The nonprofit UPROOTED theatre, founded in 2008 by Marti Gobel, Tiffany Yvonne Cox, Travis Knight and Dennis F. Johnson to produce plays and programs that affirm, exhibit and inspire Milwaukee’s growing African American population, has announced that it will close after its final performance of Tennessee Williams’ Suddenly Last Summer. The production features the all-African American cast of Marti Gobel, Marques Causey, Sola Thompson, Mara McGhee, Derrion Brown, Raven Dockery and Freedom Gobel.
“Our choosing to do an all-African American cast, without changing one word of text, is relevant because it demonstrates that actors of color can shine in non-traditional roles,” says the show’s director, Dennis F. Johnson. “Tennessee Williams writes so beautifully and with such honesty that his characters are universal. The time period may be of a period removed, but the characters, their emotions, fears, wants, needs, are timeless. Many of the issues that arise are still being dealt with today. Sexuality, mental illness, the disparity between the classes and the power money holds are all issues just as relevant now as in ’58 when the show was written and in ’36, when it takes place. The show is really a thriller and true to great thrillers, as many of the answers the audience seeks don’t come until the last few pages.”
Johnson says of the company’s closing, “UPROOTED may no longer exist as an entity, but its effects will be felt for a long time to come. We have gotten to work with amazing artists, onstage and off. We were guided and nurtured by established companies. We have gotten to meet and get to know and love the most supportive, welcoming and loyal patrons one could ask for.” Gobel and Johnson will continue to host/coordinate the annual event Against Type! and the Milwaukee Diversity Generals will be coordinated every other year.
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Suddenly Last Summer runs May 14-24 at Next Act Theatre, 222 S. Water St. Talkbacks will be held after each performance. For more information and tickets, visit uprootedmke.com or nextact.org.
Theatre Happenings:
■ Milwaukee Youth Theatre presents E.B. White’s Stuart Little Friday, May 15 at 7 p.m. at Lincoln Middle School of the Arts, 820 E. Knapp St. Enjoy this charming adaptation by Joseph Robinette about a New York mouse trying to survive in a “real people’s world.” For tickets, call 414-390-3900 or visit milwaukeeyouththeatre.org.
■ Shakespeare’s Prince of Denmark visits First Stage (325 W. Walnut St.) with the Young Company’s performance of Hamlet. Show runs May 15-17. For tickets, call 414-267-2961 or visit firststage.org.
■ Racine Theatre Guild brings to stage Monty Python’s Spamalot, a hilarious adaptation by Eric Idle and John DuPrez of the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Join the Knights of the Round Table in their search for the Holy Grail May 15-31 at 2519 Northwestern Ave., Racine. For tickets, call 262-633-4218 or visit racinetheatre.org.
■ African American Children’s Theatre presents The Trial of Alexander T. Wolf, an original humorous adaptation of the story of the Three Little Pigs that features Elm Creative Arts School kindergarten through fifth grade students, and Milwaukee Heroes in Concert, a portrayal of contemporary leaders Joanne Williams, Bezelee Martin, Faithe Colas and Evelyn Patricia Terry that features teens from AACT’s after-school program at the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center. Both shows will be performed Thursday, May 14 at 4 p.m. at Elm Creative Arts School, 900 W. Walnut St. Admission is free. For more information, call 414-461-5771 or visit aact.us.
