Our St. Louis Critics
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BWW Reviews: New Line Off Line's Lively Cabaret, WHAT THE HELL ARE WE DOING HERE?
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...
BWW Reviews: The Rep's Brilliant Production of THE OTHER PLACE
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...
BWW Reviews: St. Louis Actors' Studio's Intriguing Production of THE RIDE DOWN MOUNT MORGAN
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...
BWW Reviews: The Rep's Soaring Production of OPUS
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...
BWW Reviews: Lively and Colorful ELF at the Fox Theatre
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 ...
BWW Reviews: The Black Rep's Joyful Presentation of BLACK NATIVITY
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...
BWW Reviews: The New Jewish Theatre's Superb Production of HANNAH SENESH
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...
BWW Reviews: Picaresque A CHRISTMAS CAROL at the Fox
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....
BWW Reviews: Stray Dog Theatre's Quirky Production of THE BUTTERFINGERS ANGEL...
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...
BWW Reviews: West End Players Guild's Powerful MEDAL OF HONOR RAG
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 ...
BWW Reviews: Wonderful Production of THE MOUSETRAP at The Rep
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...
BWW Reviews: Inspirational SISTER ACT at the Fabulous Fox Theatre
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...
BWW Reviews: Playful and Energetic GODSPELL at the Peabody Opera House
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...
BWW Reviews: RAIN Rocks the Fox Theatre
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...
BWW Reviews: St. Louis Actors' Studio's Darkly Comic PTERODACTYLS
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...
BWW Reviews: Mustard Seed Theatre's Amazing Production of ALL IS CALM: THE CHRISTMAS TRUCE OF 1914
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...
BWW Reviews: Rep's Brilliant Production of FREUD'S LAST SESSION
Set in 1939, when Poland was falling to the Nazi's and Britain was being pulled into what would become World War II, playwright Mark St. Germain's engaging work FREUD'S LAST SESSION is a fascinating look at the historic meeting between two very different minds. Impeccably acted and directed, this St...
BWW Reviews: Rep's Soaring Production of FLY
The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis is presenting a modern masterpiece with their soaring production of FLY. The acting is excellent, the direction is sharply focused, and the technical achievements are spectacular. I'm probably going to run out of superlatives before I finish this review, so bear wi...
BWW Reviews: Time Well Spent at MISS JUBILEE AND THE HUMDINGERS at the Sheldon
I decided to take in one of the Sheldon's coffee concerts earlier this week, and though some snarled traffic kept me from enjoying the coffee portion of the bill, I arrived in time for the concert. I was rewarded for my efforts by witnessing the performance of a tremendously talented group of musici...
BWW Reviews: Stray Dog Theatre's Fun Production of EVIL DEAD: THE MUSICAL
In keeping with the Halloween season, and in distinct contrast to the serious tone of New Line's brilliant Night of the Living Dead, we have Stray Dog Theatre's lively production of EVIL DEAD: THE MUSICAL, a campy gorefest based on filmmaker Sam Raimi's Evil Dead trilogy. The first two films are aud...
BWW Reviews: New Line Theatre's Intense Production of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD
I'm a horror film fan, and I saw NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD for the first time at a midnight show when I was a teenager. Like the movie, the musical version (music by Matt Conner, lyrics by Stephen Gregory Smith and Conner) focuses our attention on the victims of a sudden outbreak of zombies. Sure, th...
BWW Reviews: Dazzling and Poignant EVITA at the Fox Theatre
I have to confess that other than the misguided movie that was made out of EVITA, the only other presentation I'd seen was New Line Theatre's wonderfully intimate version a couple of years ago. So, I was curious as to how this show would play on a bigger venue's stage. I wasn't disappointed and you ...
BWW Reviews: Upstream Theater's Brilliant DIARY OF A MADMAN
When you're a critic and you witness a magical evening of theatre it's hard not to be overly enthused and gush about it, but Upstream Theater's current production of Nikolai Gogol's (adaptation by David Holman) DIARY OF A MADMAN is simply brilliant and truly deserving of such praise. Upstream consis...
BWW Reviews: New Jewish Theatre's Amusing Production of THE GOOD DOCTOR
THE GOOD DOCTOR, Neil Simon's take on the short stories of Anton Chekhov, is a decidedly mixed bag. At the time he was writing this work he was dealing with his first wife's illness and busying himself with changes to the screenplay of The Prisoner of Second Avenue. Although it has become a much per...
BWW Reviews: West End Players Guild's Cynical and Disturbing LONESOME HOLLOW
Playwright Lee Blessing's LONESOME HOLLOW paints a cynical and slightly contrived portrait of our country's future. Blessing's dystopian look at America imagines a place where sex offenders are housed by a corporation in small towns that have been taken over and converted for this very purpose. Ther...
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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The SpongeBob Musical Chesterfield Community Theater (6/19-6/20) |
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The Book of Mormon (Non-Equity) Fox Theatre (2/02-2/07) |
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Saint Louis Ballet's ENCORE Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center (6/13-6/13) |
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Please Don''t Destroy: Live The Pageant (8/08-8/08) |
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USAF Band of Mid-America “Freedom 250” Concert Missouri Botanical Garden (7/01-7/01) |
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We Will Rock You The Marcelle Theater (6/04-6/27) |
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