Chris Gibson - Page 59

In two short monologues, David Hare shares his musings on famous modern walls: one missing in Berlin and another dividing Israel. Observing the mindsets, attitudes, and values of local residents, Hare reports, questions, and discovers the impact of walls-absent and present-and wonders about the future of freedom with his work, BERLIN/WALL.

The first thing I was reminded of while watching John Kolvenbach's funny and intriguing play, LOVE SONG, was David Lynch's surreal cult film, ERASERHEAD, if only for the obvious comparisons that pop up between their respective protagonists. Henry, in ERASERHEAD, is a lonely daydreamer with an overactive and dark imagination, and so, to a degree, is Beane from LOVE SONG. But, the comparisons really end there. LOVE SONG follows an odd, melancholy, yet decidedly cheerier path, presenting its audience with a number of strong laughs, and plenty to chew on. The St. Louis Actors' Studio's current production is a charming and provocative delight, buoyed by a talented cast and sharp direction.

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis opens 2010 with a brilliant adaptation of director Alfred Hitchcock's classic of the silver screen, THE 39 STEPS. Patrick Barlow's script based on Simon Corble and Nobby Dimon's original conception (as well as John Buchan's novel and Hitchcock's amazing film) utilizes the services of a mere four actors to carry the action of this purposely convoluted plot, which not only requires a great deal of talent, but also a certain degree of speed in order pull off all of the tricky transitions that occur. This witty 'tour de farce' is a non-stop laugh riot, performed by a game and terrific cast that keeps the hilarity flowing from start to finish.

Jim Butz, Kevin Kline Award-winner, will play the doomed Prince of Denmark in Shakespeare Festival St. Louis' production of HAMLET, set to open May 26th in Shakespeare Glen, Forest Park. Butz, brother of Tony Award-winner Norbert Leo Butz, is a St. Louis native, and was previously seen at the Festival as Mark Antony in JULIUS CAESAR. Bruce Longworth directs Shakespeare Festival St. Louis' 10th anniversary Shakespeare production, free to the public in Forest Park. Complete casting will be announced in early February.

The Sheldon presents THE MUNY KIDS:JUST IMAGINE Saturday, January 30, 2010 at 11 a.m. in the perfect acoustics of the Sheldon Concert Hall. Take a musical journey with a young girl searching for true happiness - a story told through great musical theatre numbers. The Muny is a St. Louis institution, bringing Broadway music to life every summer for over 90 years. The Muny Kids have the energy and talent to make this a perfect concert for young and old!

In January ScrapArtsMusic will bring its unforgettable 'action percussion' to Washington University's Edison Theatre as part of the 2009-10 OVATIONS Series. The one-night-only performance will begin at 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 23. Tickets are $32; $28 seniors and Washington University faculty and staff; and $20 for students and children. In addition, at 11 a.m. that morning, the five-member ensemble will present a special all-ages matinee as part of the ovations for young people series. Tickets are $10.

New Line Theatre, 'the Bad Boy of Musical Theatre,' now in its nineteenth season of provocative, adult, alternative musical theatre, offers its second annual musical theatre scholarship, this year in the amount of $1,000, to be awarded to one St. Louis metro area high school senior who plans to study musical theatre in college. The scholarship has been funded by donations from New Line supporters. The deadline for applying is April 1, 2010, and guidelines are on the New Line website at http://www.newlinetheatre.com/scholarship.html. Last year's recipient was Jake Fruend of Webster High School.

Everything old is new again in this solo cabaret debut by veteran actor, critic, and broadcaster Chuck Lavazzi called JUST A SONG AT TWILIGHT - THE GOLDEN AGE OF VAUDEVILLE. He presents a grab bag of comedy, songs and stories from the first two decades of the newly minted 20th century.

St. Louis Actors' Studio continues its third season, themed Love and Honor with an offbeat comedy: John Kolvenbach's LOVE SONG. When Beane-a lonely oddball-suddenly finds blissful happiness with the woman who was burgling his apartment, his sister Joan is baffled. Even as Joan attempts to unravel the identity of this mysterious new love in Beane's life, her brother's newfound joy seeps into her own life and rekindles her marriage. LOVE SONG is an exhilarating and menacingly comic rhapsody to the power of love-whatever form it may take.

