Renaissance Closes Its Season With 'Honour'

<p> In<em> Honour</em>, Joanna Murray-Smith explores the cultural phenomenon of a man leaving his wife for a younger woman after decades of marriage. The stage drama makes its way to the Broadway Theatre Center courtesy of <strong>Renaissance Theaterworks</strong>. The deeply affecting Laura Gordon plays Honor, a poet whose journalist husband Gus (Brian Mani) leaves her for a promising young journalist named Claudia (Greta Wohlrabe).<br /><br />Gordon has the kind of strength to portray stunning resilienceemotion that should be that much more powerful on the small stage of the Broadway Theatre Center's Studio Theatre.<br /><br />Mani has shown before that he can breathe complexity into this type of role, most recently in Renaissance's production of <em>Blackbird </em>last season.<br /><br />Wohlrabe is every bit the youth she's playing here. As a member of the Milwaukee Rep's Acting Intern Ensemble last year, she made a notable performance in the company's inaugural “Rep Lab.” In that show, she managed to create a dynamic stage presence in Neil LaBute's <em>The Furies </em>without saying a word.<br /><br />Karen Estrada rounds out the cast as the adult daughter of George and Honor. The daughter is roughly the same age as Claudia. Estrada's ability to express emotion should greatly aid this kind of ensemble show.<em><br /><br />Honour</em>,<em> </em>which runs March 23-April 15 at the Broadway Theatre Center's Studio Theatre, marks the end of the season for Renaissance Theaterworks. For ticket reservations, call 414-291-7800.<strong><br /><br />Theater Happenings</strong><strong><br /><br /></strong></p> <ul> <li><strong>UW-Milwaukee Theatre's </strong>“New Directions”series for student directors presents <em>Mr. Marmalade</em>, the story of a 4-year-old girl with an imaginary friend who, among other things, beats up his personal assistant and battles a cocaine addiction. Directed by Angela Fingard, the dark comedy runs March 30-April 1 at Kenilworth Studio 508. Call 414-229-4308 for ticket reservations.</li> </ul> <ul> <li>Also opening next week is an <strong>Off the Wall Theatre</strong> production of the Shakespearean classic<strong> </strong><em>The Tempest</em>.<strong><em> </em></strong>Dale Gutzman stars as Prospero and Marilyn White plays Ariel in an intimate staging that runs March 29-April 7. For ticket reservations, call 414-327-3552.</li> </ul>