La Vie ‘Rent’ – It’s 24 and Facing the Dreaded ‘R’ Word

La Vie ‘Rent’ – It’s 24 and Facing the Dreaded ‘R’ Word

By CB AdamsContributing Writer What happens when you take Puccini’s La Boheme (The Breakfast Club of its day) out for a sexed-up, drugged-up, angst-amped joy... Details
‘Olympic Dreams’ Scores With Inside Look

‘Olympic Dreams’ Scores With Inside Look

By Lynn Venhaus Alternately charming and frustrating, “Olympic Dreams” squanders its spectacular setting with a scattershot romance that ultimately is a letdown. Two strangers in... Details
Chilling ‘Incitement’ Gets Inside Mind of Itzhak Rabin’s Assassin

Chilling ‘Incitement’ Gets Inside Mind of Itzhak Rabin’s Assassin

By Lynn Venhaus Based on true events, writer-director Yaron Zilberman chronicles the disturbing descent of a promising law student into a delusional ultranationalist obsessed with... Details
Ain’t No Mountain High Enough: A Special ‘Annapurna’ at St. Louis Actors’ Studio

Ain’t No Mountain High Enough: A Special ‘Annapurna’ at St. Louis Actors’ Studio

By Lynn Venhaus When a long-dormant couple is forced to look through the rear-view mirror in “Annapurna,” this new chapter is a magnetic combination of... Details
Campy Farce ‘Irma Vep’ Can’t Hold Audience

Campy Farce ‘Irma Vep’ Can’t Hold Audience

By Lynn Venhaus “The Mystery of Irma Vep” is the play that went wrong -- and not in a funny way. Its once-red hot reputation... Details
‘The Assistant’ a Quiet Film that Speaks Volumes on #metoo

‘The Assistant’ a Quiet Film that Speaks Volumes on #metoo

By Lynn Venhaus A quiet film whose topic speaks volumes, “The Assistant” is a dramatic recreation of something that goes on in countless offices across... Details
Bada Bing! Jersey’s Wise Guy Wonder Boys Return to St. Louis

Bada Bing! Jersey’s Wise Guy Wonder Boys Return to St. Louis

By CB AdamsContributing Writer In the beginning was New Jersey, which begat Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, which in various incarnations begat pop record... Details
‘Songs for Nobodies’ Another Tour de Force for Debby Lennon

‘Songs for Nobodies’ Another Tour de Force for Debby Lennon

By Lynn Venhaus Wow. Just a WOW. Dynamic Debby Lennon has a beautifully trained voice that is spellbinding, and even better on stage when she... Details
‘Flanagan’s Wake’: A Raucous, Raunchy, Ribald Romp

‘Flanagan’s Wake’: A Raucous, Raunchy, Ribald Romp

By Connie BollingerContributing WriterFull disclosure: I ordinarily don't enjoy audience interactive productions However, "Flanagan's Wake," playing now through March 21 at the Playhouse at Westport... Details
Acting Elevates True Crime Drama ‘Just Mercy’

Acting Elevates True Crime Drama ‘Just Mercy’

By Lynn VenhausAttorney Bryan Stevenson’s own account of the Walter McMillian case, as recorded in the 2014 bestselling nonfiction book “Just Mercy: A Tale of... Details