Chris Gibson - Page 48

In 2003, 23-year-old American Rachel Corrie was crushed to death by an Israeli Defense Forces bulldozer in the Gaza strip. A volunteer with the International Solidarity Movement, Corrie was protesting the destruction of Palestinian homes. With the permission of the Corrie family, actor Alan Rickman and Guardian journalist Katharine Viner accessed Rachel Corrie's diaries and emails and edited a huge volume of her written material into a 70-minute one-woman show titled MY NAME IS RACHEL CORRIE.

The much anticipated third installment in the Greater Tuna trilogy, RED, WHITE & TUNA takes the audience through another satirical ride into the hearts and minds of the polyester-clad citizens of Texas' third smallest town. Two comic masters, Lyceum Theatre artistic director Quin Gresham and Lyceum favorite Daryl Vaughan, ignite the stage playing all 24 firecracker characters from Tuna, Texas.

The Stages St. Louis production of PROMISES,PROMISES will be produced and presented from the original script and score that premiered on Broadway at the Shubert Theatre in 1968. Adapted from Billy Wilder's 1960 Oscar-winning film The Apartment, PROMISES,PROMISES focuses on a rising executive, Chuck Baxter, who tries to curry favor with his superiors by letting them borrow his apartment for romantic trysts. Set in the Mad Men era of Manhattan's Madison Avenue, Promises, Promises remains slick, hip and timeless. With its propulsive score, eye-catching dances, dazzling designs, and laugh-out-loud hilarity, PROMISES,PROMISES is a show you will long carry in your heart.

The passengers sailing on the S. S. American from New York to England are an unusual lot. Among them are a gangster, an evangelist turned nightclub crooner, a society debutante, a wealthy business man and many more! The madcap antics of a love triangle at sea, a myriad of mistaken identities and a lively Cole Porter musical score including, 'You're the Top,' 'I Get A Kick Out Of You,' and 'It's De-Lovely,' make for a special performance of energy and entertainment. It's a wonder that all the romances are sorted out and disaster is averted aboard the magical ship where ANYTHING GOES!

HotCity Theatre, a professional theatre company with a focus on contemporary programming and new play development announces the production of the company's 5th Annual GreenHouse New Play Festival. Three plays 'in progress' are chosen from over 250 submitted by playwrights all over the world. Each script is given a workshop that includes professional directors on staff at HotCity, a professional dramaturg (a literary drama scholar) and professional local actors. This workshop provides a springboard for re-writes, culminating in readings at the festival by professional actors and adjudicated by HotCity artistic staff. At the festival event, scripts are performed as staged readings, followed by talkback sessions where you, the patrons, are given the opportunity to offer your thoughts and ask questions of the playwrights.

The plays of Heiner Muller are as dense as they are brief - shell fragments fired into our collective psyche. What Muller does is boil down a universally recognizable story to its skeleton. Of his vast body of work, HAMLETMACHINE is probably Muller's most recognizable, and possibly the least accessible. Slightly Askew Theatre Ensemble will transform Muller's dark text into a media circus that both celebrates and challenges traditional theatre forms, using the best elements of pop culture to take the mystique out of the text, and make it accessible.

Friday, June 11, marks the opening of Muddy Waters' production of the 1916 Eugene O'Neill comedy -- yes, really -- NOW I ASK YOU. We are certain it is a Midwest premiere and may be the first time it's ever been performed professionally, though the history is fuzzy on that. It is also interesting because of the certain collaboration with Agnes Boulton O'Neill, the playwright's second wife.

Through a generous donation from MasterCard The Black Rep will Celebrate the Next Generation. The Next Generation program was developed to encourage adults to bring youth to live theatre performances. Through the MasterCard Next Generation program, Black Rep Patrons may obtain a complimentary youth ticket when a regular priced adult ticket is purchased using a MasterCard. When patrons use their MasterCard, but do not utilize the free youth ticket, the ticket is 'banked' for future use.

Opera Theatre's 2010 spring season opens on Saturday, May 22 and continues for 28 performances through Sunday, June 27 with all-new productions of Mozart's brilliant comedy THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO, Tchaikovsky's romantic masterpiece EUGENE ONEGIN, Stephen Sondheim's A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC, directed and designed by famed designer Isaac Mizrahi, and the world premiere of Peter Ash and Donald Sturrock's THE GOLDEN TICKET, based on Roald Dahl's beloved classic, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

In its 24th season, Circus Flora, St. Louis' beloved one-ring, European-style circus, presents an all-new show, INGENIOSO, inspired by the impossible dream of Don Quixote and presented by Edward Jones. The show premieres June 3 and runs through June 27, adding a full week of performances to the regular production schedule. The always affordable, family-friendly circus takes place under the air-conditioned, red-and-white, big top tent in Grand Center , St. Louis ' arts and entertainment hub, adjacent to Powell Symphony Hall.

