Stage Left: October 2011

Sunday, October 30, 2011

St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of October 31, 2001

Updated Friday, November 4, 2011

Billy Elliot

The Fox Theatre presents Billy Elliot - the Musical through November 13. The Fox Theatre is at 517 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information, call 314-534-1678. Read the 88.1 KDHX Review!

The Pub Theater Company presents Bye Bye Liver: The St. Louis Drinking Play, a comedic romp through the joys and pitfalls of The Gateway to the West's favorite pastime. Performances take place on “select Saturdays” at Maggie O'Brien's, 2000 Market Street, and on the first and third Friday of each month at The Fox Hole at The Atomic Cowboy, 4140 Manchester in The Grove. For more information, you may call 314-827-4185 or visit byebyeliver.com/stlouis.

Crestwood Booth Theatre presents Trey Parker's Cannibal! The Musical -- Live!!! through November 19. Performances take place at Crestwood ArtSpace, 109 Crestwood Plaza, Suite 134 - near the southeast mall entrance. For more information, visit www.Cannibal-STL.com or call the Cannibal! Hotline 314-662-0097.

Circle Mirror Transformation
©Photo by Lon Brauer

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents Anne Baker's Circle Mirror Transformation Tuesdays through Sundays through November 13. Performances take place in the studio theatre at the Loretto-Hlton Center, 130 Edgar Road in Webster Groves, MO. For more information, call 314-968-4925 or visit repstl.org. Read the 88.1 KDHX Review!

The Regional Arts Commission presents Roberta Miles in her one-woman show An Evening With Roberta Miles Friday at 7:30 PM and Saturday at 8 PM, November 4 and 5. The Regional Arts Commission is at 6128 Delmar. For more information, visit www.miles-stl.com.

St. Louis Community College at Forest Park Theatre Department presents Freaks of the Cosmic Circus through Sunday, November 6. Performances take place in the Bastian Theatre on the campus at 5600 Oakland. For more information, call 314-644-9100.

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents Yasmina Reza's God of Carnage Tuesdays through Sundays through November 6. Performances take place on the main stage at the Loretto-Hlton Center, 130 Edgar Road in Webster Groves, MO. For more information, call 314-968-4925 or visit repstl.org. Read the 88.1 KDHX Review!

Winter Opera St. Louis presents Rogers and Hammerstein's A Grand Night for Singing Friday at 8 PM and Sunday at 4 PM, November 4 and 6. Performances take place at The Skip Viragh Center for the Arts at Chaminade College Preparatory School, 425 S. Lindbergh. For more information, visit winteroperastl.org.

Gruesome Playground
Injuries

R-S Theatrics, an offshoot of Soundstage Productions, presents a fully staged production of Pulitzer Prize Finalist Rajiv Joseph's Gruesome Playground Injuries at 8 PM Fridays and Saturdays, and 7 PM Sundays through November 6. Performances take place in their art space at 214 Crestwood Court. For more information, you may email RSTheatrics at yahoo.com or call 314-968-8070. Read the 88.1 KDHX Review!

The Guru of Chai

Edison Theatre Ovations! presents The Guru Of Chai Friday and Saturday, November 4 and 5, at 8 PM. “In The Guru of Chai Jacob Rajan, co-founder of New Zealand's India Ink Theatre Company, gives voice to the world's largest democracy through a series of indelible characters - the mercurial chaiwallah (tea seller), the lovelorn policeman, the protection racketeers, the abandoned girl whose singing stops crowds in their tracks.” Performances take place in the Edison Theatre on the Washington University campus. For more information, call (314) 935-6543, e-mail edison at wustl.edu or visit edison.wustl.edu.

Missouri Baptist University presents the musical Guys And Dolls through Sunday, November 6. Missouri Baptist University is at One College Park Drive. For more information , visit mobap.edu or call 314-434-1115.

OnSite Productions presents Hit-Story by Carter Lewis November 4 through 20. The production is “set in Clayton's high-performance fitness center”, Sweat, at 8011 Maryland Avenue. For more information, visit onsitetheatre.org or call 314-686-0062.

Muddy Waters Theatre Company presents Paula Vogel's How I Learned to Drive Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 PM and Sundays at 2 PM, November 4 through 20. Performances take place at the Kranzberg Arts Center, 501 North Grand at Olive in Grand Center. For more information, call 314-799-8399.

The Hawthorne Players present the comedy I'm Not Rappaport Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM and Sunday [November 13 only] at 2 PM, November 4 through 13. Performances take place at the Florissant Civic Center Theatre at Parker and Waterford in Florissant, MO. For more information, call 921-5678 or visit hawthorneplayers.com.

The Touhill Performing Arts Center presents The Improvised Shakespeare Company on Saturday, November 5. The Touhill Performing Arts Center is on the campus of the University of Missouri at St. Louis. For more information, visit touhill.org.

The Improv Trick hosts weekly Long Form Improv performances every Tuesday at 7:30 PM at Lemmons Restaurant, 5800 Gravois. Long form improv features 15 to 20 minute sketches based entirely on audience suggestions, with audience participation strongly encouraged. For more information, visit theimprovtrick.com.

Kirkwood Theatre Guild presents the comedy Noises Off Thursday [November 10 only] through Saturday at 8 PM and Sunday [November 6 only] at 2 PM, November 4 through 13. Performances take place in the Robert G. Reim Theatre of the Kirkwood Community Center, 111 South Geyer Road. For more information, call 314-821-9956 or visit ktg-onstage.org.

Act II Community Theater presents the musical Nunsense Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM and Sundays at 2 PM, November 4 through 13. Performances take place at The St. Peters Community and Arts Center, 1035 St. Peters-Howell Road in St. Peters, MO. For more information, call 636-219-0150 or email info at act2theater.com.

The Missouri History Museum presents The Black Rep and The St. Louis Actors' Studio production of Palmer Park Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 PM and Sundays at 3 PM, November 4 through 20. The performances take place in the Lee Auditorium at the History Museum at Lindell and DeBaliviere in Forest Park. For more information, you may visit mohistory.org or call (314) 361-9017.

