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.
2-part docuseries airs Aug. 20 and 27 at 9 p.m. CST on MGM+
By Robert Hunt It was in 1966 that word started to spread of a “San Francisco Sound,” a new kind of music that had popped up in the Bay area and created new ways of playing and experiencing music. But this was more than just a musical trend or a record label’s marketing ploy.
Sure, a few new bands were starting to attract attention – Jefferson Airplane, the Grateful Dead, Big Brother and the Holding Company, Moby Grape among them – but the music was just one part of a confluence of social movements and utopian ideas that came together in the Bay area. San Francisco in 1966 and the myth of Haight Ashbury were just a day-glo variant of the American Dream, and the “San Francisco Sound” – a mélange of rock, folk, blues, bluegrass, psychedelia and anything else you wanted to slip in the punchbowl – provided the soundtrack.
That’s the lesson stressed by many of the participants in “San Francisco Sounds: A Place in Time,” a lively two-part exploration of the social phenomenon that evolved in the mid-60s, told mostly through the musicians who spread its message. Directors Alison Ellwood and Anoosh Tertzakian have compiled a dizzying assortment of talking-head interviews, archive material, concert footage and inobtrusive recreations (including an inventive animated scene simulating the effects of a hallucinogen), deftly packing the sights and sounds of a mind-expanding era into an efficient 150-minute package. (Ellwood knows her way around both the music and the cultural context, having previously delivered the 2020 “Laurel Canyon” and co-directed “Magic Trip”).
Grace Slick and Marty Balin of Jefferson Airplane
In Part One, we see the San Francisco scene develop in an air of almost magical innocence. Strangers wander into each other, drawn by the sound of music playing, and end up forming a band. New styles of art, advertising, and theatrical display (light shows and Be-Ins!) are developed, more from a love of experimentation than for their commercial potential.
The sounds began to spread around the country (Jefferson Airplane hit the Top Ten in early 1967 with “Somebody to Love”), but most of the bands were simply content to keep playing locally. Part One ends with an extended look at the event that gave a national spotlight for many of the Bay area bands and even changed a few skeptical L.A.-based minds, the Monterey Pop Festival in June 1967.
Although most known for Jimi Hendrix’s fiery performance and D. A. Pennebaker’s invaluable 1968 film, Monterey was a showcase for San Francisco acts, who made up nearly a quarter of the performers (Big Brother, the Dead, the Airplane, Steve Miller, Moby Grape and Quicksilver Messenger Service all performed) and left no doubt that Janis Joplin was only about a millimeter away from stardom. They came, they played, they conquered.
Sadly (spoiler alert!), it didn’t last. Part Two begins with the much-heralded “Summer of Love,” when the siren calls of Free Love, mind-altering chemicals and rock and roll brought thousands of young people (some reports claim 100,000) to the Bay area, most of them without the benefits of money, resources or much of a plan.
Dusty Street, the first female DJ on the west coast and one of the interviewees who provide observations on the past events, calls it “the Summer of the Death of an Idea.” The scene couldn’t last, but the musicians persisted.
Janis Joplin and Big Brother and the Holding Company
The wide-ranging second installment follows the paths of the bands from Part One while also chronicling the new acts that continued to emerge: Sly and the Family Stone, Creedance Clearwater Revival, Santana, Tower of Power, Journey, and the Doobie Brothers. The 1969 Woodstock festival (and the enormously popular 1970 film) solidified Sly’s success and made a star of Carlos Santana- whose first album hadn’t even been released at the time. (Janis Joplin and the Dead also performed but declined to be in the film).
Unfortunately, the euphoria of Woodstock was quickly overshadowed by the despair of Altamont, the hellish December 1969 event (held 2000 miles away from San Francisco), where Airplane vocalist Marty Balin was beaten by Hell’s Angels and the Grateful Dead (who were instrumental in organizing the event – and according to some reports were responsible for hiring the Angels as security) flew away without performing.
“San Francisco Sounds” covers an enormous range of personalities and events, but they’re illuminated by new commentary from dozens of the musicians whose stories are included, as well as other veterans of the scene, like actor Peter Coyote, “Rolling Stone” journalist Ben Fong-Torres, artist Victor Moscoso and the aforementioned Dusty Street.
Curiously, in a directorial decision that ultimately makes emotional sense, we see only the last three on screen; We hear the voices – some slightly less steady today – of Steve Miller, most of the Airplane, Country Joe McDonald, and many others, but we see them only as they appeared 55 years ago: naïve, energetic and forever young.
Note: this review was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the docuseries being covered here wouldn’t exist.
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.
Ambitious and intriguing, “Landscape with Invisible Hand” takes an absurd concept and revels in its strangeness as a suburban horror story.
It’s 2036. Most of the remaining Earthlings are impoverished and unemployed after an alien species, the Vuvv, has occupied the planet for five years. Their advanced technology was promising but their labor-saving ways and bureaucratic rule have wreaked havoc on the American way of life.
For their struggling families’ survival, 17-year-old artist Adam Campbell (Asante Blackk) and his classmate Chloe Marsh (Kylie Rogers) take their budding romance to a livestream reality dating show format that earns them cash and restores their families’ livelihood. But their love story hits a bump in the road, throwing them back into chaos and mounting debt, forcing life-altering changes.
How much is art and truth worth in a topsy-turvy world? What sacrifices would you be willing to make if aliens took over, nearly rendering everything that shapes our society obsolete? What is it about adversity that brings out the worst in some people?
These are big philosophical questions raised, yet on a small canvas, and while the Americans go through the motions, depicting a dreary way of life and adapting to a drab environment, the curiosity level never rises to compelling.
This quirky sci-fi hybrid should be funnier and more heart-tugging. The economic and environmental implications are damning, and yes, the blame is on us. And while it’s never predictable and always unusual, there is just something that prevents the film from totally clicking. I am not familiar with the book, though.
Yet, there are sharp, witty barbs and some amusing visuals in writer-director Cory Finley’s adaptation of M.T. Anderson’s 2017 young adult novel. The aliens are peculiar-looking – flesh-colored squishy rectangle blobs who have weird features, bordering on the grotesque. Everything, from their voices, vocabulary, and views are out of sync with humans, and the interactions are odd. The awkwardness is always played for laughs.
Yet, as good as this ensemble is, the plot’s constraints regarding the depressing behaviors of humans during colonization make it hard to connect with the characters, rather something to admire for its sharp criticism instead of an emotional response.
Finley centers the story on a pair of smart entrepreneurial teens, who fall in and out of love, and their vastly dysfunctional families at a time of great duress.
Now a New York-based playwright and filmmaker, Finley grew up in the Clayton suburb of St. Louis and graduated from John Burroughs School in 2007. Burroughs hosted their heralded alumnus last spring to speak to students, staff, faculty, and the community. The theatre department also produced his play, “The Feast,” in the black box. St. Louis Actors’ Studio had presented the horror-comedy-drama in 2017.
