Powerful Ensemble Refreshes Equality Struggles with Urgency in ‘Hold On!’

Powerful Ensemble Refreshes Equality Struggles with Urgency in ‘Hold On!’

By Lynn Venhaus

The movement is a rhythm to us
Freedom is like religion to us
Justice is juxtapositionin’ us
Justice for all just ain’t specific enough

–“Glory” by Common and John Legend
2015 Oscar winner for Best Song, from the movie “Selma”

A remarkable history lesson more so than a lecture, “Hold On!” features a powerhouse ensemble recreating a pivotal period in 1965 that was a clarion call then and eerily an alarm bell now.

The Black Rep honors Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy with the timing of opening weekend to coincide with the federal holiday marking his Jan. 15 birthday, which has taken place on the third Monday of January every year since 1983.

King, the most prominent advocate for nonviolent activism to protest racial discrimination, helped get the Voting Rights Act signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson on Aug. 6, 1965, after convincing the president a year earlier to sign the landmark Civil Rights Act (July 2, 1964), the same year he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize (Dec. 2, 1964).

Their fascinating relationship was at times contentious but also collaborative, and those power battles royale are embodied by Enoch King as resolute MLK and Brian Dykstra as salty LBJ.

Dykstra easily slips into playing the master politician Johnson, for he has appeared twice before in the role – but in the drama “All the Way” that was produced at the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis in fall 2015, which focuses on the civil rights endeavors in ’64, and as Brian Cox’s understudy in “The Great Society,” playwright Robert Schenkkan’s sequel, on Broadway in 2019

King is tenacious as the motivational visionary, remaining idealistic about moving people to action in divisive times. Both King and Johnson knew they couldn’t advance anything alone but needed supporters to be fervent about progress. The good reverend is a shrewd strategist in getting what he wants with the President, whose legendary battles with the “Dixiecrats” are well-documented.

While both were certainly flawed individuals, they were able to come together and change the course of America, pushing to outlaw discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin.

On March 15, 1965, LBJ delivered a speech before Congress on voting rights — stating that the civil rights problems challenged the entire country, not one region. He asked for legislation that dictated clear, uniform guidelines for voting regardless of race or ethnicity, which would allow all citizens to register to vote free from harassment.

Through a turbulent lens, this sobering play looks back when blacks were being murdered in the South, just for daring to register to vote, use their voice to speak up and stand up, and the killers were not punished. These incidents still pack a gut-punch, and this drama, thriller-like, illuminates gathering storms, and as history prompts us, we must be vigilant.

In 1965, Selma represented the epicenter, and in Alabama, the struggle for justice and equality escalated. This well-researched historical work by Paul Webb depicts the drive for voting rights that resulted in the March 7 “Bloody Sunday” where protesters were beaten at the Edmund Pettus Bridge trying to march to Montgomery, the state capital.

Two weeks later, King, James Forman and John Lewis led marchers on that landmark trail after a U.S. District judge upheld the rights of demonstrators.

Webb, a British playwright and screenwriter who is credited with the screenplay for the 2014 film “Selma,” first began the project as a play, then moved forward instead with the film, but in the years since, has revised and finished his play. The Black Rep is the first company to produce it.

The Civil Rights Movement was a long and winding road, starting in 1954 and ending in 1968. Webb, fascinated by the motives of both Johnson and King during the 1964-65 period, has formatted the play as a series of vignettes, with 21 scenes, carried out by a cast of 14.

Ambitious, yes, and director Ron Himes deftly moves along characters and action, focusing on the urgency.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

This true story has a lot of moving parts to convey onstage, establishing characters who figure prominently in the tumultuous days highlighted. Scenes are mostly divided between Selma, Atlanta (King’s residence), Brown Chapel and Washington D.C., where Dunsi Dai’s evocative scenic design includes the Oval Office as a focal point, and Meg Brinkley’s prop design conveys.

Because of the nature of a stage play, the action offstage is chronicled through news clippings and video reports, which projections designer Zach Cohn has astutely put together.

The play is dense at first, takes a while to gain momentum, but when it does, it’s riveting and empowering.

Those unfamiliar with this period may need a primer to know who the key players are. People alive then or who remember it from the history books may recall who Alabama Gov. George Wallace and Dallas County Sheriff Jim Clark are, both masterfully played as hot-headed intolerant bigots by Eric Dean White.

The segregationists were firmly entrenched in the power grid during the Jim Crow era, and the selective timeline deepens the storytelling,

Making an impression as racist Al Lingo of the Alabama Highway Patrol and heroic activists Jimmie Lee Jackson and Annie Lee Cooper are Jeff Cummings, Jason Little and Tamara Thomas, who also play another role each.

Little and Thomas are strong in their characterizations of ordinary citizens who represent how despicably treated minorities were – and you’ll remember those names.

Isaiah Di Lorenzo smoothly plays a cruel county courthouse registrar and a redneck state trooper in addition to presidential speech writer Richard N. Goodwin. Thomas Patrick Riley tackles three unflattering roles – the ignorant courthouse worker Leverne, and an unenlightened deputy and state trooper. Tammie Holland is posh as King’s fling Della.

Other dedicated performers resemble the real people of King’s inner circle so we don’t forget their contributions:  Greg Carr Sr. as Ralph Abernathy, Olajuwon Davis as James Foreman, Greg Carr II as (future Congressman) John Lewis, Joel Antony as Hosiah Williams and Little doubling as Andrew Young (future Congressman, US Ambassador to the United Nations and Atlanta mayor).

These characters earned a place in history but perhaps are unknown to subsequent generations. (And if history is being rewritten in certain school districts…I digress).

Evann DeBose

For the play version, Webb laudably expanded the role of Coretta Scott King, and Evann DeBose is radiant –and assertive — as a woman working alongside her famous husband on the same goals, a strong force who won’t be diminished or treated callously.

Musically inclined, Coretta is shown singing and playing the piano (kudos to pianist Antonio Foster). DeBose’s soulful and heartfelt renditions of songs associated with the movement — Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come” from 1964 and “Keep Your Eyes on the Prize,” a folk song referencing Biblical passages, also known as “Hold On,” popularized in 1963, remain indelible. The rallying anthem “We Shall Overcome” had to be prominently featured and it is.

One of the highlights of this production is sound designer Lamar Harris’ original music score. His compositions vividly capture the moods and punctuate the action in a notable way.

Some of the horrifying attacks are choreographed movements to represent the explosive violence and shrouded in blue lighting by expert designer Sean M. Savoie. Annie Lee Cooper’s front-page-news punch to the sheriff is well-staged for optimum effect.

Costume designer Marc W. Vital II has put together appropriate vintage looks for the women and standard business attire for the men. Special recognition goes to stage manager Tracy D. Holliway Wiggins and assistant Alan Phillips for maintaining the flow of all the comings and goings, no easy feat.

It’s important to keep this story at the forefront today because of its relevancy to equal rights.

The shock of brutal attacks with prejudice and without accountability reminds us that we are again living in tense times and protections are not absolute. As far as we have come in 59 years, scary to even think suppression is happening again.

It’s difficult to wrap one’s head around that more than 60 years ago, people died for the right to vote, and as I write this, voting rights are being threatened. However, a movement is underway supporting the Freedom to Vote Act of 2021 and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2023, which would modernize and revitalize the 1965 Voting Rights Act, strengthening legal protections against discriminatory voting policies and practices. Maybe “Hold On!” will be a timely nudge in the right direction.

“Hold On!” is a fine example of people keeping their eye on the prize, illustrating how many marched away from the darkness and into the light because of King’s special skills, and those he passed the torch to during his lifetime and beyond. It’s a refresher course on Selma not being a bridge too far.

