Chris Gibson - Page 43

The Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre's 50th Anniversary Season opens on June 2nd with the Lyceum premiere of Mel Brooks' THE PRODUCERS running through June 12. Winner of a record-breaking 12 Tony Awards in 2001 including Best Musical, this outrageously funny musical tells the story of a down-on-his-luck Broadway producer (Max Bialystock), played by Dana Snyder. Dana is returning to the Lyceum stage after a 16 year hiatus during which time he has appeared in many regional theatres from Austin to Cleveland.

Opera Theatre's 2010 spring season opens on Saturday, May 22 and continues for 28 performances through Sunday, June 27 with all-new productions of Mozart's brilliant comedy THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO, Tchaikovsky's romantic masterpiece EUGENE ONEGIN, Stephen Sondheim's A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC, directed and designed by famed designer Isaac Mizrahi, and the world premiere of Peter Ash and Donald Sturrock's THE GOLDEN TICKET, based on Roald Dahl's beloved classic, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Leslie Sanazaro has been reviewed for her musical and cause related efforts many times in and outside of St. Louis, including articles about her environmental tour, The Green Light Tour 2007, which played 20 cities throughout the US and Canada in just over three weeks last May, teaming up with environmental sponsors, planting trees and raising awareness about global warming in each city she played.

Black Rep will close its production of ART by Yasmina Reza May 23, 2010, a play which takes a profound look at the nature of friendship. When well-to-do Serge purchases an expensive painting it causes his best friend to question not only his taste, but his moral fiber as well. What do we really know about our friends and can friendship survive when we discover an unexpected, hard to believe truth about someone we think we know?

Stray Dog Theatre presents Thornton Wilder's OUR TOWN, considered to be one of the most important American plays of all time. The brillliant, Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece comes alive again. More than any American classic, this play stands for simple truths and eternal connections. Return to Grover's Corners for a fresh take on the play that changed theatre history! A poignant family tale that reminds us of what is truly important in life.

What do Lucille Kallen, Mel Brooks, Neil Simon, Woody Allen, Michael Stewart, Mel Tolkin, Larry Gelbart, Carl Reiner and Selma Diamond have in common? Most are Jewish, and all were denizens of the famed 'Writer's Room' where they labored to create the comedy sketches for the live 90 minute weekly variety series, 'Your Show of Shows' starring the legendary Sid Caesar. Composites of these writers make up the characters in Neil Simon's raucous comedy,LAUGHTER ON THE 23RD FLOOR, set in 1953 during television's golden age.

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.

Organized by the Sheldon Art Galleries, the exhibition Legends of St. Louis Blues Music tells the story of the rich history of blues music in St. Louis through biographies on key musicians, illustrations by Kevin Belford, photographs by Jennifer Silverberg, Charley Taylor, Bob Shelli and Photo Joe, ephemera, recordings and memorabilia such as Johnnie Johnson's electric piano, among other rarities. Building on its key role in ragtime music, St. Louis was a gathering place for early blues musicians like Roosevelt Sykes, Peetie Wheatstraw, Henry Townsend, and Victoria Spivey, among other luminaries. This exhibition uncovers important St. Louis musicians, songs and blues music styles that have influenced our musical heritage, including jazz, rhythm and blues, soul, rock and roll, and a continually evolving blues tradition.

Since 2007, many of Erik Spehn's paintings have involved applying strips of masking tape to the surface of his canvases; then painting over them, peeling them off, and taping and repainting again and again. Over time, Spehn recognized that the discarded tape might offer a new avenue of formal investigation, so he began to make works on paper by applying the used tape to matboard. Each piece echoed the specific paintings on which he was working, but visually these 'drawings' became a distinct and separate body of work.

Raffe has photographed Circus Flora for more than a decade and this body of work is unified by theme and sensitivity, revealing the photographer's passion and intense interest in the circus, matched only by his mastery of the craft. Raffe's intent was to 'document the circus as an important part of our shared cultural heritage and to capture and preserve the humanity and the artistry of these extraordinary people through portraits and images of the 'decisive moment' during performances.'

