Ah, summer in Wisconsin. Trips Up North or to the Dells; State Fair, Summerfest, PrideFest, ethnic and cultural festivals galore and Milwaukee’s Lakefront fireworks; multiple visits from our ubiquitous unofficial state bird—mosquitos! It’s also time for summer pops concerts and live theater.
As for that last item, you may very well wonder what actually is there in addition to, say, small-scale and rather informal fare? Provided you’re willing to take a bit of a road trip from the greater Milwaukee area—a relaxing excursion into our state’s lovely countryside itself a thoroughly enjoyable pastime—you’ll find plenty of opportunities to enjoy live professional theatrical productions throughout the summer months.
American Players Theatre 5950 Golf Course Road, Spring Green 608-588-2361 americanplayers.org
Two of William Shakespeare’s favorite devices—running away into the woods and crossdressing—meet in splendid fashion in As You Like It, beginning its run on June 9. Also opening that day is Athol Fugard’s Blood Knot, which takes place in apartheid-era South Africa. This tale of love between two brothers that transcends their different skin tones and crosses social boundaries is both relatable and intimate. The highly American comedy Born Yesterday by Garson Kanin centers on a shady businessman who heads to Washington, D.C., with his ex-showgirl girlfriend in an attempt to shift the law to his side. Born Yesterday opens on June 15. George Farquhar’s comedy, The Recruiting Officer, set in the age of sail, revolves around the exploits (and sexploits) of officers travelling from port to port wooing men into naval service and women into their beds. This show begins its run on June 22. The absurdist yet moving comedy, Exit the King, by Eugene Ionesco, plays on our fears of death and the unknown. It opens on June 26. Additional American Players Theatre productions open later this summer. (John Jahn)
Northern Sky Theater 10169 Shore Road, Fish Creek 920-854-6117 northernskytheater.com
Northern Sky Theater’s summer season offers three musical comedies running in rotation between June 13 and Aug. 25 at an outdoor amphitheater in scenic Peninsula State Park. The world premiere of Laurie Flanigan Hegge and James Valcq’s Boxcar is set in Wisconsin in the 1930s. Boxcar features company veterans as well as nine-year-old local Ben Martin. Another world premiere is Joel Kopischke, Eva Nimmer and Alissa Rhode’s Dairy Heirs, involving a set of siblings feuding over plans for the family farm. The third show is a return—with a new twist—of one of the company’s hottest sellers: Fred Alley and James Kaplan’s Lumberjacks in Love. (John Jahn)
Peninsula Players 4351 Peninsula Players Road, Fish Creek 920-868-3287 peninsulaplayers.com
The country’s oldest resident summer theater (82 years and counting) offers the world premiere of Sean Grennan’s comedic drama, Now and Then. This funny yet touching story begins when an older gentleman enters a bar and offers the bartender and his girlfriend $1,000 just to sit for an hour after closing time and chat with him. Now and Then runs June 12-July 1. (John Jahn)
SummerStage of Delafield W329 N846 County Highway C, Delafield 262-337-1560 summerstageofdelafield.org
SummerStage’s lovely location is the Lapham Peak Unit of Kettle Moraine State Forest. Their summer 2018 production is Richard Wilbur’s translated version of Molière’s French farce, Tartuffe. The title character is a con man and religious imposter who inveigles himself into the home of a wealthy man. Will his nefarious plans work? Tartuffe runs June 7-23. (John Jahn)
MORE TO DO
You’re Only Young Twice
Memories Dinner Theater present Ron Aldridge’s comedy about a group of over-60-somethings finding delight in doing things that enable them to recapture their youth. Spring is in the air in more ways than one when Tom decides he’s going to marry widow Julia. Tom, however, is influenced by a friend’s somewhat youthful, unruly lifestyle and begins likewise acting under the motto “You’re only as young as you feel.” But such causes problems for Tom and his wedding plans. Time to change mottos to “Act your age,” perhaps? As with all Memories Dinner Theater shows, play dates offer either a buffet or plated meal with your ticket. June 12-21 at Memories Ballroom, 1077 Lake Drive, Port Washington. For tickets, call 262-284-6850 or visit memoriesballroom.com/dinner-theater. (John Jahn)
