A science fiction action-adventure horror comedy are many genres to cram into one anti-artificial intelligence film, but Sam Rockwell’s bonkers’ performance makes “Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die” an interesting commentary for our time.
Rockwell plays a “Man from the Future” who walks into Norm’s Diner in Los Angeles to recruit patrons to join him on a one-night quest to save the world from the terminal threat of a rogue artificial intelligence.
Disheveled and wearing a clear plastic raincoat, he alarmed diners who think he’s crazy and he flings their phones around and warns of an upcoming apocalypse. Whoa.
The unnerving snarky satire by Matthew Robinson gives Rockwell the ball to slam-dunk, and his trademark fast-talking, high-energy goofiness is worth paying attention to as he cautions earthlings to put down their phones and focus on what is happening in the world.
As the “Man from the Future,” the eccentric Rockwell screams to a diner patron: “Progress is only progress if it makes things better! Otherwise, it’s a mistake!” and this is the film’s theme – that the human cost of technology obsession and unbridled AI will be loss of connection and mental health.
At what price are we willing to sacrifice what makes us human? People whose existential dread is fueled by society’s inability to shut off screens for any length of time may experience more anxiety about perpetual distraction ruining everything.
And it’s not subtle at all. This chaotic cautionary tale gets real about school shootings and teachers’ inability to educate rude, sarcastic and apathetic teenagers in unhinged scenarios.
Director Gore Verbinski is not afraid to take risks, for he’s made “The Ring,” the original trilogy of “The Pirates of the Caribbean” and the Oscar-winning animated film “Rango.” After a 10-year break, he’s back with his quirky visual style and maintains a manic pace, even though the message’s momentum eventually wanes.
A series of backstories on characters that Rockwell’s enlists “to save society” gives strong actors like Michael Pena (Mark), and Zazie Beetz (Janet) as teachers, Haley Lu Richardson (Ingrid) as a birthday party princess, Juno Temple (Susan) as a grieving mother, Georgia Goodman (Marie), and Asim Chaudhry (Scott) as a ride-share driver an opportunity to craft distinct personalities, but they aren’t given much time to develop any depth.
The lack of explanation on character behaviors and situations ultimately hurts the film’s reception, as does the unrelenting frenzy and the overall bleak attitude. The jokes stop being funny.
Composer Geoff Zanelli, production designer David Brisbin and costume designer Neil McClean all brought their A-game to this strange, trippy production that bears closer resemblance to a cocktail of “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines,” “Alice in Wonderland,” “The Creator,” “The Mitchells vs. The Machines,” and “The Wizard of Oz” as the film unfolds.
Messy but relevant, and overlong at 2 hours, 14 minutes, “Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die” is well-meaning about brain rot and hive minds, and benefits from a bizzaro star turn by Rockwell.
The Oscar-winning actor thrives on weirdness, and he merrily goes down Verbinski’s virtual reality rabbit hole. The director takes big swings that become visual overload as the clock runs out, but the point of view is original.
“Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die” is a fidget spinner for our time, and forces us to pay attention.
“Good Luck, Don’t Die, Have Fun” is a 2025 sci-fi action-adventure horror comedy directed by Gore Verbinski and starring Sam Rockwell, Juno Temple, Haley Lu Richardson, Michael Pena, Zazie Beetz, Georgia Goodman, and Asim Chaudhry. It is rated R for pervasive language, violence, some grisly images and brief sexual content and runs 2 hours, 14 minutes. Opens in theatres Feb. 13. Lynn’s Grade: B.
Fans of whodunits who’ve never seen Ira Levin’s clever tale of murder and betrayal should have a good time in the cozy confines of Tower Grove Abbey as “Deathtrap” unfolds with its scathing wit and intricate surprises.
Ira Levin, author of “Rosemary’s Baby” and “The Stepford Wives,” knows his way around a suspenseful shocker, and his 1978 play “Deathtrap” holds the record for longest running comedy thriller on Broadway.
It ran for more than four years — 1,793 performances, which is a remarkable accomplishment. Fun fact: It was Victor Garber’s first major role on Broadway (as Clifford). A film adaptation starring Michael Caine and Christopher Reeve followed in 1982. Its only revival was in London’s West End in 2010 that featured Simon Russell Beale and Jonathan Groff.
Besides its ingenious construction, the dark comedy is also highly theatrical, peppered with artistic merit in-jokes and catty remarks about show business, talent and success – plus snarky gossip on friends and neighbors in upscale Westport, Conn. (The lead’s favorite play is “Angel Street,” which is a sly nod to the film “Gaslight.” Chew on that).
Stephen Peirick and Anne Vega as the Bruhls. Photo by Stray Dog Theatre.
Sidney Bruhl (Stephen Peirick), a once successful playwright, hasn’t had a hit in a long time. He reads a play by Clifford Anderson (Victor Mendez), a former student at one of his writing seminars, and tells his wife Myra (Anne Vega) about how envious he is of this young inexperienced man’s craft. He predicts “Deathtrap” will be a sure-fire hit and make Anderson very rich.
Casually, he jokes about a ‘what if” scenario – he could get away with murder if he timed it just right and then claimed the work as his own. His sleuthing skills could hatch a foolproof crime.
Myra, naturally, is horrified. He laughs at his audacity, but is he really showing his devious nature? Let’s just say the plot thickens and evil lurks.
Covering his tracks, Sidney lures the talented pupil to his country home, and they dissect writing mechanics, particularly when plotting mysteries. Sidney is a condescending mentor to Clifford’s boyish hero worship.
In small but integral supporting roles, Liz Mischel is a psychic neighbor Helga ten Dorp and David Wassilak is attorney friend Porter Milgrim.
Liz Mischel and David Wassilak as psychic neighbor and attorney friend. Photo by Stray Dog Theatre.
The only way this plot works in the 21st century is to keep the setting in the past — where people still use typewriters, carbon paper and landlines, without any digital accessories. So, a few of the cultural references are dated, but don’t detract. Levin has thrown in a dark and stormy night for good measure.
The technical elements are superb, providing an unsettling atmosphere for the disturbing behavior about to happen. Rob Lippert’s striking scenic design makes the bad vibes come alive — a rustic study renovated from a stable, with framed theatrical ‘window cards’ that are Bruhl’s greatest hits and reflect classic film noir posters.
A prominent display of antique weapons, a collection of props from his hit shows, includes gruesome pieces that look like from “Games of Thrones” and the board game Clue — guns, axes, swords, knives, crossbow, club, morning star and handcuffs.
Tyler Duenow’s lighting design is effective and precisely timed while Justin Been’s sound design adds another layer of eeriness. He’s always spot-on with his music interlude choices.
VIctor Mendez as Clifford Anderson and Peirick. Photo by Stray Dog Theatre.
While the mood changes, the characters are one-dimensional, so the performers are one-note, and that makes investing in their welfare difficult. Peirick, a dedicated all-in leading man, is the insufferable blowhard Sidney.
The pompous playwright is written as the smartest guy in the room and never lets you forget it, but he is supposed to have some charm, although it’s not apparent on stage. Peirick exaggerates his dialogue while pontificating on writing and human behavior to such an extent that the affectation is stretched out, affecting the show’s pace.
As Clifford, Mendez depicts earnestness but isn’t as convincing when his deception becomes apparent. And that façade needs to slowly crumble, from eager to underhanded.
