Chris Gibson - Page 52

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.

HotCity Theatre, a professional theatre company with a focus on contemporary programming and new play development announces the Mainstage world premiere presentation of THE SINKER, written by Jami Brandli, with dramaturgical help from Erica Nagel. THE SINKER was the chosen script from the 2009 Annual GreenHouse new play festival.

Black Rep to present ART by Yasmina Reza May 5 - 23, 2010, a play which takes a profound look at the nature of friendship. When well-to-do Serge purchases an expensive painting it causes his best friend to question not only his taste, but his moral fiber as well. What do we really know about our friends and can friendship survive when we discover an unexpected, hard to believe truth about someone we think we know?

I was thirteen when Star Wars came out in May of 1977, and it made quite an impression on this particular teenage boy. I was a little older when The Empire Strikes Back came out, and even more so by the time Return of the Jedi premiered, but they were enjoyable romps as well, although I personally could have done without the Ewoks. Now, it's thirty-three years later, I get to witness the Magic Smoking Monkey Theatre's production of THE ONE-HOUR STAR WARS TRILOGY: LIVE!. I'm happy to report that it's a fond, fast and funny trip back in time for a fan like myself.

The Performing Arts Department (PAD) in Arts & Sciences will close its production of METAMORPHOSES, perhaps the most acclaimed theatrical work of the last decade, as its spring Mainstage production on May 2nd.

The plays of William Shakespeare have been reinterpreted many times over and set in a variety of places and times in order to use Shakespeare's words to tell other stories. Shakespeare has written such universal stories and characters that this can be done without changing the heart of the story. With ROMEO AND JULIET NJT does exactly this in order to shed light on history. In the NJT production, the setting is the British Mandate of Palestine in 1947-48 during the struggle to create the Jewish state of Israel. The show will end its run May 2nd.

THE COUNTRY GIRL will end its run at the Avalon Theatre Company on May 2nd. Georgie Elgin has suffered long years of devotion to actor husband, Frank. When Frank is offered what is needed to revive his career - a big role in an important new play, the play's brilliant director believes Georgie is the key to Frank's downfall...until a dynamic incident reveals the country girl's identity and exposes Frank's reality.

I was just a wee bit too old to have watched Sesame Street when it premiered on public television during the late 1960's, although I was certainly aware of its impact. But, it wasn't until my son was born a few years back that I was fully exposed to its sunny charms. Which is probably why AVENUE Q, the wickedly funny parody of this venerable children's classic, resonates so deeply with me. It's an incredibly amusing, adult-oriented satire filled with goofy puppets, catchy songs, and clever animated films, and it's currently playing the Fox Theatre for a brief run ending May 2, 2010.

Performing a one person show would seem to be a rather daunting task to me. After all, if you blank out or skip a part, there's no one around to guide you back to your place. That's what makes Teresa Doggett's work as SHIRLEY VALENTINE in Stray Dog Theatre's Studio Workshop Production so amazing. Willy Russell's clever and amusing script is given a terrific workout by this exceptionally talented actress, producing a very funny and touching show that's certainly deserving of your attention.

The Sheldon Art Galleries presents a gallery talk with Robert Koester, founder of Delmark Records and owner of the Jazz Record Mart in Chicago, Saturday, May 1 at 11 a.m. in the History of Jazz Gallery. Koester will speak on the history of Delmark Records in St. Louis in conjunction with the exhibition Legends of St. Louis Blues Music, ongoing through August 28, 2010. Admission Free.

Grammy Award-winning vocalist Steve Tyrell is truly a renaissance man. In his four decades in the music business, he is a two-time Emmy nominee and has achieved great success as a performing artist, producer, and songwriter. Tyrell helped to re-invent and re-popularize classic pop standards for a modern-day audience, and has worked with legendary artists such as Rod Stewart, Diana Ross, Ray Charles, Burt Bacharach, and Stevie Wonder.

