Given the fact that hip-hop has been around for about 40 years now, it's surprising that a show like The Bomb-itty of Errors didn't debut until the 2000s. It seems like a hip-hop adaptation of Shakespeare should have happened decades ago. At this point, in an era of Auto-Tune and the fusion of hip-hop with a dozen other musical styles, the straight-ahead rap in Bomb-itty comes across as positively retro. Part comedy, part rap concert, the critically and commercially successful show makes it to the Stackner Cabaret, courtesy of a new production by the Milwaukee Rep.
Director Megan Nicole O'Brien began working with the cast of actors in late February, and the auditions came with some rather strange requirements. The notice put out by Stephanie Klapper Casting required those who were trying out for a role to present a 60- to 90-second "comedic rap and 16 bars of an R&B song to be sung a cappella. The rap can be a pre-existing song or a monologue (Shakespearean or other) that they've turned into a rap."
The cast includes Wayne T. Carr, who has appeared in numerous local productions (notably, the Rep's Trouble in Mind and The Glass Menagerie).Carr joins a cast of professionals from Philadelphia who are new to the Rep.
The Milwaukee Rep's production of The Bomb-itty of Errors runs March 18-May 8 at the Stackner Cabaret. To reserve tickets, call 414-224-9490.
Theater Happenings
- James DeVita talks of going from fishing boats to floorboards as Renaissance Theaterworkswelcomes the talented actor's one-man show In Acting Shakespeare March 25-April 17 at the Broadway Theatre Center's Studio Theatre. To reserve tickets, call 414-291-7800.
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- Off the Wall Theatre brings Bertolt Brecht's classic Mother Courage to its intimate studio space. Marilyn White stars in a new translation by Dale Gutzman that features a dozen songs composed specifically for the production by Jack Forbes Wilson. Mother Courage runs March 24-April 3. To reserve tickets, call 414-327-3552.
