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 Alex McPherson Whenever Edgar Wright releases a new film, my heart races with anticipation. After such classics as “Shaun of the Dead” and my all-time favorite, “Hot Fuzz,” I had high expectations for his new documentary about the difficult-to-describe pop band known as Sparks. The film, aptly titled “The Sparks Brothers,” isn’t as fine-tuned as his previous efforts, despite Wright’s stylistic touches and the likability of the subjects at its center.
“The Sparks Brothers” chronicles the rickety journey of brothers Ron and Russell Mael — two individuals passionate about staying true to their creative spirit, despite outside pressures. Growing up in Los Angeles with a love of music and French New Wave cinema, Ron and Russell were eager to make a name for themselves by walking paths less taken. As a result, their artistic “genius” — rammed into our heads by a huge group of interviewees, including Flea, “Weird Al” Yankovic, and Neil Gaiman — was often overlooked by record companies, nevertheless influencing a number of successful bands down the road. They have remained steadfast in their desire to create art, frequently layered with social commentary, that never panders to a given audience and remains beautifully unpredictable. Wright’s film, organizing their story by spotlighting specific songs from each of their 25 albums, aims to finally give them the recognition they merit.
An energetic, inspiring, yet overly glowing music documentary, “The Sparks Brothers” feels like a film made by Sparks fans for Sparks fans. Viewers previously unaware of the band, like myself, will likely leave the film with an urge to listen to some Sparks songs and not much else. Sure, perhaps Wright wasn’t aiming to “move” viewers, but when the two-hour mark rolls around, hearing the huge pool of interviewees gush about how much they love Sparks grows tiresome.
“The Sparks Brothers” is, thankfully, a much more self-aware documentary than most others I’ve seen, filled with Wright’s signature quick-cuts and sight gags that usually put a smile on my face. He incorporates archival footage, stop-motion animation, and staged reenactments to visualize anecdotes during Spark’s tumultuous history. For example, to complement discussion of Spark’s beginnings, we see shots of a colorful bird spreading its wings, and shots of doors being shut in people’s faces when they struggle to get signed. These moments don’t necessarily add poignancy to the proceedings, but their charm helps keep the film moving when the runtime threatens to derail my interest.
It doesn’t hurt that Ron and Russell are excellent interview subjects, each with a dry sense of humor that fits perfectly among the characters in Wright’s filmography. Russell, the more traditionally handsome, outgoing one, is effectively contrasted with Ron, who dons an Adolf Hitler/Charlie Chaplin mustache and retains stoic facial expressions. They seem inseparable, sticking together through challenges, even when they dip in popularity and end up abruptly abandoning those they collaborate with. While we don’t get an in-depth look at their personal lives or their songwriting process, their desire to create songs that challenge and entertain is admirable.
Anecdotes about mishaps onstage, their love lives, and unfortunate cinematic involvement are amusing, albeit not especially compelling from an outsider perspective. When specific songs and album covers are discussed, on the other hand, “The Sparks Brothers” is considerably more appealing. The surprising themes of “Tits” and the stylistic subversion of “Kimono My House” are enlightening. I wish “The Sparks Brothers” contained more of this deeper analysis, and spent less time on famous interviewees repeating themselves about how godlike the band is. A tight, 90-minute cut is in there somewhere, but two-hours-and-twenty-minutes is really pushing it. Maybe Wright’s excess matches those of the Mael brothers themselves, though, marking their big-screen treatment with the showmanship they deserve (at least until their new project alongside Adam Driver, Marion Cotillard, and French director Leos Carax releases later this year).
When the dust has settled, “The Sparks Brothers” feels somewhat superfluous, but remains passably engaging through to the end. Watching the film in two sittings could provide a more satisfying experience, but I’m eager to add Sparks to my playlists, so perhaps that’s good enough.
Sparks_By_Anna_Webber_9 c
Ron Mael and Russell Mael star in Edgar Wright’s documentary THE SPARKS BROTHERS, a Focus Features release.
Credit: Anna Webber / Focus Features
“The Sparks Brothers” is a 2021 documentary directed by Edgar Wright. It is Rated R for language and runs 2 hours, 15 minutes. Alex’s Grade: B-. The film is in theaters June 18.
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 the reopening of live theatre in St. Louis and their 35th Anniversary Season, STAGES St. Louis has announced their 2022 Season will feature the regional premiere of the Tony-Award Winning IN THE HEIGHTS, music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda and book by Quiara Alegría Hudes.
IN THE HEIGHTS is a vital and thrilling musical about the American Dream set in the vibrant NYC neighborhood of Washington Heights. Exploring the hopes and dreams of family, community, and more, the production is a perfect fit for the STAGES mission and audience.
Before there was HAMILTON, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s IN THE HEIGHTS took Broadway by storm, winning the Tony Award for Best Musical, as well as the Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album. An acclaimed film adaptation, directed by Jon M. Chu and starring Anthony Ramos, was released this past weekend.
“We are beyond excited about presenting IN THE HEIGHTS at STAGES in 2022. I can’t think of a better show to be a part of our first full season at the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center. Everything about this beautiful and melodic musical speaks to the stories that STAGES so loves to tell,” said Mosbacher Family Executive Producer Jack Lane.
On its Broadway opening in 2008, The New York Times raved, “When this musical erupts in one of its expressions of collective joy, the energy it gives off could light up the George Washington Bridge for a year or two.” That energy will no doubt be alive and thriving on The Ross Family Theatre stage at the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center in 2022.
STAGES St. Louis will announce the remainder of their 2022 Season later this summer. In the meantime, tickets for STAGES 35th Anniversary Season, featuring the fan-favorite production of ALWAYS… PATSY CLINE (August 6 – September 5) and the STAGES premiere of JERSEY BOYS (September 24 – October 24) are on sale now. You can purchase two-show subscriptions or single tickets by visiting their website at StagesStLouis.org or by calling the Box Office at 314.821.2407.
For more information, please follow STAGES on Facebook and Instagram or visit the organization’s website. STAGES St. Louis is the region’s foremost not-for-profit company committed to preserving and advancing the art form of Musical Theatre through excellence in performance and education. In 2021, STAGES celebrates its 35th year of producing Broadway-quality theatre, as well as the grand opening of our new home, the $25 Million Kirkwood Performing Arts Center.
STAGES Performing Arts Academy is regionally renowned for its innovative and multi-disciplinary programs that transform lives through immersion in the Musical Theatre arts. Celebrating its 16th year, it is also the only such program in the St. Louis region to be connected to a professional theatre company.
For more information on the Academy or to register today please call 636.449.5775 or visit us online at www.StagesStLouis.org.Two-show subscription and single tickets for the 2021 Season are on sale now. For more information, please call 314.821.2407 or visit www.StagesStLouis.or
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 27 principal cast members for its 2021 season in Forest Park. Complete company casting will be announced throughout June and July.
After what will be a 23-month intermission, The Muny’s 103rd season will open with the Muny premiere of Smokey Joe’s Cafe, followed by the beloved classic The Sound of Music. The season continues with a newly reimagined Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, the Midwest regional and Muny premiere of On Your Feet! and closes with Broadway’s longest-running American musical Chicago. The Telsey Office is the official casting partner for The Muny.
“This is an amazing, thrilling, heart-stopping collection of talented artists,” said Muny Artistic Director and Executive Producer Mike Isaacson. “Our return this year in many ways has as much significance as our 100th season. It means so much to so many. I can’t wait for these amazing people to share their gifts.” SMOKEY JOE’S CAFE The Songs of Leiber and Stoller July 26 – August 1 Words and Music by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller Sponsored by Ameren
CHARL BROWN (Sonny) is thrilled to be appearing on The Muny stage for the first time and at this historic moment for theatre. He was nominated for a Tony Award for the role of Smokey Robinson in Motown: The Musical and reprised this role opening the West End production. This winter, he is slated to appear as Brick in Virginia Stage’s production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Other Broadway/tour: Jersey Boys, Sister Act, Hair. Select regional: The Who’s Tommy (Denver Center, Kennedy Center), Ever After (Paper Mill Playhouse), Johnny Baseball (American Repertory Theater), Dreamgirls, Ragtime, Six Degrees of Separation, Jesus Christ Superstar, A Chorus Line. Select television: FBI, Evil, Madam Secretary. When not in an acting role, Charl tours the globe with his group, The Doowop Project, including venues such as The Blue Note Beijing, Disney Symphony Hall, Ottawa Symphony, City Winery Nashville and many others worldwide.
MICHAEL CAMPAYNO (Rod) originated the role of Rob Camilletti in The Cher Show and also starred as Fiyero in the hit musical Wicked on Broadway. A Pittsburgh native and graduate of Carnegie Mellon School of Drama, he made his television debut as Rolf in the NBC live telecast of The Sound of Music starring Carrie Underwood and can be heard on the cast recording. His other credits include Lancelot in Camelot starring Robert Sean Leonard and Barry Bostwick, productions at Pittsburgh CLO, and in concert with the Phoenix Symphony and Carolina Philharmonic. Television: The Other Two (HBOMAX), The Good Fight (CBS). Proud member of SAG, AFTRA and AEA. Follow @michaelcampayno
MYKAL KILGORE (Little Walter) is an award-winning actor and a Grammy and NAACP Image Award-nominated singer/songwriter. His debut album, A Man Born Black, is a gumbo of American roots and modern feels that highlight his ability to go from Broadway showtune storytelling to soul and jazz scatting to gospel. Mykal most recently starred in his online special, Mykal Kilgore Live… on the Innanets! Broadway: Motown: The Musical and Hair. National tour: The Book of Mormon. Other select credits: The Witch in Into the Woods at Barrington Stage Company, The Who’s Tommy at The Kennedy Center, Songs for a New World at Encores! OffCenter. TV/Film: NBC’s Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert, The Wiz Live! and Collateral Beauty. Mykal has racked up 10M+ views on social media with his videos, including his viral Reclaiming My Time video. #blacklivesmatter #translivesmatter #loveoneanother MYKALKILGORE.COM
TIFFANY MANN (Willie Mae) Broadway: Be More Chill, Waitress. Off-Broadway: Jerry Springer: The Opera (Lucille Lortel Award), Invisible Thread, Cabin in the Sky. Other select theater: Dreamgirls (Effie), Live from Lincoln Center: Sweeney Todd in Concert. TV: New Amsterdam and Rise for NBC, Orange Is the New Black. @iamtiffanymann
HAYLEY PODSCHUN (Annette) Originally from Kansas, Hayley returns to The Muny after playing Dainty June in the 2018 production of Gypsy. Broadway: Wicked (Glinda, national tour), Hello, Dolly!; Something Rotten, Chaplin (Mildred Harris), Anything Goes, Pal Joey, Sunday in the Park with George, Hairspray (Broadway, national tour) and The Sound of Music. Off-Broadway: Freckleface Strawberry (Freckleface, original cast). Select regional credits: Holiday Inn (Linda Mason, Paper Mill Playhouse), I Married an Angel (Anna Murphy, NY City Center Encores!), The Royal Family of Broadway (Gwen, Barrington Stage, world premiere), Holiday Inn (Lila Dixon, Goodspeed, world premiere) Crazy for You (Polly, Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival), Peter Pan (Peter Pan, Artpark), Legally Blonde (Elle Woods, Arvada Center). Film/TV: Hairspray (Tammy), The Blacklist, Louie, Isn’t It Romantic and Hail, Caesar; You can also find Hayley on QVC as a guest host for Zodiac Shoes. IG: @hayley_podschun or www.hayleypodschun.com for more!
