tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306002052024-03-17T22:03:07.964-05:00Stage LeftA performing arts blog and occasional podcast of CD reviews, news and interviews from the world of stage, screen, cabaret, classical music, and related places.Chuck Lavazzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11648785168147837794noreply@blogger.comBlogger2736125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30600205.post-60721048222224550922024-03-17T21:58:00.002-05:002024-03-17T21:58:53.209-05:00Minterview: Joe Hanrahan and Eileen Engel blend cabaret and theatre at the Blue Strawberry[Minterview = mini interview.]
Through March 27th, Joe Hanrahan’s Midnight Company is presenting
the latest in a series of cabaret-oriented original shows at The
Blue Strawberry Showroom and Lounge, just down the street from the
Gaslight Theatre on North Boyle.
Movie MusicIn “Movie Music” Hanrahan and Eileen Engel serve as hosts for an
evening of a dozen songs from classic films. The show Chuck Lavazzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11648785168147837794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30600205.post-89767694392496969022024-03-17T14:41:00.001-05:002024-03-17T14:41:26.772-05:00St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of March 18. 2024What's
on
St. Louis theater and cabaret stages this coming week. Please
leave a comment if anything was wrong or got left out
Molly SweenyPhoto: John LambAlbion Theatre Company presents Molly Sweeny
by Brian Friel through March 31. “Blind since infancy, Molly is
persuaded by her husband and a surgeon to undergo an operation to
try to restore her sight. “What has she got to lose?” the men
ask.&Chuck Lavazzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11648785168147837794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30600205.post-56744051702677819582024-03-14T15:21:00.000-05:002024-03-14T15:21:11.274-05:00Symphony Preview: Shall we dance? “Invitation to the Dance” (“Aufforderung zum Tanz”), Op. 65, is
one of the more popular pieces by Carl Maria von Weber, especially
in its 1841 orchestration by Hector Berlioz. It’s also a good
description of the concerts Stéphane Denève and the St. Louis
Symphony Orchestra (SLSO) will perform this weekend (Saturday and
Sunday, March 16 and 17).
[Preview the music with the SLSO's
Spotify Chuck Lavazzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11648785168147837794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30600205.post-54390804946607287122024-03-10T16:46:00.004-05:002024-03-10T22:49:40.897-05:00St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of March 11, 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 Molly Sweeny
by Brian Friel March 15 through 31. “Blind since infancy, Molly is
persuaded by her husband and a surgeon to undergo an operation to
try to restore her sight. “What has she got to lose?” the men
ask. This powerful Chuck Lavazzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11648785168147837794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30600205.post-9136463454498259742024-03-06T18:36:00.002-06:002024-03-06T18:37:58.968-06:00Symphony Review: A bright, sunshiny day at the opera with the SLSO We’re still nearly three months away from opening night at Opera
Theatre of St. Louis, but last Sunday (March 3) Stéphane Denève
and the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra decided
to “spring ahead” with a consistently entertaining afternoon of
opera’s Greatest Orchestra Hits.
[Find out more about the music
with my symphony preview.]
The program jumped into high gear immediately with the
Chuck Lavazzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11648785168147837794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30600205.post-71860727062192661102024-03-05T13:22:00.001-06:002024-03-05T13:33:35.669-06:00Opera Review: New World ordersVictor Herbert's 1910 operetta "Naughty Marietta" got quite a fine
production the weekend of March 1 by Winter Opera St. Louis. With a new book
by Ball State University’s David Taylor Little (to replace Rida
Johnson Young's convoluted and somewhat
racist original), this New and Improved "Naughty Marietta" was
rather like a bag of Cheez-Its: I knew it was junk food but it sure
was tasty.
Brittany Chuck Lavazzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11648785168147837794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30600205.post-15986722342072444812024-03-04T14:19:00.001-06:002024-03-04T14:19:09.185-06:00St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of March 4, 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
Fly
Photo: Keshon Campbell
The Black Rep presents Fly by Joseph L.
Edwards through March 10. “Premiering off-Broadway in 1997,
this one-person dramatic comedy received three AUDELCO awards for
excellence in Black theatre and has had a limited tour in the Chuck Lavazzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11648785168147837794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30600205.post-3134101907288473302024-03-02T16:54:00.001-06:002024-03-02T16:57:35.100-06:00Symphony Review: Denève leads The STL Symphony Orchestra, Chorus, and soloists in a brilliantly conceived program at the Cathedral Basilica Stéphane Denève and the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and
Chorus continued their peripatetic wanderjahr last night
(February 28) with a brilliantly conceived all-French program at
the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis.
[Find out more about the music
with my symphony preview.]