Friday, October 28, 2011

The Old Ball Game

Amidst all the celebration of the St. Louis Cardinals 2011 World Series victory (our home team’s 11th), I’d like to pause to recognize a somewhat obscure theatrical connection.

The team the redbirds beat, the Texas Rangers, turned 50 this year. This was also their first World Series, so even though they lost, Rangers fans can take some joy in simply getting the pennant for the first time. What’s interesting from a theatrical perspective, though, is that the Rangers began life in 1961 under a different name: the Washington Senators.

That name should ring a bell for you fans of musical theatre. The Senators are the team that beats the “Damn Yankees” in the 1955 musical of the same. The show was the second hit for the songwriting team of Richard Adler and Jerry Ross (their first was The Pajama Game). It was also, sadly, their last as Ross died of chronic bronchiectasis before the show’s opening.

“But wait,” I hear you cry, “how could the Senators appear in a 1955 show if the team has only been around since 1961?” The answer is that there was an earlier Washington Senators team that started out life in Kansas City in 1894, moved to Washington D.C. in 1901 and then, in 1960, pulled up stakes and moved to Minneapolis, where they became the Twins. The revised Senators were set up as an expansion team in 1961 and stayed in our nation’s capital until they, too, up and left for Texas ten years later.

So while I’m happy that our home team copped yet another trophy, I have to admit it would have been somewhat fitting if the name of the hard luck team from Damn Yankees would finally, however indirectly, have been associated with a World Series victory. But, hey: that’s show biz.

Sunday, October 23, 2011

St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of October 24, 2011

Updated Thursday, October 27, 2011

[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 ArtsZipper site.

I'm now adding my own purely personal comments to events about which I think I have anything worthwhile to say. Because that's what bloggers do. If I have left your show out, please leave a comment with all the details.

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The COCA Family Theatre Series presents Alice in Wonderland Friday through Sunday, October 28 - 30. COCA is at 524 Trinity in University City. For more information, call (314) 725-6555 or visit www.cocastl.org.

Lindenwood University presents the musical Bat Boy: The Musical October 27 through November 4. Performances take place in the Emerson Black Box Theatre at the J. Scheidegger Center for the Arts on the Lindenwood campus in St. Charles, MO. For more information, call 636-949-4433 or visit lindenwood.edu/center.

Unity Theatre Ensemble presents their “encore musical revue” The Best Of The Best Friday at 7:30 PM and Saturday at 3 and 7:30 PM, October 28 and 29. Performances take place at the Ivory Theatre, 7620 Michigan. For more information, call 314-355-3586.

The Pub Theater Company presents Bye Bye Liver: The St. Louis Drinking Play, a comedic romp through the joys and pitfalls of The Gateway to the West's favorite pastime. Performances take place on “select Saturdays” at Maggie O'Brien's, 2000 Market Street, and on the first and third Friday of each month at The Fox Hole at The Atomic Cowboy, 4140 Manchester in The Grove. For more information, you may call 314-827-4185 or visit byebyeliver.com/stlouis.

Circle Mirror Transformation
©Photo by Lon Brauer

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents Anne Baker's Circle Mirror Transformation Tuesdays through Sundays, October 26 through November 13. Performances take place in the studio theatre at the Loretto-Hlton Center, 130 Edgar Road in Webster Groves, MO. For more information, call 314-968-4925 or visit repstl.org.

Hairspray

The Black Rep and Washington University Performing Arts Department present the musical Hairspray through October 30 in the Edison Theatre on the Washington University campus. For more information you may visit theblackrep.org. Read the 88.1 KDHX Review!

Marble Stage Theatre presents The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Saturdays at noon through October 29 at Marble Stage Theater, 426 Crestwood Mall Art Space. For more information, call 314-437-0846 or visit www.marblestage.org.

The Improv Trick hosts weekly Long Form Improv performances every Tuesday at 7:30 PM at Lemmons Restaurant, 5800 Gravois. Long form improv features 15 to 20 minute sketches based entirely on audience suggestions, with audience participation strongly encouraged. For more information, visit theimprovtrick.com.

Marble Stage presents Night of the Living Dead Thursday through Sunday, October 27 through 30. Performances take place at Marble Stage's Crestwood Court Art Space. For more information, call 314-732-4003 or visit marblestage.org.

Topper Productions presents Christy Simmons in The Secret Life of Song, introducing the music of Don Kallembach, on Saturday, October 29, at 8 PM. Joining Christy on stage are Chloe Feoranzo (clarinet and saxophone), Dave Troncoso (bass), Clancy Newell (drums), and Christy's longtime friend and collaborator, Don Kallembach (piano). "The show introduces some extraordinary music, written by Kallembach, especially for this event." The performance takes place at the Kranzberg Center, 501 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information, visit brownpapertickets.com.

Love and Death

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Who: The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra conducted by Vasily Petrenko with piano soloist Olga Kern

What: Rachmaninoff, Chopin, and Elgar
Where: Powell Symphony Hall, St. Louis
When: October 21 - 23, 2011

Every artist has his or her “greatest hit” – a work with which he or she is uniquely identified. Think of Bogart’s Sam Spade, Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes, or Rachmaninoff’s “Prelude in C-Sharp Minor”. The Russian composer’s “Isle of the Dead” – an impassioned performance of which opened this weekend’s St. Louis Symphony concerts - never made it to “greatest hit” status (the Symphony hasn’t performed it since 1976), but the painting that inspired it almost certainly was the most popular thing created by the Swiss Symbolist artist Arnold Böcklin. The stark landscape of an island necropolis towards which a white-robed figure is being rowed apparently struck a sympathetic chord over a century ago and is still compelling today. Böcklin painted five different versions of it (one of which was destroyed in World War II) in the 1880s, and reproductions were apparently common in an early 20th century Europe still reeling from war and influenza.

