Isn't it romantic?

Who: Steve Ross
What: Rhythm and Romance
Where: The Kranzberg Center, St. Louis
When: November 26 and 27, 2010

Renowned cabaret artist Steve Ross has a long and happy relationship with St. Louis, going back to the early days of the Grandel Cabaret Series. He was one of the first performers to be featured by Jim Dolan's Presenters Dolan organization when it got off the ground several years ago, and he even made a special trip to Mound City this past February to participate in a tribute cabaret for the late Chris Jackson. It's only appropriate, then, that he chose our fair city for a trial run of his latest show, Rhythm and Romance, which opens a three-week run at the Algonquin Hotel's Oak Room in January. Judging from the audience response, it was a good choice.

If you've seen Mr. Ross before, you already know that he's the very personification of savoir faire: a graceful, elegant, and charming performer in the mold of Noel Coward, whose green velvet smoking jacket (or, as he refers to it, his "non-smoking jacket") he now wears, courtesy of the Noel Coward society. Even when Mr. Ross made the occasional musical misstep (perhaps inevitable with a new show), his love of the material and his ability to connect with the audience carried him through and earned him a standing ovation at the end.

The evening opened with a lively medley combining the title song with Jimmy McHugh and Ted Koehler's "Spreadin' Rhythm Around" (both introduced in 1935 by Ella Fitzgerald and "Fats" Waller, respectively) and bits of Gershwin's "I Got Rhythm" and "Fascinatin' Rhythm". Mr. Ross followed that up with a set about seduction (Flanders and Swann's droll "Have Some Madeira, M'Dear") and marriage both sentimental (Kander and Ebb's "Married" and Kern and Hammerstein's "The Folks Who Live on the Hill") and sarcastic (Rodgers and Sondheim's "We're Gonna Be All Right", from Do I Hear a Waltz?).

The rest of the show continued in a similar vein, examining the varieties of romance, both comic and tragic. There was, as you might expect, plenty of Porter and Coward, but there was also Jacques Brel's dark "Fanette and I" and Ivor Novello's "And Her Mother Came Too", a comic look at a true "helicopter parent". There was even a set on the romance of travel, with Bob Merrill's rarely-heard "Mira" (from Carnival!) and a pair of Coward gems: "Sail Away" (from the 1960 flop of the same name) and, from 1955, the rudely hilarious "A Bar on the Piccola Marina", about the sexual awakening of the formerly staid Mrs. Wentworth Brewster.

As always, Mr. Ross intertwined the music with erudite and amusing commentary on the songs and their creators. Did you know, for example, that Noel Coward's wistful waltz ballad "Some Day I'll Find You" was the theme song for the long-running radio and early TV detective show Mr. Keene, Tracer of Lost Persons?* Or that Mr. Coward (who was a close friend of Cole Porter) responded to questions about a 1962 trip to a clinic for "rejuvenation shots" of sheep hormones by quipping "I've got ewe under my skin"?

Well, now you do.

If there's one lyricist who understood both the rhapsody and rue of romance, that would surely be the late Lorenz Hart, so it's only appropriate that Mr. Ross's show featured a generous helping of Rodgers and Hart numbers, including "My Romance" (from Jumbo, 1935) and "Glad to Be Unhappy" (On Your Toes, 1936). The set was punctuated by some dry-eyed looks at romance form Dorothy Parker – also very appropriate in a show destined for the Algonquin, where Ms. Parker was a regular guest at the fabled literary Round Table.

The show concluded with Mr. Ross's trademark Edith Piaf instrumental medley, followed by an encore that briefly recapped "Rhythm and Romance" and then segued into an affecting rendition of the 1934 classic "For All We Know". And a splendid time was had by all.

For more information on the peripatetic Mr. Ross, visit his web site at steveross.net. For more information on upcoming cabaret shows at the Kranzberg Center, visit The Presenters Dolan at presentersdolan.com and the Cabaret St. Louis site at cabaretstl.org.

*Or, for you Bob and Ray fans, Mr. Trace, Keener Than Most Persons.

The Homecoming

Leonard Slatkin

Who: The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra
What: Olga Kern plays Rachmaninov; Leonard Slatkin Conducts Arvo Pärt and Prokofiev
Where: Powell Symphony Hall, St. Louis
When: November 26 - 28, 2010

Former Music Director Leonard Slatkin, who led the St. Louis Symphony during what was possibly its period of highest international visibility, made a triumphant return visit to Powell Hall this weekend. He led the band he referred to as "my family" and glamorous virtuoso pianist Olga Kern in a highly satisfying program. There was a sublime Fratres by Arvo Pärt, starring the symphony strings; rapid-fire Rachmaninov with the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini; and a highly charged reading of Prokofiev's powerful Symphony No. 5. There was even a quirky encore at the end.

Originally composed in 1977 and revised several times since, Pärt's Fratres exists in 15 different orchestrations, the most popular of which – for claves, bass drum and strings – opened the concert. The piece unfolds in a series of nine iterations of a chant-like theme, rising in a slow crescendo, peaking at the seventh section, and then dying away to the drone maintained by the basses throughout.

Although supposedly based on a simple mathematical formula, the music suggested (to me, anyway) the Canonical prayer hours of a medieval monastery. Your mileage may vary, of course, but there's no denying that the overall effect is an uplifting and welcome cleansing of the aural detritus of the modern world. Mr. Slatkin conducted this deceptively simple-sounding music with great precision and sympathy.

At the other end of the musical spectrum from the contemplative Fratres is Rachmaninov's flashy Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini from 1934. The Russian expatriate was one of the previous century's great virtuoso pianists and the Rhapsody served him well as he toured America and Europe. The piece is a sort of mini-concerto, consisting of 24 variations on (appropriately) the twenty-fourth and last of Niccolò Paganini's Caprices for solo violin – a tune that has proved irresistible for composers from Liszt to Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Displaying formidable technique, a deep understanding of Russian romantic style and no small measure of what the production team on the old Avengers TV series called "M. appeal", Olga Kern is perhaps the ideal performer for the Rhapsody, with its irresistible mix of keyboard pyrotechnics and unabashed sentimentality, particularly in the famous 18th variation. She and Mr. Slatkin made the slow variations dreamy and took the fast ones at such a breakneck pace that the entire structure seemed ready collapse at times. It never did, of course, so the overall effect was rather like watching the Flying Wallendas' seven-person pyramid. It was, in short, breathtaking – so much so that the audience brought Ms. Kern back for a short bravura encore.

The evening concluded with Prokofiev's 1944 Symphony No. 5. Composed at the artists' colony of Ivanovo east of Moscow just as the war with Germany was turning in Russia's favor, the symphony was described by Prokofiev as "a hymn to free and happy Man, to his mighty powers, his pure and noble spirit" and while there is certainly an air of triumph, especially in the majestic opening theme, it has always seemed to me that the war was never far from the composer's mind. You can hear it in (among other places) the militant percussion of the first movement and the anguished climax of the third.

The aura of triumph is also leavened by Prokofiev's characteristic irony. The composer of the Sarcasms for piano always seems to have a raised eyebrow or cynical smile behind his most demonstrative music. In the 5th symphony sarcasm takes various forms, including caustic comments from the brass and percussion and the deliberate interruption of the boisterous Allegro giocoso finale by a short, dissonant passage for string quartet and trumpet.

Conducting without a score (as he had for the entire evening), Mr. Slatkin pulled these disparate elements together into a compelling whole that did full justice to Prokofiev's many moods. The big gestures where huge and the small details perfect. The ensemble sounded wonderful, in short. The 1985 recording Mr. Slatkin and the SLSO did for RCA is still available at arkivmusic.com. I'll confess that I haven't heard it, but if it's anything like Friday's performance, it's worth having.

As with the Rachmaninov, audience response was wildly enthusiastic, obliging Mr. Slatkin to perform an unexpected encore: "Carmen's Hoedown", an exuberantly silly arrangement by Mr. Slatkin's noted father Felix of "Votre toast, je peux vous le render" (a.k.a. "The Toreador Song") from Carmen. It was great fun and, I suppose, the logical conclusion to an evening marked by dramatic contrasts.

