feature article - october 2007

City’s theater scene sparkles

MILWAUKEE’S THRIVING theater scene delights visitors and residents alike. As the theater listings in the KeyMilwaukee.com’s Arts and Entertainment section illustrate, offerings range from children’s fare to Shakespeare to the best of Broadway.

Attend one of October’s plays, and plan ahead to view an upcoming production. November brings a treasure trove of plays and musicals, many themed around the holidays.

Nov. 23-Dec. 24, First Stage Children’s Theater features the world premiere of playwright James DeVita’s “12 Days – A Milwaukee Christmas.” This turn-of-the-century story depicts how an extraordinary teacher brought the joy of the holidays to her students during a harrowing time of war.

Starting Nov. 15, Next Act Theatre’s “Greetings” by Tom Dudzick shows the results when Andy Gorski brings home his Jewish-atheist fiancée to spend Christmas Eve with gentle Mom and gruff, conservative Dad, both devoutly Catholic. In Tandem Theatre Company returns to the Performing Arts Center’s Vogel Hall, Nov. 23-Jan. 5, in “A Cudahy Caroler Christmas,” a play loaded with local humor by Anthony Wood.

Nov. 15-Dec. 16, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre tells the story of a cantankerous judge and the girl who comes in (as yet another new secretary) to help the old man complete his remarkable memoirs. “Trying,” by Joanna McClelland Glass, is a heartwarming tale about two wary individuals who overcome generational and class differences to become friends.

Skylight Opera Theatre features Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas,” based on the classic 1954 film, Nov. 23-Dec. 31.  The Milwaukee Repertory Theater presents the timeless classic, “A Christmas Carol,” in the gilded elegance of the Pabst Theater. From Nov. 23-Dec. 23, audiences will be swept into a production filled with music, dancing and celebration.

This is just a sampling of what’s coming up in the theater scene. For more information and updates, Keymilwaukee.com in November.