Symphony Preview: French connections

Maurice Ravel in 1925

Share on Google+:

This weekend's St. Louis Symphony Orchestra concerts (on Friday and Saturday, February 2 and 3) mark the first appearance here by conductor Stéphane Denève since his appointment as the orchestra's 13th music director last July. Appropriately enough, it's an all-French program that mixes the familiar with less the well-known and just a splash of the new--rather like the 2018-19 program, details of which were released earlier this week.

Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) is heavily favored, contributing three of the five works we'll hear this weekend. As someone who has always been a great admirer of Ravel's work in general and his orchestrations in particular, I view that as a very good thing.

The concerts will open with the Ma mère l'oye (Mother Goose) Suite, based on a two-piano suite originally written for Mimie and Jean, the two children of Ravel's friend Cipa Godebski, an expatriate Polish artist, and his wife Ida. They were supposed to give the work its first performance at the Société Musicale Indépéndantes in 1910 but stage fright got the better of them and two other kids got the opportunity.

The work proved popular enough to merit an orchestration in 1911 and later even a full-length ballet, but it's the former that we'll hear this weekend. Inspired by the fairy stories of Charles Perrault as well as anonymous folk sources, the five movements make up a veritable musical toy box brimming with auditory delights.

The suite opens with the brief, tranquil Pavane de la Belle au bois dormant (Pavane of the Sleeping Beauty) with its placid flute melody. Next is Petit Poucet (Tom Thumb), who gets lost in a forest of wandering strings while chirping birds in the woodwinds and violins eat his breadcrumbs. Laideronnette, Impératrice des pagodes (Laideronnette, Empress of the Pagodas) is a brilliant exercise in pentatonic Chinoiserie complete with tam-tam, cymbals, and xylophone.

Les Entretiens de la Belle et de la Bête (Conversations of Beauty and the Beast) is one of the most charming inspirations, with the serene Beauty on clarinet answered by the growling Beast on contrabassoon. The final Le Jardin féerique (The Enchanted Garden) is a long, romantic build to a shimmering finale that is quintessential Ravel.

Francis Poulenc in 1922
Photo by Joseph Rosmand

This is a true showpiece for the orchestra, with lots of opportunities for solo and small ensemble work.

Up next is the exuberant Concerto in D minor for Two Pianos and Orchestra by Francis Poulenc (1889-1963), first performed in 1932 by the composer himself and Jacques Février as soloists with Désiré Defauw conducting the La Scala Orchestra. Like so much of Poulenc's orchestral works, the concerto is chockablock with appealing musical ideas, including what Roger Dettmer at AllMusic.com describes as "bits of once-popular chansons (like croutons in salad)" to complement Poulenc's own themes.

There's a bit of Javanese gamelan-inspired music at the end of the first movement (Poulenc had heard some at the Paris Colonial Exhibition a year earlier), a Mozartian second movement that slowly morphs into a major romantic climax, and a final Rondo that Mr. Dettmer describes so picturesquely that I find myself obliged to quote him in full:

Returning to the mood of the first movement, the Allegro molto finale begins with percussive flourishes before it takes off like an Alfa-Romeo in a Grand prix through the avenues and allées of day-and-night Paris, past marching bands and music halls. There is, however, an interlude lyrique et romantique when the Alfa stops for a bedroom tryst, where perfume and perspiration mix with the smoke from Gauloises, after which the race resumes, even more racily.

If that doesn't make you want to hear Christina and Michelle Naughton perform the concerto this weekend, I don't know what will.

Guillaume Connesson
Photo by Fanny Houillon

The second half of this weekend's program opens with the St. Louis premiere of Flammenschrift, written in 2012 by Guillaume Connesson (b. 1970). Written in response to a commission for a Beethoven-related work from the conductor Daniele Gatti and the Orchestre national de France, Flammenschrift uses the same orchestration as Beethoven's Fifth Symphony but also, if Connesson's other works are any indication, a very contemporary harmonic palette and a flair for orchestral color that Ravel would probably approve of. Here's the composer himself describing the piece (by way of René Spencer Saller's program notes for the SLSO):

Flammenschrift, or "fire-letter," is a word that Goethe used in his poem "Marienbad Elegy." I wished to compose a "Furies' tune" that draws a psychological portrait of Beethoven and, more generally, pays homage to the music of Germany. For Beethoven, I portray an angry, seething, impetuous man, whose interior violence shows through in numerous pages of his music. In his works, Beethoven constantly celebrated the fraternity of man, but he was often harsh with his loved ones and domestic servants. My desired musical portrait originates in this paradox. This misanthropic Beethoven-seen walking down the street looking disheveled, with his misshapen hat, this loner cursed by destiny but sanctified by genius-has always fascinated me: he constructed a very significant image of the artist in the 19th-century imagination that endures to the present day.

This weekend's concerts will conclude with Ravel's La Valse, a work that began in 1911 with the title Wein (Vienna). And, in fact, a bit of it shows up in a piece from that same year that will be played immediately before La Valse at these concerts, the Valses nobles et sentimentales. Before it could be completed, however, World War I (in which the composer served as an ambulance driver) intervened, and by the time La Valse was submitted to (and foolishly rejected by) Diaghilev for the Ballets Russes in 1919, it had become something far more profound.

Stéphane Denève
Photo by Jessica Griffin

"At the close of World War I," writes Carl E. Schorske in Fin-De-Siecle Vienna: Politics and Culture, "Maurice Ravel recorded in La valse the violent death of the nineteenth-century world. The waltz, long the symbol of gay Vienna, became in the composer's hand a frantic danse macabre. Ravel wrote: 'I feel this work a kind of apotheosis of the Viennese waltz, observed Ravel, "linked in my mind with the impression of a fantastic whirl of destiny'".

That about sums it up. I can't hear it without envisioning a huge, ornate machine spinning faster and faster until it hurls itself to pieces-as the complex structure of 19th-century Europe did in the so-called "war to end all wars". The piece is, needless to say, brilliantly orchestrated, and its crashing finale is thrilling-but also a bit unnerving. It reminds me of the old joke about the problem with history being that every time it repeats itself, the price goes up.

To circle back to the Valses nobles et sentimentales, the title (usually translated as "Noble and sentimental waltzes," although "romantic" might be more a better translation than "sentimental") was intended by Ravel as an homage to a set of piano pieces Shubert had written nearly a century earlier: the Valses sentimentales from 1823 and the Valses nobles from 1826. Indeed, Ravel claimed that he was "intent on writing a set of Schubertian waltzes." Personally, I don't see how anyone could mistake the bracing, elegant, and brilliantly orchestrated set of seven short waltzes and an epilogue as anything but pure Ravel.

The Essentials: Music Director Designate Stéphane Dèneve conducts the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and duo pianists Christina and Michelle Naughton on Friday at 10:30 am and Saturday at 8 pm, February 2 and 3. The concerts take place at Powell Symphony Hall, 718 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information: stlsymphony.org.

