Here are our editors' picks for the can't-miss events this spring in theater, dance, classical music and visual arts:
FEBRUARY
THEATER CONTINUING: Allusion/Illusion (World Premiere) Cooperative Performance Through Feb. 23 According to its creators—the formidable quartet of Kelly Coffey, Don Russell, Andrea Burkholder and Daniel Burkholder—this audience interactive performance asks: What if reality is a lie, and the acceptance of it is so great by all of us that the opposing force can’t make itself known? Eight performers interweave text, movement, shadow, light, video and puppetry. Cooperative Performance hosts the show in an empty Third Ward storefront at 329 N. Broadway. (John Schneider) Grey Gardens Windfall Theatre Through Feb. 23 Matilda the Musical (Family Friendly) First Stage Through Feb. 24 Locomotion First Stage (FORGE Series) Through Feb. 24 Image of an Unknown Young Woman (Student Production) Marquette Theatre Through Feb. 24 Blood at the Root Next Act Theatre Through Feb. 24 “2019 Snowdance 10 Minute Comedy Festival” Over Our Heads Players Through Feb. 24 Driving Miss Daisy Village Playhouse Through Feb. 24 The Underpants Waukesha Civic Theatre Through Feb. 24 The Jealous Revolver, Episode 3 Cabaret MKE Through March 2 Don’t worry if you missed the first two installments of Cabaret Milwaukee’s crime drama The Jealous Revolver. As enjoyably pulpy as it is, the narrative takes a back seat to the production’s old-time radio ambiance, as the production stops frequently for news breaks, commercial jingles and musical interludes. The Astor Hotel provides a fittingly historic backdrop for this throwback style of entertainment. (Evan Rytlewski) The Chinese Lady Milwaukee Repertory Theater (Stiemke Studio) Through March 24 OPENING: “It’s Not You, It’s Me—The Second City” Marcus Center for the Performing Arts (Wilson Theater) Feb. 21-23 The Velocity of Autumn In Tandem Theatre Feb. 21-March 17 After writing dozens of plays, premiering many of them around his native Cleveland, Eric Coble found national acclaim with his 2013 comedy The Velocity of Autumn, which began a run on Broadway in 2014. Estelle Parsons received a Tony nomination for her performance as Alexandra, an 80-year-old artist who, despite her failing health, is so dead set against moving that she barricades herself in her Brooklyn brownstone. Angela Iannone inherits that role in In Tandem’s production. (Evan Rytlewski) Small Craft Warnings Off the Wall Theatre Feb 21-March 3 Rabbit Hole Sunset Playhouse (Studio Series) Feb. 21-24 John McGivern UW-Washington County (Fine Arts Series) Feb. 22 Things That Go Ding! Skylight Music Theatre Feb. 22-March 3 Wait Until Dark Racine Theatre Guild Feb. 22-March 10 The Church Basement Ladies: Rise Up, O Men Schauer Arts and Activities Center Feb. 22-23 Strange Snow Milwaukee Chamber Theatre Feb. 22-March 17 Stephen Metcalfe explored the struggles veterans face readjusting to civilian life in his 1983 drama Strange Snow. David and Megs are Vietnam veterans with very different ways of coping with the loss they experienced during the war, but the fishing buddies’ friendship is threatened when Megs falls for David’s younger sister Martha, a lonely high school teacher. Marques Causey, Krystal Drake and Ken T. Williams star. (Evan Rytlewski) Missoula Children’s Theatre: Snow White and the Seven Dwarves UW-Whitewater Young Auditorium Feb. 23 Broken Hallelujah (Student Production) UWM Theatre (Kenilworth 508 Series) Feb. 27-March 3 The Curious Savage Sunset Playhouse Feb. 28-March 17 Described by Sunset as “an entertaining and fanciful comedy where kindness and affection triumph over greed and dishonesty,” John Patrick’s The Curious Savage involves one Mrs. Savage—an elderly woman whose late husband has left her $10 million. When her stepchildren find out she intends to give it all away (and not to them!), they hatch a plot to have her committed. This is “a warm comedy that compares the kindness and loyalty of psychiatric patients with the greed and hostility of so-called ‘normal people.’” (John Jahn) DANCE Making/Unmaking (World Premiere) Wild Space Dance Company Feb. 21-24 Jan Serr and John Shannon’s new Guardian Fine Art Services Warehouse (1635 W. St. Paul Ave.) is the site for Debra Loewen’s next site-specific dance installation. “The white walls and massive pillars will frame an exhibition of danced portraits, living sculptures and site-situated landscapes of movement and sound,” Loewen says. Taking inspiration from the neighborhood’s industrial past, “the dancers will layer and weave tasks of making and unmaking with each other and the audience.” (John Schneider) MUSIC “In the New Chamber” Present Music Feb. 21-22 “Cynthia Sayer & Her Joyride Quartet” Sharon Lynn Wilson Center for the Arts Feb. 22 “Rachmaninoff’s Paganini Rhapsody” Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra Feb. 22-24 “A Tribute to American Black Composers” Milwaukee Children’s Choir Feb. 23 “Russian Romance: Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich” Kettle Moraine Symphony Feb. 24 “Amazing Brass” Milwaukee Festival Brass Feb. 24 “Jazz Heritage Festival" Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra Feb. 27, 28, March 2 VISUAL ART CONTINUING: “Diego y Frida: A Smile Halfway Through the Journey” Latino Arts Through Feb. 22 “Spectacular Vernacular” Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design Through March 2 “For the Love of Art: The Milwaukee League of Artists” Oconomowoc Arts Center Through March 2 “Makeshift” John Michael Kohler Art Center Through March 3 While it’s not uncommon for exhibits to examine artists, movements, muses and mediums, this exhibit focuses on a key but often overlooked component of the creative process: the studio. In addition to some vibrant and nostalgic pop art from Texas artist Trenton Doyle Hancock, it features installations from Jessica Jackson Hutchins, Brad Kahlhamer, Odili Donald Odita, Barbara Rossi, Greg Smith and Alison Elizabeth Taylor. (Evan Rytlewski) “Live/Work” John Michael Kohler Art Center Through March 3 “The San Quentin Project: Nigel Poor and the Men of San Quentin Prison” Milwaukee Art Museum Through March 10 “Charles Munch: Boundary Lines” Museum of Wisconsin Art Through March 10 “CCC Seventh Annual Members Exhibit” Cedarburg Cultural Center Through March 10 “Break Loose: Jenn Dierdorf and Kevin Stuart” H.F. Johnson Gallery of Art/Carthage College Through March 15 “Fine Art Montage” Schauer Arts and Activities Center Through March 17 “I Contain Multitudes” Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design Through March 19 “Patricia Delker: Irish Journeys: Holy Wells and Home Turf” Alfons Gallery Through March 24 “Clement Meadmore: The Models” Lynden Sculpture Garden Through March 31 “Fore & Aft: Eoin Breadon, Beth Lipman and Jeremy Popelka” Museum of Wisconsin Art Through March 31 Jeff Morin Walker’s Point Center for the Arts Through April 6 “Forward 2018: A Survey of Wisconsin Art Now” Charles Allis Art Museum Through April 14 Forty-five works from more than 450 submissions were selected for this state-wide juried exhibition of artworks by Wisconsin artists. This year’s jurors were Faythe Levine of the John Michael Kohler Arts Center and Ariel Pate of the Milwaukee Art Museum. The works they selected embody a variety of the artistic mediums, techniques and styles which represent Wisconsin art today. (John Schneider) “Peter Dahlke: Dream Spaces” Museum of Wisconsin Art Through April 16 “Watercolor Wisconsin” Wustum Museum of Fine Arts Through April 20 “Growing Place: A Visual Study of Urban Farming” Grohmann Museum Through April 28 How appropriate that one of the world’s only museums dedicated to the art of work—an institution on the MSOE campus—should host an exhibit inspired