Lush Look, Songs of Longing and a Timeless Love Triangle in ‘Cyrano’

Lush Look, Songs of Longing and a Timeless Love Triangle in ‘Cyrano’

By Lynn Venhaus
A soaring symphony of romanticism, “Cyrano” is one of the most daring and best-looking films from last year.

Too self-conscious to woo Roxanne (Haley Bennett) himself, wordsmith Cyrano de Bergerac (Peter Dinklage) helps young Christian (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) win her heart through love letters. The ruse will tangle their lives in unintended ways.

Sadly, its wider release wasn’t set until this February, although eligible for awards and played earlier elsewhere. The arthouse film just seemed to be one of the prestige awards-bait movies that got lost in the shuffle, so to speak. It is, however, nominated for three BAFTA awards, including Best Picture, and one Oscar nomination.

At once peculiar and precious, this film adaptation of Edmund Rostand’s 1897 play benefits from a breathtaking lush look. With his background in fine art, director Joe Wright has framed everything like a painting from the Renaissance – and moved the setting to Sicily.

The intricately detailed baroque production design is a wondrous sight to behold, outstanding craft work from Sarah Greenwood, and cinematographer Seamus McGarvey has beautifully lit the interiors with flickering candles while drenching the Mediterranean exteriors with sun.

Frequent Wright collaborator Jacqueline Durran, a two-time Oscar winner for “Anna Karenina” and “Little Women,” designed the costumes for Roxanne while Massimo Cantini Parrini did the rest, and they both share an Oscar nomination for the work. (She could have easily scored another one for “Spencer” this year).

Not only is this sumptuous film a feast for the eyes but also the ears, with an intimate musical score by twin brothers Aaron and Bryce Dessner of the indie-rock group The National, with lyrics by fellow bandmate Matt Berninger and his wife Carin Besser. They had all collaborated on Erica Schmidt’s 2018 stage musical. A new song, “Somebody Desperate,” plays over the end credits.

The bittersweet songs are gracefully delivered, tinged with an aching tenderness, as if singers are revealing their intensely personal monologues.

The pitch-perfect cast is fully immersed in the 17th century story, which has been presented in countless forms over the years – as radio, television, opera, theater, dance, and film. While it has received modern treatments, this version is steeped in the original’s classicism, which suits the performers well.

The love triangle resonates emotionally because of the actors’ strengths. Bennett is luminous and Harrison earnest as the lovestruck pair. With his sad eyes, Dinklage’s melancholy demeanor deepens the title character’s pain about unrequited love.

Cyrano is convinced that his appearance makes him unworthy of his friend Roxanne’s affections and once she falls for Christian, he helps foster the romance through his words, writing dazzling love letters she assumes are penned by her suitor.

Dinklage, undaunted by all the acclaimed actors who’ve played the role before, demonstrates both the wordplay and swordplay with ease. The character loses nothing in the switch from the presumed hideous bulbous nose to a dwarf, conveying his perceived inferiority.

As the hopelessly romantic and endlessly disappointed poet, he’s just as heartbreaking as Oscar winner Jose Ferrer was in the 72-year-old film — and one can imagine on stage in his most famous role.

Both Bennett and Dinklage reprise their roles from Schmidt’s musical, initially staged at the Goodspeed in Connecticut, then moved to off-Broadway with Jasmine Cephas-Jones replacing Bennett in 2019.

Schmidt has adapted it here for the film, still cut-to-the-essentials. (Fun fact: Bennett is the significant other of the director).

One of the best young actors working today, Harrison’s soulfulness hits the right notes. He projects Christian’s love as noble and true, which is even more heart-wrenching after he is spitefully sent off to war.

Scorned by Roxanne, De Guiche, the reprehensible duke played with such arrogant cruelty by Ben Mendelsohn, pushes Christian into wartime service, and Cyrano accompanies him as a cadet.

Wright has often demonstrated a flair for long tracking shots – for example, the five-minute Dunkirk scene in “Atonement” that was better than Christopher Nolan’s entire 2017 film, and on display here.

But he runs hot and cold – as reminded in the woefully misguided “The Woman in the Window” on Netflix last year. Yet, his films always have a delectable visual appeal.

Because of the stripped-down script, Wright seems to rush the ending to what had been a thoughtful rumination on longing and desire. Still, some minor characters come and go with little relevance.

Nevertheless, Wright maintains the overarching theme of pride. More haunting than hopeful, this “Cyrano” is an ambitious work of art that may be flawed script-wise, but its stunning look and strong performances keep it timeless.

“Cyrano” is a 2021 romantic drama musical directed by Joe Wright and stars Peter Dinklage, Haley Bennett, Kelvin Harrison Jr. and Ben Mendelsohn. It’s rated PG-13 for some strong violence, thematic and suggestive material, and brief language, and the run time is 2 hours 4 minutes..It opened in theaters on Feb. 25. Lynn’s Grade: B+

Superb Performances Dredge Up Uncomfortable Truths in Stray Dog’s Savvy ‘Good People’

Superb Performances Dredge Up Uncomfortable Truths in Stray Dog’s Savvy ‘Good People’

By Lynn Venhaus

Our turfs and our tribes. It’s what defines us.

Well, we like to think that, but maybe it’s our choices that shape us. David Lindsay-Abaire’s “Good People,” a brilliant examination of class, good fortune, and the struggles of those left behind, is getting a stimulating treatment at Stray Dog Theatre.

Talk about a conversation starter! With a superb cast led by the incomparable Lavonne Byers, the gritty “Good People” bluntly spells out the wide divide between the haves and have-nots, and not just financially, but in word, thoughts, and deeds.

Margie Walsh is a Southie, for she lives in South Boston’s Lower End, a primarily working-class Irish American neighborhood where the playwright grew up. So, he wrote with deep understanding and connection.

Byers conveys Margie’s toughness and anxiety, with an undercurrent of desperation that she tries not to show. Her weapon is sarcasm. Hardened by a hardscrabble life, she has fought, clawed, and scratched in a dog-eat-dog world. Stubborn and proud, sometimes she has made life more difficult for herself because she will not rely on anyone, but she is loyal to a fault.

After high school, she became a caretaker. It’s a lifetime ago, and that’s when her dreams died, if she had any. As the single working mother of a developmentally disabled adult daughter, she plugs away at minimum-wage jobs. After being late too many times waiting for her daughter’s sitter to show up, she is fired from working as a cashier at the dollar store.

Friends and neighbors gather at the church hall for Bingo in hopes of winning the jackpot and to socialize. Stephanie Merritt is amusing as ballsy Jean, mouthy but well-meaning; Liz Mischel is defensive as the indifferent landlady Dottie, who is also Joyce’s unreliable sitter; and Stephen Henley projects a sweetness as the decent, practical Stevie, her compassionate ex-manager.

The Southie accent is a difficult one, so the dialect work is to be commended, because it’s evident that the ensemble worked on getting it right.

Stephen Peirick and Lavonne Byers. Photo by John Lamb.