Dominated by the “Dies Irae” theme that shows up in so much of Rachmaninoff’s work, “Isle of the Dead” captures the ominous and majestic feel of the painting remarkably well, considering that the composer had seen only a black and white print of the original. A rocking 5/8 theme, suggestive of the sea and the boat, begins in the low strings and gradually takes over the orchestra. A more lyrical second theme (intended to represent the life force) rises in the strings about half way through, only to be beaten down by a series of relentless brass-and-percussion hammer blows. The piece ends with a return to the eternal sea.

Guest conductor Vasily Petrenko clearly knows this music inside out. He conducted a wonderfully evocative performance and was expressive but not indulgent, never losing the rhythmic pulse and sense of motion that keep the music (you should pardon the word) afloat. The orchestra always plays with great skill these days, of course, and they did so here as well.

Coming after the Romantic gloom of the Rachmaninoff, the crystalline beauty of Chopin’s “Piano Concerto No. 1” was a welcome contrast, especially when performed with such skill and feeling by soloist Olga Kern. I had cause to admire Ms. Kern’s technical proficiency when she did the Rachmaninoff “Paganini” Variations last year. This time around I was able to admire how that virtuosity is wedded to a keen musical sensibility. This was especially evident in the “Romanze” second movement, in which Ms. Kern’s nuanced and deeply felt performance brought out the sense of smiling through tears that is so characteristic of Chopin at his most lyrical.

Ms. Kern is a striking figure on the stage, particularly when decked out (as she was Saturday night) in a flowing “Cardinal red” strapless gown with black accents and, briefly, matching baseball cap for a brief “pre encore” of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game”. Her actual encore was “Spinning Wheel”, a bit of virtuoso flash by Charles Lisberg, a Swiss composer unknown to me. Ms. Kern said that she found the work in a library some years ago. Her son fell in love with it, and she has been apparently using it as an encore on a regular basis ever since. Both the piece and the story behind it were charming.

The evening concluded with a rousing performance of a work that could probably be classed as one of Edward Elgar’s greatest hits, the “Enigma Variations”. Effectively a musical family album, the fourteen variations are vivid little sound portraits of Elgar, his wife, and his friends. Even a pet bulldog puts in an appearance.

The “Enigma” of the title, according to Elgar, refers to “another and larger theme” which is “not played”. The composer never revealed what that theme might be and speculation has been lively, but I’m inclined to go along with the school of thought that the “theme” to which Elgar referred wasn’t musical at all but rather the common thread of friendship and good humor that pervades the music.

Certainly that sense of joy and affection was apparent in Mr. Petrenko’s conducting the musicians’ playing. Choice solo passages abound in the “Enigma Variations” and the symphony players made the most of all of them. Mr. Petrenko’s interpretation was full-blooded and overflowing with that life force that gets beaten down so ruthlessly in “Isle of the Dead”, making it a perfect way to end the program.

Next at Powell Hall: the orchestra celebrates Halloween with the 1925 film Phantom of the Opera featuring an original score written and performed live by Rick Friend October 28 and 29, 2011. For more information you may call 314-534-1700, visit stlsymphony.org, like the Saint Louis Symphony Facebook page, or follow @slso on Twitter.

Friday, October 21, 2011

Casey at the Bat

Jack Norworth
Insert your own joke about
being married to Norah Bayes.

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As I’m writing this, everybody here in St. Louis has gotten World Series fever, the more acute version of the Pennant Fever everyone had while Just a Song at Twilight was enjoying a two-week run at the Missouri History Museum. Had I but known that was going to happen, I would have included that hymn to the National Pastime, “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” in the show. Yes, it would have been pandering, but it would also have been a good fit. Here’s why.

To begin with, it’s a perfect example of one type of song that was central to the show: the old favorite for which everyone knows the chorus but almost nobody knows the verses. “Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis” is a prime example (not only are there verses, there are a total of six of them – possibly more that were never published), but “Take Me Out” is a close second.

There are two verses to “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” and while the chorus is the same both times, the verses pretty much completely change the intent of the song. Here they are, from an original copy of the 1908 sheet music gleaned from Indiana University’s IN Harmony collection:

Katie Casey was baseball mad,
Had the fever and had it bad;
Just to root for the home town crew, every sou Katie blew.
On a Saturday her young beau
Called to see if she'd like to go,
To see a show but Miss Kate said "no, I'll tell you what you can do:"

[Chorus]

Katie Casey saw all the games,
Knew the players by their first names;
Told the umpire he was wrong, all along good and strong.
When the score was just two to go,
Katie Casey knew what to do,
Just to cheer up the boys she knew,
She made the gang sing this song.

[Chorus]

Yep. In its original context it's a story song (as so many songs were a century ago) about a woman who is a die-hard baseball fan. And, like so many characters in songs of the Vaudeville era, she’s obviously Irish – a testament to how prominent Irish Americans had become in show business by then.

The other reason it would have been a good fit? Well, the music is by Albert von Tilzer. He and brother Harry (whom I reference in my opening monolog) were veritable hit song machines one hundred years ago. Albert’s list includes "(I'll Be With You) In Apple Blossom Time", "Oh By Jingo!", and "Put Your Arms Around Me Honey". His brother lays claim to "A Bird in a Gilded Cage", "Wait 'Til The Sun Shines Nellie", "I Want A Girl (Just Like The Girl That Married Dear Old Dad)", and a raft of others.

Even more interesting is that the lyrics are by Jack Norworth. That would be the same Jack Norworth who (as you’ll recall if you’ve seen the show) was the second of the five husbands of Vaudeville star Norah Bayes. He was definitely Second Banana to her when they were performing together, but after their divorce he went on to enjoy great success as both a performer and lyricist, eventually becoming an inductee in the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Amusingly, “Take Me Out” was written the same year he married Bayes.

And, of course, it would have been a natural (if you’ll pardon the word) in the segment of the show that included “Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis” and “Under the Anheuser Bush”.

