The Muny Announces Starring Cast of ‘Disney’s Beauty and the Beast’

The Muny Announces Starring Cast of ‘Disney’s Beauty and the Beast’

The Muny announced April 27 that Ashley Blanchet, Ben Crawford, Claybourne Elder, Ann Harada, Kelvin Moon Loh, Eric Jordan Young, Holly Ann Butler, Tommy Bracco, Harrison White, Debby Lennon and Michael Hobin will star in the magical production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, June 22 – 30, 2023.

A Muny family favorite, guests will be dazzled with spectacular sets and costumes from the creative team, led by director John Tartaglia, with choreography by Patrick O’Neill and music direction by Ben Whiteley. Disney’s Beauty and the Beast is proudly sponsored by Ameren.

“What a thrilling, joyous cast, one sure to create true enchantment,” said Muny Artistic Director and Executive Producer Mike Isaacson. “We all can’t wait to delight thousands of Muny lovers each night with the beloved Disney classic. Be Our Guest, indeed!”

Ashley Blanchett

ASHLEY BLANCHET (Belle) Broadway: Waitress (Dawn), Frozen (u/s Elsa), Beautiful (Little Eva), Annie (Star To Be), Memphis. Recent select regional productions include The Sound of Music (Maria, Paper Mill Playhouse) and Oklahoma! (Ado Annie, Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera). 

This spring, she was Miss New Hampshire in the world premiere of the new musical The Bedwetter, written by Josh Harmon, Adam Schlesinger and Sarah Silverman. Film/TV: The Equalizer, The Good Fight, Better Nate Than Ever (Disney+) and the voice of Raquelle in the award-winning animated short film Are You Okay? Proud alumna of University of Michigan and The Walnut Hill School in Natick, MA.

BEN CRAWFORD (Beast) Muny: Footloose (Chuck), Titanic (Frederick Barrett), Oliver! (Bill Sikes). Broadway: The Phantom of the Opera (Phantom, 35th Anniversary), Charlie and The Chocolate Factory (Mr. Salt), On the Twelfth Century, Big Fish (Don Price, u/s Edward), Shrek (Shrek) and Les Misérables (u/s Jean Valjean, Javert). Off-Broadway: Irma la Douce (Persil-Le-Noir/Mec) and Merrily We Roll Along (Terry) for Encores!; Jasper in Deadland (Prospect Theatre).

National tour: Guys and Dolls (Sky Masterson). Regional: Evita (Che, Studio Tennessee), 110 in the Shade (Starbuck, Ford’s Theatre), Big Fish (Don Price, u/s Edward, Oriental Theatre), South Pacific (Luther Billis, Ogunquit Playhouse), Next to Normal (Madden, Pioneer Theatre), Assassins (John Wilkes Booth, Arizona Theatre Company), Shrek the Musical (Shrek Standby, Seattle 5th Avenue Theatre), Oklahoma! (Jud Fry, Atlanta Theater of the Stars) and A New Brain (Gordan Schwinn, Arizona Onstage Productions). Concerts: Carousel (Billy Bigelow) with Rochester Philharmonic, and Hello, Dolly! (Cornelius) and Yuletide for Indianapolis Symphony.

Claybourne Elder

CLAYBOURNE ELDER (Gaston) was most recently seen on Broadway as Andy in the Tony Award-winning revival of Company with Patti LuPone. He is a Drama Desk and Lucille Lortel Award nominee, known for his Broadway performances in Bonnie and Clyde, Sunday in the Park with George and Torch Song. He also appeared in Sondheim on Sondheim at the Hollywood Bowl, Road Show at the Public Theater, Do I Hear A Waltz? at NY City Center Encores!; Allegro at Classic Stage and Venice at the Public Theater. Other roles include George in Sunday in the Park with George, Giorgio in Passion, Tony in West Side Story, Joe in Angels in America, Curly in Oklahoma!; and Wolf/Cinderella’s Prince in Into the Woods. TV/Film credits include John Adams on The Gilded Age, The Carrie Diaries, FBI, Bad Cupid and the video game Grand Theft Auto V.

ANN HARADA (Mrs. Potts) has appeared at The Muny in High School Musical, 42nd Street, Mamma Mia!; Gypsy and Matilda. She is best known for playing Christmas Eve in Avenue Q on Broadway and London’s West End. Other Broadway: Into the Woods, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella, Les Misérables, 9 to 5, Seussical, M. Butterfly. Recent off-Broadway: Dear World, Fairycakes, Emojiland, I Married an Angel, Pacific Overtures, Brooklynite. TV: Schmigadoon!; Smash, Blue Bloods, The Jim Large.

Kelvin Moon Loh

KELVIN MOON LOH (Lumiere) Muny Debut! Broadway: Beetlejuice The Musical (Otho), SpongeBob SquarePants, The King and I (Lincoln Center 2014), Side Show (2013 Revival). Select Theatre: Here Lies Love (Public Theater), Pacific Overtures (Classic Stage Co.), American Idiot (first national tour). Regional: Utah Shakespeare Festival, Pioneer Theatre Company, Houston TUTS, Arvada Center for the Performing Arts, La Jolla Playhouse, The Kennedy Center, Gateway Playhouse, North Shore Music Theatre, Kansas City Starlight, National Asian Artists Project. TV: Only Murders in the Building. Kelvin can be heard as a vocalist in the movies Spirited; Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile; and The Greatest Showman. He appears as Perch Perkins in the movie version of SpongeBob SquarePants The Musical. NYU Steinhardt.

ERIC JORDAN YOUNG (Cogsworth) Muny: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (2022). Broadway: Ragtime (1998), Ragtime (2009), The Look of Love, Chicago and Seussical. Select off-Broadway and regional credits include Neighbors, Dessa Rose, Little Fish, Side Show (Helen Hayes Award), Ragtime, Jesus Christ Superstar, Sammy & Me. National tours: Chicago, Ragtime, Dreamgirls. Las Vegas: Cocktail Cabaret, Rock of Ages, Vegas! The Show; Shakin’; Chicago, Starlight Express.

Holly Ann Butler

HOLLY ANN BUTLER (Babette) Muny: Holiday Inn (Lila Dixon), Annie (Lily St. Regis), A Chorus Line (Sheila). Broadway/off-Broadway: Diana (Sarah Spencer), Come From Away, On the Town, How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying, Grease, Happiness, Anyone Can Whistle. Tours: Evita, Shrek, Jersey Boys. Regional: The Royal Family of Broadway (Barrington, world premiere), The Honeymooners (Paper Mill Playhouse), Thoroughly Modern Millie (Drury Lane, Jeff Award nomination). Film/TV: Diana the Musical, A Holiday Spectacular, Spirited, SeaQuest 2032, Figure It Out.

TOMMY BRACCO (Lefou) Broadway: Disney’s Newsies (Spot Conlon, OBC), Pretty Woman: The Musical (Giulio, OBC) and A Chorus Line (Mike Costa, NY City Center Encores!). In addition to theatre, Tommy has a love for reality TV and competed on CBS’ Big Brother and MTV’s The Challenge.

HARRISON WHITE (Maurice) makes his Muny debut in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Broadway: The Lion King and Sarafina! West End: Smokey Joe’s Cafe. Off-Broadway: A Good Swift Kick and Romance in Hard Times at the Public Theater. Other credits include Dreamgirls, Seussical, Jesus Christ Superstar, The Full Monty, Gulls, Miss Saigon, It’s A Wonderful Life; Purlie, Ain’t Misbehavin’; Five Guys Named Moe, Once on This Island, as well as world premieres of Ray Charles Live and Sister Act. TV: The Villains of Valley View, The Underground Railroad, Kenan, Danger Force, The Kominsky Method, Fresh Off the Boat, How To Get Away With Murder, This Is Us, 9-1-1, Modern Family and many more. Film: Mermaid, I Got the Hookup 1 and 2, The Way You Look Tonight, Waiting in the Wings 1 and 2, Opening Night, The Muppets, Se7en. Proud member of AEA since 1988.

