C.S. Lewis, ‘Urinetown’ and other shows in May

In May, musicals, plays and concerts on Milwaukee stages will celebrate our varied ethnic heritages and our communal love for C.S. Lewis, while decrying the abomination of pay toilets.

Here’s a look at some worthy productions, in chronological order by opening date.

Please note: None of these venues charge patrons for use of the restroom.

“Svadba-Wedding”: May 8-10. Fittingly, Milwaukee Opera Theatre and Wild Space Dance are performing this show about a bride-to-be and her friends at Pabst Best Place, 901 W. Juneau Ave., a top local wedding venue. Ana Sokolović’s “Svadba,” sung in Serbian, features six a cappella vocalists and six dancers. Visit or (800) 838-3006. (With VIP tickets, you get a beer, a pierogi and a seat at the head table.)

“The Magic Flute”: May 11 and 13. Florentine Opera performs Mozart’s fantasy in English, featuring tenor Noah Stewart and sopranos Laura Pisani and Jamie-Rose Guarrine. The Florentine aims to make this production a familyfriendly show. Marcus Center’s Uihlein Hall, 929 N. Water St. Visit florentineopera.org or call (414) 291-5700.

“The Immigrant Story”: May 16. Bel Canto Chorus will celebrate Irish, Polish, German, Jewish and other European immigrants with a program of ethnic songs and stories from the mid-1800s through World War I. Music begins at 7:30 p.m. at the Irish Cultural & Heritage Center of Wisconsin, 2133 W. Wisconsin Ave. Visit canto.org or call (414) 4818801.

“Urinetown”: May 18June 10. Skylight Music Theatre concludes its season with this ultra-satirical musical about a dystopia with pay toilets and an exceedingly fine grasp of musical theater conventions. Broadway Theatre Center, 158 N. Broadway. Visit skylight musictheatre.org or call (414) 291-7800.

“C.S. Lewis: The Most Reluctant Convert”: May 18-19. Max McLean portrays the spiritual change of direction of the Narnia creator and scholar. In his favorable review of the production, Chicago Tribune theater critic Chris Jones wittily dubs Lewis “pretty much every atheist’s favorite Christian thinker.” Note: The May 19 show begins at 4 p.m. Pabst Theater, 144 E. Wells St. Visit pabsttheater.org or call (414) 286-3663.

Milwaukee Symphony: May 19-20. Principal clarinetist Todd Levy steps up to perform Copland’s Clarinet Concerto; principal violist Robert Levine and the Milwaukee Symphony Chorus Argentinian soprano Laura Pisani will sing the Queen of the Night role in Florentine Opera's production of "The Magic Flute" May 11 and 13.

take the spotlight in Vaughan Williams’ “Flos Campi.” Marcus Center’s Uihlein Hall, 929 N. Water St. Visit mso.org or call (414) 291-7605.

“Flyin’ West”: May 24-27. Sheri Williams Pannell directs Pearl Cleage’s play about four African-American women making a new life for themselves in frontier Kansas circa 1898. Marcus Center’s Wilson Theater at Vogel Hall, 929 N. Water St. Visit center.org or call 273-7206.

“Swan Lake”: May 31June 3. Milwaukee Ballet

(414) Maggie Seer (hidden in back), Jimmi Weyneth (center) and Elisabeth Roskopf dance in "Svadba–Wedding," which Wild Space Dance and Milwaukee Opera Theatre are staging at Pabst Best Place, 901 W. Juneau Ave.

performs artistic director Michael Pink’s choreography of one of ballet’s

signature stories, to Tchaikovsky’s music. Marcus Center. 929 N.

Water St. Visit keeballet.org or call (414) 902-2103.