Heart-warming ‘Bandera, Texas’ Spotlights Strong Women

Heart-warming ‘Bandera, Texas’ Spotlights Strong Women

By Lynn Venhaus

The adage, “Bloom where you are planted,” is the theme of “Bandera, Texas,” an amiable new play about marriage, motherhood, and enduring family ties by Lisa Dellagiarino Feriend that the fledgling Prism Theatre Company fell in love with last year at their reading of new works by women.

Now it has the honor of being their first produced full-length play, and it’s a good one to lead the way for this emerging company. Their goal is to focus on females, an applaud-worthy stance that I hope has a bright future ahead.

I enjoyed Feriend’s original voice on the timeless issues women face as girls, wives, mothers, and aging seniors. Those pesky aggravations like cheating husbands, making a home with wee ones underfoot in faraway places, spouses dying, workplace discrimination and overall sexism.

She speaks in a natural way that resonates. For a familiar fish-out-of-water trope, it’s a dandy script full of heart, humor, and engaging characters (including the men!).

They always say write what you know, and while I am not certain if any of it is taken from her life, the Virginia-born playwright is based in Chicago, having moved there in 2008, and is married with two children. She earned a BFA in film and TV from New York University.

The five-member cast has a command of the show’s intentions and are mostly cohesive as a group, with a few wobbly interactions. If everyone’s accent can’t be consistent, I’d just ditch them all, instead of an uneven hodge-podge.

Hopefully, this modest production is considered a workshop and will be further fine-tuned and polished, for the comedy-drama-fantasy has much potential.

Ghost grandmas and pregnant Liz (Maggie Lehman). Photo by Dan Steadman

Like the transplanted heroine in the play, this inaugural production has had a bumpy road from plans to execution, and that’s one of those pandemic-related situations that can’t be pinned on any one thing.

As we learn to navigate the ever-changing COVID-19 virus and its variants, we must adapt – and that’s something the characters, and I suppose the playwright, has had to deal with as well, with a smile and a tear.

Originally slated for a June opening, the show was pushed back because of COVID-19 complications, and therefore, some roles had to be re-cast for this current staging – and one part twice. Some actors had contracts for other gigs, which is a good thing for work, but not necessarily for continuity and chemistry. You know, kismet. But the good intentions are apparent.

So, that leads to this end-of-summer run, Aug. 26-Sept. 4, in the Kranzberg Black Box Theatre, simply staged and presented with much good will and sweat equity.

At least the author, cast and audience are on the same page – life happens, and it’s all about forging ahead, no matter what obstacles are in your path. That’s why I would consider it a work-in-progress.

Last summer, I was charmed by its rudimentary reading in an elementary school at the “Spotlight On…Women Writing Festival of New Works,” and was pleased to hear of its development as an actual theatrical production. It was one of four selected for reading out of 21 submissions.

This world premiere benefits from the wit and relatable situations – at least for any woman who has been blessed with being raised by strong women, and the men who’ve been fortunate to be in their orbit.

With equal parts grit and gumption, Feriend unfolds the predicament of Liz (Maggie Lehman), a pregnant young woman who agreed to move to the Texas Hill Country because her husband Dave (Mike DePope) has landed his dream job – high school drama teacher and baseball coach. As one character says, that is quite specific, but hey, good for him.

Only she is a native New Yorker and moving into a trailer on her husband’s family’s property turns out to be a far rougher experience than she imagined. Good grief, rattlesnakes are outside! And there may be scorpions – egads!

While fretting, her dead and still gutsy grandmothers, maternal Genevieve (Jenni Ryan) and paternal Mary (Leslie Wobbe), magically appear to offer advice as good ghosts. Ryan joined the cast as a replacement to a replacement and isn’t as fluid with the dialogue as the rest, and it’s a conversational-heavy play. As a brash New Yorker who lived a hardscrabble life, she employed a thick accent that comes and goes, and gets more emphatic as she is confronted with adversity.

Ryan Burns in multiple roles, including Robert F. Kennedy. Photo by Dan Steadman.

Wobbe embodies a sweet woman who learned to stand up for herself and her family when times were tough. She projects a calm, reassuring manner to impart life lessons.

Through flashbacks, they will provide examples of crossroads and tough choices in their lives. These shared incidents help Liz adapt to her new surroundings and make her realize who she is by carrying the people she has loved in her heart. After all, home is where we start from – it’s universal.

Liz, an accountant, plays into the stereotypes we associate with New Yorkers who believe the rest of the U.S. is flyover country. She seems resistant to fitting into Bandera, current population 857, although she says she will and is trying to be a good sport. Only she whines about not being in NYC. A lot. We get it. Crossroads of the world, center of the universe, and yadda, yadda. (They do have the best water, all the better for the bagels.)

For the record, Bandera is a small town less than an hour away from San Antonio, and on its website, they call themselves the “Cowboy Capital of the World.” Alrighty, then.

A lively spirit, Lehman portrays Liz confidently and sympathetically, conveying her concerns – many of them valid – and is agile on stage, mindful of her growing tummy and taking that into consideration for her movements. You feel for her – I’d be pouting and overthinking too. Baby makes three.

