Robots, zombies and pretty music

Theater

The Quasimondo Milwaukee Physical Theatre continues its season with Robot Cabaret, using familiar and original bot-characters to reveal the heart of human nature. Expect lots of movement and innovation from this troupe. The show opens at 8 p.m. Thurs. Feb. 14 (a perfect Valentine’s date idea) and runs through Mar. 2. See the full schedule and purchase tickets ($15 or $12) online or call (717) 34 QUASI.

Carte Blanche will bring the BBC sitcom Fawlty Towers to the stage, performing an adaptation of three episodes from the comedy created by John Cleese. Fawlty Towers is a fictional hotel in seaside Torquay run by tense owners, which sees an array of eccentric guests. The show premieres at 8 p.m. Thurs. Feb. 14 and runs through Mar. 3. Tickets ($20) and showtimes online or at (414) 305-9102.

Dance

Alverno Presents hosts award-winning choreographer Morgan Thorson for her latest work, Spaceholder Festival. In collaboration with composer Sxip Shirey, the work melds patterns of sound and movement to explore layers and the expanding “Right Now” moment. The performance is one night only, 8 p.m. Sat. Feb. 16 at Pitman Theatre. Tickets are $30 online or call (414) 382-6044.

Music

The MSO covers the American Songbook this weekend.

The MSO celebrates the American Songbook this weekend, covering a century of iconic American music from composers such as George Gershwin, Richard Rodgers, and Cole Porter. Sarah Hicks will return as conductor (last worked with the MSO for the West Side Story Pops concert), with soprano Ashley Brown and baritone Doug LaBrecque. Showtimes are at 8 p.m. Fri. Feb. 15 and Sat. Feb. 16, with a 2:30 p.m. concert Sun. Feb. 17. Tickets are $22 to $102 online or call (414) 291-7605.

Present Music’s latest concert, In the Chamber, presents contemporary works by Andrew Norman, Ted Hearne, Nico Muhly and Timothy Andres. Friday’s show at the Historic East Side Mansion has sold out, but tickets are still available for the concert at 7:30 p.m. Sat. Feb. 16 at Schlitz Audubon Nature Center, or at 7:30 p.m. Sat. Feb. 23 at The Hamilton. Tickets ($25/$35) are available online or call (414) 271-0711 x2.

The popular Fine Arts Quartet performs at UWM Sunday.

UWM also continues their Year of the Arts season with a concert from Fine Arts Quartet Sunday, Feb. 17 at 3 p.m. FAQ will perform Saint-Saens String Quartet No.1, Krzysztof Penderecki’s Leaves of an Unwritten Diary (2008) and Verdi’s String Quartet in E Minor. The event is free in Helene Bader Concert Hall, though tickets are still required. Reserve online or call the box office at (414) 229-4308.

Turner Hall has booked talented local bands Field Report and Old Earth for Valentine’s night, 8 p.m. Thurs. Feb. 14. Both bands have that folksy, dreamy sound, perfect for a night out with someone you can make googly eyes at (or not). Tickets are $10 online or at the door. The Pabst will host A Rocky Mountain High Concert at 7 p.m. Sat. Feb. 16, a tribute concert to John Denver’s legendary music career. Tickets are $35 or $45 online or call (414) 286-3663.

Chamber Music Milwaukee, UWM’s faculty-based chamber music series, welcomes Chicago-based Rembrandt Chamber Players tomorrow night, Wed. Feb. 13 at 7:30 p.m. The concert will feature both new and traditional works, in Helen Bader Concert Hall. Tickets are $17 (with several discounts available) online or call (414) 229-4308.

Masques visit Early Music Now from Montreal.

Early Music Now welcomes Masques from Montréal for An Entertainment for Louis XV. The concert will showcase music commissioned by the king, specific to his taste. A particular work, “Archipíelago,” composed by Michael Oesterle, was performed by Masques as a world premiere earlier this month in Montréal. The concert is at 5 p.m. Sat. Feb. 16 at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. Tickets are $25 online or call (414) 225-3113.

Special Events

It’s Fat Tuesday! Celebrate Mardi Gras tonight at Turner Hall with a big ol’ party hosted by 88.9 Radio Milwaukee. The event features music by The Right Now and Extra Crispy Brass Band, and dinner provided by Maxie’s Southern Comfort. Doors open at 6:30 pm.; tickets are $14 online, at the door, or call (414) 286-3663.

“The Walking Dead” makes a special trip to Milwaukee.

The Riverside Theater is hosting two evenings with Greg Nicotero, Norman Reedus, Steven Yeun and Lauren Cohan of AMC’s The Walking Dead (zombies!). The live panel discussion and fan Q&A is a special visit to Milwaukee (this isn’t a tour). Shows are at 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. Sat. Feb. 16. Tickets are $32.50 online or call (414) 286-3663.

Ongoing

Next Act Theatre: The Clockmaker, through Feb. 24

Milwaukee Rep: Clybourne Park, through Feb. 24

Milwaukee Rep: How the World Began, through Feb. 24

Milwaukee Rep: Mind Over Milwaukee, through Feb. 24

The Alchemist Theatre: The Canonical Five of Jack the Ripper, through Feb. 29

Last Chance

Theatre Gigante, Dust, through Feb. 16

Off the Wall Theatre, Closer, through Feb. 17

Sunset Playhouse: Lumberjacks in Love, through Feb. 17

UWM’s 16th Annual Festival of Films in French Film Festival, through Feb. 17