Our St. Louis Critics
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BWW Review: The MUNY's Spectacular OKLAHOMA!
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 ...
BWW Reviews: Family Fun at The MUNY with BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
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...
BWW Reviews: Stages St. Louis' Delightful and De-Lovely ANYTHING GOES
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...
BWW Reviews: Ricky Skaggs, Sharon White & Ry Cooder at The Sheldon Concert Hall
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...
BWW Reviews: The MUNY's Awesome INTO THE WOODS at Forest Park
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...
BWW Reviews: Labute New Theater Festival at the St. Louis Actors' Studio
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...
BWW Reviews: Max & Louie Productions' Brilliant THE KILLING OF SISTER GEORGE
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...
BWW Reviews: The MUNY's Smashing BUDDY - THE BUDDY HOLLY STORY
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...
BWW Reviews: DON GIOVANNI Seduces St. Louis!
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...
BWW Reviews: Lively and Fun HOLIDAY INN at The Muny
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...
BWW Reviews: HAIRSPRAY is a Blast at The MUNY
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...
BWW Reviews: SDT's Moving DOG SEES GOD
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...
BWW Reviews: MY FAIR LADY Shines at The MUNY
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...
BWW Reviews: EMMELINE Will Wring Your Heart at Opera Theatre of St. Louis
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...
BWW Reviews: Opera Theatre of St. Louis' RICHARD THE LIONHEART Astonishes with its Beauty
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 ...
BWW Reviews: Stages St. Louis' Absolutely Delightful THE ARISTOCATS
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 ...
BWW Reviews: Theatre Lab's Intense THE PILLOWMAN
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...
BWW Reviews: Stages St. Louis' Rollicking Good Time at SMOKEY JOE'S CAFE
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...
BWW Reviews: Puccini's LA RONDINE is a Winner at Opera Theatre of St. Louis
A rare Puccini receives a lovely production: 'La rondine' at Opera Theatre of St. Louis...
BWW Reviews: New Line Theatre's Sinister and Sizzling THE THREEPENNY OPERA
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...
BWW Reviews: Grand Fun at Circus Flora with ONE SUMMER ON SECOND STREET
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...
BWW Reviews: Opera Theatre of St. Louis' Unique and Amusing Take on THE BARBER OF SEVILLE
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...
BWW Reviews: Shakespeare Festival St. Louis' ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA
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...
BWW Reviews: Terrific NJT's MY MOTHER'S LESBIAN JEWISH WICCAN WEDDING
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...
BWW Reviews: Dystopian Brilliance of AN INVITATION OUT by Mustard Seed Theatre
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...
Videos
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The Light in the Piazza Loretto-Hilton Center (5/30-6/28) |
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God of Carnage New Jewish Theatre (NJT) (6/11-6/28) |
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The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee Stages St. Louis at the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center (5/29-6/28) |
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The Wasp by Morgan Lloyd Malcom Albion Theatre (6/12-6/28) |
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Motown Magic Kirkwood Performing Arts Center (6/19-6/19) |
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Journey Great Southern Bank Arena (6/25-6/25) |
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Liverpool Legends 'The Complete Beatles Experience!' Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center (6/27-6/27) |
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Gateway Dirt Nationals – 3 Day Pass The Dome at America's Center (12/03-12/05) |
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Ludo The Pageant (10/24-10/24) |
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16th Annual Missouri Chamber Music Festival June 10-21 at The Sheldon Sheldon Concert Hall (6/17-6/17) |
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