The men fit the Texas mold that’s used countless times – macho gun-toting, beer-swilling, loud, boastful, close-minded rednecks, and set in their ways. Dave, though, doesn’t seem to be the cookie-cutter image, more cosmopolitan and somewhat thoughtful, but after day drinking with his brother and dad, settles into those typical guy things. Mike DePope straddles the dilemma of supportive husband and male bonding with his bro.

That family lineage is kept off-stage, and it’s the New Yorkers whose lives adapting are in vignettes – off the boat, in the orphanage, living in Iowa, being widowed at a young age, entering the workforce as a mother, dealing with setbacks, patriarchy rules in the workplace, and just getting by.

Portraying different characters to flesh out key turning points in the grandmothers’ lives, the versatile Ryan Burns is remarkable – the true MVP of the show. He’s so authentic in these snapshots of husbands, sons, bosses, neighbors and even Robert F. Kennedy. It’s an interesting twist. That’s quite a load to carry, and he impressively stands out.

Liz and Dave are a couple you root for, and would like to know more about – did they name the baby Charity or did the new mom win that round?

Audiences will have the opportunity to talk to Feriend, as she will be here Saturday and Sunday. Prism’s Trish Brown, who directed the show in a straightforward, realistic way, and her longtime collaborator Joy Addler arranged this visit. They worked with Feriend to develop the play after last summer’s reading.

On Saturday, Sept. 3, the performance will be followed by a Meet the Playwright reception, included in your ticket. On Sunday, Sept. 4, the performance will be followed by an audience talk back with the playwright and the cast, which is included in the ticket.

Next up for Prism is the “Spotlight On…Emerging Artists Festival of New Works” Sept. 22 – Oct. 1 at The High Low. This year’s festival will feature staged readings of plays by six local playwrights, all of whom have never had their works published or produced.

Prism Theatre Company presents “Bandera, Texas” I Aug. 26 – Sept. 4, Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. For more information, visit www.prismtheatrecompany.org.

For tickets, online: https://www.metrotix.com/events/detail/prism-theatre-company-bandera-texas; Phone: (314) 534-1111 or in person at the Fabulous Fox box office.

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Dance the Vote STL Presents ‘Midterms Matter’ on Sept. 24

Dance the Vote STL Presents ‘Midterms Matter’ on Sept. 24

On Saturday, Sept 24 from 12:30-3 pm, Dance the Vote STL will present Midterms Matter, a free, nonpartisan, family friendly, all-inclusive event in front of the Missouri History Museum to promote voter awareness in advance of the general election on Tuesday, November 8.  When DTV first performed for midterms at the museum in 2018, they attracted over 1000 attendees before pivoting to virtual performances during the pandemic. This is their first return to large scale outdoor events.

A highlight of the event will be taking “Missouri’s largest photo to promote the midterms”. People of all ages and political affiliations are invited to participate in this nonpartisan photo.

U.S. Presidential elections are big news worldwide every four years. But what happens in the midterm elections can have just as big an impact on the direction of the country.

“At Midterms Matter, we will energize attendees to participate in the midterms elections and exercise their precious right. Our event also honors National Disability Voter Registration Week and will feature an all-inclusive short community dance to be taught for people of all ages and abilities, including people with disabilities. Everyone is welcome,” said Joan Lipkin, producing artistic director of Dance the Vote.

Confirmed dance companies include St. Louis Academy of Dance, Ashleyliane Dance Company, Grupo Atlantico, Amara Arts, Skystone Dance Ensemble, Resilience Dance Company and others. Local singers including Carmen Garcia and Katie Dunne McGrath and Friends will perform. Speakers include Denise Lieberman of Missouri Voter Protection Coalition, Rev. Darryl Gray of Missouri Faith Voices, Katie Rodriguez Banister of Access-4-All with more to be announced.

Choreographer and co-producer Ashley L. Tate explains, “We will begin with some familiar dances including the Electric Slide and the Wobble and then teach an original, short, inclusive and accessible community dance that can be enjoyed by everyone.  This dance is for all levels and abilities!”

Additional activities will include voter registration and education, information fair with local nonprofits and community groups, kids’ activities, the Bubble Lady, food trucks, a DJ, and more.

“I am passionate about finding ways the Missouri Historical Society can help drive civic engagement,” said Dr. Jody Sowell, President and CEO of the Missouri Historical Society. “We believe public history has the power to strengthen communities. The goal of our exhibits, community tours, and public programming — like the Midterms Matter event — is to help the public make connections between past, present and future. We believe the more you appreciate a place’s past, the more invested you will be in its present and future. MHS is fortunate to play a part in helping the public make these connections and is proud to support Dance the Vote and civic engagement.”

Presented by Dance the Vote St. Louis, a program of That Uppity Theatre Company, and co-sponsored by the Missouri History Museum, St. Louis University, St. Louis ARC, Missouri Faith Voices, NAACP-St Louis County, League of Women Voters – St. Louis, Missouri Developmental Disabilities Council, National Council of Jewish Women STL, Missouri Voter Protection Coalition, National Women’s Political Caucus of St Louis, ProgressWomen, Access-MO, Paraquad, Access-4-All LLC, Equity Action Collective LLC, Immigrant Song, Missouri Centers for Independent Living, Missouri Equity Education Partnership, 350 STL, A. Philip Randolph Institute St. Louis Chapter, American Association of University Women St Louis (AAUW),Women’s Voices Raised for Social Justice, empower: abilities, The Link, Metropolitan Congregations United, and Conversations for Political Change.

