The Milwaukee Post

By JULIE MCHALE Post Theater Critic WAUWATOSA — Picture yourself at a vaudeville show in a barn in Marion, Iowa, in 1892, witnessing four sisters who have dreams bigger than their talent putting on their first show. They called themselves The Cherry Sisters. They sang, danced, did humorous sketches and ended with their pyramid (shades of present-day cheerleading). They were ridiculed, sometimes pelted with fruits and vegetables, and often panned in the press. Despite those abominations, they were a big success for a time in Chicago and New York. Their infamy reminded me of the infamous opera singer Florence Foster Jenkins, who also drew large crowds because people loved to experience her lack of talent. Composers Michael Friedman (music) and Dan O'Brien (script) unearthed the story of this hapless bevy of sisters — Effie, Jessie, Addie and Lizzie — and their journey as entertainers from 1892-1935. It is a story that represents vaudeville as being neither easy nor very appealing. The four sisters and the one left behind, Ella, are portrayed as a close-knit family, but one with the usual sibling rivalries. Effie's indomitable spirit as the smart writer was beautifully rendered by Jessica Schulz. Leah Northrup's strength as the matronly Jessie, the moral compass until the stress of years of traveling becomes unbearable, was spot on. Lizzie, the attrac- tive but naïve middle sister, was aced by Jena Dorn. Irenie Froman amazed us with her role as the cavalier, funny Addie. Even Ella, the supposed "idiot," portrayed by Mandi DeVos, showed her unflagging spir- it as the drummer and the juggler on a uni- cycle. Their father, Pops, is a drunkard who dies early. Their mother died giving birth to Effie. Kyle Burger plays Pops, who re- appears occasionally, and also their agent, a character who is about as reliable as their father. Burger was admirable in both roles. The story was a mix of sad and funny. We grew to love these five sisters and their improbable adventures into the world of entertainment, but became more aware of the pain of performance. The playbill quotes one long-ago review- er of The Cherry Sisters: "The mouths of their rancid features opened like caverns, Alyssa Reinke Jessica Schulz, left, and Irenie Froman in the Wisconsin Lutheran College's production of "The Cherry Sisters." 16 • Milwaukee County Post • November 10, 2017 ENTERTAINMENT Local filmmaker Michael Brown will see his "Roller Life" documentary, centered in Milwaukee, stream on Amazon Prime beginning Saturday. File photo See 'THE CHERRY SISTERS' on Page 17 'The Cherry Sisters' presents a certain charm Please Call if you M O V E D ! at 414-744-6370 Leave a Message Name • Phone # Old Address & New Address & Apt. # or Lot # We Love Our Readers Thank You Milwaukee Co. Post By Tom Jozwik TimeOut Film Critic A native Milwaukeean and Brookfield Central High School graduate's film will begin streaming on the Amazon Prime subscription service Saturday. "Roller Life," a documen- tary, was screened twice dur- ing the recent Milwaukee Film Festival. Producer- director Michael Brown, a 1996 Central alumnus who later studied at UWM, was among the sizable afternoon audience at the showing I attended Oct. 10 at Milwaukee's Times Cinema. "This is a real sport," Brown, 39, comments on a promotional video for "Roller Life," as if to con- vince the sizable number of roller derby skeptics. "These girls (players) get injured in a heartbeat. They're risking their lives." At the same time, Brown added, roller derby "is more than a sport. It's a move- ment" wherein every player "is unique in her own way." Brown's documentary tells its viewers about some of those players of what "Roller Life" co-producer Anna Wilson calls "a female sport in a male-dominated world." Daughters, wives and mothers, the players are engaged from 9 to 5 in teach- ing, nursing, social work, restaurant management. Come nightfall they don uni- forms and nicknames like "Freight Train," "Becky the Butcher" and "Grace Killy" and become "superheroes." Rules of the sport (e.g., no tripping, throwing elbows or making out-of-bounds pass- es) are rehashed and plenty of action footage shown to pulsating music. Also shown are talking heads — proba- bly the most enlightening aspect of the film. From the talkers (former players, cur- rent players and people close to them) we learn just how much the vigorous activity means to those who under- take it. Family and friend- ship are emphasized; the word "community" occurs and recurs. One interviewee labels the sport "empower- ing." Another insists, "It gave me confidence." The combination of ath- letes in action and often attractive (and sometimes heavily tattooed) women offering reflections away from their UWM Panther home arena is a winning one. "Roller Life's" 82 min- utes pass quickly, enjoyably. And Milwaukee's skyline has never looked better than it does in the establishing shots. Brookfield Central alum produced, directed film 'Roller Life' documentary to stream on Amazon Prime About the producer "Roller Life" is Michael Brown's second movie. His first, in 2014, "Haunted State: Whispers from History Past," considers paranormal activity in the Badger State. It streamed on Amazon Prime. Not one to rest on his laurels, Brown has completed a third documentary, a sequel to his first. "Haunted State: Theatre of Shadows" is about alleged- ly haunted Wisconsin play- houses, including the Riverside and Pabst in down- town Milwaukee.

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