DEBBY LENNON (Madame de la Grande Bouche) is thrilled to be a part of The Muny’s 105th Season. Muny credits: Chicago (Standby Matron Mama Morton/Mary Sunshine), Mary Poppins (Miss Andrew), Sweeney Todd, The Sound of Music, Singin’ in the Rain (Dora Bailey), Oliver!; Cinderella on Ice, South Pacific, Annie, Fiddler on The Roof and Show Boat. St. Louis Theater Circle Awards for Grey Gardens (Edith/Little Edie, Best Actress in a Musical) and Souvenir: A Fantasia on the Life of Florence Foster Jenkins (Best Actress in a Comedy). She looks forward to playing the role of Mother in Union Avenue Opera’s upcoming production of Ragtime. Debby celebrates 23 years as director of The Webster University Jazz Singers and is an adjunct professor of voice at Webster University in St. Louis, MO.

MICHAEL HOBIN (Chip) is honored to make his debut this summer at The Muny as a member of the principal cast in Beauty and the Beast. His favorite and recent roles include Ralphie (A Christmas Story), Bruce (Matilda), Young Luke (The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical), Jeter (Footloose) and Olaf (Frozen Jr.). He has performed with Gateway Center for Performing Arts, Shooting Star Productions, Stages Performing Arts Academy and Kirkwood Youth Theatre. Michael is a member of the Muny Kids Touring Troupe. He studies voice with Dr. Philip Woodmore and dance training at Gateway Center for Performing Arts.

About the show:

Be our guest and bring the entire family for an enchanting night under the stars! Disney’s Beauty and the Beast reminds us to look for the beauty within. With a dose of Muny Magic, this production will bring all your favorite fanciful characters to life, with spectacular sets and costumes. Join Belle, the Beast, Mrs. Potts, Cogsworth, Lumiere and all the spellbound characters of the fabled castle in a summer celebration for any age!

Music by Alan Menken, Lyrics by Howard Ashman & Tim Rice and Book by Linda Woolverton.

The Telsey Office is the official casting partner for The Muny. Full casting and design team will be announced at a later date.

The Muny’s 2023 Season includes Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (June 12-18), Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (June 22-30), Chess (July 5-11), West Side Story (July 15-21), Little Shop of Horrors (July 25-31), Rent (August 4-10) and Sister Act (August 14-20).

Season tickets are currently on sale. Single tickets will be available beginning May 22. Muny gift cards for the 105th season are now available online and at The Muny Box Office. For more information, visit muny.org or call (314) 361-1900.

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The Black Rep Presents ‘Eubie!’ Musical May 3-21 at The Edison

The Black Rep Presents ‘Eubie!’ Musical May 3-21 at The Edison

The St. Louis Black Repertory Company continues its 46th Anniversary Season with the musical revue EUBIE!, featuring music from the groundbreaking musician and composer Eubie Blake. The production opens May 3 through Sunday May 21, 2023 at The Edison Theatre on the campus of Washington University in St. Louis. This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

On Broadway in the 1970s, Eubie! re-introduced audiences to Blake’s iconic career and highlighted his role in breaking down racial barriers with the 1921 musical, Shuffle Along –  the first Broadway musical written, directed by and starring Black Americans. 

At The Black Rep, the ensemble cast for EUBIE! includes Coda Boyce (The African Company Presents Richard III; The Light), DeAnté Bryant (TBR debut), Robert Crenshaw (Spell #7; Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope), Serdalyer Darden (TBR debut), Evann De-Bose (Lines in the Dust; Black Nativity), Samantha Madison (Do I Move You? Black Nativity), Venezia Manuel (Crossin’ Over), Carvas Pickens (TBR debut), Tamara PiLar (TBR debut), J’Kobe Wallace (TBR debut), and Taijha Necole Silas (Behind The Sheet; Death Of A Salesman).

Audiences will be treated to well-known tunes such as: “In Honeysuckle Time,” and “I’m Just Wild About Harry,” with live music featuring: Joseph Dreyer – Piano, Chris Tomlin – tuba, Bernard Long Jr. – drums, Anthony Wiggins – trumpet, and Harvey Lockhart – saxophone.

“EUBIE! showcases many of Blake’s best songs, many from Shuffle Along, which was a smashing success when it ran on Broadway in 1921,” explains Ron Himes, Founder and Producing Director of The Black Rep. “Eubie Blake not only helped shape American musical theatre as we know it today, but that show is credited with kicking off the Harlem Renaissance that swept New York City culture in the late 1920s and 1930s.”

Directed by Ron Himes with Musical Director Joe Dreyer and written by Eubie Blake, Andy Razaf, Noble Sissle and Julianne Boyd, the production showcases Choreography by Vivian Watt, Heather Beal, and Robert Crenshaw; Scenic Design by Tim Jones, Costume Design by Marc W. Vital II, Sound Design by Justin Schmitz, Lighting Design by Jasmine Williams. Tracy Holliway D. Wiggins is the Stage Manager and Zahria Moore is the Assistant Stage Manager.

Tickets are available at theblackrep.org or through the Box Office at 314-534-3807. Reduced pricing is available for seniors, educators, museum staff, students, and groups of 12 or more. The Black Rep is highly recommending face masks inside the theatre. Please visit theblackrep.org for up-to-date health protocols.

Support for The Black Rep’s 46th Main Stage Season comes from the Arts and Education Council, The Berges Family Foundation, The Black Seed Initiative, Caleres, Missouri Arts Council, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Regional Arts Commission, Rogers-Townsend, The Shubert Foundation, the Steward Family Foundation, and Washington University in St. Louis, with matinee support from the Union Pacific Foundation.

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 

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Hana Sharif to Step Down as Artistic Director of The Repertory Theatre of St Louis to Lead Arena Stage in D.C.

Hana Sharif to Step Down as Artistic Director of The Repertory Theatre of St Louis to Lead Arena Stage in D.C.

Sharif Ends Five Year Tenure at The Rep After  Shepherding the Theatre Through the Pandemic

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis (The Rep) has announced that Hana Sharif is stepping down as its Augustin Family Artistic Director after a five-year tenure leading the top regional theatre and advancing its legacy of artistic excellence to become Artistic Director of Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. Danny Williams, Managing Director, who has worked closely with Sharif since being appointed to his position last year, will work in partnership with The Rep’s Board of Directors and Associate Artistic Directors Becks Redman and Reggie D. White, to oversee the success of the highly anticipated 2023–24 season and put in place a search for the theatre’s next artistic director.  

Arena Stage is a Tony Award-winning national center that helped launch the regional theater movement and continues to produce and present diverse and ground-breaking work from some of the best artists in the country. It is committed to commissioning and developing new plays and impacting the lives of students through its work in the community. Sharif will leave her role at The Rep in June 2023. 

“Under Hana’s leadership The Rep has made significant strides to ensure that we remain a vital, twenty-first century arts organization that serves all St. Louisans by increasing access to the best emerging and established voices in the American theatre and building bridges across the region,” said Danny Williams, Managing Director. “We thank Hana for moving The Rep forward with her innovative vision that meets the needs of our community and upholds the high standards of artistic excellence which are a hallmark of our productions. Building upon the strong foundation she put in place, we are excited for the reimagined upcoming season that Hana curated, which will continue to offer the full spectrum of St. Louis audiences opportunities to connect, engage, and be thoroughly entertained at The Rep.” 