by the work of urban farming, a concept popularized here in Milwaukee. Using Milwaukee as its anchor study, “Growing Place” seeks to shed new light on the past, present and future of growing food in cities. (Morton Shlabotnik) “Bouguereau & America” Milwaukee Art Museum Through May 12 William Bouguereau is a French academic painter best known for his representation of feminine figures—such as his legendary painting The Birth of Venus. Many of Bouguereau’s works left France as the artist’s popularity grew among American collectors from the late 1860s to the early 1900s. The Milwaukee Art Museum is offering insight on the popularity shift and the relationship between Bouguereau and America in the first major exhibition on the artist in decades. (Jean-Gabriel Fernandez) “Featured Artist: John Kearney” Wustum Museum of Fine Arts Through May 12 “Alexis Rockman: The Great Lakes Cycle” Haggerty Museum of Art Through May 19 “Ralph Steiner: The City” Haggerty Museum of Art Through May 19 Ralph Steiner is best remembered as one of the most influential experimental filmmakers and documentarians of the 1930s, but he was also a prolific photographer who readily accepted commercial assignments. The exhibit showcases some of his vintage prints alongside one of his most celebrated documentaries, 1939’s The City, which passionately argued the need for better urban planning. (Evan Rytlewski) “Selections from Keith Haring’s Construction Fence” Haggerty Museum of Art Through May 19 “Apartment 4: Iris Häussler and the Chipstone Foundation” John Michael Kohler Art Center Through June 16 “Mary Nohl and The Walrus Club” John Michael Kohler Art Center Through June 23 “Fusion: Contemporary Enamels from RAM’s Collection” Racine Art Museum Through July 7 “From Nature: Contemporary Artists and Organic Materials” Racine Art Museum Through July 7 “Raise Your Glass (Goblets): Recent Acquisitions from Alan and Barbara Boroff and the Kohler Foundation, Inc.” Racine Art Museum Through July 21 “Scott Reeder: B-Side of the Moon” John Michael Kohler Art Center Through Aug. 4 “Treasure Trove: Establishing Jewelry and Metal Archives at RAM” Racine Art Museum Through Aug. 4 “Saya Woolfalk: Visionary Reality Outpost” John Michael Kohler Art Center Through Aug. 18 “Represent: Exploring Portraits from RAM’s Collection” Racine Art Museum Through Sept. 1 OPENING: “Melissa Dorn & Kate E. Schaffer: Fine China” Sharon Lynn Wilson Center for the Arts Feb. 25-April 13 “Moving Images: British Royal Portraiture and the Circulation of Ideas” Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum Feb. 28-June 2 Photos can tell us about a lot more than just their subjects, as Villa Terrace’s “Moving Images” exhibit demonstrates. The exhibit compiles photos of the British royal family from the Victorian Era to the present, documenting not only the evolution of Queen Elizabeth and her kin, but also major cultural shifts and changing attitudes about class and gender. What emerges is a portrait of an institution that’s both changed with the times and fallen behind them. (Evan Rytlewski)
MARCH
THEATER CONTINUING: The Jealous Revolver, Episode 3 Cabaret MKE Through March 2 Small Craft Warnings Off the Wall Theatre Through March 3 Things That Go Ding! Skylight Music Theatre Through March 3 Wait Until Dark Racine Theatre Guild Through March 10 The Velocity of Autumn In Tandem Theatre Through March 17 Strange Snow Milwaukee Chamber Theatre Through March 17 Mark Twain’s River of Song Milwaukee Repertory Theater (Stackner Cabaret) Through March 17 The Curious Savage Sunset Playhouse Through March 17 The Chinese Lady Milwaukee Repertory Theater (Stiemke Studio) Through March 24 OPENING: Disenchanted! The Musical Outskirts Theatre Co. March 1-2 Right to Live Third Avenue Playhouse March 1-3 The Potting Shed Acacia Theatre March 1-10 Novelist and playwright Graham Greene brought his distinctive Catholic perspective to his 1957 drama The Potting Shed, which tells the story of a man hoping to reconcile with his ailing father but unable to recall what led to their estrangement in the first place. All he can remember is that his alienation from his family stems from an event that occurred in the family’s potting shed when he was 14. With the help of his psychoanalyst, he tries to solve the mystery. (Evan Rytlewski) Celtic Nights: Oceans of Hope South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center March 2 Spamalot Wisconsin Center District (Miller High Life Theatre) March 2-3 Monty Python’s craziest and most beloved feature film serves as a springboard for this very loose and very zany stage adaptation from Python alum Eric Idle, which won a 2005 Tony Award for Best Musical. Those hoping to hear their favorite lines from the film won’t be disappointed, but the musical introduces plenty of original twists and turns as well, spoofing a variety of new targets, including Broadway itself. (Evan Rytlewski) Church Basement Ladies: Rise Up, O Men UW-Whitewater Young Auditorium March 3 Things I Know to Be True Milwaukee Repertory Theater (Powerhouse Theater) March 5-31 All My Sons (Student Production) UWM Theatre Department March 6-10 The Phantom of the Opera Marcus Center for the Performing Arts (Broadway Series) March 6-17
Cameron Mackintosh’s spectacular new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera comes to Uihlein Hall as part of a brand-new North American tour. It features all-new scenic design by Paul Brown, Tony Award-winning original costume design by Maria Björnson, lighting design by Tony Award-winner Paule Constable, new choreography by Scott Ambler and new staging by director Laurence Connor. (John Jahn) StorySlam: Fear Ex Fabula March 7 Ex Fabula’s StorySlam series brings everyday people together to tell true stories around a common theme. Audience participation is brought to a new level by giving a few lucky viewers a chance at taking the stage to share their life experiences with the crowd. This spring’s StorySlam themes include: Damaged Goods, Fear, What’s in a Name?, Deal Breaker and Forgiveness. The events are held at well-known Milwaukee destinations such as Lakefront Brewery and Turner Hall Ballroom. StorySlams also occur on Tuesday, March 26, Wednesday, April 17, and Saturday, May 18. (Rob Hullum) Dead Shot Mary Over Our Heads Players March 7-9 The Wizard of Oz Unplugged Waukesha Civic Theatre March 7-10 Actors from WCT’s Adaptive Community Approach Program, which grants disabled performers opportunities to express themselves artistically, take center stage in this re-imagination of The Wizard of Oz. Travelers seek out the Wizard for help, encountering barriers that highlight the importance of accessibility and the harmfulness of labels along the way. Collaboratively written and filled with adapted musical numbers, The Wizard of Oz Unplugged stresses a message of acceptance for people of all levels of ability. (Elizabeth Janowski) Hearthfire UW-Washington County (Fine Arts Series) March 8 Secondary Cause of Death Memories Dinner Theatre March 8-17 Laura Ingalls Wilder (Family Friendly) Thrasher Opera House March 9 Urinetown: The Musical (Student Production) UW-Parkside Theatre March 8-17 As You Like It First Stage (Young Company) March 8-24 42ft—A Menagerie of Mechanical Marvels Sharon Lynn Wilson Center for the Arts March 10 Gears, pulleys and things that whirl and twirl through the air. It’s a 42-foot circus of machinery and people in motion—thrilling displays of acrobatics and a big-top of clowning and entertaining by Cirque Mechanics. (Morton Shlabotnik) The Winter’s Tale (American Shakespeare Center) UW-Whitewater Young Auditorium March 12 The Comedy of Errors (American Shakespeare Center) UW-Whitewater Young Auditorium March 13 Julius Caesar Bard and Bourbon March 15-16 Madagascar: