Chuck's Choices for the weekend of Marcch 31, 2016

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:

Tim Schall

The Presenters Dolan presents An Evening with the St. Louis Cabaret Conference Pro Track on Sunday, April 3, at 7 PM as part of the Gaslight Cabaret Festival. "Join Conference Producer Tim Schall as he performs with six singers from St. Louis and around the nation: Claudia Hommel, Amy Friedl Stoner, David Meulemans, Tracey O'Farrell, Ben Watts and Brooke Michael Smith. The group goes on to NY later this year!" The performance takes place at the Gaslight Theater, 358 North Boyle. For more information: gaslightcabaretfestival.com.

My take: The St. Louis Cabaret Conference is the annual week-long professional training camp for cabaret and musical theatre singers. I have attended several editions over the years, including last year's, which was the first one to feature both Next Stop and Pro tracks, so I had a chance to see all of these singers strut their stuff. They're very different but all very talented, and this should be a great evening.

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The Presenters Dolan presents Lisa Rothauser and Tor Hyams in Life. Who Knew? on Thursday, March 31, at 8 PM as part of the Gaslight Cabaret Festival. "This show sold out NY's 54 Below, 42 West and Joe's Pub. Lisa is a hometown girl who was in the cast of The Producers on Broadway, and sings like it. Husband Tor Hyams is a Grammy-nominated songwriter. It's a helluva show." The performance takes place at the Gaslight Theater, 358 North Boyle. For more information: gaslightcabaretfestival.com.

My take: I'm putting his show on the list just because it sounds like fun and because I love to support the work of local performers who make good in the Big Apple. If I weren't already committed elsewhere, I would definitely be at the Gaslight for this show.

Satchel Paige and the Kansas City Swing
Photo: John Gitchoff

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The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents Satchel Paige and the Kansas City Swing through April 10. "The crack of the bat, the roar of the crowd-it's what every baseball player dreams of. In 1947, Jackie Robinson had broken baseball's color barrier, while Satchel Paige and his Negro League All-Stars were barnstorming against their white counterparts in the Majors. It was baseball by day and jazz by night as the impassioned and devoted players tried to find their place in a country on the verge of change." Performances take place on the mainstage 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: While the reviews for this show have been mixed, I saw it last weekend and was very impressed. It's a fascinating look at a historical turning point both in American history in general and in the history of baseball, our national pastime, in particular. It uses the life of Satchel Paige as a metaphor for the passing of black American institutions that were made irrelevant by integration, and ties it up with the changes taking place in jazz at the same time. This is heady and smart stuff, and while the second act, in particular, could stand with some trimming, it's still a powerful show from the team that brought us the remarkable Fly a few seasons back. At a time when reactionary political forces are trying to undo all the good done since 1947, this show is very relevant.

Amy Friedl Stoner

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The Presenters Dolan presents Amy Friedl Stoner in Tapestry: The Music of Carole King on Friday, April 1, at 8 PM as part of the Gaslight Cabaret Festival. "Amy's got a great voice, and she and her band Mirage do totally right by Carole King." The performance takes place at the Gaslight Theater, 358 North Boyle. For more information: gaslightcabaretfestival.com.

My take: I got to know and appreciate Amy Friedl Stoner's considerable talent last summer at the St. Louis Cabaret Conference and can recommend her work without reservation. And you can hardly go wrong with the music of Carole King.

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The Presenters Dolan presents Katie McGrath and Nicole Hudson in Where the Heart Is on Sunday, April 3, at 3 PM as part of the Gaslight Cabaret Festival. "Katie and Nicole join forces to explore one of their favorite and our most urgent topics: St. Louis, the city we love and long to change. Through a combination of songs from Broadway, main street and mean streets." The performance takes place at the Gaslight Theater, 358 North Boyle. For more information: gaslightcabaretfestival.com.

My take: I don't really know Nicole's work, but Katie and I have shared cabaret stages for a number of years now. I have immense respect for her musical and theatrical smarts as well as her keen political intelligence. This should be a great and important show.

Held Over:

Old Wicked Songs
Photo: Eric Woolsey

New Jewish Theater presents the Old Wicked Songs through April 3 "Hoping to reconnect with his music and shatter the artistic block that has plagued his career, a young American piano prodigy travels to Vienna in the spring of 1986. He is assigned to a vocal teacher who gives him the "Dicheterliebe" song cycle by Robert Schumann. Marans incorporates the poetry of Heinrich Heine and the music of Robert Schumann into the series of events. Through the sessions between the two men, Marans creates a link between two generations who find they much more in common than they think. This is the inspirational journey of two very different men who, with music as their one common bond, must find a way to break through their pasts." 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: I recall being very taken with this script when the Rep did it many years ago. In the Jewish Light, Bob Cohn describes this as "a challenging, thought-provoking play." "Playwright Jon Marans has created a play that ebbs and flows like a musical composition," writes Steve Allen for Stage Door St. Louis. "Yes, the music is at the heart of the production but the real heart in the production is the strength and resolve of teacher and student and the life lessons they each learn from one another. It's a beautiful script handled by two truly great actors."

