Union Avenue Delivers a Powerfully Haunting ‘Turn of the Screw’

Union Avenue Delivers a Powerfully Haunting ‘Turn of the Screw’

By CB Adams

Benjamin Britten said that “Composing is like driving down a foggy road.” He could just as easily been describing the experience of attending Union Avenue Opera’s production of his “Turn of the Screw.” Many know the story from junior high school English lit or from one of the 12 – 12! – films that have adapted the Henry James ambiguous novella about ghosts (or not) and innocents (maybe).

Union Avenue Opera’s (UAO) production of “Screw” keys off of the story’s enigmatic opacity of the goings-on at Bly, a country house in Essex and augments the story’s ambiguities with an immersive cerebral-ness. The experience begins with the two-level set (designed by Laura Skroska and lighted by Patrick Huber) that is part Hill House and part Rose Red – Shirley Jackson and Stephen King, respectively. The set has the perfect amount of goth to visually augment Britten’s tautly composed opera with libretto by Myfanwy Piper and is perfectly scaled for Union Avenue Christian Church’s compact stage.

Much has been written about the duality of Britten’s use of musical characterizations for “Screw” since its debut in 1954. This duality concerns those characters who can be interpreted as moral (the Governess, Miles, Flora and Mrs. Grose) and those that could be considered of the more ghostly or spiritual persuasion (Peter Quint and Miss Jessel). The former are surrounded by uncomplicated music and the latter with music that is amorphous and other-worldly. As the opera progresses the two styles become ever more entwined and intense – and ending with a profound feeling of disquiet.

Dress rehearsal for Union Avenue Opera’s production of The Turn of the Screw on July 5, 2023

UAO’s production of “Screw” is richly nuanced, compelling and emotionally powerful, and that’s thanks mostly to the direction of Nancy Bell and the strong cast, including Meroë Khalia Adeeb as the Governess, Sophie Yilmaz as Miles, Cecilia Hickey as Flora, Christine Brewer as Mrs. Grose, James Stevens as Peter Quint and Alexandra Martinez-Turano as Miss Jessel. Adeeb, Yilmaz and Martinez-Turano are making their UAO stage debuts in this production.

As the opera begins, a “character” named Prologue, played by James Stevens (Peter Quint later on), provides the background to the plot and sets the action in motion. On stage are blindfolded characters, and Prologue (or is he Quint?) removes the blindfolds.

As the opera “unfolds” in this moment, it seems Prologue’s removal is a visual metaphor for what is about to be revealed. Yet, the opera’s climactic, mysterious final scene lends itself to multiple interpretations, not a clear revealing. This brilliant effect is thanks to Bell’s direction.

This production’s performers are well balanced and well cast, top to bottom. Stevens in his dual roles delivers a riveting performance in both as he slithers from taunt to seduction to malevolence.  As the Governess, Adeeb’s performance stands out among the others.

She provides an impressive range of technical voice control and realistic acting during her transformation from the poised servant we meet at the beginning to the unraveled, emotionally undone  protector in the final scene.

Christine Brewer as Mrs. Grose embodied her character fully through her effective acting and her rather authoritative singing with impressive dynamic control and proper diction. Yilmaz provides a Miles with an unsettling dissonance. Her voice offers the higher pitch of the boy she portrays – a sort of reverse castrati.

Britten’s score receives a beautifully haunting rendition by the UAO orchestra, led by conductor Scott Schoonover.

Dress rehearsal for Union Avenue Opera’s production of The Turn of the Screw on July 5, 2023

Union Avenue Opera presents “Turn of the Screw” at 8 p.m. on July 7, 8, 14 and 15 at the Union Avenue Christian Church, 733 Union Boulevard. For more information, visit www.unionavenueopera.org

James Stevens as Quint

Fox Presents Supercharged 50th Anniversary ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’

Fox Presents Supercharged 50th Anniversary ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’

By CB Adams

There’s a button on my podcast player that allows me to listen at normal speed or an accelerated 1 ½ speed. The purpose of that button ostensibly is to allow me to ingest more content in less time. But there’s a difference between the ability to ingest content and the desire to digest it. That’s the conundrum presented by Jesus Christ Superstar at the Fabulous Fox Theater through May 21.

This 50th-anniversay Superstar seeks to reboot the popular musical-by-way-of bestselling album into a production that is louder, faster and flashier. Make that, tick-tick-boomier. But there’s a sizable aspiration-to-reality gap with this show that’s often hyperactive, frenetic and screechy.

In the past half century, Superstar has attracted its ardent adherents and super-fan believers in the works of Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony winners Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber. I, too, have a soft spot for Superstar as I remember the thrill the original double vinyl album and feeling the transgressive power of a rockstar treatment of the last days of Jesus. The movie was a disappointment for me, failing to replicate on the big screen the feeling I had for the performances blaring through my friend’s big speakers.

Based perhaps on my own nostalgic remembrance of listening to the original album, this production feels rushed, akin to filling a ’68 VW Beetle with jet fuel. It’s fast and furious and constantly in danger of burning itself out. It left me feeling as though director Timothy Sheader’s goal was see if he could pack a two-hour show into approximately 90 minutes without intermission. If you like your Superstar staged like a stadium concert with actors using handheld microphones like hyperventilating rock stars, then this production will not disappoint you.

Elvie Ellis as Judas. Photo by Evan Zimmerman

This show’s use of microphones and stands (some incorporated into the staffs of Caiaphas and his entourage) would make Jim Morrison, Steven Tyler, David Lee Roth and Prince envious. In a later scene, the corded microphone stands in for the suicide of Judas, and the color of the cords of Jesus’ adversaries change from black to red.

