Stephen Bourneuf News

I had the distinct privilege of being invited to attend Cheers! STAGES St. Louis' Annual Summer Cabaret last week, and it was a unique and fun experience that I was able to share with my young son. It's a yearly event that's designed to raise funds for STAGES' educational and artistic programs, and it featured a number of very interesting and entertaining performances, as well as some tasty appetizers and desserts prepared by Michael Brightman's With Love Catering. To say the event was a success is an understatement. What made this particular presentation especially memorable was the world premiere of a work-in-progress production of THE STORY GOES ON, which is a brand new revue of the songs of Richard Maltby, Jr. and David Shire.

STAGES St. Louis welcomes back its red-hot award-winning smash hit The Full Monty! Featuring a powerful story with enduring characters, this hilarious, yet heartwarming musical comedy will run September 4 - October 4 at the Robert G. Reim theatre in Kirkwood. 

When you've been reviewing shows for a while you're bound to see a few more than once or twice. And, while I've had the opportunity to see ANYTHING GOES a couple of times before, I can honestly say this is the finest production I've been privileged to attend. Packed with a slew of memorable tunes (music and lyrics by the late, great Cole Porter), a clever and very amusing script (new book by Timothy Crouse and John Weidman), high energy dancing, and a top notch cast, this ranks as one of my favorites shows of the year. Stages St. Louis consistently delivers quality entertainment, but this presentation far exceeded my already high expectations, and I honestly consider it to be a must-see! It's a genuine crowd pleasing experience that will make you want to come back for more. But, get your tickets now, because it will surely sell-out quickly!

STAGES St. Louis continues the voyage through its 29th season with the tap-happy Broadway classic, Anything Goes. The de-lovely Cole Porter musical comedy from Broadway's Golden Age kicks off performances today, July 17th, where it will run through August 16th at the Robert G. Reim Theatre in Kirkwood.

STAGES St. Louis continues the voyage through its 29th season with the tap-happy Broadway classic, Anything Goes. The de-lovely Cole Porter musical comedy from Broadway's Golden Age will run July 17th - August 16th at the Robert G. Reim Theatre in Kirkwood.

STAGES St. Louis celebrates its 100th production with Smokey Joe's Cafe, from the legendary rock and roll songwriting team, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. The show will run through June 28 at the Robert G. Reim Theatre in Kirkwood. Due to an unprecedented advance in sales, STAGES has added a performance to the original schedule on Sunday, June 21st at 7:30 pm.

Stages St. Louis opens their 29th season with an all out party, with their audience-pleasing presentation of SMOKEY JOE'S CAFE, which celebrates the musical collaborations of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. Now, if you want to know their backstory, then read their autobiography, 'Hound Dog', but if you just want to have a blast of an evening, then sit back and enjoy this imaginative musical tribute to 39 of their songs, keeping in mind that's just the tip of the iceberg for these Brill Building wonders who had 70 charted hits over the course of their writing partnership. Stages really pulls out all the stops to make sure that each number is unique in its own way, and when they aren't seriously rocking the house, they are either scorching hot, or just plain hilarious. You won't want to miss this rollicking revue!

STAGES St. Louis has announced casting for its exhilarating 29th season: Smokey Joe's Cafe, Anything Goes, and The Full Monty. This season's exceptional talent voyages through songs and stories of diverse relationships, the bonds of friendship, and strength found in community. STAGES also announces the cast for its Theatre for Young Audiences production, the purrrrr-fect family classic, Disney's The Aristocats. All season and single tickets are on sale now.

Nearly 400 people hooped, hollered and packed the auditorium at the Center of Creative Arts (COCA) on Monday, March 23, 2015 for the third annual St. Louis Theater Circle Awards ceremony. The event honors outstanding achievement in local professional theater by performers and behind-the-scenes artists. Awards were given in 31 different categories covering comedy, drama and musicals, along with two special awards bestowed on Donna Northcott, founder and artistic director of St. Louis Shakespeare, and Agnes Wilcox, founder and artistic director of Prison Performing Arts. Both women have retired this year and turned their companies over to new artistic directors, Suki Peters for St. Louis Shakespeare and Christopher Limber at Prison Performing Arts.

New Line Theatre's production of BONNIE & CLYDE tied with Stages St. Louis' rendition of HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING with nine nominations apiece for the St. Louis Theater Circle Awards to lead nominations for all shows produced by local professional theater companies in 2014.

