Our St. Louis Critics
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BWW Reviews: St. Louis Actors' Studio's Intriguing Production of TOPDOG/UNDERDOG
Playwright/novelist/screenwriter/songwriter Suzan-Lori Parks has crafted an intriguing work with Topdog/Underdog, which is currently playing at The Gaslight Theater in a marvelously acted production by the St. Louis Actors' Studio. The theme for their seventh season is 'Sins of the Father', and as t...
BWW Reviews: Rep Opens Season with Sexy and Captivating Production of CABARET
The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis kicks off their season with a lively and captivating production of CABARET, Kander and Ebb's dark and cynical examination of life in Berlin prior to Hitler's ascension. This sleek, sexy, abrasive and poignant musical is solidly performed by both the cast, and the m...
BWW Reviews: Stages St. Louis's Elegant and Charming MY FAIR LADY
MY FAIR LADY is a venerable warhorse of the stage, and though it used to be performed with a frightening degree of regularity, it's been a while since I've seen it, other than catching the film version on TCM recently. I must say I'm impressed with the current production by Stages St. Louis. It mana...
BWW Reviews: HotCity Theatre's Moody Production of ENTERTAINING MR. SLOANE
Playwright Joe Orton's writing career was brief, ending abruptly when he was bludgeoned to death in 1967. In a very short span he wrote a handful of plays that are still being performed to this day, and one wonders what he would have created if he'd lived longer. You can catch one of his early plays...
BWW Reviews: The Black Rep's Fascinating Production of EMERGENCY
St. Louis is home to dozens of theatre companies, most of which have the same problem; finding a venue in which to perform. The Black Rep, which utilized the Grandel Theatre for many years, is now faced with this same issue. But, thankfully, they were able to find space at Washington University, usi...
BWW Reviews: Mustard Seed Theatre's Wonderful Presentation of THE PURPOSE PROJECT: THAO'S LIBRARY
Elizabeth Van Meter's The Purpose Project: Thao's Library is a true story that genuinely touches the heart. Utilizing a multimedia presentation, Van Meter details the events that occurred that convinced her to attempt and reach out to a person who was born with disabilities due to the spraying of th...
BWW Reviews: Max & Louie Productions' Darkly Funny THE LYONS
Playwright Nicky Silver's Broadway-break through, THE LYONS, is a black comedy that focuses our attention on the titular dysfunctional family. Although it's characters may be a bit one dimensional at times, this play has a lot of amusing twists and turns, and there are also several moments that occu...
BWW Reviews: Theatre Lab's Terrific Production of THE SUNSET LIMITED
Playwright Cormac McCarthy has crafted an intriguing work with THE SUNSET LIMITED, and even though he skimps on fully developing his characters, there is still plenty to chew on here. It's also the inaugural production of Theatre Lab, and I'm always happy to welcome a new company to the local theatr...
BWW Reviews: MARY POPPINS Wows at The Muny
The current production of MARY POPPINS that's playing at The Muny is 'practically perfect', featuring some nice special effects, a wonderful set, and terrific performances that manage to capture the spirit of the 1964 Disney film, as well as the P.L. Travers books that inspired it. The original and ...
BWW Reviews: Splendid Production of LEGALLY BLONDE by Stages St. Louis
Stages St. Louis continues their 2013 season with the musical adaptation of the 2001 Reese Witherspoon vehicle, LEGALLY BLONDE. It's a pleasant romantic comedy that, like a lot of modern musicals, pokes fun at itself, but it also features a positive message about believing in oneself. The clever com...
BWW Reviews: Stray Dog Theatre's Darkly Funny Production of LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS
I love horror movies, especially the kind of cheesy stuff from the 1950's and 1960's that director Roger Corman was famous for. It's been said that he shot the cult favorite, The LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, in four days, and it certainly has a look that would suggest as much. But, underneath its filthy...
BWW Reviews: The Muny's Captivating Production of LES MISERABLES
Victor Hugo's novel, LES MISERABLES, was re-imagined in the early 1980's as a very successful musical (lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer (adapted from the French text by Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel) and score by Claude-Michel Schonberg)) that has continued to captivate audiences. Although I wasn't es...
