Chuck's Choices for the weekend of March 28, 2014

As always, the choices are purely my personal opinion. Take with a grain (or a shaker) of salt.

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Mariposa Artists presents an encore performance of Liz Murphy's cabaret debut The Best is Yet to Come, Sunday, March 30, at 7 PM. The show is directed by Lina Koutrakos with music direction by Rick Jensen. “Liz shares the incredible opportunities of her life, the people that have influenced her, and her eagerness for self-discovery. This show celebrates the joy of new found possibilities: the spirit, energy, sparkle, and exuberance of a colorful life. With her musical partner, Rick Jensen, the evening of song will take us from Cy Coleman to Christopher Cross, Stephen Schwartz to Stephen Sondheim, Martina McBride to Julie Gold....just to mention a few.” The performance takes place at the Belleville Philharmonic, 116 North Jackson in Belleville, IL. For more information: www.brownpapertickets.com/event/567490

My take: Music director Rick Jensen and director Lina Koutrakos are major names in the cabaret world. I saw this show the first time around (last November) and was very impressed. For more information on the show, check out my interview with Ms. Murphy from last year.

The Presenters Dolan present an encore performance of Connie Fairchild: Down by the River on Friday, March 28, at 8 PM as part of the Gaslight Cabaret Festival. "As the lead singer of Fairchild, one of the most popular bands ever to call St. Louis home, Connie Fairchild was recognized by the RFT as Best Female Vocalist several times. A few years on, and Connie makes her cabaret debut in a show entitled Down By The River. Connie was mesmerized by the rhythms of the rivers that surrounded her home towns. Growing up in Kentucky on the Ohio and Tennessee Rivers, in Louisiana on the Mississippi, and then following the river up to St. Louis, her voice was chiseled from other voices she listened to from these lush environments, such as Irma Thomas and Rosemary Clooney." The performance takes place at the Gaslight Theater, 358 North Boyle. For more information: gaslightcabaretfestival.com.

My take: I'll qualify this recommendation by noting that, as I wrote my review of the show last month, this is more of a themed concert than a cabaret show. That said, if you're a fan of Ms. Fairchild's work and/or go in not expecting traditional cabaret, I think you'll find this show great fun,

The Presenters Dolan present an encore performance of Joe Dreyer and Rosemary Watts: Swing Into Spring on Saturday, March 29, at 8 PM as part of the Gaslight Cabaret Festival. " Rosemary Watts and Joe Dreyer premier their new show "Swing Into Spring" at the Gaslight Cabaret Festival. Music from the masters of musical theatre makes up the heart of the show, with a few Dreyer originals too. The first couple of St. Louis cabaret brings a brand new show to the Gaslight stage." The performance takes place at the Gaslight Theater, 358 North Boyle. For more information: gaslightcabaretfestival.com.

My take: I missed this show the first time around and will unfortunately do so this time as well. Which is a pity, because I'm a great admirer of Mr. Dreyer and his wife. The Dreyer/Watts team has been a fixture of the St. Louis cabaret scene for a while now, and Joe has solid credentials as an arranger and music director for a number of local artists. "With this first song," wrote KDHX's Laura Kyro in her review of the duo's February 2011 show at the Kranzberg, "they set the tone for the night, which was an obvious affection for each other and a joy in singing songs that were special to them."

Mariposa Artists Robert Breig in Making Every Moment Count: The Music of Peter Allen, Friday and Saturday, March 28 and 29, at 8 PM. The show is directed by Lina Koutrakos with music direction by Rick Jensen. “Robert Breig opens his new cabaret show "Making Every Moment Count - The Music of Peter Allen", March 28-29th, 8PM at the Kranzberg Arts Center. Rick Jensen serves as music director and arranger of songs that give us more than just a glimpse of Peter Allen's life in story and song....to Oz and beyond!” The performance takes place at the Kranzberg Center, 501 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information: www.brownpapertickets.com/event/559044

My take: Here's another show by a local cabaret pro that I'm going to miss due to schedule conflicts. That's my loss; Mr. Breig is an accomplished performer and cabaret producer. I can recommend this highly.