While loving and supportive, Myra is described as sophisticated and upper-class but Vega, despite showing her sweetness, is dressed frumpily. Vega is the show’s conscience and projects that well.
Liz Mischel and Anne Vega. Photo by Stray Dog Theatre.
Mischel is ideally suited as the flamboyant psychic with an elaborate Dutch accent and a colorful wardrobe, because the over-the-top character wants to always pull focus to her. Think Madame Arcati in “Blithe Spirit.”
Wassilak is his customary professional self as Sidney’s shrewd attorney and Westport, Conn. friend.
The tangled web indicates people are never what they seem to be, some more conniving than others. And there are enough developments to keep everyone guessing through two acts.
Director Gary F. Bell uses shadows and light to punctuate this very smart murder mystery, and his crisp execution of the twists and turns is noteworthy, steadily building tension.
Yet craft is everything in this 48-year-old chestnut, because the designs are as important as the shocks.
Mendez, Peirick and Vega. Photo by Stray Dog Theatre.
For those of us who’ve seen it multiple times, you anticipate the turns so you see the cracks, and it’s no longer as fascinating, but for newbies, it’s a huge crowd-pleaser. Murmurs went through the audience when key revelations happened.
The genre piece may not have aged as well as say an Agatha Christie ‘s “The Mousetrap” or Anthony Shaffer’s “Sleuth,” but as an examination of the seven deadly sins through a modern human nature lens, remains entertaining.
Stray Dog Theatre presents “Deathtrap” Feb. 5-21, Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays Feb. 8 and 15 only at 2 p.m. Performances take place at Tower Grove Abbey, 2336 Tennessee in Tower Grove East. For more information: www.straydogtheatre.org.
This production contains the use of replica weapons and firearms, loud noises, and flashing lights. The play is nearly 3 hours in length, with one 10-minute intermission.
By Lynn Venhaus Maybe you think that if you’ve seen one Dracula movie, you’ve seen them all, “Nosferatu” and other spin-offs included? Quite the contrary, with this latest take on the classic vampire story more focused on gothic romance and less on gory horror.
But of course, there will be blood — and heads roll. What a mysterious revision Luc Besson’s “Dracula” is, taking concepts from Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel but going in multiple overwrought directions instead.
The director, known for such global action hits as “Leon: The Professional” and “La Femme Nikita,” not to mention producing the “Taken” and “Transporter” franchises, created an unusual scenario, although extravagant battle scenes bookend the film with mayhem.
Besson’s visual flair, as noted in his films “The Fifth Element” and “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets,” is the film’s strongest suit, stylistically framing the traditional story with grandeur – namely, the opulent production design by Hugues Tissandier and lavish period costumes by Corinne Bruand.
As screenwriter, he took a major creative license. The result is a strange brew of folklore, desire, silliness and gargoyles come to life. Dracula’s quest is to find his lost love, for he’s miserable and melancholic without his adored wife, who was slaughtered in front of him.
After all, he’s been mourning for four centuries. It’s unclear how he expects to find her – another freshly minted vampire, resurrected or reincarnated? But a stronger emotional core is what Besson attempted. Danny Elfman added both bombast and urgency to his lush film score.
Originally called “Dracula: A Love Tale,” the ambitious reinvention freely mimicked the kitschy melodrama that made the cult soap opera “Dark Shadows” so irresistible in the late 1960s.
But Besson, who took this project very seriously, created a philosophical Vlad as he roamed the earth, inventing a fragrance to be his calling card for seduction. So, is he a perfume designer too?
Because of that twist, powdered and porcelain-skinned heavy-breathing socialites can’t resist him in exotic continental locations.
Caleb Landry Jones is an intriguing Prince of Darkness. The character actor known for playing Banshee in “X-Men: First Class,” as Red in “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” and an Armitage in “Get Out,” leaned into the flamboyance and the mannered speech in a gravelly whisper as he doubled-down on the lovesick nobleman.
His version varied from the iconic portrayals by Gary Oldman, Christopher Lee and Bela Lugosi to make the role his own. He transformed into many looks, from Middle Ages armor to high-society top hats, from swaggering royal to grotesque old man.
He and Zoe Bleu, as both Elisabeta and Mina, have a zesty chemistry. Bleu resembles her mother, actress Rosanna Arquette, and is now fourth generation of the famous acting family.
In one of the more bizarre scenes– that prolonged the inevitable – Dracula ravished a nunnery. Those poor unfortunate souls. His obsession is relentless, and as Besson detours, the film gets wackier.
But some key figures remain or are similar to the original. Instead of including vampire slayer Van Helsing, two-time Oscar winner Christoph Waltz played a Vatican-appointed priest. He attempts to save Vlad from damnation. Fresh off his appearance in Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein,” he played the role matter-of-factly.
Ewens Abid is an earnest Jonathan Harkin, a lawyer who visited the count in the castle (and Mina’s fiance). David Sheets is Henry Spencer, whose fiancé Maria (a maniacally giggly Matilda De Angelis), went crazy at their wedding, and he’s still in shock.
Maria was institutionalized at a deeply unsettling insane asylum, and Besson created a disturbing tableau every time we went there, mixing primitive psychology with the supernatural. By now, Dracula looks like the Babadook.
To rid the world of this demon, we have a battle extraordinaire with cannons and animated gargoyles called to duty. (Think the flying monkeys in “The Wizard of Oz.”)
Because we’re accustomed to “What We Do in the Shadows” and the Twilight movies, one wonders how far the mythology can be stretched.
After 2 hours, 9 minutes, it’s time to let him go. There have been around 30 Dracula movies produced, becoming a pop culture staple for 100 years, so where this lands in public opinion, only time will tell. This “Dracula” will go down as a one-of-a-kind, though.
“Dracula” is a 2025 supernatural horror romance written and directed by Luc Besson and starring Caleb Landry Jones, Zoe Bleu, Christoph Waltz, Ewens Abid, David Sheets and Matilda De Angelis. It is rated R for violence, some gore and sexuality, and its run time is 2 hours, 9 minutes. It opens in theatres Feb. 6. Lynn’s Grade: C.
A very special comedy, “Myth of the Ostrich,” is an absolute laugh riot, thanks to the triple treat of actresses who deliver heartfelt and hilarious portrayals of three distinct personalities, aided by the deft direction of Jane Paradise.
In Upstream Theater’s U.S. premiere of Canadian playwright Matt Murray’s playful and poignant story of assumptions, first impressions and flipping broad stereotypes, this Dream Team works smoothly in tandem.
For 90 minutes, the action-packed, chatty narrative is a marvel of physical slapstick, sharp timing, and landing punch lines effortlessly. But it also has something to say about understanding our differences with empathy and forging the unlikeliest connections, which is a timely takeaway.
As Holly, a harried single mom writer, Wendy Renee Greenwood is expecting her best friend Cheryl (Pamela Reckamp) to stop by her humble Boston abode. They’re both loud and messy, with Cheryl the more unfiltered and free-spirited, with a typical ‘Southie’ accent, but Holly seems a more level-headed voice of reason, not as impulsive as Cheryl..
Wendy Renee Greenwood and Pamela Reckamp. Photo by Patrick Huber.
Reckamp and Greenwood have an easy chemistry together, appearing naturally as friends who’ve known each other for a long time. They start off with a condescending, flippant tone as they listen to Pam talk about herself. But they’re not caricatures, and that’s a sincere development between these three.