The Rep’s 2023–24 season, led by titles such as Ben Power’s adaptation of Stefano Massini’s The Lehman Trilogy; Tracy Letts’ August: Osage County, and The Greatest Love for Whitney: A Tribute to Whitney Houston created by Mark Clements, includes a mix of world-class  

self-produced productions alongside co-produced and presented theater works, reimagining the theatre’s programming in order to create a sustainable model on which to build towards the future. 

“Over the past five years Hana has brought forth a strong vision for The Rep that showed us what a top regional theatre’s role could and should be within the community, producing and directing critically-acclaimed new works and classics; reaffirming the organization’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion; and boldly navigating us through the challenges of the pandemic,” said Gwen Middeke, President of the Board of Directors of The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis. “We are so grateful to Hana for the immense contributions she has made to The Rep and feel confident that her close collaborator and our brilliant Managing Director Danny Williams will continue to expertly steer the organization forward during this time of transition while we undertake a national search for a new creative partner who will enrich and inspire our community.” 

Pride and Prejudice

As Augustin Family Artistic Director of The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Sharif shepherded the organization through a cultural transformation following the retirement of long-time Artistic Director Steven Woolf. Her directorial debut at The Rep was with an adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice, which was the highest grossing show in the company’s history. She expanded the theatre’s commitment to producing world premieres each season, including Somi Kakoma’s Dreaming Zenzile, Kirsten Greenidge’s Feeding Beatrice, Steph Del Rosso’s The Gradient, and Madhuri Shekar’s House of Joy. Each of the shows she directed are top grossing shows in The Rep’s history including her production of Ken Ludwig’s stage adaptation of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express which recently finished The Rep’s 2022/23 season to rave reviews.  

Among other firsts to her credit, Sharif diversified The Rep’s programming to reflect the region’s spectrum of genre, thought, form, and culture, including its first all-Femme design team for Steph Del Rosso’s The Gradient. She introduced a new annual tradition to the St. Louis community in 2021 with a magical version of the beloved holiday spectacular A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens and adapted by Michael Wilson, which will continue, now in its third year, as part of the theatre’s next season. 

She piloted a range of new programming during the COVID-19 pandemic, including a drive-through illuminated puppet experience (The Snowy Day: A Glowy Snowy Experience based on the book The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats, in partnership with StoneLion Puppet Theatre)and a virtual theatrical series that brought together famous local chefs, mixologists, local bands, and media personalities (Cooking, Carols, and Cocktails). In service of the civic life of the community, she launched REPresent STL, a conversation series focused on highlighting and unpacking the issues that matter most to the residents of the Greater St. Louis region. Sharif also created cultural and civic partnerships connected to themes in the performance season, including collaborations with Dr. Mati Hlatshwayo Davis for AIDS and HIV awareness and with the Missouri Voter Protection Coalition to creatively share new voter regulations with St. Louisans. 

Additionally, while at The Rep and at the height of the pandemic, Sharif partnered with other regional arts administrators at Baltimore Center Stage, Long Wharf Theater, Woolly Mammoth Theater Company, and the Public Theater in New York to commission short plays from writers struggling financially during the global shutdown. The coalition created Play at Home, a website that offered theatres new plays of 10-minutes in length or less, intended to be performed at home, over video conferencing platforms.  

“It has been one of the great honors of my life to lead The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis and to build upon the incredible legacy of artistic excellence over the last five years,” said Hana Sharif, Augustin Family Artistic Director. “I have forged deeply meaningful friendships, collaborations, and artistic partnerships in this beautiful community, and will miss the indomitable spirit of St. Louis. This move is not a decision that I took lightly, but it is a once in a lifetime opportunity that I could not pass up. I believe in the transformative power of the arts to uplift our shared humanity and I cherish the opportunity I’ve had to bring The Rep’s new and existing audiences theatrical experiences that have forged and deepened connections across the region. Advancing this work that we embarked on together, I am confident that the future of The Rep is in strong, capable hands with Danny Williams, my longtime friend and a trusted colleague, who will continue to move forward initiatives that reinforce The Rep’s role as an industry thought leader and a home to the most exciting American voices.” 

The Rep is beginning to assemble a Transition and Search Committee that will plan next steps to find and hire a new artistic director and will announce additional details in the coming months. 

A Christmas Carol Photo Credit: T Charles Erickson

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 Rep presents innovative and compelling productions with something for everyone on its stages. The Rep delivers creative and thought-provoking theatrical experiences at two adaptable and intimate stages across St. Louis: the Virginia Jackson Browning Theatre at the Loretto-Hilton Center for the Performing Arts and the Catherine B. Berges Theatre at COCA. With creative and thought-provoking performances, 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. For more information, please visit repstl.org. 

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Mesmerizing Performances in The Rep’s Heartfelt ‘Gruesome Playground Injuries’

Mesmerizing Performances in The Rep’s Heartfelt ‘Gruesome Playground Injuries’

By Lynn Venhaus

Funny, sad, poignant and personal, “Gruesome Playground Injuries” is the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis’ impressive return to the Steve Woolf Studio series, renowned for its adventurous programming for years.

It’s an accomplished production of Rajiv Joseph’s 2009 two-character drama featuring raw and affecting performances from Brian Slaten and Jessika D. Williams, who will break your heart as damaged souls Doug and Kayleen.

The year is 1983 and they meet as eight-year-olds in their parochial school infirmary. He’s a daredevil prone to accidents that get more series as time goes by and she’s waylaid by a sensitive stomach – her mother blames it on “bad thoughts” – and her internal wounds progress to self-harm and substance abuse.

Both outsiders, their lives intersect for the next 30 years, while they wrestle with their feelings.

With his keen wit and sharp emotional insight into the human condition, Joseph brings the friends back together – even with long stretches apart. It’s complicated – and compelling. They may be a lifeline, but they exasperate each other, push people away in a cruel world, and from their perspective, connecting isn’t so easy.

Adulting is hard, we know. Life happens. Friends move, get different jobs, start and end other relationships, raise families. But the ones we maintain ties with become a special part of the fabric of our lives. And the ones we reconnect with, after drifting part, that opportunity is a great tonic – and we know that feeling. It’s universal.

“Gruesome Playground Injuries” evokes those friendship memories. It’s obviously more complex with Doug and Kayleen, who learn they can’t heal each other, but they can provide sustenance.

A finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his outstanding 2009 play “Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo,” Joseph crafts fully dimensional characters, flaws and all.

Jessika D Williams, Brian Slaten Photo by Philip Hamer

In this nonlinear narrative, the pals’ encounters are rather unusual, through early teens, 20s and 30s, with the actors revealing more emotional depth each time. Every rueful scene deals with pain, both physical and psychological. They ask each other: “Does it hurt?”

Slaten inhabits the hyper and impulsive Doug with an appealing goofball energy while Williams unmasks a guarded person concealing internal scars but can’t hide the darkness within.  Director Becks Redman emphasizes the characters’ vulnerability.

The pair is on stage the entire time, never out of sight, and they change clothes on opposite sides. The simple outfits selected by costume designer Carolyn Mazuca reflect the various time periods in their lives.

The production’s technical design work is also superb, with an interesting monochromatic set of multi-purpose shapes by scenic designer Diggle. The actors move pieces around to create their settings – efficient and functional spaces doubling for interiors and outside. Lighting designer Anshuman Bhatia also gives the characters a sense of place and enhances the mood.

David Gomez’ soulful instrumental composition adds a mournful tone, reflecting on missed opportunities and regrets. Sound designer Kareem Deanes’ crisp work excels in the black box space.

Post-pandemic, this play resonates even more than in the before times. We have acutely felt the isolation of social distancing and loss of human connection through time and distance. We have fought similar battles separately and together the past three years.