A Musical Adventure, Jr. (Family Friendly) Schauer Arts and Activities Center March 15-16 The Emperor’s New Clothes: The Musical (Family Friendly) Racine Children’s Theatre March 15-17 Carmina Burana Skylight Music Theatre, Milwaukee Opera Theatre, Danceworks Performance Company and Chant Claire Chamber Choir March 15-31 German composer Carl Orff’s 1937 “scenic cantata” Carmina Burana, while undeniably “modern,” makes for a fascinating aural bridge between the Middle Ages and the 20th century, given its texts derived from 13th-century poetry (some of it quite raunchy). Encompassing music, song and movement, the work begs for more than a mere concert performance, and that’s what comes to the Cabot Theatre. MOT joins forces with Skylight Music Theatre, Danceworks Performance Company and Chant Claire Chamber Choir. (John Jahn) Big River (Family Friendly) First Stage March 15-April 14 Thom Pain (based on nothing) Theatre Nervosa March 20-23 Will Eno’s Thom Pain is a 70-minute monolog that, via new theatrical company Theatre Nervosa, will be performed by A.J. Magoon at The Underground Collaborative. “He’s just like you, only worse,” as Nervosa explains the one-man play. “On a particular night, Thom Pain finds himself on a particular stage in front of a particular audience. His goal? Save his life. Save your life. Explain it all. His obstacle? A speck of dust. A familiar face in the third row. The fact that he’s living through it all.” This play contains instances of strong language and, as Nervosa humorously adds, ennui. (John Jahn) Eighties Movie (World Premiere) Milwaukee Metro Voices March 21-31 Artistic director and scriptwriter Jason Powell describes it this way: “The keyboard is cranked up to eleven in this musical crammed full of hits from the Decade of Decadence. Between classic synthesizer riffs, we’ll see tales of angst-filled 1980s teenagers unfold in tones that would do John Hughes proud. The science gets weird, the girls in pink look pretty and the music spins you ’round like a record, baby, in this homage to a radical era.” At the Tenth Street Theatre. (John Schneider) Marie Antoinette (Student Production) Carthage College Theatre March 22-30 Little Wars Milwaukee Entertainment Group March 22-April 6 Ring of Fire: The Music of Johnny Cash Milwaukee Repertory Theatre (Stackner Cabaret) March 22-May 26 Johnny Cash’s music came from a place further from Broadway than miles can measure. And yet, the Man in Black’s songbook has been turned into a popular Broadway revue. A hit at the Stackner in 2013, Ring of Fire returns with “I Walk the Line,” “Folsom Prison Blues” and other great gems of American music. (David Luhrssen) StorySlam: What’s in a Name Ex Fabula March 26 Thoroughly Modern Millie Waukesha Civic Theatre March 28-April 14 To Fall in Love The Constructivists March 29-April 13 In a now-famous experiment, psychologist Arthur Aron observed two strangers fall in love as they asked each other a series of 36 questions. To Fall in Love offers an intimate glimpse into the lives of Merryn and Wyatt—a couple on the verge of divorce—as they use Aron’s questions in a last-ditch effort to salvage their relationship. The award-winning play makes its Midwest debut under the directorship of Wisconsin native Jaimelyn Gray. (Elizabeth Janowski) Leaving Iowa Over Our Heads Players March 29-April 14 Don Browning is a middle-aged writer finally making good on his promise to scatter his father’s ashes at his childhood home. But, when he discovers that house has been replaced by a grocery store, he begins traveling across Iowa in search of the proper resting place for his pops, along the way reliving memories of childhood road trips in this nostalgic comedy by playwrights Tim Clue and Spike Manton. (Evan Rytlewski) Annie Jump and the Library of Heaven Renaissance Theaterworks March 29-April 21 Annie Jump, a 13-year-old science genius, is contacted by an intergalactic super-computer whose goal is to help her in her new role as the librarian of heaven. The show aims to be fun for all audiences, and it includes animated sequences projected on a screen to enhance the viewing experience. Annie Jump is the last of a three-show season about women in science devised by Renaissance Theaterworks, which is dedicated to promoting women’s work. (Jean-Gabriel Fernandez) DANCE Hyperlocal MKE#20—Cohere Hyperlocal MKE @ Hawthorn Contemporary March 2 Embodied Truth: Finding Ways to Move Together Daniel Burkholder and Kimani Fowlin @ Kenilworth Square East Gallery March 3-9 Through community workshops, panel discussions, dance/spoken word performance and an all-ages dance party, Milwaukee choreographer Daniel Burkholder and NYC choreographer Kimani Fowlin will offer “multiple ways to think about, share, discuss, and celebrate the challenges and opportunities of being parents in the current #metoo and #blacklivesmatter world,” says Burkholder. A member of UWM’s dance faculty, Burkholder’s independent projects (many with his wife Andrea) have been reliably courageous, imaginative and timely. (John Schneider) The Moving Archive/What Is Remembered (World Premiere) Maria Gillespie/The Collaboratory @ Guardian Fine Arts Gallery March 9 After several years of making dances here, Maria Gillespie—choreographer, dancer, educator and creator of several dance institutions—certainly belongs to Milwaukee. She’ll dance with two other dancers to the playing of Milwaukee cellist Janet Schiff in the Guardian’s gallery amid works by Milwaukeeans Nirmal Raja and Lois Bielefeld. Gillespie describes this multifaceted local collaboration as “an installation work utilizing one of Nirmal’s textile pieces, a 30-foot muslin fabric inscribed with Milwaukee history.” (John Schneider) “MAYUMANA: Currents” UW-Whitewater Young Auditorium March 19 “Milwaukee Ballet II: Momentum” Schauer Arts and Activities Center March 21 If you missed this show in Milwaukee or would love another viewing, the eclectic Hartford Schauer Center hosts Milwaukee Ballet’s so-called second company, Milwaukee Ballet Two (or “too.”) They’re an accomplished international group of young dancers on the verge of their professional careers. This concert features world premiere contemporary ballets by company and guest choreographers and a dazzling classical jewel by Marius Petipa. The piece de resistance is the modern classic Serenade by George Balanchine. (John Schneider) Step Afrika! Marcus Center for the Performing Arts (Uihlein Hall) March 22 Embodying the Past, Embracing the Future UWM Peck School of the Arts Dance March 30 MUSIC “Celtic Tenors Present the Irish Songbook” Marcus Center for the Performing Arts (Wilson Theater) March 1 Gentri: The Gentlemen Trio Cedarburg Performing Arts Center March 2 JigJam Irish Quartet Thrasher Opera House March 2 “Handel’s Messiah” Waukesha Choral Union March 4 The Phantom of the Opera (Broadway Series) Marcus Center for the Performing Arts March 6-17 “Fantasy, Song and Dance” UWM Music Department Clarinet and Piano Faculty Recital March 9 An American Requiem Bel Canto Chorus Sunday, March 10 St. Monica Parish (160 E. Silver Spring Drive) is the venue for a new choral work by American composer Richard Danielpour, An American Requiem, which is inspired by interviews with veterans of World War II and the Korean and Vietnam Wars. It’s a moving, unforgettable tribute to the American soldier and an examination of the insanity of war. (John Jahn) “The Four Seasons in the Basilica” Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra March 15-17 “Ronn McFarlane & Paul O’Dette: For Two Lutes: Virtuoso Duets from Italy & England” Early Music Now March 16 “Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony” Lake Geneva Symphony Orchestra @ UW-Whitewater Young Auditorium March 16 Misa Tango Master