Weekly Highlights from 3/10-3/16

Wayne McGregor/Random Dance presents Entity this week. Photo by Ravi Deepres courtesy of website.

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Vlado Kreslin. Photo courtesy of Theatre Gigante.

Three Other Sisters, Theatre Gigante, Off Broadway Theatre, 3/11-3/13
Created by TG’s artistic creating team, Isabelle Kralj and Mark Anderson, Three Other Sisters is a haunting Montenegrin legend based on a true story of three sisters, each in love with the same Sea Captain who swore his eternal love and loyalty to each woman with a promise to return as he goes off to sea. The women remain true to the Sea Captain as they wait out their whole lives together in the confines of their family home: three sisters, three jilted lovers, three doomed dreamers.  TG’s Three Other Sisters will seamlessly interweave dialogue, movement and music, and will unite three Milwaukee veteran performers on stage for the first time: Kralj, Janet Lilly, and Simone Ferro, who will be featured as the Three Sisters. The musical element will be provided by Vlado Kreslin, who will play his own music, as well as songs by Bob Dylan, and Philip Chevron (The Pogues).
Tickets $10-$25.  Showtime 8 p.m.  For more information, visit Theatre Gigante or call 414-961-6119.
….Kreslin will also perform a solo concert of his own music and Slovenian folk music, presented by TG at the Off-Broadway Theater on Sunday, March 14th at 3:00 pm.

The Skylight’s Harpo, Chico and Groucho — Ray Jivoff, Benjamin Howes and Norman Moses — clowning during a PR shoot at the Oriental Theater.

A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine, Skylight Opera Theatre, Broadway Theatre Center, 3/12-4/4
Two one-act musicals provide a “double feature”:  The first act, A Day in Hollywood, takes us to the lobby of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in the 1930s where the ushers sing a musical tribute to the screen stars and productions of that magical era (including a musical homage to film clichés and a tap salute to the 1930 Production Code governing on-screen sex and violence);  The second act, A Night in the Ukraine, is billed as “the funniest musical the Marx Brothers never wrote,” sweeping us away to Russia for a madcap musical featuring all the usual Marx Brothers suspects, and loosely based on Chekhov’s one-act play, The Bear.
TCD’s Tom Strini will interview A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine cast members in the Skylight Bar immediately following the Wed., March 17 performance.
Tickets $20-$62.  Showtimes 7:30 p.m. with 2 p.m. Sunday matinee.  Visit the Skylight or call 414-291-7800.

Bye Bye Birdie, Waukesha Civic Theatre, 3/12-3/28
This musical tells the story of Conrad Birdie, a rock and roll singer who is about to be inducted into the army. Conrad’s agent, Albert, and Albert’s faithful secretary, Rose, concoct one final publicity stunt before the induction: he will bid a typical American teenage girl goodbye with an all-American kiss. Kim MacAfee in Sweet Apple, Ohio wins the honor, and the arrival of Birdie in her quiet little town causes a major commotion.
Tickets $15-$19.  Showtimes vary, so visit Waukesha Civic Theatre or call 262-547-0708.

Always…Patsy Cline, Memories Ballroom, 3/12-3/21
More than a tribute to the legendary country singer, this show is based on a true story about Cline’s friendship with a fan. Complete with down home country humor, true emotion and even audience participation, it features several of Cline’s hits (27 songs in all).
Tickets $15-$28.  Showtimes vary, so visit Memories Ballroom or call 262-284-6850.

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Pianist Jeffrey Siegel. Photo courtesy of website.

Keyboard Conversations: Chopin the Storyteller, Wisconsin Lutheran College Schwan Concert Hall, 3/10
Epic poems and short stories in tones: what may have inspired these musical narratives and how does a composer convey their meaning without words? The program includes Ballades of Chopin, Novelettes of Robert Schumann (whose 200th birthday we also celebrate this season) and Ballades of Brahms with pianist Jeffrey Siegel.
Tickets $12-$33.  Concert begins at 7:30 p.m.  Visit Wisconsin Lutheran or call 414-443-8800.

Margaret Fingerhut in Recital, UW-Milwaukee Recital Hall, 3/12
Acclaimed British pianist Margaret is regarded as one of the most poetic pianists of her generation who has captivated audiences in many different countries with her imaginatively designed recital programs, “A World of Piano Themes.”  In these programs she explores the highways and byways of the piano repertoire, personally introducing the music to the audience from the keyboard. As a concerto soloist Fingerhut has appeared with the London Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and the London Mozart Players. She is often heard on BBC Radio 3 and Classic FM and many radio stations worldwide.
Recital is free and open to the public.  Concert begins at 7:30 p.m.  For more information, visit PSOA or call 414-229-4308.

