Lynn Venhaus

Total Post: 1248

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.

St Louis Symphony Orchestra’s March Concerts

St Louis Symphony Orchestra’s March Concerts

ST. LOUIS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA’S MARCH CONCERTS INCLUDE THREE SLSO PREMIERES, CHORAL PERFORMANCES, GRAMMY AWARD-WINNING ARTISTS, AND A BON VOYAGE CONCERT FOR THE ORCHESTRA’S EUROPEAN TOUR

March 3-4: Assistant Conductor Stephanie Childress leads the orchestra in two SLSO premieres: Oswald Huỳnh’s Gia Đình (Family) and Joseph Haydn’s Keyboard Concerto No. 11 with frequent SLSO guest Peter Henderson; concerts conclude with Robert Schumann’s Symphony No. 3, “Rhenish”

March 10-11: Conductor Nicholas McGegan leads the SLSO in selection from Ludwig van Beethoven’s Egmont and the first SLSO performances of Felix Mendelssohn’s The First Walpurgis Night with the St. Louis Symphony Chorus

March 12: Grammy Award-winning duo, Indigo Girls, shares the stage with the SLSO

March 16: Music Director Stéphane Denève and acclaimed pianist Víkingur Ólafsson team up for a one-night-only bon voyage concert with the SLSO prior to the orchestra’s European tour; concert includes Edvard Grieg’s Piano Concerto, Sergei Prokofiev’s The Love for Three Oranges Suite, and Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances

March 19: Childress leads the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra in a free community concert featuring Dmitri Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5 and a movement from Johannes Brahms’ Violin Concerto with YO co-concertmaster Ayman Amerin

March 31: Folk and bluegrass pioneer Béla Fleck performs his latest album, My Bluegrass Heart

(February 2, 2023, St. Louis, MO) – Today, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra announced details for its concerts at Powell Hall throughout the month of March. Concerts include a one-night-only bon voyage concert for the orchestra prior to its five-city European tour with acclaimed pianist Víkingur Ólafsson; programs with Assistant Conductor Stephanie Childress and longtime collaborator Nicholas McGegan; a performance with the Grammy Award-winning duo Indigo Girls, and a presentation of celebrated folk and bluegrass music by artist Béla Fleck.

Tickets start at $15 for classical concerts, $10 for Youth Orchestra concerts, and start as low as $40 for other concerts. Tickets may be purchased at slso.org or by calling the Box Office at 314-534-1700. A full concert calendar is available at slso.org or on the SLSO’s mobile app available for iOS or Android. Both Saturday night classical concerts will be broadcast live on 90.7 FM KWMU St. Louis Public Radio, Classic 107.3, or online (stlpr.org). Audiences can attend a Pre-Concert Conversation, an engaging discussion about the music and artists on the program, one hour prior to each classical concert in the auditorium. 

The SLSO’s 143rd season runs through June 2023. For more information, visit slso.org. 

Schumann’s “Rhenish” Symphony

Friday, March 3, 2023, 7:30pm

Saturday, March 4, 2023, 10:30am*

Stephanie Childress, conductor

Peter Henderson, piano

Oswald HUỲNH                                      Gia Đình (First SLSO performances)

Joseph HAYDN                                       Keyboard Concerto No. 11, Hob. XVIII (First SLSO performances)

Robert SCHUMANN                              Symphony No. 3, “Rhenish”

*Refreshments courtesy of Kaldi’s Coffee and Eddie’s Southtown Donuts. Shuttle service available from Plaza Frontenac.

SLSO Assistant Conductor Stephanie Childress returns to lead the orchestra in classical concerts, following her April 2022 classical season debut. The March 3-4 concerts open with two pieces new to the SLSO but composed more than 230 years apart. The SLSO first performed Oswald Huỳnh’s Gia Đình (Family) as part of a yearly collaboration with the Mizzou New Music Initiative at the University of Missouri, in which the orchestra workshops scores by student composers. Childress asked Huỳnh—an initiative participant—to expand on his original work for full orchestra. Next, frequent SLSO collaborator and Maryville University professor Peter Henderson joins the orchestra for Joseph Haydn’s Keyboard Concerto No. 11, composed in 1784 and marked by a lively, gallant style. The concerts close with Robert Schumann’s Symphony No. 3, “Rhenish.” Written during a happy time in Schumann’s life, the symphony draws inspiration from Ludwig van Beethoven’s groundbreaking Symphony No. 3, as well as Schumann’s trip to the German Rhineland with his wife, pianist Clara Schumann.

Beethoven and Mendelssohn

Friday, March 10, 2023, 7:30pm

Saturday, March 11, 2023, 8:00pm

Nicholas McGegan, conductor

Sarah Price, soprano

Danielle Yilmaz, soprano

Victoria Carmichael, alto

Thomas Cooley, tenor

Enrico Lagasca, bass-baritone (SLSO debut)

St. Louis Symphony Chorus | Trent Patterson, guest director

Ludwig van BEETHOVEN                     Selections from Egmont

Felix MENDELSSOHN                            The First Walpurgis Night (First SLSO performances)

Frequent SLSO collaborator Nicholas McGegan returns for a dramatic musical pairing of works by Ludwig van Beethoven and Felix Mendelssohn inspired by famed author Goethe. Both feature calls for liberty—heroically in Beethoven’s Egmont, playfully in Mendelssohn’s The First Walpurgis Night. The St. Louis Symphony Chorus joins McGegan and the orchestra for the first SLSO performances of The First Walpurgis Night. A fixture at the SLSO for more than 30, this will be McGegan’s 37th classical program with the SLSO.

Indigo Girls

Indigo Girls with the SLSO

Sunday, March 12, 2023, 7:00pm

Stephanie Childress, conductor

Indigo Girls, vocals and guitar

Repertoire announced from the stage. This concert was rescheduled from May 2022.

On Sunday, March 12, Amy Ray and Emily Saliers—better known as the Indigo Girls—return to Powell Hall for a third collaboration with the SLSO. The power of unity, both in music and in life, has been an Indigo Girls calling card ever since they burst into the spotlight with their 1989 self-titled breakout album. Since then, the band has racked up Gold and Platinum records, taken home a coveted GRAMMY® Award, and earned the respect of high-profile peers. This performance was rescheduled from May 2022. The SLSO will honor tickets for the original concert date.

Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances

Thursday, March 16, 2023, 7:30pm

Stéphane Denève, conductor

Vikingur Ólafsson, piano

Sergei PROKOFIEV                                 The Love for Three Oranges Suite

Edvard GRIEG                                         Piano Concerto

Sergei RACHMANINOFF                      Symphonic Dances

For one night, the SLSO invites St. Louisans to hear a program with Music Director Stéphane Denève and acclaimed pianist Víkingur Ólafsson at its home in Powell Hall on Thursday, March 16, 2023—a bon voyage concert celebrating the SLSO’s return to international touring for the first time since 2017. Ólafsson will play Edvard Grieg’s Piano Concerto, the same piece he made his SLSO debut with in November 2021. The concert also includes music by two composers Denève greatly admires: music from Sergei Prokofiev’s satirical opera—the rarely-performed The Love for Three Oranges Suite; and Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances, an orchestral showpiece and a “desert island” work for Denève. On March 21, the SLSO embarks on a five-city tour that will see the same program performed at some of the world’s most-celebrated concert halls, including the Vienna Konzerthaus (Vienna, Austria); Centre for Fine Arts (Brussels, Belgium, as part of the Klara Festival); Muzikgebouw Eindhoven (Eindhoven, the Netherlands); Concertgebouw (Amsterdam, the Netherlands); and Auditorio Nacional de Música (Madrid, Spain).   

