Theatre Gigante’s Moving Target of Perfection

Dreaming about something and living it are two completely different things. The fact that this premise has become a cliché is very telling about contemporary culture. Perfection is a moving target and we never seem satisfied. It's a deep-rooted cultural understanding that seems to be hammered into the very fabric of understanding. Hungarian playwright György Spiró's DUST explores the theme in what feels, on the surface, to be a cliché format. There's a middle-aged couple. They grew up under communism. And now they are in a completely different situation, having just won the lottery and become millionaires in a capitalist country.

And what with the way human nature is, we can expect that things aren't going to go too well for the couple. Company co-artistic directors Isabelle Kralj and Mark Anderson explore the story (which they first saw overseas) in a staging that should be every bit as distinct as one might expect from the local experimental theater outfit. Kralj stars in the play alongside John Kishline as husband and wife who find that dreams are a bit more complicated than they appear on the surface.

Theatre Gigante's production of DUST runs Feb. 8-16 at Kenilworth Studio 508, 1925 E. Kenilworth Place. For ticket reservations, call 414-961-6119.

Theatre Happenings

Milwaukee Chamber Theatre continues its season with the story of a Dutch librarian who discovers a book that’s more than 100 years overdue. James Ridge stars in Chamber Theatre's production of Underneath the Lintel running Feb. 21 through March 17. For ticket reservations, call 414-291-7800.

Marquette University Theatre revisits one of the great classics of modern drama as it stages Maureen Kilmurry's adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House, Feb. 21-March 3. For ticket reservations, call 414-288-7504.