Chuck's Choices for the weekend of June 15, 2018

An already crowded hit list becomes even bigger, with shows by Act Inc, Stray Dog, the Muny, and Opera Theatre.

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Blithe Spirit
Photo by John Lamb

Act Inc presents Noël Coward's comedy Blithe Spirit Fridays at 8 pm and Saturdays and Sundays at 2 pm through June 24. "Blithe Spirit is a comic play by Noël Coward. The play concerns the socialite and novelist Charles Condomine, who invites the eccentric medium and clairvoyant, Madame Arcati, to his house to conduct a séance, hoping to gather material for his next book. The scheme backfires when he is haunted by the ghost of his annoying and temperamental first wife, Elvira, after the séance. Elvira makes continual attempts to disrupt Charles's marriage to his second wife, Ruth, who cannot see or hear the ghost." Performances take place in the Emerson Black Box Theatre at the J. Scheidegger Center for the Arts on the Lindenwood campus in St. Charles, MO. For more information, visit actincstl.com.

My take: Coward's arch take on ghostly goings-on has been so popular for so long for very good reasons. Tina Farmer calls it an "entertaining diversion" in her review for KDHX, and I'd say that summarizes the play's appeal perfectly. Act Inc has also gotten the technical demands right, it seems, which is where productions of the play can sometimes fall down.

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Hedda Gabler
Photo by John Lamb

Stray Dog Theatre presents Ibsen's tragedy Hedda Gabler Thursdays through Saturdays through June 23. There will also a 2 pm on Sunday, June 17. "A masterpiece of modern theatre, Hedda Gabler exposes a powerful and reckless heroine who finds herself stranded in the seemingly ordinary but dangerously imbalanced Victorian Era. Employing methods that define the modern psychological drama, the plot stealthily reveals the bitter conflicts and thwarted longings that lie just below the "civilized" interactions of daily life and unflinchingly leads us to a shocking but inevitable conclusion." Performances take place at The Tower Grove Abbey, 2336 Tennessee. For more information, visit straydogtheatre.org or call 314-865-1995.

My take: Well, you don't need me to tell you that Hedda Gabler is one of the classics of 20th-century theatre. It is, however, easy to get it wrong and make it tedious. Needless to say, Stray Dog has done nothing of the kind, which means (to quote Tina Farmer at KDHX), "Ibsen’s dark drama is as juicy and pointedly acerbic as it is sharply perceptive and every moment is purposeful." At Ladue News, Mark Bretz concurs, noting that director Gary Bell "elicits compelling performances from his talented cast and keeps this version of Hedda Gabler intriguing and involving throughout its three acts and three hours, which never drags despite its length."

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Jerome Robbins' Broadway

The Muny presents Jerome Robbins' Broadway, running through Sunday, June 17. "In its first staging ever in the world since its original Broadway production and tour, Jerome Robbins' Broadway is an epic musical anthology that honors the career highlights of Tony Award-winning director and choreographer, Jerome Robbins. Filled with mesmerizing production numbers from some of Robbins' biggest hits, including West Side Story, On the Town, Peter Pan, The King and I and Fiddler on the Roof, this is one monumental Muny premiere befitting a celebratory start to our centennial season!" Performances take place on the Muny's outdoor stage in Forest Park. For more information: muny.org.

My take: If you're up for the heat and humidity, this rarely-seen compilation of legendary choreographer Jerome Robbins' greatest hits is pure gold. You can read more in my review for KDHX, but the bottom line is that this is a must-see for any lover of musical theatre. It's also the first performance of this revue since its 1989 Broadway run, so this could literally be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

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Orfeo and Euridice
Photo by Ken Howard

Opera Theatre of St. Louis presents Gluck's Orfeo and Euridice through June 21. "What would you do if you lost your soulmate? For Orfeo, the answer is simple: get her back - even if it means traveling to the underworld. He braves every challenge, armed with nothing more than his music and his devotion. Little does he realize that his greatest obstacle will ultimately be his own passion. As a myth, it's a celebration of love and of music's transcendent power. As an opera, it's a ravishing masterpiece." 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: Director Ron Daniels' modern, minimalist production takes a bit of getting used to, but when all is said and done it works pretty darned well as a contemporary theatre piece while still honoring the intentions of the opera's creators. That's not an easy task. Check out my review at KDHX for more details.

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Held Over:

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An American Soldier
Photo by Ken Howard

Opera Theatre of St. Louis presents the world premiere of An American Soldier, by Huang Ro and David Henry Hwang, running through June 22. "Danny Chen is the son of Chinese immigrants, and a proud American. He enlists in the US Army in 2011, eager to serve his country. In boot camp, Danny is welcomed by his band of brothers. But in Afghanistan, his own base becomes enemy territory as military hazing turns deadly. Based on a true story, this opera asks powerful questions about what it means to be an American." 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: While I'm not particularly taken with Huang Ro's score, David Henry Hwang's libretto is so strong and the performances of the cast are so compelling that I'm recommending this important new opera without hesitation. As I write in my review for KDHX, it's a work that forcefully reminds of us the gap that far too often exists between our nation's ideals and its realities, and it deserves to be seen.