Stephen Childress

St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra

Sunday, March 19, 2023, 3:00pm

Stephanie Childress, conductor

Ayman Amerin, violin

Johannes BRAHMS                               Allegro non troppo from Violin Concerto

Dmitri SHOSTAKOVICH                        Symphony No. 5

The St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra continues its three-concert season by featuring the winner of the annual YO Concerto competition. Ayman Ishmael Amerin, the YO co-concertmaster and junior at Fort Zumwalt West High School, will perform a movement from Johannes Brahms’ Violin Concerto. Then, the orchestra performs Dmitri Shostakovich’s most provocative work—his Symphony No. 5, noted for its over-the-top musical depiction of Soviet patriotism in response to official criticism of his earlier musical output. YO Music Director and SLSO Assistant Conductor Stephanie Childress leads this concert.

Béla Fleck’s My Bluegrass Heart

Friday, March 31, 2022, 7:30pm

Béla Fleck, banjo and vocals

Repertoire announced from the stage. This performance does not feature the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.

Folk and bluegrass pioneer Béla Fleck returns to Powell Hall to perform his latest work, My Bluegrass Heart, a 19-track album that took the 2021 Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album. Over the long and lauded course of his unique creative run, Fleck – the world’s premier banjo virtuoso and a celebrated musical adventurer – has both dug deep into his instrument’s complex global history and unlocked the breadth of its possibilities.

Bela Fleck

About the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra

Celebrated as a leading American orchestra, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra is the second-oldest orchestra in the country, marking its 143rd year with the 2022/2023 season and its fourth with Music Director Stéphane Denève. The SLSO maintains its commitment to artistic excellence, educational impact, and community collaborations, honoring its mission of enriching lives through the power of music.

The SLSO serves as a convener of individuals, creators, and ideas, and is committed to building community through compelling and inclusive musical experiences. As it continues its longstanding focus on equity, diversity, inclusion, and access, the SLSO embraces its strengths as a responsive, nimble organization, while investing in partnerships locally and elevating its presence globally. For more information, visit slso.org.

Top photo is SLSO guest Peter Henderson

Shayamalan Builds Tension in ‘Knock at the Cabin’ Thriller Adaptation

Shayamalan Builds Tension in ‘Knock at the Cabin’ Thriller Adaptation

By Lynn Venhaus
A taut and tense thriller that taps into our anxieties and fears during the past three years of the pandemic, “Knock at the Cabin” keeps one off-guard and on the edge.

While vacationing in a remote area, a girl, Wen (Kristen Cui) and her parents (Jonathan Groff, Ben Aldridge) are taken hostage by armed strangers who demand that the family make a choice to avert the apocalypse.

Its alarming scenario – sacrifice to avert the world’s end – grows tedious as the minutes tick by (1 hour, 40-minute runtime), but the viewer isn’t sure if we’re being played or is it convincing enough to think about doing the unthinkable. Therefore, it’s fraught with danger until the conclusion.

Supernatural specialist M. Night Shyamalan remains streaky as a director, but this is one of his more grounded works, on par with “The Visit” (2015) and “Split” (2016), if not his masterpieces “The Sixth Sense” and “Unbreakable.”

Based on the book, “The Cabin at the End of the World” by Paul Tremblay, co-screenwriters Shyamalan, Steve Desmond and Michael Sherman keep the focus tightly controlled. The cabin becomes a claustrophobic setting instead of its relaxing get-away-from-the-city intentions.

Shyamalan, who is a master at simmering tensions, has a strong cast to work with here.

Playing against type, Dave Bautista is gentle-giant Leonard, who says he is a school teacher but is a hulking, menacing presence leading a team of nervous enforcers who mean what they say.

These are not idle threats they speak, but what they say is so preposterous, it’s hard to believe that humanity rests on one family’s decision. However, they follow through with the gruesome details – and thankfully, we are spared most of the horrific visuals.

The four have intruded on a same-sex couple’s vacation with their adopted daughter. Daddy Eric (Groff) and Daddy Andrew (Aldridge) are used to being targeted, but they are fierce warriors regarding their family. They are not going to give up easily, no matter how many pleas from Leonard’s team.

Rupert Grint is Redmond, a hothead whose temper hurts their mission more than helps. Abby Quinn is Adriene, a nurturing type, and Nikki Amuka-Bird is Sabrina, a nurse, trying to be compassionate but firm.

Their words fall on deaf ears, as news reports visualize the grim reality of the outside world. Who do we believe?

Showing flashbacks of their relationship and their setbacks, Andrew and Eric are given a backstory that ties a few things together. The pair dote on their charming daughter, which makes the choices even more gut-wrenching.

The authentic performances, especially by Groff, best known as a Tony nominee in musical theater (“Spring Awakening,” “Hamilton”), but who also starred in David Fincher’s TV series “Mindhunter,” and Aldridge, a veterans of several television shows, help stick the landing.

Shayamalan uses his beloved Philadelphia again, and appears briefly in an air fryer infomercial, as he likes to pop into his own films.

It’s a satisfactory thriller for our times, and ramped up those uneasy feelings we’ve all had since the lockdown three years ago.

“Knock at the Cabin” is a 2023 horror, mystery thriller directed by M. Night Shyamalan and stars Dave Bautista, Jonathan Groff, Ben Aldridge and Kristen Cui. It is rated R for violence and language, and runs 1 hour, 40 minutes. It opened in theaters on Feb. 3. Lynn’s Grade: B.

Knock at the Cabin Trailer; Credit: Universal Pictures/YouTube; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gv_QhoUy-xc

Another Look: ‘Groundhog Day’ at 30

Another Look: ‘Groundhog Day’ at 30

By Lynn Venhaus
Maybe it was the wake-up call – the clock radio hitting 6 a.m. and Sonny and Cher’s “I Got You Babe” blaring bedside at the quaint B &B. And then again the next day, at precisely the same time.

From the get-go, you knew “Groundhog Day” wasn’t your usual comedy when it premiered on Feb. 12, 1993. It could have been a one-joke movie, but in the hands of an appealing cast led by Bill Murray, director Harold Ramis and screenwriter Danny Rubin, “Groundhog Day” turned out to be fresh, original and enormously entertaining.

Today it stands as not only one of the best comedies of the 1990s, but a romantic comedy for the ages.

The movie’s ingenious hook was taking a classic American winter custom and turning it into a personal hell, then salvation, for an arrogant Pittsburgh TV weatherman. In a perverse twist of fate, Phil Connors must repeat the same day over and over and over again. It happens when he’s covering the most famous groundhog in the U.S., Punxsutawney Phil, in a nearby Pennsylvania hamlet, to witness the annual ritual of whether or not he saw his shadow on Feb. 2. It’s the fourth year for the assignment, and he’s beyond amused, with frustration seething from every pore. Oh, the irony — he gets stuck in the small town when a blizzard that he forecast as going elsewhere heads his way.

Murray was a natural for the role of the condescending and vain weather guy, with his deadpan delivery style well-suited for such lines as “I am a god, not THE God.”

By the early 1990s, Murray was working infrequently, and his previous films, “What About Bob?” in 1991, “Ghostbusters II” in 1989 and ‘Scrooged” in 1988 had received mixed reviews. His ’80s glory days of ‘Stripes,” “Caddyshack,” “Ghostbusters” and “Tootsie” were behind him, but he proved he could still carry a movie and was a comic force to be reckoned with, but also charming in a romantic part, too.

