James Lindhorst - Page 15

St. Louis Fringe Fest ‘24 is in the books. According to St. Lou Fringe President and Artistic Director Matthew Kerns preshow announcements the festival continues to grow and received over 90 applications from artists requesting to participate. Over six days 40 acts took one of the stages in the Grand Center Theater district and delivered nearly 100 performances.  

LONGING is a fantastic case study in social media messaging and alternate reality romances. Lewy’s dialogue driven script is smart, plausible, and convincing. Bush elicits honest portrayals from Eslamian and Debardeleben, and both actors generate potent sexual tension with their brave all-in performances. 

First and foremost, I go to the theatre to be entertained. A show doesn’t have to be complex, have an agenda, or try to teach the audience a moral to be enjoyable. It’s perfectly acceptable, and usually preferential, to simply be entertained. Prism Theater Company’s [title of show] is an amusing diversion. It’s quirky, silly, funny musical entertainment, and I liked it so much more than I thought I would.  

The satirical CANDLIGHT DINNER and the profoundly moving THE REASON WHY are part of Chorus of Fools “Twice Upon a Stage” that plays the Greenfinch Theatre and dive bar through the weekend. CANDLELIGHT DINNER is not laugh out loud funny but has plenty of ridiculous situational adult humor thanks to Jocelyn Padilla, Xander Huber, and their work with their ‘emotional support puppets.’ THE REASON WHY’s melancholic bittersweetness is both a heartbreaking and uplifting tale of the human spirit. The poignant story builds audience empathy and wets eyes with tears. Its superbness is in its originality, illustrating that our best selves can emerge when we are at our lowest.  

There are two words that describe this outstanding production: stagecraft and storytelling. Ridgley, his talented troupe of six actors, and his designers have collaborated to create a fun and engaging production. Throughout the month of August, Ridgely and his troupe of actors are traveling the bi-state area to bring Shakespeare to the people. At each of the 24-stops The St. Louis Shakespeare festival team presents a streamlined 90-minute production of THE TEMPEST featuring elaborate costumes, inventive set and prop pieces, inspired puppetry, clever sound effects, and a bit of live music and singing. 

The production is artfully directed by Brian Hohlfeld, and skillfully acted Julie Layton (Annabelle), Donna Weinstein (Chanteuse/Mrs. O’Fallon), Julia Crump (Babe), Gary Barker (Richard/Mitch/Joe), and Dominic DeCicco (Paul/Jim/Dennis). The short plays move briskly on a simple set that Hohlfeld adapted with props for each story. William’s stories are amusing, and they flow together nicely thanks to the actors' fine performances. Layton, Barker, and DeCicco have the heaviest lift filling multiple roles across the three shows.   

The Muny debut of IN THE HEIGHTS is a fantastic production of Lin Manuel-Miranda's Tony award winning musical. Angulo has directed a production that captures the emotional heart of Miranda’s story. He makes an enormous splash with the big musical numbers. The choreography is exciting, and the dancing is and joyous.

The 9th Annual Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis opened on Thursday evening with stunning production of CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF. Acclaimed director Michael Wilson has tailored a blistering production with a talented group of local actors to tell Williams’ story of lies deceit, sexual repression, strained familial relationships, and mortality. The highly anticipated production continues at The Grandel Theatre through August 18th as part of the festival events.

Fly North Theatrical’s production of Colin Healy’s BIG MACHINE has a polished and professional look. The cast has strong acting talent. They create memorable characters and deliver better-than-average vocal performances. Credit Rohlf’s direction and Healy’s music direction for the cast’s preparation. The technical elements are all first rate, especially Long and Engel’s expensive looking set and costume designs, and Woods intricate choreography. The narrative was a bit tedious, but it did inspired reading following the show to learn more about Midgley, his work, and the decisions that were made to put profits ahead of consumer safety.

First Run Theatre opened their mainstage season on Friday evening with the world premiere of two one act plays, THE CONVERSATION ABOUT THE KEYS, PART I: TIM WITHOUT THALIA by Yu-Li Alice Shen and CASH FLOW by Marjorie Williamson. Both new plays were directed by Phil Wright and take a humorous look at relationships and interactions between women and men.

When the lights go up on Washington Heights at The Muny next Friday it will be the break of a lifetime for a young actor. Benji Santiago will take center stage to rap the well-known opening line from Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony winning IN THE HEIGHTS. Santiago calls Lin-Manuel Miranda one of his biggest inspirations. He started listening to the Broadway cast recording of IN THE HEIGHTS when he was sixteen. “It’s been my favorite show since then,” he said. Santiago saw his first production of IN THE HEIGHTS when he was a junior in high school. That is right about the same time he discovered his love for theatre. He shared that from the first time he heard the recording he has been envisioning himself playing the role that made Miranda famous.