For much of the show, that approach has its successes transitioning from song to song, scene to scene. If you know the score by heart, the songs, scenes and characters are tightly and creatively interwoven and delivered with little opportunity for boredom – or the head space to contemplate the way they resonate with the source material. From the “Overture” through to “The Temple,” this production succinctly sets up the story to follow. But the momentum and accelerated delivery of those songs overruns the beautiful moment and sentiments presented in “I Don’t Know How to Love Him,” a song that deserves a pause and respite from the pedal-to-the-metal, just-push-play pacing.

The set, designed by Tom Scutt, is dominated by an industrial metal crucifix angled across the stage, is well-suited to the quick transitions of the lead characters, the ensemble and back-up soul singers. However, almost all of the action takes place on the crucifix and stage right. This makes for lopsided viewing.

The onstage band is stacked stage left on two levels. Choreographer Drew McOnie makes ingenious use of the set but adds to the production’s overall freneticism. Mostly, the music video moves complement the songs, but they can occasionally seem plastic, unemotional and even downright silly.

Faith Jones as Mary Magdalene. Photo by Evan Zimmerman

Among this show’s weaknesses, the cast is not among them. Regardless of the weaknesses in some of the choreography and direction, this cast tries. God knows they try as they sang and danced and acted to make the most of the material.

From the leads to the ensemble and soul singers, this show delivers impressive vocal power, even if the lyrics are sometimes lost in all the rockstar caterwauling . There are no stand-outs among the cast because each member is so well-matched to the material and the other singers. Jack Hopewell as Jesus is a bantam in stature and a giant in voice, whereas Nicholas Hambruch is Falstaffian in stature and Meatloaf-ed in voice. Elvie Ellis delivers a powerfully nuanced Judas. The moment when he accepts the bribe money to betray Jesus and pulls his silvered hands from a chest is one of the show’s best details. Faith Jones, as the only female lead, excels as Mary.

Erich W. Schleck provides Superstar’s only humous moment during a glam-rock interpretation of “Herod’s Song.” This is an oddly singular moment in Superstar. Schleck milks the moment for all its worth, and may be the most memorable of all the performances. Bowie would be proud.

Like the story of the Titanic, we all know how Jesus Christ Superstar ends. Before this production concludes with a crucified Jesus and Judas sitting ambiguously together on the crucifix, there are two less nuanced, and therefore less effective moments. One is the use of bursts of glitter during the lashing of Jesus – all 39 of them. The other is the use of a nail gun (that looked more like a cordless drill) as Jesus is put to the cross. In this production’s neediness to be modern, this was needless overkill – shades of Final Destination 3, Casino Royale and Lethal Weapon 2.

These moments exemplified the best and not-the-best parts of this production. They left me not knowing how to love this Superstar.

North American Tour cast of “Jesus Christ Superstar.” Photo by Evan Zimmerman

Performances of “Jesus Christ Superstar” at the Fabulous Fox run May 9 through 21. Show times vary. Tickets on sale now at MetroTix.com or by calling 314-534-1111. For more information, visit www.fabulousfox.com   

‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ at the Fox Turns Essential Reading into Must-See Performance

‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ at the Fox Turns Essential Reading into Must-See Performance

By CB Adams

Even if you forgot most of the 1960 novel that you read in way back in middle school and most of what you loved about the 1962 film (Gregory Peck! Mary Badham! Robert Duvall!), the Aaron Sorkin-scripted staged production of “To Kill A Mockingbird” at the Fox Theatre will powerfully remind you of why this beautifully wrought story remains essential to America’s self-narrative.

And, spoiler alert, this excellent touring production, headlined by Richard Thomas, may forever elevate your expectations of what theater can – and should – achieve. It will be hard to accept anything less – or less relevant.

“Mockingbird,” like its classmate “Catcher In the Rye,” is one of those stories that runs the risk of having its potency diminished by required reading in our formative years. Both could be relegated to the “been there, read that” shelf. The beloved film adaptation of “Mockingbird” further exacerbates this risk with a “been there, saw that” ubiquity.

In the spirit of transparency, I’m a bit of an Aaron Sorkin fanboy who appreciates his talky style of dialogue. I also count myself in the minority of folks who continue to mourn the cancellation of his HBO show “Newsroom” and who believes that the soliloquy-ish  “America is not the greatest country in the world anymore” scene, delivered by Jeff Daniels, is some of the best dialogue in the history of television. 

Sorkin’s “Mockingbird” is impressive for its ability to remain true to the heart of Harper Lee’s slowly unwinding examination of racism and injustice while resequencing and re-pacing the story to appeal to current sensibilities. It may have a small-town setting but it confronts an all-towns topic.

“Mockingbird,” given its status as an American classic, doesn’t need saving, but it certainly benefits from a modern stage treatment. Sorkin introduces the trial of Tom Robinson, the African-American man accused of the rape of a white woman, Mayella Ewell, at the start of the play, rather than build up to it as Lee does halfway through her novel. This places the play’s central conflict and theme front and center. The trial scenes are briskly and effectively toggled with scenes set mostly on the porch of Atticus Finch, the small-town lawyer defending Robinson. Tying these two strands together is a triumvirate of chatty-cathy narrators: Scout, Jem and Dill.

Sorkin’s rejiggering would go for naught if it weren’t supported by the excellent, tight direction of Tony Award-winner Bartlett Sher, evocative set design by Miriam Buether and, of course, the performances of the entire cast, top to bottom. Thomas as Atticus Finch brings his own type of ubiquity earned from his early-career success as John Boy on “The Waltons” television series. He’s shown considerable range and depth as an actor since then. I’ve especially like him more recently as Walter Gaskell in the film “Wonder Boys” and Nathan Davis in the Netflix series “Ozark.” Thomas delivers a nuanced Atticus whose story runs parallel to – but doesn’t usurp – that of Tom Robinson, played by Yaegel T. Welch with an impressive coiled anger shackled by powerlessness, imposed deference and unfair accusation.

