By Paul Kosidowski
Milwaukee Magazine
October 24, 2012
Why? Celebrations of American music pioneer John Cage are everywhere these days, as musicians celebrate what would have been his 100th birthday (September 5th). But this concert, featuring some of the most talented and adventurous of Milwaukee musicians, should be extra special—mostly because these players have been honoring Cage for most of their careers. The roster includes Hal Rammel, Thomas Gaudynski, Heather Warren-Crow and Amanda Schoofs, who you may remember as the haunting voice in Wild Space Dance Company’s on-site performance at the Pritzlaff Building in 2011.
#4: A Steady Rain at Next Act Theatre
Why? Because a new theater space in town means more possibilities, including this “touring show” from Chicago that is in town for only a weekend. Chicago playwright Keith Huff’s play was accomplished enough to have Daniel Craig and Hugh Jackman give it a spin when it played Broadway in 2009. Dan and Hugh aren’t available for the Milwaukee run, but the play is in the fine hands of director Russ Tutterow, who helped shepherd it as director of Chicago Dramatists. Randy Steinmeyer and Peter Defaria star as two Chicago cops whose friendship is put to the test by circumstances that will sound very familiar to anyone around town when the Jeffrey Dahmer case hit the news.
#3: Present Music’s Falling at UW-Milwaukee’s Helen Zelaso Center
Why? Always drawn to interesting collaborations, Present Music reaches out to create new dance pieces by some of the city’s best choreographers. Kevin Stalheim selected contemporary music for Simone Ferro and Dani Kuepper of the UW-Milwaukee Peck School Dance Department, and for Petr Zahradnicek and Tim O’Donnell of the Milwaukee Ballet. And each choreographer assembled a company, often with dancers they had never worked with before. They will all be performed with live music this weekend.
Read the full article in Milwaukee Magazine.