Founded in 2016, Dance the Vote (DTV) is a nonpartisan arts organization that uses the arts to promote voter registration, education and advocacy. Performances have been featured on CBS, the Black Entertainment Network, the Higher Education Channel, American Theatre Magazine, St. Louis Magazine, the St Louis Post-Dispatch and Dance Magazine and seen by several million people.

DTV has received the IDEA Award from MindsEye, What’s Right with the Region from Focus St. Louis and the Moving Democracy Award from St. Louis Magazine as part of the 2021 A-List.

Midterms Matter is funded in part by the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis, the Scarlet Feather Fund, and Rev Up!

National Voter Registration Day 9/20 https://nationalvoterregistrationday.org

National Voter Education Week 10/3-10/7    https://votereducationweek.org/

Disability Voting Rights Week 9/16/-22 https://www.aapd.com/advocacy/voting/dvrw/

DancetheVoteStl.org

Facebook.com/DancetheVoteStl

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Ozark Mountain Daredevils Partner with Time Life, reissue two albums

Ozark Mountain Daredevils Partner with Time Life, reissue two albums

The Ozark Mountain Daredevils continue their yearlong 50th anniversary celebration with a new partnership with Time Life. The new deal kicked off Sept. 2 with the digital reissue of two albums, “Off the Beaten Path” and “Heaven 20/20,” which includes an updated version of their signature song, “If You Wanna Get to Heaven.”

Fans can now listen to both albums on all major streaming services such as Apple Music, Spotify and Amazon Music. The band will reissue additional albums via Time Life over the next few months.

“It’s been a really incredible 50th anniversary year and we could not be more excited to add to the celebration than by partnering up with Time Life,” says original founding member John Dillon. “These two albums represent our independence as artists,” adds fellow founding member Michael Supe Granda. “They mean so much to us since we originally released them on our own and now we’ve set it up to make sure they get directly to our fans with the help of Time Life. And we’ve got more coming!”

The Ozark Mountain Daredevils have marked their 50th anniversary with a yearlong tour, a documentary for Ozarks Public Television, their Grand Ole Opry debut and an upcoming set of performances with the 50-piece Springfield Symphony Orchestra later this month.

The Ozark Mountain Daredevils formed in Springfield, MO in 1971 and have delivered genre-defying music to fans around the world ever since.

A wholly original mix of country-rock and electric bluegrass, the band is also known for their poetic and whimsical lyrics and show-stopping harmonies.

About Time Life:

Time Life is one of the world’s pre-eminent creators and direct marketers of unique CD and DVD collections and streaming audio and video content specializing in distinctive multi-media collections that evoke memories of yesterday, capture the spirit of today, and can be enjoyed for a lifetime.

TIME LIFE and the TIME LIFE logo are registered trademarks of Time Warner Inc. and affiliated companies used under license by Direct Holdings Americas Inc., which is not affiliated with Time Warner Inc. or Time Inc.

Stream “Heaven 20/20” HERE:  https://smarturl.it/hqkkph

Stream “Off the Beaten Path” HERE: https://smarturl.it/hyjgou

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For further information about the Ozark Mountain Daredevils, please go to their website: https://www.theozarkmountaindaredevils.com/

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‘Three Thousand Years of Longing’ Brims With Imagination, But Can’t Stick the Landing

‘Three Thousand Years of Longing’ Brims With Imagination, But Can’t Stick the Landing

By Alex McPherson

Wildly creative and packed with fascinating ideas, director George Miller’s “Three Thousand Years of Longing” is uneven, yet never less than intriguing.

Based on the short story  “The Djinn in the Nightingale’s Eye” by A.S. Byatt, the film centers around Alithea Binnie (Tilda Swinton), an all-business-no-pleasure narratologist who travels to Istanbul to give a presentation on storytelling. Alithea has convinced herself that she’s perfectly content being immersed in her work without much of a social life to speak of.

Additionally, Alithea sees visions of spirits from time to time — one older gent, clad in a white robe, angrily floats toward her during her talk and she promptly faints, for example — but blames the phenomenon on her imagination. After purchasing an antique bottle at a bazaar, she finds that she’s actually in possession of a Djinn (Idris Elba), who emerges as a hulking figure, complete with pointy ears and golden dust, that barely fits in Alithea’s hotel room. The Djinn, soon shrinking down in size, is a stoic, contemplative, and world-weary being that needs Alithea’s help.

Alithea learns that she must let the Djinn fulfill three wishes (her heart’s desire) to grant his freedom. Unfortunately for the Djinn, Alithea doesn’t have anything to ask for— her “desire” has been repressed by cynicism and a solitary lifestyle that she insists suits her just fine. She’s also highly skeptical of the Djinn’s intentions. In order to prove himself, the Djinn proceeds to outline how he became trapped in the bottle, and presents three subsequent stories of wishes gone wrong. 

It all begins with a love triangle involving the Djinn, the Queen of Sheba (Aamito Lagum), and the vengeful King Solomon (Nicolas Mouawad), who casts the fateful curse on the Djinn to take Sheba for himself. We’re then transported back to the 15th- and 16th-century Ottoman Empire in tales of magic, greed, madness, cutthroat machinations, and ridiculously bad luck, before one last story of the Djinn meeting a beautiful, intelligent Turkish merchant named Zefir (Burcu Gölgedar), and the turbulent bond that followed. Back in the hotel room, Alithea’s emotional barriers begin to weaken, and love might be in the air.