Jennelle Gilreath Owens, who often stands out on local stages, adept at comedy, drama and musicals, is a revelation as Pam, a transplant from a small town in Wisconsin who is a sheltered stay-at-home mom. She nails this character, in her ‘Minnesota Nice’ accent, proper appearance and social grace. She must convey confusion, vulnerability, fear and anxiety while portraying a more relaxed, comical side because of things beyond her control.
Pam comes by unannounced to introduce herself because she found a note her son Evan wrote to Holly’s Jody. She wants to talk about the kids, being teens coming of age, and how they spend so much time together.
Pam and Holly are both good moms, no debating that – they care and are concerned – but they have different approaches. Holly is horrified Pam read the note, thinking that’s intrusive. Pam is feeling out of sorts with the move – her husband took a new job with a law firm – and she’s trying to make sense of her son, who seems more distant.
Pamela Reckamp and Jenelle Gilreath Owens. Photo by Patrick Huber.
Because of unexpected developments, which is best left as a surprise twist, an afternoon social call turns from polite to raucous for side-splitting laughs. Think Lucy and Ethel plus one, for high-jinks ensue as secrets, lies and tea are spilled.
Murray’s well-constructed script has ebbs and flows, and the discoveries are logical – while the physical element is farce, the dialogue is rich in compassion and wit — and candor. At a time when fear of others is rampant, it’s refreshing to see three very different women learn about each other and overcome prejudice.
Murray’s play, which really deserves more attention from American audiences, was first produced in 2014 at the Toronto Fringe Festival. Grateful to Upstream Artistic Director Philip Boehm for seeing this play at a sold-out performance in Warsaw, Poland, and bringing it here.
During one of the most dismal winters on record, it was a breath of fresh air to be at The Marcelle Theatre Sunday for a sold-out matinee on a day that was below freezing temperatures with a brutal wind chill, warmed by the audience’s gleeful amusement. (After several performances cancelled opening weekend because of heavy snowfall).
A blanket fort.Photo by Patrick Huber.
The entertaining production is also boosted by expert craftsmen – Denisse Chavez’ always excellent lighting design, Ellie Schwetye’s careful sound design, Michele Friedman Siler’s ideal costume design, and Patrick Huber’s lived-in set design.
The MVP just may be dialect coach Lauren Roth for the actress’ flawless character accents.
The beauty of this play is at first you might not talk to any of these women at the PTA meeting, but after getting to know them, you’d go out for coffee or a beer with them. Come for the laughs, stay for the growth. After all, “Myth of the Ostrich” reminds us that one can’t judge a book by its cover.
And if women who don’t look as put together as another ‘type’ can show you the way, this is a victory for all women and those who follow different beats.
Upstream Theater presents “Myth of the Ostrich” by Canadian playwright Matt Murray, Jan. 29 through Feb. 8. Thursday, Friday and Saturday performances are at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. at The Marcelle in Grand Center, 3310 Samuel Shepard Dr. For more information: www.upstreamtheater.org
New Jewish Theatre’s ‘Cabaret” tops shows with 13 nominations Event March 23 Will Honor Outstanding Work in Local Professional Theater in 2025
ST. LOUIS, February 3, 2026 – The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis (The Rep), with 38 nominations covering six different productions in the 2025 calendar year, leads the field at the 13th annual St. Louis Theater Circle Awards. “Cabaret,” which was performed by New Jewish Theatre, garnered the most nominations for an individual production with a total of 13. In all, 38 local, professional productions representing 20 theater companies received at least one nomination.
The annual gala will take place on Monday, March 23, 2026, at the Loretto-Hilton Center for the Performing Arts, 130 Edgar Road on the campus of Webster University, home of The Rep.
Tickets at $23 apiece ($20 plus a $3 processing fee) are available at The Rep’s web site www.repstl.org ticket link. https://www.repstl.org/events/detail/st-louis-theatre-circle-awards The Rep’s box office number is 314-968-4925. Tickets will also be available at The Rep’s box office one hour before the ceremony, which will start at 7:30 p.m. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. for a one-hour ‘Happy Hour,’ with beverages and snacks available for purchase.
Nominees in 34 categories will vie for honors covering comedies, dramas, musicals and operas produced by local professional theater and opera companies in the calendar year 2025. Approximately 87 productions were considered for nominations for this year’s event.
Additionally, there will be three special awards. Opera Theatre of Saint Louis will be honored for 50 years of operatic excellence that have brought the company local, national and international recognition. Wayne Salomon, a founding member of Theatre Project Company, will be recognized with a lifetime achievement award for his contributions to the St. Louis theater community. Bob Trump, head draper of The Rep, who retired in 2025, will be lauded for 40 years of work in The Rep’s costume shop.
The Muny last autumn asked that it not be considered for any nominations for the 2025 calendar year. Reluctantly, the St. Louis Theater Circle has honored The Muny’s request.
The nominees for the 13th annual St. Louis Theater Circle Awards are:
Baskerville. New Jewish. Photo by Jon Gitchoff.
Outstanding Supporting Performer in a Comedy, Female or Non-Binary Role
Nancy Bell, “Emma,” The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis Lindsey Grojean, “The Curious Savage,” Stray Dog Theatre Lize Lewy, “Emma,” The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis Alicia Revé Like, “Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery,” New Jewish Theatre Essence Anisa Tyler, “Clyde’s,” The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis
Outstanding Supporting Performer in a Comedy, Male or Non-Binary Role
Louis Reyes McWilliams, “Emma,” The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis Michael James Reed, “Ken Ludwig’s Sherwood: The Adventures of Robin Hood,” The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis Jacob Schmidt, “Romeo & Zooliet,” St. Louis Shakespeare Festival Sean C. Seifert, “Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery,” New Jewish Theatre John Wilson, “Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery,” New Jewish Theatre
Outstanding Performer in a Comedy, Female or Non-Binary Role
Michelle Hand, “The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe,” St. Louis Actors’ Studio Heather Matthews, “The Beauty Queen of Leenane,” Albion Theatre Company Andrea San Miguel, “The Cottage,” The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis Adelin Phelps, “Emma,” The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis Phyllis Yvonne Stickney, “Clyde’s,” The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis
Outstanding Performer in a Comedy, Male or Non-Binary Role
Jordan Coughtry, “The Cottage,” The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis Nick Freed, “The Minutes,” Stray Dog Theatre Gary Glasgow, “Two Jews Walk into a War: A Comedy,” New Jewish Theatre Ron Himes, “Clyde’s,” The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis Bryce A. Miller, “Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery,” New Jewish Theatre
Clyde’s. The Rep. Photo by Jon Gitchoff.
Outstanding Lighting Design in a Play
Denisse Chavez, “Hamlet,” St. Louis Shakespeare Festival Jayson M. Lawshee, “Athena,” The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis Jason Lynch, “Emma,” The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis Matthew McCarthy, “A Streetcar Named Desire,” Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis Christina Watanabe, “Clyde’s,” The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis
Outstanding Sound Design
Jimmy Bernatowicz, “Athena,” The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis Kareem Deanes, “Two Jews Walk into a War: A Comedy,” New Jewish Theatre Tre’von Griffith, “The Brothers Size,” The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis John Gromada, “Emma,” The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis Ellie Schwetye, “Professor House,” Contraband Theatre
Outstanding Costume Design in a Play
Oana Botez, “Hamlet,” St. Louis Shakespeare Festival Dorothy Marshall Englis, “Emma,” The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis Renee Garcia, “The Cottage,” The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis Tracey Newcomb, “I Have Been Here Before,” Albion Theatre Company Michele Friedman Siler, “The Heidi Chronicles,” New Jewish Theatre
The Heidi Chronicles. New Jewish Theatre. Photo by Jon Gitchoff.
