Lynn Venhaus

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Lynn (Zipfel) Venhaus has had a continuous byline in St. Louis metro region publications since 1978. She writes features and news for Belleville News-Democrat and contributes to St. Louis magazine and other publications.  She is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic, currently reviews films for Webster-Kirkwood Times and KTRS Radio, covers entertainment for PopLifeSTL.com and co-hosts podcast PopLifeSTL.com…Presents.  She is a member of Critics Choice Association, where she serves on the women's and marketing committees; Alliance of Women Film Journalists; and on the board of the St. Louis Film Critics Association. She is a founding and board member of the St. Louis Theater Circle. She is retired from teaching journalism/media as an adjunct college instructor.

Pop du Jour: The September Issue

Pop du Jour: The September Issue

By Lynn Venhaus

After a brief hiatus, we’re back with our round-up of people, places, and events in the St. Louis region, a tad behind in posting our September/summer swan song.

IN COMES COMPANY: Stephen Sondheim’s groundbreaking musical “Company” – the female-led revival that won the Tony in 2022, kicks off its 25-city national tour on Oct. 8 in Schenectady, N.Y., with the St. Louis stop Feb. 27-March 10 at the Fox Theatre.

Belleville native Ann Beyersdorfer, associate set designer for the Broadway revival, worked with production designer Bunny Christie, who won her fourth Olivier Award for the London production design. And she’s on the team that has been preparing the hilarious and sophisticated show for the road.

(Three-time Tony Award winner Jack Lane, co-founder and executive producer emeritus of Stages St. Louis, was one of the Broadway show’s co-producers.)

Ann was back in town this summer, as scenic designer for “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast” and “West Side Story” at The Muny, and I was fortunate to interview her then for the Belleville News-Democrat.

https://news.yahoo.com/belleville-native-designs-sets-broadway-120000176.html

For a deeper dive into the mechanics of getting a Broadway show transferred to the road, read about her journey here on PopLifeSTL.com:

A winner of best set design of a play for “Afterglow” at the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards, she’ll be part of the team taking the production to London Oct. 17–Nov. 24, with an official opening Oct. 22.

And as an art director on the visual shorts for “Saturday Night Live,” hopefully you will be able to see more of her work when the show resumes on Oct. 14. You may have seen the elaborate “HBO Mario Kart Trailer” she worked on when Emmy-nominated Pedro Pascal hosted.

Cheers to Ann and the tour launch! (We’ll drink to that!). For more information, visit: https://companymusical.com/

Nichelle Lewis, Wayne Brady

BRAND NEW DAY: “The Wiz,” the 1974 super-soul musical adaptation of L. Frank Baum’s beloved children’s novel “The Wizard of Oz,” which was given a reworking for The Muny’s 2018 season, is Broadway-bound in 2024, with St. Louis-connected producers, but this new revival is touring first. Opening night was Sept. 23 at the Hippodrome Theatre in Baltimore, and the reviews were raves.

“The audience and the whole evening was full of joy and energy, extended applause, and standing ovations,” stated the Maryland Theatre Guide on Sept. 29. “Powerhouse performances and stunning choreography,” enthused the Baltimore Sun.

The first-ever revival will be easing down the road to 12 other cities, including Chicago (Nov. 28 – Dec. 10). For more information, visit: https://wizmusical.com/

The producing team of Kristin Caskey and Mike Isaacson (Muny artistic director and executive producer) and a long list of others, including Terry Schnuck, is behind this show. Caskey, now of the Ambassador Theatre Group, spent 20 years with Fox Theatricals. She and Isaacson produced the Tony-winning “Fun Home” in 2015 and this year’s Best Revival winner “Parade.”

Isaacson said they have been working on a revival for eight years, and plans are to mount another national tour after the Broadway limited engagement. In preparation for The Muny, he received permission from the original creators to make some changes. Amber Ruffin, recent Tony nominee for “Some Like It Hot,” wrote additional material – and had worked on the Muny script – from William F. Brown’s original book. You may know her as a writer on “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” as she frequently appears.

Isaacson revealed that in a terrific Broadway World interview with James Lindhorst, who also talked with producers Jack Lane, Mike Bosner and Terry Schnuck – heavy-hitters at this year’s Tonys (“& Juliet,” “Shucked” and “Parade”).

https://www.broadwayworld.com/st-louis/article/Interview-St-Louis-Area-Producers-Mike-Bosner-Mike-Isaacson-Jack-Lane-and-Terry-Schnuck-Nominated-for-Tony-Awards-20230512

Schele Williams is helming this show, with Wayne Brady as The Wiz from Jan. 16 to Broadway engagement, and Alan Mingo Jr. in the title role Sept. 23 – Jan. 14, 2024, and newcomer Nichelle Lewis as Dorothy.

The original 1974 production, directed by Geoffrey Holder and choreographed by George Faison, won seven Tony Awards including Best Musical, and was adapted into a movie in 1978 starring Diana Ross, Richard Pryor, and Michael Jackson. NBC broadcast a live version in 2015, but a planned revival then did not materialize.

Colin, Jeanine

BRUSH WITH GREATNESS: Speaking of the musical “Fun Home,” composer Jeanine Tesori — the most honored and most prolific female theatrical composer in history, was in St. Louis this summer, and stopped in to visit with the local cast rehearing “Caroline, or Change,” produced by Fly North Theatricals.

To get the opportunity to talk with Tesori, who has written five Broadway musicals and received six Tony Award nominations, winning for “Fun Home” and the recent “Kimberly Akimbo,” was one of the best moments ever, according to music director Colin Healy.

Healy summed it up this way on Facebook: “She and Mike Isaacson (producer) offered such wonderful insight into the process of writing, building, and producing ‘Caroline, Or Change,’ validating what is already apparent when hearing the score: how much a labor of love and Herculean creative endeavor ‘Caroline’ was and continues to be… She spoke to us for over an hour and took questions from everyone.”

(Photo: Colin Healy and Jeanine Tesori)

NEW HORIZONS: All good wishes for theater and media folks moving on, changing directions and making the most of opportunities.

Bravo to Taylor Gruenloh, whose new musical “Cascade’s Fire,” a modern Antigone story co-written by Kyle Wernkel, will premiere Oct. 12 and run 13-15 and 19-21 in the Black Box Theatre at Missouri Science and Technology in Rolla, where he is on the Arts, Languages and Philosophy faculty. Taylor wrote the book and lyrics while Wernkel wrote the music.

Taylor recently stepped down as Creative Director at The Tesseract Theatre Company at the end of August, after their successful run of “Kinky Boots.” One of the most prolific and creative folks in town, I can’t wait to see what else he will accomplish.

Congratulations to Joe Gfaller, who has been managing director of Metro Theater Company since 2019, on becoming managing director of Clear Space Theatre Company, a 20-year-old regional theater in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. He’ll be leaving in mid-October. Jessie Youngblood, the current development director, will serve as interim managing director beginning Oct. 9. Always enjoyed working with Joe, starting with the Opera Theater of St. Louis in 2014. Joe has served Metro, St. Louis’s premiere professional theater for youth and families, well.

Best wishes to Julia Flood, Metro artistic director for the past 10 years, who has announced her retirement after the 51st season. Of Joe’s departure, she said: “Joe has had boundless energy and enthusiasm for the mission and work of Metro Theater Company. I feel lucky to have had the benefit of his partnership through the complexities of the pandemic times and wish him much success and happiness in his new venture.”  (They both can be very proud of their endeavors).
 A free Fall Family Festival to celebrate MTC’s 50 years of service to the community will be held on Oct. 21 and 22. A toast in Gfaller’s honor will be held at that event on Sunday, Oct. 22 at 1 p.m. 