About to be evicted, Margie is hanging by a thread. She is not “lace curtain Irish.” Jean knows she needs a break and mentions that she ran into Margie’s old high school flame, Mike, now a doctor. Why doesn’t she ask him for a job, or his help in finding one?

“Mikey” is now a fertility specialist, and he lives with his elegant African American wife Kate and their daughter in Chestnut Hill, an affluent village six miles from downtown Boston. He doesn’t have any office openings. Caught off-guard by the visit 30 years after he last saw her, he prefers not to be reminded of his rough-and-tumble upbringing. She forces an invitation to his wife’s party. Maybe someone else can help with employment.

It’s cancelled, their daughter is sick, but Margie thinks he is blowing her off, and shows up anyway at the door, and Kate mistakes her for the caterer.

Stephen Peirick is Mike, now “Michael,” and Laurell Stevenson is Kate, who live comfortably, although see a couples’ therapist. Their nouveau riche lifestyle is worlds apart from his humble formative years in South Boston. Humble, he’s not.

There is more to the story, but it’s best the audience discover the developments on their own. Just know that pleasant social graces disappear when a confrontation gets ugly. Initial warmth gives way to a chilling coldness.

Under Gary F. Bell’s savvy direction, the trio nimbly escalates emotions that lead to a cruel climax. Peirick, not often playing a jerk, indicates “Michael” is increasingly uncomfortable to be confronted with his past with Margie’s presence.

With her customary confidence, Byers shows how Margie, while agitating, has more integrity in her pinkie finger than the arrogant Michael does. Although Kate is civil at first, and a liberal, she lives in a bubble. And who is ‘self-made’ here, anyway?

Bell heightens the tension while emphasizing “the sides,” and the actors maintain the on-edge feeling throughout the second act, especially in their body language.

At first unassuming but then richly textured, “Good People” is an outstanding production that accentuates that character matters. Your opinion may shift about who is ‘good people.’

Margie, with a hard “g,” clings to her dignity, hoping for a fresh new start, but realizing the dead end is likely where she will stay. She is at once hard to figure out but also completely recognizable.

Scenic designer Josh Smith’s economical set takes a back seat to the human drama unfolding, although there are certain props that are meaningful, such as googly-eyed bright pink bunnies that Dottie makes as her side hustle, and a very expensive vase in Dillon’s upscale home.

Justin Been’s sound design and Tyler Duenow’s lighting design are first-rate.

Lindsay-Abaire, who won a Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2007 for “Rabbit Hole,” draws his characters well, especially women, for Frances McDormand won a Tony for Lead Actress as Margie in “Good People” in 2011 and Cynthia Nixon won as Becca in “Rabbit Hole.”

In the 11 years since the play was produced on Broadway, the gulf seems wider, and the play, which was excellently produced at The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis in January 2013, seems more pertinent than ever about struggles in hard times.

This is a cast that meets the challenge, and Stray Dog meets the moment in a tautly constructed drama of uncomfortable truths.

Lavonne Byers, Laurell Stephenson, Stephen Peirick. Photo by John Lamb

Stray Dog Theatre is presenting “Good People” Feb. 10-26 at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and an additional 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday, Feb. 20, in the Tower Grove Abbey, 2336 Tennessee Avenue, St. Louis, Mo. 63104. For tickets or more information, visit. www.straydogtheatre.org

Special guidelines are in place for the health and safety of guests, actors and staff: Masks are required of all guests, regardless of vaccination status. They still encourage physical distancing throughout the theater. They recommend, but do not require, that all guests be vaccinated.

PopLifeSTL Teams Up with Arts For Life for Bon Jovi Concert Tickets Raffle

PopLifeSTL Teams Up with Arts For Life for Bon Jovi Concert Tickets Raffle

Are you ready to rock?

Want to see a Hall of Fame band in a Blaze of Glory?

Arts For Life & PopLifeSTL.com are giving away 2 pairs of mezzanine tickets for the Bon Jovi Spring Tour stopping at the Enterprise Center on April 21!

You can purchase $5.00 raffle tickets at the link below, with drawing on March 18.

Take a chance and you’re halfway there!

Proceeds benefit Arts For Life. For more information, visit www.artsforlife.org.

Visit here to purchase a $5 raffle ticket to enter the drawing for 2 sets of 2 tickets each for the Bon Jovi concert on April 21. Drawing March 18 on PopLifeSTL.com Presents podcast.https://arts-for-life-2.square.site/

Winner will be announced during the March 18 PopLifeSTL.com Presents…Podcast with Lynn Venhaus and Carl “The Intern” Middleman.

Young Lovers Burn Bright in Post-Modern ‘Romeo and Juliet’

Young Lovers Burn Bright in Post-Modern ‘Romeo and Juliet’

By Lynn Venhaus

Behold the youthful energy that lights the fire of William Shakespeare’s classic big love. Erik Peterson and Evie Bennett burn bright as the besotted star-crossed lovers at the heart of St. Louis Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.”

The dynamic pair immediately signal that this is not your mother’s “Romeo and Juliet,” the one they were forced to read in high school English accompanied by Franco Zeffirelli’s 1968 film. None of those stuffy 16th century trappings here.

This post-modern adaptation of the seminal romantic tragedy takes place in Verona, Italy, where the Capulets and the Montagues are two wealthy and powerful feuding families. This is not a hybrid version, for the entire cast is in contemporary garb, suitably outfitted by costume designers Amanda Handle and Tracy Newcomb.

This reinvigorated production, at the Robert G. Reim Theatre in the Kirkwood Community Center, is stripped down, with a barebones set designed by Cris Edwards and an essential characters’ only cast, with one actor filling another minor role and the Montagues combined into one parent.

An exuberant Peterson, boyishly handsome like the 1996 Leonardo di Caprio in Baz Luhrman’s bold movie interpretation, bounds on stage and quickly engages as the impulsive, idealistic, smart, and sensitive Romeo.

He is joined by his swaggering posse of peers, also ready to rock – and rumble. Quinn Spivey excels as lively loyal friend Mercutio while Emma McDonough is an assured, convincing cousin Benvolio.

They crash the Capulet’s ball, where Romeo is struck by a lightning bolt, seeing the beautiful Juliet, and he is soon in pursuit of the fair maiden. Bennett projects the innocence necessary, and shows some gumption, guiding her destiny and with an inner strength that will appear when she’s arguing with her mother.

Infatuated with each other, the couple’s epic serenade commences, and the actors bring the yearning, swooning and thunderstruck emotions out in their lovesick characters. Outside interference will ruin their happily-ever-after plans – and the inevitable comes soon enough, so they must shift emotions with their one heartbeat.

Director Blake Anthony Edwards’ work on the leads’ character development is admirable, and the kids’ blaze with glory, for the most part. He keeps the action moving, managing the time well.

Nic Tayborn started out strong as the noble Count Paris, Juliet’s rich admirer favored by her parents, but as the plot becomes more complicated, then politely goes through the motions.

He’s fine participating in the fight scenes, which are expertly choreographed by Dennis Saldana. The combat is authentically staged.