Anyway: go, Cards! Here’s a 1908 recording of “Take Me Out” by Edward Meeker, whose voice shows up on a large number of Edison cylinders. Grab some Buds, a Ballpark Frank, and enjoy.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

After the Ball is Over

Photo by Gerry Love

When somebody says goodbye to me
I’m sad as I can be.
Not so with this loving Romeo
He seemed to take a lot of pleasure saying bye-bye to his treasure.
- Gus Kahn, “Toot, Toot, Tootsie! (Goo’ Bye)”

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I wouldn’t say that it was a lot of pleasure saying good-bye to my one-man show Just a Song at Twilight, which just concluded an immensely satisfying two-week run at the Missouri History Museum on October 16, 2011 under the aegis of the West End Players Guild. The show was actually a great joy to perform and, judging from audience response, to watch. So while I’m glad to have my evenings back again, it’s hard not to feel a bit of a let down knowing that I won’t be putting on that top hat, white tie, and tails any time again in the foreseeable future.

But then, if you read the excellent blog post by West End’s indispensible president Renee Sevier-Monsey on the ephemeral nature of theatre, you won’t be surprised to learn that. No matter how strong the sense of accomplishment that goes along with a good show, all of us followers of Thespis know that, sooner or later, the ball will be over and it will be time to move on.

Before the dancers leave and the stars are gone, though, I’d like to offer a little background and some tips of the top hat to many of the folks who made Just a Song at Twilight possible. Because if there’s one thing that’s true about a one-man show, it’s this: it takes way more than one person to make it work.

First, thanks to my graphics designer Marjorie Williamson. She’s responsible not only for that classy poster (which also graced the cover of our program) but also for assembling the “lantern slides” (actually a PowerPoint deck) that I used within the body of the show to illustrate the songs and stories. We both spent hours combing the Internet for images, but the final product wouldn’t have looked as good as it did without her expertise.

Thanks to Renee Sevier-Monsey for wearing multiple bonnets as my house manager, lighting designer, and set designer. The lights nicely delineated the playing area without spilling on to the projections and the set was simple but inspired. There wasn’t much to it – just an art deco floor lamp (a “practical”, which means it could be turned on and off like a real lamp) in front of which was a nightclub table and two chairs set with two glasses of wine, a period-looking shawl, and a cigarette case. The idea was that the couple had just stepped out to the dance floor and might come back at any moment. It set the tone perfectly.

Thanks to my director Tim Schall for the cool tweaks he made to the show in tech week. Tim worked closely with me to develop the original cabaret version of Just a Song at Twilight. This time around he was only able to be on hand for one rehearsal, but his input at that rehearsal had a great impact on the final look of the show. The little “framing sequence” that began and ended the show to the tune of “Love’s Old Sweet Song” was his idea (and it was Renee’s set that inspired it).

Thanks to actor, singer, dancer and choreographer and long time friend Cindy Duggan for my dance moves. I’m not a dancer (unless you count all those years of aerobics and Zumba at the “Y”), but Cindy came up with some stuff that made me look good.

Thanks to my old friend Lynn Rathbone – a gifted actress and smart director – for her input and also to my fellow West End Board member Sean Ruprecht-Belt for his notes at our dress rehearsal.

Thanks to Neal Richardson of the Webster Conservatory for the great arrangements and charts. Neal (who is also a fan of the songs of the Vaudeville era) was deeply involved in the creation of the original version of the show and played piano for both the March and July 2010, performances at the Kranzberg Center. This time around his commitments to the Conservatory made that impossible (he’s the music director for their November production of Carousel), but his spirit was still very much in evidence.

And last but by no means least, thanks to my music director and pianist Carol Schmidt. When Tim learned that Neal wasn’t available, his first suggestion was to ask Carol to step in. It was a suggestion with which I heartily concurred. I had worked with Carol on the now-defunct Moonglow and Cabaret at the Café series, so I already knew she was not only a technically proficient music director but a lively and inventive performer as well. Her imagination kept the show fresh right up to the final performance. We always found something new and interesting to do with the show during our nightly sound checks.

I could go on at great length about the process of turning a small-scale cabaret act into something more like a staged Ken Burn documentary and my actually do so in a future post, but for now I’ll just say that the warmth and enthusiasm with which you, our audience, received our show each night made all of that effort worthwhile. Feel free to stay in touch with me here and on the West End Players Guild blog. Share your thoughts on the music and the performers of the Vaudeville era.

The ball may be over and dawn may be breaking, but the dance goes on.

Monday, October 17, 2011

Just a Songlist at Twilight

With my Vaudeville cabaret show, Just a Song at Twilight, having completed a two-week revival at the Missouri History Museum, this seemed as good a time as any to provide an on-line version of the song list.

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Just a Song at Twilight – The Golden Age of Vaudeville

Chuck Lavazzi, Writer and Performer
Tim Schall, Director
Carol Schmidt, Music Director
Musical arrangements by Neal Richardson

I turned up a ton of information in the process of researching this show. Most of it failed to make the cut as patter, but it’s available at the links below. Enjoy!

Words / Music

G. Clifton Bingham / J.L. Molloy: Love’s Old Sweet Song (1884)

Darl Mac Boyle / Nat Vincent: Bring Back Those Wonderful Days (1919) (Additional lyrics by Chuck Lavazzi)

Joseph McCarthy / Harry Carroll (after Chopin): I’m Always Chasing Rainbows (1918)

Weston and Barnes / Maurice Scott: I’ve Got Rings on My Fingers (1909)

Arthur J. Lamb / Alfred Solman: The Bird on Nellie’s Hat (1906)

Jack Norworth / Nora Bayes and Jack Norworth: Shine On, Harvest Moon (1908)

Gus Kahn / Walter Donaldson: Carolina in the Morning (1922) (Additional music and lyrics by Neal Richardson and Chuck Lavazzi)

Grant Clark and Edgar Leslie / Maurice Abrahams: He’d Have to Get Under – Get Out and Get Under (1913)

Ida Emerson and Joe Howard: Hello, Ma Baby (1899)

Edgar Leslie and Burt Kalmar / Pete Wendling: Take Your Girlie to the Movies (1919)

