CULTURE
This Month in Milwaukee 13 THINGS TO DO IN AUGUST
BY HARRY CHERKINIAN, ALLAN HALLAS, ELIZABETH LINTONEN, DAVID LUHRSSEN AND BLAINE SCHULTZ
AUGUST 2-20 Peninsula Music Festival, Ephraim The 70th season for this Door County summertime Symphony Series features several guest conductors and soloists in a repertoire that changes daily. Among the featured composers are Beethoven, Saint-Saens, Bruckern, Richard Strauss, Mendelssohn, Gershwin, Tchaikovsky, Brahms, Shostakovich—masterworks spanning the symphonic traditions of the 19th and 20th centuries. AUGUST 5 Telethon: Grand Spontanean: A Tale Told in Five Acts X-Ray Arcade There are ambitious projects, and then there is the grandiose piece of local music that indie rockers Telethon have created. Grand Spontanean, a one-night only performance from the band, tells of an apocalyptic rock opera, in the style and flair for the dramatic with the quirkiness that only Telethon can provide. The band has already become mainstays on the local scene for their irreverent songwriting and high-energy performances, but this could very well take things to a new level at Cudahy’s X-Ray Arcade. This special 90-minute performance also marks the five-year anniversary of the self-proclaimed “very famous” all-ages venue. THROUGH AUGUST 7 Newsies Sunset Playhouse Newsies, the 1992 Disney film turned 2011 Broadway musical, promises a spectacular production with its nonstop, high-flying energy featuring a talented cast of young people. They sing, dance and tap their way across the stage, moving Newsies in joyful leaps and bounds, defying gravity. Newsies is based on a real-life event: the 1899 newsboys strike in New York City. The newsboys or “hawkers” that sold newspapers on the street fought back against wealthy publishers Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst. Fereshtini #9 (#4 of 4 in series), 2007 © Siona Benjamin, courtesy of Jewish Museum Milwaukee
AUGUST 7 Happy Together Tour Wisconsin State Fair Main Stage As the ‘60s ended and the ‘70s began, Top-40 radio was filled with an unending rotation of succinct, catchy hits. For anyone wishing to relive those memories live and outdoors, the Happy Together Tour returns this year to the State Fair. With The Turtles’ founding members Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman (aka Flo and Eddie) as hosts, the show rolls out members of Gary Puckett & The Union Gap, The Association, The Buckinghams, The Vogues and The Cowsills for an evening of tuneful nostalgia.
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AUGUST 8 Motel Breakfast & Bug Moment Cactus Club A pair of young, buzzing bands will take a long weekend into a Monday night show at Cactus Club. Motel Breakfast blend elements of indie rock, pop, and Americana in a way that could best be described as non-denominational drinking music for your pub of choice. Previous shows around Milwaukee have drawn big crowds, who often become livelier as the band’s set goes on. They’ll be joined by emerging pop act Bug Moment, who are quickly getting their name spread amongst the city’s music scene with regular shows following 2021’s Bugs LP.
Gradient background by Sophie Yufa.
