Chris Gibson - Page 48

The Missouri History Museum is a perfect venue for Chuck Lavazzi's retooled cabaret show JUST A SONG AT TWILIGHT, since it allows a number of slides to be projected (courtesy of Marjorie Williamson) which give life to Lavazzi's recollections of the golden age of vaudeville. There is also a very personal element to this presentation since Lavazzi explains that these classic, and largely forgotten tunes, were sung to him and his brother by his mother as lullabies. This combined with the informative nature of the show make for a uniquely pleasant, at times melancholy, and often amusing production by the West End Players Guild.

Federico Garcia Lorca's tragic play, BLOOD WEDDING, which Upstream Theater is currently presenting, is given a lyrical translation by Langston Hughes and a stunningly dark adaption by Melia Bensussen. From the opening moments until the final blackout, there's an intensity rarely found in theatrical productions, and only the coldest of souls will not be moved by the expected, but still deeply disturbing, ending. Superb work is culled from all the actors by Philip Boehm who has a real talent for delivering exceptionally atmospheric mood pieces such as this.

Pete Townshend and the Who's seminal rock opera classic TOMMY comes to the stage of the Tower Grove Abbey courtesy of Stray Dog Theatre adorned in steam punk fashion and scenic design. It's an exhilarating show powered by solid performances, a tight band, and engaging direction that never lets the pace slow for a moment. This is one of the few evenings of theatre that left me feeling goosebumps up my spine as the cast took their bows. A definite must see experience!

Playwright Neil Labute's REASONS TO BE PRETTY is the third in a trilogy of plays focusing on the modern day obsession with the way people look, following Shape of Things and Fat Pig. It's the least gimmicky of the three, relying on more honest sounding dialog delivered by four working class friends whose relationships taking interesting turns over the course of the work. NonProphet Theatre Company is presenting a sharp, straight-forward production that's clear and focused in execution.

HENRY V may well be the only one of Shakespeare's histories where no one is trying to oust the king of England. Instead, it's all about a plan to overthrow France, and thus we encounter one of my pet peeves; the outrageous french accent. St. Louis Shakespeare has mounted a handsome and rugged production of the play, but a number of Pythonesque accents have slipped in, marring an otherwise decent presentation. The first act is all politicking, but the second act more than makes up for it, helping us to understand why this play had been a rallying point for the British troops during World War II, with it's rousing battle at Agincourt, and the wooing of Princess Katherine.

A lot the single panel cartoons of Charles Addams appeared in The New Yorker, and a lot them didn't feature the particular characters we know and fondly remember as the Addams Family, they just had an offbeat sense of the bizarre, and often featured completely different characters. Some are even more than one panel in length, but those are rare. I own a couple of paperbacks (Homebodies and Drawn and Quartered) that collect these memorable and macabre masterpieces, and really, only a handful have the characters we've come to know and love. And, if turning 'Peanuts', a three panel strip, into a Broadway musical was a daunting task, you can imagine the dilemma faced by writers Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice. Thankfully, after much revising (a friend saw a preview in Chicago that ran over 3 hours), they seem to have got THE ADDAMS FAMILY right, or as close to the original lunacy as one can expect.

Just about every artist or creative type struggles with their home situation. It's truly a rare thing when your family actually nurtures your abilities rather than points you toward something more practical, or rather, something you can supposedly make a living doing ( I know mine didn't exactly support my acting aspirations). So, it's not uncommon for them to want to leave the nest and seek out like minded individuals who also possess their creative drive and spark. In PASSING STRANGE, playwright, composer and lyricist Stew (aka Mark Stewart, who shares composing credit with Heidi Rodewald) narrates a fictionalized account of his own experiences searching for some kind of reality he could identify with, and while it may be necessary to take the journey, sometimes the answers are really inside of you the whole time. This production by New Line Theatre provides a passionate experience, emboldened by excellent performances and top notch direction, and driven by superb work from the musicians playing the tuneful score.

MARK NIZER is a juggler extraordinaire, and there's simply no denying that fact once you're able to watch him work his artistry up close and personal. Whether he's doing something relatively simplistic such as your basic three balls gliding through the air, he manages to add a twist, like catching one on his neck, or on the back of his foot, and flipping it right back into succession with the rest. He's one of the best, if not the best, at what he does, and this past Saturday morning (September 17, 2011), he took to the stage of Washington University as part of their Ovations for Young People series to show why he's considered such. He managed to dazzle my entire family, including my 5-year old son, so you know the guy is all he's cracked up to be. And he adds a wrinkle to his act by doing some of his stunt work in 3-D.

Playwright Claudia Shear (with an assist in conception from James Lapine) has constructed an interesting take on your typical showbiz biography. DIRTY BLONDE combines elements and events taken from the life of Mae West, and plays them off of a romantic coupling. It's an odd combination that works charmingly, and provides some insight into what made that particular 'dirty blonde' click as a person and as a a performer.

Written, directed, and musical score composed by three mothers of children with autism THE VIOLINIST also stars a child with autism in a lead role. This play combines intrigue with inspiration, bringing to life a tale of deception and murder...of love, friendship and courage. Accompanied by a live musical ensemble, THE VIOLINIST will capture your heart and mind, as a 12-year-old boy finds in himself the capacity to do something extraordinary.

