Chris Gibson - Page 46

Don't let the title fool you...THE COUNTRY GIRL isn't a homespun theatre piece, but a biting, 1950's backstage drama with masterful characterization by Odets at his finest. Georgie Elgin has suffered long years of devotion to actor husband, Frank. When Frank is offered what is needed to revive his career - a big role in an important new play, the play's brilliant director believes Georgie is the key to Frank's downfall...until a dynamic incident reveals the country girl's identity and exposes Frank's reality.

Bear Stage kicks off its inaugural season as the Professional Theatre Company in Residence at Lindenwood University with PUMP BOYS AND DINETTES, a musical tribute to life by the roadside on Highway 57, April 9 - April 25 at Jelkyl Theater in Roemer Hall located off Watson Street on the Lindenwood University campus.

April is Music For Lifelong Achievement (MFLA) month at The Sheldon! Bring a used or new musical instrument to any Sheldon concert during the month of April, or bring it by during normal business hours, Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., and help us to continue to 'keep the music playing' by providing instruments to underprivileged students at St. Louis area schools. All donors will receive a coupon for a FREE beignet from Café Ventana!

Kevin Kline Award winner Ben Nordstrom and St. Louis veteran actor Steve Isom star in the St. Louis premiere of GUTENBERG! THE MUSICAL!, the Off-Broadway hit that the New York Times called 'A Smashing Success!' The Temporary Theatre (The Temp), a new company headed by Isom, has chosen as its inaugural offering the exclamation point-littered two-man musical spoof by Scott Brown and Anthony King.

History books, at least when I was growing up, devoted only a sidebar to pioneering aviatrix AMELIA EARHART, although today her life has become the subject of many books, movies and television specials that seek to shed light on her mysterious disappearance in 1937 during an attempt to fly around the globe. The Imaginary Theatre Company is presenting Kathryn Schultz Miller's play about this adventurous pilot at the Missouri History Museum (through March 28, 2010), and it's an intriguing show that will gives audiences young and old something to think about.

If you're a fan of musical theatre, and you missed out on your chance to see THE FANTASTICKS during its record setting run off-Broadway (it did play for over 40 years, after all), then you owe it to yourself to take in the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis's delightful production on the main stage at the Loretto-Hilton that's playing through April 11, 2010. The Rep's captivating presentation is a perfect finish to a strong and compelling season, offering audiences the opportunity to witness a lively cast injecting new life into this venerable classic by Tom Jones (book and lyrics) and Harvey Schmidt (music).

FIVE GUYS NAMED MOE, take over the Grandel Stage on March 24th The Black Rep opens the third mainstage production of Season 33. The show features the music of legendary horn player Louis Jordan. Lead character Nomax, whose girlfriend has left him and who is without money, finds Big Moe, Four-Eyed Moe, Eat Moe, No Moe, and Little Moe emerging from his 1930's-style radio to comfort him. They sing the hit songs of songwriter and saxophonist Louis Jordan, whose new slant on jazz paved the way for rock and roll in the 1950s.

Tuesday, March 30 at 6 p.m. Gabriel, now a DJ at KDHX, has for more than 50 years been an influential advocate for blues music in St. Louis . He will speak at length on his experiences with blues music in St. Louis . The Gallery Talk is presented in conjunction with the exhibition Legends of St. Louis Blues Music., History of Jazz Gallery, the Sheldon Art Galleries. Admission is free.

Notes From Home celebrates the life and music of longtime St. Louis musician and storyteller Blake Travis, who recently passed away at the age of 60, Wednesday, March 24 at 7:30 p.m. at the Sheldon Concert Hall. Admission is free, but donations towards a scholarship fund for Travis' daughter will be accepted.

Subtitled The Re-Education of Undine, FABULATION centers on a self-made public relations diva who organizes celebrity parties and otherwise caters 'to the vanity and confusion of the African-American nouveau riche elite.' Yet Undine's world comes crashing down when Herve, her handsome Argentine husband, absconds with her savings, leaving her pregnant and penniless. With nowhere else to go, Undine returns to her childhood home, the Walt Whitman housing project in Brooklyn, and rejoins the working-class family she abandoned 14 years before.

