MILWAUKEE REPERTORY THEATER ANNOUNCES BRAVE, ENTERTAINING, STIMULATING AND VITAL 2013/14 SEASON
Artistic Director Mark Clements announced Milwaukee Repertory Theater’s 2013/14 Season today. The season will present an epic slate of personalities and productions on the Quadracci Powerhouse stage – the monumental, moving and Tony Award-winning musical Ragtime will give audiences a glimpse at the early 20th century life of three distinct groups of people, while the side-splitting comedy,Noises Off, peeks behind the curtain at a group of struggling actors. The tumultuous final days of Judy Garland will unfold in End of the Rainbow, a single virtuoso artist will lead a blazing, contemporary retelling of a Homer classic in An Iliad, and the dynamic birth of Superman will be explored with The History of Invulnerability, forever changing the way we look at superheroes.
In the Stiemke Studio for next season, The Rep is excited to
present emotionally-moving and thought-provoking plays with the sexy backstage comedy/thriller, Venus in Fur, and the Civil War drama, The Whipping Man.
The Rep’s Stackner Cabaret 2013/14 Season will showcase the soundtracks of America’s rich and epic musical history. It begins with a classy crooner in I Left My Heart: A Salute to the Music of Tony Bennett, and followed by four zany, male harmony singers in Forever Plaid. Next up will be Woody Sez: The Life & Music of Woody Guthrie, featuring the energetic and infectious folk music of Woody Guthrie. The Stacker 2013/14 Season concludes with the sounds of Fats Waller in the wildly popular Ain’t Misbehavin’.
“As I enter my fourth year as Artistic Director, I cannot help but feel proud of the work that The Rep has presented over the last three seasons,” says Artistic Director Mark Clements. “I hope that our 2013/14 Season will continue to deliver the brave, challenging, entertaining, stimulating and vital works that our audiences have come to expect. It is our mission to continue producing the work that has made us an essential theater in Milwaukee, the Midwest, and throughout the country.”
For the 2013/14 Season, Milwaukee Repertory Theater will present 11 productions on its three performance spaces – the Quadracci Powerhouse, Stiemke Studio and Stackner Cabaret. In addition, The Rep will stage the annual favorite Milwaukee holiday tradition A Christmas Carol, returning for its 38th annual appearance in the historic Pabst Theater, and Rep Lab, the annual short-play festival which will celebrate its 4thSeason of showcasing The Rep’s highly-lauded Intern Ensemble.
Milwaukee Repertory Theater
2013/14 Season
I Left My Heart
A Salute to the Music of Tony Bennett
Created by David Grapes & Todd Olson
Arrangements by Vince di Mura
August 23 – October 20, 2013
Stackner Cabaret
Called “the greatest singer in the world” by Frank Sinatra, the always-charming, classy and debonair Tony Bennett crooned his way into the heart of America. In this sexy, new musical revue, three superb male singers perform an anthology of Bennett’s best work – from “Rags to Riches” to “Put On a Happy Face” to the title track and many more – celebrating more than six decades of remarkable music in this swingin’ walk down memory lane.
Ragtime
Book by Terrence McNally
Music by Stephen Flaherty | Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens
Based on the novel “Ragtime” by E.L. Doctorow
Directed by Mark Clements
September 17 – October 27, 2013
Quadracci Powerhouse
Adapted from E.L. Doctorow’s novel (voted by Time Magazine as among the Top 100 Best Novels of the 20th century), this sweeping musical portrait of early 20th century America tells the powerful tale of a white, upper-middle class family, an African-American couple and an Eastern European immigrant escaping to America with his daughter, as they all confront the timeless contradictions of wealth, poverty, freedom, prejudice, hope and despair in pursuit of the American Dream. Unfolding through the fiery rhythms of Harlem and Tin Pan Alley, delicate waltzes and the vibrant klezmer of the Lower East Side, this vivid and unforgettable Tony-winning score bursts onto the Quadracci Powerhouse stage “on the wheels of a dream” in what will be the largest and most epic production ever staged at The Rep.
Venus in Fur
By David Ives
September 25 – November 3, 2013
Stiemke Studio
Meet Thomas – a demanding playwright and director desperate for the perfect actress for his new stage adaptation of a classic erotic novel. Meet Vanda – an unusually talented young actress lusting after the leading role in the show. Through the comic genius of playwright David Ives, their late-night encounter in a deserted audition studio evolves from banal routine into a sizzling battle of the sexes blending love, libido and literature that will keep you wondering to the very end just who, exactly, is on top.
Forever Plaid
Written by Stuart Ross
Arrangements by James Raitt
October 25 – December 29, 2013
Stackner Cabaret
On a stormy night in the 1960s, four eager singers known as “The Plaids” – Sparky, Jinx, Frankie and Smudge – are killed in a car crash on the way to their first big gig. In 2013, they get one chance to return from the afterlife and bop-shoo-bop their way through classic hits like “Love is a Many Splendored Thing,” “Three Coins in the Fountain,” “Sixteen Tons” and many more. You’ll delight in their zany, boyish squabbles and charmingly outlandish choreography as they pay an affectionate homage to the close-harmony male singing groups of the 1950s, and fulfill their dreams by performing the show that never was.
Noises Off
By Michael Frayn
November 19 – December 22, 2013
Quadracci Powerhouse
Called “the funniest farce ever written” by the New York Post, Michael Frayn’s uproarious play-within-a-play follows the on- and off-stage antics of the members of a mediocre touring company as they blunder from an ominously bad dress rehearsal to a spectacularly disastrous closing performance. The perfect show for the holiday season,Noises Off is a hysterical romp packed full of a side-splitting collection of forgotten cues, missed connections and backstage hilarity.
