Chris Gibson - Page 45

Jazz pianist Cyrus Chestnut brought his considerable talents to the stage of the Sheldon Concert Hall for a show (April 10, 2010) that featured selections of music more commonly associated with Elvis Presley. And, while this might seem to be an unlikely combination, Chestnut demonstrated his traditional jazz roots by improvising his way through these familiar melodies in dynamic and adventurous fashion. Chestnut proved to be a force to be reckoned with as he attacked the keys for each number, bending and twisting the chord progressions to suit his fancy, and providing a scintillating performance for an enthralled and appreciative audience.

Based on the enthusiastic patrons in attendance, it's clear to me that the musical adaptation of the 2001 Reese Witherspoon vehicle, Legally Blonde, has a pretty strong following, and seems to have struck a chord with audiences. I can understand why, since it's a lively and entertaining show filled with catchy tunes, that also manages to deliver a positive message about female empowerment. The current touring production playing the Fox Theatre (April 8 - 11, 2010) is certainly a cute and charming delight.

With leading man written all over him, Jeff Wright returns to the Kranzberg with his show THE DANCE. (When it comes time to pay the band, is the dancing always done?) Following a sold out weekend earlier this year, Jeff returns to The Kranzberg with his latest show.

In April and May, the Performing Arts Department (PAD) in Arts & Sciences will present METAMORPHOSES, perhaps the most acclaimed theatrical work of the last decade, as its spring Mainstage production. Performances will take place in the university's Edison Theatre at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, April 23 and 24; and at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 25. Performances will then continue the following weekend, at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, April 30 and May 1; and at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 2.

Grammy Award-winning vocalist Steve Tyrell is truly a renaissance man. In his four decades in the music business, he is a two-time Emmy nominee and has achieved great success as a performing artist, producer, and songwriter. Tyrell helped to re-invent and re-popularize classic pop standards for a modern-day audience, and has worked with legendary artists such as Rod Stewart, Diana Ross, Ray Charles, Burt Bacharach, and Stevie Wonder.

Upstream Theater will present the local premiere of OUTLYING ISLANDS by David Greig, one of Scotland's leading playwrights. Set on a remote island off the coast of Scotland on the eve of World War II, the play shows three characters caught in a web of mounting sexual tension. A keen exploration of the human animal, a moving study of young people grappling with emotions, and a brilliant snapshot of that pristine moment in 1939 before the cataclysm-told with a lyrical language that has a power all its own. For mature audiences.

The time is 1928. The world is between wars, the stock market is booming, Berlin is the center of high life, and optimism rules the day. Inspired by Viki Baum's period novel, book writer/playwright Luther Davis collaborated once again with the prolific, distinguished composer-lyricist team Robert Wright and George Forrest for GRAND HOTEL. Together, they created a seamless musical that boasts an engaging, non-stop book and a powerful score that is sure to sweep you away with all of the lavishness of the 1920s.

The Sheldon Art Galleries presents a gallery talk in conjunction with the exhibition Uncovering the Path to Freedom: Photographs of Underground Railroad Sites by William Earle Williams, February 19 - May 15, 2010, in the Gallery of Photography.

The plays of William Shakespeare have been reinterpreted many times over and set in a variety of places and times in order to use Shakespeare's words to tell other stories. Shakespeare has written such universal stories and characters that this can be done without changing the heart of the story. With ROMEO AND JULIET NJT does exactly this in order to shed light on history. In the NJT production, the setting is the British Mandate of Palestine in 1947-48 during the struggle to create the Jewish state of Israel.

The Midnight Company will present the St. Louis premiere of Mickle Maher's AN APOLOGY FOR THE COURSE AND OUTCOME OF CERTAIN EVENTS DELIVERED BY DOCTOR JOHN FAUSTUS ON THIS HIS FINAL EVENING at Dressel's Pub in the Central West End, June 2-24. A lean, tragicomic version of the Faustus story, AN APOLOGY... presents Doctor Faustus in the last hour of his final night on earth - irritated, whining and repentant of nothing save his failure to keep a proper diary. Over the course of this hour, he rails against his silent servant Mephistopheles and tells the fantastic tale of his life - a life filled with wonders, as well as an immeasurably vast evil.

