Earlier this year the Milwaukee International Film Festival (MIFF) and the Skylight Opera Theatre kicked off their "Movies On Broadway" series, a collaborative effort combining the forces of film and theater for an evening of entertainment.
The series began in May with a screening of Mike Leigh's 2000 Oscar-winning film "Topsy-Turvy" in conjunction with the Skylight's production of "Mikado," and a big party celebrating them both.
For its second event the Skylight Opera Theatre will host a themed cocktail party on Tuesday, Sept. 20 at the Broadway Theatre Center in association with its "Little Women" production, which runs Sept. 16-Oct. 2. The evening starts at 5:30 p.m. with appetizers and music.
"Each of the cocktail parties are themed around the current Skylight production," says David Polacek, the Managing Director of MIFF. Appropriately, Tuesday's party will include a screening of the 1933 Katharine Hepburn classic "Little Women."
Playing off the mother-daughter theme of the film and production, the party will feature a family-oriented "tea room" with music provided by students from the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra, historic re-enactors from Old World Wisconsin and a "Hats Off to Women" interactive display, in which guests can be photographed wearing an array of hats provided by MAC Costume Shop.
"May's kick off party was incredibly successful," says event coordinator Meghan Arnold. "We had about 200 guests and secured several solid sponsorships that are allowing us to do even more."
Starting Tuesday and continuing throughout the series, The Wicked Hop, 345 N. Broadway, will host the event's after-parties. Starting at 10 p.m. the bar extends the evening with themed food and drink specials for those 21 and older.
Tickets for the evening at $5 and can be purchased at the Broadway Theatre Center Box Office or by calling (414) 291-7800.
The Skylight Opera Theatre will continue to host evenings of film, food and entertainment in conjunction with every production it runs throughout the 2005-'06 season. According to Arnold, MIFF and Skylight hope to continue the series next season as well.
The remaining dates for 2005-'06 "Movies on Broadway" cocktail parties are:
Nov. 29: Screening of the Marx Brothers' "Coconut" in conjunction with the production of "Animal Crackers."
Feb. 2: Screening of "Carmen Jones" in conjunction with the production of "Carmen."
March 14: Screening of “Yankee Doodle Dandy” in conjunction with the production of “Tintypes.”
June 6: Screening of “Lost in La Mancha” in conjunction with the production of “Man of La Mancha.”
OnMilwaukee.com staff writer Julie Lawrence grew up in Wauwatosa and has lived her whole life in the Milwaukee area.
As any “word nerd” can attest, you never know when inspiration will strike, so from a very early age Julie has rarely been seen sans pen and little notebook. At the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee it seemed only natural that she major in journalism. When OnMilwaukee.com offered her an avenue to combine her writing and the city she knows and loves in late 2004, she knew it was meant to be. Around the office, she answers to a plethora of nicknames, including “Lar,” (short for “Larry,” which is short for “Lawrence”) as well as the mysteriously-sourced “Bill Murray.”
