James Lindhorst - Page 9

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.

The St. Louis Black Repertory Company continues its 45th Anniversary season with Behind the Sheet by Charly Evon Simpson opening March 18, 2022. Previews begin March 16 at the Catherine B. Berges Theatre at Center of Creative Arts (COCA) in St. Louis, Missouri.

The St Louis Black Repertory Company continues its 45th Anniversary Season with Fireflies by Donja R. Love. Fireflies opens on February 11, 2022 at at the 125-seat Hotchner Studio Theatre on Washington University’s campus. Previews begin on February 9, 2022.  The show is directed by Atlanta-based actor and director Andrea Frye, featuring Zahria Moore and Eric Conners. The courageous work takes an intimate approach to exploring personal aspects of the Civil Rights Movement.

Two theater companies in St. Louis Metropolitan Area, Ignite Theater Company and Grace Beyond Gravity, are working with area youth to help them gain theater experience in a community based theater setting.  Tonight, Ignite Theater company opened Disney’s NEWSIES THE MUSICAL. Late last year Grace Beyond Gravity produced LEGALLY BLONDE JUNIOR. Both companies feature area high-school and middle school performers and crew members to bring together teens with a passion for the arts in a place to learn the craft.

The Midnight Company announced its 25th Anniversary Season with their lineup of productions for their 2022 landmark silver anniversary year. The season will open with ANOMALOUS EXPERIENCE by the Company’s Artistic Director, Joe Hanrahan, running May 5-21 at the Kranzberg Black Box Theatre. Midnight’s second show of the season will be RODNEY’S WIFE by Richard Nelson and is directed by Joe Hanrahan. The show runs July 7-23 at The Chapel. The final show of the season will be ST. LOUIS WOMAN, written and directed by Joe Hanrahan, running October 6-22 at the .ZACK.

The St. Louis Black Repertory Company continues its 45th Anniversary Season with a production of Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea by Nathan Alan Davis opening Friday, January 14, 2022. Founder and Producing Director, Ron Himes takes Davis’ script and weaves a beautiful coming of age tale filled with magic realism, love, and hope. This show is co-produced with The Nebraska Rep, with support from the MidAmerican Arts Alliance (MAAA). The production moves to St. Louis after opening in November in Lincoln as part of the continued #realchange collaboration. Previews will begin on Wednesday January 12 at the Edison Theatre on the campus of Washington University.

STAGES St. Louis is proud to announce that Gayle Seay has accepted the role as the new Artistic Director beginning in 2022. Since 1996, Gayle has worked with STAGES St. Louis previously as an actor, choreographer, associate director and casting director. She shared that she is thrilled to make her second home in St. Louis and looks forward to continuing, diversifying, and growing the legacy that was left by Michael Hamilton.

Jersey Boys, the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons opened tonight at STAGES St. Louis for their final offering of the season. Winner of the 2006 Tony Award for Best Musical, 2009 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Musical, and the Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album, Jersey Boys is among the most successful jukebox musicals ever produced. The STAGES St. Louis production runs through October 24, 2021 at the Ross Family Theater in the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center.

STAGES St. Louis has announced the casting for their upcoming production of JERSEY BOYS that will play September 24 – October 24, 2021 at The Ross Family Theater in the new Kirkwood Performing Arts Center. The cast will be headlined by Christopher Kale Jones who is best known for playing Frankie Valli in the 1st National Tour of JERSEY BOYS. With a book written by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, JERSEY BOYS takes an exhilarating journey into the cultural phenomenon that is Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons. The show features 30 show stopping performances of the hits that took the group all the way to the top of the charts, including: “Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” and “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You.”

The classic Kander and Ebb musical Chicago opened tonight at The Muny and runs through Sunday, September 5th. Chicago is the story of two murderesses, Velma Kelly and Roxie Hart, who vie for criminal celebrity status. This is an innovative and entertaining production that slays the audience. The Muny has staged literal musical theater magic with this final production of their 103rd season.