Finley, who went on to Yale, has made three feature films, demonstrating a flair for dialogue, a keen eye for detail, and an affinity for satire and dark comedy. While different, his projects have a common theme, focusing on high school students, and this one is by far the most bizarre.
His first film, “Thoroughbreds,” starred Olivia Cooke, Anya Taylor-Joy and Anton Yelchin, and became an arthouse darling that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2017, earning him an Independent Spirit Award nomination for best first screenplay.
His next was the 2019 HBO movie “Bad Education,” based on a true story, and starred Hugh Jackman as a Long Island superintendent whose epic $112 million embezzlement was uncovered by a student reporter. It won the Emmy Award for best television movie in 2020.
In his third, which premiered at Sundance in January, Finley is willing to take risks, but perhaps the frustrations of this heartless story are too much of a dead end.to overcome.
Like last year’s “White Noise,” it has so many layers that it’s overly complicated. Although it’s worth investing the time to figure it out, mainly for its sheer audacity, but it does take a while to unpack.
A Vuvv
Production designer Sue Chan has given us an unsettling portrait of occupation and oppression, aided with meticulous work by art director Erik Louis Robert and set decorator Lynne Mitchell. Cinematographer Lyle Vincent matter-of-factly captures the situation’s bleakness, with editor Louise Ford focusing on the off-kilter aspects.
Promising young stars deliver solid performances – Blackk’s defiance and desire to push through all the hardship rings true. The young actor, first noticed on “This Is Us” as Randall’s daughter Deja’s boyfriend Malik, is one to watch.
So is Rogers, who plays the young Beth on “Yellowstone” and reminds me of a young Chloe Grace Moretz. Her financial motivations become apparent, and there is hell to pay for deceiving those aliens. The Vuvv may be incapable of love, but they can spot phonies easily.
Each has a surly sibling in this – Chloe’s sullen brother Hunter Marsh is portrayed by Michael Gandolfini, who doubles down on ‘doesn’t play well with others’, and Brooklynn MacKinzie is Natalie, a typically annoying sister, who finds fault with what Adam’s up to – usually drawing or painting.
Tiffany Haddish is credible as out-of-work attorney Beth Campbell, who is an exasperated but tough mother trying to hang on to her homestead as her world crumbles all around her/ Josh Hamilton has the most fun as a desperate dad willing to do whatever it takes to fit in with the Vuvvs and has some key scenes sucking up to the superiors.
Nevertheless, the laughs become intermittent and the points on race, class and gender seem less effective as the film winds down its 1 hour, 45-minute runtime. With all its flaws, it is still thought-provoking, but interest wanes. What started strongly as something with a different point of view doesn’t draw us in enough to satisfy.
“Landscape with Invisible Hand” is a 2023 sci-fi comedy-drama directed by Cory Finley and starring Asante Blackk, Tiffany Haddish, Kylie Rogers, Josh Hamilton, Michael Gandolfini, and Brooklynn MacKinzie. It is rated R for language and brief violent content and 1 hour, 45 minutes. It opens in theatres Aug. 18. Lynn’s Grade: C+
Note: this review was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the movie being covered here wouldn’t exist.
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.
As shiny as a disco ball and as bouncy as a 1970s dance party, “Sister Act” overflows with heart and soul to end the Muny’s 105th season on a high note, the cherry on top of a sensational summer.
The upbeat Alan Menken score may not be as familiar as his Disney animation renaissance classics, but you’ll be humming a happy tune and leaving the Forest Park amphitheater giddily grinning with a spring in your step.
For this adaptation of the 1992 feel-good hit movie starring Whoopi Goldberg, composer Menken teamed up with lyricist Glenn Slater, who is known for “School of Rock,” “A Bronx Tale,” and the animated feature musical “Tangled.” All the songs are originals, no songs used in the movie are featured.
The screen-to-stage musical comedy made its debut in Pasadena in 2006, moved on to London’s West End starring Patina Miller in 2009, and opened on Broadway in 2011 with Miller in the lead role. It earned five Tony Award nominations, including best musical, book, and original score (losing those three to “The Book of Mormon”).
“Take Me to Heaven,” “Raise Your Voices” and “Spread the Love” are quite satisfying super-sized soul sister anthems.
.James T. Lane as Eddie Souther. Photo by Phillip Hamer
And the more intimate solos tug at the heartstrings – especially “I Haven’t Got a Prayer” by angelic-voiced Mamie Parris as Mother Superior and “I Could Be That Guy” by James T. Lane, touching as ‘Sweaty’ Eddie, both well-liked Muny veterans.
But it’s a star-making performance by wheelchair-user Meredith Aleigha Wells as postulant (pre-novice) Sister Mary Robert in her show-stopping “The Life I Never Led” that’s the most memorable moment.
The book by Bill and Cheri Steinkellner, two-time Emmy Award winners for “Cheers,” with additional material by Douglas Carter Beane, takes the movie screenplay by Joseph Henry and transfers the place from Reno and San Francisco to Philadelphia and the time to 1977-1978 from the movie’s contemporary (1992) setting, but keeps the story basically the same.
A lounge singer witnesses an informant executed by her thug boyfriend, then police hide her in a convent for witness protection until she can testify, where undercover as Sister Mary Clarence, she takes over a rough-sounding choir and transforms it into a vocal powerhouse.
She tussles with the Mother Superior while winning over the other nuns. Suddenly, their vivacious music numbers start attracting churchgoers, filling the pews, and becoming a local sensation. And she’s stayin’ alive (I couldn’t resist).
Bryonha Marie, Mamie Parris. Photo by Phillip Hamer.
A mash-up of a police procedural with a sitcom-y vibe (think that ‘70s chestnut “Barney Miller”), the plot’s routine, but the passion of the performers isn’t. They dive into Funkytown with glee.
What made the movie so fun – transforming Motown songs from romantic love to spiritual love by a cloistered convent choir – becomes contagious crowd-pleasing disco/R&B/gospel confections on the vast outdoor stage, including an exuberant “Sunday Morning Fever” – complete with gyrating altar boys and the nuns shaking their groove thing.
The City of Brotherly Love – and cheesesteaks — adds further meaning because of its “Philadelphia Sound,” popularized in the late ‘60s and ‘70s that laid the soul music foundations for disco, with funk influences, jazzier melodies, and lush arrangements.
Music Director Michael Horsley integrated the electric rhythms with such pizzazz, elevating the sweeping strings section (5 violinists, 2 viola/violinists, 2 cellos and 1 harp) along with the fabulous rich sound of 4 woodwinds, 3 keyboards, 2 trumpets, 2 French horns, 2 trombones, and 1 tuba, guitar, bass, drums, and percussion.
Bryonha Marie winningly plays Deloris Van Cartier with panache, sassy posing as a nun and silky in delivering such various sounds as “Fabulous, Baby!” and the poignant “Sister Act.” Memorable as the Mother Abbess in the Muny’s 2021 “The Sound of Music,” she plays a very different nun this time around. Deloris turns the beat around, inspires female empowerment, and makes their numbers into dance-floor type celebrations.
