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
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.
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, visitrepstl.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.
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
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.
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 [email protected] 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.
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-.
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
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.
By Lynn Venhaus Our past, present and future intersect in playwright Heidi Schreck’s deeply affecting memoir, “What the Constitution Means to Me,” to make a riveting statement on what our rights are as an American during the 236 years since the document’s adoption.
Far from a dry lecture on rules of law and bills of rights, this persuasive play is alive with hope and humor because of the passion displayed by the performers, playwright, and production team.
Directed with conviction and a contemporary focus by Nancy Bell, this Max & Louie Production wears its heart on its sleeve about liberty and justice for all, firmly establishing fervent exchanges on women’s lack of protection, and the need for a more perfect union. Could we modernize the Constitution to assuage the inherent gender and racial biases?
Schreck’s compelling 2017 play, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2019 as well as Best Play nominee at the Tony Awards, and winner of the Obie Award for off-Broadway play, hits a bullseye in so many ways.
Force-of-nature Michelle Hand, charmingly embodying Schreck as her adult self and a version of her then-15-year-old in 1989, chronicles what four generations of women in Schreck’s family endured and key impactful moments in her life. She is so relatable you identify with her plight.
The play’s structure outlines Shreck as a debater in 1989, who gave speeches on the U.S. Constitution to win money for college. The set, designed by Dunsi Dai is an American Legion hall in Wenatchee, Wash., with framed military veterans lining the walls and a World War II veteran representing the moderator and judges.
Isaiah di Lorenzo compassionately portrays the Legionnaire and then makes the story personable as a version of himself.
Michelle Hand and Isaiah di Lorenzo. Photo by Dunsi Dai
Both Bell and Hand are masterful storytellers, and their ease with the material immediately engages us.
While feminism is a major focus, so are other injustices regarding marginalized citizens – and immigration, sexual and domestic abuse — and Schreck’s points are delivered with such urgency as to galvanize the audience.
The use of historic audio recordings from several Supreme Court cases emphasizes Schreck’s points – including Justices Potter Stewart, Earl Warren, Stephen Breyer, Antonin Scalia and Ruth Bader Ginsberg. Phillip Evans’ sound design is impressive, as is lighting design by Zak Metalsky.
Because this show is so skillfully staged, it sparks a fire in the audience – uplifting, and full of possibilities about how the next generation of Americans could change the contradictions and failures while holding on to our aspirations.
The final portion is somewhat improvised, where Schreck and a local high school debater discuss whether the Constitution should be abolished and replaced. The audience is the jury, and one member delivers a final verdict. The experience is an interactive one, and the audience wasn’t timid in expressing their opinions.
As the three teenage actresses alternating as a student debater for each performance, Riley Carter Adams, Aislyn Morrow, and Maahi Saini bring their energy and youthful interpretations to the live theater experience.
On opening night, April 6, Riley Carter Adams was poised and personable, able to explain her stance to the audience with persuasive skills.
The play runs 1 hour and 40 minutes without an intermission, and its timeliness is key. The entertaining presentation keeps us charmed, the facts keep us on our toes, and the intent wills us to pay attention.
Let’s face it, we’ve been through a lot the past few years, with the global pandemic and political tribalism, an attempted insurrection and threat to democracy, but the dialogue here is fiery to show us what should matter, and progress is possible.
I left fired up, linking a personal connection between women’s lives and the Constitution — as well as the right to debate and freedom of speech – and the work we must do for domestic tranquility and general welfare for all.
Max and Louie Productions presents “What the Constitution Means to Me” from April 5 to 23 at The Marcelle Theatre, 3310 Samuel Shepard Drive, St. Louis, 63103. Free secured parking Tickets are on sale at www.maxandlouie.com or by phone at Metrotix (314)534-1111.Times: Thursdays at 7:30pm (April 6, 13, 20), Fridays at 8pm (April 7, 14, 21), Saturdays at 3pm & 8pm (April 8, 15, 22) and Sundays at 3pm (April 16, 23)
Michelle Hand and Riley Carter Adams. Photo by John Lamb
“How to Blow Up a Pipeline” Movie Review — A Gripping Yet Frustrating Climate Change Thriller
An urgent call to action, director Daniel Goldhaber’s “How to Blow Up a Pipeline” is riveting, nail-biting, and heavily streamlined — impossible to look away from but not taking full advantage of its narrative potential.
