Chris Gibson - Page 50

The was my first time seeing BIG RIVER, and I must confess to some misgivings I harbored concerning William Hauptman's adaptation of Mark Twain's classic tale, 'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.' The original is a work of great American literature, filled with dialogue that's now considered controversial, but which was pitch perfect and true to its characters and its time. Happily, Hauptman and composer/lyricist Roger Miller have crafted a wonderful version that manages to capture the flavor and feel of the times, while remaining fairly faithful to its source material. Stage St. Louis has put together a production that's a feast for the eyes and ears, conjuring up the muddy Mississippi on stage with considerable technical wizardry, while a talented cast works its own magic under Michael Hamilton's expert direction.

COUNTRY® Financial presents acclaimed multi-platinum recording artist and songwriter Jewel, Sunday, June 6 at 7:30 p.m. in the perfect acoustics of the Sheldon Concert Hall. Opening for Jewel will be singer/songwriter Kip Moore.

Since 2007, many of Erik Spehn's paintings have involved applying strips of masking tape to the surface of his canvases; then painting over them, peeling them off, and taping and repainting again and again. Over time, Spehn recognized that the discarded tape might offer a new avenue of formal investigation, so he began to make works on paper by applying the used tape to matboard. Each piece echoed the specific paintings on which he was working, but visually these 'drawings' became a distinct and separate body of work.

Raffe has photographed Circus Flora for more than a decade and this body of work is unified by theme and sensitivity, revealing the photographer's passion and intense interest in the circus, matched only by his mastery of the craft. Raffe's intent was to 'document the circus as an important part of our shared cultural heritage and to capture and preserve the humanity and the artistry of these extraordinary people through portraits and images of the 'decisive moment' during performances.'

Since 1999, Jay Wolke has been photographing in the south of Italy . During these visits, Wolke has captured the complexity of a landscape called the Mezzogiorno. What he found in this storied landscape is an elaborate set of physical, social and political structures, manifesting in an extraordinary folding together of visual information. On one level, the images he has created are referential and documentary-but on another level, they are about what cannot be explicitly seen, what is hidden and implied. Wolke's color photographs convey purposeful neutrality; constructions of selected non-fictions resonating between historical and contemporary meaning. The larger narratives of the marks made, marks abandoned, and marks erased, represent numerous conquerors and occupiers, from the Greeks to the Spanish to the Camorra.

The exhibition features paintings by St. Louis artist Wallace Herndon Smith. Born in St. Louis in 1901, Wallace Smith was a traditional painter who absorbed the visual language of artists like Pierre Bonnard, Henri Matisse, and Edward Hopper. Smith was fluent in many subjects including still-lifes, landscapes, interiors, and portraits. The artist's strength was in capturing psychological nuances, and the exhibit has been selected to illuminate this area of his work.

The Sheldon Art Galleries announces the Summer 2010 opening of four new exhibits. Join us for an opening reception on Friday, June 4 from 5-7 p.m.! Gallery hours are Tuesdays, Noon - 8 p.m.; Wednesdays - Fridays, Noon - 5 p.m.; Saturdays, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. and one hour prior to Sheldon performances and during intermission. Admission is free.

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.

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.

The Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre's 50th Anniversary Season opens on June 2nd with the Lyceum premiere of Mel Brooks' THE PRODUCERS running through June 12. Winner of a record-breaking 12 Tony Awards in 2001 including Best Musical, this outrageously funny musical tells the story of a down-on-his-luck Broadway producer (Max Bialystock), played by Dana Snyder. Dana is returning to the Lyceum stage after a 16 year hiatus during which time he has appeared in many regional theatres from Austin to Cleveland.

What do Lucille Kallen, Mel Brooks, Neil Simon, Woody Allen, Michael Stewart, Mel Tolkin, Larry Gelbart, Carl Reiner and Selma Diamond have in common? Most are Jewish, and all were denizens of the famed 'Writer's Room' where they labored to create the comedy sketches for the live 90 minute weekly variety series, 'Your Show of Shows' starring the legendary Sid Caesar. Composites of these writers make up the characters in Neil Simon's raucous comedy,LAUGHTER ON THE 23RD FLOOR, set in 1953 during television's golden age.

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.

Union Avenue Opera presents Gilbert and Sullivan's PIRATES OF THE PENZANCE.Finally able to leave his apprenticeship to the Pirate King, Frederic comes ashore and instantly falls in love with the innocent daughter of the Major-General, Mabel. But how will the Major-General handle it when ALL the pirates want to marry his daughters without consent? Abundant laughter ensues with this timeless Gilbert and Sullivan operetta perfect for all ages.

When the weather cooperates as sweetly it did on opening night (May 28, 2010), there's nothing that can compare to the experience of sitting under the stars in Forest Park and watching an ensemble of top notch performers and technicians take on the task of staging one of William Shakespeare's classic works. Shakespeare Festival St. Louis is presenting HAMLET this time around, and it's a splendid production that will provide attendees with the opportunity to catch a performance of what may well be the most famous play in history. It's certainly Shakespeare's finest hour, and you're certain to encounter a veritable plethora of familiar phrases that have become part of our own creative language as you listen to his sparkling dialogue.

If I was going to introduce someone to the world of opera, I might have them take in a performance of THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO, because it's a tuneful show filled with farcical plot machinations that are both amusing and satisfying in the manner in which they unfold. There's a reason why Mozart's work, with its witty libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte (translated with considerable aplomb by Andrew Porter) has become one of the most performed operas of all time; it's a great deal of fun. The Opera Theatre of St. Louis has opened their Spring season with a charming and delightful production that perfectly captures the spirit of this delicious satire of the aristocracy.

The exhibition presents a suite of new abstract paintings by Barry Leibman who has made music the focus of his work. Past series included ones inspired by a Mozart clarinet concerto and music compositions by Erik Satie. He has also created assemblage paintings using the music of jazz artists like King Oliver, Cecil Taylor and Sun Ra, which were shown at the Sheldon Art Galleries in the group exhibition, Improvisus, curated by Alison Ferring in 2003. This recent body of work uses Mahler's Ninth Symphony as a springboard.

FloraDora, Circus Flora's largest and most elaborate annual gala event, includes a delectable assortment of Spanish fare and signature drinks from St. Louis' finest restaurants, a circus fantasy live auction, a 'Circo Diablo' performance and the rare opportunity to rub elbows with a mix of local celebrities, community leaders and circus performers alike. Proceeds benefit Circus Flora's educational outreach programs and the 2010 production, INGENIOSO.

St. Louis Actors' Studio concludes its third season with the world premiere of the performance piece THE STATE OF MARRIAGE. Conceived by Joan Lipkin, this original work is co-produced by That Uppity Theatre Company and St. Louis Actors' Studio in their first collaboration. The piece explores the changing face of marriage and considers the institution's complicated emotional, religious, and social dimensions and history.

The Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre's 50th Anniversary Season opens on June 2nd with the Lyceum premiere of Mel Brooks' THE PRODUCERS running through June 12. Winner of a record-breaking 12 Tony Awards in 2001 including Best Musical, this outrageously funny musical tells the story of a down-on-his-luck Broadway producer (Max Bialystock), played by Dana Snyder. Dana is returning to the Lyceum stage after a 16 year hiatus during which time he has appeared in many regional theatres from Austin to Cleveland.

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.