​"Twelfth Night" at the Axis Company Theatre brings front and center just what The Bard had intended when he wrote this glorious piece. The play is riff with mistaken identities and great frolic.
In this production, I was reminded of a great company back in the early 80's that used to be in residence there; The Ridiculous Theater Company. Much of "the business" that the actors had poked fun as well at farce towards the characters that they were playing, and it all tied together nicely indeed! Much of the success of this brilliant, shortened rendition goes to the producing director Brian Barnhart. In making use of the full stage, crisp entrances and bawdy gestures, the direction always keeps the audience engaged, always.
"Twelfth Night" is not an easy show to produce; the reason we see so little of this timeless piece is that it can be cumbersome as well as confusing at times. The Axis Company cutting its length and bringing the most relevant to the forefront at 90 minutes gives us just the right amount of story (adaptation by Marc Palmieri)
Karl Ruckdeschel's costumes capture the period and are extremely creative. So too are the wigs and makeup Leone Gagliardi and Will Vicari. In both the costumes and wigs, the audience gets to go back in time and relish the period in which this was written. I am not sure we can call this a modern piece because it holds to Shakespeare's vision of this play. Shakespeare often poked fun at the times in which he lived; he brought the tawdry front and center in many of his works, and here in "Twelfth Night", Axis brings all the good stuff in this writing.
The story is based on Viola, (Britt Genelin) separated from her twin, Sebastian, (Eli Bridges) dresses as a boy and works for Duke Orsino, (Jon McCormick) whom she falls in love with. Orsino is in love with Countess Olivia, (Kathy Frame) and sends Viola to court for him, but Olivia falls for Viola instead. Sebastian arrives, causing a flood of mistaken identity, and marries Olivia.
To say that all the main characters are excellent is an understatement; this is the way off off Broadway used to be in the 80's and 90's... a crisp cast with really good actors. Unfortunately in today's off off Broadway we get more showcases that run for a short period of time and often are politically driven towards climate change and or the LGBTQ community. Call me nostalgic, but this play is old school with raw talent, great writing and something you can sink your teeth into. Whereas much of today in the Village we get mise-mosh of writing and acting, Axis brings a professional body of work in this play.
In a simple set, but an effective on, Randell Sharp is very creative in how the blocks ebb and flow. Even the jail scene is well appointed, as is how the actors carry about both stage left and stage right. His set gives us options on where we look throughout the performance. Michael Birnbaum's sound hits the emotion of the play at the right times. The play is sometimes suspenseful and other times eery. The sound pretty much captures the direction here. The lighting at times does not hit the actors properly, however. We sometimes lose the actors with weak focus on their faces.
"Twelfth Night" is one of the best performance I have seen in the off off Broadway space in a long time. Where this realm of theater used to be edgy, in your face and creative has now gone by way of mediocrity and it seems that little thought is put into the acting and writing. Here at Axis, however, we get a masterful and creative piece that is worth seeing again and again!

Gail Buntin Blohowiak's "Let Them Eat SPAM" gets a table read at Windsong's Spirit Arts Festival -- The Readers' Theater on May 4, in the community room of Milwaukee's Capitol Library.  This is the first of what Gail describes as her "Spam" trilogy.

SWM/Windsong is starting up a new group of activities: Windsong Social, as a new community builder.  For everyone in the SE Wisconsin area -- now is a good time to get involved.

Arianna Rose's play: The Ripple Effect -- about a NY couple dealing with infertility issues gets the Readers Theater treatment in next Saturday's version of the Spirit Arts Festival in Milwaukee.

​If you want a fun, glam jukebox musical, then "Heart of Rock and Roll" is for you. The musical is based on music by Huey Lewis; the plot, or book by Johnathan A. Abrams as well as story (also Tyler Mitchell) is a fun one filled with 80's references, IKEA jokes, aerobics and leggings!
The direction by Gordon Greenberg is sharp, the actors flow nicely at The James Earl Jones Theatre. The choreography too is very tight, very eighties (Lorin Latarro) and the lighting is pure glam; bright blues, greens, reds and purples make this show pop.
Mr. Lewis's songs blend tremendously with all the things that make a great show,,, deft costumes (Jen Caprio), opulent sets (Derek McLane) and big voices. It all comes together for two hours and thirty minutes. Audience members settle in to relive the past with the its expressions, the fashion, the high hair and bask in its nostalgia. In this mid west box company, the simplicity of the everyday life keeps the actors upbeat; this warm play permeates the joy of being alive in this era.
As Bobby (Corey Cott) navigates his life, a one time lead singer and guitarist who has put that behind him for a 9 to 5 job at Stone Box Company, he sets his sights higher to become one in the executive offices. After a slip up he must further navigate his life. John Dossett as Mr. Stone who is replete with mid west charm but is a no nonsense man, his daughter, Cassandra (McKenzie Kurtz) is a numbers gal. Graduating from Princeton University she is a stickler for the bottom line. As things twist and turn, the company needs ideas and this is when the musical gets interesting.
Most of Mr. Lewis's songs are in the show (except "She's Heart and Soul"). The musical direction clearly helps the show along with how the actors sing them; not to gitch, not to heavy on the percussion, it is a right blend of orchestration. In fact nothing in this musical is heavy in the way of over powering, just a smooth feel to it. The vibe throughout is that the show more flutters than anything else. The only thing that vacillates is whether Bobby will stick to his game plan of being a corporate guy or a rocker. It is not always clear as to what his decision will be and that's part of the great fun.
As the 2024 spring season concludes, (only a few sporadic ones left), it Was "Sign of The Times" and "The Heart of Rock and Roll" that I will most look back on as fun shows! Both had a wonderful book and really fun music to them. This season was one of the deepest show lineup in quite some time; most of the shows were quality, what separates a show like "Heart of R&R is that it never takes itself too seriously, rather it pokes fun at itself. From the Richard Simmons spoof to Fjord (Orville Mendoza) the Swedish furniture magnet, we all laugh at the memories that was 1987 when this musical takes place.
Like "Back to The Future", this musical has something for everybody and it will attract audiences of all ages. You don't have to be a "boomer" to enjoy it! Between the laughter, the glorious songs and the wonderful dancing, "Heart of Rock and Roll" is a keeper!