While a female Benvolio worked well, the gender switch with Tybalt came across as less successful, with Jade Collins playing Juliet’s loyal but hot-headed first cousin. The change in pronouns is made in the dialogue.

The escalation of the Mercutio-Tybalt conflict is such an integral part of this story that it is crucial to portray them as fiery enemies. (Think how important the rivalry between Riff and Bernardo is in “West Side Story.”)

The experienced Donna Parrone brings an earthy, feisty energy to the Nurse role, resonating as Juliet’s confidante and providing a pinch of bawdy humor. She transmits her grief well as her heart breaks over the unfolding tragedy.

As the trusted Friar Laurence who advises Romeo, Nick Freed conveys a genuine gravitas and sincerity.

However, the parents are merely perfunctory in line delivery. Granted, the parents must be the buzz kill in this story, not understanding their children and their long, seemingly senseless, rivalry causing irreparable harm.

But compared to the electric current palpable from the young lovers, they seem devoid of personality. Hillary Gokenbach has more to say as haughty Lady Capulet, given that she and Juliet differ in opinions, than a gentler Lady Montague (Rhianna Anesa). And Lord Montague has been cut out of this version, well, actually the dialogue is merged into his wife’s.

Robert Stevenson as the forceful Capulet isn’t convincing either, as a domineering husband and father who must deal with grief. Emotions should build so that their devastating loss of their only child pulls at our heartstrings.

I think Arthur Laurents was right to cut out the parents in “West Side Story,” for they do not add much – unless they would give their harsh lines some context.

Rounding out the cast are Matthew Kauzlarich as a dutiful(and put-upon) Peter, servant to the nurse, and Don McClendon, imposing as Prince Escalus, who oversees the town.

Good work is evident from sound designer Tori Meyer and sound operator Kevin Doerr. The music that punctuates the performance, especially the end song of “Sorrow” by The National, is a noteworthy addition.

John “JT” Taylor’s lighting design enhances the shifts in mood and tone.

“Romeo and Juliet” is estimated to go back to 1595 and has been interpreted in many ways since then – in music, art, dance, literature, theater, and film. There is even an animated movie with gnomes – “Gnomeo and Juliet” in 2012, and Taylor Swift refers to the archetypes in her song, “Love Story.”

To keep this story fresh and meaningful after 500 years is a challenge, but Peterson and Bennett win over the audience, with several other key high notes standing out.

St. Louis Shakespeare hasn’t been back on the boards since before the pandemic’s first wave, so applause for getting back into the swing, and for the enthusiasm about presenting this production.

“Romeo and Juliet” is being presented Feb. 10 – 20 at the Reim Auditorium at the Kirkwood Community Center, 111 S. Geyer Road, in Kirkwood, Mo. Evening performances are 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday. For more information, www. Stlshakespeare.org Tickets available at brownpapertickets.com or at the theatre box office, which opens 1 hour prior to showtime. Call 314-361-5664 or email boxoffice@stlshakespeare.org if you have any questions.

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Bullets Fly But Nonsensical ‘Pursuit’ Never Lifts Off

Bullets Fly But Nonsensical ‘Pursuit’ Never Lifts Off

By Lynn Venhaus
A ridiculous bargain-bin action movie that could have been written by chimps, “Pursuit” is comparable to a later going-through-the-motions episode of “Starsky and Hutch,” only devoid of any personality.

The plot goes something like this: Detective Mike Breslin (Jake Manley) crosses paths with Rick Calloway (Emile Hirsch), a ruthless hacker who’s trying to save his kidnapped wife from a drug cartel. When Calloway escapes from police custody, Breslin joins forces with a no-nonsense cop to reclaim his prisoner.

We have an assortment of assembly-line lawmen – crooked and clean, a shaggy undercover detective that could be Kato Kaelin’s twin brother, a female police captain who brings coffee to her team in the field and frets about the psychological toll being a cop takes, a lady sheriff that’s tough by day and fun at night, evil rich old white guys, pretty young wives either kidnapped or murdered, cartoonish henchmen, hulking ‘yes’ men, and a hacker “who knows many things,” one thug says to another. Lots o’ thugs of various layers of grime get whacked.

Like everyone else whose livelihood’s been interrupted by a global pandemic, actors need to work. And apparently, there is a market for low-grade movies as long as bullets fly and wads of cash are scattered in video-game-type action. Only, the actors must be real people, not avatars.

This lowbrow movie looks like a first effort from a college student who got his friends together for a class project. As one who sees a number of student films per year, this is not to besmirch those efforts, because many are sincere. This enterprise, however, is not. Everything about this film looks cheap.

With name recognition and previous hits, John Cusack, the lovable unconventional hero of “Say Anything,” “Being John Malkovich” and “High Fidelity,” headlines a cast that features two former heartthrobs from the earlier polyester era – William Katt, best known as Carrie’s prom date and “The Greatest American Hero” on TV, and Andrew Stevens, who also produced this burning heap o’ trash, a modern hyphenate.

Stevens, a “Star of Tomorrow” designee, was a familiar face in movies and TV in the 1970s and 1980s, including “Dallas” and “Hollywood Wives.” Later, he directed his mother, Stella Stevens, in four films and made four films with Shannon Tweed. He’s produced more than 180 movies.

Katt attempts to be sincere as an Arkansas State Trooper – named Taye Biggs! — who thinks something rotten is afoot and Stevens is Frank Diego, the evil local kingpin calling the shots in a drug cartel.

But Cusack’s Calloway has got people too, surrounding him, feeding him incoherent lines that don’t advance the plot, which seems to be an afterthought. Do we ever find out what he does? He’s barely in this name-above-the-title exercise.

One would hope Cusack’s not yet past his prime, for he was outstanding as Brian Wilson in “Love and Mercy” in 2014 but has sadly been reduced to D-list projects in recent years, not counting his cameo in “Hot Tub Time Machine.”

Filmed in Little Rock, with cheap shots of a big city masquerading as New York City, where our undercover detective Mike Breslin (Jake Manley, the Kato Kaelin lookalike) works, we have mostly deadly confrontations with bullets zooming in slow-motion. It’s as if a camera guy was mesmerized by pulling that off, so they rely on it as their money shot.

Most of the acting is laughable, especially what-the-what? Emile Hirsch as a tatted-up hacker with scary eyes. His wife’s been kidnapped and his son, played by his real-life child Valor, is staying with grandpa (that would be Cusack, as Jack Calloway).

In the movie’s first scene, Hirsch is staring quizzically at a computer screen and punching keys, and not much is elevated after that. What time period are we in, exactly, because the technology looks really old, especially for someone known as a ‘hacker.’ “He knows things!” (One of the horrendously bad actors playing a drug dealer says in a hushed but menacing tone. Thank you, Bonzo, for that pithy line).

We don’t find out much about Rick Calloway, or why his dad thinks he’s expendable, or what is it that he knows. He’s running around, shooting up places, being pursued, getting arrested, making a deal, and then – of course – that goes horribly awry.

