James Lindhorst - Page 13

Jersey Boys, the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons opened tonight at STAGES St. Louis for their final offering of the season. Winner of the 2006 Tony Award for Best Musical, 2009 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Musical, and the Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album, Jersey Boys is among the most successful jukebox musicals ever produced. The STAGES St. Louis production runs through October 24, 2021 at the Ross Family Theater in the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center.

STAGES St. Louis has announced the casting for their upcoming production of JERSEY BOYS that will play September 24 – October 24, 2021 at The Ross Family Theater in the new Kirkwood Performing Arts Center. The cast will be headlined by Christopher Kale Jones who is best known for playing Frankie Valli in the 1st National Tour of JERSEY BOYS. With a book written by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, JERSEY BOYS takes an exhilarating journey into the cultural phenomenon that is Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons. The show features 30 show stopping performances of the hits that took the group all the way to the top of the charts, including: “Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” and “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You.”

The classic Kander and Ebb musical Chicago opened tonight at The Muny and runs through Sunday, September 5th. Chicago is the story of two murderesses, Velma Kelly and Roxie Hart, who vie for criminal celebrity status. This is an innovative and entertaining production that slays the audience. The Muny has staged literal musical theater magic with this final production of their 103rd season.

The St. Louis Black Repertory Company opens its 45th Anniversary Season September 10 with an in-person production of the Pulitzer Prize-winning “Sweat” by Lynn Nottage. Addressing the complexities of race, class and friendship at a pivotal moment in America, the powerful work will be presented in person at the Edison Theatre at Washington University and directed by Founder and Producing Director Ron Himes. Previews begin on Wednesday September 8.

The Muny’s 103rd season closes next week with a production of Kander and Ebb’s classic musical Chicago. J. Harrison Ghee returns to The Muny to lead the company as Velma Kelly. Ghee was last seen at The Muny as Lola in Kinky Boots in 2019. Broadway World sat down with Ghee to learn about returning to The Muny in this production of Chicago.

The Muny premiere of On Your Feet! is a satisfying surprise. Director Maggie Burrows and Choreographer William Carlos Angulo fill The Muny stage with an epic celebration of music and movement. This production overcomes a thin book and marginally compelling story to stage a joyful jukebox musical thanks to perfect casting and exceptional performances.

12-year-old Isabella Iannelli will be making her Muny debut playing Young Gloria in the upcoming production of On Your Feet! based on the story of Gloria and Emilio Estefan. Isabella has starred on Broadway opposite Marisa Tomei in Tennessee William’s The Rose Tattoo. She was a featured dancer in the Lin Manuel Miranda movie In the Heights. Isabella has had extensive dance training since the age of 3. She dances every style of dance.  She also works with a vocal coach weekly. This incredibly articulate pre-teen sat down with BroadwayWorld to discuss her Muny debut and how she is navigating her young career.

A reimagined and visually impressive Seven Brides for Seven Brothers opened this evening at The Muny in Forest Park. The production stars St. Louisan Kendra Kassebaum as Milly Bradon and Edward Watts as Adam Pontipee.

Stages St. Louis christened their new home, The Ross Family Theater at the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center, with an engaging production of Always…Patsy Cline. The two women show features Broadway and American Idol star Diana DeGarmo as Patsy Cline and Zoe Vonder Haar as Louise Seger. Always…Patsy Cline is the real-life story of a Texas housewife and her unlikely friendship with the country music singer. Vonder Haar and DeGarmo have electric chemistry and play off each other perfectly as they tell a heartwarming tale of friendship.

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers is based on the 1954 Academy Award winning film starring Jane Powell and Howard Keel.  In 1978, Powell and Keel starred in The Muny theatrical premiere of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. Next week, St. Louis’ Kendra Kassebaum will star as Milly Bradon in the sixth Muny production of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. On Broadway, Kendra has starred as Glinda in Wicked, and originated the roles of Janice in Come From Away and Sam in Leap of Faith. She was last seen at The Muny in Guys and Dolls playing Miss Adelaide in 2019. BroadwayWorld had the opportunity to sit down with Kendra and talk about her return to The Muny and her career on the stage.

