Symphony Review: An inspiring Mahler "Resurrection" from the SLSO

A good Mahler's Symphony No. 2 ("Resurrection") should deliver the "three Ts": tragedy, terror, and triumph. The performance last Friday night (September 27, 2009) by Stéphane Denève and the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (SLSO) and Chorus did all that and more. It was a brilliant piece of work.

[Find out more about the music with my symphony preview.]

The SLSO assembles for the Mahler 2nd

The "Resurrection" Symphony has long been a favorite of mine, going back to my first encounter with the classic Otto Klemperer recording from the early 1960s. A kind of Mahler multivitamin, the "Resurrection" contains all the key elements of the Viennese master's work: moments of chamber-music delicacy alternating with massive orchestral outbursts; vulgar marches; lilting Ländler; a darkly comic scherzo; and passages of sublime beauty; and, of course, that overwhelming final movement. And yet, in the musical equivalent of alchemy, Mahler's sense of architecture somehow transmutes it all into a single, unified work that brilliantly encompasses the themes of death, rebirth, and transcendence.

I loved everything about this performance, with certain moments standing out as emblematic of Mr. Denève's masterful command of the work.

Tamara Mumford

A tone of dramatic urgency was set from the start. There was anxiety in the string tremolos, and the rising first theme in the lower strings crackled with energy and menace. Mr. Denève used Mahler's silences very effectively, giving the final massive statement of the "death march" theme overwhelming power. That theme builds to a massive, dissonant series of chords in the brasses that resolves in a massive orchestral crash. Friday night it felt like the crack of doom.

There were many other wonderful details to be heard, all attesting to Mr. Denève's deep understanding of this music, right down to the most polished details. The Ländler theme of the second movement radiated wistful charm and the later pizzicato repetition by the strings was sheer gossamer. The sharp tympani attack that opened the third movement was striking and the orchestral "death shriek" at the end of that movement was hair raising. A writer for the BBC Symphony once described this as "the whole orchestra blowing/hammering/playing the heck out of their instruments," which about sums it up.

And then there was the calming fourth movement, with mezzo soloist Tamara Mumford both acting and singing the role of the small child insisting on admission to heaven with impressive conviction. She was a last-minute substitute for an ailing Kelley O'Connor, but you wouldn't have known that from the quality of her work. Principal Oboe Jelena Dirks blended with her lovingly in the first verse.

Joélle Harvey

The big challenge, of course, is the fifth and final movement, which begins with apocalypse--including offstage horns and even a brass band--and ends with the massive celebration of rebirth. Mahler wrote his own lyrics for this section, and they take the Christian concept of resurrection and expand it to a pantheistic celebration of life renewed. "At the end of the Second Symphony," observes Mr. Denève in the program notes, "the god that offers the possibility to arise, to be immortal, is a god that does not judge."

That's a lot of baggage for one movement and it can feel episodic, but it all worked perfectly Friday night. Soprano Joélle Harvey sang the "O glaube, mein Herz, o glaube" ("O believe, my heart, believe") verses with feeling, and the chorus sang with irresistible clarity and force. That final, full volume statement by the chorus and orchestra of Mahler's belief in the redemptive power of love was a glorious thing to behold.

This was, in short, a "Resurrection" that grabbed me from the start and didn't let go until that ecstatic finale.

Best of all, the SLSO musicians were all at the top of their game. The principals in every section played their solo moments perfectly. I was especially taken with Principal Flute Mark Sparks and Ann Choomack on piccolo in their fifth movement "birdsong" solo, but everyone covered themselves with glory. The horns and brasses, in particular, have never sounded better. All things considered, I'd rank that "Resurrection" up there with my all-time favorite, the one Leonard Slatkin conducted with the SLSO back in 1983. It was recorded digitally for Teldec back then. It's out of print, but you can still find it on Amazon.

The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra season continues this Friday at 10:30 am and Saturday at 8 pm with a pair of Romantic blockbusters: Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3 and Elgar's Symphony No. 1. Edo de Waart will be at the podium and Joyce Yang at the keyboard. Performances take place in Powell Symphony Hall in Grand Center.

St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of September 30, 2019

There are new shows in the mix this week from Webster University, Shakespeare Festival, and the Fabulous Fox.

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The Agitators
Photo by ProPhotoSTL

Upstream Theater presents The Agitators running through October 13. "Upstream Theater is excited to present Mat Smart's compelling play The Agitators, which takes us straight into the thunder and lightning of the 45-year friendship between Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony. After meeting in Rochester in the 1840's, these two social activists became great allies and, at times, great adversaries. They agitated the nation, they agitated (and sometimes aggravated) each other and, in so doing they helped change the Constitution and the course of American history." Performances take place at the Kranzberg Arts Center, 501 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information, including show times: upstreamtheater.org.

Angels in America, Part 1
Photo by Peter Wochniak

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents Angels in America, Part 1: Millennium Approaches and Angels in America, Part 2: Perestroika in alternating repertory through October 4. "A towering epic that unveils new depths with each passing year, Tony Kushner's Tony- and Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece arrives on The Rep's stage for the first time. The AIDS epidemic is the flashpoint in Kushner's swirling tapestry of American culture, myths and spirituality. Navigating this maelstrom are Prior Walter, whose prophetic visions lead him toward an uncertain destiny, Joe Pitt, a devout and painfully closeted Mormon, and Roy Cohn, a lawyer whose AIDS diagnosis forces him to face a lifetime of misdeeds. These twin plays' vision of a wounded and chaotic nation struggling toward redemption is more urgent than ever." Performances take place at the Loretto-Hilton Center on the Webster University campus. For more information: repstl.org

Alpha Players present the musical The Bridges of Madison County running through October 6. Performances take place at The Florissant Civic Center Theater, Parker Rd. at Waterford Dr. in Florissant, MO. For more information: alphaplayers.org, call 314-921-5678.

TLT Productions presents Chasing Waterfalls opening on Friday, October 4, at 8 pm and running through October 12. "Chasing Waterfalls, a R&B musical revue strolls down musical memory lanes. Featuring music from the 90's Era and the early 00's - 'Chasing Waterfalls' explores pop culture and the glorified life of the music industry." Performances take place at the .ZACK Theatre in Grand Center. For more information: www.metrotix.com

CSZ St. Louis presents The ComedySportz Show on Saturday nights at 7:30 pm. The show is "action-packed, interactive and hilarious comedy played as a sport. Two teams battle it out for points and your laughs! You choose the winners the teams provide the funny!" Performances take place on the second floor of the Sugar Cubed, 917 S Main St. in St Charles, Mo. For more information: www.cszstlouis.com.

