Photo via Boulevard Theatre Facebook
Boulevard Theatre continues its always original artistic journey throughout the city, this time collaborating with the Plymouth Chorale at the Plymouth Church on Milwaukee’s East Side. Where the Streetcar Bends the Corner, Down by the Zoo! is a double bill of comedy sketches and satires of well-known songs done in tribute to Milwaukee circa the mid-1950s.
Devised by Boulevard’s Artistic Director Mark Bucher and veteran actor-director David Flores, Part One of this Streetcar takes us on a 50-minute streetcar ride revisiting familiar sights and sounds of the city—local ’50’s spots such as the Holiday House restaurant and Schuster’s Department Store, as well as historic areas like Bronzeville and Mitchell Street. The key part to this collaboration is the music and singing and the 19-member Chorale serves the production well under the capable direction of Donna Kummer.
Part Two parodies Arthur Sullivan’s rarely performed The Zoo—a musical operetta which borrows at times from Romeo and Juliet. The church acoustics worked beautifully for the gorgeous soprano vocals of Lydia Rose Eiche as well as the strong baritone of Zachary Dean. At other times, words got lost in the vast space. But the Plymouth Chorale provided solid underpinning through the more than 40-minute piece.
Through Oct. 30 at the Plymouth Church, 2717 E. Hampshire St. For tickets, call 414-744-5757 or visit boulevardtheatre.com.
