Chris Gibson - Page 28

I can always depend on Upsteam Theater to deliver a unique theatrical experience, and with the US premiere of THE DEATH OF ATAHUALPA they continue in the fine tradition they've firmly established, providing an audience with a fresh look at the last days of the Inca empire. Writer/director Philip Boehm has produced an engaging adaptation of this story that's buoyed considerably by the ensemble work of musicians Son de America, who give the play a distinctive voice with their spirited underscoring. The play also features an exceptional cast that fully invests themselves in this startling and enlightening presentation.

Charles M. Schulz, the creator of Peanuts, had the ability to communicate tiny bits of wisdom and insight in the space of three panels (six panels in the Sunday funnies) of rudimentary art. And, while most of his colleagues would head straight for a punchline, Schulz tended to take a more philosophical approach. The musical adaptation, YOU'RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN, originally written by Clark Gesner, and subsequently revised by Michael Mayer and Andrew Lippa, attempts to capture the essence of Schulz's work, but even as an introduction to the characters, the results are mixed at best. Stray Dog Theatre continues their current season with a charming production of this uneven musical, that's engaging and enjoyable more often than not.

At 7:30 p.m. Sunday, April 10, Washington University's Eliot Trio will perform a pair of works by Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-93) - works composed, respectively, to honor a doomed romance and a departed friend. The Eliot Trio, named for university founder William Greenleaf Eliot, consists of Seth Carlin, professor of music and director of the piano program in the Department of Music in Arts & Sciences; violinist David Halen, concertmaster for the St. Louis Symphony; and cellist Bjorn Ranheim, also with the St. Louis Symphony.

The Sheldon Art Galleries presents the Isadore Shank House Tour, Sunday, May 1, 2011, from 2-5 p.m. Proceeds benefit the exhibitions and educational programs of the Sheldon Art Galleries. The event is sponsored in part by Greg and Missy Hill, Peggy Walter Symes and Bryan Young Catering Plus. The second annual Sheldon Art Galleries house tour features four significant homes designed by the architect Isadore Shank (1902-1992) in Creve Coeur, Frontenac and Ladue. These homes represent some of the best examples of modernist and mid-century design in St. Louis.

Singer, pianist and songwriter Tony DeSare has won critical and popular acclaim for his concert performances throughout the United States as well as Australia, Japan and Hong Kong. In January 2010, he launched an international tour with three weeks at the Algonquin Hotel's Oak Room in New York and two weeks in London. DeSare's noted versatility enables him to headline a variety of venues, including major jazz rooms such as Birdland and the Blue Note, posh nightclubs like the Café Carlyle and Feinstein's at the Regency and concert halls like Jazz at Lincoln Center . His newest album, Radio Show, tunes in to the Golden Era of radio, spanning decades of swing, jazz and pop. Featuring special guests Jane Monheit and Bucky Pizzarelli, the album was released in 2009.

In collaboration with Cinema St. Louis, the Sheldon Art Galleries presents the exhibition Vincentennial: The Legacy of Vincent Price from April 22 - August 6, 2011. A free opening reception at the Sheldon Art Galleries will be held on Friday, April 22, from 6 - 8 p.m. Cinema St. Louis will hold a Vincentennial film festival from May 19 - May 28, 2011. More information on the film festival is available at www.vincentennial.com.

The Sheldon presents 'German Perspectives,' featuring Roger Kaza, horn, on Wednesday, April 27, 2011 at 8 p.m. in the perfect acoustics of the Sheldon Concert Hall. Kaza will be joined by Patti Wolf on piano and Carolyn Banham on oboe for a program including Ernst Bloch's Prayer from Jewish Life, Carl Czerny's Fantasy No. 1 on Themes of Franz Schubert for Horn and Piano, Paul Hindemith's Sonata for Horn and Piano, and Carl Reinecke's Trio for Horn, Oboe and Piano. The concert is presented in conjunction with a major exhibition of works in the Sheldon Art Galleries by German-born painter Max Lazarus, who settled for a number of years in St. Louis.

Max and Louie Productions presents THE LADY WITH ALL THE ANSWERS by David Rambo, drawn from the life and letters of Ann Landers with the cooperation of Margo Howard. This production stars Stellie Siteman as Ann Landers and is directed by Sydnie Grosberg Ronga. The play opens on Thursday, May 12th at the COCA Black Box Theater.

If you've ever drummed on your steering wheel to a song on the radio, or absentmindedly tapped your pencil on your desk, creating your own rhythmic accompaniment, then you've already grasped the concept at the heart of STOMP. Over the course of an hour and a half, a group of performers demonstrate how you can make music with just about anything, and in doing so, create a genuinely joyful noise. It's akin to taking the guy in office with the annoying habit of beating on things, and elevating what he does to high art; and it works like a charm. A lively and energetic group of performers are currently appearing on stage at the Fox Theatre for a three-day engagement of STOMP (March 25-27, 2011), and it's a very entertaining show fit for the whole family.