Stanley Murphy / Henry I Marshall: On the 5:15 (1914)

Andrew B. Sterling / Harry von Tilzer: Under the Anheuser Bush (1903)

Andrew B. Sterling / Kerry Mills: Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis (1904)

Medley: Alex Rogers / Bert Williams: Nobody (1905); Fred Ebb / John Kander: Mr. Cellophane (from Chicago, A Musical Vaudeville 1975)

Medley: Charles K. Harris: After the Ball (1892); Love’s Old Sweet Song

Gus Kahn, Ernie Erdman and Dan Russo: Toot, Toot, Tootsie (1921)

Lew Brown / Carl Schraubstader: Last Night on the Back Porch (I Loved Her Best of All) (1923)

Saturday, October 15, 2011

St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of October 17, 2011

First Run Theatre presents the 2011 Spectrum One-Act Play Festival Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM and Sundays at 2 PM through October 22. Performances take place at the ArtSpace at 220 Crestwood Court, at Watson and Sappington Roads. For more information, call (314) 352-5114 or visit www.firstruntheatre.com. Read the 88.1 KDHX Review!

Black Cat Theatre presents A La Carte, an evening of “ten-minute comedies with musical interludes”, Friday and Saturday at 8 PM and Sunday at 2 PM, October 21 through 23, at Black Cat Theatre, 2810 Sutton in Maplewood. For more information, call 314-781-8300 or visit blackcattheatre.org.

Upstream Theater presents Federico Garcia Lorca's Blood Wedding through October 23 at the Kranzberg Arts Center, 501 North Grand. For more information, call (314) 863-4999 or visit www.upstreamtheater.org. Read the 88.1 KDHX Review!

The Pub Theater Company presents Bye Bye Liver: The St. Louis Drinking Play, a comedic romp through the joys and pitfalls of The Gateway to the West's favorite pastime. Performances take place on “select Saturdays” at Maggie O'Brien's, 2000 Market Street, and on the first and third Friday of each month at The Fox Hole at The Atomic Cowboy, 4140 Manchester in The Grove. For more information, you may call 314-827-4185 or visit byebyeliver.com/stlouis.

The Young People's Theatre of St. Charles Community College presents the musical Coney Island Of Dr. Moreau Friday at 7 PM, Saturday at 2 and 7 PM, and Sunday at 2 PM, October 21 through 23. Performances take place in the Donald D. Shook Fine Arts Building Theater on the campus at 4601 Mid Rivers Mall Drive in Cottleville, MO. For more information, call 636-922-8233, or visit www.stchas.edu/YPT

God of Carnage
©Photo by Sandy Underwood

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents Yasmina Reza's God of Carnage Tuesdays through Sundays through November 6. Performances take place on the main stage at the Loretto-Hlton Center, 130 Edgar Road in Webster Groves, MO. For more information, call 314-968-4925 or visit repstl.org.

The Black Rep and Washington University Performing Arts Department present the musical Hairspray through October 30 in the Edison Theatre on the Washington University campus. For more information you may visit theblackrep.org.

The Department of Theatre, Dance, and Media Arts at the University of Missouri at St. Louis presents The House of the Spirits by Caridad Svich, adapted from the novel by Isabel Allende. Performances are Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 PM through October 22 at the Touhill Performing Arts Center on the University of Missouri-St. Louis campus. For more information, call 314-516-4949.

Marble Stage Theatre presents The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Saturdays at noon through October 29 at Marble Stage Theater, 426 Crestwood Mall Art Space. For more information, call 314-437-0846 or visit www.marblestage.org.

The Improv Trick hosts weekly Long Form Improv performances every Tuesday at 7:30 PM at Lemmons Restaurant, 5800 Gravois. Long form improv features 15 to 20 minute sketches based entirely on audience suggestions, with audience participation strongly encouraged. For more information, visit theimprovtrick.com.

The St. Louis Actors' Studio presents the courtroom drama Nuts by Tom Torpor through October 23 at the Gaslight Theatre, 358 North Boyle. For more information, call 314-458-2978 or visit stlas.org. Read the 88.1 KDHX Review!

The Brass Rail Players present the thriller The Passion of Dracula. Performances take place through October 23 at the Lindenwood University Premier Center For The Arts, 2600 West Main Street in Belleville, IL. For more information, visit brassrailplayers.org.

G Huggy Bear Productions presents the play Treat Or Trick Friday at 7 PM and Saturday at 3 and 7 PM, October 21 and 22. Performances take place at the Florissant Civic Center at Parker and Waterford in Florissant, MO. For more information, call 314-921-5678.

Valhalla Cemetery and The Hawthorne Players present Voices Of Valhalla: A Hayride Through Time on Friday and Saturday, October 21 and 22. Hayrides through Valhalla Cemetery depart every fifteen minutes beginning at 7 each evening as members of the Hawthorne Players portray some of the noted locals buried in Valhalla. Valhalla Cemetery is located at 7600 St. Charles Rock Road. For more information, visit hawthorneplayers.com.

The Alumni Players present We're Still Here, a musical comedy revue about “life's ups, downs and in-between”, Friday at 8 PM and Saturday at 3 PM, October 21 and 22. Performances take place at the Wildey Theatre in Edwardsville, IL. For more information, visit wildeytheatre.com.

The Fox Theatre presents David E. Talbert's drama What My Husband Doesn't Know on Sunday, October 23, at 3 and 7:30 PM. The Fox Theatre is at 517 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information, call 314-534-1678.

The Who's Tommy

Stray Dog Theatre presents the rock musical The Who's Tommy Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 PM through October 23. Performances take place at The Tower Grove Abbey, 2336 Tennessee. For more information, call 314-865-1995. Read the 88.1 KDHX Review!

The Magdalen Players present The Wizard Of Oz Friday and Saturday at 7:30 PM and Sunday at 6 P, October 21 through 23. Performances take place at Meyer Youth Center at St. Mary Magdalen Parish, 4354 South Kingshighway. For more information, visit magdalenplayers.webs.com.

