Chuck's Choices for the weekend of July 27, 2018

New on the list: A jukebox musical based on songs by ABBA, a festival of new one-act plays, and a musical theatre classic at COCA.

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New This Week:

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Mamma Mia!

Stages St. Louis presents the musical Mamma Mia!, based on the music of ABBA, through August 19. "The ultimate feel-good show, MAMMA MIA! uses the music of ABBA to tell the hilarious and touching tale of a teen's search for her birth father on a Greek Island paradise. See why 54 million people all around the world have fallen in love with this pop-music phenomenon of a mother, a daughter, three possible dads, and an unforgettable trip down the aisle! Chock full of explosive dance numbers, you'll want to unleash your inner "Dancing Queen" with such ABBA hits as "Winner Takes It All," "Take A Chance On Me," and the smash title tune, "Mamma Mia." This enchanting tale of love between mothers and daughters, laughter between old friends, and a celebration of newly found family is a guaranteed non-stop party that you won't want to miss!!" 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: As I wrote in my review of the 2002 USA tour of this show on its first visit to the Fox, I am not now nor have I ever been a fan of the 1970s pop quartet ABBA. When they were cranking out hits like "Dancing Queen", I was sneering at them and listening to Elvis Costello and The Ramones. But when I first saw Mamma Mia! in London back in 2001 surrounded by wildly enthusiastic Brits (who apparently feel about ABBA the way the French feel about Jerry Lewis), I had to admit it was great fun. I found it a completely captivating evening of musical theatre, mostly because Judy Craymer, director Phyllida Lloyd and playwright Catherine Johnson (all from Britain, where this show began) have put together a fast-paced, funny, and occasionally even touching show that can send even a die-hard ABBA hater like yours truly out of the theatre with a smile on his face and a handful of those bouncy, hook-laden melodies rattling around in his brain. So enjoy it, already.

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"The Gettier Problem"
Photo by Justin Foizey

St. Louis Actors' Studio presents the Neil LaBute New Theater Festival, Part 2 through July 29 at the Gaslight Theatre, 358 North Boyle. The festival features professional, new and previously unproduced one-act plays 45 minutes or less in length, chosen from submissions to the festival over the previous year. The plays in Part 2 are "4th Reich" by Neil LaBute, "Unabridged" by Sean Abley, "The Gettier Problem" by Michael Long, and "The Process" by Peter McDonough. For more information call 314-458-2978 or visit stlas.org.

My take: I didn't put the first part of the LaBute festival in my list because reviews indicated that the new plays were a rather uneven lot. That doesn't appear to be the case with part two, as Tina Farmer notes in her review for KDHX. "The four one act plays presented in Set Two feel considerably more finished than the shows presented in Set One," she writes, describing the evening as "an enjoyable slate of polished one acts complemented with strong performances and clear direction." And, of course, new plays are always worth your attention.

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West Side Story

COCA presents the musical West Side Story Friday at 7 pm and Saturday at 1 and 5 pm, July 27 and 28. "West Side Story sets Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet in 1950s New York City as the two star-crossed young lovers find themselves caught between warring street gangs. From the first notes to the final breath, their struggle to survive in a world of violence and prejudice remains one of the most memorable and powerful musical dramas of our time. Book by Arthur Laurents. Music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Entire original production directed and choreographed by Jerome Robbins." Performances take place in the Edison Theatre on the Washington University campus. For more information: cocastl.org.

My take: The term "classic" gets thrown around quite a lot in the entertainment biz, of course, and it usually winds up being a synonym for "old". In this case, however, it's fully justified. After all, the people who created West Side Story either already were or would soon become theatrical legends: music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim (his Broadway debut, in fact), book by Arthur Laurents (lifted from Shakespeare, who lifted it from a poem by Arthur Brooke), and direction and choreography by Jerome Robbins. West Side Story is one of the crowning achievements of American musical theatre, and that its moving, complex, and energetic score is one of Bernstein's best efforts in the genre. Besides, with choreography from COCA alum Christopher Page-Sanders, musical direction by Ron McGowan, and direction by Jim Butz, the COCA Summer Musical production features what COCA describes as "St. Louis' most talented 'triple threat' performers." The kids are alright, as the song by The Who goes; check 'em out.