When he’s testing his immortal powers, that’s when he really draws laughs, but he becomes downright cuddly when he decides to use his powers for good, not evil. Murray’s expert comic timing makes everyone around him better, too.

Andie MacDowell is radiant as the sweet producer wooed by the weatherman and wacky Chris Elliott is just plain funny as the cameraman Larry.

And then of course there’s Stephen Tobolowsky, a character actor so memorable as Ned Ryerson. Who can forget Ned’s nerdy ways? His talent show act in high school? Bing!



“Groundhog Day” has aged well. It’s a movie whose elements will make you smile whenever you think of them, and will still make you laugh after repeat viewings.

For example, here is the snappy repartee between the morning radio show personalities:
First D.J.: Okay, campers, rise and shine, and don’t forget your booties ’cause it’s cooooold out there today.
Second D.J.: It’s coooold out there every day. What is this, Miami Beach?
First D.J.: Not hardly. And you know, you can expect hazardous travel later today with that, you know, that, uh, that blizzard thing.
Second D.J.: [mockingly] That blizzard – thing. That blizzard – thing. Oh, well, here’s the report! The National Weather Service is calling for a “big blizzard thing!”
First D.J.: Yessss, they are. But you know, there’s another reason why today is especially exciting.
Second D.J.: Especially cold!
First D.J.: Especially cold, okay, but the big question on everybody’s lips…
Second D.J.: – On their chapped lips…
First D.J.: – On their chapped lips, right: Do ya think Phil is gonna come out and see his shadow?
Second D.J.: Punxsutawney Phil!
First D.J.: That’s right, woodchuck-chuckers – it’s
[in unison]
First D.J.: GROUNDHOG DAY!
Second D.J.: GROUNDHOG DAY!
So come along to Gobbler’s Knob! Watch “Groundhog Day” and you won’t need a chill pill!

The movie’s authentic winter look got me to thinking about other movies set in massive amounts of snow. Here are nine others that make the most of their frosty settings, if you want to go that direction.



Doctor Zhivago (1965) – If you have never seen this David Lean epic love story set during the Russian Revolution, put it at the top of your list — and clear some time, for it’s 3 hours and 17 minutes. Omar Sharif plays the hunky lead opposite gorgeous Julie Christie while Geraldine Chaplin is his dumped wife. Rod Steiger, Alec Guinness and a cast of thousands. “Somewhere My Love” is the haunting “Lara’s Theme” of the Maurice Jarre soundtrack.

Fargo (1996) – The frozen landscape of the twin cities, Minneapolis-St. Paul, is really the setting of the Coen Brothers’ finest film, and it becomes as memorable a character as William H. Macy’s hapless car salesman Jerry Lundegaard and Oscar winner Frances McDormand’s very pregnant police chief Marge Gunderson. The murder-for-hire scheme is dark, as far as black comedies go, but what a terrific twisted plot, and both Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare play two of life’s biggest losers on the wrong side of the law. You feel Jerry’s pain as he tries to scrape ice off his car when his plans begin to unravel.

Miracle (2004) – Every four years, February means Olympic stars are born. And who can forget the 1980 USA Hockey Team’s quest for the gold? Even if you already know the story, “Miracle” is one terrific sports movie. Kurt Russell gives one of his best performances ever as Coach Herb Brooks, and the backstory of how they assembled this team is compelling human drama. And these players are kids who spent their childhoods skating on frozen ponds, so of course there’s plenty of snow and ice to qualify this movie as a winter wonder.

A Simple Plan (1998) – Director Sam Raimi’s excellent adaptation of Scott Smith’s novel features a wintry Minnesota backdrop for a hot potato story. A never-better Bill Paxton plays Hank, who along with his ‘slow’ brother Jacob (Oscar nominee Billy Bob Thornton in a heart-breaking performance) and friend Lou (Brent Briscoe) discovers $4 million in a plane wreck. They decide to keep quiet and divvy up the money — which they reckon is from a drug deal — but naturally greed takes over, and very bad things start happening. It’s very Shakespearean in a relatable small-town way.

Cliffhanger (1993) – Sylvester Stallone does what he does best in this taut thriller set in the Italian Alps — superbly playing an action hero with some serious dilemmas. Director Renny Harlin’s visual style is dazzling here, and the adventure has a sense of urgency that keeps you on the edge of your seat. John Lithgow is notable as the villain, one of his better roles.

Jeremiah Johnson (1972) – Robert Redford is a mountain man who learns new ways to survive in the wilderness, circa 1830. Sydney Pollack directed this picture-postcard of a movie filmed in Utah. Will Geer, aka Grandpa Walton, is memorable as a trapper who teaches Jeremiah a thing or two.

Alive (1993) – If you think the plane crash on “Lost” was something else, you haven’t seen this amazing recreation of the horrific real-life accident stranding Uruguayan rugby players for 10 weeks in the remote Andes Mountains in 1972. Perhaps you recall what they had to do to survive. The movie, directed by Frank Marshall and written by John Patrick Shanley, focuses on the human drama. The cast features young stars Ethan Hawke, Josh Hamilton, Vincent Spano and in a small role, Josh Lucas.

Ice Age (2003) – OK, it’s animated, but it’s a clever and well-done family movie, featuring excellent voice work from comic actors as a motley crew trekking across the frozen tundras. Ray Romano is Manfred the Mammoth while John Leguizamo is Sid the Sloth and Denis Leary Diego the Sabertooth Tiger. It’s a fun prehistoric romp.

The Gold Rush (1925) – Charlie Chaplin is a prospector seeking gold in Alaska. Comic gems abound in this silent classic, most notable for eating the shoe.

Fargo

Tesseract Theatre Changes Leadership Structures with New Team

Tesseract Theatre Changes Leadership Structures with New Team

 The Tesseract Theatre Company has changed leadership structures and announced its new team of Creative Directors.

Tesseract Theatre has followed the more traditional model of theatre administration for over a decade now, with an Artistic Director choosing production material, a Managing Director overseeing production operations, and an Executive Director tackling the administrative identity of the company.

The company is now switching to a more ‘open forum’ type of management structure with the addition of Kevin Corpuz. ”It opens up for more collaboration,” says Corpuz, “and allows us to work more in tandem to help shape the new direction of the company.”

The new direction of the company involving the addition of musicals, like last November’s production of Adam Gwon’s Ordinary Days, something Tesseract never did in its first twelve years in St. Louis. “I found myself wishing the play would never end,” wrote Richard Green of Talkin’ Broadway of the production.


”We’ve always celebrated having a lot of voices in the room,” says Taylor Gruenloh, the founding Artistic Director of the company, now turned Creative Director alongside Corpuz, “but this feels more responsible. And guarantees a ‘check and balance’ system to everything. And not just to make sure that duties are being done and everything is done fairly in production, but that leadership can look out for one another, make sure everyone is still taking a breath and is reminded why we want to sacrifice our time to produce theatre in this community.”

Along with Gruenloh and Corpuz is Brittanie Gunn, a founding partner of the company. “We celebrate ensembles on our stage,” Gunn says, “and I think mirroring our management structure in a more ensemble-like fashion should allow us to find new experimental ways to take on production management and company administration.”

”I’m excited to help Tesseract do what it’s always done,” says Corpuz. “Which has been producing exciting shows in St. Louis. And I’m glad to help usher in the exploration of musical theatre inside this company.”

Corpuz will be featured in the musical The Last Five Years by Jason Robert Brown at Tesseract Feb. 17-26, directed by Gruenloh. And Gunn will be directing the hip-hop romance Welcome to Arroyo’s by Kristoffer Diaz this upcoming April. Both shows at the .Zack Theatre in Midtown on Locust.

