James Lindhorst - Page 8

JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT is a show that is pure joy and pure fun.  She said this is a story of a man in a precarious situation who continues to dream and takes responsibility to change his own story.

This Muny production of THE COLOR PURPLE is too beautiful for words. It is a stunning love letter to Alice Walker and her epistolary novel of redemption. Director Lili-Anne Browne’s vison brings to the stage a concert-like version of this production similar to the 2016 Tony Award Winning Broadway revival. Her leadership, coupled with Breon Arzell's spirited choreography, help this epic 40-year story come to life with theatrical sophistication. Music Director Jermaine Hill’s perfectly balanced orchestrations were almost unnoticeable while supporting the beautiful score sung by this incomparable company of actors.

This production of A CHORUS LINE, directed by Mark Lull, is a nod to the original staging and his vision effectively tells the emotional stories of dancers auditioning for a role in the chorus of a show. Kimberly Klick attempts to recreate Michael Bennett and Bob Avian’s choreography from the 1975 production on a small civic center stage. Her choreography is reminiscent enough to satisfy even the biggest of A CHORUS LINE fan. Lull, Klick and the cast do an admirable job with the material and this production is surprisingly delightful for a community theater production.

This week The Muny Stage pops with plenty of pink clad perky people in their production of LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL. The show is filled with laughs that are as silly and absurd as the alliteration in the previous sentence. Elle and her Delta Nu sorority sisters are caricatures of giddy girls that serve as a ‘greek’ chorus serving up puns to advance the plot. For this production, The Muny has assembled a chorus of attractive young people with exceptional dance flair to deliver on William Carlos Anglos energetic and fun choreography.

There are not enough adjectives in a thesaurus to describe this jubilant production from STAGES St. Louis. This show is a dynamic explosion of rhythm, hip-hop and salsa with a stellar cast who deliver maximal effort with every moment they are on stage.

Ryan Alvarado is a New York based actor with ties to Lin-Manuel Miranda and was cast as the alternate for Alexander Hamilton in the first national tour of HAMILTON.  Alvarado currently takes on Miranda’s first Broadway role Usnavi in the STAGES St. Louis production of IN THE HEIGHTS.

MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET is the story of the night that Elvis, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis had an impromptu jam session at Sun Studios and will play Stifel Theatre in St. Louis on September 8, 2022. This production has a unique tie to the St. Louis area. It is directed by a Webster University Conservatory of Theater Arts graduate, Tim Seib.

The Muny and its casting partners The Telsey Office have assembled a killer cast who deliver Soundheim’s score with razor-sharp vocals. Ben Davis’ (Sweeney Todd) characterization and descent into madness may be the finest acting performance ever to darken The Muny Stage. The only thing more delicious than Mrs. Lovett’s pies is the wicked verbal waltz he and Carmen Cusack (Mrs. Lovett) deliver with ‘A Little Priest’ to end Act 1.  Cusack’s Lovett is baked with exceptional charm and wit as she delivers the blackest of comedy. Riley Noland’s (Johanna) operatic soprano and Jake Boyd’s (Anthony Hope) silky tenor pair pleasingly. The ensemble’s robust presence, serving as a Greek chorus to drive the narrative, is felt every time they take the stage. The chorus’ dark and brooding presence opens the production with ‘The Ballad of Sweeney Todd’ and drags you into this grim tale of murderous madness.

Joe Hanrahan’s direction tells an effective and entertaining story despite an unbalanced script that has many flaws. Strong performances build a dramatic tension that is as thick as the humid summer Italian air. This story is packed with plenty of emotional instability and raw emotion, but at times is plagued by scripted character choices that seem disingenuous to the characters central narrative.

Playwright Nathan Alan Davis’ work is masterfully brought to life by Ron Himes’ direction. His vision coupled with the artistic and technical theater design transports you to the beaches of the Atlantic Ocean and Chesapeake Bay. Choreographer Heather Beal’s movement, Emma Hoffbrauer’s scenic design, Margery and Peter Spack’s projection design, Jasminie William’s lighting design, and Jackie Sharp’s sound design create a peaceful, serene, and relaxing ocean feel. Daryl Harris’ costume design compliments the story and completes a technical theater experience that is a multi-sensory indulgence for the eyes and ears. The combined work of the production aestheticians is so effective you can almost smell the ocean air. The calming nature of the scenic, set, projection and lighting design create an ocean sensation is a perfect juxtaposition to family conflict.

