St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of October 28, 2024

What's on St. Louis theater and cabaret stages this coming week. Please leave a comment if anything was wrong or got left out

Act Two Theatre presents the musical Once Upon a Mattress Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sundays at 2 pm October 31 through November 10. “Once Upon A Mattress is a hilarious and heartwarming musical based on the classic fairy tale The Princess and the Pea. This famous Broadway show, which launched Carol Burnett to stardom, promises an evening of laughter, romance, and unforgettable characters. Step into a whimsical kingdom where a talkative queen, a mute king, and a spirited princess create delightful chaos. Follow the adventures of Princess Winnifred, who swims moats and steals hearts, as she vies for the love of Prince Dauntless. Will she pass the Queen’s impossible test and break the curse that silences the King?” Performances take place at the St. Peters Cultural Center in St. Peters, MO. For more information: www.acttwotheatre.com.

Lungs
Photo: John Lamb

Albion Theatre Company presents Lungs by Duncan MacMillan through November 3. “Climate change, overpopulation, war, and political division. Why would anyone want to bring a baby into this world? Successful English playwright Macmillan addresses these issues in this “off-kilter love story (that) is brutally honest, funny, edgy and current” (The Guardian). It will be presented using its original British script.” Performances take place in the Black Box Theatre at the Kranzberg Center, 501 N. Grand in Grand Center. For more information: albiontheatrestl.org.

The Blue Strawberry presents Seven-Oh! with singer Ken Haller and pianist/music director Carol Schmidt on Thursday at 7:30 pm and Friday at 5 pm, October 31 and November 3. “This Halloween, Ken Haller turns 70, and he is celebrating by presenting his 7th full cabaret show, “7-Oh!” Please join Ken and his music director, Carol Schmidt, as Ken looks back on the music that made him who he is today – some, as always, from Broadway, Hollywood, and the Great American Songbook, but others from a wide and wild range of genres including folk, rock, and yes, disco! It’s Ken as you’ve never seen – or heard – him before!”The Blue Strawberry is at 364 N. Boyle. For more information: bluestrawberrystl.com

 A Beautiful Noise
Photo: Julieta Cervantes

The Fabulous Fox presents A Beautiful Noise, The Neil Diamond Musical October 29 – November 10. “Created in collaboration with Neil Diamond himself, A BEAUTIFUL NOISE is the uplifting true story of how a kid from Brooklyn became a chart-busting, show-stopping American rock icon. With 120 million albums sold, a catalogue of classics like "America," "Forever in Blue Jeans," and "Sweet Caroline," an induction into the Songwriters and Rock and Roll Halls of Fame, a Grammy® Lifetime Achievement Award, and sold-out concerts around the world that made him bigger than Elvis, Neil Diamond's story was made to shine on Broadway-and head out on the road across America.” The Fabulous Fox is on North Grand in Grand Center. For more information: fabulousfox.com.

The Hawthorne Players present Arthur Miller’s All My Sons November 1 through 10. “During the war Joe Keller and Steve Deever ran a machine shop which made airplane parts. Deever was sent to prison because the firm turned out defective parts, causing the deaths of many men. Keller went free and made a lot of money. The twin shadows of this catastrophe and the fact that the young Keller son was reported missing during the war dominate the action. The love affair of Chris Keller and Ann Deever, the bitterness of George Deever returned from the war to find his father in prison and his father’s partner free, are all set in a structure of almost unbearable power. An electrifying play.” Performances take place in the Florissant Civic Center Theatre in Florissant, MO. For more information: www.hawthorneplayers.info.

Kirkwood Theatre Guild presents the comedy Boeing Boeing through November 3. 1960s, Paris. Bachelor Bernard has a flat in Paris and three airline stewardesses all engaged to him without knowing about each other. Bernard’s life gets bumpy, though, when his friend Robert comes to stay, and complications such as weather and a new, speedier Boeing jet disrupt his careful planning. Soon, all three stewardesses are in the city simultaneously and catastrophe looms. Performances take place at the Reim Theatre in the Kirkwood Community Center on South Geyer Road. For more information, ktg-onstage.org.

The Midnight Company presents Just One Look by Joe Hanrahan, starring Kelly Howe as Linda Ronstadt, on Wednesday October 30 at 7:30 pm. “Linda Ronstadt ruled the pop charts and filled stadiums in the 70’s and 80’s. The reigning rock goddess of her era, she later took on light opera - Gilbert and Sullivan on Broadway - and The Great American Songbook with Nelson Riddle. Her involvement in social issues accelerated during her relationship with California Governor Jerry Brown, then running for President. But for Linda, it was always a search for the next great song. Kelly Howe will portray Linda Ronstadt and sing her sensational songs.” Performances take place at The Blue Strawberry, 356 N. Boyle. For more information: bluestrawberrystl.com.

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents the dark comedy The Roommate through November 27. “In the quietest corner of the Midwest, middle-aged Sharon, recently divorced and seeking a sensible roommate, opens her home to Robyn, a mysterious woman with a murky past. Entwining this unlikely duo's lives in shared dish-duty and shady business, Jen Silverman takes us on an uproarious journey of self-discovery, secrets and revelations. Challenge societal norms, embrace the unexpected, and revel in the reinvention that only true friendship can spark in this dark comedy that proves coming of age can happen anytime, anywhere- even your own kitchen table!” Performances take place in the Emerson Studio Theatre of the Loretto-Hilton Center on the Webster University campus. For more information: www.repstl.org.

St. Louis Shakespeare presents Julius Caesar through November 2. “Rome, 44BC. Julius Caesar, the most popular general in Rome, has parlayed his military success to attain the seat of highest power: Emperor. Alarmed by his aspirations to kingship, members of the aristocracy plot his assassination. But the murdered man’s friend, Mark Antony, rouses the public against the conspirators, resulting in strife that could bring Rome to the brink of anarchy.” Performances take place at the Donn Lux Family Theatre, 1731 S. Broadway in Soulard. For more information: https://www.stlshakespeare.org.

