ST. LOUIS THEATER REVIEWS

Opera Theatre of St. Louis draws us into a truly enchanted forest.  In staging Benjamin Britten’s 'A Midsummer Night’s Dream' they create a marvelous amalgam of strange and gorgeous music, superlative voices, and design and directorial genius.  And they are unerringly true to Shakespeare’s i...

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...

Susanne Burgess sings Norina, the quintessential bel canto soprano role. She’s astonishing! She defines that vocal style....

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...

'This House', a world premiere opera at Opera Theatre of St. Louis is the saga of a Harlem family that is both blest and cursed....

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...

Don't miss it!The grand old Kirkwood Theatre Guild, now in its 93rd season, has opened a quite glorious and dazzlingly funny production of the musical A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder.  Catch it if you can!...

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. ...

This Will Be: The Spirit & Soul & Music of Natalie Cole played to two sold out houses at The Blue Strawberry. Hanrahan, Healy, Kidd and the rest of the company may have found another cabaret concept musical with long running potential....

The Missouri Coalition for the Environment and That Uppity Theatre Company collaborated to produce PLAYS FOR THE PLANET, a program of 9 short vignettes to increase awareness about current climate issues. The hour-long program was directed by That Uppity Theatre Company’s Joan Lipkin and St. Louis...

A splendid evening of Schubert, Haydn, Satie, de Grignol, and Montgomery...

MEET ME AT DAWN is not macabre or depressing but it is sorrowfully somber in tone. Michelle Hand and Lizi Watt enmesh with contemplative, cathartic, and pensive portrayals. The subtleties in their doleful performances are as impressive as their outward acting. Larissa Lury’s solemn direction cre...

Upstream Theater is having an existential crisis. Meet Me At Dawn, the finale of the company’s 20th season is an intense rumination on reality and grief that plays games with the concept of reality....

WITH is the authentic love story of two cantankerous and snarky old folks whose time together has beaten the odds. Their life has been blessed with longevity and fond memories. They have lived a long enough to raise a child and experience joy, sorrow, happiness, grief, and the full complement of hum...

West End Player’s AT THE WEDDING is a well-constructed show with strong directorial vision, good performances, but it is saddled by a muddled narrative. The talented cast works diligently to overcome Bryna Turner’s ponderous script. The early scene between Carlo and Carly (the bridesmaid) lay...

Three novice directors were given the opportunity to collaborate with aspiring playwrights at this weekend’s Aphra Behn Festival. The 9th Annual Festival, produced by Slightly Askew Theatre Company’s (SATE’s) Rachel Tibbetts and Ellie Schwetye, included works penned by Dylan Malloy, Meredith L...