“Three Thousand Years of Longing” is nothing if not imaginative, coming from the mind that created the “Mad Max” and “Happy Feet” franchises. Miller’s direction remains as energetic, out-there, and distinctive as ever, but the film remains irritatingly distant. There’s plenty to think about regarding the power of stories to connect, enlighten, and give meaning to our lives; however, the film’s illustration of that idea lacks punch — a theme in need of stronger characters and tighter pacing.

Fortunately, even though “Three Thousand Years of Loving” never achieves the swooning heights it aspires to, Miller presents such a bizarre, unorthodox vision that it stays engaging throughout. The film’s strengths lie in those aforementioned flashbacks, complete with violence, treachery, jealousy, heartache, and heartbreak, each highlighting different morals relating to power and desire. Cinematographer John Seale captures sweeping, vibrantly photographed palaces and their surrounding landscapes. This includes surreal touches like an instrument that plays itself, a sinister figure whose head erupts into spiders, and first-person-POV shots of the Djinn as he wispily floats throughout winding chambers, trying to lure someone back to the bottle he’s stuck in. It’s difficult to become attached to anyone specific in these sequences — largely due to Elba’s pervasive narration — but they’re still inventive, possessing Miller’s characteristic flair for the idiosyncratic and darkly comedic.

The happenings of Alithea and the Djinn are far less interesting. Swinton does a fine job portraying a reserved, closed-off individual, but her arc seems rushed, coming across as abrupt and awkward in the final stretch. Since most of the film takes place in flashbacks, the present-day drama is sidelined, and Alithea’s evolution isn’t given the attention it needed to earn the heavy-handed payoff. Elba is typically great, but his dry, stoic line readings (in keeping with his character) aren’t the most dynamic or attention-grabbing. His chemistry with Swinton is similarly hamstrung by the screenplay, making their romance difficult to become enraptured by.

All that being said, “Three Thousand Years of Longing” is worth a look for Miller’s unconventional narrative and visual flair, despite a resolution that left me wanting — longing, in fact — for something greater. 

“Three Thousand Years of Longing” is a 2022 fantasy-drama-romance directed by George Miller and starring Tilda Swinton and Idris Elba. It is rated R for some sexual content, graphic nudity, and brief violence and runs 1 hour, 48 minutes. It opened in theaters Aug. 26. Alex’s Grade: B-

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Satire Blasts Commodified Religion in ‘Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul’

Satire Blasts Commodified Religion in ‘Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul’

By Lynn Venhaus
A well-acted, well-written satirical comedy about organized religion manipulators has one major obstacle: Its subject matter is icky.

And infuriating. And such easy targets.

In the aftermath of a huge sexual-misconduct scandal, Trinitie Childs (Regina Hall), the first lady of a prominent Southern Baptist megachurch, attempts to help her disgraced pastor-husband, Lee-Curtis Childs (Sterling K. Brown), rebuild their congregation.

As we’ve seen in headlines and tabloids, in the name of the Lord, some so-called Christian leaders who are respected and admired prey upon the vulnerable and the devout, which is disgusting and disturbing

Because the two disingenuous lead characters are so unlikable, it’s not only a skin-crawling watch, but a hard sell.

Similar real-world scandals have become commonplace, therefore, a narrative about such thoroughly reprehensible people is tough to endure, even when sharp barbs and the audacity of it all lands a laugh.

Nevertheless, the performances are stellar – Sterling K. Brown and Regina Hall give the characters more depth than written. It would be easy to make buffoons of the deceitful pastor and his conspicuous consumer wife attempting to redeem themselves and return to an extravagant lifestyle.

The Emmy-winning Brown, a native St. Louisan, tries to evoke sympathy as Lee-Curtis, but his role is too slimy and loathsome as an egotistical preacher convinced that they are entitled to live lavishly because of the work they do saving souls.

But oh, those deadly sins – lust, greed, pride, and envy — keep surfacing. Their personal demons can’t be so easily dismissed, no matter how much they pray away.

Childs confessed to his weaknesses, but this false prophet’s proclivity for down-and-out young men isn’t forgotten. While he is steadfast and focused on a comeback, hiring a documentary crew to film their work preparing the church to re-open, his hubris gets in the way.

Hall has more to do with her character’s arc as a clueless shopaholic who has pledged her loyalty, but slowly realizes that believing people will follow them back is folly – and frustrating, humiliating, and pathetic. Having her stoop to grovel roadside in mime-face is nearly the last straw.

It doesn’t help that former congregants now run a rival church opening on the same day. Nicole Beharie and Conphidance excel as Shakura and Keon Sumpter, a faithful couple in sharp contrast to the Childs’ pretensions and extravagance.

Austin Crute is memorable as one of Lee-Curtis’ victims, Khalil.

When reminders of the scandal won’t disappear, Childs gets more desperate — and the puffery gets more grandiose.

Writer-director Adamma Ebo developed her 15-minute short film she made in 2018 into this feature, her first, which debuted at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. It is produced by her twin sister, Adanne Ebo.

John Collins’ production design is an eye-popping example of over-the-top opulence to portray the gaudy excesses of the Childs, their ostentatious mansion, and their ornate megachurch.