Melanie Moore as Scout, Justin Mark as Jem and Steven Lee Johnson as Dill delivered their adults-as-children characters with effective interplay of voice-over narration, wild-rumpus physicality and tomfoolery. This ensemble within an ensemble is evenly balanced is they each experience the transition from youthful innocence to a more mature, darker moral awareness.

As Calpurnia, Jacqueline Williams confidently portrays the Finch family’s wise African-American housekeeper who assuredly balances her role as surrogate mother to Jem and Scout and a certain Jiminy Cricket to Atticus. It’s hard to like the character of Mayella, but Ariana Gayle Stucki’s performance of the sexually and emotionally abused young woman was more than easy to admire. Stucki fully inhabited and revealed Mayella through a clinched (at times near-contorted) body, bitter tears and puffy red face.

The production deserves a couple of quibbles. One is the Southern accent that I know and loathe from countless movies and television shows. Although not off-putting, it’s nonetheless disappointing that the characters’ diction wasn’t more specific to Alabama instead of the generic, non-specific Southern patois.

Another is the unexplained “fire curtain” that covered the stage between acts. Again, not off-putting, but it raised more questions than it answered because it could refer to the fire in the novel (not in this play). It could also refer to the heat of the subject matter. It might even be making some sort of statement about the protective capabilities of live theater.

To call this production of “To Kill A Mockingbird” a must-see might not be strong enough as a recommendation. Like The Black Repertory’s recent production of “Death of a Salesman,” another deeply familiar American story, this interpretation of “Mockingbird” renews and invigorates a story that deserves retelling. It also more than deserves our continued attention and support.

Performances of “To Kill A Mockingbird” at the Fabulous Fox run February 28 – March 12. . Show times vary. Tickets on sale now at MetroTix.com or by calling 314-534-1111. For more information, visit www.fabulousfox.com    

Mary Badham, who played Scout in the 1962 film, plays Mrs. Dubose in the national tour

Photos by Julieta Cervantes

‘Six’ Offers Snappy Take on the Not-So-Merry Wives of Tudor

‘Six’ Offers Snappy Take on the Not-So-Merry Wives of Tudor

By CB Adams

“The past is never dead,” observed the novelist William Faulkner. “It’s not even past.” That sentiment was certainly on extravagant view at the Fox Theatre during the opening of “Six” the musical, running through Feb. 5.

“Six” is a music-forward revue – a glammy, poppy, hip-hoppy, “Schoolhouse Rock” treatment of King Henry VIII’s gaggle of significant others. Think of it as a “First Wives Club” with a killer soundtrack, sick beats, explosive light show, and a bevy of Queen Beys who put a ring, a stiletto and a defiant stomp on their heretofore musty-dusty place in the past. Or think of it as reimagined Tudor history for the TikTokkers.

If you’re expecting an historical costume drama, “Six” may surprise you because it’s heavy on the costumes and light, to the point of nonexistence, of the drama. But, oh those Tudor-inspired costumes. With all their studs, spikes, sequins, fishnets, bangles, baubles and bedazzlings, the black-pleathered costumes are enough to distract you from the history and entice you to just enjoy the swish, swagger and swirl of the performers.

This puts a new spin on the term historical “figures.” As bedecked, any of the queen-wives would have been Henry’s one and only – thanks to costume design by Gabriella Slade.

Historians, most of them of the male persuasion, have not been kind to the stories and legacies of Henry’s wives and lovers – rendering them with more histrionics than history.  That’s one of the main injustices that writers Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss apparently hoped to rectify during this musical’s snappy 80 minutes.

Marlow and Moss, who have written for Australian drag queen, singer and television personality Courtney Act, reclaim the fates of Henry’s wives into a shiny, knives-out revenge fantasy. They relish poking fun at Henry’s rotundity, his miniscule man-parts and his peccadillos big and small.

Under the direction of Moss and Jamie Armitage, “Six” puts all its jewels (actors, band, Eurovision-inspired set with more flashes than a Princess Di press conference) on stage, all at once and for the duration of the musical. What you see is what you get – from the get go – crowned by a more-is-more aesthetic.

The premise of “Six” is simple and simply stated at the outset. In a sort of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” by way of “Zoolander”-style walk-off, the queens compete to see who was dealt the worst hand by history and Henry to “be the one to lead the band.” Each queen gets a song and a dance and a chance to garner the most support (applause, applause) from the audience. This pageant-like format is really just an audience-engagement device and succeeds as such – the audience opening night came primed to hoot, holler and clap after each queen’s signature song.

In between are chorus numbers by The Queens in toto. When performing as The Queens, Cecilia Snow (Catherine of Aragon), Zan Berube (Anne Boleyn), Amina Faye (Jane Seymour), Terica Marie (Anna of Cleves), Aline Mayagoitia (Katherine Howard) and Sydney Farra (Catherine Parr), are impressive in voice and coordinated dances. Of the show’s nine songs, the ones owned by The Queens – “Ex-Wives,” “Haus of Holbein” and “Six” – are the best in the show, perhaps because of the combination of tight harmonization and the flash-dance choreography that takes full advantage of the confined stage.

The six solo songs wear their song-diva influences proudly and deliver catchy, if repetitive, lyrics bolstered by sonic-boom baselines. Snow’s “No Way” is an anti-divorce anthem, Faye’s “Heart of Stone” is an edgy torch song, and Mayagoitia’s “All You Wanna Do” is fruity piece of bubble gum pop.

