Quasi una fantasia

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It's toon time this weekend (November 1-3) at the St. Louis Symphony with music and animation from a pair of remarkable Disney films: "Fantasia" and its sequel from 60 years later "Fantasia 2000." The orchestra's new Resident Conductor Steven Jarvi is on the podium while Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and a host of other cartoon critters cavort on the screen. It's just the latest chapter in the complex—not to say convoluted—history of a film that's had as many lives as a seasonal black cat.

The original "Fantasia" started out in 1937 as a short in which Paul Dukas's "Sorcerer's Apprentice" served as the soundtrack for an animated short in which Mickey Mouse—whose celluloid career was in a bit of a slump—would take the role of the apprentice whose inept attempts to use one of his boss's spells nearly leads to disaster. Not one for half measures, Disney managed to secure the services of the most famous conductor of the time, the flamboyant Leopold Stokowski, to conduct an orchestra of Hollywood studio musicians.

The results were impressive but the cost—over $125,000—made "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" too expensive to ever succeed as a short. And it became but one segment in a pioneering 1940 feature film that would combine classical music and animation in ways that still look visionary today.

Leopold Stokowski in a classic pose

Even the sound of "Fantasia" was visionary. "Music emerging from one speaker behind the screen sounds thin, tinkly and strainy," Disney was quoted as saying in a 1941 Popular Science article. "We wanted to reproduce such beautiful masterpieces as Schubert's 'Ave Maria' and Beethoven's Sixth Symphony so that audiences would feel as though they were standing at the podium with Stokowski." Unfortunately, the resulting multi-channel technology—dubbed "fantasound"—required theaters to be equipped with special amps and speakers at a cost of around $85,000 each. That, combined with the outbreak of World War II and the resulting loss of a European market, killed any chance of a profitable first run for "Fantasia," despite generally positive reviews and a high demand for tickets.

"Fantasia" went through a series of revisions and re-releases over the next several decades, including a 1969 appearance in which it was billed as "the ultimate trip" in an effort (mostly successful) to attract young audiences experimenting with mind-altering drugs. The 2000 release—with a digitally Walt's brother Roy produced an IMAX sequel, "Fantasia 2000," which featured performances by the Chicago Symphony under James Levine. I caught it in a standard theatrical release (at the Tivoli) and found it less impressive than its parent—but maybe that's just me being a curmudgeon.

Steven Jarvi

What you'll get at Powell Hall this week is a mix of highlights from both films, with the emphasis on the sequel. From the original, you get Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker Suite," Ponchielli's "Dance of the Hours" (with it's still-hilarious parody of classical ballet), the Reader's Digest version of Beethoven's "Pastorale" symphony with its animated nymphs and centaurs, and (of course) "The Sorcerer's Apprentice". From the sequel we get the first movement of Beethoven's fifth symphony, Stravinsky's "Firebird Suite," a wild mashup (by Peter Schickele, creator of P.D.Q. Bach) of four of Elgar's "Pomp and Circumstance" marches (complete with wordless vocals by soprano Kathleen Battle), and Respighi's "Pines of Rome". The latter, for reasons I have never fully understand, is used to accompany the adventures of a family of whales—rather odd, given how vividly Respighi paints his Roman scenes.

Debussy's "Clair de Lune" is there as well, although it was never part of the original "Fantasia" and I had always assumed it was never animated. It will be interesting to see what's on the big screen at Powell for that one.

The "Fantasia" program runs Friday and Saturday at 7 PM and Sunday at 2 PM. If it's anything like other symphony film events you'll be able to purchase popcorn and take it and your drinks into the theater.

Radio Disney is sponsoring a costume competition and hour before each performance. Entrants are eligible for a drawing for a VIP trip for four to meet Disney characters during Chicago’s famous Magnificent Mile Lights Festival, November 23. Contact customer service at Powell when you arrive to register. For more information: stlsymphony.org.

St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of October 28, 2013

[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.

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Act Two Theatre presents 9 to 5 the Musical November 1-10. Performances take place in the St. Peters Cultural Arts Centre at 1 St Peters Centre Blvd, St. Peters, MO 63376. For more information: act2theater.com.

Tesseract Theatre Company presents Jean Anouilh's adaptation of the tragedy Antigone Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM and Sunday at 4 PM, November 1-10. Performances take place at the Regional Arts Commission on Delmar, across from the Pageant. For more information: tesseracttheatre.org.

The Fox Theatre presents Disney's Beauty and the Beast Friday through Sunday, November 1-3. The Fox Theatre is at 517 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information, call 314-534-1678.

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 Saturdays at 9 PM at Maggie O'Brien's, 2000 Market Street. For more information, you may call 314-827-4185, email stlouis at byebyeliver.com, or visit byebyeliver.com/stlouis.

The Lemp Mansion Comedy-Mystery Dinner Theater presents Dead Like Me through November 16. The Lemp Mansion is at 3322 DeMenil Place. For more information: lempmansion.com

Piwacket Theatre for Children presents Duckugly Thursday, October 24, at 10:30 AM. The performance takes place The Regional Arts Commission, 6128 Delmar. For more information: www.piwacket.com.

Photo: John Lamb

Stray Dog Theatre presents Evil Dead: The Musical Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 PM through November 1. "It’s back! Based on the 80s cult classic EVIL DEAD films, this show is hilariously campy and bursting with more farce than a Monty Python skit. Five college kids take a trip to a remote cabin in the woods and encounter everything from ancient evil spirits to revenge-seeking Candarian Demons. It’s all ridiculous and wild, while the term “Fresh Blood!” takes on new meaning!" Performances take place at The Tower Grove Abbey, 2336 Tennessee. For more information, visit straydogtheatre.org or call 314-865-1995. Read the 88.1 KDHX review!

©Photo by Jerry Naunheim, Jr.