Carol Daniel

Carol Daniel may have retired from one prominent longtime gig, but she is embarking on a fantastic journey. The award-winning St. Louis journalist, reporter, host, columnist, and author has joined Nine PBS as a Senior Producer and Host. 

Daniel said she looks forward to telling the stories of her community in a new way — with a podcast about people making an impact here, and also produce interviews and stories that celebrate and showcase underrepresented voices for Nine PBS’s content flagship, Living St. Louis. Yes to this! I look forward to seeing her next chapter.

Daniel has more than 40 years of experience as a host on KMOX Radio, as well as work on Great Day St. Louis on KMOV/Channel 4, and a columnist for the St. Louis American. She’s been honored as a Living Legend by the National Association of Black Journalists–St. Louis, was recently inducted into the Lincoln University Alumni Hall of Fame, and was a 2022 inductee into the St. Louis Media Hall of Fame.  

Longtime public relations and marketing maestros Eric Pugh and Dylan Stanley have departed our fair river city for beachier pastures. Last at the Muny, Eric is now promoting The Asolo Repertory Theatre in Sarasota, Fla., the largest Equity theatre in Florida, and the largest Repertory theatre in Southeastern U.S. Just wonderful to work with both, and I’m glad we had time together.

Dylan, who has moved to Los Angeles with his fiancé, Nicolas Valdez, who is embarking on a fellowship at USC, will keep us posted on his next challenge after giving us his all at Stifel Theatre and Enterprise Center (and performing in Tesseract Theatre Company’s triumphant “Kinky Boots.”

Best wishes to Lee Anne Mathews in her new role as Education and Artistic Director for the Fox Performing Arts Charitable Foundation!  Before May, she was making things happen at Westport Playhouse.

Congratulations to Brian McKinley on his new role as Director of Education and Community Program at the Black Repertory Theatre of St. Louis.

HOMETOWNERS: Comedian-actor Cedric the Entertainer’s new book, crime caper “Flipping Boxcars,” fictionalizes his grandfather, Floyd “Babe” Boyce.

Jon Hamm is in two, not one, television series this fall. He joined the cast of “The Morning Show” for season 3, now streaming on Apple TV+, and will be in “Fargo,” season 5, which starts Nov. 21 on FX and Hulu.

Nicholas “Sifu” Alsup.
Photo: Robert Voets/CBS

Best wishes to Nicholas “Sifu” Alsup of O’Fallon, Ill., who was chosen as one of 18 contestants on the 45th season of CBS’ “Survivor” that started Sept. 27.He is a larger-than-life personality, and I was able to interview him through permission with CBS. https://news.yahoo.com/o-fallon-gym-owner-one-120000863.html

CHEERS: Congratulations to New Jewish Theatre on their 25th anniversary as a regional professional theatre in St. Louis; and Gateway Center for Performing Arts school, and youth theater company, on their 10th anniversary in Webster Groves. A feature article by me will be in the Webster-Kirkwood Times soon.

OUT AND ABOUT: Two Colins in the ‘Lou news!
Co-owners Colin Healy and Bradley Rohlf of Fly North Theatricals, have opened their new home and social hangout, The Greenfinch Theater and Dive, at 2525 South Jefferson Avenue (the old Way Out Club).. The bar is open every night from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. You won’t want to miss Stool Pigeon Open Mic Comedy Night on Mondays and Drunk Voice Lessons karaoke with live piano accompaniment (and critiques) by Colin Healy on Wednesdays, plus Burlesque Bingo’s in the rotation too. They are also accepting reservations for their black box theater.

Colin Jost

SNL Head Writer Colin Jost was the Celebrity Guest Host at the Foundation for Barnes-Jewish Hospital’s Illumination Gala on June 3 at The Ritz-Carlton, a major fundraising event for the Siteman Cancer Center. Not sure what he said about “The Square Beyond Compare” but Imo’s posted his photo.
Since 2007, the event has raised more than $42 million to support research funds

MEMORY LANE: Last month in pop culture history.

Sept. 26, 1975: “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” opened in Westwood, Calif., and tanked at the box office, but later would become the definition of a cult classic, inspiring interactive screenings with toast, toilet paper and more.

If you attended midnight screenings in the late ‘70s at the Varsity Theatre in St. Louis (where Vintage Vinyl is now), you might have run in to a teenage Michael Stipe, future alt-rock band REM frontman, who is dressed as Frank-n-Furter here in this vintage newsclip on KSDK’s “Newsbeat.” He told the reporter: “We’re all normal, really.”

Why on earth was Stipe, now 63, in St. Louis then? His dad was in the Army, and they moved to several states during his childhood. In the late ‘70s, he lived in Collinsville, Ill., and attended high school there and went on to Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville.. Later, he would move to Athens, Ga., for college, and met record store clerk Peter Buck, which led to forming a band with Mike Mills and Bill Berry…and the rest is history..

Rocky Horror played midnights at the Varsity Theatre from April 1976 until Jan. 3, 1988 when it closed for good. It was one of the first 30 theatres in the U.S. to do so.

I was fortunate to interview Barry Bostwick (Brad in the movie) when he had been scheduled to appear at Wizard World in St. Louis, but had to cancel, and he graciously talked about making the movie by phone. True delight to talk with and write about — here’s my BND feature from 2017.

https://www.bnd.com/entertainment/article142667129.html

Anne Meara, Alan Arkin

IN MEMORIAM: Frequent visitor to Gaslight Square with the infamous Compass players, RIP Alan Arkin (March 26, 1934 – June 29, 2023). Archival photo is at Crystal Palace with Anne Meara.

From William Roth, the founder and artistic director of St. Louis Actors’ Studio, who renovated The Gaslight Theatre in the Central West End, on Arkin:

“He made his off-Broadway debut in the late 1950s and joined the St Louis improvisational group the Compass Players in 1959. This led to a stint with the Chicago improv troupe Second City and his Broadway debut, in 1961, in the company’s show ‘From the Second City, which he co-wrote.’

Tony-winning actor Michael McGrath, whose last show was at the Muny this summer – he did a fine job as Mr. Mushnik in “Little Shop of Horrors,” passed away in his sleep Sept. 14 at his home in Bloomfield, N.J. He was 65. That wasn’t his first show in St. Louis – in 1990, he played John Adams in Theater Factory’s “1776.” He was first nominated for a Tony in “Spamalot,” and won for “Nice Work If You Can Get It,” playing a bootlegger, in 2012. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/15/theater/michael-mcgrath-dead.html

Maggie Ryan, founder of Insight Theatre and inspiration to many, who spent 36 years as an English teacher and director of theater at Nerinx Hall, died Sept. 10, at age 80, after a short battle with leukemia. She was a lovely woman to interact with and cared passionately about theater. Insight operated for 12 years, won several St. Louis Theater Circle Awards including a legendary “Death of a Salesman” directed by Wayne Loui and starring father-son duo John and Jason Contini. Unfortunately, Insight closed in 2020.
https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/stltoday/name/margaret-ryan-obituary?id=53065958

Calvin Wilson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch movie and theater critic, died Aug. 29, from an undisclosed illness. He was 70. I worked with Calvin, both in the St. Louis Film Critics Association, and with the St. Louis Theater Circle, and much admired his writing skill. His insight and passion for the arts will be missed.

https://www.stltoday.com/life-entertainment/local/art-theater/post-dispatch-writer-calvin-wilson-a-passionate-advocate-for-the-arts-dies-at-70/article_8fc9b7bc-46b5-11ee-a3a5-0bdd24dc5828.html

CALENDAR NOTES: John Cusack’s screening of “Say Anything,” originally scheduled for October 28 at Stifel Theatre, has been rescheduled for Saturday, March 30. All tickets for the Oct. 28 performance will be honored at the rescheduled date. The popular actor will follow the screening with a conversation regarding his career and the making of the film. Fans will get the opportunity to experience a moderated discussion, with John answering audience questions as well.