Review: I believe in yesterday

This article originally appeared at 88.1 KDHX, where Chuck Lavazzi is the senior performing arts critic.

Barb Jungr and John McDaniel
Photo by Rick Stockwell

Share on Google+:

It has been a while since I have seen either Award-winning pianist and songwriter John McDaniel and cabaret star Barb Jungr on stage (2007 and 2010, respectively). And I had never seen them together until last Saturday (January 27, 2018), when they brought their Beatles cabaret Come Together to the Kranzberg Center. It was worth the wait.

Although they're both strong performers I have, in the past, been somewhat critical of Mr. McDaniel's range as a singer and of Ms. Jungr's outsized, rock star stage presence. Now I take it all back. Working largely in his falsetto register, Mr. McDaniel sang very effective close harmony with his co-star on nearly every song, and Ms. Jungr didn't uncork her inner rocker until her powerful medley of "Something" and "The Long and Winding Road" near the end of the show, when it was a perfect fit.

The McDaniel/Jungr duo is an ideal team, and the obvious joy they take in working with each other is infectious.

It helps, of course, that they're working with a lot of grade A material. Drenched in the influences of rock, rhythm and blues, and (yes) the Great American Songbook, the songs of the Fab Four have inspired albums as varied as classical pianist and conductor Joshua Rifkin's Baroque Beatles Book and jazz legend George Benson's The Other Side of Abbey Road. That's because they're exceptionally well-crafted tunes, as Mr. McDaniel's exceptionally well-crafted arrangements repeatedly demonstrate.

His take on "Eleanor Rigby," for example, used big, open chords to establish a dramatic backdrop for the vocals, while his solo take on "Mother Nature's Son" seemed to invoke the spirit of the late John Denver. His piano provided a solid foundation for Ms. Jungr's vocals throughout the evening and was a driving, propulsive force in more rock-oriented numbers like George Harrison's "My Guitar Gently Weeps" (another of Mr. McDaniel's solos).

Ms. Jungr, for her part, showed plenty of vocal variety, including a jazzy "Got to Get You Into My Life," a raunchy blues-flavored "Come Together," and that big, passionate "Something" medley. As someone who (like many of us Of a Certain Age) grew up with the Beatles, she also had some interesting insights on the songs and the times in which they were written.

I was particularly struck by how much the Beatles meant to her as a young woman in the north of England. She noted that for her and her friends, seeing guys who looked and, more importantly, sounded like them achieving worldwide fame felt empowering. Until then, you didn't seen kids from Liverpool filling stadiums and cruising with the "jet set." John, Paul, George, and Ringo changed all that.

There were also some surprises in the song selection, like the medley of two McCartney/Lennon collaborations, "It's for You" and "Step Inside Love," which were first recorded not by the Beatles but by the English singer and TV star Cilla Black. I thought I knew the Beatles, but I had never heard either of those.

Come Together played one night only at the Kranzberg, but the 2016 album on which the show is based is available as both a CD and download at Amazon and other on-line sources. Let's hope we get to see Ms. Jungr and Mr. McDaniel here again soon. It really has been too long.

Review: The big score

This article originally appeared at 88.1 KDHX, where Chuck Lavazzi is the senior performing arts critic.

David Robertson and the score of Elegie
Photo by Tim Munro

Share on Google+:

[Find out more about the music with my symphony preview post.]

There was a sparse crowd for David Robertson and the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra concert Friday night (January 26, 2018), presumably because the program was heavily weighted towards newer music. That's a shame, because those who stayed away missed the USA premiere of the moving 2016 Elegie: Remembrance for Orchestra by Peter Ruzicka, a highly personal take on Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto by Julian Rachlin, and Harmonielehre, the first big, multi-movement orchestral work by John Adams.

"Beautiful" is a word I find myself applying all too rarely to much of what has been written for the concert hall in the last half-century or so, but beautiful is exactly what Mr. Ruzicka's Elegie is. Inspired by the "Porazzi theme," an enigmatic 13-bar fragment that Richard Wagner is said to have written the night before he died, the Elegie is scored for percussion, three flutes, and a string ensemble in which each player has a slightly different melodic line.

That sounds like a gimmick and rather looks like one, since the resulting score is around 3 feet tall and requires an extra-large podium, but the sound is breathtaking. The music begins so softly that it's almost inaudible and then, for the next nine minutes, alternates between sharply dissonant passages and bits of Wagner's original melody in a more conventional harmonic form. The music rises to a climax and then slowly subsides to a quiet, resigned conclusion, like the final breath of life. It was magical, and I'd be happy to hear it again.

Julian Rachlin in Tel Aviv
Photo from Wikipedia, public domain

Which is something I also don't find myself thinking very often about recent music.

Up next was the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto, a piece which is so well known that performances of it can become, as Mr. Robertson wryly observed in his pre-concert talk, a kind of "musical wallpaper." It's a fair point; it has been played so many times by so many great musicians that it can be difficult for any one performer to make us listen to it with fresh ears.

And yet, that's exactly what soloist Julian Rachlin did Friday night. Decked out in a double-breasted tux, black tie, and red pocket square, Mr. Rachlin cut a dashingly retro Fritz Kreisler-esque figure on the stage, and played with an idiosyncratic style that created the illusion of improvising the music on the spot rather than playing a work written over 160 years ago. This was especially apparent in the first-movement cadenza, with its wide dynamic range and marked dramatic contrasts.

Mr. Robertson had said earlier that what he liked most about Mr. Rachlin was that the violinist seemed to actually speak via his instrument. And, in fact, what we got from Mr. Rachlin Friday night was as much a conversation with Mr. Robertson and the orchestra as it was a performance. Closely attuned to Mr. Robertson and the band, Mr. Rachlin delivered a subtly shaded reading that made this venerable warhorse sound almost new, and did it with impeccable virtuosity.

John Adams
Photo by Vern Evans

I loved it, and so did the rest of the audience, who applauded long and enthusiastically enough to warrant an encore: Eugene Ysaÿe's dramatic Sonata No. 3 for solo violin. At nearly seven minutes, it was a lengthy choice for an encore, as well as a technically challenging one, and was very well received.

The second half of the concert was devoted to John Adams's Harmonielehre. The title refers to the music theory book of the same name by Arnold Schoenberg, the inventor of serialism and the teacher of Mr. Adams's teacher Leon Kirchner. Since Mr. Adams explicitly rejected serialism, the title can be seen as a kind of ironic declaration of independence from the 12-tone row. The work was also an attempt to find some kind of rapprochement between the simplicity of minimalism and the harmonic richness that Wagner (also Mr. Ruzicka's source of inspiration) created in his later works, mostly notably Tristan und Isolde, with its famed opening chord.

