The Milwaukee Rep announces its 65th season

The 2018/2019 boasts a Tony-winning musical, Christmas at Pemberley, Johnny Cash in the Cabaret, and so much more

Lights up on the Milwaukee Repertory Theater, where the big news for the 2018/2019 season is no doubt the six-time Tony Award-winning musical In the Heights. The show, which opens September 18th, blends salsa, merengue, soul, hip-hop, and R & B, and was the first Tony Award-winning musical by Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, back in 2008. It's a story of chasing dreams, finding home, and it's all set to music that makes you want to move your body. 

Other stand-out plays include Ayad Akhtar's Junk, fresh off its Broadway run at Lincoln Center. It's set in the financial world of the 1980s, and yet somehow manages to be highly entertaining, allegedly. For the Austen fans in the audience, the holiday season brings Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley to the Powerhouse stage — a continuation of Pride & Prejudice that centers on the bookish and often-forgotten Mary, the middle Bennet sister. 

Not part of the Rep subscription package, but exciting just the same, is Every Brilliant Thing in the Stiemke Studio next April. It's a one-man show about a young boy who eases his mother's depression by listing everything worth living for — everything from Star Trek to ice cream to a good hairdresser. The Rep says "it's a testament to the power of storytelling and a reminder that hope is never truly lost." 

Then in the Cabaret (which will be newly-renovated next season), there's Songs for Nobodies — a one-woman show about 5 everyday women and their encounters with five renowned divas (Judy Garland, Patsy Cline, Edith Piaf, Maria Callas, and Billy Holiday). There's also Mark Twain's River of Song, which promises American folk classics from the wonderful David Lutken, and The All Night Strut! — a review of 1930s and 40s favorites. 

Wrapping it up in the Cabaret is Ring of Fire: The Music of Johnny Cash. The last time the Rep staged this show, it sold out its entire run, even before opening night. So if Johnny Cash is up your alley, snag your tickets early — or maybe even subscribe.

For a full list of the 2018/2019 season at the Milwaukee Rep, visit milwaukeerep.com.