A sleek and sexy production of Kander and Ebb's brilliant musical, CHICAGO, is currently playing the Fox Theatre for a brief run (January 1-3, 2010). If you've only ever seen the film version, then you should do yourself a favor and check out the more minimalistic staging carried over from the 1996 revival by producers Barry and Fran Weissler.

2009 provided me with the opportunity to review 126 of the more than 200 shows that were available in the St. Louis region, and it began in terrific fashion with New Line Theatre's NIGHT OF THE LIVING SHOW TUNES. This was a wonderful sampling of contemporary show tunes performed by a cast of talented locals, and featuring artistic director Scott Miller's fine accompaniment on piano. In the acoustically perfect confines of the Sheldon Concert Hall, these unique melodies made a glorious noise. And, as I continued on my quest to expose my young son to the world of musical theatre, I ended the year with the Imaginary Theatre Company's splendid presentation of BAH! HUMBUG!. I was lucky enough to catch quite a few gems in between, and I've decided to compile a list of the ten most intriguing and engaging productions I saw in 2009.

Do you dance? Have you ever danced around? A decision? With a lover, around an issue or a job? When it comes time to pay the band, is the dancing always done? In his show, THE DANCE, Jeff Wright dances with you and around you, and for seventy-five minutes he won't let you go. With songs from Howard Dietz and Arthur Schwartz, Sammy Cahn, James Taylor, Jule Styne, Craig Carnelia, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton and Elton John.

The Sheldon presents Robert Schumann, Wednesday, January 27, 2010 in the perfect acoustics of the Sheldon Concert Hall. We celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of the great Romantic composer Robert Schumann with performances of his Sonata for Violin, No. 1 in A Minor by Symphony Concert Master David Halen, and the Quartet for piano, violin, viola and cello. Featuring pianist Peter Henderson, the evening will also include Schumann lieder and solo music for piano.

Jamie Adkins can walk on wire, stand atop unsupported ladders, do handstands off the back of a chair and juggle just about anything. But in CIRCUS INCOGNITUS, this internationally acclaimed clown, balancing artist and acrobat - a featured soloist with Cirque du Soleil and Montreal's Cirque Éloize - must attempt the one thing he fears most: public speaking. Next month Adkins will bring CIRCUS INCOGNITUS, his family friendly solo show, to Washington University's Edison Theatre.

For my last undertaking of 2009, my family and I attended the Imaginary Theatre Company's presentation of a modern re-telling of Charles Dickens' classic tale, A Christmas Carol, called BAH! HUMBUG!. A terrific cast really enlivens Jack Herrick's tuneful score and clever script, providing a wonderfully entertaining production that's perfect for children and adults, and acting as a fitting close to my own holiday theatrical odyssey.

As the New Jewish Theatre continues its Bat Mitzvah Season, we take another look at Father-Son relationships with Donald Margulies' brilliant BROOKLYN BOY which opens with a preview performance on Wednesday, December 2 and runs through December 20. For this production, we will once again return to Clayton High School's more intimate Little Theatre.

Avalon Theatre Company is proud to present its first holiday production, AN O.HENRY CHRISTMAS, A Christmas Musical by Peter Ekstrom, December 3 - 20 at Avalon in ArtSpace at Crestwood Court. AN O.HENRY CHRISTMAS is comprised of two heart-warming one-act musicals based on the classic O. Henry stories, The Gift of the Magi and The Last Leaf.

Stray Dog Theatre continues their non-traditional Holiday offerings with Sister Mary Ignatius! Sister Mary will have you roaring with laughter at her cookies and commentary on everything from redemption, sin, heaven, hell, and the after-life. When Sister Mary is visited by four of her former pupils (now adults) the fireworks really begin!

A wickedly funny alternative to traditional candy-cane cheer. Scandal erupts at the North Pole when one of Santa's eight tiny reindeer accuses him of sexual harassment. As the mass media descends upon the event, the other members of the sleigh team demand to share their perspectives, and a horrific tale of corruption and perversion emerges -which seems to implicate everyone from the teeniest elf to the tainted Saint himself.

I originally saw Paul Blake and David Ives' adaptation of the 1954 movie WHITE CHRISTMAS back in 2006 at the Muny. There have been some minor changes made to it since then, but it still follows the basic plot of the movie fairly closely. In fact, most of the changes center on the inclusion of additional tunes by Irving Berlin. But, any time a film is reworked for the stage it's going to draw the inevitable comparisons to its original source material, and this version, which features some outstanding moments of song and dance, falls a bit short of expectations.