Sister Act: ERA revives its inventive "Moscow!" as a webinar

Lucy Cashion, the Artistic Director of ERA Theater, has pretty firmly established herself as the expert in pouring old theatrical wine into new bottles.

The Zoom cast of Moscow!

Her Trash Macbeth in 2016, for example, threw Shakespeare's tragedy into the blender with some Emily Post, Dr. Spock, Sun-Tzu, and 1950s-era commercials, and the result was what Steve Callahan, writing for KDHX called "a strange and compelling piece." Oedipus Apparatus, her radical rewrite of Sophocles' Oedipus Tyrannus, was a wildly inventive and wholly original potpourri combining the general outline of the Oedipus legend with classical Newtonian mechanics, plane geometry, Freudian psychology, and contemporary pop culture. It also cleverly used the architecture of West End Players' basement black box as an integral element of the set.

Back before either of those, though, there was ERA's remarkable Moscow!, created for the 2015 St. Lou Fringe Festival. Described as a drinking-game version of Chekov's Three Sisters, the script was an ingenious one-hour reduction of the original, with everyone in the cast (and much of the audience) taking a drink whenever anyone said "Moscow." Which, if you know your Chekov, happens a lot.

That production moved at light speed, with actors rattling off vast chunks of Chekov with machine-gun precision while marching about the stage in precise steps through the box-like maze of red chairs that served as a set. Combined with original music director Joe Taylor's live performance of Russian classics (mostly Prokofiev and Khachaturian, as I recall), it all added up to an impressive combination of parody and homage.

Moscow! at the 2015 STL Fringe

ERA had planned to mount a new production of Moscow! at the Centene Center this month, complete with custom cocktails (Moscow Mules, of course!) for the audience. The pandemic took care of that idea, but Cashion and her ERA colleagues decided to perform it live anyway--just not in an actual theatre and not in person.

Live performances of ERA's Moscow! began last weekend and continue this Thursday through Saturday (May 28-30) at 8 pm in the comfort of your own home via the Zoom videoconferencing platform. With everyone including Music Director Joe Taylor performing from their own homes, this online version lacks some of the immediacy of that Fringe original, but on the whole Ms. Cashion and her talented cast have done a remarkable job of repurposing Moscow!. As my KDHX colleague Tina Farmer noted, the production had the feel of all taking place in the same room, despite the physical separation of the performers.

As with the live original, the new version includes a pre-show in which some of the characters speak directly to the audience. In 2015 they did it while wandering the theatre lobby. Here, they're on your screen around 10 minutes before the 8 pm start time, so you'll want to show up a bit early to get the full experience.

Moscow! at the 2015 STL Fringe

Said experience retains the fast pace and sense of fun that distinguished the original. The cast does outstanding work, despite the inherent awkwardness of the format. Ellie Schwetye, Rachel Tibbets, and Alicen Moser shine as the three Prozorova sisters, perfectly delineating their radically different personas, and they're supported by an impressive ensemble of local actors who all thoroughly inhabit their roles. Congratulations to all for a difficult and challenging job well done.

Recognizing the limitations of the format, ERA is not charging for tickets, but because the virtual "house" is limited by the Zoom app to 100 people, including the cast, you will need to reserve a slot on line at www.artful.ly/era. While you're there, seriously consider making a donation to ERA. Times are tough for performing arts organizations right now, and if everybody helps a little, it can go a long way.

Which, now that I think of it, is not a bad paradigm for how we can defeat COVID-19.

Performances of Moscow! are Thursday through Saturday (May 28-30) at 8 pm. Download the free Zoom app, whip up a pitcher of Moscow Mules, and join in the fun. Take small sips, though. There's a lot of "Moscow" in Moscow!

Chuck's Choices for the weekend of June 1, 2018

Opera and a contemporary gloss on Chekov dominate the list this week.

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New This Week:

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The Book of Mormon

The Fox Theatre presents the hit Broadway musical The Book of Mormon opening on Tuesday, May 29, and running through June 3rd. "The Book of Mormon features book, music and lyrics by Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone. Parker and Stone are the four-time Emmy Award-winning creators of the landmark animated series, “South Park.” Tony Award-winner Lopez is co-creator of the long-running hit musical comedy, Avenue Q. The musical is choreographed by Tony Award-winner Casey Nicholaw (Monty Python's Spamalot, The Drowsy Chaperone) and is directed by Nicholaw and Parker." The Fox is at 527 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information: fabulousfox.com.

