Chris Gibson - Page 27

Set in the 1930's, jailed in a Texas prison, Alberta 'Pearl' Johnson has little hope for release and even less for reconnecting with her missing daughter. That is until Susannah Mullally, a song collector on a mission to record pieces of African American culture, overhears Pearl singing while on a visit to the prison. Through her music, Pearl has the unexpected opportunity to earn her freedom and search for her daughter. BLACK PEARL SINGS! is a work that harnesses race relations and the rich oral history of the African American community to build a tale that is funny, touching and compelling.

In conjunction with this year's production of the Taming of the Shrew, set for May 25-June 19 (excluding Tuesdays) in Shakespeare Glen in Forest Park, the two educational shows now making their rounds to 22,000 students throughout 125 schools and community venues include 'Shrew in a Few,' and 'Cruel to be Kind.' Both adaptations were written by Christopher Limber, the education director for Shakespeare Festival St. Louis. 'Cruel to be Kind' illuminates Shakespeare's career as a playwright in London while also addressing the timely subject of bullying and the power of theatre to change lives.

Never before presented in English, this historical-folklorical tragical-comical reenactment of THE DEATH OF ATAHUALPA will be making its world debut in St. Louis this April. For centuries this tale of regicide has enthralled audiences in the Andes Mountains where some 7 million people speak Quechua, the ancestral language of the Incas. (That's more than speak Danish, Hebrew, or Slovak.) Plays depicting the Spaniard Pizarro's conquest of the majestic Inca Empire have been orally handed down through the generations, and now English-speaking audiences will have the unique opportunity to witness a work never before performed in the United States.

Last year the Pulitzer prize-winning play August: Osage County absolutely lit up the Fox Theatre, going down in my memory as one of the finest productions I'd ever had the pleasure to have seen, and this year the Pulitzer prize-winning musical NEXT TO NORMAL arrives with similar high expectations and critical acclaim and, I'm happy to report, doesn't disappoint. At a time when the safe bet seems to be simply plucking a comedy from Hollywood's recent past and reworking it for the stage, it's refreshing to see an original work that actually addresses a real life issue, which in this case is mental illness and the devastating effect it can have on individuals and their families. NEXT TO NORMAL is a phenomenal show that's gripping from beginning to end, and the current production playing the Fox Theatre is required viewing for any fan of modern musical theatre.

Mustard Seed Theatre opens TILL WE HAVE FACES April 15 - May 1, 2011. A powerful Queen must surrender to invisible forces to rescue her sister and discover the secret of true beauty. From the novel by C.S. Lewis, this retelling of the Greek myth of Psyche has been adapted for the stage by Artistic Director Deanna Jent.

The Presenters Dolan welcome Kay Love and her cabaret show Confessions of a Pom Pom Reject 8pm on Friday, April 15 & Saturday April 16 at the Kranzberg Arts Center. Lennie Watts directs and Steven Ray Watkins is the music director for this presentation. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at www.licketytix.com, or by calling 314-725-4200 ext 10.

Set in the 1930's, jailed in a Texas prison, Alberta 'Pearl' Johnson has little hope for release and even less for reconnecting with her missing daughter. That is until Susannah Mullally, a song collector on a mission to record pieces of African American culture, overhears Pearl singing while on a visit to the prison. Through her music, Pearl has the unexpected opportunity to earn her freedom and search for her daughter. BLACK PEARL SINGS! is a work that harnesses race relations and the rich oral history of the African American community to build a tale that is funny, touching and compelling.

In celebration of its 25th season, Circus Flora, St. Louis' beloved, one-ring circus presents a brand new show, VAGABOND ADVENTURES, June 2 through 26, under the air-conditioned, red-and-white, big top tent in Grand Center. Presented by Edward Jones, the show comes on the heels of Circus Flora's triumph with the St. Louis Symphony in January.

The Sheldon presents The Sheldon Jazz Quintet, Tuesday and Wednesday, May 10 and 11, 2011 at 10 a.m. in the perfect acoustics of the Sheldon Concert Hall. Enjoy complimentary coffee and pastries at 9 a.m. in the beautiful Louis Spiering Room. Led by guitarist Rick Haydon, The Sheldon Jazz Quintet features St. Louis all-stars performing straight-ahead jazz and swinging jazz standards! Haydon will be joined by acclaimed vocalist Mardra Thomas, and a rhythm section including pianist Reggie Thomas and drummer Miles Vandiver.

