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:
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| Blood Reigns |
St. Louis Shakespeare presents
Blood Reigns-The War of the Roses Trilogy through March 29. "This significant piece is an adaptation of the Henry VI trilogy created specifically for St. Louis Shakespeare. In this production you will find all of the things you love most about Shakespeare's works: blood, betrayal, intrigue, forgiveness and redemption. Chris Limber directs and brings his 35 years of experience with the bard to craft a truly cunning, artful tale." Performances take place in the Thomas Hunter Theatre at DeSmet Jesuit High School, 233 N New Ballas Road. For more information, call 314-361-5664 or visit
stlshakespeare.org.
My take: This absurdly ambitious undertaking collapses Shakespeare's
Henry VI Parts 1, 2, and 3—plays which, uncut, would run about as long as Wagner's
Götterdämmerung—into around three and one-half hours, including two intermissions. That, all by itself, would make it worth recommending.
As KDHX's Tina Farmer notes, however, this adaptation also "brings Shakespeare's history to life with clarity and emotional undertones that color the performances." "The ensemble cast is uniformly strong," she continues, "articulating difficult dialogue and exposition with purpose and intent, and demonstrating well developed, fully internalized characters. This did not prevent the occasional scenery chewing, awkward phrasing or long pauses, but the performances were organically generated and effectively connected to the storytelling." That's good enough for me. And besides, director Chris Limber (who sis the adaptation along with Michael B. Perkins and sound designer/composer Robin Wetherall) can generally be counted upon for intelligence and good taste.
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| Photo: John Lamb |
That Uppity Theatre Company and
The Vital Voice present
Briefs: A Festival Of Short Lesbian and Gay Plays Friday through Sunday, March 27-29. "This year's collection of eight plays have been selected from over 170 submissions from across the nation and include such themes as a gay mermaid looking for love, a Jewish mother who competitively wants her single son to have the biggest wedding, the stresses of sexual identity for LGBTQ adolescents, a lesbian version of Dr. Seuss and a conflict between a gay male couple around involvement in Ferguson. The playwrights will include acclaimed humorist Paul Rudnick, whose short play, "My Husband" was first seen in Standing on Ceremony: the Gay Marriage Plays, and produced in New York City as well as "This Flight Tonight" by Wendy MacLeod, by special arrangement with Dramatist's Play Service." Performances take place at The Rialto Ballroom at Grand Center, 3547 Olive. For more information, visit
uppityco.com or call (314) 995-4600.
My take: This remarkable festival of one-acts continues to get stronger every year. From it's rough-and-tumble beginnings threee years ago, Briefs has blossomed quickly quickly into a major theatrical event. If I were in town, I'd be there.
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| T. Oliver Reed |
The Presenters Dolan present
T. Oliver Reed in
Drop Me Off in Harlem on Friday and Saturday, March 27 and 28, at 8 PM as part of the Gaslight Cabaret Festival. "T. Oliver Reid takes us club-hopping through the swanky clubs and lowdown joints of 1930's Harlem. "In 1934, on a Saturday night in New York City, if you were boozin' and jazzin', you were doing it in Harlem," says Reid. Reid comes to St. Louis after Feinstein's, 54 Below and Jazz at Lincoln Center. It's cabaret, it's theater, it's of a very high order, and it is absolutely not to be missed." The performance takes place at the Gaslight Theater, 358 North Boyle. For more information:
gaslightcabaretfestival.com.
My take: Harlem in its heyday played host to major black artists, musical and otherwise. This is a fascinating period of American musical history that deserves more attention that it has gotten. Reviewing this show at the Metropolitan Room last October, the
New York Times dubbed it "sensational."
Marilyn Lester at Theater PIzzaz! agreed. "“Drop Me Off In Harlem,” she writes, "has evolved since its debut a few years ago, and like, Reid, just keeps getting better and better." Looks like a winner to me.
The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents a staged reading of
The Full Catastrophe by Michael Weller, based on the novel by David Carkeet, on Wednesday, March 25, at 7:30 p.m. as part of the Ignite! New Play Festival. "Jeremy Cook, once a celebrated linguist, is suddenly out of work and out of sorts. In desperation, he takes a job as a live-in marriage counselor for Roy Pillow, a shadowy, wannabe-scientist billionaire. Confused by his mission and at a crossroads in his personal life, Jeremy finds himself confronting the ghosts of his failed relationships past, and the mortal danger of repeating his big mistake over again. Michael Weller is the author of the American classic Moonchildren and the Broadway-bound musical adaptation of Doctor Zhivago." The reading takes place at Sally S. Levy Opera Center, 210 Hazel Avenue, on the Webster University Campus. For more information:
repstl.org.