An American in Paris, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Marcus Center Uihlein Hall, 3/12-3/13
Gershwin’s charming musical postcard completes a program of all-American masterworks. Music by John Adams, Mark Niekrug, and Aaron Copland’s sizzling “El Salon Mexico” as conducted by Giancarlo Guerrero, featuring clarinetist Todd Levy.
Tickets $24-$77.  Concert begins at 11:15 a.m. on Friday, 8 p.m. on Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday.  Visit the MSO or call 414-291-7605.

Danu. Photo courtesy of website.

Danu, Sharon Lynn Wilson Center for the Arts, 3/12-3/13
Hailing from historic County Waterford, Danú is one of the leading traditional Irish ensembles of today. Their standing-room-only concerts throughout Ireland are high-energy performances with a glorious mix of ancient Irish music and new repertoire.
Concerts begin at 8 p.m.  Visit the Sharon Lynn Wilson Center or call 262-781-9520.

Milwaukee Blues Festival, Milwaukee Theatre, 3/13
The annual blues festival returns for 2010. Performers include such southern blues legends as Bobby “Blue” Bland, Bobby Rush, Theodis Ealey, OB Buchana, Millie Jackson and Ms. Jody.
Tickets $49.50-$59.50.  Festival begins at 7 p.m.  Visit the Milwaukee Theatre or call 414-908-6001.

Missa Lorca, Bel Canto Chorus, St. Joseph Center Chapel,  3/14
The Bel Canto Chorus performs the United States premiere of Corrado Margutti’s Missa Lorca, a 2008 work commissioned by the St. Jakob’s Chamber Choir in Stockholm, in which the Italian composer sets the Latin text of the mass and the poetry of Spanish poet Frederic Garcia Lorca. This contemporary work will be paired with anthems by Palestrina, Purcell, Parker, and Brahms, as well as Britten’s Missa Brevis, sung by the Bel Canto Boy Choir.
Tickets $15-$25.  Concert begins at 3 p.m.  Visit Bel Canto or call 414-481-8801.

Milwaukee Youth Music Celebration, Milwaukee Children’s Choir and the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra, Elmbrook Church, 3/14
Each spring Milwaukee Children’s Choir and the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra join forces and perform.  Featuring MYSO Senior Symphony, Milwaukee Childrens Choir, Youth Chorale, and guest choirs.
Visit MYSO or call 414-267-2950 for more information.

Shidara. Photo courtesy of website.

Shidara, Wisconsin Lutheran College Guest Series, 3/16
Recognized as one of the foremost Japanese drum companies in the world, Shidara are masters of Taiko, the percussive form that is a centuries-old tradition. With extraordinary strength and training, these artists train for years to bring precision, incomparable ensemble work and incredible passion to their work, blending masterful skill, blinding energy and break-neck speed.
Tickets $12-$36.  Showtime 7:30 p.m.  Visit Wisconsin Lutheran College or call 414-443-8800.

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Wayne McGregor. Photo by Nick Mead courtesy of website.

Wayne McGregor/Random Dance, Alverno College, 3/13
An hour-long trip through a soundscape created by Coldplay and Massive Attack collaborator Jon Hopkins, and award-winning composer Joby Talbot (The Divine Comedy), Wayne McGregor/Random Dance’s Entity is a staggering blend of bodies, lights, technology and film. McGregor is a multi award-winning British choreographer, renowned for his physically testing choreography and ground-breaking collaborations across dance, film, music, visual art, technology and science. McGregor is also a frequent creator of new work for La Scala, Milan, Paris Opera Ballet, Nederlands Dans Theatre, San Francisco Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet and English National Ballet, as well as movement director for theater and film (including Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire).
Tickets $35.  Show begins at 8 p.m.  Visit Alverno for more information.

Voices of Liberation, Mastersingers and Ko Thi Dance, UW-Milwaukee Zelazo Center, 3/13
Voices, drums and African dance combine in a unique concert experience as the Master Singers of Milwaukee and Ko-Thi African Dance come together for a performance of Missa Luba, a Catholic Mass in the Congolese style for tenor soloist, chorus and percussion. Ko-Thi Dance founding Artistic Director Ferne Yangyeitie Caulker has created original choreography for Ko-Thi dancers to perform during the Mass movements.
Performances on March 6th, 7:30 p.m., at the Hamilton Fine Arts Center, Sussex; Saturday,March 13th, 7:30 p.m. at the Zelazo Center, Peck School of the Arts. Tickets are available through the Hamilton Fine Arts Center Box Office or through the performing ensembles websites: Master Singers or Ko Thi.

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For more arts/culture coverage or event leads, check out the TCD Calendar.