ST. LOUIS THEATER REVIEWS

I've seen three of Martin McDonagh's plays, and I can honestly say that each has been a genuine corker. They're beyond dark at times, but filled with an offbeat sense of humor that often makes you care more about a character than think you, perhaps, should. It's a part of their charm, at least for t...

Stages St. Louis opens their 29th season with an all out party, with their audience-pleasing presentation of SMOKEY JOE'S CAFE, which celebrates the musical collaborations of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. Now, if you want to know their backstory, then read their autobiography, 'Hound Dog', but if y...

A rare Puccini receives a lovely production: 'La rondine' at Opera Theatre of St. Louis...

Originally adapted from John Gay's "The Beggar's Opera" with a writing collective Bertolt Brecht had formed, THE THREEPENNY OPERA, with Brecht's lyrics brought to life by Kurt Weill's inspired musical compositions, is a dark look at the underworld, oozing with depravity, and filled with a sense of d...

There's just something about a circus that brings out the kid in all of us, and when you take along a youngster to enjoy the show, the sense of wonder and excitement that they radiate is simply contagious. That's why I've always loved this time of year, when our town's own Circus Flora erects the b...

I think I bring this up every time I write about an opera, but it's just so funny to me that most of my early exposure to the medium came through films that I saw on TV when I was kid. Whether it was an Our Gang short (the one where Alfalfa wants to give up crooning to become an opera singer), a Bug...

One of the joys of late Spring is taking in the latest offering by Shakespeare Festival St. Louis each year in Forest Park. There's just something truly special about sitting under the stars and watching the immortal bard's words come to life on stage. This year the play of choice is the tragedy ANT...

Could there be a better way for The New Jewish Theatre to end their "Chai" season than with a sparkling production of MY MOTHER'S LESBIAN JEWISH WICCAN WEDDING, which celebrates the choices we make as individuals in the way we choose to lead our lives? I think not. This is well crafted show that spe...

Mustard Seed Theatre has provided St. Louis theater-goers with a wonderful season full of premiers that have captivated and entertained audiences. They close with an astoundingly engaging and timely work by playwright Shualee Cook titled An Invitation Out. This fresh pieces utilizes the tropes esta...

Parents often ask me where they can find 'family-friendly' shows to see, and judging by the small audience in attendance at the Edison Theatre for the Black Rep's terrific production of ONCE ON THIS ISLAND (by the award-winning duo of Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty), they're unaware of the wonderf...

How many times have you heard someone say "my kid could have painted that" when referring to a particular piece of artwork. Art is something that has, and will always manage to, provoke different responses from different individuals. That's the true beauty and nature of it. Yasmina Reza's provocativ...

In the director's notes for Upstream Theater's recent production of THE RIME OF THE ANCIENT MARINER, Patrick Siler mentions the fact that he was first exposed to Samuel Taylor Coleridge's work when he was around ten years of age. Interestingly enough, I brought my nine year old along with me so that...

When I was growing up, I Love Lucy was a morning television staple, even though it had been off the air for many years. Reality shows have since replaced pretty much all of the stuff I grew up on, at least on the major networks, but you can still find the re-runs on stations like Me TV, which cater ...

One thing I really love about STOMP is that no matter how many times you've seen it, there are always a few new bits thrown in for you to enjoy. It's a constantly evolving show, although you can bet it will always begin with the troupe using their brooms to demonstrate how common items can be utiliz...

If you're looking at the program for THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD, see the name Rupert Holmes (book, music, and lyrics) and are instantly reminded of the fact he wrote and sang the number one hit 'Escape (The Pina Colada Song'), you'll probably be a bit surprised at the production that you're about to...

Although a handful of playwrights have used elements from Anton Chekhov's canon of classics (such as Neil Simon's The Good Doctor), I can't think of any other writer who's displayed such ingenuity in incorporating bits and pieces from his work the way that Christopher Durang has in his play VANYA AN...

Playwright Jonathan Tolins uses Barbra Streisand's book My Passion for Design as a jumping off point for his hilarious one man show BUYER & CELLAR. It's a fun-filled romp that fans of the lady with the magnificent voice, and questionable temperament, will find absolutely delightful. Even if you're n...

Art is something that can be entirely subjective. Everyone can have their own opinion, with different people viewing a particular work and coming away with distinctly unique perspectives on its merit, or lack thereof. That's part of what makes SIGHT UNSEEN, by playwright Donald Margulies so intrigui...

Playwright Laurie Brooks examines the events that led to the infamous Salem Witch Trials from a different perspective with her intriguing and thought-provoking work, AFFLICTED Daughters of Salem. Unlike Arthur Miller's masterpiece, The Crucible, this play focuses our attention solely on the young gi...

If you're looking for thoughtful entertainment that's suitable for children and adults then you should definitely check out the COCA Theatre Company's current production of THE LITTLE PRINCE based on the classic book by Antoine de Saint Exupery (music by Rick Cummins with book and lyrics by John Sco...

I always know to expect the unexpected when I attend a production by New Line Theatre. Artistic Director Scott Miller has a gift for choosing shows that are consistently engaging, entertaining, and smartly cast and directed. Whether it's a revival of a classic or something of a more recent vintage, ...

While it is certainly a fact that on December 4, 1956, Sun Records was host to an incredible gathering of talent (Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis), a listen to the actual recordings made that day were more along the lines of favorite folk and gospel numbers that the four...

Most people are familiar with WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?, undoubtedly playwright Edward Albee's masterpiece, from the film that starred Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor (released in 1966). But, seeing the play in person is a completely different experience, and one that's incredibly worthwhi...

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis' artistic director, Steven Woolf, always has a knack for finding a classic, sometimes a neglected one, to present each season. This year it's Terence Rattigan's revered play THE WINSLOW BOY, which some will remember from various revivals and film versions (1948 & 1...

Rob Maesaka, a St. Louis playwright, receives the opportunity to have one of his works premiered with Mustard Seed Theatre's presentation of his play, WHITE TO GRAY. It's an engaging piece of theatre that tells an interesting story that's dramatic and even occasionally funny at times. Judging a new ...