Kelsey Lawler is a copywriter by day and zealot for local theater by night. She earned her BA in Writing Intensive English from Marquette University in 2009, and has been working as an editor, creative & freelance writer ever since. Kelsey is thrilled to be doing her part to spread the word about Milwaukee’s vibrant performing arts scene.
The Skylight's musical Hairspray is Milwaukee's bigger, bolder, bowl-you-over show for the holidays, celebrating diversity of all kinds, from the color of your skin to the inches in your waistline.
This is an upbeat, lighthearted musical revue that flows breezily through nearly thirty tunes from "Minnie the Moocher" to "White Cliffs of Dover" to "As Time Goes By.
A delightful, dazzling escape filled with corseted girls in golden tap shoes, The Bard on air guitar, and a big ol' wink to the audience before launching knowingly into any musical encore.
Would you believe that one woman could embody the likes of Judy Garland, Patsy Cline, Edith Piaf, Billie Holliday, and Maria Callas? Milwaukee Rep alum and diva in her own right, Bethany Thomas, does just that.
Typically performed in four acts, Milwaukee Ballet Artistic Director, Michael Pink, has trimmed the classic into two acts, maintaining Swan Lake's integrity and grandeur while making it a more comfortable experience for modern audiences.
In the end, you may leave Urinetown wondering, as Little Sally does, what kind of a musical is this? Officer Lockstock would have me remind me you that it isn't supposed to be a happy one.
Beautifully written, with minimal sets and moments that suggest the characters are aware of the parts they're playing, this is a wonderful and enduring work of dramatic art - and one that the Milwaukee Repertory Theater carries out with ease.