St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of August 29th, 2022

Now including both on-line and live events during the pandemic. Your event information should be in text format (i.e. not part of a graphic), but feel free to include publicity stills. To get your event listed here, send an email to calendar [at] stageleft.org.

The Blue Strawberry presents a weekly open mic night Sundays at 7:30 pm. "Come and sing, play, speak or just listen and enjoy!" The Blue Strawberry in at 256 North Boyle in the Central West End. For more information: bluestrawberrystl.com.

Ken Haller

The Blue Strawberry presents Cabaret Soirée, a fund-raising cabaret evening for the Black Tulip Chorale, on Tuesday, August 30, at 7:30 pm. “Dr. Ken Haller, St. Louis Post-Dispatch 2015 and 2019 Cabaret Artist of the Year, hosts this festive fundraiser as singers from the Chorale surprise, amuse, and amuse you.” The Blue Strawberry is at 364 N. Boyle in the Central West End. The show is also available via streaming video. For more information: bluestrawberrystl.com.

ERA Theatre presents the radio play SHE by Nancy Bell with music by Joe Taylor and Lyrics by Nancy Bell via on-demand streaming  "SHE controls the radio station of the fascist regime in power. SHE's also the star of the broadcast. Her recording studio abounds with music and oysters. But in the nearby government camps full of misfits and would-be revolutionaries, only torture and starvation is thick on the ground. Tonight, however, SHE's realm feels different. The bombs sound closer. Time moves faster. But SHE will finish her radio show, and it will be her finest. If executing every number in the broadcast means some people need to die, so be it; it is a small sacrifice. The citizens need her and she will not let them down." SHE is available on most major platforms including Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Music, YouTube, and BandCamp. For more information: www.eratheatre.org

The Lemp Mansion Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre and Jest Mysteries present Dead Like Me September 2nd through October 29th. "Death is in the air as guests join Marilyn Monroe, Babe Ruth, Juliet and her Romeo, Nixon and other grizzly ghouls as they emerge from the Land of The Dead for the annual Brotherhood of Obituary Occupants Union Meeting (That’s BOO for short). Be sure to leave your pulse at home because everyone at this party is dead... even you! There are lots of shadowy characters at this fun, interactive murder mystery but none are as sneaky as P.T. Barnum himself. He’s always got some devious slimy trick up his translucent sleeves. Gee, hope nothing happens to him! But just in case it does... will you figure out who-dun-it? Or will all waggling fingers be pointing at you?"  The Lemp Mansion is at 3322 DeMenil Place in south city. For more information: www.lempmansion.com

Bandera, Texas
Photo: Dan Steadman

Prism Theatre Company presents the world premiere of Bandera, Texas by Lisa Dellagiarino Feriend August 26 – September 4. “Featured in last year’s Festival of New Works, Bandera, Texas follows native New Yorker Liz, who is forced to relocate to the Texas KillCountry for her husband’s job. She is visited by her long-dead grandmothers, who help her adapt to her new life.” Performances take place in the black box theatre at the Kranzberg Arts Center in Grand Center. For more information: www.prismtheatrecompany.org.

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents House of Joy by Madhuri Shekar August 26 - September 18. “At first glance, The House of Joy is a dazzling utopia. But when a new guard joins the emperor’s army, she discovers it’s more prison than paradise. This genre-busting adventure fantasy is filled with stunning locales, electrifying combat, steamy romance and badass girl power.” Performances take place on the Emerson Main Stage at the Loretto-Hilton Center on the Webster University campus. For more information: www.repstl.org

R-S Theatrics presents While the Ghostlight Burns, a virtual discussion series featuring R-S Artistic Director Sarah Lynne Holt in conversation with St. Louis theatre artists, Mondays at 7 pm.  Conversations will be archived at the R-S Theatrics YouTube channel. For more information: r-stheatrics.com/while-the-ghostlight-burns.html

Looking for auditions and other artistic opportunities? Check out the St. Louis Auditions site.

For information on events beyond this week, check out the searchable database at the Regional Arts Commission's Events Calendar.

Would you like to be on the radio? KDHX, 88.1 FM needs theatre reviewers. If you're 18 years or older, knowledgeable in this area, have practical theatre experience (acting, directing, writing, technical design, etc.), have good oral and written communications skills and would like to become one of our volunteer reviewers, send an email describing your experience and interests to chuck at kdhx.org. Please include a sample review of something you've seen recently.

Opera Review: Swedish Rhapsody: "A Little Night Music" at Union Avenue Opera

In a 2016 interview at the Glimmerglass Festival, Stephen Sondheim said that he had always viewed his 1973 musical “A Little Night Music” as having “an operetta attitude.” It’s not surprising, then, that many opera companies have embraced it.

L-R: James Stevens, Leann Schuering,
Eric McConnell, Jordan Wolk, Teresa Doggett
Photo: Dan Donovan

Union Avenue Opera’s production doesn’t just embrace the show; it makes love to it with a combination of sensuality and skill that even the curmudgeonly Madame Armfeldt (played with sardonic wit by Teresa Doggett) would appreciate. With a simple but highly functional set (C. Otis Sweezey), beautiful costumes (the multi-talented Doggett), skilled dramatic and musical direction (Annamaria Pileggi and Scott Schoonover, respectively) and, above all a splendid cast, this is the best “Night Music” I have seen in quite a while.

For those of you unfamiliar with the show, know that “A Little Night Music” is “suggested by” famed Swedish director Ingmar Bergman’s 1955 comedy “Smiles of a Summer Night.” The story centers on a collection of romantically confused couples whose foolishness is sorted out by the “smiles” of a single midsummer night, when the sun never sets and there’s both magic and pheromones in the air. Hugh Wheeler’s book adds a few complications and a bit more romance (“sex presented pastorally,” to quote Stephen Schwartz), but otherwise it sticks fairly closely to Bergman’s original.