With their New Works Laboratory, Stray Dog Theatre continues to invest in local talent through the presentation of MISCHIEF MOON. A new comedy, MISCHIEF MOON by Richard Kelly, concerns a rebel poet trying to reconcile with his fiancé before going off to war. But she has plans to tame his rebel heart.

Known for both his traditional style, and eclectic combination of rockabilly, honky tonk, and country music, American country music singer and Grammy Award-winning icon Marty Stuart is considered one of the genre's most historically minded 'new' traditionalists. He is an accomplished artist, performer, producer, writer, and photo-journalist, and has been a member of the Grand Ole Opry since 1992. He remains a vocal supporter of traditional country music, an astute photographer of legendary country performers and a constant collector of country-related artifacts, including the world-famous Nudie suits made popular by Roy Rogers and Elvis Presley.

The Sheldon presents Sheldon Classics: Samuel Barber, featuring cellist Bjorn Ranheim, baritone James Ivey, and pianist Peter Henderson, Wednesday, April 28, 2010 at 8 p.m. in the perfect acoustics of the Sheldon Concert Hall. The American composer Samuel Barber was born 100 years ago and is probably best known for his Adagio for Strings. A quartet of symphony musicians will perform the String Quartet, Op. 11 that contains the famous Adagio, and cellist Bjorn Ranheim will perform Barber's Cello Sonata. Baritone James Ivey will sing his Dover Beach for voice and string quartet, and Peter Henderson will play Barber's Excursions for piano.

In its 24th season, Circus Flora, St. Louis' beloved one-ring, European-style circus, presents an all-new show, INGENIOSO, inspired by the impossible dream of Don Quixote and presented by Edward Jones. The show premieres June 3 and runs through June 27, adding a full week of performances to the regular production schedule. The always affordable, family-friendly circus takes place under the air-conditioned, red-and-white, big top tent in Grand Center , St. Louis ' arts and entertainment hub, adjacent to Powell Symphony Hall.

Unfortunately, the Gallery Talk scheduled at the Sheldon Art Galleries on March 30 with KDHX DJ Gabriel has been cancelled due to illness. It has not been determined if the talk will be rescheduled. Visit www.thesheldon.org for more information on Sheldon Art Galleries and future gallery talks.

Cabaret performers are always on the lookout for songs that they can utilize to define themselves as entertainers. It's all about trying to find your own unique niche in an ever crowding field, and Chuck Lavazzi has set about carving out his own piece of the pie by mining the whimsical tunes of yesteryear. Longtime actor Lavazzi made his debut as a cabaret singer at the Kranzberg Arts Center this weekend (March 26 - 27, 2010) with his interesting and informative show 'Just A Song at Twilight - The Golden Age of Vaudeville'; a tribute to this bygone and largely forgotten era.

It's only fitting that the original 'King of the Jukebox', songwriter, musician and bandleader Louis Jordan, be honored with his own 'jukebox' musical (featuring a well-crafted book by Clarke Peters). FIVE GUYS NAMED MOE is a delightfully frothy concoction that takes its simple thread of a story and then lovingly drapes it in a wonderful collection of Jordan's finest songs. The Black Rep is currently presenting a dazzling and upbeat production (March 24 - April 25, 2010) that's immensely entertaining.

FloraDora, Circus Flora's largest and most elaborate annual gala event, includes a delectable assortment of Spanish fare and signature drinks from St. Louis' finest restaurants, a circus fantasy live auction, a 'Circo Diablo' performance and the rare opportunity to rub elbows with a mix of local celebrities, community leaders and circus performers alike. Proceeds benefit Circus Flora's educational outreach programs and the 2010 production, INGENIOSO.

St. Louis Actors' Studio continues its third season with Henrik Ibsen's A DOLL'S HOUSE. At the play's center is Nora Helmer, who has a deep secret-one that if revealed would ruin her happy marriage to Torvald. Nora's desperation to keep the truth from her husband forces her to set out on a transforming journey through a suspenseful turn of events, ending in betrayal and self-awakening. Ibsen's 19th century masterpiece is a lesson of the true meaning of love, sacrifice and happiness.

Mustard Seed Theatre will present Moliere's TARTUFFE April 23-May 9, 2010. Translated from Moliere's French by Richard Wilbur, the witty rhyming couplets keep the action moving as the plots swirl and power is stolen. Join Mariane, Elmire and their maid Dorine as they try to convince Orgon that Tartuffe is an imposter and not a saint.