Facin’ the league of justice, his power was the people
Enemy is lethal, a king became regal
Saw the face of Jim Crow under a bald eagle
The biggest weapon is to stay peaceful
We sing, our music is the cuts that we bleed through
Somewhere in the dream we had an epiphany
Now we right the wrongs in history
No one can win the war individually
It takes the wisdom of the elders and young people’s energy
One day when the glory comes

–“Glory”

The Black Rep presents the world premiere of “Hold On!” Jan. 10-Jan. 28 with performances Wednesday-Thursday at 7 p.m., Friday-Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. Performances take place Jan. 10-28. Tickets are $50, or $45 for seniors and $20 for students (17+), with student rush tickets $15. No one aged 5 and under is admitted. Season 47 subscriptions are available. Tickets can be purchased at the Edison Theatre box office; the Black Rep’s box office, 813 N. Skinker Blvd.; or by calling 314-534-3810. For more information, visit: www.theblackrep.org

Cinema St. Louis is pleased to partner with the St. Louis Black Repertory Company for a special screening of the film, “Selma,” on Saturday, Jan. 20, at the Hi-Pointe Theatre at 1 pm. General Admission Tickets are $10, and a discounted ticket of $8 is available for current students and senior citizens aged 55+.” Visit site for tickets: https://www.cinemastlouis.org/selma-screening-black-rep

‘Hamilton’ Returning to the Fox This Summer

‘Hamilton’ Returning to the Fox This Summer

The national tour of the Broadway musical HAMILTON will return to the Fabulous Fox Theatre as part of the 2024-2025 Broadway season, as announced Jan. 11 in celebration of Alexander Hamilton’s birthday by producer Jeffrey Seller and the Fabulous Fox Theatre.

The best way to guarantee tickets to HAMILTON is to purchase a season subscription for the Fabulous Fox Theatre’s 2024-2025 Broadway season. Season ticket holders who renew their subscription for the 2024-2025 season will get priority access to purchase tickets for the return engagement of HAMILTON before tickets become available to the general public. The 2024-2025 Broadway season will be announced at a later date.

HAMILTON will be playing the Fabulous Fox Theatre for two weeks only August 28 – September 8, 2024. Information on how to purchase groups and single tickets will be announced at a later time. 

A revolutionary story of passion, unstoppable ambition, and the dawn of a new nation. HAMILTON is the epic saga that follows the rise of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton as he fights for honor, love, and a legacy that would shape the course of a nation.

Based on Ron Chernow’s acclaimed biography and set to a score that blends hip-hop, jazz, R&B, and Broadway, HAMILTON has had a profound impact on culture, politics, and education. In addition to its 11 Tony Awards, it has won Grammy®, Olivier Awards, the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and an unprecedented special citation from the Kennedy Center Honors.

HAMILTON features book, music, and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda, direction by Thomas Kail, choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler, and musical supervision and orchestrations by Alex Lacamoire.

HAMILTON features scenic design by David Korins, costume design by Paul Tazewell, lighting design by Howell Binkley, sound design by Nevin Steinberg, hair and wig design by Charles G. LaPointe, and casting by Telsey + Company, Bethany Knox, CSA.

The musical is produced by Jeffrey Seller, Sander Jacobs, Jill Furman and The Public Theater.

The HAMILTON Original Broadway Cast Recording is available everywhere nationwide. 

For information on HAMILTON, visit: HamiltonMusical.com. Follow HAMILTON on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X & TikTok @HamiltonMusical.

Lynn’s Best Films of 2023

Lynn’s Best Films of 2023

By Lynn Venhaus

I admit it. I was skeptical of the whole ‘Barbenheimer” match-up that same week in July. But you know what? It worked — the two biggest movies of the year, and two of the most critically acclaimed. They couldn’t have been more different, and they dominated the film conversation.
They’re my one-two punch. Eight of my Top Ten received Academy Award nominations for Best Picture.
I was not on the bandwagon for “Poor Things,” or “Killers of the Flower Moon” (but yet I acknowledge the technical prowess, and Lily Gladstone was robbed).
As part of the team at Webster-Kirkwood Times, we publish our Top Ten in alphabetical order, then on KTRS Radio, I only did my Top Ten, but here, I get to give as many films and people I want to a trophy, a shout-out. It’s my list, so without further ado, here’s my favorites. (And I really did see about 150 films.)

1. Oppenheimer

Director Christopher Nolan’s erudite character study on American theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer is a stunning achievement in sight, sound, story, and scope. A big-brained biopic, meticulously crafted like a big-stakes psychological thriller, is bold cinematic grandeur, featuring the year’s best ensemble, cinematography, editing, sound, and tremendous performance by Cillian Murphy in the titular role. He’s nearly on screen the entire time.

2. Barbie

Director and co-writer Greta Gerwig crafted an irresistible female-fantastic self-aware fantasy-comedy that brims with great gags, first-rate actors (Kenergy!), and vibrant visuals. Gerwig and co-writer Noah Baumbach’s toy story takes a closer look at a fashion doll icon in a clever and inventive way, and says so much about us through a splendid cast. Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling anchor one of the year’s best ensembles: America Ferrera , Kate McKinnon and Michael Cera add flavor, and the bevy of cameos evoke big grins.

3. The Holdovers

Tapping into the anger and loneliness of people who find themselves alone at a New England boarding school during Christmas 1970, director Alexander Payne coaxes terrific performances from Paul Giamatti as a misanthrope teacher, Da’Vine Joy Randolph as a grieving cook, and newcomer Dominic Sessa as a student abandoned by his mother and new husband. Screenwriter David Hemingson’s comedy-drama resonates in a rich and deeply satisfying way. 

4. Past Lives

A trio of pitch-perfect performances mark Celine Song’s directorial debut on how people we love shape our lives, and what we learn and still carry with us. Greta Lee, Teo Yoo and John Magaro are adults at a crossroads, and express yearning, but from distinctive viewpoints. Song’s script brings up relatable issues to ponder, especially “In-Yun,” the ties of fate that connect two people across lifetimes.

5. Anatomy of a Fall

Justine Triet’s Hitchcockian examination of a mysterious death and a troubled marriage is a riveting crime case, courtroom thriller and family drama that shifts lenses and perspectives for nearly 2 hours and 31 minutes. Set in the French Alps, Sandra Huller is riveting as the accused wife, whom you are not always sympathetic with, and Milo Machado-Graner is sensational as her 11-year old son.

6. The Zone of Interest

Constructed in such a way as to be more disturbing about what you don’t see and can only imagine based on historical accuracy. Director Jonathan Glazer focuses on the mundane daily life of Nazi mastermind Rudolph Hoess (Christian Freidel) and his family for an unsettling look at the past and a chilling cautionary tale for today. The Hoesses live next door to Auschwitz in their dream home while he is the head commander of the concentration camp. How the Germans normalized the atrocities is haunting.

7. Maestro

Career-best performances from Bradley Cooper as America’s first superstar conductor Leonard Bernstein and Carey Mulligan as his wife, actress Felicia Montealegre, in an intricate portrait of life, art and love. They throw themselves into these roles with a heartfelt and powerful intensity. It’s an uncommon but charismatic exploration, and this passion project has stunning camera work, costumes, production design, sound, hair/makeup and one of the year’s finest scenes: Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 in the Ely Cathedral. 

8. American Fiction

A scathing social satire about the current cultural obsession about reducing people to stereotypes is manifested in a remarkable directorial debut by Cord Jefferson. Jeffrey Wright is outstanding as a frustrated novelist-professor who uses offensive tropes in a book written with a pen name and that not only gives him the praise that had eluded him but also enlarges the hypocrisy involved. The sharp jabs against the publishing world and Hollywood entertainment that perpetuates tired cliches delivers some knockout punches, but there is a universal family dynamic as a major part of the journey too that emotionally connects.

9. Air

An exceptional all-star ensemble and Alex Convery’s savvy script with a keen sense of time and place makes this a fascinating underdog story. The tightly-constructed film, based on the game-changing story of Nike landing Michael Jordan, gives the real people their due for their efforts in a sturdy crowd-pleaser deftly helmed by Ben Affleck.

10. Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret

In her adaptation of the iconic young adult novel, writer-director Kelly Fremon Craig doesn’t hit a false note. With unforced wit and oodles of charm, this empathetic coming-of-age story resonates with every little detail. Abby Ryder Fortson delivers the year’s best juvenile performance.

