Metamorphosis lighting and set design by Alan Piotrowicz (pictured)
Metamorphosis
In Mel Brooks’ 1967 satirical comedic film, The Producers, Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom (memorably played by Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder) are exhaustingly perusing scripts of plays to find a “sure-fire flop” for their money-making scheme. Bialystok picks up a script and begins to read: “Gregor Samsa awoke one morning to discover he had been transformed into a giant cockroach.” He tosses the script onto the reject pile, uttering, “Nah, it’s too good!”
It’s a funny scene—even if you don’t get the fact that he’s referring to a real play: Metamorphosis, based on the 1915 novella Die Verwandlung by Franz Kafka. As Theatre Gigante’s Isabelle Kralj (who has adapted the work for this production and is also serving as its director and choreographer) says, “I have been interested in staging Kafka’s Metamorphosis since high school! The absurdity of the story and Gregor Samsa’s calm acceptance of his transformation into a bug really intrigued me.” Intrigued? See this “poetic adaptation told through dance, music and text.”
Jan. 25-28 at Kenilworth 508 Theatre, 1925 E. Kenilworth Place. For tickets, call 800-838-3006 or visit gigantemetamorphosis.brownpapertickets.com.
The Secret of Sherlock Holmes
Written by Jeremy Paul and starring Randall Anderson in the title role and Jim Owczarski as his affable partner-in-crime-solving, Dr. Watson, The Secret of Sherlock Holmes is a tribute to the notable friendship of these two fictional characters created long ago by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. As the show’s producers, Milwaukee Entertainment Group, explains, “Divided into two acts, The Secret of Sherlock Holmes chronicles [Holmes’ and Watson’s] friendship from the time of their first meeting in A Study in Scarlet to Holmes’ fake death in The Final Problem.”
The Secret of Sherlock Holmes’ second act explores a somewhat strained relationship between the two men in the wake of the fake news of Holmes’ death. As for the eponymous “secret,” there will, indeed, be a big reveal.
Jan. 26-Feb. 10 at the Brumder Mansion, 3046 W. Wisconsin Ave. For tickets, call 414-388-9104 or visit secretofsherlock.brownpapertickets.com.
MORE TO DO
2018 Snowdance
You’ve probably heard of Riverdance, Sundance or even Splashdance, but how about Snowdance? Wonder no longer; it’s the name of Racine’s 14th annual, festival of original 10-minute comedy sketches. As Over Our Heads Players (OOHP) explains, “In the ultimate interactive experience, the audience votes on who should win the cash prize,” adding “It’s original comedy plus OOHP’s signature hijinks between plays.” Jan. 26-Feb. 25 at the Sixth Street Theatre, 318 Sixth St., Racine. For tickets, call 262-632-6802 or visit overourheadplayers.org.