Performances of this program continue Saturday at 8 and Sunday at 3, November 27 and 28, 2010. Tickets are available at slso.org or by calling 314-534-1700. Next at Powell Hall, music of Albéniz, Falla and Brahms conducted by Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos December 3 and 4, after which the regular concert series breaks for a collection of holiday programs.

St. Louis Symphony update, 26 November 2010

Olga Kern

Leonard Slatkin makes a triumphant return visit to Powell Hall this weekend, leading the St. Louis Symphony and glamorous virtuoso pianist Olga Kern in a highly satisfying program. The evening opens with a sublime Fratres by Arvo Pärt starring the symphony strings, moves on to rapid-fire Rachmaninov with Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, and closes with a highly charged reading of Prokofiev's Symphony No. 5. There are a couple of surprises along the way as well. Performances continue Saturday at 8 and Sunday at 3, November 27 and 28.  Get your tickets now at slso.org. Full review to follow here and at the KDHX site.

Darkness Visible

What: South Pacific
Where: The Fox Theatre, St. Louis
When: November 9 through 21, 2010

[David Pittsinger as Emile de Becque and Carmen Cusack as Nellie Forbush – photo by Craig Schwartz]

There's literal and literary darkness at the heart of the nearly flawless revival of South Pacific at the Fox. The former derives from Donald Holder's lighting design, which relies heavily on follow spots combined with dim general illumination. The latter derives from the Joshua Logan/Oscar Hammerstein book and the James Mitchener short stories on which it's based. Together, they remind us that this theatrical classic is not just a musical, but a drama as well. In South Pacific, boy gets girl, boy abandons girl, boy dies and everybody else goes off to war.

For audiences that know South Pacific largely as a high-gloss widescreen musical from 1958, the show's occasionally trenchant commentary on the folly and futility of war, issues of racism, and what Emile De Becque, in a moment of despair, refers to as "a mean little world / Of mean little men" might come as a surprise. We need to remember that when the show opened in 1949, the aftermath of the horror that was the war in the Pacific was still very much on everyone's minds.

We need to remember, as well, that less than a year before that opening, President Truman had issued Executive Order 9981 desegregating the armed forces – provoking a violent backlash that continues to this day. "You've Got to Be Carefully Taught", Lt. Cable's bitter commentary on racism, provoked anger and accusations of indecency and Communism when South Pacific arrived in the southern USA. Rodgers and Hammerstein, to their credit, refused to cut the song.

Based on the much-praised 2008 Lincoln Center revival, this tour of South Pacific is about as good as it gets, boasting a great cast, eye-catching period costumes by Catherine Zuber, intelligently designed sets by Michael Yeargan that make scene changes a breeze, and – a real rarity for a touring show – a 25-piece orchestra of mostly local musicians under the baton of Lawrence Goldberg doing full justice to the original orchestrations by Robert Russell Bennett and Trude Rittmann.

Director Bartlett Sher has put it all together with great respect for the original, even going to far as to open and close the evening with Mitchener's own words, projected on a scrim. A couple of lines and one song – "My Girl Back Home" – that were cut from the 1949 production have been restored, but otherwise this is about as close as we can get today to the excitement that galvanized audiences and critics alike so many decades ago.

Carmen Cusak and David Pittsinger head this great cast as the "cockeyed optimist" Nellie Forbush and the world-weary Emile De Becque. Mr. Pittsinger, who took over the role of De Becque on Broadway from Paulo Szot, is an operatic bass-baritone in the mold of Ezio Pinza (who created the part), so his big numbers have all the power you'd expect. He is, perhaps, a few years older than the character's stated age of 44 but given the strength of his performance it hardly matters. Ms. Cusak, who matches him in vocal and dramatic power, cuts a striking figure as Nellie. She doesn't have the cutie pie look that often seems associated with the role which, of course, only makes her that much more watchable.

In the supporting roles, pride of place goes to Anderson Davis's doomed Lt. Cable. He is, perhaps, not quite as haunted as I'd like in the second act, but he has a sardonic edge that makes it work, so I can't complain. Jodi Kimura is a classically raucous Bloody Mary. It's a fine performance, marred only by a tendency to play too often at the top of the voice. Timothy Gulan's Luther Billis has all the conniving street smarts you could wish for.

Let me also not fail to praise Sumie Maeda as Liat, the island girl whom Cable beds but can't bring himself to wed until it's too late. Her graceful dance turn in "Happy Talk" speaks volumes, although her character hardly speaks at all.

There are many other fine performances in this 34-person cast. I can't list them all here, but you can find head shots and bios of every one of them at www.southpacificontour.com/cast. None of them are less than good, and most are outstanding.

The fact that, sixty years after its birth, South Pacific is still such a winning combination of compelling drama and uplifting entertainment that audiences will sit mesmerized by it for nearly three hours shows the genius of Rodgers, Hammerstein and Logan. The fact that the script's political commentary is still relevant shows how little progress we've made as a nation and as a species.

After the fall

(L to R): Colin Hanlon as Luke and Jeffrey Kuhn as Adam. © Photo by Keith Jochim

What: Next Fall
Where: The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis
When: October 27 through November 14, 2010

Right now, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis is featuring two plays in which questions of faith are paramount. The one on the main stage in Webster Groves – High – has the big star. But the one at the Grandel Theatre – Geoffrey Nauffts's funny, sad, and insightful Next Fall – has a stellar script and a uniformly fine cast to boot.

At the core of Next Fall is the five-year relationship between Luke, a thirtyish actor on the way up, and Adam, a fortyish candle salesman-turned-teacher who isn't sure which way he's going. Luke is a committed Christian who is out to everyone except his fundamentalist dad, Butch. Adam is a dedicated skeptic who is running out of patience with Luke's theology. When an accident sends Luke into a coma, his family and friends are forced to deal with their conflicting beliefs and feelings about Luke and each other.

A lesser playwright might turn this material into predictable soap opera or use it to score easy political points. Mr. Nauffts, however, avoids predictability at every turn. Luke's parents, the ideologically rigid Butch and motor-mouthed Arlene, for example, could have been one-dimensional cartoons; instead they are fully realized characters – flawed but completely believable. So, too, are Adam's ex-boss and friend Holly and Luke's fellow believer Brandon.

My wife commented that Next Fall presents a story that doesn't end with the curtain. The characters and their relationships are so credible that we found ourselves compelled to speculate what might happen next. Mr. Nauffts's script provides a resolution, but no pat answers.

It's impossible to heap too much praise on this consistently brilliant cast, but I'll give it a shot. Jeffrey Kuhn imbues Adam with a kinetic energy that mirrors the character's unsettled emotional state, making the contrast with Colin Hanlon's steady and rock-solid Luke that much more effective. Marnye Young's Holly is warm and funny, while Ben Nordstrom's Brandon is a study in the use of stillness as a way to reveal character. Susan Greenhill's Arlene is hilarious without ever descending into "Southern gal" cliché and Keith Jochim brings out the depths in Butch's persona that make him more than a standard-issue bigot.

Together, they constitute a flawless, perfectly timed ensemble. How much of that can be attributed their individual talent and how much to Seth Gordon's direction is anybody's guess, but there's no gainsaying the emotional impact of the final product. This is an evening that mixes laughter, tears, and thought-provoking dialog in an irresistible brew that seems far shorter than its nearly two and one-half hour running time.

Like so many recent plays, Next Fall seems to want to be a movie when it grows up, unfolding in a large number of small scenes, each of which requires a complete set change. Happily, Brian Sidney Bembridge has created a scenic design that transforms easily and quickly, aided by John Wylie's effective lighting and Rusty Wandall's evocative sound. Lou Bird's costumes are fine as well, nicely mirroring the internal lives of their characters.

If all of this leaves you with the impression that Next Fall is a first-rate presentation of script that fully deserved its 2009 Tony nomination then, to quote Sergeant Preston of the Yukon, this case is closed. Next Fall is this fall's hot ticket. For more information you may call 314-968-4925.