Michelle Burdette Elmore, Thom Sesma, Kaitlyn Maise, and Katie Geraghty. Photo by Phillip Hamer.
Katie Geraghty, breakout scene-stealer as a Little Red replacement in the acclaimed “Into the Woods” Broadway revival last year, is an ebullient Sister Mary Patrick, her naivete and chirpy personality a delight.
The supporting players brim with brio – especially the goofy trio of goons: Rob Colletti as Jack Black-like Joey, Brandon Espinoza as Pablo, and Darron Hayes as dim TJ in “Lady in the Long Black Dress” and with the imposing villain Curtis Jackson, played by a formidable Alan H. Green, who was memorable as the Cobra Kai sensei John Kreese in last year’s “The Karate Kid-The Musical” premiere at Stages St. Louis. Just listen to those words of “When I Find My Baby”!
Thom Sesma, as Monsignor O’Hara, is very funny as he watches his church go from impending closure to standing room only — and can bust a move as well.
The nuns are luminous, with Madeleine Dougherty, Rebecca Young and Michelle Burdette Elmore noteworthy as Sisters Mary Lazarus, Mary Martin-of-Tours and Mary Theresa respectively.
Photo by Phillip Hamer.
Director-choreographer Denis Jones’ trademark pep-in-the-step is present. When I see his name in the credits, I know he will endear with his crisp and snappy style, having earned St. Louis Theater Circle Awards for directing and choreographing “Chicago” (2021) and for his eye-popping work in “42nd Street” (2015) and “A Chorus Line” (2017), among others.
Besides the inherent comedy in nun-focused musicals as amusing entertainment, Jones has emphasized that cheerful bond like the 1979 disco anthem “We Are Family” throughout the show.
In elaborate costume designer Leon Dobkowski’s capable hands, the costumes are a time-capsule of Studio 54, conveying progression from standard nun garb to ultra-glam sequined habits, and the fantasy dancers are wildly adorned in sparkly attire, silver lame and over-the-top styles seen on Elton John and David Bowie. There’s also the garish fashions of that ’70s era, with eyesore checks and plaids and the god-awful polyester.
Wig designer Kelley Jordan has supplied appropriate big hair for the secular singers, dancers, and hitmen.
Meredith Aleigha Wells as Sister Mary Robert. Photo by Phillip Hamer.
Scenic Designer Edward E. Haynes Jr., who had so much fun with the flamboyant sets last year for “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” applies a heavy layer of kitsch – vintage Naugahyde! – on nightclub, neighborhood bar, and Eddie’s apartment while being ingenious on the open church design for the turntable.
Video designer Kevan Loney carries that retro flair onto the screens while lighting designer Shelby Loera effectively illuminated the moods.
The Muny premiere follows the regional premiere by Stages St. Louis in 2016, and the first national tour came to the Fox Theatre in 2013.
Laugh-out-loud funny throughout, this lighthearted romp gets the crowd on their feet with a rousing curtain call. Oh, what a jubilant late-summer night it was, complete with fireworks.
And “Sister Act” defines the faith, hope, and love St. Louisans have for this cultural institution and generational tradition.
And just like that, the Muny’s wonderful, celebrated summer comes to a dandy grand finale.
iDarron Hayes, Rob Colletti, Brandon Espinoza and Alan H. Green. Photo by Phillip Hamer.
Reflections on the Muny’s championship season of 2023
As the days lose their light and autumn looms, it’s time to rejoice, to revel in the communion that 11,000 people can share watching shining stars on stage, and to marvel at the never-ending joyful noise a St. Louis summer yields.
This has been a season marked not only by the major spectacle we have come to expect on the largest outdoor stage in the country, but also a seven-show arc of uncommon grace – a genuine depth of feeling in each well-executed production.
From premieres “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical” and “Sister Act” bracketing a standout season that featured technically proficient creative teams mastering that elusive Muny magic and superior quality talent delivering the special moments we’ll remember deep in December: The transformative power of music – through musical theater – is the reason we flock to The Muny year after year.
In every performance, there was a palpable sense of yearning – a future Hall of Fame talent finding her voice, outsiders opening their hearts in a timeless fairy tale classic, of high-stakes gamesmanship and personal cost in a political arena, star-crossed lovers clinging to a dream, unearthing your worth and wish fulfillment in a flower shop, discovering love and nurturing friendship in a bleak place, and using your gifts to foster community.
Believe. Longing. Belonging. Overcoming. All were themes this summer, and you could feel the Muny audience lean in, the risks worth the rewards. We all shared something very special, this 105th year – it felt different. We could dream again, after coming out of the dark — all the drama of a public health emergency, global pandemic in pre-vaccine times, and the isolation that went with it.
And it sure was fun to be together. God willing, see you next year for 106.
Brady Foley, Bryonha Marie, Gordon Semeatu, Collin J. Bradley. Photo by Phillip Hamer.
The Muny presents “Sister Act” Aug. 14-20 at 8:15 p.m. at the outdoor stage in Forest Park. For tickets or more information, visit www.muny.org.
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.
Fox Associates, LLC is thrilled to announce a multi-year agreement to present Broadway productions at Stifel Theatre in downtown St. Louis. “We are excited to bring more great Broadway entertainment to St. Louis” said John O’Brien, Fox Associates Vice President of Programming.
“While the Fabulous Fox will continue to be the home of our two-week Broadway season ticket series, having the ability to utilize another magnificent venue will allow us to book return and short run engagements that we would otherwise have to pass on due to a full calendar. St. Louis Broadway fans will now have a selection of even more national touring theatrical experiences to enjoy.”
“Stifel Theatre is thrilled to partner with Fox Associates, LLC, a fellow cultural gem in St. Louis’ vibrant arts landscape,” said Todd Mitchell, Enterprise Center and Stifel Theatre Vice President and General Manager. “Through this collaboration, Stifel Theatre and Fox Associates, LLC are elated to expand their commitment to present audiences bold, entertaining, and thought-stirring works. A delightful mix of classic and new, this inaugural Broadway at Stifel Theatre season promises to offer theatre-goers a wonderful night out in downtown St. Louis.”
The first season will include three outstanding Broadway shows at Stifel Theatre in the spring of 2024: Harper Lee’s TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD; HAIRSPRAY; THE CHER SHOW.
Richard Thomas played Atticus Finch on national tour of “To Kill a Mockingbird” that was at the Fox last winter.
Harper Lee’s TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD | January 9-10, 2024
All rise for Academy Award® winner Aaron Sorkin’s adaptation of Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning masterwork. The New York Times Critic’s Pick TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD is “the most successful American play in Broadway history” (60 Minutes). Rolling Stone gives it 5 stars, calling it “an emotionally shattering landmark production of an American classic,” and New York Magazine calls it “a real phenomenon. Majestic and incandescent, it’s filled with breath and nuance and soul.” With direction by Tony Award® winner Bartlett Sher, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD — “the greatest novel of all time” (Chicago Tribune) — has quickly become “one of the greatest plays in history” (NPR). Emmy Award®-winning actor Richard Thomas plays the role of Atticus Finch in the National Tour.