Me and Greta, Oct 1, 2022

SHAMELESS NAME-DROPPING: Before she had the biggest movie of the summer (“Barbie”!) and her second son in February, Greta Gerwig was pleasantly accommodating us press troops at the New York Film Festival 2022 (for “White Noise”). The accomplished actress-writer-director is exactly as she seems, a lovely person in person. I had to compliment her on the 2019 “Little Women,” and she said she had a great time working with the cast of that movie. Hopefully, we will be seeing her during the upcoming awards season. On Aug. 6, the film crossed the $1 billion mark worldwide, making her the first woman with sole director credit to have a movie make more than $1 billion.

(My film review: https://poplifestl.com/unexpected-unpredictable-barbie-is-an-irresistible-pop-o-culture/)

Our coda has been added for this issue:

RANDOM THOUGHTS: As you can probably tell, I enjoy waltzing down memory lane, and yes, I was one of the early attendees of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” midnight showings at the Varsity Theatre in 1977, which was so much fun. If you are a lover of cosplay, I have spied folks in Barbie and Ken outfits at “Barbie” — my prediction for hottest Halloween costumes — and I hear from Abe Goldfarb, hilarious as Otho in the touring company of “Beetlejuice,” who was on the weekly PopLifeSTL.com podcast co-hosted by Carl “The Intern” Middleman and myself on Oct. 4, that there’s many folks dressing up at the shows. He’s excited that they’re here Oct. 13.

The St. Louis Blues open at home Oct. 12. Just once I’d like to buy a team T-shirt where the player I selected isn’t traded. (I bought an Alexander Pietrangelo one — with a C — before the playoffs in ’19 and a Ryan O’Reilly in 2022.)

Are we having the Daylight Savings Time ‘fall back’ happen this year or is it over? Anyone? I’m so confused.

Where in the world is Lynn this weekend? Judging the costume contest at the sensational annual Witches and Wizards Festival in O’Fallon, Ill., a really fun event

‘Fair Play’ Uncomfortably Confronts Gender Dynamics At Work, Home

‘Fair Play’ Uncomfortably Confronts Gender Dynamics At Work, Home

By Lynn Venhaus

Sexual politics and corporate backstabbing are a toxic mix in “Fair Play,” an inevitable downward spiral of a film about how maintaining a relationship is challenging when things get complicated at work and home.

A recently engaged couple, who must keep their relationship secret at their cutthroat financial firm because it’s against company policy, are pushed to the brink after an unexpected promotion throws them into a personal and professional quagmire.

Emily (Phoebe Dynevor), Long Island girl with a Harvard degree, and Yale educated Luke (Alden Ehrenreich), a veteran of Goldman Sachs, are madly in love and about to share their romance with Human Resources when there is a coveted management position open. She overhears it may be him, but the reptilian boss (Eddie Marsan) wants her.

In her feature film debut, writer-director Chloe Domont confronts the elephant in the room, that no one seems to talk about — why a man’s promotion is considered a success, but a woman’s is a threat in a relationship?

You may think you know where “Fair Play” is headed, with the gender gameplay building in intensity, so that you feel it’s not just a matter of “if” but “when” for a meltdown to occur.

Domont tackles this fast-changing post-#MeToo world, where we have progressive couples who support feminist ideals yet were raised with a traditional view of masculinity, so a woman’s success could make a man feel less worthy, and although they try to suppress it, very real human emotions eventually emerge, sometimes in messy and ugly ways.

In a high-stakes environment, the egos on display are heightened here, setting up shifting dynamics, and sinister overtones. That explosive tension forces this off the rails in the third act, going from uncomfortable to painful as it strains credibility.

Set in New York City, the two main locations become increasingly claustrophobic – both in the sleek high-rise office and the tiny apartment they share (and that’s intentional, a key element to making the atmosphere off-kilter). Cinematographer Menno Mans and editor Franklin Peterson escalate the tension through intimate close-ups and awkward confrontations.

Domont, a veteran of directing “Ballers,” “Billions” and an episode of “Suits,” wanted to make a modern horror story, and the psychological aspect is intriguing, yet does it go too far? As agonizing as the climax is, the finale is both harrowing and strange.

Rich Sommer, Sia Alipour, Sebastian De Souza

In her script, Domont has fashioned a realistic world of finance, nimble with the daily aspects of hedge-fund business, and production designer Steven Summersgill effectively conveys the high-rise office.

The acting is first-rate, and Dynevor, who broke out as Daphne on Season 1 of “Bridgerton,” and Ehrenreich, who played young Han Solo in Ron Howard’s ‘Star Wars’ story prequel, trusted each other enough to go to dark places. Marsan, a veteran character actor, is chilling here in the cavalier way he treats people and how power and greed have blackened his soul. Would you take what horrible insult he hurls at Emily? (Seriously, I’d like to know.)

The ‘one of the boys’ atmosphere is further emphasized through supporting players Sebastian De Souza as Rory, Jamie Wilkes as Quinn, Sia Alipour as Arjun, Rich Sommer (“Mad Men”) as Paul, and Brandon Basir as Dax – all portraying different levels.

Whatever you think about the conclusion, this film is meant to be provocative, a conversation starter that will result in more than a few heart-to-hearts. While the ending is subject to interpretation, images will haunt and questions will linger.

Phoebe Dynevor as Emily

“Fair Play” is a 2023 drama-thriller written and directed by Chloe Domont starring Phoebe Dynevor, Alden Ehrenreich, and Eddie Marsan.
It is rated R for pervasive language, sexual content, some nudity, and sexual violence, and the run time is 1 hour, 53 minutes. It opened in select theaters Sept. 29 and began streaming on Netflix Oct. 6. Lynn’s Grade: C.

‘Flora and Son’ Another Irish Charmer on How We Connect through Music

‘Flora and Son’ Another Irish Charmer on How We Connect through Music

By Lynn Venhaus

One person’s trash becomes another person’s treasure when a feisty lost soul rescues a beat-up acoustic guitar from a dumpster in modern-day Dublin. In yet another charmer from Irish writer-director John Carney, “Flora and Son” achieves harmony for its scruffy characters through the transformative power of music.

Flora (Eve Hewson), a single mom who is at war with her son, Max (Oren Kinlan), thinks the guitar would be a good hobby/diversion for him, as he close to being sent to a juvenile detention center. With the help of an L.A. musician/guitar teacher Jeff (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), she finds a path to self-discovery.

With its intentional aim to tug on our hearts and evoke honest laughter through ordinary people’s daily lives, Carney hits his target. It may not be as profound an example as his previous films, “Once,” “Begin Again” and “Sing Street,” but each well-drawn character finds purpose, changes subtly, and reinforces the magic of music as a universal language.

Carney’s affection for music to soothe our souls is vividly brought to life as Flora takes guitar lessons from Jeff, and in those Zoom calls, the connection they share through technology is palpable.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Jeff

Both the appealing Joseph Gordon-Levitt, himself a musician, and charismatic Eve Hewson, an actress known for “Bad Sisters” and “The Knick,” have pleasant enough untrained voices, singing from the heart. This is not a grandiose moment like Lady Gaga singing in “A Star is Born” – this is a quieter, more realistic portrayal. They are not destined for greatness, but to them, music is the gift that keeps on giving.