The Rest of the Best of 2023:
All of Us Strangers
American Symphony
Boston Strangler
The Color Purple
Dream Scenario
Dumb Money
Godzilla Minus One
Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant
The Iron Claw
John Wick Chapter 4
The Last Repair Shop
May December
A Million Miles Away
Nyad
Origin
Perfect Days
Society of the Snow
Still: A Michael J Fox Movie
The Teachers’ Lounge
Tetris

Best Performances by an Actor

  1. Cillian Murphy “Oppenheimer”
  2. Bradley Cooper “Maestro”
  3. Paul Giamatti “The Holdovers”
  4. Jeffrey Wright “American Fiction”
  5. Colman Domingo “Rustin”
  6. Andrew Scott “All of Us Strangers”
  7. Teo Yoo “Past Lives”
  8. Koji Yakusho “Perfect Days”
  9. Paul Dano “Dumb Money”
  10. Nicolas Cage “Dream Scenario”

(Matt Damon “Air,” Christian Friedel “The Zone of Interest,” Jamie Foxx “The Burial,” Gael Garcia-Bernal in “Cassandro,” and Zac Efron “The Iron Claw” honorable mention)

Best Performances by an Actress

  1. Lily Gladstone – “Killers of the Flower Moon”
  2. Carey Mulligan – “Maestro”
  3. Margot Robbie – “Barbie”
  4. Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor – “Origin”
  5. Sandra Huller – “Anatomy of a Fall”
  6. Greta Lee – “Past Lives”
  7. Natalie Portman – “May December”
  8. Annette Bening – “Nyad”
  9. Leonie Benesch “The Teachers’ Lounge”
  10. Teyana Taylor “A Thousand and One”

(Alma Poysti “Fallen Leaves,” Cailee Spaeny “Priscilla,” Michelle Williams “Showing Up,” Laurie Metcalf “Somewhere in Queens” honorable mention)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

  1. Ryan Gosling “Barbie”
  2. Robert Downey Jr. “Oppenheimer”
  3. Charles Melton “May December”
  4. Robert DeNiro “Killers of the Flower Moon”
  5. Dominic Sessa “The Holdovers”
  6. Glenn Howerton “BlackBerry”
  7. Paul Mescal “All of Us Strangers”
  8. Jamie Bell “All of Us Strangers”
  9. Dar Salim “Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant”
  10. John Magaro “Past Lives”

(Sterling K. Brown “American Fiction,” Eddie Marsan “Fair Play,” Jon Bernthal “Origin,” Hugh Grant “Wonka,” Matt Damon “Oppenheimer,” Jacob Elordi “Saltburn” and Sebastian Stan “Dumb Money” honorable mention)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

  1. Da’Vine Joy Randolph “The Holdovers”
  2. Danielle Brooks “The Color Purple”
  3. Jodie Foster “Nyad”
  4. Viola Davis “Air”
  5. Rachel McAdams “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret”
  6. Sandra Huller “The Zone of Interest”
  7. America Ferrara “Barbie”
  8. Emily Blunt “Oppenheimer”
  9. Julianne Moore “May December”
  10. Claire Foy “All of Us Strangers”

(Juliette Binoche “The Taste of Things,” Rosamund Pike “Saltburn,” Erika Alexander “American Fiction,” Cara Jade Myers “Killers of the Flower Moon” honorable mention)

BEST DIRECTOR

  1. Christopher Nolan “Oppenheimer”
  2. Greta Gerwig “Barbie”
  3. Justine Triet “Anatomy of a Fall”
  4. Jonathan Glazer “The Zone of Interest”
  5. Chad Stahelski “John Wick Chapter 4”
  6. Cord Jefferson “American Fiction”
  7. Alexander Payne “The Holdovers”
  8. Celine Song “Past Lives”
  9. Andrew Haigh “All of Us Strangers”
  10. Takashi Yamazaki “Godzilla Minus One”

(J.A. Bayona “Society of the Snow,” Ben Affleck “Air,” Kelly Fremon Craig “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret,” Bradley Cooper “Maestro,” Sean Durkin “The Iron Claw” and Davis Guggenheim “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie”)

ENSEMBLE

  1. Oppenheimer
  2. Barbie
  3. Air
  4. The Holdovers
  5. The Iron Claw
  6. The Color Purple
  7. Rustin
  8. All of Us Strangers
  9. Origin
  10. American Fiction

SCREENPLAY – ORIGINAL

  1. Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach “Barbie”
  2. David Heminson “The Holdovers”
  3. Justine Triet and Arthur Harari “Anatomy of a Fall”
  4. Celine Song “Past Lives”
  5. Alex Convery “Air”
  6. Kristoffer Borgli “Dream Scenario”
  7. Nicole Holofcener “You Hurt My Feelings”
  8. Samy Burch, Alex Mechanik “May December”
  9. İlker Çatak, Johannes Duncker “The Teachers’ Lounge”
  10. Bettina Gilois, Hernán Jiménez, Alejandra Márquez Abella “A Million Miles Away”
  11. Ray Romano, Mark Stegemann “Somewhere in Queens”

SCREENPLAY – ADAPTED

  1. Christopher Nolan “Oppenheimer” (based on the book “American Prometheus” by Kai Bird, Martin J. Sherwin)
  2. Cord Jefferson “American Fiction” (based on the book “Erasure” by Percival Everett
  3. Andrew Haigh “All of Us Strangers” (based on the Taichi Yamada novel)
  4. Jonathan Glazer “The Zone of Interest” (based on the Martin Amis novel)
  5. Kelly Fremon Craig “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” (based on the book by Judy Blume)
  6. “Dumb Money” Rebecca Angelo, Lauren Schuker Blum (based on the book by Ben Mezrich)

CINEMATOGRAPHY

1. Hoyte de Hoytema “Oppenheimer”
2. Rodrigo Prieto “Killers of the Flower Moon”
3. Matthew Libatique “Maestro”
4. Jonathan Ricquebourg “The Taste of Things”
5. Rodrigo Prieto “Barbie”
6. Erik Messerschmidt “The Killer”
7. Claude Mirando “Nyad”
8. Jamie D. Ramsay “All of Us Strangers”
9. Simon Beaufils “Anatomy of a Fall”
10. Dan Laustsen “John Wick Chapter 4”

(Pedro Luque “Society of the Snow.” Haris Zambarloukos “A Haunting in Venice,” Linus Sandgren “Saltburn” honorable mention)

BEST EDITING

  1. Oppenheimer, Jennifer Lame
  2. The Killer, Kirk Baxter
  3. Anatomy of a Fall, Haris Zambarloukos
  4. The Zone of Interest, Paul Watts
  5. John Wick: Chapter 4
  6. Still a Michael J. Fox Movie
  7. Barbie, Nick Houy
  8. American Fiction, Hilda Rasula
  9. The Iron Claw, Matthew Hannam
  10. The Holdovers, Kevin Tent
  11. John Wick Chapter 4, Nathan Orloff
  12. Missing, Austin Keeling, Arielle Zakowski
(L to R) Jake Ryan, Jason Schwartzman and Tom Hanks in director Wes Anderson’s ASTEROID CITY, a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Pop. 87 Productions/Focus Features

PRODUCTION DESIGN

1.Asteroid City, Adam Stockhausen
2. Barbie, Sarah Greenwood
3. Wonka, Nathan Crowley
4. The Holdovers, Ryan Smith
5. Maestro, Kevin Thompson
6. Taste of Things, Toma Baqueni
8. Priscilla, Tamara Deverell
9. Oppenheimer, Ruth De Jong
10. Killers of the Flower Moon, Jack Fisk
(Suzie Davies “Saltburn,” John Paul Kelly “A Haunting in Venice,” Arthur Max “Napoleon,” François Audouy “Air,” Steve Saklad “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” and Shona Heath, James Price “Poor Things”)

COSTUME DESIGN

1. Barbie
2. The Color Purple
3. Maestro
4. Killers of the Flower Moon
5. Priscilla
6. Are You There, God? It’s Me Margaret”
7. Oppenheimer
8. Napoleon

MUSIC SCORE

1. Oppenheimer
2. The Boy and the Heron
3. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Daniel Pemberton
4. The Holdovers
5. American Symphony, Jon Batiste
6. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, John Williams
7. A Haunting in Venice

MUSIC SOUNDTRACK

1. Barbie
2. Air
3. Maestro
4. The Holdovers
5. Flora and Son
6. Dumb Money
7. Wonka

VISUAL EFFECTS

  1. Oppenheimer
    2. Godzilla Minus One
    3. John Wick: Chapter 4
    4. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
    5. Society of the Snow
    6. Wonka
    7. Guardians of the Galaxy

STUNT TEAM

1. John Wick Chapter 4
2. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One
3. The Iron Claw
4. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny   

ANIMATED FEATURE

1.The Boy and the Heron
2. Nimona
3. The Peasants
4. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
5. Robot Dreams
6. Elemental
7. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
8. Ernest and Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia
9. They Shot the Piano Player
10. Leo