The Joy of Dvorak

Who: The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra
What: Watts Plays Grieg; Varga Conducts Dvorak
Where: Powell Symphony Hall, St. Louis
When: October 8 - 10, 2010

If you wanted to describe this weekend's St. Louis Symphony concert in a single word, I think that word would be joy. The joy of rock guitarist-turned-composer Steven Mackey exploiting the augmented percussion section in Turn the Key; the joy of André Watts's fluid virtuosity in the Grieg Piano Concerto; the joy Dvorak felt in the Bohemian countryside, infusing every bar of his Eighth Symphony; and the joy conductor Gilbert Varga clearly took in leading the orchestra's world-class musicians through all of it. It would take an equally world-class grouch to walk away from the final bars of Varga's Dvorak without a smile.

The evening began with something you don't see every day (as they used to say on Rocky and Bullwinkle): audience participation. The irregular rhythmic motif that forms the basis for Steven Mackey's Turn the Key is first heard clapped out by a pair of percussionists in the audience. With their encouragement, more and more of the audience join in until, with a loud dissonant chord, the orchestra announces that the professionals have taken over. It's an amusing bit of theatre and, let's face it, any time you can get the listeners clapping before the show starts, you're ahead of the game.

Originally composed for the opening of the Knight Concert Hall in Miami in 2006, Turn the Key struck me as long on orchestral flash and short on content. For me, the work's principal attraction was the creative use of just about every item in the percussion battery's arsenal, including exotic items like the lion's roar and agogo bells. This is the sort of piece that hi-fi enthusiasts once used to show off their systems many years ago (back when there were turntables, cartridges, and other Ancient Mayan sound reproduction devices), with great dynamic contrasts, interesting instrumental combinations, and playful stereo effects. It's fun, but I felt it wore out its welcome before the 11 minutes were up.

For many people, I expect, the big attraction in this concert series was the appearance of the great André Watts in Grieg's venerable Piano Concerto. That's understandable enough – Mr. Watts is unquestionably one of the Baby Boom generation's great pianists – but I would have preferred to hear him in something a little less well worn. One of Mr. Watts's early triumphs like the Saint-Saëns second or Liszt first, for example, would have been welcome.

That said, he and Mr. Varga gave an expressive performance that was rich in orchestral detail. Tempi were a bit on the slow side for my taste, which tended to emphasize the episodic nature of Grieg's writing, but on the whole it was a solid reading with a good balance between soloist and orchestra.

The real treat, though, was the Dvorak Symphony No. 8. Written at a time of great happiness in the composer's life, the symphony overflows with good humor. Dvorak composed it at his newly acquired country home and filled it with celebrations of rustic life. There are twittering birds, cheerful village bands, wandering violinists, and even, at one point, a section that has always made me think of a sudden thunderstorm. This is the joy of living, wrapped up in the Czech master's characteristically infectious melodies and dance-inspired rhythms.

The performance was simply one of the best I've heard, and that includes the classic Szell and Kertesz recordings. Conducting without a score, Mr. Varga worked the podium with the cheerfully physical intensity of someone who truly loves both his music and his musicians. His was an interpretation characterized by a wide dynamic range, well-chosen tempi, and passionate intensity.

The players responded with flawless performances. The Dvorak abounds with lovely solo passages for the winds and the orchestra's flutes, piccolo, and single and double reeds more than did them justice. Indeed, everyone seemed in tune with Mr. Varga's joy – there's that word again – in presenting this classic gem of musical optimism. A splendid time, I think, was had by all.

St. Louis Symphony Update, 8 October 2010

This weekend at the St. Louis Symphony: a fun new piece with audience participation by rock guitarist-turned-composer Steven Mackey, a respectable Grieg Piano Concerto with Andre Watts (one of the finest pianists of my generation), and a truly great Dvorak 8th. Gilbert Varga conducts and the orchestra seems to love him, with good reason. Full review to follow some time Saturday. Concert  information at http://slso.org

The American Way

Photo © 2009 Hilary Scott

Who: The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra
What: Rhapsody in Blue
Where: Powell Symphony Hall, St. Louis
When: October 1 and 3, 2010

When was the last time you left a St. Louis Symphony concert thinking, “Well, that was fun?” I'm not talking about an outdoor “pops” or special holiday event, but a regular series concert. If you're like me you might have used words like exciting, stimulating, moving, challenging or even that old saw “interesting” – but “fun”? And yet this weekend and Powell Hall fun was definitely being served up in heaping helpings, courtesy of conductor David Robertson, pianist Orli Shaham, and a couple of deceased wise guys named George and Charles.

I refer, of course, to George Gershwin and Charles Ives. They were both in their late 20s when they wrote the works showcased in the concert—Rhapsody in Blue and the Symphony No. 2, respectively. Both were clearly showing off and thumbing their talented noses at the musical establishment when they did so while still paying homage to the traditions represented by that establishment.

The Rhapsody was the first of what would be an increasingly impressive series of Gershwin works to fuse classical discipline with jazzy freedom. Listening to the swagger and panache of the piano part—some of which not yet fully written out when Gershwin first performed the work with Paul Whiteman's band at Aeolian Hall—it's impossible not to picture the composer's jaunty smile (and ever-present cigar) as he effortlessly throws off a riff or run.

This is keyboard work that's visual as well as aural, and Ms. Shaham did it up in fine style, even if she was sometimes swamped by the orchestra. Balance is one of the many reasons I prefer the original jazz band arrangement of the Rhapsody to Ferde Grofé's 1937 full-orchestra version. I understand why most classical orchestras use that one as it was the only one available until around 1971 and most musicians probably know it well, but it would nice now and then to get back to basics and hear something like what New Yorkers heard at the legendary “Experiment in Modern Music”.

In any case, the Sunday afternoon audience loved what they heard—so much so that Mr. Robertson and Ms. Shaham followed up with a substantial encore: a somewhat truncated version of Gershwin's 1934 Variations on “I Got Rhythm”. The performance sounded a bit slapdash to me, but the piece doesn't get programmed all that often so I can't complain.

Like Gershwin, Charles Ives was a man often at odds with the guardians of the classic forms in which he worked. Yes, he wrote symphonies, sonatas and string quartets, but his approach to them was radical and visionary, anticipating experiments in harmony and rhythm that would not find their way into the compositional mainstream for many years. Most of his music went unperformed during his life and much of it still presents major hurdles for both listeners and performers alike.

Originally composed in 1901 and finally orchestrated in 1907, the Symphony No. 2 is conservative by Ives standards. Indeed, compared to the hallucinatory glory of the Fourth Symphony from only a few years later, it's almost stodgy. Still, it's a work of ingenuity, droll humor and sometimes-transcendental beauty that offers substantial challenges to both the conductor and the players. Mr. Robertson and the musicians under his baton were more than equal to them, however, turning in a disciplined and luminous performance. Yes, there were balance problems once again, with the brasses in particular tending to be a bit too dominant. But if you think about it, that's really rather Ivesian in its way.

The concert opened with a fine reading of the concert suite from Aaron Copland's 1943 ballet Appalachian Spring. Mr. Robertson threw himself into this performance, conducting with his whole body and getting polished performances in return. The orchestra was accompanied by projected images from, of all things, a children's book: Jan Greenberg's Ballet for Martha: Making Appalachian Spring. Beautifully capturing dancers in Graham's big, dramatic poses, Brian Floca's watercolors gave audience members who might not be familiar with the ballet a good feel for the work's narrative flow and a sense of what it must have been like to see this work when it was newly minted without drawing focus from the music.

The concert closed with a thoroughly appropriate encore, given Charles Ives' love of marching bands: a rousing, “kick out the jams” rendition of Sousa's "Stars and Stripes Forever". Would you call it pandering? Maybe, if you were inclined to be a curmudgeon. Personally, I couldn't manage it; I was having far too much fun.

Next at Powell Hall: Grieg's Piano Concerto (with André Watts), Dvorák's Symphony No. 8 and Steven Mackey's Turn the Key, originally composed for the opening of the Knight Concert Hall in Miami in 2006. Gilbert Varga conducts. For more information, you may call 314-534-1700 or visit slso.org.

