New on the list: cabaret fund raisers, a Broadway spectacular, an intimate local premiere, and a Brian Friel classic.
New This Week:
The Black Tulip Chorale presents
Cabaret Soirée, a special benefit performance for the group, on Saturday, May 4, at 8 pm, preceded by a silent auction at 7 pm. The Black Tulip Chorale is "St. Louis' only LGBTQIA-friendly mixed voice ensemble welcoming all genders and orientations. In its inaugural season, the Black Tulip Chorale promotes social consciousness through the finest in choral repertoire. This show features a dozen wonderful singers (some of whom are catching the "Cabaret Bug") from BTC in an evening of songs and stories that are touching, hilarious, profound, and/or kinda raunchy." The evening is hosted by St. Louis cabaret artist Ken Haller and takes place at The Chapel, 6238 Alexander Clayton. For more information:
www.brownpapertickets.com/event/4220447
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| Lola Van Ella |
The Gateway Men's Chorus presents
Cabaret Risque, its annual fundraiser, on Friday, May 3, at 8 pm preceded by a cocktail hour at 7 p.m. "Gateway Men's Chorus welcomes back Miss Lola Van Ella and her troupe to Cabaret Risqué! Join us for an evening of sultry burlesque acts from male and female performers, incredible edibles from some of St. Louis's best caterers, and a range of tempting silent auction items that will tantalize your senses!" The show takes place Rialto Ballroom on the fourth floor of the Centene Center for the Arts, 3547 Olive in Grand Center. For more information:
gatewaymenschorus.org.
My take: Both the Gateway Men's Chorus and The Black Tulip Chorale represent important aspects of the musical scene here. The Gateway Men's Chorus is a local cultural treasure and deserves our support. And and by attending their event, you'll get an entertaining evening of cabaret along with the good feeling of knowing that you've helped them keep going. The Black Tulip Chorale is a spinoff group of the much-admired GMC. Dr. Ken Haller, who is also much admired for his work as a cabaret singer, actor, and (most recently) cabaret director is a force majeure here, which is reason enough to recommend their fund-raiser. And since they're on different night, you could attend both!
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| Miss Saigon |
The Fabulous Fox Theatre presents the musical
Miss Saigon running through May 5. "Experience the acclaimed new production of the legendary musical
Miss Saigon, from the creators of
Les Misérables. This is the story of a young Vietnamese woman named Kim who is orphaned by war and forced to work in a bar run by a notorious character known as the Engineer. There she meets and falls in love with an American G.I. named Chris, but they are torn apart by the fall of Saigon. For 3 years, Kim goes on an epic journey of survival to find her way back to Chris, who has no idea he's fathered a son. Featuring stunning spectacle and a sensational cast of 42 performing the soaring score, including Broadway hits like "The Heat is On in Saigon," "The Movie in My Mind," "Last Night of the World" and "American Dream," this is a theatrical event you will never forget." The Fabulous Fox Theatre in on N. Grand in Grand Center. For more information:
fabulousfox.com.
My take: Unlike some earlier Vietnam War-inspired theatre,
Miss Saigon doesn't deal in propaganda, but it does raise some troubling issues about both the way Americans deal with the rest of the world. At its heart are conflicting visions of America. The Engineer sees it as a place to get rich quick. The reluctant prostitute Kim sees it as a place where her child can grow up without hunger or fear. The jury is still out regarding which is more accurate, although the less family friendly one certainly seems to be on the ascendant these days. Tina Farmer at KDHX calls this production "provocative and thought provoking." "The first touring production of the 2014 revival of this acclaimed musical shows once again the power and majesty of the original," writes Mark Bretz
at Ladue News.
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Salt, Root, and Roe
Photo by ProPhotoSTL |
Upstream Theater presents the St. Louis premiere of
Salt, Root and Roe running through May 12. "Tim Price's
Salt, Root and Roe is a poetic masterwork about the nature of change, the comfort of home, and the eternal bond of love, set against the mythical backdrop of the Pembrokeshire coast in western Wales. The play centers on identical twins Iola and Anest, who are very devoted to each other. Ageing fast, and with the time they have together more fragile by the day, they arrive at a desperate decision. Word of this reaches Anest's daughter Menna, who rushes to her long-abandoned childhood home where her own ideas of love and compromise are tested to the limit. In spite of its somber themes, the play is light, textured and at times very funny-and in the words of one reviewer "like a pebble picked from a Pembrokeshire beach… something to take home and reflect over, something that evokes a smell of the sea..."Another US premiere from Upstream Theater, in co-production with Stages Repertory Theatre of Houston." Performances take place at the Kranzberg Arts Center, 501 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information, including show times:
upstreamtheater.org.
My take: I'm getting to the age at which plays about Alzheimer's tend to make me more than a little uncomfortable, but there's no doubt that reviews for Upstream's production have been good. "Tim Price's affecting, absorbing drama is given a top-notch presentation in its American premiere production," writes Mark Bretz
at Ladue News. "It's a one-act wonder that ideally fits Upstream's goal "to move you and move you to think."
At KDHX, Steve Callahan praises the "superb cast," which consists of some of our finest local actors: Donna Weinsting, Amy Loui, Sally Edmundson, and Eric Dean White.
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Translations
Photo by Sharon Corcoran |
The Black Mirror Theatre presents Brien Friel's
Translations running through May 4. "Translations is an intimate look into a world at odds with itself. It could have been set in one of any number of eras and lands - anywhere in which an alien force imposes it's culture on a conquered people through the suppression of all that which gave and gives that culture cohesion, especially its language. One need look no farther than America, where indigenous peoples still struggle to maintain and transmit their values, beliefs, their souls thru their native tongues." Performances take place at the .ZACK, 3224 Locust in Grand Center. For more information:
blackmirrortheatre.com
My take: Brian Friel is a gifted playwright, and
Translations is one of his finest pieces. In
his review for KDHX, Jacob Juntunen describes this production as "intimate and moving." "The ten-person cast makes a wonderfully strong ensemble," he writes, "and does great work together."
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