Chris Gibson - Page 39

Avalon Theatre Company announces their 2010-2011 season, with productions of THE GOOD DOCTOR, THE PRICE, AGNES OF GOD, and PORTRAIT OF MY PEOPLE.

The Sheldon and Peter Martin Music present Peter Martin Music: Live featuring Christian McBride, Saturday, September 11 at 8 p.m. in the perfect acoustics of the Sheldon Concert Hall.

October 2010 will mark the beginning of St. Louis Actors' Studio's fourth season, themed Angels and Demons. This theme will be examined from the minds of some of our favorite plays and playwrights; from lame duck presidents to aging comedy partners - human wants, needs and political relationships bring out the best and worst in us.

AND THEN THERE WERE NONE, also published under the title, 'Ten Little Indians', is Agatha Christie's best selling novel and the 7th most popular book of all time with over 100 million copies sold. Eight strangers and two servants are invited to a mansion off the coast of Devon. Once the arrive, statuettes of little soldier boys on the mantel fall to the ground in conjunction with a nursery rhyme telling how each of the ten 'soldiers' met his death until there were none. A mysterious voice accuses each of having gotten away with murder and then one drops dead---poisoned. One down and nine to go! The excitement never lets up in this remarkable thriller!

HotCity Theatre, a professional theatre company with a focus on contemporary programming and new play development announces the opening of EQUUS, The 1975 Tony award winning psychological drama by Peter Shaffer. Webster University professor Doug Finlayson will direct this production, the third show in the 2010 HotCity Season.

First Run Theatre dedicates all its efforts toward full stagings of new works by local playwrights, and on this occasion, they're presenting (along with Dusty Bums, and through the kind use of the Marble Stage Theatre space in the Crestwood Artspace) LET THERE BE THISTLES by Joshua Thomas. This is an intriguing play, and one that benefits greatly from the smaller confines the space provides, since First Run's plays are usually staged at the Thomas Hunter Theatre on the campus of DeSmet High school, which is a lovely, but imposing venue. This play probably wouldn't work as well in such a big room, but here, in a more intimate surrounding, it's far more engaging and intense.

MAN OF LA MANCHA has become a community theatre staple, and as such, gets staged with some degree of regularity. While some of these are uneven affairs at best, the Insight Theatre Company's current production is an exception, combining the talents of a splendid cast with sharp direction and choreography to produce an engaging and compelling evening of entertainment.

Organized as a companion to the Legends of St. Louis Blues Music exhibit in the History of Jazz Gallery, this exhibit celebrates the rich legacy of blues music through vibrant works of art in many mediums by area students. Participating schools and art groups include Ames Visual and Performing Arts Elementary School; Cathedral Basilica; Central Visual and Performing Arts High School; the Freedom School; Gateway Middle School; Jefferson; Lee Hamilton Elementary School; Metro High School; Oak Hill Elementary School; Peabody; Rebecca Boone Elementary School; Studio W; Soldan International Studies High School; and Vashon High School.

When I started writing this review I had Turner Classics on, and it just so happened they were playing SHOW BOAT. Funny how that works sometimes, when you've just seen a splendid live performance of a show the night before, and the next evening you stumble across Hollywood's take on the material. Seeing it live is always better, I think, and SHOW BOAT has a definite history with the Muny, a fact clearly reflected by the numerous stagings it's had since its initial appearance in 1930. But, that's to be expected, since this is the perfect venue for Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II's memorable adaptation of Edna Ferber's sprawling novel. And as such, it provides us with a particularly grand finale for the Muny's 2010 season.

Insight Theatre Company is proud to announce the upcoming production of the Tony Award winning musical, Man of La Mancha by Mitch Leigh, Joe Darion, and Dale Wasserman. Starring the legendary Joneal Joplin under the direction of Edward Coffield, MAN OF LA MANCHA opens Wednesday, August 11 at The Heagney Theater on the campus of Nerinx Hall, 530 East Lockwood in Webster Groves. The show runs through August 22 with performances Wednesdays through Saturdays at 7:30pm and matinees each Sunday at 2pm.