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents drama Fly through November 10. “Based on the experiences of the Tuskegee Airmen, this inspiring story follows four courageous young African-American pilots as they train to fly combat aircraft during World War II. Facing powerful conflict both on and off the battlefield, the men form a lasting brotherhood, paving the way for the desegregation of the military and giving hope to a changing America on the horizon. Soaring and inventive, Fly combines live action, video and the compelling “Tap Griot,” an innovative dancing storyteller who expresses the anger, fear and triumph that the officers cannot.” Performances take place at the Loretto-Hlton Center, 130 Edgar Road in Webster Groves, MO. For more information, call 314-968-4925 or visit repstl.org.

The Bissell Mansion Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre presents Footless through October 31. The Bissell Mansion is at 4426 Randall Place. For more information: bissellmansiontheatre.com

The University of Missouri at St. Louis presents Ntozake Shange's For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow Is Enuf Thursday through Sunday, October 31 - November 3. “For Colored Girls is a series of poems, collectively called a "choreopoem." Shange's poetry expresses the many struggles and obstacles that African-American women face throughout their lives. However, the struggles and victories illuminated transcend race. Ntozake spent her childhood in St.Louis and the piece is filled with nostalgic visuals that represent vivid memories of what St. Louis was and has become. “ Performances take place at the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center on the UMSL campus. For more information, visit touhill.org or call 314-516-4949.

(L to R): Barry Mulholland as Sigmund Freud and
Jim Butz as C.S. Lewis. ©Photo by Lon Brauer

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents Freud's Last Session October 30 - November 17. “Just weeks before his death, legendary psychoanalyst Dr. Sigmund Freud invites young writer C.S. Lewis to his home for a meeting. Freud wants to understand how a man once known for his fervent atheism could have become one of Christianity's strongest believers. The debate between these two colossal, charismatic thinkers becomes a dissection of love, sex, science and faith - humorous, insightful and intellectually riveting.” 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.

Alton Little Theater presents the thriller The Haunting of Hill House through November 3 at 2450 North Henry in Alton, IL. For more information, call 618.462.6562 or visit altonlittletheater.org.

Zach Wachter as Mr. Gibbs, Roger Erb as Lush
Photo: John Lamb

The West End Players Guild continues their 103rd season with Pinter's The Hothouse by Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM and Sundays at 2 PM, November 1-10. There will also be a show on Thursday, November 7, at 8 PM. “Enjoy an evening of Pinter's wicked humor at its darkest. Set in a government-run mental institution on Christmas day, The Hothouse is wild, impudent and blisteringly funny. When one patient dies mysteriously and another turns up pregnant, director Roote seems to be losing control - or is he merely losing his mind?” Performances take place at the Union Avenue Christian Church, 733 North Union at Enright in the Central West End. For more information, call 314-367-0025 or visit www.westendplayers.org.

R-S Theatrics presents its second annual KIDaret on Saturday, November 2, at 7 PM. “This is a fundraiser cabaret designed for families and featuring some of your favorite R-S Theatrics performers, this year's Halloween themed KIDaret will handle difficult subjects like whether or not Istanbul really is Constantinople, what to do with your Undead Mummy, and how to dance the Monster Mash. This event is designed to be a relaxed evening of musical performances, where children are invited to sing along and dance in the aisles during the show with costumes encouraged to show off their best ghoul-ish attire. In addition to the performance, there will be a silent auction, concessions, and craft paper and drawing materials for kids of all ages.” The cast includes Rachel Hanks, Marshall Jennings, Mark Kelley, Nick Moramarco, Macia Noorman, Christina Rios, Antonio Rodriguez, Kirsten Wylder, and Michael Young. Music direction is by Nick Moramarco. For more information: www.brownpapertickets.com/event/475773

Lindenwood University presents Jason Robert Brown's two-character musical The Last Five Years through November 2. 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.

Photo: Jill
Ritter Lindbergh

New Line Theatre presents the musical version of the film Night of the Living Dead Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 PM through November 2. Performances take place at the Washington University South Campus Theatre, 6501 Clayton Road. For more information, newlinetheatre.com. Read the 88.1 KDHX review!

Brass Rail Players present Sing and Swing, a joint funraiser for the company and for The Fontebella Maternity Home, on Saturday, November 2, at 7 PM. The performance takes place at Lindenwood University's Belleville Auditorium, 2600 West Main Street in Belleville, IL. For more information, visit brassrailplayers.org.

First Run Theatre presents the 2013 Spectrum One-Act Play Festival Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM and Sundays at 2 PM, Novembet 1-10. Performances take place at Southampton Presbyterian Church, 4716 Macklind. For more information, call (314) 352-5114 or visit www.firstruntheatre.com.

Photo: Whitney Curtis

Washington University Performing Arts Department presents the musical Spring Awakening Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM and Sundays at 2 PM through November 3. "A girl asks awkward questions. A boy, frustrated by a dead language, erupts into a new one. Latin falls to rock ‘n’ roll. Steven Sater’s Spring Awakening—with its blunt depictions of adolescent sexuality and startling mixture of contemporary expression and fin de siècle restraint—is among the most influential, unexpected and beloved Broadway shows of recent years." Performances take place in the A.E. Hotchner Studio Theatre in the Mallinckrodt Student Center on the Washington University campus. For more information, call 314-935-6543.

Dramatic License Productions presents Tuesdays With Morrie October 31 - November 17. “What begins as a weekly meeting with an old professor results in a series of life lessons that Mitch, and the audience, will never forget.” Performances take place at Dramatic License Theatre located at the upper level of Chesterfield Mall (near Sears and across from Houlihan's Restaurant). For more information, call 636-220-7012 or visit dramaticlicenseproductions.org.

OnSite Theatre Company presents the world premiere of The Trivia Job by St. Louis native and San Francisco playwright Dan Rubin Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM through November 9. “When the women of the St. Francis Knitting Ministry learn that their beloved church is on the brink of financial ruin, they do exactly what anyone else would do: they plan an elaborate bank heist, using a special trivia night fundraiser as their cover. But will the replacement emcee, a young priest from their church, screw up all of their plans? With a complete evening of trivia interwoven into a thrilling comedy set in a site-specific location, The Trivia Job promises to be a night of theater like none you've ever before experienced. Get ready to be accessories to fun!” Performances take place at Metropolitan Community Church of Greater St. Louis, 1919 S Broadway in Soulard. For more information: www.OnSiteTheatre.org.

