Review: KT Sullivan and Jeff Harnar pay tribute to Sondheim at the Gaslight Cabaret Festival, March 11 and 12, 2016

Written by Steve Callahan

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KT Sullivan and Jeff Harnar

It was just over thirteen years ago that I was first enchanted by KT Sullivan in cabaret at the Grandel.  Now she’s back in a splendid evening at the Gaslight, a featured star in that theater’s cabaret festival.  This time she brings with her a most talented and charming partner, Jeff Harnar, in an evening of pure Stephen Sondheim.

Ms. Sullivan has long been a luminary in the world of cabaret, but she also has an impressive resume in musical theatre—on Broadway and elsewhere.  The lady retains her glamour and wit, and vocally though her vibrato is a tiny bit broader she’s certainly still in top form.  She can be warm and lush or bright and exciting.  She retains a purity of tone even when she sings in what seems to be a whisper (though it’s perfectly audible.) Her early training in opera has given her the technical skills that make her performance seem so effortless, but this—cabaret—is definitely her mètier.  She knows these songs, she loves them, and she makes that love contagious.

Jeff Harnar is a trim, dapper, personable youngish man.  His baritone voice is as smooth as supple chamois leather.  He makes a near-ideal partner for Ms. Sullivan as they lead us through a vast tapestry of Stephen Sondheim songs.

The tiny Gaslight Theater provides a wonderful intimacy.  Every syllable, every tiny graceful turn of Sondheim’s lyrics is clearly heard and understood;  this is so important with Sondheim, who showers us with wit and intellect and vocabulary, surprising little internal rhymes, and subtle, almost subliminal references. To cite just two examples: the lyric “Nature fashioned you,” occurring in a song from “Follies,” refers to “You Were Meant for Me” (1929). And “Every day a little death,” from “A Little Night Music” is perhaps only an unconscious reference to the French term for “orgasm”:  “la petite mort”.

Sullivan and Harnar treat us to some forty songs from fifteen different “pure Sondheim” shows—that is, shows in which he created both music and lyrics.  These range from the vastly popular “A Funny Thing Happened”, “Into the Woods”, “Company”, “Night Music”, “Sunday in the Park”, “Sweeney Todd” and “Follies” to far more obscure works.  Mr. Harnar does lovely work with “Live Alone and Like It” and “More” from the movie “Dick Tracy” and he introduces us to the gorgeous “Sand”, where love is ever-shifting;  it’s from the never-produced 1992 show “Singing Out Loud”.

Sullivan and Harnar give a lively vaudeville sense to “On My Left” and “Bounce” from “Road Show” which never made it to Broadway.  There’s a beautiful “Take Me to the World” from the 1966 TV film, “Evening Primrose” (based on the John Collier story story).  “The Girls of Summer” is a true gem, though it was only incidental music in a straight play.  We even get “So Many People” from 1954’s “Saturday Night”, which never opened because it’s lead died.  And as a final encore we get “How Do I Know?” which Sondheim wrote when he was fifteen!

Harnar shows himself a past master of the lightning-fast patter song, and Ms. Sullivan is a grand delight in a number from “Follies” where in portraying some Bronxy chorus girls she’s almost a ventriloquist to herself.  Together they finish “Who Wants to Live in New York” (from “Merrily We Roll Along”) by blending their voices into a most convincing train whistle.  And, tipsily sipping cocktails, they make “The Ladies Who Lunch” both funny and intensely poignant.

Throughout the evening Ms. Sullivan uses her beautiful large features—and her perceptive phrasing—to reveal the real drama in many songs.  “Send in the Clowns” was gorgeous.

Mr. Harnar gives us a skillful “Ballad of Sweeney Todd”, and “Careful the Things You Say” (from “Into the Woods);  with these I felt that a touch more rubato—placing certain words just a fraction off the beat as is commonly done—would have given more menace.

Several songs are sung by the not-expected gender:  for example Harnar sings Little Red’s “I Know Things Now” from “Into the Woods” and “Getting Married Today” from “Company”, and Sullivan sings “Pretty Women” from “Sweeney Todd”.  I know that everything is fair game in today’s gender-fluid world, but let’s face it:  a nervous groom is simply different from the cliché nervous bride, and male lustful musings are peculiarly male.

Sondheim is a very lyric-heavy songwriter.  He rarely gives us songs with what in more conventional works is called “the chorus”, where the familiar tune and words are repeated.  In this evening we utterly bathe in Sondheim—and it’s a little like an evening of beautiful, cleverly rhymed recitative.  This intimate venue and these articulate singers allow Sondheim’s lyrics to be every bit as important as his music.

As advertised it’s an evening of “pure” Sondheim—just his songs, not even the usual banter from the performers—just Sondheim.  The rule of the evening was:  “No talk!”  How refreshing!  Unlike so many cabaret singers these masters of the craft realize that the evening is not about them, it’s about the songs.

St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of March 14, 2016

[Looking for auditions and other artistic opportunities? Check out the St. Louis Auditions site.]

For information on events beyond this week, check out the searchable database at the Regional Arts Commission's events web site.

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This Friday through Sunday Fontbonne University Theatre Department presents Almost, Maine. Welcome to Almost, Maine, a town that's so far north, it's almost not in the United States-it's almost in Canada. One night in the middle of winter, while the northern lights hover in the sky above, Almost's residents find themselves falling in and out of love in the strangest ways. And life for the people of Almost, Maine will never be the same. Performances take place in the Fontbonne Fine Arts Theatre on Wydown. For further details about Almost Maine, www.fontbonne.edu/academics/departments/fine-arts-department/theatre-productions.

American Idiot
Photo: Jill Ritter Lindberg

New Line Theatre presents the musical American Idiot, based on the album by Green Day, Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 PM through March 26. " New Line continues its 25th season with the powerful, high-octane, rock fable AMERICAN IDIOT, based on the powerhouse album by Green Day, a scorching attack on what they saw as the hypocrisy and moral evils of the Bush Administration after the attacks of Sept. 11, as well as the increasingly submissive nature of the American public. The score includes every song from Green Day's hit album American Idiot, as well as several songs from their follow-up release, 21st Century Breakdown, with music by Green Day, lyrics by frontman Billie Joe Armstrong, a book by Armstrong and Michael Mayer, and musical arrangements and orchestrations by Broadway composer Tom Kitt (High Fidelity, Next to Normal, If/Then). The Toronto Star called the show 'the first great musical of the 21st century.'" Performances take place at the Marcelle Theater, 3310 Samuel Shepard Drive, three blocks east of Grand, in Grand Center. For more information, visit newlinetheatre.com or call 314-534-1111.

The Bissell Mansion Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre presents And Away You Go through March 27. The Bissell Mansion is at 4426 Randall Place. For more information: bissellmansiontheatre.com.

Carol Schmidt

The Cabaret Project and 88.1 KDHX present the monthly cabaret open mic night on Wednesday, March 16, from 7 to 10 PM at the Tavern of Fine Arts "Drop by and enjoy a night of great music from St. Louis cabaret artists, backed up by music director Carol Schmidt on the baby grand." The master of ceremonies is Chuck Lavazzi, senior performing arts critic at 88.1 KDHX. If you're planning to sing, be prepared to do one or two songs and bring music, preferably in your key. At least one of your two songs should be a medium-or up-tempo number. We'd also recommend that you have your song memorized. The Tavern of Fine Arts is at 313 Belt at Waterman in the Central West End. There's free parking in the lot right across the street. For more information: thecabaretproject.org.