The other “character” on stage is the all-female band called The Ladies in Waiting – Katie Coleman (conductor/keyboard), Sterlyn Termine (bass),  Liz Faure (Guitars) and Caroline Moore (drums), as well as Paul Gatehouse (sound design). The band is bespoke for this musical theater’s young fanbase and ferociously spews forth the spunky score’s zesty, sometimes winkingly naughty fun – all with the tight fury of a Prince guitar solo.  

Enhancing the concert-like experience of “Six” is the lighting design by Tim Deiling. According to LiveDesign website, “Beyoncé’s narrative pop concerts, where she tells you parts of her story, is what inspired the authors of “Six,” said Deiling. “Each of our six Queens are actually influenced heavily from contemporary pop divas (Aragon = Beyoncé, Boleyn = Katy Perry, Seymour = Adele, Cleves = Rihanna, and Parr = Alicia Keys) and I needed to differentiate between each Queen, so we drew on reference material from each of them.” In Deiling’s stated goals, the lighting design checks all those boxes, although it sometimes with all the flashing lights it might have been prudent to provide seizure warning.

In the first scene in “Six,” the Queens are lined up and Mayagoitia as Katherine Howard states, “…we’ve got a serious score to settle.” And like a spoonful of sugar helping the medicine go down, they spend the next rollicking hour and half making their cases. “Six” is as brightly appealing as a Twinkie and about as nutritious (historically speaking), but it is a fulfilling bon-bon of pure escapism. Take that, Henry!

Performances of “Six” at the Fabulous Fox run January 24-February 5. Tickets on sale now at MetroTix.com or by calling 314-534-1111. For more information, visit www.fabulousfox.com

Six Photos by Joan Marcus

Winter Opera Brews Up a Bewitching ‘Macbeth’

Winter Opera Brews Up a Bewitching ‘Macbeth’

By CB Adams

In his recent review in New York magazine of the Metropolitan Opera’s production of “Fedora,” Justin Davidson snarked, “’Fedora is an opera about décor.” The headline read, “At Least the Sofa Looks Fabulous.” That’s the kind of pronouncement relished by critics and reviewers, myself included (I do love a good snark, when well-deserved.)

In a backdoor sort of way, Davidson’s sentiment evoked an opposite reaction when assessing Winter Opera’s production of Giuseppe Verdi’s “Macbeth” at the Kirkwood Community Center. One of the major strengths of this production, stage directed by John Stephens, is precisely due to the minimal “décor” and sets. This approach, which was definitely not stagy nonchalance, enabled the production to focus on the essential moments in Shakespeare’s tale of power and corruption, Verdi’s score and the performances of the fine cast. The storyline is the thing, and the result was a solidly satisfying experience that served as a potent post-holiday palate cleanser – we all need a little opera, not a little more Christmas.

Calling the setting simple is not to belittle the work of scenic designer Scott Loebl. It’s to  his credit, as well as lighting designer Michael Sullivan’s and technical director Jacob Cange’s, that the mood is so effectively set with appeared at times as a wall of blood, emphasizing the Macbeths’ descent into depravity. The cast members moved through the playing area as though a walk upon Shakespeare’s atmospheric heath.

Photo by Rebecca Haas

One of the risks of production of “Macbeth” in either its theatrical or opera forms, is overplaying the witchiness of the witches. This is not “Wicked” after all. Verdi makes this risk higher turning the play’s three witches into a chorus of witches. But this production makes great, prudent use of this gaggly coven, which sometimes offers comic relief and other times stirring up their portentous predictions. One of the witches contorted her face so dramatically it seemed like an effect that could only be achieve with a mask. Jim Carrey would have been jealous.

The leading roles were performed with uniform excellence by singing actors, several of whom have been in previous Winter Opera productions. The Macbeths, sung by Michael Nansel and Whitney Myers were convincing both singly and as a couple. Myers’ performance as Lady Macbeth offered many insightful moments, marred only by her line “Out, damned spot” through no fault of her own. The line elicited more than few chuckles because its meaning has been ruined after being reduced to an American advertising slogan. Pity.

Nansel as Macbeth also jelled with Nathan Whitson as Banquo. Both used their big, expressive voices to reveal the thoughts and tribulations of their characters. Equally impressive was Jonathan Kaufman as Macduff, especially when confronting (shall I say, laying on) Macbeth.

As with the chorus of witches, the supporting cast was seamless performed and put effective use. The supporting cast included  Willard Moseley as Duncan, Damian Ziarko as Fleanzio, Angel Azzarra as a lady in waiting and Kevin Thomas Smith as Malcolm.

Verdi’s score received a well-balanced, thoughtful and atmospheric performance by the orchestra, directed by Edward Benyas. This was noticeable from the start, during the brooding, foreboding overture.

In the play, Lady Macbeth says, “What’s done cannot be undone.” In the case of Winter Opera’s “Macbeth,” what can’t be undone is a fine production of this Verdi-Shakespeare classic.

Winter Opera presented Verdi’s “Macbeth” on January 20 and 22, at the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center.

Photos by Rebecca Haas

Macbeth by Winter Opera. Photo by Rebecca Haas

Sightlines: A Grateful Heart for Work Opportunities and Outlets

By Lynn Venhaus

I had the pleasure to guest on Friday’s McGraw Millhaven Show with Jay Kanzler subbing as host. We talked movies, of course!

(My segment is the last hour, starting at 3:10, or after the 9 a.m. news.)

Allow me to list local professionals who have enriched my life greatly in recent years. Because this life is a journey where people you meet matter in many interesting and surprising ways.