Cry-Baby
Photo by Jill Ritter Lindberg

New Line Theatre presents the musical Cry-Baby Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 pm through October 19. "It's 1954. Everyone likes Ike, nobody likes communism, and Wade 'Cry-Baby' Walker is the coolest boy in Baltimore. He's a bad boy with a good cause -- truth, justice, and the pursuit of rock and roll." Performances take place at the Marcelle Theater, 3310 Samuel Shepard Drive, three blocks east of Grand, in Grand Center. For more information, visit newlinetheatre.com or call 314-534-1111.

Equivocation
Photo by John Lamb

The West End Players Guild opens its 109th season with Bill Cain's Equivocation Thursday through Saturday at 8 pm and Sunday at 2 pm, October 3-6. "Equivocation is a Shakespearean tale of intrigue starring the Bard himself. The King offers Shakespeare a commission he can't refuse, to write a play about the Gunpowder Plot to blow up Parliament. Shakespeare discovers it is a perilous assignment, as he learns that the King's version of the story does not quite square with the facts. Shakespeare is torn between the truth and the Crown. Can he walk this tightrope without losing his head (literally)?" There will also be a show on Thursday, October 3, at 8 pm. Performances take place at the Union Avenue Christian Church, 733 North Union at Enright in the Central West End. For more information, call 314-367-0025 or visit www.westendplayers.org.

Fifty Words
Photo courtesy of STLAS

St. Louis Actors' Studio presents Fifty Words by Michael Weller Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 3 pm through October 6. "While their nine-year-old son is away for the night on his first sleepover, Adam and Jan have an evening alone together, their first in years. Adam's attempt to seduce his wife before he leaves on business the next day begins a suspenseful nightlong roller-coaster ride of revelation, rancor, passion and humor that explores a modern-day marriage on the verge of either a breakup or deepening love and understanding." Performances take place at the Gaslight Theatre on North Boyle in the Central West End. For more information, call 314-458-2978 or visit stlas.org.

Hello, Dolly!

The Fabulous Fox Theatre presents the musical Hello Dolly! opening on Tuesday, October 1, at 7:30 pm and running through October 13. "Winner of four Tony® Awards including Best Musical Revival, HELLO, DOLLY! is the universally acclaimed smash that NPR calls “the best show of the year!” and the Los Angeles Times says “distills the mood-elevating properties of the American musical at its giddy best.” Director Jerry Zaks' “gorgeous” new production (Vogue) is “making people crazy happy!” (The Washington Post). After breaking box office records week after week and receiving unanimous raves on Broadway, this HELLO, DOLLY! is now touring America, paying tribute to the original work of legendary director/choreographer Gower Champion - hailed both then and now as one of the greatest stagings in musical theater history." The Fabulous Fox Theatre in on N. Grand in Grand Center. For more information: fabulousfox.com.

Webster University's Conservatory of Theatre Arts presents Ismene by Sato Makoto Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30 pm Saturdaya at 2 and 7:30 pm and Sundays at 2 pm, October 3-13. "Ismene is a modern take on Sophocles' Antigone told through the eyes of Antigone's younger sister. Her beloved brothers have killed each other in battle; the king has declared one a hero and the other a traitor. When the body of her traitorous brother is delivered to her door, Ismene must decide what to do. This poignant, absurdist play explores the role of family, loyalty, and coca cola in one of the great Greek tragedies." Performances take place in the Emerson Studio Theater of the Loretto-Hilton Center on the Webster University campus. For more information, www.webster.edu/conservatory/season or call 314-968-7128.

Satori presents Man in the Box by Tom Brady and Monica Newsam in collaboration with video artist Zlatko Cosic, on Friday, October 4, at 8 pm. " Man in the Box as performed in 2019 represents the culmination of a personal journey, witnessing the artistic growth as evolved over more than 40 years. Brady and Newsam perform together moving through a forest of eighteen -15' poles set to Brady's original music. Audience is immersed in the vision as catalyst. The juxtaposition of the sculptural stage space, light and shadow, original sound track and innovative movement vocabulary, create a transformative, visceral response." Satori is at 3003 Locust in Midtown. For more information: https://www.eventbrite.com/o/annonyarts-at-satori-3023940440

Man of La Mancha
Photo by ProPhotoSTL

Stages St. Louis presents the musical Man of La Mancha through October 6. "A romantic and inspiring musical adventure, MAN OF LA MANCHA tells the epic story of seventeenth-century author Miguel de Cervantes and his immortal literary creation Don Quixote." 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.

The Bissell Mansion Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre presents Sherlock Holmes in "The Case Without a Clue" running through October 27 The Bissell Mansion is at 4426 Randall Place. For more information: bissellmansiontheatre.com

Shakespeare Festival St. Louis, The Big Muddy Dance Company, Jazz St. Louis and the Nine Network of Public Media present an adaptation of Duke Ellington's Such Sweet Thunder Thursday through Saturday, October 3-5 at 8:00 pm. "The collaboration between Shakespeare Festival St. Louis, Nine Network of Public Media, Jazz St. Louis, and The Big Muddy Dance Company brings to life Such Sweet Thunder, a 12-part jazz suite from Duke Ellington, in a multi-disciplinary performance to portray a tempestuous love story set in the 1950s. Bruce Longworth will adapt the script and direct the ensembles which include two actors Rayme Cornelle (Kate) and Ron Himes (Henry), 18 dancers in original choreography by Dexandro Montalvo and a 15-piece band playing Ellington's timeless score." Free performances take place in the Public Media Commons in Grand Center. Reservations are recommended. For more information: www.sfstl.com

Valhalla Cemetery and The Hawthorne Players present Voices Of Valhalla: A Hayride Through History October 4 - 12. Hayrides through Valhalla Cemetery depart every fifteen minutes beginning at 6:30 each evening as members of the Hawthorne Players portray some of the noted locals buried in Valhalla. Valhalla Cemetery is located at 7600 St. Charles Rock Road. For more information, visit hawthorneplayers.com.

YoungLiars present Whammy! The Seven Secrets to a Sane Self at Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 pm through October 5. "The agony and the ecstasy of "self-help" get a delirious makeover in this madcap dance-theatre extravaganza. Part 1960s dance party and part Nietzschean nightmare, Whammy! prods and probes the American fever dream where Dr. Phil, Diazepam and daily affirmations crash headlong in sexual addiction, suicide and The Shirelles. WTF? Want to know the seven secrets to a sane self? You know you do! And there's only one way to find out! The show that started it all. Whammy! was the opening production of the inaugural Xfest. Ten years later the show (which has been presented in St. Louis, Columbus and NYC) returns - re-imagined and re-cast, featuring SIUE Theater Dance alums and faculty." Performances take place at The Centene Center for the Arts, 3547 Olive in Grand Center. For more information: www.facebook.com

The Lemp Mansion Comedy-Mystery Dinner Theater presents Zombie Love (No Biting) running through November 2. "Calling all Zombies! Tired of being judged for munching on the occasional brain? So you're not really "alive" anymore but you can still enjoy socializing with the living and enjoying a hilarious show together! Well, we've got the perfect show for you! Drama! Comedy! Looove! ...And, of course, Zombies! Don your best Living Dead Costume and choose to be a Zombie, or not (its up to you), but we do promise lots of fun for both the living and the undead! hey, Hey, HEY! No Biting!" The Lemp Mansion is at 3322 DeMenil Place. For more information: lempmansion.com.

