Let Them Eat SPAM -- Gail Blohowiak's play about two widows tryng to regain lost funds, opens at the Capitol Library, Milwaukee, Saturday, May 4th, at 1:00pm.  No tickets.  Donations accepted.

​While in the past, and generally what most such festivals do, is hold their events over the course of a single weekend or even two; we thought we’d try something different to reach out to more people and find new participants and new 
audiences.  So we’ve spread the festival out over many weeks, and in two phases, starting in spring and carrying on well into summer.  In the past, it was down into several segments often competing against each other on a weekend — this way they are consecutive so that more attention can be given to a single aspect — and placed around the county so that audiences not usually drawn to something across town might be able to take in a program they would normally miss.

So we started with the Readers Theater — a format in which staged readings of new plays by local and selected regional authors can be heard, and where local performing talent can be given a place to shine.  To expand, we would also record as many of these performances as possible so that exposure on radio and the internet would help broadcast the results (further info added to our site).

This year, the playwrights picked were:

Gail Buntin Blohowiak          Arianna Rose
Michael Lucchesi       Allison Fradkin
Dan Morra        Regina Cooper
Germaine Shames     Jordan Noble
Francis Higgins                (and Nimbus’s own) Ron Schaefer

The Plays Offered This Year Are:

Let Them Eat SPAM; The Ripple Effect
The Perilous Game; Heard Mentality
C12-H22-O11 An Acquired Taste; Denial
Better Tenants;  Girl X Two

And a recycling of last years plays for another go around:

Myrva The Devil That Plagues Her
White Man’s Justice    Job
The Refugees; Gun Play; The Rapists

​For the modern theater lover "Uncle Vanya" at Lincoln Center's Vivian Beaumont Theater may very well be for you. This "Vanya" is not the typical play by Chekhov; in its new rendition by Heidi Schreck, we get more modern language, modern costumes (Kaye Voyce) and modern direction by Lila Neugebauer.

 Vanya (Steve Carell) has spent most of his life farming the land so that Alexander (Alfred Molina) can carry on with his art studies as a celebrated professor and teacher. Both Molina and Carell as well as Alison Pill as Sonya are standouts in this production, laying waste to all the other actors in the cast.

 Where the sound resonates in this well appointed theater (Mikhail Fiksel and Beth Lake), the sets by Mimi Lien are unimpressive. Lap Chi Chu gives us the support on lighting and her moods vary well amongst this two hours and fifteen minutes.

 "Uncle Vanya" is slow at times, very slow due to Neugebauer's direction. Actors don't always blend well causing pockets of weakness in the dialogue. Both William Jackson Harper as Astrov and Anika Noni Rose as Elena cannot hold the stage nor the attention of the audience. Since the show is put in modern language, these two actors appear more like people in the inner city rather than stage professionals; even their body language goes anathema to this great classic.

 In a slow-go of this play, the show does pick up almost half way through the first act. The dialogue and the melding of characters never fully catches its stride however. We get a mesh-mosh of thoughts, feelings and adversity, but the true feelings are never brought to the forefront emotionally. At the end of the play we get to hear Vanya rant about his feelings, how he gave up his life for the farm which is weakly portrayed at the back of the theater. The audience never feels his pain as Carell holds back and we never feel the strong emotions. More comedic than serious, he is at his best when the show has him bantering about. 
 In Voyce's costumes we get both the elegant and the mundane. Never overwhelmed by the garb, it fades away like much of this play does. For the modern theater lover, however, there are a lot of things in this show that you will like. The sets which never really blend with the show are intricate and give meaning to the modern. The deft sound keeps the play eery at times especially with the reverbs at different times during the performance. The backdrop in the second act is clever even though it is difficult to sift through the conventional writings of Chekhov... it goes against the grain of what we have seen in the past.

 "Uncle Vayna" is a mixed bag and is not for everyone, it takes the conventional completely out of the picture and puts us in the new world of modern.

​Spirit Arts Festival
2024
A Celebration in the various art forms
Prsented by
SWMedia/Windsong

​READERS THEATER
A Series of Scripted Performances of New Plays by local,
regional, and extended area playwrights in a non-production setting
read by the worthy talents of resident actors, starting with…
MYRVA
by  RON  SCHAEFER
A committee of intra-galactic beings meets to decide the fate of the Earth which was designated for desttruction by
the  Asteroid Myrva, sent if  the population proved to be  too self-destructive.
Saturday, April 27th, 1:00pm
Bay View Library — Llewellyn Community Room
2566 S. Kinnickinnic Avenue, Milwaukee 53207
Open to the Public

