Sports - Aug. 25, 2009
Putting a Shakespearean twist on Favre's saga
Why is it so hard for Brett Favre to give up playing football? If you've never played the sport, it's hard to explain and even more difficult to understand. Then again, you can relate to being in a play or being in a band or -- as people in the armed forces say -- being in combat. There is something about the shared struggle that causes deep emotional bonds and can make it hard to give up any endeavor.
Tags: brett favre, vikings, packers, shakespeare, merchant of venice

Arts & Entertainment - April 21, 2009
"Talk Like Shakespeare Day?" Oy vey
Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley declared Thursday to be "Talk Like Shakespeare Day" in honor of the great playwright's 445th birthday. Although Shakespeare's birthday is not known for sure, many scholars believe it was April 23, 1564.
Tags: shakespeare, talk like shakespeare day, mayor richard m. daley, chicago, ren faire

Music - April 24, 2008
Bellini's Florentine debut dedicated to Dominic
The Florentine Opera's production of Vincenzo Bellini's "I Capuleti e I Montecchi" ("Romeo and Juliet") runs this weekend and according to Florentine's Amy Erato, the three performances -- 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and a 2:30 Sunday matinee -- are dedicated to Dominic Frinzi, who passed away earlier this year.
Tags: Dominic Frinzi, Vincenzo Bellini, Florentine Opera, Amy Erato, Romeo & Juliet, Shakespeare

Arts & Entertainment - Feb. 27, 2006
"Curate Shakespeare As You Like It" wears flaws well
A running routine in Don Nigro's "The Curate Shakespeare As You Like It" is that the famous "All the world's a stage" speech from Shakespeare's play and it's never successfully finished. That pretty well describes this play.
Tags: Curate Shakespeare As You Like It, Shakespeare

Arts & Entertainment - Nov. 17, 2005
Controversial "Shrew" pulls off gender-bent cast
The philosophical implications of Milwaukee Shakespeare's production of "The Taming of the Shrew" are endless and could easily fill a review ten times the size of this one. The real question for Milwaukee theater goers is, "Is it good?"
Tags: Milwaukee Shakespeare, Shakespeare, Hedwig, gender bending

Arts & Entertainment - Oct. 18, 2005
Humor warms up "The Winter's Tale"
It's about the destructive nature of jealousy and the redemptive power of love, but the theme isn't as impressive as the mood. Milwaukee Shakespear Company's "The Winter's Tale," balances tragedy against comedy with an impressively sharp contrast.
Tags: Shakespeare, The Winter's Tale, Milwaukee Shakespeare Company

Arts & Entertainment - May 5, 2005
Milwaukee Shakespeare grapples with "Merchant of Venice"
One of Shakespeare’s most complicated and controversial works, "The Merchant of Venice" is difficult to produce for the modern theater. The text is so rife with apparent anti-Semitism that 21st century audiences can’t help but squirm.
Tags: Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare

Movies & TV - Feb. 11, 2005
"Merchant of Venice" doesn't evade work's anti-Semitism
Well-scripted and engaging, this romantic film deserves points not only for going head to head with the work's anti-Semitism but for doing so in a way that will make clear to viewers the despicable nature of hate.
Tags: Shakespeare, Merchant of Venice, Shylock, Jeremy Irons, Pacino, Fiennes, Bassanio, Portia, Postino, Radford

Milwaukee Buzz - Jan. 4, 2005
Before hitting the road, Gilling talks...
Actress Julia Gilling has appeared onstage at Theater X, The Milwaukee Chamber Theater and the Boulevard Theater Ensemble. She currently is acting in Boulevard's "Twelfth Night." She spoke with OMC about life, the stage and leaving Milwaukee.
Tags: Julia Gilling, actress, Marquette University, Milwaukee Chamber Theater, Boulevard Theater Ensemble, Theater X, Twelfth Night, David Mamet, Tennessee Williams, Mark Bucher, Shakespeare

Arts & Entertainment - Nov. 11, 2004
"The Comedy of Errors" too good to keep under a hat
"The Comedy of Errors" is innovative and clever, breathing new life into one of Shakespeare's best-known comedies. Director Susan Finque has taken a number of chances with this interpretation, and with few exceptions, her gamble has paid off.
Tags: Milwaukee Shakespeare, Shakespeare, The Comedy of Errors

Arts & Entertainment - Nov. 4, 2004
The Bard lives on in Brew City
Milwaukee Shakespeare opened its fifth season with "The Comedy of Errors," one of the Bard's best-loved comedies. The season continues with "Julius Caesar" and "The Merchant of Venice" despite the news that managing director Stuart Jasper is moving on.
Tags: Milwaukee Shakespeare, Shakespeare

Travel & Visitors Guide - Aug. 16, 2004
APT celebrates 25th season 'neath the Spring Green sky
American Players Theatre has come a long way since 1980 when "A Midsummers Night Dream," opened an outdoor theater with most audience members seated on the grass. Read about it in Beyond Milwaukee.
Tags: APT, Theatre, Shakespeare, Taliesen

Milwaukee Buzz - Aug. 3, 2004
MSO fires up 46th season with gala
The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra fires up its 46th season Friday, Sept. 10, by celebrating the music of Mendelssohn and the wordplay of Shakespeare as they intersect the Bard's "A Midsummer Night's Dream."
Tags: MSO, Shakespeare, Delfs, Mendelssohn

Arts & Entertainment - July 13, 2003
"Hamlet" gets edgy at APT
If the words "Shakespeare" or "Hamlet" conjure up notions of torturous high school English classes, you owe it to yourself to make the short trek to the American Players Theatre (APT) in Spring Green this summer.
Tags: Hamlet, APT, Shakespeare, DeVita

Arts & Entertainment - June 29, 2003
APT hits perfect pitch with "Pygmalion"
"Pygmalion," being staged through September 27 at American Players Theatre in Spring Green, serves up some social commentary with a side of psychological analysis with a dead-on cast.
Tags: ABC's, APT, American players Theatre, Spring Green, Shakespeare, Robert Burns