King Lear
Boozy Bard does King Lear. What could possibly go wrong? They’re counting on it. In Boozy’s “Shakespeare: RAW” productions, the actors arrive the day of the show having read the script of the play they’ll be presenting but not knowing which character they’ll be portraying that night. As the play progresses, they imbibe…and imbibe…and imbibe. As Boozy Bard explains on their Facebook page, Lear is “the play that Bill probably wrote because the older actor in the company was sick of playing doddering idiots and wanted a meaty role for once!” June 11-13 at Best Place at the Historical Pabst Brewery, 901 W. Juneau Ave. Tickets available at the door (half-price if you’re garbed in “crazy attire”). (John Jahn)
The Bartender
A one-man, multi-media production (written and performed by Randall T. Anderson), The Bartender of the title tells tales from his life and chosen profession as colorful and flavorful as the drinks he serves. And speaking of drinks, the show, set in the Alchemist Theatre Lounge, offers audience members eight classic cocktails along with intriguing stories behind each. June 8-16 at the Alchemist Theatre, 2569 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. For tickets, visit thealchemisttheatre.com. (John Jahn)
Door Kinetic Arts Festival
There are many forms of “kinetic” art here, but two notable ones are film and cocktail-making. Of the former, the DKAF has a line-up of Oscar winners and nominees, Wisconsin-made films and the Rainn Wilson one-man show, Thom Pain, which kicks things off. Films include short animated fare, including Oscar nominee Garden Party, three shorts from Wisconsin filmmakers and English-language shorts selected from six different countries. The cocktail competition takes place on Tuesday, June 5, at the Wickman House in Ellison Bay, to select the official drink of the 2018 festival. Other events include live comedy, music and dance. June 11-15 at Björklunden, a pristine 425-acre estate on the shore of Lake Michigan. For tickets, visit doorkinetic.com. (John Jahn)
Florentine Opera Summer Community Performances
The Florentine Opera Company offers free events providing audiences with a unique opportunity to experience music of the operatic repertoire outside the confines of the stage of Uihlein Hall. The performances, which are held at various locations in the greater Milwaukee area and Southeastern Wisconsin, feature vocalists of the company’s Summer Residency Program. This is the second year that this program features singers who have been selected through a competitive audition process. Attendees will hear soprano Nicole Heinen, mezzo-soprano Briana Moynihan, tenor Nicholas Huff and baritone Stephen Hobe. Performances take place June 13-July 26 in Milwaukee, Kenosha and Mequon. For a complete list of times and specific locations, visit florentineopera.org. (John Jahn)
Cooperative Performance’s Third Annual One Act Festival
Since taking over Pink Banana Theatre’s one act festival in 2016, Cooperative Performance has worked to provide a platform for movement-based and non-traditional work, as well as the more conventional staged pieces previously in the offing. The festival features minimal production elements, placing prime focus on the creative output of local writers, devisers and performers.
The six works included this year are written or devised by Mary Buchel, Kelly Coffee, Emily Elliot, Joel Kopischke, Clayton Mortl, Maria Pretzl and Don Russell. The later (chair of the cooperative’s board) shares, “This year’s One Acts looks to be the most diverse in performance styles yet. We’ve got a couple fairly traditional scripts, an absurdist sketch-style piece, a poetic solo piece with an original violin score created specifically for the performance (which will be performed live at a few select shows), a movement-based performance art piece, and a dance-based performance piece.” In one way or another, all deal with the theme of relationships. (Selena Milewski)
The Cooperative Performance 2018 One Act Festival runs June 7-23 at The Underground Collaborative, 161 W. Wisconsin Ave. (below TJ Maxx). For tickets, visit cooperativeperformance.org.