My take: As I noted last week, The Rep's
Ignite! festival offers a fascinating glimpse at new works while they're a-borning. Some, like
Soups, Stews, and Casseroles 1976, have gone on to full productions and proven worthy of attention. Will this be the start of something big? The only way to know is to attend. It's a fascinating experience and a great opportunity to let the playwright know what you think.
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Kinky Boots
Photo: Matthew Murphy |
The Fox Theatre presents the musical
Kinky Boots March 24-April 5. The Fox Theatre is at 527 North Grand in Grand Center. "In Kinky Boots, Charlie Price has reluctantly inherited his father's shoe factory, which is on the verge of bankruptcy. Trying to live up to his father's legacy and save his family business, Charlie finds inspiration in the form of Lola. A fabulous entertainer in need of some sturdy stilettos, Lola turns out to be the one person who can help Charlie become the man he's meant to be. As they work to turn the factory around, this unlikely pair finds that they have more in common than they ever dreamed possible... and discovers that when you change your mind about someone, you can change your whole world." For more information:
fabulousfox.com.
My take: A show with music by Cyndi Lauper and a book by Harvey Fierstein obviously has two very strong things going for it from the start, and this tour apparently makes the most of its material. "A pure delight from beginning to end," writes Amy Burger at KDHX, "on the surface,
Kinky Boots is a story about shoes; but at it's heart, it's a really a story about having the freedom to wear whatever shoes you want and always feeling comfortable in them."
The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents a staged reading of
Molly's Hammer by Tanny Ryan, based on the book Hammer of Justice by Liane Ellison Norman, on Saturday, March 28, at 3 p.m. as part of the Ignite! New Play Festival. "In 1980, Molly Rush took a stand. The Pittsburgh housewife and mother of six walked into a G.E. plant and took a hammer to a nuclear warhead to protest the buildup of America's nuclear arsenal.
Molly's Hammer is the story of the Plowshares Eight, Molly, and her husband's wish to stop his wife from sacrificing herself to save the world." The reading takes place at Sally S. Levy Opera Center, 210 Hazel Avenue, on the Webster University Campus. For more information:
repstl.org.
My take: As I said, the Ignite! festival is always worth a look. This play has the added punch of dealing with an important subject.
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Sally Eaton and the PR2
Photo: Whitney Curtis |
The Performing Arts Department at Washington University presents the world stage premiere of
Sky Sky Sky, by Elizabeth Birkenmeier, March 26-29. " The world premiere drama, written by alumna Elizabeth Birkenmeier (LA '08), features three human actors and one fully functioning, custom-programmed PR2 robot, on loan from Oregon State University." The performances take place in the A.E. Hotchner Studio Theater in the Mallinckrodt Student Center on the Washington University campus. For more information, call 314-935-6543 or visit
pad.artsci.wustl.edu.
My take: I am reminded of
"The Darfsteller," a famous Hugo Award-winning short story by Walter M. Miller, Jr. (author of the science fiction classic
A Canticle for Leibowitz) in which human actors have been completely replaced by robots. AI (artificial intelligence) hasn't gotten anywhere near that sophisticated yet, but even so it might not be long before we're forced to face the question of when a machine stops being a machine and begins to turn into something else. Elizabeth Birkenmeier is a smart writer. I appeared in her
Winning Juliet (which she co-authored with Chris Limber) two years ago and was impressed by the quality of her work.
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Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
©Photo by Jerry Naunheim Jr. |
The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents Christopher Durang's
Vanya And Sonia And Masha And Spike through April 12. "Stuck in their family home in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Vanya and his adopted sister Sonia live a quiet existence until their lives are thrown into comic upheaval with the arrival of their B-list celebrity sister, Masha, and her 20-something boy toy, Spike. Add to that a soothsaying housekeeper, a star struck young neighbor and a rather odd costume party, and the stage is set for mayhem and hilarity in this present-day homage to Chekhov. Winner of the 2013 Tony Award for Best Play." 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 starts out as a broad, noisy parody of Chekov but finishes as something much more deep and satifying. "Playwright Christopher Durang,"
writes Tina Farmer at KDHX, "won a Tony Award for this insightfully hilarious look at aging and modern life through a lens tinted with Chekhov and Greek tragedy. The actors in The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis' production of
Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike bring these characters to life convincingly, emphasizing their quirks, vanities and flaws in a production layered with humor and pathos, second questions and, perhaps, second chances." I couldn't agree more. Director Michael Evan Haney can be proud of this one.
