James Lindhorst - Page 6

The Muny production of Dear Evan Hansen is a departure from the huge overblown musical extravaganzas that normally populate The Muny stage. It's a much smaller show but it is profoundly emotional. It creates intimacy that was once thought impossible in this large venue and opens other opportunities for the stories that the Muny can tell.  Like his emotionally charged direction of Fiddler on the Roof last season, Rob Ruggerio’s Muny version of Dear Evan Hansen packs an emotional wallop. Michael Fabisch, Jackie Burns, Maggie Lakis, Rob McClure, Afra Sophia Tully, and the rest of this cast grabs the audience, holds them close, and leaves them with a deeply touching and poignantly warm theatrical experience. 

On August 7, 2025, Stray Dog Theatre will continue its season with the youth opera The Second Hurricane. Composed by Aaron Copland, with a libretto by Edwin Denby, The Second Hurricane premiered in 1937 at The Playhouse in New York City. That original production was directed by a then 21-year-old Orson Welles and starred a young Joseph Cotten. “Audiences are going to want to see this because it is unique and hasn’t been done in St. Louis before,” says Bell. “This is a unique art form that needs to be explored and cherished.” 

The Details is a story of catharsis that stems from confronting one’s beliefs, taking accountability for behavior, and charting a path forward for change. The narrative has promise. Larson has a strong point of view, and he has penned a play with a mostly satisfying conclusion. The character’s burdens and their resulting emotional conflict hold your attention, but there are scenes when it is a struggle to get past the inane dialogue. The chatter is too simply too tidy and formulaic.  

Actor Jackie Burns returns to the Muny Stage next week in the highly anticipated Muny premiere of Dear Evan Hansen. She last played the Muny two season ago as songwriter Cynthia Weil in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. For that role Burns won a St. Louis Theater Circle award for best supporting performer in a musical. This season Burns will be playing Heidi, Evan’s mother, in Dear Evan Hansen. This season Burns will be playing Heidi, Evan’s mother, in Dear Evan Hansen.

Two Jews Walk into a War... is not slapstick or laugh out loud funny. It is more wryly amusing. The humor is abundant. Laughs come from Seth Rozin’s quippy script, Aaron Sparks’ crisp direction and sharp timing, and Gary Glasgow and Chuck Winning’s playful sparring. But Rozin, Sparks, and the actors take the audience beyond the laughs and comedy, leaving them with more.  Two Jews Walk into a War... provokes a quieted introspection about faith, ethics, beliefs, responsibility, and the relationships among the members of a community and religious congregation.

This morning The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis’ Danny Williams, Kate Bergstrom, Delaney Piggins, and Brian Coats welcomed invited members of the press to share The Rep’s plans for what they are calling their ‘Season of Daring Imagination.’ This year’s season will include five mainstage shows with an additional three shows in the Steve Woolf Studio Series. Bergstrom, the Augustin Family Artistic Director said, “This year we’ve planned relevant, excellent, and extraordinary experiences for our audience.” 

EVITA at The Muny is an auditory and visual feast. Hear Katerina McCrimmon, Paulo Szot, Omar Lopez-Cepero, and the rest of this talented ensemble sing the Webber and Rice score in superb operatic fashion. Be mesmerized by a breathtaking masterclass in production aesthetics and designing for the theatre and enjoy Director Josh Rhode’s splendid new vision of the resilient, ambitious, and revered Eva Peron.  

This year’s LaBute Festival is filled with six strong scripts that are enhanced by Bryan McLaughlin and Avery Harrison’s direction. Both directors help their actors find and create intriguing characters in completely original stories.

Among the most highly anticipated theatrical events in St. Louis this summer is the mainstage production at the Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis (TWSTL.) In celebration of their 10th Anniversary Season, TWSTL is staging William’s seminal work A Streetcar Named Desire.  