HAIRSPRAY | February 8-9, 2024
You Can’t Stop the Beat! HAIRSPRAY, Broadway’s Tony Award-winning musical comedy phenomenon is back on tour! Join 16-year-old Tracy Turnblad in 1960s Baltimore as she sets out to dance her way onto TV’s most popular show. Can a girl with big dreams (and even bigger hair) change the world? Featuring the beloved score of hit songs including “Welcome to the ‘60s,” “Good Morning Baltimore” and “You Can’t Stop the Beat,” HAIRSPRAY is “fresh, winning, and deliriously tuneful!” (The New York Times). This all-new touring production reunites Broadway’s award-winning creative team led by Director Jack O’Brien and Choreographer Jerry Mitchell to bring HAIRSPRAY to a new generation of theater audiences.
Stephanie J. Block, center, won a Tony Award for her performance as Cher
THE CHER SHOW | April 10-11, 2024
Superstars come and go. Cher is forever. For six straight decades, only one unstoppable force has flat-out dominated popular culture – breaking down barriers, pushing boundaries and letting nothing and no one stand in her way. THE CHER SHOW is the Tony Award®-winning musical of her story, and it’s packed with so much Cher that it takes three women to play her: the kid starting out, the glam pop star, and the icon. THE CHER SHOW is 35 smash hits, six decades of stardom, two rock-star husbands, a Grammy®, an Oscar®, an Emmy®, and enough Tony Award-winning Bob Mackie gowns to cause a sequin shortage in New York City, all in one unabashedly fabulous new musical that will have audiences dancing in the aisles!
Performance times for all show dates is 7:30 pm. Single tickets will go on sale to the public Monday, October 2. More information about pricing and how to purchase will be available at a later date at www.stifeltheatre.com
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.
Due to sold-out shows, The Midnight Company will present an encore presentation of YOU MADE ME LOVE YOU at The Blue Strawberry on Thursday, September 14, 7:30pm. Tickets are on sale now and can be reserved at BlueStrawberrySTL.com or by calling 314.256.1745.
YOU MADE ME LOVE YOU, written/directed by Midnight’s Artistic Director Joe Hanrahan,stars Jennelle Gilreath Owens. In the one woman show, Jennelle pays tribute to Judy Garland, telling her story and singing Judy’s greatest songs. Jennelle also reveals incidents from her own life, illustrating through Judy’s story and her own the challenges a woman faces in life and show business.
Jennelle is backed by a band led by Music Director John Gerdes (on bass), with Lea Gerdes on woodwinds, Paul Cereghino on piano, and Clarence Newell on drums. Featured guest singers,collaborating with Jennelle on some of Judy Garland’s historic duets, are Kimmie Kidd and Jeffrey Wright.
The Midnight Company continues its string of Cabaret Theatre presentations at The Blue Strawberry with two extended performances of JUST ONE LOOK on Wednesdays, August 16 and 30, 7:30. JUST ONE LOOK stars Kelly Howe as Linda Ronstadt in a rousing rendition of the life and times and spectacular music career of the singer. Also in the show is Hanrahan (who wrote/directed the show) as a veteran music industry reporter who finally gets his chance to interview his long unrequited love. The JUST ONE LOOK band is led by Music Director Curt Landes on piano, with Mark Rogers on drums/vocals and Tom Maloney on guitar/bass.
And Midnight will be introducing a new show, PROFESSOR SUNSHINE’S Traveling Post-Apocalyptic ROCK ’N ROLL REVIVAL at The Blue Strawberry, with performances on Wednesday September 20 at 7:30pm and Saturday September 23 at 8:30pm. The ROCK ’N ROLL REVIVAL is a modern version of the touring shows that roamed the Wild West. This show travels the new Wild West in a dark, burnt out world, as crumbling towns await the appearance of the show bringing with them a bit of song and temporary salvation. Hanrahan (who wrote/directed the show) will be your host, Professor Sunshine, and Kelly Howe will be Cheyenne, the show’s sultry, savory chanteuse, singing her patented version of savage, classic rock ’n roll. The House Divided Band will feature the same players as JUST ONE LOOK – Curt Landes, Mark Rogers and Tom Maloney.
Tickets for the extended JUST ONE LOOK shows and for the ROCK ’N ROLL REVIVAL are on sale now at BlueStrawberrySTL.com or by calling 314.256.1745.
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.
Singer-actress Jennelle Gilreath Owens is an old soul. And we are fortunate to experience it in her labors of love.
For a cabaret-theater presentation this summer at the Blue Strawberry, she has assembled a personal tribute to Judy Garland –“You Made Me Love You,” and has put her heart and soul into it.
She plays herself and intertwines elements of her life’s challenges with Judy’s tough times. Judy died tragically at age 47.
The story is tinged with sadness. Yet the star’s luster doesn’t lose any power. Owens’ luminous talent and warm personality make it not just a sentimental journey, but a substantive presentation about our chosen paths. A big takeaway is how people affect us through their gifts, and how we decide to share our gifts matters.
Playwright Joe Hanrahan, artistic director of The Midnight Company, has written a script that hits the highs and lows of Garland’s career and life. He also smoothly directed the show.
“Dear Mr. Gable”
Owens starts off strong with the title song, the fan letter to Clark Gable that Garland sang at age 15 in the movie “Broadway Melody of 1938.”
A longtime fan of the acclaimed singer-actress-dancer, Owens talks about the connection that Garland had with her ardent fans. She was a much-loved star, known for her vulnerability, achingly tender, gorgeous voice, and beautiful spirit, soaring in the ‘30s and ‘40s, and trying to stay afloat in the ‘50s and ‘60s. She had man troubles, struggled with addiction, fragile mental and physical health, emotional trauma from abusive childhood, and career ups and downs.
Garland appeared in some of the most delightful movie musicals of all-time, including “Meet Me in St. Louis,” “The Harvey Girls,” “Easter Parade,” “Summer Stock,” “Girl Crazy,” “In the Good Old Summertime,” “Babes in Arms” and “The Pirate.”
Owens has selected signature songs from those and the Great American Songbook, ones that are strongly identified with Judy –including a bittersweet rendition of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” from her most iconic role as Dorothy Gale in “The Wizard of Oz.”
Two accomplished guest singers joined her on stage for one number each. Jeffrey Wright endearingly sang the Gene Kelly part in “For Me and My Gal,” the 1942 vaudeville-centered musical in which Kelly made his film debut, and it was a lovely pairing.
For a heartfelt mash-up finale, Kimmie Kidd-Booker wistfully sang “Happy Days Are Here Again” while Owens added “Get Happy,” replicating the famous pairing when rising star Barbra Streisand appeared on “The Judy Garland Show” in October 1963.
What a fabulous snapshot and a grand way to end the evening.