Slightly Askew Theatre Ensemble presents the thriller The Woman in Black Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8 and Fridays and Saturdays at 10, October 30 - November 9. Performances take place at The Chapel Venue, 6238 Alexander Drive. For more information: slightlyoff.org.

Over Due Theatre presents the Mel Brooks musical Young Frankenstein Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM and Sundays at 2 PM through November 3. Performances take place at the Olivette Community Center, 9723 Grandview Drive, in Olivette, MO. For more information, call 636-233-4690 or visit overduetheatrecompany.com.

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.

Delirious

Peter Oundjian

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This weekend at Powell Hall it's a classic example of musical storytelling, a cocky, nose-thumbing piano concerto by a musical wise guy in his 20s, and a bit of orchestral delirium.

The storytelling comes from the pen of Nikolay Rimski-Korsakov (1844-1908), one of the great Russian romantic masters and a genius at orchestration. He aggressively promoted Russian nationalism in his music, emphasizing folk and Middle Eastern/Oriental influences. All of those elements on on display in his 1888 symphonic suite Scheherazade, inspired by episodes in the One Thousand and One Nights (a.k.a. The Arabian Nights). It's almost certainly his most popular work and a favorite of audiences around the world.

As well it should be. This is music that conjures up striking images: the imperious Sultan, the sensual Scheherazade, Sinbad's ship, the stormy sea, the festival at Baghdad—it's a veritable widescreen extravaganza. There are also plenty of solo passages that will give individual members of the orchestra a chance to show off. Concertmaster David Halen has an especially prominent role to play as the voice of Scheherazade. It's tremendously entertaining stuff when done well.

Stewart Goodyear Photo: Victor Avila

Also tremendously entertaining is the Piano Concerto No. 1 for piano, trumpet, and strings Op. 35, written by the 27-year-old Dimitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) in 1933 and first performed by him with the Leningrad Philharmonic in October of that year. It's written for a small orchestra (strings plus that one very prominent trumpet) and manages to combine elements of both the Baroque and Classical periods with sounds that would not be out of place in the score of a silent film comedy. “Shostakovich wrote this when he was in his late 20s," notes Principal Trumpet Karin Bliznik (who will be playing the trumpet part his weekend) in the symphony program book. "He used to play piano accompaniment to silent movies. You can imagine some Charlie Chaplin or Keystone Kops slapstick for this piece.”

Thomas Adès

The concert opens with local premiere of three dance episodes from the 1995 chamber opera Powder Her Face by British composer Thomas Adès (1971- ). The opera is based on the life of Margaret Campbell, Duchess of Argyll (1912-1993) , whose elegant and fashionable life took a bizarre turn after a near-fatal fall down an elevator shaft in 1943. She emerged from the ordeal with no sense of smell or taste and a voracious sexual appetite—a great deal of which was on display in the notorious 1963 divorce trial that ended her marriage to Ian Douglas Campbell, 11th Duke of Argyll. A lavish lifestyle and bad investments eventually led to a penniless death but (to quote a Tom Lehrer lyric about a very different historical figure) "the body that reached her embalmer / was one that had known how to live."

I've never seen the opera (which includes, according to a review of the original production by Alex Ross was pretty explicit stuff) or heard these selections, so I'll take the lazy way out and quote the description from Paul Schiavo's program notes: "Dance rhythms inform each of the three movements that comprise this work. First comes an overture suggesting tango, foxtrot, and other steps being attempted in an inebriated state, with interjections of mocking laughter. The ensuing waltz has a music-box delicacy about it. But its mechanism seems flawed, the rhythms continually twitching or hiccupping or otherwise going awry. Similar rhythmic dislocations mark the finale, where Adès’s superimposition of figures moving at different speeds seems at once playful and disturbing in a fever-dream sort of way."

It does sound like good company for the Shostakovich, doesn't it?

Performances are Friday and Saturday, October 25 and 26, at 8 PM at Powell Hall. The orchestra will be conducted by Peter Oundjian with Stewart Goodyear at the piano. For more information: stlsymphony.org.

Chuck's Choices for the weekend of October 25, 2013

As always, the choices are purely my personal opinion. Take with a grain (or a shaker) of salt.

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New this week:

©Photo by Jerry Naunheim, Jr.

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents drama Fly through November 10. “Based on the experiences of the Tuskegee Airmen, this inspiring story follows four courageous young African-American pilots as they train to fly combat aircraft during World War II. Facing powerful conflict both on and off the battlefield, the men form a lasting brotherhood, paving the way for the desegregation of the military and giving hope to a changing America on the horizon. Soaring and inventive, Fly combines live action, video and the compelling “Tap Griot,” an innovative dancing storyteller who expresses the anger, fear and triumph that the officers cannot.” Performances take place at the Loretto-Hlton Center, 130 Edgar Road in Webster Groves, MO. For more information, call 314-968-4925 or visit repstl.org.

My take: As I wrote in my OnSTL.com blog, the world premiere of Trey Ellis and Ricardo Khan's drama Fly at the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis is the most inspiring, enraging, and sad thing you can see in a theatre this week. Inspiring because this story of the legendary Tuskegee Airman—an all-black fighter pilot unit who escorted an unprecedented 200 of 205 bomber missions without losing an aircraft and earned a raft of medals in the process. Enraging because the white Americans whose lives and freedom they were protecting treated them as subhuman. Sad because we seem to have learned so little in the intervening seven decades." Other critics have been equally effusive. This is definitely a "must see."

Photo: Whitney Curtis

Washington University Performing Arts Department presents the musical Spring Awakening Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM and Sundays at 2 PM, October 25 - November 3. "A girl asks awkward questions. A boy, frustrated by a dead language, erupts into a new one. Latin falls to rock ‘n’ roll. Steven Sater’s Spring Awakening—with its blunt depictions of adolescent sexuality and startling mixture of contemporary expression and fin de siècle restraint—is among the most influential, unexpected and beloved Broadway shows of recent years." Performances take place in the A.E. Hotchner Studio Theatre in the Mallinckrodt Student Center on the Washington University campus. For more information, call 314-935-6543.

