Chris Gibson - Page 68

The NonProphet Theater Company presents the final show of their 2010 season RECKLESS by Craig Lucas opening Friday, December 3, 8pm at the Regional Arts Commission, 6128 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, Missouri 63112. The show will run until Sunday, December 12 with performances Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 5pm. Tickets are $15 for general audiences and $12 for students (must provide a valid ID) and seniors (Ages 55+).

HotCity Theatre, a professional theatre company with a focus on contemporary programming and new play development announces the opening of SLASHER, by Minneapolis-based playwright Allison Moore. SLASHER premiered at the 2009 Humana Festival of New American Plays and it continues to be produced in theatres across America. HotCity brings this 'horrifying comedy' to St. Louis as the final show in their 2010 Season. Chuck Harper directs.

Ben is excited to return to the cabaret stage December 9 at The Bistro. His show is an evening filled with laughs and a fun, upbeat, and surprising mix of pop and theatre music. We may even do a few holiday numbers! The incomparable Neal Richardson returns to music direct.

Pizzarelli's performance will feature music from his latest album, Rockin' in Rhythm, a tribute to jazz pianist/composer Duke Ellington, whom Pizzarelli calls 'jazz's greatest star!' Songs such as 'Don't Get Around Much Anymore,' 'I'm Beginning to See the Light,' 'Satin Doll' and 'In My Solitude' are re-interpreted with Pizzarelli's trademark style and personality, but with great respect towards the original compositions.

The 25-person chorale, directed by Allen Carl Larson, celebrates the season with popular selections from Handel's Messiah, including mezzo-soprano Alice Montgomery singing 'O Thou That Tellest Good Tidings to Zion,' 'A Ceremony of Carols' by Benjamin Britten with the entire choir and Amy Camie, harpist; plus a world tour of delightful carols for choir and instruments, with string players from the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, including 'Ding, Dong Merrily on High,' 'O Tannenbaum,' and the 'Wexford Carol.'

Stray Dog Theatre presents AS BEES IN HONEY DROWN by Douglas Carter Beane. Take a heavy dose of Auntie Mame, add a hearty splash of Sally Bowles, mix generously with the spirit of Holly Golightly, and you have one of the most intriguing, self-made celebrities of all time. When Alexa Vere de Vere sinks her claws into media 'hottie' Evan Wyler, sparks begin to fly. As illusion gives way to reality, this deliciously wicked satire takes aim at style over substance.

The Muddy Waters Theater company concludes their season devoted to playwright Eugene O'Neill with an American classic; LONG DAY'S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT. After you see this intense and powerful play, you'll understand why O'Neill didn't allow it to be staged during his lifetime, since it's autobiographical in nature, and would have obviously rekindled painful memories from his past. This production is especially well acted, and brings this season of O'Neill to a dramatic finish.

We probably take the cultural impact of rock 'n' roll for granted, not fully comprehending the effect this raw, powerful blast of rebellious freedom has had worldwide, where it has somehow managed to shape generations that are far removed from its origins. With his play ROCK 'N' ROLL, Czech playwright Tom Stoppard is able to show us firsthand how this music molded the beliefs, hopes, and dreams of his own youth, and he filters it through a unapologetic, surprisingly sentimental haze that makes for an engaging and compelling ride through time. The St. Louis Actors' Studio is currently presenting a very entertaining and sharply acted and directed production of this work at the Missouri History Museum.

Neil Simon's THE GOOD DOCTOR finds the playwright mining the short stories of Anton Chekhov for material, and this comedy with music, is a decidedly mixed bag, occasionally producing laughs, but not nearly in the abundance we've come to expect. It's an odd marriage of styles, and more often than not, the humor seems strained or overly familiar. Avalon Theatre Company opens their 2010-2011 season with a fairly solid production of this minor work from the Simon canon, although it could benefit greatly from a bit of tightening.

If you've only ever seen the movie version, or a community theatre production, you owe it to yourself to check out the touring company of the 2008 Broadway revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein's SOUTH PACIFIC that's currently playing the Fox Theatre. This is a lavish and impressive production filled with gorgeous melodies, many of which have become standards that you'll find yourself humming on the way home. The social issues that this Pulitzer prize winning drama tackles were groundbreaking for their time, and they still manage to make an impact today, despite how far we've come. But, most importantly, this production affords you the opportunity to see a top notch, and well-seasoned cast tackling this wonderful material.

