Chris Gibson - Page 54

Mustard Seed Theatre's fifth season will open and close with a celebration of New Plays. The world premiere of Falling, by Artistic Director Deanna Jent, will run September 1-11, 2011. Both funny and frightening, the play explores the life of a family caring for an aggressive teen-aged boy with severe autism. Falling will be directed by Lori Adams, who directed Mustard Seed Theatre's acclaimed production of Fires in the Mirror.

SUICIDE,INCORPORATED is a seriocomedy set inside the offices of Legacy Letters, a start-up company that believes that your suicide note will be the most important document you will ever write, assists their clients (mostly men as that is the key demographic) much the same way as a career placement firm would. When Jason, a new hire with a determined hidden agenda to save his clients is assigned to lonely and desperate Norm, past and present collide.

West End Players Guild wraps its 100th season next month with the St. Louis premiere of Kathryn Chetkovich's ACTS OF LOVE, directed by Robert Ashton. The show opens on Friday, April 1, and will be presented Friday and Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoons through April 10. All performances are at the theater in the Union Avenue Christian Church, 733 Union Ave.

Next month, Washington University's Performing Arts Department (PAD) in Arts & Sciences will present ECLIPSED for six performances in the A.E. Hotchner Studio Theatre. It is perhaps the unlikeliest community imaginable, and daunting territory for any dramatist. Yet ECLIPSED, a recent work by acclaimed actress and playwright Danai Gurira, is at once sharp-edged, humanizing and surprisingly funny - a portrait of resilience in even the most difficult of circumstances.

The Friends of The Sheldon present the 12th Annual Sunset at The Sheldon Wine Tasting, Wednesday, May 25, 2011 from 6:30 p.m. until sunset on The Sheldon Observation Deck. Proceeds benefit Sheldon Educational Programs. The event is co-chaired by Jane Matoesian and Nuviah Shirazi.

The Sheldon presents the Red Clay Ramblers, Friday, May 6, 2011 at 8 p.m. in the perfect acoustics of the Sheldon Concert Hall. Now in their 38th year, the Tony Award-winning Red Clay Ramblers are a North Carolina string band whose repertoire reflects their roots in old-time mountain music, as well as bluegrass, country, rock, New Orleans jazz, gospel and the American musical.

Avalon Theatre Company closes its sixth season with John Pielmeier's haunting glimpse into science, faith, and even miracles, AGNES OF GOD, April 28 - May 8 at Avalon in ArtSpace at Crestwood Court.

Set in the basement of a tenant house in Utah, INTELLIGENT LIFE tells the farcical tale of extraterrestrial, peyote-driven enthusiasts, self-titled 'Utah Alien Chasers.' This ramshackle group discovers a mud-stained little boy in a dinosaur costume who may or may not be an alien. What is certain is that the boy has a genius level IQ and telekinetic powers that are beyond this world! INTELLIGENT LIFE is a comedic exploration about faith and what it means to believe.

After years of just seeing clips on public television, I thought it was time to actually take in a complete performance of MICHAEL FLATLEY'S LORD OF THE DANCE to see what all the fuss was about. And, it's an entirely different experience in person. Live, the energy and enthusiasm of these consummate performers bleeds into the air and ratchets up the excitement factor considerably. The combination of Celtic music along with the rousing athleticism of these talented dancers makes for an engaging and entertaining presentation, and the recent show at the Fox Theatre (April 5, 2011) certainly provided plenty of proof for those who would wonder why this show continues to captivate audiences worldwide.

In what can be labeled a 'First,' the New Jewish Theatre is proud to boast that the director for the upcoming production of Clifford Odet's 1935 classic AWAKE AND SING! is Steve Woolf, Artistic Director of the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis. While Woolf does direct outside of the Rep, he does not direct for other theatres in the St. Louis area. So this is a genuine First for both Woolf and the New Jewish Theatre. Most recently outside of the Rep, Mr. Woolf directed THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK at the Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre (and then went on to direct the Rep's production of the same show). But the upcoming production at NJT was a show that he could not resist. Its realism and grittiness and the strength of the characters appealed to him.

I can always depend on Upsteam Theater to deliver a unique theatrical experience, and with the US premiere of THE DEATH OF ATAHUALPA they continue in the fine tradition they've firmly established, providing an audience with a fresh look at the last days of the Inca empire. Writer/director Philip Boehm has produced an engaging adaptation of this story that's buoyed considerably by the ensemble work of musicians Son de America, who give the play a distinctive voice with their spirited underscoring. The play also features an exceptional cast that fully invests themselves in this startling and enlightening presentation.