Oren Kinlan is also convincing as the sullen teenager whose interests lie in dubstep and hip-hop. He and his mother are perpetually scowling at the world, so their collaborations make them a bit more tolerant of each other, achieving some well-needed bonding.

Both their relationships with Max’s unreliable father Ian are complicated. A grown-up kid himself, Ian’s claim to fame is that he was in a band good enough to once open for Snow Patrol, an Irish-Scottish indie rock band who had mainstream success in the early 2000s.

Jack Reynor, who gained attention as the rock-loving older brother Brendan in Carney’s 2016 “Sing Street,” is effective here as someone who needs to figure out his life.

Hewson, whose father is U2 frontman Bono, heretofore hasn’t performed music, but has been working steadily in films and television for a decade. She was Tom Hanks’ daughter in “Bridge of Spies” and James Gandolfini’s daughter in “Enough Said,” among others. But this is her moment to shine.

Eve Hewson as Flora

Being able to show range with this gift of a character, she is a revelation as the tart-tongued, blunt Flora, who is definitely not a candidate for Mother of the Year nor is she striving to be. She’s utterly engaging as an immature woman dealing with life’s setbacks in a more self-destructive way, desperately in need of some direction.

The song the quartet perform together, “High Life,” written by Flora and her son about motherhood, is a catchy earworm that will remain in your head after the movie’s over. It’s the song, written by the writer-director and Gary Clark, a Scottish music producer, that is being submitted to the Oscars for Best Song awards consideration. Carney and Clark wrote the original tunes for the soundtrack.

(Carney’s films have a decent track record in this category – “Falling Slowly,” written by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, the stars of “Once,” won Best Song in 2007, and “Lost Stars,” sung by Adam Levine in “Begin Again,” was nominated in 2014.)

You’ll want to listen during the credits to Gordon-Levitt’s character Jeff’s song he wrote about Flora.

The movie is set in the Dublin neighborhoods that tourists may not see, and the dialogue is salty.. A word of warning: the Irish dialect is sometimes difficult to decipher, so close captioning is advised for streaming.

Shown at the Sundance Film Festival in January, “Flora and Son” was enthusiastically received and has been tagged a crowd-pleaser ever since.

This affecting tale runs 1 hour, 34 minutes, and is designed to make you smile. It’s delightful to experience with others, who understand the joy that music sparks, and it has enough humorous moments that people responded to its heartfelt message.

“Flora and Son” is a 2023 comedy-drama written and directed by John Carney and starring Eve Hewson, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Oren Kinlan and Jack Reynor. It is rated R for language throughout, sexual references and brief drug use, and runs 1 hour, 34 minutes. It opens in select theaters and is streaming on Apple TV+ Sept. 29. Lynn’s Grade: B+

Take Ten with Comedian Rafe Williams

Take Ten with Comedian Rafe Williams

By Lynn Venhaus
Describing himself as “the ultimate middle child,” nationally touring comedian Rafe Williams, who now lives in St. Louis, will step out of the studio to headline three nights at The Funny Bone in Westport Plaza this week, Sept. 28-30. He can be seen on a new comedy special launching on You Tube Sept. 27.

The comedy club’s Westport location has shows set for Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., and Saturday at 9:30 p.m. — the 7 p.m. show is sold out.

Originally from DuQuoin, Ill., where he said his first job was “Picking beans, raisin’ Hell, and bailin’ hay,” he is now part of The Rizzuto Show on The Point (105.7 FM),.the no. 1 morning radio program in St. Louis. He joined Ruzzuto, Moon Valjean, King Scott and Lern weekday mornings from 6 to 10 a.m. last year, They dish on pop culture, sports, current events and celebrities with their distinct viewpoints.

He has appeared on “Live from Zanies” for Circle TV on NBC’s Peacock as well as the breakout Youtube series “Stand Up on the Spot” with Jeremiah Watkins. His appearance on Netflix is a Joke Radio’s “Are You Still Listening” and his album “Young Grandpa” by 800 Pound Gorilla Records have been featured on multiple Sirius XM channels.

Among his festival invites: Netflix is a Joke Festival, High Plains Comedy Festival, Asheville Comedy Festival, the Del Close Marathon 21 in Los Angeles, Laughing Skull Comedy Festival, as well as headlining the 2021 Flyover Comedy Festival.

An accomplished sketch performer and improviser, he has performed several times on the popular Improv4Humans podcast with Matt Besser and was invited to perform in the Del Close Marathon in NYC and LA. He is also a guest host who can be heard regularly on the Slop City podcast.

He has toured with a diverse lineup of today’s top comics like Gary Gulman, Beth Stelling, Dan Soder, Kyle Kinane, and Chelcie Lynn (AKA Trailer Trash Tammy).

Rafe on tour. Website photo.

1. What is special about your latest project? 

It is my debut comedy special and it is lining up nicely with a new foray into morning radio and launching of sister You Tube series.

2. Why did you choose your profession? 

Making people laugh and giving a joyous reprieve from the slog of everyday life seemed as noble an endeavor as any.  Also, I am an attention whore.

3. How would your friends describe you? 

Extremely sweet and easy-going in nature and a brutal taskmaster somehow simultaneously.

4. How do you like to spend your spare time? 

What SPARE time!???? I enjoy exploring National Parks and having adventures when I can.

5. What is your current obsession? 

Bringing a Taco John’s to St. Louis and writing a movie about professional bull riding.

6. What would people be surprised to find out about you? 

I posed for Playgirl.

 7. Can you share one of your most defining moments in life? 

7/11/11 – Gave up addictions and pulled head out of ass and got sober.

8. Who do you admire most? 

Father, son and the holy ghost. Wait no, that ain’t me that’s Don McLean.  Mark Twain. The original stand-up comic.  Also Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt.  

9. What is at the top of your bucket list? 

3-way tie between getting on Willie Nelson’s Tour bus, Sliding across the hood of the General Lee, climbing thru window and peeling out, and writing a Country Music Power Anthem to get played on radio.

10. What is your favorite thing to do in your hometown?

Drive around and find nostalgia, joy and forgiveness for a place I couldn’t wait to leave when I was a kid.

11. What’s next? 

Hopefully touring and growing stand-up audience, having a blast on the radio, and building an audience that enjoys what I do.

12 Favorite jobs/roles/plays or work in your medium? 

The “It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia” model intrigues me — “Make cool stuff with your friends and let audience find you.”

13. Dream job or role?
Plus-sized Scarecrow in “The Wizard of Oz”

14. Favorite quote/words to live by?

“The difference between the right word and the almost right word is like the difference between lightning and lightning bugs. – Mark Twain

“Sing like you don’t need the money, love like you’ll never get hurt.” – Guy Clark

“Treat life like a Harley, Lay your nuts up on the tank and ride.” – Very drunk guy I met  in an alley one time

15. A song that makes you happy?: 
“You’re Love Keeps Lifting Me Higher” – Jackie Wilson

For more information, visit his website: https://www.rafewilliams.com/

Take Ten with Christina Rios

Take Ten with Christina Rios

By Lynn Venhaus

Surely, Christina Rios must be the Energizer Bunny in disguise, for she is non-stop, the epitome of a multi-hyphenate. Fourth grade math teacher by day at The Wilson School in Clayton, she is an actor, director, opera singer (trained lyric coloratura), producer, vocal coach, and intimacy coordinator — and is the mother of four children. She and her husband, Mark Kelley, moved to their dream home this summer. In her case, the plate is not just full, but spilling over.

Next project: Directing a new adaptation by John Wolbers of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” for St. Louis Shakespeare, to be presented Sept. 29 – Oct. 7 at the Robert Reim Theatre in Kirkwood.