Nevermore
Photo: John Lamb

Stray Dog Theatre presents the musical Nevermore: The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 through November 2. “This unique and wildly theatrical experience combines haunting music and poetic storytelling to chronicle the fascinating life of iconic American writer Edgar Allan Poe. At once gorgeous and grotesque, Nevermore explores the events that shaped Poe’s character and career, blurring the lines between fact and fiction—after all, as Poe himself writes, “All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream.”” Performances take place at Tower Grove Abbey, 2336 Tennessee in Tower Grove East. For more information: www.straydogtheatre.org.

Life is a Dream
Photo: ProPhotoSTL

Upstream Theater presents the professional premiere of Spanish playwright Pedro Calderón de la Barca's Life is a Dream in a new translation by G.J. Racz, October  31 and November 1, 2 at 8:00 pm; and November 3 at 2:00 pm. “Pedro Calderón de la Barca's best-known drama follows the journey of Prince Segismundo, who was imprisoned at birth due to a prophecy. As he grapples with his newfound freedom within a world of court intrigue, Segismundo ponders the nature of his existence and the power of his own choices. A play of enduring relevance in an age filled with political uncertainty.” Performances take place at The Marcelle in Grand Center. For more information: www.upstreamtheater.org.

The Washington University Theatre Department presents Kate Hamill’s comic adaptation of Jane Austin’s Pride and Prejudice through November 2. “Kate Hamill's reimagining of the Jane Austen classic is a brilliant comedic romp with an irreverent soul. Here, love is a game with winners and losers everywhere, and ludicrous circumstances abound and surround all matters of the heart. Finding a soulmate is serious play and true love is a madcap ordeal with confounding rules but a huge payoff.” Performances take place at the Edison Theatre on the Washington University Campus. For more information: pad.wustl.edu/events.

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

To get your event listed here, send an email to chuck at kdhx.org Your event information should be in text format (i.e. not part of a graphic), but feel free to include publicity stills.

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 theatre calendar for the week of October 21, 2024

What's on St. Louis theater and cabaret stages this coming week. Please leave a comment if anything was wrong or got left out

Albion Theatre Company presents Lungs by Duncan MacMillan November 3. “Climate change, overpopulation, war, and political division. Why would anyone want to bring a baby into this world? Successful English playwright Macmillan addresses these issues in this “off-kilter love story (that) is brutally honest, funny, edgy and current” (The Guardian). It will be presented using its original British script.” Performances take place in the Black Box Theatre at the Kranzberg Center, 501 N. Grand in Grand Center. For more information: albiontheatrestl.org.

Tim Schall and Joe Dreyer

The Blue Strawberry presents Sunday Standard Time with Tim Schall and Joe Dreyer on Sunday, August 4, at 6 pm. “Join Tim Schall (vocals) and Joe Dreyer (piano) and Willem Von Hombracht (bass) in the lounge for a casual, classy Sunday evening of jazz standards, a little sophisticated pop and a dash of classic Broadway.”   The Blue Strawberry is at 364 N. Boyle. For more information: bluestrawberrystl.com

Clayton Community Theatre presents Tennessee Williams’s Night of the Iguana, Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sundays at 2 pm, through October 27. “Reverend T. Lawrence Shannon is a minister recently fallen from grace and expelled from his congregation for a "nervous breakdown," who travels to 1940s Mexico to work as a travel guide. Among his group of tourists, however, is a 16-year-old girl, Charlotte Goodall, with whom Shannon has recently been accused of an inappropriate relationship. Meanwhile, his friend and motel owner Maxine Faulk sees in Shannon an escape for her loneliness following the death of her husband, Fred. The situation is only complicated further by the arrival of Hannah Jelks, a spinster from Nantucket, and her father, Nonno, a renowned poet in failing health who is attempting to compose what will be his final work. As Shannon and Jelks develop a deep bond, Maxine's jealousies get the best of her.” Performances take place at the Washington University South Campus Theatre, 6501 Clayton Rd. For more information: www.placeseveryone.org.

Am I Dangerous?
Photo: Carolee Carmelita

Contraband Theatre presents Am I Dangerous? by St. Louis playwright, e.k. doolin Wednesdays through Saturdays at 7:30pm through October 26. “All of her life, sixteen-year-old Philoten has been told about dangerous women. Those who flaunt their bodies. Those who are different. Those who do not follow the rules. And she’s tried, so hard, not to be dangerous. But then, something really awful happens. A few things, actually, but one of them is unforgivable and forces her to ask the question of herself, Am I Dangerous? Am I Dangerous? springboards off ancient questing stories like Shakespeare’s Pericles, creating a brand-new fem-tagonist origin story with themes around coming of age, familial reconciliation, bodily autonomy, and cultivation of the native and natural biosphere.” Performances take place at The Chapel, 6238 Alexander Drive in Clayton. For more information: www.contrabandtheatre.org.

The Fabulous Fox presents the Cirque du Soleil’s Songblazers: A Journey Into Country Music October 24 – 27. “Delivering the perfect harmony of guitar grooves & breathtaking moves, SONGBLAZERS is a one-of-a-kind theatrical production celebrating country music that pays homage to its legendary and modern day trailblazers. With its acrobatic and live musical performance showcasing the captivating artistry of Cirque du Soleil and the soul-stirring melodies of beloved country rhythms, this engaging experience celebrates the diverse influences of country music and its heartfelt stories through time.” The Fabulous Fox is on North Grand in Grand Center. For more information: fabulousfox.com.

First Run Theatre presents a Playwright’s Workshop on Monday, October 21, at 6:30 pm. At the workshop new scripts are by local playwrights are read by experienced actors in front of an audience. The Playwright’s Workshop takes place on the 2nd and 4th Monday of each month at Square One Brewery in Lafayette Square. For more information: firstruntheatre.org.

