Chris Gibson - Page 52

Adapted and directed by Black Rep producing director Ron Himes, BLACK NATIVITY tells St. Luke's story of the birth of Christ with an ensemble cast that features inspiring gospel songs and graceful dancing. The Black Rep first produced BLACK NATIVITY 20 years ago, and will reprise the play as a prelude to its 33rd season, which begins in January.

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!

The 2009 season for the Lyceum Theatre draws to a close with IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE - A LIVE RADIO PLAY. This is a unique take on the familiar holiday film classic that's been reworked for the stage by Joe Landry; in this case as a radio dramatization. What's interesting to me is that it was quite common during the golden age of radio to adapt current movies for the airwaves, and that was actually done back in the 1940's with Frank Capra's timeless feature. So, you're essentially viewing a fictionalized version of an event that genuinely occurred at some point. And, it's a perfectly charming and delightful experience.

As soon as you hear the strains of the keyboard riff from The Who's 'Baba O'Reily' blending seamlessly into Mozart's 'Overture for Figaro', you know you're in for something different. With their co-creation, REMEMBER ME, Parsons Dance and the East Village Opera Company have crafted an exhilarating combination of music and modern dance that manages to transcend both mediums, transforming a simple story into something wholly new and visually arresting.

The Sheldon presents The Sheldon Chorale, 'Yuletide Reflections,' Monday, December 14 at 8 p.m. in the perfect acoustics of the Sheldon Concert Hall. Enjoy refined choral repertoire performed by the 25-person chorale, directed by Allen Carl Larson, and accompanied by musicians from Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra. Patrick Murphy from KETC will narrate and act as storyteller for the evening as patrons enjoy familiar carols, as well as some unusual and beautiful ones, along with Vivaldi's Gloria.

The Sheldon presents 'Go Tell It On The Mountain,' The Blind Boys of Alabama Christmas Show, Saturday, December 12, 2009 at 8 p.m. in the perfect acoustics of the Sheldon Concert Hall. One of today's most celebrated Grammy-award winning gospel groups, the Blind Boys of Alabama have spread the spirit and energy of pure soul gospel music for over 60 years, ever since the original group formed at the Alabama Institute for the Negro Blind in 1939.

The Tony award winning musical IN THE HEIGHTS takes the stage at the Fox Theatre for an extended run. The show examines the lives of the various characters that populate the New York neighborhood known as Washington Heights, and features an infectious mix of rap and Latin music styles. It's an exuberant production filled with plenty of good humor, and it features a positive, upbeat message which will linger in your mind long after the show has ended.

The Sheldon presents Christmas with THE CLARION BRASS, Tuesday and Wednesday, December 8 and 9, 2009 at 10 a.m. in the perfect acoustics of the Sheldon Concert Hall. Enjoy complimentary coffee and pastries at 9 a.m. in the beautiful Louis Spiering Room and a morning of holiday favorites in the concert hall.

THE EIGHT: REINDEER MONOLOGUES is 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.

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.

Set amidst a Kafkaesque police state, THE PILLOWMAN opens in a stark interrogation room, where the adult Katurian - a slaughterhouse worker beginning to find recognition as a writer of gruesome fairy tales - sits blindfolded, his brother Michal in the adjoining room. Their interrogators, the outrageously profane good-cop-bad-cop duo of Tupolski and Ariel, suspect that Katurian's stories may not be entirely fiction. And in fact, they do bear remarkable resemblance to a series of grisly child murders that the detectives are currently investigating.

Piwacket Theatre for Children takes a stab at a classic English fairytale with their production of JACK AND THE BEANSTALK. As always, this is a pleasant, tune-filled presentation aimed at little ones, that teaches them a valuable lesson along the way. Founders Scott Sears, Edie Avioli and Charlotte Dougherty have crafted another amusing take on a childhood favorite.

TREASURE ISLAND, Robert Louis Stevenson's narrative coming-of-age adventure about sea-faring scalawags and buried treasure, is a touchstone for all things pirate. All the standard iconography that we associate with these vicious buccaneers is present in his text including: one-legged seamen who have pet parrots, maps with 'X's' on them, and tropical islands where booty has been stashed.

If you've only ever seen the 1966 film adaptation of Edward Albee's masterwork, WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?, then you really haven't seen it at all. The Hollywood stunt casting of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton derails the movie, and in the process, dilutes Albee's potent social commentary. So, it's a revelation to witness this play with a cast that understands their roles so thoroughly and completely, finding all the humor and sadness that dwell within the text.

There are quite a few outstanding theatre congregations in the St. Louis area, and Echo Theatre Company is fast becoming a company to watch with their consistently interesting choices. Their latest production,the World Premiere of the engaging song cycle FUGITIVE SONGS, continues this trend, and provides local audiences with the opportunity to see a terrifically entertaining show performed by a hugely talented ensemble. This is modern musical theatre at its best, and I cannot recommend this show enough.

Roger Rees, a 22-year veteran of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), will return to the stage with WHAT YOU WILL, a side-splitting one-man-show that combines the Bard's greatest soliloquies with colorful observations about the acting life and offbeat (and occasionally bawdy) tales of theatrical disaster.

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.