Ordinary Days

Kelly Howe Will Sing Linda Ronstadt in Midnight Company’s Cabaret

Kelly Howe Will Sing Linda Ronstadt in Midnight Company’s Cabaret

The Midnight Company will feature two original cabaret shows as part of their 2023 season, and the first – JUST ONE LOOK, the story of the legendary singer Linda Ronstadt – will play at The Blue Strawberry on Wednesdays March 1, 8 and 15 at 7:30pm.  The show stars Kelly Howe as Ronstadt, and it’s written and directed by Midnight Creative Director Joe Hanrahan, and tickets, at $25, are on sale now at BlueStrawberrySTL.com or by calling 314-256-1745.  (In July, Midnight will present YOU MADE ME LOVE YOU, a very personal tribute to Judy Garland, at The Blue Strawberry.)

Hanrahan said “Jim Dolan of The Blue Strawberry and I have discussed incorporating a theatrical element into classic cabaret, and with the Linda Ronstadt show, we’re aiming to create that.”  Dolan said “Blue Strawberry is excited to be working with Joe Hanrahan and Midnight to present this show. As a longtime fan of Joe and Midnight’s work, we are honored to be a part of this production.”

After Linda Ronstadt’s long success on the pop music charts, she went on to triumphs on Broadway with Gilbert and Sullivan, 3 albums of the Great American Songbook with Nelson Riddle, Mariachi and lullaby albums, and much more.  She had 3 number 1 hit albums, and 10 albums in the top ten.  She recorded over 30 albums, and appeared as a guest on 120 albums by other artists – from Philip Glass to a duet with Homer Simpson.  There was a number 1 single,  3 number 2s, 10 top ten singles, 21 reaching the top 40, and two number 1 hits on the Country charts.  Ronstadt’s hits included Different Drum, Blue Bayou, Desperado, It’s So Easy, the title song of this show and many more.  Her worldwide album sales totaled more than fifty million, she won ten Grammy Awards, she’s a recipient of the National Medal of Arts, and she’s a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Hanrahan said “Both Kelly and I have a deep appreciation for the great music Linda Ronstadt delivered.  Both her rockers and her ballads are among our favorite songs.  We aim to remind people who she was, and to honor her work and her life.”

Her songbook featured collaborations with some of the biggest names in music, and her personal life included longterm relationships with, among others, Governor Jerry Brown of California when he was running for president, and George Lucas of STAR WARS.

In JUST ONE LOOK, Hanrahan will portray a veteran rock ’n roll journalist who finally gets to interview his unrequited love, Ronstadt, though she’s now retired to her hometown of Tucson, suffering from Parkinson’s disease.   In the course of the show, they remember her debut in Los Angeles, and Howe becomes the younger Linda, recalling her storybook career and singing her great songs.

Kelly Howe was nominated for Best Supporting Actress by the St. Louis Critics Circle for her role in The Black Rep’s SWEAT.  In St. Louis, she’s also been seen in TOMMY (Stray Dog), THE APHRA BEHN FESTIVAL (SATE) and RODNEY’S WIFE (Midnight.)

Joe Hanrahan, Midnight’s Artistic Director, directed Midnight productions of RODNEY’S WIFE and ST. LOUIS WOMAN in 2022.  For the Company, recent Hanrahan scripts have been ST. LOUIS WOMAN and ANOMALOUS EXPERIENCE in 2022, and NOW PLAYING THIRD BASE FOR THE ST. LOUIS CARDINALS…BOND, JAMES BOND and TINSEL TOWN in 2021.  Both of those scripts were nominated for Best New Play by the Critics Circle, with TINSEL TOWN receiving the award.  Previously Joe has also directed for The Black Rep (THE BROWNSVILLE RAID and NO CHILD), SATE (CUDDLES) and R-S (THE FLICK).  

Miranda Jagels Felix will Assistant Direct.  She directed Kelly Howe for THE APHRA BEHN FESTIVAL (SATE),  assistant directed and performed for THE GOOD SHIP ST. LOUIS (Upstream), performed in HAG-SEED (Prison Performing Arts) and will assistant direct UNCLE VANYA (The Actors Studio) in February.

The JUST ONE LOOK Band will be led by Music Director/Pianist Curt Landes. Curt has played with Chuck Berry, Albert King, Glenn Campbell, John Hartford and the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, and has appeared at numerous national and local music festivals.  Tom Maloney will be on guitar and bass.  Tom was the Music Director the an international Johnnie Johnson tour.  He’s played with everybody from Jerry Vale to Homesick James, and recently co-wrote and produced Jeremiah Johnson’s #1 song on the Billboard Blues Chart, HiFi Drive.  And Mark Rogers will handle percussion and provide backup vocals.  Mark co-founded many local bands, including Street Corner Symphony, Walnut Park Athletic Club and The Heaters.  He proudly claims that he’s used the same drum set since 1968, and and the same milk can as a drum stool since 1973.

After JUST ONE LOOK, Midnight’s 2023 season will continue with THE ABSOLUTE BRIGHTNESS OF LEONARD PELKEY (May 4-20 at the Kranzberg Black Box), THE YEARS (July 13-29 at The Chapel), YOU MADE ME LOVE YOU (July 26, August 2 & 9 at The Blue Strawberry) and THE LION IN WINTER (October 5-21 at the .ZACK.)
For more information, visit midnightcompany.com.

Tom Hanks Is Classic Grump in Sentimental ‘A Man Called Otto’

Tom Hanks Is Classic Grump in Sentimental ‘A Man Called Otto’

By Lynn Venhaus

A heart-tugging story about love, loss, life, and friendship, “A Man Called Otto” has much to say about seeing the world differently through other people’s eyes, and what your ‘found’ family means in your life.

Otto Anderson (Tom Hanks) is a grump who’s given up on life following the loss of his wife and wants to end it all. When a young family moves in nearby, he meets his match in quick-witted Marisol (Mariana Trevino), leading to a friendship that will turn his world around.

The film is based on the bestselling 2012 novel “A Man Called Ove,” written by Fredrik Backman, which was made into a 2015 Swedish of the same name by Hannes Holm.

Tom Hanks is a handful here. The neighborhood crank that can’t be bothered by social graces. He’s downright glacier. But there is more to his story here, and thankfully, we go along for the ride.

With a terrific supporting cast – Mariana Trevino is the MVP of this journey, and she’s a force of nature as the kind neighbor Marisol. Without her as a counterpart, this would be a difficult, one-note story, for the story centers on a man who wants to end his life.

His soul mate, Sonya (a lovely Rachel Keller in flashback) has passed on after a tough setback, and numerous sorrows, and he’s retired from his engineering job of 40 years. But, with divine intervention, his attempts are interrupted by people who care.

People needing people – what is wrong with a theme like that? I’ll take sentimental over harshness any day.

Without giving too much away, Otto relents. He thaws, he helps people, and he’s the better for it.

With some much-needed humor, the film rewards us. So, it may not be ground-breaking, but it’s a crowd-pleasing, feel-good movie. And I’d say we need this right about now.