Kirkwood Theatre Guild presents the comedy Boeing Boeing October 25 through November 3. 1960s, Paris. Bachelor Bernard has a flat in Paris and three airline stewardesses all engaged to him without knowing about each other. Bernard’s life gets bumpy, though, when his friend Robert comes to stay, and complications such as weather and a new, speedier Boeing jet disrupt his careful planning. Soon, all three stewardesses are in the city simultaneously and catastrophe looms. Performances take place at the Reim Theatre in the Kirkwood Community Center on South Geyer Road. For more information, ktg-onstage.org.

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents the dark comedy The Roommate October 13 through November 27. “In the quietest corner of the Midwest, middle-aged Sharon, recently divorced and seeking a sensible roommate, opens her home to Robyn, a mysterious woman with a murky past. Entwining this unlikely duo's lives in shared dish-duty and shady business, Jen Silverman takes us on an uproarious journey of self-discovery, secrets and revelations. Challenge societal norms, embrace the unexpected, and revel in the reinvention that only true friendship can spark in this dark comedy that proves coming of age can happen anytime, anywhere- even your own kitchen table!” Performances take place in the Emerson Studio Theatre of the Loretto-Hilton Center on the Webster University campus. For more information: www.repstl.org.

Riverside Theatre Project presents Shakespeare’s Macbeth Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 2 pm, through October 27. "Three witches tell the Scottish general Macbeth that he will be King of Scotland. Encouraged by his wife, Macbeth kills the king, becomes the new king, and kills more people out of paranoia. Civil war erupts to overthrow Macbeth, resulting in more death." Performances take place at the historic Showboat Theatre in Hermann, Missouri. For mor information: www.riversidetheatreproject.com.

St. Louis Shakespeare presents Julius Caesar October 25 – November 2. “Rome, 44BC. Julius Caesar, the most popular general in Rome, has parlayed his military success to attain the seat of highest power: Emperor. Alarmed by his aspirations to kingship, members of the aristocracy plot his assassination. But the murdered man’s friend, Mark Antony, rouses the public against the conspirators, resulting in strife that could bring Rome to the brink of anarchy.” Performances take place at the Donn Lux Family Theatre, 1731 S. Broadway in Soulard. For more information: https://www.stlshakespeare.org.

 

Nevermore
Photo: John Lamb

Stray Dog Theatre presents the musical Nevermore: The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 through November 2. “This unique and wildly theatrical experience combines haunting music and poetic storytelling to chronicle the fascinating life of iconic American writer Edgar Allan Poe. At once gorgeous and grotesque, Nevermore explores the events that shaped Poe’s character and career, blurring the lines between fact and fiction—after all, as Poe himself writes, “All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream.”” Performances take place at Tower Grove Abbey, 2336 Tennessee in Tower Grove East. For more information: www.straydogtheatre.org.

Life is a Dream
Photo: ProPhotoSTL

Upstream Theater presents the professional premiere of Spanish playwright Pedro Calderón de la Barca's Life is a Dream in a new translation by G.J. Racz, October 24, 25, 26, 31 and November 1, 2 at 8:00 pm; and October 27 and November 3 at 2:00 pm. “Pedro Calderón de la Barca's best-known drama follows the journey of Prince Segismundo, who was imprisoned at birth due to a prophecy. As he grapples with his newfound freedom within a world of court intrigue, Segismundo ponders the nature of his existence and the power of his own choices. A play of enduring relevance in an age filled with political uncertainty.” Performances take place at The Marcelle in Grand Center. For more information: www.upstreamtheater.org.

The Washington University Theatre Department presents Kate Hamill’s comic adaptation of Jane Austin’s Pride and Prejudice October 25 through November 2. “Kate Hamill's reimagining of the Jane Austen classic is a brilliant comedic romp with an irreverent soul. Here, love is a game with winners and losers everywhere, and ludicrous circumstances abound and surround all matters of the heart. Finding a soulmate is serious play and true love is a madcap ordeal with confounding rules but a huge payoff.” Performances take place at the Edison Theatre on the Washington University Campus. For more information: pad.wustl.edu/events.

 

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

To get your event listed here, send an email to chuck at kdhx.org Your event information should be in text format (i.e. not part of a graphic), but feel free to include publicity stills.

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.

Symphony Preview: Come together

It’s quite a mixed bag this weekend (October 18 and 19) as guest conductor David Danzmayr makes his third appearance with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra since his notable local debut in 2021. During its relatively brief span (around ninety minutes, including intermission), the band will play works from the 18^th, 19^th, 20^th, and 21^st centuries from England, France, Scotland, and Germany.

[Preview the music with the SLSO's Spotify playlist.]

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, 1905
By Adam Cuerden
Public Domain

The concerts open with the “Ballade” in A minor, Op. 33, by British composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875–1912). Composed in 1897 just after Coleridge-Taylor left the Royal College of Music, the work was commissioned by the Three Choirs Festival, where it met with considerable success. Coleridge-Taylor went on to become a celebrated composer, conductor, and teacher—a career tragically cut short by his death from pneumonia at the age of 37.

The son of Daniel Hugh Taylor, a doctor from Sierra Leone, and Alice Hare Martin, an Englishwoman, Coleridge-Taylor (as Stephen Banfield and Jeremy Dibble write in Grove Online) “saw it as his mission in life to help establish the dignity of the black man.” The black American poet Paul Lawrence Dunbar was an especially strong influence in this regard, helping the composer become more aware of his heritage. That led to works such as “African Romances (1897),” the “African Suite” (1898), and “Toussaint l'ouverture (1901),” described as “a musical illustration of the 18th-century slave who led the liberation of Haiti.”