Looking for auditions and other artistic opportunities? Check out the St. Louis Auditions site.

For information on events beyond this week, check out the searchable database at the Regional Arts Commission's Events Calendar.

Would you like to be on the radio? KDHX, 88.1 FM needs theatre reviewers. If you're 18 years or older, knowledgeable in this area, have practical theatre experience (acting, directing, writing, technical design, etc.), have good oral and written communications skills and would like to become one of our volunteer reviewers, send an email describing your experience and interests to chuck at kdhx.org. Please include a sample review of something you've seen recently.

St. Louis classical calendar for the week of September 30, 2019

It's officially fall, but the weather is hot and so is the local classical scene, with concerts from (among others) the SLSO, the Chamber Project, and nationally known organist Christopher Houlihan.

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The Bach Society of St. Louis presents Bachtoberfest on Friday, October 4, at 6 pm. " Join us for a festive evening of beer, wine, German fare and Deutschland's favorite drinking songs at the Anheuser Busch Biergarten! Attire is casual or Oktoberfest flair!" The event takes place at the Anheuser Busch Beer Garden, 1200 Lynch. For more information: www.bachsociety.org.

Members of The Chamber Project St. Louis

The Chamber Project STL presents a Very Open Rehearsal on Thursday, October 3, from 7 to 8pm. "Be a part of a working rehearsal with Chamber Project St. Louis. Learn about the process of making music in this casual, interactive musical experience. Ask questions about the music, the instruments, the musicians - whatever comes to mind. A moderator will facilitate engagement between the audience and the musicians, who will be preparing a piece for the upcoming concert on October 11." The event takes place at the Thornhill Branch of the St. Louis County Library, 12863 Willowyck Dr. For more information: chamberprojectstl.org.

Christopher Houlihan

Hope Lutheran Church presents organist Christopher Houlihan in a dedication recital for the church's newly constructed Parsons Pipe Organ on Friday, October 4, at 7:30 pm. "Houlihan's organ dedication recital includes favorites by Bach, Buxtehude, Schumann, Herbert Howells, and excerpts from Louis Vierne's Symphony No. 2. A renowned interpreter of Vierne's organ music, Houlihan's 'Vierne 2012' tour attracted international attention and critical acclaim for his marathon performances of Vierne's six organ symphonies in six major North American cities. The Los Angeles Times called his performance there 'a major surprise of the summer, a true revelation'.” Hope Lutheran Church is at 5218 Neosho Street. For more information: http://www.hopelutheranstl.org/home.

The St. Louis Chamber Chorus presents Swimming Over London on Sunday, October 6, at 3 pm. "Join the Saint Louis Chamber Chorus for the opening of Barnes' 31st year and another season of inspired choral music. Bob Chilcott's piece Swimming Over London inspires the theme, which is designed to suit the concert's venue. Now an African American masonic lodge, Masonic Prince Hall Grand originally housed a swimming pool! In addition to Chilcott's piece, the repertoire explores the motif of water in legends of submerged cities (Brahms and Edgar Bainton), to music that evokes lakes and rivers in England, Scotland and Poland in part songs celebrating the Thames (Arthur Bliss), Loch Lomond (Vaughan Williams), and the Vistula (Henryk Górecki)." The concert takes place at the Masonic Prince Hall Grand Lodge, 4525 Olive in Midtown. For more information: www.chamberchorus.org.

Lily Afshar

The St. Louis Classical Guitar Society presents Lily Afshar in Celebrating Women of Classical Guitar on Saturday, October 5, at 8 pm. “Who better to kick off our celebration of women in classical guitar than the first woman in the world to be awarded a Doctor of Music in Guitar Performance? Dr. Lily Afshar holds this claim to fame alongside her long list of equally as impressive accolades. Originally from Iran, her performance will feature Persian and Azerbaijani Ballads which are sure to delight.” The performance takes place at the Ethical Society, 9001 Clayton Road. For more information: www.guitarstlouis.net.

Edo de Waart conducts The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra along with pianist Joyce Yang in Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3 and Elgar's Symphony No. 1 on Friday at 10:30 am and Saturday at 8 pm, October 4 and 5. "Two composers, contemporaries yet strangers, poured their whole selves into their music. Pianist Joyce Yang, “an astonishing virtuoso,” makes her SLSO debut. She captures a full kaleidoscope on Rachmaninoff's journey from darkness into light. Elgar's First Symphony was a hit from its first performance, a musical autobiography that surges with pride, love and joy." Performances take place at Powell Symphony Hall in Grand Center. For more information: stlsymphony.org.

Gemma New

Gemma New conducts The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra in a free community concert on Friday, October 4, at 7 pm. Sharing the stage with more than 100 music educators in a program that celebrates the importance of music education. The EXTRA CREDIT concert is a special side-by-side concert with musicians of the SLSO that celebrates the contributions of educators who teach music. The erformance takes place at Powell Symphony Hall in Grand Center. For more information: stlsymphony.org.

Gemma New conducts The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra in Music Without Boundaries on Sunday, October 6, at 3 pm. "Music is a language spoken around the world, with unique regional dialects created through differences in rhythm, style, instrumentation and tradition. In partnership with the World Traveler Gallery at The Magic House, we will travel around the world exploring a variety of music from different cultures." The concert includes works by Bernstein, Ravel, and Mendelssohn. The erformance takes place at Powell Symphony Hall in Grand Center. For more information: stlsymphony.org.

Symphony Preview: Heaven, I'm in Heaven

This Friday and Saturday (September 27 and 28) Stéphane Denève leads the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in Mahler's awe-inspiring Symphony No. 2 in C minor ("Resurrection"). Running around eighty minutes, it's the only work on the program but, trust me, you won't feel short changed.

Contemporary characterture of Mahler
conducting his Symphony No. 1

According to musicologist Donald Mitchell, Mahler once told Sibelius that a symphony "must be like the world. It must embrace everything." His "Resurrection" Symphony takes that "one stop beyond" to embrace not only the world but also what comes after the world has been left behind. Death, rebirth, transcendence--it's all here and delivered with that dramatic punch that characterizes Mahler's best work.

The "Resurrection" had a long gestation period. Mahler composed the grandly tragic first movement--which he titled Todtenfeier ("Funeral Rite")--in 1888, shortly after the completion of his popular Symphony No. 1. Indeed, as Richard Freed points out in program notes for the National Symphony Orchestra, the composer originally intended this movement as "a direct sequel to his First Symphony, representing the funeral of the hero celebrated as a young man in that just-completed work."