Five years ago in November 2017, Jay asked me to be a guest on his nighttime show, talking movies, and the rest is history.

I am grateful for Jay’s support, the opportunity and being on with Jay and Jennifer, then Jay and Ray, then when Jay left, a solo Ray Hartmann through 2022. Ray has decided to end his show, and I can’t speak highly enough of Ray as an individual, colleague, and as a supportive host for several years (2019-2022).

Wendy Wiese and Jennifer E Blome

I’ve been fortunate to join Jennifer E. Blome and Wendy Wiese on their KTRS weekday mid-morning show about theater (mostly Muny and Fox) and entertainment since they joined forces, and we’re going to continue that into 2023.

Now I’ll be a regular contributor on Friday mornings, and that will start on Jan. 6, so I’m very excited and happy to be joining the sisterhood to talk movies and what’s happening in entertainment.

I’m very grateful to Mark Mueller, for sponsoring “Mueller Furniture Presents Lynn Venhaus Goes to the Movies,” what a great guy and a great business, and to all the board ops/producers along the way – Howard Morton, CJ Nasello, Greg Harvey, Luis, Austin and others. And to station boss Mark Dorsey for allowing me to grace the airwaves.

And of course, the listeners. I really enjoy the feedback and the fellowship!

It’s been a wonderful five years at KTRS, and I look forward to continuing this partnership!

Paul Cook

(And I’d be remiss if I didn’t thank my pal Paul Cook for being the first to invite me on St Louis airwaves to review movies, back in February 2016 at Y98, when Paul hosted the drivetime, and he’d have me on Fridays. It was the start of a beautiful friendship, and the powers-at-be ended it after a year, but it was a year full of challenges for Paul — his triumphant but gut-wrenching cancer treatment, recovery — and I learned so much from him, such positive vibes, what strong people do in times of crises.

In January 2016, I also started reviewing for Webster-Kirkwood Times, which I am very grateful for, especially after McClatchy ended local reviews in BND in 2017, and I still had a print outlet.

The business is ever-changing, ever-evolving, multiple re-inventions, revisions, and I am just happy to be part of the conversation on current film, regional theater, and what’s happening in the world of entertainment and local events. I love being able to interview people for features, and I continue to meet the most fascinating people (will discuss this more in a column on my website, about the people of the year that was).

I’m still writing print (news, features in BND) and online at my website, www.PopLifeSTL.com, but as a mass communication major who has dabbled in radio (even worked in small market radio news), it’s nice to develop other skills. I am eager to improve. And I’m fortunate to still be working in the biz I love — and doing the things I yearned to do in my early years — now 47 years after college graduation.

Summer 1979 working in radio news at WILY-WRXX in Centralia IL

Now I’ve aged out of certain roles, it’s that time of life, and I am an independent contractor. This gives me more opportunities to write for other outlets, and since the electric bill won’t wait, yippee.

One of the biggest thrills this year was being added as a contributor to St Louis magazine by dining editor George Mahe, one of our town’s (and nation’s) finest. Talk about learning from someone so good at their craft! What a joy. I’m meeting the wonderful foodies and movers and shakers of this region through this outlet, and it’s been a terrific experience. More to come as I’m just getting my ‘feet wet,’ so to say. (Longer story about my December is coming). I am so very appreciative of George’s tutelage.

(Fun fact: Yes, I was the last food editor at the late, great St. Louis Globe-Democrat — where I got to interview Martha Stewart before she was a mega-brand and Wolfgang Puck at the height of his celebrated chef days at Spago’s — and I’ve written dining/chef articles for Belleville News-Democrat for many years, and recently, for Marketplace Magazine (Old Herald, Goshen Coffee, Soulcial Kitchen).

I think of where I’d be if the Globe hadn’t folded in ’86, a topic my colleague Chas Adams and I talk about regularly, as he and I have reconnected (so many times over the years, but now, he writes reviews for my website).

Of course, they would have separated us by now back in Living section because we were quite the pop culture enthusiasts back then, writing our column “DIshing It Out” and chatting about what we should include.

I digress…

I started the website so I’d have a home for my theater reviews, because I am in the St Louis Theater Circle, and it’s a great joy/responsibility to support the arts, and ‘keep it real.’ It’s a challenge to keep up a grueling production schedule, in light of sometimes real-life things happening at the same time, but it’s one that is an honor and a privilege to do. So many talented people and creatives in this region, and I am grateful to see their work. (More on that in another post). Special thanks to the patient PR people and artistic directors for their assistance and their understanding when there are scheduling conflicts.

In this up-and-down rollercoaster of a career, and a life, I do not take anything for granted — especially after the pandemic, now in our third winter. I know life holds no promises, and to be respected as a professional is an ongoing process, one I work hard at because it’s important to be relevant and trusted. Gaining people’s trust is never something one can take lightly.

We can’t slack on the skills we were taught so long ago “in j-school” about ethics, integrity and ‘getting it right.’ The leg work, the fact-checking — yes, it matters. (My pet peeves, for another time). I tried to instill this when I taught journalism/media at Kaskaskia College, St Louis Community College-Forest Park and Southern Illinois University Edwardsville).

Me at NYFF 2022

I guess the only way to sum it up any kind of work these days is to “keep on, keeping on.”

Thanks to you for reading and listening all these years. It’s truly a wonderful life being able to contribute in a meaningful way, and to be able to do what you love, learning and growing every day.

We get to carry each other, and no one does anything well alone — collaboration is always the key, and that’s how we’ll get better. Always. The ‘new normal’ has taught us that we aren’t islands (at least I hope so).

