BUG is a play that gets under your skin, burrowing into your psyche and feasting on your anxieties. It may make you restless to watch it, and you may find yourself absentmindedly scratching at imaginary itches. It's a small tale filled with big ideas, and a must-see for conspiracy theory enthusiasts and fans of grindhouse films from the 1970's. Muddy Waters Theatre presents a strong and brave cast for their current production that combines with solid direction to make for an unusually compelling experience.
Ever since I produced the music for a production of the musical GODSPELL it's held a special place in my heart. Working as a one-man band, I became intimately familiar with Stephen Schwartz's genre-hopping score. Ever since, I've been a unabashed fan of the work, and try to catch as many productions of it as I can (which isn't easy with my busy schedule). Mustard Seed Theatre is presenting an exceptional presentation that's distinguished by an excellent cast, sharp musical direction, and absolutely expert ensemble direction.
Citilites Theatre presents a late night show, making a sort of double bill for theatre patrons after they take in THE CRUMPLE ZONE, with the short musical, SONGS FROM AN UNMADE BED. Fortunately, it's well worth staying over for (although I took in a Sunday matinee performance), featuring a terrific performance from Justin Ivan Brown. It's a collection of eighteen songs by various composers, but all featuring the pithy and amusing lyrics of Mark Campbell. The brevity of the show, which runs about an hour, is perfectly suited to the material, and easily outshines the production that plays before it.
The idea of following the stories of four young gay men who are raised as members of a Baptist church in Texas is certainly fertile enough stuff for a play on its own. But, with SOUTHERN BAPTIST SISSIES, playwright Del Shores muddies this basic premise with a non-linear, and at times illogical, presentation that generates a modicum of laughs, but misses the mark dramatically. Although I'm usually a fan of unconventionality, I think Shores pushes too hard here, and the opportunity to create something truly memorable is lost in the process. However, Citilites Theatre has put together a fitfully funny and heartfelt production that makes the most of this decidedly uneven material, and it benefits greatly from a number of strong performances as well.
Citilites Theatre proudly presents its production of SOUTHERN BAPTIST SISSIES, Del Shores' hilarious and touching follow-up to his cult favorite Sordid Lives (stage play, movie, and TV series) at The Gaslight Theater @ 358 N. Boyle Ave. 63108 opening March 11, running through March 27.
Citilites Theatre proudly presents its production of SOUTHERN BAPTIST SISSIES, Del Shores' hilarious and touching follow-up to his cult favorite Sordid Lives (stage play, movie, and TV series) at The Gaslight Theater @ 358 N. Boyle Ave. 63108 opening March 11, running through March 27.
Echo Theatre Company presents the St. Louis premiere of CRUMBLE (Lay Me Down, Justin Timberlake) by Sheila Callaghan from December 3-19. The production will be held in Echo's performance venue, Theatre 134, in the ArtSpace at Crestwood Court. The theater is located in the Crestwood Court shopping center at the corner of Watson and Sappington Roads.
Echo Theatre Company presents the St. Louis premiere of CRUMBLE (LAY ME DOWN,JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE) by Sheila Callaghan from December 3-19. The production will be held in Echo's performance venue, Theatre 134, in the ArtSpace at Crestwood Court. The theater is located in the Crestwood Court shopping center at the corner of Watson and Sappington Roads.
Echo Theatre Company, who continually push the envelope by presenting fresh and daring plays and musicals as part of their theatrical mission, offer up the St. Louis premiere of playwright Sheila Callaghan's wacky and surreal work CRUMBLE (Lay Me Down, Justin Timberlake) for your holiday season perusal, and it's a tasty morsel. This is a truly odd, but engaging play that confounds expectations and, in its own weird little way, provides its characters with a way to reconcile their feelings and get over their grief. While not your typical holiday offering, CRUMBLE is certainly worthy of your attention, particularly if you like things that are quirky and offbeat.
Echo Theatre Company presents the St. Louis premiere of CRUMBLE (Lay Me Down, Justin Timberlake) by Sheila Callaghan from December 3-19. The production will be held in Echo's performance venue, Theatre 134, in the ArtSpace at Crestwood Court. The theater is located in the Crestwood Court shopping center at the corner of Watson and Sappington Roads.
