When the lights go all red and white and the crimson-clad cast takes to the stark white ice as the band launches into "Jump Around," you almost wonder if Cirque du Soleil is based in Madison rather than Montreal.
But, no, surely it’s a coincidence, right?
Either way, "Axel," the second Cirque show on ice to visit Milwaukee – after last year’s "Crystal," reviewed here – is a must-see for Badgers fans, and, really, everyone else.
Packed as always with acrobatics that will dazzle, including high-wire-style acts that will make your palms sweat, dynamic and evocative music performed by a live band and dynamite lighting work ... but entirely on ice skates (and sometimes on stilt-like skates!), "Axel" is an edge-of-your-seat experience.
(It might also be the only show of any kind to have paired the music of The Bee Gees and Radiohead.)
The show is now at the Fiserv Forum and runs through Sunday (tickets here).
Here are some photos from opening night on Thursday to whet your appetite:
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