In 1889, during his tenure as director of the Budapest Opera, he began work on the sweetly nostalgic second movement, with its reflection of earthy joys left behind, but didn't manage to finish it until 1893, when he had relocated to Hamburg. There, he also wrote the witty scherzo that became the symphony's third movement. Based on Mahler's earlier setting of a poem from the collection of folk poetry "Das Knaben Wunderhorn" ("The Boy's Magic Horn") about St. Anthony trying to preach to fishes--who, like humans, listen politely and then and go on their merry way--it becomes a metaphor for the endless whirl of daily existence.

At the same time Mahler wrote another "Wunderhorn" song, "Urlicht" ("Primal Light") which would become the basis for the mysterious fourth movement. It represents, in Mahler's words, "the soul's striving and questioning attitude towards God and its own immortality."

The grand final movement, with its overwhelming depiction of the end of the world and the final spiritual rebirth of all things, didn't take shape until 1894 when Mahler attended the funeral of Hans von Bülow, the renowned pianist and conductor who was a major figure on the 19th-century German musical scene. At the funeral, the chorus began to intone the first words of Friedrich Gottlob Klopstock's "Resurrection Ode"):

Rise again, yes, you will rise again,
My dust, after brief rest!
Immortal life! Immortal life
Will He, who called you, grant you.

Soprano Joelle Hervey
Photo courtesy of the artist

As Mahler wrote in an 1897 letter to Arthur Seidl "It flashed on me like lightning, and everything became plain and clear in my mind! It was the flash that all creative artists wait for--"conceiving by the Holy Ghost!" He fleshed out Klopstock's original with lyrics of this own (see below) and the symphony was finally born.

First performed in Berlin in 1895 with the composer conducting, the work was the most popular of Mahler's symphonies during his lifetime and it was voted the fifth most popular symphony of all time by a worldwide poll of high-profile conductors conducted by the BBC Music Magazine in 2016.

Maestro Denève articulates the work's universal appeal quite well in this week's program notes. "Maybe the 'Resurrection' is the most global of Mahler's symphonies. It is beyond religion. He had lost his mother, his father, his sister. At the end of the Second Symphony, the god that offers the possibility to arise, to be immortal, is a god that does not judge.

It is about love. The way we will save ourselves is love."

If that sounds rather unlike the angry, hyper-judgmental religion of some believers these days, perhaps it's because Mahler's own faith has never been entirely clear. An Austrian Jew who converted to Catholicism out of professional expediency, Mahler has always, to my ears, shown a kind of joyous pantheism in his music that transcends the crabbed limitations of dogma. You hear it most prominently in his Symphony No. 3, but also in those lines that Mahler added to Klopstock's originals in the triumphal, ecstatic finale of the "Resurrection" (translation from the SLSO program):

O believe, my heart, believe:
Nothing will be lost to you!
Yours, yes, yours is what you longed for,
Yours what you loved,
What you fought for!

O believe:
You were not born in vain!
You have not lived in vain, nor suffered!

All that has come into being must perish!
All that has perished must rise again!
Cease from trembling!
Prepare to live!

O Pain, piercer of all things!
From you I have been wrested!
O Death, conqueror of all things!
Now you are conquered!

With wings I won for myself,
In love's ardent struggle,
I shall soar upwards
To that light which no eye has penetrated!
I shall die so as to live!

Rise again, yes, you will rise again,
My heart, in the twinkling of an eye!
What you have conquered,
Will bear you to God!

This God doesn't build walls. He doesn't have someone sitting at the gate of heaven to weigh souls. He's not interested in seeing anyone roast in hellfire. He's just welcoming back the part of himself that lives in everyone and everything.

Mezzo Tamara Mumford
Photo courtesy of Opus3 Artists

As you may have gathered from the preceding, the "Resurrection" Symphony has long been a favorite of mine, going back to my first encounter with the classic Otto Klemperer recording from early 1960s. A kind of Mahler multivitamin, the "Resurrection" contains all the key elements of the Viennese master's work: moments of chamber-music delicacy alternating with massive orchestral outbursts, vulgar marches, lilting Ländler, a darkly comic scherzo, and passages of sublime beauty, and, of course, that overwhelming final movement. And yet, in the musical equivalent of alchemy, Mahler's sense of architecture somehow transmutes it all in to a single, unified work that brilliantly encompasses the themes of death, rebirth, and transcendence.

Done well, the work's final glorious moments of spiritual rebirth never fail to move one to tears.

If you'd like a more detailed breakdown of the work, there's quite a good one in this week's program notes. For a lighter point of view, there's a droll article at Britain's commercial classical music station Classic FM that includes video snippets of great conductors going into near-orgasmic states of ecstasy conducting the work's final moments. It's irreverent but not inaccurate.

The Essentials: Stéphane Denève conducts The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and Chorus along with soloists Joélle Harvey (soprano) and Tamara Mumford (mezzo-soprano) in a performance of Mahler's Symphony No. 2 ("Resurrection") Friday and Saturday at 8 pm September 27 and 28. Making her SLSO debut, Ms. Mumford appears as a substitute for Kelley O'Connor, who had to withdraw due to illness. Performances take place at Powel Symphony Hall in Grand Center.

Chuck's Choices for the weekend of September 27, 2019

New this week: the annual Hotchner festival.

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New This Week:

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This year's A.E. Hotchner playwrights
L-R: Elizabeth Brown, Kelly Minster, Sophie Tegnu

The Performing Arts Department at Washington University presents its annual A.E. Hotchner Playwriting Festival this weekend, showcasing three new plays by student playwrights. The Festival opens with You Don't Live Here Anymore by Elizabeth Brown on Friday, September 27, at 7:00 pm, continues with This House by Kelly Minster on Saturday, September 28, at 2 pm, and concludes with Mrs. Kelley's Igloo by Sophie Tegenu on Saturday, September 29, at 7 pm. All performances, which are free and open to the public, take place in the A.E. Hotchner Studio Theatre in the Mallinckrodt Student Center on the Washington University campus. For more information, including play synopses, visit pad.artsci.wustl.edu.

My take: What are the next generation of playwrights up to? What are their concerns? Washington University gives us a yearly glilmpse into the future with the Hotchner festival. This year the focus is on out-of-kilter families and that leap of faith known as marriage. Maybe they're hits, maybe they're misses, but there's no way to know without showing up. And the price is certainly right!

