LIBERACE! BREAKS ALL-TIME SALES RECORD IN THE STACKNER CABARET
**Play to perform at Philadelphia’s Walnut Street Theatre in the spring**
December 10, 2014 – [Milwaukee] – Milwaukee Repertory Theater is delighted to announce today that the current production of Liberace! is the bestselling show in the history of the Stackner Cabaret surpassing the previous record holder, last year’s acclaimed production of Ain’t Misbehavin’. Since its first preview performances in November, Liberace! has played to 95% overall capacity and sold out houses for most performances in the 136-seat venue.
The Rep’s production of Liberace! continues its run, with limited ticket availability, now through January 11, 2015 and features brilliant local musician and performer Jack Forbes Wilson. He reprises his triumphant portrayal of Liberace after an acclaimed world premiere production which ran during The Rep’s 2010/11 Season. This loving tribute to Liberace is written and directed by Rep Associate Artistic Director Brent Hazelton, with original music direction and composition by Jack Forbes Wilson. After performances at Milwaukee Rep, Liberace! will be performed next at Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia, PA for a limited engagement in the spring.
“We were delighted to welcome back the incomparable Jack Forbes Wilson back to The Rep for a revival of Liberace!,” states Artistic Director Mark Clements. “And I’m thrilled that a world premiere play written and directed by Associate Artistic Director Brent Hazelton and developed from start to finish by Milwaukee Rep has now become the best-selling production of all-time in the Stackner and will go on to entertain audiences around the country.”
Critics continue to be wowed by Liberace!:
“Hazelton and Wilson . . . have created a memorable evening of music and storytelling that carried me along on a wave of sequins and shining lights. . . . Wilson is, simply, spectacular. His piano playing is captivating, and his acting is so genuine that there is no doubt that this Liberace is in full charge of both his craft and his life.” – OnMilwaukee.com
“This amazing one-man tribute to Milwaukee’s very own icon of flamboyance and showmanship captures the heart and spirit and, in particular, the charisma of the man who became ‘Mr. Showmanship.” – Shepherd Express
“Wilson’s stage persona combines a friendly demeanor with a hint of nervous shyness, suggesting that there’s something he’s holding back; we like him all the more for nevertheless trying so hard and so winningly to please us.” – Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The Executive Producers for Liberace! are Wayne and Kristine Lueders. The Associate Producer is Adlon Partnership. The Media Sponsor for this production is Wisconsin Gazette. The Stackner Cabaret season is sponsored by Sally Manegold.
TICKETS
Tickets for Liberace! are still available and begin at $40.00. Best availability is for performances mid-December through early January. Tickets can be purchased through The Rep’s Ticket Office by calling 414-224-9490 by going online 24/7 at www.MilwaukeeRep.com, or in person at 108 E. Wells Street. Group tickets are also available for purchase by calling Group Sales Coordinator Morgan Halverson at 414-290-5340.
To learn more about The Rep or its productions, please visit www.MilwaukeeRep.com.
###
Milwaukee Repertory Theater is a nationally-recognized company that presents compelling dramas, powerful classics, award-winning contemporary works, full-scale musicals, housed in its three unique performance venues – the Quadracci Powerhouse, Stiemke Studio and Stackner Cabaret. The Rep also produces an annual production of A Christmas Carol at the beautiful and historic Pabst Theater. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Mark Clements and Managing Director Chad Bauman, The Rep is committed to creating plays that are meaningful and relevant to the society we live in – plays that are challenging, visceral and engage the community through the issues they explore, demonstrating how a theater deeply rooted in its locality can also enjoy a richly influential and resonant national voice.