Symphony Preview, April 2 and 3, 2016: Child's play

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Does anybody out there remember Professor Backwards? His real name was James Edmonson, and from the 1950s to the early 1970s he entertained TV audiences with his comedy and his remarkable ability to read, write, and speak backwards.

Professor Backwards
(James Edmonson)

Gustav Mahler did something similar with his Symphony No. 4, which is the featured work on this weekend's concerts by the SLSO and David Robertson. He wrote the piece in reverse order, starting with the fourth movement and working backwards to the first.

Mahler wasn't going for laughs, though. Instead, he was rethinking and recycling a piece he had written earlier: the 1892 song "Das himmlische leben" ("Heavenly Life"), which describes heaven as it might be seen through the eyes of a child. An expanded version of the song was originally intended as the finale for his Symphony No. 3 (which the SLSO performed in the fall of 2012), but as his thoughts on that work developed, it became apparent that the song wasn't really going to fit in. Instead, he made it the culmination of a symphony of its own.

"Mahler had to plan parts of the Fourth Symphony from the end back," writes Michael Steinberg in program notes for the San Francisco Symphony, "so that the song would appear to be the outcome and conclusion of what was in fact composed eight years after the song. From a late letter of Mahler's to the Leipzig conductor Georg Göhler, we know how important it was to him that listeners clearly understand how the first three movements all point toward and are resolved in the finale."

Gustav Mahler
en.wikipedia.org

The fourth is the shortest of all Mahler's symphonies, clocking in at just under an hour, and it also uses the smallest orchestra. With over 80 players it's still large, even by late Romantic standards, but Mahler uses the instruments in smaller, more intimate configurations. The big climaxes of the third or fifth symphonies are largely absent here; instead, the fourth feels almost like chamber music most of the time.

And it just oozes charm. From the jingling sleigh bells that begin the work to the touching naiveté of the little song that closes it, this is music intended to engage and beguile the audience. "Many a love affair with Mahler has begun with the sunlit Fourth Symphony," writes Mr. Steinberg. "Mahler himself thought of it as a work whose transparency, relative brevity, and non-aggressive stance might win him new friends."

No such luck, as it turns out. "It enraged most of its first hearers," reports Mr. Steinberg. "Munich hated it and so did most of the German cities—Stuttgart being, for some reason, the exception—where Felix Weingartner took it on tour with the Kaim Orchestra immediately after the premiere." Conditioned by the first three symphonies to expect something of Olympian stature, listeners were apparently unwilling to recognize that Mahler was just being Mahler. "Today," continues Mr. Steinberg, "we perceive more clearly that what he was up to was writing a Mahler symphony, uncharacteristic only in its all but exclusive involvement with the sunny end of the expressive range."

Maurice Ravel in 1925
en.wikipedia.org

So maybe he was going for laughs, after all—or at least, for a nostalgic smile at the way this music evokes a kind of childlike innocence.

Childhood, in fact, is a recurring theme is this weekend's concerts, which open with Maurice Ravel's Ma mère l'oye (Mother Goose) Suite. It's a 1911 orchestration of some fairy-tale inspired pieces for piano four hands he originally wrote for Mimie and Jean, the young children of the composer's great friends Ciba and Ida Godebska. He had hoped the Godebska sibs would even give the first public performance of the work, but it proved too challenging for them—or at least for Mimie:

"Between 1906 and 1908," recalled Mimie three decades later, "we used to have long holidays at my parents' house in the country, La Grangette at Valvins. It was there that Ravel finished, or at least brought us, Ma mère l'Oye. But neither my brother nor I was of an age to appreciate such a dedication and we regarded it rather as something entailing hard work. Ravel wanted us to give the first public performance by the idea fill me with a cold terror. My brother, being less timid and more gifted on the piano, coped quite well. But despite lessons from Ravel I used to freeze to such and extent that the idea had to be abandoned."

Ravel got a lot of mileage out of those little pieces, using them not only for the suite you'll hear this weekend but also as the basis for a full-length ballet that premiered on 29 January 1912 at the Théâtre des Arts in Paris. The suite is a wonderfully evocative collection of little musical pictures of characters and situations which, as Paul Schiavo points out in his program notes, owe more to Charles Perrault's retellings of classic folk tales than to Mother Goose. I'm particularly fond of "Les Entretiens de la Belle et de la Bête (Conversations of Beauty and the Beast)", if only because it gives the contrabassoon a rare opportunity to star as the voice of the Beast, but all five movements represent Ravel at his most engaging.