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Held Over:

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Angels in America, Part 2
Photo by ProPhotoSTL

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents Angels in America, Part 1: Millennium Approaches and Angels in America, Part 2: Perestroika running in alternating repertory with through October 4. "A towering epic that unveils new depths with each passing year, Tony Kushner's Tony- and Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece arrives on The Rep's stage for the first time. The AIDS epidemic is the flashpoint in Kushner's swirling tapestry of American culture, myths and spirituality. Navigating this maelstrom are Prior Walter, whose prophetic visions lead him toward an uncertain destiny, Joe Pitt, a devout and painfully closeted Mormon, and Roy Cohn, a lawyer whose AIDS diagnosis forces him to face a lifetime of misdeeds. These twin plays' vision of a wounded and chaotic nation struggling toward redemption is more urgent than ever." Performances take place at the Loretto-Hilton Center on the Webster University campus. For more information: repstl.org

My take: Angels in America: Gay Fantasia on National Themes (to quote its full title) is, effectively, an opera with no singing. It's a sweeping, unapologetically theatrical examination of some of the most basic of human ideas: love, death, loyalty, commitment, community and lots of other things that are usually capitalized when we discuss them. It's an epic tale told, as the best epics are, through the lives of a collection of flawed and fascinating characters. I saw Part 1 last weekend was sufficiently blown away by the quality of the Rep's production to recommend both parts without reservation. Yes, they're very long shows--Part 1 clocks in at around 3:15 with two intermissions and Part 2 (in the current revision, which dates from 2013) at around 3:30. Trust me, you'll never notice the length. Kushner's writing is so deft and this production so brilliantly acted and directed that the time flies like, well, an angel. I'd put this version of Angels right up there with the stunning production Stray Dog did in 2012, and that's high praise indeed.

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Man of La Mancha
Photo by ProPhotoSTL

Stages St. Louis presents the musical Man of La Mancha through October 6. "A romantic and inspiring musical adventure, MAN OF LA MANCHA tells the epic story of seventeenth-century author Miguel de Cervantes and his immortal literary creation Don Quixote." 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: Winner of five Tony awards and four Variety Poll of Drama Critics awards and with an impressive track record of 2,329 performances on Broadway, Man of La Mancha has remained enduringly popular since its first performance on the Great White Way in 1965. The Stages production demonstrates forcefully what that is the case. The drama, comedy, and (above all) the inspiring message about the importance of "achieving the impossible" by "attempting the absurd" (to cite the Miguel Unamuno quote that inspired Dale Wasserman to write the show in the first place) come through loud and clear. If you're a fan of this play, you won't want to miss this one. It's a polished and moving way to close their current season. And it's even performed in its original one act format, running right at two hours and feeling much shorter.

St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of September 23, 2019

The big fall theatre season continues with new shows by Upstream, West End, and New Line, among many others.

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Upstream Theater presents The Agitators opening on Friday, September 27, at 8 pm and running through October 13. "Upstream Theater is excited to present Mat Smart's compelling play The Agitators, which takes us straight into the thunder and lightning of the 45-year friendship between Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony. After meeting in Rochester in the 1840's, these two social activists became great allies and, at times, great adversaries. They agitated the nation, they agitated (and sometimes aggravated) each other and, in so doing they helped change the Constitution and the course of American history." Performances take place at the Kranzberg Arts Center, 501 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information, including show times: upstreamtheater.org.

Angels in America, Part 1
Photo by Peter Wochniak

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents Angels in America, Part 1: Millennium Approaches and Angels in America, Part 2: Perestroika in alternating repertory through October 4. "A towering epic that unveils new depths with each passing year, Tony Kushner's Tony- and Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece arrives on The Rep's stage for the first time. The AIDS epidemic is the flashpoint in Kushner's swirling tapestry of American culture, myths and spirituality. Navigating this maelstrom are Prior Walter, whose prophetic visions lead him toward an uncertain destiny, Joe Pitt, a devout and painfully closeted Mormon, and Roy Cohn, a lawyer whose AIDS diagnosis forces him to face a lifetime of misdeeds. These twin plays' vision of a wounded and chaotic nation struggling toward redemption is more urgent than ever." Performances take place at the Loretto-Hilton Center on the Webster University campus. For more information: repstl.org

St. Charles Community College presents the Neil Simon's Brighton Beach Memoirs Wednesday through Sunday, September 25-29. "Here is part one of Neil Simon's autobiographical trilogy: a portrait of the writer as a young teen in 1937 living with his family in a crowded, lower middle-class Brooklyn home. Eugene Jerome is the narrator and central character. Dreaming of baseball and girls, Eugene must cope with the mundane existence of his family life in Brooklyn: a formidable mother, overworked father, and his worldly older brother Stanley. Throw into the mix his widowed Aunt Blanche and her two young daughters and you have a recipe for hilarity, served up Simon-style. This bittersweet memoir evocatively captures the life of a struggling Jewish household where, as his father states 'if you didn't have a problem, you wouldn't be living here.'" Performances take place in the FAB Theater in the Donald D. Shook Fine Arts Building on the campus at 4601 Mid Rivers Mall Drive in Cottleville, MO. For more information, call 636-922-8050 or visit https://stchas.edu/events.

Alpha Players present the musical The Bridges of Madison County opening on Friday, September 27, at 8 pm and running through October 6. Performances take place at The Florissant Civic Center Theater, Parker Rd. at Waterford Dr. in Florissant, MO. For more information: alphaplayers.org, call 314-921-5678.

CSZ St. Louis presents The ComedySportz Show on Saturday nights at 7:30 pm. The show is "action-packed, interactive and hilarious comedy played as a sport. Two teams battle it out for points and your laughs! You choose the winners the teams provide the funny!" Performances take place on the second floor of the Sugar Cubed, 917 S Main St. in St Charles, Mo. For more information: www.cszstlouis.com.

Cry-Baby
Photo by Jill Ritter Lindberg

New Line Theatre presents the musical Cry-Baby Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 PM, September 26 - October 19. "It's 1954. Everyone likes Ike, nobody likes communism, and Wade 'Cry-Baby' Walker is the coolest boy in Baltimore. He's a bad boy with a good cause -- truth, justice, and the pursuit of rock and roll." Performances take place at the Marcelle Theater, 3310 Samuel Shepard Drive, three blocks east of Grand, in Grand Center. For more information, visit newlinetheatre.com or call 314-534-1111.

Equivocation
Photo by John Lamb

The West End Players Guild opens its 109th season with Bill Cain's Equivocation opening on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 2 pm, September 27, at 8 pm and running through October 6. "Equivocation is a Shakespearean tale of intrigue starring the Bard himself. The King offers Shakespeare a commission he can't refuse, to write a play about the Gunpowder Plot to blow up Parliament. Shakespeare discovers it is a perilous assignment, as he learns that the King's version of the story does not quite square with the facts. Shakespeare is torn between the truth and the Crown. Can he walk this tightrope without losing his head (literally)?" There will also be a show on Thursday, October 3, at 8 pm. Performances take place at the Union Avenue Christian Church, 733 North Union at Enright in the Central West End. For more information, call 314-367-0025 or visit www.westendplayers.org.