The Lemp Mansion Comedy-Mystery Dinner Theater presents Clueless through April 16. The Lemp Mansion is at 3322 DeMenil Place. For more information: lempmansion.com

The Emerald Room Cabaret presents Taylor Pietz in #Crazy is the New Black on Wednesday, March 16, at 7:30 p.m. " We're all a little crazy sometimes. We do crazy things for love, crazy things for art, crazy things to make it all work. This show might be a little crazy too." The performance takes place in The Emerald Room at The Monocle Bar, 4510 Manchester in The Grove neighborhood. For more information: www.buzzonstage.com/st-louis.

UMSL Opera Theatre presents Purcell's Dido and Aeneas Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m., March 18-20. "UMSL's national award-winning Opera Theatre invites you to an evening of beauty, music, and dance. Join us as we sojourn to antiquity and pay homage to one of opera's most heartbreaking pair of star crossed-lovers. Be witness to fate's unbending will as Dido and Aeneas' love succumbs to deceit, pride and destiny. There will be a pre-show talk 45 minutes prior to each performance." Performances take place in the Touhill Performing Arts Center on the University of Misouri-St. Louis campus. For more information: touhill.org.

Monday, March 14, at 6:30 p.m. St. Louis Writers' Group Musical Theatre Workshop presents Ebenezer. Ebenezer is a musical with book, music, and lyrics by Mario Farwell based on "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens. The musical Ebenezer reimagines the traditional tale with an Afro-American/urban slant. The performance begins at 6:30PM at the Emerald at the Monocle. For further details on Ebenezer, www.stlwritersgroup.com

Alton Little Theater presents the comedy The Foreigner Thursdays through Sundays, through March 20, at 2450 North Henry in Alton, IL. "The scene is a fishing lodge in rural Georgia often visited by "Froggy" LeSeuer, a British demolition expert who occasionally runs training sessions at a nearby army base. This time "Froggy" has brought along a friend, a pathologically shy young man named Charlie who is overcome with fear at the thought of making conversation with strangers. So "Froggy," before departing, tells all assembled that Charlie is from an exotic foreign country and speaks no English. Once alone the fun really begins, as Charlie overhears more than he should - the evil plans of a sinister, two-faced minister and his redneck associate; the fact that the minister's pretty fiancee is pregnant; and many other damaging revelations made with the thought that Charlie doesn't understand a word being said. That he does fuels the nonstop hilarity of the play and sets up the wildly funny climax." For more information, call 618.462.6562 or visit altonlittletheater.org.

Marisaa Mulder

The Presenters Dolan present Marissa Mulder in Fragments of Marilyn on Friday and Saturday, March 18 and 19, at 8 PM as part of the Gaslight Cabaret Festival. " In this utterly fascinating show, Marissa explores Marilyn Monroe, mind, heart and soul, and her journey from orphanage to celebrity's epicenter. A magical mix of real cabaret theater. The first public performance of Marilyn from one of the emergent talents in all of cabaret." The performance takes place at the Gaslight Theater, 358 North Boyle. For more information: gaslightcabaretfestival.com.

The Presenters Dolan present Jon Weber in From Joplin to Jarrett on Sunday, March 20, at 3 PM as part of the Gaslight Cabaret Festival. " A history of jazz piano in 70 minutes, from the host of NPR's Piano Jazz." The performance takes place at the Gaslight Theater, 358 North Boyle. For more information: gaslightcabaretfestival.com.

The Looking Glass Playhouse presents the Tennessee Williams's drama The Glass Menagerie Thursdays through Sundays through March 20. "The play revolves around a young man begrudgingly supporting the family his father has abandoned. It also features a painfully shy and slightly crippled sister character, whose preoccupation with a collection of glass animals draws her away from reality. Set against the backdrop of the Depression, the family struggles together with the past, the future, and one another." Performances take place at 301 West St. Louis Street in Lebanon, Ill. For more information, visit www.lookingglassplayhouse.com.

The Improv Shop presents Heartbreak running through March 19. "Heartbreak is an improvised serial show where we explore, in depth, the stages of doomed relationships. Watch characters go from strangers to friends, friends to lovers, and from lovers to heartbreakers. Heartbreak. It doesn't happen all at once." The Improv Shop is at 510 North Euclid in the Central West End. For more information on this and other Improv Shop shows: theimprovshop.com.

If/Then
Photo: Joan Marcus

The Fox Theatre presents the musical If/Then opening on Tuesday, March 15, and running through March 27. "IF/THEN is a contemporary Broadway musical about living in New York today - and all the possibilities of tomorrow. With unforgettable songs and a deeply moving story by the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award®-winning creators of Next to Normal, this "fascinating, ambitious, and original new musical" (New York Post) simultaneously follows one woman's two possible life paths, painting a deeply moving portrait of the lives we lead, as well as the lives we might have led." The Fox is on North Grand in Grand Center. For more information: fabulousfox.com.

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents the world premiere of Molly's Hammer through March 27. "Molly Rush was focused on the endgame- save the world, protect her family. But what would she have to sacrifice? In 1980, the Pittsburgh housewife and mother of six walked into a General Electric plant and took a hammer to a nuclear warhead to protest the buildup of America's nuclear arsenal. Based on the true story of the Plowshares Eight, Molly's Hammer is the world-premiere account of one woman's unwavering beliefs and her family's desperate attempts to protect her from infamy." Performances take place in the studio theater at the Loretto-Hlton Center, 130 Edgar Road in Webster Groves, MO. For more information, call 314-968-4925 or visit repstl.org.

Kirkwood Theatre Guild presents comedy The Murder Room through March 20. "Mavis Templeton Hollister returns home from an evening out surprised to find her new husband, Edgar Hollister, still alive. He, in turn, is surprised that she claims to have attended a church meeting that he knows for a fact had been cancelled. Edgar questions Mavis about her whereabouts but his interrogation stops abruptly when she pulls out a gun and shoots him. Chaos ensues when it comes to light that the gun was shooting blanks and Edgar's body has vanished. This hilarious spoof of crime thrillers has all the features of the classic whodunits with a spooky, old house, surprise relatives, a poisoned cat, and, of course, secret panels." Performances take place in the Robert G. Reim Theatre of the Kirkwood Community Center, 111 South Geyer Road. For more information, call 314-821-9956 or visit ktg-onstage.org.

Peabody Opera House presents the one-woman musical A Night With Janis Joplin Friday through Sunday, March 19-20. "Fueled by such unforgettable songs as "Me and Bobby McGee," "Piece of My Heart," "Mercedes Benz," "Cry Baby" and "Summertime," a remarkable cast and a breakout performance by Mary Bridget Davies, A NIGHT WITH JANIS JOPLIN, written and directed by Randy Johnson, is a musical journey celebrating Janis and her biggest musical influences-icons like Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Odetta, Nina Simone and Bessie Smith, who inspired one of rock & roll's greatest legends." The Peabody is at 14th and Market streets, downtown. For more information, visit peabodyoperahouse.com or call 314-622-5420.

Old Wicked Songs
Photo: Eric Woolsdy

New Jewish Theater presents the Old Wicked Songs March 17 - April 3 "Hoping to reconnect with his music and shatter the artistic block that has plagued his career, a young American piano prodigy travels to Vienna in the spring of 1986. He is assigned to a vocal teacher who gives him the "Dicheterliebe" song cycle by Robert Schumann. Marans incorporates the poetry of Heinrich Heine and the music of Robert Schumann into the series of events. Through the sessions between the two men, Marans creates a link between two generations who find they much more in common than they think. This is the inspirational journey of two very different men who, with music as their one common bond, must find a way to break through their pasts." Performances take place in the Marvin and Harlene Wool Studio Theater at the Jewish Community Center, 2 Millstone Campus Drive in Creve Coeur. For more information: www.newjewishtheatre.org or call 314-442-3283.

