Caped Opera

One of my childhood heroes was Mighty Mouse. Who can deny the cuteness of a caped cartoon rodent in tights? Top that off with the ability to fly, superhuman strength and a defender-of-justice attitude. The clincher, though, was that he could sing like an opera star.

I can’t imagine anything closer to that experience on the live stage than “Fortuna the Time Bender vs. the Schoolgirls of Doom.” It’s a superhero opera by Jason Powell. And this is its last weekend.

From the web: “In the town of Anyville, crime is no longer a problem – having been wiped out by its resident superhero, the time-bending Fortuna. But then … ! Sweeping in from across the Atlantic to fill this power vacuum comes the Headmaster, a criminal mastermind as brilliant as he is British. Our hero is forced to recruit an ally from amongst Anyville’s everyday, ordinary citizenry in order to even the odds against her new nemesis …before a reign of terror is brought down upon the town, courtesy of the evil Headmaster and his – Schoolgirls of Doom!”

The Milwaukee Opera Theatre production is at the Alchemist Theatre & Lounge, 2569 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. but all shows have been sold out for weeks. If nothing else, you can read about it here. And here. And here. So there.

Killer Comedy

The Caste of Killers Comedy Collective reminds us that every second and fourth Thursday of the month their comedians are hosting The Killer Comedy Show, which includes an open mic, at Art Bar Riverwest, 722 E. Burleigh Ave.

Well, this Thursday, Jan. 26, is the fourth Thursday.

From Facebook: It’s an “anything-goes comedy show. Anybody interested in performing for 5-7 minutes is welcome to sign up, just make sure you're there by 8:30 p.m. or you risk not getting on the list.”

And then what? You have to sit with your mouth shut the rest of the evening except to pour in $3 Lakefront brews or to laugh open-mouthed at the other performers - the ones who knew how to show up on time.

Except for the drinks, it’s free.

Planning a Smorgasbord

The grandes dames of Milwaukee comedy are at it again. This time, we catch broadminded comedy sketch artists Megan McGee, Stacy Babl and Melissa Kingston at the kitchen table cooking up their latest show, "broadminded Buffet." They're stirring things up by blending in the talents of other Milwaukee comedy staples such as Meanwhile, Worst Case Scenario and ComedySportz.



The banquet runs Feb. 9-18 at Carte Blanche Studios, 1024 S. 5th St. For $10 tickets and more information, please go to http://www.broadmindedcomedy.com/.

Now in its seventh year, the all-female broadminded troupe (which includes Anne Graff LaDisa) has written and performed more than 150 comedy sketches. Broadminded has contributed to each of the first six annual Milwaukee Comedy Festivals and in 2011 was featured in the Austin Sketch Fest.

Elect to Listen

I got to see Elect To Laugh! with Will Durst last weekend.

Durst bills himself as a guy who jokes about politics for those who don’t like politics, but I’ve got to tell you that he has made me even more interested in what’s taking place in Washington and Madison and beyond. As he likes to say, “You can’t make this (stuff) up.”

It’s not the same as seeing him in person, but click here and you can hear him on WUWM’s Lake Effect.

And though he’s not the political satirist that Will Durst is, John Oliver (from the satirical The Daily Show with Jon Stewart) is in Milwaukee this week. Doors open at 7:30 p.m., Friday, Jan. 27, at the Pabst Theater. Buy $31.25 tickets by clicking here.

One After Another

Those Milwaukee Stand-Up Comedy Showcases just keep popping up like Whac-A-Mole. And now there’s another one at 8:30 p.m., Friday, Feb. 3, at Karma Bar & Grill, 600 E. Ogden Ave.

You know that Caste of Killers Comedy Collective is behind it. Here’s what they’ve got to say for themselves in a news release:

“Chastity Washington, who in our circle is widely known as the funniest comic today, is your headliner. Our feature is no slouch either, from the Chicago comedy group, Comedians You Should Know, Mike Lebovitz.” And then there’s some stuff about tickets. And then there’s this: “February 3rd also features some great showcase comedians including: Nick Ledesma, Jay Abbondanza, Joseph Murphy, and Lara Beitz.”

The showcases have been costing $10 at the door and $5 in advance. Check out the Caste of Killers website for more details.