This is big, dramatic music that has its origins not in the arid mathematical world of serialism but in the more romantic world of dreams and Jungian psychology. The dramatic opening and closing movements, as a result, are musical realizations of dreams that Mr. Adams had when composing the work, while the middle movement, titled "The Anfortas Wound," is explicitly Jungian. In composing it, Mr. Adams notes that he "was deeply affected by Jung's discussion of the character of Anfortas, the king whose wounds could never be healed. As a critical archetype, Anfortas symbolized a condition of sickness of the soul that curses it with a feeling of impotence and depression."

Peter Ruzicka
Photo by Anne Kirchbach

Mr. Robertson and the SLSO have performed and recorded Harmonielehre (for the orchestra's Arch Media label) in the past, so the high quality of Friday night's performance was no surprise. I have never been a big fan of Mr. Adams's style, but even I was swept away by the power of this music. That second movement--with its meandering theme that rises, falls, and never goes anywhere--was the epitome of despair. And the final moments of the last movement, with Principal Horn Thomas Jöstlein and the rest of his section playing pavillons en l'air (bells up, to get a more potent sound), were just plain thrilling.

Up next: members of St. Louis Symphony perform next at the Pulitzer Foundation, with concerts of chamber works by George Crumb, Toro Takemitsu, and Kaija Saariaho on Tuesday and Wednesday, January 30 and 31. The full orchestra plays at Powell Hall Friday at 10:30 am and Saturday at 8 pm, February 2 and 3, with an all-French program under the baton of Music Director Designate Stéphane Dèneve.

St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of January 29, 2018

Share on Google+:

The Looking Glass Playhouse presents the rock musical Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. through February 4. "A.J. kicked British butt, shafted the Indians and smacked down the Spaniards, all in the name of these United States - who cares if he didn't have permission? Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson creators, Michael Friedman (Love's Labour's Lost, The Fortress of Solitude) and Alex Timbers (Love's Labour's Lost, Peter and the Starcatcher), cook up an alternate universe (and draw parallels to today's political/populist landscape) with their musical about the seventh U.S. president. Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson follows America's seventh president from his early days as a child on the wild frontier to his controversial reign in the White House." Performances take place at 301 West St. Louis Street in Lebanon, Ill. For more information, visit www.lookingglassplayhouse.com.

The Cabaret Project and The Improv Shop present The Blue Velvet Lounge Saturday at 8 pm., February 10 and 24. "The Cabaret Project teams up with The Improv Shop to co-present their dynamic, fully improvised theater piece featuring live jazz standards - direct from the mythical Blue Velvet Lounge. Each performance features eight smart, funny improvisers who create the stories and sagas of the patrons of the Blue Velvet Lounge - on the spot. Surrounded by live jazz vocal standards, this character driven story is a different show each night it's performed. The Blue Velvet Lounge is a perfect evening out for lovers of cabaret and comedy. Food and drink available at the Improv Shop." The performance takes place at The Improv Shop, 3960 Chouteau in The Grove. For more information: thecabaretproject.org.

Metro Theatre Company presents Bud, Not Buddy opening on Sunday, February 4, at 2 pm and continuing Fridays and Saturdays at 7 and Sundays at 2 pm through February 25. "Based on the Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott King Award-winning novel, this play combines actors with a 13-piece jazz band performing an original score composed by five-time, Grammy-winning jazz artist Terence Blanchard to tell the story of a boy who finds a home and a passion for music." Performances take place at the Grandel Theatre, 3610 Grandel Square in Grand Center. For more information: metroplays.org.

Clayton Community Theatre presents William Inge's drama Bus Stop Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m., February 1 - 11. "Eight people are obliged to pass the time together overnight in a small-town diner due to a snowstorm. Three are locals; five are passing through on a bus from Kansas City to Denver. Although the bus cannot proceed, the interactions, relationships and discoveries of the eight characters continue in a flurry. By the time the road is cleared and the travelers are able to move on, no one is quite the same as they were at the start." Performances take place at the Washington University South Campus Theatre. For more information, call 314-721-9228 or visit placeseveryone.org.

CSZ St. Louis presents The ComedySportz Show on Saturday nights at 7:30 pm. The show is "action-packed, interactive and hilarious comedy played as a sport. Two teams battle it out for points and your laughs! You choose the winners the teams provide the funny!" Performances take place on the second floor of the Sugar Cubed, 917 S Main St. in St Charles, Mo. For more information: www.cszstlouis.com.

The Lemp Mansion Comedy-Mystery Dinner Theater presents The Comic Book Killer through April 14. The Lemp Mansion is at 3322 DeMenil Place. For more information: lempmansion.com.

Faceless
Photo: Jerry Naunheim, Jr.

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents Faceless through February 4. "Two young women face off in a courtroom, locked in a battle of wills and theologies. Susie Glenn, 18, is on trial. Radicalized online into planning acts of terrorism, she's zealously committed to her cause. Her prosecutor, Claire Fathi, is a Harvard-educated Muslim woman who lives the faith that Susie professes to understand. Their edgy exchanges create a propulsive, escalating tension that makes this brilliantly topical play a true legal thriller." Performances take place in the studio theatre at the Loretto-Hilton Center on the Webster University campus. For more information: repstl.org.

The How and the Why
Photo: Eric Woolsey

New Jewish Theater presents The How and the Why through February 11. "In Sarah Treem's smart and provocative play about science, family and survival of the fittest, evolution and emotion collide as two women of different generations struggle to come together both on a professional and on a personal level. The play explores many areas of struggle for women, especially in the field of scientific research: the fierce competition among scientists for recognition of their discoveries; the struggles in the academic world for prestigious positions and grant funding: and female attitudes about sex, relationships, men, motherhood and families." 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.

Metro Theatre Company presents a Jazz Concert on Saturday, February 3, at 8 pm. "International touring pianist Peter Martin joins vocalist Brian Owens for an unforgettable evening of music highlighted by a guest appearance by jazz legend Terance Blanchard. They will be joined by bassist Bob DeBoo and drummer Montez Coleman. Concert proceeds benefit Metro Theater Company assuring that performances and educational opportunities are available to audiences of all ages throughout the St. Louis region, regardless of ability to pay." The performance takes place at the Grandel Theatre, 3610 Grandel Square in Grand Center. For more information: metroplays.org.

The Bissell Mansion Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre presents Mayhem in Mayberry through April. "Welcome to the 10th annual Mayberry-fest. Everyone is looking forward to the highlight of this event - the Miss Mayberry contest. YOU and Sheriff Andy Trailer will judge the contestants (chosen from the audience) on beauty, poise, cookin' skills and a new category this year - Hog callin'. Will the next Miss Mayberry be the vivacious Dazey Doof from Hazzard County? Or the beautiful hillbilly, Elly May Klumpett? Or will it be the lovely Lois Lame from Smallville? Don't county out the charming Paris Hoosier from Hoosierville. She's the main reason the train stops at Petticoat Junction! Sheriff Andy, Deputy Blarney and Aint Bee invite you to join the fun and the mayhem in Mayberry cause it won't be the same without y'all." The Bissell Mansion is at 4426 Randall Place. For more information: bissellmansiontheatre.com.