All that was still to come, though, when he wrote the “Ballade.” The title might suggest something soft and dreamy, but the music itself is dramatic and exceptionally attractive. The opening theme, marked Allegro energico, ma non troppo presto, is played by the strings over agitated trills in the woodwinds. It gets developed and expanded a bit before giving way to the contrasting second theme, moderato ma con passione. Both themes get a fairly conventional sonata form treatment, complete with abbreviated development and recapitulation sections, before winding up with a slam-bang coda (Piu presto. Con fuoco.).

On the whole, the “Ballade” is a bit reminiscent of Grieg’s Symphony No. 1 from 1863, although since Grieg suppressed it, I don’t think it’s likely that Coleridge-Taylor would have been familiar with that work. “Ballade” should get things off to a rousing start, in any event.

Saint-Saëns in 1900
By Petit, Pierre (1831-1909)
Photographer Restored by
Adam Cuerden

Next, it’s time for the program’s Big Work, the Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 22, by Camille Saint-Saëns (1835–1921). It’s the most popular of Saint-Saëns's five piano concertos, and when you listen to the recording by Pascal Rogé and the Royal Philharmonic under Charles Dutoit on the SLSO Spotify playlist you’ll understand why.

Like the Coleridge-Taylor “Ballade,” the concerto starts big and bold, Andante sostenuto, with a flashy solo keyboard fantasia of the sort that Bach might have written followed by an equally dramatic entrance by the full orchestra. The second movement, Allo scherzando, trips along merrily and sparkles like Champagne. The Presto tarantella finale provides a real workout for the soloist. Done well, the concerto is always a crowd pleaser and likely to induce standing ovations.

This week's soloist, Conrad Tao, played the Second Concerto here in 2014, with Conductor Laureate Leonard Slatkin at the podium.  Back then I called his performance “a model of power and delicacy.”  At the time, Tao was only 20 and just getting started on what has proven to be a spectacular career as a pianist and composer, so it will be interesting to see whether or not that intervening decade has changed his approach to this work. Oh yeah: he’s also a fellow Midwesterner, born in Urbana, Illinois in 1994.

The second half of the program begins at the other end of the sonic spectrum from the big, outgoing romanticism of Coleridge-Taylor and Saint-Saëns. Scottish composer Sir James MacMillan (b. 1953) wrote his evanescent orchestral miniature “One” in 2012 for the 20^th anniversary of The Britten Sinfonia, an innovative chamber ensemble the aim of which was “pushing the boundaries of what a chamber orchestra can do.” It’s dedicated to the Sinfonia’s then-Artistic Director David Butcher (now CEO of the legendary Hallé Orchestra).

Sir James MacMillan
Photo courtesy of the SLSO

Best known for "Veni, Veni, Emmanuel," his 1992 percussion concerto closely identified with the celebrated deaf percussionist Evelyn Glennie, MacMillan is solidly opposed to the academic abstraction that often made audiences react to the phrase “contemporary music” the way Dracula reacted to garlic. Specifically, MacMillan disdains composers who are “deeply suspicious of any significant move towards tonality, any hint of pulse that is actually discernible, and any music which communicates successfully with a non-specialist audience.”

There is certainly nothing dry or obscure in “One,” which evokes a universe of ethereal beauty with impressively minimal resources. The title refers, I believe, to the fact that MacMillan’s orchestration creates the illusion of single voices engaging in a kind of bucolic “call and response” over a vast outdoor space. In reality, each “voice” consists of multiple instruments playing together. “I pluribus unum” (“from many, one”), if you will. The Celtic-inspired melody starts, stops, then starts again with different instrumental combinations.

“One” concludes with the melody played pianissimo at the very top of their registers by the flutes and violins, then rapidly descending through the orchestra to land in bassoons and basses playing at the bottom of theirs. There’s a last one-measure rest followed by a brief section marked tutti: misterioso that includes flutter-tongued clarinets and trumpets along with ad lib pizzicatos in the violins (“Not together. Each player to enter in rapid succession, starting with section principal”). “One” ends with an ambiguously dissonant pianissimo chord from the full ensemble.

My description hardly does it justice, but fortunately you can hear an authoritative 2014 performance by the Britten Sinfonia conducted by the composer in the SLSO playlist. If you read music, you can watch that same recording synchronized with the score on YouTube.

Finally, it’s back to the familiar with the Symphony No. 5 (“Reformation”) by Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847). The symphony’s nickname (which came from the composer’s sister Fanny) refers to the fact that it was originally intended for a celebration of the 300th anniversary of the presentation of the Augsburg Confession to Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. The document is a cornerstone of the Lutheran faith, and the celebration in Berlin on June 25th, 1830, was a Very Big Deal, backed up by the Prussian King Frederick William III. Having a new symphony played as part of the festivities would have been a major coup for the 21-year-old composer.

Portrait of Mendelssohn by
James Warren Childe, 1839
en.wikipedia.org

Mendelssohn started work on the symphony in January of 1830 but was sidetracked by a case of measles—a serious business in those days before vaccines. The composer made a full recovery, but not in time to submit the work for the big event. He finally conducted the premiere in Berlin in 1832, but reviews were unenthusiastic and the composer himself ultimately turned against it, declaring the only one of his compositions he “would most like to see burnt.”

History’s verdict has been a bit kinder. “Happily for us,” writes the anonymous program annotator at the Los Angeles Philharmonic, “the ‘Reformation’ Symphony has survived, and it can give great satisfaction as a four-movement symphony with or without its references to the great events it was intended to celebrate.”  It might not be quite as popular as the “Italian” or “Scotch” symphonies, but it probably deserves to be. It has much to offer, as you can hear in the excellent recording by John Eliot Gardiner and the London Symphony on the SLSO playlist.

