ST. LOUIS THEATER REVIEWS

Australian born guitar vituoso Tommy Emmanuel showcased his unique talent on the stage of the Sheldon Concert Hall, offering a display of fleet-fingered picking that brought the house down....

Shakespeare's MACBETH is a perfect choice for the beginning of the Fall season, especially when one looks ahead to that most macabre of holidays; Halloween. Shakespeare's play is filled with gruesome murders and bloody mayhem, although a great deal of it does occur offstage. Like many of his tragedi...

LOVE KILLS, Kyle Jarrow's musical meditation on the relationship between Charlie Starkweather and Caril Fugate, who embarked on a killing spree in Nebraska during the late 1950's, is an intriguing piece that succeeds in confounding expectations. If there's any truth to be gleaned from the facts pres...

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA is really a triumph of staging with Harold Prince's direction presenting and coordinating these spectacular set pieces with cinematic precision. The constant movement of actors and curtains and backdrops provides a dazzling display of theatrical technique and technical virtu...

CONVERSATIONS WITH MY FATHER is kind of a misnomer. The character of Eddie Ross (nee Goldberg) doesn't converse as much as harangue the people around him. But, don't take this as a knock on Herb Gardner's play; it's more of a clarification than anything. This isn't just the ramblings of a bitter old...

As a swansong for their theatre company, WONDER OF THE WORLD acts as a whimsical sendoff; a farcical piece filled with quirky characters and hilarious dialogue. I'll miss the Orange Girls because their choices were consistently engaging and entertaining, and they always featured talented casts in th...

THE SECRETARIES is a bizarre play, mixing strange elements and eccentric characters together like something out of a John Waters or David Lynch film. The climax alone features a bevy of women in lingerie covered in blood; an image that evokes the exploitation era of the 1970's. To make it work it re...

If you look up the term 'soul survivor' online, you might just stumble across a biography and picture of Bettye Lavette waiting for you to peruse since her career trajectory could lead to her being aptly labeled as such. Lavette started recording in the early 1960's at age sixteen, but she flew bene...

Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's whimsical musical, INTO THE WOODS, is an amusing combination of fractured fairy tales from the like of the Brothers Grimm and others. It's an intriguing idea that brings these disparate characters together to interact in ways that are decidedly different from thei...

Seeing NEIGHBORHOOD 3: REQUISITION OF DOOM could serve as a wake-up call, or even a cautionary tale, for some parents, since it examines the addictive qualities and violent nature of certain video games. Of course, it takes that idea to a Twilight-Zone extreme, but that's what makes it so engaging. ...

The Rep kicks off their season with a dramatic and intense production of AMADEUS that's completely engaging and enthralling. And, while there may be little authenticity given to Salieri's claims, this is riveting material....

Stages St. Louis closes their 2009 season on an upbeat note with an engaging and fun-filled production of the vintage and venerable musical GUYS AND DOLLS....

The Union Avenue Opera provided me with the chance to see the Missouri premiere of Lakmé by composer Léo Delibes (with a libretto by Edmond Gondinet and Philippe Gille). In sharp contrast to the romantic frivolity of Die Lustige Witwe, Lakmé is a tragic tale of star-crossed love set in the late 1...

The touring production of MARY POPPINS that's currently gracing the stage of the Fox Theatre is 'practically perfect', featuring eye-popping special effects, a glorious set, and terrific performances that manage to capture the spirit of the 1964 Disney film, as well as the P.L. Travers books that in...

Ben Nordstrom does a wonderful job directing and staging ALICE IN WONDERLAND. It's thoughtfully conceived, and the cast appears to be having a great deal of fun. He's aided in his efforts by Ellen Isom's playful choreography, and Lisa Campbell Albert's strong musical direction....

The musical version of L.Frank Baum's timeless classic, THE WIZARD OF OZ comes to life on stage at the Olivette Community Center as part of their Summer Theatre Camp 2009. Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg's tuneful score is given a nice workout by the Over Due Theatre Company, augmented by a vast ensem...

The combination of superb voices accompanied by the tasteful, and exceptional playing of an very talented orchestra, allowed me the chance to savor the Union Avenue Opera's production of DIE LUSTIGE WITWE in the stunning confines of the Union Avenue Church. ...

Though Shakespeare's comedies are generally a mixed bag, and often filled with rather bleak and tragic outcomes for some of the participants, TWELFTH NIGHT is, for the most part, one of his better comic plays. It's a funny little tale built around some familiar Shakespearean elements like: twins, sh...

The Muny closes it's 2009 season with an exuberant and colorful staging of HAIRSPRAY, the musical based on film director John Waters' most mainstream feature. Even though it's been toned down ever so slightly, this production is still very enjoyable. And, the chance to hear the score performed by an...

DOUBT, A PARABLE by John Patrick Shanley is powerful entertainment that plucks its tale from the headlines, but sets the action in 1964. Anyone who's been following issues surrounding the Catholic Church and its problems with pedophile priests will find this story riveting. Dramatic License Producti...

T.H. White's classic book, The Once and Future King, is the basis of Alan Jay Lerner's script and lyrics for CAMELOT, but the real focus of this musical adaptation is the romantic triangle that forms between King Arthur, Lady Guenevere and Sir Lancelot....

George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart's perennial favorite, You Can't Take It With You, is given a pleasant and breezy staging in the Lyceum Theatre's current production. This venerable comedy classic comes to life in splendid fashion, with a fine cast proving that Kaufman and Hart's punchlines still stan...

If you're feeling a little blue, or maybe just experiencing some 'non-specific' sadness, a sure cure for that condition can be found by attending Stages St. Louis's sparkling presentation of THE DROWSY CHAPERONE. This is an uproariously funny show that pokes gentle fun at the very core of musical th...

The Muny brings a bigness to their current production of THE MUSIC MAN that cannot be denied. And, with the beautiful unseasonable weather we've been experiencing, it's certainly a nice way to enjoy a cool summer evening under the stars. ...

THE 25th ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE pokes fun at these competitions with a cunning mixture of bizarre characters and catchy tunes that's an over the top delight. New Line Theatre's current production is a perfectly cast show filled with moments of high hilarity. ...