Outstanding Set Design in a Play
Jean Kim, “Clyde’s,” The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis Robert Mark Morgan, “The Cottage,” The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis Scott C. Neale, “Hamlet,” St. Louis Shakespeare Festival Scott C. Neale, “Romeo & Zooliet,” St. Louis Shakespeare Festival Margery Spack & Peter Spack, “Emma,” The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis
Outstanding Supporting Performer in a Drama, Female or Non-Binary Role
Jade Cash, “The Wanderers,” New Jewish Theatre Sarah Chalfie, “Hamlet,” St. Louis Shakespeare Festival Jennifer Ikeda, “Hamlet,” St. Louis Shakespeare Festival Isa Venere, “A Streetcar Named Desire,” Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis Maggie Wininger, “The Wanderers,” New Jewish Theatre
Outstanding Supporting Performer in a Drama, Male or Non-Binary Role
Grayson DeJesus, “Hamlet,” St. Louis Shakespeare Festival Ron Himes, “Radio Golf,” The Black Rep Donald Jones Jr., “The Brothers Size,” The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis Bryce A. Miller, “The Wanderers,” New Jewish Theatre Reginald Pierre, “Hamlet,” St. Louis Shakespeare Festival
Outstanding Performer in a Drama, Female or Non-Binary Role
Mara Bollini, “Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune,” Stray Dog Theatre Wendy Renée Greenwood, “The Wanderers,” New Jewish Theatre Michelle Hand, “Meet Me at Dawn,” Upstream Theater Lizi Watt, “Meet Me at Dawn,” Upstream Theater Donna Weinsting, “With,” St. Louis Actors’ Studio
Meet Me at Dawn. Upstream Theater. Photo by ProPhotoSTL
Outstanding Performer in a Drama, Male or Non-Binary Role
Nic Few, “The Brothers Size,” The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis Michael Khalid Karadsheh, “Hamlet,” St. Louis Shakespeare Festival Christian Kitchens, “The Brothers Size,” The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis Joel Moses, “The Wanderers,” New Jewish Theatre Whit Reichert, “With,” St. Louis Actors’ Studio
Outstanding New Play
“John Hughes Your Own Adventure,” by Joseph Garner, Chris “Mr.” Jones, Rob McLemore, Suki Peters, and Ben Ritchie, Cherokee Street Theatre Company “The Pavement Kingdom: A Clinic Escort Play,” by Courtney Bailey, Chorus of Fools “Romeo & Zooliet,” by Jennifer Joan Thompson, St. Louis Shakespeare Festival Professor House,” by Jacob Juntunen, Contraband Theatre “Scream, Echo. Scream.,” written and produced by Summer Baer
Outstanding Achievement in Opera
Christopher Alden, “Don Pasquale,” Opera Theatre of Saint Louis Susanne Burgess, “Don Pasquale,” Opera Theatre of Saint Louis John Gerdes, “The Second Hurricane,” Stray Dog Theatre Daniel Scofield, “Salome,” Union Avenue Opera Leonard Slatkin, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Opera Theatre of Saint Louis
Outstanding Production of an Opera
“A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Opera Theatre of Saint Louis “Don Pasquale,” Opera Theatre of Saint Louis “My Fair Lady,” Union Avenue Opera “The Second Hurricane,” Stray Dog Theatre “This House,” Opera Theatre of Saint Louis
Superhero. Stray Dog Theatre.
Outstanding Musical Director
Jeremiah Ginn, “Murder for Two,” Stages St. Louis Mallory Golden, “Superhero,” Stray Dog Theatre Carter Haney, “Cabaret,” New Jewish Theatre Jermaine Manor, “Raisin (The Musical),” The Black Rep David Nehls, “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical,” Stages St. Louis
Outstanding Choreographer
Kirven Douthit-Boyd, “Raisin (The Musical),” The Black Rep Kirven Douthit-Boyd, “The Brothers Size,” The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis Ellen Isom, “Cabaret,” New Jewish Theatre Lisa Shriver, “Austen’s Pride,” Stages St. Louis Jennifer Werner, “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical,” Stages St. Louis
Outstanding Projections or Special Effects
Justin Been, “Superhero,” Stray Dog Theatre Kareem Deanes, “The Heidi Chronicles,” New Jewish Theatre Kareem Deanes, “The Wash,” The Black Rep Michael Curry Design, “Romeo & Zooliet,” St. Louis Shakespeare Festival Joe Taylor, “Dollhouse by Three Manufacturers,” Equally Represented Arts (ERA)
Outstanding Supporting Performer in a Musical, Female or Non-Binary Role
Kailey Boyle, “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical,” Stages St. Louis Marsiya Miller, “Legally Blonde, The Musical,” Tesseract Theatre Company Jane Paradise, “Cabaret,” New Jewish Theatre Dianica Phelan, “Austen’s Pride,” Stages St. Louis Sarah Polizzi, “Rock of Ages,” Stray Dog Theatre
Outstanding Supporting Performer in a Musical, Male or Non-Binary Role
Dave Cooperstein, “Cabaret,” New Jewish Theatre Aaron Fischer, “Superhero,” Stray Dog Theatre Aaron Fischer, “Cabaret,” New Jewish Theatre Dustin Petrillo, “Madam,” Fly North Theatricals David Socolar, “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical,” Stages St. Louis
Murder for Two. Stages St Louis. Photo by Phillip Hamer.
Outstanding Lighting Design in a Musical
Tony Anselmo, “Raisin (The Musical),” The Black Rep Denisse Chavez, “Cabaret,” New Jewish Theatre Tyler Duenow, “Superhero,” Stray Dog Theatre Jason Lyons, “Austen’s Pride,” Stages St. Louis Sean M. Savoie, “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical,” Stages St. Louis
Outstanding Set Design in a Musical
Peter Barbieri, “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical,” Stages St. Louis Ann Beyersdorfer, “Murder for Two,” Stages St. Louis David Blake, “Cabaret,” New Jewish Theatre Bradley Rohlf and Colin Healey, “Madam,” Fly North Theatricals Rob Lippert, “Superhero,” Stray Dog Theatre
Outstanding Costume Design in a Musical
Sam Hayes, “Madam,” Fly North Theatricals Colleen Michelson, “Rock of Ages,” Stray Dog Theatre Johanna Pan, “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical,” Stages St. Louis Emily Rebholz, “Austen’s Pride,” Stages St. Louis Michele Friedman Siler, “Cabaret,” New Jewish Theatre
Outstanding Performer in a Musical, Female or Non-Binary Role
Brianna Kothari Barnes, “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical,” Stages St. Louis Sarah Gene Dowling, “Superhero,” Stray Dog Theatre Olivia Hernandez, “Austen’s Pride,” Stages St. Louis Anita Michelle Jackson, “Raisin (The Musical),” The Black Rep Hailey Medrano, “Cabaret,” New Jewish Theatre
Anita Jackson. Raisin. The Black Rep. Phillip Hamer photo.