Costume designer Lorraine Coppin has assembled glamorous outfits for Hall, so that her character is flashy and elegant at the same time, perfectly coordinated and coifed for each look.

Maurice Norris has crafted a soundtrack superbly blending secular and gospel music.

At 1 hour and 42 minutes, one thinks a more succinct version would have worked just fine for the same effect.

Regina Hall, Sterling K Brown

“Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul” is a 2022 comedy directed by Adamma Ebo that stars Sterling K. Brown, Regina Hall, Conphidance, Nicole Beharie and Austin Crute. It is rated R for language and some sexual content and has a run time of 1 hour, 42 minutes. It is in theaters and streaming on Peacock beginning Sept. 2. Lynn’s Grade: C+

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Playful ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ Part of Free Shakespeare Park Tour

Playful ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ Part of Free Shakespeare Park Tour

By Lynn Venhaus

What treasures St. Louis Shakespeare Festival and our bi-state area public parks are! We are so fortunate to have such forward thinkers in our midst.

And because of these creative souls, ta-da! – we have a late summer treat in the form of a delightfully entertaining, high-energy Afrocentric interpretation of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” with original music.

During August, the TourCo has been crossing rivers and county lines, going into both rural and urban areas, and providing access to the arts that these neighborhoods may not have otherwise. It’s a beautiful thing to be a part of –and the show is unlike anything you have seen before.

Six perspicacious performers present one of Shakespeare’s most beloved comedies by taking on multiple roles as young lovers, close-minded royal parents, mischievous fairies, and a goofy troupe of traveling actors on their way to perform at the Duke of Athens’ wedding.

The multi-talented Tre’von Griffith has directed with a clear vision, making the confusion and disorder lucid, showing us how love and joy win out in the end. Assistant director was Cameron Jamarr Davis.

The fleet-footed six dance and sing with a great deal of zest. Their spirited delivery spreads the fun by involving the audience, and it’s wonderful to see that connection. Stage Manager Britteny Henry makes sure everything moves swiftly.

That famous line: “The course of true love never did run smooth” is in this play, and that’s the crux. In Athens, Hermia is promised to Demetrius but loves Lysander. Meanwhile, Helena, Hermia’s best friend, loves Demetrius. It gets complicated when spells are cast in a magical forest, for fairies get mixed up in the romances when love potions are used on the wrong people.

A life force, Tiélere Cheatem plays Helena, Hippolyta (queen of the Amazons) and Peter Quince, and it is a graceful site, such lovely physicality to watch. Rae Davis excels as Hermia, Tom Snout and Titania (queen of the fairies), and the amusing Ricki Franklin easily switches from Demetrius to the goofball Nick Bottom – a cartwheel! — while Asha Futterman nimbly does double duty as Theseus (Duke of Athens) and Oberon (king of the fairies). Mel McCray is an agile Lysander and Francis Flute, and Christina Yancy is spry alternating as Egeus (Hermia’s father), Snug, Robin, and Puck.

Everyone should leave with a smile on their face and a song in their hearts.

Griffith, known as Tre-G, is a gifted artist and composer from St. Louis who graduated from the prestigious Berklee School of Music in Boston with a bachelor’s degree in music business and management. His original music enlivens the pared-down play – and the beat is contagious in getting the crowd into the show.

The imaginative costumes by local designer Brandin Vaughn are whimsical and cleverly separate the characters – and Cheatem rocks whatever he is wearing with great style.

Laura Skroska crafted a production design that is interesting, portable, and quick to assemble in all kinds of outdoor spaces.

So, what are you waiting for? You must make time to spend 90-minutes in its final free evening programs.

Originally scheduled for 24 shows, four remain (Aug. 24 – Jones Water Park in East St. Louis, Aug. 25 – Shaw Park in Clayton, Aug. 26 – Chroma Plaza in the Grove, Aug. 27 – Hermann, Mo., and final night is Tuesday, Aug. 30, the rescheduled Tower Grove Park performance, which had been rained out.

The show starts at 6:30 p.m. and ends at 8 p.m. Bring your own chair or blanket. Guests can bring their own food and drink, and some sites sell items, too.

Go!

Live theater has enriched my life immeasurably, and one of the best experiences is to witness a production outside with an audience of all ages and walks of life. Connecting with others through the arts is one of life’s greatest pleasures.

One summer night growing up in Belleville, Ill., the neighborhood public school put on a version of “Tom Sawyer” on their grounds. I recall benches were placed in an alcove, but I don’t remember what age the cast members were — all I know was I was entranced. This was in the mid-1960s, and as the oldest of five kids raised by a single mom, we had very little money for extra things. The arts opened a whole new world.

Free theater! I never forgot that opportunity, and throughout my previous life staging shows outside, I marveled at the melding of art and the outdoors – it seemed so natural.

(And later, I’d realize how much work they were – moving everything outside! But I digress…And fun fact, a local professional actor who often is part of the big summer show in Shakespeare Glen was in that grade school play I saw. Small world, full circle, six degrees…and so forth).

I have been fortunate to review the festival since 2013, and one of my favorites was “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” the summer of 2016. It was so inspired and playful. This one, too, is doused in fairy dust. While it helps to know the basics, really the way they prepare the show makes it easy to follow for all of us.