The Essentials: David Danzmayr conducts the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and pianist Conrad Tao in Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s “Ballade,” Saint-Saëns’s Piano Concerto No. 2, James MacMillan’s “One,” and Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 5 (“Reformation”). Performances are Friday and Saturday at 7:30 pm, October 18 and 19, at the Touhill Performing Arts Center on the University of Missouri–St. Louis campus. The Saturday night performance will be broadcast live on St. Louis Public Radio and Classic 107.3 and will be available afterwards for streaming on the SLSO web site

St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of October 14, 2024

What's on St. Louis theater and cabaret stages this coming week. Please leave a comment if anything was wrong or got left out

Albion Theatre Company presents Lungs by Duncan MacMillan October 18 through November 3. “Climate change, overpopulation, war, and political division. Why would anyone want to bring a baby into this world? Successful English playwright Macmillan addresses these issues in this “off-kilter love story (that) is brutally honest, funny, edgy and current” (The Guardian). It will be presented using its original British script.” Performances take place in the Black Box Theatre at the Kranzberg Center, 501 N. Grand in Grand Center. For more information: albiontheatrestl.org.

Joe Iconis

The Blue Strawberry presents Joe Iconis with Special Guest Alex Ferrara on Friday and Saturday, October 18 and 19, at 7:30 pm. “In a rare piano-only show, Tony-nominated musical theater writer and performer Joe Iconis (Be More Chill, Signature Theatre’s upcoming The Untitled Unauthorized Hunter S. Thompson Musical) will perform an intimate set of original tunes, brand new material from shows in the works, explosive singalongs, and a whole lot of banging on the ol’ piano. Come knock back a stiff one, have a good old-fashioned cry, share a laugh with a stranger, and shake off your dust with contemporary musical theater’s favorite maverick writer. ” The Blue Strawberry is at 364 N. Boyle. For more information: bluestrawberrystl.com.

The Blue Strawberry presents a Master Class in Performance for Musical Theater and Concert/Cabaret with singer Joe Iconis on Saturday, October 19, at 1:00 pm. “You are invited to take part in a performance master class with Joe Iconis, the illustrious and iconoclastic composer/lyricist of Be More Chill, Broadway Bounty Hunter, Love in Hate Nation, and Bloodsong of Love. Get invaluable notes, tips and pointers from Joe about your performance of his work. Or just come and observe, and get a behind-the-curtain glimpse at the kind of work it takes to be a performer. Scott Miller, artistic director of New Line Theatre, producer of the regional premiere of Be More Chill in 2019, will also be on hand for a short interview with Joe about the process of writing a show and bringing it to the stage.” The Blue Strawberry is at 364 N. Boyle. For more information: bluestrawberrystl.com.

Clayton Community Theatre presents Tennessee Williams’s Night of the Iguana, Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sundays at 2 pm, October 17 through 27. “Reverend T. Lawrence Shannon is a minister recently fallen from grace and expelled from his congregation for a "nervous breakdown," who travels to 1940s Mexico to work as a travel guide. Among his group of tourists, however, is a 16-year-old girl, Charlotte Goodall, with whom Shannon has recently been accused of an inappropriate relationship. Meanwhile, his friend and motel owner Maxine Faulk sees in Shannon an escape for her loneliness following the death of her husband, Fred. The situation is only complicated further by the arrival of Hannah Jelks, a spinster from Nantucket, and her father, Nonno, a renowned poet in failing health who is attempting to compose what will be his final work. As Shannon and Jelks develop a deep bond, Maxine's jealousies get the best of her.” Performances take place at the Washington University South Campus Theatre, 6501 Clayton Rd. For more information: www.placeseveryone.org.

Am I Dangerous?
Photo: Carolee Carmelita

Contraband Theatre presents Am I Dangerous? by St. Louis playwright, e.k. doolin Wednesdays through Saturdays at 7:30pm through October 26. “All of her life, sixteen-year-old Philoten has been told about dangerous women. Those who flaunt their bodies. Those who are different. Those who do not follow the rules. And she’s tried, so hard, not to be dangerous. But then, something really awful happens. A few things, actually, but one of them is unforgivable and forces her to ask the question of herself, Am I Dangerous? Am I Dangerous? springboards off ancient questing stories like Shakespeare’s Pericles, creating a brand-new fem-tagonist origin story with themes around coming of age, familial reconciliation, bodily autonomy, and cultivation of the native and natural biosphere.” Performances take place at The Chapel, 6238 Alexander Drive in Clayton. For more information: www.contrabandtheatre.org.

First Run Theatre Writers’ Workshop presents a reading of The Bhutto Project by Dennis Corcoran and Naveed Moeed on Monday, October 14, at 6:30 pm. “The Bhutto Project is named after Benazir Bhutto , the first female Prime Minister of Pakistan who was assassinated while campaigning for her 3rd term in office in 2007. The Bhutto Project tells a fictionalized version of the nation's continued progress – and setbacks – through the eyes and lives of two young girls from Pakistan’s Swat Valley who, like their historical counterpart, Malala Yousafzai, and so many others, found the courage and strength to persevere.” The reading takes place at Square One Brewery in Lafayette Square. For more information: firstruntheatre.org.

Metro Theatre Company presents An Unlikely Hero by Emilio Rodriguez Friday at 7:00 pm, Saturday at 10:30 am and 2 pm, and Sunday at 2 pm, October 18-20. “In a world of heroes and villains, where do you belong? Jordan doesn’t fit in at school and spends every free moment immersed in comic books. A sudden invitation to attend Haven High, a school for superheroes, sends Jordan on a journey of self-discovery to find their place in the world. Is Jordan doomed to be a villain or will they prove to be a superhero after all? Best enjoyed by ages 6 and up. Approximate run time is 70 minutes with no intermission.” Performances take place at the Missouri History Museum in Forest Park. For more information: www.metroplays.org.

Riverside Theatre Project presents Shakespeare’s Macbeth Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 2 pm, October 18 through 27. "Three witches tell the Scottish general Macbeth that he will be King of Scotland. Encouraged by his wife, Macbeth kills the king, becomes the new king, and kills more people out of paranoia. Civil war erupts to overthrow Macbeth, resulting in more death." Performances take place at the historic Showboat Theatre in Hermann, Missouri. For mor information: www.riversidetheatreproject.com.

