James Lindhorst - Page 7

Meeting at the intersection of improvisation and musical comedy is THE ONE FOUR FIVES, a comedy troupe that performs at The Improv Shop in St. Louis. THE ONE FOUR FIVES are made up of four women and three men who create two entirely original musicals at each performance. This performance of the fertility clinic musical was filled with plenty of poppycock, balderdash and hearty laughs for the bits that worked. Where THE ONE FOUR FIVES really showed their improvisational expertise was in their second act titled, “A Day in the Life.” After selecting a volunteer audience member, one of the troupe members interviewed the audience member about their day and allowed the other six on-stage comedians to ask clarifying questions. Based on the interview they created a 25-minute musical narrative.

Blue Strawberry and The Midnight Company have announced that the Linda Ronstadt show, JUST ONE LOOK, has been extended.  Additional tickets will go on sale on Monday, March 6th for performances on March 22nd and 29th. Tickets are $25 can can be reserved by visiting BlueStrawberrySTL.com or by calling 314-256-1745.

New Line Theatre has again put together an overall performance that is entertaining and enjoyable. This production of NINE succeeds because of the quality performances of every member of the cast and their ability to deliver strong vocals.

JUST ONE LOOK is just one night of exceptional music. It’s a rock ‘n roll cabaret performance that is uniquely driven by a theatrical narrative and it works on every level.

As part of their 2023 season, The Midnight Company will present the world premiere production of JUST ONE LOOK, a cabaret show based on the life and music of pop icon Linda Ronstadt. Ruling the pop charts in the 1970’s, Ronstadt was often called the ‘First Lady of Rock’ and recently began climbing the charts again this month with her song “Long Long Time” which was featured in the emotional third episode of the HBO hit show “The Last of Us.”

THE LIGHT, the current offering at The Black Rep, is Loy A. Webb’s two-character play that takes on the painful topic of sexual assault and the victim’s devastation. Newly engaged couple Genesis and Rashad are celebrating when Genesis speaks a painful truth and Rashad deflects to protect the aggressor instead of the victim. Quickly their romantic evening unravels as Genesis sheds THE LIGHT on an assault that went unreported and unpunished.

In The Black Rep’s current production of DEATH OF A SALESMAN, director Jacqueline Thompson helms an emotional narrative that is propelled by excellent performances from a stellar cast. She uses Dunsi Dai’s and Lily Thomasic’s multi-leveled static set design effectively to intersperse Willy’s flashbacks from the current day.

The St. Louis Black Repertory Company continues its 46th Season with the American classic Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller. Directed by Jacqueline Thompson with Founder and Producing Director Ron Himes as Willy Loman. Previews begin Wednesday, January 11, 2022 at the Edison Theatre on the campus of Washington University.  

The Midnight Company will open its 2023 season with what is becoming the most highly anticipated event of the coming St. Louis theatre season.  The company’s first show is the world premiere of a theatrical cabaret show JUST ONE LOOK based on the life of pop superstar Linda Ronstadt written by Midnight’s artistic director Joe Hanrahan. In the 1970s Ronstadt was the queen of the pop charts and would sell out stadiums worldwide. Ronstadt’s hits included, “When Will I Be Loved,” “You’re No Good” “It’s so Easy,” “Poor Poor Pitiful Me,” “Blue Bayou” and dozens more hits that topped the pop charts. She was featured on the cover of The Rolling Stone magazine six times. When Cameron Crowe wrote his 1976 article for The Rolling Stone, Ronstadt had three consecutive platinum albums and there was no bigger name in music on the planet. BroadwayWorld had the opportunity to sit down with Kelly Howe who will play Linda Ronstadt and playwright, director and actor Joe Hanrahan who will play an aging reporter who finally gets his long-coveted interview with Ronstadt.

This past year was filled with exceptional theatrical productions in the St. Louis Arts Community. Nearly every performance in 2022 at STAGES St. Louis, The Muny, The Black Rep and Midnight Company were entertaining with only a few misfires. As a long-time season ticket holder to The Fabulous Fox Theatre and a first-time attendee to New Line Theatre, I had the opportunity to see nearly every theatrical production that was staged in these venues. Instead of compiling a top ten list of best shows, I decided this would be the opportunity to recognize the best work, both performing and technical theater, that I observed in 2022. Without further ado, here are the ten best works on the stages of St. Louis throughout the past year. 