Inspired by the 2021 nonfiction book of the same name by Andreas Malm — an eco-manifesto arguing for sabotage as a form of climate activism and critiquing pacifist protest — Goldhaber’s film presents a fictionalized dramatization of Malm’s thesis. In the film, a group of rebellious, righteous, mostly Gen-Z characters from across the U.S. attempt to blow up an oil pipeline in West Texas.
Each of them is personally affected by climate change and the oil industry. Xochitl (Ariela Barer), the de facto leader of the group, is mourning her mother who died during a heat wave. Theo (Sasha Lane) suffers from a rare form of leukemia caused by environmental pollution. She’s joined by her girlfriend, Alisha (Jayme Lawson), who’s committed to the cause and supportive of Theo’s ideals, yet fearful of the repercussions.
There’s Shawn (Marcus Scribner), a filmmaker’s assistant wanting to make a tangible impact on the world; the severe Michael (Forrest Goodluck), an amateur bomb maker enraged that his home in North Dakota has been taken over by oil workers; and Dwayne (Jake Weary), a Texas local whose land has been encroached on by the pipeline. They’re joined by the grungy couple Rowan (Kristine Froseth) and Logan (Lukas Gage), unruly souls wanting to fight the system and take plenty of drugs along the way.
With a tight, 99-minute runtime, Goldhaber and co. never let the film’s stranglehold grip subside, keeping suspense dialed up to 11 throughout. Complemented by lived-in performances, immersive cinematography, a no-frills structure, and Gavin Brivik’s panic-inducing score, “Pipeline” raises important questions about a real threat against humanity and what can be done to combat it. Goldhaber’s film, however, functions better as a set of ideas (vividly brought to life) than a traditional narrative. Simplified characterizations and a rushed dénoument hold it back from digging into its topics on a deeper level.
Despite its limitations, “Pipeline” is marvelously watchable: presented with fly-on-the-wall immediacy that consistently presents new hurdles for the team to overcome. Cinematographer Tehillah De Castro uses swirling long takes, ‘70’s-esque zooms, and intense close-ups, captured in 16 mm, to convey ratcheting stress amid stinging sand and dripping sweat. Shots positioning characters against backdrops of oil refineries (reminiscent of fire-spewing beasts) are particularly evocative.
Combined with Brivik’s whirring, electronic-infused score, stellar sound design amplifying elements including each “click” of Michael’s bomb-making materials, the hair-raising thud of an improvised explosive being lugged into position, or a rope beginning to fray, “Pipeline” is rarely less than intense. Each sequence is presented with a grounded, lower-budget style that doesn’t feel overly sensationalized or polished, in keeping with the characters’ guerilla tactics.
The film’s structure is similarly stripped-down, with both benefits and drawbacks. Goldhaber and co. break up the action — often right before or after moments of peril — to provide one-or-two-scene backgrounds to each person, occasionally revealing (somewhat contrived) plot twists. Although this approach maintains momentum, it sets up cliff-hanger scenarios frustratingly interrupted by backstory, prompting a manipulative cycle of anticipation and release as we’re abruptly zapped back-and-forth in time at pivotal junctions.
This structural “efficiency” also creates emotional distance. Indeed, “Pipeline” tries to check a wide swath of motivational boxes with its characters — they are symbols rather than three-dimensional human beings. They’re painted in broad strokes, packaged with heavy-handed dialogue lacking textured insight.
Unlike other “heist” films, there are no experts to be found here, only passionate, somewhat impulsive people eager to take direct action against an issue that threatens their future, regardless of consequences. It’s a shame, then, that “Pipeline” doesn’t treat them with the depth they deserve, especially Shawn, who isn’t as overtly impacted by the oil industry, but feels a need to act anyway. His perspective and arc, given less obvious motivation than Xochitl or Theo, is comparably surface level.
