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 J’s New Jewish Theatre will continue its 24th season in June with the romantic comedy, Dear Jack, Dear Louise from June 9 – 26, 2022. The show follows the tremendous success of the season’s last show, Laughter on the 23rd floor.
“I am so pleased to present the regional premier of Ken Ludwig’s sweet and earnest love story,” said artistic director Eddie Coffield.
Molly Burris
The production will be directed by Sharon Hunter, artistic director of Moonstone Theatre Company and is making her NJT directorial debut.
The show will feature a talented two-person cast, NJT veteran Ryan Lawson Maeske as Jack and Molly Burris, who will be making her NJT debut, as Louise.
The creative team is comprised of Dunsi Dai on scenery, David LaRose on lighting, Amanda Were on sound and Michele Siler on costumes.
Ryan Lawson-Maeske
“I am thrilled to be making my NJT directing debut, “said Sharon Hunter. “I am honored to help tell the real-life story of two people who fall in love while corresponding during WWII. My family worked for the USO for over 15 years and both my mother and grandmother corresponded with loved ones serving in the military during WWII and Vietnam. This play is very close to my heart,” she said.
Dear Jack, Dear Louise is inspired by the playwright’s parents romance as pen pals during World War II.
The play chronicles the romance that spans the duration of World War II between a young military doctor, stationed in Medford, Oregon, and other places, and a budding young actress whose career hopes have taken her all the way from Brooklyn to Manhattan. Given the distance between them, the only way they can conduct, let alone evolve, their relationship is through letters, exchanged at times at breakneck pace and at other times with frustrating, worrisome slowness.
The show will premiere at The J’s Wool Studio Theatre at 2 Millstone Campus Drive in St. Louis. Individual tickets for the show are $47-$54. Season tickets and flex passes, which feature a five-ticket package customized to the ticket holder’s preference are available through the Box Office, by phone 314-442-3283 or online at newjewishtheatre.org. Masks must always be worn properly covering the nose and mouth during all New Jewish Theatre productions.
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.
In celebration of Free Comic Book Day and as an homage to the superheroes in our community, 4 Hands Brewery has created a new comic-themed label for their popular State Wide hazy pale ale. A percentage of sales will be donated to the St. Louis Public Library on behalf of this project. Expect to see the limited edition can launching Saturday, May 7 for Free Comic Book Day.
“We’re so excited to partner with 4 Hands on this year’s State Wide fundraising effort,” says Martin Casas, owner of Apotheosis Comics & Lounge. “Raising money for library systems in the state helps true heroes in our community – librarians who provide a vital role of giving families access to education and a world beyond their imagination. As comic book shops, we’re in the same business.”
“Martin approached us with this idea of creating a label to highlight the fun we could have in bringing one of our can’s art to life thru an inspired label,” said Kevin Lemp, CEO of 4 Hands Brewing Co. “We reached out to Jason Spencer with Killer Napkins to take our State Wide art label and use his creativity to create a story on our can. We cannot wait to share what he created with the community!”
Free Comic Book Day (FCBD) has been a tradition in the comic book community for the last 20 years. Each year, hundreds of customers show up to shops and are offered a selection of free comics as a way to bring in new customers young and old. “It’s fitting we are helping raise money for libraries in our state because like FCBD, libraries are often the first place readers discover comics,” said Casas. “Since the pandemic started in 2020, this will be the first year we’ve been able to hold a proper FCBD so this partnership is a great way to bring in a new element and introduce customers to comics.”
The limited edition can will be available at 4 Hands Brewing Co., local retailers and at Apotheosis Comics & Lounge located at 3206 S. Grand Blvd. and 3359 S. Jefferson Ave. For more information, visit www.apotheosiscomicsstl.com.
4 Hands Brewing Co. is located at 1220 S. 8th Street in the heart of downtown St. Louis. 4 Hands provides the craft beer enthusiast a handcrafted portfolio inspired by the American craft movement as well as traditional Belgian and French style Farmhouse ales. The use of wine and spirit barrels containing an array of fruit, herbs and spices in conjunction with wild yeast strains enhances the flavors to produce a one-of-a-kind beer. Visit the tasting room, take a tour, and enjoy creative pub fare seven days a week. For more information about the brewery visit www.4handsbrewery.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.
Hold on to your pearls, for “Triassic Parq: The Musical” is a raunchy romp of an offbeat musical comedy.
A parody of the film and novel “Jurassic Park,” the blockbuster 1993 science-fiction action thriller by Steven Spielberg adapted from Michael Crichton’s 1990 bestseller, this is flipped for the dinosaurs’ point of view.