Echo Theatre Company presents the St. Louis premiere of CRUMBLE (LAY ME DOWN,JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE) by Sheila Callaghan from December 3-19. The production will be held in Echo's performance venue, Theatre 134, in the ArtSpace at Crestwood Court. The theater is located in the Crestwood Court shopping center at the corner of Watson and Sappington Roads.
Echo Theatre Company presents the St. Louis premiere of CRUMBLE (Lay Me Down, Justin Timberlake) by Sheila Callaghan from December 3-19. The production will be held in Echo's performance venue, Theatre 134, in the ArtSpace at Crestwood Court. The theater is located in the Crestwood Court shopping center at the corner of Watson and Sappington Roads.
Echo Theatre Company presents the St. Louis premiere of CRUMBLE (LAY ME DOWN,JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE) by Sheila Callaghan from December 3-19. The production will be held in Echo's performance venue, Theatre 134, in the ArtSpace at Crestwood Court. The theater is located in the Crestwood Court shopping center at the corner of Watson and Sappington Roads.
Mustard Seed Theatre opens THE CHOSEN October 22 - November 7, 2010, which follows two teen-age Jewish boys who meet as rivals in a baseball game and begin an unlikely friendship, navigating the opposing political and religious views of their fathers. Adapted from the classic novel by Chaim Potok. The cast includes Justin Ivan Brown as Reuven Malter, Adam Moskal as Young Reuven, Jim Leibrecht as David Malter, David Chandler as Danny Saunders and Richard Lewis as Reb Saunders.
The second half of the mini-Potok festival continues with an engaging and thoughtful dramatization of his classic novel THE CHOSEN, which I can recall reading (for English class) and enjoying myself many years ago. This adaptation, like the recent production of MY NAME IS ASHER LEV, is also written by playwright Aaron Posner, and it fully captures the flavor of the book, staging key scenes compactly, and with considerable economy, even though it relies on the use of a narrator, which the other adaptation eschewed in favor of having its protagonist portray the lead character at various stages. Mustard Seed Theatre's production is nicely conceived and executed, with a solid cast doing fine work under the guidance of director (of both productions) Deanna Jent.
Mustard Seed Theatre opens THE CHOSEN October 22 - November 7, 2010, which follows two teen-age Jewish boys who meet as rivals in a baseball game and begin an unlikely friendship, navigating the opposing political and religious views of their fathers. Adapted from the classic novel by Chaim Potok. The cast includes Justin Ivan Brown as Reuven Malter, Adam Moskal as Young Reuven, Jim Leibrecht as David Malter, David Chandler as Danny Saunders and Richard Lewis as Reb Saunders.
Mustard Seed Theatre opens THE CHOSEN October 22 - November 7, 2010, which follows two teen-age Jewish boys who meet as rivals in a baseball game and begin an unlikely friendship, navigating the opposing political and religious views of their fathers. Adapted from the classic novel by Chaim Potok. The cast includes Justin Ivan Brown as Reuven Malter, Adam Moskal as Young Reuven, Jim Leibrecht as David Malter, David Chandler as Danny Saunders and Richard Lewis as Reb Saunders.
When a couple's son drowns, their marriage begins to dissolve under the weight of grief that follows his death. As they grow farther and farther apart, their daughter is emotionally abandoned. Can the Tooth Fairy, a life-size G.I. Joe doll and a cross-dressing flight attendant help them discover solace? GOD'S EAR is an unfolding of the human heart told through a poignant and hilarious look at the language we use when we cannot bear to speak.
Jenny Schwartz's play GOD'S EAR is an intriguing work, chock full of linguistic twists and turns that manage to illuminate rather than obscure, even though they appear to tumble forth with seemingly reckless abandon. Schwartz takes a tragic situation, in this case the loss of a child and the erosion of a married couple's feelings in the aftermath, and peppers the dialogue with exhilarating, and at times exasperating, flurries of cliches and non-sequiturs. It's like some weirdly compelling word game, and I like the fact that Echo Theatre Company has chosen this particular work to begin their 2010 season, because it represents the kind of challenging, and ultimately rewarding, productions that have become their stock in trade.
When a couple's son drowns, their marriage begins to dissolve under the weight of grief that follows his death. As they grow farther and farther apart, their daughter is emotionally abandoned. Can the Tooth Fairy, a life-size G.I. Joe doll and a cross-dressing flight attendant help them discover solace? GOD'S EAR is an unfolding of the human heart told through a poignant and hilarious look at the language we use when we cannot bear to speak.