Known for both his traditional style, and eclectic combination of rockabilly, honky tonk, and country music, American country music singer and Grammy Award-winning icon Marty Stuart is considered one of the genre's most historically minded 'new' traditionalists. He is an accomplished artist, performer, producer, writer, and photo-journalist, and has been a member of the Grand Ole Opry since 1992. He remains a vocal supporter of traditional country music, an astute photographer of legendary country performers and a constant collector of country-related artifacts, including the world-famous Nudie suits made popular by Roy Rogers and Elvis Presley.

The Friends of The Sheldon present the 11th Annual Sunset at The Sheldon Wine Tasting, Wednesday, May 26, 2010 from 6:30 p.m. until sunset on The Sheldon Observation Deck. Proceeds benefit Sheldon Educational Programs. The event is co-chaired by Jane Matoesian and Ken Aston. Sample and buy wines from Major Brands, enjoy hors d'oeuvres courtesy of Bryan Young Catering Plus, and relax to live music while watching the sun set at this annual fundraiser.

Do you sometimes just feel like running away from it all? Then come join Shirley Valentine on a hysterical adventure of a lifetime! Stray Dog Theatre is presenting Willy Russell's comedy SHIRLEY VALENTINE at the Tower Grove Abbey (2336 Tennessee Avenue) April 29 - May 15. Teresa Doggett stars and Edward Coffield directs this Studio Workshop Production. Performances take place Thursday through Saturday at 8pm. with the final Saturday featuring shows at 2pm and 8pm.

The Sheldon presents Sheldon Classics: Samuel Barber, featuring cellist Bjorn Ranheim, baritone James Ivey, and pianist Peter Henderson, Wednesday, April 28, 2010 at 8 p.m. in the perfect acoustics of the Sheldon Concert Hall. The American composer Samuel Barber was born 100 years ago and is probably best known for his Adagio for Strings. A quartet of symphony musicians will perform the String Quartet, Op. 11 that contains the famous Adagio, and cellist Bjorn Ranheim will perform Barber's Cello Sonata. Baritone James Ivey will sing his Dover Beach for voice and string quartet, and Peter Henderson will play Barber's Excursions for piano.

Andrew Lippa's musical adaptation of Joseph Moncure March's epic poem, THE WILD PARTY, is a brilliant work, especially if you're anything like me, and you like your entertainment on the dark side. It's a decadent jewel gleaming with sinister possibilities, and thus, far removed from the current trend toward sunny shows with predictably happy endings. Though set in 1928, it manages to perfectly capture the current mood of cynicism that seems to have run rampant through our country over the course of the last fifteen years. New Line Theatre's current presentation of THE WILD PARTY is a deliriously engaging experience, easily making it one of the best productions of the year.

Some people cannot be convinced of something unless they see it with their own two eyes, and even then they can be skeptical. This is a problem that Orgon, a character from Moliere's classic comedy TARTUFFE faces. Everyone around him, except his Mother, seems to understand that the man that Orgon has taken in has a less than stellar past, and that he's up to no good. But Orgon's blindness, even in the face of being confronted with eyewitness accounts, works against him taking any action against a man he sees as being perfectly pious. Mustard Seed Theatre has produced a funny and extremely well cast version of this play, and it's required viewing for anyone looking for something a little light and easy to take.

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.

It's been a long time since Mark Knopfler graced St. Louis with his presence and the wait was certainly worth it for those lucky enough to capture his performance at the Fox Theatre (April 22, 2010) this past Thursday. Flanked by a large band consistenting of any number of multi-instrumentalists, Knopfler delivered a crisp two hour set that mostly covered material from his solo career, but also included a few choice Dire Straits songs for those diehard fans who haven't kept up with this hugely talented guitarist and songwriter.

Upstream Theater will present the local premiere of OUTLYING ISLANDS by David Greig, one of Scotland's leading playwrights. Set on a remote island off the coast of Scotland on the eve of World War II, the play shows three characters caught in a web of mounting sexual tension. A keen exploration of the human animal, a moving study of young people grappling with emotions, and a brilliant snapshot of that pristine moment in 1939 before the cataclysm-told with a lyrical language that has a power all its own. For mature audiences.