Tonight, the classic musical, The Sound of Music, opened as the second offering of The Muny’s 103rd season. According to the show’s director, Matt Kunkel, The Sound of Music, is a show about love of God, family, and country. Kunkel is helming his first full scale production after serving as a Muny directing intern during college. In a previous interview, he told Broadway World that this production would strive to give people what they remember from the movie while staying true to the original theatrical source material. To connect to the movie, this production included the songs ‘Something Good’ and ‘I Have Confidence’ that were written for the film.

St. Louis native Elizabeth Teeter will take The Muny stage this week in The Sound of Music to play Liesl, the eldest of the von Trapp children. Elizabeth has performed in Broadway and Off Broadway Productions, but started her acting career at The Muny. It is no surprise that she found a home on the stage as theater runs in her family. Her father is Broadway veteran Lara Teeter who teaches Dance at Webster University.  Her mother, Kristen, also teaches Dance at Nerinx Hall High School in St. Louis.  BroadwayWorld sat down with Elizabeth to learn about her memories of performing at The Muny, how she approaches this role, and who has influenced her young career in the performing arts.

The Muny in St. Louis' Forest Park opened it 103rd season with a performance of Smokey Joe's Cafe on Monday evening with a near capacity crowd. Smokey Joe's Cafe was Broadway's longest running musical revue and features 39 songs written by Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller including Stand by Me, Poison Ivy, Jail House Rock and Spanish Harlem.

On Monday, July 26, 2021, the curtain goes up on The Muny’s 103rd Season with The Muny Premiere of the musical revue Smokey Joe’s Cafe sponsored by Ameren. With a set design inspired by St. Louis’ historic Gaslight Square, Smokey Joe’s Cafe features the music of Leiber and Stoller and was the longest running musical revue on Broadway. BroadwayWorld had the opportunity to sit down with company member Dee Roscioli to discuss her Muny debut.

The Black Rep season opens with “Sweat,” a Pulitzer-Prize winning drama fitting for the current times, followed by “Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea,” exploring one young man’s present-day heroic quest. The season continues with “Fireflies,” a telling of the complexities of love and color, and “Behind the Sheet,” the untold story behind the sacrifices made for a significant medical breakthrough. The season closes with “Jitney,” August Wilson's powerful look at one community’s unwavering determination and connection. Each production will include post-show talk backs and intergenerational matinees.

The Midnight Company’s current offering of NOW PLAYING THIRD BASE FOR THE ST. LOUIS CARDINALS…BOND, JAMES BOND is set against a backdrop of baseball and the historical events of the early 1960’s. The show starts as Playwright and Performer, Joe Hanrahan, breaks the fourth wall telling the audience that this is a story of the theater and how a one man play comes about

The Midnight Company will present the premiere of the full version of NOW PLAYING THIRD BASE FOR THE ST. LOUIS CARDINALS…BOND, JAMES BOND, opening July 8, and running through July 25 at The Chapel, 6238 Alexander Drive, 63105. There will be performances Thursdays through Saturdays at 8pm, with a matinee on Sunday, July 25, at 2pm. Tickets are $20, will be on sale at MetroTix.com.

The Black Rep finishes its virtual season with a devised theater production of Do I Move You. The show is a collection of poetry set to music and dance packaged in a vibrant video production streaming on Vimeo from June 15 – June 30, 2021.

Each summer, The Muny in St. Louis produces a season of full-scale performances of Broadway musicals that must come together in a few short weeks. It takes a lot of work from committed actors and technical theater professionals, plus it requires a little bit of magic, Muny magic. Each night, approximately 11,000 members of the St. Louis community gather in Forest Park to enjoy a show that is built on an epic scale. Attending performances at this outdoor amphitheater is a tradition for many St. Louis families. This season, a former college intern at The Muny gets his opportunity to direct one of the biggest projects of his young career. BroadwayWorld had the opportunity to sit down with Matt Kunkel to learn about his training, his plans for helming his first full-scale Muny production, and how The Muny introduced him to directing and to his soon-to-be-wife.

The St. Louis Black Rep concludes its season of virtual programming with a mainstage production of an original work, Do I Move You?  It is based on a collection of poetry by Dr. Jonathan Smith I the Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion at Saint Louis University.  He is also the President of The Black Rep Board of Directors. The performance will stream on Vimeo June 15-30.