Outstanding Performer in a Musical, Male or Non-Binary Role
Jabari Boykin, “Superhero,” Stray Dog Theatre Rafael DaCosta, “Bat Boy,” New Line Theatre Jeremiah Ginn, “Murder for Two,” Stages St. Louis Dan Hoy, “Austen’s Pride,” Stages St. Louis Spencer Davis Milford, “Cabaret,” New Jewish Theatre
Outstanding Ensemble in a Comedy
“Clyde’s,” The Repertory Theatre of St. Loui “Emma,” The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis “Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery,” New Jewish Theatre “The Cottage,” The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis “Romeo & Zooliet,” St. Louis Shakespeare Festival
Outstanding Ensemble in a Drama
“Hamlet,” St. Louis Shakespeare Festival “I Have Been Here Before,” Albion Theatre Company “The Brothers Size,” The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis “The Wanderers,” New Jewish Theatre “The Wash,” The Black Rep
Outstanding Ensemble in a Musical
“Austen’s Pride,” Stages St. Louis “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical,” Stages St. Louis “Cabaret,” New Jewish Theatre “Raisin (The Musical),” The Black Rep “Superhero,” Stray Dog Theatre
Romeo and Zooliet. St Louis Shakespeare Festival. Photo by Phillip Hamer.
Outstanding Director of a Comedy
Risa Brainin, “The Cottage,” The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis Tracy Brigden, “Emma,” The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis Josiah Davis, “Clyde’s,” The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis Tom Ridgely, “Romeo & Zooliet,” St. Louis Shakespeare Festival Nisi Sturgis, “Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery,” New Jewish Theatre
Outstanding Director of a Drama
Nancy Bell, “Athena,” The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis Annamaria Pileggi, “With,” St. Louis Actors’ Studio Robert Quinlan, “The Wanderers,” New Jewish Theatre Michael Sexton, “Hamlet,” St. Louis Shakespeare Festival Jacqueline Thompson, “The Brothers Size,” The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis
Outstanding Director of a Musical
Justin Been, “Superhero,” Stray Dog Theatre Igor Goldin, “Austen’s Pride,” Stages St. Louis Michael Kostroff, “Murder for Two,” Stages St. Louis Rebekah Scallet, “Cabaret,” New Jewish Theatre Jennifer Werner, “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical,” Stages St. Louis
The Brothers Size. The Rep. Photo by Jon Gitchoff.
Outstanding Production of a Comedy
“Clyde’s,” The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis “Emma,” The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis “Romeo & Zooliet,” St. Louis Shakespeare Festival “The Beauty Queen of Leenane,” Albion Theatre Company “The Cottage,” The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis
Outstanding Production of a Drama
“Hamlet,” St. Louis Shakespeare Festival “Meet Me at Dawn,” Upstream Theater “The Brothers Size,” The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis “The Wanderers,” New Jewish Theatre “With,” St. Louis Actors’ Studio
Outstanding Production of a Musical
“Austen’s Pride,” Stages St. Louis “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical,” Stages St. Louis “Cabaret,” New Jewish Theatre “Raisin (The Musical),” The Black Rep “Superhero,” Stray Dog Theatre
The Wanderers. New Jewish Theatre. Photo by Jon Gitchoff.
Special Award for Lifetime Achievement
Wayne Salomon, early member and associate artistic director of Theatre Project Company, St. Louis theater community educator, director, actor
Milestone Anniversary
Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, for its 50th anniversary as an opera of local, national and international acclaim
Special Award for Lifetime Achievement
Bob Trump, Head Draper at The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, retired in 2025 after 40 years of work in The Rep’s costume shop
A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Opera Theatre of St. Louis. Photo by Eric Woolsey.
The mission of the St. Louis Theater Circle is simple: To honor outstanding achievement in St. Louis professional theater. Other cities around the country, such as Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Diego, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., pay tribute to their own local theatrical productions with similar awards programs.
Active members of the St. Louis Theater Circle include Chas Adams (PopLifeSTL.com, St. Louis Arts Scene on Substack, STL Stage Snaps); Mark Bretz (LadueNews); Rosalind Early (St. Louis Post-Dispatch); Tina Farmer (Mound City Messenger); Michelle Kenyon (snoopstheatrethoughts.com, St. Louis Arts Scene on Substack); Gerry Kowarsky (Two on the Aisle, HEC Media); Chuck Lavazzi (St. Louis Arts Scene on Substack, Stage Left blog, Chuck’s Culture Channel on YouTube); Rob Levy (Broadwayworld.com, Review STL, The Arts STL); James Lindhorst (Broadwayworld.com, St. Louis Arts Scene on Substack; Lynn Venhaus (PopLifeSTL.com, KTRS); and Bob Wilcox (Two on theAisle, HEC Media). Eric Kenyon, director of The Chapel venue, is group administrator.
At its best when fully leaning into uninhibited mayhem, director Sam Raimi’s “Send Help” is a knowingly loony, if broad, satire elevated by Dylan O’Brien and a deviously crazed Rachel McAdams.
We follow Linda Liddle (McAdams), a nerdy, socially awkward, yet skilled longtime employee at a consulting firm who — despite being far more knowledgeable at her job than the slick-haired men that surround her — is underappreciated. She doesn’t have many friends and most of her meaningful conversations are with her pet cockatoo.
She’s also a trained survivalist and has recently applied to be a contestant on the reality show “Survivor.” Linda hungers for more recognition, and the company’s CEO Franklin Preston (Bruce Campbell) recently promised her that she’d be Vice President one day. Preston has suddenly passed away, though, and the reins of the company fall to his son Bradley (Dylan O’Brien), who has zero interest in following through on his father’s promise.
Bradley, pompous and sexist, is repulsed by Linda’s appearance and efforts to assert herself. Instead of promoting her, he installs fellow frat brother and golfing buddy Donovan (Xavier Samuel) as VP. As consolation before firing her for good, Bradley gives Linda one last assignment to “prove herself” by traveling with his boys club to Bangkok to close a major merger — she is an expert number-cruncher, after all.
While aboard the private plane en route, Linda toils away on a work document. Bradley and his bros are not working; instead they are watching Linda’s “Survivor” audition tape and loudly snickering.
Before Linda finally snaps, a violent thunderstorm sends the plane spiraling into the ocean, killing everyone onboard in gratuitously violent (and, admittedly, quite funny) fashion. Linda barely survives and washes ashore on a nearby deserted island — a prime place to make use of her survivalist skills.
Bradley also survives and washes ashore (with a messed-up leg). Despite continuing to treat Linda terribly, he realizes that he needs her to live. Linda takes almost too much pleasure in this new power dynamic and lifestyle; it’s unclear whether she wants to be rescued at all.
Both Linda and Bradley harbor persistent hatred towards each other despite their burgeoning friendship. As the days pass, tensions escalate, as both of these damaged souls vie for dominance over each other through bloody one-upmanship.
What begins as a rather tame dramedy evolves into something much gnarlier and more cynical. “Send Help” isn’t a revolutionary film, and it doesn’t have anything particularly incisive to say, but it’s a nasty and enjoyably twisted return to form for Raimi. It wouldn’t work anywhere near as well without O’Brien and McAdams’ sheer devotion to every twist and turn.