Christina’s resume includes a long list of challenges, so why should juggling five things at once ever be different? She was the artistic director and frequent director of new-to-St. Louis works at R-S Theatrics from 2009 to 2019.

This past year, she’s played Blanche in Neil Simon’s “Broadway Bound” at New Jewish Theatre last winter, part of the St. Louis Shakespeare Festival’s “Twelfth Night” in Forest Park’s Shakespeare Glen, and played the exasperated mom of four daughters in “In Bloom,” part of the New Play Festival at Tesseract Theatre Company this summer, acting alongside real daughter Rosario Rios-Kelley.

So, why is she tackling directing “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” for St. Louis Shakespeare? She discusses her vision and her views about creating art at this time in a very different world.

The cast of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” includes her husband, Mark, also the sound designer and fight choreographer, and her son, Samuel Rios-Kelley. Principal roles are Mike Stephens as Theseus, Lexy Witcher as Hippolata, Molly Stout as Hermia, Jordan Duncan as Demetrius, Rhiannon Creighton as Helena, Noah Laster as Lysander, Mark Kelley as Quince, Fox Smith as Bottom, Luis Castro as Flute, Laurell Stevenson as Starveling, Dan Higgins as Snout, Riley Stevio as Snug, Jodi Stockton and Bryce A. Miller as Titania, Chuck Brinkley and Stephanie Merritt as Oberon, Tielere Cheatem as Puck, Ebony Easter as Peaseblossom, Remi Mark as Moth and Samuel Rios=Kelley as Boy.

Choreography by Mary Mathew, technical direction by Victoria Esquivel, costumes by Olivia Radle, scenic design by Morgan Brennan, Props by Meg Brinkley, lighting design by Erin Reilly, and sound design/fight choreography by Mark Kelley.

For more information, visit www.stlshakespeare.org.

Todd Schaefer as Macheath and Christina Rios as Lucy Brown in “Threepenny Opera” in 2015 at New Line Theatre. Photo by Jill Ritter.

Q & A with Christina Rios

1. What is special about your latest project?
” I feel like we’ve all been in or seen ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ at least 20 times, but it has always bothered me that Titania and Oberon never actually apologize for the chaos that they create with their fight, not to each other and definitely not to the world – I’m hoping this production speaks to that and offers some closure there.

“I also love the idea that the fairies can be other beings and ‘poof’ to wherever they want to go because…they’re fairies! I never understand why we, as directors, get characters that are immortal and then walk them around the stage like they’re plain old mortals – hopefully our fairies get to have a bit more fun.

Molly Stout as Hermia and Noah Laster as Lysander rehearsing in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”

“We’ve also made Theseus and Hippolyta very ‘Harry and Meghan’ so it’s a royal marrying a commoner now and I think that allows for the tension and ultimately for the ‘awwww’s when they have their wedding dance.

“Speaking of this dance: Mary Mathers has choreographed a GORGEOUS piece that I think everyone should see! And finally, because our sound design can be summed up by calling it ‘Bridgerton Millennial Mixtape.'”.

2. Why did you choose your profession/pursue the arts?

“Wow, great question! I was always going to be a doctor, I wanted to be a neurosurgeon for most of my life, and acting and singing and performing was always just a fun thing I did to blow off steam. I feel like I tripped and landed in an impromptu audition for the head of a music program and suddenly medical school got switched out for opera school and I guess I never stopped.”

3. How would your friends describe you?

“I’m trying to keep the rumor going that I’m mean…but they’d probably say something about me being empathetic and warm…but don’t believe them.:

4. How do you like to spend your spare time?

I have 0 of that. BUT sometimes I do ignore things I should be working on and when I do: it’s ‘Law & Order SVU’ all the way! Olivia Benson is the life-giving elixir we all need more of.”

Keith Thompson, Christina Rios and Marshall Jennings in “Jerry Springer the Opera” at New Line Theatre in 2015. Photo by Jill Ritter.

5. What is your current obsession?

“My house! We just bought a 120 year-old home a few months ago and I feel like I’m living in a castle! I can’t stop taking pictures of the way the light hits different parts…so I end up just treating my home like a toddler – ‘OOOOh!! Look at this, look how cute this room looks!’

6. What would people be surprised to find out about you?

“I’m really 142 years old but I stay young by drinking the tears of my enemies…OR: I guess that it’s hard to upset me because I’m wildly compartmentalized (thanks, trauma!) so it makes it look like I have the thickest of skin, but really it’s because it all just gets pushed WAAAAAY down.”

7. Can you share one of your most defining moments in life?

“Going back to school was terrifying – especially as a much older human…so much so that I asked my friend who was babysitting to please not tell anyone just in case I failed and had to drop out. But I graduated with my Master’s, in the height of the pandemic, with a 4.0. And that was sort of my ‘wait, can I seriously do ANYTHING I put my mind to??’ moment.”

8. Who do you admire most?

“Anyone who isn’t afraid of the truth, growth, and the betterment of the world.”.

9. What is at the top of your bucket list?

“It used to be smelling the Corpse Flower but I just did that! It was so stinky!!! I guess next up is for me to be present when my children all see France for the first time.”

Mark Kelley and Christina Rios at the 2017 St. Louis Theater Circle Awards. Three performers from R-S Theatrics’ production of “Boom” were nominated: Nancy Nigh, Elizabeth Van Pelt and Andrew Kuhlman. Photo by Lynn Venhaus.

10. How were you affected by the pandemic years, and anything you would like to share about what got you through and any lesson learned during the isolation periods? Any reflections on how the arts were affected? And what it means to move forward?

Oof. I mean, I’m a raging introvert so the isolation wasn’t actually that hard – especially because it was 6 of us in a 1,300 sq. ft. house 😆 But you know, it really sucked because I guess I thought we all learned something.

Suddenly nurses and artists and teachers FELT like they cracked the code on getting the respect they deserved because we were ALL so hungry for entertainment and we all finally allowed ourselves to see the emotional toll that healthcare was taking on the people we’d always taken for granted and no one had really taken into account how much work teachers actually do until they had to start carrying some of the load.

“…and then it feels like, as SOON as we started inching our way out of isolation and back towards ‘the new normal’ it’s like we all totally forgot and it was back to being disrespectful towards educators and health care professionals and absolutely right back to devaluing the arts.

“Everyone says, ‘we don’t know how to make audiences come out again’ or ‘no one wants to leave their home now that they can order just about everything’ but art…you know…it’s never been about the product. If you think like that, it’s already part of the problem.

“The whole point of theatre, at least for me, is the collective experience of sitting in a darkened room and being told a story with strangers – and you all agree that you’re there and you’re there together and ready to be changed together. It’s a nonverbal contract that allows us all to be safe and at the same time, challenged. We sit and we watch and we are moved and if all of it comes together…a whole lot of the time, we leave better people than when we came. And you can’t do that from a couch in your living room, alone – it comes from being a part of something larger than yourself. And I think that’s beautiful.

“Moving forward we have to recognize that ‘artist’ is a career and therefore should be treated as one. We need to stop devaluing some aspects of art and prioritizing others. We need to remind the audiences that we cannot create what cannot be shared and that our cycle of effectiveness only works if we are all present. Cities, states, and this country needs to double down their funding efforts to make art happen all over and to not allow cost to be the prohibitive part of the process.”


11. What is your favorite thing to do in St. Louis?

“I love to go to Cherokee and just sit and watch the world go by while I have a refreshing beverage and delicious meal.”

12. What’s next?

“I’m doing the thing I’ve wanted to do for years!! I’ll be producing theatre in Hermann, Mo. WITH the people of Hermann AND St. Louis – I feel like we’re never going to advance as people if we just shout at each other over screens, so the idea is half the cast/staff from St. Louis and half from Hermann, and we all convene to create a show – one that we couldn’t have done without each other.