CHRISTOPHER SAMS (Cornelius) is ecstatic to join The Muny and Marcia Milgrom Dodge in turning up the summer heat with Leiber and Stoller’s Smokey Joe’s Cafe. Broadway credits feature Mufasa in Disney’s The Lion King. National touring credits include The Lion King (Ensemble, u/s Mufasa), The Color Purple (Ensemble/Grady/Buster), Ragtime (Coalhouse Walker Jr.) and Rock of Ages (Ensemble/Ja’Keith). Became a proud AEA member doing Smokey Joe’s Cafe with Ms. Dodge in 2016 and this is Chris’ third time rocking through the neighborhood.
NASIA THOMAS (Pearl) was most recently seen as Cathy in Out of The Box Theatrics version of The Last Five Years. In the fall, she can be seen as The Radio in the upcoming revival of Caroline, or Change on Broadway. Most recently seen in Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations on Broadway. Broadway: Little Eva in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. National tour: Beautiful. Regional: Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations (Berkeley Rep, Kennedy Center, Center Theatre Group, Mirvish Theatre), Beauty and the Beast (TUTS), Hairspray, (Muny). BFA Musical Theatre, Elon ‘15, The Governors School for the Arts ‘11. Member at DGRW Talent. IG: @nasiathomas.
JASON VEASEY (Doc) Jason is happy to be back in one of his favorite cities making his Muny debut! Theatre credits include the Broadway and national touring companies of The Lion King, the Pulitzer Prize-winning A Strange Loop and a couple visits to Smokey Joe’s Cafe! He’s been at The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Actors Theatre of Louisville, The Denver Center and The Public in New York. TV/Film credits include High Maintenance, Chicago Fire, Little Voice, Dash & Lily, Flatbush Misdemeanors and I’m Not Him.
THE SOUND OF MUSIC August 3– 9 Music by Richard Rodgers Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II Book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse Suggested by “The Trapp Family Singers” by Maria Augusta Trapp Sponsored by Edward Jones
KATE ROCKWELL (Maria Rainer) is thrilled to be back at The Muny! Previous Muny credits include Beauty and the Beast (Belle) and Tarzan (Jane). On Broadway, she recently starred as the original Karen Smith in Mean Girls: The Musical (Drama Desk nomination). Her previous Broadway dumb blondes include originating the role of Skylar in Bring It On: The Musical, Rock of Ages, Hair and Legally Blonde. She’s been seen recently as Nina Bennett on Fox’s Almost Family, High Maintenance, Deadbeat and Sex and the City: The Movie. Upcoming: Harlem on Amazon. She released her debut solo album, Back To My Roots, in 2018 on Broadway Records, and has performed her solo concert by the same name at Birdland Jazz Club, City Winery and other venues in NYC. She is a WSET-certified wine lover and has the two cutest dogs on the planet.
MICHAEL HAYDEN (Captain Georg von Trapp) Broadway: All My Sons, Festen, Henry IV, Judgement at Nuremberg (Tony nomination), Cabaret, Carousel. Off-Broadway: The Lady from Dubuque, Measure for Measure, Dessa Rose, Far East. London: Cabaret, Carousel (Olivier nomination). Regional: Much Ado About Nothing, The Winter’s Tale, Henry V, Richard II, Merrily We Roll Along. Film: Patient 001, Charming Billy (American Film Institute Best Actor Award). TV: Evil, Elementary, Chicago Fire, Law & Order and Murder One.
BRYONHA MARIE PARHAM (The Mother Abbess) is thrilled to be making her Muny debut in her home state! Broadway: Prince of Broadway, The Book of Mormon, After Midnight, The Gershwin’s Porgy & Bess, Ragtime. Off Broadway/NY: Promenade (NY City Center Encores!), Candide (Carnegie Hall), Ragtime (Lincoln Center). National tour: Falsettos. World premieres: Dave (Arena Stage), Prince of Broadway (Tokyo Theatre Orb). Concert: New York Philharmonic, San Diego Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra (Bernstein’s Mass), Kansas City Symphony, 92nd Street Y Lyrics & Lyricists series. Regional: The Gershwin’s Porgy & Bess (American Repertory Theater), Ragtime (Kennedy Center), The Civil War (NETworks), Hair (Sacramento Music Circus), Dreamgirls (Effie, North Shore), Little Shop of Horrors (Berkshire Theatre Group) and many more! Television: The SpongeBob Musical: Live on Stage!; Madam Secretary, Live from Lincoln Center: Sweeney Todd in Concert (Beggar Woman) and Show Boat in Concert, 66th and 68th Annual Tony Awards, The Today Show. Twitter/Instagram: @BryonhaMarie
ELIZABETH TEETER (Liesl von Trapp) is thrilled to return to the Muny stage after last being seen off-Broadway as Lily in The Secret Life of Bees (Atlantic Theatre Company). Broadway: Betty in The Crucible, Young Elizabeth in The Audience, starring Helen Mirren; and Jane Banks in the closing company of Mary Poppins. Other NYC credits include workshops with Kathleen Marshall, Anne Kauffman, Leigh Silverman, Rachel Brosnahan and more. Regional: The Muny, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Opera Theatre St. Louis, Tennessee Williams Festival, Variety Theatre. TV/Film: Leaving (short film), The Last O.G. (TBS). You can also see her this August as Laura in The Glass Menagerie with the Tennessee Williams Festival. Eleven years ago, she played one of the tiniest von Trapp children at The Muny and is honored for this full circle moment. @elizabethteeterofficial
ANDREW ALSTAT (Rolf Gruber) is thrilled to be returning to The Muny for his second season! Originally from Pomona, Illinois, Andrew is a recent graduate of the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, where he received his BFA in Musical Theatre. He was last seen on the Muny stage as Chuck Cranston in Footloose. Recent credits: The Rocky Horror Show (Rocky) and The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Frederick) for CCM, Newsies (Albert, Wagon Wheel Center for the Arts), Legally Blonde (Emmett) and Anything Goes (Billy Crocker) for McLeod Summer Playhouse. @a_alstat. @andrewalstat_photography
JENNY POWERS (Elsa Schraeder) is thrilled to be back at the Muny where her credits include 1776 (Abigail Adams, 2019), Jerome Robbins’ Broadway (Monotony Singer/Hildy, 2018), Mamma Mia! (Tanya, 2016); The Addams Family (Morticia Addams, 2014), Mary Poppins (Mary Poppins, 2013), Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (Milly, 2011), Camelot (Guenevere, 2009) and Oliver! (Nancy, 2006). Broadway: Rizzo in Grease and Meg in Little Women. Theatre highlights: Marie Dancing Still (5th Avenue Theatre), Lois Lane in It’s a Bird…It’s a Plane…It’s Superman (NY City Center Encores!), Donnybrook! (Irish Rep, Drama Desk nomination); Dangerous Beauty (Pasadena Playhouse), Happiness (Lincoln Center), Secondhand Lions (5th Avenue) and Little Dancer (Kennedy Center). TV: The Mysteries of Laura, Blue Bloods, Power, The Good Wife, Mercy, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Nurse Jackie, All My Children. She is also the co- founder of The Link Theatre Company thelinktheatre.org jenny-powers.com
JOHN SCHERER (Max Detweiler) has appeared at The Muny in Cinderella, Kinky Boots, Annie, Young Frankenstein, The Buddy Holly Story, The Addams Family, Spamalot and Mame. He has appeared on Broadway in LoveMusik, By Jeeves and Sunset Boulevard. Off-Broadway credits include Dames at Sea, Olympus on My Mind and Preppies. Other NY credits include The Most Happy Fella (NY City Opera) and Out of This World (NY City Center Encores!). He has toured nationally in 42nd Street, Cats, Mame, Hello, Dolly! and White Christmas. His regional credits include Arena Stage, Goodman Theatre, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Kennedy Center, Goodspeed Opera House, Paper Mill Playhouse and many others. Television credits include Blue Bloods, The Shield, Crossing Jordan, Law & Order (SVU and CI) and Titus. He is originally from Buffalo, NY and is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University. SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS August 12 – 18 Book by Lawrence Kasha and David Landay Lyrics by Johnny Mercer Music by Gene de Paul New Songs by Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn Based on the MGM Film and “The Sobbin’ Women” by Stephen Vincent Benet Dance Music Arrangements by Sam Davis Sponsored by U.S. Bank
Kendra Kassebaum
KENDRA KASSEBAUM (Milly Bradon) Muny: Guys and Dolls (Miss Adelaide, 2019). On Broadway, Kendra originated the role of Janice in the Tony-nominated production of Come From Away as well as Sam in Leap of Faith. She played Glinda in Wicked on Broadway, in San Francisco and on the first national tour (Helen Hayes nomination). Other New York: The Receptionist (Manhattan Theatre Club) and the Tony Award-winning, Grammy-nominated production of Assassins. Kendra made her Broadway debut in Rent. For Roundabout Theatre, she performed the role of Petra in A Little Night Music, starring Vanessa Redgrave and Natasha Richardson. Kassebaum’s regional appearances include Actors Theatre of Louisville, The 5th Avenue Theatre, American Conservatory Theater, Ordway, Florida Stage and her hometown St. Louis Muny. Film: The Other Woman (with Natalie Portman and Lisa Kudrow).
EDWARD WATTS (Adam Pontipee) is delighted to make his post-pandemic debut at The Muny! Broadway: Robert/David in Scandalous. Other New York: Superman (It’s a Bird… It’s a Plane… It’s Superman), El Gallo (The Fantasticks), Joe (The Most Happy Fella) and Steve (Show Boa Tours: The Book of Mormon, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Les Misérables and The Little Mermaid. Selected regional: The Grinch in Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Old Globe), Harold Hill in The Music Man (Goodspeed Musicals), Joe Bradley in Roman Holiday (Guthrie Theater), Carl-Magnus in A Little Night Music (Michigan Opera Theatre), Thomas Jefferson in 1776 (Goodspeed) and Miles Gloriosus in A Funny Thing… Forum (Shakespeare Theatre Company, Helen Hayes nomination). Television: NCIS: New Orleans, Quantico, The Sopranos, Rescue Me. Proud member of AEA. EdwardWatts.net.