Fifty Words
Photo courtesy of STLAS

St. Louis Actors' Studio presents Fifty Words by Michael Weller Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 3 pm through October 6. "While their nine-year-old son is away for the night on his first sleepover, Adam and Jan have an evening alone together, their first in years. Adam's attempt to seduce his wife before he leaves on business the next day begins a suspenseful nightlong roller-coaster ride of revelation, rancor, passion and humor that explores a modern-day marriage on the verge of either a breakup or deepening love and understanding." Performances take place at the Gaslight Theatre on North Boyle in the Central West End. For more information, call 314-458-2978 or visit stlas.org.

The St. Louis Writers' Group presents a reading of the new screenplay Little Bobby's Drunk Again on Monday, September23, at 6:30 p.m. "Al Maninski is a drunken misogynist author who faces personal and professional ruin. When Sal surprisingly writes a hit children's book, he embarks upon a raucous book tour that forces him to confront his dark past." The event takes place upstairs at Big Daddy's, 1000 Sindey in Soulard. For more information: www.stlwritersgroup.com.

Man of La Mancha
Photo by ProPhotoSTL

Stages St. Louis presents the musical Man of La Mancha through October 6. "A romantic and inspiring musical adventure, MAN OF LA MANCHA tells the epic story of seventeenth-century author Miguel de Cervantes and his immortal literary creation Don Quixote." 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.

The Looking Glass Playhouse presents Matilda, the Musical Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sundays at 2 pm through September 29. "Matilda is a little girl with astonishing wit, intelligence and psychokinetic powers. She's unloved by her cruel parents but impresses her schoolteacher, the highly loveable Miss Honey. Over the course of her first term at school, Matilda and Miss Honey have a profound effect on each other's lives, as Miss Honey begins not only to recognize but also appreciate Matilda's extraordinary personality. Matilda's school life isn't completely smooth sailing, however - the school's mean headmistress, Miss Trunchbull, hates children and just loves thinking up new punishments for those who don't abide by her rules. But Matilda has courage and cleverness in equal amounts, and could be the school pupils' saving grace!" Performances take place at 301 West St. Louis Street in Lebanon, Ill. For more information, visit www.lookingglassplayhouse.com.

The Performing Arts Department at Washington University presents Mrs. Kelley's Igloo by Sophie Tegenu on Saturday, September 29, at 7 pm as part of The A.E. Hotchner Playwriting Festival. " Eleven year olds know a whole lot about love. First generation immigrants know too much about discomfort. Husbands know very little about wives. Singers know everything about timing. But ultimately, all people know nothing-nada-zero-zilch about how hard it is to walk down an aisle and say, 'I do.'" The performance takes place in the A.E. Hotchner Studio Theatre in the Mallinckrodt Student Center on the Washington University campus. For more information, call 314-935-6543 or visit pad.artsci.wustl.edu.

Christ Memorial Productions presents Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma! Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sundays at 2:30 pm through September 29. "Rodgers and Hammerstein's first collaboration remains, in many ways, their most innovative, having set the standards and established the rules of musical theatre still being followed today. Set in a Western Indian territory just after the turn of the century, the high-spirited rivalry between the local farmers and cowboys provides the colorful background against which Curly, a handsome cowboy, and Laurey, a winsome farm girl, play out their love story. Although the road to true love never runs smooth, with these two headstrong romantics holding the reins, love's journey is as bumpy as a surrey ride down a country road. That they will succeed in making a new life together we have no doubt, and that this new life will begin in a brand-new state provides the ultimate climax to the triumphant OKLAHOMA! " Performances take place at Christ Memorial Lutheran Church, 5252 South Lindbergh. For more information, visit CMPShows.org or call 314-631-0304.

The Bissell Mansion Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre presents Sherlock Holmes in "The Case Without a Clue" running through October 27 The Bissell Mansion is at 4426 Randall Place. For more information: bissellmansiontheatre.com

The Performing Arts Department at Washington University presents This House by Kelly Minster on Saturday, September 28, at 2 pm as part of The A.E. Hotchner Playwriting Festival. "A stubborn mother and daughter make war as they seek peace in this funny and touching exploration of family politics. Above the cacophony of their chaotic lives, each proclaims the painful truth, in a pleading battle cry: 'I do love you, its the like thing I'm still working on!'" The performance takes place in the A.E. Hotchner Studio Theatre in the Mallinckrodt Student Center on the Washington University campus. For more information, call 314-935-6543 or visit pad.artsci.wustl.edu.

YoungLiars present Whammy! The Seven Secrets to a Sane Self at Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 pm, September 26 - October 5. "The agony and the ecstasy of "self-help" get a delirious makeover in this madcap dance-theatre extravaganza. Part 1960s dance party and part Nietzschean nightmare, Whammy! prods and probes the American fever dream where Dr. Phil, Diazepam and daily affirmations crash headlong in sexual addiction, suicide and The Shirelles. WTF? Want to know the seven secrets to a sane self? You know you do! And there's only one way to find out! The show that started it all. Whammy! was the opening production of the inaugural Xfest. Ten years later the show (which has been presented in St. Louis, Columbus and NYC) returns - re-imagined and re-cast, featuring SIUE Theater Dance alums and faculty." Performances take place at The Centene Center for the Arts, 3547 Olive in Grand Center. For more information: www.facebook.com

The Performing Arts Department at Washington University presents You Don't Live Here Anymore by Elizabeth Brown on Friday, September 27, at 7:00 pm as part of The A.E. Hotchner Playwriting Festival. "Emma returns to her working class home only to find her family has moved well beyond its normal regressive mayhem. As she tries to navigate a short-fused sister, a hermit-gamer brother, her obsessed mother's new beau, and a father who is dying of cancer but is still duteously impregnating his drug addled teenage girlfriend - the hilarity is only exceeded by the heartbreak of not being considered one of them." The performance takes place in the A.E. Hotchner Studio Theatre in the Mallinckrodt Student Center on the Washington University campus. For more information, call 314-935-6543 or visit pad.artsci.wustl.edu.

The Lemp Mansion Comedy-Mystery Dinner Theater presents Zombie Love (No Biting) running through November 2. "Calling all Zombies! Tired of being judged for munching on the occasional brain? So you're not really "alive" anymore but you can still enjoy socializing with the living and enjoying a hilarious show together! Well, we've got the perfect show for you! Drama! Comedy! Looove! ...And, of course, Zombies! Don your best Living Dead Costume and choose to be a Zombie, or not (its up to you), but we do promise lots of fun for both the living and the undead! hey, Hey, HEY! No Biting!" The Lemp Mansion is at 3322 DeMenil Place. For more information: lempmansion.com.

Looking for auditions and other artistic opportunities? Check out the St. Louis Auditions site.

For information on events beyond this week, check out the searchable database at the Regional Arts Commission's Events Calendar.