The St. Louis Black Repertory Company opens its 45th Anniversary Season September 10 with an in-person production of the Pulitzer Prize-winning “Sweat” by Lynn Nottage. Addressing the complexities of race, class and friendship at a pivotal moment in America, the powerful work will be presented in person at the Edison Theatre at Washington University and directed by Founder and Producing Director Ron Himes. Previews begin on Wednesday September 8.

The Muny’s 103rd season closes next week with a production of Kander and Ebb’s classic musical Chicago. J. Harrison Ghee returns to The Muny to lead the company as Velma Kelly. Ghee was last seen at The Muny as Lola in Kinky Boots in 2019. Broadway World sat down with Ghee to learn about returning to The Muny in this production of Chicago.

The Muny premiere of On Your Feet! is a satisfying surprise. Director Maggie Burrows and Choreographer William Carlos Angulo fill The Muny stage with an epic celebration of music and movement. This production overcomes a thin book and marginally compelling story to stage a joyful jukebox musical thanks to perfect casting and exceptional performances.

12-year-old Isabella Iannelli will be making her Muny debut playing Young Gloria in the upcoming production of On Your Feet! based on the story of Gloria and Emilio Estefan. Isabella has starred on Broadway opposite Marisa Tomei in Tennessee William’s The Rose Tattoo. She was a featured dancer in the Lin Manuel Miranda movie In the Heights. Isabella has had extensive dance training since the age of 3. She dances every style of dance.  She also works with a vocal coach weekly. This incredibly articulate pre-teen sat down with BroadwayWorld to discuss her Muny debut and how she is navigating her young career.

A reimagined and visually impressive Seven Brides for Seven Brothers opened this evening at The Muny in Forest Park. The production stars St. Louisan Kendra Kassebaum as Milly Bradon and Edward Watts as Adam Pontipee.

Stages St. Louis christened their new home, The Ross Family Theater at the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center, with an engaging production of Always…Patsy Cline. The two women show features Broadway and American Idol star Diana DeGarmo as Patsy Cline and Zoe Vonder Haar as Louise Seger. Always…Patsy Cline is the real-life story of a Texas housewife and her unlikely friendship with the country music singer. Vonder Haar and DeGarmo have electric chemistry and play off each other perfectly as they tell a heartwarming tale of friendship.

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers is based on the 1954 Academy Award winning film starring Jane Powell and Howard Keel.  In 1978, Powell and Keel starred in The Muny theatrical premiere of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. Next week, St. Louis’ Kendra Kassebaum will star as Milly Bradon in the sixth Muny production of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. On Broadway, Kendra has starred as Glinda in Wicked, and originated the roles of Janice in Come From Away and Sam in Leap of Faith. She was last seen at The Muny in Guys and Dolls playing Miss Adelaide in 2019. BroadwayWorld had the opportunity to sit down with Kendra and talk about her return to The Muny and her career on the stage.

Tonight, the classic musical, The Sound of Music, opened as the second offering of The Muny’s 103rd season. According to the show’s director, Matt Kunkel, The Sound of Music, is a show about love of God, family, and country. Kunkel is helming his first full scale production after serving as a Muny directing intern during college. In a previous interview, he told Broadway World that this production would strive to give people what they remember from the movie while staying true to the original theatrical source material. To connect to the movie, this production included the songs ‘Something Good’ and ‘I Have Confidence’ that were written for the film.

St. Louis native Elizabeth Teeter will take The Muny stage this week in The Sound of Music to play Liesl, the eldest of the von Trapp children. Elizabeth has performed in Broadway and Off Broadway Productions, but started her acting career at The Muny. It is no surprise that she found a home on the stage as theater runs in her family. Her father is Broadway veteran Lara Teeter who teaches Dance at Webster University.  Her mother, Kristen, also teaches Dance at Nerinx Hall High School in St. Louis.  BroadwayWorld sat down with Elizabeth to learn about her memories of performing at The Muny, how she approaches this role, and who has influenced her young career in the performing arts.

The Muny in St. Louis' Forest Park opened it 103rd season with a performance of Smokey Joe's Cafe on Monday evening with a near capacity crowd. Smokey Joe's Cafe was Broadway's longest running musical revue and features 39 songs written by Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller including Stand by Me, Poison Ivy, Jail House Rock and Spanish Harlem.