Our St. Louis Critics
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BWW Reviews: Dramatic License Production's Funny Presentation of THE NERD
I would've written about Dramatic License Production's presentation of playwright Larry Shue's THE NERD sooner, but my computer crashed. Not once, but twice. It's fixed with the help of some technical assistance, but some things got lost in the process. Kind of like how I've generally felt about mos...
BWW Reviews: JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT at the Fox Theatre
Though it was written before Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's successful Jesus Christ Superstar, JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT caught on after Superstar's success as a kind of adjunct sequel. Family friend in tone and full of catchy musical numbers, it's a pleasant and upbeat show w...
BWW Reviews: Engaging and Fun BLUE MAN GROUP at the Peabody Opera House
I've seen BLUE MAN GROUP live quite a few times, and on this particular occasion I brought along my son for his second go around with the show. What's appealing to me is that there's still a freshness about their performances, even if a lot of the bits are familiar, such as: the camera tour down an ...
BWW Reviews: Upstream Theater's Brilliant Production of WINDMILL BABY
Upstream Theater continues their fine season with the U.S. premiere of Australian David Milroy's engaging work, WINDMILL BABY. Upstream continues to bring us some of the finest and most thought-provoking plays from around the globe, both educating us and enhancing our perspective on the world around...
BWW Reviews: Wonderful Revival of ALWAYS...PATSY CLINE by Stages St. Louis
Another welcome revival hits the local theatre scene with the Stages St. Louis production of ALWAYS...PATSY CLINE at The Playhouse at Westport Plaza. It's an excellent show, full of good humor and packed with a great collection of classic country tunes. It plays out as more than just your typical tr...
BWW Reviews: Mustard Seed Theatre's Revival of FALLING Well Worth Revisiting
It's been a couple of years since playwright Deanna Jent's FALLING debuted here in St. Louis, and since then it's been published, and gone on to receive rave reviews on both coasts. FALLING's impact has been a wonderful thing to witness from afar, and so it's especially nice that we get the opportun...
BWW Reviews: MADCO Impresses with LIQUID ROADS
I have to thank the Artistic Director of MADCO, Stacy West, for allowing me to see the first full-run through of LIQUID ROADS. I was completely captivated by the union of music and dance I experienced, and found the piece thoroughly entertaining. And, I wondered how it would all come together on sta...
BWW Reviews: ONCE Charms at The Fabulous Fox Theatre
ONCE, the Oscar-winning film ("Falling Slowly"), has a lot of qualities to it that don't immediately make you think it should transition well to the stage. It's a simple story that deals mostly with two main characters, and it doesn't have an "in your face" type of score, or mood about it. And yet, ...
BWW Reviews: West End Player's Guild's Amusing Production of RX
There's always a risk involved in becoming a test subject for a new drug. It's a necessary process for the pharmaceutical companies since it reveals the benefits and detriments of their latest discovery. But, the people who undertake these studies are often desperate for something that will help the...
BWW Reviews: Stray Dog Theatre's Finely Rendered Production of CABARET
Stray Dog Theatre tackles another classic musical, bringing Kander and Ebb's CABARET to the stage at the Tower Grove Abbey on this occasion. and It's a splendid rendition that combines a strong cast with incisive direction. Some bench seats have even also been removed to allow for a group of smaller...
BWW Reviews: HotCity Theatre's RED LIGHT WINTER
Though this review is late in arriving, I wanted to publish it anyway because I found HotCity Theatre's production of playwright Adam Rapp's RED LIGHT WINTER so intriguing. This is a raw and edgy work that doesn't pull any punches. It's adult in its themes, and filled with rough language that initia...
BWW Reviews: Preview of Upcoming MADCO Show LIQUID ROADS
I was lucky enough to be invited to the first full run through of MADCO's (the Modern American Dance Company, led by artistic director Stacy West) latest production, LIQUID ROADS and even in the unfinished state I saw it in, it promises to be a lively and wonderful presentation. Choreographer Gina P...
BWW Reviews: New Jewish Theatre's Powerful Production of THE PRICE
Writer Arthur Miller's THE PRICE is a powerful and engaging work that uses a simple set up to discuss the "price" everyone pays for the decisions they make in life. Each choice we make makes an impact on those around us, often deeper than we're aware of. Though emotionally charged and dramatic, this...
BWW Reviews: The Rep's Incredibly Funny Production of NOISES OFF
The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis closes another wonderful season with playwright Michael Frayn's hilarious farce within a farce, NOISES OFF. Frayn's work is just downright funny, but it's especially amusing to anyone who's ever taken part in a stage production sometime in their life. The Rep's pre...