McAdams in particular really sells this heightened premise. Mark Swift and Damian Shannon’s screenplay sends her on quite the journey from meek nerd to resourceful leader to someone who has fully lost her marbles. It’s great fun watching McAdams lean into Linda’s quirks and neuroses, bringing a happy-go-lucky energy that’s just as quick to stab you in the back (or anywhere on the body).
We want Linda to succeed and get her revenge against Bradley, but part of the twisted fun of “Send Help” is exploring just how far she will go, and how long we’re willing to support her along the way.
O’Brien is pitch-perfect as the smug man-child Bradley, who couches nearly every “dialogue” with a patronizing, better-than-thou tone. Swift and Shannon’s script does an excellent job portrayinging the ways that power-hungry bosses treat their employees, making even Bradley’s most callous moments ring true.
Of course, watching Bradley become wholly dependent on Linda for his survival is satisfying; yet, as “Send Help” reiterates repeatedly, there’s no easy way to resolve their deep-seated mutual hatred.
Raimi’s film is difficult to pigeonhole within a single genre. “Send Help” is a playful, tonally-all-over-the-place experience, with elements of classic adventure films (Danny Elfman’s score feels like something from Hollywood’s Golden Age), strange forays into romcom territory, and Raimi’s signature horror flourishes.
It’s an odd amalgamation that doesn’t always work — the beginning, in particular, is far less tightly edited and stylistically engaging than the island shenanigans, and the will-they-won’t-romance that comes into play heads down predictable paths. So, too, does the big “twist,” which waters down some of the film’s more pointed ideas on gender power dynamics for a far more schematic, underwhelming framework.
With Raimi at the helm, you know he won’t hold back on the over-the-top carnage, editing, and camerawork. Bob Murawski’s editing and Bill Pope’s cinematography perfectly complement Raimi’s sensibilities — match cuts, crazy zooms, POV shots of feral boars, it’s all there, along with buckets of goopy gore and a couple of genuinely squirm-inducing moments that are difficult to unsee (literally).
The film just takes a while to get to those “Holy Shit!” moments, spinning its wheels at times repeating the push-pull dynamic between Linda and Bradley, as defenses are lowered and, soon after, raised again.
But pacing and plotting issues aside, “Send Help” is still a perfect film to watch in a crowded theater, seeing these characters regress as the outside world crumbles around us.
“Send Help” is a 2026 horror film directed by Sam Raimi and starring Rachel McAdams, Dylan O’Brien, Bruce Campbell, and Xavier Samuel. It’s run time is 1 hour, 53 minutes, and it is rated R for strong/bloody violence and language. It opened in theatres Jan. 30. Alex’s grade: B.
Winter Opera St. Louis’ “Un Ballo in Maschera” succeeds through design. Dianna Higbee approaches Verdi’s tragedy as an architectural problem — how to assemble inevitability — and solves it with patience, proportion, and a clear understanding of where the drama must turn.
The result is an evening of quiet authority, its pressure accumulating through the deliberate arrival and consequence of Verdi’s great confessional arias, and supported by three solid, intelligent performances at its core.
This is Verdi at the height of his dramatic powers, writing in liberated form, where arias reorganize the action and reshape the moral terrain. Higbee honors that maturity by spacing those moments as structural pillars, allowing each confession to alter the dramatic balance. Tragedy unfolds by design, threshold by threshold, until the final masked ball arrives as the natural release of long preparation.
Beneath that design, the orchestra, under Andy Anderson’s direction, sustains the evening with clarity and proportion. Anderson shapes Verdi’s score with rhythmic lift and supple balance, allowing the architecture of the arias to emerge with natural ease rather than orchestral insistence.
Photo by Dan Donovan.
Owing to the postponed performance and inclement weather, the harp part was realized at the piano and a bass was absent from the ensemble, adjustments that passed almost unnoticed in playing of such refinement.
Textures remained transparent, transitions breathed freely, and climaxes rose from accumulated pressure rather than display. The result gave Higbee’s pacing its continuous pulse while leaving the psychological weight squarely with the singers.
At the foundation of that design stands Isaac Hurtado’s Riccardo, the lighthearted governor whose charm quietly initiates the ruin to come. Hurtado sings “La rivedrò nell’estasi” with easy lyric brightness, establishing authority and allure without courting display.
Desire enters the drama gently here, almost casually, and that very ease becomes dangerous. Hurtado’s Riccardo remains humane throughout, a leader whose discipline delays catastrophe without preventing it.
Photo by DanDonovan.
Liz Baldwin’s Amelia forms the opera’s moral center, and her performance anchors the evening with a rare balance of power and vulnerability. In “Morro, ma prima in grazia,” Baldwin shapes the line as an interior reckoning, the voice carrying fear, longing, and resolve in equal measure. This becomes the threshold where tragedy turns irreversible. After her confession, the emotional landscape shifts, and the opera’s remaining possibilities quietly contract.
The final structural pillar arrives with Joseph Gansert’s Renato. His transformation from loyal secretary to assassin unfolds with grim clarity, and in “Eri tu” Gansert delivers the evening’s defining rupture.
The aria rises as psychological collapse rather than bravura, the baritone’s force shaped by anguish rather than fury. Here the architecture locks into place. After this moment, the opera contains no alternatives, only ritual.
Verdi’s tragedy rests on the slow destruction of three people who love one another, and Higbee allows that triangle to emerge with uncommon coherence. Riccardo’s charm, Amelia’s conscience, and Renato’s wounded loyalty form a geometry that builds its own ruin, confession by confession, until fate requires only a public stage.
Photo by Dan Donovan
Around that core, the production finds its colors with intelligence. Ola Rafalo’s Ulrica delivers prophecy with impassive authority, her restraint giving fate the calm weight of certainty — a discipline owed as much to Higbee’s direction as to the mezzo’s control.
At the opposite pole, Leann Schuering’s Oscar, one of opera’s classic “pants” roles, emerges as sprightly, puckish, almost Chaplinesque, her physical wit and bright tone preserving humanity inside gathering darkness.
The visual world reinforces that architecture with quiet intelligence. Drawing on the Boston setting and the approaching 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, Higbee frames the drama in a clear chromatic language, Americans in blue set against the red of their British adversaries, the evening moving steadily toward a Fourth of July finale shadowed by catastrophe.
Jen Blum-Tatara’s costumes clarify status and psychology while lending the masked ball its necessary ceremony, sharpening the sense of ritual that governs the final act.
Photo by Dan Donovan.
Dennis Milam Bensie’s wigs, exuberant and faintly surreal, introduce flashes of visual fantasy — a hint of Oz in their theatrical whimsy, a touch of “Barry Lyndon” in their powdered hauteur, and the occasional echo of Lynch’s “Dune” in their ceremonial strangeness — reminding us that disguise here belongs as much to dream and ritual as to history.
This “Ballo” makes its case through proportion rather than display. Higbee’s design vindicates Verdi’s mature craftsmanship, allowing voices, confession, and consequence to assemble a tragedy that unfolds with discipline and grace. The memory it leaves is not of a single high note, but of a long arc patiently carried, voice by voice, into ruin.
Winter Opera St. Louis presented “Un Ballo in Maschera” at the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center. The production originally ran Jan. 23–26, 2026.
