This week, UW-Milwaukee theater students perform A Piece of My Heart, described by Vietnam Veterans of America as “the most enduring play in the nation on Vietnam.”
Theater
A Piece of My Heart
Des Moines, Iowa-born Shirley Lauro is an American playwright, screenwriter and novelist whose plays include A Piece of My Heart, Open Admissions, The Radiant, All Through the Night and several others. A Piece of My Heart (1991) remains, however, Lauro’s best-known work. With more than 2,000 productions worldwide to date, it’s been described by the Vietnam Veterans of America as “the most enduring play in the nation on Vietnam.” It was awarded 2018’s Moss Hart Memorial Award for its production at the Wellesley Repertory Theatre.
The play involves the true stories of six courageous women deployed “in country” as they said in those days during the Vietnam War and their struggle to make sense of a war that irrevocably changed them and a nation that shunned them. A Piece of My Heart is a play that combines the music and soul of a tumultuous era in relatively recent U.S. history. The UW-Milwaukee Peck School of the Arts production emphasizes that “the subject of these performances is war, and we treat the subject frankly. Please be aware that there may be loud and sudden recorded sounds of war. The language is graphic and specific.”
Dec. 4-8 at Kenilworth Five-0-Eight, 2155 N. Prospect Ave. For tickets, call 414-229-4308 or visit uwm.edu/arts/event/a-piece-of-my-heart.
Dance
On Display Global-MKE
Catey Ott Dance Collective (CODC) describes this free event as a “deconstructed art exhibition by Heidi Latsky Dance, under the direction of Catey Ott Thompson, featuring 15 Milwaukee residents—representing professional and non-professional performers of all body types, ages and abilities-disabilities—in a meditative, internal movement installation.” CODC originated in 2005 in Milwaukee, resided in New York City from 2007-’12, and now calls Milwaukee home.
Catey Ott Thompson has been the collective’s director since 2005. In Milwaukee, Ott has danced for Danceworks Performance Company, Wild Space, Milwaukee Opera Theatre and many others. She’s been a personal trainer, yogi and Pilates instructor since 2000. Ott also teaches dance, dance history, composition, choreography and repertory at Marquette University, Milwaukee Ballet and Danceworks. She also directs MKE Dance Theatre Network.
Heidi Latsky Dance is a New York City-based modern dance company that has remained committed to making striking work ever since its inception 18 years ago. It has received numerous commissions and residencies, including the Abrons Arts Center, Baryshnikov Arts Center, Danspace Project and New York University.
Sunday, Dec. 1, 2-3 p.m. at the Haggerty Museum of Art, 1234 W. Tory Hill St. For more information, visit cateyott.com or heidilatskydance.org.
More To Do
“Unforgettable—The Music of Nat King Cole”
Join Johnny Rodgers and his musicians as they celebrate the 100th birthday of the incomparable and unforgettable Nat King Cole. Known as “the best friend a song ever had,” Cole’s popularity lasted for decades and appealed to a very wide audience. His considerable list of hit songs includes such gems as “Route 66,” “Mona Lisa,” “Ramblin’ Rose,” and, of course, the perennial holiday favorite, “The Christmas Song.” You’ll be treated not only to award-winning vocal hits, but also to the sophisticated and suave instrumentals for which Nat King Cole was known and admired. Dec. 4-8 at Sunset Playhouse (as part of their Cabaret Series), 700 Wall St., Elm Grove. For tickets, call 262-782-4430 or visit sunsetplayhouse.com.
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly Sweater
It’s the most wonderfully tacky time of the year! Laugh along with The Second City as comedy’s best and brightest roast the chestnuts out of all the things we lovingly loathe about the “Holiday Season.” It’s enough merriment and music to keep you jolly ’til the holiday hangover wears off. Fresh, fast and always spectacularly funny, The Second City is celebrating 60 years of producing cutting-edge satirical revues and launching the careers of generation after generation of comedy’s best and brightest. Please note: This performance contains adult or mature content. Nov. 29-Dec. 1 in Wilson Theater at Vogel Hall, 929 N. Water St. For tickets, call 414-273-7206 or visit marcuscenter.org.
“Jayne Taylor Christmas Show”
Come and join award-winning vocalist Jayne Taylor and a special guest as they help usher in the holiday season with all the classic favorites from “Silent Night” to “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.” Taylor—who’s been captivating audiences with her voice since her early teens, has performed in many of Wisconsin’s major theaters. On her newest CD, Souvenirs, which has had international airplay, Taylor sings in French, Italian, Spanish and English. She will include a few Christmas songs in these romance languages in her upcoming holiday show. Saturday, Nov. 30, at 7:30 p.m. at Sunset Playhouse, 700 Wall St., Elm Grove. For tickets, call 262-782-4430 or visit sunsetplayhouse.com.
“Holiday Pajama Jamboree”
The Festival City Symphony launches its “Pajama Jamboree” season with a free concert on Wednesday, Dec. 4, at 7 p.m. in the Bradley Pavilion of the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts, 929 N. Water St. This concert features traditional holiday-season favorites and includes singing by the Whitefish Bay High School Choir. To help celebrate the season, the concert will conclude with the orchestra’s traditional annual sing-along. They also wish to encourage attendees to bring a nonperishable food donation for Milwaukee’s Hunger Task Force.