L-R: Debby Lennon,
Peter Kendall Clark
Photo: Dan Donovan

Presenting a successful “Little Night Music” can be a tricky proposition. Sondheim’s lyrics mix low comedy and high art in a way rarely seen on the musical stage, and his music is filled with intricate rhythms and layers of polyphony that are uncommon even in the regular operatic repertoire. That musical complexity is true as well for the roles of Frederik, Desiree, and Madame Armfeldt—originally written for singing actors rather than classically trained singers—which can be challenging.

What you need, in short, is a cast that can act as well as it sings, and vice versa.

Union Avenue has assembled just such a cast. Debby Lennon, a familiar presence on the operatic, theatre, and cabaret stages locally, is a wry and  insightful Desiree Armfeldt, the actress who realizes that ending her earlier relationship with lawyer Fredrik Egerman might not have been a wise decision. Lennon is the kind of singer who sounds entirely at home in just about any musical genre, a fact she demonstrates here with a performance of “Send in the Clowns” that is simply the most heartfelt and musically solid I have ever heard.

Baritone Peter Kendall Clark’s Fredrik is funny and wistful, as he tries to negotiate a mid-life crisis of which he seems blissfully unaware. The role has generally been the province of big theatrical baritones like Len Cariou and Ron Raines, and Clark could not be a better fit. He’s got projection and tonal warmth to spare.

L-R: Leann Schuering, Peter Kendall Clark
Poto: Dan Donovan

Speaking of projection, bass-baritone Eric J. McConnell has ample vocal power as the “pea-brained” Count Carl-Magnus Malcolm, whose toxic masculinity is exceeded only by his lack of insight. He comes close to making the character’s vapid bluster a little too silly, but better to error in that direction than to let us see what a truly awful person Carl-Magnus is.  

Soprano Leann Schuering, whose crystalline voice so brightened Union Avenue’s “HMS Pinafore” in 2018, sparkles again as Countess Charlotte Malcolm, painfully aware of just how much she is under her husband’s sadistic thumb but unable to find her way out.

I have, perhaps, exhausted my store of encomiums for soprano Brooklyn Snow from her previous UAO appearances. Here, as Fredrik’s very young and deeply shallow bride Anne (“unfortunately still a virgin” after nearly a year of marriage), she is once again vocally stunning and utterly convincing in her portrayal.

L-R: Amy Maude Helfer,
Brooklyn Snow
Photo: Dan Donovan

Tenor James Stevens is Henrik, Fredrik’s son from his first marriage, who finds himself in the untenable position of studying for the priesthood while lusting after his stepmother who, after all, is around the same age as him. Steven’s performance is a perfect mix of pain and comedy, delivered with a clear-as-a-bell voice that fills the stage. Together with Snow and Clark, he makes the complex Act I trio “Now / Later / Soon” one of many memorable moments.

One sign of a solid show is the presence of first-rate performers in even the smallest roles. As the free-spirited and flirtatious maid Petra, mezzo Amy Maude Helfer brings an unusual touch of sadness to the final line of “I Shall Marry the Miller’s Son.” It’s there in the music, but I don’t recall hearing it before.

Arielle Pedersen, a finalist in last year’s Fox Performing Arts High School Talent competition, makes an auspicious UAO debut in the mostly non-singing role of Desiree’s daughter Fredrika, radiating warmth and wisdom beyond her years. Perhaps that’s the result of her tutelage at the feet (literally) of the wheelchair-bound Madame Armfeldt, continually disappointed by her daughter Desiree’s refusal to recognize the importance of the profit motive in her romances. She gives voice to it in the ruefully witty “Liaisons,” which Doggett, in one of her regrettably rare stage appearances, sings with impressive clarity, even though it’s at the bottom of her range.

L-R: Joel Rogier, Sarah Price, Phil Touchette,
Gina Malone, Grade Yukiko Fisher
Photo: Dan Donovan

Finally, let us not forget the fine work by the vocal quintet that Sondheim employs as a kind of Greek chorus, commenting on the action and sometimes letting us hear the thoughts of the characters. Their presence is essential throughout the work and their music is often complex, as in the fugal “Perpetual Anticipation,” sung by the three women of the ensemble in Act II. The quintet consists of Joel Rogier, Gina Malone, Grace Yukiko Fisher, Philip Touchette, and Sarah Price.

That said, there are the usual issues with UAO’s overly resonant acoustics blurring overlapping vocal lines, especially in the Mozartian complexity of the Act I finale “A Weekend in the Country.” Schoonover’s tempos are also a bit too brisk in places for Sondheim’s lyrically lavish music, but the projected English text helps.

L-R: Arielle Pedersen,
Teresa Doggett
Photo: Dan Donovan

Set changes were also longer than they should have been due to the necessity of hauling large pieces of furniture on and off stage. But this, again, is a function of the fact that the performance space has no backstage or wing space; there’s only so much you can expect a designer to do. “Falstaff” suffered from the same issue but at least this time Schoonover used bits of the score as change music, which made them feel shorter.

For me the bottom line is that it has been over a decade since I have seen a professional production of “A Little Night Music” and longer than that since I have seen one that was so completely right in so many ways. This is a “must see” for anyone who loves musical theatre of any kind.

There are two more performances this Friday and Saturday (August 26 and 27) at 8 pm at the Union Avenue Christian Church, 733 Union at Enright. Tickets are available at the UAO web site.