This Friday, Saturday and Sunday First Run Theater is holding its annual Play Reading Festival. This festival showcases original scripts by St. Louis playwrights interested in seeing their work produced on a state-of-the-art stage; all readings are open to the public. The performances take place in the theatre on the campus of DeSmet Jesuit High School on Ballas Road in Creve Coeur. For more information on First Run Theater's Play Reading Festival, firstruntheatre.com

On Saturday afternoon the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis Ignite! New Play Festival presents Replica. In the near future, a terminally ill woman volunteers for an experimental procedure that will allow her memories and personality to live on in her clone. The performance begins at 2:00PM at inside the Opera Center at Opera Theatre of St. Louis, on Hazel Avenue in Webster Groves. For more information about Saturday's performance of Replica repstl.org

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents Satchel Paige and the Kansas City Swing March 16 - April 10. "The crack of the bat, the roar of the crowd-it's what every baseball player dreams of. In 1947, Jackie Robinson had broken baseball's color barrier, while Satchel Paige and his Negro League All-Stars were barnstorming against their white counterparts in the Majors. It was baseball by day and jazz by night as the impassioned and devoted players tried to find their place in a country on the verge of change." 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.

The Wildey Theater presents Sister's Easter Catechism: Will My Bunny Go To Heaven? on Friday and Saturday, March 18 and 19. "Celebrate the Easter Season with Sister as she answers the time worn questions of the season like "Why isn't Easter the same day every year like Christmas?" and "Will My Bunny Go To Heaven?" Part pageant, and wHOLY hysterical, this latest of the sinfully funny Late Nite Catechism series unearths the origins of Easter bunnies, Easter eggs, Easter bonnets, Easter baskets, and of course those yummy Easter Peeps. Sister answers questions about pet heaven and the significance of those adorable baby chicks! Classroom participation is a must, so don't forget to wear your Easter bonnet and join Sister for this seasonal treat!" The Wildey Theatre is at 252 North Main Street in Edwardsville, Illinois. For more information, visit wildeytheatre.com.

Tammy McCann

The Presenters Dolan present Tammy McCann in The Storytellers - Sarah, Ella, Dinah and Billie on Thursday, March 17, at 8 PM as part of the Gaslight Cabaret Festival. " Tammy McCann has been named Best Jazz Vocal Performance for several years by the Chicago Tribune. She is an internationally recognized jazz vocalist whose powerful, sultry, and emotionally charged voice paints pictures and tells stories by merging classical vocal technique and a Gospel aesthetic with jazz to create a sound that is completely her own." The performance takes place at the Gaslight Theater, 358 North Boyle. For more information: gaslightcabaretfestival.com.

The Tavern of Fine Arts presents Tim Schall's Cabaret Party on Friday, March 18, at 8 p.m. "Hosted by Tim Schall with Carol Schmidt at the piano, this promises to be fun, lively and entertaining - a musical party with Tim, Carol and their talented friends- each singing lots of tunes for you! The guests that will sing their hearts out on March 18 include: Mara Bollini, Meghan Kirk, Ben Nordstrom and Tim and Carol, of course. The Tavern of Fine Arts is at 313 Belt in the Debaliviere Place neighborhood. For more information: tavern-of-fine-arts.blogspot.com.

Clayton Community Theatre presents Clare Boothe Luce's The Women Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m., through March 20. "This witty comedy of manners follows a group of women through the perils of adultery, divorce, and finding a unique voice in a sea of gossip and innuendo. The 1936 play continues to echo a relevant look in the complex nature of relationships." Performances take place at the Washington University South Campus Theatre. For more information, call 314-721-9228 or visit placeseveryone.org.

Would you like to be on the radio? KDHX, 88.1 FM needs theatre reviewers. If you're 18 years or older, knowledgeable in this area, have practical theatre experience (acting, directing, writing, technical design, etc.), have good oral and written communications skills and would like to become one of our volunteer reviewers, send an email describing your experience and interests to chuck at kdhx.org. Please include a sample review of something you've seen recently.

St. Louis classical calendar for the week of March 14, 2016

The Chamber Project St. Louis

The Chamber Project St. Louis presents Divine on Wednesday, March 16, at 7:30 PM. "Heaven and earth intersect with this program highlighting Schubert’s String Quintet, often regarded as the pinnacle of chamber music, composed to express the universality of the human condition. Stabat Mater for soprano and string quartet by Virgil Thomson compliments and rounds out the program. We return to The Chapel for this intimate and beautiful program." The performance takes place at The Vino Gallery 4701 McPherson in the Central West End. For more information: www.chamberprojectstl.org

The Pulitzer Arts Foundation presents members of the St. Louis Symphony performing the Piano Sonata No. 3 by Pierre Boulez and The Companion Guide to Rome by Andrew Norman on Wednesday, March 16, at 7:30 p.m. The performance takes place in the newly renovated space at the Pulitzer Arts Foundation, 3716 Washington. For more information: stlsymphony.org.

The St. Louis Symphony’s Crescendo Circle presents Sips and Symphonies, featuring a discussion/presentation on Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition, on Thursday, March 17 at 7:00 PM. "What is Sips and Symphonies? It is a great way to learn about music in a fun, casual environment." A special cocktail is created for each event to accompany the music. The event takes place at The Tavern of Fine Arts, 313 Belt in the Debaliviere Place neighborhood. For more information: tavern-of-fine-arts.blogspot.com.

David Halen

Jun Märkl conducts the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra in music by Beethoven and Schumann Friday at 10:30 a.m., Saturday at 8 p.m., and Sunday at 3 p.m., March 18-20. "Concertmaster David Halen will display his "singing tone and superior technique" (St. Louis Post-Dispatch), with the sweeping melodies and virtuosic finale of Beethoven’s Violin Concerto, a performance certain to bring St. Louis audiences to their feet. Schumann’s "Rhenish" Symphony paints a romantic landscape of the Rhine region in Germany, written just after the composer’s peaceful visit to the region." Performances take place at Powell Symphony Hall, 718 North Grand. For more information: stlsymphony.org.

Steven Jarvi conducts the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra in music by Tchaikovsky and Bernstein, along with winners of the orchestra's annual Concerto Competition, on Friday, March 18, at 8 p.m. "The STL Symphony Youth Orchestra represents some of St. Louis’ most talented young musicians—join them in their second concert of the season at Powell Hall featuring the winners of the annual Concerto Competition!" The performance takes place at Powell Symphony Hall, 718 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information: stlsymphony.org.

Second Presbyterian Church presents a Palm Sunday Concert on Sunday, March 20, at 4 p.m. "Soprano Angel Riley and pianist Andrew Peters present a concert for Palm Sunday. A student at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, Riley has been a guest soprano with The Metropolitan Orchestra of St. Louis. Free and open to the public." The church is at 4501 Westminster Place in the Central West End. For more information: secondchurch.net.

The Tavern of Fine Arts presents a classical open stage night on Monday, March 14, from 7:30 – 9 PM. "Come by yourself or bring your quartet. Sight read through a Beethoven quartet or use this as an opportunity to put the finishing touches on that Hindemith Viola Sonata you have been working on. All ages and skill levels are welcome. We have a 6' grand piano and an accompanist." The Tavern of Fine Arts is at 313 Belt in the Debaliviere Place neighborhood. For more information: tavern-of-fine-arts.blogspot.com.

Jeffrey Noonan

The Tavern of Fine Arts presents tenor Jeffrey Gonder and pianist Jocelyn Rugaber in a pre-St. Patrick's Day concert on Tuesday, March 15, at 8 p.m. The concert features ballads, folk songs, and piano solos about and from the Emerald Isle. Concert favorites, show tunes, and arias will also be featured. The Tavern of Fine Arts is at 313 Belt in the Debaliviere Place neighborhood. For more information: tavern-of-fine-arts.blogspot.com.

