With Vim and Vigor, The Black Rep Celebrates Eubie Blake in Stellar Musical Revue

With Vim and Vigor, The Black Rep Celebrates Eubie Blake in Stellar Musical Revue

By Lynn Venhaus
Guaranteed to put a spring in your step and a song in your heart, “Eubie!” is a sparkling and joyous tribute to one of the groundbreaking talents of the 20th century.

The Black Rep’s third time presenting a musical revue of American musician and composer Eubie Blake’s greatest hits is musical theater of the finest caliber.

The convivial cast, high-spirited choreography, cheerful musical numbers, elegant costumes, and silky-smooth orchestra combine for an uplifting production.

The musical extolling the talents of James Hubert “Eubie” Blake over his long, lauded career, especially his achievements in the early 1900s that helped spark the fabled Harlem Renaissance in the ‘20s and ‘30s, was the of the toast of the 1978-1979 Broadway season, nominated for three Tony Awards, including Eubie’s score and Gregory Hines’ performance. Blake died in 1983 at 96 years old.

With his 1921 musical, “Shuffle Along,” he and lyricist Noble Sissle helped break down racial barriers because it was the first Broadway musical written, directed by and starring black Americans. It also helped shape American musical theater as we know it today.

In 2006, his album “The Eighty-Six Years of Eubie Blake” from 1969 was included in the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry by the National Recording Preservation Board. They annually select music that is “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”

Coda Boyce. Photo by Phillip Hamer

This effervescent cast has individual standouts but really comes together as an ensemble to celebrate Eubie’s contributions in ragtime, jazz, and popular music. Director Ron Himes’s thorough knowledge of the piece and the song styles helps expertly extract the very best from the cast, which has five performers making their Black Rep debut (DeAnte Bryant, Serdalyer Darden, Carvas Pickens, Tamara PiLar, and J’Kobe Wallace).

Himes deftly stages the group numbers – ‘Shuffle Along,” “I’m Just Simply Full of Jazz,” “High Steppin’ Days,” and “Roll Jordan” with polished and buoyant dance designed by master choreographers Heather Beal and Vivian Watt. Such verve!

Noteworthy in the Black Rep’s last musical, “Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope” in 2019, the multi-faceted Robert Crenshaw stars and designed the tap choreography, He dances with such joy, that when he’s performing a solo number, it’s extraordinary, especially in “Low Down Blues” and “Hot Feet.”

In perhaps Blake’s most well-known song, “I’m Just Wild About Harry,” Crenshaw joined Evann De-Bose, Coda Boyce, Samantha Madison and PiLar for a rousing rendition.

Crenshaw opened the show with Boyce and Venezia Manuel, performing the jolly “Charleston Rag” and “Good Night Angeline” in the prologue.

J’Kobe Wallace. Photo by Phillip Hamer

Boyce, so good in “The African Company Presents Richard III” at the Black Rep last year, shows off her vocal chops in “Craving for That Kind of Love” and her playful moves in “Baltimore Buzz” with Manuel and lithe Bryant and Wallace.

The acrobatic moves of Bryant and Wallace are eye-popping and crowd-pleasing, and add pizzazz to the music numbers, Wallace is especially impressive in “Dixie Moon” and “Got to Get the Getting While the Gittin’s Good.”

Newcomer Darden has a good time with “I’m a Great Big Baby” and other solos of note include PiLar in “Daddy,” and De-Bose in “Memories of You.”

PiLar has a terrific duet with powerful-voiced Pickens in “My Handyman Isn’t Handy Anymore.”

They both have a good time with the cast in a fun, very theatrical number “If You Never Been Vamped by a Brownskin, You’ve Never Been Vamped At All,” where they take on roles of The Vamp, wife, husband, judge, bailiff and jury.

Taijah Silas is part of the 11-person ensemble, and they all move with vigor and enthusiasm.

Phillip Hamer Photo

Music Director Joe Dreyer, who also plays piano, is a virtuoso musician, and seamlessly leads a superb orchestra of Chris Tomlin on tuba, Bernard Long on drums, Anthony Wiggins on trumpet and Harvey Lockhart on saxophone. They are behind a scrim, but they breeze through the music catalogue with aplomb.

The musicians are part of this dream team that delighted in delivering a beautiful lesson in music appreciation of an earlier era.

The sound design by Justin Schmitz is splendid, and so is the look of the production, with impressive lighting design by Jasmine Williams and scenic design by Tim Jones setting the atmosphere through the decades.

Costume Designer Marc W. Vital II’s exceptional craftsmanship captured the period’s glamour perfectly.

It’s rare when you get to experience not only the cast having the best time on stage, but the audience thoroughly engaged and enchanted with the vitality of those involved.

“Eubie!” closes the Black Rep’s 46th season on a high note.

Photo by Phillip Hamer

The Black Rep presents the musical revue “Eubie!” from May 3 to May 21 at the Edison Theatre on the Washington University campus. Performances are Wednesday and Thursday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 8 p.m., and Sunday at 3 p.m. For more information, visit www.theblackrep.org

Photo by Phillip Hamer.
Photo by Phillip Hamer
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‘Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie’ Is Candid Look At Actor’s Life Challenges

‘Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie’ Is Candid Look At Actor’s Life Challenges

By Lynn Venhaus

A heartbreaking documentary told with warmth and humor, “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” pulls no punches. 

This unvarnished look at the life of beloved actor and advocate Michael J. Fox explores his personal and professional triumphs and travails as he confronts the incurable Parkinson’s Disease.

Neither a pity party nor a puff piece, the film is a thoughtful chronicle of the life and career of one-time “Boy Prince” of Hollywood as told through his performances and candid conversations with the film’s director Davis Guggenheim.

Guggenheim, a St. Louis native who became an Oscar-winning documentarian (for “An Inconvenient Truth” in 2007), takes a compelling approach to shaping the narrative.

