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New This Week:
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| Lina Koutrakos |
My take: I have worked with most of the singers in the show in the past and can attest to their talent. I have also worked with and taken classes from Rick and Lina. They're cabaret powerhouses with an uncanny ability to bring out the best in the singers they direct. Expect the best; you won't be disappointed.
Mariposa Productions presents Kelsey Bearman in Lost and Found on Thursday, August 9, at 8 pm. "Traveling from New York City to her hometown of St. Louis and back again, Kelsey's show explores the ebb and flow of life, with a humorous and thoughtful take on its challenges and triumphs. Including jazz standards, contemporary musical theatre, and pop songs from James Taylor to Taylor Swift sprinkled throughout, Bearman musically travels through the confusion and joy of having choices!" Lina Koutrakos directs, with musical direction by Rick Jensen. The performance takes place at the .ZACK Performing Arts Center, 3224 Locust in Grand Center. For more information: metrotix.com.
My take: As I said, Rick and Lina know how to bring out the best in a performer, and based on what I have seen in the past, Kelsey's best is very good indeed.
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| Meet Me in St. Louis Photo by Phillip Hamer |
My take: I haven't been very impressed by this show in the past, but the Muny's production uses a new book by Gordon Greenburg that apparently addresses some of the shortcomings in Hugh Wheeler's original. In her review for KDHX, Tina Farmer praises this version's "more fully developed characters" and more well-established sense of place. And it looks like a good production. "This "Meet Me in St. Louis" makeover is a richly textured tapestry significant to St. Louis," writes Lynn Venhaus at Limelight "one that you can see and feel. With a freshly revised book and new orchestrations, the Muny has connected the ordinary Smith Family’s quaint story to emotionally resonate through the ties that bind us." The Muny's decision to use "color blind" casting has also garnered praise. As former Post-Dispatch theatre critic Judy Newmark writes at her new personal blog, "Sally Benson, who wrote the semi-autobiographical short stories that evolved in "Meet Me in St. Louis," was white (as was her family). But by mixing up the members of this cast, director Marcia Milgrom Dodge makes a smart and sensitive decision.The whole point of ending the season with "Meet Me in St. Louis" is that this show celebrates the St. Louis community at a proud moment. Inclusivity deserves to play a part in that."
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| The Robber Bridegroom Photo by John Lamb |
My take: Stray Dog has been racking up an enviable record of successes lately with its musicals and judging from the reviews this one is no exception. "The songs are catchy and swinging," writes Tina Farmer at KDHX, "and the action is fast, furious and funny, ensuring plenty of laughter and toe-tapping good time for all." At Limelight, Lynn Venhaus concurs. "For a rooting-tooting time at the theater," she says, "head yonder to the Tower Grove Abbey, where wacky hi-jinx are afoot in the Southern-fried 'The Robber Bridegroom'." "Stray Dog Theatre strikes gold," writes Mark Bretz at Ladue News "with its hilarious, high-kicking good time of a production of this infectious musical written by Driving Miss Daisy playwright Alfred Uhry."
Held Over:
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| Mamma Mia! Photo by Peter Wochniak |
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 Realistic Jonses Photo by Eric Woolsey |
My take: As you can tell by the other new items this week, summer theatre in St. Louis isn't limited to big musicals and light comedies. This latest from Rebel and Misfits is a good bet for anyone looking for something more challenging and unconventional on stage. As Tina Farmer writes at KDHX, this is "a visually and intellectually layered show that takes audiences on a wild ride with a startling and abrupt finish. Darkly funny and expertly paced, the emotional pull of the show lies below the surface and audience members are invited to wade in as deeply as suits their preference. Once again, Rebel and Misfits Productions presents a work that challenges audiences while providing a satisfying and comically driven story."
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