Jane Flieller, co-founder and managing director of In Tandem Theatre, and Jill Anna Ponasik, producing artistic director of Milwaukee Opera Theatre (MOT), have admired each other’s work for years and have come together for the first time to present Anne Croswell and Lee Pockriss’ Ernest in Love, a musical adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s most popular and enduring play, The Importance of Being Earnest.
“The opportunity to work on a piece of classic music theater with In Tandem is a complete thrill,” Ponasik says. “What they contribute to this community is extraordinary and I knew that Milwaukee Opera Theatre could learn and grow as an organization by partnering with them on Ernest in Love.” Flieller adds, “We have known Jill Anna for a while now and have been very impressed with the direction in which she is taking MOT. Ernest in Love is an ambitious project and it made perfect sense to team up with MOT.”
In Tandem and MOT both took part in the audition and cast-selection process, and MOT provided four actors as well as a choreographer for the show. “While In Tandem has produced many musicals in its 18-year history, we are seldom able to afford a separate choreographer and instead rely on the expertise of actors cast in the show for assistance with dance and movement,” Flieller says. “MOT provided James Zager for this project and he has been amazing. He has a great sense of the time period of the piece and his choreography is unique to each number.” The partnership, combined with extra patron funding, also enabled In Tandem to engage two musicians beyond the staple keyboardist—a flutist and clarinet player. The show’s top-notch cast includes Zachary Thomas Woods, Doug Clemons, Angela Iannone and David Flores.
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Flieller concludes, “We believe that material like Ernest is important to produce; audiences young and old need to be reintroduced to a forgotten gem like Ernest in Love and local actors/singers benefit by either acquiring the skills needed to portray something as classic as Ernest—both in the mastering of the music and Wilde’s impeccable dialogue—or for the more experienced actors, having the opportunity to put their prior training and experience to work.”
Ernest in Love runs April 22-May 15 at In Tandem’s Tenth Street Theatre, 628 N. 10th St. For more information and tickets, call 414-271-1371 or visit intandemtheatre.org.
Theatre Happenings:
Marquette Theatre and the Opus College of Engineering have collaborated to present RnJ, a one-hour Romeo and Juliet adaptation by Grace DeWolff that utilizes 3D imaging technology to create realistic scenic backdrops. The world premiere includes six performances inside Marquette College of Engineering’s Visualization Lab (MARVL; 1637 W. Wisconsin Ave.) with each performance featuring a different cast of three local actors using Unrehearsed Shakespeare technique. The show runs April 15-17; for tickets, call 414-288-7504 or visit showclix.com/event/rnj-marvl.
Okie Joe by Alan Atwood is a play staged as a black-and-white film set shooting the story of an Oklahoma farmer’s son in California during the 1930s. This Morning Star Productions show runs April 15-24 at Eastbrook Church, 5385 N. Green Bay Ave. For more information and tickets, call 414-228-5220 ext. 119 or visit morningstarproductions.org.
Schauer Arts & Activities Center presents Reid Miller: Story Time with Puppets at 3 p.m. on Sunday, April 17 for its Tikes in Pikes Series. Show takes place at 147 N. Rural St., Hartford. For tickets, call 262-670-0560 ext. 3 or visit schauercenter.org.
The Accidental Hero, a multi-media one-man show featuring Patrick Dewane who recounts the true story of his grandfather’s military journey, comes to The Marcus Center for Performing Arts for one performance only on Saturday, April 23 at 7:30 p.m. For more information and tickets, call 414-273-7206 or visit marcuscenter.org.
See which of the six spellers leaves victorious in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at Sunset Playhouse’s Furlan Auditorium (800 Elm Grove Road), April 21-May 8. For tickets, call 262-782-4430 or visit sunsetplayhouse.com.
The Carthage College Theatre Department presents Urinetown, a three-time Tony Award-winning musical, directed by Mary MacDonald Kerr. Show runs April 22-30 at the Wartburg Auditorium (2001 Alford Park Drive, Kenosha). For tickets, call 262-551-6661 or visit carthage.edu.