The film’s saving grace is actress Elizabeth Faith Ludlow, who plays Zoe Carter, a small-town sheriff, with some gumption. She’s acted in such high-profile series as the recent “Peacemaker” as Keeya and “The Walking Dead” as Arat. Here, she appears to be the smartest person in the movie.

The connections to characters seem lost in this scattershot exercise. Maybe it’s better we are left in the dark, because not much makes sense. And you certainly don’t need to spend brain cells trying to figure out the basics.

Director Brian Skiba apparently works a lot in the B-movie genre, with such films as “Deadly Excursion,” “Left for Dead,” “Anatomy of Deception” and “Slaughter Creek” among his oeuvre. His biggest hit was the Ryan Phillippe-led “The 2nd” in 2020. He also has helmed multiple Christmas movies, like “Merry Ex Mas,” “Defending Santa” and “Beverly Hills Christmas.”

Someone is obviously paying him to stitch these movies together – and write them! Skiba co-wrote “Pursuit” with two other people. Yes, three screenwriters are listed on this by-the-numbers effort, and they are not named Cheeta, J. Fred Muggs or Lancelot Link.

Dawn Bursteen, executive producer whose past credits include “Last Shoot Out” and “Catch the Bullet,” doesn’t push the envelope. Neither does first-time feature writer Ben Fiore, previously known for such short films as “Appointment with Death” and “The Interrogation.”

“Pursuit” serves little purpose other than to provide work for people in the entertainment industry. But it’s depressing to see such likable performers as Cusack, Hirsch and Katt reduced to such ludicrous roles.

You need to halt before “Pursuit” catches fire. Of all the junky releases that are passed off in winter, this may be the worst one yet this year. And it’s not even worth watching for unintended laughs.

“Pursuit” is a 2022 action film directed by Brian Skiba and starring Emile Hirsch, John Cusack, Jake Manley, William Katt, Andrew Stevens and Elizabeth Faith Ludlow. Its runtime is 1 hour, 35 minutes. In theaters, on demand and digital on Feb. 18. Lynn’s Grade: D-.


Metro Theater Company’s Joyous ‘Last Stop on Market Street’ Celebrates Community and Nanas

Metro Theater Company’s Joyous ‘Last Stop on Market Street’ Celebrates Community and Nanas

By Lynn Venhaus

A sunny, soulful song-and-dance showcase, “Last Stop on Market Street” includes a sweet slice-of-life lesson to engage audiences of all ages.

Metro Theater Company is presenting this vivacious 75-minute musical without intermission at the Grandel Theatre from Feb. 6-27 and is offering a video streaming option, too.

Written by Matt de la Pena with illustrations by Christian Robinson in 2015, the Newberry Medal-winning picture book is considered a modern classic and its theme of inclusivity and community is timeless.

It strikes a chord about finding the good in unexpected places through a child spending time with his out-of-town grandmother. He’s dropped off for the weekend and hasn’t ever spent that much time away from his parents – he’s counting the hours he must be there. Their relationship is rocky at first, and he is a reluctant guest, but eventually grows in love and understanding.

The child, CJ, is spoiled and a bit sheltered, and while bonding with his older and wiser grandmother “Nana,” he learns about the bigger, and very different, world around him. She introduces him to neighbors and new experiences.

Always plugged into his phone and tablet, he learns how fun adventures can be without reliance on screens. She, in turn, learns more about technology. In a relatable way, they appreciate age differences – and bridge the digital divide.

That intergenerational bond, if we’re lucky to experience it, lasts a lifetime – and the legacy beyond that, which this presentation shows so well.

Riding the bus. Photo by Jennifer A. Lin.

It’s always a good thing when we can be reminded of our grandmother’s love and guidance, and how they helped shape our paths. My “Mims” was a special person that I reference almost daily, what an impact this little dynamo made on my life from her 50s until age 80.

With her indomitable spirit, director Jacqueline Thompson has highlighted the colorful book’s emphasis on kindness, compassion, and gratitude.

In her director’s notes, Thompson dedicated the show to “all the Nanas of the world, — our truth tellers, safe spaces, warmth, roots to our foundation and light.” Amen to that. And thank you to Mildred Thompson.

The book was adapted for the stage by Cheryl L. West and co-produced by the Chicago Children’s Theater and the Children’s Theatre Company in 2018.

In bringing this celebration of community to the local region, Metro has enlisted five-star talent to create an outstanding production that unifies young and old, and easily gets folks into the rhythm and out of their seats.

In the neighborhood setting, brightly imagined by scenic designers extraordinaire Margery and Peter Spack, a sense of community is palpable. The Spacks are known for their original creations that evoke whimsy and wonder, and their work here could fit into a PBS set for the Children’s Television Workshop.

Get ready to be energized by the beat, with a Motown-infused score from rhythm-and-blues legend Lamont Dozier and his son Paris Ray Dozier, who have incorporated hip hop, soul, rap and gospel into the catchy music and lyrics.

Music director Phil Woodmore and choreographer Christopher Page-Sanders have captured the Doziers’ vibrancy.

The tight ensemble is like a vitamin shot, with Robert Crenshaw, Daniel McRath, Valentina Silva, Denise Thimes, Cameron Tyler, and Tyler White lifting their voices in heartfelt harmony, and making you smile because of their joie de vivre as they groove to the beats.

Denise Thimes as Nana. Photo by Jennifer A. Lin

Denise Thimes is well-suited to play the inspirational Nana, and her relationship with Daniel McRath, playing CJ, is believable – stern but warm.

Thimes is a local jazz legend and has sung on the world’s greatest stages and with world-class artists. She’s in a league of her own.

Listening to the group sing is enjoyable, but their sublime solo efforts are when we get the full experience of their remarkable vocal chops. Wow.

McRath has an exceptional voice. He’s a graduate of Opera Theatre of St. Louis’s Artist-in-Training program and was in “Aida” at The Muny.

Part of the ensemble, Robert Crenshaw’s voice is also superb, and last seen in “Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope” and “Spell #7,” both at The Black Rep.

Valentina Silva, who is seen in multiple roles, including M. Butterfly, is a versatile performer and recent BFA graduate in musical theater from Webster University. Cameron Tyler, a recent musical theater graduate of Missouri Baptist University, is the sympathetic Jojo, a homeless youth, that opens CJ’s eyes to the plight of others.

Tyler White is a veteran artist who has appeared on multiple stages and easily transitions to different roles, like a bus driver and homeless woman, with authenticity.

With creativity and dedication, the artists and technicians have ensured the details pop to keep youngsters occupied.

The lighting and sound design work is notable, from Jayson M. Lawshee and Jackie “Jackpot” Sharp respectively. Costume designer Felia Davenport crafted each characters’ outfits with personality in mind.

For those who love St. Louis, this charming and delightful production is a special treat from the Metro Theater Company, now in its 49th year, reminding us now, more than ever, small acts of kindness are never wasted. And city living is endlessly educational.

The play is recommended for children ages 5 and up. A short on-stage Q&A with the cast follows the performance.

