Review: IRVING BERLIN'S WHITE CHRISTMAS at Paramount Theatre Aurora, IL
by Tina St. Angelo - Nov 25, 2025
An aptly titled song from one of the greatest songwriters of the 20th Century, Irving Berlin. The holiday offering at Aurora’s Paramount Theatre is Irving Berlin’s White Christmas. Jeff Award-winning director Stephen Schellhardt has created a musical that will stay with you long after the last note is played and the last bow taken.
Interview: Bailey Frankenberg of PETER PAN at The Fox Theatre
by Joseph Harrison - Apr 24, 2025
In today’s culture, it is hard to find anyone who doesn’t have some experience with the story of Peter Pan. For many, their first exposure to the “boy who refused to grow up” was through Walt Disney’s classic 1953 animated film. Others first journeyed off to Neverland with Peter and Wendy by reading the original 1904 play by J.M. Barrie. And in between (and beyond) have come many different iterations of this timeless adventure. But for musical theatre fans, there is just one PETER PAN – the classic 1954 stage musical which starred Mary Martin and was captured for posterity through a 1955 NBC broadcast. So how does one take a story with its beautiful score but also some troublesome stereotypes and bring it to an audience in 2025? That is just what Larissa FastHorse and the team bringing PETER PAN to life on the stage at the fabulous Fox Theatre have done – taken a classic and updated it for a new generation. And in the role of Tiger Lily, Bailey Frankenberg has a front row seat to what makes this story so magical. I had the chance to catch up with Bailey and hear all about her career and what it is like to play an iconic (but updated) heroine as well as serve as Fight and Flight captain for the show.
WHITE CHRISTMAS Comes to Gateway Playhouse
by Stephi Wild - Nov 7, 2024
Gateway Playhouse in Somers Point will bring Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas”—based on the famed Hollywood movie musical of the same name—to life next month.
Review: THE WHITE (ALBUM) CHRISTMAS at Colony Theatre
by Amanda Callas - Dec 10, 2023
The award-winning Troubadour Theater Company has been doing their beloved annual Christmas mashup shows for decades, with loyal fans who return year after year. The closest thing I can compare it to is live performances I have seen of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Review: MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET at STAGES St. Louis is Rollicking Rock 'n Roll Fun
by James Lindhorst - Sep 14, 2023
STAGES St. Louis has resurrected the spirits of Elvis, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis in a dazzling, high energy and flashy production of MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET. This show is musical theatre perfection from top to bottom. The performances are spectacular. The musicianship is masterful. The vocals are sensational. The technical theatre work is otherworldly. The entire cast, crew, and production design team have assembled a production that is in a class by itself. STAGES St. Louis has the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center (KPAC) rockin’!
PYO Music Institute Launches 10th Annual Ovation Award
by Blair Ingenthron - Mar 4, 2023
PYO Music Institute (PYOMI) and its partners will continue recognizing outstanding music teachers through the 10th Annual Ovation Award. This award recognizes inspiration and leadership in music education. For over ten years, hundreds of current and former music students have shown appreciation for their music teachers through Ovation Award submissions. Beginning on March 6, 2023, current and former students of all ages are invited to nominate “the music teacher who changed my life” in a 250-word essay.
Student Blog: 18 Songs for 18 Sondheim Shows (Part 1 of 3)
by Student Blogger: Michael Scuotto - Mar 9, 2021
When I was about 7, I saw the West Side Story movie for the first time, and I loved it. I memorized the entire script, snapped my way around the school yard during recess, you know, normal kid stuff. Even then, I remember thinking “hey, this Sondheim guy is pretty cool”.
What to Watch on HBO Max in December
by Sarah Jae Leiber - Nov 30, 2020
The best gift isn’t under the Christmas tree, it’s on HBO Max! Celebrate Christmas Day with Wonder Woman 1984, starring Gal Gadot, when it flies onto the platform the same day it hits theaters around the country.