Menopause the Musical

The Playhouse at Westport Plaza presents Menopause the Musical, "a celebration of women and The Change," through March 31. Four women meet while shopping for a black lace bra at a lingerie sale. After noticing unmistakable similarities among one another, the cast jokes about their woeful hot flashes, mood swings, wrinkles, weight gain and much more. The Playhouse at Westport Plaza is at 635 West Port Plaza. For more information: playhouseatwestport.com.

The St. Louis Family Theatre Series presents the Vital Theatre Company production of Pinkalicious the Musical Sunday, February 4, at 2 pm; Friday, February 9, at 7:30 pm; and Saturday, February 10, at 2 pm. "Pinkalicious can't stop eating pink cupcakes despite warnings from her parents. Her pink indulgence lands her at the doctor's office with Pinkititis, an affliction that turns her pink from head to toes - a dream come true for this pink loving enthusiast. But when her hue goes too far, only Pinkalicious can figure out a way to get out of this predicament." Performances take place at the Florissant Civic Center Theatre at Parker and Waterford in Florissant, MO. For more information, call 314-921-5678 or visit florissantmo.com

Stages Triple Threat Teens presents the musical Pippin Friday and Saturday at 7:30 pm and Sunday at 2:30 pm, February 2 - 4. "There's magic to do when a prince learns the true meaning of glory, love and war in Stephen Schwartz's iconic and unforgettable musical masterpiece" Performances take place at Stages' Kent Center for Theatre Arts, 1023 Chesterfield Pkwy E in Chesterfield, MO. For more information: stagesstlouis.simpletix.com

The Fox Theatre presents the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The Sound of Music Friday through Sunday, February 2 - 4. The Fox is at 527 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information: fabulousfox.com.

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

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

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

St. Louis classical calendar for the week of January 29, 2018

Share on Google+:

Eliot Unitarian Chapel presents a Friends of Music concert on Sunday, February 4, at 3 pm. The program features guitarist W. Mark Akin and lyric soprano Brittany Graham, accompanied by pianist Nathan Coleman. The concert takes place at Eliot Unitarian Chapel is at 100 South Argonne in Kirkwood. For more information: fomcstl.org.

David Robertson conducts at the Pulitzer

The Pulitzer Arts Foundation presents members of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra on Tuesday and Wednesday, January 30 and 31, at 7:30 p.m. The performance consists of chamber works by George Crumb, Toro Takemitsu, and Kaija Saariaho, and takes place in the newly renovated space at the Pulitzer Arts Foundation, 3716 Washington. For more information: pulitzerarts.org.

Music Director Designate Stéphane Dèneve conducts the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and duo pianists Christina and Michelle Naughton on Friday at 10:30 am and Saturday at 8 pm, February 2 and 3. The all-French program includes Poulenc's Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra as well as music by Ravel and Guillaume Connesson. The concerts take place at Powell Symphony Hall, 718 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information: stlsymphony.org.

The St. Louis Wind Symphony

The St. Louis Wind Symphony peforms on Sunday, February 4, at 2 pm. The performance takes place in the Keating Theatre at the Viragh Center on the Chaminade College Preparatry School campus in Ladue. For more information: stlwindsym.org.

Monday and Tuesday at 7:30 pm, January29 and 30, The Sheldon Ballroom presents Mozart's Magic. "For Mozart's 262nd birthday, enjoy a piano quartet, music for English horn and strings and a Divertimento that will have you dancing in the aisles." The Sheldon is on Washington in Grand Center. For more information: sheldonconcerthall.org.

Review: Vocal pearls at Winter Opera

This article originally appeared at 88.1 KDHX, where Chuck Lavazzi is the senior performing arts critic.

Sonja Krenek and Spencer Viator
Photo: Wylde Brothers Productions

Share on Google+:

As I have noted in the past, nobody would ever mistake Georges Bizet's 1863 Les pêcheurs de perles (The Pearl Fishers), an appealing production of which is on stage at Winter Opera this weekend, for Great Art, given what an implausible mess the libretto is.

Set in "ancient times," the story about Ceylon pearl fishers Zurga and Nadir, lifelong friends driven apart by their mutual love for the priestess Leïla, makes little dramatic sense, but Bizet set it to some irresistible music. "Au fond du temple saint," the Act I duet in which the two men swear that their earlier infatuation with Leïla will never part them again, has become something of an operatic Greatest Hit, and the rest of the score is filled with equally appealing stuff.

Winter Opera St. Louis has four very strong singers in the leading and supporting roles (there are only four named roles in the opera), with an especially strong Leïla in soprano Sonja Krenek. "Comme autrefois dans la nuit sombre," a vocally elaborate number in which Leïla recalls her earlier romance with Nadir, requires the high-flying flexibility of a coloratura soprano. Ms. Krenek had that nailed when I heard her at the final dress rehearsal Wednesday, and was believably alluring in her scenes with the besotted Nadir as well.

Dancers and chorus
Photo: Wylde Brothers Productions

Tenor Spencer Viator and bass-baritone Andrew Pardini were also vocally stunning. Mr. Pardini, in particular, has the kind of big, ringing voice that can easily fill a theatre. Looking at his resume, I was surprised to see an absence of Wagner; he sounded like a performer who would be at ease in that repertoire.

Mr. Viator isn't quite in the same league in terms of sheer power, but there's a lyrical beauty to his voice that felt like a perfect match for the lovelorn Nadir. He and Mr. Pardini were, to quote a Sondheim lyric, "a practically perfect pair" in "Au fond du temple saint."

The role of the high priest Nourabad isn't large, but he needs to dominate the stage, physically and vocally, when he's there. Bass Richard Zuch certainly did that Wednesday night, with a high-voltage voice that rolled like thunder. An imposing presence is what's called for, and that is what we got.

The chorus is important in Les pêcheurs. Bizet has given them some prime material, like the hymn to Brahma that closes the second act, so they need to grab and hold our attention. Chorus Master Gail Hintz's forces are small but their sound was mighty. The small size of the chorus was also something of an advantage, in that it allowed individual singers to create their own characters and create the sense of a real community rather than just a collection of singers in costume.

Andrew Pardini and chorus
Photo: Wylde Brothers Productions

As he has in previous Winter Opera productions, Darwin Aquino led the small (25 piece) orchestra in an authoritative account of the score. The Winter Opera orchestra always seems to project a sound larger than its size might suggest. I don't doubt that the acoustics of the Viragh Center help in that regard, but it's still a real credit to their work. There was some fine solo work by orchestra members as well, including (but by no means limited to) Carrie Smith's cor anglais accompaniment to Nadir's "Je crois entendre encore" aria; flautists Jennifer Gartley and Laura Dwyer's piccolo work at the top of Act II; and Megan Stout's harp throughout the evening.

Director and talented operatic bass Mark Freiman moves things along briskly but, as has sometimes been the case in the past, still displays an unfortunate tendency to simply plant actors on stage and have them sing facing front. JC Krajicek's costumes and Scott Loebel's set create the right exotic feel, as does the small dancing chorus, although their repertoire of steps is limited.

