Chuck's Choices for the weekend of August 16, 2019

Yet more musicals are on the list this week, but so is a revamped Greek tragedy and the annual Fringe Festival.

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New This Week:

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Antigone
Photo by Joey Rumpell

Slightly Askew Theatre Ensemble and ERA Theatre present Antigone, adapted from the Sophocles tragedy by Lucy Cashion, Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8 pm, August 14-31. " Antigone explores themes of fidelity, citizenship, civil disobedience, and the struggles and consequences the characters within the world of the play encounter as a result of their choices. Antigone's story of fighting civic law to obey divine law became famous in the Classical Greek tragedy Antigone, which premiered in Athens in 441 B.C. Since then, scholars, poets, and playwrights have written their own translations, adaptations, and critiques of the Antigone story, each from a different point of view. The continuation of this tradition resulted in a new version of Antigone, which was performed in October 2017 by SLU theatre majors in St. Louis and then with a performance by PPA participants at WERDCC in March 2018. The collaboration now continues with this ERA/SATE co-production in St. Louis." Performances take place at The Chapel Venue, 6238 Alexander Drive. For more information: slightlyoff.org.

My take: Lucy Cashion has a well-established reputation for doing surprising and often astonishingly creative things with well-known theatrical material. Some of you will remember Moscow! her remarkable one-hour distillation of Chekov's The Three Sisters that was a hit of the St. Lou Fringe in 2015 or her Oedipus Apparatus, which completely re-shaped the playing space at West End Players Guild back in 2017. As Michelle Kenyon writes at her blog, this re-thinking of the Greek tragedy is "both convention-challenging and thought-provoking, showcasing a superb cast of local performers." On a theatre scene dominated by musicals, this show truly stands out.

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Guys and Dolls
Photo by John Lamb

Stray Dog Theatre presents the Frank Loesser musical Guys and Dolls Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 pm through August 24, with additional performances at 2 pm on Sunday, August 18, and at 8 pm on Wednesday, August 24. "Guys and Dolls takes us from the heart of Depression-era Times Square, to the cafés of Havana, and into the sewers of New York City to give us what some have called the perfect musical comedy. This timeless tale follows ruthless gamblers, sexy nightclub performers, and the hot-tempered law enforcers who keep them all in line." Performances take place at The Tower Grove Abbey, 2336 Tennessee. For more information, visit straydogtheatre.org or call 314-865-1995.

My take: I love Guys and Dolls. The show is based on the short story "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" by Damon Runyon, a name much more famous in 1950 than today. A sports reporter and author of magazine fiction, Runyon romanticized the gamblers, hustlers, and hookers of the Big Apple into quaint characters with rough exteriors and hearts of genuine platinum. The book, by Abe Burrows, based on a treatment by screenwriter Jo Swerling, is faithful to its origins as it tells the story of two mismatched couples. And Frank Loesser's score displays a fine craftsmanship that is getting harder to find in commercial musicals these days. I'm sorry to say I missed the Muny's production earlier this year because of travel commitments, but you can bet that I won't miss Stray Dog's version, which has been getting a lot of love from the critics. At stltoday.com, Calvin Wilson calls it "immensely entertaining...the essence of old-school cool." At KDHX, Tina Farmer says it's "a thoroughly entertaining show that captures all the excitement and romance of the popular musical in a smaller, more intimate but no less compelling setting."

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A Man of No Importance
Photo by Michael Young

R-S Theatrics presents the musical A Man of No Importance Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 7 pm through August 25. "The show has music by Stephen Flaherty, lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and a book by Terrence McNally, based on the 1994 Albert Finney film, of the same title. It tells the story of an amateur theatre group in Dublin and their leader, who is determined to stage a version of Salome at his church, despite the objections of church authorities. " Performances take place at black box theatre at The Marcelle, 3310 Samuel Shepard Dr. in Grand Center. For more information: r-stheatrics.com.

My take: With a book by noted playwright Terrence McNally and a score by the team that brought you Ragtime and Once On This Island, A Man of No Importance is, as Michelle Kenyon writes at her blog, a "witty, charming and poignant show that deserves a wider audience...It's a well-constructed story with some important themes of community, self-expression, family relationships, and more, as well as an overarching tone of sheer love for the theatre. ..Go see this if you can." It's also the last show to be directed for R-S by company founder Christina Rios, who steps down from her position as head of the company at the end of the current season. It's apparently a strong finale, as Mark Bretz writes at Ladue News: "Rios and her inspired cast realize the cadence not only in their characters but in the era and locale as well. A Man of No Importance continues R-S’ tradition of presenting polished and pensive musicals such as Parade while doing so in uplifting fashion.

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The St. Lou Fringe Festival runs through August 17 at multiple venues in the Grand Center area including the Kranzberg Arts Center, Grandel Theatre and the .ZACK Arts Center. Performances include traditional theater, dance, music, comedy, circus arts, performance art, cabaret, and burlesque, with acts from St. Louis and around the country. As the Fringe web site says, the festival is designed to be uncensored, original, and rapid-fire. "Tech is minimal and time is a factor at our festivals. Shows are often kept brief (Fringes most frequently have shows right around 60 minutes in length) and technical requirements kept simple (minor sets, streamlined cues, nothing elaborate)." For a complete schedule, visit stlouisfringe.com.

My take: From its humble beginnings as a loosely organized experiment back in 2012, the St. Lou Fringe has evolved into a major performing arts festival, featuring both national touring acts and local performers. It have, in short, come a long way, baby. The Fringe has garnered national media attention and has also formed partnership with many local arts and education organizations. No wonder festival founder Em Piro got a special award from the St. Louis Theater Circle back in 2014 for the Fringe's contribution to the local performing arts scene. There's no better time to fringe.