Romeo and Zooliet is an enchanting theatrical event. The ingenious Jennifer Joan Thompson’s clever script and Michael Curry’s fairy-tale like puppets are brought to fantastical life in the exuberant performances of a well-rehearsed, talented, and vivacious cast. Tom Ridgely’s leadership and collaboration with his design teams has inspired exceptionally amusing storytelling, and the collaboration to stage this on the historic hill in the St. Louis Zoo is genius.  

What did our critic think of PRIDE AND JOY at The Chapel?McLaughlin and Overly’s audience are unwelcome intruders listening in on a family’s raw, unfiltered, and private conversations. Pride and Joy is very funny. The Moran Family, as portrayed by the talented ensemble, is a bit of a trainwreck. Overly’s crisp pacing and sharp direction milks the script for maximal laughs and just the right amount of drama.

The Muny announced today that John Tartaglia will be stepping into the role of Oaken in their currently running production of Disney’s Frozen. He will be replacing the injured Mark Saunders immediately. He directed this production of Disney’s Frozen, and critics have praised his work calling his storytelling “touching and moving.”

The Muny’s Frozen is filled with endearing performances, gasp-inducing stagecraft, beautiful musical direction by Darryl Archibald, and loveable puppets created by Puppet Kitchen’s Eric Wright. But it's not the many wow moments that make Frozen special. Frozen is touching because of John Tartaglia’s moving storytelling that takes the audience on a journey beyond Arendelle to explore a sister’s love and the basic need for human connection.

Next week when The Muny premiere of Disney’s Frozen opens in St. Louis audiences will be in for a rare treat. Broadway’s original Anna, actor Patti Murin, will reprise her role as the plucky princess. Murin is really excited about opening night, getting to see all the children in the audience, and sharing this grand vision of Disney’s Frozen with thousands of people. “This production is going to be larger-than-life. It is the same story, but this enormous space will be filled on a scale that could not be done at a different theater.” She beamed, “It is going to be fun!”

The Muny’s emotionally impactful Come From Away captures the humanity, heart, and soul of Irene Sankoff and David Hein’s poignant book and beautifully soaring score. This elite cast of actors transports the audience back to Gander, Newfoundland with lived-in and emotionally truthful performances. Director Seth Skylar-Heyn did the near impossible shrinking the colossal Muny’s stage into an intimate storytelling space. Scenic designer Edward E. Haynes’ revolving stage is genius.

On Thursday when The Muny opens their production of Come From Away, actor Heidi Blickenstaff will take center stage in her dual roles as American Airlines Captain Beverley Bass and Gander resident Annette. The uber talented Blickenstaff has originated roles on Broadway in Something Rotten, [title of show], and Jagged Little Pill.  

The Muny's Bring It On is electrifying musical theatre for people of all ages. The biggest surprise is Jeff Whitty’s clever book. His story is filled with laughs, unexpected surprises, and a lot of heart. The young exuberant cast’s lively performances are punctuated with high-intensity dancing and explosive gymnastics. The Muny’s vibrant production of Bring It On soars and is highly recommended. 

It is odd to call a story about a terminal cancer patient likeable, warm, and witty. Director Robert Ashton and his cast have staged a bittersweet production of Colder Than Here that is filled with vulnerable performances. Laura Wade’s affectionately droll and delightfully strange dark comedy conveys how laughter can be a cathartic force that disarms grief. 

STAGES St. Louis has a hit with their zany Muder for Two. Director Michael Kostroff keeps the fun coming for the entire 90-minutes in a fast-paced audience pleasing comedy. The script is goofy and the lyrics witty, but it is the comedic physicality of two immensely talented actors, singers, pianists, and entertainers who fearlessly earn every laugh. Ian Fairlee and Jeremiah Ginn make a sharp comedic duo who mine plenty of giggles, chortles, guffaws, and thigh-slapping laughter. 

Satterfield and McIntire’s blunt script carries a lot of unflinching truths about being overweight. Heavy takes on weighty topics. There are several frank adult themed discussions and overt sexuality. It is bold writing with a lot of humor and has much to say about life as an obese person. Heavy is entertaining overall even with the second act plunge into sentimentalism.