There are two performances of Les pêcheurs de perles, Friday at 7:30 pm and Sunday at 3 pm, January 26 and 28. Revel in the fine singing and try not to pay too much attention to the plot, and I think you'll find this two-hour trip to legendary Ceylon a welcome respite from crazy weather and crazier politics.

Chuck's Choices for the weekend of January 26, 2018

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

Share on Google+:

---

New This Week:

---

The Kranzberg Arts Center presents Grammy and Emmy Award-winning pianist and songwriter John McDaniel and cabaret star Barb Jungr in Come Together, an Evening of Music by The Beatles, on Saturday, January 27, at 7 and 9 pm. "In this exciting and critically-acclaimed collaboration, two giants of cabaret from both sides of the Atlantic, the extraordinary and award winning vocalist and performer, London's Barb Jungr and St. Louis born John McDaniel, himself a Grammy and Emmy award winning arranger and pianist, investigate The Beatles song catalogue in their own unique and inimitable fashion. Barb and John celebrate Paul, John, George and Ringo with brand new, breathtaking, inspiring and often unexpected arrangements! This concert is their St. Louis debut together." Performances take place in the cabaret room at the Kranzberg, 501 N. Grand in Grand Center. For more information: metrotix.com.

My take: I have seen and been mightily impressed by Barb Jungr and John McDaniel separately (Ms. Jungr in 2010, Mr. McDaniel in 2007) but this will be my first chance to see them together. Your, too, I expect since they have never done this show locally as far as I know. Ms. Jungr's rock background should be especially appropriate to this show.

---

Faceless
Photo: Jerry Naunheim, Jr.

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents Faceless through February 4. "Two young women face off in a courtroom, locked in a battle of wills and theologies. Susie Glenn, 18, is on trial. Radicalized online into planning acts of terrorism, she's zealously committed to her cause. Her prosecutor, Claire Fathi, is a Harvard-educated Muslim woman who lives the faith that Susie professes to understand. Their edgy exchanges create a propulsive, escalating tension that makes this brilliantly topical play a true legal thriller." Performances take place in the studio theatre at the Loretto-Hilton Center on the Webster University campus. For more information: repstl.org.

My take: As I wrote in my review for KDHX, Faceless is an intelligent, shrewdly observed commentary on faith, identity politics, institutionalized violence, and the vulnerability of young people coming of age in the digital goldfish bowl of social media. It's a reminder that Eric Hoffer's deconstruction of the authoritarian mindset over sixty years ago remains sadly timely.

---

School of Rock

The Fox Theatre presents the musical School of Rock, running through January 28. "Based on the hit film, this hilarious new musical follows Dewey Finn, a wannabe rock star posing as a substitute teacher who turns a class of straight-A students into a guitar-shredding, bass-slapping, mind-blowing rock band. This high-octane smash features 14 new songs from Andrew Lloyd Webber, all the original songs from the movie and musical theater's first-ever kids rock band playing their instruments live on stage." The Fox is at 527 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information: fabulousfox.com.

My take: I'm normally leery of musicals based on hit films, but this one appears to really work. With a new score by Andrew Lloyd Webber, of all people, and what everyone says is a strong cast (including some very talented young rock musicians), this one looks to be fun for young and old alike. At Ladue News, Mark Bretz calls it a "a finger-snapping, foot-stomping good time." Sounds good to me.

---

Winter Opera St. Louis presents Bizet's Les Pecheurs De Perles (The Pearl Fishers) Friday at 8 PM and Sunday at 3 PM, January 26 and 28. Performances take place at The Skip Viragh Center for the Arts at Chaminade College Preparatory School, 425 S. Lindbergh. For more information, visit winteroperastl.org.

My take: Nobody would ever mistake this for great opera, given what an implausible mess the libretto is, but Bizet loaded it up with great music. Based on what i saw at final dress rehearsal Wednesday night, Winter Opera St. Louis has four very strong singers in the leading and supporting roles (there are only four named roles in the opera), with an especially strong Leila in soprano Sonja Krenek. The chorus is small but mighty as usual and the orchestra under Darwin Aquino did an excellent job with the score.

---

Held Over:

---

The Cabaret Project and The Improv Shop present The Blue Velvet Lounge Saturday, January 27, at 8 pm. There are also performances on February 10 and 24. "The Cabaret Project teams up with The Improv Shop to co-present their dynamic, fully improvised theater piece featuring live jazz standards - direct from the mythical Blue Velvet Lounge. Each performance features eight smart, funny improvisers who create the stories and sagas of the patrons of the Blue Velvet Lounge - on the spot. Surrounded by live jazz vocal standards, this character driven story is a different show each night it's performed. The Blue Velvet Lounge is a perfect evening out for lovers of cabaret and comedy. Food and drink available at the Improv Shop." The performance takes place at The Improv Shop, 3960 Chouteau in The Grove. For more information: thecabaretproject.org.

My take: Cabaret shows are carefully planned, but so is a good improv show. Improvisation works best when there's some sort of structure to build on. So combining the two makes more sense than you might think, especially when the singer at the center of it all is local cabaret pro Tim Schall.

---

The Marvelous Wonderettes
Photo: Eric Woolsey

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents The Marvelous Wonderettes through January 28. "The pop doesn't stop in this smash hit musical! A high school prom in 1958 and a 10-year reunion in 1968 provide the backdrop for some of the biggest hits of both decades, performed by an irrepressible quartet of young women. Featuring a stacked playlist that includes "Mr. Sandman," "It's in His Kiss," "Respect," "Son of a Preacher Man" and "Lollipop," it's a joyous snapshot of a musical era." Performances take place at the Loretto-Hilton Center on the Webster University campus. For more information: repstl.org.

My take: This looks like great fun and judging from the reviews that's just what it is. Tina Farmer at KDHX says it's "an entertaining escape with a soundtrack you can dance to." "Great, almost giddy fun during this cold winter of our discontent," writes Ann Lemmons Pollack. "If you're in the mood for a little 'Respect,'" writes Mark Bretz at Ladue News, "check out The Marvelous Wonderettes and step back in time when you were younger and high school was the place to be." It may be light as chiffon, but maybe that's not such a bad thing right now.

---

Menopause the Musical

The Playhouse at Westport Plaza presents Menopause the Musical, "a celebration of women and The Change," through March 31. Four women meet while shopping for a black lace bra at a lingerie sale. After noticing unmistakable similarities among one another, the cast jokes about their woeful hot flashes, mood swings, wrinkles, weight gain and much more. The Playhouse at Westport Plaza is at 635 West Port Plaza. For more information: playhouseatwestport.com.