Photo: Jerry Naunheim, Jr.

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents Michael Frayn's comedy Noises Off through April 13. “Disasters abound as a frantic, sleep-deprived touring company of actors rehearses and performs their fictional farce, Nothing On. Too many doors, too many sardines and not near enough time combine to create a riotously funny situation on and off stage for both cast and crew. Michael Frayn's intricately crafted mayhem is hailed as one of the greatest comedies ever written.” Performances take place on the mainstage at the Loretto-Hlton Center, 130 Edgar Road in Webster Groves, MO. For more information, call 314-968-4925 or visit repstl.org.

My take: Reviews for this show have been overwhelmingly positive, and with good reason. Michael Frayn's script is an ingenious, brilliantly assembled laugh machine performed with all the necessary precision by a fine ensemble cast.

The Price
Photo: John Lamb

New Jewish Theater presents Arthur Miller's The Price through April 16. “Everything has a price. In one of the most emotional pieces that Arthur Miller ever wrote, two estranged brothers reunite for one day to sort and sell their deceased father's "furniture," before the building is torn down. The brothers are forced to deal with the price of decisions made in their shared past.” 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: The play is a classic and reviews have been glowing. In her review for KDHX, Tina Farmer says that this is "an artfully staged, well-acted production that fully embraces the essential themes of playwright Arthur Miller. There's layered intention in every line and the cast, with strong, purposeful direction from Bruce Longworth, does an admirable job of navigating the playwright's subtleties and inferences while avoiding excess."

Held Over:

HotCity Theatre presents Red Light Winter by Adam Rapp through March 29. “A tempestuous love triangle smolders between two college buddies and the red light woman they share for a night. Sex, lies and decadence will change their lives forever!” Performances take place at the Kranzberg Arts Center, 501 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information, visit www.hotcitytheatre.org or call 314-289-4063.

My take: Critics have been impressed by this oddball play. "This is a doomed love story with comedy," writes Andrea Braun at Playbackstl.com, "or maybe a comedy with doomed love, or maybe a tragedy with some jokes...I'd call Red Light Winter another win for the always intriguing HotCity Theatre." Over at Ladue News, Mark Bretz says "Red Light Winter is sometimes graphic, frequently surprising and consistently engaging." HotCity has a good track record of bringing St. Louis new and unconventional shows.

Photo: Jill Ritter Lindberg

New Line Theatre presents the rock musical Rent Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 PM, through March 29. "New Line continues its 23rd season with Jonathan Larson's Pulitzer Prize winning, long-running rock opera Rent. This cheerfully transgressive, 1990s rock/pop riff on the classic story, set in New York City's East Village, is best described in its creator's own words: 'In these dangerous times, where it seems the world is ripping apart at the seams, we can all learn how to survive from those who stare death squarely in the face every day and we should reach out to each other and bond as a community, rather than hide from the terrors of life at the end of the millennium.'"Performances take place at the Washington University South Campus Theatre, 6501 Clayton Road. For more information: newlinetheatre.com.

My take: I've always been a fan of this musical. Jonathan Larson's score is inventive and stylistically eclectic and his lyrics are artful and intelligent. What strikes me about Rent is how much this modern and supposedly revolutionary show reminds me of another one to which those same adjectives were applied back in 1968: Hair, the show that defined the genre of rock musical. Like Hair, Rent takes jabs at the older generation - mine - and thumbs it's nose at the American status quo from the bottom of the economic pyramid. Unlike Hair, though, it's less overtly political, covers a wider emotional spectrum, and may actually be a better piece of theatre. In her review for KDHX, Tina Farmer describes this as "a memorable production filled with stolen chances, borrowed happiness and powerful emotions pulled from a constant state of movement, noise and distraction."

©Photo by Jerry Naunheim, Jr.