Because my June schedule prevented me from coming earlier, I headed to the picturesque village of Brussels, Ill., population 112, on Sunday, Aug. 21, a place I hadn’t been to in 25 years! In the fall of 1997, I had taken my two sons hiking in Pere Marquette State Park and we took the Brussels Ferry across the Illinois River. This time, now living in St. Louis, I drove to St. Charles and crossed the Mississippi River on the Golden Eagle Ferry.

Winding through the narrow roads of Calhoun County, I found the town center on Main Street – and saw folks in lawn chairs at Heritage Park, enjoying the pleasant sunny day and festive spirit. The music and the likable performers were engaging everyone, and Community Engagement Manager Adam Flores warmly welcomed those gathered.

It was such a joyous communal experience – and to see people coming up to the performers afterwards to say how much they enjoyed it, well, what’s better? (And we had time to get to the ferry as twilight fell!).

The St. Louis Shakespeare Festival started fostering community and continuing the Shakespearean tradition of art for all in 2001, when they first presented a free show for two weeks in Forest Park – “Romeo and Juliet.” Now a month long in Shakespeare Glen that attracts thousands, the free event is the start to summer for many St. Louisans.

St Louis Shakes doesn’t end with the big show – which was the fun and funny “Much Ado About Nothing” this June – because the TourCo works their summer magic throughout the region, and come September, we have the annual free Shakespeare in the Streets to look forward to – and this year, it’s in my old neighborhood of Bevo Mill, at the intersection of Morgan Ford Road and Gravois Avenue Sept. 22-24.

The focus will be on our thriving immigrant population in the city’s southside. Deanna Jent, who did so much work with the Bosnian Project through Fontbonne University, has written this Shakespeare adaptation with them in mind.

This December, the one and only Q Brothers Collective will present their version of “A Christmas Carol.” Winner of multiple St. Louis Theater Circle Awards for their hilarious “Dress the Part” two-hander in the ‘before times’ of early 2020, I’ve heard their audio version – courtesy of the walking tour in the Central West End in the pandemic wintertime of 2020 — and I’m ready to see their fresh take at the National Blues Museum Nov. 25-Dec. 23.

You won’t want to miss any of it.

For more information, visit www.stlshakes.org.

Guests are encouraged to call ahead to the Box Office (314-287-3348) with any park accessibility questions for the tour date they plan to attend.

It is always their hope to perform, so the decision to hold or cancel the show is rarely made before showtime (6:30 pm). In the event of bad weather, the performance may be delayed. Check social @stlshakesfest across platforms for updates or call 314•287•3348.

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‘Three Thousand Years of Longing’ Technical Marvel, Weak Storytelling

‘Three Thousand Years of Longing’ Technical Marvel, Weak Storytelling

By Lynn Venhaus

Visually stunning, “Three Thousand Years of Longing” is wonder on a grand scale.

While attending a conference in Istanbul, Dr. Alithea Binnie (Tilda Swinton) happens to encounter a djinn, aka genie (Idris Elba), who offers her three wishes in exchange for his freedom. She is a scholar well-versed in mythology and storytelling, and is highly skeptical – after all, so much folklore involving genies turns into cautionary tales that end badly. He pleads his case by telling his fantastical life adventures, and she’s beguiled. What happens next surprises them both.

Far from his Fury Road, risk-taking director George Miller leads us on a less-traveled path. With his flair for the unusual, Miller charts new territory  – his “Mad Max: Fury Road” won six Academy Awards in 2016, so of course the film’s technical elements are superb.

While I am not the biggest fan of the fantasy genre, I can appreciate the technical skill and the amount of difficulty in making it look seamless.

The work of cinematographer John Seale, who came out of retirement for the second time to shoot this movie (the first being Miller’s “Mad Max: Fury Road”), is exquisite — the vibrancy of his framed shots is breathtaking.

The film unfolds like a novel. Miller collaborated on the screenplay with Augusta Gore, adapting A.S. Byatt’s short story, “The Djinn in the Nightingale’s Eye,” first published in the Paris Review in 1994. Like the British author Byatt, Miller puts familiar fairy-tale themes in a contemporary context, commenting on society along the way.

It borrows freely from “Arabian Nights,” that compendium featuring “One Thousand and One Nights,” which brought genies, or djinns, into the modern lexicon. Djinns in Islamic culture are often considered demons, but not here. There is a mystical charm to his powers.

Yet, the stories the Djinn weaves to plead his case are not as captivating as Elba and Swinton are. The pair is far more transfixing in bathrobes than the quixotic spectacles involving the Queen of Sheba and the Ottoman Empire, because those meander and such detours take us away from the film’s more interesting core relationship.

Oscar winner Swinton and Elba, who won multiple awards for his finest work in “Beasts of No Nation,” are endearing in their roles as lonely hearts whose solitary existence have led them to this crossroads. Elba could read my tax returns and I would be spellbound.

Alithea’s skepticism is relatable – it would be easy to dismiss it all as a mirage – but it’s not, and her new discovery is a joyful sojourn, particularly when she returns to her life in London. The two bigoted biddies who live next door are a hoot.

However, understand that the exotic panoply is necessary for the fanciful backstory. It’s just curiously not that engaging – a broad canvas of heroes, villains, royal protocol and expendables.

