On Stage

A scene from gay playwright Edward Albee’s “Me, Myself and I,” which plays through Oct. 31. – Photo: Courtesy

A quick tour of theater marquees now on Broadway: “A Little Night Music,” “The Addams Family,” Promises, Promises,” American Idiot,” “Fela!” – and “Abraham Lincoln’s Big Gay Dance Party.”

The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra in performance. – Photo: Courtesy

As fall ushers in cooler weather, Milwaukee’s fine arts programming heats up with a number of innovative offerings. Some of the highlights to look for from the end of September through December include:

Corpus Christi

Gay theater has certainly come a long way since Stonewall. Classic plays such as Lillian Hellman’s “The Children’s Hour” (1934) or Robert Anderson‘s “Tea and Sympathy” (1953) cast homosexuality as an evil – even a suspicion of it could destroy a person’s life. Yet Broadway plays were peopled with gay and lesbian characters drawn so subtly that tourists from Idaho (or Wisconsin, for that matter) didn’t have a clue that the wisecracking “delicate” men or “tough” women were recognizably gay or lesbian to those in the know. Camp performances were always riotously popular, and even drag was acceptable as long as there was no hint of alternative sexual identification.

Gerard Neugent as Stan Laurel and William Theisen as Oliver Hardy in “Laurel and Hardy,” currently playing at The Rep’s Stackner Cabaret. – Photo: Michael Brosilow

Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb, affluent Chicago teenagers, were geniuses and lovers. Known as the “Thrill Killers,” they shocked the world in 1924 when, plotting to commit the perfect crime, they lured 14-year-old Bobby Franks to his death. They were 19 and 18 years old, respectively, at the time.

Skylight Opera Theatre A scene from “Dames at Sea.” – Photo: Courtesy

Given the economic outlook these days, nostalgia never looked so good. In fact, it’s staging its own comeback at the Skylight Opera Theatre, where it kicked off its 51st-season opener with the gloriously funny parody, “Dames at Sea.”

The Rockettes bring their Xmas show to Madison this season. – Photo: Courtesy

From witches and world premieres to “The Big Chill” for lesbians, Madison’s upcoming performance season offers a variety of classic and modern works.

Margaret Equality Billingham, Gavin Logan as mother, friend and grandfather in Proud Theater’s production of “Do It Yourself.” – Photo: Callen Harty

As the lights went up on the set of “Proud Theater: Decade” last month, a solitary figure ascended a platform on the sparsely-decorated black stage. “It started with one,” said 23-year-old activist and playwright Sol Kelley-Jones, who co-founded the awarding-winning Madison-based youth theater troupe at the age of 13.

The perpetrator (Greg Johnson) whispers something into the ear of Jason (Nick Kaprelian).  – Photo: Callen Harty

Callen Harty remembers the first time he was sexually abused. He was nine years old and an older male relative groped his genitals through his trousers. Like any smart nine-year-old, he reported the incident to his mother.

Linda Stephens and Jonathan Gillard Daly

People are people,” says Sally Bowles, early on in “Cabaret.” “I don’t think people should apologize for anything they do.”

The 2010 national tour of “Spamalot” is coming to the Milwaukee Theatre

In Milwaukee, you can always count on another opening, another show. There’s plenty to choose from this season, from the Broadway musical version of the movie favorite “Young Frankenstein” (Marcus Center) to the gritty, nightmarish travelling circus world of “Freakshow” (Youngblood Theater Company).

“Wicked” Natalie Daradich and Vicki Noon – Photo: Joan Marcus

It’s got amazing special effects, catchy show-stopping tunes, a multi-talented cast and costumes, and lighting and sets that dazzle the eyes. Oh my!