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents Soups, Stews, and Casseroles: 1976 through March 30. “When the main employer in Monroe, Wisconsin is acquired by a major manufacturer, a once peaceful small town turns into a battleground as families struggle to retain their independence, identity and livelihoods. While new opportunities develop for some, difficult choices must be made, putting loyalties and relationships to the test. This world premiere play has been commissioned by The Rep and was developed through the Ignite! New Play Festival.” Performances take place in the studio theatre at the Loretto-Hlton Center, 130 Edgar Road in Webster Groves, MO. For more information, call 314-968-4925 or visit repstl.org.

My take: As I write in my review for KDHX, this play addresses the slow poisoning of our culture by the empty values of the corporation and the marketplace using well-developed and credible characters in a way that's thoughtful, often funny, and consistently engrossing. Attention, as Linda Loman says in Death of a Salesman, must be paid.

A river ran through it

Connie Fairchild

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Who: Connie Fairchild, with Michele Isam and Karen Coletti
What: Down by the River
When: Saturday, March 9 and Friday, March 28, 2014
Where: The Gaslight Theatre

Some of you may remember Connie Fairchild and the local band that bore her surname from the 80s and 90s. Performing a mix of R&B, rock, and jazz—today they'd probably call it "roots music"—the band won awards and fans locally.

Now Connie Fairchild has made what producer Jim Dolan billed as her cabaret debut as part of the Gaslight Cabaret Festival. And while the result wasn't really cabaret so much as a themed concert, it was musically solid and very well received by a sold-out house that clearly included a large contingent of fans and friends.

Titled "Down by the River," the show featured a nice variety of songs mostly dealing with rivers, floods, rain, and other forms of aquatic motion both literal and as metaphor. As Ms. Fairchild noted in her between-song patter, she has lived most of her life in river towns—including Paducah, Kentucky, Baton Rouge, and St. Louis—so the theme has a lot of personal resonance. "[T]here are a lot of great songs that fit into the theme," she noted in an interview with St. Louis Public Radio's Terry Perkins. "The river’s such a great metaphor for life — never the same, always changing."

So, in the course of the evening, we got American Songbook standards like "Cry Me a River" and an upbeat version of Hoagy Carmichael's "(Up a) Lazy River" that owed a bit to the 1961 Bobby Darin hit and included some nice scatting by co-star Michele Isam. There was a gospel-ish take on Jimmy Cliff's 1969 "Many Rivers to Cross" and Randy Newman's 1974 "Louisiana 1927," which Ms. Fairchild introduced with stories of how her family escaped a flood by walking along the railroad tracks, which were always on high ground. Newman's "I Think It's Going to Rain Today" got a nice heartfelt treatment and the classic spiritual "Wade in the Water" had genuine soul.

Michele Isam

Ms. Fairchild has the kind of light, flexible, and somewhat smoky voice that went well with this material, especially when joined (as it often was) in close harmony with Ms. Isam’s (a former member of Fairchild and co-founder, with Carol Schmidt, of Jasmine) and pianist/music director’s Karen Coletti. In fact, although this was was billed as a solo cabaret, it would probably be more accurate to describe it as a concert by a trio headed by Ms. Fairchild. Certainly Ms. Isam's singing, sax, and percussion were integral to the show, as was Ms. Coletti's work on piano and synth. There was a clear musical and personal chemistry among the three women that was very appealing.

That said, if Ms. Fairchild is serious about adding cabaret to her already impressive list of credentials, there are a few tweaks that might be in order.

There wasn't, to begin with, the kind of dramatic arc or narrative through line usually associated with cabaret. Too, Ms. Fairchlld tended to tell us what each song was about up front rather than allowing us to discover it through her performance (as is usually the case in cabaret), and there was a certain sameness to the trio's approach (polished as it was) that didn't always do justice to the words of some of the more lyrically interesting songs. And while Ms. Fairchild connected with the audience in her patter, when singing her eyes were usually closed or turned towards her fellow performers or her music stand. In cabaret, you need to keep that connection going all the way through.

None of this is unusual in a concert setting, I think, where audiences have likely come to expect an attitude that's less about the lyrics and more about the music. And to be fair, once I understood that this was more concert than cabaret, I wasn't much bothered by any of it either. In fact, when they were really cooking and playing off each other in standards like "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening" (music and lyrics by Hoagy Carmichael and Johnny Mercer) the spirit of fun was pretty irresistible. It was an entertaining evening, the audience loved it, and that—not the hokey-pokey—is what it's all about.