Valentina Silva, Daniel McRath, Denise Thimes. Photo by Jennifer A. Lin

“Last Stop on Market Street” is live on stage through Feb. 27 at The Grandel Theater, 3610 Grandel Square in Grand Center Arts District, across the street from Powell Hall. Tickets are available at MetroTix at (314) 534-1111 until 4 hours prior to the performance, then at The Grandel box office an hour before the performance.

Seven live performances are left: Feb. 18, 7 p.m.; Feb. 19, 4 p.m.; Feb. 20, 2 and 5 p.m.; Feb. 26, 1 and 4 p.m.; and Feb. 27, 2 p.m.

A video stream of the production is available. For more information: www.metroplays.org/marketstreet

Pandemic Protocols: Please be sure to bring proof of COVID-19 vaccination for every member of your party who is medically eligible for the vaccine. You will not be able to enter the building without proof of vaccination. Mask wearing is required at all times inside the Grandel. For more details, please take a moment to look over the COVID safety procedures on the website. Thank you for doing your part to keep our audiences of all ages safe and healthy!

Daniel McRath as C.J. Jennifer A. Lin Photo.

Photos by Jennifer A. Lin.

Old-Fashioned Mystery ‘Death on the Nile’ Is Sumptuous Escapism

Old-Fashioned Mystery ‘Death on the Nile’ Is Sumptuous Escapism


By Lynn Venhaus

A luxurious old-fashioned whodunit, “Death on the Nile” blends the escapism of an exotic locale with a clever yarn about obsessive love and betrayal.

For 2 hours and 7 minutes, it’s a lovely time at the movies to forget a dreary winter or live vicariously through super-rich elitists while one of Agatha Christie’s most intricate murder mysteries unfolds in opulent surroundings.

A beautiful newlywed heiress is murdered during a wedding party cruise down the Nile, and Belgian detective Hercule Poirot attempts to solve the puzzle, meanwhile others are killed and the invited guests all become suspects.

The legendary British author was the master of constructing crimes in confined spaces, and director Kenneth Branagh effectively contrasts a jolly holiday setting with suspicions about the ambitious and greedy passengers on board the paddleboat steamer Karnak. Who could be capable of murder?

This version was easy to be swept away by, with stunning vistas of the Egyptian landscape, including the majestic pyramids at Giza and the grandeur of the pharaohs. It might be CGI, but the striking imagery evoked awe and wonder.

The atmospheric elements are first-rate. Cinematographer Haris Zambarloukos has worked with Branagh on multiple films and gives the panoramas a golden hue and sumptuous feel.

So has composer Patrick Doyle, who captures both the times and the looming danger in a jazzy blues-tinged score.

Editor Úna Ní Dhonghaíle, who did such excellent work on “Belfast,” is sharp doling out the clues and crime snippets.

Paco Delgado’s splendid costume design includes crisp summer whites and glamorous period evening wear, with classy dressing for dinner de rigueur in the swanky environment.

Jim Clay’s posh production design is a treasure trove of elegance, with a keen eye on the desert climate and fancy vintage interiors.

The invited guests, of course, either have secrets or motives, and screenwriter Michael Green capitalizes on the connections. He collaborated with Branagh on their first Christie foray, “Murder on the Orient Express,” in 2017, but this film is put together with more elan.

Green has cut some characters, changed professions for several, and created a few different backstories than in Christie’s original 1937 novel. Salome Otterbourne is now a sophisticated blues nightclub singer rather than a romance novelist, and instead of imitating Angela Lansbury 34 years ago, Oscar-nominee Sophie Okonedo infuses her role with sass and a world-weary attitude.

The filmmakers hint at an attraction between her and the fussbudget Poirot, and as played again by Branagh as all-business, they give him a tragic World War I romance and a mustache origin story that opens the film.

The casting choices are interesting, led by the dazzling Gal Gadot, who veered from playing a superhero to again demonstrate her formidable screen presence. She is breath-taking as the pressured heiress who marries her bestie’s fiancé in a whirlwind romance.

Emma Mackey, a regular on the Netflix series “Sex Education,” is a striking friend-turned-foe Jacqueline de Bellafort, whose bitterness and resentment dampens the festive atmosphere.

A surprising Russell Brand stays in the drama lane as Linnet’s former fiancé, a dull but accomplished doctor.

And check this out — the “Absolutely Fabulous” creators, the pair of comedians Jennifer Saunders and Dawn French, play the haughty godmother and her constant companion, an outspoken communist.

Annette Bening is a cranky dowager who disapproves of her son, Bouc (Tom Bateman), and his romance with Rosalie (Letitia Wright).

Jennifer Saunders and Dawn French

Love is in the air in multiple story threads, but due to circumstances beyond their control, the main coupling is problematic.

The film was delayed several times, after originally planned for a 2019 release, but filming pushed it back to 2020, then the COVID-19 pandemic hit and the release date was moved several more times, with plans for a fall 2021 opening. Well, the Armie Hammer scandal broke in April, so Disney (20th Century Fox) settled on now’s the time, come what may.

The actor now turned pariah portrays the aristocratically handsome Simon Doyle in his customary plank-of-wood way (and still can’t handle a British accent after the dreadful “Rebecca” adaptation in 2020).

Accused of sexual assault and rape in allegations from last March, Hammer has been dropped from all film and stage plans, but this movie was completed before the news broke. In December, he was released from a facility where he was treated for drug, alcohol, and sexual issues.

Although they cut him almost completely from the film’s trailer, they couldn’t do that in the in the movie, as they did not reshoot the role, a la Christopher Plummer replacing Kevin Spacey in “All the Money in the World” in 2017.

But he can’t escape from viewers knowing that fall from grace here, and I felt uncomfortable every time he was in a romantic situation. It doesn’t help that he has little chemistry with the statuesque Gadot. So, is he the elephant in the room that will lead to a disastrous showing?

He’s one of many in this second adaptation of Christie’s novel, which is a superior version to the rather campy one in 1978, so we shall see. We are navigating new times.

The earlier adaptation featured a large cast, coming across like a higher-priced “Love Boat,” which fit director John Guillermin’s aesthetic – he directed “The Towering Inferno” in 1974 and “King Kong” in 1976.

But most everyone – Bette Davis included, went over-the-top in their performances and exaggerated accents. Mia Farrow, as the jilted fiancé Jacqueline, had a dreadful British accent while model-turned-actress Lois Chiles demonstrated the limits of her abilities as honeymooner Linnet Ridgeway.  

Peter Ustinov took over the Poirot role, after the success of 1974’s “Murder on the Orient Express,” for Oscar-nominee Albert Finney declined a second go-round. Oscar winner Ustinov would play the distinctive detective five more times.

Hammer aside, the film is unapologetically aimed for an older demographic, who doesn’t need flashy tech and bombast. With the critical and commercial success of 2019’s “Knives Out,” Branagh’s team hopes to repeat that magic, and at least has great source material to draw viewers into a delectable, tangled web.

And you must find out why Poirot has that bushy hair above his lip.

Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot

“Death on the Nile” is a mystery suspense thriller released in 2022 and directed by Kenneth Branagh. It stars Branagh, Gal Gadot, Armie Hammer, Emma Mackey, Sophie Okonedo, Letitia Wright, Rose Leslie, Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, Annette Bening, Ali Fazal, Russell Brand and Tom Bateman. Rated PG-13 for violence, some bloody images and sexual material, it’s run time is 2 hours, 7 minutes. In theaters Feb. 11. Lynn’s Grade: B+


At Her Best, Jennifer Theby-Quinn Has Something to Say in Upstream’s ‘Iphigenia in Splott’

At Her Best, Jennifer Theby-Quinn Has Something to Say in Upstream’s ‘Iphigenia in Splott’

By Lynn Venhaus

Jennifer Theby-Quinn goes there.

In a raw, emotionally wrenching performance, Theby-Quinn shows her limitless range as fireball Effie, a rough-around-the-edges working-class heroine, in the one-woman show, “Iphigenia in Splott.”

The virtuoso portrayal marks Upstream Theater’s return to producing small provocative works of art after a prolonged period of darkness. Their last effort, “Wildfire,” was presented Jan. 24 – Feb. 9, 2020, in the before times. Then, the public health emergency forced the arts to press pause, and “Iphigenia” was put on hold since 2020. Until now.

This production has had its share of challenges – Omicron outbreak so they limited ticket sales early in the run, Winter Storm Landon hit and they cancelled Bohemian Thursday performance – but they offered a streaming version too (I highly recommend, excellent quality and you do feel like you are there. Details below).

At the Marcelle Theatre in the Grand Arts Center, Theby-Quinn bursts onto a sparse stage, agitated, all attitude and lip. She’s coarse, not having any of what’s going on, and is rather difficult to warm up to with her confrontational style – obviously, having a bad day in her gritty south Wales neighborhood, Splott. It’s 11:30 a.m. and she’s drunk, stumbling around, mad at the world (but, we will soon discover she has good reason).

As she roars, Theby-Quinn intones a well-coached Welsh accent and maintains the pattern for 95 minutes. Effie’s loud and in-your-face, she makes no apologies for drinking and drugging, her leggings are too tight, and her long hair is distinctive – crimped and streaked with red. In Cardiff, one would think locals know not to mess with her.

During the past two years, we’ve witnessed rude tirades in public as we’ve all grappled with a new normal forced on us by a global pandemic. But Effie is no Karen. She’s been marginalized by society, ignored.

As Effie rages, scolding the audience for thinking she’s a “stupid slag, a nasty skank” as if she’s used to insults, we learn things about her that force us to change our first impression.

Playwright Gary Owen sets us up to take a sharp turn, to understand that something horrific has happened to Effie, and she has been forever broken. But is she a victim or survivor, and dare she be an everyday hero?

She’s actually a spin on a tragic warrior princess. The title references ancient Greek myth. Ever hear of Euripedes? He wrote a play, “Iphigenia in Aulis,” which tells the story of King Agamemnon’s decision to sacrifice his daughter for his country. She will be sacrificed to goddess Artemis so that his fleet will have smooth sailing to Troy, for the wind isn’t helping

Owen flips it to mean growth and profit over casualties – as in what is it worth when the cost is better for business overall? We’ve heard this before, but we’ve never heard from an Effie.

On the government doll in a town ravaged from shut downs and employment cuts, she is the embodiment of what communities have lost in the past decade.

Owen grew up in Splott and his 2015 monologue is a protest of UK’s shortcomings. It will leave an audience gutted. This may be an all-too-common case in health care, but it’s still inequitable and sad, and gets us to take notice.

This is when Theby-Quinn turns in a virtuoso performance that few could match on local stages, and she has set a high bar for the rest of the year.

Under Patrick Siler’s direction, Theby-Quinn is put through physically demanding paces on a gut-wrenching journey, using three chairs and a thin blanket to convey different spaces. The sound design is quite effective.

Effie huffs and puffs, as is her way. Then, she settles in to say something. She has a boyfriend Kev, but it’s her encounter with Lee that changed her life. And she wants us to listen.

Because Theby-Quinn is so mesmerizing, she has our undivided attention as she unfolds, in soul-crushing detail, a tale of woe. She will break your heart with her intensity.

When she howls about how she can’t speak and she has no one to speak for her, you feel her pain. Effie’s personal trauma becomes a lightning rod for battling complacency.

One wonders how she can mentally wrestle so deeply like that at every performance and not be affected.

Jennifer Theby-Quinn. ProPhotoSTL.

As she explains the damage that’s been done and how she put herself back together, it reminded me of what Vanessa Kirby endured in the 2020 film, “Pieces of a Woman.”

Owen won an award at the Edinburgh Festival for his innovative writing. He forces us to not only care about Effie, but sympathize with her. We hear a lot about the greater good in the vaccine rhetoric these days. In the aftermath of her tragedy and decisions she made, she took one for the team.

It’s Theby-Quinn’s finest work in the past 10 years, since I’ve been reviewing professional regional theater, and I didn’t think she could top her performance as Lucille Frank in R-S Theatrics’ “Parade” in 2013, although she’s been impressive in everything from Shakespeare to farce to musical comedy since.

She has won two St. Louis Theater Circle Awards, for the inaugural year as outstanding leading actress in a musical for portraying Hope Cladwell in “Urinetown” at Stray Dog Theatre in 2012, known then as Jennifer M. Theby, and as outstanding supporting actress in 2016 for the drama “Afflicted: Daughters of Salem,” produced by the Metro Theater Company.

And has been nominated multiple times, including the 2019 musical “Daddy Long-Legs” at Insight Theatre, and recently in comedy, for supporting role in 2020’s “Flanagan’s Wake” at the Playhouse at Westport Playhouse and in a leading role for “Jake’s Women” by Moonstone Theatre Company in 2021. Those awards are to be announced March 28.

Owen wanted us to listen, and Theby-Quinn made that happen.

Note: A streaming option is available through Feb. 7. I saw this as a filmed production. Had I been there in person, I would have been sobbing in an ugly cry.

Upstream’s performances are Jan. 21-23, 27-30, Feb. 3-6, at the Marcelle Theatre, 3310 Samuel Shepard Drive – free parking lot across the street. All performances are at 8 p.m. except Sundays – Jan. 23 and 30 are 7 p.m. and Feb. 6 is at 2 p.m.

Proof of vaccination is required. Tickets are available at Metrotix and at the box office before the performance. Box office hotline is: (314) 669-5312.

Upstream collaborated with Blip Blap Video to create a recording of the live performance. This may be accessed for a discounted ticket price of $20 and viewed on demand through Feb. 6 until midnight. For a ticket: https://ticketbud.com/events/a0662266-8129-11ec-852a-42010a717017?fbclid=IwAR01pInMHXQVZAoO4LnIoQsSJ3KF13OjkSW7TDwHM2ks2U0Bl3MJoyEv_4E

For more information, visit https://www.upstreamtheater.org/

Merry Pranksters Back with Gross-Out Hijinks in ‘Jackass Forever’

Merry Pranksters Back with Gross-Out Hijinks in ‘Jackass Forever’

By Lynn Venhaus

Do not try any of these stunts at home. Seriously.

