ST. LOUIS THEATER REVIEWS

Over the course of six scenes, BROOKLYN BOY'S protagonist, Eric Weiss, is taken on a journey of discovery that will leave him with a stronger appreciation of his family and friends, as well as a deeper understanding of himself. Weiss is a writer who's finally enjoying success on the bestseller list ...

If the holiday blues have got you down, or you're starting to get tired of being inundated with Christmas themed advertising, then take a break from your shopping list and check out Echo Theatre's production of THE SANTALAND DIARIES. The pitch black humor of writer David Sedaris is on display in thi...

HotCity Theatre offers up a decidedly different take on the usual yuletide fare with their delightfully twisted production of Jeff Goode's icon-shattering play, THE EIGHT: REINDEER MONOLOGUES. While taking its stylistic inspiration from THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES, Goode's wacky script focuses our attenti...

I distinctly recall the very first time I saw the film version of A CHRISTMAS STORY (1983). I sat alone in a nearly empty theatre as it unspooled, all the while thinking it deserving of a much better fate. So you can imagine my surprise when it became a cult hit, and then a full-fledged holiday trad...

If you're looking for an alternative to the usual holiday fare, there are several productions opening up this week that may intrigue you. For instance, you might consider Stray Dog Theatre's production of SISTER MARY IGNATIUS EXPLAINS IT ALL FOR YOU as an interesting and entertaining option. Christo...

Piwacket Theatre for Children continues their season with a festive treat called THE HOLIDAY SHOW, which teaches kids the importance of sharing. Of course, this is a valuable lesson any time of the year, but with Christmas around the bend, it's especially imperative that the little ones understand t...

Even if you've never watched the popular TV show that ran from the mid-1970's to the early 1980's, or read Laura Ingalls Wilder's popular children's novel, you'll still find plenty to enjoy watching LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE - THE MUSICAL. This is a sweet and charming show that illustrates the tru...

Playwright Martin McDonagh has a knack for crafting pitch black comedies that find humor in the darkest of subjects. In his play, THE PILLOWMAN, he gives us a horror fiction writer trapped in a totalitarian state, who's being interrogated because the content of his gruesome work happens to coincide ...

Truly, the real secret to success in life is following your dreams. And, Alison Brown must have been listening when her inner voice spoke to her. How else do you explain someone who graduated from Harvard with an MBA leaving behind a lucrative position at Smith Barney to pursue the banjo? I know tha...

The 2009 season for the Lyceum Theatre draws to a close with IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE - A LIVE RADIO PLAY. This is a unique take on the familiar holiday film classic that's been reworked for the stage by Joe Landry; in this case as a radio dramatization. What's interesting to me is that it was quite co...

As soon as you hear the strains of the keyboard riff from The Who's 'Baba O'Reily' blending seamlessly into Mozart's 'Overture for Figaro', you know you're in for something different. With their co-creation, REMEMBER ME, Parsons Dance and the East Village Opera Company have crafted an exhilarating c...

The Tony award winning musical IN THE HEIGHTS takes the stage at the Fox Theatre for an extended run. The show examines the lives of the various characters that populate the New York neighborhood known as Washington Heights, and features an infectious mix of rap and Latin music styles. It's an exube...

Piwacket Theatre for Children takes a stab at a classic English fairytale with their production of JACK AND THE BEANSTALK. As always, this is a pleasant, tune-filled presentation aimed at little ones, that teaches them a valuable lesson along the way. Founders Scott Sears, Edie Avioli and Charlotte ...

TREASURE ISLAND, Robert Louis Stevenson's narrative coming-of-age adventure about sea-faring scalawags and buried treasure, is a touchstone for all things pirate. All the standard iconography that we associate with these vicious buccaneers is present in his text including: one-legged seamen who have...

If you've only ever seen the 1966 film adaptation of Edward Albee's masterwork, WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?, then you really haven't seen it at all. The Hollywood stunt casting of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton derails the movie, and in the process, dilutes Albee's potent social commentary....

There are quite a few outstanding theatre congregations in the St. Louis area, and Echo Theatre Company is fast becoming a company to watch with their consistently interesting choices. Their latest production,the World Premiere of the engaging song cycle FUGITIVE SONGS, continues this trend, and pro...

Mustard Seed Theatre's production of FIDDLER ON THE ROOF is being billed as a more intimate staging, eschewing some of the elements of spectacle and scope that can often overwhelm this simple tale. This presentation succeeds by focusing our attention on Joseph Stein's characters, and their joyous ce...

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis begin their studio theatre season with a bang with Bob Clyman's SECRET ORDER, presenting a provocative and timely work that illustrates the tenuous relationships forged between government, science, and the major pharmaceutical companies. A recent visit to the FDA w...

Reading the director's notes for NonProphet Theater Company's production of THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW had me wondering, if indeed, 'many people have never seen the movie, much less the stage show'. I mean, I grew up during the 1960's and 70's, so I was exposed to the cult that is 'Rocky Horror' as soon ...

For me, it's the elegant and warm combination of their voices that gives Chad and Jeremy their unique appeal. As evidenced by this spirited concert performance, their vocals are still very much in tact after all this time, and it's a tribute to their gifts that they can even deliver an a capella num...

Terrence McNally's script for the musical version of RAGTIME, taken from E. L. Doctorow's popular novel from the mid 1970's, attempts to squeeze as much information out of the book as possible. It succeeds, where the movie adaptation failed, in capturing the full spectrum of Doctorow's work. The Was...

SLEUTH, being a thriller of sorts, may be best viewed by a novice, where its many intricacies of plot can be better appreciated, although that may be increasingly difficult to accomplish with the recent cable TV airings of the 2007 film remake. However, that attitude would be doing a disservice to S...

Based on Laurie Frey's own experience dealing with the physical ravages of stage three breast cancer, UNBEATABLE! attempts to put a musical spin on her story, providing viewers with a unique interpretation of Frey's struggle to overcome this deadly disease. The most appreciative audience for this ma...

Piwacket Children's Theatre begins their 2009-2010 season with a retelling of the familiar Cinderella story, here called CINDERBOTTOM. Like all of their productions, there's a lot of tongue-in-cheek humor that makes it palatable for both children and adults, and there are a number of cute little cat...

With the premiere in the U.S. of Polish writer Ingmar Villqist's powerful play HELVER'S NIGHT artistic director Philip Boehm has once again demonstrated the enduring appeal of Upstream Theater. Boehm consistently provides his audience with challenging and innovative translations of playwrights from ...