James Lindhorst - Page 9

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.

Fans of The Four Season and those that have seen many productions of Jersey Boys are going to enjoy Maggie Burrow’s nostalgic and fresh take. Pablo David Laucerica’s star is on the rise. He’s terrific vocally and has outstanding stage presence. He will soon be making his Broadway debut in the new musical The Queen of Versailles. Cory Jeacoma continues a fantastic legacy with Jersey Boys after previously playing Bob Gaudio in other productions. His novel take on Nick Massi is one-of-a-kind and a favorite performance in this production. He, Laucerica, and Andrew Poston make memorable Muny debuts. Ryan Vasquez is charismatic in his return to the Muny stage as the greasy Tommy DeVito. The four actors’ genuine truthful portrayals enhance Burrow’s realistic storytelling.

Critics are heaping praise upon leading actors Olivia Hernandez and Delphi Borich. Hernandez plays author Jane Austen and Borich plays the Pride and Prejudice protagonist Elizabeth Bennet. Both are getting raves for their acting and singing. Broadway World called their vocals are soaring and graceful. Hernandez and Borich sat down with Broadway world to discuss the first stop on their planned eight city tour. They talked about the process of standing this production up at STAGES St. Louis, their previous experiences, and the people who influenced their love of theater. 

Rachel Bailey stars as Calista in MADAM. She is the eldest and most experienced prostitute in Madam Eliza Haycraft’s brothel. Rachel won a 2024 St. Louis Theater Circle Award for Best Supporting Female Performance in a Musical for her spot-on portrayal of Susan Blackwell in [title of show]. She shared that award, in a tie, with her Madam co-star Kimmie Kidd who won for her supporting role in Tesseract’s production of Anastasia.   Broadway World called Rachel’s standout performance is fearless and boldly daring. Critics said her portrayal is “sexually charged, courageous, revealing, roguish, and risqué.” 

The Muny’s La Cage Aux Folles is enormity in storytelling. Contrasted with the intimacy of last week’s Dear Evan Hansen, Marsha Milgrom Dodge’s La Cage captures the grandeur of what The Muny does best. It is a grand venue that supports epic productions.

Director Michael James Reed and company present A Streetcar Named Desire with grand showmanship, attention grabbing storytelling, and intense performances. The Tennessee Williams Festival is an outstanding chance to see a superb production of his Williams’ masterpiece. It is hard to say a Tennessee William’s play enjoyable or entertaining because his dramas are never uplifting. A Streetcar Named Desire tackles brutality, abuse, alcoholism, toxic masculinity, class conflict, rape, mental anguish, and nervous breakdown. Blanche and Stanley’s dramatic conflict leaves victims in their wake.