As students head home to Madison from their month-long break from essays and labs and long hours at the library, the Madison theater community prepares for the second half of its theatre season this spring.
A new semester brings a bit of Broadway flare, some exciting Madison Rep productions and a few new works from University Theatre. Before Madison resumes the chaotic mayhem that is bound to be second semester, mark your calendars for these upcoming theatre events.
The Madison Civic Center presents “RENT,” running Feb. 21-23 at the Madison Civic Center’s Oscar Meyer Theatre. This renowned musical, which swept all major musical theatre awards with its 1996 Broadway debut, tells the story of struggling New Yorkers in today’s society.
Bittersweet love, hatred and prejudice, and the hope for better tomorrows encompass the characters that make up this timeless musical. “RENT” has become a Broadway classic, selling out shows across the nation. Get tickets now at the Civic Center Box Office for this breathtaking show.
Other Broadway hits coming to town for the Civic Center include “Riverdance: The Show” in March and “Saturday Night Fever” in May.
The latest from Madison Repertory Theatre is “Lobby Hero,” written by new playwright Kenneth Lonergan, who has also written screenplays for the films “You Can Count On Me” and the Golden Globe-nominated winter-break hit “Gangs of New York.”
The Rep’s production, directed by C. Michael Wright, tells the story of a lobby attendant in Manhattan who gets caught up in a moral dilemma among people in his building. This play has sharp and contemporary dialogue, something the playwright takes seriously; he has been called “one of the most distinctive and intriguing young voices in America.” Catch “Lobby Hero,” running Jan. 3-26 in the Isthmus Playhouse Theatre at the Madison Civic Center.
Moises Kaufman and his Tectonic Theater Project bring a moving and hopeful theater experience to the stage in “The Laramie Project.” Directed in Madison by J.R. Sullivan, “The Laramie Project” is the theatrical collage of real interviews and experiences surrounding the community shattered by the fatal beating of 21-year-old gay college student Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyo., in 1998.
This play is not about death, but rather how a community recovered after the incredible mass-media frenzy that surrounded the murder. Powerful and encouraging, compassionate and hopeful, “The Laramie Project” runs March 7-30, with community outreach in the works.
Second semester swings into session for the University Theatre with the joint production between University Theatre and University Opera of Gilbert and Sullivan’s popular French operetta, “The Mikado.”
The story of two Japanese lovers torn apart by their feudalistic society will be presented in the traditional Asian theatre form of kabuki, directed by renowned kabuki practitioner David Furumoto and University Opera artistic director William Farlow. “The Mikado” will premiere at the Wisconsin Union Theatre Feb. 21 at 7:30 p.m. and runs Feb. 21, 22, 28, and March 1 at 7:30 p.m., with a matinee performance March 2 at 3 p.m.
Travel into the Theatre for Young Audiences production of Manon Van De Water’s “Somebody Catch My Homework.” This show, based on the poetry of David Harrison, has been mixed with music and lively stage movement and will travel to local schools around the area, as well as perform in on-campus theatre performances.
“Somebody Catch My Homework” begins its run March 8 at 3 p.m. at the Hemsley Theatre and continues touring through March 8-9, 29-30.
The final production of the “Science and Drama” season explores the cutthroat nature of science in society. “Oxygen” was written by two chemists, Carl Djerassi and Roald Hoffmann, who combine their extraordinary scientific and literary abilities to tell the tale of two tense meetings in Stockholm, Sweden, regarding the winners of the “retro Nobel Prize” for the 18th-century discovery of oxygen.
“Oxygen” closes the theatre season starting March 28 at 7:30 p.m. at the Mitchell Theatre and runs March 28-29, April 3-5 and 10-12.
With all these shows sure to quench your thirst for quality theatre entertainment, its time to take a seat and enjoy what the Madison Theatre Community has to offer. Tickets are on sale for this spring’s shows, and, of course, audiences are ready and waiting. Happy second semester!