 

Ragtime
Photo: Phillip Hamer

Stages St. Louis presents the musical Ragtime through October 20. “At the dawn of a new century, everything is changing and anything is possible. A sweeping musical portrait of early twentieth-century America, RAGTIME, tells the story of three families united by courage, compassion, and a belief in not only the American dream, but the promise of tomorrow. Told through a dazzling array of musical styles from the era, this Tony Award-Winning musical is bursting with emotion and hope as the surprising interconnections of the heart are discovered and history’s timeless contradictions of wealth and poverty, freedom and prejudice, and hope and despair are confronted.” Performances take place at the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center in Kirkwood, MO. For more information: stagesstlouis.org.

Nevermore
Photo: John Lamb

Stray Dog Theatre presents the musical Nevermore: The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 through November 2, with an additional performance  at 2 pm on Sunday October 20. “This unique and wildly theatrical experience combines haunting music and poetic storytelling to chronicle the fascinating life of iconic American writer Edgar Allan Poe. At once gorgeous and grotesque, Nevermore explores the events that shaped Poe’s character and career, blurring the lines between fact and fiction—after all, as Poe himself writes, “All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream.”” Performances take place at Tower Grove Abbey, 2336 Tennessee in Tower Grove East. For more information: www.straydogtheatre.org.

Upstream Theater presents the professional premiere of Spanish playwright Pedro Calderón de la Barca's Life is a Dream in a new translation by G.J. Racz, October 18, 19, 24, 25, 26, 31 and November 1, 2 at 8:00 pm; October 20 at 7:00 pm; and October 27 and November 3 at 2:00 pm. “Pedro Calderón de la Barca's best-known drama follows the journey of Prince Segismundo, who was imprisoned at birth due to a prophecy. As he grapples with his newfound freedom within a world of court intrigue, Segismundo ponders the nature of his existence and the power of his own choices. A play of enduring relevance in an age filled with political uncertainty.” Performances take place at The Marcelle in Grand Center. For more information: www.upstreamtheater.org.

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

To get your event listed here, send an email to chuck at kdhx.org Your event information should be in text format (i.e. not part of a graphic), but feel free to include publicity stills.

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 in

St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of October 7, 2024

What's on St. Louis theater and cabaret stages this coming week. Please leave a comment if anything was wrong or got left out

The Alpha Players present the musical She Loves Me Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sunday (October 13 only) at 2 pm, through October 13. “In a charming 1930’s perfume shop, two salesclerks spar endlessly, saving their sweetest words for an anonymous pen pal. Unbeknownst to them, their “dear friend” happens to be each other! Featuring the joyful title song and other melt-your-heart songs, you can leave your worries behind with this romantic, effervescent & witty musical.” Performances take place in the James J. Eagen Center in Florissant. For more information: www.alphaplayers.org

Contraband Theatre presents Am I Dangerous? by St. Louis playwright, e.k. doolin Wednesdays through Saturdays at 7:30pm,  October 9 through 26. “All of her life, sixteen-year-old Philoten has been told about dangerous women. Those who flaunt their bodies. Those who are different. Those who do not follow the rules. And she’s tried, so hard, not to be dangerous. But then, something really awful happens. A few things, actually, but one of them is unforgivable and forces her to ask the question of herself, Am I Dangerous? Am I Dangerous? springboards off ancient questing stories like Shakespeare’s Pericles, creating a brand-new fem-tagonist origin story with themes around coming of age, familial reconciliation, bodily autonomy, and cultivation of the native and natural biosphere.” Performances take place at The Chapel, 6238 Alexander Drive in Clayton. For more information: www.contrabandtheatre.org.

The Gaslight Theater and Michael Madden Productions present the St. Louis premiere of “Red Jasper,” an original play by St. Louis playwright Michael Madden and directed by Suki Peters, running through October 13 at The Gaslight Theater in the Central West End. “How come people don’t know the right thing to do or say when someone has Cancer? Isadora is an indelicate, sarcastic survivor with a hidden vulnerability whose breast cancer has returned and who doesn't hesitate to educate people on how to act around her. During her treatment, she meets Tom, an affable, attractive man who regularly manages to disappoint, anger and intrigue her.” Proceeds from ticket sales will benefit Siteman Cancer Center and the Alzheimer’s Association Greater Missouri Chapter. For tickets and information, visit gaslighttheater.net.

The Midnight Company presents Final Dress, written and directed by Hanrahan, Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 pm, October 10 through 12. “Kelly Howe portrays a transplanted New Yorker, here in the Midwest ostensibly to continue her Cabaret career.  With her Music Director, played by Paul Cereghino, she is rehearsing one more time for her premiere performance.  But their rehearsal time is interrupted by a visitor (Hanrahan) from her East Coast past - come to collect for the debts and damage she’s left behind. She’s forced to sing for her life - using her music, her art, to temper the critical situation.” Performances take place at The Greenfinch Theater, 2525 S. Jefferson.  Performances take place at The Greenfinch Theater, 2525 S. Jefferson. For more information: www.midnightcompany.com

Dial M for Murder
Photo: Jon Gitchoff

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents the thriller Dial M for Murder through October 13. “Step into the shadows of a meticulously planned murder. In the elegant home of Tony and Margot Wendice, a sinister game of cat and mouse unfolds. Tony, a calculating mastermind, plots to kill his wife for her inheritance, fueled by revenge and greed. When his perfect plan spirals into chaos, a web of lies and deceit is spun, threatening to ensnare the innocent. Join the relentless Inspector Hubbard as he unravels the twisted truth. Will Tony’s trap hold, or will justice be served? Experience the suspense and intrigue of Dial “M” for Murder, a play that will leave you breathless until the final curtain falls.” Performances take on the main stage of the Loretto-Hilton Center on the Webster University campus. For more information: www.repstl.org.