My take: This popular ensemble show has been around for a while now, having premiered in 2001 in Orlando, Florida, in a 76-seat theatre that once housed a perfume shop. It's last visit at the Westport Playhouse was ten years ago, and it seems to have lost none of it's comic shine. "Who will enjoy this," asks Ann Lemmons Pollack in a review of the show last year, "beyond women of what they call un age certain? People of both genders around them unless they have no sense of humor. That includes family, friends and co-workers. One of life's cruel jokes is that the menopause hits many households about the same time adolescence does. Here's something to tide us over." Since this is effectively a remounting of that same production, I think I'm on safe ground putting it on the hit list, as I did last January.

Symphony Preview: Everything old is new again

This article originally appeared at 88.1 KDHX, where Chuck Lavazzi is the senior performing arts critic.

Peter Ruzicka

Share on Google+:

The big draw for the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra concerts this Friday and Saturday (January 26 and 27, 2018) is clearly Mendelssohn's popular 1844 Violin Concerto, with Lithuanian conductor and violinist Julian Rachlin in the solo spotlight and David Robertson conducting. The music on the rest of the program, though, is more recent--and that's what will be the focus of this preview.

How recent? Well, the concerts open the US premiere with Elegie: Remembrance for Orchestra by German composer Peter Ruzicka, which had its world premiere in 2016 by the Staatskapelle Dresden with our own David Robertson on the podium. And the entire second half of the evening consists of Harmonielehre, a sprawling 40-minute piece for large orchestra by John Adams that was first performed by the San Francisco Symphony in 1985. The SLSO gave the work its local premiere in 2005 and recorded it in 2007.

Ruzicka's Elegie is a short (nine-minute) work for strings along with three flutes and percussion that's based on 13 bars of piano music that Richard Wagner wrote just before his death. I'd like to tell you something about what Elegie sounds like, but it's so new that there are simply no recordings available--or none that I can find, anyway. Even that great repository of copyright violations and unofficial recordings, YouTube, has nothing. Fortunately, René Spencer Saller is able to quote the composer's own words for us in her program notes:

The last 13 bars that Richard Wagner wrote and played for his friends at the Palazzo Vendramin on the evening before his death are a declaration of love for [his wife] Cosima in the form of a mysterious question. The Elegie appears like a musical self-observation referring, as from afar, to Tristan and the circumstances surrounding its composition. Wagner's piano sketch has occupied me for a long time. Its openness and indefiniteness caused me to pursue the thought, and to undergo a highly personal musical rapprochement and distancing. For this, I selected the sonic potential of a string orchestra, underlain by the impulses and "shadowy sounds" of three flutes and percussion. Wagner's question ultimately remains. And it still seems unanswerable, even today.

After reading that a few times, I'm still not at all sure what to expect. The "Tristan" he mentions is Wagner's 1857 opera Tristan und Isolde, a work notable, as I wrote a few years ago, for both its Freudian erotic subtext and the way in which its opening chord anticipated the expanded harmonic palette of post-Wagnerian composers like Richard Strauss and Mahler.

The expansion eventually led to an active hostility to conventional notions of harmony and melody that is still more popular than it probably deserves to be in some compositional circles. What that might have to do with what we will hear this weekend, though, is not at all clear.

What is clear to me, after having listened to some of Mr. Ruzicka's other work, is that he doesn't seem to have much use for those conventional notions of harmony and melody even though, as his anonymous biographer at ArchivMusik notes, he often uses music by composers of the past as jumping-off points for his own works. His 1990 Metamorphoses for Large Orchestra, for example, has a kind of eerie stillness and a suspension of the usual concept of time that I associate with the work of Bruckner. His 1972 Feed Back, on the other hand, sounds like an explosion in a metal foundry combined with sound effects that wouldn't sound out of place in a Carl Stallings cartoon score. From his description, it sounds like Elegie might resemble the former more than the latter, but we'll see.

Mr. Ruzicka himself is an interesting character. Born in 1948 in Düsseldorf and currently professor of music at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Hamburg, his resume has the usual list of awards and notable job postings you see with any composer whose work has become prominent enough to capture the attention of major orchestras. What's less typical is that his education included studies in theater and law. The latter led to a law doctorate in 1977. As Chauncey used to remark to Edgar on The Bullwinkle Show, that's something you don't see every day.

John Adams

Whatever the Ruzicka work sounds like, it will almost certainly be different from John Adams's Harmonielehre. The title refers to the music theory book of the same name by Arnold Schoenberg, the inventor of serialism and the teacher of Mr. Adams's teacher Leon Kirchner. Since Mr. Adams explicitly rejected serialism, the title can be seen as a kind of ironic declaration of independence from the 12-tone row.

If you're heard any of the other works by Mr. Adams which David Robertson and the SLSO have performed locally, you will know what to expect. Adams himself, who always writes with impressive clarity, describes the piece as:

a large, three-movement work for orchestra that marries the developmental techniques of Minimalism with the harmonic and expressive world of fin de siècle late Romanticism. It was a conceit that could only be attempted once. The shades of Mahler, Sibelius, Debussy, and the young Schoenberg are everywhere in this strange piece. This is a work that looks at the past in what I suspect is "postmodernist" spirit, but, unlike Grand Pianola Music or [the opera] Nixon in China, it does so entirely without irony.

This is big, dramatic music that has its origins not in the arid mathematical world of serialism but in the more romantic world of dreams and Jungian psychology. The dramatic opening and closing movements, as a result, are musical realizations of dreams that Mr. Adams had when composing the work, while the middle movement, titled "The Anfortas Wound," is explicitly Jungian. In composing it, Mr. Adams notes that he "was deeply affected by Jung's discussion of the character of Anfortas, the king whose wounds could never be healed. As a critical archetype, Anfortas symbolized a condition of sickness of the soul that curses it with a feeling of impotence and depression."

Sandwiched between the contemporary sounds of Ruzicka and Adams will be the Mendelssohn concerto, a favorite of audiences for generations. The SLSO first performed it back in 1912. The soloist that first time was Albert Spalding, but when the orchestra played it in 1914 the soloist was none other than the noted virtuoso and composer Fritz Kreisler. Tickets for the princely sum of $1 and $2 were available, as the vintage program page reproduced in this week's program advertises, at the Main Floor Gallery of Famous-Barr.

The Essentials: David Robertson conducts the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and violin soloist Julian Rachlin Friday and Saturday at 8 pm, January 26 and 27. The Saturday night performance will be broadcast, as usual, on St. Louis Public Radio. On Sunday at 3 pm, the orchestra is joined by The 442s and Compositions for L.I.F.E. for Rapped and Remixed, a modern-day twist on Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet ballet score. Performances take place at Powell Symphony Hall, 718 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information: stlsymphony.org.

Review: True Believers

This article originally appeared at 88.1 KDHX, where Chuck Lavazzi is the senior performing arts critic.

L-R: Michael James Reed, Susaan Jamshidi, Lindsay Stock,
Ross Lehman
Photo: Jerry Naunheim, Jr.