Variety Children's Theatre presents the musical The Wizard Of Oz Friday through Sunday, October 21 through 23, at the Touhill Performing Arts Center on the University of Missouri at St. Louis campus. For more information, you may visit varietystl.org or call the Touhill box office at 314-516-4949.

Sunday, October 09, 2011

St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of October 10, 2011

Revised Saturday, October 15, 2011

Dance St. Louis presents The Martha Graham Dance Company in Aaron Copland's Appalachian Spring, along with two other Graham works Prelude and Revolt and Lamentation Variations. The final performance is Saturday at 8 PM, October 15, at the Touhill Performing Arts Center. For mroe information, visit www.dancestlouis.org.

Upstream Theater presents Federico Garcia Lorca's Blood Wedding through October 23 at the Kranzberg Arts Center, 501 North Grand. For more information, call (314) 863-4999 or visit www.upstreamtheater.org. Read the 88.1 KDHX Review!

The Pub Theater Company presents Bye Bye Liver: The St. Louis Drinking Play, a comedic romp through the joys and pitfalls of The Gateway to the West's favorite pastime. Performances take place on “select Saturdays” at Maggie O'Brien's, 2000 Market Street, and on the first and third Friday of each month at The Fox Hole at The Atomic Cowboy, 4140 Manchester in The Grove. For more information, you may call 314-827-4185 or visit byebyeliver.com/stlouis.

St. Peter's UCC in Ferguson, MO, presents A Cabaret at St. Peter's at 7 PM on Sunday, October 16. St. Peter's UCC is located at 1425 Stein at West Florissant. For more information, you may call the church office at 314-521-5694 or visit www.stpeterschurch.org.

God of Carnage
©Photo by Sandy Underwood

Just a Song at Twilight
Photo by Gerry Love

The Missouri History Museum presents The West End Players Guild production of Just a Song at Twilight: the Golden Age of Vaudeville Saturday at 8 PM and Sunday at 2 PM, October 15 and 16. Travel back to an era that's not as bygone as you might think, when Americans put away the cares of the world by reveling in the often-bawdy comedy, incredible variety, and unforgettable songs of the vaudeville stage. Just a Song at Twilight: the Golden Age of Vaudeville is written and performed by actor, critic, Stage Left blogger, and radio broadcaster Chuck Lavazzi and directed by Tim Schall, with musical arrangements by Neal Richardson and musical direction by Carol Schmidt. The performances take place in the Lee Auditorium at the History Museum at Lindell and DeBaliviere in Forest Park. For more information, you may visit mohistory.org or call (314) 361-9017. Read the 88.1 KDHX Review!

Marble Stage Theatre presents The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Saturdays at noon through October 29 at Marble Stage Theater, 426 Crestwood Mall Art Space. For more information, call 314-437-0846 or visit www.marblestage.org.

The Improv Trick hosts weekly Long Form Improv performances every Tuesday at 7:30 PM at Lemmons Restaurant, 5800 Gravois. Long form improv features 15 to 20 minute sketches based entirely on audience suggestions, with audience participation strongly encouraged. For more information, visit theimprovtrick.com.

The St. Louis Actors' Studio presents the courtroom drama Nuts by Tom Torpor through October 23 at the Gaslight Theatre, 358 North Boyle. For more information, call 314-458-2978 or visit stlas.org. Read the 88.1 KDHX Review!

Passing Strange
Photo by Jill Ritter Lindberg

New Line Theatre presents the St. Louis premiere of the rock musical Passing Strange Saturday at 8 PM, October 15. “From singer-songwriter-performance artist Stew and his collaborator Heidi Rodewald comes a daring new rock musical that will take you on a journey across boundaries of place, identity and theatrical convention.” Performances take place at the Washington University South Campus Theatre, 6501 Clayton Road. For more information, call 314-534-1111. The show is directed by 88.1 KDHX's own Scott Miller. Read the 88.1 KDHX Review!

The Brass Rail Players present the thriller The Passion of Dracula. Performances take place through October 23 at the Lindenwood University Premier Center For The Arts, 2600 West Main Street in Belleville, IL. For more information, visit brassrailplayers.org.

Affton CenterStage Theatre Company presents To Kill a Mockingbird Saturday at 8 PM and Sunday at 2 PM, October 15 and 16. Performances take place at the Robert Reim Theatre in the Kirkwood Community Center, 111 South Geyer Road. For more information, call 636-349-6880 or visit www.afftoncenterstage.org.

The Who's Tommy

Sunday, October 02, 2011

Killer serial

George Gershwin's portrait of Arnold Schoenberg

Who: The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra conducted by David Robertson and Ward Stare
What: An American in Paris
Where: Powell Symphony Hall, St. Louis
When: September 30, 2011

Friday’s St. Louis Symphony Concert was one of a series of local arts events kicking off the American Arts Experience—St. Louis, an annual seventeen-day festival “celebrating all mediums of American arts” according to the official web site. It’s somewhat ironic, then, that the most compelling piece of the evening was Arnold Schoenberg’s Five Pieces for Orchestra, Op. 16—a work written in Austria and premiered in London by a composer who would not become an American resident until late in life. It’s also impressive when you consider that the Schoenberg was a late addition to the program, replacing what was going to be a new double bass concerto written and performed by Edgar Meyer.

What made this presentation of the Five Pieces so intriguing? Well, there’s the music itself to begin with. Its complete rejection of nearly every element of Western musical thought—of, in fact, the very notion of melody or harmony as they had existed for centuries—still makes for fascinating (if highly challenging) listening over a century after its composition. I still can’t hear that six-voice fugue in the final movement, for example, and I’ve had the music in my collection since the 1960s.

Then there’s the wonderfully precise performance under Mr. Robertson’s baton. Schoenberg uses the instruments of the orchestra in extreme and unconventional ways here, calling on the performers to employ a wide range of “special effects” techniques, including flutter-tonguing, piano harmonics, and col legno techniques in the strings. It demands a lot from the players, but this is a virtuoso band, and they came through splendidly.