 "Suffs" at The Music Box Theatre is a history piece set to music. Based on the suffragettes in the early 1900's, the musical first opened at The Public and it is written and starred by Shaina Taub as Alice Paul. In first seeing Taub on stage she remained me of Lila Taylor as Valerie Solanas in "I Shot Andy Warhol" Gruff, and ruff around the edges, she spares no prisoners in trying to get woman to vote. Going against the grain of the older, more genteel ladies, Paul is bare knuckles to the point where she ends up in jail.
 The musical for the most part is enjoyable with a few exceptions... the show is a bit preachy, condescending at times. The staging is a whole lot better than when it played at The Public; cheap steps are replaced by mahogany paneling. Riccardo Hernandez did a brilliant job staging this big musical. Paul Tazewell's costumes are first rate and Lap Chi Chu supported the show with some deft glam lighting. Director Leigh Silverman has some good moments and some that are not so good. The plot goes from sensational to slow all throughout the two hours and fifteen minutes. The all woman cast goes at a sprinters pace from start to finish, leaving the audience wondering when it will level off. Taub never has us happy for the woman, rather she has them off starting the ERA right after they have been granted the right to vote. This part of the show is confusing because why not end the performance after the 19th Amendment has been passed? It weakens the plot by having the woman not satisfied with this huge victory, it comes off as thankless.
 As some songs are really resonant... "Let Mother Vote", "The March" (really strong), "Show Them Who You Are", "The Young Are At The Gates", and "Finish The Fight", others are weak and fall flat. The choreography (Mayte Natalio) is never that noticeable; more bland than anything, we never are awed by the dancing here.
 As an all woman cast both Grace McLean as Woodrow Wilson and Tsilala Brock as Dudley Malone are never believable as men. As a period piece (Hamilton comes to mind), Shaina Taub cannot handle the lead. Unlike Manuel who wrote and starred in Hamilton, Taub never overwhelms us with her acting, singing nor dancing. The book, music and lyrics were all written by her but she should have yielded the lead to someone who could have carried this musical to the finish line. Like "Funny Girl", this show will be much stronger when she exits the show as the lead. Whereas Feldstein was awful, Lea Michele brought the show to new heights.

 "Suffs" for the most part is enjoyable, it does have some holes in it and they are very noticeable. It is much improved from its days at The Public, yet it is not as of yet completely tight as a Broadway show.

​When the Tony's get announced look for "Lempicka" to get more than a few nominations! In what is one of the best Broadway shows I have seen this spring, the musical has a little something for everyone at the Longacre Theatre. At times the show has a little glam, at times it is Bohemian, and at all times it is fast moving with a very good plot. As Tamara De Lempicka Eden Espinosa is flawless in her role; she commands the stage with her deft acting and singing.
Billed as a modern musical we immediately feel its effects with the brilliant modern set by Riccardo Hernandez, the erector set raw iron painted in black is both efficient and useful. Capturing the mood brilliantly is the lighting backstopped by Bradley King. Right in tune with the mood of this behemoth musical, King is magnificent with the choice of colors and how they set against the backdrop. Director Rachel Chavkin is keen on the different periods here, from the revolutionary war in Russia, the Bohemian lifestyle in Paris, the emotions between De Lempicka, her husband, her lover keeps it interesting in this two hour- fifteen minute gem!
Carson Kreitzer gives us the original concept as well as the book and lyrics. Matt Gould( book and music). The music is so complementary toward the story that it becomes deeply embedded in the plot.As the show touches on some very deep and disturbing issues, the audience is never drawn to deep into its macabre issues; rather, it is given to us in a skin surface way. Focusing more on the seedy part of Paris and the outcasts of society, one that Tamara embarrassed and her husband Tadeusz (Andrew Samonsky) hated.Whereas he came from royalty, Tamara was the daughter of a merchant Jew in Poland. When the revolution hits it is Tamara who scrubs floors to make ends meat in Paris. When she becomes a celebrated artist it is then that her husband begins to look for work.
As the show moves forward both Amber Iman as Rafaela and George Abud as Marinetti bring depth and edginess to this musical. Both believable and exquisite the two actors command their roles; they sing and dance to perfection. Raja Feather Kelly in the choreography here is simple but elegant. The same can be said for Paloma Young's costumes. Both Kelly and Young add supportable additions here but never too overstated.
"Lempicka" ebbs and flows with a wonderful nuance to the plot; it is a comfortable musical that deals with raw subject matter. Running the gamete of emotion, both the stars, the supporting cast as well as the ensemble casting bring us back in time to a period that is unsettled, where people do what they have to do to survive. It is a time through the early 20's till the mid 1970's when homosexuals, gypsy's and Jews had to keep out of sight or risk imprisonment, or death. As it is brilliantly directed and choreographed, it is highly recommended!