Talk about a chaos theory. Bedlam ensues when one of the genetically engineered female dinosaurs turns male – spontaneously. It’s not nice when you fool Mother Nature – but it sure is naughty.
Goofy and gutsy as can be, the Stray Dog production features a winning cast that gives it their all, in belting out power ballads and selling daffy up-tempo numbers, with light-hearted choreography by Mike Hodges. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a cast work so hard with material that’s this absurd and thin.
Tristan Davis is the Velociraptor of Innocence, all swaggering rocker in “Get Out,’ while Michael Wells is the evangelist-like Velociraptor of Faith, reveling in the campiness of “Morning Assembly” and “Hello, Little Goat” – exhibiting strong, soaring vocals after not being on the stage since “Guys and Dolls” in the Before Times.
Laurell Stephenson is spirited in dual roles — as the skeptical Velociraptor of Science and then having fun interacting with the audience as a character named Morgan Freeman – that was actually played by the deep-voiced Oscar winner once upon a time. He/she disappears quickly after a hilarious set-up.
The fearless pair of punk rocker grrrls stand out as the Tyrannosaurus Rexes – a frisky Dawn Schmid as T-Rex 1/Kaitlyn and ballsy Rachel Bailey as the dial-it-to-11 confused T-Rex 2. They unleash their attraction in “Love Me As a Friend.”
The spunky ensemble accepts the wild-ride aspect and overcomes what the silly show lacks in sustainability.
This playful cast of six starts out with high energy in “Welcome to Triassic Parq” – and continues full-throttle to win over the eager crowd in 14 songs while dishing out a lot of sexual innuendo. It would seem like zany schoolkids’ antics were it not for the quality of the vocals – like a John Mulaney Broadway musical parody on “Saturday Night Live.”
Photos by John Lamb
But this is an actual musical that played off-Broadway in 2012 after winning best overall musical production at the 2010 New York International Fringe Festival. The music and lyrics are by Marshall Pailet, with co-lyricists Bryce Norbitz and Steve Wargo, and all three combined on the book.
Songs include lyrics about penises for shock value – “Dick Fix,” riffing on John Williams’ symphonic score “We Are Dinosaurs,” and outlandish “Mama.”
The band is led by Pianosaurus Leah Schultz (and music director0, with Adam Rugo the Guitaratops and Joe Winters the Drumadon.
Director Justin Been goes for the gusto, keeping things zippy and nonsensical, aiming to achieve a real crowd-pleaser, especially for a generation who grew up with the “Jurassic Park” movie trilogy and returned for the franchise offshoot “Jurassic World.”
The original won three tech Academy Awards, while the two even more preposterous sequels in 1997 and 2001 stretched the boundaries of logic, even for sci-fi/fantasy. A reboot called “Jurassic World” in 2015 was followed by a sequel in 2018, with the latest, “Dominion,” set to open June 10.
But in the one-act musical, performed without an intermission, you do not need that much familiarity with the 30-year-old source material, for the emphasis is on spoofing religion, sex, and identity. The prehistoric setting is purely for laughs.
Eileen Engel designed functional costumes with a touch of whimsy to convey the gender-bending.
Scenic designer Josh Smith worked magic in his scaled-down version of the Isla Nublar theme park on the Tower Grove Abbey stage, stunning without benefit of computer-generated imagery or visual effects.
The technical efforts add considerably to the overall presentation, including lighting by Tyler Duenow and outstanding sound work.
Stray Dog has always had a penchant for producing quirky plays –such as the “Evil Dead” musical, Charles Busch’s “Psycho Beach Party,” and “Red Scare on Sunset,” as a different direction between more serious explorations. So the strange, slight “Triassic Parq” is well-suited to be in between “Good People” and “The Normal Heart” this 2022 season.
Whether or not you are fascinated by dinosaurs is immaterial. This is not meant to be anything more than saucy merriment, so lower expectations and accept the vulgarity (or not – this is intended for “mature” adult audiences, as in rated R).
Stray Dog Theatre presents “Triassic Parq: The Musical” from April 15 through 30, with performances 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday; with additional performances at 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 24, and at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, April 27, at the Tower Grove Abbey, 2336 Tennessee Avenue. For more information or tickets, visit www.straydogtheatre.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.