This STAGES St. Louis production of Disney’s NEWSIES is a thrilling production on a grand scale with a large cast and phenomenal production value. In her debut as choreographer of a full-blown professional production Lindsay Joy Lancaster electrified the sold-out Kirkwood Performing Arts Center with her athletic blend of classical and contemporary dance. Director Steve Bebout collaborated with his cast and crew to tell a stirring David versus Goliath story that was exceptionally entertaining with exquisite execution. Actor Daniel Marconi creates an audacious and gritty Jack Kelly.

WAITRESS is another must-see musical production in the Muny’s 106th season. Brown’s direction is incredible. She accomplishes the near impossible staging an intimate musical on a massive stage. Credit her and the entire technical team for pulling off miraculous Muny magic. Vosk is brilliant. The entire cast is superb. They deliver delightful vocals and find all the humor baked into the script. The Muny’s Waitress simply gets everything right. It is a sweet little slice of musical theater pie. 

On August 15th Chorus of Fools will make their St. Louis debut with “Twice Upon a Stage,” featuring the one act plays CANDLIGHT DINNER and THE REASON WHY.  They two plays were selected by a reading committee from a group of 20 submissions. CANDLELIGHT DINNER is written by Jim Danek and THE REASON WHY was penned by E.K. Doolin. Both will be directed by Satterfield and will be acted by the members of the Chorus of Fools ensemble. 

The city of Hermann, Missouri rests on the banks of the Missouri River and is the home to some of Missouri’s most popular wineries. In the heart of downtown Hermann, just over an hour west of St. Louis, is a small old movie house. The Showboat Community Theater sits just a half block east of Route 19 on 4th Street.

The New Jewish Theatre’s production of John Logan’s RED is sensational. Knoll’s directorial vision immerses the audience into Rothko’s studio, his painting techniques, and his fragile mind. Harris and Petrillo’s phenomenal portrayal and the production staff’s sensational work create a stimulating and layered story about both the artist and his art. 

Set designer Ann Beyersdorfer and choreographer Lindsay Joy Lancaster are making their STAGES St. Louis debut working on the upcoming production of Disney’s NEWSIES. Beyersdorfer, a Belleville, Illinois native, is a world class set designer who has created sets for Broadway, National Tours, Saturday Night Live, and the St. Louis Muny. Lancaster, a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, is the head of dance at The Institute for American Musical Theatre. Both sat down with Broadway World during their dinner break to talk about what brought them to STAGES St. Louis, how excited they are to work on this production of Disney’s NEWSIES, and the fresh perspectives they are bringing to the show. 

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis is proud to present the return of the Steve Woolf Studio Series - Adventurous Theatre for Adventurous Theateregoers for the 2024/25 Season in the Emerson Studio of the Loretto-Hilton Center on the campus of Webster University. The two-play series features a wickedly funny comedy, THE ROOMMATE by Jen Silverman running October 26 - November 17, 2024, and the fast-paced engaging play ATHENA by Gracie Gardner, January 15 - February 8, 2025. 

What did our critic think of FIDDLER ON THE ROOF at The Muny?What can be said about an absolutely perfect production of one of the most well written musicals of all time? Hurling superlatives seems cliché but there is nothing about The Muny’s latest offering of the classic FIDDLER ON THE ROOF that can be criticized. From the opening when the town’s residents circle to share their “Traditions,” to their closing moments mourning the loss of their community “Anatevka,” this production makes you laugh and cry, and laugh and cry repeatedly. It is emotion-packed storytelling at its finest with superb direction, divine choreography, outstanding orchestral accompaniment, pristine sound, and a dream cast acting and singing at the top of their game. The costume, set, video, and lighting design are picture perfect.  

Often new works at festivals, both plays and musicals, are unoriginal and rely on conventions that are commonly used. CASCADE’S FIRE is an adventurous undertaking that deserves to be seen. Gruenloh’s book is unconventional, and his lyrics are remarkable in their originality. Wernke’s piano score creates lugubrious motif but would benefit from some thoughtful edits and the performance of more skilled vocal musicians. It is a bold new work with an innovative plot and unique story arc. Tesseract is giving their audience a rarity with something that bravely challenges the conformities of musical theatre.