With mesmerizing performances and a director desiring to bring out parallel lines we can relate to, this production aims straight for the heart and achieves a bulls-eye. It makes us think and feel about how people make their marks on our lives.

Photo by Philip Hamer.

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis is presenting “Gruesome Playground Injuries” in the return of Steve Woolf Studio series from April 14 through May 13 at the Strauss Black Box Theatre in the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center, 210 E Monroe Ave, Kirkwood, Mo.

The show runs 80 minutes without intermission. House doors will open 30 minutes before the show starts to begin seating. Please plan to arrive accordingly as this show is general admission. Concessions will be available to purchase before the show. They are only able to accept debit/credit cards.  There is a free lot for parking directly behind the theatre on W Monroe Ave. and S Fillmore Ave. Additional free parking is available on adjacent streets.

For tickets or for more information, visit www.repstl.org

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‘Beau Is Afraid’ Is Challenging, Vicious Swing for the Fences

‘Beau Is Afraid’ Is Challenging, Vicious Swing for the Fences

By Alex McPherson

An imaginatively sadistic plunge into a tortured psyche, Ari Aster’s “Beau Is Afraid” is a grueling watch, but one that’ll wind up impossible to forget, for better and worse.

The film unfolds through the eyes of Beau Wassermann (Joaquin Phoenix), a middle-aged man-child with near-paralyzing guilt and anxiety stemming from Mommy Issues. He lives in a run-down apartment within a city overrun with crime and squalor. Onlookers livestream a suicide attempt; a dead body is left in the street for days on end; a psycho known as “Birthday Boy Stab Man” lives up to his namesake; lewd graffiti adorns any available wall; Beau’s elevator practically catches fire anytime it’s used; a Brown Recluse spider roams inside Beau’s apartment building (the list goes on and on… and on, reveling in bad taste and reactionary fears). It’s an urban hellscape straight out of a conservative’s nightmares. And oh, that naked man gouging someone’s eyes out across the street? He’ll come for you next, especially if you’re unlucky enough to be Beau.

Portrayed with sadness and numbed passivity by Phoenix, who looks beaten down by the “reality” that surrounds him, Beau is supposed to visit his business-titan mother, Mona (played in the present-day by Patti LuPone and by Zoe Lister-Jones in flashbacks), on the anniversary of his father’s death. It’s clear, however, that there’s tension between them, driven home by Mona’s palpable passive-aggressiveness to Beau’s timidity on the phone. After posing the question of whether Beau ever feels the urge to kill his mother, Beau’s therapist (Stephen McKinley Henderson), prescribes Beau a “cool new drug” to calm his nerves — stating that it must be taken with water, or else.

Through a Rube-Goldbergian chain of events involving sudden tragedy, lost house keys, and plenty of bloodshed, a butt-naked Beau is hit by a car driven by suburban couple Grace (Amy Ryan) and Roger (a hilarious Nathan Lane), who care a bit too much and nurse him back to health in their daughter’s bedroom, much to the daughter’s chagrin. Nothing’s ever easy for poor Beau, and proceedings only get crazier from there. Pressure mounts for Beau to return to Mona as soon as possible, or, at least, for him to “grow up” in a world that aggressively resents his existence, all while we viewers watch him suffer for our entertainment.

Indeed, Aster’s latest passion project is a nerve-wracking, visually inventive, and strangely repetitive piece of work. It’s full of his usual flair for the grotesque presented in vivid detail, but self-indulgent to a fault, as seeing the world through the eyes of a person so profoundly unstable for three hours becomes an endurance test. 

“Beau Is Afraid” isn’t a “horror” film likes Aster’s previous efforts (including “Hereditary” and the masterful “Midsommar”), but there’s plenty of nightmare fuel on display, dressing up its shocking sights and sounds as pitch-black comedy where the ultimate punchline is the loss of hope. We’re all just passive observers, watching Beau undergo numerous trials as an inverted hero’s journey where his trauma is an all-encompassing prison that informs his every waking moment. 

And whew boy, does “Beau Is Afraid” lean into trippiness. Like his other films, Aster takes full advantage of the medium’s stylistic possibilities to make “Beau Is Afraid” a disorienting experience. Scenes progress with a twisted dream logic. A turn of the head can launch Beau into a different time and place, and heinous acts of callousness take place in the background, treated with the absolute driest of deadpan humor. An encounter with a wandering theater troupe seemingly predicts Beau’s possible future, transitioning the film into an extended animated segment straight out of a messed-up storybook, and specific childhood memories come crashing into the present at random intervals — intrusive thoughts that Beau’s mind is trying to make sense of, to no avail.

Pawel Pogorzelski’s cinematography frames the absurdity with unflinching precision, using long takes that let the craziness simmer, if not be processed in a timely manner. The film’s sound design is also outstanding, amplifying sources of Beau’s fear and occasionally rendering voices like hissing daggers piercing sides of the screen.

Whether or not the film’s satirical, phantasmagorical imagery is taking place in the “real world” or not isn’t the point — “Beau Is Afraid” is uncompromisingly framed through Beau’s eyes, as we witness his every fear and anxious thought manifested in his moment-to-moment experiences; informed by a narcissistic parent whose overprotectiveness and blatant manipulation has left him being a vulnerable punching-bag in a world rife with cruelty, both at micro and macro scales.

So, yes, “Beau Is Afraid” is worth watching in a theater if possible. Story-wise, though, it’s a more complicated beast, largely boiling down to Beau’s lack of agency and Aster’s refusal to provide catharsis. Phoenix is typically great in the role, but Beau isn’t the sort of individual who undergoes much of a traditional arc during the runtime, which makes his terror-stricken reactions and fever-pitched paranoia redundant after a while. We want him to change, to stand up for himself, but “Beau Is Afraid” doesn’t care, and as much as the film engages stylistically, it ends up bloated and unwieldy. This is especially true of the third act, which piles on reveals and even more ghoulishness that, by that point, doesn’t hit with much force thanks to the relentless, numbing happenings preceding them. 

Perhaps Aster’s making the point that Beau’s trauma is inescapable — turning the camera back at us to point out how we’re indulging in his travails; the screen on which we view the film itself reflects Beau’s lack of freedom from his mother. There’s no solace or comfort in Beau’s reality, and, in a sense, within Aster’s film overall. 

“Beau Is Afraid” is a difficult film to grade as a result — the tedium is intentional, driving its points home with oppressive force and leaving plenty of doors open to additional interpretation (such as the power corporations have over daily life). It’s just that in the process of conveying these themes, Aster tells a bitterly cynical yarn that leans into mercilessness and fatalism over telling a satisfying, compelling narrative in itself. Three hours is too long for such an ordeal, and “Beau Is Afraid” forgets to put as much care into its characters as the funhouse of chaos it puts them in.

All of this combines to make “Beau is Afraid” Aster’s weakest film to date. Regardless, you’ve never seen anything truly like it before: a gargantuan swing for the fences that should be commended for its confidence and bravado alone.

“Beau Is Afraid” is a 2023 horror comedy directed by Ari Aster and starring Joaquin Phoenix, Patti LuPone, Zoe Lister-Jones, Amy Ryan, Nathan Lane, and Stephen McKinley Henderson. It is rated R for strong violent content, sexual content, graphic nudity, drug use, and language, and the runtime is 179 minutes. It opened in theaters April 21. Alex’s Grade: B.

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The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis Announces 2023-2024 Season

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis Announces 2023-2024 Season

New season reimagines the theatre’s production model with a mix of self-produced and co-produced productions, special limited engagements, family friendly performances, and the return of the acclaimed holiday spectacular, A Christmas Carol 

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis has announced its 2023-2024 season, which includes a mix of world-class self-produced productions that have made The Rep one of the premier regional theaters in the country, alongside co-produced and presented theater works from the most exciting emerging and established voices in American theater across a wide range of genre, thought, and lived experience. 