What is it about movie adaptations and Broadway? They're constantly adapting motion pictures for the stage, and yet, the majority are expensive flops and failures. Is it the fickle nature of the 'Great White Way', or simply cynical critics and theatre patrons who are jaded by these repeat offenders? Well, their loss is our gain, and the funny, romantic, utterly charming and delightful production of VICTOR/VICTORIA by Stages St. Louis is certainly proof enough that something is amiss in their estimations. This closer for Stages season is well worth you time and attention, and proves once again that some productions just work better in other venues.

Playwright Deborah Zoe Laufer's END DAYS is a whimsical sort of farce with heart, a humorous work that starts off amusing, but in the end, winds up teaching its characters what it means to be a real family. It's the kind of ensemble piece that the New Jewish Theatre does so well, and their current production is a well acted and neatly directed presentation that's a wacky delight.

The basic premise of THE WINNERS, a winner itself of the HotCity Theatre Greenhouse play competition, is really just a twist by playwright David L.Williams on the old idea about money buying (or not buying) happiness. However, there's something genuinely discomforting going on here that disturbs me, and not just as a theatre patron, but as a parent. I don't want to give away too much, because spoilers are always unwelcome in reviews, suffice to say that my enjoyment was hindered by some problematic elements that are key to the work. But I'd be a hypocrite if I said I didn't like it because the characters are unlikable or the story bothersome, because there are plenty of successful (and justly famous) plays that have the same kind of issues. Like a horror movie that makes you squirm in your seat uncomfortably, THE WINNERS is disquieting stuff, but that doesn't mean it isn't worthy of discussion, or viewing.

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis opens their season with a real corker. RED is simply ablaze with what I can only call abstract emotionalism, heating up the stage with intense performances and dialog that crackles with commentaries on art and life in general. This might be a critical cliché at this point, but this is one hot ticket and must-see event, with the two performers working under expert guidance and delivering a brilliant 90 minutes of theatre that makes you think, which is much too rare of an experience these days. This study of Mark Rothko, and the muse that guides him and his work is a sheer delight that makes you wonder what happened to any kind of real expressionism in the world of art.

HotCity Theatre, a professional theatre company with a focus on contemporary programming and new play development announces the opening of THE WINNERS by David L. Williams. THE WINNERS was the winning script for HotCity's 5th Annual GreenHouse New Play Festival in June 2010. It takes a serious look at responsibility and freedom and mayleave the audience questioning what problems money can truly solve in life.

Playwright Deanna Jent's FALLING is an intriguing piece of theatre, drawing on her own real life experiences caring for a teenager with autism, but creating something wholly original in the process. As the parent of a five year old, there's a frightening aspect to watching this tale unfold, thinking all the while that this could have been something I'd have had to deal with had this specific condition occurred to my own darling little boy. It's a scary thought indeed, and one that constantly cropped up in my head as I watched the story unfold. Would I have had the inner strength necessary to cope with such a problematic situation? Would my marriage have been able to withstand the strain? Mustard Seed Theatre's production raises these questions and more while also managing to entertain and bring a certain degree of good humor to the proceedings as well.

As we approach the 10th anniversary of 911, Blue Rose Stage Collective and River City Theatre are presenting playwright Anne Nelson's THE GUYS, which looks back at that fateful day in a most unique and diverting manner. If there's one thing this tragic day has taught us, it's to be aware and ever-vigilant, but also to remember, not just the event itself, but the brave people who gave their lives trying to rescue those poor souls trapped in the twin towers as the planes guided by terrorists struck them. It's a powerful and surprisingly, at times, light-hearted look at a particular time in our history that must never be forgotten, and this production is outstanding.

HotCity Theatre, a professional theatre company with a focus on contemporary programming and new play development announces the opening of THE WINNERS by David L. Williams. THE WINNERS was the winning script for HotCity's 5th Annual GreenHouse New Play Festival in June 2010. It takes a serious look at responsibility and freedom and mayleave the audience questioning what problems money can truly solve in life.

The first thing that might strike you about the very concept of this show, DEAD MAN WALKING is: why an opera? It's already been made into a movie that treated the foreboding subject matter with respect. Well, songs typically allow for emotional content to be spilled forth in musical theatre, and there is enough drama here to more than fill that need, so it just makes a kind of warped, but logical sense. And, the music is pure dissonance for the most part, with Jake Heggie's pounding, dark score laying a potent background for Terrence McNally's straightforward libretto. What would the point of a strong melody be anyway, you're not going to be humming these selections on the way home. Instead, you'll be thinking about the case itself, and the sacrifice Sister Helen made to try and get a seemingly cold-blooded killer to accept his crime and bring Christ into his life. You might even debate the death penalty a little, although the brutality of the crime may scotch any attempt to do that.

MISTAKES WERE MADE is a very funny play, full of in-jokes for those in the know of theatre and the Hollywood scene for sure, but also for those who are aware of the history of the French revolution. Although essentially the ravings of one man, the part of his secretary keeps him in check and adds a bit of sanity to the proceedings. In any event, Joe Hanrahan and Emily Piro are terrific in this 90 minute peek into the world of a desperate Broadway producer who works his wiles as he tries to get a show off and running by tying it to a hot Hollywood commodity. The Midnight Company's current presentation is playing at the Kranzberg Arts Center, and it's a must-see event.