Thursday, May 17, 2018

Chuck's Choices for the weekend of May 18, 2018

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:

The Muny has a couple of high-profile events this weekend in anticipation of its upcoming 100th anniversary season. Friday night, May 18, at 9:15 pm there's An Evening With the Stars, featuring a cast of 100 with special performances by show business legends Chita Rivera and Tommy Tune, along with Broadway and Muny stars Patrick Cassidy, Ken Page, Jenny Powers, Lara Teeter and Graham Rowat. There will also be an ensemble of 32 singers and dancers, the Muny Kids and Muny Teens troupes, and (of course) Muny Orchestra. On Saturday, May 20, from 1 to 5 pm you're invited to a free Centennial Birthday Bash. Events include a Chorus Line headshot mosaic, Follies reunion photos, the "Mile of Muny Memories" and No Business Like Show Business Karaoke. The event will culminate with a grand finale inside the theatre. It all happens at the Muny in Forest Park. For more information: muny.org.

My take: No matter how you feel about The Muny, it's centennial is certainly worth celebrating. It looks like the weather might even cooperate, with lows in the low 60s Friday night and highs in the upper 80s Saturday with only at 20% chance of rain.


Phantom of the Opera
The Fox Theatre presents the hit Broadway musical Phantom of the Opera through May 20th. "With newly reinvented staging and stunning scenic design, this new version of PHANTOM is performed by a cast and orchestra of 52, making this one of the largest productions on tour in North America." The Fox is at 527 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information: fabulousfox.com.

My take: It's easy and popular in some quarters to sneer at ALWs absurdly popular mega-musicals, but the fact is that Phantom of the Opera is an entertaining and well-crafted diversion. It doesn't raise any important social issues and there's no subtext - what you see is what you get - but it does have the same the mix of humor and melodrama that characterized Leroux's original novel. The lyrical, dramatic, and intelligent score is, in many ways, one of Lloyd Webber's best, managing to both make fun of and pay homage to 18th and 19th-century opera conventions. The "Prima Donna" septet, for example, could pass as a set piece by Meyerbeer or Massenet, both of whom are deftly parodied in the opening number from the fictitious opera Hannibal. And yet, the score has also produced popular songs such as "Music of the Night" and "All I Ask of You". The latter is probably one of the most ecstatic love duets to emerge from the theatre since Rogers and Hammerstein's "If I Loved You." Reviews have been good, and I say go out and enjoy the spectacle.


A Streetcar Named Desire
Photo by Ride Hamilton
The Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis presents A Streetcar Named Desire through May 19. "A Streetcar Named Desire, one of the most critically acclaimed and beloved plays in the history of American theater, is the story of a troubled former schoolteacher, Blanche DuBois, after she leaves a small town in Mississippi and moves in with her sister (Stella) and her sister's husband (Stanley) in New Orleans. With her flirtatious Southern-belle attitude, Blanche upends the precarious relationship between her sister and brother-in-law, leading to even greater conflict during her brief stay. The Dark Room at the Grandel will feature late night jazz following each evening performance. Performances take place at the Grandel Theatre, 3610 Grandel Square in Grand Center. For more information: twstl.org.

My take: You don't need me to tell you that A Streetcar Named Desire is one of the best things Tennessee Williams ever wrote - right up there with The Glass Menagerie - or that it's generally regarded as an American classic. Maybe you don't even need me to point out that Stanley Kowalski's toxic concept of masculinity and attendant moral hypocrisy are trying desperately to make a comeback these days, with active encouragement from our nation's capitol, which makes the script relevant all over again. So I'll just point our that this production has gotten splendid reviews from folks like Tina Farmer at KDHX and Ann Lemmons Pollack at St. Louis Eats and Drinks, among others. And this weekend is your last chance to see it.

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