ST. LOUIS THEATER REVIEWS

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...

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...

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...

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 (...

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...

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...

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...

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 ...

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...

I've seen a great deal of cabaret shows over the years, and some are lively and enjoyable, while others are so serious and studied that it's sometimes work just to sit through them. But, New Line Off Line's Cabaret, WHAT THE HELL ARE WE DOING HERE?(January 25th at the Kranzberg), is a kind of cat in...

Playwright Sharr White has concocted a mesmerizing and brilliant piece of work with his play THE OTHER PLACE. It's a mind-bending, non-linear narrative that's purposely disorienting, and absolutely hypnotizing to watch. The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis has constructed an amazing production of this...

While THE RIDE DOWN MOUNT MORGAN might not be considered one of playwright Arthur Miller's best works, there is still plenty to chew on here. The subject matter, bigamy, is certainly a touchy one, but what makes it even more so is the way it's handled. The St. Louis Actors' Studio has assembled a fi...

As a rather humble musician myself, I can appreciate the patience and perseverance it takes to keep a group of musicians together for any outstanding period of time. I can also understand how changing one member can effect the dynamics of both the music and the people playing it. That's what makes p...

It's amazing how many Hollywood comedies, cult and otherwise, have been turned into musicals, some successfully, some not so much. Which brings us to ELF, freely adapted from the amusing Will Ferrell vehicle of the same name, but lacking his particular comedic talents. That's not to say there isn't ...

One of the worst things that can happen to a theatre group is to lose its venue, and that's precisely what happened to The Black Rep. But, it's the season to give thanks, and in that spirit, we celebrate the fact that Harris-Stowe State University has graciously offered up the Emerson Performance Th...

While most everyone is familiar with the tragic tale of Anne Frank and her family, fewer know the story of HANNA SENESH, although there have been books, movies and plays made about her extraordinary experiences. Hannah was a woman driven by her passion for life, and she was also a writer, having wri...

The Fox Theatre has been home to an annual presentation of Nebraska Theatre Caravan's A CHRISTMAS CAROL for the past 9 years. It's easy to see why. The current version on display is a wonderfully crafted and picaresque take on Charles Dickens' holiday tale....

I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about The Butterfingers Angel, Mary and Joseph, Herod the Nut and the Slaughter of the 12 Hit Carols in a Pear Tree. I mean, for sheer title length it deserves some kind of acclaim. But, it's written by William Gibson. You know, the guy who wrote The Miracle Wor...

MEDAL OF HONOR RAG reminds us all of the sacrifices made by those who fought for their country. Though it's set in 1971, it's relevance to today's audience is a moot point. The only shortcoming here is a certain degree of familiarity that permeates the work, and it's probably a direct result of the ...

I can't say that I've ever read much of Agatha Christie's work, I'm more inclined toward the convoluted and pulpy prose of Raymond Chandler myself. But, there's no denying the staying power of her play, THE MOUSETRAP, which is still running in Britain since its opening in 1952. It's become an instit...

Based on the hit 1992 of the same name, the musical version of SISTER ACT just might be more entertaining in a lot of ways. Since the star of the film, the multi-talented Whoopi Goldberg, is producing it as well, that might explain why it has a certain darkness around the edges. In any event, the cu...

The musical GODSPELL will always hold a special place in my heart since I was fortunate enough to produce the music for a version several years ago. While it was quite an undertaking for one person, it allowed me to get very familiar with Stephen Schwartz's genre-hopping score. Ever since, I've been...

Started back in the 1970's, the group known as Rain gained it's initial fame by recording the song selections utilized in the Dick Clark TV movie, The Birth of the Beatles. Over the years they've become better known as a touring group bringing the music of the four lads from Liverpool to the stage f...

Nicky Silver's PTERODACTYLS is a pitch black comedy with a number of peculiar twists and turns. Like his play, The Lyons, the focus is on a highly dysfunctional family that's fraying around the edges. The St. Louis Actors' Studio has put together an engaging presentation that's both shocking and amu...

ALL IS CALM: THE CHRISTMAS TRUCE OF 1914 is a smartly conceived acapella musical by Peter Rothstein that chronicles the stunning events that occurred on Christmas Day 1914. It mixes short narrative bursts with 23 songs from the period, and it's never dull or contrived. For me, the hearty vocals prod...