ON YOUR FEET! The Story of Emilio & Gloria Estefan August 21 – 27 Featuring Music Produced and Recorded by Emilio & Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine Book by Alexander Dinelaris Sponsored by BMO Harris Bank
OMAR LOPEZ-CEPERO (Emilio) is deeply humbled to return to the Muny stage after appearing in Paint Your Wagon (Armando) and The Unsinkable Molly Brown. Prior to the pandemic shutdown, he was seen in the off-Broadway premiere of The Unsinkable Molly Brown (Vincenzo). Broadway: On Your Feet! and American Idiot. Off-Broadway: The Public Theater’s Central Park concert of The Capeman. Regional/tour credits: The Flamingo Kid (Alejandro) at Hartford Stage, Guys and Dolls (Sky Masterson) at Theatre Under The Stars, Evita as Che (national tour, Fulton Theatre) and as Peron (Bay Street Theater). TV credits: Blue Bloods (CBS), The Detour (TBS), Vegas (CBS). He is a graduate of The University of Miami Frost School of Music with a degree in Vocal Performance. Alongside his performing career, he has developed an acting and voice studio where he coaches professional artists and students to maximize their potential. www.omarlopezcepero.com @omarlopezcepero
NATASCIA DIAZ (Gloria Fajardo) Most widely recognized for the documentary Every Little Step, this three-time Helen Hayes Award-winner returns to The Muny after her “breathtaking” turn as Velma Kelly in Chicago, and her award-winning turn as Anita in West Side Story. Broadway: Seussical (Bird Girl), Man of La Mancha (Antonia, u/s Aldonza). Off-Broadway: Tick, Tick…Boom!, Jacques Brel…; Washington DC: Petra (A Little Night Music) Rosalie (Carnival), Aurora (Kiss of the Spider Woman). Her first Helen Hayes happened in a tie with Chita Rivera for her transformation into Scottish rocker Monica in Rooms, and her second for her performance in Brel. Other favorites: Jenny (The Threepenny Opera), Betty 3, Collective Rage (Woolly Mammoth), Mariana (Measure for Measure), Savage (Savage in Limbo), Rafaella (Grand Hotel, NY City Center Encores!) and winning her third award for her “obsessively watchable, gorgeously sung” (Washington Post) role in a “career-defining performance” (BroadwayWorld) as Fosca in Sondheim’s Passion. TV: FBI IG:@LadyDiaz777
ALMA CUERVO (Consuelo) Broadway: On Your Feet!; Beauty and the Beast, Cabaret, Titanic, The Heidi Chronicles, Quilters, Is There Life After High School?; Censored Scenes from King Kong and Bedroom Farce. She has toured nationally in Wicked, My Fair Lady, Cabaret, M. Butterfly and Dancing at Lughnasa. Off-Broadway: Allegro (Classic Stage Company), Far From Heaven (Playwrights Horizons) and Road Show (The Public). She received an OBIE for her performance in Uncommon Women and Others and Philadelphia’s Barrymore Award for The Beauty Queen of Leenane. Ms. Cuervo has worked extensively in regional theatre, most recently In the Heights at Music Theatre Wichita and Yerma at Huntington Theatre. Film/Television: The Goldfinch, Bull, Lisey’s Story, City on a Hill, Instinct, The Slap, and she was a regular on Norman Lear’s AKA Pablo. She narrates many audiobooks and is a graduate of Tulane University and Yale School of Drama.
LEE ZARRETT (Phil) Broadway: My Fair Lady, On Your Feet!; Hair, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Jane Eyre. National tours: Peter and the Starcatcher, Les Misérables. TV: The Blacklist, High Fidelity, Gotham, Louie, Boardwalk Empire. Off-Broadway: NY City Center Encores!, New Victory, Vineyard Theatre. Regional: Pittsburg CLO, La Jolla Playhouse.
CHICAGO August 30 – September 5 Book by Fred Ebb and Bob Foss Music by John Kander Lyrics by Fred Ebb Based on the play by Maurine Dallas Watkins Script Adaptation by David Thompson Sponsored by Missouri Lottery
SARAH BOWDEN (Roxie Hart) Originally from Australia, Sarah most recently played Velma Kelly in Chicago at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre with Denis Jones directing and is beyond excited to be working with Denis again on this dream show! USA highlights include Cherry Sundae in the first national tour of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, playing Cassie in A Chorus Line in 2016 at The Hollywood Bowl opposite Mario Lopez, and her first Muny production of Jerome Robbins’ Broadway in 2018. Sarah spent many years in Germany playing Sally Bowles in Cabaret, Anita in West Side Story, Doralee in 9 to 5, Gloria in Flashdance and lastly, Esmeralda in Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame, with Scott Schwartz (director) and Chase Brock (choreographer). INSTA: @sarahbowden.de
J. HARRISON GHEE (Velma Kelly) is honored to be returning to The Muny playing Velma Kelly. Many thanks to family, friends, and his agency Nicolosi & Co. for continued love and support. Broadway/International tour: Kinky Boots (Lola/Swing), Mrs. Doubtfire (Andre Mayem). Regional: The Color Purple (Ensemble), The Sting (Johnny Hooker). Television: High Maintenance (Charles), Raising Dion (Kwame). Industrial: Tokyo Disney Sea’s Big Band Beat, Norwegian Cruise Line. Proud graduate of The American Musical and Dramatic Academy (NY) @jharrisonghee
EMILY SKINNER (Matron “Mama” Morton) Muny: Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Billy Elliot. Broadway: Side Show (Tony nomination, Drama League Award), The Cher Show, Prince of Broadway, Jekyll & Hyde, The Full Monty, James Joyce’s The Dead, Dinner at Eight (Outer Critics Circle nomination), Billy Elliot (BroadwayWorld Award). Off-Broadway: Picnic (Drama Desk nomination), Jerry Springer: The Opera (Carnegie Hall), Fiorello!; No Strings, Pardon My English, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (all for NY City Center Encores!). She has sung leading roles at Manhattan Theatre Club, WPA Theater, Playwrights Horizons, Roundabout Theatre Company, York Theatre, Paramount Theatre at Madison Square Garden. Regional: The Kennedy Center, Signature Theatre, Alliance Theatre, Ford’s Theatre, Long Wharf, Old Globe, Goodspeed, Bucks County Playhouse, Virginia Rep, and many others. She has sung with symphonies around the globe and her numerous recordings may be found at Amazon.com. www.emily-skinner.com
JAMES T. LANE (Billy Flynn) West End: The Scottsboro Boys, A Chorus Line (Palladium, revival). Broadway: Kiss Me, Kate (Paul), King Kong, The Scottsboro Boys (Ozie Powell/Ruby Bates), Chicago and A Chorus Line (Richie). National tours: Jersey Boys, Cinderella, Fame. Regional: Guys and Dolls (Nicely Nicely, Virginia Stage Company), Mary Poppins (Bert, Drury Lane Theatre), The Wiz (Tin Man), Promenade, Grand Hotel and Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope (all for NY City Center Encores!), Disney’s The Little Mermaid (Sebastian, The Muny), Broadway at Music Circus, The Old Globe, American Conservatory Theater and Dallas Theater Center. Concerts: Carnegie Hall with The New York Pops, Ottawa Symphony and many more. James is the creator of a one man show entitled Triple Threat: A Play That Moves and Sings. Look for streaming information, booking, as well as performance dates at www.jamestlane.com. Mr. Lane teaches music theatre dance when and wherever anyone will let him! Instagram: @jamestlane www.jamestlane.com
ADAM HELLER (Amos Hart) Muny: Gypsy, 1776. Repertory Theatre of St. Louis: Follies, Brighton Beach Memoirs. Broadway: It Shoulda Been You, Elf, Baby, It’s You; Caroline, or Change; A Class Act, Victor/Victoria; Les Misérables. National tours: Titanic, Falsettos. Off-Broadway: Popcorn Falls (Davenport), A Letter to Harvey Milk (Theater Row), Peer Gynt (CSC), Wings (Second Stage), Make Me a Song: The Music of William Finn and The Immigrant (New World Stages), Merrily We Roll Along (York). Regional: The Flamingo Kid (Hartford Stage), Fiddler on the Roof (Connecticut Critics Circle Award) and Rags (Goodspeed), The Chosen (Barrington Stage), My Name is Asher Lev (Arden), Merrily We Roll Along (Kennedy Center). TV: The Bite, FBI: Most Wanted; Ray Donovan, The Good Fight, Elementary, Unforgettable, The Americans, The Sopranos, Law & Order (all), Oz, Submissions Only. Graduate: NYU/Tisch.
ALI EWOLDT (Mary Sunshine) is beyond thrilled to return to The Muny. She appeared here as Philia in Forum, Martha Jefferson in 1776 and Maria in West Side Story. Other credits include Christine Daaé in The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway, Cosette in Les Misérables (Broadway, national tour), The King and I (Broadway, tour, Lyric Opera of Chicago), Maria in West Side Story (national tour, international tour), Luisa in The Fantasticks (off-Broadway), Fan/Mrs. Bonds in A Christmas Carol (McCarter Theatre) and Sarah Brown in Guys and Dolls (Sacramento Music Circus). Concert/symphony work: Alice Tully Hall, The Town Hall, NY Pops at Carnegie Hall, Houston Symphony, American Pops Orchestra, Kaohsiung Symphony and The Boston Pops with Maestro Keith Lockhart. Her TV/Film credits include The Michael J. Fox Show, Yield, Mia and The Cactus. Ali has a BA in psychology from Yale University and is a proud Filipina American and member of Actors’ Equity. @aliewoldt
Current season ticket holders for the 2021 season will receive their season tickets later this month. New season subscriptions for the 2021 five-show season are currently available, with single tickets becoming available July 12. Tickets can be purchased online at muny.org or by phone by calling (314) 361-1900 ext 1550. Currently, the box office in Forest Park is closed for walk-up service until July 5.
To stay connected virtually and to receive the latest updates, please follow The Muny on their social media channels, including Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Emerson is proud to be The Muny’s 2021 Season Sponsor.
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 Alliance of Women Film Journalists (AWFJ) has announced the debut of a partnership with Kino Lorber to present a film series curated by a number of esteemed female film journalists and critics under the new “AWFJ Presents” banner on Kino Lorber’s digital platform KinoMarquee. Selected by a curatorial team of AWFJ members from Kino Lorber’s vast catalog of hundreds of important titles, the inaugural selections include six exceptionally entertaining and relevant films by women directors.
Each film on the AWFJ Presents slate will be available for rent on the KinoMarquee streaming platform under the AWFJ Presents banner. In addition, a pre-recorded, 20-minute discussion of each film by members of AWFJ’s curatorial team can be found on AWFJ’s YouTube channel. The revenue from the sale of every series pass will be shared with the AWJF, supporting the important work that they do.
Jennifer Merin, AWFJ president, said, “The alliance is very proud to partner with Kino Lorber for our inaugural ‘AWFJ Presents’ series to highlight some truly outstanding films by some of the world’s finest women directors. The films tell stories that are true to women’s experiences and represent women’s perspectives, but have universal appeal. We are also beyond appreciative of their enthusiasm and generosity regarding this partnership.”