In a retrospective of Garland’s career, touching on disappointments noted in the 2019 biopic drama “Judy,” which is based on the superior play, “End of the Rainbow,” Owens mentions Judy’s two Oscar nominations, in “A Star is Born”1954 remake and “Judgment at Nuremberg” in 1961. She sings the memorable torch song Judy delivered in her Oscar-worthy role (she was robbed): “The Man That Got Away.”
Judy and Barbra
Owens’ selections ran the gamut of jaunty (“The Trolley Song” – from “Meet Me in St. Louis”), vibrant (“Come Rain or Come Shine” – from Judy’s 1961 Carnegie Hall concert), silky (“Embraceable You” from “Girl Crazy”) and haunting (Charlie Chaplin’s “Smile” – from her memorable appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” in 1963) – all sung with conviction.
On the small stage, she was supported by a mighty combo of stellar musicians, who helped make it a polished presentation. Music Director John Gerdes led Lea Gerdes on woodwinds, Paul Cereghino on piano, and Clarence “Clancy” Newell on drums/percussion.
Owens, who has appeared in regional professional theater and local community theater for the past 10 years, earning multiple award nominations, has two other passions as a performer. She travels the country to present a World War II immersive USO show, “Dixie D’s Canteen,” which captures the 1940s songs and spirit of the Greatest Generation.
She teared up talking about her experiences entertaining military veterans. She is also a performer, producer, emcee, and member of The Bon Bons Burlesque Troupe.
With her busy schedule, the Garland tribute was only scheduled for three nights – July 27, Aug. 2 and 9. It’s such a sincere, affectionate show that I hope it has an encore in its future.
Update: Sell-out crowds have prompted a new date — Wednesday, Sept. 14. More info: www.midnightcompany.com and bluestrawberrystl.com
Jennelle Gilreath Owens, in her Dixie D’s Canteen Show
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.
Simple advice from Jonathan Larson, the musical genius behind the “Rent” phenomenon, whose tragic death on Jan. 25, 1996 – from an undiagnosed aortic aneurysm, after the final dress rehearsal, meant he never saw the impact his words and music had worldwide. He ran out of time, but his life’s work lives on forever.
Especially the part about how we can’t control our destiny. That underlying poignancy is part of the passion and the power of his landmark rock opera that finally graces the Muny stage 27 years after it produced a seismic shift in popular culture.
It’s time, and the Muny makes the most of those moments so dear in a grand staging that honors Larson’s compassionate vision with the dramatic operatic scale this modern take on Giacomo Puccini’s “La Boheme” deserves.
A celebration full of life, this touchstone production’s creative team is exactly the right fit, showcasing tender beauty and pure joy. Director Lili-Anne Brown, who brought us the exceptional “The Color Purple” last year, focuses on the humanity, dignity and acceptance that is such a potent part of this revolutionary musical.
Set in the “Alphabet City” part of New York City’s East Village, over the course of one year, impoverished young artists and outcasts live through the HIV/AIDS epidemic during the late 1980s, choosing to love over fear. This cast maintains the raw, realistic appeal, making sure it rings true.
The eight principal performers make an indelible impression, their vitality thrilling to witness, and their luxurious vocals a testament to their talent and technical skills. “You’ll See,” “No Day but Today,” and “Will I?” with strong supporting cast mates become earworms that will stay in your mind for days.
When their vocal prowess is spotlighted through Jermaine Hill’s vibrant music direction – what an exhilarating job the orchestra does! – it’s wondrous.
Hill was a part of the stellar “The Color Purple” collaborators, as were scenic designer Arnel Sancianco, who has fashioned a striking movable apartment building tower, and video designer Paul Deziel, whose work stands out, with Mark’s cinema verité footage and the humorous bits of celebrity minutia in the news scroll.
Vincent Kempski is a dynamic Roger, bringing the grit and rock musician edge to “One Song Glory” and “Your Eyes.” He and Lincoln Clauss, as documentary filmmaker Mark, are a comfortable pair of roommates, with effective bravado in “Rent” and “What You Own.” Clauss was a memorable Tobias in last summer’s “Sweeney Todd,” and leads as the pragmatic narrator here.
Sparks fly when Ashley De La Rosa, as drug-addicted exotic dancer Mimi, meets Roger, and their duets are superb: “Light My Candle” and “Without You” especially. She exhibits a confident demeanor, rocking the over-the-knee turquoise patent leather boots and smoothly gliding around the stage to choreographer Breon Arzell’s moves.
Adrian VIllegas as Angel. Photo by Phillip Hamer.
Adrian Villegas perfectly embodies the life force that is flamboyant one-of-a-kind drag queen Angel Dumott Schunard, delightful in “Today 4 U.” As scene-stealing as they are, what’s most remarkable is Terrance Johnson’s heart-is-full portrayal of philosophical tech-savvy activist-professor Tom Collins, who falls in love with Angel.
He was brought in to assume the role because the original cast member Evan Tyrone Martin took ill. Johnson and Villegas appear like they’ve been doing the show together for a long time, duet on a heartfelt “I’ll Cover You” and with others for a spirited “Happy New Year.” And Johnson’s vocals on “Santa Fe” and solo snippets in other songs are sumptuous.
Lindsay Heather Pearce, who played Elphaba in “Wicked” on Broadway, can belt with the best of them, and shows it on live-wire performance artist Maureen’s “Over the Moon” and “Take Me or Leave Me.” Tre Frazier has the thankless task of playing sellout Benjamin Coffin III, friend turned foe.
Special shout-out to ensemble-mates Julia Yameen (Mark’s mom), Shelby Brown (Joanne’s mom), Jhardon Dishon Milton (Joanne’s dad), and Erica Stephan (Roger’s Mom) as the parents heard on the voice mails.
Among the many highlights is “La Vie Boheme,” the ebullient, defiant Act 1 closer that features characters finding their voices in a number that defines community. And fun name drops! (Pee-wee Herman!).
Seasons of Love. Photo by Phillip Hamer.
After intermission, when you hear the iconic piano chords and the entire ensemble files out to present the signature song, “Seasons of Love,” it is delivered with tremendous strength and feeling, creating a sublime contemporary “Muny Moment.” I will admit to moist eyes. Just hearing the divine Anastacia McCleskey crush that power-ballad solo, her voice ascending into the stratosphere, is goosebumps-time.
As Celie in last summer’s “The Color Purple,” she won the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical Award from the St. Louis Theater Circle in April. She plays Maureen’s attorney girlfriend Joanne Jefferson with genuine charm.
Costume designer Raquel Adorno has outfitted the cast appropriately in era streetwear, but my only quibble is I miss Mark’s maroon and blue sweater with his striped scarf. At times, it was hard to keep Mark and Roger separate. But Angel’s glitzy attire was eye-popping.
The sound had issues when the music was louder than the performers, where I was sitting, but I wondered if it was better elsewhere in the amphitheater.