My take: This powerful rock musical of teens struggling with raging hormones in a repressive social system is pretty much ideal material, I think, for a collegiate theatrical program.

OnSite Theatre Company presents the world premiere of The Trivia Job by St. Louis native and San Francisco playwright Dan Rubin Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM, October 25 - November 9. “When the women of the St. Francis Knitting Ministry learn that their beloved church is on the brink of financial ruin, they do exactly what anyone else would do: they plan an elaborate bank heist, using a special trivia night fundraiser as their cover. But will the replacement emcee, a young priest from their church, screw up all of their plans? With a complete evening of trivia interwoven into a thrilling comedy set in a site-specific location, The Trivia Job promises to be a night of theater like none you've ever before experienced. Get ready to be accessories to fun!” Performances take place at Metropolitan Community Church of Greater St. Louis, 1919 S Broadway in Soulard. For more information: www.OnSiteTheatre.org.

My take: For many local theatre companies, not having a fixed abode is a problem. For OnSite, it's a mission. Their site-specific productions have taken them to bars, restaurants, a bowling alley, and a laundromat, among other non-traditional locations.

Opera Theatre of St. Louis presents the children's opera The Very Last Green Thing on Saturday, October 26, at 10 and 11:30 AM. “Journey to a classroom in the year 2413 where a group of students is raised and taught by an android. On a rare field trip “outside,” a shy and obedient child named Amy unexpectedly discovers the very last green thing on earth. Soon she must confront the truth and make important choices as the secrets of the past are uncovered.” Performances take place at the Touhill Performing Arts Center on the University of Missouri - St. Louis campus. For more information: touhill.org or call 314-516-4949

My take: Originally written in 1992, The Very Last Green Thing is a children's opera with an ecological message that is, in some ways, more even more urgent now than it was originally. And it doesn't just stop with the fictional elements. As Sarah Bryan Miller noted in an stltoday.com article last week, the production "seeks to practice what it preaches — and keep down costs — by using recycled elements, including water bottles and cardboard, in its deliberately green set design."

Held Over:

Photo: John Lamb

Stray Dog Theatre presents Evil Dead: The Musical Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 PM through November 1. Performances take place at The Tower Grove Abbey, 2336 Tennessee. For more information, visit straydogtheatre.org or call 314-865-1995.

My take: Honestly, this is not my particular thing, but the reviews have been so good and I'm so favorably inclined towards Stray Dog shows anyway that I have to include it. "If you like your scary stories served with a generous helping of ribald and slapstick humor," writes Tina Farmer in her review for 88.1 KDHX, "you'll want to put Evil Dead The Musical at the top of your must see list. Stray Dog Theatre kicks off its eleventh season with a show that takes the company's tagline "Come out and play" and ratchets it up to new levels in an energetic, yet playful, spoof on the teen horror movie genre." Besides, how can you not like a show that includes a dance number titled "Do the Necronomicon"?

Photo: Jill
Ritter Lindbergh

New Line Theatre presents the musical version of the film Night of the Living Dead Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 PM through November 2. Performances take place at the Washington University South Campus Theatre, 6501 Clayton Road. For more information, newlinetheatre.com.

My take: This is not, as you might think, another horror send-up along the lines of Evil Dead the Musical. "This is no spoof," writes Steve Callahan in his review for 88.1 KDHX, "nor is it merely an homage; if you let it, it will lead you to think...By approaching these rather two-dimensional characters with such deep seriousness the cast leads us to consider some thoughts that make this show more than just a zombie thriller: How fragile is peace. How fragile is happiness. Death, despair, catastrophe can come suddenly, with no warning. War, a tornado, an economic crash—they can destroy us in a moment, just like a horde of zombies." So, no, not a lot of laughs, but rather a serious musical about what's out there in the dark—very appropriate to open the current season by "the bad boy of musical theatre." Before you go, check out my interview with director Scott Miller.

St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of October 21, 2013

[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.

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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 Saturdays at 9 PM at Maggie O'Brien's, 2000 Market Street. For more information, you may call 314-827-4185, email stlouis at byebyeliver.com, or visit byebyeliver.com/stlouis.

St. Louis Shakespeare presents Shakespeare's Comedy of Errors through October 26. Performances take place in the Florissant Civic Center Theatre at Parker and Waterford in Florissant. For more information, call 314-361-5664 or visit stlshakespeare.org.

The Lemp Mansion Comedy-Mystery Dinner Theater presents Dead Like Me through November 16. The Lemp Mansion is at 3322 DeMenil Place. For more information: lempmansion.com

Piwacket Theatre for Children presents Duckugly Thursday, October 24, at 10:30 AM. The performance takes place The Regional Arts Commission, 6128 Delmar. For more information: www.piwacket.com.

Photo: John Lamb

Stray Dog Theatre presents Evil Dead: The Musical Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 PM through November 1. "It’s back! Based on the 80s cult classic EVIL DEAD films, this show is hilariously campy and bursting with more farce than a Monty Python skit. Five college kids take a trip to a remote cabin in the woods and encounter everything from ancient evil spirits to revenge-seeking Candarian Demons. It’s all ridiculous and wild, while the term “Fresh Blood!” takes on new meaning!" Performances take place at The Tower Grove Abbey, 2336 Tennessee. For more information, visit straydogtheatre.org or call 314-865-1995. Read the 88.1 KDHX review!

©Photo by Jerry Naunheim, Jr.