The Rep’s new shape for its season offers four mainstage shows, a returning holiday classic, two limited engagements, two family-friendly shows, and a continuation of its community and educational programming to provide different experiences for the full spectrum of the St. Louis community.  

Beginning in fall 2023, The Rep will bring award-winning, critically acclaimed plays to its mainstages at the Loretto-Hilton Center and Catherine B. Berges Theatre at COCA (Center of Creative Arts) including Ben Power’s adaptation of Stefano Massini’s TheLehman Trilogy; Twisted Melodies, written and performed by Kelvin Roston, Jr.; the Lookingglass Theatre Company’s adaptation of Moby Dick; and Tracy Letts’ August: Osage County.

The theatre will also host limited engagement presentations of The Greatest Love for Whitney: A Tribute to Whitney Houston created by Mark Clements, and The Lion, created by Benjamin Scheuer. 

“The new season will build upon The Rep’s decades-long tradition of artistic excellence as a leading voice in the region by spotlighting a myriad of the best and most exciting voices in theater to tell the 21st-century American story, and by pioneering an arts model which can be replicated to meet the challenges that face the industry at-large,” said Hana S. Sharif, Augustin Family Artistic Director of The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis.   

Sharif added, “The pandemic and its aftermath have radically reshaped our industry. In order to create a sustainable model on which to build towards the future, we took an innovative approach to this new season that has opened a new world of exciting opportunities for The Rep and our audiences. We are building bridges and collaborating more than ever before with our peers across the country and deepening connections with our community to give everyone a stronger curatorial hand in their experience at The Rep. We look forward to embarking on this next phase of The Rep that will give us the flexibility to continue to meet the needs of St. Louisans and anchor our position as a cornerstone arts organization in the region.” 

Additional season highlights include the return of the spectacular and much lauded holiday show A Christmas Carol, the Charles Dickens classic that has quickly become a festive holiday tradition for St. Louis area families. Support for A Christmas Carol is provided by The Berges Family Foundation. 

The Rep will also continue to create touring productions for young audiences and families as part of its Imaginary Theatre Company, with an adaptation of Pat Mora’s book Tomás and The Library Lady by José Cruz González, based on the life of Mexican-American author and educator Tomás Rivera, and Puss in Boots, a musical version of the popular fairytale. 

The Rep’s new season builds on its previous three under the leadership of Hana S. Sharif and Danny Williams, Managing Director, who have worked closely together to bring well-crafted theatrical experiences and impactful learning initiatives to the community. 

“The Rep offers our community a creative hub where everyone feels welcomed and valued through programming and performances that represent diverse audiences and their lived experiences,” said Danny Williams, Managing Director. “This past season we were delighted to see a wide array of patrons from across different generations and cultures join us at the theatre, and we look forward to continuing to reach new audiences while welcoming back those who have supported us over the years and decades, with a wide array of world-class theatrical experiences that will captivate and challenge audiences.” 

The Rep will stage its productions across two theaters this coming year—the Loretto-Hilton Center and the Catherine B. Berges Theatre at COCA—providing a variety of opportunities for audiences from across the city and the region to experience theater on different scales from large, show-stopping productions to more intimate experiences.  

The Rep will also continue to offer its Learning and Community Engagement (LACE) programs that provide people of all ages opportunities to deeply engage with the art they see on stage through immersive in-classroom and extracurricular learning opportunities, public forums for civic discourse, and opportunities to participate in the artmaking process. The Rep will announce its community and educational programming over the course of the coming year. 

Find a full schedule of the 2023-2024 season programs below. Subscriber renewals begin May 8, 2023 and new subscription purchases will be available starting June 1, 2023. 

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.repstl.orgor call the Box Office, Monday – Friday from 10:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. at (314) 968-4925. The Rep Box Office will also be available for    in-person support at the Loretto-Hilton Center, Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. 

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis 2023-2024 Season  

For tickets, accessibility, and visitor information, visit repstl.org. 

Tony winner for Best Play 2022, “The Lehman Trilogy”

MAINSTAGE 

The Lehman Trilogy 
Winner of five Tony Awards, including best play! 

September 5 – September 24 
Loretto-Hilton Center 
By Stefano Massini 
Adapted by Ben Power 

Experience this epic tale of one family’s passionate pursuit of the American Dream and the piercing cost of greed, excess, and unbridled power. In 1844, a young man from Bavaria, along with his two brothers, arrived in New York City, full of hope and ambition. Over the course of two centuries, their family business grew to unimaginable heights and ultimately collapsed into bankruptcy. A can’t miss masterpiece that The Guardian calls “a kaleidoscopic social and political metaphor.” 

Twisted Melodies 
Based on the life of St. Louis soul music icon Donny Hathaway. 

October 3 – October 22 
Catherine B. Berges Theatre at COCA 
Written and Performed by Kelvin Roston, Jr. 

This powerful one-man show is based on the life of St. Louis soul music icon Donny Hathaway. Twisted Melodies is an immersive and crushing play about the brilliant singer and composer’s compelling inner struggle. Torn between the muses that inspire him and the mental illness that torments him, Hathaway evaluates his life in a gripping performance by St. Louis native     Kelvin Roston, Jr. 

Moby Dick 
Soar to new heights in this acrobatic and theatrical spectacle!  
February 6 – February 25 
Loretto-Hilton Center 
Adapted & Directed by David Catlin  
From the book by Herman Melville 

Madness, obsession, and bloodlust take harrowing flight in a thrilling revision of Melville’s masterpiece. Captain Ahab’s hunt for the great White Whale soars to new heights through an exhilarating acrobatic and theatrical spectacle that invites audiences into the heart of the action. This adaptation from Lookingglass Theatre Company brings a literary legend to life in an experience that’s both visceral and evocative. 

August: Osage County 
A Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning family drama. 

March 19 – April 14  
Loretto-Hilton Center 
By Tracy Letts 

This Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning family drama paints a stark and often unflattering picture of the Midwestern family. In this tableau: the pill-popping and manipulative matriarch, a vanished patriarch, and three daughters with secrets of their own. Familial tensions rise when all are called back to the family home in Oklahoma. Equal parts heartfelt and heart-wrenching, this story gives an in-depth look at what it takes to keep a family together. 

LIMITED ENGAGEMENTS 

Special two-week performances with extraordinary talents that everyone will be talking about! 

The Greatest Love for Whitney: A Tribute to Whitney Houston  
Inspired by the phenomenal voice that changed music forever. 

January 18 – January 28 
Catherine B. Berges Theatre at COCA 
Created by Mark Clements 

Whitney Houston’s breathtaking voice skyrocketed her to stardom. From her powerful anthems to her glamorous elegance on the silver screen, she became an unparalleled icon. The Greatest Love for Whitney celebrates her amazing career and legacy by taking audiences on an unforgettable journey through her record-setting hits. Featuring songs like “I Will Always Love You,” “Saving All My Love for You,” and “Where Do Broken Hearts Go,” experience the magic of the woman who changed music forever. 

The Lion 
One man, six guitars, and a transformative story. 

February 8 – February 18 
Catherine B. Berges Theatre at COCA 
Created by Benjamin Scheuer 

One man, six guitars and a transformative story. Benjamin Scheuer brilliantly weaves together heartfelt monologues and original songs to take audiences on his own true coming-of-age story. Hailed by critics as a “wondrous” and “spellbinding” experience, The Lion is a story about courage and the music it takes to find it. 

Photo Credit: T Charles Erickson © T Charles Erickson Photography

HOLIDAY PRESENTATION 
A Spectacular Holiday Tradition Your Family Won’t Want To Miss! 