Would you like to be on the radio? KDHX, 88.1 FM needs theatre reviewers. If you're 18 years or older, knowledgeable in this area, have practical theatre experience (acting, directing, writing, technical design, etc.), have good oral and written communications skills and would like to become one of our volunteer reviewers, send an email describing your experience and interests to chuck at kdhx.org. Please include a sample review of something you've seen recently.

St. Louis classical calendar for the week of September 23, 2019

It's a short calendar this week, with both events featuring the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.

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Kelley O'Connor

Stéphane Denève conducts The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and Chorus along with soloists Joélle Harvey (soprano) and Kelley O'Connor (mezzo-soprano) in a performance of Mahler's Symphony No. 2 ("Resurrection") Friday and Saturday at 8 pm September 27 and 28. "The Emerson Concert Stage at Powell Hall is filled with SLSO musicians and the St. Louis Symphony Chorus. Audience members sit on the edge of their seats. A giant orchestra and chorus hold its collective breath. Then, suddenly, Denève and his musicians launch themselves into Mahler's journey of love, death and redemption. Live performances exist for moments like this." Performances take place at Powel Symphony Hall in Grand Center. For more information: stlsymphony.org.

The Washington University Department of Music presents The St. Louis Symphony on the South Forty at 5:30 pm on Monday, September 23. "Join students, faculty, staff, and community members for a night featuring string quartets from the St. Louis Symphony and Washington University in St. Louis." The event takes place on the outside patio at the Bear's Den on the Washington University campus. For more information: music.wustl.edu/events.

Review: Big music for the big screen

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, an Imperial battle cruiser swooped down across the screen to the strains of a full symphony orchestra. Movies and movie music have never been quite the same since.

John Williams at the Hollywood Bowl

I was reminded of that when Stéphane Denève conducted somewhat expanded forces of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra in the familiar (but still awe inspiring) main title from "Star Wars" at the conclusion of an evening of the music of legendary film composer John Williams last Friday (September 13, 2019). As thrilling as it was to hear that big, old-fashioned sound in a theatre back in the day (at a time when both the movies and their soundtracks were shrinking), nothing quite compares with the visceral impact of hearing it performed live by a symphony orchestra of (Richard) Straussian proportions.

That's not to say that Friday's concert didn't include some intimate moments that are very unlike the big, Romantic sound for which Williams is most famous. Yes, there were the usual Greatest Hits, including the "Superman March" and the "Raiders March," but Mr. Denève also included less familiar film music like "Sayuri's Theme" and "Brush on Silk" from "Memoirs of a Geisha" (2005) a mournful, meandering theme from "The Book Thief" (2013), and the moving "Schindler's List" theme. Best of all, at least for me, was the collection of excerpts from "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" (1977) with its remarkably "modernist" opening. The collection of tone clusters, string glissandi, and eerie, dissonant harmonics sound more like Edgar Varèse or Krzysztof Penderecki than John Williams, and are a tribute to the size of the famed composer's toolbox.

Some minor fatigue in the brass section towards the end of the concert not withstanding, the musicians of the SLSO did fine work when we heard the concert. Principal Cello Daniel Lee turned in a virtuoso solo performance of the "Memoirs of a Geisha" selections, backed up by Associate Principal Flute Andrea Kaplan's impressive imitation of the breathy sound of a Japanese Shakuhachi. Associate Concertmaster Erin Schreiber provided a sensitive reading of the "Schindler's List" excerpt and Principal Oboe Jelena Dirks's solo in "The Book Thief" was movingly plaintive.

Daniel Lee

Mr. Denève provided lively commentary during the evening, both live and on brief selections from a video interview he had done with Mr. Williams. At one point he provided a fascinating look at just how much the soundtrack music can enhance a scene by showing the "Barrel Chase" sequence from "Jaws" without and then with the score. It was an excellent illustration of how the music can add without being distracting.

The John Williams concerts were a kind of aperitif for the main SLSO season, which begins this Saturday and Sunday (September 21 and 22) with a big French-themed concert that includes Gershwin's "An American in Paris," Debussy's "La Mer," Ravel's Piano Concerto in G (with Jean-Yves Thibaudet at the keyboard), along with newer works by Kevin Puts, Jennifer Higdon, and Guillaume Connesson. Performances take place at Powell Symphony Hall in Grand Center.

St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of September 16, 2019

There are new plays at (among others) Actors' Studio, Looking Glass Playhouse, and Christ Memorial Productions this week, as well as the first show in the Cabaret Project's new season (co-produced with Jazz St. Louis) and the the Project's monthly singers open mic.

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Angels in America, Part 1
Photo by Peter Wochniak

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents Angels in America, Part 1: Millennium Approaches and Angels in America, Part 2: Perestroika in alternating repertory through October 4. "A towering epic that unveils new depths with each passing year, Tony Kushner's Tony- and Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece arrives on The Rep's stage for the first time. The AIDS epidemic is the flashpoint in Kushner's swirling tapestry of American culture, myths and spirituality. Navigating this maelstrom are Prior Walter, whose prophetic visions lead him toward an uncertain destiny, Joe Pitt, a devout and painfully closeted Mormon, and Roy Cohn, a lawyer whose AIDS diagnosis forces him to face a lifetime of misdeeds. These twin plays' vision of a wounded and chaotic nation struggling toward redemption is more urgent than ever." Performances take place at the Loretto-Hilton Center on the Webster University campus. For more information: repstl.org

CSZ St. Louis presents The ComedySportz Show on Saturday nights at 7:30 pm. The show is "action-packed, interactive and hilarious comedy played as a sport. Two teams battle it out for points and your laughs! You choose the winners the teams provide the funny!" Performances take place on the second floor of the Sugar Cubed, 917 S Main St. in St Charles, Mo. For more information: www.cszstlouis.com.

Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope
Photo by Phillip Hamer

The Black Rep presents the musical Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope running through September 22. "Garnering a Grammy and Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Musical, Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope was the first musical revue in the history of Broadway to be written and directed by African American women, namely Micki Grant and Vinette Caroll which ran over 1,000 performances. With little dialogue between performances, its poignant social commentary is woven into an unbroken cycle of high-energy, feel-good song and dance numbers." Performances take place at the Edison Theatre on the Washington University campus. For more information: theblackrep.org.

St. Louis Actors' Studio presents Fifty Words by Michael Weller Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 3 pm, September 20 - October 6. "While their nine-year-old son is away for the night on his first sleepover, Adam and Jan have an evening alone together, their first in years. Adam's attempt to seduce his wife before he leaves on business the next day begins a suspenseful nightlong roller-coaster ride of revelation, rancor, passion and humor that explores a modern-day marriage on the verge of either a breakup or deepening love and understanding." Performances take place at the Gaslight Theatre on North Boyle in the Central West End. For more information, call 314-458-2978 or visit stlas.org.