With quick-cut editing of Fox’s TV and film work, he highlights the actor’s physicality  and crisp comic timing that boosted him from breakout ‘80s sitcom star to mega-popular movie mainstay. They also illustrate scenes from his life using actors that are artfully staged. 

Two striking visual takeaways include how much running he did as a young whirling dervish and how much prescription medicine he must take to help control his symptoms.

Growing up in Canada, he moved to Los Angeles at age 18, and was mired in dire straits pretty much until his fortuitous casting as Alex P. Keaton, the Reagan-era conservative kid raised by hippie activist parents in “Family Ties” (1982-1989).

Marty McFly in “Back to the Future”

He became a sensation as an integral part of NBC’s Thursday night “Must-See TV” lineup, replaced actor Eric Stoltz as Marty McFly in 1985’s mega-hit movie “Back to the Future,” launched a franchise, and was reliable box-office until a string of duds in the ‘90s — “Life with Mikey,” “For Love or Money,” “Greedy,” “Doc Hollywood” among them — became a catalyst for him returning to TV in 1996 with the hit sitcom “Spin City.”

His career achievements include five Emmy Awards for “Family Ties” and “Spin City” as lead actor in a comedy series, one for guest actor in “Rescue Me.” After going public with his young-onset Parkinson’s Disease diagnosis in 1998, he appeared on such shows as “The Good Wife,” :The Good Fight,” “Boston Legal,” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” Among his movies were “Teen Wolf,” “The Secret of My Success,” “The American President,” “Homeward Bound” (voice of Chance), “Stuart Little” (voice), “The Casualties of War,” “The Frighteners,” “Light of Day,” “Bright Lights, Big City” and “Mars Attacks!”

Emmy nominated as Lewis Canning in “The Good Fight”

Retired from acting since 2020, Fox has written four books, and the movie uses them as source material.
Fox noticed his pinky finger moved  uncontrollably in 1991, when he was filming “Doc Hollywood,” and later diagnosed as the incurable Parkinson’s Disease. He was 29.

His hid the trembling as best as he could, but psychologically, the effects were taking its toll. He frankly discusses his struggles and challenges, as we see the physical disabilities and what he has had to go through.

His outlook is remarkable, and he displays a toughness we haven’t seen before. His wife of 35 years, Tracy Pollan, is as much a profile in courage as he is. They have four children – son Sam, twin daughters Esme Annabelle and Aquinnah, and youngest daughter Schuyler. 

His family is a guiding force, a source of sustenance and strength, and grounded. They show the laughter, not the tears.
The amount of advocacy and awareness he has done regarding Parkinson’s is immeasurable, raising over two billion dollars through his foundation to date (The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research).

Last fall, he was given an honorary Oscar, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, last year by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 

While he is matter-of-fact about his limitations, the impact he continues to have is inspiring. Now 61, his legacy is rich, and you will appreciate the man even more for his humanity than his admirable talent upon viewing this 1 hour, 36 minutes ode to living.

“Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” is a 2023 documentary directed by Davis Guggenheim. It is rated R for language and the run time is 1 hour, 36 minutes. In select theatres and streaming on Apple TV + starting May 12 

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‘BlackBerry’ Cast Stuns in Surprisingly Moving Smartphone Story

‘BlackBerry’ Cast Stuns in Surprisingly Moving Smartphone Story

By Alex McPherson 

A darkly comedic story of game-changing technology and capitalism’s fateful hand, director Matt Johnson’s “BlackBerry” is a sublimely well-acted, bittersweet film that’s both laugh-out-loud funny and emotionally raw.

Based on the book Losing the Signal: The Untold Story Behind the Extraordinary Rise and Fall of BlackBerry by Jacquie McNish and Sean Silcoff, the film begins in 1996 in Waterloo, Ontario, at a small company called Research in Motion (RIM) — founded by two pioneering tech/pop culture geeks, the soft-spoken Mike Lazaridis (Jay Baruchel) and his boisterous, morale-boosting BFF, Doug Fregin (Johnson). They’ve made a breakthrough: a product combining a cellphone, email device, and pager all-in-one.

Mike, Doug, and their team are passionate and exude a sense of innocence, separated from the gloom of corporate bureaucracy. Their cluttered office, full of nerds whose technical skills are matched only by their knowledge of all things movies and video games, is lively and laid-back, but they lack the “marketing expertise” (and maybe the maturity) necessary to make a name for themselves. They remain millions of dollars in debt due to a terminated contract for a modem they constructed.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, they attract the attention of corporate shark Jim Balsillie (Glenn Howerton, of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” fame), freshly fired from a company that Mike and Doug clumsily pitched to. Jim sells himself as someone who could make their product (originally called the “Pocketlink”) a best seller, if he gets 50% of the company, he’s made co-CEO, and they change its name.

Mike hires him (much to Doug’s disapproval), and Jim helps launch their company into the stratosphere, leaving scruples firmly in the dust. With a vicious ego, penchant for manipulation, and aggressive marketing instincts, Jim’s “help” proves to be a blessing and a curse, as BlackBerry emerges as the world’s first smartphone and essentially changes the lives of everyone on the planet.

This image released by IFC Films shows actor and director Matt Johnson on the set of “BlackBerry.” (IFC Films via AP)

With strong performances, kinetic direction, and a screenplay that masterfully balances hilarity and wistful sorrow, “BlackBerry” is a timely story of dreams, greed, repercussions, and fractured relationships. Johnson’s film isn’t merely a eulogy for a company slain by progress, but a harsh reminder of the risks intermingled with success, and what can be lost in the pursuit of greatness.