With a timely yet controversial AI issue to ponder in “Mercy,” this futuristic cyber thriller’s gimmick is that it uses intelligent tools in slick visual effects. Where it fumbles is in the overstuffed storytelling that is not nearly as smart as it wants to be.
This won’t be the only movie to take on the complex ethical issues of Artificial Intelligence, but director Timur Bekmambetov can’t overcome a contrived and convoluted script, so whatever statement he wanted to make isn’t impactful.
No dispute about human vs AI fallibility, but the logic goes off the rails as screenwriter Marco van Bello shifts from a murder mystery to a videogame Doomsday scare. Let’s pile up the highway crashes to enliven the inertia from watching the two main people sit in chairs for 90 minutes while they monitor screens.
The year is 2029, and L.A. is a cesspool of crime in this dystopian-adjacent future. The police and the judicial system have teamed up on a high-tech way to clean up the mean streets, the Mercy System. They’ve cut out lawyers and juries, all there is presiding is an impartial AI judge.
The sci-fi drama starts as a zippy barrage of multi-media evidence when Los Angeles detective Chris Raven (Chris Pratt) stands trial for the heinous murder of his estranged wife Nicole (Annabelle Wallis).
They have been married 20 years, but his escalating drinking problem after his partner Ray (Kenneth Choi) is killed on duty has caused anger management issues. A cliché-riddled home life – miserable marriage, bratty daughter with a secret Instagram account – is meant to cast doubt on his innocence.
Once a champion of Mercy who worked on the court’s first AI murder conviction, Raven awakens from a drunken stupor and has no memory of his wife’s killing. As the facts are revealed, the case looks airtight with him as the primary suspect.
After all, there is an algorithm calculating the likelihood of his guilt as evidence is presented – 92.5 percent probability or higher is what administers a lethal injection and lower unlocks the clasps.
Pratt is confined to a chair for most of the 101-minute film, and Rebecca Ferguson is only visible as a head screenshot as AI hologram Judge Maddox, so this is ‘screen’ acting, not engagement as a countdown clock ticks away in real time.
That gives the plot a sense of urgency, for a desperate Raven has only 90 minutes to determine his fate, because in this pilot program, you are guilty until proven innocent.
When he finally starts investigating the case, at his disposal is a cloud archive of bodycam footage, surveillance tapes, Ring cam, Face Time, phone records and website files. We see this unfold on a virtual reality screen.
Bekmambetov is a master at screenlife movies – the ones that use smartphones, computers and recording technology to tell a story, such as “Unfriended,” “Searching,” “Missing” and “Profile.” He makes the most of modern bells and whistles.
The court allows Raven to make calls to family and friends. His teenage daughter Britt (Kylie Rogers) tearfully talks, confused (she found her dead mom). His friend Rob Nelson (Chris Sullivan, Toby in “This Is Us”), who is Nicole’s co-worker and Chris’ AA sponsor, is helpful with names and background.
Kali Reis is Chris’ current partner Jaq, and she is reluctantly doing the leg work helping him find evidence. She has a space-age off-road vehicle that allows her to bypass LA traffic.
But this is no “Minority Report.” In the third act, van Bello was not content to wrap things up logically but added multiple ludicrous subplots for a maddening over-the-top finale. It’s one of those films that is ultimately forgettable after you leave the multiplex.
Pratt, so likeable as Peter Quill in the Guardians of the Galaxy and Avengers films, and to an extent as Owen in “Jurassic World” (also preposterous), is badly in need of a hit after making some rote, soulless action films. What about an ensemble comedy, like his breakthrough “Parks and Recreation?”
Ferguson, a superb actress who was the heart of “A House of Dynamite” last fall, is wasted as this efficient robot-like figure, but somehow is humanized after Pratt’s pleading with her.
Editors Dody Dorn, Austin Keeling and Lam T. Nguyen and the visual effects team do exemplary work, but after the techno-razzle-dazzle fades, what’s left? “Mercy” is an empty vessel, failing to make a sincere case for caution with AI because of its ridiculous crash-and-burn climax.
All that for “Human or AI – we all make mistakes.”
“Mercy” is a 2026 crime drama cyber thriller directed by Timur Bekmambetov and starring Chris Pratt, Rebecca Ferguson, Kali Reis, Chris Sullivan, Kylee Rogers and Annabelle Wallis. It is rated PG-13 for drug content, bloody images, some strong language, teen smoking and violence and its run time is 1 hour, 41 minutes. It opened in theatres Jan. 23. Lynn’s Grade: D
Savage, heartfelt, and memorable, director Nia DaCosta’s “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple” carves its own gory yet defiantly hopeful path through the apocalypse.
Taking place shortly after the events of Danny Boyle’s “28 Years Later,” DaCosta’s “The Bone Temple” follows young Spike (Alfie Williams) shortly after being saved from the zombielike Infected by the tracksuit-wearing and Satan-loving Sir Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell) and his gang of seven “Fingers,” who are all forced to call themselves Jimmy.
Spike might have come-of-age amid the apocalypse, but instead of thriving on his own, he’s stuck in a barbaric cult of suspended development. He is forced to take part in a murderous initiation ritual and accompany the Jimmies as they cause death and destruction throughout the mainland, somewhat akin to the Droogs in “A Clockwork Orange.” Sir Jimmy is profoundly screwed up (to put it mildly), and asserts that he is Satan’s son.
Meanwhile, the benevolent Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes), who constructed the titular Bone Temple as a memorial to those lost to the virus, is maintaining some semblance of peace. Strict in his routines and rituals, there’s a sense of heaviness to how he moves through the world, with the weight of history and his own grief bubbling to the surface.
Dr. Kelson maintains a strange connection with an “Alpha” Infected he named Samson (Chi Lewis-Parry), who might retain some humanity, and possibly a key to altering the future as they know it.
Of course, it’s only a matter of time before Sir Jimmy and Dr. Kelson encounter each other. It’s ultimately a battle between hope and cynicism, fatalism and personal agency. Dr. Kelson and Spike grapple with their identities amid fascist forces and the continuing Infected threat.
Indeed, “The Bone Temple” has much on its mind despite being a clear middle chapter in this revamped franchise. DaCosta, a highly versatile filmmaker, doesn’t try to recreate Boyle’s brilliantly kinetic style or experimental pizazz. She nevertheless brings both an unflinching brutality and surprising sentimentality to the forefront, striking a mostly successful tonal balance that thrills, disgusts, and rocks its way into the soul.
DaCosta’s film isn’t a “full meal” like “28 Years Later,” but on its own, less ambitious merits, it succeeds, and brings along a resonant message for staying true to your values while the world crumbles.
“The Bone Temple” explores familiar genre ideas, zeroing in on how, yes, humans can be even more monstrous than the Infected, and some aspects of DaCosta’s film feel rushed just for the sake of bridging to the next chapter of Spike’s arc. DaCosta and returning screenwriter Alex Garland make Spike a less central character this time around, assembling pieces for the next installment. Instead, DaCosta focuses on the Jimmies, while spending considerable time with Dr. Kelson, who essentially becomes the de facto protagonist.
Jumping back and forth between these two groups definitely causes whiplash from time to time; this film also lacks much of the kinetic momentum and messy energy of its predecessor (Anthony Dod Mantle’s cinematography and Young Fathers’ music are missed).
