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BWW Reviews: Upstream Theater Presents Challenging and Intriguing Production of David Greig's OUTLYING ISLANDS
Upstream Theater's production of Scottish playwright David Greig's OUTLYING ISLANDS is an intriguing evening of theater, thoroughly confounding expectations, and providing plenty of food for thought. As a person who seeks out the unusual and unexpected, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself haun...
BWW Reviews: Bear Stage Debuts with Solid Production of PUMP BOYS AND DINETTES Running Through 4/25
It can be difficult and stressful to try and start up a new theatre company. There are just so many things that have to be taken into consideration, and there are always last minute items that pop up at the most inconvenient time. This being said, Bear Stage made their debut at the Jelkyl Theatre in...
BWW Reviews: Jazz Giant CYRUS CHESTNUT Sizzles at the Sheldon with His Interpretations of Elvis Songs
Jazz pianist Cyrus Chestnut brought his considerable talents to the stage of the Sheldon Concert Hall for a show (April 10, 2010) that featured selections of music more commonly associated with Elvis Presley. And, while this might seem to be an unlikely combination, Chestnut demonstrated his traditi...
BWW Reviews: Cute and Charming Production of LEGALLY BLONDE
Based on the enthusiastic patrons in attendance, it's clear to me that the musical adaptation of the 2001 Reese Witherspoon vehicle, Legally Blonde, has a pretty strong following, and seems to have struck a chord with audiences. I can understand why, since it's a lively and entertaining show filled ...
BWW Reviews: Chuck Lavazzi Waxes Nostalgic for His Cabaret Debut at the Kranzberg
Cabaret performers are always on the lookout for songs that they can utilize to define themselves as entertainers. It's all about trying to find your own unique niche in an ever crowding field, and Chuck Lavazzi has set about carving out his own piece of the pie by mining the whimsical tunes of yest...
BWW Reviews: Black Rep's Production of FIVE GUYS NAMED MOE is Immensely Entertaining
It's only fitting that the original 'King of the Jukebox', songwriter, musician and bandleader Louis Jordan, be honored with his own 'jukebox' musical (featuring a well-crafted book by Clarke Peters). FIVE GUYS NAMED MOE is a delightfully frothy concoction that takes its simple thread of a story and...
BWW Reviews: Imaginary Theatre Company Present Intriguing and Entertaining Production of AMELIA EARHART at the MO History Museum
History books, at least when I was growing up, devoted only a sidebar to pioneering aviatrix AMELIA EARHART, although today her life has become the subject of many books, movies and television specials that seek to shed light on her mysterious disappearance in 1937 during an attempt to fly around th...
BWW Reviews: The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis Closes Their Season with a Charming and Delightful Production of THE FANTASTICKS
If you're a fan of musical theatre, and you missed out on your chance to see THE FANTASTICKS during its record setting run off-Broadway (it did play for over 40 years, after all), then you owe it to yourself to take in the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis's delightful production on the main stage at t...
BWW Reviews: Muddy Waters Theatre Presents Exceptional Production of DESIRE UNDER THE ELMS Through 3/28
Muddy Waters Theatre begin their season of O'Neill with the classic American morality tale, DESIRE UNDER THE ELMS, a play that manages to examine nearly all of the seven deadly sins before reaching its dramatic conclusion. If you've only seen the woefully miscast movie version (I mean, really, Burl ...
BWW Reviews: Imaginary Theatre Company Presents Delightful Production of A PETER RABBIT TALE 3/14
The Imaginary Theatre Company opens the spring season with a cute production of A PETER RABBIT TALE. This is a sassy and entertaining re-working of a childhood favorite that adds a pleasant and catchy score to the familiar story. I brought my wife and son along to attend one of two performances that...
BWW Reviews: Repertory Theatre of St. Louis Presents Brilliant Adaptation of CRIME AND PUNISHMENT
If you've never read Fyodor Dostoyevsky's mammoth classic CRIME AND PUNISHMENT, you're probably still familiar with certain themes and characters that populate this piece of Russian literature. The particularly misguided concept of there being extraordinary humans amongst us that feel they have the ...
BWW Reviews: Temporary Theatre Debuts with Fun-Filled Production of GUTENBERG! THE MUSICAL! Though 3/28
At our current rate of consumption, is it conceivable that we could ever reach a point where every movie, book, historical figure, or current event available will have been used as the basis for a musical? Probably not. But, with that idea in mind, writers/composers Scott Brown and Anthony King have...
BWW Reviews: Stray Dog Theatre Present THE EFFECT OF GAMMA RAYS ON THE MAN-IN-THE-MOON MARIGOLDS Through 3/20
Playwright Paul Zindel's work THE EFFECT OF GAMMA RAYS ON THE MAN-IN-THE-MOON MARIGOLDS tells a painful and dark story, and offers only a glimmer of hope to its protagonist. Vaguely reminiscent of the work of Tennessee Williams, Zindel's play is peppered with poetic and lyrical snatches of dialog th...