BWW Reviews: Energetic and Fun Production of WE WILL ROCK YOU Plays the Fox Theatre
If there's any 'jukebox' musical that should be wildly over the top it would have to be one connected with the 70's and 80's rock group Queen. It just makes sense. Their music always had a sort of 'larger than life', heroic quality to it to begin with. So, it's only natural that WE WILL ROCK YOU (bo...
BWW Reviews: The Rep's Inspiring Production of SOUPS, STEWS AND CASSEROLES: 1976
A graduate of the Rep's Ignite! Play Festival (the 2014 festival takes place this week), playwright Rebecca Gilman's work, SOUPS, STEWS AND CASSEROLES: 1976, is currently receiving it's world premiere in the Studio Theatre of the Loretto-Hilton. This is a smart and funny piece with a message that st...
BWW Reviews: ELAINE STRITCH: SHOOT ME
While you watch ELAINE STRITCH: SHOOT ME, you'll hear the legendary lady described in a variety of ways. She can at turns be feisty, ferocious, headstrong, independent, tough as nails, one of kind, and any other adjective you can think. And she can also be vulnerable. Actress and icon Elaine Stritch...
BWW Reviews: Delightful PETER AND THE STARCATCHER at the Peabody Opera House
Local author Ridley Pearson, along with Dave Barry, crafted an interesting 'prequel' to the story of Peter Pan with their entertaining novel PETER AND THE STARCATCHER. The stage production of this tale, written by Rick Elice, is a similarly imaginative effort that utilizes a relatively small cast, w...
BWW Reviews: New Line Theatre's Wonderful Production of RENT
If you think you've seen RENT before, you really haven't. The touring companies with adults in the lead roles never really worked for me. They all seemed too old and mature to be portraying what is basically a 'coming of age' story. That's where New Line Theatre's current production really gets it r...
BWW Reviews: JERSEY BOYS is a Blast at the Fox Theatre
I don't think there's any "jukebox musical" that's as entertaining and interesting as JERSEY BOYS, and there are a lot of musicals out there that rely on classic rock, pop, country and blues for their score. What sets JERSEY BOYS apart from the rest is the fact that it actually has a story to tell (...
BWW Reviews: Mustard Seed Theatre's Fascinating Production of GEE'S BEND
Quilting is truly an art form, and though a lot of the quilts made over the years were made strictly out of necessity, a lot of them now hang in art museums. Playwright Elyzabeth Gregory Wilder uses this fact to tell the story of the Pettway women from Gee's Bend, Alabama. Now, if you're thinking th...
BWW Reviews: The Rep's Revealing Production of OTHER DESERT CITIES
Playwright Jon Robin Baitz has crafted an engaging an entertaining dramatic work with his play, OTHER DESERT CITIES. This isn't your typical 'coming home for the holidays' type of story, and the emotional toll that it takes on its characters resonates. The fact is, the details of the plot would prob...
BWW Reviews: Stray Dog Theatre's Consistently Amusing Production of THE LITTLE DOG LAUGHED
In our current celebrity-obsessed world, Hollywood is still a dream factory inhabited by people who are held to a higher standard, even though they're just as screwed up and insecure as the rest of us. We're all searching for happiness of some sort, but we're often too willing to sell out what our h...
BWW Reviews: Upstream Theater's Heart-Breaking FORGET ME NOT
FORGET ME NOT by playwright Tom Holloway explores a story torn from the tragic practice of "child migration" that was utilized during times of war and unrest in Great Britain since the 1600s. This is a poignant, touching and, ultimately, heart-breaking tale of one family's journey to reconnect. The ...
BWW Reviews: The New Jewish Theatre's Powerful Production of THE WHIPPING MAN
Playwright Matthew Lopez's THE WHIPPING MAN is a genuinely intriguing look at religion and the aftereffects of emancipation that is set in the days following the end of the Civil War. It examines a subject unfamiliar to most, and that's the fact that there were slaves on plantations that were raised...
Videos
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The Light in the Piazza Loretto-Hilton Center (5/30-6/28) |
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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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God of Carnage New Jewish Theatre (NJT) (6/11-6/28) |
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The Wasp by Morgan Lloyd Malcom Albion Theatre (6/12-6/28) |
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We Will Rock You The Marcelle Theater (6/04-6/27) |
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USAF Band of Mid-America “Freedom 250” Concert Old Post Office Plaza (7/02-7/02) |
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Rob Zombie & Marilyn Manson Morton Amphitheater (9/10-9/10) |
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Terms of Endearment Clayton Community Theatre (7/23-8/02) |
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UMSL Music Presents: Afriky Lolo 20th Anniversary Showcase 'Sundiata' Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center (7/17-7/17) |
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Saint Louis Ballet's ENCORE Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center (6/13-6/13) |
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