Everyone's a winner

Your team out of the playoffs? Well, there’s an abundance of comedy in Milwaukee this weekend to take your mind off of it. Get a load of these:

Elect To Laugh! with Will Durst One thing a playoff game will never have is FREE PARKING! On top of that little gem is the five-time Emmy-nominated comedian Will Durst, who returns home to Milwaukee for his one-man show that puts the "mock back in democracy." The New York Times AND Fox News have both given Durst major props, this one should not be missed!

8 p.m., Friday, Jan. 20, at the brand new Next Act Theatre space,
255 S. Water St. Tickets $20 Click here to buy tickets or call the Next Act box office at (414) 278-0765.

Retro Comedy Night Just like a retired player re-living the glory days of playing quarterback in high school, Retro Comedy Night takes to the stage with "A night of new comedy based on old ideas!" The evening will offer nostalgic audiences standup from Patrick Schmitz, improv from Meanwhile and a surprise retro sitcom performed live on stage.

8 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 21, at the brand new Next Act Theatre space, 255 S. Water St. Tickets are $12 in advance, $15 at the door. Click here to buy tickets or call the Next Act box office at (414) 278-0765.

Inner Conflict with Ryan Lowe Inner Conflict, a brand new stand up comedy special from Ryan Lowe is far beyond the average show. It's all about quality and innovation. Adding Christy Watson and R. Michael Gull to the mix makes for what's sure to be high-quality entertainment!

2 Shows, One night only! Friday, Jan. 20 at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. at the Miramar Theatre Read more about it here!

Milwaukee Stand Up Showcase Brought to you by the Caste of Killers, a show with two headliners for the price of one: James Ervin Berry and Kenny DeForest, two very funny comedians. Also featuring Luciana Bonafazi, Barry Roberts, Bryon Schmear and Stephen Kohlman. 8:30 p.m., Friday, Jan. 20, at the Karma Bar and Grill Yup, more on this here!

The Midnite Show performs every Saturday at ComedySportz at, you guessed it, midnight.

Bye Bye Liver every Saturday at 9 p.m. in the ComedySportz garage.

Plus, ComedySportz has its usual weekend shows. Check that out here.

Frank Caliendo - Another national headliner who, like Durst, graduated from Waukesha South High School, the comic/impressionist is appearing at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 21, at the Riverside Theater. Click here for tickets of $35.75 or $45.75.

Had your team won on Sunday, you’d be seeing Caliendo on this weekend’s pregame show on Fox Sports. Instead, you have a chance to see that live comedy is more fulfilling.

Making it up as they go

Some of the best shows I’ve seen I’ve walked into blindly – not knowing much, if anything, about the story, not having read reviews, not hearing about it from friends who had already seen it. I know people who decidedly prefer ignorance about movies or plays before they go because they enjoy the element of surprise.

That’s part of the draw of improvisational comedy as performed and propagated by Milwaukee-based ComedySportz and practiced regularly by such stalwarts in the local comedy community as Meanwhile Improv Troupe, The Midnight Show, Homegrown Electric Circus, Fish Sticks Comedy, Organized Chaos, Worst Case Scenario, Talking Points and Running With.

“Whose Line is It Anyway?!” popularized improv nationally and made superstars out of such cast members as Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood, who are performing Saturday, Jan. 28, at the Pabst Theater.

This week, Milwaukee’s impromptu song-and-dance comedy makes its monthly appearance. The December performance by The Improvised Musical (T.I.M.) paid homage to homeless people through a musical about two spoiled rich kids wanting to put poor people in their place. The one-hour show, featuring the musical trio The Improvised Band, was suggested by the audience with the title “Jingle Balls.”

What’s the next improvised musical about? No one knows. But we do know when, where and how much: 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 19, at ComedySportz, 420 S. 1st. St., $5 cash at the door. Reserve seats at (414) 272-8888.

Unknown Comic

The Caste of Killers Comedy Collective resumes its monthly “underground comedy showcase” at 8:30 p.m., Friday, Jan. 20, at the Karma Bar and Grill, 600 E. Ogden Ave.

From Facebook: “This month it's two Headliners for the price of one: James Ervin Berry and Kenny DeForest, two hilarious comedians top off the show. The showcase starts with 4 up-and-coming comedians, those you should keep your eye on in the years to come! Featuring: Luciana Bonafazi, Barry Roberts, Bryon Schmear.”