In between the Ravel and the Mahler is Lonely Child, a strangely otherworldly piece for chamber orchestra and soprano written by Canadian composer Claude Vivier for Marie-Danielle Parent, who first performed it with the CBC Vancouver Chamber Orchestra in 1981. The text, by the composer, is a sort of lullaby written in a combination of French and a language invented by the composer. "Bel enfant de la lumière dors, dors, dors, toujours dors," it begins. "Les rêves viendront, les douces fées viendront danser avec toi." ("Beautiful child of the light, sleep, sleep, sleep, forever sleep. The dreams will come, the gentle fairies will dance with you.").

Claude Vivier
magazine.icareifyoulisten.com

The child being rocked to sleep here just might be the composer himself "We can note," writes Mr. Schiavo, "that Vivier was given up for adoption at age three and grew up in a series of orphanages. As a child Vivier was afraid of the dark, and the words, both real and invented, may be consoling both an imaginary child and his former self." With its evocation of fairies, elves, wizards, and magical places, the text is certainly the sort of thing likely to sweep even the most recalcitrant child off to dreamland.

The music is perhaps less dreamy. There's a kind of restlessness and even tension here and there, and the eerie string harmonics towards the end sound like they might be more at home in a horror movie. But maybe that's just an acknowledgement of the fact that there can't be light without some darkness. Overall the music sounds both ancient and modern at once, rather like the work of the Estonian composer Arvo Pärt with its deliberate references to Gregorian chant. It offers a nice contrast to both the Ravel and the Mahler.

The soloist for both the Mahler and the Vivier is Susanna Phillips, last seen on the Powell Hall stage in the orchestra's highly praised concert version of Britten's Peter Grimes in November 2013. She has an impressive resume, with leading roles at The Met, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Boston Lyric Opera, as well as guest soloist appearances with the San Francisco, Dallas, and Sydney symphony orchestras. The New York Times called her performance in Peter Grimes "radiant," so you know what to expect.

The Essentials: David Robertson conducts the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra with soprano soloist Susanna Phillips in Ravel's Mother Goose Suite, Claude Vivier's Lonely Child and Mahler's Symphony No. 4 Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m., April 2 and 3. Performances take place at Powell Symphony Hall, 718 North Grand. For more information: stlsymphony.org.

St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of March 28, 2016

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

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

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The Lemp Mansion Comedy-Mystery Dinner Theater presents Clueless through April 16. The Lemp Mansion is at 3322 DeMenil Place. For more information: lempmansion.com

The Presenters Dolan presents An Evening with the St. Louis Cabaret Conference Pro Track on Sunday, April 3, at 7 PM as part of the Gaslight Cabaret Festival. "Join Conference Producer Tim Schall as he performs with six singers from St. Louis and around the nation: Claudia Hommel, Amy Friedl Stoner, David Meulemans, Tracey O'Farrell, Ben Watts and Brooke Michael Smith. The group goes on to NY later this year!" The performance takes place at the Gaslight Theater, 358 North Boyle. For more information: gaslightcabaretfestival.com.

Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Photo: Tom Gannam

Stray Dog Theatre presents the rock musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 PM March 31 - April 16. “The 'internationally ignored song stylist' Hedwig Schmidt, an East German diva, is also the victim of a botched sex-change operation. As she tours the U.S. with her loyal band, Hedwig candidly shares her life story. Raucous, soulful and wickedly funny with a brilliant rock score, this show has inspired legions of fans." Performances take place at The Tower Grove Abbey, 2336 Tennessee. For more information, visit straydogtheatre.org or call 314-865-1995.

Tesseract Theatre Company presents Helvetica, A Play About Stories Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 4 p.m., April 1-10. "A children's author, with the help of her beloved stuffed bear, must face the trials of life and death through fantasy and adventure." Performances take place at the Regional Arts Commission, 6128 Delmar. For more information: tesseracttheatre.org.

The Presenters Dolan presents Lisa Rothauser and Tor Hyams in Life. Who Knew? on Thursday, March 31, at 8 PM as part of the Gaslight Cabaret Festival. "This show sold out NY's 54 Below, 42 West and Joe's Pub. Lisa is a hometown girl who was in the cast of The Producers on Broadway, and sings like it. Husband Tor Hyams is a Grammy-nominated songwriter. It's a helluva show." The performance takes place at the Gaslight Theater, 358 North Boyle. For more information: gaslightcabaretfestival.com.

Lutheran High School North presents the musical The Little Mermaid Thursday through Saturday at 7:00 p.m., March 31 - April 2. Lutheran High School North is at 5401 Lucas and Hunt road in north St. Louis County. For more information: lhsnstl.org.

Love and Information
Photo: Jerry Naunheim, Jr.