Kino Lorber SVP Wendy Lidell, added, “It is as important to increase the number and presence of female film critics as it is to increase the presence of women filmmakers – in fact the two go hand in hand. Which is why we are especially gratified to be partnering with AWJF on this initiative to present just a sampling of our deep catalog of great films by women.”
The international slate of films covers a variety of genres—comedy, horror, drama, contemporary, period. They are all finely crafted, original, and entertaining. And, they created passionate debate among the curators who chose them from the 161 female-helmed films in Kino Lorber’s catalog.
Between the Lines
WFJ Presents inaugural selections
Ana Lily Amirpour’s A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014) Julie Dash’s Daughters of the Dust (1991) Deniz Gamze Ergüven’s Mustang (2015) Diane Kurys’ Peppermint Soda (1977) Caroline Link’s Nowhere in Africa (2001) Joan Micklin Silver’s Between the Lines (1977)
The “AWFJ Presents” curators are an international consortium of well-respected film critics: Ulkar Alakbarova, Margaret Barton-Fumo, Betsy Bozdech, Sandie Angulo Chen, Leslie Combemale, Marilyn Ferdinand, Pam Grady, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, Jennifer Merin, Kristen Page-Kirby, Jeanne Prisyazhnaya, and Susan Wloszczyna.
The cost to stream films individually is $8, or viewers can buy a pass to the whole series for $30. Contact awfjinc@gmail for more information.
About AWFJ The Alliance of Women Film Journalists, Inc. (AWFJ) in a not-for-profit charitable organization found in New York State in 2006 whose purpose is to amplify the voices of women critics, provide a platform for the expression of women’s perspectives on film, and support work by and about women—both in front of and behind the cameras—through intragroup promotional activities, outreach programs and presentation of EDA Awards at year’s end and at film festivals throughout the year. AWFJ publishes an average of 22 reviews, interviews and news items weekly, including our Movie of the Week feature, and distributes two weekly eNewsletters, in addition to keeping an active and interactive record of fiction feature and documentary films by and/or about women, and/or of particular interest to women because they focus on women’s issues. Articles, eNewsletter subscription sign ups and lists are made available to the general public on our website (awfj.org).
About Kino Lorber With a library of over 4,000 titles, Kino Lorber Inc. has been a leader in independent art house distribution for 35 years, releasing 30 films per year theatrically under its Kino Lorber, Kino Repertory and Alive Mind Cinema banners, garnering seven Academy Award® nominations in nine years. In addition, the company brings over 350 titles yearly to the home entertainment and educational markets through physical and digital media releases. With an expanding family of distributed labels, Kino Lorber handles releases in ancillary media for Zeitgeist Films, Cohen Media Group, Greenwich Entertainment, Artsploitation, Palisades Tartan, Menemsha Films, Raro Video, and others, placing physical titles through all wholesale, retail, and direct to consumer channels, as well as direct digital distribution through over 40 OTT services including all major TVOD and SVOD platforms. In 2019, the company launched its new art house digital channel Kino Now which features over 1000 titles from the acclaimed Kino Lorber library. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Kino Marquee initiative was launched in 2020 pioneering “virtual theatrical” releases of art house films with revenue shares that allows audiences to support almost 400 local independent theaters.
Cover photo of “Peppermint Soda”
Note: Lynn Venhaus, St. Louis-based film critic and professional writer-editor, is a member of the Alliance of Women Film Journalists. She is the founder of PopLifeSTL.com, in addition to writing reviews for Webster-Kirkwood Times and reviewing movies for KTRS Radio.
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 “In the Heights” is indescribably delicious — and one of the best movie musicals of the 21st century, splendidly transferred from stage to screen.
Bursting with exuberance and featuring a bustling street tableau, this long-awaited adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s 2008 Tony-winning musical is teeming with colorful sights and sounds.
Besides a richly textured, pulsating score with primarily hip-hop lyrics and a salsa beat, what made the musical special is how it captures a universal story of people chasing their dreams with a specific sense of place.
Usnavi de la Vega (Anthony Ramos) is the owner of a small bodega in New York City’s Washington Heights. As the neighborhood braces for changes and people follow their dreams, family stories are revealed.
Usnavi has a crush on Vanessa (Melissa Barrera), who dreams of being a designer and wants to live in the West Village. His childhood friend, Nina (Leslie Grace), the “one who made it out” by landing a scholarship to Stanford University, thinks she is disappointing her dad, Kevin Rosario (Jimmy Smits), who owns a local car service company. Nina’s love interest, Benny (Corey Hawkins), works for her dad. Meanwhile, Abuelo Claudia (Olga Merediz) dispenses love and advice as the neighborhood’s matriarch. Merediz played the role on Broadway.
And Usnavi discovers his store has sold a winning lottery ticket for $96,000 – money that could make a lot of dreams possible.
Anthony Ramos and Melissa Barrera
As a celebration of Latino heritage, from Caribbean islands, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Puerto Rico and Mexico, this film arrives at the perfect time – it’s a valuable immigrant representation and a major achievement in 2021.
Set during a blistering summer heat wave in the barrio over the course of three days, you feel “all the feels” — You will fall in love with these characters and their devotion to family, culture and finding their place in the world.
Showcasing an abundance of charisma, three stars are born: Anthony Ramos as Usnavi, Melissa Barrera as Vanessa and Leslie Grace as Nina. Ramos, most known as John Laurens and Alexander’s son Philip in “Hamilton,” sings and dances up a storm, but also has the emotional heft for good-hearted, hard-working Usnavi. Barrera and Grace dazzle in every musical number – and their personal stories tug at the heartstrings.
The entire cast is terrific — Corey Hawkins as Benny, Daphe Rubin-Vega as Daniella, Olga Merediz as Abuela Claudia, Jimmy Smits as Kevin Rosario and Gregory Diaz IV as Sonny, among them.
Jon M. Chu, who directed “Crazy Rich Asians,” has a flair for keeping things moving at a brisk pace in massive musical numbers but also creating an intimacy with the duets and personal struggles. For a movie with a running time of 2 hours and 23 minutes, that is no small feat.
Quiara Alegría Hudes, who wrote the musical’s original book plus the screen adaptation) brings it into today, with references to Dreamers (DACA), activism and current class struggles. The women characters are all strong role models, too.
Best of all are the energetic dance scenes. Vibrant choreographer Christopher Scott will have you moving and up from your seat! He brings so much joy to these lively street scenes, and their precise moves – on asphalt, park, water or sand – are striking. He is a Busby Berkeley for the modern age, keen on making the action ‘pop.’
And for Miranda’s devotees and “Hamilton” fans, there are a few tasty in-jokes. Check out the phone muzak while Jimmy Smits is on hold – recognize a signature tune? — and there is a rivalry between his “The Piragua Guy” and a Mr. Softee truck (with a certain actor once known as Mr. President – and who played Benny in the original cast). Christopher Jackson and Miranda go way back to 2002.
Miranda was the first composer to put hip-hop lyrics in a Broadway show — and the youngest to win the Tony for Best Music Score in 2009. While that is remarkable in itself, what he has managed in his career to date is awe-inspiring — and means a lot is expected from him. Next up, his directorial debut with “Tick, Tick…Boom,” basically the Jonathan Larson story, which will premiere on Netflix this fall. He credits the “Rent” composer with being one of his influences.
His “Hamilton” Dream Team of Tommy Kail, Alex Lacamoire and Andy Blankenbuehler worked together on all the stage versions of “In the Heights,” so while not specifically involved in the movie, their influence can be felt.
Miranda wrote a new song, “Home All Summer,” which plays over the credits and features Marc Anthony, who has a minor role as Sonny’s father, in addition to Ramos and Grace.
Sonny’s father wasn’t in the original musical, and there are a few alterations here, including a new framing device and ending, but it only adds to the material, not detracts. A few songs were cut from the 25, and the soundtrack now includes 17, including the new one.
Movie musicals can be a dicey proposition these days, for every “Chicago” (Oscar winner) and “Les Miserables” (Best Picture nominee), there is an epic failure like “The Phantom of the Opera” and the unwatchable “Cats.”
This is a fun, global experience that will be a certain summer sizzler. After a pandemic delay, “In the Heights” is a welcome refresher in the magic of music and movies.
“In the Heights” is a musical directed by John M. Chu and starring Anthony Ramos, Melissa Barrera, Leslie Grace, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Corey Hawkins, Marc Anthony and Jimmy Smits. It is rated PG-13 for some language and suggestive references, and runs 2 hours, 23 minutes. Lynn’s Grade: The movie is in theaters starting June 10 and on HBO Max June 10 – July 11.
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 As an ever-busy presence in the St. Louis theater community, Ellie Schwetye has created a diverse body of work — acting, directing, producing and sound design for a myriad of companies. While she has been recognized for her individual achievements with multiple St. Louis Theater Circle Awards, she thrives on collaboration.
But her name associated with a project means that there will be a high bar for quality and a sharp attention to detail, from selecting a soundtrack to a Jane Austen homage, “First Impressions,” for SATE; to guiding Will Bonfiglio to a third Circle Award for Best Actor in a Comedy in “Fully Committed” at the New Jewish Theatre; to bringing haughty Mrs. White to life in SATE’s “Classic Mystery Game” play; and portraying Emily Post, one of the hostesses in ERA’s “Trash MacBeth.”
She is the co-producer of SATE and has directed and/or worked with Equally Represented Arts (ERA), YoungLiars, West End Players Guild, New Jewish Theatre, Prison Performing Arts, The Tennesee Williams Festival St. Louis, St. Louis Shakespeare Festival, The Black Rep, R-S Theatrics, St. Louis Actors’ Studio, The Midnight Company, Stray Dog Theatre, Mustard Seed Theatre and others.
Joe Hanrahan in “Here Lies Henry”
Like many other artists, Ellie was eager to return to live theater when it was safe to do so — either on stage or behind the scenes. And now, it’s happening — she’s directing the one-man show “Here Lies Henry” starring frequent collaborator Joe Hanrahan, whose Midnight Company is producing.
It runs Thursday through Saturdays at 8 p.m. June 10 – 27, with a Sunday matinee at 2 p.m. June 27, at the Kranzberg Arts Center’s black box theatre.
Most COVID restrictions have now lifted, so with larger capacity audiences allowed, tickets are now available at the door. Midnight was deemed MissouriArtSafe by the Missouri Arts Council, received permission from the City of St. Louis for the production, and followed strict safety protocols.
Written by Daniel MacIvor, Henry is a man on a mission to tell you something you don’t already know. It is an idyllic — sort of — miserable — sort of — storybook — sort of — nightmarish — sort of — remarkable — sort of — regular show.
Ellie said she was immediately drawn to the material.
