By Lynn Venhaus
Managing Editor
As the month winds down and students are back at school, local theater is
offering several shows that you can learn from, no matter what your interest.
The only new show this weekend is “Wit” by Alpha Players of Florissant, and
there are only three performances.
The classic American musical “Guys and Dolls” wraps up its run at Stray Dog
Theatre, so does the little-known “A Man of No Importance” by R-S Theatrics and
the local premiere of ‘Glory Denied” at Union Avenue Opera, concluding their 25th
season. The original musical “Madam” by Colin Healy has two more performances
in Hannibal, Mo., and then will be presented in St. Louis in January.
The new all-female spin on the ancient Greek tragedy “Antigone: Requiem per
Patriachus” continues at The Chapel, so if you like seeing something different,
check it out.
Whatever you do during summer’s swan song, go see a play!
“Antigone: Requiem per Patriarchus” SATE and ERA Aug. 14 – 31 (Wednesday – Saturday) at 8 p.m. The Chapel 6238 Alexander Drive, St Louis Tickets: Brown Paper or box office www.slightlyoff.org
What
It’s About: For the third production of its Season of Ritual, SATE is
collaborating with ERA to co-produce Antigone: requiem per Patriarchus; a fresh
perspective on the Sophocles classic workshopped in a collaboration between
Saint Louis University Theatre and Prison Performing Arts. Antigone explores
themes of fidelity, citizenship, civil disobedience, and the struggles and
consequences the characters within the world of the play encounter as a result
of their choices
Director:
Lucy Cashion
Starring:
Alicen Moser, Ellie Schwetye, Laura Hulsey, Miranda Jagels Félix, Natasha Toro,
Taleesha Caturah and Victoria Thomas, with Marcy Ann Wiegert providing live
percussion accompaniment.
In
2017, Prison Performing Arts began a collaboration with St. Louis University
Department of Fine and Performing Arts. Lucy Cashion, Assistant Professor of
Theatre and ERA Artistic Director, and PPA Director of Youth Programs and SATE
Artistic Director Rachel Tibbetts, taught weekly poetry, playwriting, and
development workshops with PPA participants at Women’s Eastern Reception,
Diagnostic, and Correctional Center in Vandalia, Mo.
The
group studied, explored, and wrote about the Ancient Greek Princess Antigone.
Antigone’s story of fighting civic law to obey divine law became famous in the
Classical Greek tragedy “Antigone,” which premiered in Athens in 441 B.C. Since
then, scholars, poets, and playwrights have written their own translations,
adaptations, and critiques of the Antigone story, each from a different point
of view. The continuation of this tradition resulted in a new version of
“Antigone,” which was performed in October 2017 by SLU theatre majors in St.
Louis and then with a performance by PPA participants at WERDCC in March 2018.
The collaboration now continues with this ERA/SATE co-production in St. Louis.
photography by Joey Rumpell
Please
call (314) 827-5760, email rachel@slightlyoff.org
Union Avenue Opera’s Glory Denied dress rehearsal on August 13, 2019.
“Glory Denied” Union Avenue Opera Aug. 16-17 and Aug. 23-24 at 8 p.m. Union Avenue Christian Church 733 Union at Enright 314-361-2881 www.unionavenueopera.org
What It’s About: America’s longest-held prisoner of war
dreams of coming home. But home is a place he will not recognize. Follow the
gut-wrenching saga of Col. Jim Thompson as he transitions from the jungles of
Southeast Asia to the tree-lined streets of suburban America. This true story
explores the unimaginable bravery asked of soldiers and the nature of home
itself. It is a story of a nation divided and a country that changed
significantly in the decade of his imprisonment.
Of Note: The opera is sung in English with projected
English text.
Each night following the performance, UAO will host an
intimate talk-back session with members of the artistic team and cast,
including special guest, Tom Cipullo, the composer and director Dean Anthony
following the opening night performance (Aug. 16).