Woody Sez
The Life & Music of Woody Guthrie
Devised by David M. Lutken with Nick Corley, Darcie Deaville, Helen Jean Russell and Andy Teirstein
January 3 – March 9, 2014
Stackner Cabaret
The original folk hero, Woody Guthrie and his energetic, moving and infectious melodies defined an American era of political expression, and transformed the folk ballad into a vehicle of social commentary and unity. With more than 25 songs including classics like “This Land is Your Land,” “Pastures of Plenty” and “The Ballad of Tom Joad” – this joyous, toe-tapping and moving theatrical concert event celebrates the colorful life and rich musical legacy of America’s greatest troubadour.
End of the Rainbow
By Peter Quilter
January 7 – February 9, 2014
Quadracci Powerhouse
Explosive acting and classic songs bring down the house in this critically-acclaimed exploration of Judy Garland’s infamous 1968 London comeback. Named in TimeMagazine’s “Top Ten” List and called “electrifying” by The New York Times, this savagely funny and emotionally searing play finds the once-glittering starlet sparring with her new fiancé, her devoted accompanist – and her personal demons. Filled with Garland’s legendary tenacity, razor-sharp wit and once-in-a-generation voice, this is a piece of theater truly befitting the late, great songstress who took us “over the rainbow.”
The Whipping Man
By Matthew Lopez
February 5 – March 16, 2014
Stiemke Studio
The Civil War has ended, but for some, the struggle has just begun. A Jewish Confederate soldier, wounded in war, has returned from the battlefield to find that his family has fled. The only remaining household members are two former slaves, who have been raised by his family as Jews. Over a celebratory feast, family history is uncovered and dark secrets are revealed, forcing the men to come to terms with the sordid legacies of slavery and war that threaten each of their future freedoms.
An Iliad
Adapted from Homer
By Lisa Peterson and Denis O’Hare
Translation by Robert Fagles
February 25 – March 23, 2014
Quadracci Powerhouse
“It’s a good story,” says the lone figure, just emerged from the darkness, as he launches into this modern, enthralling adaptation of Homer’s epic poem that relives the glory and brutality of the Trojan War. Wisconsin favorite actor, James DeVita, shares the stage with a virtuoso cellist in this lean, muscular, tour-de-force performance filled with wit and wisdom that conjures the rage of the gods as it delves deep into mankind’s attraction to violence and destruction.
Ain’t Misbehavin’
Conceived by Murray Horwitz and Richard Maltby, Jr.
Musical Adaptations by Luther Henderson
Vocal & Musical Concepts by Jeffrey Gutcheon
Vocal Arrangements by Jeffrey Gutcheon & William Elliot
March 14 – May 18, 2014
Stackner Cabaret
Get ready for two spirited hours of rowdy, rollicking music straight out of the height of the Harlem Renaissance! This Tony Award-winning tour through the legendary Fats Waller songbook will have you jumpin’ and jivin’ with the infectious energy and the cheeky humor of classic Waller hits like “Loungin’ At The Waldorf” and “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love.” One of the most popular, well-crafted musical revues of all time,Ain’t Misbehavin’ is simply unforgettable and will be performed in the now-signature Rep style, with a group of five “Quadruple Threat” actor/singer/dancer/musicians.
The History of Invulnerability
By David Bar Katz
Directed by Mark Clements
April 8 – May 4, 2014
Quadracci Powerhouse
For every Superman, there must be a Jerry Siegel – the creative brains behind the fantasy brawn. Siegel, a Jewish writer creating comics on the brink of World War II, is torn by the atrocities taking place in Europe as he struggles to retain control of his most famous creation. Filled with real-life heroes and villains every bit as boldly drawn as the panels from the Golden Age comics that they echo, The History of Invulnerability will forever change the way we see our superheroes.
A Christmas Carol
By Charles Dickens
Adapted by Joseph Hanreddy and Edward Morgan
Directed by Aaron Posner
November 27 – December 24, 2013
Pabst Theater
Tiny Tim, Bob Cratchit and Ebenezer Scrooge make their 38th annual appearance at the Pabst Theater in the fantastical holiday family favorite.
Rep Lab
March 28 – 31, 2014
Stiemke Studio
The Rep’s annual short-play festival, Rep Lab, will celebrate its 4th season of showcasing The Rep’s highly-lauded Intern Ensemble.
Please note: All plays and dates are subject to change.
Subscriptions will be available for renewing and new subscribers beginning Wednesday, March 27. Subscription prices for the 2013/14 Season range from $50 – $490. Packages available are the Ultimate 11-play package which includes the entire season spanning all three of The Rep’s performance spaces; Quadracci Powerhouse/Stackner 9-play package; Quadracci Powerhouse/Stiemke Studio 7-play package; Quadracci Powerhouse 5-play package; Stackner Cabaret 4-Play package as well as a Create Your Own Season package and Flex Passes. For additional information on subscription offerings, please contact The Rep’s Ticket Office at 414-224-9490 or visit www.MilwaukeeRep.com.
Milwaukee Repertory Theater is a nationally-recognized company that presents compelling dramas, powerful classics, award-winning contemporary works, full-scale musicals and side-splitting comedies housed in its three unique performance venues – the Quadracci Powerhouse, Stiemke Studio and StacknerCabaret. The Rep also produces an annual production of A Christmas Carol at the Pabst Theater. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Mark Clements, The Rep is committed to creating plays that are meaningful and relevant to the society we live in – plays that are challenging, visceral and engage the community through the issues they explore.