The Midnight Company announces it 2023 five-show season that includes two world premiere productions. The Season opens on March 1, 2023 with the world premiere production of JUST ONE LOOK based on the life and career of Linda Ronstadt at The Blue Strawberry. Midnight Company continues its season with THE ABSOLUTE BRIGHTNESS OF LEONARD KELLY at The Kranzberg Black Box  May 4th -20th,  THE YEARS at The Chapel July 13th-29th, and YOU MADE ME LOVE YOU at The Blue Strawberry July 26th – August 9th.  Midnight Company closes its season with a production of THE LION IN WINTER at the .ZACK October 5th-21st.

This production of SOMETHING ROTTEN is terrific. New Line Theatre’s production delivers a robust number of laughs from a script filled with nonsense musical theatre references. Director Scott Miller has taken a big, overblown musical and effectively shrunk the performance to a smaller stage with a simple set. Music Director Mallory Golden, Choreographer Alyssa Wolf, and Sound Designer Ryan Day collaborate to deliver musical numbers that are well mixed and entertaining. Music Direction and Sound Design for this production is critical because many of the funniest moments are written into the score by Kirkpatrick and O’Farrell.

Hanrahan’s script provides a nostalgic look at St. Louis through the 1900s and the compelling lives of incredibly talented woman. His script is more than just a historic look at some famous St. Louis Women. It is an important lesson in St. Louis Black history, examining the lives of strong African American women who helped shape and improve this world for all women, especially women of color. Laka’s effective portrayal of more than a half-dozen real live artists is due to her ability to disappear into these women, allowing their spirit to inhabit her body. Her versatility allows her to span a century of music performing gospel, jazz, blues, R&B, and rock-and-roll. When she rips into the Music of Tina Turner, Fontella Bass and Ann Peebles at the beginning of the second act, her vocals blow the roof off the theater.

STAGES St. Louis has announced that their 2023 Season at The Ross Family Theatre at the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center will include Elton John & Tim Rice’s AIDA; the classic whodunnit, CLUE; and the Grand Finale of the season, the rock ‘n roll musical smash, MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET. 

The actors in this production do a magnificent job conveying their characters stories with acting choices that are credible and believable. STAGES St. Louis’ production succeeds because the audience connects with each of the dancers portrayed including those who may not initially seem warm or likeable. By the end of the production, the audience is rooting for all the auditioning dancers to win the job and feels the joy and disappointment for each because their stories have induced a personal connection.

STAGES St. Louis presents its final show of the season, A CHORUS LINE, in the Ross Family Theatre at the Kirwood Performing Arts Center. A CHORUS LINE opens Wednesday, September 14th. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and 9 Tony Awards, the show tells the heartbreaking and exhilirating story of a group of dancers auditioning to land a spot in a Broadway chorus.

Each member of the cast disappears into their character to tell Carlyle Brown’s story. Standout Coda Boyce as Ann Johnson captivates the audience with her first appearance on stage and provides a consistent performance throughout both acts. In her characterization, she struggles to separate her characters, Ann in Richard III versus her Ann Johnson persona complicating the backstage relationship she has with James Hewitt, played skillfully by Cameron Jamarr Davis. Wali Jamal Abdullah’s performance as Papa Shakespeare provides lots of charm and a few laughs as he attempts to play the middleman to repair the relationship between Ann and James as a Cyrano de Bergerac-esque communication go between. Eric Dean White’s arrogant characterization as Steven Price conveys a remorseless inhumanity as he will stop at nothing to bury the African Company. The remainder of the cast is rounded out by Alex Jay as Sarah, Olajuwon Davis as Billy Brown, and Dustin Petrillo as The Contable-Man and each provide an extraordinary performance. 

ST. LOUIS WOMAN honors the enduring legacy of some amazing female artists who put St. Louis on the map with their timeless music, dance and poetry. LAKA will portray legendary artists Josephine Baker, Tina Turner and Katherine Dunham. In her roles she will also present the poetry of Maya Angelou, the song stylings of chart-toppers Fontella Bass and Ann Peebles, and the Gospel classics of the legendary Willie Mae Ford Smith. Most of these women were either born in St. Louis or came here when they were young, with the exception of Katherine Dunham’s who moved here during the height of their career to continue her momentous work. 

The St. Louis Black Repertory Company raises the curtain on its 46th Season with THE AFRICAN COMPANY PRESENTS RICHARD III by Carlyle Brown and directed by Founder and Producing Director Ron Himes. Previews begin Wednesday, September 7, 2022 at the Edison Theatre on the campus of Washington University. 

This spirited and entertaining Muny Production is a fun explosion of color. Josh Rhodes' brisk direction moves the show along nimbly. JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT has a near perfect score using a variety of musical styles to tell a sung-through story including rock, pop, country, calypso, fench café' and ballads. Rhodes and Lee Wilkins choreography are a perfect match for the varied styles of music that combine to tell the story.