Ragtime
Photo: Phillip Hamer

Stages St. Louis presents the musical Ragtime through October 20. “At the dawn of a new century, everything is changing and anything is possible. A sweeping musical portrait of early twentieth-century America, RAGTIME, tells the story of three families united by courage, compassion, and a belief in not only the American dream, but the promise of tomorrow. Told through a dazzling array of musical styles from the era, this Tony Award-Winning musical is bursting with emotion and hope as the surprising interconnections of the heart are discovered and history’s timeless contradictions of wealth and poverty, freedom and prejudice, and hope and despair are confronted.” Performances take place at the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center in Kirkwood, MO. For more information: stagesstlouis.org.

Stray Dog Theatre presents the musical Nevermore: The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe Thursdays through Saturdays at 8, October 10 through November 2, with an additional performance  at 2 pm on Sunday October 20. “This unique and wildly theatrical experience combines haunting music and poetic storytelling to chronicle the fascinating life of iconic American writer Edgar Allan Poe. At once gorgeous and grotesque, Nevermore explores the events that shaped Poe’s character and career, blurring the lines between fact and fiction—after all, as Poe himself writes, “All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream.”” Performances take place at Tower Grove Abbey, 2336 Tennessee in Tower Grove East. For more information: www.straydogtheatre.org.

The Turn of the Screw

West End Players Guild presents The Turn of the Screw by Jeffrey Hatcher, based on the novel by Henry James, through October 13. “A young governess has one rule in caring for her charges -- do not contact their guardian. No matter what she sees, no matter what they do.” Performances take place at the Union Avenue Christian Church, 733 Union in the Central West End. For more information: westendplayers.org

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

To get your event listed here, send an email to chuck at kdhx.org Your event information should be in text format (i.e. not part of a graphic), but feel free to include publicity stills.

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.

Symphony Review: The SLSO honors musical nomads in the season opener

“A wandering minstrel I,” sings Nanki-Poo as he introduces himself in “The Mikado”; “A thing of shreds and patches.”

You wouldn’t call the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra “a thing of shreds and patches,” but with Music Director Stéphane Denève at the podium for the opening concert of the season last Sunday they were certainly doing some musical wandering. Certainly the first half of the program paid considerable homage to those famous wanderers, the Roma, with concert standards inspired by Hungarian folk tunes and the “Nomad Concerto” by Mason Bates.

Stéphane Denève
Photo: Dilip Vishwanat

Which is rather appropriate for an orchestra that will continue to lead a nomadic existence until the renovation of Powell Hall is completed next fall.

Things got off to an energetic start with a rousing performance of the “Rákóczi March”, a.k.a. the “Marche hongroise” from Part I of  the 1846 opera/oratorio hybrid “La damnation de Faust” (“The Damnation of Faust”) by Hector Berlioz (1803–1869). It’s the sort of orchestral showpiece that never fails to get an enthusiastic response—which it did.

Up next was another favorite, a set of the “Hungarian Dances by Johannes Brahms (1833–1897). Originally composed for piano duet and published in four sets between 1869 and 1880, the dances were orchestrated by various composers, including Brahms. Denève selected the three that the composer orchestrated (Nos. 1, 3, and 10) and played them attacca—i.e., without pause.

It was a smart choice, highlighting the contrast between the energetic first and tenth dances (marked Allegro molto and Presto, respectively) and the more introspective third (Allegretto). The result was a kind of “mini suite” that showed off both the composer’s orchestration and the virtuosity of the band. I was very taken with the flutes (including Ebonee Thomas, who seemed to be holding down the currently vacant Principal position for this concert) in the Dance No. 1, and the playful oboes and bassoons (under Associate Principals Phil Ross and Andy Gott, respectively) were a delight in Dance No. 3.  

Denève gave the dances the “full Roma” treatment, with just the right touches of rubato evoking the music’s folk origins.

The first half concluded with the “Nomad Concerto” by Mason Bates (b. 1977), composed for and premiered in January 2024 by this weekend’s soloist, violinist Gil Shaham. “Envisioned to showcase the legendary Old World sound of Gil Shaham,” writes Bates at his web site, “the concerto is informed by a diverse range of traveling cultures from Eastern Europe to the Middle East.”

Gil Shaham
Photo: Chris Lee

Running just under 30 minutes, the four-movement concerto is, as promised, an ideal virtuoso vehicle for Shaham. The last time I saw him with SLSO in January 2017 I praised his singing tone and the obvious joy of his playing. That’s still true, but this time I was also impressed by the versatility he displayed in delivering the wide range of sounds Bates has written for him. In the first movement (“Song of the balloon man”) his was wistfully Chaplinesque. He and the orchestra exchanged rapid-fire motifs in the brief “Magician at the bazaar” in a way that summoned up visions of flash paper going off all over the string section.  The third movement (“Desert vision: oasis) used the orchestra’s lower voices to suggest an arid expanse of wilderness, with the violin offering brief relief in the form of a yearning  version of the Jewish folk tune “Ani Ma’amin” (“I believe”).

Shaham and the band really cut loose, though, in the concluding movement, “Le jazz manouche.” Inspired by the sound of the legendary 1930s–1940s jazz combo Quintette du Hot Club de France—especially guitarist Django Reinhardt and violinist Stéphane Grappelli—the score has the soloist and orchestra trading licks the way an actual combo would. Shaham and the first violins seemed to be having an especially good time playing off each other here. Will James on jazz percussion and Peter Henderson on piano added considerably to the period atmosphere.

As much as I loved Shaham’s performance, though, I found it difficult to become involved with Bates’s score.  It felt more like a quasi-Impressionist collection of motifs that suggested but never really achieved the status of themes. It reminded me a bit of Debussy, except without the melodies and harmonic infrastructure.