On November 11, 2011 - 100 years to the day after the first performance of The Players at the St. Louis Artists Guild - WEPG will open its season with Charles Marowitz's MURDERING MARLOWE directed by Robert A. Mitchell. William Shakespeare is an aspiring playwright desperate to make his mark in London. The greatest obstacle to his success is the prominence of Christopher Marlowe, the 'superstar' of the Elizabethan theatre. This intriguing thriller explores the high price of envy, love and blind ambition, all played out among the familiar names of Shakespeare's day. MURDERING MARLOWE runs through November 20.

Mustard Seed Theatre's fifth season will open and close with a celebration of New Plays. The world premiere of Falling, by Artistic Director Deanna Jent, will run September 1-11, 2011. Both funny and frightening, the play explores the life of a family caring for an aggressive teen-aged boy with severe autism. Falling will be directed by Lori Adams, who directed Mustard Seed Theatre's acclaimed production of Fires in the Mirror.

SUICIDE,INCORPORATED is a seriocomedy set inside the offices of Legacy Letters, a start-up company that believes that your suicide note will be the most important document you will ever write, assists their clients (mostly men as that is the key demographic) much the same way as a career placement firm would. When Jason, a new hire with a determined hidden agenda to save his clients is assigned to lonely and desperate Norm, past and present collide.

West End Players Guild wraps its 100th season next month with the St. Louis premiere of Kathryn Chetkovich's ACTS OF LOVE, directed by Robert Ashton. The show opens on Friday, April 1, and will be presented Friday and Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoons through April 10. All performances are at the theater in the Union Avenue Christian Church, 733 Union Ave.

Next month, Washington University's Performing Arts Department (PAD) in Arts & Sciences will present ECLIPSED for six performances in the A.E. Hotchner Studio Theatre. It is perhaps the unlikeliest community imaginable, and daunting territory for any dramatist. Yet ECLIPSED, a recent work by acclaimed actress and playwright Danai Gurira, is at once sharp-edged, humanizing and surprisingly funny - a portrait of resilience in even the most difficult of circumstances.

The Friends of The Sheldon present the 12th Annual Sunset at The Sheldon Wine Tasting, Wednesday, May 25, 2011 from 6:30 p.m. until sunset on The Sheldon Observation Deck. Proceeds benefit Sheldon Educational Programs. The event is co-chaired by Jane Matoesian and Nuviah Shirazi.

The Sheldon presents the Red Clay Ramblers, Friday, May 6, 2011 at 8 p.m. in the perfect acoustics of the Sheldon Concert Hall. Now in their 38th year, the Tony Award-winning Red Clay Ramblers are a North Carolina string band whose repertoire reflects their roots in old-time mountain music, as well as bluegrass, country, rock, New Orleans jazz, gospel and the American musical.

Avalon Theatre Company closes its sixth season with John Pielmeier's haunting glimpse into science, faith, and even miracles, AGNES OF GOD, April 28 - May 8 at Avalon in ArtSpace at Crestwood Court.

Set in the basement of a tenant house in Utah, INTELLIGENT LIFE tells the farcical tale of extraterrestrial, peyote-driven enthusiasts, self-titled 'Utah Alien Chasers.' This ramshackle group discovers a mud-stained little boy in a dinosaur costume who may or may not be an alien. What is certain is that the boy has a genius level IQ and telekinetic powers that are beyond this world! INTELLIGENT LIFE is a comedic exploration about faith and what it means to believe.

After years of just seeing clips on public television, I thought it was time to actually take in a complete performance of MICHAEL FLATLEY'S LORD OF THE DANCE to see what all the fuss was about. And, it's an entirely different experience in person. Live, the energy and enthusiasm of these consummate performers bleeds into the air and ratchets up the excitement factor considerably. The combination of Celtic music along with the rousing athleticism of these talented dancers makes for an engaging and entertaining presentation, and the recent show at the Fox Theatre (April 5, 2011) certainly provided plenty of proof for those who would wonder why this show continues to captivate audiences worldwide.

In what can be labeled a 'First,' the New Jewish Theatre is proud to boast that the director for the upcoming production of Clifford Odet's 1935 classic AWAKE AND SING! is Steve Woolf, Artistic Director of the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis. While Woolf does direct outside of the Rep, he does not direct for other theatres in the St. Louis area. So this is a genuine First for both Woolf and the New Jewish Theatre. Most recently outside of the Rep, Mr. Woolf directed THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK at the Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre (and then went on to direct the Rep's production of the same show). But the upcoming production at NJT was a show that he could not resist. Its realism and grittiness and the strength of the characters appealed to him.