One thing about Miller, though, is that the guy always has a unique perspective – whether it’s a savage post-apocalyptic world of survival or a whimsical journey of a sweet little talking pig or dancing penquins. (After all, he won an Oscar for Best Animated Feature  for “Happy Feet” in 2006).

Swinton and Elba make us care about their characters’ outcome. Without them anchoring this film so skillfully, I would have checked out early. Still, it feels long even with its 1 hour, 48 minutes run time.

Come for the dazzling cinematic work, stay for the mesmerizing acting.

“Three Thousand Years of Longing” is a 2022 fantasy-drama-romance directed by George Miller and starring Tilda Swinton and Idris Elba. It is rated R for some sexual content, graphic nudity, and brief violence and runs 1 hour, 48 minutes. It opens in theaters Aug. 26. Lynn’s Grade: B.

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Enter Contest to Watch 13 Stephen King Movies for $1,300 Prize

Enter Contest to Watch 13 Stephen King Movies for $1,300 Prize

For an exhilarating third time, USDish is looking for one brave soul to participate in the third annual Stephen King Scream Job: Chapter 3! They are hiring a horror movie enthusiast to record their heart rate while they watch 13 of the most chilling Stephen King films for $1,300 and a Fitbit! 

After all, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. 

How to Apply

Applications will be accepted now until September 16, 2022, at 12 PM MST. Visit the official page for the application form and more information: https://www.usdish.com/news/get-paid-to-watch-stephen-king-movies

To apply, applicants must share why they want to be frightened this way in less than 200 words. For bonus points, they can include a video of why this is the scream job for them. 

Why Chapter 3?

Since 2019 when we first launched this campaign, NPR and so many more have jumped on the opportunity to share this with their following and we have received over 600,000 applications. 

Last year brought in many second-time applicants and we’re looking to give these adrenaline junkies another go to tell us which Stephen King villain is the scariest. 

Last year’s winner, Ashley LaBossiere found that It (2017) was the scariest Stephen King movie followed by Misery (1990). 

What Will the Heart Rate Analyst Get?

Whoever wins this scream job will not only get $1,300 to make up for all the nightmares, but will also receive a swag bag valued at $350 that includes the latest Fitbit. Movie tickets will also be provided to see the new Salem’s Lot, premiering in 2023. We’ve also prepared a Stephen King Watch Guide that any scaredy cat can follow. 

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Classical Music Critic Sarah Bryan Miller Subject of PBS Documentary

Classical Music Critic Sarah Bryan Miller Subject of PBS Documentary

Nine PBS will air the documentary, The Places Music Has Taken Me: An Unfinished Story of Sarah Bryan Miller, Sunday, Sept. 18, at 3:30 pm, and in primetime Saturday, September 24, at 7 pm. It will also be available to stream anytime on ninepbs.org and the PBS Video App. 

Sarah Bryan Miller, or “Bryan” as she was known to friends and family, was the classical music critic for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch for more than 20 years until her untimely death in November 2020. Before her death, Bryan’s editor at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch asked that she write a final retrospective about her career which she planned to be entitled: “The Places Music Has Taken Me.” 

Unfortunately, she was unable to complete her column but thanks to friend and local video documentarian Miran Halen, her legacy as a tough but fair-minded journalist and music critic is preserved in a film about her important role in the arts and the lives she touched.  

Hosted by internationally acclaimed conductor Leonard Slatkin, artistic leaders, colleagues, and friends throughout the country pay tribute to Bryan and the importance of the role of classical music reviewer plays in cultural life, particularly today. 

“I’d known Bryan for over two decades as a music critic for the St. Louis Post Dispatch,” says Halen. “When she was honored as a Media Persons of the Year by St. Louis Press Club in 2019, I was one of the honorary chairs and had the opportunity to work closely with her for six months. In doing so, I got to know more about her personal side and how much she truly loved the community. 

“Prior to Bryan’s passing, I talked with Bryan about what a music critic is all about. To her, it was much more than covering one evening’s performance; it was about providing a public service by educating the public about the arts. She believed in this so strongly that even when her health was failing, she was still writing and finding ways to provide accurate information to her readers.”  

Following Bryan’s death, Halen continued her research to create a retrospective  about her legacy and overarching feelings about intergenerational connectivity that music provides to audiences. 

The documentary promises to deliver on the goal to educate viewers on the important role a music critic plays in the arts. In addition to Bryan’s impressive accomplishments and legacy, she left generous gifts to a number of St. Louis community arts organizations, including the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, Opera Theatre Saint Louis, and the Men and Women’s Choir. The St. Louis Press Club established a scholarship fund in Sarah Bryan Miller’s name for students interested in pursuing a career in music-related communications. 

Bryan was a member of the St. Louis Theater Circle, which annually awards excellence in regional professional theater and opera.

About Nine PBS  

As an essential community institution, Nine PBS magnifies and deepens understanding of our community to help our region flourish. We tell stories that move us. We meet people where they are the most comfortable consuming content. Nine PBS’s platforms include four distinct broadcast channels (Nine PBS, Nine PBS KIDS®, Nine PBS World, and Nine PBS Create), ninepbs.org, social media, the free PBS Video App, streaming services, live and virtual events, and the Public Media Commons. Since 1954, Nine PBS has accepted the community’s invitation into their homes, schools, and businesses. Follow Nine PBS on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok. 