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

  1. Still A Michael J. Fox Movie
    2. American Symphony
    3. Beyond Utopia
    4. 20 Days in Mariupol
    5. It Ain’t Over
    6. The Lady Bird Diaries
    7. King Coal
    8. Stamped from the Beginning
    9. Aurora Sunrise
    10. Bad Press

    (The Eternal Memory, Little Richard: I Am Everything, Immediate Family, The Disappearance of Shere Hite, Chasing Chasing Amy, Sly)

COMEDY

1. Barbie
2. Dream Scenario
3. The Holdovers
4. Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret
5. They Cloned Tyrone
6. What’s Love Got to Do With It?
7. Dumb Money
8. You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah
9. Theater Camp
10,. Quiz Lady
10. Shotgun Wedding

ACTION

  1. John Wick Chapter 4
    2. Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning, Part One
    3. Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant
    4. Godzilla Minus One
    5. The Killer
    6. The Equalizer Part 3
    7. Gran Turismo

BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE

1. The Zone of Interest
2. Anatomy of a Fall
3. The Teachers’ Lounge
4. Society of the Snow
5. Perfect Days
6. Afire
7. The Peasants
8. Godzilla Minus One
9. Fallen Leaves
10. The Taste of Things

BEST SCENE

1.America Ferrara’s monologue on the impossible standards set for women in “Barbie”
2. Bernstein Conducting Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 “Resurrection” in the Ely Cathedral in “Maestro”
3. Observers commenting on trio at the bar in “Past Lives”
4. Trinity test in “Oppenheimer”
5. Staircase fight in Paris in “John Wick Chapter 4”
6. Fight replay at the trial in “Anatomy of a Fall”
7. Tilda Swinton restaurant scene in “The Killer”
8. Joe talking to his son on the roof in “May December”
9. Finale in “The Zone of Interest”
10. Matt Damon predicts the future in “Air”

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT

  1. The Last Repair Shop
  2. The ABC’s of Book Banning
  3. Deciding Vote
  4. The Barber of Little Rock 

BEST JUVENILE PERFORMANCES

  1. Dominic Sessa, “The Holdovers”
  2. Abby Ryder Fortson, “Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret”
  3. Milo Machada Graner, “Anatomy of a Fall”
  4. Josiah Cross, “A Thousand and One”
  5. Aaron Kingsley Adetola, “A Thousand and One”
  6. Aven Courtney, “A Thousand and One”
  7. Arianna Greenblatt, “Barbie”
  8. Leo Stettnisch, “Teachers’ Lounge”
  9. Callah Lane, “Wonka”
  10. Oren Kinlan, “Flora and Son”

Sharp Social Satire Lands Knockout Punches in ‘American Fiction’

Sharp Social Satire Lands Knockout Punches in ‘American Fiction’

By Lynn Venhaus

A scathing social satire about the current cultural obsession that reduces people to stereotypes is manifested in “American Fiction,” which is a remarkable directorial debut by Cord Jefferson.

Monk (Jeffrey Wright) is a frustrated novelist who is fed up with people profiting from ‘black’ entertainment that relies on offensive tropes. So, to prove his point, he uses a pen name to write an outlandish ‘black’ book of his own, which propels him to the heart of hypocrisy and the madness he claims to disdain.

Jefferson, who has toiled on some tony television series – “Succession” and “Watchmen” included, has cleverly adapted Percival Everett’s 2001 book “Erasure,” which criticizes the narrow view of black-focused entertainment like Sapphire’s novel “Push,” which was adapted into the film “Precious,” as authentic.

His sharp jabs against the publishing world and Hollywood entertainment that perpetuates tired cliches delivers some knockout punches, but there is a universal family dynamic as a major part of the journey too that emotionally connects.

Jeffrey Wright gives one of his best performances as Thelonius “Monk” Ellison, angry and alienating, who decides to fight back – if you ‘can’t beat them, join them’ – and dumbs down his writing in a book “My Pafology,” as Stagg R Leigh, an ex-con who’s on the run.

That not only gives him the praise that had eluded him but also enlarges the hypocrisy involved. As he tells his publisher, Arthur, nicely played by ace character actor John Ortiz: “The dumber I behave, the richer I get.”

In puncturing the stereotypes through thoughtfully written characters that are part of Monk’s personal orbit, Jefferson gives us a generational story that everyone can relate to because they appear as real people just trying to figure out life.

The supporting cast is exceptionally deep – creating nuanced turns are Sterling K. Brown as Monk’s irresponsible brother Cliff who has now come out as queer, Tracee Ellis Ross as his stressed-out lawyer sister Lisa and Leslie Uggams as their mother Agnes, who is beginning to show signs of dementia.

Tracee Ellis Ross, Leslie Uggams

Lisa has been taking care of their mom, and Monk’s other siblings are harboring resentment about his lack of commitment to his family. Granted, he is in L.A., but now back in Massachusetts, where he’s staying at his childhood home, full of memories and triggers. This is a family of intellectuals whose lives are enriched through art and culture.

Erika Anderson creates another layer as a single woman lawyer romantically interested in Monk, but whose eyes are wide-open to his flaws.

Through his uneasy relationships with his family, we understand that Monk, often self-righteous and condescending, needs to change and could be ripe for a reckoning.

Issa Rae is buzzy author Sintara Golden who pushes all of Monk’s buttons with her critical darling but pandering book, “We’s Lives In Da Ghetto,” that the public has embraced for what they believe is black suffering,

Jefferson’s script is smartly written, but there is a lot to digest over the 2-hour runtime. Besides the blistering social commentary, the family story has multiple layers. This cast really delivers the film’s heart as these imperfect individuals go through changes, not forgetting the past relationships while forging new ones.

In a sweet subplot, the family housekeeper, Lorraine, beautifully played by Myra Lucretia Taylor, reunites with the beach town’s law enforcement officer Maynard (Raymond Anthony Thomas).

Laura Karpman’s jazz-inflected score delicately punctuates the exchanges and confrontations, and the film’s other elements are solid — cinematography by Cristina Dunlap, production design by Jonathan Guggenheim and editing by Hilda Rasula.

The film’s message is not unlike what Spike Lee attempted in 2000 with “Bamboozled,” only instead of television, this is set in academia and book publishing in today’s ‘influencer’ world.

The wrap-up isn’t as satisfying as it should be, but this material is clever and the performances so superbly rendered. “American Fiction” has enough thought-provoking material to keep us mulling over the body of work, and appreciate what it’s trying to say.

F_01952_R Sterling K. Brown stars as Cliff Ellison, Jeffrey Wright as Thelonious “Monk” Ellison and Erika Alexander as Coraline in writer/director Cord Jefferson’s AMERICAN FICTION An Orion Pictures Release Photo credit: Claire Folger © 2023 Orion Releasing LLC. All Rights Reserved.

“American Fiction” is a 2023 social satire written and directed by Cord Jefferson. It stars Jeffrey Wright, Tracee Ellis Ross, Issa Rae, Sterling K. Brown, John Ortiz, Adam Brody, Leslie Uggams, Myra Lucretia Taylor, Raymond Anthony Thomas and Erika Anderson. It is Rated: R for language throughout, some drug use, sexual references, and brief violence. It opened in local theaters Jan. 5 after first debuting at the St. Louis International Film Festival in mid-November. Lynn’s Grade: A-

Powerful ‘The Color Purple’ Soars As Soulful, Spirited Movie Musical

Powerful ‘The Color Purple’ Soars As Soulful, Spirited Movie Musical

By Lynn Venhaus

A strong sense of community, sisterhood and triumph over adversity runs through the big, splashy movie musical adaptation of “The Color Purple.”

What an inspiration Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize winning 1982 novel was 41 years ago, and its historic significance has not diminished. It told Celie’s powerful story through letters to her sister and children, which isn’t the easiest type of source material to adapt for film, nor are the horrors that she has endured. But a different presentation is a new way to see how one woman’s journey to self-realization resonates.

A determined Celie Harris (Fantasia Barrino) faces many hardships in life, but through the years, finds extraordinary strength and hope, and learns self-acceptance.

Purple symbolizes strength, transformation, power, wisdom, bravery, and all meanings can be applied in this version.

Celie’s tough path started in 1909 in rural Georgia. She’s a poor, black 14-year-old girl who has delivered two babies, impregnated by the man she thinks is her father. They are taken away from her. 

