The unconventional Caught opens with an invitation for patrons to peruse an installation created by a Chinese artist. But once the audience actually meets said artist, the reality of the play begins to spiral out of control. Written by Christopher Chen and directed by Seth Gordon, this fourth wall-demolishing play runs from March 7 to 25 in The Rep's Studio Theatre.
As we head towards the one-year anniversary of the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando, the largest episode of civilian gun violence in the history of the US, we turn to art to help us commemorate the occasion through After Orlando.
Amy Herzog's marvelous play, 4000 MILES, draws upon relationships and people from the playwright's own life. The experience of watching these characters interact is undeniably affecting, and definitely warms the heart. It made me wish I had had a grandmother like the one that is portrayed on stage. The New Jewish Theatre is presenting a fine production of this show that's both hilarious and touching, and highly recommended.
Several years ago the Steppenwolf Theatre Company's touring production of AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY touched down at the Fox Theatre and I was blown away by it. I think it spoiled me with its massive set and terrific ensemble. So, when regional theatre companies began staging playwright Tracy Letts' work, I have to admit I was a bit skeptical. But recently I saw the St. Louis Actors' Studio's presentation. Again, I thought this was a work that couldn't be scaled down to fit into the confines of a black box theatre. But, I was wrong. They've done an exceptional job with this production. The acting is superb, and somehow they've managed to parlay the intimacy into something that makes the play seem even more powerful. I think this is must-see theatre, and I urge you to check out this amazing production.
The New Jewish Theatre closes its milestone 20th Season with Amy Herzog's 4000 Miles which will run May 11- 28. It quietly tells of the developing relationship between a 91 year old "lefty" political activist and her 21 year old grandson. Their evolving relationship, spanning a 70 year age gap, is at the heart of 4000 Miles.
The Repertory Theatre of St Louis is presenting Christopher Sergel's adaptation of Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize winning novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, and it's a stunning production that is sure to be a smash hit. The addition of a representative group of African Americans referenced in the program as 'The Community' improves the experience immeasurably. The play itself has only a couple of characters of color, and in previous productions I've seen this presented a problem for me, given that the story is about injustice. This seemed to me to be a sort of injustice in and of itself. The basic story was there, of course, but something was missing that would further enhance a clearer understanding of the atmosphere and period. Now I can't imagine a staging that shouldn't follow this lead. This is a powerful and timely show that qualifies impressively as must-see entertainment.
The St. Louis Theater Circle has just announced the nominees for the 2013 Louie Awards, honoring excellence in professional theater. The ceremony is set to take place on March 11 at the Gaslight Theater (358 North Boyle Avenue). To reserve tickets, email stltheatercircle@sbcglobal.net.
I'm lucky enough to see over a hundred shows every year, and I'm happy to report that 2012 was an excellent year for theatre in St. Louis. So, here I am again, offering up my lists for the best productions of 2012. While I'm not going to include the touring companies that came through town this year in my listings, I'd like to give them a shout out just the same.
Playwright C.P. Taylor's work, GOOD, is a piece of theater guaranteed to make the audience think. That's a good thing. Too often, things are so cut and dry that the viewer isn't really required to ponder what they've just seen, they simply digest it and move along. But, Good stays with you, and makes you wonder just what it would take to make a person conform their values and beliefs in an effort to get ahead, even if meant the attempted extermination of a whole race of people. The St. Louis Actors' Studio has put together a fascinating and engaging presentation that truly makes you ask this question. And, with current legislation in Germany being discussed that would outlaw circumcision, it's a timely work that makes you aware of the fact that those who don't learn from their own history may be doomed to repeat it.
KILLER JOE is a killer show! I only regret not being able to see this show until I'd returned from my vacation, effectively eliminating my chance to laud the show properly in order to drive an audience to it. My sincerest apologies, because I'm a fan of playwright Tracy Letts, and, not having seen this show before, I was unprepared for its sheer rawness. It's a hilarious pulpy send-up on the classic idea of hiring a hitman to off someone in order to benefit monetarily from the situation, and the St. Louis Actors' Studio have outdone themselves with an excellent rendering of this early work. The direction and acting of the entire ensemble is fearless and superb.
A good friend told me about a production of OLEANNA (by playwright David Mamet) that he attended where the audience was actually segregated along gender lines. I can understand how that could be very intriguing and effective given the subject matter and eventual outcome of the piece. It's definitely provocative, like most of Mamet's work, and the latest presentation by HotCity Theatre, which is currently playing the Kranzberg, is a terrific evening of theatre that's buoyed by two fine performances and insightful direction. It might even be required viewing for teachers and students because of the way it blends its pokes at higher education and political correctness. You'll certainly be affected by it no matter which gender you happen to belong to, or identify with, it's that powerful.
The New Jewish Theatre continue their 15th season with Alfred Ury's (of Driving Miss Daisy fame) engaging and informative LAST NIGHT AT BALLYHOO. It's a delightful slice-of-life comedy with an examination of an extended family and its peculiarities providing the stage for a look at whether Jews who moved South did or did not maintain, more or less of, their orthodox heritage, and how a kind of bigotry existed within their own community, in regards to this key distinction in behavior (keying on "club life" and their differing observations of Christmas and Hanukah). This is an intelligent, amusing work with plenty to offer.
