(05/23/2023) - Last Saturday Opera Theatre of St. Louis premiered a new adaptation of Scott Joplin’s legendary opera Treemonisha. It is a bright and worthy addition to our recent flurry of adoration of some of America’s major black composers; the Black Rep closed their stunningly fine evening of Eubie Blake’s music three days earlier.
(05/14/2023) - The New Jewish Theatre will perform Gloria: A Life at the Wool Studio Theatre from June 1 to June 18. Written by acclaimed playwright Emily Mann, with guidance and participation from Gloria Steinem herself, Gloria: A Life explores the iconic feminist's legacy. Check out photos here!
(03/07/2023) - A stellar cast brightens a Romberg favorite. Operetta, as a genre, arose in the 1850's and swelled into a widely beloved form of entertainment. In America its chief luminaries were Sigmund Romberg, Victor Herbert, and Rudolf Friml. From the 1920's to the '40's the modern musical gradually drove operettas from the stage (except for the happily undying works of Gilbert & Sullivan). And I miss them! So I greatly approve of Winter Opera's offering us this old piece.
(02/14/2023) - 'Spells of the Sea' shows polished professionalism. The marvelous Metro Theater Company has launched it's 50th season of fine theater for children. They open with a world premiere of a musical play, Spells of the Sea, by Guinevere Govea (with contributions by Anna Pickett). It's playing at the Grandel Theater.
(01/19/2023) - The New Jewish Theatre kicks off its 2023 season with the Neil Simon comedy Broadway Bound on January 19 – February 5. See photos from the production.
(12/09/2022) - See photos of Champions of Magic, featuring five world-class illusionists. They are continuing their North American tour through 2023, following sell out shows across the globe, rave reviews and a run in London’s West End.
(11/25/2022) - Winter Opera has presented a truly gorgeous production of Puccini's La Rondine (The Swallow). Puccini is the supreme master of romantic melody, and in Rondine he outdoes himself. I love this opera, my heart having been beguiled early by one lilting, gently syncopated romantic waltz refrain that recurs again and again like the memory of a distant sweet infatuation.
(11/14/2022) - The world premiere of 'The Good Ship St. Louis' is beautiful, theatrical, stylish, poetic, rich. It's a gracefully told tale of doomed refugees.
(09/25/2022) - New Line Theater will present SOMETHING ROTTEN Sept. 22-Oct. 15, 2022, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, all at 8:00 p.m., at the Marcelle Theater. Check out photos of the production here.
(09/22/2022) - Agrabah is coming to a city near you! The North American tour of the Disney hit will launch in Schenectady, NY at Proctors, playing October 11-23, 2022. The company just met the press and we are taking y ou inside the rehearsal room below!
(09/20/2022) - Cameron Mackintosh's production of Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg's Tony Award-winning musical phenomenon, LES MISÉRABLES, is about to hit the road. The show will relaunch its tour of North America in October 2022 at Playhouse Square in Cleveland, OH and will play more than 60 week-long and multi-week engagements through the next two years and beyond.
(08/01/2022) - Verdi's Falstaff is another glittering gem in the train of Union Avenue Opera. I'm not a big fan of 're-purposing' classic plays. Poor Shakespeare! He's been subjected to such vandalism over the years with modern 'concept' versions of his works. No, I do not want to go to see a trendy lesbian-Hamlet-on-Mars!
(07/27/2022) - Get a first look at The Muny's Legally Blonde The Musical, running July 25 - 31, 2022. The cast is led by Kyla Stone (Elle Woods), Fergie L. Phillipe (Emmett Forrest), Patti Murin (Paulette), and Sean Allan Krill (Professor Callahan).
(07/17/2022) - Get a first look at the opening night of The Muny's production of Stephen Sondheim's masterpiece Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, which runs July 16 - 22, 2022. Check out the photos and video here!
(07/11/2022) - Glorious voices fill Tchaikovsky's masterpiece with beauty. After the tribulations of the pandemic the Union Avenue Opera returns to its lovely home. Here, in the nave of the Union Avenue Christian Church, the company presents first-class opera up-close and intimate. They open their 28th season with a superb production of Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin.
(07/06/2022) - The Muny's high-flying production of Disney and Cameron Mackintosh's Mary Poppins, is now on stage through July 13. The cast includes Jeanna de Waal (Mary Poppins), Corbin Bleu (Bert), Nehal Joshi (George Banks), Darlesia Cearcy (Bird Woman), Gabe Cytron (Michael Banks) Laila Fantroy (Jane Banks), and more. Get a first look at photos here!