Echo Theatre Company presents the St. Louis premiere of CRUMBLE (LAY ME DOWN,JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE) by Sheila Callaghan from December 3-19. The production will be held in Echo's performance venue, Theatre 134, in the ArtSpace at Crestwood Court. The theater is located in the Crestwood Court shopping center at the corner of Watson and Sappington Roads.

The Sheldon presents KATHY MATTEA: 'Songs and the Season,' Friday, December 10 at 8 p.m. in the perfect acoustics of the Sheldon Concert Hall. KATHY MATTEA rings in the season with joy and good news! Based on her two popular Christmas albums, Joy for Christmas Day and Good News, her show's spiritual message is shared through a thoughtful blend of old favorites and new songs.

The Sheldon presents Clarion Brass: 'Deck the Halls,' Tuesday and Wednesday, December 7 and 8 in the perfect acoustics of the Sheldon Concert Hall. Complimentary coffee and pastries will be served beginning at 9 a.m. in the Louis Spiering Room. Composed of five of the best brass players St. Louis has to offer, the Clarion Brass celebrates the holiday season with 'Deck the Halls, featuring repertoire that spans more than five centuries - from Greensleeves, to the Nutcracker Suite and your favorite carols.

The American dream is a fragile thing. Just ask the Tate family, a bickering, dysfunctional clan struggling to retain its dilapidated farmhouse on the edge of an unforgiving Western desert. Welcome to CURSE OF THE STARVING CLASS, Sam Shepard's bitterly funny - and disturbingly prescient - family drama. This month, Washington University's Performing Arts Department (PAD) in Arts & Sciences will present the play for five performances in the A.E. Hotchner Studio Theatre.

PLUCK'S MUSICAL ARSON is, first and foremost, a concert. Three classically trained musicians - cellist Flora Allison, violinst Kit Massey and violist Jon Regan - take the stage and, with impeccable musicianship, perform favorite works ranging from Bach to the Beatles. Yet the musicianship is the only thing impeccable about this bickering trio, whose self-absorbed antics rival those of any diva. Combining gleeful absurdist humor with outrageous physical comedy, they compete, argue, scheme, ridicule, dance fight and seduce there way through Brahms, Ravel, Vivaldi and more.

The Sheldon Art Galleries presents two gallery talks this month in conjunction with its Fall exhibition schedule on 11/16 and 11/20 at 11a.m.

The Sheldon is pleased to announce the release of 'Live It Up in New St. Lou,' a five-minute video celebrating St. Louis' great arts and cultural attractions, set to an original song by Sheldon executive director Paul Reuter. The video, underwritten by Mary Strauss and shot and directed by Bob Miano, is available to view at www.TheSheldon.org.

The Sheldon and Peter Martin Music present Peter Martin Music: Live featuring Brazilian guitar master Romero Lubambo, Saturday, December 4 at 8 p.m. in the perfect acoustics of the Sheldon Concert Hall. Joining Martin and Lubambo is special guest, vocalist Erin Bode, Riverfront Times winner for Best Jazz Artist in 2009.

The Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre's 50th Anniversary Season comes to a festive close with the return of everyone's favorite Sisters of Hoboken in NUNCRACKERS: THE NUNSENSE CHRISTMAS MUSICAL November 13th-21st. The Sisters of Hoboken have turned the convent basement into a TV studio and are producing their first ever Christmas Special for cable access. This hilarious musical is filled with singing and dancing nuns, a very unique rendition of the Nutcracker as well a host of hilarious new songs.

An eclectic collection of one act plays by the likes of Susan Glaspell (Trifles), David Mamet (Australia), William Saroyan (Hello Out There), and Harold Pinter (Ashes to Ashes), A WOMAN'S PLACE fulfills the promise of its title by placing women in key roles in each of these unique pieces. The West End Players Guild celebrate their 100th season with a fine production of this work, and solid direction and performances help to maintain interest despite the seemingly disparate nature of these four plays.