Those people not familiar with the show could have had trouble figuring out action, so I recommend reading up on the show beforehand. I finally saw Puccini’s opera a few years ago, and was struck at how closely it resembled the “Rent” characters, except in a different century and country – Paris in 1830. The life-and-death themes, nevertheless, are universal.
Roger and Mimi. Photo by Phillip Hamer.
While AIDS is no longer a death sentence, that period of uncertainty was harrowing and horrifying, and Larson’s stark look at loss – and homophobia — still resonates.
The show captured a specific time and place, but its pathos was always identifiable. After all, we’ve just been through several years of a devastating global health emergency and are currently losing thousands to an opioid crisis.
As a struggling artist for years, Larson knew the world he wrote about, based on a concept by Billy Aronson. Among his legacy, he urged us to cherish each of the 525,600 minutes we’re given every non-Leap year. Posthumously, Larson went on to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and three Tony Awards (musical, book, score).
“Rent” ran for 12 years on Broadway, has had countless touring shows for 25 years, a 2005 film adaptation, and a live television presentation in 2019.
No matter how many times I hear this score (and I know every word after heavy playlist rotation of the original Broadway cast double-CD recording), I am moved by how timeless each song is.
We are living in the Twilight Zone, only now America is well past the millennium. If we are fortunate, we know love and appreciate friends.
This exceptional cast makes us feel each emotion expressed, and I mean really feel the connections with an unmistakable chemistry and a reverence for the material.
The eight principals who moved to Broadway’s Nederlander Theatre April 29, 1996, were lightning in a bottle: Anthony Rapp as Mark Cohen, Adam Pascal as Roger Davis, Daphne Rubin-Vega as Mimi Marquez, Tony winner Wilson Jermaine Heredia as Angel, Jesse L. Martin as Tom Collins, Idina Menzel as Maureen Johnson, and the more ‘outsider’ characters –Fredi Walker as Joanne Jefferson and Taye Diggs as Benjamin Coffin III.
They caused a commotion, inspiring devotion. Their performances made the ordinary extraordinary and galvanized a generation. They changed their lives, and in the process, other Gen Xers.
They made it possible for others, especially ones who go against the grain, to be an “us” instead of a “them.”
Photo by Phillip Hamer.
Cut to 2023, and Gen Zers are now post-9/11 babies. Can “Rent” still strike a chord? It may no longer shock, but it can awe.
“Rent” still matters. It has the ability to connect on a personal level for all sorts of different reasons.
Take it from me, a Boomer Rent-head who saw it live on its first national tour, shared it with my oldest son as he entered his 20s, and consider the night I saw Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal reprise their roles in 2009 one of the best nights of live theater ever (the electricity and the energy was off-the-charts). I’ve seen it so many times, I’ve lost count. I think it’s 11, and until the Muny Saturday night, I hadn’t seen a professional company perform it since the 20th anniversary tour in 2016. That music still holds a spell.
The Muny production is a triumph in every way, giving oxygen to an eternal flame, and a rite of passage, moving the cultural institution forward. Watching it under a moonlit sky was glorious, a stirring shared experience with thousands of other Rent-heads and a captivated Muny audience.
As Larson reminds us, there really is no day but today, as life is ours to miss.
‘La Vie Boheme,’ Photo by Phillip Hamer.
The Muny presents “Rent” Aug. 4-10 nightly at 8:15 p.m. on the outdoor stage in Forest Park. For more information, visit www.muny.org.
(Notes: For more about Jonathan Larson, see the 2021 musical film “Tick, Tick…Boom!” currently streaming on Netflix. Directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda, who said “Rent” changed his life when he first saw it as a teenager, it features an Oscar-nominated performance by Andrew Garfield as the young songwriter trying to get noticed.
Anthony Rapp’s 2006 book “Without You: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and the Musical Rent” is a worthy read.)
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.
The powerhouse cast of the musical “Caroline, or Change” features so many gifted vocalists that they raise the roof off The Marcelle Theatre every performance. To hear the soul-stirring solos and harmonies blended by this virtuosic ensemble is a scintillating experience.
It doesn’t matter if you are unfamiliar with the emotional rollercoaster of a score by composer Jeanine Tesori and lyricist Tony Kushner that creates a unique stamp of time and place in Lake Charles, Louisiana in 1963, just go and be in awe of the power and performances.
It’s easy to gush about this uncommon show, and as a longtime reviewer who tries to mix up the superlatives, so I don’t overuse them, it is hard to come up with new words that aptly describe this level of talent involved.
Yes, it’s unforgettable. Yes, I can’t believe the singers held nothing back and still had something in the tank. And yes, I want to learn more, listen again, and sing its praises. Most of all, the performers express their truth from varied perspectives. In the framework of an intense domestic drama, the characters focus on their own needs, but must see the value in others.
Three years in the making, Fly North Theatricals patiently waited out the pandemic, and some of those originally cast in 2020 have returned while others are new. Director Brian McKinley, an accomplished multi-hyphenate who wasn’t present at those early auditions, has said he has been blessed with talent. Indeed, the proficient ensemble is world-class in quality, and McKinley deftly stations them around an intimate space to spotlight highly personal interactions, which are aided by Bradley Rohlf’s artful lighting design.
De-Rance Blaylock as Caroline. Photo by Julie A. Merkel
Music Director Colin Healy, the group’s founder, has masterfully conducted an orchestra that seamlessly blends blues, gospel, spirituals, traditional Jewish klezmer melodies, Motown, folk and classical music.
The versatile top-shelf musicians include Steve Frisbee and Kate Denson on violins, Chuck Evans and Alyssa Przygoda Gove alternating on viola, Marie Brown on cello, Mary Wiley, Brandon Thompson and Dave Metzger on reeds, Blake Mickens on bass, Des Jones on percussion, and Healy on keyboards.
This is crucial because it’s an all-sung show. The first act features 24 songs in an hour, and after a 15-minute intermission, the second act has 25 songs in 70 minutes. The demanding nature requires every single person on stage and off to be in peak form, and they meet the challenge.
The story takes place mostly in the basement of a Southern home where Caroline Thibodeaux works as a maid for $30 a month. It starts on a hot day, and she laments having to do laundry “16 Feet Beneath the Sea.” Second act will transition to the December holidays, but it’s still oppressive conditions.
Caroline reveals her world-weary and cynical attitude, and you’ll discover an unusual protagonist because she is not a sitcom-y warm and fuzzy housekeeper. She has been beaten down by life. It’s 100 years after slavery, but segregation and inequality haven’t subsided. In a tour de force performance, De-Rance Blaylock commands the stage, making us feel her pain and anger.
She’s caught in-between being marginalized and believing she deserves more, living on the cusp of change. You root for her, hoping her life will get better, but as we soon find out, it will be up to her children to help make the world see them. Blaylock, who was in the groundbreaking “Antigone in Ferguson” at the Harlem Stage in 2018, is a consummate performer, and fiercely announces her presence.