“The StL folks will stay in town for production week and on production weekends and the hope is that we all leave the production having been in each other’s spaces for so long that maybe we are all a little better for it. And then also, the people of Hermann have entertainment that’s not only for tourists but is by and for everyone!”

aida Gruenloh as Camilla, Catherine Analla as Lorelei, Rhiannon Creighton as Rosalind, Christina Rios as Dorothy, Rosario Rios-Kelley as Eileen in Tesseract Theatre Company’s “In Bloom,” a new one-act play by Gwyneth Strope. Photo by Taylor Gruenloh


More About Christina Rios

Birthplace: Complicated but my family is in California and I grew up mostly in St. Louis
Current location: Ferguson
Family: I have a partner that I have been legally bound to for 13 years and 4 children ranging in age from 7-21
Education: I am a doctoral candidate and will receive my doctorate in May 2025, I also have a master’s degree and a couple of bachelor’s
Day job: Math teacher at a local, independent elementary school
First job: Mr. Wizards, baby! Basically worked for FroCus!
First movie you were involved in or made: Hmm…I think the first one that really became anything was a low budget horror movie that was shot in 2006 (?).
Favorite jobs/roles/plays or work in your medium? Directing “Adding Machine,’ ‘Parade,” “Mr. Burns,” “The Light in the Piazza,” and “A Man of No Importance” were all absolute highlights of my life. Being in “Twelfth Night”in 2023, with a cast of almost entirely BIPOC actors was fulfilling on a level I’ll never be able to truly articulate.
Dream job/opportunity: I want to direct opera in much the same way I have directed for years – on a small budget, telling stories, and showing people that these stories are actually all about them.
Awards/Honors/Achievements: hahahahahahahaha – yeah, I’ve never even been nominated for anything 
Favorite quote/words to live by: “Art is a necessity, not a luxury” (it was me, I said that) and “You cannot be what you cannot see” (also me, I also say that a lot)
A song that makes you happy: Taylor Swift’s “Shake it Off”

Christina Rios as Blanche in “Broadway Bound” at New Jewish Theatre

Arts For Life Hosts Annual Trivia Night ‘Ticket to Paris’ in January 2024

<strong><em>Arts For Life Hosts Annual Trivia Night ‘Ticket to Paris’ in January 2024</em></strong>

Ooh la la! Come celebrate the City of Love with us! In 2024, Paris will host the Summer Olympics and mark the 135th anniversary of the Eiffel Tower and the 80th anniversary of D-Day, and we all know its place in the arts, culture, cuisine, and history, so that is the theme for Arts For Life’s annual Trivia Night on Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024.

The event will take place at the Kirkwood Community Center, 111 S. Geyer Road, St. Louis, with doors open at 6:30 p.m. and 10 rounds of general-knowledge questions to begin at 7 p.m.

Cash prizes will be awarded to first and second place teams. There will be a 50/50 raffle, silent auction, mulligans available, and a costume contest.

Feel free to dress up as any French character in entertainment or real life. Vive la France!

Nominations will be announced for the annual Theatre Mask Awards (plays) and Best Performance Awards (musicals) honoring excellence in community theater and youth productions during 2023

“Don’t miss the most fun time in metropolitan St. Louis’ community theater!” said AFL President Mary McCreight.

Tables of 8 players are available, at $160 per table. To make a reservation, visit https://arts-for-life-2.square.site/ or www.artsforlife.org. You can also email: afltrg@artsforlife.org for more information. Mulligans will be available, at 5 for $10 or 10 for $20.

The event also includes a silent auction and 50/50 drawing. Cash prizes will be awarded to first and second place teams.

For the past 24 years, AFL has honored musical theater with the Best Performance Awards and introduced the Theatre Mask Awards to honor comedy and drama productions in 2015.

The dates, times and places for this year’s BPA and TMA ceremonies will be announced at a later date.

“These events recognize the incredible talent we have in St. Louis community theater and honor the passion and dedication of those who build this amazing and unique theatrical community,” McCreight said.

Sponsorships are available – trivia rounds at $100 and event at $50.

Sponsorship includes group/company name and logo displayed at the beginning and end of event as a sponsor, then group/company name and logo displayed on our social media sites as a sponsor.

Arts For Life is a local not-for-profit arts organization dedicated to the healing power of the arts through its work with youth, the underserved and the community, with its goal of “Making a Dramatic Difference.”

AFL is dedicated to promoting public awareness of local community theatre, encouraging excellence in the arts, and acknowledging the incredible people who are a part of it.

For more information, email afltrg@artsforlife.org. or visit the website.

BPA Emcee Chris Moore at 2023 ceremony. Funds raised at Trivia Night help produce our awards events.

White-Hot ‘Suddenly Last Summer’ Burns Brightly on TWSTL Stage

White-Hot ‘Suddenly Last Summer’ Burns Brightly on TWSTL Stage

By Lynn Venhaus

Featuring an indelible performance by Naima Randolph as the traumatized Catharine Holly in an impeccably staged “Suddenly Last Summer,” this year’s Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis’ centerpiece created a vivid atmospheric contemplation on mental health, homophobia, and the truth.

These topics often associated with the playwright are still thought-provoking in contemporary times, some 66 years after he wrote it in New York City and first presented off-Broadway in 1958 as a 90-minute one-act, double-billed with “Something Unspoken.”

One of Williams’ most haunting and lyrical works, “Suddenly Last Summer” is best known for the melodramatic 1959 movie starring three future legends –Elizabeth Taylor as Cathy and Katherine Hepburn as Violent Venable, both Oscar-nominated for their performances, and Montgomery Clift as Dr. “Sugar,” and those shadows loom large.

The screenplay, a Williams’ collaboration with Gore Vidal, differs from the play in opening it up to show scenes at the beach, and other scenes, characters, and subplots were added. This being through a ‘50s lens, they had to remove explicit references to homosexuality. It’s a different world today in terms of taboos, although people still use each other, and issues raised persist.

Lisa Terejo by Suzy Gorman

However dated the material, director Tim Ocel doesn’t downplay the inferences. He is a master at interpreting Williams’ artistry, making it relatable for a modern audience.

Along with producer Carrie Houk, a master caster and the festival’s executive producer, he has put together a powerhouse ensemble, who brings to life many dark elements of human nature – including greed, deception, delusion, desire, desperation, and dominance.

Just as he did in a stunning “A Streetcar Named Desire” in 2018 and meticulous “The Night of the Iguana” in 2019, both at The Grandel, Ocel’s retelling is fresh and visionary, emphasizing the horror of a tragic death that is framed like a fascinating murder mystery and gripping courtroom drama.

Oh, what a tangled web we find the Venable family in when they reinforce lies over truth. At the domineering matriarch’s mansion in the affluent Garden District of New Orleans in 1936, brain surgeon Dr. Cukrowicz, aka “Dr. Sugar,” is summoned there to review her niece’s case.

Through her wealth, the bitter Violet hopes to keep Cathy institutionalized and have a lobotomy performed, so that a scandalous family secret won’t be exposed. She has kept her in a private mental asylum since she returned from Europe.

Violet’s cherished son, Sebastian, a closeted gay poet, has been brutally killed while on vacation in Spain, accompanied by his cousin instead of Mommie dearest. The circumstances are unclear, and no one believes Cathy’s horrific account. Locked away against her will, she has been further victimized by her treatment. Now, she can not only reveal the ugly truth but be spared more damage.

