February 2021
Ella Fitzgerald: First Lady of Song
Award-winning actress Alexis J Roston salutes America’s favorite jazz singer, Ella Fitzgerald. Roston was last seen at Milwaukee Rep in her mesmerizing star turn as Billie Holiday in "Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill" (Chicago’s Jeff Award, Black Theatre Alliance Award) and in the 2014 production of "The Color Purple." In a spellbinding performance, Roston effortlessly emits the sultry swing and playful joy that made Ella an American treasure. Classic tunes by Ellington, Gershwin, Porter and more include “Summertime,”…
Find out more »Ella Fitzgerald: First Lady of Song
Award-winning actress Alexis J Roston salutes America’s favorite jazz singer, Ella Fitzgerald. Roston was last seen at Milwaukee Rep in her mesmerizing star turn as Billie Holiday in "Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill" (Chicago’s Jeff Award, Black Theatre Alliance Award) and in the 2014 production of "The Color Purple." In a spellbinding performance, Roston effortlessly emits the sultry swing and playful joy that made Ella an American treasure. Classic tunes by Ellington, Gershwin, Porter and more include “Summertime,”…
Find out more »March 2021
Ella Fitzgerald: First Lady of Song
Award-winning actress Alexis J Roston salutes America’s favorite jazz singer, Ella Fitzgerald. Roston was last seen at Milwaukee Rep in her mesmerizing star turn as Billie Holiday in "Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill" (Chicago’s Jeff Award, Black Theatre Alliance Award) and in the 2014 production of "The Color Purple." In a spellbinding performance, Roston effortlessly emits the sultry swing and playful joy that made Ella an American treasure. Classic tunes by Ellington, Gershwin, Porter and more include “Summertime,”…
Find out more »Ella Fitzgerald: First Lady of Song
Award-winning actress Alexis J Roston salutes America’s favorite jazz singer, Ella Fitzgerald. Roston was last seen at Milwaukee Rep in her mesmerizing star turn as Billie Holiday in "Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill" (Chicago’s Jeff Award, Black Theatre Alliance Award) and in the 2014 production of "The Color Purple." In a spellbinding performance, Roston effortlessly emits the sultry swing and playful joy that made Ella an American treasure. Classic tunes by Ellington, Gershwin, Porter and more include “Summertime,”…
Find out more »McGuire
By Dick Enberg Few names trigger more memories and smiles in Milwaukee than Al McGuire, Marquette University’s legendary basketball coach. Many know him for leading the Warriors to the NCAA Championship and for his candid television personality, but few knew him like his broadcasting partner – the late Emmy Award-winner Dick Enberg. Back by popular demand from a sold-out extended run at Milwaukee Rep in 2017, McGuire is a touching portrait of the uncommonly funny and profound man behind the…
Find out more »April 2021
Antonio’s Song / I Was Dreaming of a Son
World Premiere Event By Dael Orlandersmith and Antonio Edwards Suarez Directed by Mark Clements A poetic journey of a dancer/artist/father questioning the balance of his passions – art, culture family. A story that, questions/challenges the legacy of stereotypes: of manhood/race/fatherhood. This solo/movement drama explores the sins of our fathers and mothers – as well as the gifts that our parents bestow upon us. How do we own the responsibility – TO RECOGNIZE? TO BE AWARE? Antonio Edwards Suarez, a breathtaking…
Find out more »Nina Simone: Four Women
By Christina Ham When “The High Priestess of Soul” Nina Simone heard about the tragic bombing death of four young girls in an Alabama church in 1963, the songstress turned to her music as a means of expressing the country’s agony. Powerful anthems such as “Four Women,” “Mississippi Goddam,” “His Eye Is on the Sparrow,” and “To Be Young, Gifted and Black” followed, fueling the Civil Rights Movement and transforming her public persona from songstress to activist. Through storytelling and…
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