A Christmas Carol 
A St. Louis tradition returning for its third season at The Rep! 

November 25 – December 24  
Loretto-Hilton Center 
By Charles Dickens 
Adapted by Michael Wilson 

The Rep’s third annual holiday presentation of A Christmas Carol promises to be a joyous and heartwarming experience for audiences of all ages. Join Ebenezer Scrooge on the adventure of a lifetime as three spirits take him on a transformative journey through time. This is a St. Louis tradition unlike any other, that Ladue News calls “a technical marvel of artistry.” 

IMAGINARY THEATRE COMPANY 
Theatre for young people and their families! 

Tomás and The Library Lady 
Based on the true story of Mexican-American author and educator Tomás Rivera. 

Dates TBA 
Adapted By José Cruz González  
From the book by Pat Mora 

Dive into a fantastical world of books in this celebratory true story. As Tomás’ family heads north to Iowa for work, they find fewer and fewer people who speak their native Spanish language. Looking for a place to fit in, Tomás finds a new passion when he befriends a librarian who introduces him to the magical world of books. This enchanting story adventures through the pages of towering dinosaurs and ferocious tigers, igniting Tomás’ imagination and bringing the audience along for the ride. 

Puss in Boots 
Everyone’s favorite feline fable is here to charm and entertain! 

Dates TBA 
By Jennifer Roberts 
Music and lyrics by Nathan A. Roberts 

Everyone’s favorite feline fable is here to charm and beguile! The miller’s son is not finding life easy, with barely a penny to his name and no inheritance from his father, save for a useless cat and a pair of too-small boots. But this cat hides a secret: She can talk! And sing! And she has a plan to take them from the poor house to a princely castle. But how long can this extraordinary kitty keep up the ruse before the cat is out of the bag? Bring the whole family and share the legend of Puss in Boots. 

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 Rep presents innovative and compelling productions with something for everyone on its stages. The Rep delivers creative and thought-provoking theatrical experiences at two adaptable and intimate stages across St. Louis: the Virginia Jackson Browning Theatre and the Berges Theatre at COCA at the Loretto-Hilton Center for the Performing Arts. With creative and thought-provoking performances, 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. For more information, please visit repstl.org. 

Cover photo of Kelvin Rolston Jr. as Donny Hathaway in “Twisted Melodies” at The Black Rep in 2016. Photo by Sam Roberson

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SLSO and In Unison Chorus to Celebrate Robert Ray in Concert May 1

SLSO and In Unison Chorus to Celebrate Robert Ray in Concert May 1

THE ST. LOUIS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA AND IN UNISON CHORUS CELEBRATE THE LEGACY OF FOUNDING IUC DIRECTOR DR. ROBERT RAY AT TRIBUTE CONCERT, MAY 1, AT POWELL HALL

The IN UNISON Chorus and SLSO musicians will be joined by ensembles connected to Ray, including IN UNISON Chorus alumni, The Legend Singers, the UMSL Community Choir, and the choirs of Manchester United Methodist Church and Webster Groves Presbyterian Church, led by IN UNISON Chorus Director Kevin McBeth and guest conductor Dr. Brandon Boyd

This community concert is free, tickets are required

The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and its IN UNISON Chorus will pay tribute to the life and legacy of Dr. Robert Ray in a free community concert at Powell Hall on Monday, May 1, 2023. Ray was the founding director of the IN UNISON Chorus, a resident SLSO chorus that specializes in the performance and preservation of music from the African diaspora. He passed away in December 2022 at age 76.

The concert celebrates Ray’s many contributions to the country’s arts and music landscape, featuring the IN UNISON Chorus, SLSO musicians, vocalists Denise Thimes and Jermaine Smith, and singers from ensembles impacted by Ray’s signature musicianship, led by current chorus director Kevin McBeth and guest conductor Dr. Brandon Boyd.

The concert is Monday, May 1, at 7:30pm. Free tickets can be reserved by visiting slso.org.

Dr Robert Ray

Marie-Hélène Bernard, President and CEO of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, said, “Dr. Robert Ray was a trailblazer—a brilliant musician and educator with a heart for the St. Louis community. His formation and leadership of the IN UNISON Chorus, and his devotion to its evolution as an essential choral group in the region, is one of countless legacies he leaves. We are honored to pay tribute to his legacy with the IN UNISON Chorus and Director Kevin McBeth.”

With unwavering dedication, Ray led the ensemble from its formation in 1994 through 2010, shaping its distinct sound and deep artistic profile. In addition to his wholehearted leadership of the IN UNISON Chorus for 16 years, Ray was a gifted composer and teacher, guiding many young musicians into their careers as a professor first at the University of Illinois, and most recently at the University of Missouri–St. Louis. His music filled many spaces, from local churches all the way to Carnegie Hall. Many of his compositions blended elements of music from the African diaspora with traditional classical forms, resulting in pieces with a singular voice. The SLSO and IN UNISON Chorus have performed selections from Ray’s Gospel Mass many times since its SLSO premiere in December 1996.

The free community concert highlights Ray’s career as a composer, director, and educator. More than 200 singers from various ensembles impacted by Ray will collaborate on the concert, including the IN UNISON Chorus and IUC alumni, The Legend Singers, the UMSL Community Choir, and the choirs of Manchester United Methodist Church and Webster Groves Presbyterian Church. Current IN UNISON Chorus Director Kevin McBeth will lead the concert alongside Dr. Brandon Boyd, a protégé of Ray’s and the Assistant Director of Choral Activities and Assistant Professor of Choral Music Education at the University of Missouri. Boyd’s I’ll Fly Away and Sign Me Up will be performed. The concert includes music by John Rutter, whose music Ray championed during his career. The performance includes selections from Ray’s own Gospel Mass—a landmark work that has been performed in Carnegie Hall—with well-known local vocalists Denise Thimes and Jermaine Smith, as well as Ray’s He Never Failed Me Yet. Throughout the concert, family, friends, and past and present IN UNISON Chorus members will remember Ray through song, poetry, and spoken word.

John RUTTER                                           Selections from Suite Antique

Brandon BOYD                                       I’ll Fly Away

Evelyn SIMPSON-CURENTON            O Glory

Jeffrey AMES                                          In Remembrance

Isaac CATES                                             It’s Working

Brandon BOYD                                       Sign Me Up

Robert RAY                                              Selections from Gospel Mass

Robert RAY                                              He Never Failed Me Yet

About the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra

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

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

About the St. Louis Symphony IN UNISON Chorus

The St. Louis Symphony IN UNISON Chorus is an auditioned ensemble of 100+ volunteer singers that performs a variety of musical styles, with a focus on the interpretation, performance, and preservation of music from the African diaspora.

Founded in 1994 by Dr. Robert Ray as an extension of the SLSO’s IN UNISON community outreach initiative, the IN UNISON Chorus performs several times each year with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and throughout the community. Chorus members often come from IN UNISON Program partner churches. Many chorus members sing in other vocal ensembles or church choirs. All share a love of music and of singing.

Bayer Fund has supported the Chorus since its inception. The Chorus has been led by Kevin McBeth since 2011. Learn more about the IN UNISON Chorus at slso.org.

IN UNISON CHORUS
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Arts For Life Announces Theatre Mask Award Winners For Plays in ’22

Arts For Life Announces Theatre Mask Award Winners For Plays in ’22

Kirkwood Theatre Guild’s comedy “Calendar Girls” and Hawthorne Players’ drama “A Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time” swept the eighth annual Theatre Mask Awards on April 15.

Through the nonprofit organization Arts For Life, the TMAs have honored drama and comedy plays since 2015. This year recognized community theatre achievements in 2022.

