THEATER
Holmes and Watson; Murder for Two
The Milwaukee Repertory Theater opens two new theatrical works within days of each other. The first is Jeffrey Hatcher’s Holmes and Watson, which follows the latter sleuth as he looks for his missing-in-action partner. In doing so, he must follow all the leads he receives from multiple sources, as well as investigate all those who are now claiming to be the real Sherlock Holmes. Hatcher is no novice at mystery writing; the American playwright and screenwriter has inked nearly 30 plays thus far—many being whodunits—and has written for the beloved TV detective long portrayed by Peter Falk, Columbo. Holmes and Watson will be directed by former Rep Artistic Director Joseph Hanreddy.
Murder for Two, co-written by (and starring) Milwaukee High School of the Arts alum Joe Kinosian and Matt Edmonds, takes a lighter approach to sleuthing. JC Clementz directs this two-man show in which Kinosian and Edmonds collectively portray some 13 different characters. It’s “a perfect blend of music, mayhem and murder,” says The Rep’s Brianna Cullen, “in a witty and winking homage to old-fashioned murder mysteries.” (John Jahn)
Holmes and Watson runs Nov. 14-Dec. 17 in the Quadracci Powerhouse; Murder for Two runs Nov. 10-Jan. 14, 2018, in the Stackner Cabaret. Both theaters are located at 108 E. Wells St. For tickets, call 414-224-9490 or visit milwaukeerep.com.
MUSIC
Le Poème Harmonique
France’s Le Monde describes the performances of musical ensemble Le Poème Harmonique as “total art; refined in the extreme and wonderfully alive.” Their long-awaited Midwestern premiere takes place curtesy of Early Music Now in what is sure to be a lively program of Spanish dance music from the 1600s, principally exploring how this music from south of the Pyrenees came to influence French late-Renaissance and early Baroque music.
Founded in 1997, Le Poème Harmonique, led by French lutenist Vincent Dumestre, uses rare instruments—theorbo, lirone, tiobino, arpa tripla, viola da gamba and violone—to evoke the sounds of centuries ago. “Danza! Spanish Dances in 17th-Century France,” is the name of their Milwaukee concert. They’ll be exploring both instrumental and vocal songs and dances that made their way into French culture—not only pumping new blood into French music but also engendering a renewed French fascination with their neighbor to the south. A pre-concert lecture at 4 p.m. will shed additional light on the music and the era in which it was composed. (John Jahn)
Saturday, Nov. 11, at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 914 E. Knapp St. For tickets, visit earlymusicnow.org.
DANCE
MAD LI(M)BS
Danceworks Performance Company (DPC) Artistic Director Dani Kuepper choreographed a dance both transparent and mysterious for her UW-Milwaukee students last winter to music by the American avant-garde composer/choreographer Meredith Monk. Kuepper always wonders, she said, what audiences take from such work. She aims to find out. She’s reset the dance on her professional company but with breaks for audience suggestions. Based on what they’ve understood thus far, viewers will propose what might come next. The dancers will improvise accordingly, working (I’m assuming) back to the original choreography, until the next break for audience direction. “How do you honor the integrity of the pre-existing piece while adapting to a new context?” Kuepper is asking.
But that’s only the first 15 minutes. What follows is a spoof of the classic ballet Giselle (the one with the murderous Wilis) starring DPC’s great dance comedian Melissa Anderson and guest performers Jason Powell as Narrator, Andréa Moser as Queen of the Wilis, Morgan Williams, Christa Smutek, Bobby Miles and Zach Schorsch. It will abound in a variety of modes of audience-directed improvisation, even to the costuming. The evening will also include challenging improv games for the dancers and an audience-interactive aerobics competition. (John Schneider)
7:30 p.m. Nov. 11-12 & 17-18 and 8 p.m. Nov. 16 at Danceworks Studio Theatre, 1661 N. Water St. For tickets call 414-277-8480 ext. 6025 or visit danceworksmke.org.
MORE TO DO
They Rose at Dawn
This is a solo dance performance by Minneapolis-based choreographer and classical Indian dancer Aparna Ramaswamy that will, through both movement and music (the latter via a group of Carnatic musicians), examine the idea of women as carriers of ritual and wisdom. They Rose at Dawn premiered two years ago at The Joyce Theater in New York City; it was subsequently awarded a national touring subsidy by the National Dance Project. Saturday, Nov. 11 at the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts, 19805 W. Capitol Drive, Brookfield. For tickets, call 262-781-9520 or visit wilson-center.com.
The Ever After—A Musical
Since 1933, the Racine Children’s Theatre has been introducing generations of children to live theater, centering on plays and musicals with attention-retaining action, humor and audience participation. RCT’s next show is The Ever After—A Musical. Its setting is a daytime talk show in which the host is interviewing Cinderella and her stepsisters to see if time really does heal all wounds, and if “they lived happily ever after” is a reality—or just a fairytale ending. Nov. 10-12 at the Racine Guild Theatre, 2519 Northwestern Ave., Racine. For tickets, call 262-633-4218 or visit racinetheatre.org.
Switch Witch
An evil witch with a deceitfully sweet laugh; a good witch with an unfortunate scary laugh. How is this so? It seems natural that they would want to switch laughs so as to “fit in” and be more, well, stereotypical, right? In Switch Witch, part of Sunset Playhouse’s Children’s Theater Series, with the help of a magical frog pal, the pair of witches with the “wrong” laughs discover that being true to yourself, rather than to the image others think you should strive to fulfill and live up to, might be the right way of fitting in. Nov. 15-18 at Sunset Playhouse, 800 Elm Grove Road, Elm Grove. For tickets, call 262-782-4430 or visit sunsetplayhouse.com.
On the Verge: Or the Geography of Yearning
Directed by Maureen Kilmurry, Eric Overmyer’s imaginative theatrical adventure, On the Verge: Or the Geography of Yearning, is a tale about finding your place in the world. It centers on three Victorian women who set out to explore the last unknown place on the map, “Terra Incognita,” making their way through difficult terrain—both literally and figuratively. This Marquette Theatre production features expressive, humorous and witty dialogue set among surrealist imagery. Nov. 9-19 at the Helfaer Theatre, 525 N. 13th St. For tickets, call 414-288-7504 or visit showclix.com/event/on-the-verge-or-the-geography-of-yearning.