Randolph is spellbinding as she recounts the details of a summer holiday at Cabeza de Lobo to those assembled, led by an always stellar Bradley Tejeda as Dr. Sugar, who skillfully guides the proceedings as he gently probes a vulnerable and broken Cathy.

Cathy knows she is being manipulated, and after being injected with a truth serum, weaves a riveting account of being a decoy to attract young boys for the predatory Sebastian’s exploitation. She was used just like they were, but instead of earning sympathy, she’s trying to be suppressed by everyone.

Photo by Suzy Gorman

Dr. Sugar’s not entirely convinced Cathy is insane, but at stake is a large donation to his psychiatric research from Mrs. Venable.

Tejeda, brilliant as Tom in 2021’s outdoor “The Glass Menagerie” and comical as Alvaro in last year’s “The Rose Tattoo,” is cool and calm in a crisp white suit, fully aware of the evil in the Venable’s jungle-garden, where his interrogation takes place.

Lisa Tejero deftly commands the stage as the controlling Mama Bear who makes her late husband’s family feel small in her presence, ready to pounce on those she considers duplicitous and weak. She will do whatever it takes to preserve her son’s legacy, even if it is fiction.

Clad in black and using a cane as a scepter, Tejero displays cunning in all interactions, as well as impatience and aggravation when things don’t go her way. She also conveys selfishness, an appalling lack of civility as a socialite and less-than-gracious hostess.

Cathy’s mother and brother, Mrs. Holly and George, eager to not have anything interfere with the $100,000 inheritance bequeathed by Sebastian in his will, are trying not to act anxious, but their true colors emerge. Rengin Altay as the fretful in-law, and Harrison Farmer, as her ambitious son, comfortably service Williams’ script in these stock characters.

In other supporting roles are Bethany Barr as Violet’s accommodating assistant Miss Foxhill, and Ieshah Edwards as the not-so-compassionate Sister Felicity.

Of course, Williams would name characters Venable and Felicity, as he mines his life for a sad exploration of horrible human behavior.

Photo by Suzy Gorman

The production team has enhanced the Southern gothic moods, with captivating lighting design by Matthew McCarthy, evocative set design by James Wolk, and polished period costume design by Dottie Marshall Englis. Henry Palkes’ original music score, this third for TWSTL, adds so much texture to these productions.

What is missing in Williams’ play is the protagonist, and it is up to the cast to flesh out Sebastian, and all his contradictions, through the filters of his mother and cousin. The actors conjure up graphic images through their ability to craft a portrait through language.

Many of Williams’ tortured soul characters face moral dilemmas, either as prey or predator, to survive in an unforgiving world. Randolph’s unnerving portrait of a victim shatters the norms, which is what Williams so often does.

While her performance leaves a lasting impression, that’s not the only memorable aspect. The nuance and craft have left their mark on this eighth annual festival, which continually surprises with new ways and different angles to Williams’ storytelling.

The Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis presents “Suddenly Last Summer” Sept. 7 – 17, with Thursday through Saturday performances at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday matinees at 3 p.m. in the Catherine B. Berges Theatre at COCA, University City. For more information, visit www.twstl.org

Photos by Suzy Gorman

Bradley Tejeda by Suzy Gorman

Rock Legends Come Alive in Stages’ Rollicking ‘Million Dollar Quartet’

Rock Legends Come Alive in Stages’ Rollicking ‘Million Dollar Quartet’

By Lynn Venhaus

To see the transformative power of music first-hand, just be in an audience for Stages St. Louis’ production of “Million Dollar Quartet,” because you will watch as a crowd of adults become kids again.

On Dec. 4, 1956, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Elvis Presley, and newcomer Jerry Lee Lewis gathered at Sun Studios in Memphis, all at different stages of their careers, and jammed the night away – for the first and only time.

The man who gave them their start, Sam Phillips, deservedly known as “The Father of Rock ‘n Roll,” narrates this twist-of-fate tale, a true David vs. Goliath industry narrative featuring the star power of four future legends.

As impresario Phillips, Jeff Cummings is well-suited to play the country boy mogul with savvy instincts on hit-making, conveying equal parts passion and pride.

The cast’s remarkable full-throttle energy, showmanship, and musicality turned the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center’s Ross Family Theatre into a freewheeling and fun house party where the ready-to-rock crowd blissed out to the enduring rhythm of roots rock ‘n roll. The company, all seasoned professionals, many veterans of this show, looked like they were having so much fun performing together.

Perhaps I can speak for my fellow Boomers, as I felt we were transported back to sock hops, Teen Towns and listening to our transistor radios with earphones before bedtime. And couldn’t resist the urge to toe-tap and clap along, for the hits just kept on coming: “Hound Dog,” “Long Tall Sally,” “Great Balls of Fire,” “Who Do You Love,” “Sixteen Tons,” “Folsom Prison Blues,” and “I Walk the Line” among them.

Brady Wease as brash Jerry Lee Lewis. Photo by Phillip Hamer.

But it’s not merely a blast from the past — rather, a vivacious retelling of magical music moments in pop culture history. Music Director and Conductor David Sonneborn, who also plays the drums as session musician W.S. “Fluke” Holland, has splendidly brought out the best in everyone.

The joint was jumping, and it was a thrill to be a part of such a joyful celebration. There was a whole lotta shakin’ going on during the coda/extended curtain call, with the crowd on their feet for most of it — and singing along to “See You Later Alligator.”

Director Keith Andrews, who also choreographed Edward La Cardo as an unstoppable Elvis, marvelously captured the lightning-in-a-bottle aspect of four rock ‘n roll influencers for a perfect show, lovingly crafted and crisply performed by an ensemble who achieves synchronicity together but also stands out individually. It’s his sixth time directing this show, and his command of the material is evident.

This jukebox musical displays the heart, humor and overflowing talent of these scrappy guys who came from humble Southern beginnings, carved a place in history for themselves and put Sun Studios on the map.

Carl Perkins, who hadn’t been able to follow up “Blue Suede Shoes” with another hit, has a simmering resentment towards Elvis, for his performance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” and other grievances. He has a chip on his shoulder and a festering attitude, which Jeremy Sevelovitz carefully projects.

Jeremy Sevelovitz as Carl Perkins. Phillip Hamer Photography.

Carl’s brother, Jay, is one of the session musicians, and Chuck Zayas knows how to slap that bass, having been a founding cast member, and has been rockin’ out for more than 30 years in bands and on stage.

The story begins with the premise that rockabilly specialist Carl Perkins is there to record some new music with a brash piano player from Louisiana – Jerry Lee Lewis, whose swagger and desire to be the center of attention rubs him the wrong way. Brady Wease’s bravado blazes the stage as a boyish “The Killer” and his prowess pounding the keys is fun to watch.

With his deep voice and confident demeanor, Scott Moreau’s ease as Johnny Cash is noteworthy. He has played this role more than 1,000 times, and that experience shows. His way with the guitar, and impressive vocals are riveting. “Ghost Riders in the Sky” is one of the standouts, and his gospel influences are emphasized.

La Cardo embodies the young energetic Elvis, now a movie star too, who would prefer solid career advice rather than a chorus of ‘yes’ men. In this show, he brings a girlfriend along, and Shelby Ringdahl fits right in as Dyanne, belting out “I Hear You Knockin” and delivering a sultry “Fever.” At the real session, Elvis brought Marilyn Evans, now Riehl, who was a dancer.

Besides the smokin’ hot beats, there is drama in between songs dealing with show biz and their personal relationships, just to create conflicts and tension.

The show’s original concept by Floyd Mutrix was solid gold, and it premiered in Florida in 2006.  A regional Chicago production was mounted in 2008, starting at the Goodman, then moving over to the Apollo, where it celebrated its 2,500th performance six years later. The show closed in 2016, ranking as the third-longest running show in Chicago theater history.