The kids. Photo by Julie A. Merkel
Resigned to her fate, Caroline has been working hard at these tasks for 22 years, without much to show for it. She is turned down for a raise, among other indignities throughout the show. She is, however, allowed to keep the loose change found in the dirty clothes. Her adoring 8-year-old charge Noah knows his pocket change is beneficial, acts absent-minded about it, but knows what he’s doing. The plot escalates when an errant $20 bill is the cause of much handwringing. She could really use it for a child’s dental work and better food for their nutrition. But it is a gift from his maternal grandfather.
Caroline is a single mother to Emmie, 16, (Kenya Nash), Jackie (Cameron Headley), 10, and Joe (Malachi Borum), 8. The needy kids dig at a traditional Christmas in “I Saw Three Ships” and they express their financial situation in the jaunty “Roosevelt Petrucius Coleslaw.”
In one of the more dynamic relationships, Caroline and rebellious Emmie butt heads about how to talk to white people, navigate changing times, and even dare to dream and hope. Nash is strong in “’Night Mamma” and “I Hate the Bus,” among other numbers.
There is an authenticity to their emotionally charged interactions, and things really get testy in “Kitchen Fight.”
Caroline has had a lifetime of disappointments, including a failed marriage. She slumps in a chair, taking a break in her white uniform, and allows Noah to light her cigarette.
Duane Foster. Photo by Julie A. Merkel
This is a secret because he lost his mother, a heavy cigarette smoker, to lung cancer, and his father has remarried. The little boy clings to his anchor, Caroline, although she never reciprocates caring. In a stunning debut, Zoe Klevorn demonstrates remarkable poise and vocal ability as Noah. (The only thing out of place is a wig too big for her delicate features).
As his widowed father Stuart, Jordan Wolk subtly conveys a distracted, conflicted parent in mourning. He has lost his faith, “There Is No God, Noah.” In his complicated relationship with his son (“Stuart and Noah”), he seems overwhelmed.
A professional musician, Stuart is now married to Rose, a typical cookie-cutter ‘60s housewife and a well-meaning stepmother. However, she really is clueless, exudes privilege, and is without compassion when dealing with Caroline and her hardships. The Gellmans aren’t racists, but lack forward-thinking, and appear to be products of their time, living in the South.
Avery Lux embodies that post-war Stepford Wife- pretty blonde (ancient advertising reference, a ‘Breck girl’) type. Noah doesn’t like her, and she confesses to her father, Mr. Stopnick (Kent Coffel) her dismay (“Long Distance”). Eventually, the relationship kinks start to soften with the boy (“Why Does Our House Have a Basement?”) But yet, the smugness (catch her mispronouncing “Caroline.”)
Lux looks chic in customary fashions of the day, but her pale-yellow frock needed ironing. With other period costumes designed by Vanessa Tabourne, some of the shoe choices aren’t accurate. For instance, if a character mentions their saddle shoes, she should have a pair on, but nope. (I saw a youth production of “Grease” last week and they had them on Rydell High Schoolers, so they can be found.)
Avery Lux as stepmom Rose. Photo by Julie A. Merkel
While Caroline is washing/drying clothes in the first act and ironing in the second, she imagines appliances as people – including the washing machine (a spunky Kanisha Kellum). She listens to the radio, where a robust trio of singers, not unlike the popular girl groups of the day, springs forth.
Kimmie Kidd-Booker, who is also the Moon in a gorgeous white gown, impresses as a glamorous Diana Ross look-a-like, and merry pair Ebony Easter and Adrienne Spann are the spirited singers in sync with each other, all three replicating the sounds on the airwaves, such as “Ooh Child” and “Salty Teardrops” while they wear fashionable cocktail dresses.
Caroline is so cranky that those close to her try to be helpful but nearly give up, especially Dotty (Kellum again, outstanding in a dual role).
A major occurrence is the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on Nov. 22, 1963, and this is not merely a time marker. Kushner smartly addresses that as a significant bellwether in turning tides..
Both families express their admiration for the fallen leader in “Inside/Outside” and “JFK,” although Emmie is more mesmerized by Martin Luther King Jr.’s messages. The Gellman family includes Jewish grandparents, played by Maria Bollini and Ken Haller, who guide Noah spiritually.
The Radio. Photo by Julie A. Merkel
Act Two starts out with the Radio singing “Santa Comin’ Caroline” and “Little Reward” while the household gets ready for a Hanukkah Party. Caroline also reminisces about her ex-husband in “1943.”
With his richly textured baritone, Duane Foster sings the roles of The Dryer, The Bus, and portrays the wayward ex. He regularly appears at the Muny, was recently in the “Beauty and the Beast” ensemble. On Broadway, he was a part of the original cast of “Ragtime” in 1998 and understudied the lead Coalhouse Walker (role originated by Brian Stokes Mitchell).
Church-going Caroline comes to a reckoning about the dust-up caused by the $20, and Blaylock brings the house down with a mesmerizing “Lot’s Wife”: …”Ain’t never been no good, findin’ joy the way you should…murder my dreams so I stop wantin,…strangle the pride that make me crazy!” Gut-wrenching.
Mr. Stopnick and The Gellmans. Photo by Julie A. Merkel
This sly, simmering show is rarely done, mainly because of its difficulty level, and this is indeed a high point in a very strong theatrical season for regional professional groups. To be introduced this way to the Tesori-Kushner poetic and profound pairing is quite a treat.
First produced off-Broadway in 2003 after readings and workshops started in 1999, the show moved to Broadway in 2004, garnering six Tony nominations, including Best Musical, and a win for Anika Noni Rose for Featured Actress in a Musical as Emmie. A British National Theatre production in 2007 won an Olivier Award for Best New Musical and both a London West End revival in 2018 and Broadway revival in 2021 were heralded.
Tesori is the most honored and most prolific female theatrical composer in history, writing five Broadway musicals and receiving six Tony Award nominations. For “Caroline, or Change,” she won the 2004 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music.
In 2015, she made history winning Best Original Score with Lisa Kron for “Fun Home,” making them the first female writing team to win that award. And earlier this summer, she won Best Original Score for Tony Award-winning Best Musical “Kimberly Akimbo,” which she shared with David Lindsay-Abaire.
Noah and his father. Photo by Julie A. Merkel
Also known for “Thoroughly Modern Millie” and “Shrek the Musical,” you may have seen her reboot of “The Unsinkable Molly Brown” at the Muny in 2017, which went on to off-Broadway rave reviews but run cut short by global coronavirus pandemic.
Kushner is one of the few playwrights in history nominated for Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Awards. He is most known for “Angels in America: Millennium Approaches” and “Angels in America: Perestroika,” his Broadway debut in 1993, which won a Pulitzer Prize for Drama and a Tony Award, and he won an Emmy for adapting it for the HBO miniseries. Since the 2000s, he has collaborated with Steven Spielberg on his films “Munich,” “Lincoln,” “West Side Story” and “The Fabelmans.”
This is his compelling personal semi-autobiographical story, for his father really was a clarinet player and a conductor, and his parents moved to Lake Charles, Louisiana, when he was a child.