On Monday, August 11th STAGES St. Louis hosted Cheers!, a one-night-only cabaret event benefiting the organization's Education and Artistic Programs. This year's theme, Broadway Goes Country, featured some of STAGES' favorite talents including Jacqueline Petroccia and Zoe Vonder Haar (currently playing in the hit production of Always... Patsy Cline). The show also featured cast members, Johmaalya Adelekan and Steve Isom from STAGES current mainstage production How To Succeed In Business..., and former TeamSTAGES members Broadway Actress Taylor Louderman and also Jeff Foster. Under the direction of STAGES Associate Artistic Director Stephen Bourneuf, this sixth annual Cabaret was fun, fresh, and financially successful, breaking all previous records.

The corporate business world of today is far removed from the tropes that abound in the musical HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING, and that's one of things that makes it so interesting and enjoyable to watch, particularly when it's a production as sharply staged and exuberantly performed as the current presentation by Stages St. Louis. This is the type of musical that this company really excels at, and the overall enthusiasm and energy expended on the stage of the Robert G. Reim Auditorium makes this show an absolute must-see!

Along with their regular productions each season, Stages St. Louis always presents a show that's part of their Theatre for Young Audiences series. Since I've been reviewing theatre in St. Louis I've made an effort to attend one of these performances (with my son along for the experience) because they're always very well done, and it's important to me that children are exposed to the arts. This year's effort is Disney's SLEEPING BEAUTY, and it continues an excellent tradition of providing families with a lively and fun show that's a genuine treat.

I've always been curious about THEY'RE PLAYING OUR SONG, but I'd never had the chance to see it before. You have to be intrigued by the fact that prolific playwright Neil Simon wrote the book, and also because Marvin Hamlisch and Carole Bayer Sager, who are responsible, together and separately, for some of the biggest hits to come out of the 1970's and early 80's, wrote the score. So, I'm here to report that the current production by Stages St. Louis is a delightful romantic comedy filled with catchy tunes that would make a perfect "date night" for couples.

STAGES St. Louis will open its 28th season with a musical gem rarely seen in St. Louis, They're Playing Our Song tonight, May 30th through June 29th at the Robert G. Reim Theatre in Kirkwood. Romance, laughter, and great music come together in a sweet and sophisticated musical romp that will have you singing along from curtain up to curtain down!

STAGES St. Louis will open its 28th season with a musical gem rarely seen in St. Louis, They're Playing Our Song May 30th through June 29th at the Robert G. Reim Theatre in Kirkwood. Romance, laughter, and great music come together in a sweet and sophisticated musical romp that will have you singing along from curtain up to curtain down!

On Monday, August 12th STAGES ST. LOUIS hosted Legally HOT,a one-night-only cabaret event benefiting the organization's Education and Artistic Programs. Legally HOT featured some of STAGES' favorite talents including Ben Nordstrom (currently playing Emmett in Legally Blonde, The Musical) and Zoe Vonder Haar (who played Louise in the recent hit production of Always... Patsy Cline). The show also featured cast members from Legally Blonde, The Musical, including Heather Jane Rolff (Paulette), Brandon Davidson (Warner), Stephen Barnowski, Melinda Cowan, Patch David, Joe Grandy, Julia Johanos, and Jonathan Kwock as they let off a little steam and beat the summer heat. Under the direction of STAGES Associate Artistic Director Stephen Bourneuf, with additional choreography by Ron Gibbs and Vince Pesce, this fifth annual Cabaret was fun, fresh, and financially successful, beating last year's record.

STAGES ST. LOUIS invites you into the magical world of Disney's Cinderella, for its Theatre for Young Audiences production, today, June 19-30 at the Skip Viragh Center for the Arts at Chaminade College Preparatory School. Disney's treasured retelling of everyone's favorite fairy tale comes to glorious life on stage with an enchanting score including, the Disney anthem, 'A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes,' and the magical 'Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo'.Disney's Cinderella will charm its way into your heart, and once again remind you that dreams really do come true!

STAGES ST. LOUIS invites you into the magical world of Disney's Cinderella, for its Theatre for Young Audiences production, this June 19-30 at the Skip Viragh Center for the Arts at Chaminade College Preparatory School. Disney's treasured retelling of everyone's favorite fairy tale comes to glorious life on stage with an enchanting score including, the Disney anthem, 'A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes,' and the magical 'Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo'.Disney's Cinderella will charm its way into your heart, and once again remind you that dreams really do come true!