St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of August 22, 2022

Now including both on-line and live events during the pandemic. Your event information should be in text format (i.e. not part of a graphic), but feel free to include publicity stills. To get your event listed here, send an email to calendar [at] stageleft.org.

ERA Theatre presents the radio play SHE by Nancy Bell with music by Joe Taylor and Lyrics by Nancy Bell via on-demand streaming  "SHE controls the radio station of the fascist regime in power. SHE's also the star of the broadcast. Her recording studio abounds with music and oysters. But in the nearby government camps full of misfits and would-be revolutionaries, only torture and starvation is thick on the ground. Tonight, however, SHE's realm feels different. The bombs sound closer. Time moves faster. But SHE will finish her radio show, and it will be her finest. If executing every number in the broadcast means some people need to die, so be it; it is a small sacrifice. The citizens need her and she will not let them down." SHE is available on most major platforms including Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Music, YouTube, and BandCamp. For more information: www.eratheatre.org

The Lemp Mansion Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre and Jest Mysteries present The Comic Book Killer through August 27. "Calling all superheros and villains! There’s trouble afoot for you both! Evil Doctor Weevil is back and he’s trying to erase your very existence! The time has come to join forces against true evil and restore balance to the comic universe. But who will be the hero or heroes and rid this plain of Evil Dr. Weevil forever? Could it be you? Quick…to the Prius! Dawn your cape and spandex and meet us the famously haunted Lemp Mansion for a mystery like no other! Here I come to save the daaaaaay!!!!"  The Lemp Mansion is at 3322 DeMenil Place in south city. For more information: www.lempmansion.com

Prism Theatre Company presents the world premiere of Bandera, Texas by Lisa Dellagiarino Feriend August 26 – September 4. “Featured in last year’s Festival of New Works, Bandera, Texas follows native New Yorker Liz, who is forced to relocate to the Texas KillCountry for her husband’s job. She is visited by her long-dead grandmothers, who help her adapt to her new life.” Performances take place in the black box theatre at the Kranzberg Arts Center in Grand Center. For more information: www.prismtheatrecompany.org.

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents House of Joy by Madhuri Shekar August 26 - September 18. “At first glance, The House of Joy is a dazzling utopia. But when a new guard joins the emperor’s army, she discovers it’s more prison than paradise. This genre-busting adventure fantasy is filled with stunning locales, electrifying combat, steamy romance and badass girl power.” Performances take place on the Emerson Main Stage at the Loretto-Hilton Center on the Webster University campus. For more information: www.repstl.org

R-S Theatrics presents While the Ghostlight Burns, a virtual discussion series featuring R-S Artistic Director Sarah Lynne Holt in conversation with St. Louis theatre artists, Mondays at 7 pm.  Conversations will be archived at the R-S Theatrics YouTube channel. For more information: r-stheatrics.com/while-the-ghostlight-burns.html

The Brontë Sisters House Party
Photo courtesy of SATE

SATE presents The Brontë Sisters House Party by Courtney Bailey Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8 pm, through August 27. “Originally commissioned by St. Louis Shakespeare Festival as part of the Confluence Writers Project 2021 cohort, Brontë Sister House Party will receive its world-premiere production by SATE.  The Brontë sisters of Victorian literary fame (Charlotte, Emily, and Anne) are trapped in a purgatorial time loop where they must throw a fabulous house party every night for eternity. Only when they reach The Point of Celebratory Reverence, the highest point of celebration that a party can achieve, will they be released. An absurd, feminist revisionist tribute to all the women artists who’ve created under pressure and still had it in them to throw a good party.” The Chapel, 6238 Alexander in Clayton. For more information: http://satestl.org/

A Midsummer Night's Dream
Photo: Phillip Hamer

St. Louis Shakespeare Festival presents free outdoor performances of a new adaptation of Shakespeare’s comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream at area parks nightly at 6:30 pm through August 27. “The Festival’s 20-year-old touring program returns for the second time as the free and outdoor public park tour, TOURCO, throughout Missouri and Illinois with A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The production will be directed by Tre’von Griffith, St. Louis/NYC-based theater artist, composer and founder of WerQfest also known as Tre-G, and featuring costumes by acclaimed local fashion designer Brandin Vaughn. This 90-minute highly musical afro-futurist adaptation will play in 24 different locations starting on opening night at Kiener Plaza in the heart of downtown St. Louis.” For more information: stlshakes.org.

The Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis presents The Rose Tattoo Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sundays at 3 pm, through August 28. “The Rose Tattoo is a tale of love, death, and resilience in a downtrodden but hopeful 1940’s immigrant Italian community on the American Gulf Coast. Introducing the theme of an Italian circus, Director David Kaplan’s take on Williams’ classic features aerialists, animals, singers and musicians. He surrounds Serafina with a dozen circus performers – including a ringmaster, a strongman, aerialists, and clowns – who perform the full text of the play.” Performances take place at The Big Top in Grand Center. For more information on this and other festival events: www.twstl.org

A Little Night Music
Photo: Dan Donovan

Union Avenue Opera presents Sondheim’s A Little Night Music Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm, through August 27. “A Little Night Music explores the tangled web of affairs centered around the glamorous actress Desirée Armfeldt and the two married men who love her: a lawyer by the name of Frederik Egerman and Count Carl-Magnus Malcom. Both men—as well as their jealous wives—agree to join Desirée at her family’s estate for a scandalous “Weekend in the Country” under the watchful eyes of the wry family matriarch and harmonizing Greek chorus. With music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Hugh Wheeler, it is no wonder A Little Night Music won the Tony Award for Best Musical. From the romance of the night waltzes to the hauntingly beautiful “Send in the Clowns,” Sondheim’s sweeping score is infused with humor and warmth weaving together musical theatre and operetta seamlessly in this tantalizing tale.” Performances are sung in English with projected English supertitles and take place at Union Avenue Christian Church, 733 Union at Enright in the Central West End. For more information: unionavenueopera.org