Photo by John Lamb “Guys and Dolls” Stray Dog Theatre Aug. 8 – 24 Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m., with additional performances at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 18, and 8 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 24. Tower Grove Abbey, 2336 Tennesseewww.straydogtheatre.org 314-865-1995
What It’s About: “Guys & Dolls” takes us from the heart
of Depression-era Times Square, to the cafés of Havana, and into the sewers of
New York City to give us what some have called the perfect musical comedy. This
timeless tale follows ruthless gamblers, sexy nightclub performers, and the
hot-tempered law enforcers who keep them all in line.
Director: Gary F. Bell
Starring: Jayde Mitchell, Kevin O’Brien, Sarah Rae Womack,
Angela Bubash, Mike Wells
“Madam!” Bluff City Theatre Aug. 15 – 24 Bluff City Theater, 212 Broadway, Hannibal, Mo www.eventshannibal.com
What It’s About: Eliza Haycraft is dying and hates men. She
is owner of five brothels and the richest woman in the city of St. Louis who
once empowered her employees by giving them the right to refuse service to
anyone, but while the passage of The Social Evils Act of 1870 made her business
legitimate, it also took away her right to say “no.”
“Madam!” is a new musical based loosely on real events that
tells the story of her search for an heir to her sex empire while also taking a
romp through first-wave feminism and sexism in America during Reconstruction
told through the lens of Eliza’s courtesans. The music, lyrics and book are by
Colin Healy.
Director: Sydnie Grosberg-Ronga
Starring: Rosemary Watts, Kimmie Kidd, Eileen Engel,
Larissa White, Gracie Sartin, Camerone Pille and Brett Ambler.
Jodi Stockton “A Man of No Importance” R-S Theatrics Aug. 9 – 25 Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 7 p.m. The Marcelle 3310 Samuel Shepard Drive in Grand Center www.r-stheatrics.com
What It’s About: The show has music by Stephen Flaherty, lyrics
by Lynn Ahrens and a book by Terrence McNally, based on the 1994 Albert Finney
film, of the same title. It tells the story of an amateur theatre group in
Dublin and their leader, who is determined to stage a version of “Salome” at
his church, despite the objections of church authorities.
Director: Christina Rios
Starring: Mark Kelley, Kellen Green, Kent Coffel, Stephanie
Merritt, Marshall Jennings, Jennifer Theby-Quinn, Jodi Stockton, Dustin
Allison, Michael B. Perkins, Lindy Elliott, Nancy Nigh, Kay Love and Curtis
Moeller
Photo by Danny Brown“Wit” Alpha Players of Florissant Aug. 23-24, Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Florissant Civic Center Box Office: 314-921-5678 https://florissantmo.thundertx.com
What It’s About: Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, “Wit”
is a play that simply needs to be experienced.
The journey taken in Wit is one of beauty, pain, humor, poetry, and
above all, what it is to be human. Vivian Bearing is a genius level intellect
who has gotten very far using only her search for knowledge and her sheer force
of will. She is a wonderfully complex
and beautifully stubborn character. When
Vivian is diagnosed with ovarian cancer she must learn the value of kindness
and compassion, that sometimes knowledge is not enough, and that there are more
things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in her philosophy. “Wit” is a
show that will stay with you long after the final curtain.”
Director: Danny Brown
Starring: Susan Volkan, Gabriel Beckerle, Tim Callahan, Kathy Fugate, Joel
Brown, Kate Weber, Lisa Hinrichs, Kyliah Thompson.
Of Note: Donations will be accepted for St. Louis Ovarian Cancer Awareness
Lynn (Zipfel) Venhaus has had a continuous byline in St. Louis metro region publications since 1978. She writes features and news for Belleville News-Democrat and contributes to St. Louis magazine and other publications.
She is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic, currently reviews films for Webster-Kirkwood Times and KTRS Radio, covers entertainment for PopLifeSTL.com and co-hosts podcast PopLifeSTL.com…Presents.
She is a member of Critics Choice Association, where she serves on the women’s and marketing committees; Alliance of Women Film Journalists; and on the board of the St. Louis Film Critics Association. She is a founding and board member of the St. Louis Theater Circle.
She is retired from teaching journalism/media as an adjunct college instructor.