OTSL’s ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ Matches Tennessee Williams Note for Note

OTSL’s ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ Matches Tennessee Williams Note for Note

Patricia Racette's production finds operatic scale, emotional truth and remarkable balance in Williams's enduring tragedy. By CB Adams Andrew Boyce's scenic design announces Opera Theatre... Details
Voices and Visual Elegance Carry OTSL’s ‘The Light in the Piazza’

Voices and Visual Elegance Carry OTSL’s ‘The Light in the Piazza’

by CB Adams Opera Theatre of Saint Louis’ production of “The Light in the Piazza” consistently achieves the atmosphere of operatic emotional depth, even if... Details
At Human Scale, Winter Opera’s ‘Roméo et Juliette’ Finds Its Emotional Power

At Human Scale, Winter Opera’s ‘Roméo et Juliette’ Finds Its Emotional Power

By CB Adams Opera succeeds when theater, singing, and orchestra move together. Winter Opera St. Louis brought those forces into satisfying alignment with Charles Gounod’s... Details
Winter Opera Builds Verdi’s “Un Ballo in Maschera” with Discipline and Grace

Winter Opera Builds Verdi’s “Un Ballo in Maschera” with Discipline and Grace

By CB AdamsWinter Opera St. Louis’ “Un Ballo in Maschera” succeeds through design. Dianna Higbee approaches Verdi’s tragedy as an architectural problem — how to... Details
Union Avenue Opera’s One-Act Fest Finds Big Truths in Small Forms

Union Avenue Opera’s One-Act Fest Finds Big Truths in Small Forms

By CB Adams Union Avenue Opera’s inaugural One-Act Festival is intimate in scale and ambitious in reach, a chamber-sized gesture that embraces the big questions... Details
PopLifeSTL Picks Weekly: Sept. 1 – 7

PopLifeSTL Picks Weekly: Sept. 1 – 7

Dateline: Sept. 1By Lynn Venhaus, Alex McPherson, C.B. Adams and Carl “The Intern” Middleman Are we ready to cross into the spooky season? And no,... Details
Union Avenue Opera’s ‘Salome’ Delivers Power and Uneven Spectacle

Union Avenue Opera’s ‘Salome’ Delivers Power and Uneven Spectacle

By CB AdamsIt is a rare pleasure to encounter "Salome," Richard Strauss’s 1905 masterpiece (after Oscar Wilde’s scandalous play), on a St. Louis stage. Union... Details
Stray Dog Theatre Triumphs With Poised, Polished Copland Opera ‘The Second Hurricane’

Stray Dog Theatre Triumphs With Poised, Polished Copland Opera ‘The Second Hurricane’

By Lynn Venhaus A refreshing breeze is blowing through the cozy confines of the Tower Grove Abbey in Stray Dog Theatre’s ambitious youth opera, “The... Details
A Classic Reimagined: Union Avenue Opera’s Vocally Rich ‘My Fair Lady’

A Classic Reimagined: Union Avenue Opera’s Vocally Rich ‘My Fair Lady’

By CB Adams Once considered the sacred domain of soaring arias and tragic finales, the modern opera house has become an increasingly hospitable venue for... Details
Opera Theatre of St Louis’ ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream Is an Enchanted Forest of Voice, Vision and Theatrical Alchemy

Opera Theatre of St Louis’ ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream Is an Enchanted Forest of Voice, Vision and Theatrical Alchemy

By CB Adams In Opera Theatre of Saint Louis’ shimmering new production of Benjamin Britten’s "A Midsummer Night’s Dream," the familiar Shakespearean tale is reborn... Details