Charles M. Schulz, the creator of Peanuts, had the ability to communicate tiny bits of wisdom and insight in the space of three panels (six panels in the Sunday funnies) of rudimentary art. And, while most of his colleagues would head straight for a punchline, Schulz tended to take a more philosophical approach. The musical adaptation, YOU'RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN, originally written by Clark Gesner, and subsequently revised by Michael Mayer and Andrew Lippa, attempts to capture the essence of Schulz's work, but even as an introduction to the characters, the results are mixed at best. Stray Dog Theatre continues their current season with a charming production of this uneven musical, that's engaging and enjoyable more often than not.

At 7:30 p.m. Sunday, April 10, Washington University's Eliot Trio will perform a pair of works by Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-93) - works composed, respectively, to honor a doomed romance and a departed friend. The Eliot Trio, named for university founder William Greenleaf Eliot, consists of Seth Carlin, professor of music and director of the piano program in the Department of Music in Arts & Sciences; violinist David Halen, concertmaster for the St. Louis Symphony; and cellist Bjorn Ranheim, also with the St. Louis Symphony.

The Sheldon Art Galleries presents the Isadore Shank House Tour, Sunday, May 1, 2011, from 2-5 p.m. Proceeds benefit the exhibitions and educational programs of the Sheldon Art Galleries. The event is sponsored in part by Greg and Missy Hill, Peggy Walter Symes and Bryan Young Catering Plus. The second annual Sheldon Art Galleries house tour features four significant homes designed by the architect Isadore Shank (1902-1992) in Creve Coeur, Frontenac and Ladue. These homes represent some of the best examples of modernist and mid-century design in St. Louis.

Singer, pianist and songwriter Tony DeSare has won critical and popular acclaim for his concert performances throughout the United States as well as Australia, Japan and Hong Kong. In January 2010, he launched an international tour with three weeks at the Algonquin Hotel's Oak Room in New York and two weeks in London. DeSare's noted versatility enables him to headline a variety of venues, including major jazz rooms such as Birdland and the Blue Note, posh nightclubs like the Café Carlyle and Feinstein's at the Regency and concert halls like Jazz at Lincoln Center . His newest album, Radio Show, tunes in to the Golden Era of radio, spanning decades of swing, jazz and pop. Featuring special guests Jane Monheit and Bucky Pizzarelli, the album was released in 2009.

In collaboration with Cinema St. Louis, the Sheldon Art Galleries presents the exhibition Vincentennial: The Legacy of Vincent Price from April 22 - August 6, 2011. A free opening reception at the Sheldon Art Galleries will be held on Friday, April 22, from 6 - 8 p.m. Cinema St. Louis will hold a Vincentennial film festival from May 19 - May 28, 2011. More information on the film festival is available at www.vincentennial.com.

The Sheldon presents 'German Perspectives,' featuring Roger Kaza, horn, on Wednesday, April 27, 2011 at 8 p.m. in the perfect acoustics of the Sheldon Concert Hall. Kaza will be joined by Patti Wolf on piano and Carolyn Banham on oboe for a program including Ernst Bloch's Prayer from Jewish Life, Carl Czerny's Fantasy No. 1 on Themes of Franz Schubert for Horn and Piano, Paul Hindemith's Sonata for Horn and Piano, and Carl Reinecke's Trio for Horn, Oboe and Piano. The concert is presented in conjunction with a major exhibition of works in the Sheldon Art Galleries by German-born painter Max Lazarus, who settled for a number of years in St. Louis.

Max and Louie Productions presents THE LADY WITH ALL THE ANSWERS by David Rambo, drawn from the life and letters of Ann Landers with the cooperation of Margo Howard. This production stars Stellie Siteman as Ann Landers and is directed by Sydnie Grosberg Ronga. The play opens on Thursday, May 12th at the COCA Black Box Theater.

If you've ever drummed on your steering wheel to a song on the radio, or absentmindedly tapped your pencil on your desk, creating your own rhythmic accompaniment, then you've already grasped the concept at the heart of STOMP. Over the course of an hour and a half, a group of performers demonstrate how you can make music with just about anything, and in doing so, create a genuinely joyful noise. It's akin to taking the guy in office with the annoying habit of beating on things, and elevating what he does to high art; and it works like a charm. A lively and energetic group of performers are currently appearing on stage at the Fox Theatre for a three-day engagement of STOMP (March 25-27, 2011), and it's a very entertaining show fit for the whole family.

Season Tickets for The Muny's 93rd spectacular season in Forest Park go on sale Saturday, March 26 at 9:00 am. The 2011 season features 7 Muny-sized musicals, showcasing elaborate sets and costumes, the outstanding Muny ensemble, and the country's largest resident musical theatre orchestra. Beginning at $56 for all seven shows, Season Tickets assure reserved seats in the event of a sold-out performance. To purchase Season Tickets by phone, call (314) 361-1900 extension 550, or order online at www.muny.org. The Muny Box Office is now open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.