Mark Rodgers in
Discover DaVinci and Michaelangelo

The Westport Playhouse presents writer/actor Mark Rodgers in Discover DaVinci and Michaelangelo—the Titans Experience Fridays and Saturdays at 7 pm and Sundays at 2 pm through August 28th.  “Over 100 successful Broadway shows, Includes an art installation and self-guided tour of DaVinci's models, artwork, and more...including our new unique theatrical 40' Video Wall!” The show marks the reopening of the Playhouse after extensive renovation. The Westport Playhouse is in the Westport Plaza Business and Entertainment District. For more information: thewestportplayhouse.com

Looking for auditions and other artistic opportunities? Check out the St. Louis Auditions site.

For information on events beyond this week, check out the searchable database at the Regional Arts Commission's Events Calendar.

Would you like to be on the radio? KDHX, 88.1 FM needs theatre reviewers. If you're 18 years or older, knowledgeable in this area, have practical theatre experience (acting, directing, writing, technical design, etc.), have good oral and written communications skills and would like to become one of our volunteer reviewers, send an email describing your experience and interests to chuck at kdhx.org. Please include a sample review of something you've seen recently.

St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of August 15, 2022

Now including both on-line and live events during the pandemic. Your event information should be in text format (i.e. not part of a graphic), but feel free to include publicity stills. To get your event listed here, send an email to calendar [at] stageleft.org.

Carole J. Bufford

The Blue Strawberry presents Carole J. Bufford in Vintage Pop on Thursday, August 18, at 7:30 pm. “Vintage Pop travels by decade, from the 1920s to the 1980s, exploring how the style and sound of pop music developed over the years. With exciting, fresh takes on these multi-generational songs, expect an evening of powerhouse vocals, fun stories behind the music, and Bufford’s inimitable delivery of songs you love and perhaps a few new discoveries. Featuring music originally made famous by Judy Garland, Sophie Tucker, Louis Armstrong, Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley, The Animals, The Beatles, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Sting, Tina Turner, and more!”  The Blue Strawberry is at 364 N. Boyle in the Central West End. The show is also available via streaming video. For more information: bluestrawberrystl.com.

The Blue Strawberry presents Jason Gotay, the star of The Muny's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, on Saturday, August 20, at 7:30 pm. “ Immediately following his run as Joseph in the MUNY’s Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jason is excited to make his Blue Strawberry debut! Join this St. Louis MUNY favorite as he performs songs and shares stories from his career on Broadway and beyond. ” The Blue Strawberry is at 364 N. Boyle in the Central West End. The show is also available via streaming video. For more information: bluestrawberrystl.com.

Carol Schmidt

The Cabaret Project and The Blue Strawberry present a Singers Open Mic on Tuesday, August 16th, from 7 to 9:30 pm. “Chuck Lavazzi is your host, with pianist and music director Carol Schmidt. If you plan to sing bring sheet music or a chart in your own key, and perform your favorite Broadway, pop, or jazz tunes. Or you can just relax, have a drink and dinner or a snack, and enjoy the music. No admission or cover, but there is always a tip jar! All proceeds go to The Cabaret Project, a 501c3 non-profit dedicated to promoting, developing, and sustaining the art of cabaret in St. Louis."  The Blue Strawberry is at 364 N. Boyle. For more information: thecabaretproject.org.

ERA Theatre presents the radio play SHE by Nancy Bell with music by Joe Taylor and Lyrics by Nancy Bell via on-demand streaming  "SHE controls the radio station of the fascist regime in power. SHE's also the star of the broadcast. Her recording studio abounds with music and oysters. But in the nearby government camps full of misfits and would-be revolutionaries, only torture and starvation is thick on the ground. Tonight, however, SHE's realm feels different. The bombs sound closer. Time moves faster. But SHE will finish her radio show, and it will be her finest. If executing every number in the broadcast means some people need to die, so be it; it is a small sacrifice. The citizens need her and she will not let them down." SHE is available on most major platforms including Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Music, YouTube, and BandCamp. For more information: www.eratheatre.org

First Run Theatre presents Locked Ward by Amy Crider Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 2 pm, through August 21. "When the body of a nurse is found late at night in a psychiatric ward, the patients realize they’re all suspects.They must hold themselves together to investigate the mystery as they yearn for connection and normalcy." Performances take place in the black box theatre in the Kranzberg Arts Center in Grand Center. For more information: firstruntheatre.org

The Lemp Mansion Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre and Jest Mysteries present The Comic Book Killer through August 27. "Calling all superheros and villains! There’s trouble afoot for you both! Evil Doctor Weevil is back and he’s trying to erase your very existence! The time has come to join forces against true evil and restore balance to the comic universe. But who will be the hero or heroes and rid this plain of Evil Dr. Weevil forever? Could it be you? Quick…to the Prius! Dawn your cape and spandex and meet us the famously haunted Lemp Mansion for a mystery like no other! Here I come to save the daaaaaay!!!!"  The Lemp Mansion is at 3322 DeMenil Place in south city. For more information: www.lempmansion.com

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Photo: Julie A. Merkles

The Muny presents the musical Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat through August 18 at 8:15 pm.  “Originally written by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber as a children’s oratorio, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat has, in time, expanded to become one of the most beloved shows ever. The story of Jacob, his 12 sons, and the amazing Technicolor adventures of Joseph features a multi-colored score of favorites including “Any Dream Will Do,” “Go, Go, Go Joseph” and “Close Every Door.” The first Muny production in a decade, audiences are guaranteed a night of big Muny family joy – with, of course, a megamix!” Performances take place on the Muny's outdoor stage in Forest Park. For more information: muny.org.