“BlackBerry” begins as a droll comedy, as Mike and Doug — two instantly likable dudes — bumble around trying to get their initial product off the ground. Mike is non-assertive and mild-mannered, a perfectionist who’s more focused on the minutiae of the products themselves than handling business dealings with investors. Similarly, the headband-wearing Doug is a lovable goofball, just as concerned with weekly office movie nights as meeting deadlines.

Johnson mines Mike and Doug’s “ineptitude” (which could also be viewed as happy-go-lucky purity) to deliciously comedic effect. Cinematographer Jared Raab’s camera captures the action with jittery, fly-on-the-wall framing that zeroes in on awkward pauses and cringe comedy, particularly in juxtaposing their amiability with Jim, who slings a never-ending supply of expletives that Howerton delivers with scenery-chewing delight. Jay McCarrol’s pulsating electronic score accentuates moments of panic among the team, at one point mirroring Mike’s increasing heart rates to memorable effect. 

Jim has a lot at stake, gambling his mortgage to pay RIM’s employees, and “BlackBerry” emphasizes the ways his dogged, aggressive approach benefits the company and zaps the humanity, camaraderie, and playfulness that was critical to the team’s dynamic. Jim’s more concerned with his own “status” than that of BlackBerry itself, willing to browbeat employees and yell nonstop to get what he wants (including, for example, owning part of the NHL — he is Canadian, after all). The vast collection of masks in his office reflect the elaborate performance he’s putting on to ensure his credibility.

Without dumbing down the technical side of things, the screenplay (by Johnson and Matthew Miller) mines comedic gold out of juxtaposing Jim’s monstrousness with Mike and Doug’s far different approaches to life and work, while also focusing on the small-scale connections (forged and broken) that form the backbone of BlackBerry’s tragic story. Indeed, it’s interesting to learn about Mike’s innovations and Jim’s promotional expertise, resulting in BlackBerry at one point owning 45% of the cellphone market. Johnson’s film, however, makes a lasting impact through its focus on the people at its center, and the personal fallout that can result from sky-high success.

Baruchel expertly embodies Mike’s innocence and gradual de-evolution: a person who’s instantly endearing, yet swept up in his own hubris and competitiveness as the company grows and is eventually derailed by the release of the iPhone. Mike’s timidity is replaced by sternness, leading to saddening moments of conflict with Doug, to whom Johnson brings a warmth that’s extinguished by others’ greed and lack of integrity.

Howerton is the standout by far, though, bringing to life a real piece of work that’s never less than entertaining to watch, even when wincing at his wildly over-the-top outbursts and financial dealings that (hopefully, at least) will come back to bite him in the ass. Michael Ironside, Saul Rubinek, Cary Elwes, Rich Sommer, and SungWon Cho make the most of small-yet-notable supporting roles. 

“BlackBerry” unfolds at a brisk pace, presenting a ground-level view of the team’s growth and decline that doesn’t paint its central players in black-and-white absolutes. If there’s a true villain in “BlackBerry,” it’s the capitalistic system that drives people like Mike over-the-edge, rewards cutthroat competitiveness above attention to detail, and saps compassion from even the most good-natured souls. 

This isn’t necessarily a “new” message, mind you, but Johnson’s film (far more so than the other crop of brand-focused films “Air” and “Tetris”) is a slyly powerful meditation on creativity and teamwork by its disheartening conclusion. Knowing what happens from the outset lessens suspense to a certain degree, but there’s still a dark thrill in seeing personal values ebb and flow as proceedings get increasingly out of control, and whether or not consequences are wrought upon the appropriate parties. This renders the rushed dénoument somewhat anticlimactic, revealing information through text that would have been compelling to watch through Johnson’s lens instead.

“BlackBerry” remains a gripping watch all the same, an empathetic view into the thorny weeds of business, and a cautionary tale about the human condition.

Jay Baruchel as Mike Lazaridis in “BlackBerry”

“BlackBerry” is a 2023 comedy-drama-biopic directed by Matt Johnson and starring Johnson, Jay Baruchel, Glenn Howerton, Rich Sommer, Cary Elwes, Saul Rubinek, SungWon Cho, and Michael Ironside. It is rated R for language throughout and run time is 2 hours. It opened in theatres May 12. Alex’s Grade: A-.

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Performers Enliven Esoteric, Mystical Reworking of ‘Carmen’ as Dance Film

Performers Enliven Esoteric, Mystical Reworking of ‘Carmen’ as Dance Film

By Lynn Venhaus

A bizarre and strange reimagining of Georges Bizet’s 1875 opera “Carmen,” this experimental film is also oddly compelling.

That’s because of the chemistry of the two leads Melissa Barrera as Carmen and Paul Mescal as Aidan. They are haunting in a modern story long on magic realism and short on backstories, character development and motives. Even the time and place aren’t definitive.

And because the fragmented and unfocused screenplay is the most frustrating aspect of the gritty film, what we glean from the tragic romance co-written by Oscar winner Alexander Dinelaris (“Birdman” in 2015), Loïc Barrère, and Lisa Loomer is that there is little resemblance to the classic opera but a smidgeon of similarity to the 1954 film “Carmen Jones.”

However, there is a tormented soldier and a fierce young woman both drawn to each other because of circumstances.

Carmen and her mother are mysterious women living in the Mexican desert, and the discharged Marine Aidan, now back home, has PTSD.

The daughter is forced to flee after her mother Zilah (Marina Tamayo) is murdered while she dances flamenco-style. Then, during a dangerous border crossing, Carmen is rescued by Aidan, who takes a job working as a border guard. His first night isn’t exactly what he had in mind, and he’s now on the run with a stranger.

Lots o’ baggage is obvious but not revealed. The pair head to Los Angeles where she seeks her mother’s best friend, the mercurial Masilda (Rossy De Palma), who owns a nightclub, La Sombra. The exotic entertainer gives them a safe space to hide but the police are on their trail. (Fun fact: De Palma, a Spanish actress, has been in multiple Almodóvar films.