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Corinne Melançon and Steve Isom
in I Do! I Do!Photo by Peter Wochniak

Stages St. Louis presents the musical I Do! I Do!, by the creators of The Fantasticks, through July 1. "I DO! I DO! tells the poignant story of 50 years in the married lives of Michael and Agnes. This two character musical version of the comedy/drama 'The Fourposter' takes place entirely in a bedroom and takes its audience on a whirlwind journey that begins in 1895 and ends half a century later. I DO! I DO! offers its audiences a frank look at the miracle of marriage as Michael and Agnes experience childbirth, parenthood, and the eventual settling down to face the future and their advancing years together. Originally written for the Broadway stars, Mary Martin and Robert Preston, STAGES employs the innovative theatrical hat-trick of two separate rotating casts: neither of which you will want to miss! An unabashed gift to the many couples who have walked through our doors, I DO! I DO! will be sure to steal your heart while celebrating the many triumphs and heartaches of marriage: past, present, and future!" Performances take place in the Robert G. Reim Theatre at the Kirkwood Community Center, 111 South Geyer Road in Kirkwood. For more information: stagesstlouis.org.

My take: Originally staged on Broadway back in 1966 and revised for a revival 30 years later, this charming if slight show will strike some familiar chords for anyone who has been married for any length of time. Despite a coupe of emotional crises that are resolved with implausible ease, the emotional stakes in this script are not high, but the appealing score (including the "My Cup Runneth Over," a lovely number that was inescapable back in the late 1960s) and polished production still make this well worth your time. Because, really, not everything has to be fraught with dramatic weight. I saw the "purple" cast, consisting of Stages regular Steve Isom and Corinne Melançon (who is also the production's dance captain). Their work is impeccable, but I don't think you can go wrong with the "red" cast of David Schmittou and Kari Ely either.

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Regina
Photo by Ken Howard

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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La Traviata
Photo by Ken Howard

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.

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Yeast Nation
Photo by Jill Ritter Lindberg

New Line Theatre presents the St. Louis premiere of the rock musical Yeast Nation Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 PM, through June 23. "The world's first bio-historical musical comedy, from the mad geniuses who brought you Urinetown! It is the year 3,000,458,000 BC. The Earth's surface is a molten mass of volcanic islands and undulating waves. The atmosphere is a choking fog lit by a dim red sun. And the mighty waters of the world are inhabited only by rocks, sand, salt, more rocks, a little silt, and the great society of salt-eating yeasts - yes, yeasts! - the world's very first life form! These single-cell salt-eaters are the only living creatures on earth, and they're struggling against a food shortage, a strange new emotion called Love, and the oppression of a tyrannical yeast king. But when the king's son ventures out of the known yeastiverse, the yeasts' epic story - and ours - is changed forever." Performances take place at the Marcelle Theater, 3310 Samuel Shepard Drive, three blocks east of Grand, in Grand Center. For more information, visit newlinetheatre.com or call 314-534-1111.

My take: One of the takeaways from the success of Urientown is that you can make a musical out of pretty much anything. So it should be no surprise that Mark Hollmann and Gret Kotis decided to follow up on the success of that first show with a musical about that most song-inducing of subjects, salt-eating yeasts. The show, as Tina Farmer writes at KDHX, features "vibrant color and effective performances that are delightfully engaging and thoroughly satisfying. You might learn a little science if you listen closely, but you're sure to leave the theater with a smile, a melody in your head and a new appreciation for our distant neighbors those salt-eating yeasts." Sounds...um...tasty.

Review: The age of gold

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

The ensemble in the West Side Story suite

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The Muny is celebrating its centennial this season, and they're kicking it off this week with a big, bright theatrical present in the form of the musical revue "Jerome Robbins' Broadway."

A compilation of musical numbers from shows either directed or choreographed by the legendary Jerome Robbins, "Jerome Robbins' Broadway" was originally presented on Broadway in 1989, where it was directed and choreographed by Mr. Robbins himself. It ran for 633 performances and 44 previews.

No theatre has produced it since then, primarily because of the massive legal and financial hurdles involved. The individual numbers have to be approved for performance by the estates of nearly two dozen composers and authors, and the production involves the work of dozens of singers and dancers (62 in the Broadway original, 59 at the Muny).

L-R: Drew Redington, Leeds Hill, Garen Schreiber
in "New York, New York" from On the Town

It's a massive undertaking, which is why the current Muny production will probably be a once in a lifetime opportunity for lovers of musical theatre. Although it clocks in at just under three hours, the Muny revival lacks two of the numbers from the Broadway version, but it's otherwise as close as you can get to that famed original. If you love a good musical, in short, "Jerome Robbins' Broadway" is a must-see event.

Because the show is essentially a "greatest hits" compilation, there isn't a single number that isn't at least good, and most are great, although I found some more memorable than others.

