Friday, March 29, 2019

Chuck's Choices for the weekend of March 29, 2019

A little gem of a small-cast musical and a festival of readings join a short hit list this week.


New This Week:

Ignite! 2019
The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis opened its Ignite! 2019 festival of staged readings of new plays this week on Wednesday with Quiz Out by Margot Connolly. The festival continues with Frankenstein, adapted from the Mary Shelly novel by Eric Schmiedl, on Saturday, March 30, at 7:30 pm and will conclude with the musical Frida, with book and lyrics by Michael Aman and music by Dana P. Rowe, on Thursday, April 4, at 7:30 pm. Readings take place in the Studio Theatre of the Loretto-Hilton Center on the Webster University campus. For more information: repstl.org.

My take: The Ignite! festival offers theatre fans a rare opportunity to participate in the genesis of new works for the stage. Ignite! presents staged reading of plays commissioned by the Rep. The intent is to nurture the new plays until they get to the point where they’re ready for full productions. Talkback sessions after each reading offer audience members the chance to say what they did or didn’t like and possibly influence the shape of the final piece. Shows from previous festivals like Ayad Akhtar's The Invisible Hand and Scott C. Sickles's Nonsense and Beauty have gone on to become successful fully-staged works. Here's your chance to catch some rising theatrical stars.


The cast of Waitress
Photo by Philicia Endelman
The Fabulous Fox Theatre presents the musical Waitress opening on Tuesday, March 26, at 7:30 pm and running through April 7. "Inspired by Adrienne Shelly's beloved film, Waitress tells the story of Jenna - a waitress and expert pie maker, Jenna dreams of a way out of her small town and loveless marriage. A baking contest in a nearby county and the town's new doctor may offer her a chance at a fresh start, while her fellow waitresses offer their own recipes for happiness. But Jenna must summon the strength and courage to rebuild her own life." The Fabulous Fox Theatre in on N. Grand in Grand Center. For more information: fabulousfox.com.

My take: As I wrote in my reivew, this is a damn near perfect piece of small-cast musical theatre. Jessie Nelson's heartwarming book (based on Adrienne Shelly's 2007 film of the same name), Sara Bareilles's eclectic score, and the outstanding performances by the ensemble cast combine to produce an evening of theatre that's as perfect as one of the protagonist's pies. "The beauty of 'Waitress,' writes Tina Farmer at KDHX, "is in its portrayal of real life, filled with real people doing their best from day to day and trying to find a little happiness in their struggles. The performances are compelling, the songs are varied and emotionally resonant and there's an authenticity and warmth to the story that lingers long after the last pie comes out of the oven."

Held Over:

The Play the Goes Wrong
Photo: John Gitchoff
The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents the comedy The Play That Goes Wrong running through April 7. "Calamity, disaster, fiasco: whichever word you'd like to choose, the opening night performance of The Murder at Haversham Manor has gone decidedly wrong. A maelstrom of madcap madness ensues, complete with collapsing scenery, unconscious actors and a stage crew pushed to the brink. Will The Rep survive this train wreck of a play? Come find out!" Performances take place at the Loretto-Hilton Center on the Webster University campus. For more information: repstl.org

My take: As an old theatere guy myself, I'm something of a sucker for shows (like Michael Frayn's Noises Off) that get comedy out of backstage disaster, if only because anyone who has acted for any length of time will have his or her own tales of theatrical mishap. The Play That Goes Wrong appears to take this gentre to dizzying heights. "Farce," writes Steve Callahan at KDHX, "is technically the most difficult form of theater, and low farce--slapstick farce, like this one--is the most difficult kind of farce. The cast at the Rep are intensely energetic, intensely disciplined and occasionally quite athletic in portraying (and surviving) all their various injuries and embarrassments."

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