“A Man Called Otto” is a 2022 drama directed by Marc Forster and starring Tom Hanks, Truman Hanks, Mariana Trevino, Rachel Keller and Mike Birbiglia. Rated: PG-13 for mature thematic material involving suicide attempts, and language, it runs 2 hours, 6 minutes. It opened in local theatres Jan. 6. Lynn’s Grade: B+

The Rep Kicks Off the New Year with an Evening of Sondheim

The Rep Kicks Off the New Year with an Evening of Sondheim


Side by Side by Sondheim will awe audiences with a night of Stephen Sondheim’s best 

ST. LOUIS (January 5, 2023) – The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis (The Rep)- the leading regional performing arts theatre in the Midwest- will start the new year with Side by Side by Sondheim, a Sondheim revue (replacing Putting it Together: A Sondheim Review). The intimate and nostalgic production will begin previews on January 29 and will run from February 3 to February 19 at the Catherine Berges Theatre at the Center for the Creative Arts (COCA).  

Celebrate legendary composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim in a cabaret-style revue revisiting some of his most poignant, powerful and witty songs in the American musical theatre canon. This Tony-award-winning production features a variety of Sondheim’s most notable works, including rarely performed numbers straight from the cutting-room floor. Side by Side by Sondheim explores the breadth of Sondheim’s acclaimed career, including numbers from Follies, West Side Story, Company, Anyone Can Whistle, Pacific Overtures, Gypsy and more. 

Side by Side by Sondheim will mark the St. Louis directorial debut of Reggie D. White, The Rep’s recently hired Associate Artistic Director. White joins The Rep from New York City and brings with him more than two decades of theatre experience, including over 10 years of expertise as an award-winning artist, educator and arts advocate. 

“Musical theatre is how I began my career and I have loved Sondheim’s work for decades,” said White. “Side By Side is an especially wonderful piece because it introduces new listeners to his music, gives the most ardent lovers of his work a taste of his greatest hits and it reminds us all of the boundary smashing genius with which he created some of the most iconic musical theatre songs of the 20th Century. He gave us so many gifts over his career and this is such a beautiful way to keep his songs in our hearts.” 

Side by Side by Sondheim features four cast members. The role of Narrator will be played by Paul HeeSang Miller, whose Broadway experience includes Mamma Mia!, the first revival of Miss Saigon and the Tony award winning The King and I. The role of Man will be played by Saidu Sinlah. This will be Sinlah’s debut at The Rep, but St. Louisans may recognize him from the Muny’s performances of Aida and The Wizard of Oz. The role of Woman 1 will be played by Phoenix Best. Best’s Broadway credits include Dear Evan Hansen and The Color Purple Revival. The role of Woman 2 will be played by Amy Spanger. Spanger created the role of Susan in Jonathan Larson’s tick, tick… Boom and was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for her role of Holly in The Wedding Singer.  

Sound design for this production is by Sharath Patel, who boasts previous experience at The Rep with his sound design of The Mystery of Irma Vep in 2020. Heather Beal serves as the choreographer. Audience members may remember her work as choreographer of Feeding Beatrice at The Rep in 2019. The Projection Designer will be Camilla Tassi. Tassi’s design experience includes working at Carnegie Hall and the Berlin Opera Academy. Oona Natesan will return to provide Costume Design after designing costumes for House of Joy at The Rep earlier this season. The Lighting Designer will be Xavier Pierce, who was recently the Lighting Designer for Confederates at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival- a show that The Rep is producing this season. Tre’von Griffith returns to The Rep as the Music Director. Rep audiences may remember him as the Music Director for A Christmas Carol. Alerica L. Anderson will serve as the Music Coordinator and St. Louis audiences may recognize his work from the Pre-Broadway Premiere of The Karate Kid-the Musical at STAGES. 

Side by Side by Sondheim will also mark the first mainstage production of the new year performed at the Catherine Berges Theatre at the Center for the Creative Arts (COCA). This performance space is a state-of-the-art theatre built in 2020, and is part of The Rep’s initiative to bring theatre into the St. Louis Community.  

The Rep is pleased to offer several special offerings and accessible performances throughout the run of Side by Side by Sondheim. These include: 

Post Show Talkbacks, Feb. 9, 7 p.m & 15, 2 p.m. – Following the performance stick around for an informal discussion with members of the cast and creative team of the show. 

Audio Described Performance, Feb. 16, 2 p.m. – The Rep partners with MindsEye to offer live audio description for the final Thursday performance of all productions. 

American Sign Language (ASL) Interpreted, Feb. 18, 2 p.m. – An ASL interpreted performance will be offered on the final Saturday matinee. Interpreters will be inside the theater and sign along with what the actors are saying and expressing for the audience. 

Open-Captioned Performance, Feb. 19, 2 p.m. – The Rep offers open captioning, an electronic text display that shows what the actors are saying or singing, at the last Sunday show for all Mainstage performances. 

About The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis 

The Rep is the St. Louis region’s most honored live professional theatre company. Founded in 1966, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis is a fully professional theatrical operation belonging to the League of Resident Theatres, The League of St. Louis Theatres and is a constituent member of Theatre Communications Group, Inc., the national service organization for the not-for-profit professional theatre. Visit www.repstl.org for more, and find The Rep on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. 

‘Banshees of Inisherin’ and ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ Tie For Most Wins in Alliance of Women Film Journalists’ EDA Awards

‘Banshees of Inisherin’ and ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ Tie For Most Wins in Alliance of Women Film Journalists’ EDA Awards

BANSHEES wins Best Film, but Sarah Polley scores best Director for WOMEN TALKING. In our Female Focus sections, Viola Davis gets the nod for Outstanding Achievement and Danielle Deadwyler’s turn in TILL is designated the Breakthrough Performance of 2022. Emma Thompson takes AWFJ’s Grand Dame title and is honored for the bravest performance for GOOD LUCK TO YOU, LEO GRANDE. The talented Ana de Armas is deemed most deserving of a new agent to get her roles in better projects than BLONDE.

AWFJ has presented annual EDA Awards for 16 years, representing professional women critics’ collective perspectives on movies and cinema culture in the movie awards arena, where female critics and critical opinion are still greatly underrepresented. AWFJ honors female creatives in non-gender specific awards categories and in unique Female Focus categories designated for women only.  

“We are particularly proud that this year’s member-determined roster of nominees included a goodly number of female contenders in non-gender specific categories. and that we have female winners in those categories, as well, including Sarah Polley who receives the EDA Award for Best Director for the multi-nominated and awarded WOMEN TALKING.” said Jennifer Merin, President of the 95 members AWFJ. “We hope to see similar results at this year’s Oscars and various guild awards. as well as with other critics awards groups.” 

In preparation for the awards season, AWFJ tracks femme-helmed and femme-centric films released throughout the year. The 2022 list of EDA Award-eligible femme-helmed and/or femme-centric films includes more than 500 titles. Many of these female made movies are small budget productions that receive neither wide distribution nor critical consideration. This staggering number of independently produced films indicates the high level of female filmmaker proactivity in contradiction to the grim statistics consistently reported in major studies about female film production. AWFJ advocates for acknowledgment of these films and recognition for their filmmakers. 

Note: PopLifeSTL.com Managing Editor and Founder Lynn Venhaus has been a member of AWFJ since 2014, along with St. Louis colleagues Martha Baker, Diane Carson and Cate Marquis and former St. Louisan Michelle (McCue) Hannett, , managing editor of We Are Movie Geeks.