R-S Theatrics presents While the Ghostlight Burns, a virtual discussion series featuring R-S Artistic Director Sarah Lynne Holt in conversation with St. Louis theatre artists, Mondays at 7 pm.  Conversations will be archived at the R-S Theatrics YouTube channel. For more information: r-stheatrics.com/while-the-ghostlight-burns.html

SATE presents The Brontë Sisters House Party by Courtney Bailey Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8 pm, August 17-27. “Originally commissioned by St. Louis Shakespeare Festival as part of the Confluence Writers Project 2021 cohort, Brontë Sister House Party will receive its world-premiere production by SATE.  The Brontë sisters of Victorian literary fame (Charlotte, Emily, and Anne) are trapped in a purgatorial time loop where they must throw a fabulous house party every night for eternity. Only when they reach The Point of Celebratory Reverence, the highest point of celebration that a party can achieve, will they be released. An absurd, feminist revisionist tribute to all the women artists who’ve created under pressure and still had it in them to throw a good party.” The Chapel, 6238 Alexander in Clayton. For more information: http://satestl.org/

Lillian Brown's
The Oreo Complex at
The St. Lou Fringe

The St. Lou Fringe Festival presents performances of music, theatre, cabaret, comedy, and poetry by over two dozen local and national artists Tuesday through Friday evening and all day Saturday and Sunday, August 16 through 21. Fringe festival events take place at various locations in Midtown and Grand Center. For more information: stlfringe.org.

A Midsummer Night's Dream
Photo: Phillip Hamer

St. Louis Shakespeare Festival presents free outdoor performances of a new adaptation of Shakespeare’s comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream at area parks nightly at 6:30 pm through August 27. “The Festival’s 20-year-old touring program returns for the second time as the free and outdoor public park tour, TOURCO, throughout Missouri and Illinois with A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The production will be directed by Tre’von Griffith, St. Louis/NYC-based theater artist, composer and founder of WerQfest also known as Tre-G, and featuring costumes by acclaimed local fashion designer Brandin Vaughn. This 90-minute highly musical afro-futurist adaptation will play in 24 different locations starting on opening night at Kiener Plaza in the heart of downtown St. Louis.” For more information: stlshakes.org.

The St. Louis Writers' Group presents a reading of the comedy American Goth Hicks by David Hawley on Tuesday, August 16 at 6:30 p.m.  "In rural Missouri the American Gothic Hotel  is open, but trade is poor. Young widow Astrid has been running the place, with the help of dedicated (though inept) handyman Bill, but daughter Anna, fresh from business school has an idea to boost trade - pretend the place is haunted by the ghost of bootlegger Harry the hatchet, and invite a ghost hunting TV program to visit.  Free advertising! But the arrival of art thief Sid and his dimwitted sidekick Willy (disguised as priests), closely followed by a couple of barely competent policemen, on the trail of the stolen painting, complicates things, and the sudden arrival of a slightly deranged ghost enthusiast, doesn't help." The reading takes place at Big Daddy’s, 1000 Sidney in Soulard. For more information, visit the St. Louis Writers' Group Facebook page.

In the Heights
Photo: Phillip Hamer

Stages St. Louis presents Lin-Manuel Miranda’s In the Heights through August 21. “IN THE HEIGHTS, the Tony Award Winning Best Musical from the creator of HAMILTON, tells the universal story of a vibrant community in New York’s Washington Heights neighborhood – a place where the coffee from the corner bodega is light and sweet, the windows are always open and the breeze carries the rhythm of three generations of music. It’s a community on the brink of change, full of hopes, dreams and pressures, where the biggest struggle can be deciding which traditions to take with you, and which ones to leave behind.” Performances take place at the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center in Kirkwood, MO. For more information: stagesstlouis.org

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Photo: John Lamb

Stray Dog Theatre presents the musical The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee Thursdays through Saturdays through August 20. There are additional performances at 2 pm Sunday, August 14 and 8 pm Wednesday, August 17. “An eclectic group of sixth-graders vie for the spelling championship of a lifetime. In hilarious, touching, and catchy songs, each speller reveals their hopes, struggles, and passions as they make their way through the competition. The “Bee” will have you falling in love with its “perspicacious,” “jocular,” and “effervescent” spellers.” Performances take place at Tower Grove Abbey, 2336 Tennessee in Tower Grove East. Tickets are only offered in physically distanced groups of two or four. For more information: www.straydogtheatre.org

The Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis presents The Rose Tattoo Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sundays at 3 pm, August 18 through 28. “The Rose Tattoo is a tale of love, death, and resilience in a downtrodden but hopeful 1940’s immigrant Italian community on the American Gulf Coast. Introducing the theme of an Italian circus, Director David Kaplan’s take on Williams’ classic features aerialists, animals, singers and musicians. He surrounds Serafina with a dozen circus performers – including a ringmaster, a strongman, aerialists, and clowns – who perform the full text of the play.” Performances take place at The Big Top in Grand Center. For more information on this and other festival events: www.twstl.org

