Chris Gibson - Page 63

The Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre proudly presents IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE: A LIVE RADIO PLAY, November 14 - 22. Author, Joe Landry, has inventively adapted Frank Capra's classic film to the stage, re-inventing it as a live 1940's radio broadcast. Set in fictional radio station, WBFR, in New York City on Christmas Eve, five savvy 'studio' actors employ their vocal talents and live radio sound effects to bring the familiar residents and environs of Bedford Falls to life.

The Sheldon Gala 2010 welcomes Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, 'A Tribute to Peggy and Jerry Ritter,' Saturday, March 13, 2010 at 7:30 p.m. in the perfect acoustics of the Sheldon Concert Hall. Acclaimed jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis returns with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra for an elegant evening of swinging sounds. Hot jazz, cool cocktails, dinner and dancing will make this an unforgettable evening! Co-chairs for Gala 2010 are Jerry & Mary Beth Daniels and David & Barbara Gifford.

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.

Mustard Seed Theatre's production of FIDDLER ON THE ROOF is being billed as a more intimate staging, eschewing some of the elements of spectacle and scope that can often overwhelm this simple tale. This presentation succeeds by focusing our attention on Joseph Stein's characters, and their joyous celebration of life. It's also a good way to appreciate Jerry Brock (music) and Sheldon Harnick's (lyrics) delightful score, with the meaning coming through with clarity and precision. The cozy confines of the black box theatre on the campus of Fontbonne College provides a perfect space for this timeless classic.

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis begin their studio theatre season with a bang with Bob Clyman's SECRET ORDER, presenting a provocative and timely work that illustrates the tenuous relationships forged between government, science, and the major pharmaceutical companies. A recent visit to the FDA website reveals that, nearly every day, a drug or product is recalled due to it posing a significant risk to the health of the general populace. Even with stringent safeguards in place data can be misinterpreted, or just plain 'fudged', so it will better fit a particular case study.

Set predominantly in New York, RAGTIME follows three families - one Jewish immigrant, one upper-class Protestant and one African-American - as their lives intertwine amidst the era's social upheavals. At the center of the story is Coalhouse Walker Jr., a successful and easygoing ragtime piano player who turns to violence after a white mob destroys his custom Model T.

It's time to do the 'Time Warp' again! The NonProphet Theater Company presents THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW by Richard O'Brien as the third show in their 2009 season just in time for Halloween.

Mustard Seed Theatre presents FIDDLER ON THE ROOF October 30 - November 22, 2009 at the Fontbonne University Black Box Theatre in the Fine Arts Building at 6800 Wydown Boulevard in Clayton. Celebrate the lives of Tevye and his family as they navigate tradition, progress, love and hate. You'll see this well-loved musical in a new light: staged in an intimate setting, focused on the characters and the melodies of their relationships.

It's a timeless tale: two rivalrous brothers vie for the love of a single woman. But REMEMBER ME, the ambitious new collaboration between Parsons Dance Company and the East Village Opera Company (EVOC), is anything but old-fashioned. Combining contemporary dance with live and recorded music as well as video projections, aerial choreography and special effects, Remember Me is at once rock-opera and opera that really rocks.

St. Louis Actors' Studio, continuing its third season, is honored to participate in the Missouri History Museum's Performing Arts Series with A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS. Robert Bolt's classic Tony Award-winning play tells the true story of 16th century Chancellor of England Sir Thomas More. A religiously devout man of conscience, More objected to King Henry VIII's break from the Catholic Church - a decision that led to his prosecution.

On the heels of the well-received ensemble piece, Three Tall Women, and the daring and quirky The Lady from Dubuque, Muddy Waters Theatre Company wraps its 2009 Edward Albee season, Mothers and Other Strangers, with what is probably his best known and most respected play, WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?. The play will run Nov. 6-22 at the Kranzberg Art Center in the Big Brothers Big Sisters Building at Grand and Olive.

Reading the director's notes for NonProphet Theater Company's production of THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW had me wondering, if indeed, 'many people have never seen the movie, much less the stage show'. I mean, I grew up during the 1960's and 70's, so I was exposed to the cult that is 'Rocky Horror' as soon as I could drive (or catch a ride) down to the Varsity Theater on Delmar for a midnight screening. But, I guess the mass proliferation of DVD's and widescreen TV's have replaced that unique communal rite of passage.

For me, it's the elegant and warm combination of their voices that gives Chad and Jeremy their unique appeal. As evidenced by this spirited concert performance, their vocals are still very much in tact after all this time, and it's a tribute to their gifts that they can even deliver an a capella number in perfect pitch. There's just something sunny and affable floating through these charming selections that can't help but make you smile inside and out.

Upstream Theater will open its fifth season with the US premiere of Ingmar Villqist's internationally acclaimed HELVER'S NIGHT, translated from the Polish and directed by Philip Boehm, starring Linda Kennedy and Christopher Harris, with set design by Scott C. Neale, costumes by Michele Siler, and lighting by Joe W. Clapper.

It's time to do the 'Time Warp' again! The NonProphet Theater Company presents THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW by Richard O'Brien as the third show in their 2009 season just in time for Halloween.

Terrence McNally's script for the musical version of RAGTIME, taken from E. L. Doctorow's popular novel from the mid 1970's, attempts to squeeze as much information out of the book as possible. It succeeds, where the movie adaptation failed, in capturing the full spectrum of Doctorow's work. The Washington University Performing Arts Department, in conjunction with the Black Rep, is presenting a well mounted production directed with considerable flair by Ron Himes.

SLEUTH, being a thriller of sorts, may be best viewed by a novice, where its many intricacies of plot can be better appreciated, although that may be increasingly difficult to accomplish with the recent cable TV airings of the 2007 film remake. However, that attitude would be doing a disservice to Shaffer's witty script, which offers up a steady stream of delicious and sharply barbed dialogue to enjoy. The Rep's current production is a dazzling show that engages the viewer from start to finish. Even someone familiar with the outcome will enjoy this performance-driven presentation.

Based on Laurie Frey's own experience dealing with the physical ravages of stage three breast cancer, UNBEATABLE! attempts to put a musical spin on her story, providing viewers with a unique interpretation of Frey's struggle to overcome this deadly disease. The most appreciative audience for this material may well be cancer survivors and the extended families of anyone who's ever been touched by this terrible illness.

It's time to do the 'Time Warp' again! The NonProphet Theater Company presents THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW by Richard O'Brien as the third show in their 2009 season just in time for Halloween.

Set predominantly in New York, RAGTIME follows three families - one Jewish immigrant, one upper-class Protestant and one African-American - as their lives intertwine amidst the era's social upheavals. At the center of the story is Coalhouse Walker Jr., a successful and easygoing ragtime piano player who turns to violence after a white mob destroys his custom Model T.