“Initially, what I liked about “Here Lies Henry” was the opportunity to collaborate with Joe Hanrahan again. I’ve joked that Joe could hand me the phone book and I’d direct it, if it meant working with him,” she said..
“But, of course, the material of the play itself is a draw. The character of Henry is so quirky, he’s such an innocent — but trying desperately not to appear so. It’s a lovely, weird, off-beat meditation on love, life, and death. There’s a Virginia Woolf-like stream-of-consciousness quality to the text, as well as moments that have me thinking about David Lynch and Andrew Wyeth,” she said.
Ellie and Joe have collaborated multiple times.
Rachel Tibbetts and Ellie Schwetye in “Cuddles,” directed by Joe Hanrahan
“Working with Joe is always a treat. ‘Henry’ is, I think, the sixth project on which we have worked together. Joe finds and writes amazing scripts – all of which are real studies in personality,” she said.
” As both an actor-producer and a director Joe is very laid back. He comes into every project with really clear ideas, and a great sense of play and collaboration. We experiment and laugh a lot during rehearsals. Joe has a great affinity for incorporating rock and pop music into his shows, as I do. I appreciate that he lets me sound design the shows I direct, which he knows I love doing.”
Since the pandemic forced live theater to shut down in March 2020, she said she kept her theater itch scratched with some outdoor theater, video projects and “a few, now ubiquitous, Zoom plays.”
How does it feel to be ‘back in the saddle’ again?
“It’s fantastic! This is my first in-person indoor production since March 2020. It’s pretty cool to be doing this play. Directing a one-man show was the best choice to ease back into the process. The first rehearsal was both terrifying and exhilarating,” she said.
Now she is returning to produce and sound design the play “Top Girls” with SATE — Slightly Askew Theatre Ensemble,
“It’s a play we had programmed and cast since before the pandemic. Both my producing partner, Rachel Tibbetts, who is directing the play, and I really love the story, the script, and non-linear storytelling of Caryl Churchill’s text and are thrilled we finally get to bring it back to St. Louis,” she said.
And while filling up her plate after such an absence is tempting, she has reflected upon the next steps after the quarantine break.
“As for easing back into commitments, I think the pandemic taught me that being busy isn’t a virtue. I love the many facets of my work in the theatre, but I don’t need to do eleven projects a year anymore. Having said that, I am quite excited for some projects this fall including “Top Girls” with SATE, directing “The Miracle Worker” at Clayton High School, and another project with Midnight later in December,” she said.
Ellie as Emily Post in ERA’s “Trash MacBeth” with Rachel Tibbetts
Schwetye, 39, was born and raised in St. Louis.
During the down time, she explored activities that she had an interest in, but hadn’t given herself the time to dive in — and the opportunity was much appreciated.
“Unsurprisingly, much of it has been outdoors, since that’s been the safest way to socialize. I’ve been gardening a bit. The brilliant Nicole Angeli has been my hiking guru, and it’s been lovely to explore gorgeous conservation areas in eastern Missouri and central Illinois. Last summer, I supported my sister as her ground crew while she paddled the Missouri river — 340 miles! — from Kansas City to St. Charles. Now that was the ultimate stage management gig. Being on the river for four days and the fact that our team was representing the Missouri Confluence Waterkeeper organization opened my eyes to how precious and critical the Missouri river system is to our region,” she said.
“I’ve also gotten to spend a lot of time at my family’s property in Labadie, Mo., which we affectionately and unoriginally call the Farm. We completed building a house that was inspired by a one-room schoolhouse that once sat on the property. I’ve been working with my dad for the past year on much of the finish carpentry in the house, including framing and hanging doors and cutting and installing window trim and baseboards from hemlock,” she said.
“The Comeback Special” as part of the LaBute New Play Festival at St. Louis Actors’ Studio
Q &A WITH ELLIE SCHWETYE
1. Why did you choose your profession/pursue the arts?
“I’ve always been drawn to storytelling. Theatrical storytelling is a kind of magic. I’m also a bit of a show-off, so performing was a great outlet for that energy. As I developed though, I learned that I love directing and producing so much more. I find the process of bringing artists together in collaboration so much more rewarding than a curtain call.”
2. How would your friends describe you?
“Classic Aries: attention-seeking, passionate, optimistic, ambitious, independent, competitive, a bit selfish, impatient and impulsive.”
3. How do you like to spend your spare time?
“Recently. it’s been out at the Farm with my nieces and nephews, hiking with buddies, and reading my dad’s first edition “Foxfire” books.”
4. What is your current obsession?
“My meadow is my current obsession. It’s one little corner of the Farm. I’m keeping a path cleared through it to better observe the variety of grasses and native plants growing there. I have been trying to learn a lot more about our native species. Since I’m out at the Farm almost every week, it’s been amazing watching the changes from season to season.”
5. What would people be surprised to find out about you?
“I used to be a pretty fast runner. I won a state track meet in the 800m event.”
6. Can you share one of your most defining moments in life?
“My college theatre experience was a defining time. I went to a women’s college, which is certainly where my feminist theatre aesthetic was solidified. Knowing that my mentors were a fashion designer who got her start on London’s Carnaby Street in the 60s, a former Breck girl-turned radical feminist bass player, and an East German dramaturg with the Berliner Ensemble probably makes a lot of sense for the theatre I like to make and watch now.”
“A Lovely Sunday in Creve Coeur” as part of an ensemble at The Tennessee Williams Festival in 2019
7. Who do you admire most?
“This is the hardest question of the ten! So many people. My parents, certainly – especially my mom; my sisters. I’ve been learning more about my grandparents and ancestors, and there are a lot of hard-working, gritty folks in my family tree to admire.”
“Artistically, I admire the folks I have the privilege of collaborating with – and there are so many amazing and inspiring artists in this group! I admire my teachers, like Kelley Weber, who encouraged me to be a theatre artist. And I admire the producers who took a chance on me, like Edie Avioli and Scott Sears, and Ron Himes and Linda Kennedy.”
“And I always admire the real women from history whose stories I often get to tell – like Henriatta Leavit, Annie Jump Cannon, Williamina Fleming, Rosalind Franklin, Sr. Jacque-Marie, or Helen Keller. Theatricalized stories of real women will always be the most fascinating to me.”
8. What is at the top of your bucket list?
I keep a Google doc of plays I’d love to direct or scripts I’d love to develop. Rachel Hanks and I started musing a while back about a play based on the Stevens Sisters (Virginia Woolf and Vanessa Bell). Writing something original is certainly on the bucket-list. And as a some-time performer, I’m ready for the challenge of a one-woman show.
9. What is your favorite thing to do in St. Louis?
“Discovering and exploring unexpected nature and conservation areas in the region.”
10. What’s next?
“I’m looking forward to the YoungLiars Summer Training Festival in July, then “Top Girls” with SATE in September. I’ll be directing “The Miracle Worker” at Clayton High School in the fall, then in December I’ll be performing opposite Joe Hanrahan in his new trio of short plays “Tinsel Town” about artists in LA, directed by Rachel Tibbetts. It completes a trifecta of work the three of us have collaborated on, which has included “Cuddles” and “Little Thing, Big Thing.”
Ellie with John Wolbers in “First Impressions”
More on Ellie:
Family: my parents, sisters, brothers-in-law, 5 nieces and nephews, and cousins (who are like sisters). Education: The St. Louis answer: Clayton High School; the real answer: Mount Holyoke College. Day job: Production Manager with my family’s business serving the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction industry. First job: My first post-college job was as a professional Intern at the Black Rep. First role: Abigail Adams in the 5th grade musical “Dear Abby” (I still remember my big number!) Favorite roles/plays: My Ozark adaptation of “As You Like It”, Rachel’s and my adaptation, “First Impressions” based on “Pride and Prejudice” (and getting to play Elizabeth Bennet in it!), ERA’s “The Residents of Craigslist”. I’m also really proud of co-founding and producing SATE’s Aphra Behn Festival, celebrating women writers and directors. Dream role/play: There are two weirdo comedies I’d love to produce, direct, or perform in: “All Our Happy Days are Stupid” by Shiela Heti and “Freshwater” by Virginia Woolf, which she wrote for her sister Vanessa’s birthday party. Awards/Honors/Achievements: St. Louis Theater Circle Awards for Production, Sound Design, Directing, Script Adaptation, and Performance in an Ensemble; PopLifeSTL’s 2019 Artist of the Year 🙂 Favorite quote/words to live by: “have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and to try to love the questions themselves” A song that makes you happy: “Call Your Girlfriend” by Robyn
“Silent Sky,” which Ellie directed, at West End Players Guild in 2018“Oedipus Apparatus” at West End Players Guild in 2017
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 As in all “The Conjuring” movies, this sinister tale is based on a true story, which raises the chills.
But unlike the first two that involved haunted houses, this focus is on how a mild-mannered 19-year-old could viciously stab his neighbor/landlord to death in a small New England town without direction from the dark side?
Real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga) investigate a murder that may be linked to demonic possession. The 1981 case is the first time in U.S. history that a murder suspect would claim demonic possession as a defense. It made national headlines as “The Devil Made Me Do It” trial, and the Arne Cheyenne Johnson (Ruairi O’Connor) case was one of the most sensational to involve The Warrens.
Oh, there are still creepy houses, with eerie things lurking in shadows, spooky basements/cellars and more delving into the occult – always disturbing. Production Designer Jennifer Spence is effective in building an ominous atmosphere and capturing the early ‘80s look.
Shifting between the real and paranormal worlds, this third film – and eighth overall in “The Conjuring” spin-offs (Annabelle, The Nun), provides the unsettling unease we have come to expect. Demonic possession gives me the heebie-jeebies anyway, and then when you add other supernatural elements, well, the sense of dread is unrelenting.
Only James Wan, responsible for the first two smash hits in 2013 and 2016, is not directing this macabre well-documented film, it is a protégé instead – Michael Chaves, who helmed “The Curse of la Llorona” in 2019, another spin-off film.
Chaves doesn’t veer off the path of a successful formula. Like Wan, he is good at escalating terror, although he spent more time setting up the spine-chilling jolts where you gasp, jump or scream.
Wan, however, is credited with the story, along with screenwriter David Leslie Johnson – McGoldrick. The characters are based on those created by Chad Hayes and Carey W. Hayes. The story does get rather complicated as the Warrens explore what a former priest, Kastner (John Noble), has stored away.
The movie starts out with an exorcism of a demon possessing an 8-year-old boy, David Glatzel (an angelic-faced Julian Hilliard), which is truly frightening and cuts to the chase in swift fashion. His sister’s boyfriend, Arne Cheyenne Johnson (Ruairi O’Connor), pleads with the spirit to enter him and leave David alone.
Thus starts the horrific transformation of Arne into a wicked presence, igniting a fight for his soul by “The Occultist,” who summons demons to satisfy the Prince of Darkness. With her severe skeletal build features, Eugenie Bondurant is menacing with just a quick glance.