Imitating the now-famous reckless TV show did injure youngsters playing at home, and the new “Jackass Forever” movie warns people at the start and at the end, just as all the spin-offs and original have.

Just in case someone is in the mood for a genitals smackdown or to get within biting distance of a venomous snake — or a tarantula or an angry vulture, because of course it looked like so much fun second-hand on screen.

The fourth movie – well fifth, if you count “Bad Grandpa,” spun off from the American reality comedy television series on MTV for three seasons, 2000-2002, was created by Jeff Tremaine, Spike Jonze, and Johnny Knoxville. It featured nine guys carrying out some dangerous, disturbing, and gross stunts and pranks with childish glee. They have added new crew for this, for Ryan Dunn was killed in a car accident, and Bam Margera did not return.

Actor, filmmaker, and ringleader Knoxville has brought most of the band back together 12 years after the last movie (“Jackass 3D”) to recreate the zany schemes his group of daredevils became known for at the turn of the century.

Trying to light a fart underwater – apparently after unsuccessful attempts all these years later – is a serious mission for these merry pranksters.

Although they look like they are having fun creating mayhem, they watch their pals go through physical – and psychological – agony, breaking out into gales of laughter as someone unsafely lands and appear in excruciating pain. Survival relief!

This chucklefest is strictly for fans, for would the uninitiated understand the appeal of putting your private parts in harm’s way and a jubilee of bodily fluids – all of them.

But fans early on embraced the crazy, the wilder the better, when the show caught fire on MTV in 2000, and brought out the 13-year-old in its viewers.

My Baby Boomer generation had the Three Stooges, albeit in re-runs, and my two sons, Millennials, had “Jackass.” I’d hear loud laughter coming out of their room during every episode. It’s just a fact – boys like to participate in doing stupid things and viewing others in outrageous antics became a cultural phenomenon.

The show became MTV’s highest-rated ever on a Sunday night. Yet, the show ignited controversy over the indecency and the danger, and Knoxville pulled the plug after three seasons. Shifting to movies, box office was big – nearly $500 million worldwide, and then spin-off specials and shows resulted.

Watching some wacky oddballs in masochistic hijinks for amusement still appeals. During the pandemic, it’s been a rarity to hear that much laughter in a movie theater, but at the advance screening, grown men — unabashed fans — laughed out loud for 96 minutes, with outtakes and behind the scenes running over the end credits.

Steve-O attracts bees

The opening credits scene, a parody of a Godzilla movie, was equal parts hilarity and disgusting, with Chris Pontius, aka “The Naked Guy,” subbing his family jewels for the monster. For about a half-hour, the absurd stunts and recording the terror on the guys’ faces, were comical, starting with Tony Hawk skateboarding over a ‘human ramp’ and especially the “Silence of the Lambs’ fake-out with poisonous (perhaps) snakes.

But for me, a female who doesn’t fit the demographic, the winces and the grimaces eventually took over. The jokes wore thin. During a copious vomit finale, I had to close my eyes.

Basically, “Jackass” appeals to the inner child buried somewhere in these dark days of adulthood. So, the timing is right.

However, it’s not exactly the nostalgic greatest hits package people expected. Some of the knuckleheads who became known for taking part in the outlandish bits, having unpleasant things done to them, have returned for more punishment. They’re older, if not necessarily wiser, but what they put their bodies through must take much longer to recover as time passes.

In “The Cup Test,” Ehren McGhehey had to be in anguish wearing an athletic guard while being punched by MMA fighter Francis Ngannou, getting a puck to the groin by New Jersey Devils’ P.K, Subban, Dave England standing on him with a pogo stick and softball pitcher Danielle O’Toole taking aim.

But the players are game. They’ve become household names to fans.

Two flabby overweight guys and the genial Jeff “Wee Man” Acuna take part in an elaborate exercise called “Triple Wedgie” that looked like it hurt.

Knoxville’s encounter with a bull during “The Magic Trick” left him with a broken wrist, broken rib, concussion, and brain hemorrhage. Steve-O sustained a concussion.

The fact that they are all buddies comes through, but there are new people added that don’t seem to share the group’s enthusiasm. Compston Wilson, called “Dark Shark,” wonders what he got himself into while trying to avoid a spider bite (that would be the scary fangs of a tarantula).

The sole female is a good addition, but Rachel Wolfson isn’t used nearly enough. She has a scorpion placed on her for “Scorpion Botox” and licks a taser current in a mime bit.

The excessive amount of full-frontal male nudity on display is surprising, and rather shocking, for it doesn’t appear that the Motion Picture Association of America ratings board questioned it, slapping an R on the film for “strong crude material and dangerous stunts, graphic nudity, and language throughout.”

The dropping trou is not used in an erotic way, but for icky challenges, like getting whacked in the groin if giving a wrong answer in “The Dum Dum Game” and former clown Steve-O besieged by worker bees attracted to the Queen Bee that was placed underneath his penis. They highlight where he was stung.

Guest stars include comedian Eric Andre, also credited for concepts, and rap star Machine Gun Kelly, both fans.

Nevertheless, with a title like “Jackass Forever,” fans know exactly what they are getting, and Knoxville doesn’t disappoint. He knows his audience.

“Jackass Forever” is a 2022 comedy directed by Jeff Tremaine and starring Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O, Chris Pontius, Jeff “Wee Man” Acuna, Eric Andre, Dave England and Ehren McGehey. It is rated R for strong crude material and dangerous stunts, graphic nudity, and language throughout and run time is 1 hour, 36 minutes. It opened in theaters Feb. 4. Lynn’s Grade: C

All for love and ‘zazz,’ ‘The Prom’ Triumphs at the Fox Theatre

All for love and ‘zazz,’ ‘The Prom’ Triumphs at the Fox Theatre

By Lynn Venhaus
Let’s hear it for love and ‘Zazz’!

An original musical comedy that remains a breath of fresh air, “The Prom” pops with color and pizzazz. Because it is a big-hearted splashy production, the show now on national tour is a perfect tonic in dark times and well-timed during a cold, dreary winter.

The Fox Theatre’s patrons eager to laugh and feel the connection that only live theater can provide may come away singing the catchy lyric “Life’s no dress rehearsal” from the show’s exuberant song, “Tonight Belongs to You,” while humming others from the tuneful and upbeat score by Tony-nominated writing partners Chad Beguelin and Matthew Sklar.

Beguelin, the lyricist and co-book writer from Centralia, Ill., grew up seeing shows at The Fox. He and Sklar are known for musical adaptations of “The Wedding Singer” and “Elf,” and he provided new lyrics for composer Alan Menken for “Aladdin,” which had a pre-Broadway tryout at The Muny in 2012.