Soprano Brenda RaeThe featured work was the Requiem, Op. 48, for chorus, soloists,
and orchestra by Gabriel Fauré (1845–Chuck Lavazzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11648785168147837794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30600205.post-68121920382067013312024-02-28T19:19:00.002-06:002024-02-28T19:19:32.301-06:00Symphony Preview: Nights and days at the opera Summer is usually opera season here in St. Louis but this Sunday
(March 3) Stéphane Denève and the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra get
a jump on it with “Operatic Favorites.” It’s a collection of
overtures, intermezzos, and other orchestral bonbons from operas
by everyone from Claudio Monteverdi (1567–1643) to Giacomo Puccini
(1858–1924). And tickets are going fast.
[Preview the music with the Chuck Lavazzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11648785168147837794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30600205.post-38398423646383552672024-02-25T21:09:00.001-06:002024-02-25T21:09:49.413-06:00St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of February 26, 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 Prelude to a Kiss
by Craig Lucas Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sunday (March 3
only) at 2 pm through March 3. “Snuggle up for a “late” Valentine’s
Day with this modern fairy tale about the enduring power of love!
It’s a romantic Chuck Lavazzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11648785168147837794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30600205.post-70116961828779654462024-02-21T15:02:00.002-06:002024-03-02T20:24:20.279-06:00Symphony Review: Love and death with Denève and the SLSO Last Saturday night (February 17) Stéphane Denève took a few
minutes before giving the downbeat to the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (SLSO)
to ask the audience to applaud less.
[Find out more about the music
with my symphony preview.
Sounds odd, yes? But this was not going to be your ordinary
concert. Both the first and second halves of the evening consisted
of pieces that were played attaccaChuck Lavazzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11648785168147837794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30600205.post-18514707610868665512024-02-18T21:54:00.001-06:002024-02-18T21:59:52.363-06:00St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of February 19, 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 Prelude to a Kiss
by Craig Lucas Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sunday (March 3
only) at 2 pm, February 23 through March 3. “Snuggle up for a “late”
Valentine’s Day with this modern fairy tale about the enduring power
of love! It’sChuck Lavazzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11648785168147837794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30600205.post-89528992712370395552024-02-13T22:10:00.001-06:002024-02-13T22:10:09.050-06:00Symphony Preview: The sounds of silence I have often written that the St. Louis Symphony
Orchestra (SLSO) Music Director Stéphane Denève knows how to
use silence as a musical element. So it’s not surprising to see
him saying the following in the program notes for
the concerts he will conduct this weekend (February 17 and 18):
“Life starts and ends with nothingness. Music is the same: from
silence to silence.”
[Preview the music with Chuck Lavazzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11648785168147837794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30600205.post-14380196773549821652024-02-12T15:50:00.009-06:002024-02-12T21:24:41.994-06:00St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of February 12, 2024What's
on St.Louis theater and cabaret stages this coming week. Please leave
a comment if anything was wrong or got left out
The Black Rep presents Fly by Joseph L.
Edwards opening on Wednesday, February 14 and running through March
10. “Premiering off-Broadway in 1997, this one-person dramatic
comedy received three AUDELCO awards for excellence in Black theatre
and has had a limited tourChuck Lavazzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11648785168147837794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30600205.post-20985525613442581342024-02-10T14:27:00.003-06:002024-02-10T14:27:38.853-06:00Review: Great chamber music from the SLSOs "inner circle" at The Sheldon I have periodically described the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (SLSO)
as an ensemble of virtuosi. The SLSO “Live at the Sheldon” concert
last night (Wednesday, February 7) was a welcome opportunity to
hear five of those virtuosi in action. Curated by Concertmaster
David Halen and Principal Second Violin Alison Harney, the evening
was an impressive mix of works old and new for string quartet withChuck Lavazzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11648785168147837794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30600205.post-30170685531648041562024-02-05T22:55:00.005-06:002024-02-07T15:27:15.622-06:00Symphony Review: Denève brings Florence Price's masterpiece to St. Louis Last Friday night (February 2) Stéphane Denève conducted
the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (SLSO) and
violin soloist Augustin Hadelich in music by Valerie Coleman (b.
1970), Samuel Barber (1910–1981), and Florence Price (1887–1953).
It was a truly memorable concert and a demonstration of the
strength that comes from diversity, consisting of works by two
black women and a gay man.