AWFJ BEST OF AWARDS

These awards are presented to women and/or men without gender consideration

Best Film

Colin Farrell and Kerry Condon in the film THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN. Photo by Jonathan Hession. Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures. © 2022 20th Century Studios All Rights Reserved
  • THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN
  • EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE
  • THE FABELMANS
  • TAR
  • THE WOMAN KING
  • WOMEN TALKING

Best Director

  • The Daniels – EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE
  • Martin McDonagh – THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN
  • Sarah Polley – WOMEN TALKING
  • Gina Prince-Bythewood – THE WOMAN KING
  • Steven Spieiberg – THE FABELMANS
  • Charlotte Wells – AFTERSUN

Best Screenplay, Original

  • AFTERSUN – Charlotte Wells
  • THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN – Martin McDonagh
  • EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE – the DANIELS
  • THE FABELMANS – Steven Spielberg and Tony Kushner
  • TAR – Todd Field
  • THE WOMAN KING – Dana Stevens and Maria Bello

Best Screenplay, Adapted

  • ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT – Edward Berger, Lesley Patterson, Ian Stokell
  • GLASS ONION – Rian Johnson
  • SHE SAID – Rebecca Lenkiewicz
  • THE WHALE – Samuel D. Hunter
  • WOMEN TALKING – Sarah Polley and Miriam Toews
  • THE WONDER – Alice Birch, Emma Donoghue, Sebastian Lelio

Best Documentary

  • ALL THAT BREATHES – Shaunak Sen
  • ALL THE BEAUTY AND THE BLOODSHED – Laura Poitras
  • DESCENDANT – Margaret Brown
  • FIRE OF LOVE – Sara Dosa
  • GOODNIGHT OPPY – Ryan White
  • THE JANES – Tia Lessen and Emma Pildes

Best Animated Film

  • GDT’S PINOCCHIO – Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson
  • MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON – Dean Fleischer-Camp
  • PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH – Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado
  • THE SEA BEAST – Chris Williams
  • TURNING RED – Domee Shi
  • WENDELL & WILD – Henry Selick

Best Actress

  • Cate Blanchett – TAR
  • Viola Davis – THE WOMAN KING
  • Danielle Deadwyler – TILL
  • Vicki Krieps – CORSAGE
  • Emma Thompson – GOOD LUCK TO YOU, LEO GRANDE
  • Michelle Yeoh – EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE

Best Actress in a Supporting Role (tie)

  • Angela Bassett – WAKANDA FOREVER
  • Jessie Buckley – WOMEN TALKING
  • Hong Chau – THE WHALE
  • Kerry Condon – THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN
  • Jamie Lee Curtis – EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE
  • Janelle Monae – GLASS ONION

Best Actor

  • Austin Butler – ELVIS
  • Colin Farrell – THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN
  • Brendan Fraser – THE WHALE
  • Paul Mescal – AFTERSUN
  • Bill Nighy – LIVING
  • Jeremy Pope – THE INSPECTION

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

  • Brendon Gleeson – THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN
  • Brian Henry Tyree – CAUSEWAY
  • Barry Keoghan – THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN
  • Eddie Redmayne – THE GOOD NURSE
  • Ke Huy Quan – EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE
  • Ben Wishaw – WOMEN TALKING

Best Ensemble Cast – Casting Director

  • THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN – Louise Kiely
  • EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE – Sarah Finn
  • TRIANGLE OF SADNESS – Pauline Hansson
  • WAKANDA FOREVER – Sarah Finn
  • THE WOMAN KING – Aisha Coley
  • WOMEN TALKING – John Buchan and Jason Knight

Best Cinematography (tie)

  • BANSHEES OF INISHERIN – Ben Davis
  • THE FABELMANS – Janusz Kaminski
  • EMPIRE OF LIGHT – Roger Deakins
  • EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE – Larkin Seiple
  • TOP GUN: MAVERICK – Claudio Miranda
  • THE WOMAN KING – Polly Morgan

Best Editing

  • ELVIS – Jonathan Redmond and Matt Villa
  • EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE – Paul Rogers
  • TAR – Monika Willis
  • TOP GUN – Eddie Hamilton
  • THE WOMAN KING – Terilyn A. Shropshire
  • WOMEN TALKING – Christopher Donaldson, Rosalyn Kallop

Best Non-English-Language Film (tie)

  • ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT
  • BARDO
  • DECISION TO LEAVE
  • HAPPENING
  • RRR
  • SAINT OMER

EDA FEMALE FOCUS AWARDS

These awards honor WOMEN only

Best Woman Director

WOMEN TALKING (2022) Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, and Jessie Buckley CR: Michael Gibson/United Artists Releasing
  • Chinoye Chukwu – TILL
  • Marie Kreutzer – CORSAGE
  • Gina Prince-Bythewood – THE WOMAN KING
  • Sarah Polley – WOMEN TALKING
  • Maria Schrader – SHE SAID
  • Charlotte wells – AFTERSUN

Best Woman Screenwriter

  • Alice Birch – THE WONDER and MOTHERING SUNDAY
  • Rebecca Lenkiewicz – SHE SAID
  • Sarah Polley and Miriam Toews – WOMEN TALKING
  • Domee Shi – TURNING RED
  • Dana Stevens and Maria Bello – THE WOMAN KING
  • Charlotte Wells – AFTERSUN

Best Animated Female

  • Connie – Isabella Rossellni MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON
  • Izzy – Keke Palmer – LIGHTYEAR
  • Kat – Lyric Ross. WENDELL & WILD
  • Kitty Softpaws – Salma Hayed – PUSS IN BOOTS: LAST WISH
  • Mei – Rosalyn Chiang- TURNING RED
  • Ming – Sandra Oh – TURNING RED
Danielle Deadwyler in “Till”

Best Woman’s Breakthrough Performance

  • Frankie Corio – AFTERSUN
  • Danielle Deadwyler – TILL
  • Stephanie Hsu – EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE
  • Thuso Mbedu – THE WOMAN KING
  • Amber Midthunder – PREY
  • Sadie Sink – THE WHALE

Outstanding Achievement by A Woman in The Film Industry

  • Viola Davis – For getting THE WOMAN KING made as her lifetime passion project and creating opportunities for other women creatives.
  • Nina Menkes and Maria Giese for making BRAINWASHED, analyzing and illustrating the misogynistic representation of women in Hollywood movies.
  • Domee Shi for being the first woman to direct a film for Pixar and for becoming Pixar’s VP of Creative
  • Jacqueline Stewart for ongoing advocacy of the underrepresented and becoming president of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.
  • Michelle Yeoh- lifetime achievement award

EDA SPECIAL MENTION AWARDS

Grand Dame Award for Defying Ageism

Emma Thompson
  • Jamie Lee Curtis
  • Viola Davis
  • Emma Thompson
  • Michelle Yeoh

Most Egregious Lovers’ Age Difference Award

  • CONFESS FLETCH – Jon Hamm born 1971 and Lorenza Izzo born 1989
  • CRIMES OF THE FUTURE – Viggo Mortensen born 1958 and Lea Sedoux born 1985
  • DEEP WATER – Ben Affleck born 1972 and Ana de Armas born 1988
  • EIFEL – Romain Duris born 1974 and Emma Mackey born 1996

She Deserves A New Agent Award (NOTE: This is not a put down. On the contrary, it suggests that the actor is better than the role she’s been given.)