Singers of Milwaukee March 16-17 Master Singers of Milwaukee brings this Midwest premiere to vibrant life, accompanied by its composer, Martín Palmeri, on piano and bandoneón player Daniel Binelli. Palmeri’s Misa Tango reimagines the traditional mass setting within the context of traditional Argentinian tango style. It has received wide acclaim in productions throughout the Americas thus far. (John Jahn) Socks in the Frying Pan Irish Cultural and Heritage Center March 16 Brothers Fiachra and Shane Hayes and joined by guitarist and vocalist Aodán Coyne in the Celtic trio Socks in the Frying Pan. Hailing from the Irish music hub of County Clare, they’re relative newcomers to the Celtic music scene, having released their first album in 2012 and only announcing themselves as touring act around 2014, but they’ve built a fast following with their cheeky spin on Irish traditionals and showy banjo and fiddle performances. (Evan Rytlewski) “Celtic Fire: Irish Music & Dance” Wisconsin Philharmonic w/ Julian Rhee March 17 “The Art of the Cello” Frankly Music w/ Tamas Varga March 18 “Celebrating Women Composers, Past and Present” Milwaukee Musaik March 21 The Coronation of Poppea Florentine Opera March 22, 24, 30 & 31 Poppea is the lover of Roman emperor Nerone, and she’s determined to become empress, but what about Ottavia, the current occupant of that position? When the affair is uncovered, Poppea and Nerone are forced into exile. Will their love survive? This is the plot of one of the first operas to be based on historical events and people, The Coronation of Poppea (L’incoronazione di Poppea), by Italian Renaissance composer Claudio Monteverdi. The Florentine’s production takes place in Wilson Theater at Vogel Hall. (John Jahn) “Cherish the Ladies” Cedarburg Performing Arts Center March 23 Skerryvore Thrasher Opera House March 23 “Hard // Soft: Brahms, Prokofiev” Concord Chamber Orchestra March 23 Contrast the lush, late-19th-century romanticism of Johannes Brahms with the stark classicism of 20th-century composer Sergei Prokofiev’s tribute to the Classical Era in music, which preceded Brahms. Attendees will also get to hear the violin excellence of the young winner of the CCO’s annual Concerto Competition. Features composers (besides the aforementioned) are Camille Saint-Saëns (my personal French fave) and George Gershwin. (John Jahn) “Davidson Chamber Recitals” Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra March 24 The Perdito Martinez Group Latino Arts March 29 A German Requiem Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra March 29-30 Johannes Brahms (1833-’97) composed one of the great masterpieces of Romantic choral music, his Ein Deutsches Requiem, Op. 45, by assiduously avoiding traditional requiem mass texts and references. His goal was to console the living in the wake of loss with comforting images and thoughts. His motivation? Two tragic deaths, that of Brahms’ mother and his friend and mentor, Robert Schumann. The MSO, Chorus and vocal soloists perform in Uihlein Hall. (John Jahn) Albert Cummings Thrasher Opera House March 30 “Copland and Levy: American Masters” Festival City Symphony March 31 VISUAL ART CONTINUING: “Spectacular Vernacular” Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design Through March 2 “For the Love of Art: The Milwaukee League of Artists” Oconomowoc Arts Center Through March 2 “Makeshift” John Michael Kohler Art Center Through March 3 “Live/Work” John Michael Kohler Art Center Through March 3 “Veterans Light Up the Arts” Milwaukee Art Museum March 8 “The San Quentin Project: Nigel Poor and the Men of San Quentin Prison” Milwaukee Art Museum Through March 10 “Charles Munch: Boundary Lines” Museum of Wisconsin Art Through March 10 “CCC Seventh Annual Members Exhibit” Cedarburg Cultural Center Through March 10 “Break Loose: Jenn Dierdorf and Kevin Stuart” H.F. Johnson Gallery of Art/Carthage College Through March 15 “Fine Art Montage” Schauer Arts and Activities Center Through March 17 “I Contain Multitudes” Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design Through March 19 “Patricia Delker: Irish Journeys: Holy Wells and Home Turf” Alfons Gallery Through March 24 “Clement Meadmore: The Models” Lynden Sculpture Garden Through March 31 “Fore & Aft: Eoin Breadon, Beth Lipman and Jeremy Popelka” Museum of Wisconsin Art Through March 31 Jeff Morin Walker’s Point Center for the Arts Through April 6 “Melissa Dorn & Kate E. Schaffer: Fine China” Sharon Lynn Wilson Center for the Arts Through April 13 “Forward 2018: A Survey of Wisconsin Art Now” Charles Allis Art Museum Through April 14 “Peter Dahlke: Dream Spaces” Museum of Wisconsin Art Through April 16 “Watercolor Wisconsin” Wustum Museum of Fine Arts Through April 20 “Growing Place: A Visual Study of Urban Farming” Grohmann Museum Through April 28 “Bouguereau & America” Milwaukee Art Museum Through May 12 “Featured Artist: John Kearney” Wustum Museum of Fine Arts Through May 12 “Alexis Rockman: The Great Lakes Cycle” Haggerty Museum of Art Through May 19 “Ralph Steiner: The City” Haggerty Museum of Art Through May 19 “Selections from Keith Haring’s Construction Fence” Haggerty Museum of Art Through May 19 “Moving Images: British Royal Portraiture and the Circulation of Ideas” Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum Through June 2 “Apartment 4: Iris Häussler and the Chipstone Foundation” John Michael Kohler Art Center Through June 16 “Mary Nohl and The Walrus Club” John Michael Kohler Art Center Through June 23 “Fusion: Contemporary Enamels from RAM’s Collection” Racine Art Museum Through July 7 “From Nature: Contemporary Artists and Organic Materials” Racine Art Museum Through July 7 “Raise Your Glass (Goblets): Recent Acquisitions from Alan and Barbara Boroff and the Kohler Foundation, Inc.” Racine Art Museum Through July 21 “Scott Reeder: B-Side of the Moon” John Michael Kohler Art Center Through Aug. 4 “Treasure Trove: Establishing Jewelry and Metal Archives at RAM” Racine Art Museum Through Aug. 4 “Saya Woolfalk: Visionary Reality Outpost” John Michael Kohler Art Center Through Aug. 18 “Represent: Exploring Portraits from RAM’s Collection” Racine Art Museum Through Sept. 1 OPENING: “Mark Baum: Collective Consciousness” John Michael Kohler Art Center March 3-Sept. 1 “Freddy Hernandez: Mas De Mil-Walk-Aqui” Latino Arts March 8-June 7 Sara Cwynar Milwaukee Art Museum March 8-July 21 “72nd Annual Ozaukee County Art Show & Gallery of Student Art” Cedarburg Cultural Center March 15-April 28 “Rogues Gallery: Wilde about the Theater” Schauer Arts and Activities Center March 22-June 23 “The Autotopographers” John Michael Kohler Art Center March 24-Sept. 15 “Pictures of Resistance: The Wartime Photography of Jewish Partisan Faye Schulman” Jewish Museum Milwaukee March 29-May 26 Jewish resistance in the Warsaw ghetto is well documented, but less known is the role of Jews fighting as partisans in Eastern Europe. Polish-born Faye Schulman went underground with the partisans and recorded their story in rarely seen pictures. (David Luhrssen) “Handmade for Home: The Craft of Contemporary Design” Museum of Wisconsin Art March 30-May 19
APRIL
