Review: Holiday storm

Storm Large

Tuesday night (December 11) there were two holiday concerts in Grand Center. In Powell Hall, the Bach Society presented their annual Christmas Candlelight Concert. A half block away, at the Sun, was "Storm Large's Holiday Ordeal."

Talk about your contrast.

Don't get me wrong: the Bach Society's event is magical, but for sheer Benzedrine-in-your-Ovaltine energy, you can't beat Storm Large and her band. Sure, most of the songs had only a tangential relationship to Christmas, but they were, as usual, delivered with that irresistible mix of rock attitude and cabaret honesty that is the hallmark of Storm Large's performances.

Ms. Large and her band have become familiar faces here in St. Louis. This was her sixth visit to town since she made her debut here in 2014 and her second appearance this year (the last one was at the Sheldon in January). She has clearly accumulated a good-sized fan base, all of which was apparently present to cheer her on Tuesday night. She gave it a hell of a great show, and probably picked up some new fans in the process.

If you have never seen Storm Large and her merry band, I'll just say (as I did when I first saw her in 2014) that she is a hypnotic, compelling, and energetic performer. Statuesque, slinky (in a glittery green gown that looked like holiday wrapping paper), and blessed with a powerful, seamless voice, she can deliver a sultry ballad or a raucous rock number with equal aplomb.

The song list this time around included some numbers that will be familiar to her fans, like Alphaville's "Forever Young" and "La Seine," by the contemporary French singer/songwriter -M- (real name Matthieu Chedid), both of which got the high-energy treatment for which Ms. Large is justifiably famous. Holiday tunes included Red West's "If Every Day Was Like Christmas" (recorded by Elvis Presley in 1966) as well as ballads in which Christmas plays only a bit part, like Chrissie Hynde's "2000 Miles" and Joni Mitchell's "River."

Some of the biggest emotional moments, though, came from Ms. Large's own compositions. That includes the lovely slice-of-romantic-life poem "Angels in Gas Stations" ("God is every damn where tonight," runs the refrain) and the encore number "Stand Up For Me," which takes a nicely poetic idea--what would Love ask of us, if it could speak?--and makes it the basis for a deeply felt anthem.

And, yes, we all stood up.

The fact that "Storm Large's Holiday Ordeal" was presented at the Sun was given a bit of additional resonance by the fact that the audience included a celebrity guest who spent a fair amount of time a half block east on the stage of Powell Hall: former St. Louis Symphony Music Director Leonard Slatkin, who was in town for a special tribute concert by the Chamber Music Society of St. Louis. Ms. Large talked about how Mr. Slatkin, in his capacity as Music Director of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, invited her to sing with the orchestra at Carnegie Hall. It was a major turning point in her life--and yet another reason for St. Louisians to love Mr. Slatkin (as though we needed one).

Accompanying Ms. Large were, as usual, pianist and music director James Beaton, guitarist Matt Brown, bass guitarist Scott Weddle, and drummer Greg Eklund. Collectively known as "Le Bonheur," they've been playing with Ms. Large for years and, as I observed when they played here in January, they appear to have developed an almost telepathic rapport with her that allows them to easily adapt to her freewheeling performance style. These guys really know how to rock, but they can also sing in gorgeous four-part harmony when the song calls for it.

"Storm Large's Holiday Ordeal" was a one night only event, but the indefatigable singer moves on to Chicago for an extended engagement at the Chicago Symphony Center December 14-23, after which she's off to Bend, Oregon, and then her home turf of Seattle, Washington. You can keep up with her peregrinations at her web site. If you missed her this time, never fear; her remarkable energy and her popularity with local audiences will no doubt bring her back our way again.

Review: Winter storm

Storm Large

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Singer, songwriter, actress, author, and agent provocateur Storm Large made her fifth St. Louis appearance in the last four years this past Wednesday (January 17, 2018). Having seen and very much enjoyed two of her previous shows at the Gaslight Theatre, I knew what to expect: an exuberant mix of Great American Songbook standards, rock, and pop, along with some French chansons, all delivered with the power of rock and roll and the emotional honesty that is the hallmark of cabaret.

Neither I nor the many fans who packed the Sheldon Concert Hall were disappointed. From the now-familiar borderline psychotic cover of Cole Porter's "I've Got You Under My Skin" that opened the show to the pair of original songs that closed it, this was classic Large. It was big, bold, bawdy, and emotionally real, and a good time was had by all.

Yes, her raucously funny and emotionally frank patter rambled a bit more than usual, resulting in a show which, at just under two hours, was maybe a bit too long. And her voice, still recovering from the flu that's running rampant through the nation, was more raw and less dark and rich than it has been in the past, sometimes rendering lyrics and even melodies incomprehensible. But even when Ms. Large goes all the way over the edge instead of stopping just short, she's still a magnetic presence.