Melissa Barrera as Carmen

The very fit couple spend a good deal of time physically running while they try to avoid getting caught.

In his feature film directorial debut, French choreographer Benjamin Millepied is fascinated by doorways and other symbolism, crafting a dreamscape using the color red as a visual nod to the iconic opera (and Pedro Almodóvar’s bold use of color in his films, anyone?).

Millepied, who choreographed “Black Swan” (starring his wife, Natalie Portman, in her Oscar-winning role), uses interpretive dance numbers in an attempt to propel the muddled story.

Barrera, a Mexican actress who was in the film adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “In the Heights” as Vanessa, is not a trained dancer but her grace and technique are impressive. She has played Sam Carpenter in the fifth installment of “Scream” and its follow-up “Scream VI,” and has a hypnotic quality to her performances.

She pairs well with Mescal, the Irish actor Oscar-nominated this year for “Aftersun,” who competently dances with her in the desert and at the club. They also sing (separately) in the movie.

Composer Nicholas Britell has crafted an intriguing original score, further enhancing his reputation that includes three Oscar-nominated compositions (“Moonlight,” “If Beale Street Could Talk” and “Vice”) and an Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Main Title Theme for “Succession.”

Julieta Venegas and Taura Stinson wrote lyrics to Britell’s music for several songs, and a French choir is used as soundtrack background.

Not sure why more dance and less opera are a means to connect the characters, but the concept is “inspired by,” and not a remake per se. I think it is equally confusing to those who are familiar with the opera and those who’ve never seen it before.

While one can applaud the ambition and certain moments, overall it is not a satisfying experience.

Paul Mescal as Aidan

“Carmen” is a 2022 drama with music and dance directed by Benjamin Millepied and starring Melissa Barrera, Paul Mescal and Rossy De Palma. It is rated R for language, some violence and nudity and the run time is 1 hour, 56 minutes. The movie opens in select local theaters on May 12. Lynn’s Grade: C.

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Fox Presents Supercharged 50th Anniversary ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’

Fox Presents Supercharged 50th Anniversary ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’

By CB Adams

There’s a button on my podcast player that allows me to listen at normal speed or an accelerated 1 ½ speed. The purpose of that button ostensibly is to allow me to ingest more content in less time. But there’s a difference between the ability to ingest content and the desire to digest it. That’s the conundrum presented by Jesus Christ Superstar at the Fabulous Fox Theater through May 21.

This 50th-anniversay Superstar seeks to reboot the popular musical-by-way-of bestselling album into a production that is louder, faster and flashier. Make that, tick-tick-boomier. But there’s a sizable aspiration-to-reality gap with this show that’s often hyperactive, frenetic and screechy.

In the past half century, Superstar has attracted its ardent adherents and super-fan believers in the works of Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony winners Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber. I, too, have a soft spot for Superstar as I remember the thrill the original double vinyl album and feeling the transgressive power of a rockstar treatment of the last days of Jesus. The movie was a disappointment for me, failing to replicate on the big screen the feeling I had for the performances blaring through my friend’s big speakers.

Based perhaps on my own nostalgic remembrance of listening to the original album, this production feels rushed, akin to filling a ’68 VW Beetle with jet fuel. It’s fast and furious and constantly in danger of burning itself out. It left me feeling as though director Timothy Sheader’s goal was see if he could pack a two-hour show into approximately 90 minutes without intermission. If you like your Superstar staged like a stadium concert with actors using handheld microphones like hyperventilating rock stars, then this production will not disappoint you.

Elvie Ellis as Judas. Photo by Evan Zimmerman

This show’s use of microphones and stands (some incorporated into the staffs of Caiaphas and his entourage) would make Jim Morrison, Steven Tyler, David Lee Roth and Prince envious. In a later scene, the corded microphone stands in for the suicide of Judas, and the color of the cords of Jesus’ adversaries change from black to red.

For much of the show, that approach has its successes transitioning from song to song, scene to scene. If you know the score by heart, the songs, scenes and characters are tightly and creatively interwoven and delivered with little opportunity for boredom – or the head space to contemplate the way they resonate with the source material. From the “Overture” through to “The Temple,” this production succinctly sets up the story to follow. But the momentum and accelerated delivery of those songs overruns the beautiful moment and sentiments presented in “I Don’t Know How to Love Him,” a song that deserves a pause and respite from the pedal-to-the-metal, just-push-play pacing.

The set, designed by Tom Scutt, is dominated by an industrial metal crucifix angled across the stage, is well-suited to the quick transitions of the lead characters, the ensemble and back-up soul singers. However, almost all of the action takes place on the crucifix and stage right. This makes for lopsided viewing.

The onstage band is stacked stage left on two levels. Choreographer Drew McOnie makes ingenious use of the set but adds to the production’s overall freneticism. Mostly, the music video moves complement the songs, but they can occasionally seem plastic, unemotional and even downright silly.

Faith Jones as Mary Magdalene. Photo by Evan Zimmerman

Among this show’s weaknesses, the cast is not among them. Regardless of the weaknesses in some of the choreography and direction, this cast tries. God knows they try as they sang and danced and acted to make the most of the material.

From the leads to the ensemble and soul singers, this show delivers impressive vocal power, even if the lyrics are sometimes lost in all the rockstar caterwauling . There are no stand-outs among the cast because each member is so well-matched to the material and the other singers. Jack Hopewell as Jesus is a bantam in stature and a giant in voice, whereas Nicholas Hambruch is Falstaffian in stature and Meatloaf-ed in voice. Elvie Ellis delivers a powerfully nuanced Judas. The moment when he accepts the bribe money to betray Jesus and pulls his silvered hands from a chest is one of the show’s best details. Faith Jones, as the only female lead, excels as Mary.

