Jessie Bylander

The Pfister Hotel Review – Old-World Elegance in the Heart of Milwaukee

December 5, 2018 Jessie Bylander 0

From the moment you enter the lobby of The Pfister, there is no doubt that it is Christmastime. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a hotel wear its holiday so gracefully or so grandly. From […]

Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley Review – Love, Regency England Style

December 2, 2018 Jessie Bylander 0

Disclaimer: In 1995, when I was 18 years old, a friend sent me several VHS tapes full of the BBC’s latest production of Pride and Prejudice. I was immediately entranced, smitten, and obsessed. Several years […]

Hilton Milwaukee City Center Review – Convenience, Class, and A Great Place for a Pack Attack

November 26, 2018 Jessie Bylander 0

Located in the heart of Milwaukee, the Hilton Milwaukee City Center offers a combination of Milwaukee’s charming old-world fashion combined with modern-day amenities, along with more surprising and unique touches, including Millie, the Canine Concierge. […]

Porchlight Revisits 1776 Review – Inclusive Company Breathes New Life Into 50-Year-Old Classic

November 25, 2018 Jessie Bylander 0

Much like the history of our nation, the musical 1776 had inauspicious beginnings. As Porchlight’s artistic director, Michael Weber, shared in the before-show Behind the Show Backstory, 1776 met with resistance and dismissal before finding its footing and […]

The All Night Strut Review – The Greatest (Generation) Hits Keep Coming at The Rep

November 12, 2018 Jessie Bylander 0

From the very first moments of JC Clementz’s high-energy, higher-spirited revue The All Night Strut, the signal is given that the audience is in for a ride. Jonathan Spivey, dressed in a natty conductor uniform, spends the first […]

The American Revolution Review – A High-Spirited, Comedic and Graceful Retelling of America’s Birth

October 21, 2018 Jessie Bylander 0

The first time I saw Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton, what surprised me most was the electric choreography. I was prepared for the music, having owned the cast recording for several years. But the way the company […]

The Madness of Edgar Allan Poe: A Love Story Review – Chills and Heartache in an Ingenious Production

October 14, 2018 Jessie Bylander 0

The windows of the Mayslake Peabody Mansion have been dressed in sad, uncertain rustling purple curtains… so enter if you dare. The level of loving detail in the First Folio Theatre production of The Madness […]

Guards at the Taj Review – The Beauty of Birds and Buildings, The Horror of Humans in Milwaukee Rep’s Latest

October 1, 2018 Jessie Bylander 0

It was a curious experience to visit the Milwaukee Rep and take in the vibrant hope of In the Heights, then return less than a week later to see the opening of Pulitzer Prize finalist Rajiv Joseph’s Guards at […]

In The Heights Review – Not-To-Be-Missed Explosion of Words and Music About the Beauty of Community

September 23, 2018 Jessie Bylander 0

In Milwaukee Rep’s In the Heights, the sky begins as a sliver of blue above the wrought iron fire escape, but by the end, it has become just as much a character as Usnavi, Vanessa, […]

Little Shop of Horrors Review – A Funny, Frightful, Possibly Too Faithful Revival

September 19, 2018 Jessie Bylander 0

Days after seeing Drury Lane’s Little Shop of Horrors, what stuck with me were the capillaries. Audrey II may make its adorably ominous debut as a little potted bit of felt, no bigger than one […]