ST. LOUIS THEATER REVIEWS

Douglas Lyons' CHICKEN AND BISCUITS is funny family dramedy that shows how love, loss, and grief can unite a family. The Black Rep’s production is packed with plenty of laughs and a bit of drama. Ron Himes’ fine direction and the cast’s spirited performances create a relatable family who love ...

Playing on themes of love, power, and the supernatural, Bell, Book and Candle is an excellent season closer for Stray Dog Theatre. Funny, spooky and enchanting, the play is well-acted and impeccably paced. Its portrayal of relationship dynamics and each character’s need for credence make it an int...

Filled with smiles and dancing in the aisles, Million Dollar Quartet Christmas is a chart-topping knockout. The show reflects on the travails of fame and celebrates the season with an irresistible vivacity....

The perfect synergy of sight, sound, song and dance, Chicago is gloriously glamourous, grimy and cheeky. Murder and mayhem has never been this much fun!...

A CHRISTMAS CAROL: THE REMIX is a fantastically creative retelling of the Dickensian tale. It is an outrageous theatrical event that adds up to high energy imaginative story telling. A couple moments in the show that feel a bit one-note and repetitive when the narrative goes on a little too long, ...

New Jewish Theatre's current production of FIRST DATE features a terrific cast in sublime comedic performances. Director Lee Ann Mathews and her company of seven clever actors fearlessly dive into physical comedy to create an entertaining show that is light, zany, and funny. It certainly isn’t a ...

“The Butcher of Baraboo” is a grim dark comedy that spirals into complete brutality. The characters are willing to go to extreme measures to protect themselves and their secrets. The is no familial loyalty among this group of vicious characters. The West End Players Guild has staged a cutting pr...

“Don’t Be a Hero, Thank You” is a one-act play that takes a humorous look at the challenges faced by the fictional Kate following her release from prison for a felony conviction after robbing a bank. The narrative is comprised mostly as a single-person monologue that is interrupted by phone ca...

Credit director Brittanie Gunn for Tesseract Theatre’s extraordinary production of ANASTASIA. Gunn’s vision and her collaboration with her actors and technical teams has created an extravagant production with outstanding performances, sensational singing, exhilarating dancing, and absorbing sto...

ELEPHANTS' GRAVEYARD is a lovely piece of writing. It doesn’t wallow in sadness or pathos. It looks death in the eye and laughs. Corbett, Meyer, and Rausch have given the world premiere of ELEPHANTS' GRAVEYARD a beautiful staging. Williamson’s salubrious script proves that when facing even the g...

“Wolf Kings” is more performance art than a play. The snappy banter is often witty and funny. The vivacious movement is dance-like. There are elements that are peculiar, comedic, and dramatic. It condemns predatory behavior though spectacle by granting victims strength. Its thought-provoking mes...

Delivering a textured performance, he masterfully captures Diamond’s emotional peaks and valleys, giving audiences a glimpse at how fame and the power of music drove the artist for over four decades....

The Roommate marks a welcome return for the company’s Steve Woolf Studio Series. Presented in an intimate setting without intermission, the play centers on the complex dynamics between Sharon, a divorced woman who mostly putters around smalltown Iowa eking out a menial existence, and Robyn her car...

St. Louis Shakespeare’s production of Julius Caesar is an excellent opportunity for high-school and college students studying this piece to see a decent staged production. Locker prepared her actors well and coached them to project with authority. The four leading actors deliver excellent perform...

Upstream Theater’s production of LIFE IS A DREAM is an illustrious production of Calderón's complex work. It has a clear directorial vision, exceptional acting, and stunning technical design elements. It is a superior in its artistry, staging, and storytelling....

Albion continues to stage exceptional productions of plays from the United Kingdom and LUNGS is no exception. Director Ellie Schwetye’s production is an emotional look at relationships and the forces that help maintain or derail a couple. Nicole Angeli and Joel Moses are convincing as the woman a...

“An Unlikely Hero” is a hero’s journey that would appeal to any young theater goer. It's a story that embraces friendship, teaches the values of honesty, collaboration, and helping your peers succeed. Metro Theater Company has created a show that grabbed a young audience's attention and engag...

Filled with visual and verbal nods to the writer’s life and work, Nevermore: The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe combines the biographical with the allegorical, allowing audiences to experience the angst of Edgar’s life in rich detail....

Michael Madden’s “Red Jasper” is a romantic and hopeful story that doesn’t wallow in sentimental melodrama. The characters find connection quickly and develop a tight bond at warp-speed. Director Suki Peters identified the emotional core of the story and collaborated with her actors to hasti...

FINAL DRESS is another of Midnight Company’s scripted cabaret shows that features some memorable songs for people of all ages. It’s comes recommended solely for the chemistry between Howe and Cereghino. Howe takes on a dozen of chart-topping hits from the past seven decades including the Frank...

AM I DANGEROUS? asks many relevant questions facing women today. e.k.doolin’s prose is elegant and bold. Her unique story telling convention poses questions without providing answers. The narrative pushes the audience to the edge of discomfort and provokes meaningful dialogue through entertaini...

West End Players’ eerie production of The Turn of the Screw continues through October 13, 2024. Morgan Maul-Smith, Payton Gillam, and Rob McLemore collaborate to stage Jeffery Hatcher’s unnerving adaptation in entertaining style. It is a bit unsettling, a little chilling, and a lot of fun for t...

Take Two Production of MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG far exceeded expectations. Stephen Peirick’s leadership, the vocally accomplished cast, and the polished musical direction all come together to create a gem of a show. This production illustrates how, in the hands of the right people, a show of any size...

STAGES St. Louis production of RAGTIME is exquisite and an important piece of Americana. The symphonic quality of the Ahrens and Flaherty score has many beautiful sections, and the relevance of the story is timeless. The slowly unfolding narrative is told nicely through Goodwin’s focused...

Playing on themes of injustice, betrayal, class status and greed, this gripping production of Dial M for Murder is a feast for cozy mystery lovers and amateur sleuths alike....