When Dave and I moved into our Shorewood duplex in August of 2005, we were told by the previous renter to be prepared to hear our downstairs neighbor singing a lot. Then he added, "but don't worry, she's great, so it won't bother you."
We waited, and sure enough, the singing came. Up through the vents, through the floors – beautiful, passionate singing, and often piano music along with it. After almost a year and a half here, we've grown used to it, we've come to expect it, and something about hearing that music and her singing comforts me and makes me feel safe.
When we first lived here, sometimes I'd be home on a Saturday morning, much like today, and I'd stop in my tracks in the hallway just to have a listen. She sounded like she had come here straight from Broadway.
But wait – I came to find out that she HAD come here straight from Broadway.
Linda Stephens came to Milwaukee after living in New York for 13 years and acting in Broadway productions such as "Damn Yankees" with Jerry Lewis, "The Man Who Came to Dinner" with Nathan Lane, and Arthur Miller's "All My Sons."
She's spent her career acting and singing in productions in New York, Milwaukee, Chicago, Atlanta and – I would imagine – many other places around the country.
This past summer I watched over Linda's apartment while she was away for several months doing a show in Atlanta, and on several occasions, I walked through her home, transfixed by the awards, photos and rave reviews that adorned her wall.
This wonderful Journal Sentinel article from early this year tells of other work she's done, including TV roles and being the voice of books on tape, and it also describes how she came to settle in our city.
Dave and I saw Linda in Animal Crackers last December, and now we're getting ready to see her perform again. 
Through next Saturday, December 16, Linda is starring in her own cabaret at the Skylight Opera Theater called "Imagine That" in the Skylight Bar after each Friday and Saturday performance of South Pacific. It's free and open to the public and usually starts around 10pm or a little after.
Since Dave and I can't make it until her final performance, I wanted to post about it now so readers have the chance to check her out either tonight or next Friday or Saturday.
The cabaret features Jack Forbes Wilson on the piano, and Linda sings songs and tells stories about her life in the theater, including of her experiences with composer Stephen Sondheim and playwright Tennessee Williams.
Jonathan West of MKE says on his blog:
FREE, BUT NOT CHEAP
Though my last Hot Pick of the week is a freebie, it is in no way a cheap pick. Think of this as the ultimate bargain: a perfect end to the perfect date, if you will. I'm simply gaga over actress Linda Stephens, a world-class lady and a stunning actress who has landed back in Milwaukee after several successful years in New York.
There is no question that everyone and their brother, mother, sister, father, and dog should scurry down to see her cabaret show, "Imagine That," following performances of "South Pacific" at the Skylight Opera Theatre. The lady simply opens her mouth, and the world seems to be a better place. Stephens will perform material that "conjures the power of the imagination." I for one, imagine that it will be great.
Linda is a very kind and interesting woman who, from what I can tell, has lived quite a life. It's a life that I feel lucky to have been touched by, and I'm eager to learn even more about it when we're there to see her take the stage next weekend.
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