ST. LOUIS THEATER REVIEWS

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...

Driven by characters who use music to unite, uplift, and explore themselves, Rock of Ages is fun. This fast-paced and thrashing theatrical escapade honors the counterculture it portrays....

BUT WHAT CAN YOU DO? Is a 50-minute one act play with a message that effort pays off. The play, with music, positively encourages its protagonist to face their challenges head-on to reach a goal.  Playwright Myah L. Gary, in collaboration with Metro Theater Company’s Jacqueline Thompson, has a...

Winner of 5 Tony Awards, Kimberly Akimbo is based on David Lindsay-Abaire’s play. Directed by Jessica Stone, the production mixes humor with just the right amount of heartstring tugs and teen angst....

Blending comedy, swashbuckling action, and heartfelt moments, Ludwig’s adaptation brings a fresh and humorous take to the classic Robin Hood legend. Taking aim at one of Britain’s most famous legendary tales, the production, directed by Artistic Director, Kate Bergstrom, closes the company’s 5...

New Jewish Theatre’s production of CABARET is a grim reminder of the early days of the Nazi reign in Germany. It is appropriately risqué and bawdy and artfully staged on David Blake’s beautiful set. It is filled with impressive performances from the entire cast, especially the original characte...

Kelundra Smith has penned an important piece of drama. THE WASH’s historically educational narrative hooks the audience with provocative storytelling. Chris Anthony’s strong direction, enhanced by Heather Beal’s earth-centered movements, grabs and holds the audience’s attention. The cast’s...

As the Irish would say, THE BEAUTY QUEEN OF LEENANE is simply grand. Ashton is a skillful storyteller. He and his assistant director C.J. Langdon have elicited stunning performances from Cochran, Doggett, Matthews, and Meyers. McDonagh’s script is dripping with mordant and grim humor. Put Albion�...

For Joe and Jerry, two entertainers looking for career stability, being on the run can be a real drag!  The lead characters of Some Like It Hot, now onstage at the Fox Theatre, begin the production as run-of-the-mill performers bouncing from gig to gig in Prohibition era Chicago. However, after th...

First Run Theatre’s evening of short plays is always a wonderful opportunity to hear the emerging voices of newer playwrights and see their new works. Six playwrights from Illinois, Kansas, and Missouri are featured in First Run Theatre’s “2025 Spectrum: A Presentation of Short Plays.” The F...

Money meets mental illness in Stray Dog Theatre’s enjoyable The Curious Savage. The opening production of the company’s 23rd season was written by John Patrick who brought it to the New York stage in 1950....

Well-acted and utterly fun, Shucked lives up to the hype. The straightforward plot relies on shrewdly timed jokes, jangly music and polished wordplay, sprinkled with social commentary, to provide laughs and moments of endearment....

West End Players Guild’s production of CONSTELLATIONS is a bittersweet dose of reality. It is a relationship story more than a love story. Payne examines how we react to two things in life, our partner’s behaviors and what the fates hand us. No one can predict when, or if, life will bring happi...

COCONUT CAKE is a character driven play that examines how the choices we make in the short term impacts our long-term wellbeing. It is a superbly constructed play with surprising reveals that are neither illogical nor unexpected. Beaty’s play is packed with immense honesty. Jones and his talented...

This moving piece of theater, which features an extremely talented ensemble, is an uplifting, and terse story about resilience, community, and the importance of finding joy in the most unexpected places....

This is an elegant production of LONG DAY’S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT with a touch of surrealism. The creative team have taken O’Neill’s story and leaned into quaint imagery to enhance the story telling. Doggett’s period costumes designs are elevated by her tailoring and sumptuous fabric choic...

Two of St. Louis’ most creative playwriting voices premiered new plays this weekend at Greenfinch Theater and Dive Bar. Courtney Bailey is arguably the most talented playwright in St. Louis creating new works. Her new one-act play, THE PAVEMENT KINGDOM: A CLINIC ESCORT PLAY, shared a double bill w...

Poignant and empowering Athena is thoroughly engaging and engrossing. This is a well-acted theater experience dig beneath the surface of a centuries old sport to expose a world where comradery and competition both have a price....