​"The Notebook" is based on the 1996 novel of the same name by Nicholas Sparks. The 2004 movie was directed by Nick Cassavetes, from a screenplay by Jeremy Leven and Jan Sardi. In its current Broadway production, the book is by Bekah Brunstetter and the music and lyrics is by Ingrid Michaelson.
The musical has two directors: four time Tony nominee Michael Greif and Schele Williams who is making a Broadway debut. Williams is also going to be directing the highly anticipated "The Wiz" which is opening in April.
In the current musical we get three Noah's and three Allie's... younger, middle and older. For the most part the six are good; I thought that the younger Allie (Jordan Tyson) was woefully miscast. Where Allie came from money, was a proper girl, this younger Allie ex-hued none of that. More like an inner city persona, Tyson was just not believable.
In Brett J. Banakis gorgeous set design we get a wonderful slide movement throughout the two hours fifteen minutes.Equally as effective is the sound by Nevin Steinberg and the costumes by Paloma Young. The effective orange and blue lighting by Ben Stanton too made the mood well in tune with the plot.
The musical for the most part was very similar to the movie, two young people fall deeply in love with one another and even though ten years has gone by, they never stop thinking of each other. The key to the musicals success is that the three different sets of Noah and Allie need to all be effective. Whereas Maryann Plunkett as the elder and Dorian Harewood as the husband are excellent, we get the best interaction between Joy Woods and Ryan Vasquez, the middle aged actors; their singing and body language is captivating. The two are silky smooth on stage! Even though John Cardoza holds up his end as the younger Noah, it is Tyson who is an anchor around his neck. Even though Tyson has a very good singing voice, her Broadway debut falls flat.
The two opening scenes, both first act and second act fire on all cylinders. It is the second act, however, where this show excels. The songs, the pace and the story all come together nicely. Songs like "We Have To Try", "Forever", "It's Not Easy", "I Know" and "Coda" were all well sung songs; the lyrics too were catchy and fit the moment of the plot. The first act too had some nice songs: "Time", "Leave The Light On", "If This Is Love" were most memorable. Having some great moments in the first act, it still didn't compare the the afternoons second act.
For the romantics out there, "The Notebook" is for the most part an entertaining show. The choreography (Katie Spelman) is underwhelming, as is some of the ensemble cast. Allie's parents: Andrea Burns and Charles E. Wallace are not moving in their parts. Burns was much more effective in her role as nurse Lori.Neither actor brought depth as parents to Allie, they were mostly robotic and aloof.

​"All American Sex Addict/Woke AF" at The Sargent Theatre of Actors is unique play. The real positive about this play is the even level of actors in this show; no one stands above the other in any noticeable way. In many off off Broadway shows one or two actors are leaps and bounds above the rest of the cast, but not here:the blend and workmanship is pretty consistent throughout the 80 minutes due to nice direction by Phoebe Leonard- Dettmann. While the female actors put forth a better performance than the male actors, the plot of the story keeps the audience locked in and we never really see any weak links.
Reminiscent of the 80's, 90's and well into the 2000's, off off Broadway had many shows like this one... raw, edgy and in your face; after Covid, however, many of the off of went the way of climate change, political and LGBTQ. It left a vacuum of what was off off Broadway and what it should be. Oddly enough, "All American" focused on the woke but in a fun way, a comical way. It poked fun at the up tightness of the politically correct, it drove a spike in a way at the heart of the easily offended. We get a debate about whether there is a such thing as a sex addict. According to Jack (Peter Buck Dettmann) there is, he has written a screen play that says so. Unfortunately, the people involved in the story are offended by the many things that Jack has to say. Jack will defend his writing by stating that there is no one more woke than himself.
As Jack is a real character, he firmly believes what he is doing and who he is doing it too is correct and justifiable. His ex girlfriend, Ashley (Shelby Allison Brown) has had it with him, she feels that Jack has not captured her in the movie. Andie (Danielle Aziza) who is pragmatic and the voice of reason tries to reel in the movie with her thoughts and comments. More insults fly when Riley (Alex Mayer) enters the play. She too is insulted at her being portrayed in a negative light. In Matt Morillo's play, we get a smattering of the absurd, and what it is like to live today in America.
Under greens, blues and cool white lighting, Maile Binion keeps the lighting basic. As in the staging, the basic lighting is unassuming and yet effective. The costumes range from creative to erotic. Where the policewoman's uniform was a comical touch, Riley's costume near the end of the performance was oozing sexuality, her dance was the creative highlight of the show.
Even though the show about an hour in gets slow for about 5 minutes, it is a worthwhile show to see. It has a bohemian edge to it as well as comedy and the PC bantering has the audience taking sides. In this small theater the audience feels like part of the action which adds to the plays allure.
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Next up is The Sign of The Times at The New World Stages. Based on a tale set in the 1960's and amid social change it features songs from that era.
Songs like Downtown", Rescue Me", and "Give me some lovin are just a few in this anticipated show. Jukebox musicals are dependent on the staging, acting and the songs that are chosen. It always helps too when the lighting hits the mark and that the costumes are believable as well.