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‘Bodies Bodies Bodies’ Is a Stressful and Surprisingly Deep Satire

‘Bodies Bodies Bodies’ Is a Stressful and Surprisingly Deep Satire

By Alex McPherson

Sharp and cynical with plenty on its mind, director Halina Reijn’s “Bodies Bodies Bodies” delivers an unpredictable, ruthless, and highly entertaining experience.

Taking place in today’s age of Twitter and TikTok, the film centers around a “hurricane party” that goes dreadfully wrong. Sophie (Amandla Stenberg), a recovering addict who doesn’t text much in the all-powerful group chat, brings along her new boo, Bee (Maria Bakalova), a soft-spoken immigrant who’s less financially well-off than the rest of the gang. They’re heading to a mansion owned by the parents of David (Pete Davidson), who is trying desperately to seem manly.

Also present are David’s insecure-actor-girlfriend, Emma (Chase Sui Wonders), gregarious and “woke” podcaster Alice (Rachel Sennott), Alice’s much-older boyfriend, Greg (Lee Pace), and the enigmatic Jordan (Myha’la Herrold), whose snide remarks invite suspicion early on. David, Emma, Alice, and Jordan — most with their own fraught history with Sophie — are weirded out that Sophie decided to show up to the party at all, setting the stage for plenty of tea to be spilled.

After most of the lot is sufficiently drunk and coked-up, the music blares, the storm rages, and Sophie suggests they play “Bodies Bodies Bodies.” First, everyone sits in a circle, takes a shot, and punches the person to their left — which, unsurprisingly, becomes emotionally charged, despite frequent reminders that they’re just doing it for funsies.

Then, they play a variation on the Murder in the Dark formula where a “killer” is selected, the lights go out, someone is tagged, and the players regroup to debate who did it. Unfortunately, the real bodies soon start piling up. With the wi-fi out, the Gen-Zers — plus 40-year-old Greg — revert to their dangerously self-absorbed tendencies, amplifying their petty conflicts into life-and-death stakes as they try to locate the true killer.

“Bodies Bodies Bodies” might not be for everyone, especially older folks, but Reijin’s suspenseful, layered, and memorable film expertly threads a needle where humor intertwines with tragedy. It doesn’t hurt that the entire cast absolutely nails their respective roles, bringing pathos to characters who often make narcissistic decisions to mask their insecurities. 

Indeed, “Bodies Bodies Bodies” doesn’t paint flattering portraits of any of them, but portrays them as lost souls so wrapped up in privilege and self-centeredness that strong communication is thrown to the wayside. Their dialogue — pervasively deploying topical buzzwords like “woke,” “ally,” “triggered,” “gaslight,” and more — provides plenty of laughs, but operates on a deeper metaphorical level as well.

Their exaggerated personalities represent a distillation of social media’s anti-social repercussions and their shelteredness from the outside world. They lack the skills, willingness, and intelligence necessary to evaluate the situation rationally, at the same time twisting those aforementioned buzzwords to apply to themselves, zapping them from meaning, and blowing up their “drama” so much that it turns to downright animalism.

That the film is still often hilarious is an achievement in itself, thanks to Sarah DeLappe’s screenplay and the whole cast. Sennott, memorable in “Shiva Baby,” once again shows her knack for comedic timing in several tirades that are simultaneously eye-rolling, gut-bustingly funny, and concerning, as this pressure cooker of a film continues to gain steam.

Davidson brings his usual off-kilter shtick with some genuinely uncomfortable moments sprinkled in, exemplifying the film’s tonal shifts from ridiculous to shocking. Pace is also great as Greg, a Gen-Xer more separated from the others’ worldviews.

Bakalova, who was so good in “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm,” brings an air of mystery and maybe-innocence to the character of Bee, from whose perspective the film largely takes place. Bee, the odd one out, is essentially trapped with a bunch of crazy people, but has her own secrets nevertheless that paint a target on her back.

Wonders, as Emma, effectively conveys her cattiness and fragility. Stenberg gives a stellar performance, rendering Sophie one of the more multifaceted partygoers, her naivete creating more issues than solutions. Herrold is perhaps the standout of them all, lending a stern calculation to Jordan’s actions largely fueled by economic and romantic anxieties.

As the chaos ensues, Jasper Wolf’s claustrophobic, handheld cinematography, with many scenes lit by glow-sticks and smartphone flashlights, fits the proceedings like a glove, underlining the long-held resentments between the “friends.” The electronic-sounding score, by Disasterpiece, is fittingly paranoid and jumpy, reflecting the digital sphere turning into a figurative warzone. The soundtrack, including a track by Charlie XCX, is laced with irony. 

No spoilers here, but the final reveal is perfect, reframing everything that came before in new light that should benefit repeat viewings. Taken as a whole, “Bodies Bodies Bodies” is far more than a mere cringe-comedy or a seen-it-before slasher movie. Rather, this is a satire with real bite, demonstrating a thesis that resonates in our increasingly divided reality.

“Bodies Bodies Bodies” is a 2022 horror comedy thriller directed by Halina Reijin and starring Rachel Sennott, Maria Bakalova, Pete Davidson, Lee Pace, Myha’la Herrold, Amanda Stenberg and Chase Sui Wonders. Rated R for violence, bloody images, drug use, sexual references and pervasive language, its run time is 1 hour, 34 minutes. It opened in theaters Aug. 5. Alex’s Grade: A 

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