The Performing Arts Department at Washington University presents Love and Information Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM and Sundays at 2 PM, April 1-10. "57 vibrant scenes. Over 100 colorful characters. In this kaleidoscopic collection of micro-stories, Caryl Churchill explores the roller coaster of existence in our dizzying world. Within the play's vivid anthology, the characters engage in a varied menu of touching and humorous life vignettes, affirming that while we may require vast amounts of knowledge in our digitally-defined era, our hunger for human connection remains essential. The play, by one of Britain's most esteemed playwrights, premiered in 2012 at London's Royal Court Theatre." Performances take place in the Hotchner Studio Theatre in the Mallinckrodt Student Center on the Washington University campus. For more information, visit pad.artsci.wustl.edu or call 314-935-6543.

The St. Louis Art Museum presents a live HD broadcast of the Metropolitan Opera's production Puccini's Madama Butterfly on Saturday, April 2, at 11:55 a.m. "Anthony Minghella's breathtaking production has thrilled audiences ever since its premiere in 2006. Kristine Opolais reprises her acclaimed portrayal of the title role, opposite Roberto Alagna as Pinkerton, the naval officer who breaks Butterfly's heart. Ana María Martínez, Latonia Moore, Roberto De Biasio, and Gwyn Hughes Jones star in a second set of performances. Karel Mark Chichon conducts." The live digital HD video broadcast from New York takes place in The Farrell Auditorium at the Art Museum in Forest Park. For more information: slam.org.

The Fox Theatre presents the Tyler Perry starring in his comedy Madea on the Run Friday through Sunday, April 1-3. The Fox is on North Grand in Grand Center. "Madea is at it again in Tyler Perry's most outrageously funny stage play ever. In trouble with the local authorities, Mabel Simmons, notoriously known as Madea, is on the run from the law. With no place to turn, she volunteers to move in with her friend Bam who is recovering from hip replacement surgery. Bam is so grateful that her faithful friend Mabel is putting her own life on hold in order to nurse Bam back to health. Unknown to Bam however, Madea is only using the concerned friend gag as a way to hide out from the police. But as they say...all things work together for the good of those who love the Lord and are called according to his purpose. Madea's presence at Bam's house is just what the doctor ordered." For more information: fabulousfox.com.

The Westport Playhouse presents Men Are From Mars-Women Are From Venus Live! opening on Friday, April 1, and running through April 17. "The Off-Broadway hit comedy Men Are From Mars - Women Are From Venus LIVE!, is a one-man fusion of theatre and stand-up, and is a light-hearted theatrical comedy based on the New York Times #1 best-selling book of the last decade by John Gray. Moving swiftly through a series of vignettes, the show covers everything from dating and marriage to the bedroom." Performances take place at the Westport Playhouse in Westport Plaza. For more information: marsvenuslive.com.

Webster University's Conservatory of Theatre Arts presents Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play Friday tat 7:30 pm, Saturday at 2 and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. April 1-3. “After the collapse of civilization, a group of survivors share a campfire and begin to piece together the plot of “The Simpsons” episode “Cape Fear” entirely from memory. Seven years later, this and other snippets of pop culture have become the live entertainment of a post-apocalyptic society, sincerely trying to hold onto its past. Seventy-five years later, these are the myths and legends from which new forms of performance are created. A paean to live theatre, and the resilience of Bart Simpson through the ages, Mr. Burns is an animated exploration of how the pop culture of one era might evolve into the mythology of another” Performances take place in the Stage III Auditorium in Webster Hall on the Webster University campus. For more information, events.webster.edu or call 314-968-7128.

Old Wicked Songs
Photo: Eric Woolsdy

New Jewish Theater presents the Old Wicked Songs through April 3 "Hoping to reconnect with his music and shatter the artistic block that has plagued his career, a young American piano prodigy travels to Vienna in the spring of 1986. He is assigned to a vocal teacher who gives him the "Dicheterliebe" song cycle by Robert Schumann. Marans incorporates the poetry of Heinrich Heine and the music of Robert Schumann into the series of events. Through the sessions between the two men, Marans creates a link between two generations who find they much more in common than they think. This is the inspirational journey of two very different men who, with music as their one common bond, must find a way to break through their pasts." 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.

Lion's Paw Theatre Company presents Plays on the Menu, a reading of the plays Old Boy Friend by Neil LaBute, Ski Lift by Chris Holbrook, and Motherhood by August Strindberg, on Tuesday, March 29, at noon at The Hearth Room at The Hawken House, 1155 South Rock Hill Road. The readings include lunch. For more information: lionspawtheatre.org.

Lion's Paw Theatre Company presents Plays on the Menu, a reading of the plays Old Boy Friend by Neil LaBute, Ski Lift by Chris Holbrook, and Motherhood by August Strindberg, on Wednesday, March 30, at noon at St. Louis Artists' Guild, 12 North Jackson in Clayton. The readings include lunch. For more information: lionspawtheatre.org.