BWW Reviews: Stunning and Powerful Production of AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY Plays the Fox Theatre Through 3/14
My first introduction to the work of playwright Tracy Letts was covering a local production of Bug. I came away amazed and enthralled with the play, marveling at the way Letts writes dialog, and captivated by a bizarre tale of conspiratorial madness fueled by excessive drug consumption and psychotic...
BWW Reviews: Black Rep Production of YESTERDAYS Features Stellar Performance by Vanessa Rubin as BILLIE HOLIDAY
Jazz and blues singer Billie Holiday had a hard and tragic life, and her addictions have become almost as well known as her musical contributions. YESTERDAYS: AN EVENING WITH BILLIE HOLIDAY illuminates the high and low points of her career, while framing them in guise of her last concert appearance ...
BWW Reviews: New Jewish Theatre Presents Compelling Production of THE PEOPLE'S VIOLIN
THE PEOPLE'S VIOLIN is an interesting search for identity, as an experimental filmmaker attempts to track down his father's true lineage, and hopes to find himself in the process. It's interesting to note that Charlie Varon's play was originally a one man show, especially since its lead protagonist,...
BWW Reviews: St. Louis Actors' Studio Presents Intruiging Production of THE SHAPE OF THINGS
Controversial playwright/filmmaker Neil Labute has a unique talent for crafting works that deliver a solid sucker punch to the gut. I can appreciate that approach, and since I'm always on the lookout for something out of the ordinary, I made it a point to check out the St. Louis Actors' Studio produ...
BWW Reviews: Jeffrey Wright Delivers Solid Performance at the Kranzberg
After experiencing some initial success in the world of cabaret last year, Jeffrey Wright has returned to the Kranzberg Arts Center for a weekend of sold out performances. With the encouragement of mentors Lina Koutrakos and Rick Jensen, Wright has fashioned a show centered around the theme of 'The ...
BWW Reviews: Fun Production of MAMMA MIA! Plays the Fox Theatre
It's easy to understand the appeal of a jukebox musical like MAMMA MIA!, especially when you consider just how tuneful the score is, overflowing with a couple dozen of ABBA's greatest hits. And, on a cold evening in February, it's setting in sunny Greece is a warm and welcome alternative to the weat...
REVIEW: Repertory Theatre of St. Louis Present Powerful Production of THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK
Playwright Wendy Kesselman has referred to her current adaptation of THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK as the definitive version, and considering the fact that newly available passages of Anne's diary were incorporated into the text, it's certainly more eye opening in a lot of respects. Kesselman gives us a m...
REVIEW: Dramatic License Productions Presents STEEL MAGNOLIAS at the Artopolis in Chesterfield Mall
I'm encouraged by the recent trend of malls offering up empty retail space to the artistic community. If there's one thing that theatre groups often lack it's a decent performance space, and these type of ventures, like the ArtSpace at Crestwood Court, provide them with an opportunity to bring their...
REVIEW: Solid Production of THE COLOR PURPLE Plays at the Fox Theatre
Marsha Norman's clever book for the musical version of THE COLOR PURPLE greatly compresses the action of the novel, while also managing to tone down some of its more violent aspects. In combination with a rousing music score by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray, which runs the gamut from...
REVIEW: Mustard Seed Theatre Presents Compelling and Provocative Production of FIRES IN THE MIRROR
Anna-Deveare Smith's play, FIRES IN THE MIRROR, attempts to capture a specific, largely forgotten moment in our history, suspending it in time for a little over an hour, so that it can be properly reflected upon and digested. Though, like life itself, things tend to get a bit untidy in spots, the pl...
REVIEW: Piwacket Theatre for Children Continue Season with Debut of SNOW WHITE AND THE 8TH DWARF
Piwacket Theatre for Children celebrates their 18th year in existence with the charming debut of their 18th original production SNOW WHITE AND THE 8TH DWARF (playing through January 30, 2010 at the Black Cat Theatre). This particular take on the famous fairy tale attempts to communicate the importan...
BWW Reviews: J.Samuel Davis in Upstream Theater's THE DOUBLE BASS
Michael Hofmann's witty translation of Peter Suskind's play THE DOUBLE BASS is an intriguing work, filled with wildly funny moments, and Upstream Theater's current presentation, which is playing at the Kranzberg Arts Center through February 14, is a must-see production, powered by Philip Boehm's tho...
Videos
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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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God of Carnage New Jewish Theatre (NJT) (6/11-6/28) |
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The Light in the Piazza Loretto-Hilton Center (5/30-6/28) |
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The Wasp by Morgan Lloyd Malcom Albion Theatre (6/12-6/28) |
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Kauffman Stadium Kauffman Stadium (7/15-7/15) |
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Terms of Endearment Clayton Community Theatre (7/23-8/02) |
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Please Don''t Destroy: Live The Pageant (8/08-8/08) |
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Liverpool Legends 'The Complete Beatles Experience!' Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center (6/27-6/27) |
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The Addams Family COCA (8/07-8/08) |
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Journey Great Southern Bank Arena (6/25-6/25) |
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