The Tavern of Fine Arts presents Jeffrey Noonan performing French music for lute, baroque guitar and theorbo on Saturday, March 19, at 8 p.m. The concert includes music by Vallet, Gaultier, and de Visee. The Tavern of Fine Arts is at 313 Belt in the Debaliviere Place neighborhood. For more information: tavern-of-fine-arts.blogspot.com.

Review: Leonard Slatkin brings home the passion of Berlioz's "Romeo et Juliette" Friday and Saturday, March 11 and 12, 2016

Leonard Slatkin
Photo: Alexander Ivanov / leonardslatkin.com

Even if I hadn't seen the video blog in which St. Louis Symphony Conductor Laureate Leonard Slatkin named Berlioz's 1838 Roméo et Juliette, Symphonie dramatique (op. 17) as one of his favorite works to conduct, I would have guessed as much from the fierce joy and commitment of the interpretation he gave this monumental work with the SLSO Orchestra and Chorus Friday night (March 11, 2016). If you'll pardon the expression, he and his forces completely killed it.

If you've never seen this remarkable mashup of symphony, oratorio, and opera performed live—and there's a good chance you haven't, given what a big undertaking it is—I hope you had a chance to experience this. With over 100 musicians on the stage and over 80 (by my count) in the chorus, this is a work which, while massive in scope, has moments of real delicacy and intimacy. Maestro Slatkin's interpretation was beautifully shaped and dramatically compelling, and the musicians played and sang with real perfection.

Tenor Sean Panikkar's description of Queen Mab in the second movement's "Grande fête chez Capulet" (essentially, "big party the Capulet's place") was delightfully droll. Mezzo Kelley O'Connor expertly captured the ecstasy of young love in the first movement's "Strophes," assisted by Allegra Lilly's flowing harp. And bass Renaud Delaigue was the passionate voice of morality in the imposing choral finale. Both the full chorus and the smaller chamber chorus that is featured in the first two movements sang with the power and clarity I have come to expect from them.

Maestro Slatkin's interpretation got off to a dramatic start, adopting a strikingly brisk tempo for the opening "Combats" section, which portrays the war between the Montagues and the Capulets with rapid-fire thrusts and parries from the strings and brasses. It proved to be emblematic of an overall approach that brought out all the drama in Berlioz's music.

The orchestra responded with some of the finest playing of the season, from the unearthly violin harmonics in the famous "Queen Mab" scherzo that makes up the fourth movement to the powerful brass declarations that announce the intervention of the Prince in the first. There were many impressive solo passages as well, such as Jelena Dirk's haunting oboe melody in the "Tristesse" ("sadness") section of the second movement and Principal Clarinet Scott Andrews's dramatic depiction of Juliet's awakening in the sixth movement.

The SLSO's Roméo et Juliette is history now, but the season continues this Friday through Sunday (March 18-20) as Jun Märkl conducts a program the features Schumann's Symphony No. 2 ("Rhenish") and Beethoven's Violin Concerto with Concertmaster David Halen as soloist. There's also a Pulitzer Series concert Wednesday at the Pulitzer Arts Center. For information these and other upcoming SLSO events, check out the web site.

Review: Live long and prosper with "Star Trek: The Ultimate Voyage"

Justin Freer and the orchestra
Photo: Erika Goldring, startrekultimatevoyage.com

It's a concert! It's a movie! It's Star Trek: The Ultimate Voyage 50th Anniversary Concert Tour, and it played the Fox for one night only this past Wednesday (March 9, 2016).

It's also a really long title, but maybe that's appropriate given the longevity of the Trek franchise. I know when I first started watching the series back in 1966, it never would have occurred to me that it would still be around a half-century later. I expected personal jet packs and robot maids, but a fiftieth anniversary concert tour with a 30-piece symphony orchestra and clips from five Trek TV shows and eight (or was it nine) feature films on a 40-foot screen? Now that would have been fanciful!

Produced by CineConcerts and written by the company's co-founder Randy Beaubien, Star Trek: The Ultimate Voyage is a lively multi-media romp through the franchise's various media incarnations. Segments focus on the captains and crews of the Trek TV shows, with the heaviest emphasis on the original series, Next Generation and Deep Space Nine, along with the more popular movies.

That means lots of footage from (say) ST II: The Wrath of Kahn, ST IV: The Voyage Home, and ST VI: The Undiscovered Country but not so much from stinkers like ST V: The Final Frontier. There are even clips from the reboot film Star Trek Into Darkness. Editor David H. Tanaka has chosen the segments well and seamlessly edited them together into scenes that don't always make dramatic sense but which do complement the music perfectly.

And this is, ultimately, all about the music. Under the assured baton of composer, conductor, and film music specialist Justin Freer, the orchestra delivers two hours of some of the best Trek TV and film music, much of it from the pens of noted composers such as Jerry Goldsmith, James Horner, and Michael Giacchino. My favorite segment was the loving video tribute to the various incarnations of the Enterprise set, appropriately, to the "Enterprise" segment from the first Star Trek film.

When Star Trek: The Ultimate Voyage 50th Anniversary Concert Tour comes to your city, you'll probably have your favorites as well. You can find a complete list of tour dates and locations  at the tour web site. If you're a Trek fan, you won't want to miss this reminder of how a risky low-budget SF show from Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz's Desilu Productions went on to live long and prosper.

Chuck's Choices for the weekend of March 11, 2016

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:

American Idiot
Photo: Jill Ritter Lindberg

New Line Theatre presents the musical American Idiot, based on the album by Green Day, Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 PM through March 26. " New Line continues its 25th season with the powerful, high-octane, rock fable AMERICAN IDIOT, based on the powerhouse album by Green Day, a scorching attack on what they saw as the hypocrisy and moral evils of the Bush Administration after the attacks of Sept. 11, as well as the increasingly submissive nature of the American public. The score includes every song from Green Day's hit album American Idiot, as well as several songs from their follow-up release, 21st Century Breakdown, with music by Green Day, lyrics by front man Billie Joe Armstrong, a book by Armstrong and Michael Mayer, and musical arrangements and orchestrations by Broadway composer Tom Kitt (High Fidelity, Next to Normal, If/Then). The Toronto Star called the show 'the first great musical of the 21st century.'" Performances take place at the Marcelle Theater, 3310 Samuel Shepard Drive, three blocks east of Grand, in Grand Center. For more information, visit newlinetheatre.com or call 314-534-1111.

My take: As you can see from the description of this show, it could hardly be more relevant during the current primary campaign season, especially in light of the Republican Party's slide into drooling insanity. In her review for KDHX, Tina Farmer says this "is a fantastic production, and several scenes flash with brilliance. The cast are uniformly strong singers and the interpretations of the songs are spot on. " At Ladue News, Mark Bretz says "New Line’s presentation superbly captures the musical essence of the album and show as well as making the most of the straightforward plot."

Sun Theater
Amanda Honigfort / St. Louis Public Radio

The Gateway Men's Chorus presents Dear Future Husband Friday and Saturday, March 11 and 12, at 8 p.m. "Celebrating the landmark Supreme Court decision the men will treat audiences to the struggles and triumphs of the march to Marriage Equality, including the world premiere of two pieces written exclusively for Gateway Men's Chorus." The performances take place at the Sun Theater in Grand Center. For more information: gmcstl.org.

My take: With the Missouri legislature displaying its contempt for the law of the land these days, the GMC's latest show is both timely and welcome. And the newly-rehabbed Sun Theater looks very cool inside.