The concert concluded with the Big Event, Berlioz’s splendiferous 1830 “Symphonie Fantastique.” Denève and the orchestra played this wildly hallucinatory work (Leonard Bernstein once dubbed it "the first psychedelic symphony in history”) back in 2019, as the closer of his last concert as Music Director Designate (he became the official MD that fall). At the time I described Denève’s interpretation as consistently engrossing, filled with interesting details (something that would prove to be a hallmark of his work on the podium) and concluding with a downright hair-raising final two movements. I’m repeating myself here because all of that still applies to what we experienced last Sunday.

The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra season continues October 4th and 6th at the Touhill Performing Arts Center; check out my preview for more information or head over to the SLSO web site.

This article originally appeared at 88.1 KDHX, where Chuck Lavazzi is the senior performing arts critic.

Symphony Preview: There and back again

Guest conductor Cristian Măcelaru and the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra have a quick trip through time and space this weekend (Friday and Sunday, October 4 and 6), with music that zaps you from 19th century Bohemia to 20th and 21st century South America and then back again. Don’t worry, it won’t make you dizzy—although the music might be intoxicating.

Anton and Anna Dvořák in London, 1886
en.wikipedia.org

This week, I’m going to try something different with the symphony preview. I have been doing these for years and thought I’d change the format a bit and make it more concise. Let me know what you think by leaving a comment on the version of this that appears on my blog.

The concert opens with the “Carnival” concert overture, Op. 92, by Antonín  Dvořák (1841–1904). The composer originally intended it to be the second of three overtures with the blanket title “Nature, Life, and Love” but his publisher persuaded him to issue the three works separately. So the first movement, “Nature,” became “In Nature’s Realm” (Op. 91), “Life” became “Carnival,” and “Love” became “Othello” (Op. 93).  Even with their separate titles, though, the three overtures share a common “nature” theme that shows up at the beginning of “In Nature’s Realm” and in the middle of “Carnival.”

Listen to The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields under Neville Marriner. The “nature” theme shows up at 4:20 in this recording.

Next, it’s off to Peru by way of the USA for the “Concertino Cusqueño” by Gabriela Lena Frank (b. 1972), a contemporary North American composer with whose Peruvian/Chinese mother left her with a lifelong fascination with the music of Peru (among other locales). Founder of the Gabriela Lena Frank Creative Academy of Music, and a graduate of my alma mater, Rice University, Frank was Appointed Composer-in-Residence with the Philadelphia Orchestra in 2019, who first performed the “Concertino” in 2012. In her program notes, the composer writes that the work was “written to celebrate the fine players of the Philadelphia Orchestra on the eve of Yannick Nézet-Ségun’s inaugural season as Music Director, [and] finds inspiration in two unlikely bedfellows: Peruvian culture and British composer Benjamin Britten.”

Gabriela Lena Frank
Photo by Mariah Tauger

The former is represented musically by the first few notes of “Ccollanan María,” a religious song from Cusco, the original capital of the Inca empire, Tawantinsuyu. Britten is represented by the tympani motif from the opening of his Violin Concerto. Those two brief ideas get tossed around quite a bit in this brief (11 minutes) piece that prominently features the first-chair string players.

Watch a 2019 performance by the Thailand Philharmonic under Jeffrey Mayer on YouTube. The link starts at the 1:15 mark so you’re spared the spoken introduction. You can also see a 2004 setting by Frank of “Ccollanan María” by the chorus Sacred and Profane on YouTube. Neither of these was available on Spotify.

Up next is a work making its third appearance with the SLSO in recent years, the "Variaciones concertantes," op. 23, by the Argentine composer Alberto Ginastera (1916–1983). It takes the conventional theme and variations form and combines it with a concept that emerged mainly in the 20th century, the "concerto for orchestra"—a work in which each section of the ensemble gets an opportunity to take the spotlight.

Ginastera wrote the “Variaciones” in 1953, at a time when he was out of favor with the fascist Péron regime, losing his steady gig as director of the music conservatory of National University of La Plata. He made ends meet by scoring film and composing commissioned works like the “Variaciones.”  It was written for the Asociación Amigos de la Música in Buenos Aires, where Igor Markevitch conducted the premiere in June 1953.

Listen to the Norwegian Radio Orchestra under Miguel Harth-Bedoya on Spotify.

Alberto Ginastera
en.wikipedia.org

Finally it’s back to old Bohemia for the work that marked Dvořák’s emergence as an independent symphonic voice, the Symphony No. 6 in D major, Op. 60. “Every bar of this work shows him at the height of his maturity,” wrote Alec Robertson in his 1943 biography of the composer. “The village boy can move amongst the greats of the symphonic world with ease and assurance. He speaks their tongue, albeit with his own accent.”

Too true. This is music that speaks for itself. It brims over with bucolic charm and optimism, and if there’s more than a hint of Brahms’s D major symphony in the last movement, so what? It’s still 100% Dvořák. I defy anyone to emerge from a performance of this piece without a smile. “The only way we can eradicate darkness is by bringing light,” notes Măcelaru.

Amen to that.

Listen to the 1995 London Symphony Orchestra recording under Istvan Kertesz on my Spotify playlist.

The Essentials: Cristian Măcelaru leads the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra in Dvořák’s “Carnival” Overture and Symphony No. 6, along with Gabriela Lena Frank’s “Concertino Cusqueño” and Alberto Ginastera’s the "Variaciones concertantes.” Performances are Friday at 10:30 am and Sunday at 2 pm, October 4 and 6, at the Touhill Center on the University of Missouri–St. Louis campus. The Friday morning performance will be broadcast Saturday night (October 5) on St. Louis Public Radio and Classic 107.3.

This article originally appeared at 88.1 KDHX, where Chuck Lavazzi is the senior performing arts critic.