The ensemble is ever-watchable as they nonverbally manifest inner drives and mounting nervousness — Goodluck and Weary stand out with their reserved roles; Michael and Dwayne simmer with pent-up rage — but in attempting to remain a piece of propulsive entertainment, the film isn’t really focused on who they are as people, or what the aftermath of their decisions entails. “Pipeline” centers the titular act itself over the people involved — sparking a conversation about what tactics are “ethical” to confront existential issues when people in power refuse to act, but simultaneously shrouding its actors behind an ideological curtain.
It’s saying a lot that, despite all these issues, “Pipeline” remains an absorbing watch. Goldhaber is a talented director with a clear point of view and formal skill, albeit one grasping, and falling short, of achieving a more radical, involving story for our times.
“How to Blow Up a Pipeline” is a 2022 drama-crime-thriller directed by Daniel Goldhaber and starring Forrest Goodluck, Jake Weary, Ariela Barer, Jayme Lawson and Sasha Lane. It is rated R for language throughout and some drug use and the runtime is 1 hour and 43 minutes. The movie opens in theaters April 14. Alex’s Rating: B.
Feeling lucky,St. Louis theatergoers? WICKED has announced a lottery ticket policy in St. Louis playing at the Fabulous Fox Theatre from April 12 – May 7. The Fabulous Fox will be partnering with the digital ticket lottery platform Lucky Seat. Participants will have a chance to win $25 tickets for the run at the Fabulous Fox. A limited number of tickets will be available.
Participants must have a Lucky Seat account to participate in the lottery. The lottery is now open and will close at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, April 14 for tickets to performances April 18-23. Subsequent digital lotteries will begin at 11:00 a.m. each Friday and close the following Friday at 10:30 a.m. for the upcoming week’s performances. Winners will have a limited window to purchase and claim their tickets.
Tickets are subject to availability. Limit of two tickets per patron. In some cases, tickets may be partial view and, while every effort will be made to seat multiple seats together, there is a chance that seats may be split up. Tickets can be picked up at the Box Office at the Fabulous Fox with a photo ID starting two hours before the performance time.
Performances of WICKED at the Fabulous Fox run April 12 – May 7. Show times are Tuesday through Saturday evenings at 7:30 p.m., Saturday afternoons at 2 p.m., Sunday afternoons at 1 p.m. and Sunday evenings at 6:30 p.m. There will also be a matinee performance on Thursday, April 13 at 1:00 p.m.
The Broadway blockbuster WICKED surpassed Cats on Tuesday, April 11th to become the 4th longest-running production in Broadway history. This fall, WICKED is celebrating its 20th Anniversary on Broadway.
Winner of over 100 international awards including the Grammy Award® and three Tony Awards®, WICKED has been performed in over 100 cities in 16 countries around the world (U.S., Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Japan, Germany, Holland, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, The Philippines, Mexico, Brazil, Switzerland and China) and has thus far been translated into six languages: Japanese, German, Dutch, Spanish, Korean and Portuguese. WICKED has been seen by over 60 million people worldwide and has amassed over $5 billion in global sales.
In addition to the Broadway production, WICKED in North Americahas enjoyed unprecedented record-breaking sit-down engagements in Chicago, where it ran for nearly four years; Los Angeles, where it ran for two years; and San Francisco, where it ran for nearly two years, as well as two North American Tours.
The Broadway sensation WICKED looks at what happened in the Land of Oz…but from a different angle. Long before Dorothy arrives, there is another young woman, born with emerald-green skin, who is smart, fiery, misunderstood, and possessing an extraordinary talent. When she meets a bubbly blonde who is exceptionally popular, their initial rivalry turns into the unlikeliest of friendships…until the world decides to call one “good,” and the other one “wicked.”
With a thrilling score that includes the hits “Defying Gravity,” “Popular” and “For Good,” WICKED has been hailed by The New York Times as “the defining musical of the decade,” and by Time Magazine as “a magical Broadway musical with brains, heart, and courage.” NBC Nightly News calls the hit musical “the most successful Broadway show ever.”
Based on the novel by Gregory Maguire, WICKED has music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, and a book by Winnie Holzman. The production is directed by Tony Award winner Joe Mantello with musical staging by Tony Award winner Wayne Cilento. WICKED is produced by Marc Platt, Universal Stage Productions, The Araca Group, Jon B. Platt and David Stone.