Muddy Waters Theatre begin their season of O'Neill with the classic American morality tale, DESIRE UNDER THE ELMS, a play that manages to examine nearly all of the seven deadly sins before reaching its dramatic conclusion. If you've only seen the woefully miscast movie version (I mean, really, Burl Ives, Sophia Loren and Anthony Perkins as the love triangle?), then you owe it to yourself to check out a well cast and thoughtfully directed production, and the current presentation by Muddy Waters fills the bill nicely.

The Imaginary Theatre Company opens the spring season with a cute production of A PETER RABBIT TALE. This is a sassy and entertaining re-working of a childhood favorite that adds a pleasant and catchy score to the familiar story. I brought my wife and son along to attend one of two performances that were scheduled for a drizzly day (March 14, 2010) at Nerinx Hall High School, and judging by the packed house and smiling faces all around, it was definitely a worthwhile experience.

If you've never read Fyodor Dostoyevsky's mammoth classic CRIME AND PUNISHMENT, you're probably still familiar with certain themes and characters that populate this piece of Russian literature. The particularly misguided concept of there being extraordinary humans amongst us that feel they have the right to govern and commit acts of murder because they are 'above the law', and because it is for the good of all mankind, is certainly nothing new to anyone who follows politics, or knows their history. It's at the heart of Dostoyevsky's work, and in Marilyn Campbell and Curt Columbus's smartly compressed adaptation that point is clearly communicated.

At our current rate of consumption, is it conceivable that we could ever reach a point where every movie, book, historical figure, or current event available will have been used as the basis for a musical? Probably not. But, with that idea in mind, writers/composers Scott Brown and Anthony King have crafted a rather unlikely vehicle titled GUTENBERG! THE MUSICAL!, which was originally developed during their work with the comedy troupe the Upright Citizens Brigade. A wonderfully energetic production of this piece, featuring a sharp cast and tight direction, marks the debut of the new Temporary Theatre company at the Ivory Theatre.

The Sheldon presents the Cyrus Chestnut Trio, 'Cyrus Plays Elvis,' Saturday, April 10, 2010 at 8 p.m. in the perfect acoustics of the Sheldon Concert Hall. KWMU host Dennis Owsley will present a pre-concert talk, 'Jazz Piano Giants,' at 7:10 p.m. Jazz pianist Cyrus Chestnut and pop icon Elvis Presley aren't a likely pairing: Chestnut is one of the top pianists of a generation, born many years after songs like 'Love Me Tender,' 'Hound Dog' and 'Don't Be Cruel' made Presley the king of rock 'n' roll. But on Chestnut's new CD, Cyrus Plays Elvis, he offers a fresh outlook on Presley.

DIVA LA TAP Professional Tap Trio makes its concert debut with the premiere of 'Rhythm Confetti - A Unique Tap Cabaret' combining the rhythmic tap footwork of Diva La Tap with the jazz vocal stylings of Charles and Nikki Glenn.

Johann Sebastian Bach never wrote a conga, or a bolero, or a cha-cha-cha. Fortunately this oversight has now been rectified by TIEMPO LIBRE, one the hottest Latin jazz bands working today. In recent years the Miami-based ensemble has earned national attention for its high-voltage interpretations of many of the composer's best-loved works.

The Sheldon presents Bob Ceccarini, Charles Glenn, and Pat Joyce, Tuesday and Wednesday, March 9 and 10, 2010 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.

May 1959. A New York club is the stage for a stunning night of music - the last performance of the soulful, incomparable Billie Holiday. Now critically acclaimed jazz vocalist Vanessa Rubin portrays the legend in a night of song and story, featuring Billie's unforgettable classics including 'My Man', 'Strange Fruit', and 'God Bless the Child'.

On Monday, March 15, tickets go on sale to Circus Flora's 24th season production, INGENIOSO. Tickets to the always-affordable Circus Flora range from $8 to $39 and are available through all MetroTix outlets, including www.MetroTix.com and by phone at 314-534-1111. Tickets are also available at the Emerson Box Office in the Centene Center for the Arts & Education, 3547 Olive St. and by calling Circus Flora at 314-289-4040. Group discounts are available now for groups of 20 or more.