R-S Theatrics presents Pirates!, its fifth annual KIDaret fund raiser, on Saturday, March 12, at 7 PM. "Bring your favorite swashbucklers, or just grab a friend from a deserted island and come enjoy some of our favorite members of the R-S family singing fun, non-lame, family-friendly tunes. We at R-S believe that art is important at every age, so don't worry about getting a sitter - bring the kids along!" The performance takes place at Bethel Fellowship Hall located at 7001 Forsyth. For more information: r-stheatrics.com

My take: R-S is a company worth supporting for its daring choices (they took on the local premiere of Jason Robert Brown's Parade, for example) and the performers in this show always constitute a nice cross section of local theatre talent. Should be fun, and certainly less pricey than the Fox's Beauty and the Beast as a family night out.

KT Sullivan and Jeff Harnar

The Presenters Dolan present KT Sullivan and Jeff Harnar in A Sondheim Montage on Friday and Saturday, March 11 and 12, at 8 PM as part of the Gaslight Cabaret Festival. "Manhattan standouts KT Sullivan and Jeff Harnar take on one of the greats. Nominated for 5 BroadwayWorld.com Awards. Recently filmed by PBS. They're prepping in St. Louis for a theatrical run in NY. Hauntingly good." The performance takes place at the Gaslight Theater, 358 North Boyle. For more information: gaslightcabaretfestival.com.

My take: KT Sullivan is a singing actress of considerable skill and, with a golden, flexible voice and engaging manner, Mr. Harnar is perhaps the ideal cabaret performer. Together I think we can expect great things from them, especially given the fact that Stephen Sondheim is one of the giants of late 20th/early 21st century musical theatre.

Symphony Preview, March 11 and 12, 2016: Berlioz stalks Shakespeare

Leonard Slatkin
Photo: Niko Rodamel

The St. Louis Symphony's month-long Shakespeare Festival comes to a grand conclusion this Friday and Saturday with a complete performance of Hector Berlioz's "dramatic symphony" "Roméo et Juliette" with SLSO Conductor Laureate Leonard Slatkin at the podium. Never has a stalking incident had such a musically important outcome.

The stalking incident in question isn't the fictional one in Shakespeare's play but rather the real one in the life of Berlioz. It all began in 1827 when he saw the Irish actress Harriet Smithson as Ophelia in a highly edited production of "Hamlet" by the actor Charles Kemble (who also played Hamlet) at the Odéon in Paris. Although considered a somewhat mediocre performer in Britain, she bowled the French over with her sensitive "mad" scene and completely transfixed poor Berlioz, even though he didn't understand a word of English.

"Shakespeare, coming upon me unawares," wrote Berlioz in his "Memoirs," "struck me like a thunderbolt. The lightning flash of that discovery revealed to me at a stroke the whole heaven of art, illuminating it to its remotest corners. I recognized the meaning of grandeur, beauty, dramatic truth...I saw, I understood, I felt...that I was alive and that I must arise and walk."

His infatuation with Shakespeare, however, was lukewarm compared to his adoration of Smithson. He sent her letters. He sent hand-delivered notes. He did everything but mail himself to her in a box like poor Waldo in the Velvet Underground's "The Gift". The depth of his obsession can be seen in a letter he sent to his friend Ferdinand Hiller (quoted on Melissa Ide and Leslie Merriman's Interdisciplinary Shakespeare site):

... today it is a year since I saw HER for the last time_________oh! unhappy woman! how I loved you...trembling I write, HOW I LOVE YOU! If there is another world shall we find each other again?...Shall I ever see Shakespeare? Will she know me?...Will she understand the poetry of my love?...oh! Juliet, Ophelia, Belvidera, Jane Shore, names that hell repeats unceasingly..."
"Oh! sublime ones! sublime ones! annihilate me! summon me to your golden clouds! deliver me!..."
"Go, go Henriette Smithson and Hector Berlioz will be reunited in the oblivion of the tomb, which will not prevent other unhappy ones from SUFFERING AND DYING."

Today he would have been hit with a restraining order. Instead, he wrote his "Symphonie Fantastique" and continued to pursue her, even going to far as to threaten to kill himself with an opium overdose if she didn't marry him. In 1833, after seeing a performance of "Lélio" (Berlioz's rarely-performed sequel to the "Symphonie Fantastique"), she finally agreed, but they did not live happily ever after. The marriage fell apart after a decade and both Smithson's health and fortunes went into decline.

Charles Kemble and Harriet Smithson
as Romeo and Juliet
By Francis (François-Antoine Conscience)

Berlioz's love affair with Shakespeare never wavered though, and "Roméo et Juliette" is undoubtedly the greatest product of that love. Composed largely in 1838 to a libretto by poet Émile Deschamps, it's a grand mashup of opera, oratorio, and symphony that both looks backward to Beethoven's monumental "Symphony No. 9" and forward to the integrated music dramas of Wagner. In fact, the latter's "Tristan and Isolde" owes quite a bit to "Roméo et Juliette"—a debt Wagner acknowledged when he sent Berlioz a copy of the "Tristan" score with the following dedication: "Au grand et cher auteur de Roméo et Juliette, l'auteur reconnaissant de Tristan et Isolde" ("To the great and dear author of Romeo and Juliet, from the grateful author of Tristan and Isolde").

"Berlioz claimed not to understand Wagner’s 'strange thing,'" writes Renée Spencer Saller in her program notes. "Nine years after the Frenchman’s death, Wagner named a pet rooster 'Berlioz.'" Sic transit gloria mundi.

But I digress.

"Roméo et Juliette" is a big piece in every possible way. It's in seven movements, runs around ninety minutes, and calls for over 100 musicians and a full chorus. It's grand in scope and brilliant and innovative in its orchestration. Which is what you would expect given that, as Ms. Saller reminds us in her notes, Berlioz "literally wrote the book on orchestration. His Grand traité d’instrumentation et d’orchestration moderne was originally published as 16 booklets beginning in late 1841."

There's no reason for me to provide a detailed description of the program of "Roméo et Juliette" here since Ms. Saller has already done a very thorough job in her notes. I'll just point out that it's an unfailingly colorful, gripping, and wholly original piece of music drama with a remarkable choral finale in which the Montagues and Capulets reconcile in a way only hinted at in the play. It's Berlioz's "Romeo and Juliet," not Shakespeare's, but no less compelling for all that.

In a video blog on the SLSO YouTube channel, Maestro Slatkin describes "Roméo et Juliette" as one of his ten favorite works to conduct "because it has all the elements that make this composer great. It's symphonic in scope. There's a chorus. There are three soloists. There are incredibly inventive sounds—sounds that were occurring just after Beethoven had died, and yet there's no comparison between these two composers musically. 'Romeo and Juliet' is one of the wonders of the musical world".

The essentials: Leonard Slatkin conducts the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in Berlioz's "Roméo et Juliette" Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., March 11 and 12. Performances take place at Powell Symphony Hall, 718 North Grand. For more information, visit the SLSO web site.

Concert Review: A dramatic Russian program with Gilbert Varga and the St. Louis Symphony, March 5 and 6, 2016

Gilbert Varga
Photo: Felix Broede

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Those of you Of a Certain Age may recall an ad campaign by Esso Oil (now Exxon Mobil) that promised to "put a tiger in your tank." St. Louis Symphony guest conductor Gilbert Varga had a tiger in his baton Saturday night, and the roaring was most impressive.

[Find out more about the music with my symphony preview.]

The concert got off to an electrifying start with a thrilling performance of Tchaikovsky's "Hamlet, Fantasy Overture after Shakespeare," Op. 67. Written only a few years before the composer's death, the work shows the obsession with fate that permeates both his "Symphony No. 4" from 1878 and his "Symphony No. 5," which first saw the light of day in the same year as "Hamlet". It's powerful music with a strong sense of impending doom.

