Author : Matthew Reddin

• LifestyleMarch 10,2016by Matthew Reddin

  AstroLogic: March 10 – March 24

  The equinox is coming, the equinox is coming!Betcha didn't know this, but the spring equinox marks the start of the astrological year, because it's when the Sun gets sick of Pisces' bossiness and decides to go live with Aries for a stretch. So treat this fortnight like the holiday season! Demand presents from your loved ones, time off work next week and bottomless champagne at your favorite ba.... Read More
• Entertainment, Featured Entertainment, StageMarch 08,2016by Matthew Reddin

  Theater RED’s ‘Bachelorette’ parties hard, then gets real

  The saying "with friends like these, who needs enemies" wasn't written to describe Bachelorette, but it certainly could have been. The Leslye Headland play, produced by Theatre RED at the Alchemist Theatre, depicts a pre-wedding night gone terribly wrong, as four former friends fueled by booze, drugs and jealousy scrap over slights old, new, borrowed and blue in a fancy hotel suite.It's a ju.... Read More
• Entertainment, Featured, StageFebruary 28,2016by Matthew Reddin

  Milwaukee Rep’s ‘Invisible Hand’ questions the morality of capitalism

  Last year, the Milwaukee Rep announced a singular partnership with playwright Ayad Akhtar, a Milwaukee native who’d since made it big both on stage and in other written media. The four-year collaboration will see the Rep producing three of Akhtar’s plays, including his Pulitzer Prize-winner Disgraced, followed by a world premiere commission in the final year.If the first of these plays, Th.... Read More
• Dining, LifestyleFebruary 25,2016by Matthew Reddin

  Madison chefs shine in week of culinary collaboration

  The idea of two popular chefs collaborating in the same kitchen may seem a little like two famous artists sharing the same canvas. The clash of content, style and occasionally — OK, maybe often — egos could be enough to scuttle even the most well-intended entrees.The chefs involved with the Madison Area Chefs Network think differently. MACN’s Chef Week, scheduled for March 4-13 at restau.... Read More
• Entertainment, StageFebruary 25,2016by Matthew Reddin

  Dialect coach Jill Walmsley Zager helps Milwaukee Rep actors find their voice

  Dialects. Singing. Even a simple shout.  Those are just a few of the things Jill Walmsley Zager works wit as the Milwaukee Rep’s dialect coach. For the past five seasons, she’s been an invaluable asset to the Rep, ensuring the company doesn’t just perform well, but also sounds good. Zager’s role goes further than that of the average dialect coach. At most theaters, contractors are hired o.... Read More
• LifestyleFebruary 11,2016by Matthew Reddin

  AstroLogic: Feb. 11 – Feb. 25

  Have you just felt really stretched out lately?So has Mercury. That kid's been at the very edge of his rope/greatest western elongation from the Sun for a few weeks now. But as that goofball gets things back to normal, you probably will too. Stop hanging out with your friends until just before sunrise (prime viewing time for Mercury, who hangs out on the eastern horizon that time of night) and.... Read More
• Entertainment, StageJanuary 28,2016by Matthew Reddin

  ‘Powder Her Face’ considers the fate of women of celebrity

  Consider Margaret Campbell, Duchess of Argyll, the Kim Kardashian of yesteryear.  In the mid-20th century, the wealthy socialite was considered one of the most prominent persons in Britain, a celebrity whose appearances and undertakings were followed by her social peers as well as lower classes. That celebrity status would backfire during her divorce proceedings in 1963, when her husband exposed .... Read More
• Entertainment, StageJanuary 28,2016by Matthew Reddin

  Next Act Theatre reflects on Rodney King riots in the age of Ferguson

  Not guilty. Those are the words that set off the Los Angeles riots of 1992, the verdicts in the trial of four white police officers accused of using excessive force during the arrest of Rodney King, a black man beaten by the officers after a high-speed chase. Those words sparked five days of riots throughout the city, ending with more than 50 people dead, thousands injured and $1 billion in estima.... Read More
• LifestyleJanuary 28,2016by Matthew Reddin

  AstroLogic: Jan. 28 – Feb. 11

  Sorry about last week's unexpected absence. Sometimes you just don't see things coming, you know?On to the predictions. They aren't good this fortnight, <insertsignhere>. All of the planets are grumping about in unfriendly signs — Jupiter is snowed in at his ski lodge in Scorpio with Mars, of all planets; Saturn is four months into that relationship with Sagittarius and is already fee.... Read More
• Entertainment, StageJanuary 26,2016by Matthew Reddin

  ‘Agnes of God’ is a glorious triumph for Renaissance Theaterworks

  The setup of Agnes of God looks like your typical “angel on one shoulder, devil on the other” story. The play opens with a Mother Superior introducing herself to a psychiatrist. Each is prepared to wrestle for the soul of a young nun accused of murdering the baby she secretly carried and gave birth to, and each seems primed to unveil the other as an enemy in disguise.  Renaissance Theaterwork.... Read More