ST. LOUIS THEATER REVIEWS

Playwright Ger Thijs' work, DE KUS has been splendidly translated by Paul Evans in Upstream Theater's production of THE KISS. There is a certain magic in these woods where a chance encounter takes place. It's that old adage about the importance of first impressions, but taken to show that second and...

I remember when the film version of DOGFIGHT was release, and how I was initially repelled by the very concept, but then I saw the film, and I understood. You'll understand even more when you take in Stray Dog Theatre's local premiere presentation of the musical version of DOGFIGHT, and it's and abs...

The 1980's were an interesting time for movies with teen comedy/dramas seemingly appearing everywhere, and one of the most intriguing aspects of these pictures was the absence of many adult characters. The late John Hughes was responsible for several "brat pack" films that established a distinct ton...

When you're a creative person it's very important to have other people check out your work, not just for validation, but to give you good, honest feedback. It's a vital part of the process, because it's a way for you to tweak the things that are good to make them better, and also to cut the things t...

Taking it's name from the campaign slogan Lyndon B. Johnson would utilize for his run for the presidency in 1964, playwright Robert Schenkkan has crafted a brilliant, compelling, and very informative work with ALL THE WAY that picks up right after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in No...

If you've seen the movie version of the THE FULL MONTY, and even if you haven't, you should make it a point to see STAGES St. Louis' current production of the musical version, because it's a fabulous show. Sometimes it's silly, sometimes it's serious, but one thing is certain, it's a show that tugs ...

The sheer breadth of material from the 1950's to the 1990's covered in TELL ME SOMETHIN' GOOD is just staggering. With the inclusion of over 60 tunes, Ron Himes has conceived a revue that plays like a musical history lesson, transporting us back to the humble beginnings of R&B, and revealing the las...

As playwright Jessica Dickey reveals in her notes in the program, THE AMISH PROJECT is a fictionalized realization of an actual event that occurred in Nickel Mines, which has an Amish community. There, several female children were senselessly gunned down in their school room by a very troubled man w...

They've done it! Little Union Avenue Opera and its leader Scott Schoonover bring home the gold! They have triumphed over that colossus of all operatic colossi-Wagner's Ring Cycle! They entered the battle wielding the magic sword of talent and determination and, just like Siegfried, they have conquer...

It's most certainly a renowned and respected classic of musical theatre, and the fact is that it's so popular that you're likely to find a production playing somewhere in the world at any given moment. One of my early reviewing assignments was covering the show back in 2007, the last time it played ...

Each year The MUNY makes it a point to present a full-blown musical that's aimed at the younger set. This year it's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, which was given the patented Disney treatment when adapted for the stage from their own 1991 animated film. So, it retains plenty of the elements that made the fi...

When you've been reviewing shows for a while you're bound to see a few more than once or twice. And, while I've had the opportunity to see ANYTHING GOES a couple of times before, I can honestly say this is the finest production I've been privileged to attend. Packed with a slew of memorable tunes (m...

When an audience gives a group of performers a standing ovation before they've even played a single note you know you're in for a very special evening. Such was the case this past Monday (July 20, 2015) at The Sheldon Concert Hall, as Ricky Skaggs, Sharon White, Ry Cooder and company took to the sta...

I purposely avoided the recent film version of INTO THE WOODS because I really didn't find the previews or the stunt casting appropriate. For me, it's a work that requires an audience to use their imagination to a great extent, and movies tend to give form to those things that are much better left c...

The St. Louis Actors' Studio is presenting the first part of their annual LABUTE NEW THEATER FESTIVAL, where a group of one act plays are chosen from a group of submissions, and includes a new work by Neil Labute himself. I wish I could say they were all exciting pieces, and maybe the second part w...

If you've seen director Robert Aldrich's 1968 film version of THE KILLING OF SISTER GEORGE you're probably going to be greatly surprised when you see the actual play it was based on (written by Frank Marcus). The film was initially rated 'X' due to the era in which it was released, as well as the in...

I think that nearly every review of the MUNY's extraordinary production of BUDDY - THE BUDDY HOLLY STORY will probably make mention of Don McLean's song 'American Pie', which is lyrically centered around the tragic plane crash that claimed the lives of three of music's rising stars one very cold da...

From the moment that Scott Schoonover raised his baton to invoke that incredible athletic overture it was re-confirmed to me that DON GIOVANNI is indeed the zenith of 18th Century opera...

I remember as a kid always getting the movie HOLIDAYINN confused with the movie White Christmas, usually because they played them back to back, and of course, both feature the tuneful music of Irving Berlin, as well as a splendid performance by Bing Crosby. A few years back, when I first started rev...

The MUNY continues its season with an exuberant and colorful staging of HAIRSPRAY, the musical based on filmmaker and author John Waters' most accessible, and mainstream, movie. Of course, the master of bad taste allowed some of the rougher edges to get smoothed over in the process, but the core mes...

With the complete commercialization (a score of TV commercials, a new movie coming out, etc.) of Charles Schulz's creation, Peanuts, it seems only fitting that there should be some kind of satirical look at these classic characters. I'm not convinced that Bert V. Royal's script for DOG SEES GOD: CON...

MY FAIR LADY is a classic musical, and a perfect opening show for The Muny's 97th season. Even the threat of rain couldn't dampen the high spirits of this show, and in most unlikely fashion, the skies cleared and provided us with a terrific evening of song, dance, and romance. Based on G.B. Shaw's s...

This review was first published by KDHX 88-1 St. Louis. Opera Theatre of St. Louis has opened a very fine production of 'Emmeline,' by Tobias Picker, with libretto by J. D. McClatchy. This remarkable piece premiered at the Santa Fe Opera in 1996 to great praise. It was done at the New York City...

This review was first published by KDHX, St. Louis. Opera Theatre of St. Louis has opened Handel's 'Richard the Lionheart,' and it is truly astonishing! It is, in all aspects, the most perfect production of an opera that I've ever seen. And voices? Ah, the voices are quite stunning! This is ...

The feature length animated film, THE ARISTOCATS (1970), was the last project Walt Disney approved before his death in 1966. My son and I watched it several years ago on DVD, when he was just a little tyke. And then, in 2010 we attended Stages St. Louis' wonderful production of the show. Five years ...