Readers' Theater -- the first phase of SWM/Windsong's Spirit Arts Festival, continues this Saturday with a reading of Ron Schaefer's THE DEVIL THAT PLAGUES HER, about a girl murdered by church members for being possessed by the Devil.  The play will be recorded for radio broadcast.

​Movie Review! No Bull With Raging Robert.“Miller’s Girl” which runs a tad over an hour and a half is never boring; it is also not great, either. The premise of the story is a good one… a “Lolita” type of writing which never hits the fever nor the depth of the famous book.
The synopsis of the screen play is a young, precocious student, Cairo Sweet (Jenna Ortega) is a want-to-be Yale bound student who has a deep thirst for reading and writing. Cairo is labelled “the one” by her teacher Johnathan Miller (Martin Freeman). Miller is a one and done writer, his book was panned by the critics and he has never written since. He has been down sized from the theater department to the literature department in this small, Tennessee town.
Cairo wants for nothing, her absentee parents are both international lawyers and are infrequently home. She wants nothing more than to get out of her small town even though her home is massive and she has everything she needs right there. Her side kick Winnie Black (Gideon Aldon) is also a precocious young thing who has a penitent for girls as well as men. Her crush on Cairo goes nowhere, however. She is in lust with Mr.Miller and Winnie has a thing for physics teacher Boris Fillmore.
This Netflix movie does its usual racial casting which particularly weakens the movie. Bashir Salahuddin is not believable as a physics teacher, more believable as a gym teacher. He is a due-fess as a human and not passable as an intellect. Christine Adams as Joyce Manor the vice principal too is not that strong in this role. She falls short as an authoritarian figure when Miller is called on the carpet in regards to his relationship with Cairo.
The most talented of the cast is Dagmara Dominczyk as Miller’s wife. She is a successful writer in her own right and the clear bread winner. Up until a very good ending scene, we believe that the Miller’s are a happy couple. She knows all the right things to say and like Ortega, she is sexy and smart.
Written and directed by Jade Halley Bartlett (that is usually a mistake to take on both roles), the movie never goes deep enough; Bartlett only scratches the surface. This movie could have been so much more than it was. Instead, she never makes her move, and a “Wild Things” of a movie never develops. Just when we think Miller will make his move, he doesn’t! But why doesn’t he make his move? Is it fear that he can’t make it without his wife? Does he love his wife too much? Nope. We never are shown neither-nor. Why is Cairo so smitten with Miller? Why does Winnie like Mr. Fillmore so much? (especially when he looks like Fat Albert from the Cosby cartoon series).
“Miller’s Girl” is way to tame; the movie should have had some nudity/sex in it to be of any interest to a viewer who likes this genre. In the aforementioned book, “Lolita” and the movie, “Wild Things”, the sex brought the film together with the suspense that ensued. The ending there was eye popping; here it was a disappointing thud! Even the conversations between Miller and Fillmore, Cairo and Winnie are never titillating nor do they lend any insight as to where the movie is going or may go… more like idol chatter.
The best part, the most surprising part of the movie is when the Miller’s have it out. Here we find out his thoughts, but, the wife’s thoughts and feelings are a complete 180 degrees from how she was during the entire movie.
“Miller’s Girl” is worth watching for dialogue. It has some strong points, but unfortunately it has many weak ones as well.

​"The Great Gatsby" at the Broadway Theatre is a grandiose musical replete with fantastic sets and glittering costumes. Steadfast to both the book by F. Scott Fitzgerald and the movie, the songs complement its plot in this two hour and fifteen minute whirlwind of a show.This Broadway version had its book by Kait Kerrigan, music by Jason Howland and lyrics by Nathan Tysen 
 The show kicks into high gear whenever Jay Gatsby (Jeremy Jordan) is on stage. Jordan is both a phenomenal singer and actor; his "Past Is Catching Up to Me" brought the show to a halt, in fact, most of his songs had the audience in awe. His effort is one of the best, if not the best I have seen all season.

 Directed by Marc Bruni and choreographed by Dominique Kelley, "Gatsby" never has a lull in it, the pace is wonderful and Paul Tate Depoo lll sets and projection design are incompatible to anything this season. From the fireworks on the sound to the palatial homes and the automobiles, Depoo brings us back to a by-gone era, an era of wealth,opulence and privilege.The lighting too by Cory Pattak adds to the the shows spender.
 Little is known about Jay Gatsby, he went to war, he studied at Oxford, but little else is known about him other than he dated Daisy Buchanan (Eva Noblezada when he was stateside ready to be shipped off to war. Her cousin, Nick Carraway is reluctant to reunite them but has second thoughts after meeting her husband, Tom (John Zdrojeski). Unlike the book, it is intimated that Gatsby is a bootlegger and his extravagant parties, his home and Rolls Royce are ill gotten. The musical also shows the criminal element that both he and a gas station owner, George Wilson are involved with. The plot never really develops this very well, however. 
 The cast are all effective, but a few stand out... Samantha Pauly as Jordan Baker and John Zdrojeski as Tom Buchanan as well as Jeremy Jordon are staples throughout the show. Continually turning in dynamic acting, all three command the stage. The long awaited "The Great Gatsby" never disappoints and is a must see!