This season’s exhilarating offerings feature contemporary plays by Madhuri Shekar and Dominique Morisseau, classics by Noël Coward and Agatha Christie, a musical tribute to Stephen Sondheim and the return of ‘A Christmas Carol’
The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis (The Rep) Augustin Family Artistic Director, Hana S. Sharif, and Managing Director, Danny Williams, are excited to announce the 2022-2023 show lineup for the 56th Season. The Rep is thrilled to welcome audiences back this fall with a season filled with world-class productions, a joyful mix of classics featuring tributes to theatrical icons, and new work from powerhouse voices of the 21st century.
The 2022-23 Mainstage Season kicks off in August with the highly anticipated House of Joy by Madhuri Shekar – an action-packed fantasy filled with romance and lots of girl power. In late-September, journey down the 1930s French Riviera in Noël Coward’s Private Lives, a scathing sendup of the British upper class. Just in time for the holidays, The Rep rings in the spirit of the season with the second annual production of the magical wintery wonderland of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol adapted by Michael Wilson.
Heading into the new year, The Rep lights up the stage with Steven Sondheim’s, Putting It Together: A Musical Review, featuring many of the legend’s most unforgettable masterpieces. Then stay tuned for Confederates, a time-bending drama fresh off its New York debut from MacArthur Genius Award-Winning Playwright Dominique Morisseau and produced in association with Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Closing out the Mainstage is the timeless Agatha Christie classic, Murder on the Orient Express, adapted for the stage by Ken Ludwig.
Spring 2023 will mark the long-awaited return of the beloved Steve Woolf Studio Series, adventurous theatre for adventurous theatregoers — a provocative and memorable black box experience at the new state-of-the-art Strauss Black Box Theatre in Kirkwood Performing Arts Center (KPAC). Show announcement to come in May.
“I look forward to inviting new and old friends to our theatre homes to share in the beauty and magic of the wonderful productions that will light up our stages next season,” said Sharif. “As I programmed the 2022-23 season I was inspired by the blossoming life of spring. From our reinvestment in the arts to the renewal of our commitment to the St. Louis community; my goal was to provide an array of productions that align with our mission of sharing entertaining and thought-provoking world-class art.”
“I am immensely excited to be at the helm of The Rep for my first full season with such a thrilling lineup of shows,” added Williams. “It’s been a true joy to watch this season come together and we can’t wait to share with everyone St. Louis.”
New for the 2022-2023 season, The Rep is offering several tiered subscription pass options, available now (prices vary by section). These exclusive subscription passes offer audiences the opportunity to find the perfect subscription for them. Subscription options:
● Classic Subscription Pass: Get your tickets for all 5 Mainstage shows, plus your choice of our Holiday or Steve Woolf Studio offerings. Lock in your preferred seats and dates for the entire season when you order. And if your plans change, enjoy no-fuss exchanges.
● Flex Subscription Pass: Get six passes to use for the best available seats to the shows you want most on the dates that fit your schedule, redeemable any time during the season.
● Insider Preview Subscription Pass: Be the first to see the show and get a great deal! Just like the Classic Pass, you’ll get tickets for the 5 Mainstage performances, plus your choice of either our Holiday or Steve Woolf Studio offerings. By attending Insider Preview Weekends (the first Friday-Sunday of each show’s run), you get priority access to the best seats in the theatre and save substantially on your subscription.
Mainstage shows will take place at the Loretto-Hilton Center for the Performing Arts and the Catherine B. Berges Theatre at COCA. The full schedule for the 2022-2023 Season is as follows:
● House of Joy: August 26 – September 18, Loretto-Hilton Center
At first glance, The House of Joy is a dazzling utopia; but when a new guard joins the emperor’s army, she discovers it’s more prison than paradise. This genre-busting adventure fantasy is filled with stunning locales, electrifying combat, steamy romance and badass girl power.
● Private Lives: September 30 – October 23, Catherine B. Berges Theatre
Amanda and Elyot are enjoying a romantic honeymoon – just not with each other. A chance meeting on their adjoined hotel balconies brings this divorced duo face-to-face for the first time in five years. Passions and tempers collide in this combustible romp, as the two remember why they fell in love and why they divorced in the first place.
● A Christmas Carol: November 18 – December 30, Loretto-Hilton Center
The Rep rings in the spirit of the season with the second annual production of this holiday classic. At long last, the ghosts of Ebenezer Scrooge’s past, present and future have caught up with him. Now London’s most infamous miser must face down his demons, reconcile the consequences of his choices and experience the power and joy of a miraculous redemption.
● Putting it Together: A Musical Review: January 27 – February 19, Catherine B. Berges Theatre
Celebrate legendary composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim by revisiting nearly 30 of the most poignant, powerful and witty songs in the American musical theatre canon. This beautiful, funny and emotionally charged musical review exposes the complicated relationships and deepest desires of two couples out for an elegant evening.