Against her will, she has been given to a widower Albert “Mister” Johnson, who emotionally and physically abuses her. She must serve him and his unruly children. As the heartless husband perpetuating a long cycle of suffering, Colman Domingo doesn’t soften the villainous aspects. However, after he is cursed, you do see a gradual change.

Celie’s endurance through deep-rooted cruelty and oppression is heart-tugging, and Barrino depicts her sorrows, love and indomitable spirit with courage and grace. 

Fantasia, an American Idol winner who performed the role for eight months on Broadway, portrays Celie’s faith as unwavering through tough times, and how she relied on her beloved sister Nettie (Halle Bailey) and her church to raise her up. Her kindness will eventually lead to good things.

Things change, through the people she meets, but she also changes people. The nurturing Celie meets the glamorous and sophisticated nightclub chanteuse Shug Avery, and they have a deep bond even though the singer has an ongoing affair with Mister and a marriage to Grady (Jon Batiste). Taraji P. Henson is a flamboyant and fiery Shug, and sashays admirably through “Push the Button,” In a role added for the movie, David Alan Grier plays her father, Rev. Avery.

One of Mister’s grown children, Harpo (Corey Hawkins) , marries Sofia, and Danielle Brooks is marvelous as the strong-willed free spirit, known for her independence and speaking her mind, with her phrase: “Hell, no!” even a song title that’s a showstopper. She cannot be ‘tamed,’ and her outspokenness will bring her harm. Brooks reprises her Broadway role and is the dynamo here.

As the story has evolved from book to movie to musical to movie musical, the familiar main points haven’t changed, although how much time is devoted to turning points has varied. 

For whatever reason a movie that had been smoothly running along feels rushed and haphazard in its last act, because of choppy storytelling and erratic pacing. But overall, director Blitz Bazawule makes the theatrical elements of a stage play cinematic.

Dan Lausten’s cinematography, Paul Denham Austerberry’s production design and Francine Jamison-Tanchuck’s costumes — 40 years of style — are vibrant components of the ultimately uplifting and very spiritual essence of this work.

The dynamic ensemble deeply feels their experiences, but the film finds its emotional center in the musical numbers. The score is an appealing mix of gospel, jazz, ragtime, blues, and African beats, with the Broadway songs by Brenda Russell, the late Allee Willis, and Stephen Bray that bring out the purpose, yearnings and period of these early 20th century lives. Sixteen songs are from the stage musical and there are several new ones: “Keep It Movin'” (written by Halle Bailey) and “Superpower.”

Mega-talented Kris Bowers composed the film’s score, and Fatima Robinson’s choreography is joyous.

Steven Spielberg directed the first adaptation – a moving 1985 film, which famously was nominated for 11 Oscars, but didn’t win any. Spielberg is among the producers of this version, so is Quincy Jones, who scored the original, and so is Oprah Winfrey, who was Oscar-nominated as Sofia.

Jones and Winfrey helped launch the 2005 musical on Broadway, which was revived in 2015, and this is a combination of the two. While this version, adapted by Marcus Gardley from Marsha Norman’s book, doesn’t shy away from Celie’s harsh life, its sisterhood focus sweetens the story. 

Over the course of several decades, what the women learn, how they grow and overcome obstacles will tug at our hearts, so that the mercy shown in the second act leads to triumph– and somewhat of a redemption for Mister.

The heart and soul of any version is Celie, and it’s no fluke that both actresses who played Celie on Broadway — LaChanze in the original 2005 production and Cynthia Erivo in the 2015 revival — won Tony Awards (Director John Doyle’s re-imagining also won the Tony Award for Best Revival). When Fantasia sings the powerhouse “I’m Here,” she puts an exclamation point on a sensational debut.

Yes, it’s gut-wrenching, but it’s also about healing, resilience, and the mighty power of love. Throughout our history, we have learned that we should never forget what’s happened before, those teachable moments that make us better people.

The ensemble is top-tier in every way. Singers Ciara and H.E.R. are elder Nettie and Squeak respectively, and Louis Gossett Jr. has a memorable turn as Ol’ Mister. Even the brief parts contribute a sense of faith, hope and charity that church communities share.

If you believe, as I do, that if you spread light and love in the world, and are a good person, then the universe responds in kind. That is ultimately why Celie’s story is relatable. She never gave up her belief in goodness, and finally realized her worth as a human being.

While musicals are a hard sell as movies these days, “The Color Purple” has enduring appeal for what it says and what it means. The cast makes this version shine, for they bring emotional truth to each role.

“The Color Purple” is a 2023 musical directed by Blitz Bazawule and starring Fantasia Barrino, Colman Domingo, Danielle Brooks, Corey Hawkins, Taraji P. Henson, Halle Bailey, Ciara, Jon Batiste, Gabriella Wilson (H.E.R.), Louis Gossett Jr., David Alan Grier. It is rated PG-13 for mature thematic content, sexual content, violence and language, and runs 2 hours, 20 minutes. It opens in theaters Dec. 25. Lynn’s grade: B+

Remarkable True Story ‘The Boys in the Boat’ Lacks Punch with Generic, Predictable Storytelling

Remarkable True Story ‘The Boys in the Boat’ Lacks Punch with Generic, Predictable Storytelling

By Lynn Venhaus

While it has all the makings of an old-fashioned feel-good sports drama, perhaps we’ve seen too many rousing underdog team stories so that “The Boys in the Boat” pales in comparison to other revered crowd-pleasers (“Rudy,” “Hoosiers,” “Remember the Titans”).

This latest example of scrappy athletes overcoming obstacles is based on a bestselling nonfiction book by Daniel James Brown, “The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics,” which was published in 2013.

At the height of the Great Depression, an underdog team of rowers at the University of Washington struggle and sacrifice, eventually competing in the ”world is watching’ Hitler Summer Olympics.

Their true story is remarkable – eight guys from lower-middle-class families overcome obstacles, endure the uncertainty of the Great Depression, and find glory at the Nazi Olympics, triumphing while Hitler’s Third-Reich propaganda was in full force.

But the script by Mark L. Smith, adapting Brown’s book, hits the predictable beats in such an uninspired way that it feels generic. Smith must be a streaky writer, for he crafted the wilderness epic “The Revenant” but also the confusing and clumsy storytelling in “The Midnight Sky” and the forgettable “The Marsh King’s Daughter” earlier this fall.

This is the second time Smith has worked with Clooney as a director, first with the aforementioned “The Midnight Sky” in 2020.

This is Clooney’s ninth film in the director’s chair, and while I’m sure the movie has enough components to move some people, it seems too familiar and flat. There is little that is special about it.

His last, in 2021, “The Tender Bar,” was a heartfelt coming-of-age story also based on a book. He showed such great promise with “Good Night, and Good Luck” in 2005 and “The Ides of March” in 2011, that you’d think a story tailor-made for Hollywood treatment would be a perfect fit.

He does work well with young actors, but the script lets them down because their characters are largely underdeveloped. The eight-man rowing shell doesn’t have any star power either, and I’m sure that was intentional, to make them a team in every sense of the word.

Callum Turner, as poor boy Joe Rantz, has the most compelling story arc, although predictable. He’s on his own, sleeping in a car, and can’t pay his tuition, so when he finds out rowers are given places to stay and a job, he’s in.

Rantz becomes the de facto leader of the motley crew, and you just know they will beat the odds (besides, you already know the outcome of what happened 87 years ago). The handsome Turner (Theseus Scamander in the “Fantastic Beasts” movie franchise) is likable as Joe, but a subplot with girlfriend Joyce (Hadley Robinson) seems perfunctory.

Joel Edgerton is their coach Al Ulbrickson, a no-nonsense guy who believes in his team but has a gruff manner. He wants them to achieve “swing,” when teammates are in perfect union so that the symmetry feels like poetry.

By the time they are on their improbable trajectory, the film builds up some energy and it’s stirring when they beat Ivy Leaguers for the Olympic spot, and of course, the whole USA vs. Hitler match-up in Germany goes for the obvious.

While often clunky in storytelling, the conventional sports saga has a beautiful look – the sun on the rippling water, young muscular lads exerting themselves in competition, and the imposing Olympic-size landscape. Cinematographer Martin Ruhe, who has worked with Clooney several times (including those Nespresso commercials), captures the action well. And Alexander Desplat’s score swells with emotion at the right times.