At this later stage in life, I’m afforded opportunities because of such great chances, like being vetted for Rotten Tomatoes, Critics Choice Association and Alliance of Women Film Journalists. It’s a responsibility to live up to, and I continually strive to be better at communicating critical knowledge.

Here’s to a productive 2023, full of new challenges and adventures. And hopefully, some good things to watch and see in the year ahead. And wonderful people to meet.

‘Elf the Musical’ Tour At The Fox Needs More Elfin Magic

‘Elf the Musical’ Tour At The Fox Needs More Elfin Magic

By C.B. Adams

Unlike Uncle Ebeneezer, I don’t think of the holiday season as “A poor excuse for picking a man’s pocket every twenty-fifth of December!” In fact, as I have metaphorically buttoned my great-coat to the chin and headed out into the St. Louis holiday entertainment marketplace, I have been amazed at the plenteous plenitude of choices, from sacred to secular. I have willingly reached into my pocket and supported as many of these offerings as my wallet – and attention span – allowed.

In the final week of the frantic Big Day Fun Run came the fluffy flutternutter confection known as “Elf the Musical” for performances at the Fabulous Fox. There’s much proclaimed about Christmas being for children, but there’s a small dearth of holiday entertainment specifically for the tykes and tots (“Violent Night” and “Bad Santa” anyone?) And, that list gets even grinchier when you also want something that has meaning, depth and resonance for young and old alike.

If  “Elf” had a wish list, it’s the latter niche that the musical adaptation of the 2003 movie would like to hold. It would like to be the Big Gift but turns out to be only a stocking stuffer. Ah, if only Buddy’s proclamation, “The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear,” weren’t so childishly naïve.

In the spirit of the holiday and transparency, I’ll admit that “Elf” has never been one of my top holiday entertainments. I endured repeated viewings as my sons were growing up, and I have always found the first half of “Elf” to offer the promise of a fulfilling, satisfying holiday movie that desperately wants to live up to the old Rankin/Bass animated specials that inspired screenwriter David Berenbaum.

But it’s merely derivative and adds up to a modest movie experience — that great snowball fight sequence notwithstanding (sadly not included in the musical). To borrow a phrase from that old Bentsen/Quayle vice presidential debate, I know Rankin/Bass and you, “Elf,” are no Rankin/Bass.

All the promise set up in the first half of the plot becomes mired in yet another holiday plot involving daddy issues Think about it: “Rudolph,” “Christmas Story,” “The Gathering,” and, I can even make the case for, “Meet Me In St. Louis.” What saved the movie was the stellar cast, and not just the man-child goofiness of Will Ferrell. “Elf the Musical” poses the same challenge with its clunky plot, wooden dialogue, generically forgettable songs and spotty, non-potty humor.

Throughout the Dec. 20th opening night, I repeatedly found myself rooting for the cast to save the show from itself – “C’mon, you can do it!” Much of that expectation unavoidably falls onto the lead character, Buddy. Cody Garcia’s Buddy is tall, gangly in a fun Jack Skellington sort of way and charmingly, smartly innocent. Their performance was not at all haunted by the Spirit of Buddy Past – Will Ferrell. With clownishly curled shoes and wrinkled tights, Garcia makes Buddy the character that connects with the young and young at heart. They were fun to watch, and it was a shame that their performance stood out even more just because of the lesser performances of their fellow performers.

Mark Fishback portrayed a flat Santa who lacked good joke timing and who couldn’t decide whether to be a grouchy Ed Asner, bumbling John Ratzenberger or rockin’ Kurt Russell type of not-so-jolly ole St. Nick. Christopher Robert Smith as Buddy’s biological father figure was bland and banal rather than a sharp, cynical foil to his son’s sugary sparkle. He definitely needed to channel some James Caan. Additionally, his dance moves were too much Mr. Roboto and not enough Christopher Walken. There was no authentic chemistry among most of the other characters, including between Caitlin Lester-Sams as Buddy’s stepmother and Jaxon James as his half-brother.

Other than Garcia, the other glittering performance was provided by Tieisha Thomas as Buddy’s love interest and a fellow Macy’s employee, Jovie. In addition to her nuanced, sassy-but-lonesome performance, her “Never Fall in Love (with an Elf)” was one of the best – and best-delivered – songs of the evening.

As a musical, the show’s tunes (Matthew Sklar, composer, Chad Beguelin, lyricist) aren’t bad, but they suffer from too-few moments of sustained wit and froth. Again, they disappoint by not living up to their potential. The exceptions were the opening “Happy All the Time,” “Sparklejollytwinklejingley” and the aforementioned  “Never Fall in Love (with an Elf).” Another was “Nobody Cares About Santa” with its chorus line of kvetching department store Santas.

My mixed-bag reaction to “Elf the Musical” may, similar to Scrooge’s “undigested bit of beef, a blot of mustard, a crumb of cheese, a fragment of underdone potato,” be caused by my expectation. As author Anne Lamott has said, “Expectations are resentments waiting to happen.”

I wanted to enjoy it more and I hoped it would improve upon the movie’s weaknesses. Perhaps my expectations were too high or off mark. Why did I think cold spaghetti with maple syrup had to be both delicious and nutritious? I may be, to borrow a line from Buddy, “a cotton-headed ninny muggings.”

But I’ll leave it to a youngster sitting behind me to have the last word. As Santa concluded his narration of Buddy’s life, he ends with “And they lived happily ever after.” To which the youngster (definitely under five) replied (in his outside voice), “I knew he was gonna to say that.”