Since 1999, Jay Wolke has been photographing in the south of Italy . During these visits, Wolke has captured the complexity of a landscape called the Mezzogiorno. What he found in this storied landscape is an elaborate set of physical, social and political structures, manifesting in an extraordinary folding together of visual information. On one level, the images he has created are referential and documentary-but on another level, they are about what cannot be explicitly seen, what is hidden and implied. Wolke's color photographs convey purposeful neutrality; constructions of selected non-fictions resonating between historical and contemporary meaning. The larger narratives of the marks made, marks abandoned, and marks erased, represent numerous conquerors and occupiers, from the Greeks to the Spanish to the Camorra.

I love seeing a brand new play, because I can go in with no preconceived notions, and experience something for the very first time. HotCity Theatre's Greenhouse festival has produced another winner in playwright Jami Brandli's fascinating and edgy new work, THE SINKER. This is a tautly mounted production that benefits greatly from solid casting and sharp direction, and if you're looking for something a little less predictable than the normal fare, I strongly suggest you take a look.

I've professed my fondness for old time radio before, so it should come as no surprise that I decided to take in the Soundstage Productions' presentation of The SOUNDSTAGE RADIO HOUR, which pairs an episode of the popular long time comedy series 'My Friend Irma' (which later graduated to both television and motion pictures), with a tale from the long-running soap opera 'The Romance of Helen Trent' (1933-1960!). I'm pleased to report that this production is a delightfully nostalgic romp that's amusing and family friendly.

I grew up looking forward to Friday nights, because that's when channel 30 would broadcast 'Chiller Theater', providing a burgeoning horror fan like myself with the chance to view all the creepy classics that sprang from the loins of Universal Studios during the 1930's and 40's. I was eleven years old when YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN played at the Westport cinema, and it was a treat to see my one of my favorite monsters lovingly parodied by Mel Brooks and Gene Wilder. So, it was with much anticipation that I looked forward to seeing the musical version of this beloved comedy from my childhood, and I think it's generally a very entertaining show, filled with a veritable slew of familiar gags, as well as some outstanding performances.

The exhibition features paintings by St. Louis artist Wallace Herndon Smith. Born in St. Louis in 1901, Wallace Smith was a traditional painter who absorbed the visual language of artists like Pierre Bonnard, Henri Matisse, and Edward Hopper. Smith was fluent in many subjects including still-lifes, landscapes, interiors, and portraits. The artist's strength was in capturing psychological nuances, and the exhibit has been selected to illuminate this area of his work.

CORBiAN Visual Arts and Dance is a unique group of individuals, led by artistic directors Ian Carney and Corbin Popp, who are committed to bringing startling and engaging imagery to the stage. By utilizing illuminated wiring, puppetry, and a troupe well versed in dance and movement, they're able to bring their simple, but elegant sketches to life. Their clever production DARWIN played the Edison Theatre this past weekend (May 8, 2010), and provided a large and receptive audience with an eye-popping display of storytelling that's like nothing else you've ever seen.

The saying goes that 'one man's trash is another man's treasure', and that old adage is brought into sharp focus by Yasmina Reza's provocative script for her play ART. But, the play also examines relationships, and how tenuous they can become when fundamental disagreements occur between friends. Reza's work is funny, thought provoking and, in the end, touching in the way it handles these two distinct themes. The Black Rep's current production of ART is a masterful presentation, buoyed by three terrific performances, as well as stellar design and direction.

Avalon Theatre Company announces their 2010-2011 season, which will feature Neil Simon's THE GOOD DOCTOR, Arthur Miller's THE PRICE, and John Pielmeier's AGNES OF GOD.

Before the housewives were desperate and the city was sexy there were...A COUPLA WHITE CHICKS SITTING AROUND TALKING. Flood Stage Productions now has a new home in the St. Charles Opera House at 311 N. Main St. in St. Charles, MO 63301. Their debut production in their new digs will be John Ford Noonan's play, which will run May 14 - May 22.

The Sheldon Art Galleries announces the Summer 2010 opening of four new exhibits. Join us for an opening reception on Friday, June 4 from 5-7 p.m.! Gallery hours are Tuesdays, Noon - 8 p.m.; Wednesdays - Fridays, Noon - 5 p.m.; Saturdays, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. and one hour prior to Sheldon performances and during intermission. Admission is free.