Ahhh, the things we do for love: awaking early to serve breakfast in bed, proclaiming oneself Supreme Head of the Church of England to annul our current marriage and marry Anne Boleyn, attempting to assassinate Reagan in order to impress Jodie Foster.
Amelia is a love story set during the Civil War, with passions to match the fever pitch of the times. Ethan takes up with the Union Army, forcing him to part with his strong-willed newly-wed, Amelia. When Ethan’s letters abruptly stop arriving, Amelia springs into action. The heroine “pulls a Mulan” and, disguised as a Union soldier, takes to the battlefields and prison camps in search of her beloved.
According to director Laura Gordon, Renaissance Theaterworks had been interested in performing a play dealing with women in the military when it decided to give the Midwest premiere of this Alex Webb play. “The play is fictional,” Gordon explains, “but certainly draws on very real events of this chapter of American history.” Something for history buffs and romantics alike.
Amelia opens Oct. 17 and runs through Nov. 9 at the Broadway Theatre Center, 158 N. Broadway. For tickets go to tickets.broadwaytheatrecenter.com.
Theatre Happenings
■ As part of its Montgomery Davis Play Development Series, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre presents a pay-what-you-can staged reading of The Boy Inside, a new play by Richard Kalinoski (Beast on the Moon). Tracking the conflict between a college football coach and the school’s president over the brutal nature of the sport, the reading occurs Monday, Oct. 13, at the Skylight Bar & Bistro, 158 N. Broadway.
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■ Brand new this year, Cooperative Performance Milwaukee presents its second show, Poe’s Ghosts, Oct. 15-Nov. 1 at Shaker’s Bar, 422 S. Second St. Poems by the master of horror will be brought to life through shadow puppetry. For tickets, visit cooperformke.com.
■ The UW-Milwaukee Theatre’s Mil-Wonky Too! (Sex, Drugs and D2L) presents the highs and lows of college life in Milwaukee. A sequel to last year’s Mil-Wonky Style, it’s devised by/with students under the direction of distinguished playwright and professor Alvaro Saar Rios. See it Oct. 15-19 in the great Room 508, Kenilworth Square East, 1925 Kenilworth Place. Top price is $10. Call 414-229-4308 or visit www4.uwm.edu/psoa/newsevents/boxoffice.cfm.
■ Halloween Show VII: Suicide Sleep, a new horror drama from Aaron Kopek and his Alchemist Theatre, runs Oct. 16-18, 23-25, 30 with performances at 7:20 and 9 p.m. The anti-hero is driven to drink, drugs and violence by a rock band performing nightly just outside his bedroom. The shocker exploits the Alchemist’s bar-theater arrangement at 2569 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. Visit thealchemisttheatre.com.
■ Acacia Theatre presents Lee Eshleman and Ted Swartz’s successful 20-year-old comedy, Fish Eyes, Oct. 17-26. The play tells the story of Jesus through the eyes of uncomprehending disciples, Peter and Andrew. Performances occur at Concordia University’s Todd Wehr Auditorium, 12800 N. Lake Shore Drive, Mequon. For tickets, call 414-744-5995 or visit acaciatheatre.com.
■ On Friday, Oct. 17, Schauer Arts & Activities Center hosts Nebraska Theatre Caravan’s scripted celebration of renowned advice columnist Ann Landers, The Lady with All the Answers. For tickets, call 262-670-0560 or visit schauercenter.org.
■ For Halloween, Village Playhouse of Wauwatosa presents The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, adapted from Robert Louis Stevenson’s famous novella. Scott Sorensen plays the brilliant scientist and his inner beast. Performances are Oct. 17-18, 24-25, 31-Nov. 2 at Inspiration Studios, 1500 S. 73rd St. Call 414-207-4879 or villageplayhouse.org.
■ Racine’s Over Our Head Players, 318 Sixth St., teams with the Racine Symphony Orchestra to present classic fables and music for children (and adults) in Oohpie’s Fables, 7 p.m. Fridays and 12 and 2 p.m. Saturdays, Oct. 17-25. Call 262-632-6802 or visit overourheadplayers.org.