THEATER CONTINUING: Little Wars Milwaukee Entertainment Group Through April 6 To Fall in Love The Constructivists Through April 13 Leaving Iowa Over Our Heads Players Through April 14 Thoroughly Modern Millie Waukesha Civic Theatre Through April 14 Annie Jump and the Library of Heaven Renaissance Theaterworks Through April 21 Ring of Fire: The Music of Johnny Cash Milwaukee Repertory Theatre (Stackner Cabaret) Through May 26 OPENING: Machina Persona (World Premiere) Cooperative Performance April TBA Peter & Wendy (Family Friendly) Milwaukee Youth Theatre April 3-5 Revisiting the classic tale of Peter Pan, playwright Jeremy Bloom presents a stripped down, atmospheric meditation on the hardships and realities of growing up. Audience members join Peter, Wendy, Tinker Bell and Tiger Lily as they venture through the island of Neverland, encountering and narrowly evading the dastardly Captain Hook along the way. Directed by Greg Davis, a cast of children ages 10 to 18 star in this whimsical and heartfelt production. (Elizabeth Janowski) God of Carnage (Student Production) Carthage College Theatre (Studio Series) April 4-6 August, Osage County Sunset Playhouse (Studio Series) April 4-7 Shooting Star Third Avenue Playhouse April 4-20 How to Write a New Book for the Bible Next Act Theatre April 4-28 “The premise is that The Bible is not so much a book of rules but a story of family,” says director David Cecsarini. “Our narrator (the playwright Bill Cain) sets out to add his family’s story to the record. As a young, skeptical Jesuit priest, he’s wrestling with big questions of spirituality. Writing his family’s love story brings him closer to the answers he seeks. The form of the play is fluid, much like memory.” (John Schneider) Virginia Repertory Theater: Stuart Little (Family Friendly) Schauer Arts and Activities Center April 5 The Last Cyclist (Student Production) Cardinal Stritch University Theatre April 5-14 The Rivals (Student Production) Marquette Theatre April 5-14 Marquette University Theatre presents an 18th-century comedy of manners with The Rivals. The titular “rivals” are actually one and the same, as the main character, Jack, pretends to be a poor soldier to court the romantic Lydia. But, when his father arranges his marriage to Lydia, Jack’s two identities become rivals for the woman’s heart. Misunderstandings and lack of communication are the main sources of laughter in this student-driven production. (Jean-Gabriel Fernandez) The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Racine Theatre Guild April 5-14 Tartuffe Village Playhouse April 5-21 Village Playhouse is used to performing classical masterpieces in their venue in West Allis. It is no surprise, then, that they’re producing Tartuffe. The play is one of the greatest theatrical comedies of all time, telling the story of a rich family under the influence of a con man pretending to speak with divine authority. Written in the 17th century by French playwright Molière, initially heavily censored, Tartuffe is a keen social satire denouncing hypocrisy and the folly of blind faith. (Jean-Gabriel Fernandez) Just A Conversation Over Chicken and Dumplings (World Premiere) Bronzeville Arts Ensemble w/ Black Arts MKE April 5-7 Dedicated to illuminating the black experience in America, Milwaukee’s leading African American theater company is five years old and a resident of Black Arts MKE at the Marcus Center. Artistic director Sheri Williams Pannell directs this adaptation by Milwaukee writer Michelle Dobbs of her book “detailing moments in her family’s history (and a secret),” as Pannell puts it, “all illustrated in oil paintings discovered after the death of her uncle, the artist James Moore Jr.” (John Schneider) La Clemenza di Tito Milwaukee Opera Theatre April 6-7 The King and I Marcus Center for the Performing Arts (Broadway Series) April 9-14 Sex Please We’re Sixty Memories Dinner Theatre April 12-28 Ben Butler Milwaukee Chamber Theatre April 12-28 The Magic School Bus: Lost in the Solar System (Family Friendly) UW-Whitewater Young Auditorium April 13 Two Trains Running Milwaukee Repertory Theater (Powerhouse Theater) April 16-May 12 Deal Breaker (StorySlam) Ex Fabula April 17 Call Me Ishmael Off the Wall Theatre April 17-27 Invader! I Hardly Know Her (Student Production) UWM Theatre Kenilworth 508 Series April 24-28 “The Secret Comedy of Women” Marcus Center for the Performing Arts (Wilson Theater) April 25-28 Spamalot Sunset Playhouse April 25-May 12 Flora the Red Menace (Student Production) Carthage College Theatre April 26-May 4 Wonderful Town Falls Patio Players April 26 – May 5 The Fabulous Lipitones In Tandem Theatre April 26-May 19 Tinker Bell (Family Friendly) First Stage April 26-June 2 Peter Pan’s story never ages. That is why First Stage, Milwaukee’s children’s theater company, is offering a new take on it from the perspective of Tinker Bell, Pan’s trusty fairy companion, using puppetry and original music. The play, adapted by playwright Patrick Flynn, is suggested for children aged 6-17. Tinker Bell focuses on the fairy’s feelings throughout the story—she’s so small she can feel only one emotion at a time—and the meaning of friendship. (Jean-Gabriel Fernandez) Rent: 20th Anniversary Tour UW-Whitewater Young Auditorium April 28 DANCE Lambarena (World Premieres) Milwaukee Ballet April 4-7 “Genesis 2017” was among the best in the international choreographic competition’s history. So, for the first time, two of its choreographers—UK’s George Williamson and Italy’s Enrico Morelli, both winners and with contrasting styles—were invited back to create new contemporary works on company dancers. The program’s title dance is San Francisco choreographer Val Caniparoli’s widely celebrated mash-up of ballet, Bach and traditional African dance and music. Milwaukee African dance artists will advise. (John Schneider) Between Constructions of Desire (World Premiere) Maria Gillespie/The Collaboratory April 5-6 Ananya Dance Theatre: “Shaatranga: Women Weaving Worlds” John Michael Kohler Art Center April 9 and 11 “Springdances” (Student Production) UWM Peck School of the Arts Dance April 25-28 World premieres by dance faculty Maria Gillespie, Daniel Burkholder, Mair Culbreth and Bachelor of Fine Arts alumna and Danceworks artist Gina Laurenzi, and a newly commissioned work by guest artist Melanie George grace this major dance department concert. “The choreographers will reimagine space, time, sound and embodied storytelling to usher in a new era of hope,” Gillespie says. “They’ll excavate our histories, the present and auspicious futures to create new works to orient us in a fractured world.” (John Schneider) Unboxed South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center April 26 The HeART of War (World Premiere) Lake Arts Project April 27-28 Lake Arts Project joins high school artists of every sort with professional artists to create original multidisciplinary performances. For its sixth annual concert at Danceworks Studio, founders Karl von Rabenau and Jenny Miller of Milwaukee Ballet School and Academy teams MBSA and Milwaukee Alliance School students with choreographer Adam McKinney of DNAWorks, an organization devoted to art therapy and social justice; Feast of Crispian, the Milwaukee theatre of recovering military veterans that uses Shakespeare as guide; and a group of distinguished pros. (John Schneider) MUSIC Mary Bridget Davies: A Night with Janis Joplin Thrasher Opera House April 5 “Classics in Bloom” Wisconsin Philharmonic w/ Andrew Russo April 7 What’s more appropriate for the Shepherd’s Spring Arts Guide than a concert given by a fine orchestra filled with majestic, ebullient, sunny music? The largest work on the program is the magnificent Symphony No.2 in D Major, Op. 43, by Jean Sibelius—here in a Wisconsin Philharmonic/Maestro Alexander Platt debut performance. Other great works include Dmitri Shostakovich’s Festive Overture, Hans Zimmer’s Theme from Gladiator and Franz Liszt’s dramatic Piano Concerto No.1 in E-flat Major. At the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center, 19805 W. Capitol Drive. (John Jahn) The Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross Philomusica String Quartet April 8 The Seven Last Words is an orchestral work by Joseph Haydn, commissioned in 1786 for the Good Friday service at Oratorio de la Santa Cueva in Cádiz, Spain. He