Share on Google+:

Selina Fillinger, the author of the drama Faceless getting its St. Louis premiere at the Rep Studio right now, is a remarkable young woman. Although only 23 and a recent graduate of the theatre program at Northwestern University, she has produced an intelligent, shrewdly observed commentary on faith, identity politics, institutionalized violence, and the vulnerability of young people coming of age in the digital goldfish bowl of social media.

Thought provoking, engrossing, and crackling with sharp dialog, Faceless is the all too plausible tale of Susie Glenn, an 18-year-old Chicago high school student who is reeling from the murder of her cop mother and disconnected from her father, who is finding it hard to cope with both her grief and his own. Lonely and unpopular, she is easy prey for Reza, an ISIS recruiter who convinces her to convert to Islam via a simple declaration on Twitter.

Arrested before she can fly overseas to join Reza, whom she has never seen in person (represented only by a recorded voice and a silhouette, he is literally faceless), Susie finds herself on trial for helping to plan acts of terrorism. Her prosecutor is Claire Fathi, a Harvard-educated Muslim lawyer who, as the show's publicity notes, "lives the faith that Susie professes to understand" but of which she has only the most elementary understanding.

Encouraged by her boss Scott Bader--a career Federal prosecutor with political ambitions--and irritated by Susie's religions pretensions, Claire tries aggressively for a conviction. As events unfold, both Susie and Claire begin to seriously question their decisions and it becomes clear that the high moral ground is a precarious place from which one is easily dislodged.

Faceless was first performed at Chicago's Northlight Theatre last year, and the Rep production features some of the same cast and creative team from that world premiere. Most notably, Lindsay Stock and Susaan Jamshidi reprise their roles as Susie and Claire, respectively, and their familiarity with the material and with each other gives their interactions real authenticity.

Ms. Stock moves credibly from girlish superficiality to tragic stature in the course of the evening, while Ms. Jamshidi is equally believable in her journey from righteous anger to serious self-doubt. These wonderfully detailed, thoughtfully shaped performances are the solid foundations on which the drama is built.

Michael James Reed, last seen as Claudius in the Rep's Hamlet, is the aggressively inflexible Scott, driven by a combination of moral certitude and political opportunism. The playwright only gives us a few chances to see a more human side to the character, but Mr. Reed makes the most of them. Next to the literally faceless Reza, he's the closest thing the play has to a villain, but Ms. Fillinger's text and Mr. Reed's nuanced performance give him enough depth to make him that much more chilling.

L-R: Susaan Jamshidi and Lindsay Stock
Photo: Jerry Naunheim, Jr.

As Mark Arenberg, Susie's defense attorney, Ross Lehman (another alumnus of the Northlight production) is the warm and compassionate counterweight to Mr. Reed's character. The playwright has given Ross some of the play's most trenchant political commentary, and Mr. Lehman gives these "author's message" moments a ring of sincerity that avoids preachiness. Joe Dempsey rounds out this sterling cast with a heartbreakingly real performance as Susie's father Alan.

Director BJ Jones, another Northlight import, moves the show at a brisk pace and her blocking keeps the action visible throughout the studio theatre's three-quarter round setup. Andre Pluess's sound, Heather Gilbert's lighting, and Stephan Mazurek's projections all add to the documentary realism of the show and John Culbert's minimalist set makes the many scene changes quick and seamless.

Isumi Inaba's costumes nicely illustrate character. I especially liked different styles of hijab--the headscarf worn by many Muslim women--used for Susie and Claire. Susie's is little more than a simple scarf, worn as thoughtlessly as she wears her new religion. Claire's are stylish, color-coordinated with her suits, and clearly an integral part of her self-image.

If Faceless has a weakness, it may be that while (as Eric Hoffer's The True Believer demonsrated) the underlying issue of the way religious and political fanatics exploit loneliness and insecurity to recruit followers attracted by the false certainty of rigid doctrine is sadly timeless, the more timely cultural references (such as references to Twitter and Facebook) might limit its theatrical shelf life. Shortly after 9/11, for example, Anne Nelson's drama The Guys (about WTC first responders who lost their lives) was nearly everywhere. Now it's practically nowhere and looks dated. I think Faceless is a more substantial script than The Guys, but whether or not that will prevent it from looking like yesterday's news is an open question.

It is, in any case, an astonishingly mature work for a novice playwright--or any playwright, for that matter. And it deserves to be seen. Performances continue through February 4th, 2018, in the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis studio space on the Webster University campus.

St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of January 22, 2018

Black Anthology

Share on Google+:

Black Anthology presents 1:05 on Friday and Saturday at 7 pm, January 26 and 27. The show is a performance that is written, choreographed, directed, and produced entirely by Washington University undergraduates and takes place at the Edison Theatre on the Washington University campus. For more information: blackanthology.wustl.edu

The Looking Glass Playhouse presents the rock musical Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m., January 25 - February 4. " A.J. kicked British butt, shafted the Indians and smacked down the Spaniards, all in the name of these United States - who cares if he didn't have permission? Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson creators, Michael Friedman (Love's Labour's Lost, The Fortress of Solitude) and Alex Timbers (Love's Labour's Lost, Peter and the Starcatcher), cook up an alternate universe (and draw parallels to today's political/populist landscape) with their musical about the seventh U.S. president. Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson follows America's seventh president from his early days as a child on the wild frontier to his controversial reign in the White House." Performances take place at 301 West St. Louis Street in Lebanon, Ill. For more information, visit www.lookingglassplayhouse.com.

The Cabaret Project and The Improv Shop present The Blue Velvet Lounge Saturday, January 27, at 8 pm. There are also performances on February 10 and 24. "The Cabaret Project teams up with The Improv Shop to co-present their dynamic, fully improvised theater piece featuring live jazz standards - direct from the mythical Blue Velvet Lounge. Each performance features eight smart, funny improvisers who create the stories and sagas of the patrons of the Blue Velvet Lounge - on the spot. Surrounded by live jazz vocal standards, this character driven story is a different show each night it's performed. The Blue Velvet Lounge is a perfect evening out for lovers of cabaret and comedy. Food and drink available at the Improv Shop." The performance takes place at The Improv Shop, 3960 Chouteau in The Grove. For more information: thecabaretproject.org.

Hard Road Theatre Productions presents the jukebox musical Breaking Up is Hard to Do Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm through January 27. "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do is an original jukebox musical featuring 18 Neil Sedaka songs, including "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do", "Where the Boys Are", "Sweet Sixteen", "Calendar Girl", "Stupid Cupid", and "Love Will Keep Us Together." Set during Labor Day weekend in 1960, the show follows two friends, Lois and Marge, who travel to a resort, Esther's Paradise, in the Catskill mountains to help Marge overcome a recent breakup. While there, romance flourishes in the most unusual places and a visitor from Dick Clark's American Bandstand might just save Esther's Paradise from financial ruin." Performances will be held at the Highland School Kennal, 12760 Troxler Ave, in Highland IL. For more information: www.hardroad.org.