● Confederates: February 10 – March 5, Loretto-Hilton Center
An enslaved rebel turned Union spy and a tenured professor in a modern-day private university are having parallel experiences of institutionalized racism, despite existing more than a century apart. Dominique Morisseau brilliantly bends the continuum of time and weaves together the stark realities of racial and gender bias both women face in this illuminating drama.
Confederates is being produced in association with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
● Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express: March 17 – April 16, Loretto-Hilton Center
It’s 1934, just after midnight, and a snowstorm has stopped the opulent Orient Express sleeper train in its tracks. A wealthy American businessman is discovered dead, and the brilliant and beautifully mustachioed Hercule Poirot must solve the mystery before the murderer strikes again. Agatha Christie’s plot-twisting masterpiece takes audiences on a suspenseful thrill ride.
Agatha Christie’s “Murder on the Orient Express” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com
● Steve Woolf Studio Series: Spring 2023, Strauss Black Box Theatre in Kirkwood Performing Arts Center (KPAC)
Adventurous theatre for adventurous theatregoers — a provocative and memorable black box experience at the new state-of-the-art . Show announcement to come in May.
For more information and to purchase, visit repstl.org or call the Box Office at (314) 968-4925. The Rep Box Office at the Loretto-Hilton Center will be open Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10:30 AM – 5:00 PM.
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.
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 Muny announced today that Ben Davis, Carmen Cusack and Robert Cuccioli, will star in the musical thriller, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, July 16-22, 2022.
The Muny Premiere is directed by Rob Ruggiero, with musical staging by associate director Jessica Hartman, music direction by James Moore and Michael Horsley serving as associate music director. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is proudly sponsored by Missouri Lottery.
“These extraordinary artists in these iconic roles will be thrilling,” said Muny Artistic Director and Executive Producer Mike Isaacson. “I cannot wait to see them our Muny premiere of this musical masterpiece.”
Ben Davis
BEN DAVIS (Sweeney Todd) Muny: 1776, Guys and Dolls, Jesus Christ Superstar, Oklahoma!; Spamalot and South Pacific.
Tony Honor (Ensemble) for his work in Baz Luhrmann’s Broadway production of La Bohème (Marcello).
NYC: Lady in the Dark (NY City Center Encores!), Call Me Madam opposite Carmen Cusack, Dear Evan Hansen, Violet, A Little Night Music, Les Misérables and Thoroughly Modern Millie.
National tour: The Sound of Music and Spamalot. Other favorites include Kiss Me, Kate for the BBC at London’s Royal Albert Hall and Kurt Weill’s Knickerbocker Holiday opposite Kelli O’Hara and Victor Garber at Lincoln Center (recorded live) and in concert opposite Ms. O’Hara with Ted Sperling.
TV/Film: NBC’s Annie Live!; Chicago Fire, Law & Order: SVU; Woman in the Window, Boogie, The Magic Flute (directed by Kenneth Branagh), A Hand of Bridge, Blue Bloods, 30 Rock and Numb3rs.
Concerts: Philly Pops, RTÉ Orchestra, Tanglewood, Caramoor and many others.
Davis has been nominated for three St. Louis Theater Circle Awards — for “South Pacific,” “Oklahoma” and “Jesus Christ, Superstar.” at the Muny.
Carmen Cusack
CARMEN CUSACK (Mrs. Lovett) Broadway: Steve Martin and Edie Brickell’s Bright Star (Tony Award nomination), Flying Over Sunset (Clare Boothe Luce).
Streaming/Film: Facebook series, Sorry For Your Loss (recurring opposite Janet McTeer and Elizabeth Olsen), TriStar’s A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (opposite Tom Hanks).
Cusack studied opera at the University of North Texas, which gave her its first honorary baccalaureate degree in 2018
ROBERT CUCCIOLI (Judge Turpin) Muny: 42nd Street. Broadway: Jekyll & Hyde (Tony Award nomination, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, FANY and Chicago’s Joseph Jefferson Awards), Les Misérables and Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark.
Some favorite off-Broadway credits include A Touch of the Poet, The White Devil, Caesar and Cleopatra (Caesar), And the World Goes ‘Round (Outer Critics Circle Award), Rothschild & Sons (London’s Offie nomination), Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris and White Guy on The Bus.