Performances of “Elf the Musical” at the Fabulous Fox run Dec. 20-24. Show times are Tuesday through Friday evenings at 7:30 p.m. and Thursday, Friday and Saturday afternoons at 1 p.m. Tickets on sale now at MetroTix.com or by calling 314-534-1111. For more information, visit www.fabulousfox.com

St Louis Symphony and Chorus Put the Hallelujah in Handel’s ‘Messiah’

St Louis Symphony and Chorus Put the Hallelujah in Handel’s ‘Messiah’

By CB Adams

On the same first weekend of December 2022, the New Yorker magazine published a cartoon depicting a couple in a theater, clutching programs as others around them departed. The husband says to the wife, “Whose idea is it to start with the ‘Hallelujah’ Chorus?” This coincided with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and Chorus’s performances of one of George Frideric Handel’s masterworks, his oratorio “Messiah.”

I generally do not “review” an audience’s engagement with a performance, but with the New Yorker cartoon in mind, I’m safe stating that the respectful and enthusiastic audience would have stayed for all of score’s 57 numbers, even if rearranged with an opening “Hallelujah.”

Although originally intended for the Christian season of Lent, “Messiah” has morphed into a staple of high culture Christmas entertainments, along with Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker” and Dickens’s “A Christmas Carol.”

But seasonal ubiquity shouldn’t diminish the sheer beauty of this music experience, which Handel feverishly composed in just 24 days in 1742. I have no proof, but I am convinced that the compressed composition process contributes to the cohesive, “of a piece” nature of “Messiah.” Artistic constraint often enhances creativity.

Laurence Cummings

The SLSO’s performance on Dec. 4, under the baton of guest conductor Laurence Cummings proved that “Messiah” when well-performed continues to deserve its place as one of the most famous, canonical and widely shared pieces of  music – classical or otherwise. Cummings is a British conductor and specialist in historical performance, especially the Baroque era. At Powell Hall, he led the orchestra and chorus from one of two center stage harpsichords. The other was played by Mark Shuldiner. The excellent-as-always chorus was led by the also-excellent guest choral director, Patrick Dupré Quigley.

There’s room in Handel’s score for plenty of interpretation and emphasis. Cummings chose to elevate the score’s reverential Passion theme, which proved a welcome antidote to the holiday season’s usual predilection for exuberant celebrations. There was still plenty of that celebratory spirit during the stand up for the “Hallelujah” chorus and the robust final ovations.

The reverential was also evident in the way the four soloists, seated two to a side, approached the front of the stage with deliberate gravitas. The cadre of soloists were soprano Amanda Forsythe, countertenor Key’mon Murrah, tenor John Matthew Myers and baritone Jonathon Adams. All were well-matched and well-attenuated with the orchestra and chorus. Of the four, Forsythe and Murrah were the most stylish and powerful, though this might partly be because of their respective parts. The voice of baritone Adams’s voice was muddled and lost a couple of times during his solos, especially at their beginnings, but this was not off-putting.

 The SLSO’s 2022 interpretation of “Messiah” was the total package for a fulfilling performance that bundled the sheer beauty of the music, Handel’s incredible skill as a c composer, a well-aligned symphony and chorus and confident soloists. To borrow a phrase from another, Grinchier annual holiday treat, “Welcome Christmas. Bring your cheer.”

Another year, another Handel’s Messiah at Powell Hall

The Rep Reprises Its Modern Take on Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’

The Rep Reprises Its Modern Take on Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’

By CB Adams

Remember that commercial from the late 80s with the tagline, “This is not your father’s Oldsmobile?” The Repertory Theatre of St Louis’s production of “A Christmas Carol” is kinda like that. This is not your father’s, or grandmother’s (or your crazy Aunt Millie’s) adaptation of this Dickensian tale of Ebenezer Scrooge’s war on Christmas. As you survey St. Louis’s rich assortment of holiday offerings (and there truly is a cornucopia that runneth over), this production entices with a shiny, progressive reboot of this Christmas chestnut.  

It’s a new spin on “A Christmas Carol” that’s perfect for those with short attention spans. This adaptation treats the story of Scrooge’s transformation as the plain evergreen upon which the shiny baubles of scenic design (Tim Mackabee), lighting and projections (Seth Reiser and Hana S. Kim), costumes (Dede Ayite), choreography (Kirven Douthit-Boyd) and hip hop choreography (Robert Crenshaw) are hung. Bringing youthful energy to the production are the Webster University conservatory cast, the Big Muddy Dance Company dancers, whose ghost dancers add much to certain key scenes, and a youth ensemble from the Center of Creative Arts.

By flattening the well-known story line whose lead character has been represented by everyone and everything from Alastair Sim and Michael Caine to Bill Murray and Mr. Magoo, this adaptation by Michael Wilson (the same as last year’s) embellishes the story of Scrooge’s transformation with new characters and scenes not in the Dickens novel.

Photo Credit: T Charles Erickson © T Charles Erickson Photography tcharleserickson.photoshelter.com

Upon each of the story’s key moments – Marley’s appearance, visits by the three Spirits, the Cratchit family’s penury, etc. – director Hana S. Sharif hangs contemporary dance numbers, special effects and humorous asides among all the dark, dank Victoriana. The dance is an especially effective component of this adaptation; the inconsistent use of modern colloquialisms – not so much.

The result is a Whitman’s Sampler of a production that tries too hard to provide a little something for every taste.  And like that holiday box, there’s all sorts of chocolates, including a rap-infused “O Come All Ye Faithful,” a Marley who flies up from beneath the stage like a spectral Peter Pan, a dance number that includes The Worm, and a Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come that’s part-Mad Max, part-Blade and part-Gimp from “Pulp Fiction.”

