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| All in the Timing Photo: John Lamb |
My take: David Ives is at his best in the short play or sketch format, and All in the Timing includes some of his best stuff, in my view. "The ensemble cast," writes Tina Farmer in her KDHX review, "includes Emily Baker, Michelle Hand, Ben Ritchie, and Sean Sheley, and the four complement, contradict and play off each other with, well, near perfect timing."
My take: This dark satire on our nation's obsession with violence in general and gun violence in particular becomes, sadly, more relevant with each passing year. Sondheim and his collaborators have done the nearly impossible by making of it actually funny, albeit in a disturbing way, and the "Ballad of Booth" remains one of the best set pieces in musical theatre. Reviews for this particular production have been mixed, but the material is strong and, what the heck, it's the first effort by a brand-new company.
Alpha Players present the musical Monty Python's Spamalot through October 5 at The Florissant Civic Center Theater, Parker Rd. at Waterford Dr. in Florissant, MO. For more information: alphaplayers.org or, call 314-921-5678.
My take: When I saw the tour of this show at the Fox in 2006, I thought it was somewhat lost in that vast, 5000-seat venue. The 600-seat space in Florissant should be a better match, and if Bob Wilcox's review for us is any indication, the Alpha folks are doing well by this very silly material.
Valhalla Cemetery and Hawthorne Players present Voices Of Valhalla: A Hayride Through History October 3-11. Hayrides through Valhalla Cemetery depart every fifteen minutes beginning at 6:30 each evening as members of the Hawthorne Players portray some of the noted locals buried in Valhalla. A special indoor performance, featuring all of the characters, will be held on Saturday, October 4, at 5:00 p.m. for those who might have difficulty boarding and sitting on hay wagons. "This year's characters will include the granddaughter of one of Robert E. Lee's slaves, a hero from the Viet Nam war, the composer of a major Broadway musical, a dress maker who worked in the Washington Avenue garment district in the 30s, a young lawyer and Sunday School superintendent who got involved with gangsters, a St. Louis business man and politician who entertained Teddy Roosevelt, and a 'bionic comic' who continued to perform long after he 'died on stage'." Look for yours truly as composer and music critic Paul Tietjens. Valhalla Cemetery is located at 7600 St. Charles Rock Road. For more information, visit the Hawthorne Players web site.
My take: OK, so I have a vested interest in this project, as you can tell from the description above. That said, having seen the work by the other members of the cast, I think I can guarantee you a unique and very entertaining theatrical experience in this "hayride through history" as you meet some remarkable characters from our city's colorful past.
Held Over:
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| Photo: Peter Wochniak |
My take: Call this a qualified recommendation. If you're a lover of Patsy Cline or country music in general, I think you'll have a great time at this show, which is really more of a celebrity impersonation review than a book musical per se. Jacqueline Petroccia captures Cline's voice and manner so accurately it's eerie and Zoe Vonder Haar is a hoot and a half as Louise Seger, the real-life Houston fan who became a close friends and correspondent of Cline. With over two dozen Patsy Cline hits performed to perfection by Ms. Petroccia and a six-piece band, the show is a real feast for fans. See my KDHX review for more information.
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| Photo: Peter Wochniak |
My take: Reviews for the Stages producion of this justifiably famous hit by Bock and Harnick have been pretty generally positive. Writing for the Riverfront Times, for example, Malcom Gay calls it "a bright production, filled with sumptuous choreography and impressive musical numbers" while our reviewer at KDHX, Laura Kyro, says it's "an entertaining and satisfying production." "The show has been performed once before at Stages in 1999," writes Mark Bretz at Ladue News, "but the current presentation is as fresh and inviting as ever." Sounds like a winner, yes?
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| Photo: John Lamb |
My take: OK, I'm not a disinterested party on this one since I'm on the board of directors of West End Players Guild and I designed the sound for this show. That said, I wouldn't have voted to make this show part of the season in the first place if I didn't think it was a charming and funny memory play about an unconventional family that reminds me in some ways of the eccentric Vanderhof/Sycamore/Carmichael clan in "You Can't Take it With You." Their determination to live a recycled life off the map (and off the grid) feels, in many ways, more relevant now than it did when this play was written in 1999.
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| Photo: Jerry Naunheim, Jr. |
My take: Tina Farmer's review at KDHX describes this as "is a rollicking ride filled with laughs and physical comedy that's suitable for the whole family," and other local critics have said much the same thing. I'm in the minority in that, while I often found the show very funny, I also felt that many scenes and comic bits ran on far too long and the whole cast seemed to be working far too hard for laughs. The scripted "ad libs" sometimes seemed a bit contrived as well. That said the show was a massive hit in London and on Broadway, and the night we saw it the rest of the audience did not seem to share our party's lack of enthusiasm. Note that it's relatively long for a comedy, though, clocking in at over two and one-half hours.