  • Ana de Armas for BLONDE
  • Bryce Dallas Howard for JURASIC WORLD DOMINION
  • Margot Robbie for BABYLON
  • Rebel Wilson for SENIOR YEAR

Most Daring Performance

  • Cate Blanchett – TAR
  • Viola Davis – THE WOMAN KING
  • Danielle Deadwyler – TILL
  • Emma Thompson – GOOD LUCK TO YOU, LEO GRANDE
  • Michelle Yeoh – EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE

Time Waster Remake or Sequel Award

  • FIRESTARTER
  • HALLOWEEN ENDS
  • JURASSIC WORLD DOMINION
  • PINOCCHIO (Disney)

AWFJ Hall of Shame Award (Women and men are eligible)

  • Alec Baldwin and the crew of RUST for continuing to deny responsibility for the on set shooting that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. The situation is still messy. A wrongful death lawsuit was settled, but the criminal investigation continues. In November, Baldwin sued crew members for giving him the loaded prop gun that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. News reports say Baldwin also texted Hutchins’s husband, Matthew, saying that the gun was never meant to be fired at a particular camera angle.
  • BLONDE and Andrew Dominik
  • Will Smith for his behavior at the Oscars and in the aftermath
  • Harvey Weinstein for everything and forever

ABOUT THE ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS
The Alliance of Women Film Journalists, Inc. (AWFJ) is a not-for-profit professional association of highly qualified female movie critics, reporters and feature writers working in print, broadcast and online media, dedicated to supporting work by and about women – both in front of and behind the cameras – through intra-group promotional activities, outreach programs and by presenting awards in recognition of outstanding accomplishments (the best and worst) by and about women in the movies. AWFJ was founded in 2006 by Jennifer Merin, Maitland McDonagh, Joanna Langfield and Jenny Halper. In addition to the year end awards, AWFJ presents EDA Awards at partner festivals, keeps an active and interactive record of fiction feature and documentary films by and/or about women, and/or are of particular interest to women because they focus on women’s issues. We welcome information that will allow us to keep our lists updated. Lists are made available to members and the general public on our Web site at AWFJ.org. For further information, contact AWFJ President Jennifer Merin at awfjinc@gmail.com.

Sightlines: A Grateful Heart for Work Opportunities and Outlets

By Lynn Venhaus

I had the pleasure to guest on Friday’s McGraw Millhaven Show with Jay Kanzler subbing as host. We talked movies, of course!

(My segment is the last hour, starting at 3:10, or after the 9 a.m. news.)

Allow me to list local professionals who have enriched my life greatly in recent years. Because this life is a journey where people you meet matter in many interesting and surprising ways.

Five years ago in November 2017, Jay asked me to be a guest on his nighttime show, talking movies, and the rest is history.

I am grateful for Jay’s support, the opportunity and being on with Jay and Jennifer, then Jay and Ray, then when Jay left, a solo Ray Hartmann through 2022. Ray has decided to end his show, and I can’t speak highly enough of Ray as an individual, colleague, and as a supportive host for several years (2019-2022).

Wendy Wiese and Jennifer E Blome

I’ve been fortunate to join Jennifer E. Blome and Wendy Wiese on their KTRS weekday mid-morning show about theater (mostly Muny and Fox) and entertainment since they joined forces, and we’re going to continue that into 2023.

Now I’ll be a regular contributor on Friday mornings, and that will start on Jan. 6, so I’m very excited and happy to be joining the sisterhood to talk movies and what’s happening in entertainment.

I’m very grateful to Mark Mueller, for sponsoring “Mueller Furniture Presents Lynn Venhaus Goes to the Movies,” what a great guy and a great business, and to all the board ops/producers along the way – Howard Morton, CJ Nasello, Greg Harvey, Luis, Austin and others. And to station boss Mark Dorsey for allowing me to grace the airwaves.

And of course, the listeners. I really enjoy the feedback and the fellowship!

It’s been a wonderful five years at KTRS, and I look forward to continuing this partnership!

Paul Cook

(And I’d be remiss if I didn’t thank my pal Paul Cook for being the first to invite me on St Louis airwaves to review movies, back in February 2016 at Y98, when Paul hosted the drivetime, and he’d have me on Fridays. It was the start of a beautiful friendship, and the powers-at-be ended it after a year, but it was a year full of challenges for Paul — his triumphant but gut-wrenching cancer treatment, recovery — and I learned so much from him, such positive vibes, what strong people do in times of crises.

In January 2016, I also started reviewing for Webster-Kirkwood Times, which I am very grateful for, especially after McClatchy ended local reviews in BND in 2017, and I still had a print outlet.

The business is ever-changing, ever-evolving, multiple re-inventions, revisions, and I am just happy to be part of the conversation on current film, regional theater, and what’s happening in the world of entertainment and local events. I love being able to interview people for features, and I continue to meet the most fascinating people (will discuss this more in a column on my website, about the people of the year that was).

I’m still writing print (news, features in BND) and online at my website, www.PopLifeSTL.com, but as a mass communication major who has dabbled in radio (even worked in small market radio news), it’s nice to develop other skills. I am eager to improve. And I’m fortunate to still be working in the biz I love — and doing the things I yearned to do in my early years — now 47 years after college graduation.

Summer 1979 working in radio news at WILY-WRXX in Centralia IL

Now I’ve aged out of certain roles, it’s that time of life, and I am an independent contractor. This gives me more opportunities to write for other outlets, and since the electric bill won’t wait, yippee.

One of the biggest thrills this year was being added as a contributor to St Louis magazine by dining editor George Mahe, one of our town’s (and nation’s) finest. Talk about learning from someone so good at their craft! What a joy. I’m meeting the wonderful foodies and movers and shakers of this region through this outlet, and it’s been a terrific experience. More to come as I’m just getting my ‘feet wet,’ so to say. (Longer story about my December is coming). I am so very appreciative of George’s tutelage.

(Fun fact: Yes, I was the last food editor at the late, great St. Louis Globe-Democrat — where I got to interview Martha Stewart before she was a mega-brand and Wolfgang Puck at the height of his celebrated chef days at Spago’s — and I’ve written dining/chef articles for Belleville News-Democrat for many years, and recently, for Marketplace Magazine (Old Herald, Goshen Coffee, Soulcial Kitchen).

I think of where I’d be if the Globe hadn’t folded in ’86, a topic my colleague Chas Adams and I talk about regularly, as he and I have reconnected (so many times over the years, but now, he writes reviews for my website).

Of course, they would have separated us by now back in Living section because we were quite the pop culture enthusiasts back then, writing our column “DIshing It Out” and chatting about what we should include.

I digress…

I started the website so I’d have a home for my theater reviews, because I am in the St Louis Theater Circle, and it’s a great joy/responsibility to support the arts, and ‘keep it real.’ It’s a challenge to keep up a grueling production schedule, in light of sometimes real-life things happening at the same time, but it’s one that is an honor and a privilege to do. So many talented people and creatives in this region, and I am grateful to see their work. (More on that in another post). Special thanks to the patient PR people and artistic directors for their assistance and their understanding when there are scheduling conflicts.

In this up-and-down rollercoaster of a career, and a life, I do not take anything for granted — especially after the pandemic, now in our third winter. I know life holds no promises, and to be respected as a professional is an ongoing process, one I work hard at because it’s important to be relevant and trusted. Gaining people’s trust is never something one can take lightly.

We can’t slack on the skills we were taught so long ago “in j-school” about ethics, integrity and ‘getting it right.’ The leg work, the fact-checking — yes, it matters. (My pet peeves, for another time). I tried to instill this when I taught journalism/media at Kaskaskia College, St Louis Community College-Forest Park and Southern Illinois University Edwardsville).

Me at NYFF 2022

I guess the only way to sum it up any kind of work these days is to “keep on, keeping on.”

Thanks to you for reading and listening all these years. It’s truly a wonderful life being able to contribute in a meaningful way, and to be able to do what you love, learning and growing every day.

We get to carry each other, and no one does anything well alone — collaboration is always the key, and that’s how we’ll get better. Always. The ‘new normal’ has taught us that we aren’t islands (at least I hope so).