Green Party

Alan Mingo, Jr. as Donkey and
Eric Petersen as Shrek

What: Shrek The Musical
Where: The Fox Theatre, St. Louis
When: September 11 through 26, 2010

There have been so many big-budget corporate musicals based on popular films in the last decade or so that they now appear to constitute a sub-genre with its own rules—all of which Shrek the Musical follows faithfully. There are elaborate sets, costumes and effects; solid performances by a very professional cast; and a creative team with impressive Broadway credentials. There's also about 20 minutes too much of everything but then that, too, is part of the genre.

If you're a fan of the 2001 animated film you'll be happy to find all the key events and juvenile humor of the original intact (the encounter with Robin Hood and his Merry Men being a notable exception) and all set to music—whether you like it or not. It helps that the music is by the ferociously talented Jeanine Tesori (best known as a lyricist for shows such as Thoroughly Modern Millie) and that the book and lyrics are by Pulitzer Prize winner David Lindsay-Abaire (Rabbit Hole, Wonder of the World and many more), but even so most of it seems unlikely to have a life beyond the show. The one exception might be “When Words Fail”, a touching little ballad given, improbably but appropriately, to the title character.

Lindsay-Abaire even manages to add a bit of a gay pride spin to the original message about the importance of diversity and not judging people by appearance with songs like “Freak Flag”, in which the exiled fairy tale characters take pride in their eccentricity. “I'm wood! I'm good”, declares Pinocchio. “Get used to it!” How did Pat Robertson miss this one?

The current tour, which kicked off last month in Chicago, boats a fine cast giving their all in what appear to be physically demanding roles. Certainly David F.M. Vaughn deserves some sort of theatrical Purple Heart for belting out the role of the diminutive Lord Farquaad on his (fortunately well-padded) knees, as does Eric Petersen, charming and funny under all that makeup and padding in the title role.

Holly Ann Butler is a delight as Princess Fiona, both alone and in a power trio with Young Fiona (Madison Mullahey) and Teen Fiona (Sarah Peak), holding out for a hero (to quote a Jim Steinman lyric) in “I Know It's Today'. Alan Mingo, Jr. gets the right measure of fun out of the role of the motor-mouthed Donkey. It might have been nice to see a shorter actor in the part so we could get the “Mutt and Jeff” dynamic between Donkey and Shrek that acts as a recurring visual joke in the animated original, but you certainly couldn't ask for a better and brighter performance than the one Mr. Mingo gives you.

Other standouts in the fine supporting cast include Blakely Slaybaugh, bringing some impressive dance moves to the role of Pinocchio, and Carrie Compere as the voice of the Dragon. The sound system rendered the lyrics of her big solo “Donkey Pot Pie” incomprehensible, unfortunately, but there was no mistaking the quality of her big, soulful voice. Lyrics in chorus numbers tended to be garbled as well—a recurring and possibly unsolvable problem at the Fox.

The bottom line is that if you loved the original film and don't mind the fact that a 90-minute movie has been stretched out to a two and one-half hour stage show (including intermission), you'll probably enjoy Shrek the Musical—especially if there are youngsters in your party. Just be aware that the length might make smaller fry a bit restless and/or keep them up past their normal bedtimes.

If, on the other hand, you wish the whole “corporate theme park” school of musical theatre would just go away, you can probably give Shrek a miss.

Either way, Shrek the Musical continues through September 26 at the Fox Theatre, 527 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information you may call 314-534-1111 or visit the web site, fabulousfox.com.

Purly (Mostly) Victorious

Who: Linda Purl
What: Come Rain or Come Shine
Where: The Kranzberg Center, St. Louis
When: September 8 through 11, 2010

If the opening night crowd for Come Rain or Come Shine was not quite as large as Cabaret St. Louis would have liked, it might have been due to some lukewarm reviews the show got earlier this year in New York. If so, local audiences should have no concern. Come Rain or Come Shine may not be a flawless show, but it's a polished and entertaining one with solid musical and theatrical values that gets the fall Cabaret St. Louis season off to a fine start.

Although this is her first visit to St. Louis, Ms. Purl's face may be familiar to many from her long career in films, stage and—especially—television. A co-star on Matlock and The Office (among others), she has also appeared over forty made for TV movies. Her career in the contemporary version of the B movie industry serves as the basis for one of the comic highlights of the evening, Ron Abel and Kirby Tepper's “Movie of the Week”. I don't know whether the number was written specifically for her or not, but like her slinky blue beaded dress (“never sit on a stool when you're wearing one”, she advises at one point), it's a perfect fit.

A charismatic and engaging performer with a flexible and attractive voice, Ms. Purl presented a show which, while relying heavily on standards such as “The Best is Yet to Come” and “Wouldn't It be Loverly?” (one of many familiar songs given stunning new arrangements by pianist and music director Scott Woolley) also included some newer material. Examples of the latter included the moving Brent Barrett/Maury Yeston collaboration “New Words” and the charming “This Time Tomorrow” from the 2001 Broadway flop The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

Of course, even a hoary standard like “One For My Baby (And One More for the Road)” can sound brand new given an inventive arrangement and a performer with clear intent and solid focus. Mr. Woolley and Ms. Purl provided both. Her reading of the song's final phrase—“that long, long road”—left little doubt about how long and dark that road would be, while his arrangement was appropriately moody and dramatic. Indeed, Mr. Woolley is almost as compelling a performer as Ms. Purl. One of the pleasures of the evening was watching him throw himself into the music.

Other highlights of the evening included a medley of big band era tunes - introduced by Ms. Purl's observation that her parents recently observed their 70th wedding anniversary because they never stopped dancing together—and a duet with St. Louis native Kevin Spirtas. The latter combined a pair of Ira Gershwin trifles (“Oh Me! Oh My!” and “Cheerful Little Earful”) with some solid scat singing. Better yet, Mr. Spirtas took the stage afterwards for a beautiful rendition of Peter Allen's “Love Don't Need a Reason” that was an ideal example of how to clearly convey the meaning of a lyric.

That said, the evening was not without its lowlights—most of which, I think, could have been avoided had Ms. Purl and Mr. Woolley engaged the services of a director. Cabaret is, after all, a form of theatre and good director is essential for good theatre. A director, for example, might have pointed out that the evening was just a song too long and that at times Ms. Purl didn’t seem to be fully invested in the lyrics or relied too heavily on stock theatrical gestures. He or she might also have suggested that the medley of some of the favorite oddball country songs of Ms. Purl’s Matlock co-star Andy Griffith did not need to be delivered in cheesy “hick” accents. He or she might also have suggested the medley of some of the favorite oddball country songs of Ms. Purl's Matlock co-star Andy Griffith did not need to be delivered in cheesy “hick” accents. On Minnie Pearl that sort of thing sounds authentic; on Linda Purl it just sounds condescending. Besides, a song like David Frizzel's Grammy-nominated “I'm Gonna Hire a Wino to Decorate Our Home” is pretty caustically funny on its own; it doesn't need shtick.

These are, however, minor complaints. The bottom line is that Come Rain or Come Shine presents a trio of talented performers at, for the most part, their very best. It's a great beginning for what promises to be a very interesting fall season at Cabaret St. Louis. The show runs through Saturday, September 11, at the Kranzberg Arts Center, 501 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information, you may call 314-534-1111 or visit the web site: cabaretstl.org.

Next in the Cabaret St. Louis lineup: Brian Lane Green, Lee Lessack and Johnny Rogers in Three Men and a Baby…Grand!—A Tribute to the Rat Pack (there seems to be a lot of that about these days). Performances are Wednesday through Saturday, October 13 through 16. Between now and then, the Kranzberg will host local talent under the Presenters Dolan umbrella with a show by the husband and wife team of Joe Dreyer and Rosemary Watts on September 30 and October 1 and a Peggy Lee tribute by Barbara Helmer on October 2 and 3. For information on those shows, you may call 314-725-4200 or visit licketytix.com.