Erich W. Schleck provides Superstar’s only humous moment during a glam-rock interpretation of “Herod’s Song.” This is an oddly singular moment in Superstar. Schleck milks the moment for all its worth, and may be the most memorable of all the performances. Bowie would be proud.

Like the story of the Titanic, we all know how Jesus Christ Superstar ends. Before this production concludes with a crucified Jesus and Judas sitting ambiguously together on the crucifix, there are two less nuanced, and therefore less effective moments. One is the use of bursts of glitter during the lashing of Jesus – all 39 of them. The other is the use of a nail gun (that looked more like a cordless drill) as Jesus is put to the cross. In this production’s neediness to be modern, this was needless overkill – shades of Final Destination 3, Casino Royale and Lethal Weapon 2.

These moments exemplified the best and not-the-best parts of this production. They left me not knowing how to love this Superstar.

North American Tour cast of “Jesus Christ Superstar.” Photo by Evan Zimmerman

Performances of “Jesus Christ Superstar” at the Fabulous Fox run May 9 through 21. Show times vary. Tickets on sale now at MetroTix.com or by calling 314-534-1111. For more information, visit www.fabulousfox.com   

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The Black Rep and Pulitzer Arts Join Forces for Phoenix Rising Series

The Black Rep and Pulitzer Arts Join Forces for Phoenix Rising Series

Performance Series Featuring Two Weeks of Movement in Conversation with Landscape
Presented by the Whitaker Foundation June 15-25 at the Pulitzer

Two of St. Louis’ top cultural institutions, The Black Rep and The Pulitzer Arts Foundation are collaborating this summer to bring audiences Movement in Conversation with Landscape, as part of the The Black Rep’s Phoenix Rising Performance Series, presented by the Whitaker Foundation, June 16-25, 2023 at the Pulitzer. The Series includes unique dance performances, dance film screenings, and master classes. Full schedule and details below, with FREE admission to all.


June 16-18: Fri., 6-7 p.m.; Sat., 5-6 p.m.; Sun., 5-6 p.m.

12.15.2017– MFA dance student Heather Himes. James Byard/Washington University

Performances including:

The Seventh Floor Dance Collective – Founded by Heather Beal, this St. Louis based dance company is dedicated to the preservation and legacy of Dunham Technique. Performing inside in the Galleries. 

Brother(hood) Dance – An interdisciplinary duo that seeks to inform its audiences on the socio-political and environmental injustices from a global perspective, bringing clarity to the same-gender-loving African-American experience in the 21st century. Performing outside throughout Park Like.

Nana – A performance ritualist, youth educator, and loquacious lover, their artistry is the lens through which they conjure Black Queer Feminist research. Nana is the Artistic Director of Healing the Black Body. Performing outside at Spring Church. 

Thurs., June 22: 8-9:30 p.m. 

Screening of dance films:

With introductions and post-show conversation led by Kirven Douthit-Boyd, Artistic Director of Big Muddy Dance Co. Held outside in the courtyard between the Contemporary Art Museum and The Pulitzer. Space limited, FREE with registration required. Register at pultzerarts.org. Films include: 

The Weight of Sugar

Director: Jingqiu Guan; Choreographer: Bernard Brown 

Filmed on location at a renovated historic mill, the short film uses the lens of sugar to illuminate some of the lasting effects of colonialism on women of color. With support from a strong community, a young black woman guides us toward ascension, releasing the vestiges of oppression scattered. 

“a clearing” a part of the FLY | DROWN series

Co-Directors: Jennifer Harge and Devin Drake

This short chronicles a dance folktale honoring Black women’s movement towards flight. Set in a post-Great Migration home in Detroit, MI, it is an interwoven story of two characters, elder and nyeusi, and moves between the mundane, the majestic, fact, and fable. 

June 23-25: Fri., 6-7 p.m.; Sat., 5-6 p.m.; Sun., 5-6 p.m.

Performances including:

 Swamp Body Dance – Brittany Williams is an international dancer, choreographer, and organizer; a principal dancer with Olujimi Dance; the founder of Dancing for Justice and Obika Dance Projects. A womanist, a ride or die freedom fighter, and art-maker, Brittany creates work that is part reality, part fugitive. Performing outside in the Tree Grove.

Harge Dance Stories – Jennifer Harge is an interdisciplinary choreographer, performance artist, and educator based in Detroit whose work centers on Black and queer vernacular movement practices, codes, and rituals that manifest at the intersections of performance, installation, and community gathering. Performing outside at Spring Church. 

The Seventh Floor Dance Collective with Siobhan Monique  – Singer, songwriter, and educator based in Florida, Siobhan is also the founding artist of Ancestral Funk TM, Inc.  Held outside in the courtyard between the Contemporary Art Museum and The Pulitzer.

Sat., June 17 & Sat., June 24: MASTER CLASSES 

A full schedule of Master Classes will be offered. Space limited, FREE with registration; full class listing at www.theblackrep.org.

About The Black Rep

The Black Rep, a 46-year-old legacy Black arts organization, is committed to producing, re-imagining, and commissioning work written by Black playwrights and creating opportunities for new voices and youth. Founded by Producing Director Ron Himes, the vision for The Black Rep continues: a more equitable distribution of opportunities and resources for Black professionals and students in the theatre; improved representation on and back-stage in the theatre industry; and a fostered community culture of support and mentorship for those who will follow. For more information: www.theblackrep.org. 

The PHOENIX RISING SERIES honors The Black Rep’s original name on its founding in 1976 and is designed to create a platform for creative expression from an African American perspective in alternative spaces for new audiences, with support from the Whitaker Foundation. For a complete schedule of this summer’s SERIES visit www.theblackrep.org.