Satchel Paige and the Kansas City Swing
Photo: John Gitchoff

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents Satchel Paige and the Kansas City Swing through April 10. "The crack of the bat, the roar of the crowd-it's what every baseball player dreams of. In 1947, Jackie Robinson had broken baseball's color barrier, while Satchel Paige and his Negro League All-Stars were barnstorming against their white counterparts in the Majors. It was baseball by day and jazz by night as the impassioned and devoted players tried to find their place in a country on the verge of change." Performances take place on the mainstage at the Loretto-Hlton Center, 130 Edgar Road in Webster Groves, MO. For more information, call 314-968-4925 or visit repstl.org.

Amy Friedl Stoner

The Presenters Dolan presents Amy Friedl Stoner in Tapestry: The Music of Carole King on Friday, April 1, at 8 PM as part of the Gaslight Cabaret Festival. "Amy's got a great voice, and she and her band Mirage do totally right by Carole King." The performance takes place at the Gaslight Theater, 358 North Boyle. For more information: gaslightcabaretfestival.com.

The Monroe Actors Stage Company presents Moliere's comedy Tartuffe, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 and Sundays at 2:30 p.m., February 5-14, in the Historic Capitol Theatre in downtown Waterloo, Illinois. For more information, visit www.masctheatre.org or call 618-939-7469.

The Presenters Dolan presents Joe Mancuso in That's (My) Life on Saturday, April 2, at 8 PM as part of the Gaslight Cabaret Festival. "Joe Mancuso makes his cabaret debut at The Gaslight. He tells his personal story - and how tragic events changed his life, putting him on a musical journey to becoming an award-winning vocalist, recording artist and St. Louis favorite." The performance takes place at the Gaslight Theater, 358 North Boyle. For more information: gaslightcabaretfestival.com.

The Presenters Dolan presents Katie McGrath and Nicole Hudson in Where the Heart Is on Sunday, April 3, at 3 PM as part of the Gaslight Cabaret Festival. "Katie and Nicole join forces to explore one of their favorite and our most urgent topics: St. Louis, the city we love and long to change. Through a combination of songs from Broadway, main street and mean streets." The performance takes place at the Gaslight Theater, 358 North Boyle. For more information: gaslightcabaretfestival.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.

St. Louis classical calendar for the week of March 28, 2016

Time for Three

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The Community Music School of Webster University presents a concert by Time for Three on Thursday, March 31, at 7:30 p.m. "The classically trained trio (Nicholas Kendall and Nikki Chooi, violins; and Ranaan Meyer, double bass) defies any traditional genre classification. With virtuosity and showmanship, the trio performs music from Bach to Brahms and beyond, including originals and their own arrangements of everything from bluegrass to ingenious pop-music mash-ups." The Community Music School is at 535 Garden Avenue on the Webster University campus. For more information: webster.edu/cms.

DaySpring Arts and Education presents a Bach Birthday Bash on Friday, April 1, at 7:00 p.m. "DaySpring students and faculty are joined by members of the Bach Society of Saint Louis for a fun and educational concert showcasing Johann Sebastian Bach's large body of work. Listen to pieces on period instruments, enjoy unique dance collaborations with DaySpring's Volé Connection, learn about the 330-year-old master's extensive career and life, and be entertained by Saint Louis's oldest continuous chorus." The performance takes place in the Black Box at DaySpring Arts and Education's new state-of-the-art facility, 2500 Metro Blvd. Maryland Heights, MO. For more information: dayspringarts.org.

Eliot Unitarian Chapel presents a Friends of Music concert on Sunday, April 3, at 3 PM. The program features music by Mozart, Brahms, and Telemann. The concert takes place at Eliot Unitarian Chapel is at 100 South Argonne in Kirkwood. For more information: fomcstl.org.

The Ethical Society presents a Great Artist Guitar Series concert with Lukasz Kuropaczewski on Saturday, April 2, at 8 p.m. "A native of Gniezno, Poland, Mr. Kuropaczewski studied with Manuel Barrueco at the Peabody Conservatory, awarded the Artist Diploma in 2008. He has appeared on stage at the Royal Festival Hall in London, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the National Philharmonic Hall in Warsaw, Tchaikovsky Hall in Moscow and Carnegie Hall in New York. " The performance takes at the Ethical Society of St. Louis, 9001 Clayton Road. For more information: ethicalstl.org.

2 Cellos

The Fox Theatre presents 2 Cellos on Thursday, March 31, at 7:30 p.m. "Propelled into international fame in 2011 after their version of Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal” went viral, the Croatian cellists, Luka Sulic and Stjepan Hauser, continue to wow their fans with dynamic music videos and covers of today's most classic and popular songs. Most recently their Baroque inspired, yet high octane head-banging video of AC/DC's "Thunderstruck” garnered over 45 Million views to date. The duo returned to their rock roots on their recently released, critically acclaimed, third album Celloverse.” The Fox Theatre is at 527 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information: fabulousfox.com.