Face(book) the Music

Apropos of absolutely nothing, my thoughts over the past few days seem to have strayed towards the intersection of Art and Nature. It seems to be a busy intersection, and by the time I finished dodging speeding metaphors I found myself with the following completely unrelated bits of information, all of which turned up as Facebook profile status messages.

The difference between Mahler and Bruckner, I was told as a youth, was this: if you go to an Alpine meadow and look up at the majestic mountain, that is Mahler. If you look down at the lovely flowers, that is Bruckner.

For some time before his death, Alexander Scriabin supposedly worked on a "Universe Symphony". It would be a multi-media experience which would be performed in the Himalayas and would bring about his version of Armageddon: "a grandiose religious synthesis of all arts which would herald the birth of a new world." All ...we have are sketches of the first part, titled "Mysterium". Which might be just as well.

In his diary, Sibelius noted the inspiration for the grand theme in his Fifth Symphony: "Today I saw 16 swans. God, what beauty! They circled over me for a long time. Disappeared into the solar haze like a silver ribbon." Listening to the 5th now, it's impossible not to hear those birds in the majestic swing and sway of the final movement.

Why I should be pondering what I'm pondering, Pinky, is anybody's guess. Maybe it's a reaction to the fact that I'm otherwise consumed with thoughts about the upcoming edition of Cabaret at the Café on September 10th. Or maybe it's all that classical Internet radio I've been listening to.

Or maybe it's just that today is my 62nd birthday.

Pistol-packin' mama

Erica Cochran as Marie

What: Donizetti's La fille du régiment (The Daughter of the Regiment)
Where: Union Avenue Opera
When: July 30 through August 8, 2010

Union Avenue Opera is one of the hidden gems of the local musical theatre scene. Their productions may sometimes be a bit rough around the edges and their theatre in the remodeled sanctuary of the Union Avenue Christian Church may have its acoustic and sight line issues, but their artistic commitment and professionalism are beyond reproach. The second production of their 2010 season, Donizetti’s 1840 romantic opéra-comique romp La fille du régiment (The Daughter of the Regiment), is a truly charming piece of work with a pair of leads that I’d put up against anyone on the Opera Theatre of St. Louis stage.

The circumstances that led Donizetti to write a French romantic comedy were, ironically, less than joyous. His wife Virginia died in 1837 and the broken-hearted composer fled Italy for Paris where, as historian Herbert Weinstock notes, “he began a new life”. Originally written as a quick replacement for a delayed opera by another composer, La fille was initially greeted with indifference by the Parisian public and hostility by Berlioz (then music critic for the Journal des débats). Audiences quickly came around, however, and over the years the title role has become a favorite of high-flying sopranos from Jenny Lind to Joan Sutherland.

The titular daughter, Marie, is a war orphan adopted as a baby by the rather tender hearted French soldiers of the 21st Regiment. Now a beauty with the voice of an angel and a colorful military vocabulary, she loves and is loved by Tonio, who saved her from toppling off an Alp. Their love is opposed initially by her guardian, Sergeant Sulpice, and the other soldiers (who mistake Tonio for a spy) and then by the snobbish Marquise de Birkenfeld who, in a classic comic opera revelation, turns out to be Marie’s long-lost mother. All ends happily, of course, with plenty of rousing ensembles and solo vocal fireworks along the way.

Although still in the early stages of her career, soprano Erica Cochran, as Marie, shows a mastery of comic timing and a light, nimble voice that would do credit to a more experienced singer. Coloratura and comedy are difficult enough individually; in combination they can be a major challenge, but Ms. Cochran excels at both.

Tenor Gregory Schmidt looks, to my eyes, a bit too mature for the role of Tonio, but once he begins to sing all other considerations become secondary. History tells us that the original 1840 Tonio, Mécène Marié de l'Isle, had pitch problems. Had Mr. Schmidt lived back then history would have a different story to tell. His instrument is clear, accurate, and seamless throughout the role’s rather high tessitura. Opera audience love to hear a tenor bounce high Cs off the back wall and Mr. Schmidt has a head voice that can do just that. The opening night audience couldn’t get enough of it, applauding with gusto after his bravura air “Pour mon âme”— a song reckoned to be one of the most difficult in the repertoire.

Baritone David Dillard sings the buffo role of Sulpice with appropriate comic gusto and blends nicely with Ms. Cochran and Mr. Schmidt in their trios (“Tous les trios réunis” being the outstanding example). Contralto Dixie Roberts is also impeccably funny as the self-consciously upper crust Marquise and while she only gets one really solid air to herself - “Pour une femme d mon nom” in the first scene - she delivers it in fine style. Director Jolly Stewart has a nice comic cameo turn in the non-singing role of the Duchess of Krakenthorp and E. Scott Levin displays his substantial comic skills as the harassed butler Hortensius.

There’s no chorus master listed, so I’m not sure whom to congratulate for the fine sound of the ensemble. I can say that conductor Kostis Protopapas does a nice job with the reduced orchestra in what has always seemed to me to be a rather challenging acoustic environment. Director Stewart has, to my taste, given a bit too much stage business to her performers—comedy doesn’t necessarily require that the actors be in constant movement—but most of it works well enough.

There were some intonation issues and lighting problems on opening night and not all the ensemble members seemed equally invested in their roles, but those are minor complaints. The bottom line is that Union Avenue Opera’s La fille du régiment is a solid production of a lively and tuneful score by one of the masters of bel canto. You couldn’t ask for a better break from the oppressive heat and humidity of a St. Louis summer. Note that if you don't arrive on time to park in the church's small lot, the Metro Psychiatric Hospital next door allows audience members to park there as well.

It has been said, by the way, that interest in La fille du régiment tends to rise during wartime, given the libretto’s enthusiastic embrace of all things military. As someone who has lived in a world perpetually at war his entire life, I’m not wholly convinced of that correlation. To me, the backdrop of protracted conflict had rather the opposite effect, casting emotional shadows that were probably not part of the intention of authors Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges and Jean-François Bayard. Your mileage may vary, of course, but it seem to me that (to liberally paraphrase Milton) darkness need not be visible to discover regions of sorrow where peace and rest can never dwell.

Performances of La fille du régiment continue through August 8th at the Union Avenue Christian Church, 733 Union in the Central West End. For more information, you may call 314-361-2881 or visit the web site at unionavenueopera.org. The opera is sung in French with projected English supertitles easily visible from nearly all of the house.

The Sweetest Sounds

The view from our balcony performance space

It was, as you may recall, the Red Queen who – in Through the Looking Glass – noted that “it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place”. It's a “slow sort of country” that runs otherwise, she opined.

Put me down for a slow sort of country, if you please. Lately just falling slightly behind has got me winded; Her Rosy Highness would have lapped me several times although, of course, she'd probably be moving backwards. I'd be tempted to think I'm moving backwards too if a daily look in the mirror didn't confirm that time does, in fact, march on.

All of which is a convoluted way of explaining why I haven't updated this blog in so long. Real life gets in the way of blogging (which is one reason for approaching blogs with caution).

There is, for example, the fact that I'm presenting a return engagement of my critically-acclaimed cabaret show Just a Song at Twilight – the Golden Age of Vaudeville this Saturday, July 24th, at 8 PM in the cool confines of the Kranzberg Arts Center. I'm running the show pretty much every night to keep it sharp and to correct things that I didn't like the first time around. I've also been doing my utmost to promote it – trying to cross the intersection of Art and Commerce without getting nailed by a distracted driver, so to speak. Get yer red-hot tickets at licketytix.com, at 314-725-4200 ext. 10 or at the door.

And then there's the new cabaret series for which I'm service as MC/director/talent wrangler. It's called Cabaret at the Café, the café in question being Café Cioccolato at 816 Olive here in downtown St. Louis. The space is a combination bar, chocolate show and art gallery with an intimate balcony performing space at the back. Very classy. This is, as far as I know, the first downtown cabaret series in town and if our first show on July 17th was any indication, it's going to be a hit.