Robert Cuccioli
Robert has performed at such notable regional theatres as The Guthrie, Paper Mill Playhouse, The Shakespeare Theatre of NJ, Shakespeare Theatre Company (Lorenzaccio, Helen Hayes nomination), McCarter Theatre Center, George Street Playhouse, Ford’s Theatre (1776, Helen Hayes nomination).
Television: The Sinner, Elementary, White Collar, Sliders, Baywatch, Guiding Light. Film: Celebrity, The Stranger, The Rest of Us, Impossible Monsters, Columbus on Trial.
About the show: The Broadway legend and American musical masterpiece makes its Muny debut. Set in 19th century London, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street has captivated audiences around the world with its murderous melodies and a haunting tale of love, revenge and hilarious mayhem.
Considered to be one of composer Stephen Sondheim’s greatest showpieces, this eight-time Tony Award-winning musical offers both thrills and laughs and is guaranteed to be an unforgettable night at The Muny.
The Telsey Office is the official casting partner for The Muny. Full casting will be announced at a later date.
The Muny’s 2022 Season includes Chicago (June 13-19), Lerner and Loewe’s Camelot (June 22-28), Disney and Cameron Macintosh’s Mary Poppins (July 5-13), Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (July 16-22), Legally Blonde, The Musical (July 25-31), The Color Purple (August 3-9) and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (August 12-18).
Season tickets are currently on sale. Single tickets will be available beginning May 23. Muny gift cards for the 104th season are now available online and at The Muny Box Office. For more information, visit muny.org or call (314) 361-1900
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 15th Annual QFest St. Louis — presented by Cinema St. Louis (CSL) — will take place from April 29-May 5 at the Galleria 6 Cinemas, with a selection of programs also available online. The online programs can be streamed at any time during the festival’s dates.
The St. Louis-based LGBTQ film festival, QFest will present an eclectic array of 35 films from 13 countries (20 shorts, nine narrative features, and six documentary features). The participating filmmakers represent a wide variety of voices in contemporary queer world cinema. The mission of the film festival is to use the art of contemporary gay cinema to spotlight the lives of LGBTQ people and to celebrate queer culture.
The fest is especially pleased to host the St. Louis premiere of “The Depths,” a rarely seen 2001 work by internationally acclaimed filmmaker Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, and a reprise from SLIFF of Sebastian Meiser’s prison drama “Great Freedom.” Another highlight is this year’s Q Classic, Todd Hayne’s 1991 “Poison,” which was a part of the dawn of the New Queer Cinema movement of the early ’90s.
A special event, a two-film mini-festival and a panel discussion focused on Harvey Milk, takes place before QFest on the weekend of April 22-23 at Webster University. The event is presented in partnership with Opera Theatre of St. Louis in conjunction with its upcoming premiere of “Milk” in June. In addition, QFest features a “Poison”-themed dance party at Handlebar on Saturday, April 30.
QFest St. Louis begins on Friday, April 29, and runs through Thursday, May 5. Tickets go on sale April 1. Tickets are $15 general, $12 for Cinema St. Louis members and students with valid and current IDs. Passes are also available: Five-Film Passes are $65, and All-Access Passes are $200 ($50 and $150 for CSL members). Virtual screenings — limited to residents of Missouri and Illinois — will be offered through Eventive, CSL’s online presentation partner. Direct ticket links are available on the QFest website.
QFest St. Louis is sponsored by AARP St. Louis, Arts & Education Council, Grizzell & Co., Missouri Arts Council, Bob Pohrer & Donnie Engle, CALOP, Just John Nightclub, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Regional Arts Commission, Deb Salls, St. Louis LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce, St. Louis Public Radio, Cindy Walker, Webster U. Film Series, and Ted Wight.
For the full schedule of screenings, including trailers and descriptions of the films, visit the festival website at www.cinemastlouis.org/qfest. Advance digital screeners of the features and some of the shorts are available for press review on request. Please inquire with QFest St. Louis artistic director Chris Clark.
We’re All Going to the World’s Fair
FILM PROGRAMS
Cut!
Marc Ferrer, Spain, 2021, 79 min., Spanish, narrative
The Depths
Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, Japan/Korea, 2010, 121 min., Japanese & Korean, narrative
Great Freedom(Grosse Freiheit)
Sebastian Meise, Germany, 2021, 116 min., German, narrative
Mama Bears
Daresha Kyi, U.S., 2022, 90 min., documentary
Poison
Todd Haynes, U.S., 1991, 85 min., narrative
Queer Shorts Programs 1-4
Multiple countries, program runtimes range between 79 and 99 minutes
Rebel Dykes
Harri Shanahan & Siân A. Williams, U.K., 2021, 89 min., documentary
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.