About The Pulitzer 

The Pulitzer Arts Foundation is an art museum dedicated to fostering meaningful experiences with art and architecture. Since its founding in 2001, the museum has presented art from around the world in its celebrated building by Tadao Ando and its surrounding neighborhood. Offering personal encounters with art, the Pulitzer brings art and people together to explore ideas and inspire new perspectives.

The Pulitzer campus is located in the Grand Center Arts District of St. Louis, Missouri, and includes the museum, the Spring Church, the Park-Like garden, and a tree grove. The museum is open Thursday through Sunday, 10am–5pm, with evening hours until 8pm on Friday. Admission is free. For more information, visit pulitzerarts.org.

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Tickets On Sale for Arts For Life’s Best Performance Awards July 2

Tickets On Sale for Arts For Life’s Best Performance Awards July 2

Chris Moore to emcee, Nancy Bortosky to receive the Life Achievement Award

Tickets are now available for the Arts For Life’s 23rd Best Performance Awards on July 2 at 2 p.m. at the Florissant Performing Arts Center, 1 James J. Eagan Drive, Florissant, Mo. 63033.

Local singer-actor-dancer-director Chris Moore will be the master of ceremonies. At last year’s return to a live ceremony, he won the Best Actor in a Comedic Role Award for his performance as the Donkey in “Shrek,” which was produced by the Kirkwood Theatre Guild.

Chris Moore

He directed “Godspell” for Take Two Productions this spring. Other recent theatrical credits include Cutler in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” at Clayton Community Theatre; in the ensemble of New Line Theatre’s “Urinetown” and “Head Over Heels,” and as a minstrel and Peter Quince in “Something Rotten!”; “Dreamgirls,” “Guys and Dolls,” and in the Polar Express event at Union Station. He will be part of New Line’s “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” production this June.

A graduate of Hazelwood Central High School, in addition to acting, Chris has a growing social media platform where he enjoys creating content about self-worth and being your most authentic self.

Awards will be presented in 30 categories. The BPAs have honored musical theater in community and youth productions beginning a year after the nonprofit organization AFL was founded in 1999.

“Arts For Life provides a community recognition program to spotlight the incredible talent we have in St. Louis community theater and honor the passion and dedication of those who build this amazing and unique theatrical community,” said Mary McCreight, AFL president.

Nancy Bortosky, executive director of DaySpring Arts and Education, will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award. She founded DaySpring in 1993 as a daytime arts program for homeschoolers and an after-school arts program for the community.

Under her direction the past 29 years, DaySpring has grown into a community organization offering dance, musical theatre, drama, fine arts, and music classes and performances, as well as offering an accredited Pre-K through 12th grade hybrid model Academy.

This year DaySpring will have produced five musicals, a mixed-bill ballet, a drama, numerous instrumental and vocal music recitals, and end-of-the-year drama, musical theatre, and dance recitals. Nancy has been instrumental in growing these programs. She plans to retire this year.

Nominations are listed on the website, www.artsforlife.org.

Formal attire is requested. A cash bar will be available. Doors will open at 1:30 p.m.

BPA tickets are available online at $30 with a service fee of $2 added, which can be purchased at: https://arts-for-life-2.square.site/.

You can download a mail order form online and save the service fee. Reservations can be arranged via mail. If ordering for a group, please attach a list of individual names for box office pick-up. Please make check payable to ARTS FOR LIFE and mail to PO Box 16426, St. Louis, MO 63125.

All BPA ticket orders will be held at the box office on event day.

Please contact us at afltrg@artsforlife.org if you have any special seating needs or COVID-19 related concerns. Handicapped seating is available.

Award Nominations

Four youth musicals presented by Gateway Center for the Performing Arts — “13” (8), “Bonnie and Clyde” (10), “A Christmas Story” (2), and “Something Rotten!” (13) — combined for 35 nominations, the most of any community theater or youth group. Gateway Center for the Performing Arts is based in Webster Groves.

Monroe Actors Stage Company in Waterloo, Ill., led all St. Louis area – metro-east Illinois community theater groups, with 25 — 14 for the classic musical “The Pajama Game” and 11 for the Steve Martin-Edie Brickel musical “Bright Star.”

Christ Memorial Productions received 13 nominations for “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” Goshen Theatre Project in Collinsville, Ill., earned 12 – 11 nominations for “Percy Jackson: Lightning Thief” and 1 for “Meet Me in St. Louis.” Spotlight Productions had 12 nominations for “The Addams Family.”

The Kirkwood Theatre Guild had nine BPA nominations for “Little Shop of Horrors,” as did Hawthorne Players in Florissant for “A Chorus Line.”

Act Two in St. Peters had eight BPA nominations for “The Full Monty.”

Other groups receiving nominations included Looking Glass Players, 6; Over Due Theatre, 6; Curtain’s Up Theater, 2; DaySpring Arts and Education, 2; and Young People’s Theatre, 1.

Florissant Performing Arts Center

Arts For Life is dedicated to the healing power of the arts through its work with youth, the underserved, and the community, with its goal of “Making a Dramatic Difference.”

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

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Exuberant Cast in Tesseract’s Reflective ‘Welcome to Arroyo’s’

Exuberant Cast in Tesseract’s Reflective ‘Welcome to Arroyo’s’

By Lynn Venhaus

With its energetic and appealing cast of six, and its earnest mission from a buzzy contemporary playwright, “Welcome to Arroyo’s” is a fine example of Tesseract Theatre Company’s commitment to fresh voices and perspectives.

It was written when the promising storyteller Kristoffer Diaz was in college but produced after his acclaimed 2009 play “The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Diety” was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Diaz incorporated an American Dream theme in this dramatic comedy about the wrestler Macedonio Guerra, and it also won the Obie Award for Best New American Play in 2011.

Here, Diaz focuses on dreams, stressing community and touching on family, art, grief, loss, and his Latino culture.

