ST. LOUIS THEATER REVIEWS

STAGES St. Louis pre-Broadway production of Austen’s Pride is polished and ready for the road. It glows with originality. Lindsay Warren Baker and Amanda Jacobs’ book seduces with enchanting storytelling. Igor Goldin and Sheela Ramesh’s collaborative direction have drawn radiant performance...

The Muny production of Dear Evan Hansen is a departure from the huge overblown musical extravaganzas that normally populate The Muny stage. It's a much smaller show but it is profoundly emotional. It creates intimacy that was once thought impossible in this large venue and opens other opportunities...

The Details is a story of catharsis that stems from confronting one’s beliefs, taking accountability for behavior, and charting a path forward for change. The narrative has promise. Larson has a strong point of view, and he has penned a play with a mostly satisfying conclusion. The character’s b...

Two Jews Walk into a War... is not slapstick or laugh out loud funny. It is more wryly amusing. The humor is abundant. Laughs come from Seth Rozin’s quippy script, Aaron Sparks’ crisp direction and sharp timing, and Gary Glasgow and Chuck Winning’s playful sparring. But Rozin, Sparks, and the...

EVITA at The Muny is an auditory and visual feast. Hear Katerina McCrimmon, Paulo Szot, Omar Lopez-Cepero, and the rest of this talented ensemble sing the Webber and Rice score in superb operatic fashion. Be mesmerized by a breathtaking masterclass in production aesthetics and designing for the th...

This year’s LaBute Festival is filled with six strong scripts that are enhanced by Bryan McLaughlin and Avery Harrison’s direction. Both directors help their actors find and create intriguing characters in completely original stories....

Romeo and Zooliet is an enchanting theatrical event. The ingenious Jennifer Joan Thompson’s clever script and Michael Curry’s fairy-tale like puppets are brought to fantastical life in the exuberant performances of a well-rehearsed, talented, and vivacious cast. Tom Ridgely’s leadership and co...

What did our critic think of PRIDE AND JOY at The Chapel?McLaughlin and Overly’s audience are unwelcome intruders listening in on a family’s raw, unfiltered, and private conversations. Pride and Joy is very funny. The Moran Family, as portrayed by the talented ensemble, is a bit of a trainwre...

The Muny’s Frozen is filled with endearing performances, gasp-inducing stagecraft, beautiful musical direction by Darryl Archibald, and loveable puppets created by Puppet Kitchen’s Eric Wright. But it's not the many wow moments that make Frozen special. Frozen is touching because of John Tarta...

Read our review of MY FAIR LADY, playing now at Union Avenue Opera through July 12. This beloved musical has everything going for it: absolutely captivating melodies by Frederick Lowe, lovely clever lyrics by Alan Lerner, and plenty still of the incomparable wit of that old master George Bernard Sha...

The Muny’s emotionally impactful Come From Away captures the humanity, heart, and soul of Irene Sankoff and David Hein’s poignant book and beautifully soaring score. This elite cast of actors transports the audience back to Gander, Newfoundland with lived-in and emotionally truthful performance...

The Muny's Bring It On is electrifying musical theatre for people of all ages. The biggest surprise is Jeff Whitty’s clever book. His story is filled with laughs, unexpected surprises, and a lot of heart. The young exuberant cast’s lively performances are punctuated with high-intensity dancing a...

It is odd to call a story about a terminal cancer patient likeable, warm, and witty. Director Robert Ashton and his cast have staged a bittersweet production of Colder Than Here that is filled with vulnerable performances. Laura Wade’s affectionately droll and delightfully strange dark comedy con...

Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune walks a tightrope of comedy and tenderness. Emotionally his show highlights the agility between trust and truth as the two characters open and then shut down their feelings....

STAGES St. Louis has a hit with their zany Muder for Two. Director Michael Kostroff keeps the fun coming for the entire 90-minutes in a fast-paced audience pleasing comedy. The script is goofy and the lyrics witty, but it is the comedic physicality of two immensely talented actors, singers, pianis...

Satterfield and McIntire’s blunt script carries a lot of unflinching truths about being overweight. Heavy takes on weighty topics. There are several frank adult themed discussions and overt sexuality. It is bold writing with a lot of humor and has much to say about life as an obese person. Heav...

The New Jewish Theatre production of The Heidi Chronicles is an entertaining revival of Wasserstein’s seminal work thanks to Ellie Schwetye’s storytelling expertise. Schwetye’s direction and sound design builds the narrative through the chronological timeline she creates. She, and projection...

Often a modern take on a classic will go awry, but Michael Sexton’s brilliant vision creates a phenomenal retelling of Hamlet. His collaboration with his actors and designers gives this production it very cool retro and jazzy vibe. The show’s running time clocks in at just under three hours. It ...

For nearly half a century the Opera Theatre of St. Louis has been bringing quite glorious opera to our fair city.  It just opened its semicentennial season with a brilliant and lively production of Die Fledermaus, by Johann Strauss II. ...

POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive is filled with absurd sight gags, whacky dialogue, and absurdly comedic performances from an all-in ensemble....

The Black Rep has provided St. Louis audiences many opportunities to see the works of August Wilson. This is an entertaining, well-acted production of Radio Golf. It’s not only an aesthetically pleasing production, but it is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to witness a part of theatrical history with...

A fun romp of gooey fun wrapped in a Shakespearean shell, & Juliet takes the earworm drivel of songs like Baby One More Time, I Want It That Way, Roar, and Since U Been Gone, and makes them musical theater bangers. But, behind the schmaltz and campy energetics, the production entertains thanks to t...

Mythophiles will find Baer and McLaughlin’s work fascinating and captivating. Lewy’s direction is crisp. Their pacing moves the plot along effortlessly. Strom, Baer, Ferrari, and Lantsberger’s offer arresting portrayals of the nymphs and the script's metaphysical concepts. The technical aspect...

JOHNNY TAYLOR IS GONE is an entertaining, delightful, and nostalgic story about times gone by in St. Louis. It is a story about both holding onto and letting go of the past. The play is enjoyable despite some of the amateurish technical elements. Seating is general admission, so it is advisable to a...

Fly North Theatricals Little Miss Sunshine has a lot of laughs thanks to Healy’s creative direction and the breakout performances from young talented actors. ...