James Lindhorst - Page 5

STAGES St. Louis has resurrected the spirits of Elvis, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis in a dazzling, high energy and flashy production of MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET. This show is musical theatre perfection from top to bottom. The performances are spectacular. The musicianship is masterful. The vocals are sensational. The technical theatre work is otherworldly. The entire cast, crew, and production design team have assembled a production that is in a class by itself. STAGES St. Louis has the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center (KPAC) rockin’!

October is Broadway Month at Blue Strawberry Showroom and Lounge. On October 25th and 26th, Tony Winner for JERSEY BOYS, John Lloyd Young takes the stage for two shows. The following two nights, October 27th and 28th Joe Serafini from Disney+ HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL will make his Blue Strawberry debut.

TWSTL’s SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER is a fairly well-constructed production of Tennessee William’s play. There is a lot to unpack in the 90-minute psychological drama including maternal obsession, malice, repressed homosexuality, mental illness, manipulation, pedophilia, greed, and cannibalism. Most of it works, some of it doesn’t, and leads to a conclusion that may leave the audience unsatisfied.

The Blue Strawberry welcomes Broadway and Muny veteran Beth Leavel for two cabaret performances on October 21st and 22nd. Broadway World had the opportunity to sit down with her and chat about her upcoming shows. She shared, “the audience will get to hear stories and songs from my sordid career.” Leavel continued, “there will be moments that will surprise you and some stories that you haven’t heard before that have actually happened.” She added the show is filled with lots of laughs and some great showtunes.

Schwetye’s vision is brought to life by the crisp direction of Lucy Capshion. Her brisk blocking moves the actors from scene to scene across the two time periods with ease. Capshion effectively guides the energetic performances of her actors so the audience can clearly distinguish which of the two characters each is portraying.

This production of KINKY BOOTS by is a show with a lot of heart and a few too many technical glitches, especially related to the mics and sound design. Director Taylor Gruenloh, his cast, and crew get a lot right with this production. Good performances, fun choreography, and some inventive staging made this production of KINKY BOOTS entertaining, especially for those who love this show. Gruenloh didn’t take the easy route, keeping many of the fun elements from the original Broadway Production, and adapting them to a much smaller performance space. The upbeat Act One closer, ‘Everybody say Yeah,’ and early second act doozy ‘In this Corner’ were staged with all the intricacies and blocking of the original production. The presentation and choreography of these big numbers illustrate that with directorial vision a streamlined version of a big musical does not have to sacrifice memorable elements. But what was sacrificed was the energy and strong performances from the ensemble and featured players. Their mics were either left too low or not turned on, perhaps to avoid feedback or other issues. As a result, the dialogue, solos, and background vocals from the ensemble were often lost, significantly reducing the overall energy from the ensemble, not allowing this good production to achieve greatness.

Glass Elevator’s inaugural production of a 60-minute play of caustic humor showed that this company has an artistic vision that needs to be explored further. The St. Louis arts community may have a budding theatre group to add to the robust and growing number of companies who produce plays and musicals of high quality.

The Muny has delivered a big, bold, over-the-top production of delightful disco divinity that exceeds every expectation. Credit Director and Choreographer Dennis Jones for his directorial vision and collaboration with the entire production team. He, and The Muny’s casting partners at The Telsey Office, have assembled a phenomenal cast with loads of talent, who supply big laughs, and deliver exceptional vocal performances while executing on Jones’ spirited choreography. The acting is superb. Every member of this onstage company performs at their highest level. The orchestrations are first rate. The choreography is amusing and animated. The scenic design is grandiose. The interior of the gothic church on the large Muny turntable is cathedral-like. Huge accolades to the Muny’s costume shop and costume designer Leon Dobkowski. The vintage 1970s costumes are flashy, colorful eye candy. The flow of Dobkowski’s costumes enhanced every movement of the energetic choreography. Shelby Leonard’s dazzling lighting design rivaled the glittery costumes and created a lighthearted and carnivalesque mood. Everything about this Muny production is miraculous.

Broadway World had the opportunity to sit-down with Director Taylor Gruenloh, and the shows two leads, Tiélere Cheatem who plays Lola and Kelvin Urday who plays Charlie Price. Each of them shared their excitement about their production of KINKY BOOTS, getting to work in the Grandel Theatre, and what show means to each of them.

Director Phil Wright magnificently captures the playwrights voice in this premiere production of WAYWARD. He leads a talented cast to tell the stories of the young women who were forced to give their babies up for adoption due to the societal norms of the 1960s. Wright’s analysis of the script and his collaboration with his cast take Berg’s compelling characters from page to stage with genuine realness and authenticity. Each of the actors successfully and effectively creating brand-new characterizations of never before played roles. Eric Berg has penned an extraordinary narrative filled with fascinating characters facing trying personal situations while navigating complex relationships. While his work takes on a serious subject matter and an important topic his script is not without a few light moments and laughs. Wright’s staging of the play is phenomenal and his work with his cast and crew have breathed life into a new play that is both entertaining and captivating.