By Lynn Venhaus While “The Bad Guys” may not be the most original of animated tales, its appeal lies in colorful crafty characters, an inspired voice cast and vibrant visuals.
The humorous action-comedy is based on a series of illustrated children’s graphic novels by Australian author Aaron Blabey that started in 2015. The anthropomorphic animals, who call their gang The Bad Guys, try to perform good deeds to change society’s perception of them, but their efforts fall short, usually.
In this DreamWorks animated feature, the notorious criminals Mr. Wolf (Sam Rockwell), Mr. Snake (Marc Maron), Mr. Piranha (Anthony Ramos), Mr. Shark (Craig Robinson) and Ms. Tarantula “Webs” (Awkwafina) are finally caught, much to the delight of human Police Chief (Alex Borstein).
Wolf hatches a plan to save them from jail time, which Governor Foxington (Zazie Beetz) agrees to, and that is for philanthropic award-winning world citizen, a guinea pig named Professor Marmalade (Richard Ayaode), to mentor them on how to be good. But it’s all a con so they can fool everyone and pull off a big heist.
Director Pierre Perifel, in his feature debut, keeps everything zippy with a breakneck pace. He worked on the animated films “Kung Fu Panda 2” and “Rise of the Guardians,” so has familiarity with animal characters.
While the film is a kids’ book adaptation, it also is reminiscent of The Rat Pack’s coolness in the “Ocean’s 11” caper, and the loyal family vibe of the “Fast and Furious” crew.
It also reminded me of the short-lived Hanna-Barbera animated series “Top Cat” from my youth, which was a knock-off of Phil Silvers’ “Sgt. Bilko” –mischievous con artists hatching get-rich-quick schemes.
For as lightweight as the material is, Etan Cohen’s screenplay has some hooks and quips for adults, with additional material by Yoni Brenner and Hilary Winston.
Cohen, who is responsible for the prescient and criminally underrated “Idiocracy” as well as the clever “Tropic Thunder,” has worked in animated series – “King of the Hill” and “American Dad,” among them.
For the kiddos, there are the typical over-the-top situations, slapstick, and outrageous car chases to keep their attention.
The sight gags are geared for the young set – as the colossal shark tries to disguise himself as a society matron while impish sharp-toothed fish has toxic gas-like flatulence.
The voice cast enlivens the narrative considerably. Sam Rockwell brings a slick jauntiness – think Clooney — to the street-wise ringleader Wolf, the big baddie saddled with a negative image from all the fairy tales and nursery rhymes.
Indie darlings Marc Maron, Zazie Beetz and Richard Ayaode have fun in their roles, amping up their characters’ personalities. In their pitch-perfect turns of phrase, the snake is a grouch, the fox is a flirt and the professor’s all snobby condescendence, laying on thick the British manners.
Anthony Ramos breaks loose in song – of course, the musical theater actor (“In the Heights,” “Hamilton”) would have a star turn in a gala musical number, “Good Tonight,” penned by Daniel Pemberton.
The prolific composer’s score here is reminiscent of 1970s heist movies. Pemberton’s ear for retro melodies to craft contemporary film compositions is impressive, as he has shown in “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” and “Being the Ricardos.”
Exaggerated in tone and style, “The Bad Guys” is not layered like Pixar, nor does it have any other agenda than to be an entertaining diversion for kids and parents alike.
The governor and Mr. Wolf
“The Bad Guys” is a 2022 animated action-crime-comedy directed by Pierre Perifel and featuring voice work from Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, Awkwafina, Zazie Beetz, Richard Ayaode, Craig Robinson, Anthony Ramos, Alex Borstein and Lilly Singh Rated PG for action and rude humor, it runs 1 hour and 40 minutes. It opens in theaters April 22. Lynn’s Grade: B
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.
By Lynn Venhaus For all its relentless fury and fire, “The Northman” has a remote iciness that hampers emotional investment in the Shakespearean heroes and villains.
That said, its vast medieval-era storytelling is stunning in its vivid and realistic presentation and sets in motion a bloody, savage revenge tale.
A terrified boy sees his father slaughtered, his mother kidnapped, and his tribe decimated. To escape from death, he runs for his life, and his future path is set by trauma – horrible violence and emotional pain.
The young prince repeats this phrase over and over, first as he escapes: “I will avenge you, Father! I will save you, Mother! I will kill you, Fjölnir!”
It’s a simple plot, really, but like his other two immersive historical films “The Witch” (2016) and “The Lighthouse” (2019), director Robert Eggers takes a long time getting to where he wants to go.