later wrote a fascinating (and seldom performed) adaptation of its main themes for string quartet, which (despite the tile) is in nine movements. It is that version that Philomusica performs at the Center for Arts and Performance, Schwan Concert Hall, 8815 W. Wisconsin Ave. (John Jahn) Brooklyn Rider Frankly Music April 8 St. Paul’s Episcopal Church (914 E. Knapp St.) is the venue. Frankly Music brings instrumental quartet Brooklyn Rider to Milwaukee for a concert that explores the healing properties of music, which have been recognized since ancient Greece. Music of Ludwig van Beethoven—as well as new works by Reena Esmail, Gabriela Lena Frank, Matana Roberts and others—is on tap to soothe the proverbial soul. (John Jahn) “Profound Meditations: Haydn’s Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross” Philomusica Quartet April 8 “The 5 Browns” Sharon Lynn Wilson Center for the Arts April 12 “Opera After Dark” Florentine Opera @ the Center Series April 12-13 “Mystical Arts of Tibet: Sacred Music, Sacred Dance” Early Music Now April 13 Early Music Now’s motto, “Across Borders-Across Time,” has never stretched as far as in this concert by the monks of the Drepung Loseling Monastery. The ensemble has become a cultural embassy for Tibet, and their multi-millennial old repertoire makes the early music of Europe sound like last year’s hit parade. (David Luhrssen) JigJam Irish Cultural and Heritage Center April 13 The Kruger Brothers Thrasher Opera House April 13 “Oconomowoc Chamber Orchestra Spring Concert” Oconomowoc Arts Center April 14 “Black Violin 2019” Marcus Center for the Performing Arts (Wilson Theatre) April 20 “Spring Concert: Schubert, Martinů, Ravel, Schoenfield” Prometheus Trio April 22-23 Works on this Prometheus Trio concert are, for the most part, fairly modern and somewhat obscure. Compositions range from the late-19 century to just a few decades ago. These include the Fantasie for Violin and Piano, D. 934, by Franz Schubert; Cello Sonata No. 2, H. 286 (1941), by Czech composer Bohuslav Martinů; Sonate pour Violon et Violoncelle, Op. 73 (1922), by Maurice Ravel; and American composer Paul Schoenfield’s Café Music (1986). (John Jahn) The James Hunter Six Thrasher Opera House April 26 “De Waart Conducts Mahler” Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra April 26-27 “Fanfare and Finale” Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra April 28 “Bernstein Centennial Celebration” Bach Chamber Choir April 28 and May 5 The April concert is at St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church, 7845 N. River Road in River Hills; the May concert is at Congregation Shalom, 7630 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Fox Point. Both will be focused on the choral music of the great American composer-conductor Leonard Bernstein (1918-’90). His finest works include West Side Story, Peter Pan, Candide, Wonderful Town, On the Town, On the Waterfront and his epic Mass. (John Jahn) VISUAL ART CONTINUING: Jeff Morin Walker’s Point Center for the Arts Through April 6 “Melissa Dorn & Kate E. Schaffer: Fine China” Sharon Lynn Wilson Center for the Arts Through April 13 “Forward 2018: A Survey of Wisconsin Art Now” Charles Allis Art Museum Through April 14 “Peter Dahlke: Dream Spaces” Museum of Wisconsin Art Through April 16 “Watercolor Wisconsin” Wustum Museum of Fine Arts Through April 20 “Growing Place: A Visual Study of Urban Farming” Grohmann Museum Through April 28 “72nd Annual Ozaukee County Art Show & Gallery of Student Art” Cedarburg Cultural Center March 15-April 28 “Bouguereau & America” Milwaukee Art Museum Through May 12 “Featured Artist: John Kearney” Wustum Museum of Fine Arts Through May 12 “Alexis Rockman: The Great Lakes Cycle” Haggerty Museum of Art Through May 19 “Ralph Steiner: The City” Haggerty Museum of Art Through May 19 “Selections from Keith Haring’s Construction Fence” Haggerty Museum of Art Through May 19 “Handmade for Home: The Craft of Contemporary Design” Museum of Wisconsin Art Through May 19 “Moving Images: British Royal Portraiture and the Circulation of Ideas” Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum Through June 2 “Freddy Hernandez: Mas De Mil-Walk-Aqui” Latino Arts Through June 7 “Fusion: Contemporary Enamels from RAM’s Collection” Racine Art Museum Through July 7 “From Nature: Contemporary Artists and Organic Materials” Racine Art Museum Through July 7 “Apartment 4: Iris Häussler and the Chipstone Foundation” John Michael Kohler Art Center Through June 16 “Mary Nohl and The Walrus Club” John Michael Kohler Art Center Through June 23 “Rogues Gallery: Wilde about the Theater” Schauer Arts and Activities Center Through June 23 Sara Cwynar Milwaukee Art Museum Through July 21 “Scott Reeder: B-Side of the Moon” John Michael Kohler Art Center Through Aug. 4 “Raise Your Glass (Goblets): Recent Acquisitions from Alan and Barbara Boroff and the Kohler Foundation, Inc.” Racine Art Museum Through July 21 “Treasure Trove: Establishing Jewelry and Metal Archives at RAM” Racine Art Museum Through Aug. 4 “Saya Woolfalk: Visionary Reality Outpost” John Michael Kohler Art Center Through Aug. 18 “Mark Baum: Collective Consciousness” John Michael Kohler Art Center Through Sept. 1 “Represent: Exploring Portraits from RAM’s Collection” Racine Art Museum Through Sept. 1 “The Autotopographers” John Michael Kohler Art Center Through Sept. 15 OPENING: “Catherine Lottes: A Mirror to the Soul of Nature” Alfons Gallery April 7-June 2 Milwaukee-based artist Catherine Lottes’ professional art career began with a series of public art pieces commissioned by the city and county. She is now most known for her symmetrical, kaleidoscope-esque pieces that are created by mirroring images from her nature photographs. The works are inspired by the spiritual aspects of being among the trees, as well as a sense of balance and harmony that comes with symmetry. The exhibition opens with an artist conversation with Lottes. (Rob Hullum) “10th Annual International PEEPS Art Exhibition” Racine Art Museum April 11-28 RAM’s unconventionally saccharine showcase of art inspired by or composed of PEEPS, the signature, chick-shaped marshmallow treat, celebrates its 10th year this upcoming spring. Boasting a collection of imaginative paintings, sculptures, quilts and multimedia art pieces featuring the seasonal sugar-coated candy, museum-goers are encouraged to nominate their favorite works for the coveted title of PEEPles Choice. (Elizabeth Janowski) MIAD 2019 Senior Exhibition (Student Production) Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design April 19-May 11 Charles Radtke Milwaukee Art Museum April 19-Aug. 25 “Wisconsin Regional Art Program: Amateur artists from SE Wisconsin” Oconomowoc Arts Center April 20-May 18 “Jon Horvath & Hans Gindlesberger” Sharon Lynn Wilson Center for the Arts April 22-June 8 Featured Member Exhibition: Conhg Lopez Walker’s Point Center for the Arts April 26-July 6 Every year since 2012, Walker’s Point Center for the Performing Arts (WPCA) has selected four artists to participate in small scale, 10-week solo exhibitions at the gallery. This spring’s featured artist is Conhg Lopez, a Milwaukee-based multi-disciplinary artist who recently presented 2-D artwork at the WPCA’s Dia de los Muertos exhibition. Lopez also participated in WPCA’s 31 Emerge event in December 2017, an exhibition showcasing 31 of Milwaukee’s best up-and-coming artists. (Rob Hullum)
MAY