While the source material has its limitations, the Muny has staged an entertaining production with an adept company delivering exceptional performances. Jeanna de Waal is a proper Mary Poppins with perfect tone and an elegant voice. While Mary Poppins gets to fly, this production soars when Corbin Bleu (Bert) takes the stage. Mr. Bleu is establishing himself as a legitimate song and dance leading man. His dancing is electric. His energy and stage presence are infectious. Zoe Vonder Haar once again makes the most of every moment she has on stage. She disappears into her role as Mrs. Brill. Vonder Haar delivers a delightful performance. Her acting illustrates what it means to have true comedic timing. The remainder of the company is strong from top to bottom.

What did our critic think? Denis Jones (Director/Choreographer) and Barry Busby (Associate Choreographer) have assembled a splendid cast plus an ensemble of highly skilled dance professionals to pack the expansive Muny stage. Their choreography pays tribute to Fosse’s sexy and subtle work but morph it into grand movements that play to the back of this massive 11,000-seat house. Their choreography on “We Both Reached for the Gun” is an electrifying delight.

The US National Tour of MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET will officially re-launch its run at theaters across the Midwest and Northeast, including a stop at Stifel Theatre Thursday, Sept. 8 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets for this one-night-only event range from $32.50 to $82.50 and go on sale Friday, June 17 at 10 a.m. via Ticketmaster.

Director Amon Miyamoto leads his cast and creative team in staging a production that is familiar, completely original, and theatrically exciting. The choreography and set design work in tandem to create motion on a stage that’s never been seen before. Each member of the cast completely disappears into their roles with performances that are stellar by both the Broadway veterans and actors making their stage debuts.

Drew Gasparini is a composer who has been writing Broadway scores for more than a decade-and-a-half. He shared that in mid-2018 the producers from Gorgeous Entertainment were reaching out to his agents asking about his interest in submitting songs for a new musical production of The Karate Kid. 

Joe Hanrahan’s original play ANOMALOUS EXPERIENCE opened on Thursday, May 5th in its world premiere at .ZACK Theater. Produced by The Midnight Company and directed by Morgan Maul-Smith, ANOMALOUS EXPERIENCE examines two patients, in a clinical psychiatric lecture format, who claim to have been abducted by aliens. It is a dialogue driven script with believable stories thanks to the authentic performances of Joe Hanrahan, Payton Gillam and Joseph Garner.

The St. Louis Black Rep continued its 45th season tonight with the first preview performance of August Wilson’s JITNEY at the Edison Theater on the Washington University Campus.  JITNEY is the eighth play in Wilson’s ten play Century Cycle that examines every decade in the 20th Century. His goal in creating his masterful series of ten dramas was to portray both the joys and struggles of the African American experience in the twentieth century.

The St. Louis Black Repertory Company continues its in-person 45th Anniversary season with August Wilson’s JITNEY opening May 11 and running through May 29, 2022. This production is directed by Ron Himes, Founder and Producing Director of The Black Rep. Previews of JITNEY begin May 11 at the Edison Theatre at Washington University in St. Louis.

HAIRSPRAY, the hit Broadway musical opened at The Fox Theater in St. Louis Tuesday evening. HAIRSPRAY is set in 1962 in segregated Baltimore. A plump young teen, Tracy Turnblad (Niki Metcalf), tries out to become a dancer on a popular Saturday afternoon show. During her five minutes of fame, Tracy takes on segregation with her new-found celebrity. Her mother, Edna (Andrew Levitt) is a self-conscious, agoraphobic housewife and a loving parent who worries that Tracy is taking on too much for a young teen. These two roles are critical to the success of HAIRSPRAY and if not perfectly cast could turn fun campy roles into odd caricatures. In the hands of Ms. Metcalf and Mr. Levitt this production quickly hits its stride and never looks back.

Charly Evon Simpson’s BEHIND THE SHEET is a fictional story, based on real life events, of the inhumane experimentation and treatment of enslaved women who sustained childbirth obstetric fistulas in the birth canal. In BEHIND THE SHEET, Dr. George Barry purchases infirmed slave women from plantation owners to perform experimental surgeries without the use of anesthesia. While Dr. Barry ultimately finds a cure, it is the slave women who endured the pain and suffering of these injuries who drive the narrative as they are treated as human lab rats to find a cure.