TMA Chairperson Melissa Boyer said 25 shows were eligible, produced by 11 community theatres.

“This has been a very busy year and the quality of shows this year couldn’t have been better,” Boyer said.

AFL President Mary McCreight said it was more shows than ever before and congratulated all involved for the hard work they did.

“Thank you to the theater groups pursuing their dreams…you do it to bring smiles to the audience and to cultivate appreciation for the arts,” she said.

“Calendar Girls” won 7 for Outstanding Production of a Comedy, Performance by an Ensemble Cast of a Large Production, Director of a Comedy Deanna Jent, Lead Actress in a Comedy Kay Martin Love as Annie, Supporting Actor in a Comedy Gerry Love as John, Supporting Actress in a Comedy Gabi Maul as Celia, and Costume Design Cherol Thibaut.

The play is based on the true story of 11 Women Institute members in a small village in England’s Yorkshire Dales who pose for an ‘alternative’ calendar to raise money for the Leukemia Research Fund. It was adapted from the 2003 film.

Dan Wolfe as Christopher in “A Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time,” Photo by Jim Wolfe.

“A Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time” won 5, for Outstanding Production of a Drama, Lead Actor Dan Wolfe as Christopher, Director of a Drama Ken Clark, Set Design Ken Clark, and Lighting Design Eric Wennlund.

The drama, adapted from a novel by Mark Haddon as a play-within-a-play, involves many visual effects and projections. It’s a mystery around the neighbor’s dog’s death, which is being investigated by Christopher, who is autistic and a math prodigy.

Hawthorne Players in Florissant had received 18 nominations, with 10 for “A Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time” and 8 for “Picnic,” leading all St. Louis area-metro-east Illinois community theater groups.

Tim Kelly, who won for his portrayal of Col. Nathan Jessup in “A Few Good Man” at The Theatre Guild of Webster Groves.” Kim Klick photo.

The Kirkwood Theatre Guild had 15 TMA nods, with 11 for “Calendar Girls” and 4 for “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.” Jan Meyer, as Big Mama Politte, won Outstanding Actress in a Supporting Role in the Tennessee Williams production.

Two performers from O’Fallon Theatre Works were recognized – Susan Wylie as Outstanding Actress in a Lead Role – Drama, for playing Constance Blackwood in “We Have Always Lived in the Castle,” and Ben Ketcherside as Outstanding Actor in a Lead Role – Comedy for playing William Shakespeare in “Shakespeare in Love.”

Tim Kelly, as Col. Nathan Jessup in “A Few Good Men,” won Outstanding Actor in a Supporting Role in Drama for the Theatre Guild of Webster Groves production.

Monroe Actors Stage Company won for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble Cast of a Small Production for “Footlight Frenzy.”

In their heartfelt speeches, winners expressed gratitude for theater families and the bonds that are created during a show’s preparation and production.

“Storytelling builds community,” said director Deanna Jent, winner for “Calendar Girls.”

Director Ken Clark, winner for “A Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time,” said the support that happens is the most special aspect.

“Relationships are the real reward,” he said.

The Hawthorne Players team paid tribute to posthumous nominee Natalee Damron, 29, who died three weeks after the show closed. She had suffered from a connective tissue disorder, Ehlers Danlos syndrome. Clark said Natalee had played her dream role, the teacher mentor Siobhan. He introduced her mother, Pamela, who was on hand for the ceremony.

Amanda McMichael was the master of ceremonies. She won the TMA in 2020 for Lead Actress in a Comedy, for Act Two Theatre’s “Plaza Suite,” which was performed in 2019. She was a 2023 nominee as Yvonne in “The Dinner Party” at Wentzville’s Connection Theatre Company. She is also a small business owner of Once Upon a Time in St. Charles’ historic business district.

She reminded everyone of the COVID-19 restrictions in 2020, the year she won, picking up her award in a parking lot “like a carpool lane.” She wanted to point out how far we have come to return to live theater.

A luncheon at Andre’s Banquet Center South in St. Louis was part of this year’s festivities. Presenters included past winners Caitlin Bromberger, Nancy Crouse, Jonathan Garland, Jackie Goodall, Brittany Kohl Hester, Grayson Jostes, Chris Lanham, Elle Lanham, Ken Lopinot, Mary McCreight, Julie Petraborg, and Shane Rudolph. Natalie Klick was the Trophy Assistant.

“I loved seeing everyone come together and laugh and catch up with each other,” Boyer said. “I want to commend Amanda McMichael for her well-paced, hilarious job as the emcee. Congratulations to all the nominees and winners of the Theatre Mask Awards. It was really fun!” 

Calendar Girls in attendance with Trophy Assistant Natalie Klick

McCreight said the awards ceremony went off without a hitch last Saturday.

“As always, there was lots of friendly chatter among theatre groups and cheering for each other when winners were announced,” she said. “I am loving the camaraderie among the actors, directors, crews and family. Can’t wait to do it all over again next year.”

Participating AFL groups in the Theatre Mask Awards include Act Two Theatre, Clayton Community Theatre, Goshen Theatre Project, Hawthorne Players, Kirkwood Theatre Guild, KTK Productions, Looking Glass Playhouse, Monroe Actors Stage Company, O’Fallon Theatre Works, Theatre Guild of Webster Groves, and Wentzville Connection Community Theatre.

The TMAs were judged by 29 volunteers who traversed a 35-mile radius in the St. Louis metropolitan area and metro-east Illinois region to assess eligible productions.

David Wicks Jr. is the Theatre Recognition Guild chairman. Keaton Treece was the 2022 TMA secretary and Jadienne Davidson is the 2023 TMA secretary.

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

Cast and team of “A Curious Incident’

Arts For Life is a local not-for-profit arts organization 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.

More information is on the website about the 23rd Best Performance Awards on July 2 at 2 p.m. at the Florissant Performing Arts Center. The BPAs have honored musical theater in community and youth productions since 1999.

For more information, email afltrg@artsforlife.org or visit the website, www.artsforlife.org

Cover photo of “Calendar Girls” by Dan Donovan

Ben Ketcherside, who played William Shakespeare, in “Shakespeare in Love” at O’Fallon Theatre Works. Kim Klick Photo
Susan Wylie of “We Have Always Lived in the Castle” at O’Fallon Theatre Works. Kim Klick photo.
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‘Renfield’ Is Intriguing Concept Needing Sharper Fangs

‘Renfield’ Is Intriguing Concept Needing Sharper Fangs

By Alex McPherson

Despite an entertainingly unhinged performance from Nicolas Cage and some impressive kills, director Chris McKay’s “Renfield” is a horror-action-comedy hybrid full of unexplored potential.

Positioned as a quasi-sequel to Tod Browning’s 1931 “Dracula,” “Renfield” begins with a black-and-white prologue introducing us to the story’s characters, creatively inserting Cage and Nicholas Hoult into footage from the original film.

In the present day, R. M. Renfield (Hoult) is caring for his decaying master, Dracula (Cage), in a creepy New Orleans hotel after skilled vampire hunters nearly kill him 90 years prior. Renfield, given powers through consuming insects instead of blood, is Dracula’s “familiar.”

This involves him looking after the Count and retrieving victims. Renfield’s not a monster, though — he targets “bad” folks to bring back — and attends a support group for people in codependent relationships to track down their tormentors for fresh blood. But Renfield’s quite unhappy, guilted and threatened into continued servitude by his narcissistic manipulator, who seeks world domination.

On one of his errands, Renfield has a run-in with Teddy Lobo (Ben Schwartz), a chatterbox enforcer and member of the Lobo crime family, led by his mother Bella-Francesca (Shohreh Aghdashloo), which has ties all over New Orleans and immunity from local police.