The mindful alliance between Tesori and Kushner has produced an astounding uncompromising musical. The ‘change’ is both economical and political, at once an historical footnote and present-day conundrum. The underlying issues haven’t gone away and racial hatred for blacks and Jews has alarmingly escalated during the past 10 years.
“Caroline, or Change” gives us heartfelt snapshots that hopefully lead to more understanding. It’s a moving, meaningful musical, and this resplendent production takes flight because it resonates deeply.
The Washer. Kanisha Kellum. Photo by Julie A. Merkel
Fly North Theatricals presents “Caroline, or Change” July 28-Aug. 12, with performances at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and at 2 p.m. Sunday at The Marcelle, 3310 Samuel Shepard in Grand Center. A 2 p.m. matinee has been added for Saturday, Aug. 12. For more information, flynorthmusic.com or for tickets, go to www.metrotix.com.
Kimmie Kidd-Booker as the Moon. Photo by Julie A. Merkel
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.
Heavily sprinkled with snappy pop culture references, this new chapter is told in a zippy yet gritty animated style and aims for multi-generational appeal. Millennials who grew up fans of Turtle Power in its first wave can enjoy a nostalgic blast while new fanboys from the fourth series reboot can delight in familiar details.
The four Turtle brothers, rescued as babies after being doused with radioactive material, have been sheltered from the human world by a toxic avenger, their sensei Splinter (Jackie Chan). Now humanoids living in their sewer home, they yearn to interact with New Yorkers and be accepted as normal teenagers. After an encounter with high school journalist April O’Neil (Ayo Edebiri) they take on the role of evil crime fighters. When an army of mutants is unleashed by a crime syndicate, they are spurred into action.
Co-writers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, who gave us the endearing dorky teen bromance movie “Superbad” in 2007 and have teamed up on many buddy comedy films since, including “This Is the End,” “Pineapple Express” and “Sausage Party,” are clearly fond of the heroes on the half-shell.
The best-buds duo has joined forces with creatives behind the ingenious “The Mitchells vs. The Machines” to create a summer release that’s far from an August throwaway. Jeff Rowe helped write the script and helmed the film, along with Mitchells’ alum Kyler Spears.
Jackie Chan voices Splinter
They smartly frame this comedy like a family sitcom, with Jackie Chan the overprotective dad Splinter, a rat, whose distrust of humans has led to all sorts of goofy dysfunctions. He is the one who taught them ninjutsu, which is a martial art survivalist strategy using espionage, guerilla warfare and unconventional practices from ninja warriors. And the Turtles act like real kid brothers, which is refreshing.
The film’s all-star cast enlivens the experience, especially Ice Cube as a formidable villain Superfly and “introducing” Paul Rudd as Mondo Gecko, played for laughs. Ayo Edebiri (Emmy nominee for “The Bear”) is their feisty ally April, who becomes their link to the real world. Here, she’s an aspiring news reporter, still in high school.
While their nemesis Shredder isn’t a major presence, his ally, mad scientist Baxter Stockman, figures into the plot to take over the world and is voiced by “Breaking Bad” baddie Giancarlo Esposito. The Shredder’s buffoonish henchman, a rhinoceros named Bebop and a warthog named Rock Steady, are comically voiced by Seth Rogen and John Cena.
The TMNT, named for Italian Renaissance artists Donatello, Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael, and identified by color-coded bandana masks, are portrayed by young teen actors Micah Abbey, Nicolas Cantu, Shamon Brown Jr. and Brady Noon.
Typically, Leonardo is the disciplined leader, who wears a blue bandana and is seen using two katana swords. Donatello is smart and invents gadgets, using a bo staff and wearing a purple mask. Raphael is the strongest and at times hot-headed, using a pair of sai pronged stabbing weapons and wearing a red bandana. Michelangelo, aka Mikey, is the most fun-loving and fastest, wearing an orange bandana and using nunchucks.
Bebop and Rocksteady
The Turtles are the fertile creations of comic book authors Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, who, in 1984, conceived the quirky characters as a parody of superhero elements back then. Supposedly inspired by the teenagers of New Teen Titans, the mutants of Uncanny X-Men and the ninjas of Daredevil, they combined them with a funny anthropomorphic animal image and in the spirit of underground comics.
When their company, Mirage Studios, licensed the characters to Playmates Toys three years later, the action figures, vehicles and playsets developed a huge following and sold more than $1 billion from 1988 to 1992. The Turtles became the third bestselling toy figures ever, following G.I. Joe and Star Wars.
Influenced by He-Man and Transformers, the comic book guys developed an animated series, which debuted in 1987 and ran for nearly a decade. That’s when the Turtles’ fun-loving personalities emerged, as did their love of pizza. Peaking in the ‘90s, live action movies came out in 1990 and 1991 (“The Secret of the Ooze”) and had a darker tone than the cartoons.
After the creators sold their shares, a new comic series began in 2003 and ran for seven seasons. A computer-animated film “TMNT” was released in 2007. Now owned by Nickelodeon, a third series ran 2012-2017.
A fourth live-action film came out in 2014, followed by a sequel “Out of the Shadows.” They were disappointing in quality, but successful at the box office.
The fourth animated series “Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” premiered five years ago, running for two seasons, and Netflix released a film last year. leading to this new animated film.
With this rich history and fresh content, TMNT seems unstoppable as a pop culture force. A sequel has already been announced. The pedigree here is particularly impressive, as is the soundtrack, with music by Nine Inch Nails duo Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, Oscar winners for “Soul” and “The Social Network.”
Set in the streets of New York City, this story is darker in tone, with a nefarious gang of mutants intent on worldwide domination – and are grotesque, hulking beasts. The action is intense, and in the final act, the mayhem turns into overkill, with much time spent on whiz-bang combat and explosions.
But all is well, for the Turtles not only save the world but get to attend high school. Hey, it’s a fantasy, rooted in reality, and a swell time in air-conditioned comfort on a hot August day.
TMNT
“The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” is a 2023 animated adventure directed by Jeff Rowe and Kyler Spears, and voice actors include Jackie Chan, Ice Cube, John Cena, Seth Rogen, Ayo Edeburi, Micah Abbey, Nicolas Cantu, Shamon Brown Jr. and Brady Noon, Paul Rudd, Maya Rudolph, and Rose Byrne. It is rated PG for sequences of violence and action, language and impolite material. It opened in theatres Aug. 2. Lynn’s Grade: B
Note: this review was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the movie being covered here wouldn’t exist.
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.
Join STLPR for the St. Louis Public Radio Theatre Showcase on the Public Media Commons on Friday and Saturday, Aug. 11 and Aug. 12 at 7 p.m. at the Public Media Commons, 3653 Olive St., St. Louis, MO 63108.
Over the course of two nights, they will feature short performances by some talented local theatre companies. Bring your favorite lawn chair and a picnic, cold drinks will be available to purchase from STL Barkeep!
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.