David Robertson conducts the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra with soprano soloist Susanna Phillips in Ravel's Mother Goose Suite, Claude Vivier's Lonely Child and Mahler's Symphony No. 4 on Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m., April 2 and 3. "Originally composed for the enjoyment of young children at the piano, Ravel's Mother Goose Suite was later transcribed for full orchestra, offering audiences a vivid orchestration of the adolescent fairytale. Mahler also reveals the innocence of youth depicting a child's view of celestial bliss in the finale of his Fourth Symphony. Returning after her captivating 2013 performance in Peter Grimes with the STL Symphony, soprano Susanna Phillips will astound audiences singing the finale of Mahler's Fourth." Performances take place at Powell Symphony Hall, 718 North Grand. For more information: stlsymphony.org.

Second Presbyterian Church presents Cortango Orquesta on Friday, April 1, at 7:0 p.m. "Cortango Orquesta – an ensemble of musicians from The St. Louis Symphony with Cally Banham, English horn and oboe, Asako Kuboki, violin, David DeRiso, bass, and guest pianist Adam Maness– team up with Principal Harp Allegra Lilly to perform a concert that features tango with a symphonic twist. Free and open to the public." The church is at 4501 Westminster Place in the Central West End. For more information: secondchurch.net.

Julia Bullock
sheldonconcerthall.org

The Sheldon Concert Hall presents soprano Julia Bullock and pianist Renate Rohlfine on Wednesday, March 30, at 8 PM. "Soprano Julia Bullock is a rising star in the opera world, with performances in New York, Boston, San Francisco and Paris to her credit. A St. Louis native and graduate of Opera Theatre's Artist-in-Training program, Bullock won the 2014 Naumburg International Vocal Competition, and is currently pursuing an Artist Diploma at The Juilliard School. Don't miss an exciting performance by a singer The New York Times hails as "ravishingly visceral.”” The Sheldon is at 3648 Washington in Grand Center. For more information: thesheldon.org.

The Tavern of Fine Arts presents tenor Phil Touchette and pianist Jon Garrett in Liederabend: Beloved Schubert and Brahms Songs on Wednesday, March 30, at 8 p.m. "Tenor Phil Touchette returns to the Tavern with pianist Jon Garrett for a Liederabend recital of beloved songs by Franz Schubert and Johannes Brahms. In addition to these works, Phil has prepared a special set comprised of well known "Lieder" that didn't originate in German, but have become quite popular in German-speaking countries. Do you want to know the theme? You'll have to come and join us." The Tavern of Fine Arts is at 313 Belt in the Debaliviere Place neighborhood. For more information: tavern-of-fine-arts.blogspot.com.

The Tavern of Fine Arts presents baritone Erik Olson and pianist Jon Garrett on Friday, April 2, at 8 p.m. The Tavern of Fine Arts is at 313 Belt in the Debaliviere Place neighborhood. For more information: tavern-of-fine-arts.blogspot.com.

The Tavern of Fine Arts presents Reuel Umali, tenor and Diana Umali, piano on Saturday, April 3 at 8 p.m. The Tavern of Fine Arts is at 313 Belt in the Debaliviere Place neighborhood. For more information: tavern-of-fine-arts.blogspot.com.

The Town and Country Symphony Orchestra presents a special Holiday Concert on Sunday, April 3, at 2:30 PM. "The Orchestra also performs in a variety of musical styles — classical, pops, Christmas pops, operettas, and oratorios." The performance includes David Diamond's Rounds for String Orchestra and Peter Warlock's Capriol Suite and takes place at Parkway UCC Auditorium, 2841 N. Ballas Road. For more information: tcsomo.org.

Chuck's Choices for the weekend of March 25, 2016

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:

If/Then
Photo: Joan Marcus

The Fox Theatre presents the musical If/Then opening on Tuesday, March 15, and running through March 27. "IF/THEN is a contemporary Broadway musical about living in New York today - and all the possibilities of tomorrow. With unforgettable songs and a deeply moving story by the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award®-winning creators of Next to Normal, this "fascinating, ambitious, and original new musical" (New York Post) simultaneously follows one woman's two possible life paths, painting a deeply moving portrait of the lives we lead, as well as the lives we might have led." The Fox is on North Grand in Grand Center. For more information: fabulousfox.com.

My take: Ever wonder about the path not taken? If/Then follows two parallel story lines featuring the same character but different life choices. I find this a fascinating premise and would have seen the show if a family medical emergency hadn't intervened. Originally a starring vehicle of Idina Menzel of Wicked fame, If/Then on tour features Menzel's Broadway understudy Jackie Burns in the lead role, and she's apparently an impressive performer. Writing for the Belleville News-Democrat, Lynn Venhaus says Burns "makes the role her own with tremendous poise and powerhouse vocals."