Stray Dog Theatre presents Thornton Wilder's OUR TOWN, considered to be one of the most important American plays of all time. The brillliant, Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece comes alive again. More than any American classic, this play stands for simple truths and eternal connections. Return to Grover's Corners for a fresh take on the play that changed theatre history! A poignant family tale that reminds us of what is truly important in life.

Celebrated jazz pianist, composer and arranger Linda Presgrave and her quintet will launch 'Jazz in July,' a series of free summer concerts sponsored by Washington University's Jazz at Holmes, with a performance from 8 to 10 p.m. Thursday, July 8.

In 2003, 23-year-old American Rachel Corrie was crushed to death by an Israeli Defense Forces bulldozer in the Gaza strip. A volunteer with the International Solidarity Movement, Corrie was protesting the destruction of Palestinian homes. With the permission of the Corrie family, actor Alan Rickman and Guardian journalist Katharine Viner accessed Rachel Corrie's diaries and emails and edited a huge volume of her written material into a 70-minute one-woman show titled MY NAME IS RACHEL CORRIE.

HotCity Theatre, a professional theatre company with a focus on contemporary programming and new play development announces the production of the company's 5th Annual GreenHouse New Play Festival. Three plays 'in progress' are chosen from over 250 submitted by playwrights all over the world. Each script is given a workshop that includes professional directors on staff at HotCity, a professional dramaturg (a literary drama scholar) and professional local actors. This workshop provides a springboard for re-writes, culminating in readings at the festival by professional actors and adjudicated by HotCity artistic staff. At the festival event, scripts are performed as staged readings, followed by talkback sessions where you, the patrons, are given the opportunity to offer your thoughts and ask questions of the playwrights.

The Midnight Company will present the St. Louis premiere of Mickle Maher's AN APOLOGY FOR THE COURSE AND OUTCOME OF CERTAIN EVENTS DELIVERED BY DOCTOR JOHN FAUSTUS ON THIS HIS FINAL EVENING at Dressel's Pub in the Central West End, June 2-24. A lean, tragicomic version of the Faustus story, AN APOLOGY... presents Doctor Faustus in the last hour of his final night on earth - irritated, whining and repentant of nothing save his failure to keep a proper diary. Over the course of this hour, he rails against his silent servant Mephistopheles and tells the fantastic tale of his life - a life filled with wonders, as well as an immeasurably vast evil.

The classic French fairy tale, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, is given the full-blown Disney treatment in this adaptation of their own 1991 animated film. While retaining many of the elements that gave the movie it's own particular charm, this version runs a bit too long and leisurely for my tastes, being padded out with additional, and largely forgettable songs by Alan Menken, Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, some of which were cut from the movie. But, there's no denying the appeal of this material, and the large contingent of families in attendance on a muggy night at the Muny all seemed to be having a great time with this appealing and fun production that kicks off their 2010 season.

Don't miss this hit Broadway comedy. IT HAD TO BE YOU is an absurd, fast-paced comedy that tells the story of Theda Blau (Stellie Siteman), a zany, eccentric, ex-Hollywood B movie actress and wannabe playwright seeking love and/or a writing partner in New York City. She meets TV producer-director Vito Pignoli (Jerry Vogel), when she (unsuccessfully) auditions for one of his commercials.

The St. Louis Actors' Studio and That Uppity Theatre Company have combined their efforts to close their season with the premiere of Joan Lipkin's (with collaborator JT Ricroft) original play, THE STATE OF MARRIAGE. The title does double duty here, allowing for commentary on the current state of nuptial bliss (or lack, thereof) in our country, while also referencing the fact that there are relatively few states that are currently allowing same sex marriages to be performed. The show is structured like a surreal wedding reception, with the audience invited to join in the festivities, including the distribution of cake to attendees. But there are also serious messages about tolerance and acceptance that are being conveyed here, making this an intriguing project.

Muddy Waters Theatre is a unique company in that they devote each or their seasons to a single playwright, which in most cases would result in a schedule that strictly hews to the familiar. But, as a rare treat during their current season, which is devoted to Eugene O'Neill, they've decided to stage a little known comedy of his titled NOW I ASK YOU. While the true authorship of the play is a matter of conjecture (Agnes Boulton O'Neill is also credited), there's a certain unmistakable quality to the dialogue that bears traces of a master at work. This current production is a nicely mounted affair that's surprisingly witty and amusing.

The production of WICKED that's currently playing the Fox Theatre delivers an enchanting experience to its audiences that dazzles and delights, filling the stage with jaw-dropping scenery and incredible special effects, as well as a host of wonderful performers. The plot based on Gregory Maguire's novel gives a back story to L. Frank's Baum's beloved Wizard of Oz, that is unexpectedly infused with a strong, positive message about accepting people for who they are inside And, while most musicals are guilty of utilizing a threadbare plot to hang a multitude of songs upon, this is not the case with Wicked, where the reverse is nearly true, with Winnie Holzman's clever adaptation providing a more than sturdy framework for Stephen Schwartz's catchy score.