On Tuesday, the Milwaukee Rep opened its much-hypedproduction of the 1966 hit Broadway musical drama Cabaret.With asubstantial cast, the direction of the Rep’s Mark Clements and choreography byMilwaukee Ballet’s Michael Pink, Cabaret isbeing billed as the first full-scale musical to fill the Quadracci Powerhouse.
The Quadracci’s cozythrust stage, with its multiple entrances and exits, will be an interestinghome to one of the best musicals of all time. Lee Ernst plays the master ofceremonies at the Kit Kat Club, a seedy performance space in Berlin in 1931the dawn of the Third Reich.Two Rep newcomers form the central romance of the drama, as Kelley Faulknerplays dancer Sally Bowles and Geoffrey Hemingway portrays American writer CliffBradshaw.%uFFFD
The Milwaukee Rep’sproduction of Cabaret runs Sept.14-Oct. 24 at the Quadracci Powerhouse.
The Skylight Opera Theatre also kicks off its season this week, albeitwith an altogether different ’60s musical set in the ’30s: Dames at Sea. In a parody of the large movie musicals of the 1930s,Dames tells the story of Ruby (MeghanDeese), a young chorus girl who longs to be a leading lady on Broadway. Herdreams are jeopardized when her show is nearly canceled due to the lack of avenue. Ruby’s budding love for a sailor named Dick (Skylight newcomer ChadBroskey) helps matters considerably, as Dick is willing to let the performersuse his boat for the show.
Dames at Sea is much lighter than Cabareta purposeful choice by Skylightmanagement. “I thought it would be nice to begin this season with a musicalthat was charming, funny and tuneful,” says Skylight Artistic Director BillTheisen, “a purely joyous way to kick off the 2010/2011 season.”
Skylight Opera Theatre’sproduction of Dames at Sea runs Sept.17-Oct. 3 at the Broadway Theatre Center’sCabot Theatre.
- Next Act Theatre opens its season withFlora Coker, Laura Gray, Mary MacDonald Kerr and Mark Ulrich in Joel DrakeJohnson’s Four Places. The stellarcast, under the direction of David Cecsarini, performs the darkly comedicfamily drama at the Tenth Street Theatre Sept. 16-Oct. 10.
- Liv Mueller and Michael Keiley star asKatherine and Petruchio in Carte Blanche’s production of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew.The classic comedy runs Sept. 23-Oct.10 at Carte Blanche Studios (1024 S. Fifth St.).