Kelly Howe and Joe Hanrahan, the creative minds behind the blockbuster Linda Ronstadt show JUST ONE LOOK are premiering a brand-new narrative driven cabaret show titled PROFESSOR SUNSHINE’S TRAVELING POST-APOCALYPTIC ROCK AND ROLL REVIVAL on September 20th and 23rd at The Blue Strawberry in St. Louis. Loosely based on Old West Traveling shows, PROFESSOR SUNSHINE’S TRAVELING POST-APOCALYPTIC ROCK AND ROLL REVIVAL will feature the music of Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Patti Smith and more.

Director Lili-Anne Brown follows up her magnificent production of last season’s THE COLOR PURPLE with a poignant production of RENT and the story of friends who are coping with the extreme circumstances of life-threatening disease and poverty. Her treatment of Jonathan Larson’s RENT remains true to the intimacy of the original production.

The Blue Strawberry continues to bring some of the biggest Broadway names to St. Louis, making it the preeminent cabaret venue in the area. The club has recently announced the return engagement of RENT’s Adam Pascal for three shows, October 6th, 7th and 8th. In addition, they have added two shows featuring Tony winner Beth Leavel on October 20th and 21st.

Fans of Judy Garland will love Midnight Company’s production of YOU MADE ME LOVE YOU for three reasons. First, because Hanrahan’s script about Garland’s life and career is compelling. Second, because Owens is relatable when she is sharing Garland’s story to the audience. Finally, because of the delightful nostalgia of Judy Garland’s music catalog.

Director Brian McKinley, his cast, orchestra and technical team have staged a production of CAROLINE, OR CHANGE that elevates the script and score. In his first try as a director, McKinley has led a vocally accomplished cast and an exceptional crew to a tremendous success. CAROLINE, OR CHANGE will continue at The Marcelle through August 12th.

St. Louis Stages is producing their first play in decades with their astonishing, brilliant and comical production of CLUE. The dictionary doesn’t hold enough superlatives to describe the superb quality of this production. This review is going to sound cliché in its description but be assured that a hysterical and entertaining 90-minutes awaits anyone who buys a ticket to witness murder, see whodunnit and experience theatrical excellence.

Director Maggie Burrows and choreographer William Carlos Angulo have put their unique spin on this frighteningly fun new Muny production of LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS. Burrows knows that for any production of LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS to succeed it requires stellar lead and background vocals from the trio of storytellers named Chiffon, Ronnette, and Crystal who open the show and drive the story’s narrative. In the opening number Angulo's choreography, inspired by the female singing groups of the 1960s, is accented with sharp zombie-like choreography to set the tone that something evil is about to go down. Every element of the trio’s vocal arrangement and choreography is perfectly detailed. Taylor Marie Daniel (Chiffon), Stephanie Gomerez (Ronnette), and Kennedy Holmes (Crystal) make a fabulous female trio. Each are individually terrific, but their work as a collective group is dynamic. Their delivery of the “Prologue (Little Shop of Horrors),” “Skid Row,” and “Dee Doo” sets this comically entertaining and macabre production in motion.

Schall and Schmidt are a lovely duo providing a vintage feel of a 1940’s supper club. Wrapping his vocals with his pleasing tenor and a deep resonant lower register, Schall takes on standards of old and what he calls the new standards of the 1970s Baby Boomers. His opening set is “S Wonderful” as he takes on some of the most popular standards of old including “I Can’t Give You Anything but Love, Baby,” and “Almost Like being in Love.” The diners are also treated to his unique takes on Lerner and Loewe’s “Wouldn’t it be Loverly,” and “On the Street Where You Live” from MY FAIR LADY. His second set included some of the biggest hits of the late 1960’s and 1970s with “Up on the Roof,” “New York State of Mind,” “Both Sides Now,” and more. Schmidt accompanies him splendidly on piano and helps return romance to dining in an intimate setting where you come for a leisurely dinner and to be entertained by a skilled musician accompanying an outstanding vocalist.

Ruggiero, his casting partner’s at Telsey & Co., and the Muny assembled an appropriately youthful, talented and beautiful cast. Every member of this young cast understands how to use lyrics plus subtext to tell story through song. Kanisha Feliciano’s (Maria) gorgeous soprano pierces the stratosphere.

Sisters Andrea (Alicen Moser) and Eloise (Summer Baer), and their first cousin Isabella (Ashley Bauman) are the trio of women who help one another cope with the hardships that life throws at them. Moser, Baer and Bauman access their character’s genuine feelings by tapping into the character’s emotional state. Each of the three actors realistically convey their character’s anger, love, sadness, fear and joy. It is in each of their emotional performances that make The Midnight Company’s production of THE YEARS compelling. There is such realness in their performances that the audience senses their familial ties.