A documentary “The Boys of ’36,” is currently streaming on PBS, and was first broadcast on “American Experience” in 2016. It may flesh out some of the story that the fictional account fails to deliver.

A beat-all-the-odds real-life story deserved a better movie than filmmakers put together. They needed more than a rah-rah message of “we’re all in the same boat.” (OK, groan).

“The Boys in the Boat” is a 2023 Biography, Drama, Sports film directed by George Clooney and starring Joel Edgerton, Callum Turner, and Hadley Robinson. It is rated: PG-13 for language and smoking and runtime is 2 hours, 4 minutes. Opens in theaters Dec. 25, and will eventually stream on Amazon Prime. Lynn’s Grade: C

The Rep’s ‘It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play’ Is Big-Hearted Celebration

The Rep’s ‘It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play’ Is Big-Hearted Celebration

By Lynn Venhaus

Overflowing with cheer and kindness, “It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play” is as comforting as a mug of hot cocoa and as heartwarming as the cherished 1946 film.

Festively decorated inside and out for the holidays, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis is the bearer of glad tidings with this crisp and polished production, an announced substitution for the previously scheduled “A Christmas Carol,” which had been presented in 2021 and 2022.

But this was more than a performance – it was a change in direction and a celebration of community. The Rep went public with their financial woes in mid-October, starting a “Rally for the Rep!” campaign to raise $2.5 million by year’s end to continue the 57-year-old regional professional theater in the new year.

A Dec. 17 benefit, an online auction, and other fundraising efforts are being promoted, and this production is the first opportunity for The Rep to welcome patrons back to the Loretto-Hilton Center since the news broke.

They have added some ‘zhuzh’ to the welcoming atmosphere. Company Manager Michael D. Ward donated for the decoration, design and setup of the interior and exterior, and collaborated with the front of house staff to set those charming scenes.

Besides the merry mood, opening night also was a statement. You could feel the goodwill from the audience, and in the lobby afterwards, where trays of chocolate chip cookies were placed, and people snapped photos near the John Goodman cardboard cut-out. Goodman, the world-renowned actor who is a hometown treasure, will headline the Dec. 17 benefit.

Photo by Jon Gitchoff

Everything about this show gleamed – the company of all local performers’ glee was palpable and the nostalgic setting of KSTL’s studio harkened back to the Golden Age of Radio.

This play-within-a-play is a savvy adaptation by Joe Landry, reworking his play that modified the movie that’s now a holiday staple. The twist to the timeless tale is that it’s being performed by characters who work at the radio station.

This version was first produced last year by the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, whose artistic director Rick Dildine was previously affiliated with the St. Louis Shakespeare Festival. And The Rep is producing this show in association with ASF and is made possible in part by the support of The Berges Family Foundation. 

Kate Bergstrom has directed both, displaying a deft touch for staging the action for optimum viewing and maximum ‘feels.’ Stage Managers Emilee Buchheit and Anna Baranski energetically stage-managed the show to keep the 2-hour show running smooth.

The ensemble shines – in individual roles and as a collective in the workplace. Anchoring the show is Michael James Reed, playing actor Jake Laurents, who is also a military officer serving in World War II. He’s a terrific George Bailey, conveying the distress of a man whose faith and hope has been eroded, but also a caring neighbor and friend in his daily interactions.

Melissa Harlow, Michael James Reed. Photo by Jon Gitchoff

Laurents/Reed plays a family man and banker whose life in Bedford Falls is not what he had imagined for himself, but circumstances led to him to bloom where he was planted.

As problems mount up, and he wishes he had never been born, it’s up to his guardian angel, Clarence, to show him what the town would have been like without him — and the many good deeds he has accomplished.

Upon closer observation, the source material is quite dark — a man is desperate, ready to throw in the towel, feeling as if he’s failed. But looking back at the impact his life has made is a beautiful observation about connection. And we can all relate.

For the screenplay, movie director Frank Capra, three-time Oscar winner (“It Happened One Night,” “Mr. Deeds Goes to Town,” and “You Can’t Take It with You”) collaborated with married screenwriting duo Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, Oscar-nominated for “The Thin Man” and “Father of the Bride,” among their filmographies.

Their source was a 1943 short story, “The Greatest Gift,” written by Philip Van Doren Stern, which was inspired by Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.”

Daisy Held as a Sound Engineer. Photo by Jon Gitchoff

The movie, while earning five Oscar nominations in 1947, including Best Picture (lost to “The Best Years of Our Lives”) and another for Capra and James Stewart, was a box office flop and critics were lukewarm. It wasn’t until 1977, when its copyright lapsed and broadcasters were able to show it royalty-free, that it gained a following. Now it’s a perennial.

Today, no matter how many Christmas movies Hallmark churns out, “It’s a Wonderful Life” continues to top lists of favorite holiday movies. The Rep’s production reinforces why everyone loves it. Besides, who doesn’t want to believe in guardian angels?

The talent-rich 10-person ensemble is dialed in, seamlessly working together as radio employees and actors conveying the Bedford Falls denizens. Three are St. Louis Theater Circle winners (Michael James Reed, Eric Dean White and double-winner J Samuel Davis).

It’s fun to experience that part of America’s past, when a physical radio was an essential part of everyday life and the dominant home entertainment during the 1930s and 1940s. You’ve seen these settings in old-time movies and TV, and scenic designer An-Lin Dauber has recreated a vibrant studio where you can see — and hear — the sound engineers make the magic.

Eric Dean White, J Samuel Davis. Photo by Jon Gitchoff

With his mellifluous voice, Eric Dean White strikes a pleasant tone as a seasoned radio announcer. He’s amusing when he delivers commercials for Schnucks, Crown Candy Kitchen, Ted Drewes, and others – delighting the audience.

DeAnte Bryant is a charmer as Harry Heywood, who is humorous, caring and concerned as the lovable Clarence, who has waited 200 years to get his wings. The brilliant local actor J. Samuel Davis is Dr. Richard Ross, doubling roles — compassionate as St. Joseph and conniving as greedy Mr. Potter, the corrupt power-hungry kingpin often stopped in his chicanery by George.

Melissa Harlow is actress Sally Applewhite who plays good-natured Mary, who eventually marries George and raises a family. Carmen Garcia is the sweet Rosa Ramos, who is playing both George’s kind mother and Mary’s busybody mom. Their fashionable frocks are part of Dauber’s vintage costume design, with Jordan Fell associate costume designer.

Smartly dressed in tailored attire as ‘career girls’ are Aria Maholchic who plays spirited actress Lana Sherwood, Jailyn Genese as the efficient Stage Manager and Daisy Held as the Sound Engineer.

The biggest crowd-pleaser was winsome TJ Staten Jr., stealing scenes as Lead Songbird and Sound Engineer. Making his debut at The Rep, the McCluer High School graduate, as Troy Staten, won the 2021 St. Louis Teen Talent Competition sponsored by the Fox Performing Arts Charitable Foundation.  

TJ Staten Jr. Photo by Jon Gitchoff

Lighting designer Christina Watanabe bathed the production in a poignant glow that enhanced the emotional depth, particularly when snowflakes fell. Moving from the cozy studio to the wintry town setting was an impressive transition.

The sound work was particularly noteworthy, because creating the sound effects to go across the airwaves isn’t as easy as it sounds. Special mention to Michael Costagliola as sound/foley designer and Andrew Ronver, the associate sound designer.

Another artisan helping establish the period was wig designer Dennis Milam Bensie.

It wouldn’t be a holiday radio show without singing, and music director Ron McGowan helped make the season bright, leading the ensemble in snappy seasonal favorites. When it was time for “Auld Lang Syne,” the audience joyfully chimed in with the ensemble. (Was anyone else misty-eyed?)

A sincere effort to inspire, touch, and engage, “It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play” was a dandy celebration of what should be important this time of year.

Storytelling is vital to bringing us together, and this opportunity to remind us to believe in our purpose, be mindful of what’s around us, and never lose faith in humanity is evergreen.

It is a wonderful life – and I hope you leave this show with the promise of better days ahead, even if a happy holiday is elusive.