It’s jarring to go from squirm-inducing horror one moment to kooky-yet-earnest meditations of life and periodic dance sessions. Still, DaCosta’s grounded, unflinching approach to violence hammers home the stakes (sometimes literally), setting the stage for eventual reckoning.
“The Bone Temple” also preserves much of the weirdness that pervades this franchise (in a good way), and it isn’t afraid to veer in unexpected directions regardless of familiar setups.
Fiennes in particular understands the assignment. Dr. Kelson is a weathered soul doing what he can to survive and honor the dead, quietly fighting back against the fear and cynicism bubbling within his own thoughts. At the same time Samson (brought to life with bittersweet pathos by the intimidating but vulnerable Chi Lewis-Parry) represents a thread that Dr. Kelson can latch onto, possibly the dawn of a new age and another reminder to not give up on the future entirely.
Fiennes is alternately hilarious and heartbreaking here, expanding his unexpectedly profound role in “28 Years Later” in emotionally resonant ways that give him opportunities to let his freak flag fly, especially during a finale that I won’t dare spoil.
O’Connell — coming off his villainous portrayal in Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” — is absolutely frightening as Sir Jimmy (a character apparently modeled after Jimmy Savile, the late British DJ who was fond of wearing track suits), a man haunted by his past with a desire for control and utter disregard for human life. Like most of “The Bone Temple,” Sir Jimmy is both cutthroat and oddly funny at times, with O’Connell walking that tightrope far more elegantly than the film overall.
“The Bone Temple” isn’t up to par with “28 Years Later,” but when the two opposing forces finally come together, DaCosta synthesizes the film’s disparate tones to present a set piece that ranks among the best in the franchise. She and Garland emphasize that it’s noble to fight back against evil and not capitulate, even when all seems lost. It also ends in a place that makes the wait for Part 3 almost unbearable.
“28 Years Later: The Bone Temple” is a 2026 horror film that is directed by Nia DaCosta and stars Ralph Fiennes, Jack O’Connell, Alfie Williams and Chi Lewis-Parry. It is rated R for strong bloody violence, gore, graphic nudity, language throughout, and brief drug use, and runs 1 hour, 49 minutes. It opened in theatres Jan. 16. Alex’s grade: B+,
Wackiness will ensue. Four women with very distinct personalities, under suspicion for their husbands’ mysterious deaths, throw a party to socialize with eligible bachelors of a certain age. Everyone’s looking for companionship and whatever that might lead to, so what could go wrong?
Of course, nothing goes according to how the ladies and gentlemen imagined as secrets spill and drinks flow in the amusing “The Dance on Widow’s Row,” playwright Samm-Art Williams’ clever dark comedy about death, dating and superstition.
Mystery elements are also mixed in, so it keeps us guessing. The four Southern widows all live on the same street and between them have nine dead husbands. That’s a source of many jokes, but that’s not all that elicits laughs.
Williams’ wit shines through in light-hearted fashion, and the two-act play is familiar like a television situation comedy. In the hands of a very likeable cast, who have a ball with each other, the play has enough mischief and merriment to make a dreary winter more palatable.
It’s such a crowd-pleaser that this is the third production the Black Rep has mounted over its 49th season. Director Ron Himes, the founder and producing director, assembled an elite ensemble of veteran actors (I think casting is his superpower).
Denise Thimes, as Magnolia, and A.C. Smith, as Deacon Hudson. Photo by The Black Rep.
The seven performers – including Denise Thimes, A.C. Smith, Velma Austin, Margery Handy, Tiffany Tenille and Isaiah Di Lorenzo – know how to make the most of an entrance and exit. They sashay, strut and scamper easily across the well-appointed stage.
On opening night, Jan. 9, J. Samuel Davis was replaced as Newly Benson by Ron Himes, who admirably filled the role. Himes, adept at both drama and comedy, immediately connects because he’s so jittery about coming to the party.
The women are trying to revive their reputations in a fictional North Carolina coastal community, Port Town. They know they are the subject of gossip and inuendo, but that’s the chance they are willing to take.
These are full-bodied women, full of sass and spirit. Romance takes a back seat to the comedy, but it’s not for lack of trying to score Mr. Right.
Ready for a good time. Photo by the Black Rep.
Thimes, who is a formidable leading lady, plays the sophisticated Magnolia Ellis, the hostess in her elegant home. Set designer Tim J. Jones mirrored Ellis’ style in chic décor, and prop designer Mikhail Lynn followed suit.
As she prepares for the party, she removes her late husband’s photo, saying: “I gave you a good funeral, so we’re even.”
Always excellent Velma Austin portrays the bold and audacious Simone Jackson, who has an attitude and speaks her mind, but is willing to play along for the ladies’ benefit.
Tiffany Tenille makes her Black Rep debut as the pious Annie Talbot, who doesn’t necessarily practice what she preaches. She’s outlived four husbands and professes to be lonely. As mousy as she appears, she sees an opportunity and strikes while the iron is hot, so to speak.
Margery Handy, also making her Black Rep debut, portrays the saucy Lois Miller, and she is ready to party heartily. Two of her husbands may have died from food poisoning, but that doesn’t prevent her from bringing her specialties – chicken wings and potato salad.
Party time. Photo by the Black Rep.
For the confident ladies, costume designer Brandin Vaughn has blended alluring upscale finery with some va-va-voom outfits emphasizing curves to make eye-catching statements. The men are sharply dressed, reflecting their personalities.
Himes knows how to mine laughs out of movement, and the cast is smooth in their shenanigans.
Because they are lonely, the men bravely take the plunge – even though Newly is very apprehensive and nervous – and show up for a night of drinks and dancing.
Isaiah Di Lorenzo is laugh-out loud hilarious as the oldest gentleman, Randall Spears, dapper and mannerly, but ready for a good time. Maybe he has too good of a time, and Di Lorenzo is a master of comic timing and body language on stage.
A.C. Smith, who was very funny as the blustery church pastor in “Chicken & Biscuits” a year ago, slips into another comedic role effortlessly, trying to be suave. Deacon Hudson is a leader of his flock – and a leader of this wolf pack.
The women flit about, trying to connect and boost the ‘oomph’ as the night progresses, but the best-laid plans…not divulging too much of the plot, so people can enjoy the twists.
While trying to sparkle, the feisty females get aggravated at one’s attempt to outshine the others, and that leads to some caustic, catty remarks that are rapidly fired at the “inappropriate woman.”
Between the women going at it and the men fretting about being present possibly backfiring, the humor doesn’t slow down.
The technical crew has remarkably created a lived-in interior, and lighting designer Sean Savoie and sound designer Kareem Deanes expertly tailored sights and sounds for the occasion. The party music is quite appealing, and Smith displays some spry dance moves, and so does Thimes.
With such a fearless ensemble amplifying their characters’ quirks and Williams’ snappy dialogue, “The Dance on Widow’s Row” delivers the warmth and genuine humor much welcome in January.
The Black Rep presents “The Dance on Widow’s Row” Jan. 9 through Jan. 25. at The Edison Theater on the campus of Washington University in St. Louis.
Single tickets and subscriptions for Season 49 are available at theblackrep.org or through the Box Office at 314-534-3807. Reduced pricing is available for seniors, educators, museum staff, students and groups of 12 or more. For more information: www.theblackrep.org