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents drama Fly through November 10. “Based on the experiences of the Tuskegee Airmen, this inspiring story follows four courageous young African-American pilots as they train to fly combat aircraft during World War II. Facing powerful conflict both on and off the battlefield, the men form a lasting brotherhood, paving the way for the desegregation of the military and giving hope to a changing America on the horizon. Soaring and inventive, Fly combines live action, video and the compelling “Tap Griot,” an innovative dancing storyteller who expresses the anger, fear and triumph that the officers cannot.” Performances take place at the Loretto-Hlton Center, 130 Edgar Road in Webster Groves, MO. For more information, call 314-968-4925 or visit repstl.org.

The Bissell Mansion Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre presents Footless through October 31. The Bissell Mansion is at 4426 Randall Place. For more information: bissellmansiontheatre.com

Alton Little Theater presents the thriller The Haunting of Hill House September October 24 - November 3 at 2450 North Henry in Alton, IL. For more information, call 618.462.6562 or visit altonlittletheater.org.

Lindenwood University presents Jason Robert Brown's two-character musical The Last Five Years October 25-November 2. 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.

Take Two Productions presents the musical Les Miserables through October 26. Performances take place at the Bayless High School auditorium, 4532 Weber Road. For more information, visit taketwoproductions.org.

Photo: Jill
Ritter Lindbergh

New Line Theatre presents the musical version of the film Night of the Living Dead Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 PM through November 2. Performances take place at the Washington University South Campus Theatre, 6501 Clayton Road. For more information, newlinetheatre.com. Read the 88.1 KDHX review!

KTK Productions presents Neil Simon's The Odd Couple through October 27. Performances take place at Southampton Presbyterian Church, 4716 Macklind. For more information, call 314-351-8984.

Catalyst Communications Theatre presents the Variety Children's Theatre production of the musical Peter Pan Friday through Sunday, October 25-27. Performances take place at the Touhill Performing Arts Center on the UMSL campus. For more information: www.varietychildrenstheatre.org.

Photo: Whitney Curtis

Washington University Performing Arts Department presents the musical Spring Awakening Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM and Sundays at 2 PM, October 25 - November 3. "A girl asks awkward questions. A boy, frustrated by a dead language, erupts into a new one. Latin falls to rock ‘n’ roll. Steven Sater’s Spring Awakening—with its blunt depictions of adolescent sexuality and startling mixture of contemporary expression and fin de siècle restraint—is among the most influential, unexpected and beloved Broadway shows of recent years." Performances take place in the A.E. Hotchner Studio Theatre in the Mallinckrodt Student Center on the Washington University campus. For more information, call 314-935-6543.

OnSite Theatre Company presents the world premiere of The Trivia Job by St. Louis native and San Francisco playwright Dan Rubin Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM, October 25 - November 9. “When the women of the St. Francis Knitting Ministry learn that their beloved church is on the brink of financial ruin, they do exactly what anyone else would do: they plan an elaborate bank heist, using a special trivia night fundraiser as their cover. But will the replacement emcee, a young priest from their church, screw up all of their plans? With a complete evening of trivia interwoven into a thrilling comedy set in a site-specific location, The Trivia Job promises to be a night of theater like none you've ever before experienced. Get ready to be accessories to fun!” Performances take place at Metropolitan Community Church of Greater St. Louis, 1919 S Broadway in Soulard. For more information: www.OnSiteTheatre.org.

The COCA Theatre Company presents The Turn of the Screw Friday and Saturday at 7 and 9 PM, October 25 and 26. “Henry James' provocative psychological thriller The Turn of the Screw has a contemporary re-telling by Jeffrey Hatcher. A governess alone in the English countryside suspects the orphans in her care are connected to spirits she sees roaming the estate. Does something sinister lurk behind the children's innocent faces, or are the ghosts just a product of her own fevered imagination? This COCA production is directed by Shawn Flanigan. Recommended for teens and adults.” COCA is at 524 Trinity in University City. For more information, call (314) 725-6555 or visit www.cocastl.org.

Opera Theatre of St. Louis presents the children's opera The Very Last Green Thing on Saturday, October 26, at 10 and 11:30 AM. “Journey to a classroom in the year 2413 where a group of students is raised and taught by an android. On a rare field trip “outside,” a shy and obedient child named Amy unexpectedly discovers the very last green thing on earth. Soon she must confront the truth and make important choices as the secrets of the past are uncovered.” Performances take place at the Touhill Performing Arts Center on the University of Missouri - St. Louis campus. For more information: touhill.org or call 314-516-4949

Over Due Theatre presents the Mel Brooks musical Young Frankenstein Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM and Sundays at 2 PM, October 25 - November 3. Performances take place at the Olivette Community Center, 9723 Grandview Drive, in Olivette, MO. For more information, call 636-233-4690 or visit overduetheatrecompany.com.

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.

We had a ball

Who: The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra conducted by David Robertson with cellist Yo-Yo Ma
What: Music of Suppé, Haydn, Hérold, Faure, and Saint-Saëns
Where: Powell Symphony Hall
When: October 19, 2013

Before the first note sounded at Saturday night’s Red Velvet Ball fundraiser concert, the evening was already a success, in that it had raised over $600,000 for the symphony.  In return for all that cash, the near-capacity crowd at Powell Hall got a solid evening of great music from the orchestra under David Robertson and renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma.

The Red Velvet Ball is always a festive occasion, with the musicians decked out even more formally than usual (“don’t they look great?” asked Mr. Robertson as he took the podium).   There were a fair number of formal gowns and tuxes in the audience as well.  A spirit of jolly good humor pervaded the evening, with Mr. Ma often exchanging smiles with Mr. Robertson and the symphony musicians and Mr. Robertson doing a bit of clowning about on the podium.

That’s not to say that the performances were anything less than polished.  It’s just that everyone was clearly having a good time, and the feeling was contagious.

The two big events of the evening were cello concertos by Haydn and Saint-Saëns.  They represented a nice balance of styles and showed Mr. Ma's talents nicely.

The first was Haydn's Concerto No. 1 in C major, Hob. VIIb/1.  It's an early work, written somewhere around 1761-65 (when Haydn was in his 30s) and apparently intended for Haydn's friend Joseph Franz Weigl, who was the principal cellist of Prince Nicolaus's Esterházy Orchestra. Judging from the difficulty of the solo part, Weigl must have been quite the virtuoso.  He might also have played the ensemble cello part as well since the score has only one cello line, marked either "solo" or "tutti," depending on the cello’s role.

