ST. LOUIS THEATER REVIEWS

Set during a period of great turmoil just prior to the Russian revolution (1905), FIDDLER ON THE ROOF is a joyous celebration of life in times of uncertainty. Most versions I've seen have been scaled down considerably, focusing on the more intimate scenes. That's certainly not the case here. The MUN...

The Union Avenue Opera just keeps presenting wonders! Their current production, Puccini's 'Tosca', is among the very best of their best-musically, vocally and in production values....

You say that you're feeling a little blue, or maybe just experiencing some 'non-specific' sadness? Then a sure cure for your condition can be found by attending STAGES St. Louis' scintillating presentation of THE DROWSY CHAPERONE. This is an incredible and uproariously funny show that pokes gentle f...

We're so lucky to have the privilege of having the St. Louis Actors' Studio present the Labute New Theater Festival each year. Submissions come from around the country, are whittled down to a few, and then presented in two parts, with each section receiving a full two week run. In addition, there ar...

I've seen MAMMA MIA! many times, and I've always enjoyed the way it utilizes so many of ABBA's marvelously catchy, and so obviously theatrical in nature, tunes to tell its simple story. With the band cranking out a righteous sound, and back up singers filling the night air with harmony, The MUNY rem...

I did some creative work for First Run Theater during their early years, underscoring some shows, and even directing a couple of one acts. I admired the fact that they provided a testing ground, a full staging, of works by local playwrights. That's an opportunity that goes far beyond a staged readin...

I grew up looking forward to the weekend, because that's when channel 30 would broadcast 'Chiller Theater', providing a burgeoning horror fan like myself with the chance to view all the creepy classics that sprang from the loins of Universal Studios during the 1930's and 40's. I was a preteen when Y...

If you've seen the Maysles brother's documentaries GREY GARDENS and THE BEALES OF GREY GARDENS (which are actually collaborative efforts between David & Albert Maysles,Ellen Hovde, Muffie Mayer & Susan Froemke) then you have to see Max and Louie Productions' brilliant staging of the musical based up...

Meredith Willson's classic musical, THE MUSIC MAN, gets a lively and engaging workout on the stage of The MUNY. It's a show near and dear to my heart since I played the lead in a high school production many moons ago. It's also why I especially wanted my son to see it. Happily, he thoroughly enjoyed...

A simply splendid production of 'The Mikado' has opened at the Union Avenue Opera in St. Louis....

If you missed The Muny's production of 42nd STREET, you missed a show that was an absolutely perfect fit for the wide open spaces its stage presents. The original Warner Bros. 1933 pre-production code film was a blend of behind the scenes melodrama and onstage eye-candy. It gave depression era audie...

Every year you can count on STAGES St. Louis to produce a wonderful season of musicals, and you can always be sure there will be something for the younger set in the schedule as well. And,they make sure that the same care and professionalism goes into the production of each and every show, no matter...

It's always fun to take in the many treats available at Shakespeare Festival St. Louis each year in Forest Park, and I'm not just talking about the food and drink stands, but also all the performers, mini-versions of the show, etc, that take place before the main attraction begins (arrive early). An...

THE WIZARD OF OZ opens The MUNY's 98th season this year, and it's a lively and colorful production that provides an enjoyable experience for kids of all ages. This is an excellent presentation of one of The MUNY's most beloved shows, filled with fine performances and enough action to keep even the t...

STAGES St. Louis celebrates their 30th year with a very funny musical that deserved a much better fate that the short run it had on Broadway, IT SHOULDA BEEN YOU. A play of sorts on the old song 'It Had to be You', this work is difficult to describe simply because there are so many farcical twists a...

It's that time of year again! Yes, right before it's officially Summer, our own town's one-ring circus pops up the big top behind Powell Symphony Hall. Circus Flora is a local tradition, and this years' presentation, PASTIME, also touches on another St. Louis tradition; baseball. It's a delightful m...

Salman Rushdie's tale of love and vengeance becomes a powerful opera in this commissioned work at Opera Theatre of St. Louis....

ATOMIC receives it's Midwestern regional debut with New Line Theatre's thoroughly engaging and informative production. While it might not seem typical of the productions you're used to seeing the company present, it falls into a category which they excel at; breathing fresh life into a new show, and...

'ARIADNE ON NAXOS' balances wondrously between classic beauty and parody....

In the grand tradition of MGM's classic That's Entertainment! (parts 1&2) comes the latest release from Severin Films called That's Sexploitation!, which takes us on a journey from silent cinema up to the 1970's when hardcore XXX films rendered them passe. It's a mind-bending excursion into over 2 h...

Opera Theatre of St. Louis continues its forty-first season with another remarkably fine production-Verdi's Macbeth....

Apparently, due to legal issues with rights that had to be worked out, this version of YENTL, based on the short story "Yentl, the Yeshiva Boy" written by Isaac Bashevis Singer (book by Leah Napolin and Singer), cannot be referred to in its title as a musical. It all has to do with Barbra Streisand'...

OTSL has opened a delicious 'La boheme'....

If you think about it, BULLETS OVER BROADWAY is the perfect Woody Allen film to turn into a Broadway musical, especially since it pokes fun at the process of producing one. Add some particularly well drawn characters (book by Allen, based on the original screenplay written with Douglas McGrath) and ...

I've always appreciated live stagings of THE GLASS MENAGERIE far more than the attempts by Hollywood to turn it into a film. They always spoil it by messing with the ending. It's a melancholy slice of playwright Tennessee Williams' life, albeit, one that bears more than a slight resemblance, but whi...