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Moisés Kaufman is probably best-known for The Laramie Project--an exploration into the psyche of a small town in the wake of a murder that became national news. That play debuted 15 years ago. It’s been produced quite a lot since then. Much more recently, Kaufman wrote a piece about a woman studying Beethoven that debuted on the stage in Washington D.C. back in 2009. Jane Fonda starred as a musicologist who was trying to figure out why the compose worked so diligently on 33 variations of the same theme.
The drama makes its way to Milwaukee by way of a production that Soulstice Theatre is staging at the Villa Terrace this month. Villa Terrace production use the gorgeousness of a 1924 mansion overlooking Lake Michigan as the backdrop. No scenery. Minimal props. It’s a chance to look very, very closely at the center of a drama. Here we have Laura Monagle as musicologist Dr. Katherine Brandt. The life of a woman who comes to suffer from ALS is contrasted against the life of a great composer who was becoming increasingly deaf. Two lives are juxtaposed in what should be a really interesting exploration featuring UWM Peck School of Music professor Elena Abend at the piano.
Soulsitce Theatre’s Concert Reading of 33 Variations runs March 12 - 14 at the Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum on 2220 N. Terrace Ave. For more information, visit soulsticetheatre.org.
