Review: Boulevard Theatre Presents Win-Win Evening in WHERE THE STREETCAR BENDS THE CORNER DOWN BY THE ZOO!

This fall, Boulevard Theatre raises the curtain once again (metaphorically speaking, yes!) at Plymouth Church with a nostalgic, noteworthy collaboration between Boulevard and Plymouth Chorale along with inspiration from Milwaukee Opera Theatre. Artistic Director Mark Bucher produces an original production in the church sanctuary creating the charming and kitschy Where the Streetcar Bends the Corner, Down by the Zoo!

The approximately 90 minute, no intermission production features a bevy of Milwaukee talent: David Flores, Julianne Frey, Lydia Rose Eiche, Daniel Koplitz, Donna Kummer, and the gifted Donna and Don Lobacz. Bucher plays master of ceremonies to Alice Wilson's Aunt Stella, who both narrate the first half of the show-similar to a Carol Burnett style variety show-comedy complete with sketches and songs. Set in the mid 1950's, their imaginary Milwaukee street car runs through Downer Avenue, Bronzeville,City Hall, Holiday Supper Club and Schusters on 5th and MItchell-and finally the first Milwaukee County Zoo.

Vaguely reminiscent of previous shows celebrating Milwaukee's quirks, this Streetcar uncovers the inherent coziness and familiarity of the city, and as Bucher so aptly says during the performance, a city fifty years later certainly in transit and perhaps ready for a momentous transition. Remembering 5th and Mitchell, Schusters or the future Gimbels Brothers and Schusters, along with Goldmans on these neighborhood streets once filled with bakeries and bridal shops, the 50's certainly evoked "courtesy, civility and belts on men's pants."-all worth remembering in 2016.

One memorable moment revisited Christmas in a tiny tale told by Santa, David Flores, and Billy the Brownie, Donna Lopacz, on "Why the Christmas Tree is Evergreen' on a reinvention of the Billy the Brownie Radio Hour while the chorale opens and closes with "Jingle Bells." The story evokes those cherished family times replete with a special meaning to the holiday season: Be thankful for what one has been given.

The audience will be most grateful for The Zoo stop, an accomplished presentation of a little produced 1875 opera by Sir Arthur Sullivan and B.C. Stephenson--the operetta worth the price of admission on its own. The Zoo promises an intimate and thrilling adventure into chamber opera tweaked for Milwaukee audiences mentioning Door County, Hayward and the city's Beer Baron.

In this performance, singers Lydia Rose Eiche shines alongside Julianne Frey, and their two beaus in the opera, Daniel Koplitz and Zachary Dean. Directed by Flores, The Zoo captivates the audience even if unfamiliar to this musical genre. Boulevard offers a great opportunity to showcase this art form in an innovative presentation while giving experience to up and coming talent---a wining combination.

True to past BoulevaRD Productions, Where the Streetcar Bends the Corner, Down by the Zoo! produces a win-win evening for audiences and performers with a warm, winsome musical fall treat to be savored before the holidays. A welcome performance reminding the city of an innocent, simpler era, a time reminiscing love and thankfulness, amid all the contemporary cultural and political clamor. Best to get your tickets soon because the production will only be at Plymouth Church for a very limited run. Then be sure to fill the Boulevard Bucket when leaving the church because Milwaukee's United Performing Arts Fund limited their budgets this year, and many arts organizations, including the Boulevard, could use an extra dose, or precisely extra dollars, of holiday cheer.

Boulevard Theatre presents the original Where the Streetcar Bends the Corner, Down by The Zoo! at Plymouth Church, 2717 East Hampshire Boulevard through October 30. For more information, performance times or to purchase tickets, please visit: www.boulevardtheatre.com

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