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents “It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play” Dec. 1-23 at the Loretto-Hilton Center, Webster University, 130 Edgar Road, Webster Groves. For tickets or more information, visit www.repstl.org or call the box office at 314-968-4925.
For more information about Phase One of the fundraising campaign, visit www.rallyfortherep.org

Rush Tickets: Available for students, seniors, educators, and theatre professionals by calling  the Box Office at 314-968-4925, 1 – 2 hours prior to curtain time.
Audio-Described Performance: Thursday, December 21 at 7pm – the show will be described for patrons who are blind or have low vision.
ASL Performance: Saturday, December 23 at 2pm –  the show will be signed for the deaf or hard of hearing.
Open-Captioned Performance: Sunday, December 17  at 2pm – an electronic text ticker displays words being spoke or sung onstage

(And if you are hankering to watch the movie, NBC will show it Christmas Eve, the E! Entertainment Channel will show it at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Dec. 20. Bravo will show it at 6:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. on Dec. 15. It is also streaming on Amazon Prime with a subscription.)

Photo by Jon Gitchoff

Take Ten with Actor Gregory Williams Welsch

Take Ten with Actor Gregory Williams Welsch

By Lynn Venhaus

“Christmas with C.S. Lewis” starring St. Louis native Gregory Williams Welsch has been selling out the Westport Playhouse, such is its popularity. A 5 p.m. show on Sunday, Dec. 17, has been added to the run.

Wearing a red sweater and sipping tea, Welsch plays the British author, born as Clive Staples Lewis but known as Jack to his family and friends. Lewis wrote more than 30 books, including “The Screwtape Letters,” “The Narnia Chronicles,” “Surprised by Joy,” and “Prince Caspian.”

Welsch taps into Lewis’ sharp wit and spontaneous humor that made him a revered raconteur and one of the literary giants of the 20th Century.

“It can be very funny, but also sad, too. He talks about the death of his wife,” Welsch said.

This holiday-themed show has its roots in Lewis’ Christianity writings and “An Evening with C.S. Lewis,” which was also written by director-writer-performer David Payne, who originated the role many years ago. Welsch and Payne first got to know each other performing Payne’s show “Lewis and Tolkien.”

As a young adult, Lewis believed the story of Christ’s birth was nothing more than a feel-good myth. That all changed after a particular encounter with his great friend and fellow authors, JRR Tolkien.

Although both men loved mythology in general, Tolkien was convinced that the Jesus myth was the one true one. That was the start of Lewis’ journey from Atheism to Christianity. From that point on, Christmas took on an entirely different meaning.

In this one-man show, we find Lewis at his home near Oxford on Christmas Eve 1962, hosting a group of American writers who are in England for the holiday. They are about to experience an unforgettable assortment of Yuletide recollections that stimulate a whole range of emotions – curiosity, laughter, gladness and even some tears.

Above all, they will discover how that encounter with Tolkien forever changed Lewis’ Christmas celebrations. But also learn about the people and events that shaped his life – including how he came to embrace Christianity and the woman, Joy Davidman, who turned his life upside down. (They were married from 1956 until her death in 1960).

Lewis, born on Nov. 29, 1898, died on Nov. 22, 1963.

In the engaging conversation, you’ll find out why he nearly abandoned the Narnia Chronicles too.

Welsch has also been performing another one-man show, “Churchill” at venues all over the country. He currently resides in Nashville but grew up in Rock Hill. He has fond memories of flipping burgers at Carl’s Drive-In, attending St. Mary Magdalene Grade School in Brentwood, discovering theater at St. Louis University High School. He is grateful to have been taught by Joe Schulte, who directed the shows, and credits the work ethic at a Jesuit institution for helping him prepare for a life in the theater.

He has enjoyed playing Lewis but is willing to switch gears again to reprise the role of Tolkien opposite his friend Payne, who is known for performing Lewis. Stay tuned…

Take Ten Q&A with Gregory Williams Welsch

1. Why did you choose your profession/pursue the arts?

I believe that I was drawn to the arts on a spiritual level, though I might not have known that as a youngster. I have always felt that to create was ‘of the soul’ and that what our capitalistic/materialistic society asks of us and promotes as desirable and laudable is the antithesis of that and is, in the end, empty.

2. How would your friends describe you?

As a true “listener” who cares. And whose advice is worth seeking.

3. How do you like to spend your spare time?

Spending time with friends or simply kicking back and watching a good documentary or playing the guitar and recording.

4. What is your current obsession?

Whatever show I am preparing.

5. What would people be surprised to find out about you?

That I lived for 2½ years in Europe (Vienna) and speak several languages.

6. Can you share one of your most defining moments in life?

Being called to travel to Peru and study with a Shipibo and an Amarya shaman to participate in the Ceremony of the Ayahuasca 8 years ago — long before it became a pop culture trope.

7. Who do you admire most?

Artists, like Bob Dylan, Taylor Swift, Keanu Reeves and others, whose values are steadfast and remain intact even as they deal with the wealth and fame that comes with their success.

8. What is at the top of your bucket list?

To visit the sacred lands that are the Black Hills and other lands here in my own country. I find I know Europe better than the US! Though Barcelona is a city I have missed and visiting Vienna again to reconnect with old friends and see them for what might be the last time is up there too.

9. What is your favorite thing to do in St. Louis?

Hanging with family and old school friends.     

10. What’s next?

Continue to grow as an actor/artist. Recently did my first run of a one-man show, “Churchill” and want continue to grow in that role as well as reprise the role of JRR Tolkien working with British actor and friend, David Payne as CS Lewis in the show about their last meeting, “Lewis and Tolkien.”

More on Gregory Williams Welsch

Age: Old enough to know better

Birthplace: St. Louis

Current location: Nashville, Tenn.

Family: 7th of 9…Sometimes I feel like a Borg!

Education: SLUH, Mizzou, and the streets of any number of cities of the world.

Day job: Actor, Writer, Director

First job: Paper Route in Brentwood

First role: Joseph, in the first grade Christmas play. I killed it, BTW…

Favorite roles/plays: JRR Tolkien, Didi in “Waiting for Godot,” Ben Hubbard in “Little Foxes.”

Dream role/play: Shelly Levine in “Glengarry Glen Ross,” Stage Manager in “Our Town”

Awards/Honors/Achievements: Founding member of Radio Free Nashville, a low-power, non-profit community radio station closing in on its 20th year giving an independent voice to the community.

Favorite quote/words to live by: “In the very end, civilizations perish because they listen to their politicians and not to their poets.” – Jonas Mekas

A song that makes you happy: “Carey” Joni Mitchell with the LA Express.

Emery Entertainment presents Christmas with C.S. Lewis starring Gregory Williams Welsch through Dec. 17. Performances take place at the Westport Playhouse in Westport Plaza. For more information: www.aneveningwithcslewis.com.

Vitriolic ‘Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You’ Still Pushes Buttons

Vitriolic ‘Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You’ Still Pushes Buttons

By Lynn Venhaus

A social satire is not fulfilling its goal if it doesn’t outrage somebody, and “Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All for You” is certainly provocative.

Stray Dog Theatre’s production pushes buttons, even though the show is now 43 years old. Wickedly funny, bold and acrimonious, the company wisely played it straight.

But you won’t find protesters outside Tower Grove Abbey. This time at least. Stray Dog Theatre isn’t a group that shies away from controversial subject matter and has presented bold and unconventional fare before. (For instance, this year alone, Charles Busch’s campy satire “Vampire Lesbians of Sodom” was the June show).

Christopher Durang’s watershed 1979 play takes aim at Roman Catholic dogma, and specifically, a rigid teaching nun for her over-reaching and unchecked abuse of power.

For his absurdist comedy, he mocked the nuns as authority figures. Apparently, he had a lot of anger from being raised Catholic. With identity and sexual disorientation being among his frequent themes, of course he channeled it all in this script.

As a graduate of Our Lady of Peace School in Providence, New Jersey, Durang no doubt stored material as he matriculated there, and went on to Harvard and Yale School of Drama. He also won the Obie Award for Best Playwright in 1980, at age 32, for this work. (Much later, he won a Tony for “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike” in 2012).

“Sister Mary Ignatius” brought him to national prominence and raised the ire of St. Louis Catholics. If you think Billy Joel’s song “Only the Good Die Young” caused a ruckus in the St. Louis Archdiocese in 1977, well they went ballistic when the Theatre Project Company announced they would be presenting the black comedy in 1983. Thirty years ago, the archbishop condemned it, and protests ensued.