Season Tickets for The Muny's 93rd spectacular season in Forest Park go on sale Saturday, March 26 at 9:00 am. The 2011 season features 7 Muny-sized musicals, showcasing elaborate sets and costumes, the outstanding Muny ensemble, and the country's largest resident musical theatre orchestra. Beginning at $56 for all seven shows, Season Tickets assure reserved seats in the event of a sold-out performance. To purchase Season Tickets by phone, call (314) 361-1900 extension 550, or order online at www.muny.org. The Muny Box Office is now open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

The Sheldon Art Galleries presents a free Gallery Talk with Bärbel Schulte, curator of the exhibition Max Lazarus: Trier / St. Louis / Denver - A Jewish Artist's Fate, Saturday, April 23, 1 p.m. Dr. Schulte will speak on Max Lazarus' life and career in conjunction with the exhibition, admission free.

always consider it a rewarding experience when you go to see a play and you actually learn something along the way. In the case of playwright Andrew Moodie's work, THE REAL MCCOY, we're treated to a biographical account of forgotten black inventor Elijah McCoy (1844-1929). It's an intriguing and engrossing story, and when you begin to realize the obstacles this highly intelligent individual faced, it's even more compelling. The Black Rep has constructed an artful production based on the playwright's original staging, and it's a brilliant presentation deserving of your attendance.

The basic story of Chanticleer can supposedly be traced back to Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales, and a particular story titled 'The Nun's Priest's Tale', but you'd be hard pressed to find any resemblance between that work and most adaptations which focus instead on the conflict between a sly fox and an vain rooster. Hollywood even took a stab at the material with the 1991 animated film Rock- A-Doodle, an adaptation of the comedic play Chantecler by Edmond Rostand, which featured Glen Campbell's voice in the lead role. Playwright and composer Brian Hohlfeld has come up with his own spin on the idea with CHANTICLEER!, a country flavored musical version that's perfectly suited for young people. The Imaginary Theatre Company has assembled a cute and funny production of this charming classic, and happily I was able to catch a performance this past weekend (March 19, 2011) with my wife and son in tow.

BEEHIVE THE 60's MUSICAL closes out the season for the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, providing a refreshing and cheery dose of 1960's sunshine, and filling the theatre with the sounds of classic pop tunes from that era. This jukebox musical focuses on the contributions that women made to music during those turbulent times, and features six supremely talented singers who bring these familiar favorites to life while being backed by a superb band. The Rep's current production is a sheer delight, conjuring up memories of days gone by with an energetic cast who may have been too young to have heard these songs the first time around, but who do wonderful work with this material, nonetheless.

Cemeteries and marching bands, skeleton krewes and carnivals both glittering and raucous. Even prior to Hurricane Katrina, few cities understood the fine line between revelry and requiem better than New Orleans. In April, celebrated choreographer Trey McIntyre - arguably among the most acclaimed of his generation - will return to St. Louis with MA MAISON, a rousing homage to the spirit, vibrancy and resiliency of The City that Care Forgot.

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.

If your only previous exposure to the story of Cyrano de Bergerac was through the Steve Martin vehicle Roxanne, then you've really only seen a watered down (and considerably lightened) telling of the tale. The movie is a lot of fun, but Edmond Rostand's play, which imparts a great deal of fictional ornamentation to the actual person, is much darker in nature. And while there is a generous amount of humor to be found, most of the action is played with an undercurrent of deadly seriousness, and with the countenance of the true tragedy that it is. St. Louis Shakespeare has mounted a swashbuckling staging that's neatly appointed and well performed by a game and talented cast.

St. Louis has experienced a veritable confluence of exceptional songwriting talent with concerts by Randy Newman (The Sheldon), Kris Kristofferson and Merle Haggard (The Fox), along with the recent three day stand at the Kranzberg by Jimmy Webb. While I certainly regret missing the show at the Fox, I did catch Newman's evening at the Sheldon, and I also managed to attend the opening night performance of Jimmy Webb (March 17, 2011), who promoting his latest release, Just Across the River, as well. I'm happy to report that I enjoyed the show, and was particularly entertained by his reminiscences on a golden era of songwriting.

The Presenters Dolan welcome Deborah Sharn & Alice Kinsella to the Kranzberg Arts Center with their new show Spring Fever. Alice Kinsella and Deborah Sharn connect in a combustible mix of theatre, jazz and comedy. Deborah's sexy, slow-burn vocals meet up with Alice's brassy cabaret comedy in a night designed to please all the senses.

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.