The ambitious and singular Eggers, known for his visionary aesthetic and meticulous historical details, has wrapped this gruesome adventure with dark Norse mythology and mystical elements.
Set in the 10th century Iron Age in Scandinavia, this brutal testosterone-fueled exercise honors Nordic rituals and customs in a painstaking, sometimes surreal, way. Don’t expect inaccurate horned helmets or any out-of-sync aspect.
The Icelandic and Northern Ireland landscapes are a portrait of an emerging agrarian civilization whose marauding barbarians have their own laws and behaviors. Those seafaring Vikings were in their land-taking phase then.
Those familiar with Vikings’ television programs, and such grand-scale movies as “Gladiator,” “Braveheart” and even “Conan the Barbarian,” will understand the power struggles and the tribal need to conquer.
The Nordic characters are faithfully portrayed in the blood-and-guts action, with intense swordplay and more than a few beheadings. With such characters as Finnr the Nose-Stub and Hersveinn the Battle-Hard, you can imagine the chest-thumping and loud growls.
Women, naturally, are marginal characters, but in Eggers’ screenplay, co-written by Scandinavian author Sjon, Queen Gudrun (Nicole Kidman) is given a hefty character arc. Unfortunately, ethereal Anna Taylor-Joy as slave Olga of the Birch Forest needed more to do – but does display a fierceness.
Singer-actress Bjork shows up in one scene as a seeress, who reminds Amleth of his destiny.
Similarities to “Hamlet” are obvious. After all, he was the Prince of Denmark — whose father was killed by his uncle who married his mother. But was Shakespeare inspired by Amleth’s odyssey, not vice versa? Hmmm.
The strange, trippy quality is enhanced through Jarin Blaschke’s atmospheric cinematography, Craig Lathrop’s impeccable production design and a propulsive musical score from Robin Carolan and Sebastian Gainsborough. Those drumbeats are ominous.
Blaschke, who has worked on all Eggers’ films and was Oscar-nominated for “The Lighthouse,” frames the starkness brilliantly, often working with candles and fire. So has Lathrop, whose primitive design was influenced by historical consultants, including archeologists and literary scholars.
The plot doesn’t offer much complexity, and although there is an interesting twist revealed about two-thirds of the way, most of the characters don’t have enough passion to engage. They can be admired for their mental and physical toughness but keep us at a distance.
The once lively little boy (well-played by an all-in Oscar Novak) has turned into a sour, dour and buff he-man who is so singularly focused he can’t fully enjoy the love of a good woman.
The likable Alexander Skarsgard is physically fit for the role, with his lanky physique, and has taken on blockbuster roles in “Kong vs. Godzilla” and “The Legend of Tarzan” before without making a mark. This fearless beast starts at 11 and has nowhere to go in ferocity.
However, Skarsgard has previously demonstrated he is best-suited for dramatic turns in independent films and prestige television – the suave guy with some simmering issues (Racist husband in “Passing,” jilted groom in “Melancholia”). He first gained notice as the Viking vampire Eric Northman on HBO’s “True Blood” (2008) and later won an Emmy as the menacing, abusive husband of Nicole Kidman in “Big Little Lies” (2017).
Interesting that he and Kidman team up again, only she plays his damsel-in-distress mother here. Kidman gives the film’s best performance.
In typical wacky Willem Dafoe fashion, “The Lighthouse” star is Heimr the Fool. Ethan Hawke is impactful in his brief role as King Aurvandil War-Raven.
Things tend to get weird if Eggers is in charge, and he likes to explore evil forces’ effect on ordinary lives, how it messes with fate. With a bigger budget and broader in scope, “The Northman” delivers as a spectacle but falls a little short of its lofty goals.
The gripping action scenes of the first chapter give way to repetitive combat in the final ones, and even though the big showdown is one primal scream, by then the narrative has lost steam.
“The Northman” is not for the faint of heart. It’s a difficult challenge to meld artistic vision with blunt-force action, and the rage is never harnessed. For all the modern talk about toxic masculinity, this is an early example, and therefore, hard to watch in 21st century times.
But as a period piece, its sheer weight is enormous, and deserves to be explored.
“The Northman” is a 2022 action, adventure, drama directed by Robert Eggers and stars Alexander Sarsgaard, Nicole Kidman, ClaesBang, Anya Taylor-Joy, Willem Dafoe, Ethan Hawke, Bjork and Oscar Novak. It is rated R for strong bloody violence, some sexual content and nudity and runs 2 hours, 20 minutes. It opens in theaters April 22. Lynn’s Grade: B.