Working without a score, Mr. Varga used slashing, dramatic gestures in the service of a compelling interpretation that brought out every bit of the composer's high drama without sacrificing clarity or descending into exaggeration. The opening "fate" motif was arresting, the appearance of the ghost alarming, and the sad little oboe melody that represents Ophelia (beautifully played by Phil Ross) was truly poignant. It was a vivid and breathtaking performance, skillfully played.

The same can be said of the Shostakovich "Piano Concerto No. 2 in F major," Op. 102, that followed. Written for the composer's son Maxim and first performed by Maxim on his 19th birthday, the concerto is an unambiguously (and uncharacteristically) happy work. Soloist Denis Kozhukhin handled the exuberant and fiercely difficult passages in the outer movements with ease and style while playing the charming and unabashedly sentimental second movement with sensitivity.

Denis Kozhukhin

Mr. Kozhukhin is one of those "heads down" pianists who maintain a laser-like focus on the keyboard while playing, but that clearly did not prevent him from being attentive to what was happening in the orchestra. Critics have praised this young (born in 1986) Russian pianist for his balance of technique and interpretive depth, and based on what I saw and heard Saturday night I'd have to agree.

The concert concluded with selections from Prokofiev's 1936 "Romeo and Juliet" ballet. Culled from the two orchestral suites the composer put together around the same time as the ballet's premiere, the seven selections capture the dramatic arc of Shakespeare's play in a little over a half hour of colorful and varied music that demonstrates Prokofiev's skill as an orchestrator.

As he did with the Tchaikovsky, Mr. Varga delivered, from memory, a high-octane interpretation filled with grand gestures, strong contrasts, and a fine feel for the many wonderful orchestral details, which were performed flawlessly by members of the orchestra. Scott Andrews's clarinet, Danny Lee's cello, and Nathan Nabb's tenor sax, for example, all contributed to the delicate beauty of "Juliet—The Young Girl."

The emotionally potent "Romeo and Juliet before Parting" gave us more striking individual performances from Mark Sparks and Jennifer Nichtman on flutes, Jonathan Chu on viola, and, towards the end, Michael Sanders on tuba and Erik Harris's bass section with their premonition of the tragedy to come. Roger Kaza's horn section sounded terrific in the big, sweeping passages in the middle of that same movement.

If you think that sounds like a true virtuoso performance, you're right. There were many other arresting moments, including Concertmaster David Halen's delicate solo in the "Dance of the Maids from the Antilles," but the bottom line is that this was another demonstration of the depth the orchestra's talent pool.

Mr. Varga has made several appearances with the orchestra since I've started covering it regularly, and he seems to have real rapport with the musicians. It's not unusual for a conductor to wade into the orchestra and ask individual players to stand during curtain calls, but Mr. Varga did so with real enthusiasm, even stopping to kiss the occasional cheek and otherwise display affection for the players. Witnessing that, it's impossible not to smile.

Next at Powell Hall, Leonard Slatkin conducts the orchestra and chorus in Berlioz's "dramatic symphony" "Roméo et Juliette" Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., March 11 and 12. The program concludes the Symphony's four-week Shakespeare Festival. Performances take place at Powell Symphony Hall, 718 North Grand. For more information, visit the symphony web site.

St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of March 7, 2016

[Looking for auditions and other artistic opportunities? Check out the St. Louis Auditions site.]

For information on events beyond this week, check out the searchable database at the Regional Arts Commission's events web site.

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American Idiot
Photo: Jill Ritter Lindberg

New Line Theatre presents the musical American Idiot, based on the album by Green Day, Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 PM through March 26. " New Line continues its 25th season with the powerful, high-octane, rock fable AMERICAN IDIOT, based on the powerhouse album by Green Day, a scorching attack on what they saw as the hypocrisy and moral evils of the Bush Administration after the attacks of Sept. 11, as well as the increasingly submissive nature of the American public. The score includes every song from Green Day's hit album American Idiot, as well as several songs from their follow-up release, 21st Century Breakdown, with music by Green Day, lyrics by frontman Billie Joe Armstrong, a book by Armstrong and Michael Mayer, and musical arrangements and orchestrations by Broadway composer Tom Kitt (High Fidelity, Next to Normal, If/Then). The Toronto Star called the show 'the first great musical of the 21st century.'" Performances take place at the Marcelle Theater, 3310 Samuel Shepard Drive, three blocks east of Grand, in Grand Center. For more information, visit newlinetheatre.com or call 314-534-1111.

The Bissell Mansion Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre presents And Away You Go through March 27. The Bissell Mansion is at 4426 Randall Place. For more information: bissellmansiontheatre.com.

The Lemp Mansion Comedy-Mystery Dinner Theater presents Clueless through April 16. The Lemp Mansion is at 3322 DeMenil Place. For more information: lempmansion.com

The Gateway Men's Chorus presents Dear Future Husband Friday and Saturday, March 11 and 12, at 8 p.m. "Celebrating the landmark Supreme Court decision the men will treat audiences to the struggles and triumphs of the march to Marriage Equality, including the world premiere of two pieces written exclusively for Gateway Men's Chorus." The performances take place at the Sun Theater in Grand Center. For more information: gmcstl.org.

Disney's Beauty and the Beast
Photo: Matthew Murphy

The Fox Theatre presents the NETworks production of Disney's Beauty and the Beast Friday through Sunday, March 11-13. "Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST is the classic story of Belle, a young woman in a provincial town, and the Beast, who is really a young prince trapped in a spell placed by an enchantress. If the beast can learn to love and be loved, the curse will end and he will be transformed to his former self. But time is running out. If the Beast does not learn his lesson soon, he and his household will be doomed for all eternity. " The Fox is on North Grand in Grand Center. For more information: fabulousfox.com.

Alton Little Theater presents the comedy The Foreigner Thursdays through Sundays, March 10-20, at 2450 North Henry in Alton, IL. "The scene is a fishing lodge in rural Georgia often visited by “Froggy” LeSeuer, a British demolition expert who occasionally runs training sessions at a nearby army base. This time “Froggy” has brought along a friend, a pathologically shy young man named Charlie who is overcome with fear at the thought of making conversation with strangers. So “Froggy,” before departing, tells all assembled that Charlie is from an exotic foreign country and speaks no English. Once alone the fun really begins, as Charlie overhears more than he should - the evil plans of a sinister, two-faced minister and his redneck associate; the fact that the minister's pretty fiancee is pregnant; and many other damaging revelations made with the thought that Charlie doesn't understand a word being said. That he does fuels the nonstop hilarity of the play and sets up the wildly funny climax." For more information, call 618.462.6562 or visit altonlittletheater.org.

The Looking Glass Playhouse presents the Tennessee Williams's drama The Glass Menagerie Thursdays through Sundays March 10-20. "The play revolves around a young man begrudgingly supporting the family his father has abandoned. It also features a painfully shy and slightly crippled sister character, whose preoccupation with a collection of glass animals draws her away from reality. Set against the backdrop of the Depression, the family struggles together with the past, the future, and one another." Performances take place at 301 West St. Louis Street in Lebanon, Ill. For more information, visit www.lookingglassplayhouse.com.

The Improv Shop presents Heartbreak running through March 19. "Heartbreak is an improvised serial show where we explore, in depth, the stages of doomed relationships. Watch characters go from strangers to friends, friends to lovers, and from lovers to heartbreakers. Heartbreak. It doesn't happen all at once." The Improv Shop is at 510 North Euclid in the Central West End. For more information on this and other Improv Shop shows: theimprovshop.com.