What really made the Schoenberg work, though, was the inventive and enlightening way in which Mr. Robertson chose to present it. This wasn’t a musical performance so much as an illustrated lecture in which each of the brief movements was introduced with commentary setting it firmly in its historical and artistic context and accompanied by a more or less contemporary painting that mirrored the movement’s central idea. The third movement, “Farben” (“Colors”), for example, was accompanied by Robert Dalaunay’s muted color wheel “Premier Disque” while the violent “Peripetie” (Peripetia) was paired with Franz Marc’s unsettling “The Fate of Animals”.

Is that a Leonard Bernstein–style gimmick? An attempt to win over audiences to the work of a composer who, as Mr. Robertson wryly notes, can empty a concert hall more effectively than a shout of “fire”? Possibly. To me, though, it was a fascinating illustration of the way in which different artistic disciplines often influence and are influenced by each other. Schoenberg was a painter as well as a composer and musical theorist, after all, and even an uncompromising work like the Five Pieces, with its compressed thematic structure and often-complex counterpoint, seems to have a strongly visual element. Calling that out might not make the music any more popular (Friday’s performance was the Symphony’s first in over forty years), but it does, I think, make it more comprehensible. With Schoenberg’s post-tonality music, that’s a fair accomplishment.

Visuals also played a strong if more obvious part in the music that concluded the first half of the program, a suite from Aaron Copland’s score for the 1939 documentary The City, accompanied by corresponding scenes from the film. The film itself, essentially a sales pitch for planned suburbs as a solution to the dehumanizing effects of big city life, has been rather sadly eclipsed by reality, but Copland’s music powerfully underscores every scene, from sentimentally bucolic images of a large mythical (and rather ethnically limited) agrarian past to nightmarish images of steel mills and traffic jams. Resident Conductor Ward Stare—a man whose star is unquestionably in the ascendant—led the orchestra in a fine performance.

Mr. Stare was one of two conductors for the opening piece, Charles Ives’s acerbically witty Central Park in the Dark from 1906 (Mr. Robertson was the other). Ives intended the piece as “a picture in sounds of nature and of happenings that men would hear some thirty years or so ago (before the combustion engine and radio monopolized the earth and air) when sitting on a bench in Central Park on a hot summer night.” He paints that picture by contrasting slow-moving and harmonically unfettered string harmonies with increasingly aggressive and chaotic music from the rest of the orchestra that concludes with a realistic portrayal of a runaway horse and carriage careening into a fence—after which the strings continue on serenely on. Humanity comes and goes, but nature is there for the long term.

In this performance, the rest of the orchestra was placed not just offstage but out in the lobby (hence the second conductor). From the orchestra seats it must have been an impressive surround-sound experience. We didn’t get that up in the dress circle, but hearing the cacophonous mix of marches, ragtime tunes (including Emerson and Howard’s 1899 hit “Hello, Ma Baby”), and general noise played by an ensemble that was not only unseen but nearly impossible to locate was probably just as effective. It was a wonderfully ear-opening way to start the evening.

Mr. Robertson was back on the podium to conclude the concert with An American in Paris, which he conducted in his usual cheerfully visceral way. It was a lovely, sympathetic performance that reminded me, once again, of just how much solid craftsmanship lurks behind Gershwin’s irresistible tunes. It was also a reminder of how far the man came in such a short period of time. This is, after all, a guy who went from being a Tin Pan Alley “song plugger” to an accomplished composer and orchestrator in only thirteen years. In another seven years he would write one of the mainstays of twentieth century American opera, Porgy and Bess. What might he have done had he not died so young? It’s always good to hear his work on the concert stage, especially when it’s done so well.

Next at Powell Hall: the “Red Velvet Ball” fund-raising gala with Itzhak Perlman on October 1. The regular season resumes with an all-Mozart program October 7 through 9 with Nicholas McGegan. For more information you may call 314-534-1700, visit stlsymphony.org, like the Saint Louis Symphony Facebook page, or follow @slso on Twitter.

St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of October 3, 2011

Updated Wednesday, October 5, 2011

[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 ArtsZipper site.

I'm now adding my own purely personal comments to events about which I think I have anything worthwhile to say. Because that's what bloggers do. If I have left your show out, please leave a comment with all the details.

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The Addams Family
Photo by Jeremy Daniel

The Fox Theatre presents the new musical The Addams Family, based on the popular film, through October 9. The Fox Theatre is at 517 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information, call 314-534-1678. Read the 88.1 KDHX Review!

Center Stage Theatre at St. Charles Community College presents William Inge's Bus Stop Wednesday through Saturday at 8 PM and Sunday at 2 PM, October 5 through 9. Performances take place in the Donald D. Shook Fine Arts Building on the campus at 4601 Mid Rivers Mall Drive in Cottleville, MO. For more information, call 636-922-8050 or visit stchas.edu.

Upstream Theater presents Fecerico Garcia Lorca's Blood Wedding October 7 through 23 at the Kranzberg Arts Center, 501 North Grand. For more information, call (314) 863-4999 or visit www.upstreamtheater.org.

The Pub Theater Company presents Bye Bye Liver: The St. Louis Drinking Play, a comedic romp through the joys and pitfalls of The Gateway to the West's favorite pastime. Performances take place on “select Saturdays” at Maggie O'Brien's, 2000 Market Street, and on the first and third Friday of each month at The Fox Hole at The Atomic Cowboy, 4140 Manchester in The Grove. For more information, you may call 314-827-4185 or visit byebyeliver.com/stlouis.

St. Louis Shakespeare presents Henry V through October 9. Performances take place at the Grandel Theatre, 3610 Grandel Square. For more information, call 314-361-5664 or visit stlshakespeare.org.

Soundstage Productions presents Lanford Wilson's The Hot L Baltimore Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM and Sundays at 7 PM through October 9. Performances take place at Crestwood Plaza ArtSpace, #214 Crestwood Plaza on Watson Road in Crestwood, MO. For more information, send email to soundstage at msn.com. Read the 88.1 KDHX Review!

