Hui-Chuan Chen, piano
Milwaukee Rep Getting Ready To Go Live With: First Lady of Song: Alexis J Roston Sings Ella Fitzgerald
Tickets will go on sale Monday, March 15, 2021.
Award-winning actress Alexis J Roston salutes America’s favorite jazz singer, Ella Fitzgerald. Roston was last seen at Milwaukee Rep in her mesmerizing star turn as Billie Holiday in Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill (Chicago’s Jeff Award, Black Theatre Alliance Award) and in the 2014 production of The Color Purple. In a spellbinding performance, Roston effortlessly emits the sultry swing and playful joy that made Ella an American treasure. Classic tunes by Ellington, Gershwin, Porter and more include “Summertime,” “The Lady Is a Tramp,” and “It Don’t Mean a Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing.”
April 27 — May 23, 2021
Quadracci Powerhouse
Approximate Running Time: 85 minutes with no intermission
Monday Music: Andrea Casarrubios: SEVEN (for solo cello) performed by Thomas Mesa, cellist
This work is one of three works from Songs of Isolation, a project aimed at illuminating important voices in this immensely challenging time across the globe. The three composers writing solo cello works for this project are Andrea Casarrubios, Stephanie Ann Boyd, and Carlos Simon.
SEVEN (2020) by Andrea Casarrubios is a tribute to the essential workers during the global COVID-19 pandemic, as well as to those who lost lives and are still suffering from the crisis. The piece ends with seven bell-like sounds, alluding to New York City’s daily 7PM tribute during the lockdown – the moment when New Yorkers clapped from their windows connecting with each other and expressing appreciation for those on the front lines.
Thomas Mesa, cellist Andrea Casarrubios, composer and cellist