The Kranzberg Arts Center presents Grammy and Emmy Award-winning pianist and songwriter John McDaniel and cabaret star Barb Jungr in Come Together, an Evening of Music by The Beatles, on Saturday, January 27, at 7 and 9 pm. "In this exciting and critically-acclaimed collaboration, two giants of cabaret from both sides of the Atlantic, the extraordinary and award winning vocalist and performer, London's Barb Jungr and St. Louis born John McDaniel, himself a Grammy and Emmy award winning arranger and pianist, investigate The Beatles song catalogue in their own unique and inimitable fashion. Barb and John celebrate Paul, John, George and Ringo with brand new, breathtaking, inspiring and often unexpected arrangements! This concert is their St. Louis debut together." Performances take place in the cabaret room at the Kranzberg, 501 N. Grand in Grand Center. For more information: metrotix.com.

CSZ St. Louis presents The ComedySportz Show on Saturday nights at 7:30 pm. The show is "action-packed, interactive and hilarious comedy played as a sport. Two teams battle it out for points and your laughs! You choose the winners the teams provide the funny!" Performances take place on the second floor of the Sugar Cubed, 917 S Main St. in St Charles, Mo. For more information: www.cszstlouis.com.

The Lemp Mansion Comedy-Mystery Dinner Theater presents The Comic Book Killer through April 14. The Lemp Mansion is at 3322 DeMenil Place. For more information: lempmansion.com.

Faceless
Photo: Jerry Naunheim, Jr.

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents Faceless through February 4. "Two young women face off in a courtroom, locked in a battle of wills and theologies. Susie Glenn, 18, is on trial. Radicalized online into planning acts of terrorism, she's zealously committed to her cause. Her prosecutor, Claire Fathi, is a Harvard-educated Muslim woman who lives the faith that Susie professes to understand. Their edgy exchanges create a propulsive, escalating tension that makes this brilliantly topical play a true legal thriller." Performances take place in the studio theatre at the Loretto-Hilton Center on the Webster University campus. For more information: repstl.org.

Kirkwood Theatre Guild presents the comedy/drama Good People through January 28. "Welcome to Southie, a Boston neighborhood where a night on the town means a few rounds of bingo, where this month's paycheck covers last month's bills, and where Margie Walsh has just been let go from yet another job. Facing eviction and scrambling to catch a break, she thinks an old fling who's made it out of Southie might be her ticket to a fresh start. But is this apparently self-made man secure enough to face his humble beginnings? Margie is about to risk what little she has left to find out. With his signature humorous glow, Lindsay-Abaire explores the struggles and unshakeable hopes that come with having next to nothing." Performances take place in the Robert G. Reim Theatre of the Kirkwood Community Center, 111 South Geyer Road. For more information, call 314-821-9956 or visit ktg-onstage.org.

The How and the Why

New Jewish Theater presents The How and the Why January 24 - February 11. "In Sarah Treem's smart and provocative play about science, family and survival of the fittest, evolution and emotion collide as two women of different generations struggle to come together both on a professional and on a personal level. The play explores many areas of struggle for women, especially in the field of scientific research: the fierce competition among scientists for recognition of their discoveries; the struggles in the academic world for prestigious positions and grant funding: and female attitudes about sex, relationships, men, motherhood and families." 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.

Gateway Center for Performing Arts' Youth Theatre Company opens its 2017-2018 Mainstage Season with the musical A Little Princess Friday at 7 pm, Saturday at 2 and 7 pm, and Sunday at 2 pm, January 26 - 28. Based on the classic story by Frances Hodgson Burnett, A Little Princess has music by award-winning composer Andrew Lippa and lyricist Brian Crawley. "Separated from her father and the openhearted Africans who have helped him raise her, young Sara Crewe is sent to boarding school in London. When things go badly for her there, her imaginative powers come to the rescue - helping to transform a drab institution into a place of magic and mystery. As the girl wins the affection of the other boarders, she draws the ire of Miss Minchin, the dour headmistress, who forces Sara to work as a maid when her father is reported dead and his fortune is seized. Sara counters all of Miss Minchin's best efforts to degrade her, all the while maintaining the grace and virtue of a little princess. Performances take place at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School, 3125 South Kingshighway in south city. For more information: www.gcpastl.org/tickets.

The Marvelous Wonderettes
Photo: Eric Woolsey

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents The Marvelous Wonderettes through January 28. "The pop doesn't stop in this smash hit musical! A high school prom in 1958 and a 10-year reunion in 1968 provide the backdrop for some of the biggest hits of both decades, performed by an irrepressible quartet of young women. Featuring a stacked playlist that includes "Mr. Sandman," "It's in His Kiss," "Respect," "Son of a Preacher Man" and "Lollipop," it's a joyous snapshot of a musical era." Performances take place at the Loretto-Hilton Center on the Webster University campus. For more information: repstl.org.

The Bissell Mansion Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre presents Mayhem in Mayberry through April. "Welcome to the 10th annual Mayberry-fest. Everyone is looking forward to the highlight of this event - the Miss Mayberry contest. YOU and Sheriff Andy Trailer will judge the contestants (chosen from the audience) on beauty, poise, cookin' skills and a new category this year - Hog callin'. Will the next Miss Mayberry be the vivacious Dazey Doof from Hazzard County? Or the beautiful hillbilly, Elly May Klumpett? Or will it be the lovely Lois Lame from Smallville? Don't county out the charming Paris Hoosier from Hoosierville. She's the main reason the train stops at Petticoat Junction! Sheriff Andy, Deputy Blarney and Aint Bee invite you to join the fun and the mayhem in Mayberry cause it won't be the same without y'all." The Bissell Mansion is at 4426 Randall Place. For more information: bissellmansiontheatre.com.

Menopause the Musical

The Playhouse at Westport Plaza presents Menopause the Musical, "a celebration of women and The Change," through March 31. Four women meet while shopping for a black lace bra at a lingerie sale. After noticing unmistakable similarities among one another, the cast jokes about their woeful hot flashes, mood swings, wrinkles, weight gain and much more. The Playhouse at Westport Plaza is at 635 West Port Plaza. For more information: playhouseatwestport.com.

Winter Opera St. Louis presents Bizet's Les Pecheurs De Perles (The Pearl Fishers) Friday at 8 PM and Sunday at 3 PM, January 26 and 28. Performances take place at The Skip Viragh Center for the Arts at Chaminade College Preparatory School, 425 S. Lindbergh. For more information, visit winteroperastl.org.

The Fox Theatre presents the musical School of Rock, running through January 28. "Based on the hit film, this hilarious new musical follows Dewey Finn, a wannabe rock star posing as a substitute teacher who turns a class of straight-A students into a guitar-shredding, bass-slapping, mind-blowing rock band. This high-octane smash features 14 new songs from Andrew Lloyd Webber, all the original songs from the movie and musical theater's first-ever kids rock band playing their instruments live on stage." The Fox is at 527 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information: fabulousfox.com.

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

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

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