The story takes on the structure of a crime procedural as the police involve the Warrens in a missing girls’ case in Danvers, Mass., that may be related, and broaden the research about Satanic cults.
Sometimes, it is a little too on the nose, and why people in big rambling old houses insist of not having too many lights on, I’ll never understand. Editors Peter Gvozdas and Christian Wagner set up the scares with flair and composer Joseph Bishara, who scored the first two, is back enhancing the action.
While Wilson and Farmiga excel in portraying this ordinary married couple with extraordinary abilities, some of the acting by lesser supporting characters gets a tad hammy, like the old-timey horror icons in early Hollywood.
Lorraine Warren, who served as a consultant on these films before her death at age 92 in 2019, was a clairvoyant, and her visions are an integral part of cracking these cases.
As the murder suspect, O’Connor is believable as someone caught up in forces beyond his control. Sarah Catherine Hook gives sincere support as his girlfriend Debbie Glatzel and as her brother, Hilliard is a natural as the innocent boy thrust into the supernatural world.
The trial is wrapped up quickly, almost like an afterthought, and there is plenty of archival footage on the case, including this gem – a clip of Tom Snyder of “The Tomorrow Show” interviewing the Warrens. (Stay to see it during the credits).
This third film delivers what it sets out to do and is convincing in its depiction of ghosts and Satanic worshippers. It will just depend on how skeptical you are about demons fighting for our souls.
Ruairi O’Connor as Arne Cheyenne Johnson
“The Conjuring” trilogy is the kind of movie best-suited to watch when you’re not alone in the dark.
“The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It” is a 2021 horror thriller directed by Michael Chaves and starring Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga, Ruairi O’Connor and John Noble. Rated R for terror, violence and some disturbing images, the film runs 1 hour, 52 minutes. Lynn’s Grade: B. The movie is in theatres and steaming on HBOMax starting June 4.
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.
Grammy-nominated singer Somi stars in co-production that will travel the U.S.
The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis (The Rep) will launch its electrifying 2021-22 live theatre season with the world premiere production of Dreaming Zenzile, Based on the life of Miriam Makeba, written and performed by Grammy-nominated international music sensation Somi Kakoma. The musical is the first show announced for The Rep’s 2021-2022 live theatre season.
Under the direction of Lileana Blain-Cruz, the rolling world premiere production of Dreaming Zenzile, Based on the life of Miriam Makeba, will journey from the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis to the McCarter Theatre Centerto ArtsEmerson to a New York City collaboration with the Apollo Theater, National Black Theatre and New York Theatre Workshop, all in partnership with Octopus Theatricals. The soul-stirring production includes a live jazz band playing original music and reinterpretations of Makeba’s remarkable catalog.
The arts organizations came together as a collective to bring Dreaming Zenzile, Based on the life of Miriam Makeba, back to life after the initial production and world premiere scheduled for April 2020 at The Rep was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These esteemed theatrical companies joining forces for this shared production marks a long-awaited return of live theatre after the most challenging time for both artists and patrons of the arts.
“As the daughter of Rwandan and Ugandan immigrants, this show is personal because Miriam Makeba paved the way for artists like me,” said Somi. “This work is about uplifting her legacy as a conscious revolutionary who brought Africa to the world’s center stage.”
Performances of Dreaming Zenzile, Based on the life of Miriam Makeba begin at The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis onSeptember 10, 2021. The show runs September 10, 2021 to October 3, 2021 at The Loretto-Hilton Center for the Performing Arts.
Somi
Somi, whose jazz music and social consciousness has drawn comparison to Nina Simone, was nominated for a 2021 Grammy Award and received an NAACP Award for her album, Holy Room: Live At Alte Oper. Her 2017 album, Petite Afrique, won a 2018 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Jazz Album. Her new album honoring Makeba, titied Zenzile: The Reimagination of Miriam Makeba, will be released in July and can be pre-ordered here.
Somi, who wrote and stars in the musical, takes the audience to Makeba’s final performance where she raises the conscience and the consciousness of a people. The ancestors are calling – transporting her through the music and fractured memories of her past on a spiritual journey of reconciliation.
Born in Johannesburg in 1932, Makeba called attention to apartheid in South Africa, where the white-led government forced racial segegration from 1948 to 1991. In 1968, Makeba married Black Panther and civil rights activist Stokely Carmichael and soon fell out of favor in the United States.
“It is an incredible gift to open our season with Somi’s incomparable portrayal of the beauty and complexity of Miriam Makeba’s journey.” said Hana S. Sharif, Augustin Family Artistic Director at The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis. “I am delighted that St. Louis audiences will be the first to experience this stunning production after 18 months of anticipation. It is a great joy to work with my colleagues across the country to support the launch of Dreaming Zenzile.”
Following the premiere at The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Dreaming Zenzile, Based on the life of Miriam Makeba will receive additional productions at McCarter Theatre Center in Princeton, N.J., and New York Theatre Workshop in New York City , in partnership with National Black Theatre and Octopus Theatricals.
The production stars Somi Kakoma as Miriam Makeba. It will be directed by Lileana Blain-Cruz, Hervé Samb will serve as musical director, with Marjani Forte-Saunders (choreography), Ricardo Hernandez (scene design), Mimi Plange (costume design), Yi Zhao (lighting design), and Justin Ellington (sound design). Special thanks to The Miriam Makeba Estate, The Mama Africa Cultural & Social Trust, and The Miriam Makeba Foundation for their support and permission to create this work.
Dreaming Zenzile, Based on the life of Miriam Makeba is developed by Octopus Theatricals and the National Black Theatre, co-commissioned by Joe’s Pub at The Public and ArtsEmerson, Boston, and developed with the support of The Apollo Theatre. It was further developed at the Sundance Institute Theatre Lab in 2019, and received residencies with SEI Innovation studio at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, The Clarice Smith Center’s Artist Partner Program, Baryshnikov Arts Center, Rauschenberg Residency/Robert Rauschenberg Foundation and UCLA Center for the Art of Performance. The original music and arrangements of Dreaming Zenzile were made possible through the French American Jazz Exchange, a joint program of FACE Foundation and Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation with generous funding from Cultural Services of the French Embassy, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, SACEM, Institut Français and the Ministere de la Culture et de la Communication.
About Somi
Somi Kakoma was born in Illinois to immigrants from Uganda and Rwanda. Known in the jazz world simply as ‘Somi’, she has built a career of transatlantic storytelling, and is the first African woman ever nominated in any Grammy jazz category (2021, Best Jazz Vocal Album for Holy Room; 2021 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Jazz Vocal Album). Somi’s previous albums include Petite Afrique (2018 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Jazz Album) and her major label debut The Lagos Music Salon feat. special guests Angelique Kidjo and Common. Both albums earned her ECHO Award nominations in Germany for Best International Jazz Vocalist. Somi recently announced a new studio album honoring the great South African singer and activist Miriam Makeba, to be released in July 2021. Somi is a Soros Equality Fellow, a USA Doris Duke Fellow, a TED Senior Fellow, a Sundance Theatre Fellow, and a former artist-in-residence at Park Avenue Armory, Rauschenberg Residency at Captiva, Baryshnikov Arts Center and UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance. Somi holds undergraduate degrees in Anthropology and African Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Master’s degree in Performance Studies from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, and is the founder of Salon Africana, a boutique cultural agency and record label.
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.
Premieres Include Films Featuring Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama, Billie Eilish and Chris Paul, and the Hopeful Future of Ferguson, MO
For the first time ever, the Tribeca Festival, presented by AT&T, announced today the launch of its virtual hub, Tribeca At Home, an online platform to offer audiences, unable to attend the live, in-person events taking place June 9-20 across New York City this year, a flexible option to join in the fun from the comfort of their couch.
The new Tribeca Online Premieres section will invite festival-goers from around the country the opportunity to share and engage in making the festival experience even more dynamic and accessible to everyone. With a robust lineup of exciting new films, shorts and documentaries planned, the hub will also include an immersive showcase of 14 VR selections, various podcasts and games programming. The carefully curated films listed below will be exclusively available to online audiences in the U.S. only. Podcasts and gaming details to be announced at a later date.
Movie-goers will also be able to purchase tickets to special online encore screenings of features and short films following their premieres at New York City venues. Exclusive virtual festival-style Q&As with the creators and cast will follow many of the feature films where online audiences can tune in to the panel discussions.
“Tribeca at Home allows us to bring the heart of our festival to even more communities around the country,” said Tribeca Enterprises and Tribeca Festival Co-Founder and CEO Jane Rosenthal. “While we are excited to gather in person this year with our live screenings reaching every corner of NYC, festival-goers and the at-home audiences will have more access to a diverse lineup of storytellers than ever before.”
“Tribeca first brought the festival experience into audience’s homes in 2011 with the launch of our Tribeca Online Film Festival, and again as the first festival of 2020 to announce virtual programming,” said Cara Cusumano, Festival Director and VP of Programming. “Now as we celebrate a return to in-person events in 2021, we are excited to also continue to cultivate our nationwide festival family with this new evolution of virtual programming into a permanent festival section.”
His Holiness the Dalai Lama & Archbishop Desmond Tutu in ‘Mission: Joy’
The Tribeca Online Premieres line-up will showcase 35 films including 24 features and 11 shorts. Select features and three previously announced shorts screening in person as part of the Juneteenth program will also be included within the Tribeca Online Premieres focusing on music, health and civil unrest. Academy Award®-winner Louie Psihoyos’ Mission: Joy documents the friendship between Archbishop Desmond Tutu and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. They’re Trying To Kill Us, executive produced by Billie Eilish and Chris Paul, explores the disproportionately higher rates of chronic disease in the African American community while examining the intersections of food, disease, race, poverty, institutional racism and government corruption. Ferguson Rising, directed by Mobolaji Olambiwonnu, brings to light a new portrait of the community of Ferguson, the family and friends of Michael Brown, and a message of hope, love and renewal.
Narrative selections include: Creation Stories charting the dazed, confused and drug-fueled life of music mogul Alan McGee, whose label, Creation Records, catalyzed the Britpop sound of the 90’s by signing era-defining bands including Oasis, Primal Scream, and My Bloody Valentine; Mickey Reese directs Agnes in which a church dispatches a pair of priests to a convent where one of the nuns is possibly under the control of a demon; and the sci-fi thriller, Settlers, is set on a desolate Mars homestead, where young Remmy finds herself the prisoner of a mysterious and murderous stranger.
2021 Tribeca Online Premieres:
*The below selections will be available exclusively for online audiences in the U.S. only.
FEATURE NARRATIVE FILM LINEUP
Agnes, directed by Mickey Reece, written by John Selvidge, Mickey Reece. Produced by Jensine Carr, Jacob Snovel. (United States) – Online World Premiere. The church dispatches a pair of priests to a convent where one of the nuns is possibly under the control of a demon. For one particular nun, their arrival signals an intense crisis of faith. With Molly Quinn, Jake Horowitz, Sean Gunn, Chris Browning, Ben Hall, Mary Buss.