BWW Reviews: SOUTH PACIFIC Sparkles at The Muny
Rodgers and Hammerstein's SOUTH PACIFIC is a lavish and impressive show filled with gorgeous melodies, many of which have become standards that you'll find yourself humming on the way home from The Muny. From an intellectual standpoint, the social issues that this Pulitzer prize winning drama tackle...
BWW Reviews: Insight Theatre Company's Nicely Mounted 1776
It's only fitting that while we're celebrating Independence Day there's a production of the musical 1776 being staged by a local theatre group. After all, it's not has-been bands at local fairs and fireworks displays that we're supposed to be honoring on this particular occasion, but rather the prin...
BWW Reviews: NUNSENSE Muny Style
Knowing full well it's popular reputation, but having seen only one production, I had moderately high expectations for The Muny's take on Dan Goggin's musical comedy, NUNSENSE. I'm not Catholic, so I assumed that some of the humor might be lost on me. Through osmosis alone, I've probably absorbed en...
BWW Reviews: Charming Production of DISNEY'S CINDERELLA By Stages St. Louis
Nearly everyone is familiar with the tale of CINDERELLA. You've either been read the story as a child, or perhaps viewed one of the many movie versions. It's just one of those things that seems to creep into our subconscious through osmosis. In fact, variations continue to pop up in books and films ...
BWW Reviews: Cute and Funny Production of SHREK THE MUSICAL at The Muny
The original animated film Shrek was a kind of adult fairytale, though it was obviously aimed squarely at the youth market as well, successfully spawning a franchise with sequels and merchandising galore. So, it should come as no surprise that Dreamworks would opt to try their luck on stage with a m...
BWW Reviews: St. Louis Actors' Studio's Intimate and Engaging Production of KING LEAR
Shakespeare's KING LEAR can be interpreted in any number of ways. But, at it's heart, it's the tale of two families that are torn apart when their patriarchs misjudge their own offspring. King Lear turns the division of his kingdom into a test of love among his three daughters, while the Earl of Glo...
BWW Reviews: The Muny Opens Season with Funny Production of SPAMALOT
Torrential rains beforehand, a late start, and even technical issues couldn't dampen the enthusiasm of the cast SPAMALOT, which is currently playing The Muny. I brought my young son along to the show since he'd enjoyed the movie, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, that it's based on, and I'm happy to ...
BWW Reviews: Stray Dog Theatre's Spellbinding Production of SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION
Stray Dog Theatre returns to their roots during their 10th anniversary season by presenting the first play they ever produced; John Guare's SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION. Since this is a play set in 1990, it's particularly interesting to view it through the lens of the information age that we live in to...
BWW Reviews: Stages St. Louis Presents Stunning Production of ALWAYS...PATSY CLINE
ALWAYS...PATSY CLINE is a wonderful show, brimming with good humor and a great selection of classic country tunes. More than just a tribute show, this musical offering actually has a story to tell to go along with its superb collection of material covered by the iconic singer. But, what really makes...
BWW Reviews: The Black Rep's Funky and Fresh Production of THE WIZ
While I'm well acquainted with L. Frank Baum's classic tales of the land of Oz, and I've certainly seen numerous stage adaptations of his work, I'd never had the opportunity to see THE WIZ, unless you count the film version (and I don't), until now. After viewing the Black Rep's splendid production ...
BWW Reviews: New Line Theatre's Hilarious Production of BUKOWSICAL
Scatological, unpredictable, and oddly whimsical at times, BUKOWSICAL is not easily defined or categorized, and that's actually part of its appeal to me. Spencer Green (book, lyrics) and Gary Stockdale (book,lyrics and music) have concocted an interesting musical stew, some of which details the life...
BWW Reviews: Lively and Fun ANYTHING GOES at the Fox Theatre
The award-winning revival of ANYTHING GOES (music/lyrics by Cole Porter, original book by Guy Bolton and P.G. Wodehouse, with a revision by Howard Linday and Russel Crouse, and an update by Timothy Crouse and John Weidman) arrives at the Fox Theatre in splashy and resplendent fashion, with a plethor...
BWW Reviews: Upstream Theater's Triumphant Production of AN ILIAD
Writers Lisa Peterson and Denis O'Hare have concocted an intriguing take on Homer's The Iliad (translation by Robert Fagles) with their brilliantly interactive work, AN ILIAD. The distinction comes from the fact that this play not only utilizes the basic historical information contained within that ...
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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