New on the list this week: a new opera, a classic (but rarely performed) musical, and a hymn to yeast. Really.
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New This Week:
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An American Soldier
Photo by Ken Howard |
Opera Theatre of St. Louis presents the world premiere of
An American Soldier, by Huang Ro and David Henry Hwang, running through June 22. "Danny Chen is the son of Chinese immigrants, and a proud American. He enlists in the US Army in 2011, eager to serve his country. In boot camp, Danny is welcomed by his band of brothers. But in Afghanistan, his own base becomes enemy territory as military hazing turns deadly. Based on a true story, this opera asks powerful questions about what it means to be an American." Performances take place at the Loretto-Hilton Center at 135 Edgar Road on the Webster University campus. All performances are sung in English with projected English text. For more information:
experienceopera.org call 314-961-0644.
My take: While I'm not particularly taken with Huang Ro's score, David Henry Hwang's libretto is so strong and the performances of the cast are so compeling that I'm recommending this important new opera without hesitation. As I write in
my reviw for KDHX, it's a work that forcefully reminds of us the gap that far too often exists between our nation's ideals and its realities, and it deserves to be seen.
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Corinne Melançon and Steve Isom
in I Do! I Do!Photo by Peter Wochniak |
Stages St. Louis presents the musical
I Do! I Do!, by the creators of
The Fantasticks, through July 1. "I DO! I DO! tells the poignant story of 50 years in the married lives of Michael and Agnes. This two character musical version of the comedy/drama 'The Fourposter' takes place entirely in a bedroom and takes its audience on a whirlwind journey that begins in 1895 and ends half a century later. I DO! I DO! offers its audiences a frank look at the miracle of marriage as Michael and Agnes experience childbirth, parenthood, and the eventual settling down to face the future and their advancing years together. Originally written for the Broadway stars, Mary Martin and Robert Preston, STAGES employs the innovative theatrical hat-trick of two separate rotating casts: neither of which you will want to miss! An unabashed gift to the many couples who have walked through our doors, I DO! I DO! will be sure to steal your heart while celebrating the many triumphs and heartaches of marriage: past, present, and future!" Performances take place in the Robert G. Reim Theatre at the Kirkwood Community Center, 111 South Geyer Road in Kirkwood. For more information:
stagesstlouis.org.
My take: Originally staged on Broadway back in 1966 and revised for a revival 30 years later, this charming if slight show will strike some familiar chords for anyone who has been married for any length of time. Despite a coupe of emotional crises that are resolved with implausible ease, the emotional stakes in this script are not high, but the appealing score (including the "My Cup Runneth Over," a lovely number that was inescapable back in the late 1960s) and polished production still make this well worth your time. Because, really, not everything has to be fraught with dramatic weight. I saw the "purple" cast, consisting of Stages regular Steve Isom and Corinne Melançon (who is also the production's dance captain). Their work is impeccable, but I don't think you can go wrong with the "red" cast of David Schmittou and Kari Ely either.
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Yeast Nation
Photo by Jill Ritter Lindberg |
New Line Theatre presents the St. Louis premiere of the rock musical
Yeast Nation Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 PM, through June 23. "The world's first bio-historical musical comedy, from the mad geniuses who brought you
Urinetown! It is the year 3,000,458,000 BC. The Earth's surface is a molten mass of volcanic islands and undulating waves. The atmosphere is a choking fog lit by a dim red sun. And the mighty waters of the world are inhabited only by rocks, sand, salt, more rocks, a little silt, and the great society of salt-eating yeasts - yes, yeasts! - the world's very first life form! These single-cell salt-eaters are the only living creatures on earth, and they're struggling against a food shortage, a strange new emotion called Love, and the oppression of a tyrannical yeast king. But when the king's son ventures out of the known yeastiverse, the yeasts' epic story - and ours - is changed forever." 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: One of the takeaways from the success of
Urientown is that you can make a musical out of pretty much anything. So it should be no surprise that Mark Hollmann and Gret Kotis decided to follow up on the success of that first show with a musical about that most song-inducing of subjects, salt-eating yeasts. The show, as Tina Farmer writes
at KDHX, features "vibrant color and effective performances that are delightfully engaging and thoroughly satisfying. You might learn a little science if you listen closely, but you're sure to leave the theater with a smile, a melody in your head and a new appreciation for our distant neighbors those salt-eating yeasts." Sounds...um...tasty.