As always, Ms. Large and her merry band had entertainingly original takes on familiar tunes. Her take on Porter's "It's All Right With Me" combined seduction and mania in a way that suggested Marilyn Monroe on speed. Her version of Jacque Brel's "Ne Me Quitte Pas" suggested that there might be a good reason why the object of the song's plea was leaving. And she brought a searing intensity to Prince's "Nothing Compares 2 U."

Her interpretation of Elton John and Bernie Taupin's "Goodbye, Yellow Brick Road," on the other hand, was pretty straightforward. The patter that introduced it was another story, hilariously examining the way song lyrics could be misheard back in the days when you couldn't just Google them on your smartphone.

The Storm Large originals were welcome, as always. Her next to closing song, "Angels in Gas Stations," was a beautiful little slice-of-romantic-life poem ("God is every damn where tonight," runs the refrain). And the final number, "Stand Up For Me," took a nicely poetic idea--what would Love ask of us, if it could speak?--and made it the basis for a deeply felt anthem.

"Be the light. Be the answer," goes the lyric. "Be the music in the dark. Stand up for me, and I'll stand beside you." In these days of darkness, it's an inspiring message.

Accompanying Ms. Large were pianist and music director James Beaton, guitarist Matt Brown, bass guitarist Scott Weddle, and drummer Greg Eklund. Collectively known as "Le Bonheur", they've been playing with Ms. Large for years, developing an almost telepathic rapport with her that allows them to easily adapt to her freewheeling performance style. These guys really know how to rock, but they can also sing in gorgeous four-part harmony when the song calls for it. I'm impressed.

Statuesque, slinky, and vocally versatile, Storm Large is a lean, mean entertainment machine, and it's always good to see her on stage. "We have quite a few fans in St. Louis," she observed in a recent interview for St. Louis Public Radio, "so it's kind of like a coming home usually for us." For those fans, I expect the feeling is mutual.

The appearance of Storm Large and Le Bonheur was produced by Jim Dolan's Presenters Dolan organization. Their next event is a return engagement on February 10th of Katie McGrath's superb Significant Others show, first seen here at the Gaslight Theatre last November; check out the Presenters Dolan web site for details.

Cabaret Review: Storm Large kicks out the jams at the Gaslight Cabaret Festival Friday, November 6, 2015

stormlarge.com

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In cabaret's house (to paraphrase John 14:2) are many mansions. As anyone who has had the pleasure of seeing Portland, Oregon, based diva Storm Large and her band can attest, one of those mansions looks a lot like a West Coast rock club.

A one-woman entertainment conglomerate (rock star, author, actor, and songwriter) Ms. Large brought her latest show to the Gaslight Cabaret Festival this weekend, and there's no doubt that she kicked out the jams. Her performance was least as much rock as cabaret (especially in its attitude), but it was solidly theatrical as well.

Mostly, though, it was entertaining, raucously and bawdily funny, and entirely genuine. You can't hide in a cabaret show, even with a four-piece band behind you, so Ms. Large (to her credit) doesn't even try. Slinky sexy, and blessed with a powerful, seamless voice, she immediately grabbed the audience's attention with one of her own songs ("Call Me Crazy") followed by a wildly obsessive cover of "I've Got You Under My Skin" that sounded more like the sort of thing Lou Reed was writing during his "Rock and Roll Animal" period.

Which, as it turned out, pretty much set the tone for the rest of the evening.

If you saw Ms. Large's last Gaslight show "Taken by Storm" back in April of 2014, you probably recognized some of the numbers in this latest outing. She reprised her just-this-side-of-creepy version of Brel's "Ne Me Quitte Pas," for example, as well as her psychotic dominatrix version of the sappy "Hopelessly Devoted to You" in which the song is yanked from the film version of "Grease" and dropped into one of the movie's multiple adaptations of Stephen King's "Carrie." Couldn't happen to a more deserving ditty.

Ms. Large's songwriting talents were also on display once again. Her next to closing song, "Angels in Gas Stations," was a beautiful little slice-of-romantic-life poem ("God is every damn where tonight," runs the refrain), while her "8 Miles Wide" was a cheerfully upbeat and totally outrageous declaration of female empowerment. "My vagina is eight miles wide," goes the refrain to that one. "Absolutely everyone can come inside / If you're ever frightened, just run and hide."

The most remarkable original number in the evening, though, was probably "Charity Lamb," inspired by the story of Portland's first convicted axe murderess. Originally composed in 2008 for a compilation CD honoring Portland's Lone Fir cemetery, the song focuses on Lamb's victimization by her brutal husband and her need to take her own life back, however violently. "I'm damned if I'll suffer / Another long summer / Alone with no lover / And your brutal hands" runs the lyric. It's potent and searing stuff.

