Steve Isom News

59E59 Theaters will welcome St. Louis Actors' Studio with the New York premiere of DAY OF THE DOG, written by Daniel Damiano and directed by Milton Zoth. DAY OF THE DOG begins performances on Thursday, March 13 for a limited engagement through Sunday, March 30. Press opening is Tuesday, March 18 at 7:30 PM. The performance schedule is Tuesday - Thursday at 7:30 PM; Friday - Saturday at 8:30 PM; and Sunday at 3:30 PM. Performances are at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street, between Park and Madison Avenues). Tickets are $18 ($12.60 for 59E59 Members). To purchase tickets, call Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 or go to www.59e59.org.

COCA recently announced the cast and production team for its upcoming production of Swallows and Amazons. The cast includes professional St. Louis actors Steve Isom (AEA), Maria Knasel (AEA), Taylor Pietz and Pete Winfrey, as well as members of the COCA Theatre Company (CTC).

I was a bit intrusive to my cast this evening: I went around to each cast member and stuck my voice memo recorder in their face asking them 4 on-the-spot questions about Henry Higgins. It proved to be a funny experiment as my cast mates blurted out some of their answers (I made this a timed experiment, asking each cast member to say the first answer that came to mind). As it turns out, there were a few common answers about where Higgins would live, or which celebrity he resembles. And just the same, there were some "left field" answers which were cause for a chuckle. Here are the questions I asked:

One of the unspoken thrills of theatre is getting ready for each performance. The prep-work involves putting on wigs, applying make-up, zipping up costumes, and (in the case of My Fair Lady) applying facial hair.

Hailed as one of the greatest musicals of all time, My Fair Lady (now through October 6) is the perfect grand finale to the STAGES ST. LOUIS record-breaking 27th season. Christopher Guilmet and Pamela Brumley star as Professor Henry Higgins and Eliza Doolittle, respectively. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the stars in action in the video below!

Hailed as one of the greatest musicals of all time, My Fair Lady (September 6 through October 6) is the perfect grand finale to the STAGES ST. LOUIS record-breaking 27th season. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the production below!

Hailed as one of the greatest musicals of all time, My Fair Lady (September 6 through October 6) is the perfect grand finale to the STAGES ST. LOUIS record-breaking 27th season. BroadwayWorld has a sneak peek at rehearsals below!

Hailed as one of the greatest musicals of all time, My Fair Lady (September 6 through October 6) is the perfect grand finale to the STAGES ST. LOUIS record-breaking 27thseason. This romantic fancy radiates a charm and sophistication unlike any other musical and reigns as an American masterpiece. Lerner and Loewe's score couldn't be closer to pure perfection, with memorable show-stoppers such as 'I Could Have Danced All Night,' 'On the Street Where You Live,' and 'Get Me to the Church on Time.' You'll 'grow accustomed' to this 'loverly' classic as 'your heart takes flight.'

STAGES ST. LOUIS continues its record-breaking 27th Season when it turns St. Louis pink, with the romantic comedy, Legally Blonde, The Musical tonight, July 19th through August 18th . A plethora of upbeat music, dance and of course laughs, made the show a hit on Broadway in 2007. The Tony nominated score features the hilarious 'Omigod You Guys,' the sassy 'Bend and Snap' and the catchy 'Legally Blonde.' BroadwayWorld has a first look at highlights of the show below!

STAGES ST. LOUIS continues its record-breaking 27th Season when it turns St. Louis pink, with the romantic comedy, Legally Blonde, The Musical tonight, July 19th through August 18th . A plethora of upbeat music, dance and of course laughs, made the show a hit on Broadway in 2007. The Tony nominated score features the hilarious 'Omigod You Guys,' the sassy 'Bend and Snap' and the catchy 'Legally Blonde.' Check out a first look at the production below!

STAGES ST. LOUIS continues its record-breaking 27th Season when it turns St. Louis pink, with the romantic comedy, Legally Blonde, The Musical tonight, July 19th through August 18th . A plethora of upbeat music, dance and of course laughs, made the show a hit on Broadway in 2007. The Tony nominated score features the hilarious 'Omigod You Guys,' the sassy 'Bend and Snap' and the catchy 'Legally Blonde.' Check out a sneak peek of rehearsals below!

STAGES ST. LOUIS continues its record-breaking 27th Season when it turns St. Louis pink, with the romantic comedy, Legally Blonde, The Musical tonight, July 19th through August 18th . A plethora of upbeat music, dance and of course laughs, made the show a hit on Broadway in 2007. The Tony nominated score features the hilarious 'Omigod You Guys,' the sassy 'Bend and Snap' and the catchy 'Legally Blonde.' Check out a sneak peek of the cast below!

STAGES ST. LOUIS continues its record-breaking 27th Season when it turns St. Louis pink, with the romantic comedy, Legally Blonde, The Musical tonight, July 19th through August 18th . A plethora of upbeat music, dance and of course laughs, made the show a hit on Broadway in 2007. The Tony nominated score features the hilarious 'Omigod You Guys,' the sassy 'Bend and Snap' and the catchy 'Legally Blonde.'

STAGES ST. LOUIS continues its record-breaking 27th Season when it turns St. Louis pink, with the romantic comedy, Legally Blonde, The Musical July 19th through August 18th . A plethora of upbeat music, dance and of course laughs, made the show a hit on Broadway in 2007. The Tony nominated score features the hilarious 'Omigod You Guys,' the sassy 'Bend and Snap' and the catchy 'Legally Blonde.'

STAGES ST. LOUIS is proud to announce casting for Always... Patsy Cline, Legally Blonde, The Musical and My Fair Lady. This season exceptional talent will bring life tothree passionate women who broke down society's barriers and stereotypes by refusing to be limited by the vision of others. STAGES also announces the cast for the Theatre for Young Audiences production of, the 'princess story' that started it all, Disney's Cinderella. All season and single tickets are on sale now.

Playwright Daniel Damiano's DAY OF THE DOG is a quirky little dramatic comedy that explores a fractured family's dysfunction through their relationship with an aggressive canine. There are a number of good laughs, and a lot of therapeutic interactions, that occur as this premiere production by the St. Louis Actors' Studio unfolds. It's still a work in progress in some regards, but it's done well, with an excellent cast doing a fine job interpreting their roles, and solid direction.

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.

MY ONE AND ONLY is what I like to call a "retrofit" musical, appropriating tunes from the Gershwin brothers (Ira and George, of course) catalog, while creating a book (Peter Stone and Timothy Mayer) that incorporates familiar elements from 1927, the year it's set in. That being said, it's a slick and flashy excursion into fun that's "all talking, all singing, and all dancing". This final production of the season for Stages St. Louis is a terrifically convivial ride utilizing the old "boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back" plot that so many musicals, particularly from that era, rely on.

From September 7 through October 7, The Robert G. Reim Theatre in Kirkwood will be roaring with 1920s melodies sure to have you on your feet and dancing out the door with STAGES final production of the 2012 season, My One and Only. Meet the cast in the photos below!

There are a number of reasons that Rodgers and Hammerstein's THE SOUND OF MUSIC is still so popular today. The songs are definitely catchy and familiar, and the story is compelling. But, it takes a good cast and solid direction to make it work properly, and the troupe that Stages St. Louis has corralled are excellent in their roles. This venerable warhorse of a show is their current production, and its charm still holds up remarkably well after all these years.