Connie Fairchild's "Down by the River" has a repeat performance on Friday, March 28th, at 8 PM at the Gaslight Theatre, 358 North Boyle. For more information: gaslightcabaretfestival.com. Note that the Gaslight has no parking lot, so you'll want to arrive early to grab a spot on the street. Fortunately the adjoining West End Grill has a nice assortment of food and drink to occupy you until show time.

Connie Fairchild set list; songwriters provided if known

1. Green Garden (Laura Mvula)
2. Say It With Love
3. A Change Is Gonna Come (Sam Cooke)
4. In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening (Hoagy Carmichael and Johnny Mercer)
5. Louisiana 1927 (Randy Newman)
6. Wade in the Water (Traditional)
7. Cry Me a River (Arthur Hamilton)
8. (Up a) Lazy River (Hoagy Carmichael)
9. Echoes of the River
10. I'm On My Way (Traditional)
11. I Think It’s Going to Rain Today (Randy Newman)
12. I Can’t Stand the Rain (Ann Peebles)
13. Many Rivers to Cross (Jimmy Cliff)
14. Drown In My Own Tears (Ray Charles)
15. Happiness (Allen Toussaint)
16. Encore: Liquid Spirit (Gregory Porter)

Chuck's Choices for the weekend of March 7, 2014

As always, the choices are purely my personal opinion. Take with a grain (or a shaker) of salt.

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The Presenters Dolan present Connie Fairchild: Down by the River on Saturday, March 8, at 8 PM as part of the Gaslight Cabaret Festival. "As the lead singer of Fairchild, one of the most popular bands ever to call St. Louis home, Connie Fairchild was recognized by the RFT as Best Female Vocalist several times. A few years on, and Connie makes her cabaret debut in a show entitled Down By The River. Connie was mesmerized by the rhythms of the rivers that surrounded her home towns. Growing up in Kentucky on the Ohio and Tennessee Rivers, in Louisiana on the Mississippi, and then following the river up to St. Louis, her voice was chiseled from other voices she listened to from these lush environments, such as Irma Thomas and Rosemary Clooney." The performance takes place at the Gaslight Theater, 358 North Boyle. For more information: gaslightcabaretfestival.com.

My take: Here's yet another example of the diversity of cabaret and a genre and of the local cabaret scene. Judging by Ms. Fairchild's background and the title of this show, we can expect something with more than a little rock flavor to it, which is fine by me. As I wrote in my review of rocker Barb Jungr's show at the Kranzberg back in 2010, there are many mansions in cabaret's house, and there's no reason rock can't be one of them.

The Presenters Dolan present Joe Dreyer and Rosemary Watts: Swing Into Spring on Friday, March 7, at 8 PM as part of the Gaslight Cabaret Festival. " Music from the masters of musical theatre makes up the heart of the show, with a few Dreyer originals too. The first couple of St. Louis cabaret brings a brand new show to the Gaslight stage." The performance takes place at the Gaslight Theater, 358 North Boyle. For more information: gaslightcabaretfestival.com.

My take: The Dreyer/Watts team has been a fixture of the St. Louis cabaret scene for a while now, and Joe has solid credentials as an arranger and music director for a number of local artists. "With this first song," wrote KDHX's Laura Kyro in her review of the duo's February 2011 show at the Kranzberg, "they set the tone for the night, which was an obvious affection for each other and a joy in singing songs that were special to them."

Winter Opera St. Louis presents Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor Friday at 8 PM and Sunday at 3 PM, March 7 and 9. Performances take place at The Skip Viragh Center for the Arts at Chaminade College Preparatory School, 425 S. Lindbergh. The opera is sung in Italian with project English supertitles. For more information, visit winteroperastl.org.

My take: It's easy to forget that Opera Theatre of St. Louis is not the only opera company in town. Union Avenue Opera and Winter Opera don't have OTSL's budget, but Winter Opera does have the advantage of an auditorium designed for musical theatre, complete with a respectable orchestra pit, and their shows generally feature fine singers and a decent orchestra. As a bel canto classic, Lucia should be exactly the sort of piece to play to Winter Opera's strengths.