Playwright Neil Labute's REASONS TO BE PRETTY is the third in a trilogy of plays focusing on the modern day obsession with the way people look, following Shape of Things and Fat Pig. It's the least gimmicky of the three, relying on more honest sounding dialog delivered by four working class friends whose relationships taking interesting turns over the course of the work. NonProphet Theatre Company is presenting a sharp, straight-forward production that's clear and focused in execution.
St. Louis Actors' Studio concludes its fourth season, themed 'Angels and Demons,' with an evening that gets right to the heart of it. According to Mr. LaBute, these pieces were written '... to say something about love and life and betrayal and art and a number of other themes.... Each one for a different reason and for a different show or person or cause....along with some new material that is debuting here, these fragments of work have been performed in venues around the world but never before in this exciting combination. My task is to be true to my characters and to take my audience for a ride--I hope you all feel like that's the case when the curtain comes down (or the lights go out) and you've made it to the curtain call'
St. Louis Actors' Studio continues its fourth season, themed Angels and Demons, with Patrick Marber's award winning play CLOSER. CLOSER follows four lives intertwine over the course of four and a half years in a densely plotted, stinging look at modern love and betrayal. Dan, an obituary writer, meets Alice, a stripper, after an accident in the street. Eighteen months later, they are a couple, and Dan has written a novel inspired by Alice. While posing for his book jacket cover, Dan meets Anna, a photographer. He pursues her, but she rejects his advances despite their mutual attraction. Larry, a dermatologist, 'meets' Dan in an Internet chat room. Dan, obsessing over Anna, pretends to be her and has cybersex with Larry. They arrange to meet the next day at an aquarium. Larry arrives and so too, coincidentally, does the real Anna. This sets up a series of pass-the-lover scenes in which this quartet struggle to find intimacy but can't seem to get closer.
Patrick Marber's play CLOSER is an intriguing examination of the way men and women interact with one another, particularly with regards to their vastly differing ideas as to what love and commitment actually mean. The story itself is fascinating and frustrating, in equal measure, as we watch four damaged, and generally unlikable and selfish, characters struggle with their wants and desires as they desperately search for happiness. What's absolutely certain is that Marber's play requires a quartet of actors who are firing on all cylinders in order for it to truly take hold of an audience. Fortunately, the St. Louis Actors' Studio has assembled a terrific cast for their current production, and they manage to make these (mostly) unsympathetic characters both engaging and compelling.
St. Louis Actors' Studio continues its fourth season, themed Angels and Demons, with Patrick Marber's award winning play CLOSER. CLOSER follows four lives intertwine over the course of four and a half years in a densely plotted, stinging look at modern love and betrayal. Dan, an obituary writer, meets Alice, a stripper, after an accident in the street. Eighteen months later, they are a couple, and Dan has written a novel inspired by Alice. While posing for his book jacket cover, Dan meets Anna, a photographer. He pursues her, but she rejects his advances despite their mutual attraction. Larry, a dermatologist, 'meets' Dan in an Internet chat room. Dan, obsessing over Anna, pretends to be her and has cybersex with Larry. They arrange to meet the next day at an aquarium. Larry arrives and so too, coincidentally, does the real Anna. This sets up a series of pass-the-lover scenes in which this quartet struggle to find intimacy but can't seem to get closer.
St. Louis Actors' Studio continues its fourth season, themed Angels and Demons, with Patrick Marber's award winning play CLOSER. CLOSER follows four lives intertwine over the course of four and a half years in a densely plotted, stinging look at modern love and betrayal. Dan, an obituary writer, meets Alice, a stripper, after an accident in the street. Eighteen months later, they are a couple, and Dan has written a novel inspired by Alice. While posing for his book jacket cover, Dan meets Anna, a photographer. He pursues her, but she rejects his advances despite their mutual attraction. Larry, a dermatologist, 'meets' Dan in an Internet chat room. Dan, obsessing over Anna, pretends to be her and has cybersex with Larry. They arrange to meet the next day at an aquarium. Larry arrives and so too, coincidentally, does the real Anna. This sets up a series of pass-the-lover scenes in which this quartet struggle to find intimacy but can't seem to get closer.
We probably take the cultural impact of rock 'n' roll for granted, not fully comprehending the effect this raw, powerful blast of rebellious freedom has had worldwide, where it has somehow managed to shape generations that are far removed from its origins. With his play ROCK 'N' ROLL, Czech playwright Tom Stoppard is able to show us firsthand how this music molded the beliefs, hopes, and dreams of his own youth, and he filters it through a unapologetic, surprisingly sentimental haze that makes for an engaging and compelling ride through time. The St. Louis Actors' Studio is currently presenting a very entertaining and sharply acted and directed production of this work at the Missouri History Museum.
St. Louis Actors' Studio continues its fourth season, themed Angels and Demons, with Tom Stoppard's semi-biographical ROCK 'N' ROLL. ROCK 'N' ROLL is an electrifying collision of the romantic and the revolutionary. It is 1968 and the world is ablaze with rebellion, accompanied by a sound track of the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan. Clutching his prized collection of rock albums, Jan, a Cambridge graduate student, returns to his homeland of Czechoslovakia just as Soviet tanks roll into Prague.
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