(06/25/2022) - Original 1984 film actor Ralph Macchio attended the pre-Broadway run of THE KARATE KID – THE MUSICAL presented by STAGES St. Louis at Kirkwood Performing Arts Center. Check out photos of him performing with the cast.
(06/23/2022) - What did our critic think? Center Stage is a great smörgåsbord of opera- No, no, that's far too Swedish and Lutheran and heavy. If the whole OTSL festival is a great feast, then Center Stage is the delicious icing on the top of that final cake. It's all dessert and no vegetables.
(06/14/2022) - The Muny is presenting Chicago through June 19th! The cast features Sarah Bowden (Roxie Hart), J. Harrison Ghee (Velma Kelly), Adam Heller (Amos Hart), Emily Skinner (Matron 'Mama' Morton), James T. Lane (Billy Flynn) Ali Ewoldt (Mary Sunshine), and more. Get a first look at photos!
(06/04/2022) - Set in 2027, Mark Hollmann and Greg Kotis' URINETOWN is an hilariously subversive fable of greed, corruption, love, revolution, and urination, in a time when water is worth its weight in gold and there's no such thing as a free pee. Set in a near-future dystopian Gotham, a severe 20-year drought has led to a government-enforced ban on private toilets. The citizens are forced to use public 'amenities' now, regulated by a single malevolent company that profits by charging admission for one of humanity's most basic needs. In this nightmare world, the punishment for an unauthorized pee is a trip to the dreaded Urinetown. But from the ruins of Democracy and courtesy flushes, there rises an unlikely hero who decides he's held it long enough, and he launches a People's Revolution to lead them all to urinary freedom!
(06/02/2022) - Last night, the world premiere of THE KARATE KID – The Musical opened at STAGES St. Louis’ Kirkwood Performing Arts Center and we've got photos from opening night!
(05/31/2022) - The marvelous Opera Theatre of Saint Louis continues its festival season with perhaps the most popular opera in the world—Mozart’s glorious The Magic Flute! Read our BWW critic's review.
(05/27/2022) - Set in 2027, Mark Hollmann and Greg Kotis' URINETOWN is an hilariously subversive fable of greed, corruption, love, revolution, and urination, in a time when water is worth its weight in gold and there's no such thing as a free pee.
(05/24/2022) - Producers Naoya Kinoshita, Kumiko Yoshii, and Michael Wolk have shared a first look at The Karate Kid – The Musical ahead of its pre-Broadway, world premier engagement with STAGES St. Louis at the Ross Family Theatre at the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center which begins previews Wednesday, May 25 with an opening night on Wednesday, June 1.
(05/11/2022) - STAGES St. Louis has shared exclusive photos featuring members of THE KARATE KID – The Musical team. In partnership with Missouri Botanical Garden, the shoot took place in the gorgeous Japanese Garden (one of the largest in North America) and these shots are the result.
(02/11/2022) - A deeply perceptive look at a political campaign (and a political marriage) in crisis. 'Hillary and Clinton' opens at the West End Players Guild.
(01/17/2022) - Gina Galati's marvelous Winter Opera company has mounted a delightful production of Gilbert and Sullivan's The Gondoliers. It opened last night at the new Kirkwood Performing Arts Center to a full and warmly responsive audience.
(11/11/2021) - The North American tour of Rogers & Hammerstein's Oklahoma! began performances at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis, MN on November 9, 2021 and will continue to play over 25 cities during the 2021-2022 season including stops in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Chicago and Nashville, and more.
(11/02/2021) - The National Tour of the 2019 Drama Desk Award winner for Outstanding Musical THE PROM begins performances tonight at Playhouse Square in Cleveland.
(10/18/2021) - BroadwayWorld has a first look at the new cast of the RENT 25th Anniversary Farewell Non-Equity Tour, the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning landmark rock musical written by Jonathan Larson.
(09/19/2021) - New Line Theatre will present a Very Special Event to open the company's 30th Anniversary Season, with just two New Line actors, Chris Kernan and Jeffrey M. Wright, along with artistic director Scott Miller on keyboard, in one of the most intimate evenings of musical theatre in the company’s 30 year history, telling a story all about stories, and the effect we have on other lives, usually without realizing it.