Dramatic License Productions presents the comedy Shirley Valentine through March 16. Performances take place at Dramatic License Theatre located at the upper level of Chesterfield Mall (near Sears and across from Houlihan's Restaurant). For more information, call 636-220-7012 or visit dramaticlicenseproductions.org.

My take: One-actor shows are always a risk, but actress and costume designer Teresa Doggett (a.k.a. "the hardest-working woman in show biz") has done this role before, to considerable acclaim. In her review of the current production for KDHX, Tina Farmer praises Ms. Doggett's "warm, spirited performance" as well as "the capable direction of Lee Anne Mathews." She has good things to say about the technical aspects of the show as well, including the costume design by Ms. Doggett.

Held Over:

Photo: Jerry Naunheim, Jr.

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents Other Desert Cities through March 9. “Things get bumpy when promising young novelist Brooke Wyeth returns home to Palm Springs to get her family's approval of her newest work - a tell-all memoir dredging up long-kept family secrets. Daring her conservative parents to oppose her, Brooke draws a line in the sand, and when it is crossed, the result threatens to undo them all. Politics, lies and regrets collide in this biting, sharp and fiercely funny Pulitzer Prize finalist.” Performances take place on the mainstage at the Loretto-Hlton Center, 130 Edgar Road in Webster Groves, MO. For more information, call 314-968-4925 or visit repstl.org.

My take: This production has gotten very good press so far. In her review for 88.1 KDHX, for example, Tina Farmer says it's "an intense and deeply personal examination of love and family loyalty that twists audience expectations and still manages to deliver a surprisingly satisfying resolution."

Chuck's Choices for the weekend of November 29, 2013

As always, the choices are purely my personal opinion. Take with a grain (or a shaker) of salt.

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Carol Schmidt

The Garden of Life Spiritual Center presents Celebrate Me Home, a contemporary holiday cabaret concert, on Sunday, December 1, at 1:30 PM. The featured singers are Michele Isam, Connie Fairchild (both formerly with popular St. Louis group Fairchild) and Tim Schall, with Carol Schmidt on piano and Rice Vice on bass. The program includes contemporary holiday favorites from the worlds of jazz, pop, and R&B, as well as instrumental selections from A Charlie Brown Christmas and Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite. The Garden of Life Spiritual Center is at 9525 Eddie and Park Road in Crestwood, MO. For more information: 636-489-8472.

My take: I know and have worked with just about everybody connected with this show at one time or another. They're great singers and entertainers and the song list looks like fun: Kenny Loggins, Otis Redding, Amy Grant, John Bucchino and even some instrumental Tchaikovsky. Looks like a good way to start the holiday season to me.

Held Over:

Mustard Seed Theatre presents the a capella musical All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914 through Sunday. “Join us in celebrating the power of peace in this a capella musical based on the true story of soldiers during World War I who for one night, put down their arms and played soccer instead of exchanging bullets.” Performances take place at the Fontbonne Fine Arts Theatre, 6800 Wydown Blvd. For more information, call (314) 719-8060 or visit the web site at www.mustardseedtheatre.com.

My take: The play is based on a remarkable true story of a spontaneous truce between Allied and German forces in No Man's Land during Christmas of 1914. In some areas it lasted only one night while elsewhere it lasted until New Year's Day. While it was in effect, soldiers laid down their arms, shared Christmas carols (as well as food and drink), buried each others' dead, and even played soccer. Playwright Peter Rothstein, artistic director of Theater Latté Da where the play was developed, wanted to tell the story in the words of the real soldiers who experienced it. "I created the drama," he relates, "primarily through found text including letters, official war documents, autobiographies, World War I poetry, grave stone inscriptions and even an old radio broadcast." In his review for 88.1 KDHX, Dennis Corcoran says "this complex piece of musical theatre comes off as a beautifully, simply performed tribute to a poignant moment in the horrors of war."