My take: While I haven't seen this particular tour, I did see the first national tour back in 2013. As I wrote in my review back then, it's certainly true that The Book of Mormon is crude and funny. But it's also very smart and well constructed. Anybody can be a smart-ass. Being a smart-ass with a little heart is more difficult, but this show pulls it off. It's a cheerfully vulgar satire on the foolishness of religious literalism that’s also a gloss of the classic “mismatched buddies” movie. It's irresistible and you'll want to see it.

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Life Sucks

New Jewish Theater presents Life Sucks by Aaron Posner through June 10. "An irreverent adaptation of Anton Chekhov's Uncle Vanya, Posner's contemporary riff on the work is altogether wise, profoundly humane, hilarious, quirky, endearing and, in countless clever ways, brilliantly faithful to its source. Posner brings a playful, far from cynical, originality to the story of a group of yearning, frustrated, heartbroken, questioning, and in many ways privileged souls who are, in their varied and deeply flawed ways, trying to cope with all the essential conundrums of existence. It is essentially a play about love, loss and longing - with a healthy dose of Jewish philosophizing thrown in. Never has unhappiness been so much fun." Performances take place in the Marvin and Harlene Wool Studio Theater at the Jewish Community Center, 2 Millstone Campus Drive in Creve Coeur. For more information: www.newjewishtheatre.org or call 314-442-3283.

My take: To include or not to include? Reviews of Life Sucks have been somewhat mixed. Ann Lemmons Pollack, for example, writes that it's "a rollicking evening, and having seen or read Uncle Vanya before is of fairly slight help, hardly a necessity. Just hold on for the ride; the fun is obvious from the very first few minutes." But Judy Newmark thinks it's "likely to baffle anybody who isn’t familiar with 'Uncle Vanya.'” My colleague Tina Farmer says it's "a thoroughly engaging production that is often laugh-out-loud funny and quite sweetly and unexpectedly satisfying" but Bob Cohn says that the play's various moving parts "often collide and make the proceedings confusing and the relationships among the characters hard to understand. The fact that many of the players are imitating people who are very drunk doesn’t do much to help matters, either." So maybe you should just go and make up your own mind. It's the last show of the season and also the last show NJT will produce under the help of retiring artistic director Kathy Sitzer. Ed Coffield, who takes over next season, is the director this time around.

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Regina

Opera Theatre of St. Louis presents Mark Blitzstein's Regina running through June 24. "Theft. Blackmail. Murder. Is there nothing that Regina Giddens won't do to satisfy her ambition? Based on Lillian Hellman's play The Little Foxes, and set against a Southern backdrop of spirituals, jazz, and ragtime, this deliciously twisted opera pits siblings and spouses against each other in a battle for the family business. Prepare to be scandalized - and entertained - as the renowned Susan Graham returns to Opera Theatre to portray one of the American stage's most fascinating characters." Performances take place at the Loretto-Hilton Center at 135 Edgar Road on the Webster University campus. All performances are sung in English with projected English text. For more information: experienceopera.org call 314-961-0644.

My take: As I write in my review for KDHX, Regina is an American classic, and the Opera Theater production is a triumph in every respect. Don't miss it. Its condemnation of the ethical vacuum at the heart of crony capitalism and the ugly brutality of those who practice it could hardly be more relevant today. You should not miss it.

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Held Over:

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La Traviata

Opera Theatre of St. Louis presents Verdi's La Traviata through June 23. "Violetta has one important rule: never fall in love. As a Parisian courtesan, her life is full of parties, admirers, and - most importantly - freedom. Then she meets Alfredo. His naive sincerity sweeps her off her feet. Just when Violetta thinks she has escaped her past, she is asked to make an unthinkable sacrifice. Will pride, love, or honor prevail? Embrace the romance of this Verdi masterpiece, featuring the directing debut of star soprano Patricia Racette" Performances take place at the Loretto-Hilton Center at 135 Edgar Road on the Webster University campus. All performances are sung in English with projected English text. For more information: experienceopera.org call 314-961-0644.

My take: There was a time (before November 2016) when I would have suggested that the mix toxic chauvinism and smug self-righteousness of the males characters in Verdi's opera was starting to look dated. Now I'm not so sure. In any case, this new production is getting rave notices for the quality of the singing and acting on display. Having finally seen it myself, I have to agree that, while it may not be my favorite Traviata (that position is still held by Union Avenue's wonderful 2014 production), it's an awfully good one. Besides, it stars the immensely talented Sydney Mancasola, who was so impressive in OTSL's La Rondine in 2015.