Milwaukee Chamber Theatre Puts Its Stamp on ‘Mauritius’

Mauritius, the tiny island nation off the coast of Africa, issued its first postage stamps in 1847. An envelope containing two of those rare stamps sold for almost $4 million in 1993. When such large sums of money become attached to such tiny artifacts, invariably some serious drama is going to be involved. It is this drama that playwright Theresa Rebeck has captured with her contemporary thriller Mauritius, which Milwaukee Chamber Theatre looks to bring to the stage of the Broadway Theatre Center’s intimate Studio Theatre this month.

Milwaukee native Andrew Volkoff directs a strong local cast, including Jonathan Wainwright, Milwaukee Chamber Artistic Director C. Michael Wright and Drew Brhel as three men who take an interest in the stamp collection. The cleverness of the casting lies in the unique stage presence of these three men. Wainwright has a lean, sinewy look, Wright offers a very friendly, approachable stage presence, and Brhel carries a robust energy that should balance out the other two men. Betsy Skowbo and Sara Zientek play two half-sisters. This drama sounds like a promising way to heat up some of the last days of winter.

Milwaukee Chamber Theatre’s Mauritius runs Feb. 17-March 13 at the Broadway Theatre Center’s Studio Theatre. To reserve tickets, call the box office at 414-291-7800.

Theater Happenings

• This week First Stage Children’s Theater opens a folk-rock musical about a fly named Pico. Jeremiah Clay Neal’s U: Bug: Me tells the story of a fly who casts himself out of his backyard home in part due to a lack of acceptance from his girlfriend’s parents. His girlfriend? A caterpillar. The show runs Feb. 18-March 13 at the Marcus Center’s Todd Wehr Theater. To reserve tickets, call 414-273-7206.

• The touring production of Hair, the glossy Broadway show about the 1960s counterculture, makes it to the stage of the Marcus Center’s Uihlein Hall Feb. 22-27. For tickets, call 414-273-7206.