Chris Gibson - Page 51

On a cool and stormy evening (December 12, 2009), Mother Nature may have provided the lightning, but the Blind Boys of Alabama delivered the thunder, captivating the crowd at the Sheldon Concert Hall with an inspirational performance. For 70 years (since 1939) this group has entertained and excited crowds with their unique blend of gospel harmonies and rhythm and blues, and that gift was on display in full force on this occasion.

There are a multitude of options available to anyone looking to take in a holiday-themed show this time of year. If you're so inclined, I heartily recommend the Black Rep's joyous production of Langston Hughes' BLACK NATIVITY. This is an uplifting and affirming celebration that features a terrific and talented ensemble.

Over the course of six scenes, BROOKLYN BOY'S protagonist, Eric Weiss, is taken on a journey of discovery that will leave him with a stronger appreciation of his family and friends, as well as a deeper understanding of himself. Weiss is a writer who's finally enjoying success on the bestseller list after penning an autobiographical novel about his life growing up in Brooklyn. But, he's become extremely sensitive to accusations and intimations that his account is just a thinly veiled version of the truth. His encounters act to illuminate the feelings that he's kept buried within, and by the end of the play, he finally seems to be coming to terms with his own legacy.

If the holiday blues have got you down, or you're starting to get tired of being inundated with Christmas themed advertising, then take a break from your shopping list and check out Echo Theatre's production of THE SANTALAND DIARIES. The pitch black humor of writer David Sedaris is on display in this hilarious look at the yuletide season from the point of view of a disgruntled former Macy's department store elf.

HotCity Theatre offers up a decidedly different take on the usual yuletide fare with their delightfully twisted production of Jeff Goode's icon-shattering play, THE EIGHT: REINDEER MONOLOGUES. While taking its stylistic inspiration from THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES, Goode's wacky script focuses our attention on accusations of sexual impropriety that have been leveled against Santa Claus by one of his reindeer. Obviously, this is not your typical holiday show, but that works in its favor, delivering scores of irreverent laughs while skewering and satirizing the image of 'good St. Nick'.

I distinctly recall the very first time I saw the film version of A CHRISTMAS STORY (1983). I sat alone in a nearly empty theatre as it unspooled, all the while thinking it deserving of a much better fate. So you can imagine my surprise when it became a cult hit, and then a full-fledged holiday tradition with 24 hour screenings on cable TV. Over the years, Jean Shepherd's personal recollections of his favorite Christmas have actually become an essential component in our festive rites, and the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis has crafted a wonderfully charming adaptation that's required viewing for the yuletide season.

If you're looking for an alternative to the usual holiday fare, there are several productions opening up this week that may intrigue you. For instance, you might consider Stray Dog Theatre's production of SISTER MARY IGNATIUS EXPLAINS IT ALL FOR YOU as an interesting and entertaining option. Christopher Durang's dark and wildly funny play certainly fills the bill, offering a warped and unique perspective on Catholicism.

The Sheldon Art Galleries announces the Winter/Spring 2010 opening of five new exhibits. Join us for an opening reception on Friday, February 19 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.

This is the post-workshop staged reading of the chosen script from the 2009 New Play Festival. THE SINKER will be produced as a world premiere in the 2010 Mainstage Series. Be a part of the post-show discussion with the dramaturg and the playwright and have your feedback help the author edit the play into its published form. It's a comfortable, very casual way to meet the playwright, artists, and HotCity staff working on this production.

Piwacket Theatre for Children continues their season with a festive treat called THE HOLIDAY SHOW, which teaches kids the importance of sharing. Of course, this is a valuable lesson any time of the year, but with Christmas around the bend, it's especially imperative that the little ones understand that it is truly better to give than receive.

Even if you've never watched the popular TV show that ran from the mid-1970's to the early 1980's, or read Laura Ingalls Wilder's popular children's novel, you'll still find plenty to enjoy watching LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE - THE MUSICAL. This is a sweet and charming show that illustrates the true pioneer spirit of the settlers who forged new lives for themselves in the western frontier.

THE SANTALAND DIARIES comes from Mr. Sedaris' best-selling book, Holidays on Ice, in which he shares the sardonic tale of his employment as 'Crumpet', an elf in Macy's Santaland. Sedaris' reading of this story on National Public Radio generated one of the largest responses from its listening audience ever. As a stage piece, The Santaland Diaries has also met with huge success in theatres nationwide.

Union Avenue Opera presents a school performacne of Menotti's AMAHL AND THE NIGHT VISITORS. Students arrive at 9 and take a tour of the UAO facility, watch a presentation on opera history, learn about the Amahl story, and watch the production. The program concludes at 11 a.m.

Performances of TRANSMOTION - sponsored by the Performing Arts Department (PAD) in Arts & Sciences - will feature more than three dozen student dancers, selected by audition, in seven original works by faculty and guest choreographers. Pieces range from ballet and contemporary dance to works drawing on Chinese and Native American traditions.

Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra principal clarinetist Scott Andrews, with the Calyx Trio, performs Messiaen's mystical Quartet for the End of Time, as well as music by Debussy and Joan Tower, on Wednesday, April 7 at 8 p.m.

The Sheldon is pleased to announce Peter Martin Music, a new concert series by St. Louis' own, jazz pianist Peter Martin. He brings jazz home to the Lou with this exciting new series featuring Martin on piano along with special guests. The first in the series will be THE DUO, featuring four-time Grammy® Award winner Dianne Reeves on Friday, February 5 at 8 p.m.

Now celebrating 13 glorious years of girls, glitz and glamour on the Great White Way, the record-breaking smash hit musical CHICAGO is now the seventh longest-running production in Broadway history ... and shows no sign of ever slowing down! CHICAGO returns to the Fabulous Fox Theatre for 5 performances only, January 1-3, 2010.

Playwright Martin McDonagh has a knack for crafting pitch black comedies that find humor in the darkest of subjects. In his play, THE PILLOWMAN, he gives us a horror fiction writer trapped in a totalitarian state, who's being interrogated because the content of his gruesome work happens to coincide with a recent string of child murders. This is heavy stuff, but McDonagh mines his material for the unexpected, producing comic genius amidst the madness.

Truly, the real secret to success in life is following your dreams. And, Alison Brown must have been listening when her inner voice spoke to her. How else do you explain someone who graduated from Harvard with an MBA leaving behind a lucrative position at Smith Barney to pursue the banjo? I know that the appreciative audience at the Sheldon Concert Hall (November 20, 2009) was certainly glad she made that career decision.

As the New Jewish Theatre continues its Bat Mitzvah Season, we take another look at Father-Son relationships with Donald Margulies' brilliant BROOKLYN BOY which opens with a preview performance on Wednesday, December 2 and runs through December 20. For this production, we will once again return to Clayton High School's more intimate Little Theatre.