It may be worth the price of admission just to learn who’s the fourth - unnamed - up-and-comer.
Tickets are $10 at the door or $5 if you order in advance.

UPDATE: Thanks to an anonymous comment below, we now know that the fourth featured comic is Stephen Kohlman.

Now to find out the identity of the anonymous commenter.

Humor in a Habit

Anyone who survived Catholic grade school has a dreadful affection for nuns, akin to the Stockholm Syndrome observed in former hostages. We have a terrorized respect for any animal resembling a penguin. And we’re disproportionately amused by humor involving nuns.

That helps explain the success of “Nunsense,” now running at the Sunset Playhouse, in Elm Grove.

From the web: “The Little Sisters of Hoboken have a problem. Their convent cook has accidentally served a bunch of the sisters a tainted batch of soup, and several of the sisters have met their maker. Prayers are nice, but the surviving sisters need to raise some dough for the burials. A bake sale isn’t going to do it, so the sisters put on a talent show to end all talent shows. Jokes, songs and dancing nuns add up to one of the silliest musical celebrations ever!”

“Nunsense” runs through Sunday, Feb. 5, at the Sunset Playhouse, with tickets ranging from $10 to $22. (Pay the right amount, or they’ll rap your knuckles with a ruler.) For more information, please click here.

Recall Will Durst

Conspicuously revered as one of the nation’s great political satirists, Will Durst suggests that he isn’t even the most famous comic from Waukesha South High School.

That’s the sort of humility we expect from a guy raised and educated around Milwaukee who continues to see himself as a product of the area, comes home frequently and includes among his ambitions a gustatory pursuit topped with cheese.

Durst says he attended 14 different schools before graduating from Waukesha South in 1970. From there, he studied at the University of Wisconsin-Waukesha and what was then Waukesha County Technical Institute before transferring to UW-Milwaukee – where he stayed for seven years. “Almost graduated,” he tells Milwaukee Comedy via email. “Couldn’t afford the $3,700 in parking fines.”

Durst is based in San Francisco and on the road a lot. But he still heavily identifies himself “as a Milwaukeean and Wisconsinite,” he says, “and root for all the teams, even get a little proud when UW-Whitewater or Green Bay or Lawrence University wins something.”

Durst gets back to the area three or four times a year – including summer and Thanksgiving – to visit his brother, Mark, in Menomonee Falls and other relatives in Wauwatosa and West Allis. When home, he makes a point of getting pizza at Zaffiro’s on Farwell, gumbo at Maxie’s Southern Comfort in West Allis and souvenirs from Brennan’s in Brookfield: “some aged cheddar for all my SF foodie friends,” he says “and some jalapeno cheese brats for me.”

Food figures into Durst’s pleasures away from home. “The joy of the search for the perfect cheeseburger is the journey, not the destination,” Durst says. “And the things I value most are fresh ground chuck and a butter-grilled bun, and the rest is all serendipity. Bacon and cheddar and pickles and raw onions and ketchup, and that's about it.”

Of course, Wisconsin has given Durst more than his craving for cholesterol. It has been a hotbed for political humor in the last year.

“Yes, I talk about Governor Scott Walker a bit,” Durst says, including a prediction that Walker would win the AFL-CIO's Organizer of the Year Award. But that bit hasn’t been resonating much on the road lately. “I mean, it did back in February last year, but people have the attention span of high-speed lint.”

Durst shouldn’t have to work as hard to appeal to the funny bone of his audience next week. Because he’ll be among his own cheese-loving, Packers-cheering people, that’s why.

Elect to Laugh with Will Durst! is at 8 p.m., Friday, Jan. 20, at the brand new Next Act theatre facility, 255 S. Water St. Please click here for $20 tickets.

(Durst lists the following as some of his favorite places for cheeseburgers in Milwaukee: The Knick, George Webb’s, Solly’s, Kopp’s and Elsa’s – although he hasn’t been there in a while. Share your recommendations in the comments section below.)

Oh, and the most famous comic from Waukesha South? Durst cedes that distinction to Frank Caliendo, who happens to be appearing the next night, at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 21, at the Riverside Theater. Please click here for tickets of $35.75 or $45.75.