John Contini News

Happy Holidays! It's the last week to vote for the 2015 BroadwayWorld St. Louis Regional Awards! Check out the latest live stats as of December 18. Nominations were reader-submitted and after the nomination period ended, BroadwayWorld's local editors proofed the list for eligibility and errors. Voting runs through December 31!

Time is running out to vote for the 2015 BroadwayWorld St. Louis Regional Awards! Check out the latest live stats as of December 18. Nominations were reader-submitted and after the nomination period ended, BroadwayWorld's local editors proofed the list for eligibility and errors. Voting runs through December 31!

When it comes to classifying THE GIN GAME, it's a bit of a sticky wicket. On the cover of Donald Coburn's play it says it's a tragicomedy, and yet it won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. No wonder my fellow critics and I felt a bit confused as to where it should fall categorically. Personally, the amount of humor present leads me to side with way the play was published. Probably the most famous couple to play the leads in this two person play were Hume Croyn and Jessica Tandy, but many, many others have revived the play over the years. Luckily for you, the current production of this engaging and entertaining work features two of St. Louis' finest actors; Linda Kennedy and Peter Mayer. Under the guidance of director John Contini, this pair provide a wonderful experience that deserves your time and attention. Go see it.

Voting is fully underway for the 2015 BroadwayWorld St. Louis Regional Awards! Check out the latest live stats as of December 11. Nominations were reader-submitted and after the nomination period ended, BroadwayWorld's local editors proofed the list for eligibility and errors. Voting runs through December 31.

Voting has opened for the 2015 BroadwayWorld St. Louis Regional Awards! Check out the latest live stats as of November 27th. Nominations were reader-submitted and after the nomination period ended, BroadwayWorld's local editors proofed the list for eligibility and errors. Voting runs through December 31.

The New Jewish Theatre opens their season with a nicely staged presentation of Neil Simon's lovingly written tribute to the those long gone days of vaudeville, THE SUNSHINE BOYS. As you would expect from such a prolific and gifted writer, the jokes come fast and furious, reflecting the nature of the characters as much as the subject matter, particularly with regards to Willie Clark, and his habit of finding some wry and cynical take on any conversation directed toward him. It's a reflex, and one I totally get, because I often find myself doing the same thing. It's a defense mechanism, I suppose. And, if this seems like I'm getting a little deep, that's because this version of the show has a certain poignancy and emotional affectation that provides the play with additional depth. Perhaps that's due to the fact that the main actors are normally ones you would find doing predominately dramatic works. But, this is proof positive that you can't always judge an actor by their portfolio, because they confound expectations with their superb performances. Go see this wonderfully fresh take on THE SUNSHINE boys, you'll certainly be glad you did.

Insight Theatre announces its 8th season.

Nearly 400 people hooped, hollered and packed the auditorium at the Center of Creative Arts (COCA) on Monday, March 23, 2015 for the third annual St. Louis Theater Circle Awards ceremony. The event honors outstanding achievement in local professional theater by performers and behind-the-scenes artists. Awards were given in 31 different categories covering comedy, drama and musicals, along with two special awards bestowed on Donna Northcott, founder and artistic director of St. Louis Shakespeare, and Agnes Wilcox, founder and artistic director of Prison Performing Arts. Both women have retired this year and turned their companies over to new artistic directors, Suki Peters for St. Louis Shakespeare and Christopher Limber at Prison Performing Arts.

Most people are familiar with WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?, undoubtedly playwright Edward Albee's masterpiece, from the film that starred Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor (released in 1966). But, seeing the play in person is a completely different experience, and one that's incredibly worthwhile, if harrowing at times. The St. Louis Actors' Studio is currently presenting an excellent production of this work that features strong performances and insightful direction. You'll forget all about the movie once you experience this show in the flesh.

New Line Theatre's production of BONNIE & CLYDE tied with Stages St. Louis' rendition of HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING with nine nominations apiece for the St. Louis Theater Circle Awards to lead nominations for all shows produced by local professional theater companies in 2014.

Votes are cast; polls are closed; and results have been tabulated! This was our biggest year yet! After a record number of voters in more than 60 regions worldwide, BroadwayWorld is very excited to announce the 2014 St. Louis winners! Thanks to all who voted, and huge congratulations to all the winners!

It's your last week to vote for the 2014 BroadwayWorld St. Louis Regional Awards! Check out the latest live stats as of December 26th. Voting closes at the end of the year, in under one week!

Time is ticking on your last chance to vote for the 2014 BroadwayWorld St. Louis Regional Awards! Check out the latest live stats as of December 19th. Voting closes at the end of the year!

Voting has now opened for the 2014 BroadwayWorld St. Louis Regional Awards! Check out the latest live stats as of December 4th.

I would've written about Dramatic License Production's presentation of playwright Larry Shue's THE NERD sooner, but my computer crashed. Not once, but twice. It's fixed with the help of some technical assistance, but some things got lost in the process. Kind of like how I've generally felt about most productions of THE NERD that I've seen. The number is astounding since it's a community theatre staple, and yet none have really made me laugh. That's what makes DLP's staging so intriguing and entertaining. I'm finally seeing the play done justice by a sharp cast and finely tuned direction that allows the humor to shine through. So, this is another one of those times where my opinion is that you may have thought you'd seen the play before, but you really haven't.

Leading the pack, with 12 wins is The Muny's hit summer production of LES MISERABLES. Check back in October when the public nomination period will once again open, for the 2014 awards. Congratulations to all of the 2013 award winners!

Voting is now underway for St. Louis! We have a record number of votes in already, but if you haven't voted yet, click here to vote! If you have voted already, tell your friends.

Voting is now underway for St. Louis! We have a record number of votes in already, but if you haven't voted yet, click here to vote! If you have voted already, tell your friends.

Voting is now underway for St. Louis! We have a record number of votes in already, but if you haven't voted yet, click here to vote! If you have voted already, tell your friends.