A Little Night Music
Photo: Ron Lindsey

Union Avenue Opera presents Sondheim’s A Little Night Music Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm, August 19 through 27. “A Little Night Music explores the tangled web of affairs centered around the glamorous actress Desirée Armfeldt and the two married men who love her: a lawyer by the name of Frederik Egerman and Count Carl-Magnus Malcom. Both men—as well as their jealous wives—agree to join Desirée at her family’s estate for a scandalous “Weekend in the Country” under the watchful eyes of the wry family matriarch and harmonizing Greek chorus. With music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Hugh Wheeler, it is no wonder A Little Night Music won the Tony Award for Best Musical. From the romance of the night waltzes to the hauntingly beautiful “Send in the Clowns,” Sondheim’s sweeping score is infused with humor and warmth weaving together musical theatre and operetta seamlessly in this tantalizing tale.” Performances are sung in English with projected English supertitles and take place at Union Avenue Christian Church, 733 Union at Enright in the Central West End. For more information: unionavenueopera.org

Mark Rodgers in
Discover DaVinci and Michaelangelo

The Westport Playhouse presents writer/actor Mark Rodgers in Discover DaVinci and Michaelangelo—the Titans Experience Fridays and Saturdays at 7 pm and Sundays at 2 pm through August 28th.  “Over 100 successful Broadway shows, Includes an art installation and self-guided tour of DaVinci's models, artwork, and more...including our new unique theatrical 40' Video Wall!” The show marks the reopening of the Playhouse after extensive renovation. The Westport Playhouse is in the Westport Plaza Business and Entertainment District. For more information: thewestportplayhouse.com

Looking for auditions and other artistic opportunities? Check out the St. Louis Auditions site.

For information on events beyond this week, check out the searchable database at the Regional Arts Commission's Events Calendar.

Would you like to be on the radio? KDHX, 88.1 FM needs theatre reviewers. If you're 18 years or older, knowledgeable in this area, have practical theatre experience (acting, directing, writing, technical design, etc.), have good oral and written communications skills and would like to become one of our volunteer reviewers, send an email describing your experience and interests to chuck at kdhx.org. Please include a sample review of something you've seen recently.

St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of August 8, 2022

Now including both on-line and live events during the pandemic. Your event information should be in text format (i.e. not part of a graphic), but feel free to include publicity stills. To get your event listed here, send an email to calendar [at] stageleft.org.

L-R: Laurence Levy,
Professor Longhair

The Blue Strawberry presents Magical Mondays with sleight of hand artist Laurence Levy and the comedy magic of Professor Longhair’s Old Tyme Medicine Show on Monday, August 8, at 7:00 pm.  The Blue Strawberry is at 364 N. Boyle in the Central West End.  For more information: bluestrawberrystl.com.

The Blue Strawberry presents Grayson Jostes in I’m Ready for My Close-Up on Thursday, August 11, at 7:30 pm. “Grayson has been in over 26 musical theatre productions during his career and is the winner of the 2018 Best Duo/Group Performance Award from the Over-Due Theatre Company.  Grayson is a regular at Blue Strawberry’s Open Mic Nights, where he WOW’s the audience with his vivacious performances.” Ron McGowan is pianist and music director for the show, with direction by Tim Schall. The Blue Strawberry is at 364 N. Boyle in the Central West End. The show is also available via streaming video. For more information: bluestrawberrystl.com.

ERA Theatre presents the radio play SHE by Nancy Bell with music by Joe Taylor and Lyrics by Nancy Bell via on-demand streaming  "SHE controls the radio station of the fascist regime in power. SHE's also the star of the broadcast. Her recording studio abounds with music and oysters. But in the nearby government camps full of misfits and would-be revolutionaries, only torture and starvation is thick on the ground. Tonight, however, SHE's realm feels different. The bombs sound closer. Time moves faster. But SHE will finish her radio show, and it will be her finest. If executing every number in the broadcast means some people need to die, so be it; it is a small sacrifice. The citizens need her and she will not let them down." SHE is available on most major platforms including Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Music, YouTube, and BandCamp. For more information: www.eratheatre.org

First Run Theatre presents Locked Ward by Amy Crider Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 2 pm, August 12-21. "When the body of a nurse is found late at night in a psychiatric ward, the patients realize they’re all suspects.They must hold themselves together to investigate the mystery as they yearn for connection and normalcy." Performances take place in the black box theatre in the Kranzberg Arts Center in Grand Center. For more information: firstruntheatre.org

The Lemp Mansion Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre and Jest Mysteries present The Comic Book Killer through August 27. "Calling all superheros and villains! There’s trouble afoot for you both! Evil Doctor Weevil is back and he’s trying to erase your very existence! The time has come to join forces against true evil and restore balance to the comic universe. But who will be the hero or heroes and rid this plain of Evil Dr. Weevil forever? Could it be you? Quick…to the Prius! Dawn your cape and spandex and meet us the famously haunted Lemp Mansion for a mystery like no other! Here I come to save the daaaaaay!!!!"  The Lemp Mansion is at 3322 DeMenil Place in south city. For more information: www.lempmansion.com

L-R: Nasia Thomas and Anastacia McCleskey in
The Color Purple Photo: Julie A. Merkle

The Muny presents the musical The Color Purple through August 9 at 8:15 pm.  “Based on Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel and Steven Spielberg’s landmark film, The Color Purple makes its Muny debut! Featuring a Grammy Award-winning score infused with jazz, ragtime, gospel and African blues, this moving tale is a testament to the healing power of love, faith, resilience and sisterhood. Winner of the 2016 Tony Award for “Best Revival of a Musical,” this epic staging promises a joyous evening of courage, hope and healing.” Performances take place on the Muny's outdoor stage in Forest Park. For more information: muny.org.