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.
West End Players Guild closes out its 110th season with Martin McDonagh’s The Lonesome West, a four-time Tony Award nominee on Broadway (including Best Play of 1999). The show opens Friday, April 29 and runs through Sunday, May 8 in the theatre at the Union Avenue Christian Church in the Central West End.
Set in Leenane, County Galway, in western Ireland, this darkest of dark comedies offers multiple murders and suicides, periodic drunken rages and fistfights, a couple of knife attacks, random acts of sacrilege and oodles of despair. Like the two other plays in McDonagh’s Leenane Trilogy, it would be a rather sad story if it wasn’t so outrageously funny.
The story revolves around brothers Valene and Coleman Connor who, as the play begins, have just buried their father, recently deceased as the result of a shooting accident. Valene and Coleman are a middle-aged and embittered pair. They have nowhere to go in their lives and are in no hurry to get there. Neither brother is especially saddened by the death of their father. Each seems animated instead by his all-consuming hatred of the other. They spend their days and nights brawling over the most trivial and mundane of slights, both real and imagined, much to the dismay of their parish priest, Father Welsh. Welsh fears (not unreasonably) that the brothers are headed for a violent end, and is on a mission to salvage their relationship at any cost.
Robert Ashton directs the WEPG production which features Jason Meyers as Coleman Connor, Jeff Kargus as Valene Connor, Ted Drury as Father Welsh and Hannah Geisz as Girleen Kelleher, a flirtatious teenager who makes a living selling her family’s poteen (Irish potato moonshine) door-to-door. The Connors are among her most frequent top-volume customers.
WEPG will present The Lonesome West in seven performances at 8 p.m. Thursday (second week only), Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays, April 29-May 8. Tickets for all performances are now on sale at www.WestEndPlayers.org/tickets.
West End Players Guild this season employs touchless ticketing, socially-distanced seating and indoor masking of all patrons and front-of-house staff and volunteers. For full details on our public health policies, please visit www.WestEndPlayers.org/covid-19-policies/.
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 Actors’ Studio is pleased to announce its 15th Season at The Gaslight Theater – ‘Facts of Life,’ including the following plays:
‘Fiction’ by Steven Dietz, October 7-23, 2022, directed by Wayne Salomon
Linda and Michael Waterman are both successful fiction writers, happily married to one another. They thrive on the give and take of their unusually honest and candid relationship. However, when Linda is diagnosed with a tumor, she asks her husband to share his diaries with her. The entries dive into Michael’s past stay at a writer’s retreat and a hidden affair. Michael says that his entries are only works of fiction. The boundaries between past and present, fact and fiction, trust and betrayal begin to break down, and that’s all before Michael reads Linda’s diaries. No life, as it turns out, is an open book.
‘Forget Me Knot,’ December 2-18, 2022, a limited engagement!
Join us for a magical world premiere event conceived and performed by renowned illusionist, Kyle Marlett. A race against the clock by one human being as he attempts to leave his mark on this earth before time runs out. An unfiltered visual essay of stunning illusions and raw storytelling as he desperately runs for his life.
‘Uncle Vanya’ by Anton Chekhov adapted by Neil LaBute, February 17-March 5, 2023, directed by Associate Artistic Director Annamaria Pileggi
A comic drama about summer love. When a retired professor and his beautiful young second wife arrive at their remote family estate to settle down, they disrupt the quiet farm life with their city ways. Against a late-summer country landscape, the inhabitants of the house quickly discover new passions and revisit old loves.
Neil LaBute. Photo by Anne Cusack
9thAnnual LaBute New Theater Festival, July 7-23, 2023.
“We are thrilled to celebrate and share our 15th Season with three unique shows that explore the many aspects of life, love and relationships, as well as our annual LaBute New Theater Festival, providing amazing opportunities to emerging professional and high school playwrights,” said William Roth, founder and Artistic Director of the St. Louis Actors’ Studio.
For more information and tickets, visit stlas.org.
About St. Louis Actors’ Studio
St. Louis Actors’ Studio was founded to bring a fresh vision to theatre in St. Louis. Housed in The Gaslight Theater in historic Gaslight Square, STLAS is committed to bringing engaging theatrical experiences to our community of actors, writers, producers, filmmakers and all patrons of the arts; and to provide a strong ensemble environment to foster learning and artistic expression. St. Louis Actors’ Studio, through the use of ensemble work, will explore the endless facets and various themes of the human condition by producing existing and original collaborative theatre. For more information, visit stlas.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.