Thyrsus, the Washington University student drama organization, presents actor and playwright Jeremy Lawrence in a pair of one-man plays about the life of Tennessee Williams on Friday and Saturday, October 7 and 8, at 8 PM. Tom and Rose, which centers on the playwright's early years, will be performed on Friday. On Saturday, Lawrence will perform Everyone Expects Me to Write Another Streetcar, which finds an aging, acerbic Williams musing about Broadway, the evolution of his writing, the death of his longtime lover, Frank Merlo, and his own harrowing breakdown. Performances take place in the A.E. Hotchner Studio Theatre in the Mallinckrodt Center on the Washington University campus. For more information, call (314) 935-5858.

Just a Song at Twilight
Photo by Gerry Love

The Missouri History Museum presents The West End Players Guild production of Just a Song at Twilight: the Golden Age of Vaudeville Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 PM and Sundays at 2 PM, October 6 through 16. Travel back to an era that's not as bygone as you might think, when Americans put away the cares of the world by reveling in the often-bawdy comedy, incredible variety, and unforgettable songs of the vaudeville stage. Just a Song at Twilight: the Golden Age of Vaudeville is written and performed by actor, critic, Stage Left blogger, and radio broadcaster Chuck Lavazzi and directed by Tim Schall, with musical arrangements by Neal Richardson and musical direction by Carol Schmidt. The performances take place in the Lee Auditorium at the History Museum at Lindell and DeBaliviere in Forest Park. For more information, you may visit mohistory.org or call (314) 361-9017.

Marble Stage Theatre presents The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Saturdays at noon through October 29 at Marble Stage Theater, 426 Crestwood Mall Art Space. For more information, call 314-437-0846 or visit www.marblestage.org.

The Improv Trick hosts weekly Long Form Improv performances every Tuesday at 7:30 PM at Lemmons Restaurant, 5800 Gravois. Long form improv features 15 to 20 minute sketches based entirely on audience suggestions, with audience participation strongly encouraged. For more information, visit theimprovtrick.com.

The St. Louis Actors' Studio presents the courtroom drama Nuts by Tom Torpor October 7 through 23 at the Gaslight Theatre, 358 North Boyle. For more information, call 314-458-2978 or visit stlas.org.

Passing Strange
Photo by Jill Ritter Lindberg

New Line Theatre presents the St. Louis premiere of the rock musical Passing Strange Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 PM through October 15. “From singer-songwriter-performance artist Stew and his collaborator Heidi Rodewald comes a daring new rock musical that will take you on a journey across boundaries of place, identity and theatrical convention.” Performances take place at the Washington University South Campus Theatre, 6501 Clayton Road. For more information, call 314-534-1111. The show is directed by 88.1 KDHX's own Scott Miller. Read the 88.1 KDHX Review!

St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley presents The Pillowman, Friday at 7 PM and Saturday and Sunday at 2 PM, September 30 through October 8. Performances take place at the Terry M. Fischer Theatre on the campus at 3400 Pershall Road. For more information, call 314-513-4200 or visit www.stlcc.edu/FV/.

Insight Theatre Company presents the drama Rabbit Hole through October 2. Performances take place in the Heagney Theatre, 530 East Lockwood on the campus of Nerinx Hall High School in Webster Groves. For more information, call 314-556-1293 or visit insighttheatrecompany.com. Read the 88.1 KDHX Review!

Reasons To Be Pretty

The NonProphet Theater Company presents Reasons to be Pretty by Neil LaBute Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 PM and Sundays at 5 PM through October 9. For more information, call 636-236-4831 or visit nptco.org. Read the 88.1 KDHX Review!

St. Louis Community College at Meramec Theatre Department presents the rock musical The Rocky Horror Show October 5 through 8. Performances take place in the theatre on the campus at 11333 Big Bend Road. For more information, call 314-984-7500.

The St. Louis University Theatre Department presents The Secret in the Wings through October 9. Performances take place in Xavier Hall, 3373 West Pine Mall. For more information, call (314) 977-2998 or visit www.slu.edu/theatre.

The Alpha Players of Florissant present the classic musical South Pacific through October 9 at The Florissant Civic Center Theater, Parker Rd. at Waterford Dr. in Florissant, MO. For more information, visit alphaplayers.org or call 314-921-5678. Read the 88.1 KDHX Review!

Ten Little Indians

Hard Road Theatre presents Agatha Christie's Ten Little Indians Friday and Saturday at 7:30 PM, October 7 and 8, at the Highland Elementary Auditorium, 1800 Lindenthal Avenue in Highland, IL. For more information, visit hardroad.org or call 618-654-7748.

The Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Webster University presents Caryl Churchill's Top Girls Wednesday through Saturday at 8 PM and Sunday at 2 PM through October 9. Performances take place on the Emerson Studio Theatre of the Loretto-Hilton Center 135 Edgar Road on the Webster University campus. For more information, call 314-968-7128. Read the 88.1 KDHX Review!

Stages St. Louis presents the musical Victor/Victoria through October 9. Performances take place in the Robert G. Reim Theatre at the Kirkwood Community Center, 111 South Geyer Road in Kirkwood. For more information, visit stagesstlouis.org or call 314-821-2407. Read the 88.1 KDHX Review!

The Who's Tommy

Stray Dog Theatre presents the rock musical The Who's Tommy Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 PM, October 7 through October 23. Performances take place at The Tower Grove Abbey, 2336 Tennessee. For more information, call 314-865-1995.

Stage Left

Sunday, October 30, 2011

St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of October 31, 2001

Friday, October 28, 2011

The Old Ball Game

Sunday, October 23, 2011

St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of October 24, 2011

Love and Death

Friday, October 21, 2011

Casey at the Bat

Thursday, October 20, 2011

After the Ball is Over

Monday, October 17, 2011

Just a Songlist at Twilight

Saturday, October 15, 2011

St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of October 17, 2011

Sunday, October 09, 2011

St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of October 10, 2011

Sunday, October 02, 2011

Killer serial

St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of October 3, 2011

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