Since I first started taking my son along with me to see children's shows, it's become readily apparent to me that he especially enjoys seeing the ones put on by Stages St. Louis. That's because they're always entertaining and fun, and they don't wear out their welcome by running too long. Their current presentation of DISNEY'S THE ARISTOCATS is another fine example of the kind of engaging productions they present year in and year out. And, I'm happy to report that my son absolutely loved it (my wife and I did, too)!

ANTON IN SHOW BUSINESS, written by playwright Jane Martin, has some clever ideas going for it, including taking on the sacred institution of Anton Chekov himself, as well as examining the ongoing conflict between art and commerce. However, it comes off as more a collection of interesting and amusing bits and pieces, than the pure farce it masquerades as. St. Louis Shakespeare has concocted an engaging production of this work that's occasionally hilarious, and definitely worthy of your time and attention.

Though actor/playwright Jason Miller may be best remembered for his turns as troubled priest Father Damien in The Exorcist (and Exorcist III: Legion), he should probably be thought of for his Pulitzer-prize winning work, THAT CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON. It's a powerful piece that, on the surface, follows a group of ex-high school basketball champs as they attend an annual reunion at their old coach's house. But on a deeper level, it's an examination of the philosophy of winning at all costs and how that applies to the worlds of sports and politics, as well as life in general. Dramatic License Productions has put together an exceptional presentation of this show that features a particularly strong cast and sensitive direction.

I remember seeing FOOTLOOSE in a theatre back in 1984, and I think I actually enjoyed it. I even have a cassette of the soundtrack somewhere, although I don't remember ever purchasing it. Still, it's the type of movie that can be easily tweaked for translation to the stage since the songs are already in place (for the most part), and the plot blends dance with romance. It is an undeniably infectious combination, especially for those of us who grew up with this music, for better or worse.

A romantic comic opera with militaristic undertones sounds like a rather odd juxtaposition of style and substance, but LA FILLE DU REGIMENT(Daughter of the Regiment) pulls off that feat with a delightful combination of tuneful melodies, along with a considerable amount of charm that's hard to resist. With their second offering of the season the Union Avenue Opera have produced a winning combination of mirth and merriment with their staging of this work.

Jenny Schwartz's play GOD'S EAR is an intriguing work, chock full of linguistic twists and turns that manage to illuminate rather than obscure, even though they appear to tumble forth with seemingly reckless abandon. Schwartz takes a tragic situation, in this case the loss of a child and the erosion of a married couple's feelings in the aftermath, and peppers the dialogue with exhilarating, and at times exasperating, flurries of cliches and non-sequiturs. It's like some weirdly compelling word game, and I like the fact that Echo Theatre Company has chosen this particular work to begin their 2010 season, because it represents the kind of challenging, and ultimately rewarding, productions that have become their stock in trade.

The NonProphet Theater Company is excited to bring you the second show of their 2010 season CABARET by Masterson, Kander & Ebb featuring St. Louis 's own, 'The Derriere Beyond Compare' Lola Van Ella as Sally Bowles! Cabaret opens Friday, July 23, 8pm at the Kranzberg Arts Center.

Don't miss this hit Broadway comedy. IT HAD TO BE YOU is an absurd, fast-paced comedy that tells the story of Theda Blau (Stellie Siteman), a zany, eccentric, ex-Hollywood B movie actress and wannabe playwright seeking love and/or a writing partner in New York City. She meets TV producer-director Vito Pignoli (Jerry Vogel), when she (unsuccessfully) auditions for one of his commercials.

Before the official October opening of its 2010-11 season, St. Louis Actors' Studio will present an original two-act play, SAM AND LAURA, written by Pulitzer Prize-winning and Emmy Award-winning writer and critic, Ron Powers.

Written by the incomparable team of George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart, The Man Who Came To Dinner tells the story of Sheridan Whiteside, a theatre critic/lecturer and radio personality, arriving to dine at the home of the prominent Stanley family in a small Midwestern town. Whiteside slips and falls at the doorstep of his hosts and injures his hip. For six weeks Sheridan is confined to the Stanley home where he monopolizes the entire household! Featuring one of the largest Lyceum casts ever assembled, this stylish and funny production will keep audiences laughing as the outrageous becomes commonplace!