Scenes from shows that are rarely seen were the most interesting for me, beginning with the "Charleston" sequence from "Billion Dollar Baby," a 1945 show set in the "Roaring 20s" with a score by noted composer Morton Gould. The setup is deceptively simple: groups of classic 1920s types--flappers, college kids in raccoon coats, gangsters, slumming socialites in evening dress--dash into and out of a speakeasy. They all do character-specific versions of the titular dance step, often combined with a stiff-legged, rocking motion that makes them seem to glide across the stage as if pulled by an invisible string.

L-R: Berklea Going, Marina Lazzaretto, Melissa Hunter McCann,
Peter Garza, Chris Lingner in "Charleston"
from Billion Dollar Baby

On that foundation, Gould and Robbins build an elaborate and wildly inventive sequence crackling with energy. Unlike most of the other numbers, there's no singing here at all, unless you count the occasional bit of spoken period slang ("It's the bees knees!" "Whoopee!") used to punctuate small moments. It's pure dance heaven.

"I Still Get Jealous" (from "High Button Shoes," 1947) is far more modest, featuring only two performers: Maggie Lakis and Rob McClure. Their elegant, Vaudeville-inspired soft shoe is a delight, and allows the rest of the company to recuperate a bit after the strenuous "Charleston." Ms. Lakis and Mr. McClure (who also acts as the show's narrator) are also impressive as Golde and Tevye in the "Fiddler on the Roof" selections in Act II.

The "Bathing Beauty Ballet" (to the tune of "On a Sunday By the Sea"), the other selection from "High Button Shoes," goes on just a bit too long for my taste. But the Mack Sennett-inspired chase scene, with dancers throwing themselves in and out of doors like a Feydeau farce on steroids, is so astonishingly complex and performed with such superhuman precision that I was ultimately captivated.

L-R: Drew Redington, Sarah Bowden, Leeds Hil, Jenny Powers,
Garen Scribner in "Ya Got Me" from On the Town

"The Small House of Uncle Thomas" from "The King and I," is another high point in the evening. In it, Tuptim (Sarah Bowden), one of the King of Siam's slaves, narrates a performance of her own adaptation of the book "Uncle Tom's Cabin," that Anna has loaned her. The play within a play is done in the manner of Siamese ballet, with arms and legs often cocked at unnatural right angles. The Muny cast carries off the highly stylized movement beautifully, led by Erica Wong in the demanding role of Eliza.

And let's hear it for Jenny Powers' smoky, sultry delivery of the Irving Berlin novelty number "Mr. Monotony," about a trombone player whose limited repertory drives his wife into the arms of a clarinetist. It was originally written for (and then dropped from) the 1948 film "Easter Parade" as well as the stage musicals "Miss Liberty" and "Call Me Madam." The fourth time is the charm, apparently. The dance number that followed featured dramatically athletic performances from Alexa De Barr, Garen Scribner, and Sean Rozanski.

For most audience members, I expect, the big hits were the selections from "On the Town" and West Side Story." The latter is probably the most familiar, if only because of the immense popularity the 1961 film version, which Mr. Robbins co-directed. Both are filled with the mix of classical, jazz, and modern dance moves that were typical of his work, and the versatile cast of singers and dancers the Muny has assembled here do them full justice.

Rob McClure and ensemble in
"On a Sunday By the Sea" from High Button Shoes

Sailors Chip, Ozzie, and Gaby (Drew Redington, Leeds Hill, and Garen Scribner) seem to defy gravity as they zip across the stage in "On the Town." Ensemble members posture aggressively and leap through the fight sequences in "West Side Story." Hildy and Claire (Jenny Powers and Sarah Bowden) join the sailors for a raucous comedy number in "Ya Got Me." And the entire ensemble delivers a moving version of "Somewhere" to conclude the first act.

"I'm Flying," from the ever-popular "Peter Pan," was a big hit with the audience as well, with Sarah Marie Jenkins and the three Darling kids (Elizabeth Teeter, Gabriel Cytron, and Cole Joyce) zooming around the stage on flying rigs. The stagehands may be responsible for keeping performers airborne, but it takes a skilled dancer like Ms. Jenkins to make it look graceful.

This is, in short, musical theatre gold.

The program lists Harrison Beal, Dan Knechtges, and Ralph Perkins as "additional choreographers." I'm not sure where Robbins's work ends and theirs begins, but the overall result certainly feels like a Robbins show, which is probably what really matters.

L-R: Sarah Marie Jenkins, Elizbeth Teeter, Gabriel Cytron,
Cole Joyce in "I'm Flying" from Peter Pan

Robin L. McGee's seemingly endless array of eye-catching costumes, Paige Hathaway's bright sets, and Nathan W. Scheuer's video projections all add to the strong visual appeal of the show. Michael Horsley conducts the orchestra in an expert rendition of the long and sometimes complex score (even in pared-down orchestrations, Leonard Bernstein's music can be tricky). And director Cynthia Onrubia pulls everything together into a satisfying whole.

Yes, the unseasonably hot June weather this year can make a trip to the Muny less comfortable than it was in previous decades, but it's worth it for the unique experience that is "Jerome Robbins' Broadway." Performances continue nightly at 8:15 through Sunday on the outdoor stage in Forest Park.