We had a powerhouse sextet of performers: Debbie Schuster, Robert Breig, Ken Haller, Katie McGrath, Anna Blair and Jeff Wright. Carol Schmidt was our music director and backup vocalist, a role I'm hoping she'll be able to play for the series as a whole. Our next show is on Friday, September 10th, with future shows planned for October and December – possibly a Christmas-themed show for that one.

This is all very exciting, so even if I am running to stay in place, it seems worth it. St. Louis, as I have noted earlier, is exploding with cabaret talent these days. As with the local theatre scene, there are too many fine performers chasing too few spaces. The addition of Café Cioccolato to the list comes not a moment too soon.

More to come.

The Art of Cabaret

As I have noted here in the past, the St. Louis cabaret scene seems to be truly exploding, with new talent popping up on a reliable basis and established performers continuing to re-stage existing shows and create new ones.

What's really encouraging, though, is that we're now seeing a growth in the available performance spaces for cabaret as well. This past spring, for example, singer and producer Robert Breig started a new monthly series of free cabaret showcases at Schwaig Art Glass in Lafayette Square. Titled A Little Night Music, these early Saturday evening shows (7 to 9 PM) feature six local performers along with the reliable and charming Carol Schmidt on piano. As I'm writing this, the next one (the fourth in the series) is coming up on July 10th and will feature JT Ricroft, Barbara Helmer, Kay Love, Emilie Nevins, Kari Donovan, and Patty Scanlon.

The venue is not ideal - only a dozen or so audience members can get a really good look at the performers, stuffed as they are into the studio's small second floor space. But what the venue lacks in convenience is makes up for in atmosphere and beauty. Being surrounded by art glass isn't exactly the worst experience in the world, and the free wine and cheese add to the ambience. The showcase format, with each performer doing a three-song set, allows a lot of new talent to get their feet wet, so to speak, as well as providing a chance for more experienced performers to try out new material.

To find out more, call 314-776-4442 or visit fabartscenter.com on the web.

I should note, in all fairness, that I know and have worked with Robert and that I appeared in the second edition of A Little Night Music.

Coming up later in July, by the way, yet another cabaret showcase series launches, this time downtown. More in on that in my next post.

The Winning Ticket

What: The Golden Ticket
Where: Opera Theatre of St. Louis
When: through June 26, 2010

[(L to R) Daniel Okulitch as Willy Wonka and Michael Kepler Meo as Charlie in Opera Theatre of Saint Louis's 2010 production of The Golden Ticket.  Copyright: Ken Howard, 2010]

One of the many admirable things about Opera Theatre is the company's support for new works. Their thirty-five seasons are strewn with national and world premieres; an encouraging sign for a genre often depicted in popular entertainment as stodgy and old-fashioned. This year's new kid on the block—The Golden Ticket, an adaptation of Roald Dahl's 1964 children's classic Charlie and the Chocolate Factory—is an appropriately tasty concoction of juvenile humor, adult wit, and musical invention with just the right amount of creepiness.

Composer Peter Ash has an impressive conducting resume, so it's perhaps not surprising that his work makes ingenious and clever use of the orchestra. Delicate ensemble passages alternate with great whoops and rushes of sound and unexpected instrumental combinations abound. The score is peppered with musical jokes, including characteristic music for the four badly behaved children who come to grief in Willy Wonka's factory. The egomaniacal Violet Beauregard, for example, sings in florid coloratura flourishes while the piggish Augustus Gloop parodies the stereotypical portly Italian tenor by spewing saccharine mock Puccini. Meanwhile Mike Teavee, who is obsessed with violent television, stutters machine-gun staccato passages.

As the Artistic Director of the Roald Dahl Foundation, librettist Donald Sturrock brings an insider's perspective to the words that accompany Mr. Ash's music. Fans of the book will likely be delighted to discover that the stage adaptation includes not only the major elements of the published version of the original novel, but bits and pieces of Dahl's numerous revisions as well—including, happily, a 1973 re-write that changes the Oompa Loompas in Willy Wonka's factory from racist stereotypes to oddball aliens. It's literate enough to keep adults engaged but chockablock with sufficient jokes to hold the attention of all but the youngest children—no small accomplishment.

Opera Theatre has assembled a stellar cast for this eccentric piece. Baritone Daniel Okulitch exudes impish delight as both the magical king of confections, Willy Wonka, and the mysterious shopkeeper Mr. Know. Vocally, the part sounds like quite a challenge, but he's more than up to it.

The roles of the four awful children are filled by four wonderful performers. Soprano Tracy Dahl (no relation, as far as I can see) handles Violet Beauregard's demanding vocal pyrotechnics with ease and is a convincing stage brat. On opening night Countertenor David Trudgeon rattled off Mike Teavee's opening aria with such superhuman precision that he got a burst of spontaneous applause from the audience. Mezzo Jennifer Rivera's Veruca Salt—the classic spoiled rich kid—is almost unnervingly monstrous in her greed, and tenor Andrew Drost's Augustus Gloop is the epitome of repellant gluttony.

Although occasionally swamped by the orchestra, boy soprano Michael Kepler Meo is nevertheless a charming Charlie Bucket, with a clear voice and solid enunciation. Tenor Frank Kelley is appealing as Charlie's lovable Grandpa Joe and in fine voice as well. Although a Gerdine Young Artist and therefore relatively new on the scene, Mezzo Jennifer Berkebile makes a strong impression as both the mistress of Wonka's exotic brigade of Turkish squirrels and the self-admiring television hostess Candy Mallow.

Making his Opera Theatre debut, conductor Timothy Redmond skillfully leads the orchestra through a score which, while clearly demanding, also sounds like rather a lot of fun to play. Chorus Master Sandra Horst has, once again, done a fine job with her singers, who are called upon to play a number of important roles throughout the evening, from sinister gargoyles to chattering squirrels to eccentric Oompa Loompas, who provide the moral for the downfall of each bad child in amusing rhymed couplets.

Video designer Greg Emetaz, set designer Bruno Schwengl, costumer Martin Pakledinaz and lighting designer Christopher Akerlind all go above and beyond the call of duty to handle the exotic characters and the many scene changes in Mr. Sturrock's libretto, especially during the tour of Willy Wonka's magical factory. My congratulations to them all. Stage director James Robinson does a nice job pulling it all together although here, as in his Marriage of Figaro, he seems overly found of blocking some key scenes as though there were no audience outside of house center.

There aren't that many operas out there that are family friendly in the sense that they can be enjoyed by all ages. Children's opera, like children's theatre, tends to be its own genre. The Golden Ticket is, happily, family friendly, mixing elements of opera, musical theatre, dance and even video into something akin to Willy Wonka's Three-Course Dinner Chewing Gum. Unlike that gum, though, it can be enjoyed without risking transformation into a giant blueberry.

Opera Theatre presents The Golden Ticket in rotating repertory with the rest of the season through June 26th at the Loretto-Hilton center, 130 Edgar Road on the Webster University campus. For more information, you may call 314-961-0644 or visit opera-stl.org.

A blog bonus: video of American Lyric Theater's workshop of The Golden Ticket:

The Ill-Made Night

What: A Little Night Music
Where: Opera Theatre of St. Louis
When: through June 19, 2010

One sign of a great play is that it can survive and even succeed despite ill-conceived artistic choices. As the current production by Opera Theatre clearly demonstrates, A Little Night Music is a great play. Despite imposed and irrelevant design decisions by fashion designer and television personality Isaac Mizrahi, Hugh Wheeler's smart dialog and Stephen Sondheim's superbly crafted score emerge pretty much intact.

My principal complaint with the production is that Mizrahi has decided that it's essentially Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream with a Sondheim score. “For years”, he write in his director's notes, “I have wanted to present A Little night Music like Shakespeare's summer farce with music, with misguided lovers running through the forest on one enchanted summer night.” Unfortunately the worlds of Shakespeare's farce and Hugh Wheeler's dramatic comedy have nothing in common to speak of. Magic and fairies are at the core of Shakespeare. In Wheeler they're non-existent. The folly in A Little Night Music is entirely the work of flawed characters trying to be what they aren't rather than of sprites with spells and potions.

