowman is described by The Constructivists as “the blackest of dark comedies,” and as “a stunner of a play surrounding two siblings (Katurian and Michal) who are being held in prison under suspicion that the former may have murdered three small children in a way that eerily reflects tales she has written.”
The Constructivists—a new Milwaukee-based non-equity theatre company—is opening its inaugural season with this production (which closes just days shy of the 15th anniversary of its world premiere). The company has assembled a cast of eight for The Pillowman, which includes Rose Grizzell (Katurian) and Logan Milway (Michal). (John Jahn)
Oct. 26-Nov. 10 at The Underground Collaborative, 161 W. Wisconsin Ave., Lower Level (one block west of the Riverside Theater). For tickets, call 414-858-6874 or visit theconstructivists.org.
The Miró Quartet
Frankly Music welcomes the Miró Quartet for a concert of three, well, quartets. Its members are violinists Daniel Ching and William Fedkenheuer, violist John Largess and cellist Joshua Gindele. Miró Quartet, an internationally performing, professional, classical string quartet based in Austin, Texas is the quartet-in-residence at the University of Texas; its members are on the faculty of the Butler School of Music.
On the program are three works. The Quartet in A Minor, Op. 41, No. 1, is by early Romantic Era composer and important music critic Robert Schumann (1810-’56); the Quartet in A Minor, Op. 13, is by Schumann’s contemporary, Felix Mendelssohn (1809-’47); finally, there’s the Quartet No. 2, subtitled Intimate Letters, by Czech composer, music theorist, folklorist, publicist and teacher Leoš Janáček (1854-1928). (John Jahn)
Monday, Oct. 29, at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 914 E. Knapp St. For tickets, visit franklymusic.org/event/miro-quartet.
More To Do
Illusions in the Night
Famous magician David Seebach returns to the stage (this time in nearby Elm Grove) with an all-new show called Illusions in the Night. Sounds a bit spooky, doesn’t it? Indeed, audience members will surely enjoy Seebach’s entertaining concoction of magic, humor and Halloween tricks and treats. Don’t be surprised if, in this particularly intimate setting, you become part of the show yourself! Oct. 26-28 at Sunset Playhouse, 700 Wall St., Elm Grove. For tickets, call 262-782-4430 or visit sunsetplayhouse.com/shows.
The Headless Hessian of Sleepy Hollow
The bold actors at WVL Radio Theatre return to the Marcus Center—this time with a series of classic American horror stories, including one by Edgar Allan Poe, a creative retelling of the horrific Lizzie Borden ax murders and, of course, a reimagining of Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. In The Headless Hessian of Sleepy Hollow, four actors, live sound effects and original music take audience back to 1946, when one’s imagination could create horrors far more vivid than any that might actually be lurking in the living room (or on the local radio station). Saturday, Oct. 27, in Wilson Theater at Vogel Hall, 929 N. Water St. For tickets, call 414-273-7206 or visit marcuscenter.org.
