Our St. Louis Critics
View All »
BEST OF 2015 by Chris Gibson
My lists for the best plays/musicals in St. Louis is in chronological order. I'm not limiting myself to any specific number of entries either. These are simply the best productions and performances in various categories that I witnessed during a packed year filled with companies closing and new ones...
BWW Review: Stray Dog Theatre's Maniacally Funny DEVIL BOYS FROM BEYOND
Each December Stray Dog Theatre chooses an unconventional show to celebrate the season. It's always something unusual, and often something somewhat shocking. I like that idea of going against the grain, and giving audiences relief from the Christmas overload that all forms of media utilize at this t...
BWW Review: Great Performances Highlight St. Louis Actors' Studio's THE GIN GAME
When it comes to classifying THE GIN GAME, it's a bit of a sticky wicket. On the cover of Donald Coburn's play it says it's a tragicomedy, and yet it won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. No wonder my fellow critics and I felt a bit confused as to where it should fall categorically. Personally, the amou...
BWW Review: Lovely and Touching SUBLIME INTIMACY by Max and Louie Productions
In his director's notes Ken Page mentions that he had a conversation with a dear friend where they were trying to define 'the place that exists beyond ordinary relationships or sexual discovery.' That became the name of Page's latest play, SUBLIME INTIMACY. And, it's an apt title for this artistic e...
BWW Review: Great WICKED at The Fabulous Fox Theatre
WICKED is pure spectacle, or to quote Glinda the Good Witch herself, it's a 'thrill-ifying' experience that both dazzles and delights, backed by terrific performances and eye-popping scenic design and special effects. It's a prequel of sorts to L. Frank's Baum's Wizard of Oz series of books, that is...
BWW Review: Thrilling and Hilarious PETER AND THE STARCATCHER at The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis
There are some St. Louis connections in this current production of PETER AND THE STARCATCHER. There's local author Ridley Pearson who, along with Dave Barry, crafted a terribly interesting and arresting 'prequel' to the story of Peter Pan with their entertaining novel Peter and the Starcatcher. The ...
BWW Review: Smokey Robinson and Mario Frangoulis Bring Down the House at The Peabody
A special concert for Voice for Veterans, which seeks to give aid and housing to homeless veterans, took place at The Peabody Opera House on Sunday night (December 6, 2015), and it was a simply joyous experience. Sometimes benefit shows can be a rather somber affair, but that was not the case at all...
BWW Review: The Fox Theatre Presents Eye-Popping CIRQUE DREAMS HOLIDAZE
Neil Goldberg who created and directed CIRQUE DREAMS HOLIDAZE, wanted to create a Cirque show that was not only family-friendly, but one that could tour the country. His ideas, based partly on his own ornament collection, came to fruition with this unique holiday extravaganza. It's filled with music...
BWW Review: Intense BAD JEWS at The New Jewish Theatre
Playwright Joshua Harmon has created an intensely dark comedy/drama with his work BAD JEWS. It's a stunning piece that never runs out of steam, even though it maintains a high level of emotional upheaval throughout its 90 minute running time. It's certainly humorous, but it also has a serious tone t...
BWW Review: Wondrous TALES OF CHRISTMAS by Mario Frangoulis
I had the opportunity to chat with international singing star Mario Frangoulis the other day, and it was a simply delightful experience. He'll be performing in St. Louis at the Peabody Opera House on December 6, 2015 along with the legendary Smokey Robinson in a concert that will benefit the Voices ...
BWW Review: Moving and Memorable ALL IS CALM: THE CHRISTMAS TRUCE OF 1914 by Mustard Seed Theatre
So I'm watching a Paul McCartney DVD, which is a collection of videos he released over the years, and I start to queue up the one for the song "Pipes of Peace", and I notice immediately that the short film is based on the Christmas Truce of 1914. I don't recall any history classes I had in school ev...
BWW Review: Enlightening and Riveting I AND YOU By The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis
There's something truly remarkable about playwright Lauren Gunderson's work I AND YOU that's difficult to explain without spoiling the experience. So, I'll tread lightly. Just know that you should definitely check out this terrific new work that gives anyone who watches it insight, not just in how o...
BWW Review: YEOMEN Shines at Winter Opera
St. Louis' Winter Opera gives a delightful 'Yeomen of the Guard.'...
BWW Review: Wondrous and Magical MATILDA THE MUSICAL at The Fox Theatre
I first became aware of author Roald Dahl from watching the film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, although I didn't read the book it was based on, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, until later, finding it much darker in tone than the movie, but very entertaining nonetheless. After that exposu...
BWW Review: The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis' Spine-Chilling ANGEL STREET (GASLIGHT)
Every season the Repertory of St. Louis plucks a gem or two from the past to mix in with some of their more current selections. It's undoubtedly a treat when it happens, because there's always something there that rings true with a modern audience. Whether it's a comedy whose jokes still maintain a ...
BWW Review: The New Jewish Theatre's Moving and Hilarious THE SUNSHINE BOYS
The New Jewish Theatre opens their season with a nicely staged presentation of Neil Simon's lovingly written tribute to the those long gone days of vaudeville, THE SUNSHINE BOYS. As you would expect from such a prolific and gifted writer, the jokes come fast and furious, reflecting the nature of the...
BWW Review: Upstream Theaters Wonderful DE KUS/THE KISS
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...
BWW Review: Stray Dog Theatre's Touching and Affecting DOGFIGHT
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...
BWW Review: New Line Theatre's Dark and Outstanding HEATHERS
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...
BWW Review: Fitfully Funny SEMINAR by The St. Louis Actors' Studio
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...
BWW Review: The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis' Powerful and Compelling ALL THE WAY
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...
BWW Review: STAGES St. Louis' Heart-Warming and Hilarious THE FULL MONTY
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 ...
BWW Review: Black Rep's Fun and Funky TELL ME SOMETHIN' GOOD
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...
BWW Review: Mustard Seed Theatre's Truly Touching Production of THE AMISH PROJECT
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...
BWW Review: Union Avenue Opera's GOTTERDAMMERUNG Brings Home the Gold!
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...
Videos
|
The Light in the Piazza Loretto-Hilton Center (5/30-6/28) |
|
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee Stages St. Louis at the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center (5/29-6/28) |
|
God of Carnage New Jewish Theatre (NJT) (6/11-6/28) |
|
The Wasp by Morgan Lloyd Malcom Albion Theatre (6/12-6/28) |
|
Rob Zombie & Marilyn Manson Morton Amphitheater (9/10-9/10) |
|
USAF Band of Mid-America “Freedom 250” Concert Old Post Office Plaza (7/02-7/02) |
|
Liverpool Legends "The Complete Beatles Experience!" Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center (6/27-6/27) |
|
Terms of Endearment Clayton Community Theatre (7/23-8/02) |
|
Journey Great Southern Bank Arena (6/25-6/25) |
|
Liverpool Legends 'The Complete Beatles Experience!' Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center (6/27-6/27) |
| VIEW ALL SHOWS ADD A SHOW | |