Yes, much of the second act (but none of the first) of Night Music takes place out of doors on midsummer's eve, but the location is the well-manicured lawn of a mansion, not a magical wood. And that location has meaning, in part, because it contrasts with the interiors of the first act. To set the entire thing, as Mizrahi has, in what he describes as an “enchanted spot in the forest” is to fundamentally distort that relationship. The look of the show feels imposed and serves to detract from the play rather than enhance it.

That said, I have to admit that Mizrahi the director serves the material far better than Mizrahi the designer. With the possible exception of the Act I finale, in which a steady stream of irrelevant action by the non-canonical “Swedish fairies” constantly threatens to upstage the brilliant score, most of the staging and interpretation choices make sense. Casting choices are also quite good. I was especially taken with the fact that while the younger roles were all filled by classically trained singers, the older roles – Frederik, Desiree and Madame Armfeldt – were all assigned to actors from the legitimate theatre. The contrast in vocal styles worked quite well, especially during spoken dialog.

Ron Raines, with substantial credits on both the theatrical and operatic stages, is perhaps the ideal Frederik Egerman. His warm and solid baritone easily handles Sondheim's often-tricky score and his acting perfectly captures Frederik's wry humor. Amy Irving is a good match for him dramatically but, at least on opening night, she seemed unable to project vocally past the first few rows and often failed to sing through the ends of phrases (which, in all fairness, is not as easy as you might think). Still, it's a generally fine performance that serves the character and the production well.

Siân Phillips is a compelling Madame Armfeldt and her scenes with soprano Vivian Krich-Brinton as granddaughter Frederika are charming. Mezzo Candra Savage is a standout as the free-spirited Petra, making the most of “The Miller's Son”. The song is crucial, coming at exactly the point in the action when a more earthy perspective is needed, and Ms. Savage's performance is everything one could hope for.

Baritones Lee Gregory and Christopher Dylan Herbert sound great as the pompous Count Carl-Magnus and angst-ridden Henrik but their performances tend to come just a bit too close to exaggeration. Ditto for mezzo Erin Holland as the Count's caustically self-aware wife Charlotte. I'm inclined to chalk that up to Mizrahi's direction rather than actor choices, though, since it's so consistent.

There's more fine singing from the quintet that comments on the action throughout the play. Aaron Agulay, Lauren Jelenovich, Corinne Winters, Mark Van Arsdale and Laura Wilde are the vocalists. They all deserve applause, as does soprano Amanda Squitieri as the eternally virginal Anne.

Applause as well for the Opera Theatre orchestra under Stephen Lord, navigating Sondheim's sometimes-complex score with ease. There were a few rough spots on opening night, especially during counterpoint-laden numbers like “Now / Later / Soon”, but I'd expect those to disappear with time.

When all is said and done, Opera Theatre's A Little Night Music is well worth seeing if only because any production of this wonderful piece is well worth seeing. Musically, the production is top notch, after all, and the visual design, while sometimes annoying, is ignorable. If you're a Sondheim fan you won't want to miss it.

A Little Night Music runs through June 19th at the Loretto-Hilton Center on the Webster University campus. For more information, you may call 314-961-0644 or visit opera-stl.org.

Tilting at Windmills

What: Ingenioso
Where: Circus Flora, Grand Center, St. Louis
When: through June 27, 2010

“It's not where you start”, runs a Dorothy Fields lyric from the 1973 musical Seesaw, “it's where you finish. It's not how you go, it's how you land.” Despite some stumbling first steps, the 24th installment of our own Circus Flora finishes triumphantly and lands firmly on its feet.

Credit one returning act and one new one for the solid conclusions of both halves of Ingenioso. The returning act—in the closing spot—is The Flying Pages (pictured), a remarkable family of trapeze artists. Anthony Page's triple somersault is, as usual, a highlight, but they're all impressive.

New this season is wire dancer Julien Posada, who closes the first half. His blindingly fast fancy footwork would be praiseworthy on the ground. On a rope five feet above the ground it's stunning. The low wire offers spectators both a clear view of Mr. Posada's elegant dancing and a reminder that a balancing act need not involve the threat of death to be compelling.

Also new (at least to me) were animal trainer Jenny Vidbel with an array of talented dogs, goats and even roosters (although the fowl weren't inclined to do much on opening night) and “Western arts virtuoso” Vince Bruce with his fancy roping, riding and lightning-fast bullwhips. The Elliaire Duet, an elegant and beautiful aerial adagio act, is technically new although the performers themselves have been members of the ever-popular St. Louis Arches for some years now.

Returning favorites included the daring Cossack horsemanship of the Riders of the Ring (still impressive, despite a re-take made necessary by what appeared to be a not-quite-secure saddle harness), Sasha Alexandre Nevidonski flying through the air with the greatest of ease in equestrian silk act, the romantic aerial duet of Andrew Adams and Erika Gilfeather, and the energetic acrobatics of the aforementioned St. Louis Arches, our own home-grown youth circus troupe.

That's the good news. The bad news is that, at least on opening night, Ingenioso got off to a somewhat rough start and tended to drag a bit during the fist half. Some of this resulted from glitches and errors in timing that will probably be history by the time you read this but some of it, I think, stems from an attempt to stuff a square theatrical peg into a round hole.

Ingenioso uses a variant of Cervantes' Don Quixote as a launching point for the circus acts and it's not always a good fit. The bits with Carlos Svenson and the always charming Giovanni Zoppe (a.k.a Nino) as the Don and Sancho Panza, respectively, didn't seem to go anywhere and the acts themselves—while generally quite entertaining—didn't have much to do with the story. The narrative bits designed to advance the Don Quixote story felt more like filler and, especially during the first act, seemed to prevent the show from ever building any momentum.

Still, a flawed Circus Flora show nevertheless offers good value for your entertainment dollar, especially if you have youngsters in your party. The six year old in ours was clearly enjoying himself. I expect the six year old in you will do the same.

Circus Flora presents Ingenioso through June 27th under the air-conditioned big top in the Powell Hall parking lot in Grand Center. For more information, you may call 314-289-4040 or visit circusflora.org.

It's All Right With Me

Who: Karen Akers
What: Akers Sings Porter: Anything Goes
Where: Cabaret St. Louis at The Kranzberg Center, St. Louis
When: April 28 through May 1, 2010

Cole Porter was a great songwriter. "Of this there can be", to quote another dab hand with lyrics (W. S. Gilbert), "no possible, probable shadow of doubt, no possible doubt whatever". Porter the composer of achingly beautiful melodies was matched only by Porter the author of witty and rueful lyrics. Cole Porter made art, and art is never about any one thing. That's why audiences love to hear great music over and over again and why musicians never tire of performing it. That's also one reason why Karen Akers' Cole Porter show is not just another Cole Porter show. There's never "just" another Cole Porter show.

Another reason is the engaging and gifted Ms. Akers herself. The essence of cabaret, as I have noted elsewhere, is the revelation of the individual performer's personality through music. Ms. Akers' unassuming, elegant and emotionally open personality, combined with her supple and appealing voice, did Porter's work up proud.

This is clearly material for which she has a great affinity. Porter once remarked the he liked "everything as long as it's different". Judging from Ms. Akers' multifaceted and highly successful career, I suspect the same might be true of her.

Yet another reason why Anything Goes was so appealing was the thoughtful and varied choice of songs. The classics were there, of course. Aside from the title tune, the evening included "It's All Right With Me", "Begin the Beguine", and "Don't Fence Me In" (which, in Ms. Akers' rendition, became more about emotional barriers than physical ones), along with celebrated list songs like "Can Can" and "Let's Do It" (including some of Noel Coward's brilliantly literary extra lyrics). But we also had "Come to the Supermarket" from the 1958 made-for-TV Aladdin (with a book by S. J. Perelman — a match made in heaven), "Thank You So Much Mrs. Loughsborough-Goodby" (like Coward's "Mrs. Worthington", a letter written to a "social dragon"), and "Where Have You Been?" (from the 1930 flop The New Yorkers).