The Muny presents the musical Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat August 13-18 at 8:15 pm.  “Originally written by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber as a children’s oratorio, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat has, in time, expanded to become one of the most beloved shows ever. The story of Jacob, his 12 sons, and the amazing Technicolor adventures of Joseph features a multi-colored score of favorites including “Any Dream Will Do,” “Go, Go, Go Joseph” and “Close Every Door.” The first Muny production in a decade, audiences are guaranteed a night of big Muny family joy – with, of course, a megamix!” Performances take place on the Muny's outdoor stage in Forest Park. For more information: muny.org.

R-S Theatrics presents While the Ghostlight Burns, a virtual discussion series featuring R-S Artistic Director Sarah Lynne Holt in conversation with St. Louis theatre artists, Mondays at 7 pm.  Conversations will be archived at the R-S Theatrics YouTube channel. For more information: r-stheatrics.com/while-the-ghostlight-burns.html

St. Louis Shakespeare Festival presents free outdoor performances of a new adaptation of Shakespeare’s comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream at area parks nightly at 6:30 pm through August 27. “The Festival’s 20-year-old touring program returns for the second time as the free and outdoor public park tour, TOURCO, throughout Missouri and Illinois with A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The production will be directed by Tre’von Griffith, St. Louis/NYC-based theater artist, composer and founder of WerQfest also known as Tre-G, and featuring costumes by acclaimed local fashion designer Brandin Vaughn. This 90-minute highly musical afro-futurist adaptation will play in 24 different locations starting on opening night at Kiener Plaza in the heart of downtown St. Louis.” For more information: stlshakes.org.

In the Heights
Photo: Phillip Hamer

Stages St. Louis presents Lin-Manuel Miranda’s In the Heights through August 21. “IN THE HEIGHTS, the Tony Award Winning Best Musical from the creator of HAMILTON, tells the universal story of a vibrant community in New York’s Washington Heights neighborhood – a place where the coffee from the corner bodega is light and sweet, the windows are always open and the breeze carries the rhythm of three generations of music. It’s a community on the brink of change, full of hopes, dreams and pressures, where the biggest struggle can be deciding which traditions to take with you, and which ones to leave behind.” Performances take place at the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center in Kirkwood, MO. For more information: stagesstlouis.org

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Photo: John Lamb

Stray Dog Theatre presents the musical The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee Thursdays through Saturdays through August 20. There are additional performances at 2 pm Sunday, August 14 and 8 pm Wednesday, August 17. “An eclectic group of sixth-graders vie for the spelling championship of a lifetime. In hilarious, touching, and catchy songs, each speller reveals their hopes, struggles, and passions as they make their way through the competition. The “Bee” will have you falling in love with its “perspicacious,” “jocular,” and “effervescent” spellers.” Performances take place at Tower Grove Abbey, 2336 Tennessee in Tower Grove East. Tickets are only offered in physically distanced groups of two or four. For more information: www.straydogtheatre.org

Mark Rodgers in
Discover DaVinci and Michaelangelo

The Westport Playhouse presents writer/actor Mark Rodgers in Discover DaVinci and Michaelangelo—the Titans Experience Fridays and Saturdays at 7 pm and Sundays at 2 pm through August 28th.  “Over 100 successful Broadway shows, Includes an art installation and self-guided tour of DaVinci's models, artwork, and more...including our new unique theatrical 40' Video Wall!” The show marks the reopening of the Playhouse after extensive renovation. The Westport Playhouse is in the Westport Plaza Business and Entertainment District. For more information: thewestportplayhouse.com

Looking for auditions and other artistic opportunities? Check out the St. Louis Auditions site.

For information on events beyond this week, check out the searchable database at the Regional Arts Commission's Events Calendar.

Would you like to be on the radio? KDHX, 88.1 FM needs theatre reviewers. If you're 18 years or older, knowledgeable in this area, have practical theatre experience (acting, directing, writing, technical design, etc.), have good oral and written communications skills and would like to become one of our volunteer reviewers, send an email describing your experience and interests to chuck at kdhx.org. Please include a sample review of something you've seen recently.

Opera Review: Union Avenue Opera's "Falstaff" achieves musical perfection in an imperfect space

Now in its 28th season, Union Avenue Opera has, over the decades, presented a wide range of operas—ancient to modern, intimate to grand—with a remarkable degree of success. Despite working with a small stage and a less than ideal acoustic environment in the venerable Union Avenue Christian Church, UAO’s hits far outnumber its misses.

Running through August 6th, the company’s production of Verdi’s “Falstaff” is in some ways the quintessential UAO show. Under the skilled baton of Stephen Hargreaves, the orchestra sounds great, with Verdi's many expressive instrumental details coming through loud and clear. Individual performances range from good to stunning, both musically and theatrically, and the overall experience is immensely satisfying.

L-R Mark Freiman as Pistola. Marc Schapman
as Bardolfo. Robert Mellon as Falstaff
Photo: Dan Donovan

Flawless it isn’t, but what flaws there are can largely be attributed to the physical limitations of the performance space. Transferred to an actual theatre like the Browning Mainstage at the Loretto-Hilton Center or the auditorium of the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center, this “Falstaff” would be darn near perfect. As it is, opera lovers won’t want to miss it, especially since it hasn’t graced a local stage in nearly three decades.

First performed in Milan in February 1893 (just a few months short of Verdi’s 80th birthday), “Falstaff” was the composer’s third Shakespearean opera and second attempt at comedy since his flop “Un giorno di regno” way back in 1840. It’s considered by many, including yours truly, to be his greatest work for the stage, if not the greatest opera of the 19th century.