Underscored with a lively hip-hop beat, “Welcome to Arroyo’s” is set on New York City’s Lower East Side in 2004. Victor Mendez portrays with conviction the industrious Alejandro Arroyo, whose dream is to convert the space where his late mother ran a bodega/deli for 20 years into a neighborhood bar/lounge that could become a cultural hot spot, but so far, not going so well.

The hard-working Al is at odds with his younger sister Amalia, aka Molly, who is full of anger and rebellion, and spray-paints graffiti outside the 7th precinct police station. Remi Mark conveys her character’s agitation and how mad at the world she is.

She courts trouble, he wants a better life. They are both dealing with the loss of their mother and will meet people who result in changes in direction for them.

Her unexpected love interest? Derek, a rookie police officer who recently moved to the area. He’s nice to her when she is mean to him, and Marshall Jennings is effective playing the concerned guy trying to understand her.

Al’s romantic attraction is to Lelly, a quirky college student tracing the history of a Puerto Rican woman that played a big part in hip-hop music. Could their mother have been one of its founders? Based on her research, Lelly seems to think that 20 years ago, she was the first female hip-hop DJ. Hannah de Oliveira brings out Lelly’s passion for her work.

Two DJs, Nelson and Trip, are Alejandro’s pals who hang out at the bar, and act as narrators sharing this fangirl theory, tying it all together. Kevin Corpuz (Nelson) and Jacob Schmidt (Trip) are the high-spirited rappers devoted to getting the party started, and they succeed in engaging audience members, who are eager to follow their direction. Corpuz’ enthusiasm is always contagious, and their contributions are easily the most relatable aspect of the show.

While heartfelt, Diaz’s play, however, seems incomplete, and the characters aren’t as developed as they could be for us to really care about them and be drawn into the scenario.

Nevertheless, director Brittanie Gunn worked well with an exuberant cast of four men and two women who give their all to pull us into the narrative. There is much goodwill here for what they are trying to accomplish with this show and the people involved.

The main problem with staging at the .Zack is its challenging acoustics, which have been problematic since it opened, some more pronounced than others. On the plus side, Corpuz and Schmidt have individual microphones, and Mark is loud as Molly, but de Oliveira is, at times, hard to hear as Lelly, although she is animated in her performance. Usually, in Tesseract’s previous shows staged there, it wasn’t an issue, but the uneven sound detracts.

Diaz appears destined to be a powerful presence in American theater. Besides writing plays, he is an academic – an associate arts professor at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and has worked in television.

Diaz went on to write the book for “Hercules,” the stage adaptation of the 1997 Disney film, with music by Alan Menken and lyrics by David Zippel, which was presented at The Public Theatre in 2019.

For television, Díaz adapted Jonathan Larson’s musical “Rent” into the 2019 live show on Fox and was the editor for Season 1 of “GLOW” on Netflix in 2017.

Tesseract gives this playful production a celebratory feel, and with its dedicated creatives, will likely continue its commitment to diverse talents and plays with something to say. And those are reasons to rejoice.

Tesseract Theatre Company presents “Welcome to Arroyo’s” April 28 – May 7, with performances on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 4 p.m. at the .ZACK, 3224 Locust St., in Grand Center. For more information, visit the website: www.tesseracttheatre.com

This play contains adult language and themes.

Corpuz, Schmidt, Jennings
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SATE Presents Annual Aphra Behn Festival May 5-7 at Fontbonne U.

SATE Presents Annual Aphra Behn Festival May 5-7 at Fontbonne U.

SATE presents the Seventh Annual Aphra Behn Festival, May 5-7, 2023, at Fontbonne University. Performances are at 8:00 PM on Friday, May 5 and Saturday, May 6. Performance on Sunday, May 7 at 4:00 PM.

When established in 2017, a goal of the Aphra Behn Festival was to give women interested in directing and writing for theatre an opportunity to get more experience, try out ideas, experiment, and hone their craft. SATE now looks to make the Festival a more inclusive space for transgender and non-binary artists, as well.

The Aphra Behn Festival is named for the fascinating poet, translator, and spy, Aphra Behn, who is widely considered to be the first English woman to make her living as a playwright. SATE produced a play about her, Or, by Liz Duffy Adams, in February 2015 and collaborated with Prison Performing Arts to adapt Behn’s play, The Rover, for the artists at the Women’s Eastern Reception, Diagnostic, and Correctional Center in Vandalia to perform. The Rover was also the text shared by the directors in the 2020 Festival. SATE feels very much a part of Aphra’s legacy.

This year’s list of ingredients for plays to be submitted in the 2023 Festival challenged the writers to re-tell, adapt, or respond to one of the plays on Hedgepig Theatre Ensemble’s Expand the Canon list (www.expandthecanon.com) SATE hosted readings of all three “Re-Told” plays on February 19, March 19, and April 30.

2023 Festival Plays

Bold Stroke for a Villain by Summer Baer
Directed by Emma Glose
Inspired by Hannah Cowley’s Bold Stroke for a Husband
Performed by Gabrielle Lynn, Jaelyn Hawkins, Greta Johnson
Welcome to purgatory! Victoria, condemned to an eternity of reflection, attempts to call into the void to someone she wronged but gets Elle Woulds instead.

Lieblingstante, by Aurora Behlke
Directed by Kayla Ailee Bush
Based off The Uncle by Princess Amalie of Saxony
Performed by Maida Dippel, Michael Pierce, and Leslie Wobbe
Julius introduces his girlfriend to his aunt Claudia. Who knows where the conversation may go after one or two (or four) glasses of wine.

reANIMA by Aly Kantor
Directed by Britney N. Daniels
A speculative subversion of Amelia Rosselli’s Anima
Performed by Keating and Taylor Kelly
Cricket totaled her meat vessel at a party—but not to worry! Her best friend has an industry hookup and made her a brand new one with all the bells and whistles she could ever want (and a few she’s slightly reluctant about). Now everything can get back to normal…right?