All of which means that, once again, Storm Large's show did not fit into any easy niches and was not for the easily offended (devotees of the political right wing, in particular, might not feel very comfortable). But the cabaret tent is a big one (maybe even eight miles wide...), so there's plenty of room for high-energy hijinks by performers like Storm Large and her band.

That said, I have to admit that over ninety minutes, Ms. Large's show was a bit long for the one-act cabaret format. And some of her patter, entertaining as it was, tended to get a bit discursive. A monolog about Ben Carson's gaffes, for example, was funny stuff, but it could have been trimmed easily. Still, only a dedicated Puritan or some other variety of killjoy could have failed to have a good time there.

Accompanying Ms. Large were pianist and music director James Beaton, guitarist Matt Brown, bass guitarist Scott Weddle, and drummer Greg Eklund. They all rocked the house and have all performed with Ms. Large often enough to be very comfortable with both her and with each other.

Storm Large and her band appeared Friday and Saturday, November 6 and 7, at at the Gaslight Theatre on North Boyle in the Central West End. The Gaslight Cabaret Festival continues through November 21st; visit the web site for details.

Chuck's theatre choices for the weekend of September 26, 2014

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

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New This Week:

Photo: John Lamb

The West End Players Guild opens their 104th season with Joan Ackermann's Off the Map Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM and Sundays at 2 PM, September 26-October 5. There will also be a show on Thursday, October 2, at 8 PM. “An offbeat and loving comedy, Off the Map tells the story of the Grodens, a quirky family living way, way off the map in the wilds of New Mexico. We see the story through the eyes of Bo Groden, an 11-year-old growing up amidst a collection of rich, warm characters who will both entertain and inspire you.” Performances take place at the Union Avenue Christian Church, 733 North Union at Enright in the Central West End. For more information, call 314-367-0025 or visit www.westendplayers.org.

My take:: OK, I'm not a disinstereted 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.

Storm Large

 The Presenters Dolan present Storm Large in Le Bonheur (Good Times) on Friday, September 27, at 8 PM as part of the Gaslight Cabaret Festival. " A killer beauty, an astonishing singer, and a funny, fleshy truth teller, Storm has many lives. 1) rock siren 2) fronts Pink Martini, a salon pop symphony that tours everywhere 3) fronts symphony orchestras all over the world 4) best selling memoirist. She does it all supremely well. We are all very lucky to have her in St. Louis for the second time. Absolutely not to be missed. " The performance takes place at BB's Jazz, Blues, and Soups downtown. For more information: gaslightcabaretfestival.com.

My take:: While I haven't seen this particular show, I did review Storm Large's last appearance at the Gaslight Cabaret Festival this past April and was mightily impressed. Back then I described her as a "hypnotic, compelling, and energetic performer," so I don't think you can go wrong with her latest show.

Held Over:

Photo: Peter Wochniak

Stages St. Louis presents the musical Always..Patsy Cline through October 12. "Jacqueline Petroccia and Zoe Vonder Haar star in the return engagement of the show critics called 'exceptional, must see entertainment.' The touching and true story of Country music legend Patsy Cline and her friendship with Texas housewife Louise Seger returns to STAGES this spring. Combining down home country humor, heartache and 27 of Patsy Cline's unforgettable hits such as 'Crazy,' 'Walkin' After Midnight,' and 'Sweet Dreams,' Always... Patsy Cline endures as a piece of genuine Americana." Performances take place at The Playhouse at Westport Plaza. For more information, visit stagesstlouis.org or call 314-821-2407.

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.

Photo: Peter Wochniak

Stages St. Louis presents the classic musical Fiddler on the Roof through October 5. "Winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical and one of the most touching creations in the history of Broadway, featuring such heartfelt and beloved songs as 'Sunrise, Sunset,' 'If I Were A Rich Man,' and 'Matchmaker, Matchmaker'.” Performances take place in the Robert G. Reim Theatre at the Kirkwood Community Center, 111 South Geyer Road in Kirkwood. For more information, visit stagesstlouis.org or call 314-821-2407.

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?

The Normal Heart

HotCity Theatre presents The Normal Heart through September 27. “Debuting in 1985, Larry Kramer's The Normal Heart was perceived as “too urgent to ignore.” The AIDS epidemic was by then full-blown and hysteria was rampant. The intensity of the play helped usher in a new gay activism that could arguably be attributed to the evolution of gay rights in the decades to follow. An acclaimed revival in 2011 and the upcoming HBO version (produced by Ryan Murphy and starring Julia Roberts) have given this (now) modern classic a place in one of the important plays of our times.” 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: Raves dominate the notices for this one. At Ladue News, Mark Bretz calls it "a most extraordinary production, directed brilliantly by Marty Stanberry, which grabs one by the throat at the start and throttles with shock, grief and drenched desperation at its end." Snoop's Theatre Blog says it's "a must see."