THEATER CONTINUING: Wonderful Town Falls Patio Players Through May 5 Two Trains Running Milwaukee Repertory Theater (Powerhouse Theater) Through May 12 Spamalot Sunset Playhouse Through May 12 The Fabulous Lipitones In Tandem Theatre April 26-May 19 Ring of Fire: The Music of Johnny Cash Milwaukee Repertory Theatre (Stackner Cabaret) Through May 26 Tinker Bell (Family Friendly) First Stage Through June 2 OPENING: The Children’s Hour (Student Production) UWM Theatre Department May 1-5 Enchanted April Windfall Theatre May 2-18 Miranda Richardson and Joan Plowright were among the stars of the Golden Globe-winning 1991 film based on a 1922 novel. Windfall closes its season with the charming story about Englishwomen—suffering from the effects of post-World War I, their relationships with their husbands and the oppressiveness of their lives—who decide they want to break away by taking a trip to Italy. (David Luhrssen) The Giver Waukesha Civic Theatre May 2-19 Stella and Lou Boulevard Theatre May 3-May 26 Older characters too rarely take on the mantle of main characters. With Stella and Lou, a play by Bruce Graham about aging and loneliness, Boulevard Theatre aims to put senior citizens in the spotlight. Lou is a recently widowed bar owner, Stella is an old friend, and both meet after the death of a regular patron. Experienced director David Ferrie, who has directed shows like The Memory of Water, will direct this intimate tavern drama. (Jean-Gabriel Fernandez) Love’s Labor’s Lost (Student Production) UW-Parkside Theatre May 3-12 Come from Away Marcus Center for the Performing Arts (Broadway Series) May 7-12 The Miracle Worker First Stage (Young Company) May 10-19 9 to 5, the Musical Racine Theatre Guild May 10-26 Musicals don’t get much more crowd-pleasing than this adaptation of the hit 1980 Jane Fonda/Lily Tomlin/Dolly Parton comedy about three women who kidnap their brutish boss, then set out to make their office a fairer, more equitable workplace in his absence. The story is fun enough, but the real draw is the soundtrack, which includes new songs Parton wrote for the show. (Evan Rytlewski) Once Upon A Mattress, Jr. (Family Friendly) Sunset Playhouse May 12-13 American Girl Live Marcus Center for the Performing Arts (Wilson Theater) May 14-19 Wanted: Fairy Godmother (Family Friendly) Sunset Playhouse May 15-18 The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey Third Avenue Playhouse May 16-June 9 Kiss Me, Kate Skylight Music Theatre May 17-June 9 Passions certainly do run high both onstage and off as a tempestuous couple struggles to present a musical version of William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. Blending The Bard’s irreverent humor of William Shakespeare and Kate’s creator, the great Cole Porter, this brilliant battle of the sexes won the very first Tony Award for Best Musical and is considered one of Broadway’s great treasures. (John Jahn) Forgiveness (AllStars) Ex Fabula May 18 Winston Churchill: The Blitz Oconomowoc Arts Center May 18 Side Show Sunset Playhouse (Studio Series) May 30-June 2 Are You Drunk, Your Majesty? (World Premiere) Milwaukee Metro Voices May 30-June 9 DANCE Away from the Mirror (Student Production) Carthage College Dance May 10-11 A Midsummer Night’s Dream Milwaukee Ballet May 30-June 2 MUSIC Frankie Moreno Cedarburg Performing Arts Center May 3 “UWM Symphony Orchestra Season Finale” (Student Production) UWM Peck School of the Arts Music Department May 3 The Paul Thorn Band Thrasher Opera House May 3 and 4 “Spring Masterworks Concert—Season Finale” Racine Symphony Orchestra May 4 The RSO wraps up its 2018-’19 performing season with some delightful works spanning centuries, as well as a performance by the winner of the orchestra’s 2019 Young Artist Competition. Featured works include Christoph Willibald Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice Overture; Henryk Wieniawski’s Romance (featuring Maestro Pasquale Laurino as soloist); and Josef Haydn’s Symphony in B-Flat Major, Hob. I/102. (John Jahn) “Bernstein Centennial Celebration” Bach Chamber Choir May 5 “Rhapsody and Romance: Legends of the Piano” Festival City Symphony May 5 “Jubilation! Mozart and Lauridsen” Kettle Moraine Symphony May 5 “Rhapsody and Romance: Legends of the Piano” Festival City Symphony May 5 This concert at the Pabst Theater features Milwaukee pianist Jeannie Yu in the rarely heard Piano Concerto No. 1 of Frédéric Chopin. The music of another piano virtuoso, Franz Liszt, provides a fiery, romantic contrast to gentle Chopin via his Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 and his epic tone poem, Les Preludes. (John Jahn) “Girls’ Night Out!” Waukesha Choral Union May 5 “From Vivaldi to Beatles!” Milwaukee Musaik May 6 The Wisconsin Conservatory of Music (1584 N. Prospect Ave.) is the apropos site to hear Milwaukee Musaik’s fine instrumentalists as well as their special guest, guitarist Rene Izquierdo, for a diverse program of chamber works. Pieces to be performed range in composition from the 18th through late 20th centuries: Wolfgang Mozart’s Oboe Quartet in F Major; Astor Piazzolla’s L’Histoire du Tango for flute and guitar; Héctor Villa-Lobos’ Sexteto Místico; Antonio Vivaldi’s Concerto for Guitar and Strings in D Major; and John Lennon and Paul McCartney’s From Yesterday to Penny Lane. (John Jahn) “Spring Pajama Jamboree: Songs With and Without Words” Festival City Symphony May 8 “Symphony & Song” (Student Production) Cardinal Stritch University May 9 “North // South: Rimsky-Korsakov, Mozart” Concord Chamber Orchestra May 11 Session Americana Thrasher Opera House May 11 “Season Finale: Schoenberg, Mendelssohn” Frankly Music May 13 “Evening of Chamber Music” (Faculty Recital) Cardinal Stritch University May 13 “All Our Own” We Six Jazz Quartet May 16 “All-Night Vigil” Bel Canto Chorus May 17 Making Movies Latino Arts May 17 “Ranky Tanky” Sharon Lynn Wilson Center for the Arts May 17 “85th Anniversary Concert” Florentine Opera May 17-19 “Borodin’s String Quartet No. 2 and other works” Philomusica Quartet May 20 “Progressions May Melodies” Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra May 22 “Kahane Plays & Conducts” Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra May 24-25 VISUAL ART CONTINUING: MIAD 2019 Senior Exhibition (Student Exhibit) Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design Through May 11 “Bouguereau & America” Milwaukee Art Museum Through May 12 “Featured Artist: John Kearney” Wustum Museum of Fine Arts Through May 12 “Wisconsin Regional Art Program: Amateur artists from SE Wisconsin” Oconomowoc Arts Center Through May 18 “Alexis Rockman: The Great Lakes Cycle” Haggerty Museum of Art Through May 19 “Ralph Steiner: The City” Haggerty Museum of Art Through May 19 “Selections from Keith Haring’s Construction Fence” Haggerty Museum of Art Through May 19 “Handmade for Home: The Craft of Contemporary Design” Museum of Wisconsin Art Through May 19 “Catherine Lottes: A Mirror to the Soul of Nature” Alfons Gallery Through June 2 “Moving Images: British Royal Portraiture and the Circulation of Ideas” Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum Through June 2 “Freddy Hernandez: Mas De Mil-Walk-Aqui” Latino Arts Through June 7 “Jon Horvath & Hans Gindlesberger” Sharon Lynn Wilson Center for the Arts Through June 8 “Apartment 4: Iris Häussler and the Chipstone Foundation” John Michael Kohler Art Center Through June 16 “Mary Nohl and The Walrus Club” John Michael Kohler Art Center Through June 23 “Rogues Gallery: Wilde about the Theater” Schauer Arts and Activities Center Through June 23 Conhg Lopez Walker’s Point Center for the Arts Through July 6 “Fusion: Contemporary Enamels from RAM’s Collection” Racine Art Museum Through July 7 “From Nature: Contemporary Artists and Organic Materials” Racine Art Museum Through July 7 Sara Cwynar Milwaukee Art Museum Through July 21 “Raise Your Glass (Goblets): Recent Acquisitions from Alan and Barbara Boroff and the Kohler Foundation, Inc.” Racine Art Museum Through July 21 “Scott Reeder: B-Side of the Moon” John Michael Kohler Art Center Through Aug. 4 “Treasure Trove: Establishing Jewelry and Metal Archives at RAM” Racine Art Museum Through Aug. 4 “Saya Woolfalk: Visionary Reality Outpost” John Michael Kohler Art Center Through Aug. 18 Charles Radtke Milwaukee Art Museum Through Aug. 25 “Mark Baum: Collective Consciousness” John Michael Kohler Art Center Through Sept. 1 “Represent: Exploring Portraits from RAM’s Collection” Racine Art Museum Through Sept. 1 “The Autotopographers” John Michael Kohler Art Center Through Sept. 15 OPENING: “Patrick Doughman & Friends: Bruce Hustad, Tom Kulala & Vicki Reed” Cedarburg Cultural Center May 2-June 2 “Equine Celebration: The High Energy of The Horse—The Art of Chuck Weber” Cedarburg Cultural Center May 2-June 2 “Racine Unified Art Exhibition 2019” Wustum Museum of Fine Arts May 5-25