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents the world premiere of Molly's Hammer March 9 - 27. "Molly Rush was focused on the endgame- save the world, protect her family. But what would she have to sacrifice? In 1980, the Pittsburgh housewife and mother of six walked into a General Electric plant and took a hammer to a nuclear warhead to protest the buildup of America's nuclear arsenal. Based on the true story of the Plowshares Eight, Molly's Hammer is the world-premiere account of one woman's unwavering beliefs and her family's desperate attempts to protect her from infamy." Performances take place in the studio theater at the Loretto-Hlton Center, 130 Edgar Road in Webster Groves, MO. For more information, call 314-968-4925 or visit repstl.org.

Kirkwood Theatre Guild presents comedy The Murder Room March 11-20. "Mavis Templeton Hollister returns home from an evening out surprised to find her new husband, Edgar Hollister, still alive. He, in turn, is surprised that she claims to have attended a church meeting that he knows for a fact had been cancelled. Edgar questions Mavis about her whereabouts but his interrogation stops abruptly when she pulls out a gun and shoots him. Chaos ensues when it comes to light that the gun was shooting blanks and Edgar's body has vanished. This hilarious spoof of crime thrillers has all the features of the classic whodunits with a spooky, old house, surprise relatives, a poisoned cat, and, of course, secret panels." Performances take place in the Robert G. Reim Theatre of the Kirkwood Community Center, 111 South Geyer Road. For more information, call 314-821-9956 or visit ktg-onstage.org.

O'fallon Theatre Works presents the farce Noises Off Friday, March 11th at 8pm, Saturday March 12th at 8pm and Sunday March 13th at 2:00. "This comedy takes place over 3 acts, showing one scene performed once in front of the stage, once from 'backstage' where we see the cast and crew relationships begin to fall apart, culminating with Act 3 where we see the effects of their fights play out while still trying to perform the play we've previously seen." Performances take place at O'fallon City Hall, 100 N. Main Street, O'fallon MO. For more information and ticket sales, visit Renaud Spirit Center, or call 314-474-2732.

The St. Louis Family Theatre Series presents the Enchantment Theatre Company production of Peter Rabbit Tales Friday at 7:30 pm and Saturday and Sunday at 2 pm, March 11-13. "'Once upon a time there were four little rabbits, and their names were - Flopsy, Mopsy, Cotton-tail and Peter....' These famous opening lines of 'The Tale of Peter Rabbit' has enchanted young audiences for over one hundred years with the exploits of a charming hero, who, going against his mother's wishes, has adventures (and misadventures) in Mr. McGregor's garden." Performances take place at the Florissant Civic Center Theatre at Parker and Waterford in Florissant, MO. For more information, call 314-921-5678 or visit www.florissantmo.com.

R-S Theatrics presents Pirates!, its fifth annual KIDaret fund raiser, on Saturday, March 12, at 7 PM. "Bring your favorite swashbucklers, or just grab a friend from a deserted island and come enjoy some of our favorite members of the R-S family singing fun, non-lame, family-friendly tunes. We at R-S believe that art is important at every age, so don't worry about getting a sitter - bring the kids along!" The performance takes place at Bethel Fellowship Hall located at 7001 Forsyth. For more information: r-stheatrics.com

KT Sullivan and Jeff Harnar

The Presenters Dolan present KT Sullivan and Jeff Harnar in A Sondheim Montage on Friday and Saturday, March 11 and 12, at 8 PM as part of the Gaslight Cabaret Festival. "Manhattan standouts KT Sullivan and Jeff Harnar take on one of the greats. Nominated for 5 BroadwayWorld.com Awards. Recently filmed by PBS. They're prepping in St. Louis for a theatrical run in NY. Hauntingly good." The performance takes place at the Gaslight Theater, 358 North Boyle. For more information: gaslightcabaretfestival.com.

The Theatre Guild of Webster Groves presents the comedy The Underpants by Carl Sternhiem, as adapted by Steve Martin, through March 13. "Louise and Theo Markes, a couple whose conservative existence is shattered when Louise's bloomers fall down in public. Though she pulls them up quickly, Theo thinks the incident will cost him his job as a government clerk. Even though it does not result in the feared scandal, it does attract two infatuated men, each of whom wants to rent the spare room in the Markes' home. Oblivious of their amorous objectives, Theo splits the room between them, happy to collect rent from both of them." Performances take place in the Guild theatre at Newport and Summit in Webster Groves, MO. For more information: theatreguildwg.org or call 314-962-0876.

The Emerald Room at The Monocle presents Varla Jean Merman's Big Black Hole Friday and Saturday, March 11 and 12, at 8 p.m. "Jeffery Roberson aka Varla Jean Merman (who boasts that Ernest Borgnine is her father and Ethel Merman is her mother) is perhaps best known for her role in the 2003 independent film Girls will be Girls. - Varla had a co-starring role in the 1997 film, Franchesca Page. Merman was also one of the performers featured in the HBO original documentary Dragtime. She has appeared in a number of short films and live cabaret acts since she and her male alter-ego attended the School of Music at Louisiana State University. Merman's shows are a stable of summer entertainment in Provincetown. - She also performs regularly in New Orleans, New York, San Francisco and London, and has enjoyed billing at the Sydney Opera House and Carnegie Hall." The performances take place in the Emerald Room at The Monocle, 4510 Manchester in the Grove neighborhood. For more information: reactionshows.com.

Clayton Community Theatre presents Clare Boothe Luce's The Women Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m., March 10-20. "This witty comedy of manners follows a group of women through the perils of adultery, divorce, and finding a unique voice in a sea of gossip and innuendo. The 1936 play continues to echo a relevant look in the complex nature of relationships." Performances take place at the Washington University South Campus Theatre. For more information, call 314-721-9228 or visit placeseveryone.org.

Would you like to be on the radio? KDHX, 88.1 FM needs theatre reviewers. If you're 18 years or older, knowledgeable in this area, have practical theatre experience (acting, directing, writing, technical design, etc.), have good oral and written communications skills and would like to become one of our volunteer reviewers, send an email describing your experience and interests to chuck at kdhx.org. Please include a sample review of something you've seen recently.

St. Louis classical calendar for the week of March 7, 2016

The Bach Society of St. Louis

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The Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis presents The Bach Society of St. Louis in a performance of Gabriel Fauré's Requiem on Sunday at 7:30 p.m., March 13, at the cathedral at 4431 Lindell. "Cathedral Concerts is proud to collaborate with one of St. Louis finest arts organizations, the Bach Society of Saint Louis, as together we present Faure's "Requiem" in the heavenly setting of the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis. Don't miss your opportunity to hear this beloved masterpiece." For more information: www.cathedralconcerts.org.

The Chamber Project St. Louis presents Divine on Friday, March 11, at 8:00 PM. "Heaven and earth intersect with this program highlighting Schubert's String Quintet, often regarded as the pinnacle of chamber music, composed to express the universality of the human condition. Stabat Mater for soprano and string quartet by Virgil Thomson compliments and rounds out the program. We return to The Chapel for this intimate and beautiful program." The performance takes place at The Chapel, 6238 Alexander Drive in Clayton. For more information: www.chamberprojectstl.org.

The Confluence Chamber Orchestra presents a preview performance of The Roots of Ragtime on Monday, March 7, at noon. "Preparing for next year's Scott Joplin 150th Birthday, the Confluence Chamber Orchestra presents Roots of Ragtime, a concert tracing the development of this uniquely American musical form – from its sources in Romantic classical music, the marches of John Philip Sousa, and popular dances of the period. Selections will include Celebrated Dances by antebellum African American composer Frank Johnson, Grand Bamboula by Louis Moreau Gottschalk, Liberty Bell March by John Philip Sousa, At a Georgia Campmeeting by Kerry Mills, and of course The Entertainer, by Scott Joplin. The program was developed in cooperation with the Friends of Scott Joplin and the Missouri History Museum." The concert takes place at The Monday Club, 37 South Maple in Webster Groves. For more information: confluencechamberorchestra.org.

