James Lindhorst - Page 3

The talented and likeable Taylor Louderman charmed, delighted, and amused in her Blue Strawberry debut. Ending her set with the Tim McGraw hit “Humble and Kind,” Louderman sang, “Hold the door, say please, and say thank you. I know you’ve got mountains to climb but always stay humble and kind.” No doubt words that this affable artist and compelling storyteller lives by.

Metro Theater Company continues its mission of introducing meaningful and entertaining theatrical productions to young audiences. Their current production, Carmela Full of Wishes, is Alvaro Saar Rios’ adaptation of Matt de la Peña’s graphic children’s book. Ageless actor Fabiola Cabrera stars as 7-year-old Carmela. The recent college graduate delivers a thoroughly convincing child like performance. Cabrera’s optimistic exuberance coupled with her playful imagination drives Carmela Full of Wishes. She charms with infectious vivacity and her zestful portrayal of the hopeful Carmela.

One of the most anticipated shows this fall is the regional premiere of Tracy Letts’ The Minutes at Stray Dog Theatre. The Minutes allows the audience to eavesdrop on a closed session of a small-town city council meeting. Hypocrisy and greed are exposed during the 90-minutes council meeting in the fictional town of Big Cherry. Broadway World had the opportunity to sit down with director Justin Been and St. Louis Theater Circle Award winner Stephen Peirick to talk about The Minutes

STAGES St. Louis production of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical is not only wonderfully nostalgic musically, but it is a richly entertaining evening of musical comedy. Director Jennifer Werner’s attention to detail creates an immensely enjoyable piece of period storytelling. The expressive and well-crafted performances of Brianna Kothari Barnes, Sean McGee, Kailey Boyle, and David Socolar skillfully tell the story of the two prolific songwriting teams whose music has stood the test of time.

On Friday, September 26 and Saturday September 27, 2025, Tony nominee Taylor Louderman will bring her cabaret show to the Blue Strawberry Showroom and Lounge. Louderman grew up in neighboring Bourbon, Missouri and started her career at The Muny. She took valuable time from her rehearsal schedule and her work with her non-profit organization, the Write Out Loud Project, to sit down with Broadway World and talk about her upcoming shows at Blue Strawberry.

The world-renowned Opera Theatre of St. Louis (OTSL) was recognized with nominations in two categories for the 2025 International Opera Awards. The world premiere staging of This House by Ricky Ian Gordon, Lynn Nottage and Ruby Aiyo Gerber was nominated for Best World Premiere, and the 2025 OTSL Festival Season was nominated for Best Festival.

Classic Adventure Movie; or Never Say Die will be a side-splitting, nostalgic paroday for cult fans of The Goonies. Those who’ve seen the movie once or twice will be entertained, find a few laughs, enjoy the cast’s animated exuberance, and be impressed by the show’s technical elements.

The performances in The Wanderers are first rate, but it is Robert Quinlan’s expertly crafted, immersive, and precise storytelling that ensnares the audience. Anna Ziegler’s nonlinear bittersweet script is laced with humor and several unexpected turns. The conclusion may be a bit overwrought, but Quinlan’s vision, direction, and staging overcomes the too full ending.

The musical Raisin, currently on stage at The Black Rep, is based on Lorraine Hansberry's 1950’s drama A Raisin in the Sun. The story tells of three generations of the Younger family sharing a cramped inner-city apartment on Chicago’s southside.

Death Jam is more a theatrical experience than storytelling. It is poetry and dramatic reading supported by modernistic lighting, sound, and video projections. Davis impresses with his command of the text and his vocal and physical interpretation. Bradford Lewis Rolen’s direction and set design, Bryant Powell’s transformative lighting design, and Davis’s sound and projection design engulf the audience into the Teller’s unearthly and dreamlike state.

Marriott Theater’s production of Catch Me If You Can works on every level. It is funny and ridiculously entertaining. The cast has immense chemistry, and their execution of the material is next level. It’s a Broadway quality production and is as close to musical theater perfection as a show can be. It could easily be transferred from Chicago to New York’s Circle in the Square as is, and it would likely outperform the original Broadway run. It is just that good. Stopping short of using the must see cliché that was mentioned earlier, its highly recommended that if you are within a five-hour drive of Chicago, that you buy a ticket, jump in your car, make the drive and see this absolute gem of a show. It will likely be the among the best musicals you will see this year.What did our critic think of CATCH ME IF YOU CAN at Marriott Theatre?

Actor, content creator, and social media influencer JJ Niemann is playing his dream role. Niemann is currently performing as Frank Abagnale, Jr. in the musical Catch Me If You Can at Chicago’s Marriott Theatre.

Tre’Von Griffith’s fresh adaptation of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is thrilling audiences all over St. Louis and the Bi-State Metropolitan Area. Read BroadwayWorld's interview with Tre'Von here!

Classic Adventure Movie; or Never Say Die will run Thursdays – Saturdays from September 11 – 27, 2025 at The Chapel. Tickets can be purchased, and more information can be found here!

STAGES St. Louis revealed their full cast and creative teams for the upcoming run of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. Learn more about the production here!

After a brief hiatus for the Labor Day Weekend, the St. Louis Theater scene gets back into full swing with more than twenty shows opening between now and the end of the year. Broadway World critic James Lindhorst picks the six shows opening in September and early October that he thinks cannot be missed, including the local premieres of Sandy Rustin's The Cottage, Tracy Lett's The Minutes, and Anna Ziegler's the Wanderers.

Busy St. Louis actor Bryce A. Miller returns to New Jewish Theatre (NJT) this September to star in The Wanderers. Miller was last seen at New Jewish Theatre in his critically acclaimed portrayal as Schmuel in Trayf. That performance notched him a St. Louis Theater Circle Award nomination, as did his physically comedic performance in Moonstone Theatre Company’s 2022 production of The Nerd.

Multi-hyphenate actor, director, composer and educator Jordan Coughtry returns to The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis this season in the regional premiere of Sandy Rustin’s play The Cottage. Coughtry killed audiences last year as the suave and debonair Tony Wendice in The Rep’s Dial M for Murder.

This TOUR CO production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream is special. It is delightfully amusing and filled with crowd pleasing performances. The ensemble dazzles and wows. It is just fun. Director Tre'VonGriffith and the actors make Shakespeare accessible and engaging for young and old. Their work will entertain both aficionados and people who’ve never read a sentence of a Shakespeare play. A Midsummer Night’s Dream is enjoyable for all as evidenced by the tween’s hearty belly laughs on my right and the elderly person on my left who leapt to their feet to applaud the actor’s efforts at the curtain call.

Pablo David Laucerica is wowing audiences as Frankie Valli in The Muny’s current production of Jersey Boys. Laucerica is getting critical raves and earning extended ovations nightly for his rendition of “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You.”  He follows-up his gig at The Muny with his Broadway debut in the new Stephen Schwartz musical The Queen of Versailles starring Kristin Chenoweth and F. Murray Abraham.