Mr. Ma played both the tutti and solo lines with fleetness and lightness of tone that perfectly matched the material.  Mr. Robertson’s tempi were a bit on the slow side for my taste but as this was “big band” Haydn, I could see the logic in that approach.  Certainly the audience loved it, applauding after each movement and standing at the end.

The second (and longer) solo work was another Cello Concerto No. 1.  This one, in A minor, is the Op. 33 of the prolific French romantic master Camille Saint-Saëns.  Like Haydn, Saint-Saëns was in his 30s when he wrote this in 1872.  Also like Haydn, he wrote it for a specific performer: the Belgian cellist, viola de gamba player, author, and instrument maker Auguste Tolbecque.  This, too, is a work that demands a great deal from the soloist—which makes it very popular with top-drawer soloists like Mr. Ma.

Mr. Ma and Mr. Robertson played the Saint-Saëns for maximum contrast and drama.  Mr. Ma’s sound was big and lush when the music led him there, yet wonderfully delicate in the little minuet-like melody of the central “Allegretto con moto” section.  Here, as in the Haydn, Mr. Ma interacted not just with the conductor but with members of the orchestra as well, often nodding and smiling to concertmaster David Halen.  This is a man who clearly loves what he does, and that’s always a pleasure to see on stage.

Each of Mr. Ma’s solo appearances was preceded by a popular overture.  Before the Haydn we got the overture to Franz von Suppé’s 1866 operetta Leichte Kavallerie (Light Cavalry) and before the Saint-Saëns the overture to Zampa, an somewhat absurd 1831 opéra comique by French composer Louis Joseph Ferdinand Hérold. 

Some fine playing by the brasses—including principal trumpet Karen Bliznik—highlighted the former, while principal clarinet Scott Andrews had a fine solo turn in the latter.  Mr. Robertson conducted both with genial flair and not a little bit of humor.  When the famous “galloping” theme began in Light Cavalry, for example, he turned to the audience with a grin as if to say, “we all know this one, don’t we?”  Yes, we do, and it was great fun.

There was one solemn moment in the evening, though.  As I noted in my review of Friday’s concert, symphony contrabassoonist Andrew Thompson died suddenly this past Tuesday of a heart attack at the shockingly young age of 27.  Maestro David Robertson paid homage to him Friday with a moving eulogy and a moment of silence.  Saturday night, the tribute was musical: Gabriel Fauré’s 1883 Élégie for cello and orchestra, played by Mr. Ma just before the Saint-Saëns concerto.  It was a last-minute addition to the program, but nothing about the performance sounded slapdash, and it was a moving tribute.

Although this was the fifth annual Red Velvet Ball, it was the first one I’d attended.  It was immensely gratifying to see such a large turnout, especially given the higher than usual ticket prices  And there is something to be said for “putting on the Ritz” now and then.  Yes, I know: we don’t want to make attending the symphony seem too formal and off-putting.  But it’s still fun to dress up in ways that match all that cream, red and gold décor at Powell.  Besides, I don’t get that many opportunities to wear my tux these days.

This coming Wednesday (October 23) there’s a Pulitzer Concert with cellist Danny Lee and violinist Helen Kim performing Pierre Boulez’s Anthèmes for Solo Violin and Kodály‘s Sonata for Solo Cello at the Pulitzer Center just west of Powell Hall.  Friday and Saturday it’s back to Powell Hall for a concert featuring Rimski-Korsakov’s Scheherazade along with the Shostakovich Piano Concerto No. 1 (the one with the prominent trumpet part in the final movement) and a suite of dances from Thomas Adès’s 1995 chamber opera Powder Her Face.  Peter Oundjian conducts with pianist Stewart Goodyear and the symphony’s Karin Bliznik on trumpet.  For ticket information: stlsymphony.org.

Lighs! Camera! Swans!

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Who: The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra conducted by Hannu Lintu with violinist Simone Lamsma
What: Music of Bartók, Prokofiev, and Tchaikovsky
Where: Powell Symphony Hall
When: October 18 and 20, 2013

Finnish conductor Hannu Lintu and Dutch violinist Simone Lamsma made triumphant returns to Powell Hall Friday night with an evening of dance-oriented music by Bartók, Prokofiev, and Tchaikovsky.  The highly charged Swan Lake suite was the highlight for me, but the fact is that the whole program was most impressive.

Let’s start with Ms. Lamsma’s performance of the Prokofiev Violin Concerto No. 2 in G minor, op. 63.  Prokofiev wrote it in 1935, two years after he returned to his native Russia from 15 years of self-imposed exile in the West and one year before he was officially repatriated.  He was happy to return home, as the warmth of the main melody of the second movement seems to attest.  But the outer movements have a drama and drive that frankly sound a bit ominous at times. 

It's a piece that demands a high degree of virtuosity from the soloist—which it undeniably got from Ms. Lamsma.   I was very much taken with her Shostakovich 1st concerto back in March of 2011, and she brought the same combination of laser-like focus and easy virtuosity to the Prokofiev 2nd this time.  This is music that requires a performer who can make the instrument sing in the second movement and toss off tricky passages in the first and third.  Ms. Lamsma negotiated it all with ease.  She and Mr. Lintu were clearly in close communication with each other throughout the concerto, as was obvious in the quality of the performance.

When Mr. Lintu last led the orchestra back in February I found his style on the podium to be a nearly ideal mixture of romantic intensity and intellectual rigor—fire combined with ice.  Not surprisingly, then, his Swan Lake suite was marked by dramatic tempo and dynamic contrasts combined with a steely control.  Great, sweeping right hand gestures that required him to hold on to the front rail of the podium for support alternated with careful shaping of phrases with the left.  At one point—during the harp and violin duet in the Act II “Pas D'Action”—he stopped conducting altogether so that David Halen and harpist Allegra Lilly could simply play off each other.