Old Wicked Songs
Photo: Eric Woolsey

New Jewish Theater presents the Old Wicked Songs through April 3 "Hoping to reconnect with his music and shatter the artistic block that has plagued his career, a young American piano prodigy travels to Vienna in the spring of 1986. He is assigned to a vocal teacher who gives him the "Dicheterliebe" song cycle by Robert Schumann. Marans incorporates the poetry of Heinrich Heine and the music of Robert Schumann into the series of events. Through the sessions between the two men, Marans creates a link between two generations who find they much more in common than they think. This is the inspirational journey of two very different men who, with music as their one common bond, must find a way to break through their pasts." 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: I recall being very taken with this script when the Rep did it many years ago. In the Jewish Light, Bob Cohn describes this as "a challenging, thought-provoking play." "Playwright Jon Marans has created a play that ebbs and flows like a musical composition," writes Steve Allen for Stage Door St. Louis. "Yes, the music is at the heart of the production but the real heart in the production is the strength and resolve of teacher and student and the life lessons they each learn from one another. It’s a beautiful script handled by two truly great actors."

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis Ignite! New Play Festival presents Until the Flood by Daniel Orlandersmith Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday at 1 p.m., March 25 and 26. "The Rep has commissioned celebrated writer, performer and Pulitzer Prize finalist Dael Orlandersmith to write and perform a play about the recent events in Ferguson. She has fashioned a sensitive and moving portrayal of the people in our community, and how they feel about an event that placed St. Louis in a spotlight it didn't expect or relish." The Friday performance takes place at the Sally S. Levy Opera Center, 210 Hazel Avenue in Webster Groves and the Saturday performance at St. Louis Public Radio in Grand Center. For more information www.repstl.org/ignite.

My take: It's always interesting to see new plays—it's the main reason I attend the Humana Festival every year— and the shows previewed in Rep's Ignite! festival often go on to full productions at the Rep and elsewhere. This is a good chance to see art while it's being made.

Held Over:

American Idiot
Photo: Jill Ritter Lindberg

New Line Theatre presents the musical American Idiot, based on the album by Green Day, Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 PM through March 26. " New Line continues its 25th season with the powerful, high-octane, rock fable AMERICAN IDIOT, based on the powerhouse album by Green Day, a scorching attack on what they saw as the hypocrisy and moral evils of the Bush Administration after the attacks of Sept. 11, as well as the increasingly submissive nature of the American public. The score includes every song from Green Day's hit album American Idiot, as well as several songs from their follow-up release, 21st Century Breakdown, with music by Green Day, lyrics by front man Billie Joe Armstrong, a book by Armstrong and Michael Mayer, and musical arrangements and orchestrations by Broadway composer Tom Kitt (High Fidelity, Next to Normal, If/Then). The Toronto Star called the show 'the first great musical of the 21st century.'" Performances take place at the Marcelle Theater, 3310 Samuel Shepard Drive, three blocks east of Grand, in Grand Center. For more information, visit newlinetheatre.com or call 314-534-1111.

My take: As you can see from the description of this show, it could hardly be more relevant during the current primary campaign season, especially in light of the Republican Party's slide into drooling insanity. In her review for KDHX, Tina Farmer says this "is a fantastic production, and several scenes flash with brilliance. The cast are uniformly strong singers and the interpretations of the songs are spot on. " At Ladue News, Mark Bretz says "New Line’s presentation superbly captures the musical essence of the album and show as well as making the most of the straightforward plot."

Molly's Hammer
Photo: Jerry Naunheim, Jr.

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents the world premiere of Molly's Hammer through March 27. "Molly Rush was focused on the endgame- save the world, protect her family. But what would she have to sacrifice? In 1980, the Pittsburgh housewife and mother of six walked into a General Electric plant and took a hammer to a nuclear warhead to protest the buildup of America's nuclear arsenal. Based on the true story of the Plowshares Eight, Molly's Hammer is the world-premiere account of one woman's unwavering beliefs and her family's desperate attempts to protect her from infamy." Performances take place in the studio theater 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: What's the price of compassion? What is the extent of a citizen's obligation to oppose fundamentally evil policies by a government? How much should one be expected to sacrifice for the common good? As I write in my review, these and many other questions are raised by Tammy Ryan's gripping drama Molly's Hammer. At a time when the very foundations of our political system are being openly challenged by the forces of fascism and hysterical fear, and when the leading candidates of one of our political parties are almost drooling with pleasure at the possibility of starting a nuclear war, these questions could not be more timely.