That last one was completely new to me and while it covers the same territory as the Gershwins' more famous "How Long Has This Been Going On?", it does so in a classically Cole way, producing what Ms. Akers called "optimistic blues".

There was also the obligatory yet welcome set of Porter Paris songs. A self-confessed Francophile, Ms. Akers' performance of her "Paris Suite" ("I Love Paris", "You Don't Know Paree", and "Allez-Vous-En") struck me as loving and heartfelt — so much so that I was moved to plunk down money for her Under Paris Skies CD after the show.

The evening offered, in short, the comfort of the familiar coupled with the joy of the new. I've always regarded that as an unbeatable combination. But then I, too, like everything as long as it's different.

As is often the case, Ms. Akers was accompanied by the smart and beautifully tailored arrangements of pianist and music director Don Rebic. His Chopinesque arrangement of "It's All Right With Me" was a particular ear-opener, I thought, but none of his work was less than first rate. He and Ms. Akers clearly have great rapport — a sine qua non for quality cabaret.

The show was directed by Eric Michael Gillett — a much-praised performer in his own right — and while I can't really tease his contribution out from that of Ms. Akers and Mr. Rebic, it's clear that he was part of a winning team. In baseball terms (and St. Louis is, after all, a baseball town), I'd have to say Akers to Rebic to Gillett was an unbeatable triple play.

So, did I have any complaints at all? Yes, but after I wrote them down they seemed so trivial (not to say carping) that I deleted them. Let's just say that only God is perfect and let it go at that.

Karen Akers' Anything Goes was the closing show of the current Cabaret St. Louis season; for information on their next one, visit the web site at cabaretstl.org. Meanwhile, cabaret at the Kranzberg continues under the aegis of The Presenters Dolan with shows by Joe Dreyer (May 15 and 15), Christy Simmons (June 26), and an encore of my own show, Just a Song at Twilight, July 24th. Visit licketytix.com for more information.

For more information on the peripatetic Ms. Akers' upcoming appearances, visit her official site at karenakers.com. You can even listen to tracks from her Jule Styne album there, a considerable bonus.

Class Acts

Back when I first started writing about the St. Louis cabaret scene around ten years ago, doing so meant covering the out of town stars who played the Grandel Theatre. You could count the local cabaret performers on the fingers of one hand and still have room left to hold your glass of Zinfandel.

Today the international stars still shine locally, largely via the Cabaret St. Louis season, but the number of local cabaret artists has increased exponentially.  If the showcase this past  Sunday (April 25, 2010) at the Jazz Bistro in any indication, that growth shows no signs of stopping.

Credit goes, in part, to producer Jim Dolan's tireless efforts in promoting local talent under his Presenters Dolan umbrella, but to my mind the single biggest contributor to the St. Louis cabaret explosion has been the St. Louis Cabaret Conference (the fourth edition of which takes place August 12 through 15) and its organizer, Tim Schall (pictured).

Now honesty forces me to point out that Mr. Schall is the director of my own solo show, Just a Song at Twilight (an encore of which is planned for mid-July), as well as my voice coach. Even so, there's no denying that his impact on the growth of local cabaret talent has been significant. In addition to the Conference, Mr. Schall also teaches a recurring Cabaret 101 course for performers who want to get their feet wet but aren't yet ready for the full immersion of the conference. Meeting every Saturday for seven weeks, the course culminates in a showcase in which each student performs a set of four songs that he or she has developed during the class. As Sunday's performance demonstrated, Cabaret 101 has become a major incubator of talent in this town.

The show featured eight performers with a wide range of styles and abilities. They were, in order of appearance, Julie Delaney Flanagan, Charlene Reimann, Shirley Aschinger, Steve Brammeier, Donna Rothenberg, Carolyn Lester, Debbie Schuster and Doug Erwin. Musical direction was provided by the redoubtable Al Fisher.

Some were veteran concert and/or musical theatre performers while others had little or no stage experience. Some were Broadway belters while others were more in the Marianne Faithful or Melanie range. Some exuded confidence while others were modestly self-effacing. All of them, however, connected with their audience and were quite clearly having the time of their lives. Those of us in the house showed our appreciation with warm applause throughout the evening and a standing ovation at the end.

And that connection is, ultimately, what cabaret is all about. It's not easy to achieve, especially for those of us coming to it from a theatre background where breaking through the "fourth wall" is generally the exact opposite of good performance practice. But it's magical when it happens in cabaret, and it was certainly happening Sunday night.

The St. Louis cabaret community is expanding and, better yet, the audience appears to be as well. It's exciting to be covering it and participating in it.

Loungin' Around

Who: Daryl Sherman and Dave Troncoso
What: Lounging At The Waldorf: A Night of Johnny Mercer with Cole Porter Sitting In
When: April 22, 2010
Where: The Presenters Dolan at The Kranzberg Center, St. Louis

Cabaret, as I have noted in the past, is a big tent, with room for a wide variety of musical and performance styles. Anyone who doubts that need only survey the acts that have played the Kranzberg Center’s cabaret room recently. We’ve had the laid-back contemporary pop of Robert Breig, the Vegas-style glitz and volume of Lennie Watts’ Manilow tribute, the musical theatre-themed shows of Alice Kinsella and Jeff Wright, Katie McGrath’s courageous emotional vulnerability, the operetta-based vocal virtuosity of Shana Farr, and even my own tribute to Vaudeville – and that’s just within the last couple of months.

That being the case, there was certainly room in the tent for the jazzy one-night stand of Manhattan mainstay and 2009 MAC Award winner (Best Jazz Singer/Instrumentalist) Daryl Sherman.

Obviously wowed by her elegant pianism and informal, honest performance style, the small but simpatico crowd was reluctant to let her go, despite the show’s one hour and forty-five minute running time – a bit long by cabaret standards. Happily trading licks with St. Louis’ own Dave Troncoso on acoustic bass and guitar, Ms. Sherman gave her audience a generous helping of Great American Songbook standards by the likes of Porter, Waller, Rogers and Hammerstein and, especially, Johnny Mercer. Just for spice, there were also side trips to the realms of the blues (Rhodes Spedale’s “ Get Up Because It’s Mardi Gras” and a driving rendition of Handy’s “St. Louis Blues”), bossa nova (Jobim’s “Insensatez”), and mainstream pop (Jerry Jeff Walker’s “Mr. Bojangles”).

Having written all that, I would be less than honest if I failed to admit that I was not as won over as most of the rest of the audience.

The fact is, I’m not really a jazz fan. That’s not a knock on the genre or its performers, just a matter of personal taste. It’s also probably the result of having grown up listening to and playing the classics and show tunes and diving heavily into rock and R&B as a teenager. Jazz has just never been a type of music I sought out.

I mention this so that when I carp about Ms. Sherman’s occasional disservice to a song’s lyric (such as those Richard Maltby Jr. wrote for the “Fats” Waller tune that gave the evening its title) and her tendency to take considerable liberties with melodic lines and rhythms, you jazz fans can take it with a grain (or maybe a shaker) of salt. Yes, I appreciate that the traditions of this genre are not those of musical theatre, but it struck me as ironic that someone who has such great admiration for the lyrics of Mercer or Porter was so free with them. Your mileage may vary, as that of the audience clearly did.

My only real disappointment with the evening was the relatively small turnout, despite PR support from two of our leading jazz radio personalities: KFUO’s Don Wolff (who introduced the show) and my fellow KDHX volunteer Al Becker. A performer with Ms. Sherman’s credentials, it seems to me, should have gotten more support from the sizeable local jazz community. Granted, the Kranzberg isn’t known as a jazz room, but it accommodates the form nicely and there’s no reason why it shouldn’t be on the radar of aficionados.

So if you love jazz, support it. You don’t have to be a fan to know it’s an endangered species these days.

To find out more about Ms. Sherman, visit her web site, darylsherman.com. For news of upcoming shows at the Kranzberg and other Grand Center venues, visit the Grand Center’s Shows and Events site at www.grandcenter.org/shows_events.