There are many reasons for that. To begin with, Verdi had the best of all possible librettists in the person of Arrigo Boito, who had worked with Verdi on “Otello” only a few years earlier. A gifted writer and composer (his “Mefistofele” is still the best of the “Faust”-inspired operas, in my view), Boito was, like Verdi, a great admirer of The Bard of Avon. His “Falstaff” libretto ingeniously combines “The Merry Wives of Windsor” with bits of the “Henry IV” plays and even hints at “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” with the faux fairies of the "Herne's" Oak" scene that ends the opera.

L-R Janara Kellerman as Quickly. Brooklyn Snow
as Nannetta. Karen Kanakas as Alice.
Melody Wilson as Meg
Photo: Dan Donovan

Verdi, for his part, produced a score that departed radically from everything he had written previously. Instead of a typical 19th century Italian opera in which the action pauses for arias, duets, and other set pieces, he wrote a fast-paced through composed musical play that moves at the speed of speech. Jokes and puns fly back and forth so quickly that even the original Milanese audience probably didn’t catch them all. The result is a seamless integration of words and music that is often exhilarating.

All of this makes “Falstaff” a challenge to produce. Verdi demanded over sixty rehearsals for his original La Scala cast because of the sheer complexity of the work. The sets are detailed, making scene changes potentially cumbersome. And the principal roles require performers with not only vocal and theatrical skills but comic timing as well.

Union Avenue has, I’m happy to say, a cast that meets and often exceeds those expectations, headed by baritone Robert Mellon in the title role.  His Falstaff roars, boasts, preens, and schemes—all in a big, resonant voice that reaches every corner of the theatre. His Act I “honor” monologue (one of the choice bits Boito lifted from “Henry IV”) is delivered with an authority and comic force that makes it a genuine showstopper. He even manages, in the less boisterous third act, to let us see a bit of the nobility buried under the character’s folly—no easy task, given that he’s lumbered with an absurd fat suit that’s more appropriate to a circus than the stage.

L-R Anthony Heinemann as Caius.
Jacob Lassetter as Ford.
Marc Schapman as Bardolfo.
Mark Freiman as Pistola
Photo: Dan Donovan

Falstaff’s nemesis is Alice Ford, whose sharp wit punctures the absurd schemes of both her husband and Falstaff. Falstaff wants to seduce both her and her friend Meg Page, while Ford arrogantly attempts to keep their daughter Nannetta from her true love Fenton and force her into an unsuitable marriage with the ancient Dr. Caius. Lighting up the role here is soprano Karen Kanakis, whose effulgent voice and impeccable acting have enlivened many roles at both UAO and Winter Opera. Her Alice is all quicksilver wit and irresistible charm.

Mezzo Janara Kellerman is delightful as Dame Mistress Quickly, Alice’s chief co-conspirator. Verdi saw the role as “the most individual and original” of the four women’s parts. The three scenes he wrote for her in Acts II and III are comic gems and Kellerman makes them shine. The part calls for a contralto, but Kellerman sounded perfectly at home in it.

The massive talents of soprano Brooklyn Snow and mezzo Melody Wilson are rather underused in the roles of Nannetta and Meg, respectively, but their finely wrought performances demonstrate the value in putting star performers in supporting roles. Snow also has some charming moments with tenor Jesse Darden’s Fenton as his limpid voice joins with hers in love duets that are invariably interrupted by the plot’s comic complications.

Tenor Marc Schapman and bass Mark Freiman make a first-rate pair of clowns as Falstaff’s wily minions Bardolfo and Pistola. The role of the clueless Dr. Caius offers little opportunity for tenor Anthony Heinemann to display his wide vocal range, but he does get to show off his fine comic timing.

Brooklyn Snow as Nanetta
and Jesse Darden as Fenton
Photo: Dan Donovan

Baritone Jacob Lassetter’s voice packs a serious punch in Ford’s big “revenge” monolog “È sogno o realtà?” ("Is it a dream or reality?") but his acting is a bit monochromatic. Verdi saw Ford as a character “who, in a towering outburst of jealousy, roars, screams, jumps all over”—a larger than life counterpoint to Falstaff. A bigger stage presence was called for, I thought.

The UAO chorus does fine work with some difficult music here thanks to the meticulous direction of company Artistic Director Scott Schoonover. They are not always easily understood, but the blame must rest with the imperfect acoustics of the Union Avenue Christian Church. Indeed, the tendency of the space’s overly resonant acoustics to sometimes turn Verdi’s multi-layered vocal lines to mush, especially in the brilliant fugue that concludes the opera, is probably the production’s biggest flaw. And one that is, alas, entirely out of UAO’s control.

The UAO stage was also an issue, simply because of its small size. The libretto calls for multiple sets, with the most elaborate being the room in Ford’s house where the madcap farce of Act II takes place. Lex Van Blommenstein’s scenic design evokes the feel of Shakespeare’s Globe theatre, with a massive wooden framework supporting painted scrolls that were apparently designed to roll up and down quickly. In practice, doing so required multiple stagehands to laboriously raise and lower each one, resulting in scene changes that seemed to go on forever and killed the forward momentum in the middle of each act.

Even so, stage director Jon Truitt shows the same skill in maneuvering large forces around a small stage that served his Winter Opera production of Puccini's "La Fanciulla del Weat" so well two years ago.

Still, these are relatively minor blemishes in an otherwise outstanding production of Verdi’s final masterpiece. Add in Teresa Doggett’s bright period costumes (that fat suit not withstanding) and you have a “Falstaff” that must be seen.

Performances of Verdi’s “Falstaff” continue through Saturday, August 6th, at the Union Avenue Christian Church on Union in the Central West End. Information on this and the company’s final show of the season, Sondheim’s “A Little Night Music,” are available at the UAO web site.