Well, everyone except Rebecca Quincy (Awkwafina), an exasperated traffic cop whose father, also a policeman, was gunned down by the Lobos. She seeks justice and revenge, as coworkers and her FBI-agent sister, Kate (Camille Chen), do little to support her. Before long, Renfield and Rebecca cross paths, teaming up to take down the Lobos and Dracula — developing a will-they-won’t-they relationship as each gathers courage to confront their demons.

Fumbling opportunities to be a clever look at codependency and overcoming (literal and figurative) demons, “Renfield” ultimately needs more meat on its bones. The cast is game, the gore is flowing, but pacing is erratic, editing is imprecise, and the script (by Ryan Ridley, from an idea by Robert Kirkman) doesn’t have the guts to go all-in on the concept, leaving a more promising story tantalizingly out of reach.

That’s not to say there’s not fun to be had, particularly regarding Cage and Hoult’s performances. Cage was practically born to play Dracula, and he delivers, providing a satisfying mixture of his characteristic craziness with deadpan wit and, crucially, menace when proceedings call for it.

“Renfield” provides another vehicle for him to flex his chops — aided by masterfully gross makeup effects that at one point see him bully the titular lad while resembling a mangled sack of meat not unlike the Nazis at the end of “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” 

Hoult as Renfield is similarly well-cast, bringing an anxious, sad-sack energy to the film that’s simultaneously quite funny and, in some scenes, poignant, as we witness his (exceedingly rushed) arc towards empowerment. When he’s not engaging in splatterific brawls (one featuring newly removed arms being used as weapons), Hoult brings real pathos to scenes where Dracula berates and mistreats him.

In one memorable sequence, Renfield fruitlessly tries to stand up for himself while reciting lines from a self-help book. The Count laughs and dismisses his arguments with a mocking mean-spiritedness that feels oddly grounded in reality, posturing that “Renfield” aims to be higher-brow than it actually is.

Indeed, the film’s 93-minute runtime and tacked-on subplots limit the development of this central dynamic, which begins as the film’s main focus, but abandons any and all complexity by the finale.

Additionally, “Renfield” clearly tries to paint parallels between Renfield and Rebecca overcoming adversity, but neither are given enough time to leave an impact. Awkwafina is perfectly fine, having serviceable chemistry with Hoult, but she and the rest of the ensemble can only do so much with obvious, reference-heavy humor that lacks wit or surprise — with the exception of the support group, who provide most of the film’s twisted laughs.

The Rebecca/Lobo subplot does, at least, provide opportunities for over-the-top action sequences, which deliver amusing slapstick comedy. “Renfield” won’t disappoint gore-hounds with its abundance of decapitations, impalings, and other fateful excesses, accompanied by fountains of (fake-looking) blood.

If only the film’s cinematography and editing gave more clarity to the carnage; quick cuts and overuse of slow-motion distract from the choreography. More broadly, this imprecision extends to dialogue-heavy scenes, too. The rushed pacing leads to oddly cut sequences sans rhythm or flair — a disappointment, given the detailed production design and capable cast.

We’re left with a fun-enough, though unfortunately generic, experience that plays like an R-rated Saturday morning cartoon. Perhaps that’s acceptable, but “Renfield” dulls its promising conceit into something with considerably less bite.

“Renfield” is a 2023 horror comedy directed by Chris McKay and starring Nicolas Cage, Nicholas Hoult, Ben Schwartz, Awkwafina, Shohreh Aghdashloo, and Camille Chen. It is Rated R for bloody violence, some gore, language throughout and some drug use, and the runtime is 93 minutes. It opened in theatres April 14. Alex’s Grade: B-.   

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16th Annual QFest St Louis Set for May 4-10 at The Hi-Pointe Theatre

16th Annual QFest St Louis Set for May 4-10 at The Hi-Pointe Theatre

Get ready to get your Q on!

The 16th Annual QFest St. Louis — presented by Cinema St. Louis (CSL) — will take place from May 4-10 at the Hi-Pointe Theatre, which was recently purchased by Cinema St. Louis.

The St. Louis-based LGBTQ film festival, QFest will present an eclectic array of 26 films from 9 countries (16 shorts, eight narrative features, and two documentary features). The participating filmmakers represent a wide variety of voices in contemporary queer world cinema. The mission of the film festival is to use the art of contemporary gay cinema to spotlight the lives of LGBTQ people and to celebrate queer culture. Nearly half of the films are by women or non-binary directors.

The fest is especially pleased to host the St. Louis premieres of bold new works by prominent LGBTQ+ filmmakers from around the world including “L’Immenista” starring Penelope Cruz, “Monica” starring Patricia Clarkson and Trace Lysette, and the heartbreaking “The Blue Caftan” from Morocco. Another highlight is this year’s Q Classic, legendary queer director Gregg Araki’s 1995 “The Doom Generation,” will be presented in a new 4K restoration and stars Rose McGowan and James Duvall.

Jimmy in Saigon

Two provocative documentaries are part of the lineup. “Jimmy in Saigon” chronicles the mysterious life and death of the filmmaker’s older brother in Vietnam in the early 1990s. Champaign, IL native and director Peter McDowell will attend with the film. “Kokomo City” is a riveting look at four black trans sex workers in New York and Georgia as they confront the dichotomy between the black community and themselves. This film is the directorial debut of D. Smith, who is a two-time Grammy-nominated songwriter-producer and trans woman.

QFest St. Louis begins on Thursday, May 4, and runs through Wednesday, May 10. Tickets are on sale now.. Tickets are $15 general, $12 for Cinema St. Louis members and students with valid and current IDs. Passes are also available: Five-Film Passes are $65, and All-Access Passes are $200 ($50 and $150 for CSL members). Direct ticket links are available on the QFest website.

For the full schedule of screenings, including trailers and descriptions of the films, visit the festival website at www.cinemastlouis.org/qfest. Advance digital screeners of the features and some of the shorts are available for press review on request. Please inquire with QFest St. Louis artistic director Chris Clark.

FILM PROGRAMS

The Blue Caftan, Maryam Touzani, Morocco, 2022, 122 min., Arabic with English subtitles, narrative

Blue Jean, Georgia Oakley, U.K., 2022, 97 min., narrative

The Doom Generation, Gregg Araki, U.S., 1995, 83 min., narrative, 4K restoration

In from the Side, Matt Carter, U.K., 2022, 132 min., narrative

Jimmy in Saigon, Peter McDowell, U.S., 2022, 90 min., documentary

Kokomo City, D. Smith, U.S., 2023, 73 min., documentary

L’Immenista, Emanuele Crialese, Italy, 2022, 97 min., Italian with English subtitles, narrative

Monica, Andrea Pallaoro, U.S., 2022, 106 min., narrative

Please Baby Please, Amanda Kramer, U.S., 2022, 95 min., narrative

Queer Shorts Programs 1 & 2

Multiple countries, program runtimes range between 102 – 106 minutes

The Sixth Reel, Carl Andress & Charles Busch, U.S., 2021, 94 min., narrative

Social media: Facebook: @QFestSTL | Twitter: @QFestSTL | Instagram: @QFestSTL

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Cinema St. Louis

For more than 30 years, Cinema St. Louis (CSL) has served as the region’s go-to arts nonprofit for educating and inspiring audiences of all ages through film. Annually, the organization hosts the St. Louis International Film Festival (SLIFF) —  included among USA Today’s 10 Best “Film Festivals Worth Traveling To” — as well as the St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase, QFest St. Louis, Classic French Film Festival, and Golden Anniversaries. In addition, Cinema St. Louis seeks to engage younger audiences, exposing them to the possibilities of becoming filmmakers, through free hands-on filmmaking camps and screenings through Cinema for Students.

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