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New This Week:
The Department of Music at Washington University and Winter Opera present the world premiere of Harold Blumenfeld's opera Borgia Infami Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m., September 30 and October 1. " Borgia Infami depicts the lives, loves and crimes of the notorious Borgia family. The opera focuses upon Rodrigo, who becomes the brilliant and corrupt Pope Alexander VI; his son Cesare, whose ruthless pursuit of power is immortalized in Machiavelli's writings; and, finally, Lucrezia, the Duchess of Ferrara, Rodrigo's beautiful daughter, and alleged poisoner of the family's enemies. The action unfolds on dual levels, alternating historical fact with Victor Hugo's hyper melodramatic portrayal of Lucrezia." Performances take place in the Edison Theatre on the Washington University campus. For more information: edison.wustl.edu.
My take: I haven't seen this and won't have the opportunity to do so, but I would if I could. Winter Opera does good work and it's always worthwhile to see a new work by a local composer.
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| Kyle Dean Massey |
My take: If you haven't had a chance to check out the remodeled bistro in Grand Center, now is your chance. It's a great music venue and an excellent size for cabaret. As for Mr. Massey, the Cabaret Scenes review of his 2015 appearance at Feinstein's noted that he "succeeded on every level in this well-crafted, charming show." Sounds like a winner to me.
Webster University's Conservatory of Theatre Arts presents the musical [title of show] Wednesdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m., September 27 - October 8. "Jeff and Hunter, two self-confessed nobodies in New York, make a pact: They will write an original musical and submit it to a festival. The only catch? The deadline is in three weeks! They gather their friends, Susan and Heidi, and their trusted accompanist and set off. With the team assembled, Jeff and Hunter hit another roadblock-- what should they write about? Jeff and Hunter decide to follow the old saying, “write what you know,” and set off on a unique musical adventure: writing a musical about writing a musical. As the deadline looms, insecurities creep in and jealousies flare. Will the team succeed with their musical? Could it even win a Tony?! Frequently hilarious, occasionally heartbreaking, and thoroughly inspiring, [title of show] is a love story celebrating individuality and creativity." Performances take place on the Browning Mainstage Theatre at the Loretto-Hilton Center on the Webster University campus. For more information, www.webster.edu/conservatory/season or call 314-968-7128.
My take: True confession: I'm a musical theatre geek. I love performing in musicals and I love seeing a good one. [title of show] is a massive musical theatre in joke. On paper and CD, the concept looks a bit flimsy: a talented songwriter and author want to write a new, completely original musical but can’t come up with a topic, so they decide (in the song “Two Nobodies from New York”) to write a new musical about a talented songwriter and author trying to write a new musical. The result is a show that’s about only itself and its creators – “talking to a mirror talking to himself”, to quote A Neil Innes lyric. It’s a potentially deadly idea if not handled with skill. But skill, happily, is something creators Jeff Bowen and Hunter Bell clearly have in abundance, along with talent, a self-deprecating sense of humor, and a true love of musical theatre. If you love musical theatre—heck, if you just love theatre—go and enjoy.
Held Over:
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| The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time Photo: Jerry Naunheim, Jr. |
My take: Critics have been mining their stock of superlatives for this show. At KDHX, for example, Tina Farmer calls it "a spectacular theatre experience." Steve Allen at Stage Door St. Louis says it's a "beautiful, powerful and heart-wrenching experience," while Judy Newmark at the Post-Dispatch praises the "fluid, crystal-clear production." I could go on, but you get the idea. We saw it last weekend and were completely captivated. The title, FYI, comes from the Sherlock Homes story Silver Blaze, and refers to the importance of something that didn't happen as a clue in a murder case.
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| South Pacific Photo: Peter Wochniak, ProPhotoSTL |
My take: It is, I think, easy to forget that this theatrical classic is not just a musical, but a drama as well. In South Pacific, boy gets girl, boy abandons girl, boy dies and everybody else goes off to war. For audiences that know South Pacific largely as a high-gloss widescreen musical from 1958, the show's occasionally trenchant commentary on the folly and futility of war, issues of racism, and what Emile De Becque, in a moment of despair, refers to as "a mean little world / Of mean little men" might come as a surprise. Sadly, current events are reminding us of just how right he was. The Stages production is being lauded by darn near everybody. A good example is Chris Gibson at Broadwayworld. "Sparked by an excellent cast," he writes, "this is an incredibly touching testament to the power this work still wields." Similarly glowing reviews can be found at Ladue News and the Post-Dispatch. We saw it last weekend and loved it.
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| Unsuspecting Susan |
My take: I have known this show's star, Donna Weinsting, for many years now. She's a warm, funny person and a tremendously talented actress. Local directors obviously think so as well since they keep casting her, and this one-woman show appears to be a real triumph for her. At Ladue News, for example, Mark Bretz praises the "touching and revelatory performance by Donna Weinsting in this affecting, one-character drama." Other critics have been equally positive.
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