Slaying Dragons presents the Eugene O'Neill's Long Days Journey Into Night through September 21. "Slaying Dragons focuses its fall performance this year on opioid and alcohol addiction. There is no greater play that expresses the heartbreak and devastation of these mental illnesses on a family than this play originally written by Eugene O'Neil. The setting of the play is the early 20th Century. Unfortunately, these addictions have become a greater tragedy as they take the lives of even more of our youth today. We have chosen to broaden the time period as well as other aspects of the play through our production to reach as many populations as possible. The story of the Tyrone family remains unchanged while its impact is more dramatic than ever. Following the show, there will be a panel of experts, along with the cast member, for group discussion." Performances take place at The Chapel, 6238 Alexander Drive. For more information: www.eventbrite.com.

Man of La Mancha
Photo by ProPhotoSTL

Stages St. Louis presents the musical Man of La Mancha through October 6. "A romantic and inspiring musical adventure, MAN OF LA MANCHA tells the epic story of seventeenth-century author Miguel de Cervantes and his immortal literary creation Don Quixote." 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.

The Looking Glass Playhouse presents Matilda, the Musical Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sundays at 2 pm, September 19-29. "Matilda is a little girl with astonishing wit, intelligence and psychokinetic powers. She's unloved by her cruel parents but impresses her schoolteacher, the highly loveable Miss Honey. Over the course of her first term at school, Matilda and Miss Honey have a profound effect on each other's lives, as Miss Honey begins not only to recognize but also appreciate Matilda's extraordinary personality. Matilda's school life isn't completely smooth sailing, however - the school's mean headmistress, Miss Trunchbull, hates children and just loves thinking up new punishments for those who don't abide by her rules. But Matilda has courage and cleverness in equal amounts, and could be the school pupils' saving grace!" Performances take place at 301 West St. Louis Street in Lebanon, Ill. For more information, visit www.lookingglassplayhouse.com.

A Model for Matisse

The Midnight Company presents the A Model for Matisse Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 2 and 7 pm through September 21. "The play presents the relatively little known and tender relationship between one of the twentieth century's greatest artists, Henri Matisse and Sister Jacques-Marie, who inspired him to create what he considered the masterpiece of his life's work - the revolutionary Chapel of the Rosary in the perched Mediterranean village of Vence in France." Performances take place at the .ZACK, 3224 Locust in Grand Center. For more information: midnightcompany.com

Cyrille Aimee

Jazz St. Louis and The Cabaret Project present Cyrille Aimee in Move On: A Sondheim Adventure on Wednesday and Thursday, September 18 and 19, at 7:30 p.m. " Aimee brings her eclectic style to the music and lyrics of Broadway legend Stephen Sondheim. Jazz Times says of her 2019 CD of Sondheim classics “Aimée offers an object lesson in how to make difficult material one's own with Move On: A Sondheim Adventure.” The acclaimed vocalist ventured from singing on street corners in Europe to dazzling audiences at the world's most prestigious jazz festivals, acting on Broadway and braving the audiences at New York's Apollo Theatre to be called a “rising star in the galaxy of jazz singers” (New York Times). St. Louis audiences have the opportunity to hear this dynamic artist tackle some of the greatest songs from the musical theater genius of Stephen Sondheim." Performances take place at the Ferring Jazz Bistro on Washington just east of the Fox in Grand Center. For more information: jazzstl.org.

Christ Memorial Productions presents Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma! Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sundays at 2:30 pm, September 20-29. "Rodgers and Hammerstein's first collaboration remains, in many ways, their most innovative, having set the standards and established the rules of musical theatre still being followed today. Set in a Western Indian territory just after the turn of the century, the high-spirited rivalry between the local farmers and cowboys provides the colorful background against which Curly, a handsome cowboy, and Laurey, a winsome farm girl, play out their love story. Although the road to true love never runs smooth, with these two headstrong romantics holding the reins, love's journey is as bumpy as a surrey ride down a country road. That they will succeed in making a new life together we have no doubt, and that this new life will begin in a brand-new state provides the ultimate climax to the triumphant OKLAHOMA! " Performances take place at Christ Memorial Lutheran Church, 5252 South Lindbergh. For more information, visit CMPShows.org or call 314-631-0304.

The Monroe Actors Stage presents Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 and Sundays at 2:30 pm through September 22. Performances take place in the Historic Capitol Theatre in downtown Waterloo, Illinois. For more information, visit www.masctheatre.org or call 618-939-7469.

The Kirkwood Theatre Guild presents Recipes for Ice, their monthly improv show, on Friday, September 20, at 8 and 10:30 pm at The Steamboat Room, 314 S. Clay in Kirkwood, MO. "Join Adam and his crew for an interactive night of fun and laughter. Beer, wine and food available from Kirkwood Station Brewery." For more information: ktg-onstage.org.

Compass Improv presents the St. Louis Compass Improv Festival Thursday through Saturday, September 19-21 at The Improv Shop, 3960 Chouteau. For more information: www.compassimprov.org

The Bissell Mansion Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre presents Sherlock Holmes in "The Case Without a Clue" running through October 27 The Bissell Mansion is at 4426 Randall Place. For more information: bissellmansiontheatre.com

Ken Haller

The Cabaret Project presents its monthly Singers Open Mic Night on Tuesday, September 17, from 7 to 10 pm. Drop by and enjoy a night of great music from St. Louis cabaret artists, backed up by pianist and music director Carol Schmidt. Your guest MC this month is Ken Haller. If you're planning to sing, be prepared to do one or two songs and bring music, preferably in your key. It's also recommend that you have your song memorized. The event takes place at Sophie's Artist Lounge in the .ZACK Performing Arts Center in Grand Center. For more information: thecabaretproject.org.

The Lemp Mansion Comedy-Mystery Dinner Theater presents Zombie Love (No Biting) running through November 2. "Calling all Zombies! Tired of being judged for munching on the occasional brain? So you're not really "alive" anymore but you can still enjoy socializing with the living and enjoying a hilarious show together! Well, we've got the perfect show for you! Drama! Comedy! Looove! ...And, of course, Zombies! Don your best Living Dead Costume and choose to be a Zombie, or not (its up to you), but we do promise lots of fun for both the living and the undead! hey, Hey, HEY! No Biting!" The Lemp Mansion is at 3322 DeMenil Place. For more information: lempmansion.com.

Looking for auditions and other artistic opportunities? Check out the St. Louis Auditions site.

For information on events beyond this week, check out the searchable database at the Regional Arts Commission's Events Calendar.

Would you like to be on the radio? KDHX, 88.1 FM needs theatre reviewers. If you're 18 years or older, knowledgeable in this area, have practical theatre experience (acting, directing, writing, technical design, etc.), have good oral and written communications skills and would like to become one of our volunteer reviewers, send an email describing your experience and interests to chuck at kdhx.org. Please include a sample review of something you've seen recently.