It was all very dramatic and yet so much in control that Mr. Lintu was able to step off the podium to assist a first violinist who had an instrument malfunction and step back without missing a beat.

This was, in short, a 70mm, Technicolor Swan Lake that left Mr. Lintu looking like he'd just completed an aerobic workout.  Which, in fact, he had.  The audience awarded him and the orchestra with a much-deserved standing ovation.  There was excellent solo work by (among others) cellist Danny Lee and Barbara Orland on oboe (that famous Act II theme).

The concert opened with a pretty much flawless Dance Suite by Bartók, written for a 1923 celebration of the 50th anniversary of the unification of the Hungarian cities Óbuda, Buda, and Pest to form the national capital Budapest.  A pioneering ethnomusicologist as well as celebrated composer and pianist, Bartók spent much of 1908 tramping through the Hungarian countryside with fellow composer Zoltán Kodály collecting Magyr folk tunes. The melodies he heard then, along with the Arabic music he picked up during a 1913 visit to Algeria, would strongly shape his compositions from then on. 

Those influences are certainly evident in the suite.  Like the composer's Concerto for Orchestra, this is a piece that gives every section a workout, with complex, overlapping rhythms and spiky melodies that summon up the folk material that inspired it.  I think it could easily get a bit sloppy with a less disciplined orchestra and conductor.  Not here, though.  Everyone performed splendidly, with especially fine work by the double reeds (oboe, English horn, bassoon, and contrabassoon) in the opening.

That was, by the way, a kind of fitting memorial to symphony contrabassoonist Andrew Thompson who died suddenly this past Tuesday of a heart attack at the shockingly young age of 27.  Maestro David Robertson paid homage to him after intermission with a moving eulogy and a moment of silence.  And, by God, it was true and absolute silence.

This coming Wednesday (October 23) there’s a Pulitzer Concert with cellist Danny Lee and violinist Helen Kim performing Pierre Boulez’s Anthèmes for Solo Violin and Kodály‘s Sonata for Solo Cello at the Pulitzer Center just west of Powell Hall.  Friday and Saturday it’s back to Powell Hall for a concert featuring Rimski-Korsakov’s Scheherazade along with the Shostakovich Piano Concerto No. 1 (the one with the prominent trumpet part in the final movement) and a suite of dances from Thomas Adès’s 1995 chamber opera Powder Her Face.  Peter Oundjian conducts with pianist Stewart Goodyear and the symphony’s Karin Bliznik on trumpet.  For ticket information: stlsymphony.org.

After the ball

Yo-Yo Ma and fellow performers from the
Goad Rodeo Sessions CD

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As I wrote in a previous post, there are two St. Louis Symphony concerts this weekend: the regular concert series on Friday and Sunday with Finnish conductor Hannu Lintu on the podium and Dutch violinist Simone Lamsma as the soloist; and the annual "Red Velvet Ball" fundraiser concert on Saturday night with David Robertson conducting and celebrity cellist Yo-Yo Ma in the solo spot. Here's a preview of the latter.

The two big events of the evening will, of course, be the cello concertos.  They represent a nice balance of styles and should show off both the instrument and Mr. Ma's talents nicely.

Haydn circa 1770
Painting by
Ludwig Guttenbrunn

The first is Haydn's Concerto No. 1 in C major, Hob. VIIb/1 ("Hob." refers to the definitive catalog of over 750 Haydn works by Dutch collector and musicologist Anthony von Hoboken).  It's an early work, written somewhere around 1761-65 (when Haydn was in his 30s) and apparently intended for Haydn's friend Joseph Franz Weigl, who was the principal cellist of Prince Nicolaus's Esterházy Orchestra at the time. Judging from the difficulty of the solo part, Weigl must have been quite the virtuoso.  He might also have played the ensemble cello part as well since the score has only one cello line, marked either "solo" or "tutti" ("all," indicating the orchestral part).

Haydn wrote only two cello concertos, and two decades would elapse before he produced another one.

Fun Fact: The concerto was lost until 1961, when a copy turned up in the Prague National Museum.

The second (and longer) solo work another Cello Concerto No. 1.  This one, in A minor is the Op. 33 of the prolific French romantic master Camille Saint-Saëns.  Like Haydn, Saint-Saëns was in his 30s when he wrote this in 1872.  Also like Haydn, he wrote it for a specific performer: the Belgian cellist, viola de gamba player, author, and instrument maker Auguste Tolbecque.  It, too, is a work that demands a great deal from the soloist—which makes it very popular with top-drawer soloists like Mr. Ma.

Camille Saint-Saëns
(Tully Potter collection)

Unlike the Haydn concerto, this one unfolds in one long movement, running around 20 minutes.  It breaks up into three sections, with two fast end movements bracketing a more lyrical "Allegretto," but they're all closely related thematically.  The concerto ends with an appropriately flashy finale.

Fun Fact: Like Haydn, Saint-Saëns wrote only two cello concertos, and he let quite a bit of time elapse between them.  His second concerto was written in 1902, three decades after the first.

The concert opens with the overture to Franz von Suppé’s 1866 operetta Leichte Kavallerie (Light Cavalry).  It's one of his most popular pieces, so even if you don't recognize the name it's a safe bet you'll recognize the music—especially the "galloping" tune that follows the slow introductory fanfare.

Suppé's grave
at the Zentralfriedhof

Suppé is a classic example of the composer who achieved fame and fortune in his lifetime, only to slide into obscurity afterwards. Although he wrote thirty operettas and hundreds of other works, mostly for the stage, Suppé is represented these days almost entirely by a handful of overtures—at least on this side of the Atlantic. Some of his operas still see the light of day in Europe, particularly in his native Austria. Fortunately his Requiem and some of his stage works are available on CD for those curious as to what the rest of his music sounds like.

Fun Fact: The overture's opening fanfare was the theme for the afternoon movie series Men at War on (if my memory is correct) channel 4 (KMOV) here in St. Louis in the 1950s.  As you might guess from the title, the series featured old war movies, mostly from WW II.