PRODUCTION ENSEMBLE
Stage Manager: Spencer Lawton
Costume Design: Liz Henning
Lighting Design: Michael Sullivan
Graphic Design: Dottie Quick
Photography: Joel Rumpell
Set/Props Design: Rachel Tibbetts, Ellie Schwetye
Sound Design: Emma Glose, Ellie Schwetye
Intimacy Coordinator: Rachel Tibbetts

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Spirited ‘Finale’ Excels At Examining Creative Process in WEPG’s Premiere

Spirited ‘Finale’ Excels At Examining Creative Process in WEPG’s Premiere

By Lynn Venhaus
Inspired by real 19th century artists, “Finale” examines the creative process of renowned Italian composer Gioachino Rossini with a nimble cast of four and jaunty, skillful writing.

West End Players Guild has produced its final play of the 111th season, and this comedy-drama is well-suited for their intimate theater space.

It’s also a feather in their cap, a world premiere written by Vladimir Zelevinsky, who is a playwright at home in the Union Avenue Christian Church basement, for this is his fourth play to be presented there.

For his previous WEPG works, he received a welcome reception and critical praise that garnered St Louis Theater Circle nominations, with “Manifest Destiny” in 2016 and “The Great Seduction” in 2018. His world premiere of “The Cricket on the Hearth” happened in December 2019, all directed by Steve Callahan.

Zelevinsky is also a research scientist based in Massachusetts and was in St. Louis to attend the inaugural performances last weekend.

While the play is fiction, it’s based on historical figures, and he obviously put in a lot of research into the characters: roguish “Jack” Rossini (Tim McWhirter), talented diva Isabella Colbran, his lover and later wife (Paula Stoff Dean), wealthy and anxious impresario Domenico Barbaia (Matt Anderson) and a coquettish muse Angel (Sadie Harvey), a likely composite of lovers vying for the outgoing genius’ attention.

Sadie Harvey, Paula Stoff Dean, Timothy McWhirter. Photo by John Lamb.

If you are not an operagoer, you are still likely to have heard of Rossini, who composed 39 operas, in addition to some chamber music, sacred music and piano pieces. His “The Barber of Seville” was a major success and his overture is legendary in his final piece, “William Tell.”

If you’re familiar with his work and life, you’ll understand the timelines and how impactful his creations were – among his accomplishments, he is credited with establishing the bel canto style of singing, using unusual rhythms, and effectively inserting crescendos. After he gained fame for his comic approach, he turned to more serious, dramatic fare, and those tones are reflected in the two acts.

“Finale” focuses on the popular Jack’s chaotic approach to deadlines, for as brilliant as Rossini was, he was notoriously lazy and insouciant. In the first act, as portrayed superbly – and pliant — by McWhirter, he’s ambitious and full of vigor, but in the second act, he’s disillusioned and dour, which is quite a departure after the jolly fun of Act I. There is a 15-minute intermission.

Act I is set in 1816 Rome, backstage at an opera, when Rossini was nearly 24 years old. Act II takes place 15 years later, in 1823, in a grand opera house in Paris. This time, at 39, it’s not procrastination troubling him, but how to handle the crossroads in his life. While no one knows for certain why, Rossini never composed another opera, and lived well until age 76. He loved to travel and entertain, and Zelevinsky drops names of his famous contemporaries and places he frequented to give us a sense of his place in history.

Photo by John Lamb

The second act’s noticeable shift of tone is a jolt but is based on the knowledge that Rossini ceased composing operas, which is puzzling to comprehend.

With Zelevinsky’s keen wit and penchant for detail, the spirited cast enlivens the first act much like a vintage screwball comedy. Their verbal dexterity and crisp comic timing make the snappy repartee a delight.  

After all, his comic operas were considered farcical fun, for his sitcom-like plots took lively twists and turns, and Callahan, an opera afficionado, mimics those wacky antics in crafting the physical comedy onstage and keeping the pace of the sprightly banter.

McWhirter’s hilarious nonchalance about writing pages so close to opening is contrasted by Anderson’s palpable exasperation over that unruffled demeanor.

In the second act, the supportive Barbaia has learned how to handle the prima donna, Bella is pragmatic about their marriage after distance separated them, and all the characters convey a more serious approach.

One of the show’s highlights is Dean showcasing her strong vocals, for she is an accomplished singer. Last summer, she played Desiree in Stray Dog Theatre’s “A Little Night Music.”

That’s an appreciated addition, for a show about music should give us a sample, at least.

Adding to the ambiance is scenic designer Ken Clark’s versions of two different houses hosting Rossini’s operas – one less opulent in Rome and the other more lavish in Paris. He has astutely serviced the action with furniture placement. Marjorie Williamson contributed graphic and scenic art.

Proficient costume designer Tracey Newcomb outfits the quartet in authentic-looking period pieces, with the women cavorting in petticoats for a good stretch, and lovely bright-colored gowns indicating stature.

Nathan Schroeder’s lighting design and Chuck Lavazzi’s sound design expertly provide smooth transitions for an effective overall production, with special mention to music advisor Caetlyn Van Buren.

Despite the abrupt change of moods between the first and second acts, the capable ensemble is pitch-perfect in depicting their characters. It’s often difficult to explore the inner workings of writers in a narrative, because the process is so internal, but Zelevinsky provides a reasonable backstory with good humor and interesting dialogue for a fitting “Finale.”

The West End Players Guild presents “Finale” April 28-30 and May 4-7, 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday at Union Avenue Christian Church, 733 Union Boulevard, St. Louis. For more information, visit www.westendplayers.org

Photo by John Lamb
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