Photo: Jerry Naunheim, Jr.

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents the comedy One Man, Two Guvnors through October 5. “Francis Henshall needs a job. Recently sacked from his skiffle band, he's hungry and has a bad case of fish and chips on the brain. To make ends meet, he becomes a servant to two different masters. Frazzled Francis tries his best to balance duties and keep his bosses from meeting, but what he doesn't know about them, and what they don't know about each other, quickly become uproarious and riotous cases of mistaken identities and slapstick antics in this laugh-out-loud award-winning comedy.” 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: 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.

Review: Storm watch

Storm Large at the Aladdin Theatre
Portland, Oregon, 2012

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Who: Storm Large and her Four-Piece Band
What: Taken by Storm: Songs of Seduction and Obsession
When: Friday and Saturday, April 11 and 12, 2014
Where: The Gaslight Cabaret Festival

Storm Large (yes, that's her real name) seems to be a one-woman entertainment conglomerate: rock star, author, actor, songwriter, and creator of the much-praised one-woman show "Crazy Enough" (based on her memoir of the same name).

No surprise, then, that her show " Taken by Storm: Songs of Seduction and Obsession" defied easy categorization. It was at least as much rock as cabaret (especially in its attitude), but it was solidly theatrical as well.

The important thing, though, is that it was entertaining as hell. The show Ms. Large and her four-piece band put on was a bit long by cabaret standards (over 90 minutes) but it felt shorter. That's because Ms. Large was such a hypnotic, compelling, and energetic performer. Statuesque, slinky (in a "poured into it" gold gown), and blessed with a powerful, seamless voice, she bounded on stage and immediately grabbed the audience's attention with a powerful rock anthem–styled version of Cole Porter's "I've Got You Under My Skin" (which she describes as a classic song of obsession).

She kept that attention through an impressively varied mix of songs by everybody from Jacques Brel (a just-this-side-of-creepy "Ne Me Quitte Pas), to "Sacred Love" by the punk band Bad Brains (the original vocal track of which was recorded by lead singer Paul Hudson from jail), to James Shelton's rueful "Lilac Wine," about drowning feelings of lost love. She did Tom Waits's "Saving All My Love for You" with all the "looking up from the bottom of the barrel" poetry you could ask for. The sappy "Hopelessly Devoted to You" (from the film version of "Grease), on the other hand, was done from the POV of a borderline psychotic dominatrix ("I think that's a better message for our young people," Ms. Large observed). And there were even a couple of the singer's own compositions, including the ultimate break-up number "I Want You to Die."

And if that weren't enough, at about the point where I began thinking that Ms. Large's over-the-top, irresistibly dramatic stage persona might be a good fit for a Jim Steinman rock anthem, she gave us exactly that: the 1983 Bonnie Tyler hit "Total Eclipse of the Heart" (I had been hoping for "Nowhere Fast," but what the heck). And, since Ms. Large apparently can't do anything predictable, she turned it into an audience participation number. At one point she asked us all to sing "turn around, bright eyes" as though we were "little gay fairies" (the kind with wings) and darned if we didn't give it our best shot.

Ms. Large's songwriting talents, by the way, aren't limited to revenge numbers. Her next to closing song, "Angels in Gas Stations," was a beautiful little slice-of-romantic-life poem ("God is every damn where tonight," runs the refrain), while her "8 Miles Wide" was a cheerfully upbeat and totally outrageous declaration of female empowerment. "My vagina is eight miles wide," goes the refrain to that one. "Absolutely everyone can come inside / If you're ever frightened, just run and hide." OK, then.

Accompanying Ms. Large were pianist and (I assume) music director James Beaton, guitarist Matt Brown, bass guitarist Scott Weddle, and drummer Greg Eklund. They all rocked the house and (if YouTube is any indication) they have all performed with Ms. Large often enough to be very comfortable with both her and with each other.

So, yeah, Storm Large's show did not fit into any easy niches and was not for the easily offended. But the cabaret tent is a big one (maybe even eight miles wide…), so there's plenty of room for high-energy hijinks by performers like Storm Large and her band. And only a dedicated Puritan or some other variety of killjoy could have failed to have a good time there. Thanks to Jim Dolan for continuing to bring a great variety of cabaret talent to town.

The Gaslight Cabaret Festival concludes April 25 and 26 with Lara Teeter's "Lucky to Be Me." For more information: gaslightcabaretfestival.com.