Held Over:
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La Traviata
Photo by Ken Howard |
Opera Theatre of St. Louis presents Verdi's
La Traviata through June 23. "Violetta has one important rule: never fall in love. As a Parisian courtesan, her life is full of parties, admirers, and - most importantly - freedom. Then she meets Alfredo. His naive sincerity sweeps her off her feet. Just when Violetta thinks she has escaped her past, she is asked to make an unthinkable sacrifice. Will pride, love, or honor prevail? Embrace the romance of this Verdi masterpiece, featuring the directing debut of star soprano Patricia Racette" Performances take place at the Loretto-Hilton Center at 135 Edgar Road on the Webster University campus. All performances are sung in English with projected English text. For more information:
experienceopera.org call 314-961-0644.
My take: There was a time (before November 2016) when I would have suggested that the mix toxic chauvinism and smug self-righteousness of the males characters in Verdi's opera was starting to look dated. Now I'm not so sure. In any case, this new production is getting rave notices for the quality of the singing and acting on display. Having finally seen it myself, I have to agree that, while it may not be my favorite
Traviata (that position is still held by
Union Avenue's wonderful 2014 production), it's an awfully good one. Besides, it stars the immensely talented Sydney Mancasola, who was so impressive in
OTSL's La Rondine in 2015.
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| Life Sucks |
New Jewish Theater presents
Life Sucks by Aaron Posner through June 10. "An irreverent adaptation of Anton Chekhov's
Uncle Vanya, Posner's contemporary riff on the work is altogether wise, profoundly humane, hilarious, quirky, endearing and, in countless clever ways, brilliantly faithful to its source. Posner brings a playful, far from cynical, originality to the story of a group of yearning, frustrated, heartbroken, questioning, and in many ways privileged souls who are, in their varied and deeply flawed ways, trying to cope with all the essential conundrums of existence. It is essentially a play about love, loss and longing - with a healthy dose of Jewish philosophizing thrown in. Never has unhappiness been so much fun." 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: To include or not to include? Reviews of Life Sucks have been somewhat mixed. Ann Lemmons Pollack, for example,
writes that it's "a rollicking evening, and having seen or read Uncle Vanya before is of fairly slight help, hardly a necessity. Just hold on for the ride; the fun is obvious from the very first few minutes." But Judy Newmark
thinks it's "likely to baffle anybody who isn't familiar with 'Uncle Vanya.'” My colleague Tina Farmer
says it's "a thoroughly engaging production that is often laugh-out-loud funny and quite sweetly and unexpectedly satisfying" but Bob Cohn
says that the play's various moving parts "often collide and make the proceedings confusing and the relationships among the characters hard to understand. The fact that many of the players are imitating people who are very drunk doesn't do much to help matters, either." So maybe you should just go and make up your own mind. It's the last show of the season and also the last show NJT will produce under the help of retiring artistic director Kathy Sitzer. Ed Coffield, who takes over next season, is the director this time around.
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Regina
Photo by Ken Howard
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Opera Theatre of St. Louis presents Mark Blitzstein's
Regina running through June 24. "Theft. Blackmail. Murder. Is there nothing that Regina Giddens won't do to satisfy her ambition? Based on Lillian Hellman's play The Little Foxes, and set against a Southern backdrop of spirituals, jazz, and ragtime, this deliciously twisted opera pits siblings and spouses against each other in a battle for the family business. Prepare to be scandalized - and entertained - as the renowned Susan Graham returns to Opera Theatre to portray one of the American stage's most fascinating characters." Performances take place at the Loretto-Hilton Center at 135 Edgar Road on the Webster University campus. All performances are sung in English with projected English text. For more information:
experienceopera.org call 314-961-0644.
My take: As I write in
my review for KDHX,
Regina is an American classic, and the Opera Theater production is a triumph in every respect. Don't miss it. Its condemnation of the ethical vacuum at the heart of crony capitalism and the ugly brutality of those who practice it could hardly be more relevant today. You should not miss it.
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