Held Over:
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Jeremy Webb in Buyer and Cellar
©Photo by Jerry Naunheim Jr. |
The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents
Buyer and Cellar through April 12 (extended from March 29). "Inspired by Barbra Streisand's coffee table book, My Passion for Design, this uproarious fictional account of celebrity eccentricity takes us into Babs' basement, where she houses her unique collections in a small street of shops. An underemployed actor becomes the caretaker, interacting with Barbra in moments both hilarious and surprisingly tender. A runaway hit in New York, this one-man show takes us into the ultimate fantasy of a star-struck dreamer as he fills the oddest of odd jobs." 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: One-man shows can be risky propositions, but this one is apparently a success. "If you are a Streisand fan (and who among us isn’t?),"
writes Bob Cohn at St. Louis Jewish Light, "'Buyer & Cellar' is a double treat. Not only is the play itself highly amusing and satisfying, it also contains enough Streisand trivia to satisfy an entire season of questions on 'Jeopardy.'" "Jonathan Tolins is a very clever writer,"
says Bob Wilcox at KDHX. "Jeremy Webb is a very smart actor. Put them together, with some inventive guidance from director Wendy Dann, and you get a quite enjoyable ninety minutes or so in the Studio Theatre at the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis."
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Jerry Springer the Opera
Photo: Jill Ritter Lindberg |
New Line Theatre presents the St. Louis premiere of the musical
Jerry Springer the Opera Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 PM, through March 28. "The New Line season continues with one of New Line's wildest and most ambitious projects, JERRY SPRINGER THE OPERA, the smash-hit, multi-award winning musical that ran to unprecedented rave reviews and standing ovations at the National Theatre in London, after a sold-out run in London's West End. The Sunday Times called it “a shocking, irresistibly funny masterpiece.” With music by Richard Thomas, and book and lyrics by Thomas and Stewart Lee, this is an audacious, fearless piece of theatre that brilliantly and hilariously dissects the cultural forces that have kept Jerry Springer on the air all these years, the lives of quiet desperation that explode into public view in Springer's weirdly nonjudgmental, national confessional." Performances take place at the Washington University South Campus Theatre, 6501 Clayton Road. . For more information, visit
newlinetheatre.com or call 314-534-1111.
My take: Come on, how can you not want to see a show with a title like this? The second act, after all, is a "very special" episode of the Jerry Springer Show broadcast live from Hell. And, yes, it really is an opera—or at least a musical in which there is no spoken dialog. "I recognize a quality production with strong direction and spot-on performances," says Tina Farmer
in her KDHX review, "and I applaud the company for the bold and daring theater they produce."
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Robert McNichols, Jr. as Paul Robeson
Photo: Stewart Goldstein |
The Black Rep presents
Paul Robeson through March 29. "In Phillip Hayes Dean's biographical two-man play, the legendary actor, singer and political activist Paul Robeson sings songs and tells stories of his multi-faceted career, from triumphs in Show Boat and The Emperor Jones, to his fight for racial equality to accusations of Communist involvement." Performances take place at the Emerson Performance Center at Harris-Stowe State University in midtown. For more information:
theblackrep.org.
My take: Paul Robeson's story is an important one, and not just because he was one of the great bass-baritones of the early 20th century. His courage in the face of virulent racism and deranged red baiting is an inspiration to us all. "Seeing a performance of playwright Phillip Hayes Dean’s fascinating, one-man drama, Paul Robeson,"
writes Mark Bretz at Ladue News, "is an exhilarating and educational experience." Over at stltoday.com, Judy Newmark
has words of praise for the show's star, Robert McNichols, Jr.: "An opera singer himself, McNichols performs the song with feeling and intention, and gives an equally meaningful treatment to a trio of gospel numbers that Robeson sang in his stage debut. McNichols is also a fine actor, a big plus for a show that’s not a musical."