Scott Moreau as Johnny Cash. Phillip Hamer Photography.

Nominated for three Tony Awards — for Best Musical, Book by Colin Escott and Mutrux, and Best Performance by a Featured Actor, which was won by Levi Kreis as Jerry Lee Lewis, the show opened on Broadway in April 2010 and closed in June 2011, after having played 489 performances and 34 previews,

I first saw this on its national tour in 2013 at the Fox Theatre, and then The Rep staged a slick, exuberant production in 2017. While both were enjoyable and executed well, the Stages one seems the most spirited, with an extra oomph of pizzazz and far more nuance.

Not only is this ensemble aces, percolating on all cylinders, but the creative team has showcased its mastery – scenic designer Adam Koch for a vintage studio interior, costume designer Brad Musgrove – of course the quartet are in colorful sequined blazers for the grand finale!, the exceptional expertise of lighting designer Sean M. Savoie, and clear sound designed by Beef Gratz.

The vibrancy of the production is unforgettable, and you surely will sing a happy tune while leaving the building.

Jeff Cummings as Sam Phillips. Phillip Hamer Photography

“Stages St. Louis presents “Million Dollar Quartet” from Sept. 8 to Oct. 8 at the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center. For more information: stagesstlouis.org.

The iconic photo of Dec. 4, 1956. It hangs on the wall of Sun Records in Memphis (worth the tour!).

Cheeseburger in Paradise: Hi-Pointe Theatre and Hi-Pointe Drive-In Team Up for Special Offer Sept. 18

Cheeseburger in Paradise: Hi-Pointe Theatre and Hi-Pointe Drive-In Team Up for Special Offer Sept. 18

Cinema St. Louis is excited to partner with the Hi-Pointe Drive-In to celebrate National Cheeseburger Day on Monday, Sept. 18, at the Hi-Pointe Theatre with a special screening of the 1997 cult classic, GOOD BURGER. 

Join the Hi-Pointe Drive-In, everyone’s favorite local burger joint, for incredible food specials throughout the day (see below for the themed-menu) and get your picture taken with the original Good Burger car at their McCausland location.

Then, walk up to the iconic Hi-Pointe Movie Theatre for a 7 p.m. screening of the 1997 film “Good Burger,” a story about two hapless youths who lead their burger joint in a fight against the giant fast-food chain across the street. This film will surely entertain and stars Kel Mitchell, Kenan Thompson, and Sinbad, dishing up some of the best laughs around.

The Hi-Pointe Theater will give $2 off a ticket with proof of food purchase or your best Good Burger car photo at the Hi-Pointe Drive-In. 

Good Burger car on site Sept 18

“We will be slangin’ burger and shake specials of course as well as selling exclusive merch and opening up the OG Goodburger car and letting y’all get in and take pics! Come by for a burg and then hop over to the theatre for a show,” Hi-Pointe Drive-In said on their Facebook page.

About the Menu

McCausland Location only: Mondo Burger combo with a Strawberry Jacuzzi Shake  $20 Double Burger with Gouda Cheese, bacon, BBQ sauce, onion straws, lettuce, and pickles on a Brioche bun  Strawberry marshmallow shake topped with a fresh strawberry. All Locations: Big Mic  $30 Huge, eight-patty cheeseburger, Big Mac-style Ed’s Special Sauce   $5 Ando Sauce Bottle 

Go to https://bit.ly/Hi-Pointe_GoodBurger for more information and online ticket sales. 

Cinema St. Louis / Hi-Pointe Theatre

For more than 30 years, Cinema St. Louis (CSL) has served as the region’s go-to arts nonprofit for educating and inspiring audiences of all ages through film. Annually, the organization hosts the St. Louis International Film Festival (SLIFF) —  included among USA Today’s 10 Best “Film Festivals Worth Traveling To” — as well as the St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase, QFest St. Louis, Classic French Film Festival, and Golden Anniversaries. In January 2023, CSL found its new home in the iconic Hi-Pointe Theatre, a beautiful art-deco palace for film with the best popcorn in town. 

Hi-Pointe Drive-In

The Hi-Pointe has been an iconic St. Louis destination ever since this spot was a little drive-in in the 1980’s. Located in the historic Hi-Pointe neighborhood, just off Highway 40, this spot is a great place to pop into before or after events around town, or even as the main event. Their chef-inspired menu uses locally sourced ingredients and has something for folks from many walks of life, from their creative burgers, sandwiches, and shakes to healthy salads and a menu for the little ones. Following the tradition of killin’ it, Hi-Pointe Drive-In is brought to you by your friends from Sugarfire Smokehouse, among a few of your other favorite eateries.

Two Regional Premieres Highlight New Jewish Theatre’s 26th Season in ’24

Two Regional Premieres Highlight New Jewish Theatre’s 26th Season in ’24

The New Jewish Theatre is pleased to announce its 2024 season, which is also its 26th season of producing professional plays and musicals at the J. The season celebrates some of the New Jewish Theatre’s most beloved playwrights while also bringing new works to St. Louis audiences with two regional premieres.

The season will kick off on March 21, 2024, with the great Arthur Miller’s searing classic All My Sons, one of the most iconic dramas of the 20th century. Miller won the very first Tony Award ever given for Best Author (now known as Best Play) for the premiere in 1947. 

Following this great American play, we’re excited to bring a new work to our NJT audience. We will present the regional premiere of We All Fall Down by Lila Rose Kaplan, opening May 30, 2024. Directed by Artistic Director Rebekah Scallet, the play tells the story of one family’s attempt to come together for a Passover dinner with hilarious and heartbreaking results. 

Next up will be Red by John Logan, opening July 25, 2024. Another Tony Award winner for Best Play in 2010, it is an introspective look at abstract expressionist painter (and Latvian-born Jewish immigrant) Mark Rothko at the height of his fame. As he takes on his largest commission to date, he also takes on a new assistant who challenges his work and ideals.

Next is another regional premiere: Trayf by Lindsay Joelle, opening September 12, 2024. It is the story of two young men excited to drive their first Chabad “Mitzvah Tank” around 1990s New York City and perform good deeds, but find their lives irrevocably changed by exposure to the secular world.

Geffen Playhouse graphic, 2022.

And for that dose of holiday romance, NJT will present a romantic musical comedy by Austin Winsberg, Alan Zachary, and Michael Weiner called First Date, opening November 21, 2024. When blind date newbie Aaron is set up with serial-dater Casey, a casual drink at a busy New York restaurant turns into a hilarious high-stakes dinner.

“This is my first time putting together the New Jewish Theatre season, and I couldn’t be more excited about the plays we have in store for 2024.  It’s a wonderful mix of classic and new work, comedies and dramas, and even a musical rom-com. Representing Jewish playwrights, values, and historical figures, the season’s plays each ask how we stay true to ourselves in an ever – evolving and challenging world,” says Artistic Director Rebekah Scallet.

The shows will premiere at The J’s Wool Studio Theatre (2 Millstone Campus Drive, St. Louis). Season subscriptions go on sale on November 30, 2023, and single tickets will be available for purchase on February 1, 2024. Tickets are available by phone 314-442-3283 or online at newjewishtheatre.org.

ABOUT THE NEW JEWISH THEATRE:

The New Jewish Theatre is dedicated to exploring Jewish themes and celebrating Jewish writers while examining the full range of the human experience. We present universal work through a Jewish lens, using our productions to enrich lives, promote inclusivity, and build community.

Cover photo by Mark Rothko taken by his wife, Kate Rothko, in 1961. Photo of one of his “Red” abstract paintings. Getty Images.