The latter makes his NFL-inspired entrance complete with hoverboard and ravers glasses. This ghost’s entrance is certainly impressive but calls too much attention to itself and pulls you out of the story. It also undercuts the emotional impact of Scrooge recognizing his tombstone – the climax of the story.

The same holds true for the final scene (not in Dickens’s original) with Scrooge hosting a party. This is a well-intentioned addition that hopes to highlight the new, improved Scrooge, but which borrows too much from the final scene in the “White Christmas” movie. It also weakens the intent of Dickens to use this story to examine the plight of the disadvantaged. As Scrooge promises the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, “I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future. The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach!”

Photo Credit: T Charles Erickson © T Charles Erickson Photography tcharleserickson.photoshelter.com

Sharif adds another complexity to this production  by double casting of most of the key roles. It was fun (and impressive) to see the way Laakan McHardy played both a doll seller and the Ghost of Christmas Past (the best of the portrayals of the spirits) and Paul Aguirre went from a refreshments vendor to a vampy, over-the-top Christmas Present. Michael James Reed also played double duty as Mrs. Dilber (Scrooge’s housekeeper with shades of “Mrs. Doubtfire”) and the spectral Jacob Marley – how’s that for range!

The roles of Scrooge and Bob Cratchit are played by Guiesseppe Jones and Armando McClain, respectively. McClain provides one of this production’s best and most consistent and balanced portrayals as the long-suffering Cratchit. Ultimately, “A Christmas Carol” hinges on the portrayal of Scrooge. Jones displays an impressive range, which he definitely needs in this adaptation that pivots (sometimes to distraction) from lightheartedly humorous to full-on King Lear-level theatricality. As impressive as Jones was in all his scenes, his performance was often too self-contained and lacked chemistry with the other actors.

Overall, this production is designed with lots of wow-factors to defy you to call it anything but bah-humbug. The success of this approach depends on how you like your Scrooge served up. If you’re seeking the more traditional, ye merry ole England version (I remember one from my youth that included real basset hounds on stage), this isn’t that. To its credit, this adaptation avoids the saccharin Timmy-fell-down-the-well savior sub-narrative of so many other productions. And, it brings a modern sensibility to this timeless, still all-too-relevant story.

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents “A Christmas Carol” November 19–December 30 at the Loretto-Hilton Center, 130 Edgar Road, St. Louis. For tickets or more information, visit: www.repstl.org.

Photo Credit: T Charles Erickson © T Charles Erickson Photography tcharleserickson.photoshelter.com

Winter Opera’s ‘La Rondine’ Takes Flight At Kirkwood PAC

Winter Opera’s ‘La Rondine’ Takes Flight At Kirkwood PAC

By C.B. Adams

I have an acquaintance for whom the terms Puccini and opera are synonymous. For him, opera and the Italians define the artform. Although I don’t agree with his limited definition, I can’t deny that the Italians in general and Giacomo Puccini in particular occupy a special space within the opera canon. That’s why Winter Opera’s production of La Rondine, (music by Puccini with librettists Alfred Maria and Heinz Reichert) was a such a solid, comfortable pleasure.

For reasons not worth reiterating, La Rondine (The Swallow) is not considered one of Puccini’s “greatest hits” but, as my acquaintance might say, “Who cares?! It’s Puccini!” I would duly note his fandom and add that we would all be the poorer if La Rondine weren’t performed periodically, despite its modestness. It’s a good Puccini primer, filled with waltzes, melodies, two arias (one perhaps more famous than the entire rest of the opera) and a duet. It further makes Puccini’s higher-profile operas even more impressive by comparison.

The creative team at Winter Opera chose well with La Rondine because it benefits from a tighter production and the stage at the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center. Smaller is better for this opera, something that scenic designer Scott Loebl and stage director Erica Gibson understood, even as swapped Puccini’s original setting from France’s Second Empire era to the “roaring” 1920s. Amy Hopkins’ costume designs were perfectly matched to the updated era, as well.

The updated setting, replete with a raised chessboard-like black and white floor, allowed Gibson to move the characters move like pawns throughout the action. Although the motivation’s of Magda, especially her decision to return to her “old life” in the conclusion of the third act, aren’t understandable or compelling by modern sensibilities, this doesn’t detract from this production. “Who cares?! It’s Puccini,” is latent throughout.

Photo by Rebecca Haas

Puccini placed the La Rondine’s famous aria, “Chi il bel sogno di Doretta,” early in Act One. The piece’s soaring phrases offer sopranos the opportunity to impress an audience. In Winter Opera’s production, soprano Karen Kanakis as Magda compellingly sang the aria with her lilting, floating top notes. The piece ends with the “What do riches matter if true happiness blossoms?” Kanakis delivers this question with  such truth and honesty that it sets up the tragedy of the finale, which turns this line from rhetorically hopeful into sadly ironic.

Matching Kanakis’ performance was tenor Nathan Schafer as Ruggero. Schafer overcame some of the weaknesses of the character through his performance’s clarity and warmth. His duets with Magda were some of the best, even as he had to animate Ruggero’s one-dimensionality (as written). Equally strong were Nicholas Huff as Prunier, Lauren Nash Silberstein as Lisette and baritone Jacob Lassetter as Rambaldo – as well as the chorus.

Bubbling beneath the Winter Opera singer was the orchestra, conducted by Scott Schoonover, artistic director of Union Avenue Opera. The modest size of the orchestra was enlarged by the restrained size and good acoustics of the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center. 

Winter Opera is off to a terrific start with La Rondine, leaving only the question of how they will meet or exceed this accomplishment with the rest of the season’s offerings – Verdi’s MacBeth in January and Sigmund Romberg’s The Desert Song in March.

Photo by Rebecca Haas