In between the two concertos is the overture to Zampa, an 1831 opéra comique by French composer Louis Joseph Ferdinand Hérold.  An opéra comique is not a comic opera, by the way, but a musical theatre piece in which there is spoken dialog between the arias.  It's an ancestor of operetta and, for that matter, American musicals.

Hérold by
Louis Dupré, 1830

The plot of Zampa is a farrago of the sort of improbable coincidences that Gilbert and Sullivan loved to lampoon in their operettas, complete with an absurdly supernatural ending that's an obvious reference to Mozart's Don Giovanni.  The opera itself fell out of favor in the early 20th century but the rousing overture is still a concert favorite.

Fun Fact: In his time, Hérold was very successful and even earned the French Legion of Honor in 1828.  Today he's remembered only for the Zampa overture and, to a lesser extent, the ballet La fille mal gardée (The Wayward Daughter) from the year in which he got his Legion of Honor.  Sic transit gloria mundi.

The concert takes place after the Red Velvet Ball fundraiser on Saturday, October 19th.  The black tie ball begins at 7:30, the concert at 8:30.  Tickets for the concert start at $100.  Gala packages, which include preferred seating, cocktails, dinner and dancing, start at $750.  For more information: stlsymphony.org.

Chuck's Choices for the weekend of October 18, 2013

As always, the choices are purely my personal opinion. Take with a grain (or a shaker) of salt.

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New this week:

Photo: John Lamb

Stray Dog Theatre presents Evil Dead: The Musical Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 PM through November 1. Performances take place at The Tower Grove Abbey, 2336 Tennessee. For more information, visit straydogtheatre.org or call 314-865-1995.

My take: Honestly, this is not my particular thing, but the reviews have been so good and I'm so favorably inclined towards Stray Dog shows anyway that I have to include it. "If you like your scary stories served with a generous helping of ribald and slapstick humor," writes Tina Farmer in her review for 88.1 KDHX, "you'll want to put Evil Dead The Musical at the top of your must see list. Stray Dog Theatre kicks off its eleventh season with a show that takes the company's tagline "Come out and play" and ratchets it up to new levels in an energetic, yet playful, spoof on the teen horror movie genre." Besides, how can you not like a show that includes a dance number titled "Do the Necronomicon"?

Photo: Jill
Ritter Lindbergh

New Line Theatre presents the musical version of the film Night of the Living Dead Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 PM through November 2. Performances take place at the Washington University South Campus Theatre, 6501 Clayton Road. For more information, newlinetheatre.com.

My take: This is not, as you might think, another horror send-up along the lines of Evil Dead the Musical. "This is no spoof," writes Steve Callahan in his review for 88.1 KDHX, "nor is it merely an homage; if you let it, it will lead you to think...By approaching these rather two-dimensional characters with such deep seriousness the cast leads us to consider some thoughts that make this show more than just a zombie thriller: How fragile is peace. How fragile is happiness. Death, despair, catastrophe can come suddenly, with no warning. War, a tornado, an economic crash—they can destroy us in a moment, just like a horde of zombies." So, no, not a lot of laughs, but rather a serious musical about what's out there in the dark—very appropriate to open the current season by "the bad boy of musical theatre." Before you go, check out my interview with director Scott Miller.

Held Over:

Photo: Peter Wochniak

Upstream Theater the St. Louis premiere of Nicolai Gogol's Diary of a Madman, as adapted by David Holman, with Neil Armfield and Geoffrey Rush, through October 20. The production features live music by Joe Dreyer. Performances take place at the Kranzberg Arts Center, 501 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information, including show times: upstreamtheater.org.

My take: Once again, Upstream is taking on unusual material, apparently with great success.  "The script," writes Tina Farmer in her review for 88.1 KDHX, "mixes metaphor, language and wordplay with ease, and is clearly understood and delivered with a deft touch by both actors. Director Philip Boehm and Scenic Designer Michael Heil deliver a briskly paced, visually memorable show that does justice to Gogol's original story, considered by many to be a masterpiece of the era."  Joe Dreyer performs his original music live on the keyboard.

Photo: Richard Termine

The Fox Theatre presents the tour of the new Broadway revival of Adrew Lloyd Webber's Evita through October 20. The Fox Theatre is at 517 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information, call 314-534-1678.

My take: As I note in my review for 88.1 KDHX, this creatively re-invented revival of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's unlikely 1976 concept album-turned-musical is innovative, exciting, and worth seeing whether you're familiar with the show or not.  New musical arrangements, lots of new choreography, and an interpretation of Che that goes back to the show's roots all make this unlike any Evita you've probably seen before.

Photo: John Lamb

New Jewish Theater presents Neil Simon's The Good Doctor through October 20. Performances take place in the Marvin and Harlene Wool Studio Theater at the Jewish Community Center, 2 Millstone Campus Drive in Creve Coeur. For more information: www.newjewishtheatre.org or call 314-442-3283.

My take: this series of eight short plays—sketches, really—based on the work of Chekov is great fun when done well.  In her review for 88.1 KDHX, Andrea Braun praises the work of the four actors as well as Bobby Miller's "masterful" direction.

Valhalla Cemetery and The Hawthorne Players present Voices Of Valhalla: A Hayride Through Time through October 19. "Don’t miss out this year when haywagons take you to locations in historic Valhalla Cemetery where actors from Hawthorne Players bring to life the stories of some of the cemetery’s permanent residents.  You’ll hear stories of remarkable triumph over adversity, heroism and intrigue, sacrifice and greed. Not recommended for children.  The hayrides leave every 15 minutes, beginning at 6:30 p.m." Valhalla Cemetery is located at 7600 St. Charles Rock Road. For more information, visit hawthorneplayers.com.

My take: This is one of the most interesting examples of "site specific" theatre that I can think of, and couldn't be more appropriate for the weeks approaching Hallowe'en.  We Americans have a very bad tendency to forget our past, often endangering our future in the process.  Shows like this serve to remind us of who we were and, therefore, who we are.