Asking For It, directed and written by Eamon O’Rourke. Produced by Kiersey Clemons, Lee Broda, Ezra Miller, Luke Daniels. Executive produced by Kevin Beer, Savoy Brummer, Lisa Yaro, Sol Guy, Seema Thakker (United States) – Online World Premiere. After a chance encounter with an acquaintance takes a dark turn, a traumatized young woman teams up with a group of tough female renegades whose thirst for justice empowers them to take on belligerent frat boys, corrupt police officers, and a dangerous alt-right group with a noxiously charismatic leader. With Kiersey Clemons, Vanessa Hudgens, Alexandra Shipp, Ezra Miller, Radha Mitchell, Gabourey Sidibe, Leslie Stratton, Casey Camp-Horinek, Leyna Bloom, Lisa Yaro, Casey Cott, Demetrius Shipp, Jr., with Luke Hemsworth, and David Patrick Kelly.
Creation Stories, directed by Nick Moran, written by Irvine Welsh and Dean Cavanagh, produced by Shelley Hammond, Hollie Richmond, Nathan McGough and Ben Dillon (UK) – Online US Premiere. Creation Stories charts the dazed, confused and drug-fueled life of music mogul Alan McGee, whose label Creation Records catalyzed the Britpop sound of the 90’s by signing era-defining bands including Oasis, Primal Scream, and My Bloody Valentine. With Ewen Bremner, Suki Waterhouse, Jason Isaacs, Jason Flemyng, Thomas Turgoose, and Steven Berkoff.
Alan McGee “Creation Stories”
Dating and New York, directed and written by Jonah Feingold. Produced by Joaquin Acrich. (United States) – Online World Premiere. After meeting on the dating app Meet Cute and having a one-night stand, two New York millennials draw up a “Best Friends with Benefits” contract to avoid the pitfalls of a relationship, but complications ensue. With Jaboukie Young-White, Francesca Reale, Catherine Cohen, Brian Muller, Jerry Ferrara, Sohina Sidhu, Eva Victor, Arturo Castro, Taylor Hill, Alex Moffat, Hallie Samuels, Yedoye Travis, Sondra James.
Glob Lessons, directed by Nicole Rodenburg, Produced by Reilly Myklebust, Nicole Rodenburg, Colin Froeber, Written by Colin Froeber, Nicole Rodenburg (United States) – Online World Premiere. In this charming road trip comedy, two strangers are thrown together to perform in a traveling theater troupe across the Midwest, and the tests and triumphs of their journey lead them to form the first genuine friendship of their adult lives.
Peace by Chocolate, directed by Jonathan Keijser, written by Jonathan Keijser, Abdul Malik. Produced by Jonathan Keijser, Martin Paul-Hus, Catherine Legar. (Canada) – Online World Premiere. When a Syrian family immigrates to a small Canadian town, the son is torn between his dream of becoming a doctor and helping his father to rebuild his chocolate business. With Hatem Ali, Yara Sabri, Ayham Ammar, Mark Camacho, Catherine Kirkpatrick, Najlaa Khamari.
The Perfect David (El Perfecto David), directed by Felipe Gómez Aparicio, written by Leandro Custo, Felipe Gómez Aparicio. Produced by Pablo Ingercher, Ramiro Pavón, Fiona Pittaluga, Martín Cuinat, Felipe Gómez Aparicio. (Argentina, Uruguay) – Online World Premiere. Felipe Gomez Aparicio’s unsettling The Perfect David explores with atmospheric visual precision the toxic dynamic between a teenager obsessively training to become a bodybuilder, and his controlling mother—a renowned artist who is directly involved in her son’s pursuit of physical perfection. With Umbra Colombo, Mauricio di Yorio. In Spanish with English subtitles.
See For Me, directed by Randall Okita, written by Adam Yorke, Tommy Gushue. Produced by Matt Code, Kristy Neville. (Canada) – Online World Premiere. When blind former skier Sophie cat-sits in a secluded mansion, thieves invade for the hidden safe, and her only defense is army veteran Kelly who plays first-person shooters online and now lives out her fantasy as Sophie’s eyes. With Skyler Davenport, Pascal Langdale, Joe Pingue, George Tchortov, Jessica Parker Kennedy, Laura Vandervoort, Kim Coates.
Settlers, directed and written by Wyatt Rockefeller. Produced by Julie Fabrizio, Joshua Horsfield, Johan Kruger. (UK, South Africa) – Online World Premiere. In this compelling sci-fi thriller set on a desolate Mars homestead, young Remmy finds herself the prisoner of a mysterious and murderous stranger. Escape seems impossible, but an unlikely friendship might prove her deliverance. With Sofia Boutella, Ismael Cruz Córdova, Brooklynn Prince, Nell Tiger Free, Jonny Lee Miller.
FEATURE DOCUMENTARY FILM LINEUP
Bebe Zahara Benet
Being BeBe, directed by Emily Branham. Produced by Emily Branham, Marc Smolowitz, Jonathan Goodman Levitt. (United States, Cameroon) – Online World Premiere. In 2009, Bebe Zahara Benet was crowned the first winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race. But the franchise hadn’t yet achieved notoriety, so without an infrastructure to support her next steps, Bebe is confronted with the fickleness of fame… With BeBe Zahara Benet (aka Nea Marshall Kudi Ngwa). In English, French, Pidgin with English subtitles.
ClayDream, directed and written by Marq Evans. Produced by Tamir Ardon, Marq Evans, Nick Spicer, Kevin Moyer. (United States) – Online World Premiere. This warm-hearted portrait of the charismatic pioneer and “Father of Claymation” Will Vinton, follows the rise and fall of his Oscar® and Emmy® winning claymation studio, giving the viewer a front row seat to the battle between art and commerce. With Will Vinton, Bill Plympton, Bob Gardiner, Melissa Mitchell, Chuck Duke, Craig Bartlett.
Explant, directed by Jeremy Simmons. Produced by Jeremy Simmons, Randy Barbato, Fenton Bailey. Executive Produced by Michelle Visage, David Case. (United States) – Online World Premiere. Over the past six decades, thousands of women across the globe have become sick with an amalgam of mysterious and severe autoimmune disease symptoms. The common denominator in many of their cases? Breast implants.
The First Step, directed by Brandon Kramer, written by Lance Kramer (United States) – Online World Premiere.In this revealing observational portrait black progressive activist and political commentator Van Jones navigates increasingly tense and isolating political and racial divides in his attempt to become a “bridge builder” during the Trump administration.
Mission: Joy,directed by Louie Psihoyos, Written by Doug Abrams, Produced by Peggy Callahan (United States) – Online World Premiere. Building from the bestseller The Book of Joy, Academy Award®-winner Louie Psihoyos documents the friendship between Archbishop Desmond Tutu and His Holiness the Dalai Lama—two men who’ve faced immeasurable adversity with an indestructible jubilance.
No Ordinary Life, directed by Heather O’Neill, Produced by Heather O’Neill and Rich Brooks. (United States) – Online World Premiere. With revealing access, the gripping documentary No Ordinary Life spotlights the esteemed careers of five courageous camera women who thrust themselves into dangerous circumstances—wars, calamities and uprisings—to bear witness and give a platform to the most vulnerable. O’Neill’s thoughtful portrait of these five resilient women brings their sense of purpose—and the risks they took throughout their assignments—to the forefront.
The Phantom, directed and written by Patrick Forbes. Produced by Mark Bentley. (United States) – Online World Premiere. The Phantom takes us on a searching examination of another dark tale of American injustice, delving deep into the details surrounding a Texas murder to determine whether or not an innocent man was put to death, and exploring the prejudice and discrimination that persists today in America’s Hispanic community.
Primera, directed by Vee Bravo, produced by Vee Bravo, Catherine Gund, Kevin Lopez. (Chile) – Online World Premiere. The highly-charged documentary Primera brings the audience into the volatile circumstances that led to the student uprisings in Chile in late 2019, and how a rising resistance movement—led by student protesters, activists, street artists & community leaders—fought back against the Chilean government’s oppressive policies and militaristic implementation of force. With kinetic flair, the narrative immerses itself in the exploits of activists that took to the streets to reclaim their country and advocate for a just society.
Tigre Gente, directed by Elizabeth Unger. Produced by Elizabeth Unger. (United States) – Online World Premiere. A Bolivian park ranger and a young Chinese journalist risk their lives to go undercover and investigate a new, deadly jaguar trade that’s sweeping South America. Along the way, they grapple with questions of empathy, responsibility, and bridging a cultural gap to prevent the jaguar trade from spiraling out of control.
Turning Tables: Cooking, Serving, and Surviving in a Global Pandemic,directed by Matthew Miele, Produced by Katie Couric, Geoffrey Zakarian, John Molner, Berry Welsh, Jaret Keller, Anne Chertoff-Tavelin, Keelin Ryan. Restaurants are the beating heart of any community. Even in the best of times their business models require operation at 100% capacity and service perfection. New York’s Michelin-starred chefs Eric Ripert, Geoffrey Zakarian and Daniel Boulud and its beloved neighborhood eateries Melba’s, Hearth and Keens Steakhouse, among others, were at their most vulnerable since the start of COVID-19. Their determination to survive and serve their communities becomes a love letter to New York City focused on hope and resilience, while cooking and serving through a global pandemic. With Michael Anthony, Daniel Boulud, Anne Burrell, Marco Canora, Graydon Carter, Loycent Gordon, Eric Ripert, Niki Russ Federman, Marcus Samuelsson, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Melba Wilson, Geoffrey Zakarian
SHORT FILM LINEUP
Almost a Year, directed by Jamieson Baker. Produced by Katie Holmes and John Mesner. Written by Jamie Baker and Katie Holmes. (United States) – Online World Premiere, Short Narrative. As the coronavirus pandemic progresses, the overlapping routines of three New Yorkers (Eve Lindley, Emilio Vitolo, Mitzi Akaha) change unexpectedly. With Eve Lindley, Emilio Vitolo, Mitzi Akaha.
David, directed and written by Zach Woods. Produced by Kevin Chinoy, Francesca Silvestri, Zach Woods, Andrew Porter. (United States) – Online World, Short Narrative. David (William Jackson Harper) needs help. So does David (Fred Hechinger). With Will Ferrell, William Jackson Harper, Fred Hechinger, Corey Jantzen, Sebastian Vale.
Desert Dogs, directed by Samuel Morris. (Switzerland) – Online US, Short Documentary. Aya and Ibrahim both live from one moment to the next, far away from Moroccan conventions. They’ve figured out what makes them the happiest: a wooden board with wheels on it. In Arabic with English subtitles.
Last Meal, directed and written by Daniel Principe, Marcus McKenzie. Produced by Daniel Principe, Marcus McKenzie, Danielle Tinker. (Australia) – Online World, Short Documentary. The final feasts of death row inmates are served up in this investigation of capital punishment. With Hugh Ross.