[Find outChuck Lavazzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11648785168147837794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30600205.post-30874649067699498442024-02-05T21:33:00.002-06:002024-02-05T21:33:31.084-06:00St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of February 5, 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
Tim Schall
and Carol Schmidt
The Blue Strawberry presents Sunday Standard Time
with Tim Schall and Carol Schmidt on Sunday February 11
from at 6 pm. “Join Tim Schall (vocals) and Carol Schmidt (piano) in
the lounge for a casual, classy Sunday evening of jazz Chuck Lavazzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11648785168147837794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30600205.post-52989129138154648272024-01-31T23:10:00.004-06:002024-02-01T12:44:54.810-06:00Symphony Preview: The great commission St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (SLSO)
programs often have a common theme, especially when Music Director
Stéphane Denève is on the podium. This Friday, February 2nd, the
program notes suggest that the unifying theme is that time-honored
source of revenue for composers, the commission. Composers have
relied on individuals, organizations, and governments to fund new
works for centuries.
[Preview Chuck Lavazzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11648785168147837794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30600205.post-76340764781383660662024-01-30T14:28:00.005-06:002024-01-30T14:29:42.509-06:00Symphony Review: Denève and the SLSO present a musical and visual feastFive years ago, when Stéphane Denève was the Music Director
Designate of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (SLSO),
I asked him if he was
thinking of using any visuals to go with the ballet scores he was
planning since this was something the symphony had done
successfully in the past. He said no "because as much as I love
combining art forms, I'm very doubtful about the visual and the
music Chuck Lavazzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11648785168147837794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30600205.post-33548422725936879802024-01-28T19:06:00.000-06:002024-01-28T19:06:10.778-06:00St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of January 29, 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
Ben Nordstrom andSteve NealeThe Blue Strawberry presents Ben Nordstrom and Steve
Neale in We're Not Cool on Saturday, February
3, at 7:30 pm. “Ben and Steve return to Blue Strawberry with their
trademark mix of heart and humor sharing songs and stories of
fatherhood, Chuck Lavazzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11648785168147837794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30600205.post-41163484178400964402024-01-24T22:48:00.000-06:002024-01-24T22:48:12.781-06:00Symphony Preview: Reanimated This Saturday and Sunday (January 27 and 28) Music Director Stéphane
Denève returns to lead the St. Louis Symphony
Orchestra (SLSO) in an unusual program of three works with
three things in common. First, they were all written during the
first half of the last century. Second, they were all theatrical
(two ballets and one piece for narrator and orchestra). And third,
all three will be performed Chuck Lavazzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11648785168147837794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30600205.post-20787308383741010532024-01-23T15:08:00.002-06:002024-01-23T15:28:30.108-06:00Symphony Review: Local premiere of Williams's "Zodiac Suite" highlights a jazzy SLSO concert Sunday afternoon (January 21) Conductor Laureate Leonard Slatkin
led the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (SLSO)
in a mostly glorious conclusion to their three-concert series of
works celebrating the intersection of classical and what Slatkin
calls “vernacular” music—a term he uses for jazz, folk,
spirituals, theatre, and popular music in general. Sunday, though,
the emphasis was firmly on jazz and Chuck Lavazzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11648785168147837794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30600205.post-72123703825855927012024-01-21T22:36:00.001-06:002024-01-21T22:36:29.276-06:00St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of January 22, 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
Hold On!
Photo courtesy of The Black Rep
The Black Rep presents the world premiere of Hold On!
By Paul Webb through January 28. “Although the Civil Rights
Act of 1964 legally desegregated the South, discrimination was still
rampant in certain areas, makingChuck Lavazzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11648785168147837794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30600205.post-84887808333174048002024-01-19T17:29:00.003-06:002024-01-19T20:08:40.888-06:00Capsule Review: Great voices highlight "Manon Lescaut" at Winter OperaJoseph Park, Zoya GramaginPhoto: ProPhotoSTLWednesday night I attended a dress rehearsal of Winter Opera’s production of Puccini’s
1894 blockbuster hit “Manon Lescaut.” Performances are tonight and
Sunday (January 19 and 21) and if what I heard at the rehearsal is
any indication, audiences will be mightily impressed by the high
quality of the singing. There’s not a weak vocal link in the cast
andChuck Lavazzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11648785168147837794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30600205.post-63685962499366208762024-01-18T14:36:00.008-06:002024-01-18T22:00:13.738-06:00Symphony Preview: The SLSO goes Krazy for Gershwin (among others) This Saturday and Sunday (January 20 and 21) St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (SLSO)
Conductor Laureate Leonard Slatkin
concludes his two-week, four-concert series with the ensemble he
led from 1979 to 1996. Both concerts are at the Touhill Performing
Arts Center. Here’s what to expect.
[Preview Sunday's music with the
SLSO's
Spotify playlist.]
Slatkin and the SLSO Youth OrchestraPhoto: Dilip Chuck Lavazzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11648785168147837794noreply@blogger.com0