The Confluence Chamber Orchestra

The Confluence Chamber Orchestra presents The Roots of Ragtime on Thursday, March 10, at 7 p.m. "Preparing for next year's Scott Joplin 150th Birthday, the Confluence Chamber Orchestra presents Roots of Ragtime, a concert tracing the development of this uniquely American musical form – from its sources in Romantic classical music, the marches of John Philip Sousa, and popular dances of the period. Selections will include Celebrated Dances by antebellum African American composer Frank Johnson, Grand Bamboula by Louis Moreau Gottschalk, Liberty Bell March by John Philip Sousa, At a Georgia Campmeeting by Kerry Mills, and of course The Entertainer, by Scott Joplin. The program was developed in cooperation with the Friends of Scott Joplin and the Missouri History Museum." The concert takes place at the Missouri History Museum in Forest Park. For more information: confluencechamberorchestra.org.

The Fox Theatre presents The Piano Guys on Thursday, March 10, at 7:30 p.m. "What do you get when you mix up a marketing genius that does video, a studio engineer that writes music, a pianist that had a successful solo career, and a cellist that does pretty much everything? The Piano Guys: a miraculous meeting of "guys" with the same intrinsic purpose – to make a positive impact in the lives of people all over the world through music videos. Hailing from Utah, The Piano Guys became an Internet sensation by way of their immensely successful series of strikingly original self-made music videos. They've made over 35 since joining forces in early 2011, including their hit video, an innovative 10-handed version of One Direction's 'What Makes You Beautiful.'" But it's the Guys' highly original blend of classical music with pop that has really been the cause of their Internet phenomenon. The Fox Theatre is on North Grand in Grand Center. For more information: fabulousfox.com.

Leonard Slatkin conducts the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in Berlioz's Roméo et Juliette Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., March 11 and 12. The program is part of the Symphony's four-week Shakespeare Festival. "Berlioz pays homage to the most famous love story of all time in his elegant Roméo et Juliette. Full of lyrical beauty, Berlioz was influenced by Beethoven's Ninth Symphony and Shakespeare's epic drama. The STL Symphony and Chorus perform together conveying the magic and brevity of love in this work performed under the baton of Conductor Laureate Leonard Slatkin bringing the Shakespeare Festival to a spectacular conclusion." Performances take place at Powell Symphony Hall, 718 North Grand.For more information: stlsymphony.org.

The St. Louis Wind Symphony performs Julie Giroux's Symphony No. 5 ("Heartland Portraits") and other wind band compositions on Sunday, March 13, at 3 PM.  The performance takes place in the Viragh Center on the Chaminade School campus in on North Lindbergh in Ladue. For more information: stlwindsym.org.

The Tavern of Fine Arts presents Eric Mandat, clarinetist/composer, with Kendra Stenger, visual artist on Thursday, March 10, at 8 p.m. "Infinite Edges juxtaposes movements from Eric's recent solo clarinet composition, Chiral Symmetries, with improvisational commentaries, both acoustic and with interactive technologies. The work explores the edges between parallels and divergences in our interactions in controlled environments, and analogous processes which occur independently of our control, yet which often profoundly influence our perceptions, reactions, and ongoing transformations of being." The Tavern of Fine Arts is at 313 Belt in the Debaliviere Place neighborhood.  For more information: tavern-of-fine-arts.blogspot.com.

Washington University presents Not So Classical, a multimedia film and concert experience featuring violinist Tatiana Berman and two time grammy-nominated classical saxophonist Amy Dickson, on Thursday, March 10, at 7:30 p.m. The events takes place at the 560 Music Center Ballroom Theatre in University City. "The experimental hybrid film/concert experience has only been performed once, making St. Louis the second city on a growing list of destinations. The concert’s running time of approximately 75 minutes, fast pace, and story driven program was designed specifically for a contemporary world dominated by visual media. Traditionalists will also appreciate the program, which includes short pieces from composers including Bach, Schumann and a few surprises." For more information: www.culturemonster.org.

Cabaret Review: Soulful and intense, Emily West brings a country sensibility to the Gaslight Cabaret Festival March 3 and 4, 2016

emilywestofficial.com

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Whenever someone asks me to come up with a definition of "cabaret," I'm often at a loss. A cabaret performance can be many things and the music can some from many sources. As Emily West demonstrated this past weekend at the Gaslight Theatre, it can be a dimly lit evening of slash-your-wrists ballads delivered with smoky intensity by a powerful singer/songwriter who has combined her childhood country influences with an urban storyteller's sensibility, creating her own unique sound in the process.

Ms. West is hard to classify, both as a singer and songwriter. Either on her own or in collaboration with her music director Kevin Rhoads, Emily West the songwriter seems to favor stories of lost love and lost hope, often shot through with self-aware irony and the kind of surreal imagery that you find in the lyrics of (say) Tom Waits. Emily West the singer delivers those numbers with smoldering passion and a wide-ranging voice that, like the voices of so many country singers, always seems just on the verge of tears.

That performance approach worked best in the original numbers that made a little over half of her eighteen-song set Friday night, the essence of which was captured in the torch song trilogy that opened the show. "Fallin'," which West has described as "an old-school kind of song that dealt honestly about situations in life," is about a woman who has fallen in love and can't get up. "Monsters Under My Bed" suggests that love changes people in ways that are rarely good. And "Why Do Lovers Leave?" suggests that the answer to the question might lie, at least in part, in the narrator's anger and self-pity.

That might sound like the beginning of a long evening and, at around an hour and twenty minutes, it probably could have done with either a bit of trimming or a bit more variety. But Ms. West is a wonderfully charismatic singer with an ingratiating sense of self-aware humor. That takes the edge off an show that might otherwise be a bit hard to take.

Still, I wish she had shown us more of that droll humor that came out in (for example) "Games." Written in collaboration with Mr. Rhoads, it's a funny and very true he said/she said story about an intentional first and accidental second date that illustrates how men and women can be from different planets. Their whimsical "That's How the Boy Gets the Girl in the Movies" was a welcome change of pace, as was "Puppy Dog, "a clever gloss on Leiber and Stoller's "Hound Dog". "You ain't nothin' but a puppy dog," goes the refrain, "And I ain't nothin' but a home / You're just tired of bein' out in the rain / And you just want a place where you can bury your bone."

I also enjoyed her cover versions of well-known tunes like Roy Orbison's "You Got It" and the Moody Blues hit "Nights in White Satin." She gave both of them a kind of seething power that suggested a volcano just minutes from exploding.

Mr. Rhoads accompanied on piano and guitar and often sang backup vocals. His keyboard arrangements had a kind of clean, almost classical elegance that I found very appealing, and which made for a nice contrast with Ms. West soulful and emotionally searing vocals.

If you've gotten this far, you will have realized that I never actually gave a definition of "cabaret." My preference is for the one my friend and fellow cabaret artist Dr. Ken Haller ("As Seen on TV") came up with: cabaret is the art of telling stories in song. Emily West is, by that definition, a fully paid-up member of the Cabaret Club. Her appearance here as part of the Gaslight Cabaret Festival was a reminder of just how much variety lurks behind that seven-letter word.

The Gaslight Cabaret Festival runs through April 9th at the Gaslight Theater on North Boyle. For more information, check out the festival web site.

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Join me at the Fourth Annual Award Ceremony of the St. Louis Theatre Circle at 7 p.m. on Monday, March 21, at the Skip Viragh Center for the Arts at Chaminade. If you can't make it to the ceremony, you can watch HEC-TV's live stream of the event at www.hectv.org.