The holidays are all about tradition, and that applies to theater, too. Two comedies that have become audience favorites in Milwaukee have returned for another year.
Local playwright Neil Haven's "Who Killed Santa?" is back for those of us whose attitude toward Christmas is deliciously twisted. Haven calls the show "a one-of-a-kind alternative holiday puppet murder mystery." Humans perform in the comedy, too, and let's just say that Mr. Claus and a crew of other holiday icons are not on their best behavior.
"Who Killed Santa?" is splitting its run between two cities this year. It can currently be seen through Dec. 17 at the Sixth Street Theatre in Racine. The production then moves to Carte Blanche Studios in Walker's Point for a Dec. 20-30 engagement.
Alison Mary Forbes has joined the cast this season.
In Tandem Theatre has revived the delightfully irreverent "Scrooge in Rouge" for what it says is the show's final season. Raucous and bawdy, the musical runs through New Year's Eve at the company's Tenth Street Theatre.
Rep Holiday Artisan Crafts Fair
The folks who make the costumes, props and scenery at the Milwaukee Rep are artisans who also create on their own time. Original hats, beaded jewelry, resin jewelry, hand-painted scarves, hand-dyed linen bags, watercolor greeting cards, leather crafts, hand-bound books and other items made by the Rep staff will be on sale from 1 to 8 p.m. Saturday at the Rep Holiday Artisan Craft Fair.
The sale will be in the Stiemke Studio Theatre at the Baker Theatre Complex, 108 E. Wells St.
Damien has been around so long, he was at Summerfest the night George Carlin was arrested for speaking the seven dirty words you can't say on TV. He was also at the Uptown Theatre the night Bruce Springsteen's first Milwaukee concert was interrupted for three hours by a bomb scare. Damien was reviewing the concert for the Milwaukee Journal. He wrote for the Journal and Journal Sentinel for 37 years, the last 29 as theater critic.
During those years, Damien served two terms on the board of the American Theatre Critics Association, a term on the board of the association's foundation, and he studied the Latinization of American culture in a University of Southern California fellowship program. Damien also hosted his own arts radio program, "Milwaukee Presents with Damien Jaques," on WHAD for eight years.
Travel, books and, not surprisingly, theater top the list of Damien's interests. A news junkie, he is particularly plugged into politics and international affairs, but he also closely follows the Brewers, Packers and Marquette baskeball. Damien lives downtown, within easy walking distance of most of the theaters he attends.