The party's over: a look back at the Fourth Annual St. Louis Theater Circle Awards

The St. Louis Theater Circle critics at the 2016 awards

So, (to paraphrase Mr. Kipling a bit) the tumult and the shouting have died after the Fourth Annual St. Louis Theater Circle Awards last night. The general consensus appears to be that we have really hit our stride with this one, with a new and very classy venue at the Skip Viragh Center on the Chaminade campus, slick media production from HEC-TV, and an all-around positive vibe from everyone in attendance, regardless of who did or didn't get an award or nomination.

Speaking of the awards, though, here's the official list of who got what. For those of you keeping score, the companies that got the largest number of awards were Stages St. Louis and the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis with five awards each. Next were Opera Theatre of St. Louis and St. Louis Actors' Studio with four each; Mustard Seed Theatre, Shakespeare Festival, and Upstream Theater with two each; and one each for Insight Theatre Company, Max and Louie Productions, Metro Theatre Company, Slightly Askew Theatre Ensemble, The Black Rep, Union Avenue Opera, and West End Players Guild.

As someone who reviews classical music as well as theatre, I was struck by how well our local opera companies did this time around. I thought it was especially notable that the awards for outstanding actor/actress in a musical both went to opera productions. That says something, I think, about the dedication local opera companies have to the theatrical aspects of their craft.

The event was broadcast live on HEC-TV and, for those of you who missed it, will be available on their web site shortly. Thanks to them for all their great work on this project.

Congratulations are also due to some Theater Circle members who go above and beyond the call of duty in helping put this whole shebang together. Specifically:

• St. Louis Post-Dispatch critic Judith Newmark for her script
• Andrea Torrance of St. Louis Theater Snob for pulling all the production photos together
• Bob Wilcox and Gerry Kowarsky for their work with HEC-TV
• Executive Board member Mark Bretz of Ladue News for his tireless work behind the scenes, along with Judith and our administrator Eleanor Mullin
• The original Funny Lady herself, Donna Weinsting, for her hilarious opening monologue

It was fun, folks. See you next year. And meanwhile, keep reading our reviews. And here's the complete list:

Category	Person	Show	Company
Supporting Actress in a Comedy	Betsy Bowman	Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?	St. Louis Actors’ Studio
Supporting Actor in a Comedy	Michael Brightman	Mr. Marmalade	West End Players Guild
Actress in a Comedy	Kari Ely	Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?	St. Louis Actors’ Studio
Actor in a Comedy	Jeremy Webb	Buyer and Cellar	Repertory Theatre of St. Louis
Lighting Design in a Play	Peter E. Sargent	Angel Street	Repertory Theatre of St. Louis
Sound Design in a Play	Greg Mackender and Rusty Wandall	Antony and Cleopatra	Shakespeare Festival St. Louis
Costume Design in a Play	Beth Ashby	An Invitation Out	Mustard Seed Theatre
Set Design in a Play	Wilson Chin	Angel Street	Repertory Theatre of St. Louis
Supporting Actress in a Drama	Jennifer Theby-Quinn	Afflicted: Daughters of Salem	Metro Theater Company
Supporting Actor in a Drama	John Flack	Sublime Intimacy	Max & Louie Productions
Actress in a Drama	Amy Loui	The Amish Project	Mustard Seed Theatre
Actor in a Drama	J. Samuel Davis	Bashir Lazhar	Upstream Theater
New Play	Nancy Bell	The World Begun	Shakespeare Festival St. Louis
Musical Director	George Manahan	Emmeline	Opera Theatre of Saint Louis
Choreographer	Keith Tyrone Williams	Once on This Island	The Black Rep
Supporting Actress in a Musical	Zoe Vonder Haar	The Full Monty	Stages St. Louis
Supporting Actor in a Musical	Joneal Joplin	The Fantasticks	Insight Theatre Company
Lighting Design in a Musical	Christopher Akerlind	Emmeline	Opera Theatre of Saint Louis
Set Design in a Musical	Shoko Kambara	The Barber of	Seville Opera Theatre of Saint Louis
Costume Design in a Musical	Brad Musgrove	Anything Goes	Stages St. Louis
Actress in a Musical	Joyce El- Khoury	Emmeline	Opera Theatre of Saint Louis
Actor in a Musical	Jordan Shanahan	Rigoletto	Union Avenue Opera
Ensemble in a Comedy		The 39 Steps	Slightly Askew Theatre Ensemble
Ensemble in a Drama		All the Way	Repertory Theatre of St. Louis
Ensemble in a Musical		Anything Goes Stages	St. Louis
Director of a Comedy	John Contini	Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?	St. Louis Actors’ Studio
Director of a Drama	Patrick Siler	The Rime of the Ancient Mariner	Upstream Theater
Director of a Musical	Michael Hamilton	Anything Goes	Stages St. Louis
Production of a Comedy		Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?	St. Louis Actors’ Studio
Production of a Drama		All the Way	Repertory Theatre of St. Louis
Production of a Musical		Anything Goes	Stages St. Louis