Milk Toffee, directed and written by Pulkit Arora. Produced by Rigved Siriah. (India) – Online World Premiere, Short Narrative. Bound by Christ to tell the truth, a Goan school teacher (Tanvika Parlikar) is about to report an erring child (Mohammed Huzef). But a revelation forces her to choose between the moral and the human. With Tanvika Parlikar, Shaurya Neer, Mohammed Huzef, William Rodrigues, Bertha & Joey. In English, Marathi with English subtitles.
Namoo, directed and written by Erick Oh. (United States) – Online US Premiere, Short Animation. A narrative poem brought to life and an ode to a grandfather’s passing, this story follows the journey of a budding artist—and his tree of life—from beginning to end.
No Plan A, directed and produced by Linda G Mills, written by Rinnie Mills Goodrich. (United States) – Online World Premiere. An intimate and comic portrait of one family’s drive across the country to see their 99-year-old grandfather diagnosed with cancer at the height of the pandemic. With Linda G. Mills, Ronnie Mills Goodrich, Peter Goodrich, Harold Mills, V.
Rise Up, directed by Bryan Buckley. Produced by Tina Densmore Bell. (United States, Brazil, Kenya) – Online World Premiere, Short Documentary. Who is the definitive modern role model for mankind? Is it a politician? A writer? A scientist? Twelve remarkable children from around the world give their answers.
JUNETEENTH LINEUP
Ferguson Rising
This program is continuing this year’s Festival-wide celebration of Black stories and storytellers at Tribeca.
Features
Buddy Guy: The Blues Chase the Blues Away, directed by Devin Amar, Charles Todd, Matt Mitchener. Produced by Sheira Rees-Davies, John Beug. (United States) – Online World Premiere. A music-filled profile of guitar legend George ‘Buddy’ Guy, whose unique, intense style, forged from years of gigging in Chicago clubs, inspired generations of blues musicians. With Buddy Guy, Eric Clapton, John Mayer, Carlos Santana, Gary Clark Jr, Kingfish.
Ferguson Rises, directed by Mobolaji Olambiwonnu, written by Mobolaji Olambiwonnu, Bradinn French, Jeff Striker, Kai Bowe, Daisy Mo. Produced by Mobolaji Olambiwonnu, Daisy Mo, Tanayi Seabrook, TJ Odebunmi, Lisa Smithline, David Oyelowo, Jessica Oyelowo, Nick Moon, Tamika Lamison. (United States) – Online World Premiere. Before George Floyd, before Breonna Taylor, before Black Lives Matter, there was Michael Brown, Jr. Six years after the fatal shooting of an unarmed Brown by a white police officer, and the subsequent days of protest, filmmaker Mobolaji Olambiwonnu brings a new portrait of the community of Ferguson, the family and friends of Michael Brown, and a narrative from within the city of hope, love and renewal. With Michael Brown Sr., Susan Ankenbrand, Ank Ankenbrand, Rev. Renita Lamkin, Rev. Osagyefo Sekou, Montague Simmons
No Running, directed by Delmar Washington, written by Delmar Washington. Produced by Eric B. Fleischman, Maurice Fadida. (United States) – Online World Premiere. With Skylan Brooks, Taryn Manning, Shane West, Diamond White, Rutina Wesley, Bill Engvall. When a young Black man’s girlfriend mysteriously disappears, he’s forced to go on the run, staying one step ahead of suspicious police to clear his name and to find out if otherworldly forces are to blame.
They’re Trying to Kill Us, written, Produced & Directed by John Lewis, Keegan Kuhn, Executive Produced by Chris Paul, Billie Eilish, Keegan Kuhn, John Lewis, Greg Anzalone, Jay Karandikar. They’re Trying To Kill Us, executive produced by NBA All-Star Chris Paul and Grammy winning artist Billie Eilish, is the follow-up feature length documentary to the award-winning film What The Health, focusing on food (in)justice told through the lens of Hip Hop. Audiences journey with co-director John Lewis as he crosses the country seeking answers to why Americans of Color suffer from disproportionately higher rates of chronic disease than their European American counterparts, while examining the intersections of food, disease, race, poverty, institutional racism and government corruption.
Venus as a Boy, directed and written by Ty Hodges. Produced by Ty Hodges, Gian Franco, Roya Rastegar, Sanjay M. Sharma. (United States) – Online World Premiere. Fresh off a heartbreak, enigmatic starving artist Hunter and alluring, confident Ruby have a whirlwind romance in Venice Beach, but can it survive the harsh realities of her glitzy NYC art world? With Ty Hodges, Olivia Culpo, Trace Lysette, Bai Ling, Estelle, Gilles Marini, Daniel Bonjour, Stacy Barthe.
Shorts
Cherry Lemonade, directed and written by Aisha Ford. Produced by Jane Hare, Katie Pyne, Nadine Nadoo, Tema L. Staig, Allison Vanore, Jeff Vespa, Annika Hylmo, Uzma Xina Kang. (United States) – Online World Premiere, Short Narrative. On a hot summer day in the hood, a Black girl (Eris Baker) learns to take the lead on her own terms. With Eris Baker, Skylan Brooks, Chance Harlem Jr, Alexander Jones III, Skyler Priest, Meagan Harmon.
Enough, directed by Caleb Slain. Written and produced by Rick Stevenson. (United States) – Online World, Short Narrative. A dream, a nightmare, a musical. Ten years in the making, welcome to the stormy inner world of one boy (Nathan Nzanga) growing up in America. With Nathan Nzanga, Max Losee.
Waves, directed and written by Agazi Desta. Produced by Miles Alva, Anabel Iñigo. (United States) – Online US Premiere, Short Narrative. A Black, deaf teen (Omete Anassi) wants “Waves” for prom night, but his haircut falls into the hands of an inattentive, rookie barber (Jason Dalhouse). With Omete Anassi, Jason Dalhouse, Larry Banks, Eric Davis, Dameon Victorian, Barry Wilkins, Derrick Stephon Miller, Terrell Wilds.
A: A watch window is how long you have to watch a film once you press ‘PLAY’.
Q: How long are watch windows?
A: Most films have a 72 hour watch window. Some films in the festival are scheduled at specific times with shorter watch windows. Be sure to check each film’s dedicated page in the film guide for details.
Q: Can I pause or rewind during the watch window?
A: Yes, you have complete access to the entire program during your watch window.
Q: When can I watch movies?
A: Many films are available to watch from June 9 – June 23, 2021. Films with an in-person premier, will be available to watch on the At Home platform the evening following their live screening – at 6:00 pm EST and remain available to watch through the 23rd of June. Films premiering on the At Home platform exclusively will be released daily, remaining available for five days each. See the festival schedule and individual film pages for At Home premiere dates and times. Please note that a small number of films will have specific At Home premiere dates with shorter watch windows; these details will be listed on each film’s dedicated page in the film guide.
Q: How many times can I watch a film with my At Home Festival Pass?
A: Passholders may watch films ONE (1) time each. If a film has a watch window of 72 hours, and the PLAY button has been pressed (i.e. the film watch window has begun), 72 hours later the film’s availability will expire – regardless of whether or not the film has been watched in full. Passholders will not be able to start the film again once the watch window has expired.
Q: Can I watch the films from anywhere in the USA?
About the Tribeca Festival
The Tribeca Festival, presented by AT&T, brings artists and diverse audiences together to celebrate storytelling in all its forms, including film, TV, VR, gaming, music, and online work. With strong roots in independent film, Tribeca is a platform for creative expression and immersive entertainment. Tribeca champions emerging and established voices; discovers award-winning filmmakers and creators; curates innovative experiences; and introduces new technology and ideas through premieres, exhibitions, talks, and live performances.
The Festival was founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, and Craig Hatkoff in 2001 to spur the economic and cultural revitalization of lower Manhattan following the attacks on the World Trade Center. Tribeca will celebrate its 20th year June 9 – 20, 2021. www.tribecafilm.com/festival
In 2019, James Murdoch’s Lupa Systems, a private investment company with locations in New York and Mumbai, bought a majority stake in Tribeca Enterprises, bringing together Rosenthal, De Niro, and Murdoch to grow the enterprise.
About the 2021 Tribeca Festival Partners
The 2021 Tribeca Festival is presented by AT&T and with the support of our corporate partners: Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Audible, Bloomberg Philanthropies, CHANEL, City National Bank, CNN Films, Diageo, DoorDash, FreshDirect, Hudson Yards, Indeed, Montefiore-Einstein, NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, P&G, PwC, Roku, Spring Studios New York.
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 Every family face challenges, and especially when roles are reversed – when children must care for their parents.
The new documentary, “It’s Not a Burden,” hits close to home. Filmmaker Michelle Boyaner, an Emmy nominee for “Packed in a Trunk: The Lost Art of Edith Lake Wilkinson” in 2016, tells a very personal story without losing her wit or determination.
Subtitled “The Humor and Heartache of Raising Elderly Parents,” the documentary explores the time in life where we become our parents’ caretakers. Boyaner featured more than 20 families from different parts of the country who are caring for their aging loved ones, including her own experiences with her mother and father.
People of a certain age will glimpse themselves here – or at least their loved ones – as the circle of life doesn’t leave any of us out.
Boyaner’s parents divorced and her mother, after converting to Mormonism, moved to Utah and left her eight children with her ex-husband. When she returned after remarrying, she had to repair those relationships. Boyaner shows her mother Elaine in an assisted living facility and her dad Morris has a hoarding problem.
She uses a copious amount of family photos to share her experience, and any Baby Boomer will recognize the era of growing up in the 1960s and 1970s. Comparing the journey to an amusement park outing is very funny – and rings true.
As candid as she is, Boyaner’s other subjects are just as revelatory about their struggles and trying to do what’s right when it’s hard. And no matter how much we wish things would not change, that’s not what happens when time marches on. These universal feelings are expressed by Cecelia and Manuela in California, Maxine, Sally and Esther in Pittsburgh, and Brother Kenneth.
The personalities of these seniors in their 80s and 90s, so colorfully depicted, are what’s memorable. The interaction with their adult children or caretakers have warmth, humor and – let’s face it, exasperation.
It’s difficult when loved ones experience the cruel decline of dementia or physical challenges inevitable with aging.
But something happens when those roles are reversed. And that’s what’s noticeable here. We have richer relationships – whether it’s a child taking care of a parent or a friend supporting a friend. And the sense of communities coming together is good to see.
The film, above all, conveys a lot of love. And with the laughter, the no-frills documentary is a journey that you will identify with, no matter what stage you are in life. We all experience loss — it’s the love and laughter that will get us through it.
After the year we’ve had, a new appreciation for family and what we take for granted has surfaced. This film reminds us to hang on and be there for others. We’re all just trying the best that we can.
“It’s Not a Burden” is a 2021 documentary by Michelle Boyaner. It is not rated and runs 84 minutes. Lynn’s Grade: B. The film is available Video on Demand.
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.