JUNE
THEATER CONTINUING: Tinker Bell (Family Friendly) First Stage Through June 2 Side Show Sunset Playhouse (Studio Series) Through June 2 Are You Drunk, Your Majesty? (World Premiere) Milwaukee Metro Voices Through June 9 Kiss Me, Kate Skylight Music Theatre Through June 9 The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey Third Avenue Playhouse Through June 9 OPENING: “One Act Festival” (World Premieres) Cooperative Performance June TBA Romeo and Juliet Summit Players June TBA Leading Ladies Sunset Playhouse June 6-23 But Why Bump Off Barnaby? Waukesha Civic Theatre June 6-23 Not Dead Yet Milwaukee Entertainment Group June 7-22 Written by Andrew Peterson, Not Dead Yet is described as a “quirky, dark and absurd murder-mystery play.” To make things even more tantalizing, MKE Entertainment Group says, “We’d tell you ahead of time the name of the famous director who’s coming to the Brumder Mansion, but we’d have to kill you. Trust us, you’ve heard of him.” (John Jahn) The Ransom of Red Chief Company of Strangers June 7-15 “34th Annual Original One Act Festival” Village Playhouse June 7-23 ’Til Beth Do Us Part Memories Dinner Theatre June 11-20 Suzannah Hayden needs more help on the home front than she’s getting from her husband, Gibby. Enter Beth Bailey, Suzannah’s newly hired assistant. Beth explodes into the Hayden household and whips it into a well-run machine. There’s a problem, though. In order to make things in the Hayden home run completely smoothly, Beth determines that Gibby must go! See what’s all at “steak” here in this dinner-theater comedy. (John Jahn) Irma La Douce Off the Wall Theatre June 12-23 Off the Wall describes this French musical with music by Marguerite Monnot and lyrics and book by Alexandre Breffort as “the beloved Broadway hit musical about a Parisian hooker with a heart of gold.” Alicia Rice stars with 10 multi-talented male actors in this production promising “wonderful comedy and beautiful songs.” In this musical play, a poor law student, Nestor le Fripé, falls in love with the title character and becomes jealous of her clients. He comes up with a creative plot to win her love. (John Jahn) We Like It Where? (World Premiere) Northern Sky Theater June 12-August 24 Dairy Heirs Northern Sky Theater June 14-August 23 A Trick of the Light (World Premiere) Peninsula Players June 18-July 7 Windjammers Northern Sky Theater June 18-August 20 The Dig Third Avenue Playhouse June 27-July 20 Milwaukee playwright Marie Kohler’s newest play receives its world premiere at TAP’s Studio Theatre, Door County’s only year-round professional theatre and a home for Milwaukee artists. Kohler’s play is described as the story of a businesswoman compelled by an international inquiry to investigate the origin of an ancient pot that was her brother’s. This leads to an understanding and acceptance of the brother’s transformative psychological breakdown on an archeological dig in Lebanon 30 years earlier. (John Schneider) DANCE CONTINUING: A Midsummer Night’s Dream Milwaukee Ballet Through June 2 MUSIC “Spring Concert” Chant Claire Chamber Choir June 1 “Passport to Summer” Milwaukee Festival Brass June 1 “StalheimTime Finale” Present Music June 1 Kevin Stalheim founded Present Music in the early ’80s and has guided the world-acclaimed contemporary and recent music ensemble with his eclectic taste. His core idea: Difficult music can be fun. Stalheim is retiring as music director after this season’s closing concert, but Present Music has already laid plans for continuing without its founder. (David Luhrssen) “A Night at the Oper(etta)” Master Singers of Milwaukee June 1-2 “French Masters” Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra June 7-8 Carmina Burana Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra June 21-23 California Guitar Trio Thrasher Opera House June 28 “Mendelssohn & Mahler” Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra June 28-29 VISUAL ART CONTINUING: “Catherine Lottes: A Mirror to the Soul of Nature” Alfons Gallery Through June 2 “Moving Images: British Royal Portraiture and the Circulation of Ideas” Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum Through June 2 “Patrick Doughman & Friends: Bruce Hustad, Tom Kulala & Vicki Reed” Cedarburg Cultural Center Through June 2 “Equine Celebration: The High Energy of The Horse—The Art of Chuck Weber” Cedarburg Cultural Center Through June 2 “Freddy Hernandez: Mas De Mil-Walk-Aqui” Latino Arts Through June 7 “Jon Horvath & Hans Gindlesberger” Sharon Lynn Wilson Center for the Arts Through June 8 “Apartment 4: Iris Häussler and the Chipstone Foundation” John Michael Kohler Art Center Through June 16 “Mary Nohl and The Walrus Club” John Michael Kohler Art Center Through June 23 “Rogues Gallery: Wilde about the Theater” Schauer Arts and Activities Center Through June 23 Conhg Lopez Walker’s Point Center for the Arts Through July 6 “Fusion: Contemporary Enamels from RAM’s Collection” Racine Art Museum Through July 7 “From Nature: Contemporary Artists and Organic Materials” Racine Art Museum Through July 7 Sara Cwynar Milwaukee Art Museum Through July 21 “Raise Your Glass (Goblets): Recent Acquisitions from Alan and Barbara Boroff and the Kohler Foundation, Inc.” Racine Art Museum Through July 21 “Scott Reeder: B-Side of the Moon” John Michael Kohler Art Center Through Aug. 4 “Treasure Trove: Establishing Jewelry and Metal Archives at RAM” Racine Art Museum Through Aug. 4 “Saya Woolfalk: Visionary Reality Outpost” John Michael Kohler Art Center Through Aug. 18 Charles Radtke Milwaukee Art Museum Through Aug. 25 “Mark Baum: Collective Consciousness” John Michael Kohler Art Center Through Sept. 1 “Represent: Exploring Portraits from RAM’s Collection” Racine Art Museum Through Sept. 1 “The Autotopographers” John Michael Kohler Art Center Through Sept. 15 OPENING: “Among the Wonders of the Dells: Photography, Place, Tourism” Museum of Wisconsin Art June 1-Sept. 8 Between its breathtaking views, majestic sandstone formations and gaudy waterparks, the Wisconsin Dells have been a popular tourist destination for over a century. This exhibit tells the story of how the Dells became the leisure hub it is today through new and historical photographs, while examining shifts in tourist habits and the often-insensitive appropriation of Native American culture that still runs rampant around the Dells. (Evan Rytlewski) “Racine Art Guild Juried Exhibition 2019” Wustum Museum of Fine Arts June 8-Aug. 10 “RAM Community Art Exhibition” Wustum Museum of Fine Arts June 8-Aug. 10 “Marc Chagall: Le Cirque” Jewish Museum Milwaukee June 13-Sept. 8 “James Nares: Moves” Milwaukee Art Museum June 14-Oct. 6 “Suzanne Schreiber: Quiet Spaces” Alfons Gallery June 16-July 28 “S. Barbara Cervenka, O.P.: 1,000 Cranes for Iraq” Alfons Gallery June 16-July 28 “James Barany: Amalgamated Anthropologies” Sharon Lynn Wilson Center for the Arts June 17-Aug. 3 “Big Idea VII” (Student Exhibit) Latino Arts June 27-Aug. 23