At this later stage in life, I’m afforded opportunities because of such great chances, like being vetted for Rotten Tomatoes, Critics Choice Association and Alliance of Women Film Journalists. It’s a responsibility to live up to, and I continually strive to be better at communicating critical knowledge.

Here’s to a productive 2023, full of new challenges and adventures. And hopefully, some good things to watch and see in the year ahead. And wonderful people to meet.

Max and Louie Productions to Stage ‘What the Constitution Means to Me’

Max and Louie Productions to Stage ‘What the Constitution Means to Me’

Playwright Heidi Schreck’s highly impactful and timely memoir, What the Constitution Means to Me, winner of Best American play, and finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, opens Max & Louie Productions upcoming 2023 theatrical season, running at The Marcelle Theatre, April 6-23rd in St. Louis..

“When in the Course of human Events it becomes necessary to recover from the fatigue and grief that we have all experienced, Max & Louie Productions presents the opportunity to feel uplifted, to galvanize, and to explore just what the Constitution means to You,” said Stellie Siteman, Producing Artistic Director.

This boundary-breaking play breathes new life into our Constitution and imagines how it will shape the next generation of Americans. Fifteen-year-old Heidi Schreck earned her college tuition by winning Constitutional debate competitions across the United States. What the Constitution Means to Me is inspired by the prompt she received on these tours: draw a personal connection between your life and the Constitution. Actor Michelle Hand brilliantly resurrects Schreck’s teenage and present self to trace the profound relationship between four generations of women in her family and the founding document that shaped their lives, digging into its beauty, aspirations, contradictions, and failures.

The cast includes Michelle Hand, Joel Moses, Riley Carter Adams, Aislyn Morrow, and Maahi Saini.

Nancy Bell Directs.

Critic’s Pick! “Brilliantly Crafted Show, Harrowing, Funny, and Humane, that accesses the political through the deeply personal. A Masterful Act of Storytelling.” – New York Magazine

What the Constitution Means to Me will run at the Marcelle Theatre, 3310 Samuel Shepard Drive, Saint Louis, Missouri 63103. Free secured parking.

The dates of the production are April 6- April 23, 2023. Tickets are now on sale at maxandlouie.com or by phone at Metrotix (314) 534-1111.  Tickets are priced from $15-$50

Max & Louie Productions has received its Missouri ArtSafe certification. To ensure that we may create safely, present safely, and attend safely we pledge to Covid-19 Safety Protocols which patrons are encouraged to view at Max & Louie Productions’ website at www.maxandlouie.com

Actors/Director Bio’s and Headshots  

Michelle Hand* (Heidi) is delighted to work with this creative team to finally put the skills she honed as a middle-school debater in the Bellarmine Speech League to good use. More recent stage appearances include Mrs. Cratchit in A Christmas Carol at The Repertory Theater of St. Louis, Sugar in Tiny, Beautiful Things at Max & Louie Productions (St. Louis Theater Circle Award Nomination) and Mrs. Bennett in Pride and Prejudice at the Repertory Theater of St. Louis (St. Louis Theater Circle Award Nomination). She is so grateful for the many opportunities she has had in the span of her career, from co-founding the Orange Girls Theater Company, to appearing in the Off-Broadway premier of Day of the Dog, to collaborating with the great companies, the great actors, and the great theater artists of St. Louis in over 40 productions.  Thank you for your continued support of this community.  This one is for Basil.

*Member of Actors’ Equity

Joel Moses (Legionnaire) St. Louis credits include The Christians (West End Players), Bronte Sister House Party (SATE), Laughter on the 23rd Floor (New Jewish Theatre), The Zoo Story, and The Dumb Waiter (St. Louis Actors’ Studio). He spent several years with the Organic Theater Company in Chicago where favorite performances included Picasso at the Lapin Agile, Emilie: la Marquise du Chatelet Defends Her Life Tonight, The Diviners, and playing the title role in King Ubu.

Other Chicago credits include work with First Folio Theatre, Assassination Theater, 16th Street Theater, Theatre Y, and Stage 773. He received his MFA in Acting from Northern Illinois University and studied abroad at the Moscow Art Theatre. This is Joel’s first appearance for Max & Louie Productions!

Riley Carter Adams (Debater) is a 7th grader at John Burroughs School. When she was seven, Riley created her first YouTube vlog channel, Black and Girly with Miss Riley. She has performed in a plethora of youth and equity theatre productions on several stages with COCA, Gateway Center for Performing Arts, Kirkwood Youth Theatre, Ignite Theatre Company, Union Avenue Opera, The Black Rep, The Rep, and The Muny. In 2019, Riley made her television debut in a recurring role in a Showtime Original series entitled On Becoming a God in Central Florida, co-executive produced and starring Kirsten Dunst and executive produced by George Clooney. 

In 2020, she starred in the local Nine PBS sensation A New Holiday, directed by Brian Owens and co-written with Sophia Stephens.  Riley currently voices the character of the effortlessly brave, Nevaeh Campbell, in the animated series, Drawn In, a collaboration between nine PBS and Lion Forge animation. She was featured in The Muny’s 104th season casts of Camelot and The Color Purple and starred as Matilda in COCA’s summer mainstage production of Matilda the Musical and in the New Jewish Theatre’s World Premiere of The Bee Play, as Paris. Riley enjoys writing in her journals, drawing, reading, learning new vlogging techniques from her favorite YouTubers, and spending time with her family and friends.

Aislyn Morrow She/They (Debater) attends Grand Center Arts Academy and will graduate in May 2023. She has appeared in Godspell, as Morgan, Milk Like Sugar as Myrna Desmond and in She Kills Monsters as Lilith Morningstar/Lilly, at Grand Center Arts Academy and most recently, Our Town at the Sun Theatre all directed by Michael Musgrave-Perkins.

She has also appeared in A Year with Frog and Toad, as Lizard, Squirrel, and Mole, with Fly North Theatricals, directed by Colin Healy, and in Ranked- A New Musical, as Jacquie, at COCA, directed by Grace Austin. When she’s not performing in theatre or musical theatre, Aislyn enjoys being the cheer captain of Titans Cheer Team at Confluence Preparatory Academy.

Maahi Saini (Debater) attends MICDS and is in 8th grade. She has appeared in two MICDS plays Happiest Day in Moneyville USA and A Collection of Aesop’s Fables.  Maahi has multiple public speaking awards, most coming from a foundation called NSF (North South Foundation), where they are given a prompt one minute before they speak. “It’s called impromptu for a reason!” 

She enjoys playing volleyball and squash and watching every sport possible especially ice hockey and football. Maahi enjoys spending time with friends and creating and editing video content. Maahi has always had a passion for drama and is so grateful for this opportunity!

Nancy Bell (Director) is an award-winning actor, director, and playwright with a body of working spanning thirty years. Her plays Blow Winds, Remember Me, The World Begun, Good in Everything, Old Hearts Fresh, and The New World were produced at Shakespeare Festival St. Louis, where she served as Playwright-in-Residence. Elsewhere, her plays have been developed or produced in California, New York and elsewhere.

As a performer, she has worked at Manhattan Theatre Club, New York Theatre Workshop, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Old Globe Theatre, South Coast Repertory, Geffen Playhouse and dozens of others nationally. Among many other TV and film credits, she appeared on Star Trek Voyager and as Susan Bates on the long-running soap Guiding Light. 

As a director, she has worked at Shakespeare Festival St. Louis, the New Jewish Theatre, St. Louis Actors Studio, COCA, and elsewhere. Nancy is Associate Professor of Theatre at Saint Louis University. www.NancyEllenBell.com