Beguelin co-wrote the book with Bob Martin, whose credits include “The Drowsy Chaperone.” Based on Jack Viertel’s concept from a true story in the Itawamba County School District in Mississippi, where a high school decided to cancel its prom rather than allow a senior student to bring her girlfriend as her date in 2010.

The case, which involved the ACLU and a decision on violating the First Amendment, wound up in court. The girl was allowed to attend the prom, but local parents organized a separate prom for the rest of the students. Celebrities rallied to help sponsor a special prom without a homophobic backlash. Being a self-centered celebrity magnet gets a few dings here, but the goal is all positive.

Through its cheerful humor that’s drawn from both narcissistic Broadway performers who live in a showbiz bubble and the charms and drawbacks of small-town Midwest living, the play promotes tolerance, inclusivity and understanding.

After its premiere at a regional Atlanta theater in 2016, a Broadway run in 2018-2019 received seven Tony nominations, the Drama Desk Award for Best Musical and rave reviews.

Privileged to see it on Broadway in May 2019, I was excited for others to discover its charm and celebrate its spirit. But the original planned tour shut down during the pandemic’s first wave.

With great anticipation, it was set to bow Jan. 25 in St. Louis, home to several backers, including one of the three leading producers, Jack Lane, executive director of Stages St. Louis, and multiple co-producers.

Despite its peppy moves and colorful characters, the company couldn’t escape from the 2022 reality of a highly transmissible Omicron variant. During the stop in Baltimore that preceded St. Louis, the Jan. 21-23 shows were cancelled because too many cast members were affected by the coronavirus.

And despite the rocky start Friday after three-day delay, the fact that the cast, crew, and creatives could rally to put on a show at all, given the issues and obstacles to overcome, is a miraculous triumph.

The Fabulous Fox performances are now Jan. 28 through Feb. 6, with an extra performance scheduled then.

Safety protocols have always been a part of the tour, which began in late 2021. And for admission to the Fox Theatre, patrons are required to show a vaccination card in advance, or a negative COVID-19 test.

Because of cast illnesses, five people substituted for eight roles Friday, including the leading role of entitled prima donna Dee Dee Allen, with understudy Ashley Bruce replacing headliner Courtney Balan. Another main stage diva, Juilliard graduate Trent Oliver, was played by Jordan Alexander instead of Bud Weber.

Understudy Thad Turner Wilson replaced Shavey Brown as publicist Sheldon Saperstein and Christopher McCrewell slam-dunked it as Principal Hawkins, filling in for Sinclair Mitchell. Swing Jordan De Leon, a Stages St. Louis veteran, capably took on four roles, including Olivia Keating, Kevin, Motel Clerk and in the ensemble.

Bruce and Alexander eventually found their groove in the clueless Gang of Four, who flamboyantly land in Edgewater, Indiana, aka Podunk USA, to support the scorned Emma, who wanted to bring a single-sex date to the prom at her not-having-it high school.

After a somewhat flat first act, the cast recovered its rhythm and came roaring back in the second, and much stronger, act. The relief shown on the beaming performers’ faces during a rousing “It’s Time to Dance” finale, and the jubilant curtain call afterwards said it all. They did it! And deserve all the high-fives and praise for seizing the moment.

Casey Nicholaw’s crisp direction and snappy choreography keep things tight and bright.

The Prom, Music by Matthew Sklar, Book by Bob Martin and Chad Beguelin, Lyrics by Chad Beguelin, Directed and Choreographed by Casey Nicholaw cast: Kaden Kearney (Emma), Kalyn West (Alyssa Greene), Courtney Balan (Dee Dee Allen), Patrick Wetzel (Barry Glickman), Emily Borromeo (Angie Dickinson), Bud Weber (Trent Oliver), Sinclair Mitchell (Mr. Hawkins), Ashanti J’Aria (Mrs. Greene) and Shavey Brown (Sheldon Saperstein)

The triple-threat cast is solid, with national tour newbie (and non-binary) Kaden Kearney impressive as Emma, the lesbian student reluctantly at the center of the firestorm. With their strong pipes, they crushes “Just Breathe,” confidently takes on “Dance with You,” and emotionally delivers “You Happened.” Kearney’s most moving song is the acoustic solo, “Unruly Heart,” which they record for social media posting from her bedroom, explaining exactly how Emma feels.

The poised Ashanti J’Aria gives more dimension to PTA President Mrs. Greene instead of being a one-note villain, while Kalyn West, a veteran of the Broadway cast, shines as her daughter. West and Kearney have a nice chemistry that carries over to the musical numbers.

Each of the Broadway stars has an opportunity to shine, with lithe-limbed Emily Borromeo smooth as the game chorus girl Angie Dickinson, standing out in the signature “Zazz” song-and-dance with its iconic Fosse moves.

Patrick Wetzel comically embodies Barry Glickman, the very theatrical sidekick who basks in the spotlight 24/7, and his scenes with Emma take on a heart-tugging poignancy. His sweet “Barry Is Going to Prom” shows another side to the bombastic showman.

Alexander stands out in the vivacious “Love Thy Neighbor,” which points out hypocrisy to the judgy youngsters in a relevant way.

The showy out-of-towners are funny in “It’s Not About Me” and “The Acceptance Song,” as the humor in the lyrics cleverly blends with the story. Through hilarity, the show’s writers get their points across. – without being strident or pretentious.

The fun musical is a tidy two hours, with a 15-minute intermission. Once the rights are released to perform, it will translate well to regional and community theaters and schools.

While the musical is livelier and more endearing than the extravagant and glitzy Netflix film, produced and directed by Ryan Murphy (“Glee”), the fact that it reached more people through his involvement is a good thing.

Murphy wanted to support its message through a broader audience and signed on an A-list cast including Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, Kerry Washington, Andrew Rannells, James Corden, Keegan-Michael Key and Ariana Debose. The star-spangled movie musical came out in December 2020.

Like the characters Emma and Alyssa, Murphy, too, grew up in Indiana as a gay male struggling with his identity. Because its uplifting story encourages teenagers to be their authentic selves, the LGBTQ-supportive show has brought people together around the globe.

The stars aren’t that helpful – except they do get people to see Emma for who she is, and that’s a win-win victory. What’s not to love about a teachable moments that result in joy?

It might be time to dance!

For more information, visit www.fabulousfox.com. For tickets, visit: MetroTix.com

Matinee performance of “The Prom” in NYC 2019

Here are links to articles about the local connections to “The Prom” and an interview with a cast member.

Article with producer Jack Lanehttps://www.timesnewspapers.com/webster-kirkwoodtimes/its-pure-joy/article_6290955c-7a08-11ec-9236-b37ee0f21626.html

Here is our podcast with Ashanti J’Aria, who plays Mrs Greene in “The Prom”https://soundcloud.com/lynn-zipfel-venhaus/a-conversation-with-ashanti-jaria?si=ef9f75bc20cc4b638b6f411aaed38cea&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

Local Producers Going to the Tonys
https://www.bnd.com/living/magazine/article230691424.html

Netflix Movie Has Local Ties
https://www.bnd.com/news/local/article247813845.html