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In this issue:
Saturday, November 19 • 8:00pm
Tickets: $36/28/18, UW-Madison Students $10
Handel and Morocco: Alonzo King’s LINES Ballet Performs Two New Works
What could be more exciting than seeing nine of the world's most accomplished
dancers in two brand-new works?
Alonzo King’s LINES Ballet brings to the theater two Midwest premieres. The first,
titled “Handel,” explores the music of this magnificent composer. In 1741, Handel said of his
latest composition, “Whether I was in my body or out of my body as I wrote it,
I know not. God knows.” Likewise, the dancers of LINES perform this piece with
ethereal beauty, leaving the audience gasping for air.
In “The Moroccan Project,” the luminous choreography of Alonzo King finds an irresistible source of musical
inspiration in the traditions of Moroccan Gnawa ceremonies. The musicians fuse
drumming with the plaintive tones of oud and violin, while the haunting voices
of women singing devotional and love songs echo their rich timbres. These intricate
musical layers give the dancers a rhythmic landscape in which they explore the
nuances of community, harmony, and unexpected moments of beauty.
Tuesday, December 13 • 7:30pm
Mills Hall, Humanities Building, 455 N. Park Street
Tickets: $32, UW-Madison students free
Jeffrey Siegel to Illuminate the Memorable Melodies of Mozart and Schubert
The second performance of Keyboard Conversations with Jeffery Siegel promises
to again enlighten and entertain the audience. With rousing performances of works
by two of the world’s greatest composers, Siegel delves into “Mozart and Schubert:
Memorable Melodies.” Come along as Siegel guides the audience through Mozart’s
Fantasy in D minor, Allegro of a Sonata in G minor and other pieces, as well as Schubert’s Wanderer Fantasy, D 760.
Siegel has been hailed by the Los Angeles Times as the man who “has everything: massive technique, musical sensitivity and character,
wide tonal resources, immense reserves of power, and the ability to communicate."
According to the Toronto Star, he is a "musical bridge-builder in action.... Siegel showed just how illuminating
the combination of words and abstract music can be."
Enjoy this unique, concert-plus-commentary format in which Siegel speaks to the
audience about the music before performing each work in its entirety. The concert
is held at Mills Hall in the Humanities Building.
Meet Our Staff:
Ted Harks, Patron Services Manager
He’s a tall guy, and a very patient one. Ted Harks, our Patron Services Manager,
trains numerous students each year to work the box office and the Play Circle
Theater. He’s also the person who listens to patrons and does everything in his
power to make them happy and to solve any problems that may arise. Ted’s work with the theater began in 1994, when he joined us as an usher. He
has served as our Box Office Manager for almost five years.
Ted’s pick of the season: “La Guitara. Where else can one experience the six-string talents of Patty Larkin, Kaki
King and Sharon Isbin all together on one night?”
Ted’s favorite seat in the house: “I'm a balcony lover and I love upper left
balcony seat J8. It has an excellent keyboard-side view, superior sound quality,
and a little extra leg room for my long legs.”
Ted’s celebrity moment: “Yo Yo Ma shook my hand and thanked me for being here. How backwards was that?”
When Ted’s not at the theater, he can be found exploring
Madison
's many trails via bicycle, battling his way through the latest video games,
and tinkering with his personal computers.
Want to contact Ted or another member of the Wisconsin Union Theater staff? Visit
the staff directory on our website.
Newsletter staff
Editor: Esty Dinur
Concept Designer: Heather Good
Layout Designer: Claire Weissenfluh
Writers: Megan Detrie, Esty Dinur, Heather Good
Alonzo King LINES Ballet
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Friday, December 2, 2005 • 8:00 pm
Tickets: $28/22/18, UW-Madison Students $10
They’re Young, Accomplished, Challenging:
Claremont Trio Keeps Chamber Music Fresh and Alive
The Claremont Trio, “a superbly accomplished young group," according to Strings Magazine, will offer an inspiring performance of great masterpieces and new works when
they perform Beethoven’s Trio in D Major, Op. 70, No. 1 (“Ghost”); Café Music by Paul Schoenfield; and Mendelssohn’s Trio in C minor, Op. 66.
Click here for program notes.
The trio was created in 1999 at the Juilliard School of Music. Six years later,
its members hold the Helen F. Whitaker Chamber Music Chair of Young Concert Artists
and are considered one of the most exciting young groups performing today. Says
the Cincinnati Enquirer, "Their exuberant performance and gutsy repertoire ... [have] the kind of fresh
approach that keeps chamber music alive." According to a Washington Post writer, the three produce “velvety tones and feature extraordinary timing (I
think their hearts beat together)."
The performance is preceded by a pre-concert lecture with John Barker at 7 pm,
check the TITU. The audience is welcome to meet the talented artists following
the show.
November 28 & 29 • 7:30pm
Tickets: $10, UW-Madison Students $5
Adventurer Mike Shiley Brings Thailand to Madison
Mike Shiley, filmmaker, adventurer and world traveler, is returning to the theater
to present his travel documentary on Thailand.
The film will take you deep into the jungle aboard a bamboo raft, show a rare
glimpse of the indigenous hill tribe villages in northern Thailand, explore uninhabited
tropical beaches by kayak and take you on a boat cruise through the hidden canals
of Bangkok. History buffs will be intrigued by the profile of Ayutthaya, the ancient
capital of Siam that was sacked in 1767 by Burmese invaders.
Shiley is no stranger to adventure travel, having completed a 3,000 mile solo
bicycle journey from Canada to Cabo San Lucas in 1993. Earlier that year, he worked
as a scuba dive guide in the Red Sea in Egypt. In 1999, he trekked to the Base
Camp of Mt. Everest in Nepal.
As always, a sumptuous white-linen buffet dinner highlighting food from the region, is available before the movie. Dinner price
is $14. Order tickets.
Share a Story:
How to Saw an Assistant in Two
George Merriman, a long-time theater patron, responded to our call for memorable
stories with the following:
When I was a student—about 35 years ago—I worked as a doorman at the Union Theater.
One of my favorite shows was the one with the magician Harry Blackstone Jr. One
night, before the performance, I wandered into the theater. Harry was demonstrating
the trick of sawing a woman in half to two people up on stage. I believe one of
them was a reporter for a local newspaper. Anyway, the audience consisted of only
me—who just by chance had walked in—and the other two people up on the stage.
Harry proceeded to saw a woman into two segments, each body part rolling around
separately on its own 4 wheels. From where I was watching, the illusion was completely
real-looking. But even more impressive was that the only two other viewers were
right up on stage with Harry, and his now sawn-into-two-halves assistant, and
they appeared to be as baffled by the trick as I was.
Needless to say, Harry Blackstone Jr. put on a great performance for the rest
of the audience when they were admitted some 20 minutes later.
Do you have a theater story? Please share it with us. We’ll include it in the newsletter and on our website.
Concert Series patrons, help us program next season!
72nd Annual Wisconsin Union Tudor Holiday Dinner Concerts
Usher in the holiday season with a magical evening of gourmet dining, rich choral
presentations and elegant pageantry in the tradition of Tudor England.
November 30, December 1-4 & 6-7, 2005
Click here for more information
Claremont Trio
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