But these days, after years of clergy being unfavorably in the spotlight, and nuns as characters in both comedies and dramas, “Sister Mary Ignatius” isn’t the lightning rod it once was. And Catholics have other things more pressing to worry about – although being traumatized by a religious order should remain high on the list.

The one-act starts out with a conventional structure but then meltdowns begin. Sister Mary Ignatius, played with utmost conviction by Sarajane Clark, is still teaching children about the perils of sin and hellfire when several alumni – mostly hot messes — come for a visit. When she finds out how far these members of her flock have strayed from the path of righteousness, well let’s just say there are some shocking consequences.

Tables turn, and it isn’t pretty. Director Gary F. Bell stages it as an absurdist horror film.

Rachel Bailey is the emotionally wounded Diane Symonds, who threatens Sister’s life. Eileen Engel is Philomena, an unwed mother, Stephen Henley is Gary, polite and gay, with Sean Seifert as Aloysius, a troubled alcoholic. They’re all genuine on stage, veterans that they are.

Sister’s obedient little Thomas is played with poise by youngster Tommy Pepper, who misses the violence on stage.

Anyone who went to a parochial school will be reminded of catechism teachings and how rigid certain nuns were.

Sister Mary Ignatius is an extreme example, but there are nuggets of truth in this mischievous manifesto. The sharp satire makes for some uncomfortable and awkward moments, so folks are warned in case there would be triggers.

Stray Dog Theatre presents “Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All for You” for mature audiences Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m. Nov. 30 – Dec. 16. For tickets or for more information, visit www.straydogtheatre.org.

All photos by John Lamb

Take Ten with Rebekah Scallet, Artistic Director of New Jewish Theatre

Take Ten with Rebekah Scallet, Artistic Director of New Jewish Theatre

By Lynn Venhaus

Rebekah Scallet was eager for new horizons when she moved to St. Louis in 2020. However, a public health emergency upended her plans, and while she waited out a global pandemic in her new home, thinking about a future with no live theatre was terrifying. However, turns out that forced time off was a partial silver lining.

“I had left my former full-time position as Artistic Director for the Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre and moved to St. Louis with my family and without a new job to go to. But in a way, this was the best thing possible for me. I was forced to slow down and admit to myself that I was burned out. I needed a reset and time with my family.  And my family needed me for all the virtual school,” she said.

“So, I am grateful for the forced time off, and when the opportunity arose to get back into full time theatre work, I was ready and able to come back with a better perspective on work life balance,” she said.

When named the Artistic Director at the New Jewish Theatre in 2022, she hit the ground running and is now eager to start working on New Jewish Theatre’s 26th year.

Prior to taking over at the J, she worked as a freelance director and teacher, including at the Sargent Conservatory at Webster University where she directed “The Learned Ladies.”

But now, back into full-time theatre work, she is grateful for a fresh perspective. She’s very proud of the efforts that made the 2023 memorable, her first full season, and is gearing up for the 2024 season.

For NJT in 2022, she produced “The Bee Play” after taking the reins previously held by Eddie Coffield. This October, she made her directorial debut at NJT, helming a triumphant “The Immigrant” in October, which had been previously done in 1999 and 2011. Timely, with new insights, the production introduced the story to a new generation.

The final production of 2023, “Into the Woods” has been a passion project, and finally achieving the vision she and director Robert Quinlan had has been a satisfying end to this season.

The show is running from Nov. 30 to Dec. 17, with performances Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 2 and 8 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. Dec. 17 is sold-out. Link for tickets: https://www.showpass.com/into-the-woods-njt/

Scallet brought years of theater experience to NJT through her previous work as the Producing Artistic Director at the Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre, which is a professional equity summer theatre festival part of the University of Central Arkansas. During that time, she produced 32 plays and musicals and directed eight productions.

Scallet worked as the Producing Artistic Director at the University of Central Arkansas, where she also taught two to four courses per year and directed the theatre program every other year for the Department of Film, Theatre and Creative Writing.

She also spent 10 years in Chicago working as a director, dramaturg, artistic administrator and teaching artist.

As a child, she remembers visiting St. Louis and her grandparents many years ago, and saw her grandmother perform in a Yiddish play at the J.

“The J itself has also meant a lot to my family. Though I only moved to the area a couple of years ago, my family has deep St. Louis roots, and I have fond childhood memories of seeing my grandmother perform on stage here. The building and the theatre itself have changed a lot since then, but this is truly a full-circle moment for me, and I am excited to walk in my grandmother’s footsteps as I create and share stories with this community,” she said in the press release announcing her new position.

In St. Louis, Rebekah has become involved in Jewish organizations. She served on the L’Chaim Gala Planning Committee, which is the Women’s Philanthropy Division of the Jewish Federation of St. Louis, and is a member of the National Council for Jewish Women St. Louis. In Arkansas, she was involved with the Jewish Federation of Arkansas where she served as a Board of Trustee from 2012-2018 and served as Chair of the Events Division, including overseeing the 2019 Jewish Food and Cultural Festival.

She and her husband, Joe Stafford, have two sons, ages 8 and 11, and live in Brentwood, Mo.

Scallet, center, directing.

Take Ten Questions and Answers with Rebekah Scallet

1. What is special about your latest project?

“Into the Woods” is a musical that I’ve always loved, and one that I’ve been dying to produce for several years now.  It was in the line-up for my cancelled summer 2020 season with Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre, and I’m so thrilled I get to finally produce now with New Jewish Theatre. And I’m even more thrilled that Robert Quinlan is directing, who had been originally slated to direct my 2020 version. 

2. Why did you choose your profession/pursue the arts?

Is it too cliched to say it chose me?  I have been involved in the theatre since I was little, and a director since before I knew there was such a job.

My mom likes to tell the story of watching me perform in my 4th Grade Thanksgiving play (that I also wrote). In addition to doing my own part, I was also moving the other kids around and making sure they were all standing in the right spot and doing the right thing at the right time.

As I got older and had the opportunity to work on more professional productions, I realized how powerful a tool the arts can be.  In addition to just loving the work, I love the way theatre can unite a community, create empathy, encourage conversation, and open new ideas.   

3. How would your friends describe you?

Warm and outgoing. A good listener. Diplomatic. And they’d probably mention my distinctive laugh. My actors always tell me they know when I’m in the audience because of my laugh. 

4. How do you like to spend your spare time?

What is that, exactly?  I am the mother of two boys aged 8 and 11, so my spare time is mostly spent at soccer games, piano lessons, and PTO meetings. But I also enjoy cooking, reading, and spending time walking outdoors. 

5. What is your current obsession?

I’ve been working my way through reading Tana French’s “Dublin Murder Squad” book series. They are all so good and so well written, plus I love the Irish dialect. It’s even more fun in audio book form.  

6. What would people be surprised to find out about you?

I grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas, and Chelsea Clinton played on my softball team.  

7. Can you share one of your most defining moments in life?

Putting my hand on the Western Wall in Jerusalem when I was 16 years old. Knowing that I was touching stones that had stood in that spot for thousands of years, and that countless other Jews before me had touched those same stones and prayed as I prayed was so visceral and spiritual. I felt connected to my Jewish heritage in a way I never had before. 


8. Who do you admire most?

My father, of blessed memory.  He died young from cancer, when I was only 28, but he absolutely made the most of the years he had.  He was a scientist with a very sharp and curious mind, and he also loved the arts and exposed me and my siblings to every artistic and literary experience possible when we were growing up. He was always true to himself and invested just as much time into his role as father as in his career. I strive to do the same with my family. 

9. What is at the top of your bucket list?

I want to travel to South America – Argentina, Chile, Peru, Ecuador. There is so much rich history and culture in all of these places. I’d love to have the opportunity to explore there. 

10. How were you affected by the pandemic years, and anything you would like to share about what got you through and any lesson learned during the isolation periods? Any reflections on how the arts were affected? And what it means to move forward?

As a theatre artist it was wretched – having to cancel a season of work that so much effort and creative energy had already been put into was awful.  And then to stare into a future with no live theatre until who knows when was terrifying.

As it happened, at the same time, I also left my former full-time position as Artistic Director for the Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre and moved to St. Louis with my family and without a new job to go to. But in a way, this was the best thing possible for me. I was forced to slow down and admit to myself that I was burned out. I needed a reset and time with my family.  And my family needed me for all the virtual school!

So, I am grateful for the forced time off, and when the opportunity arose to get back into full time theatre work, I was ready and able to come back with a better perspective on work life balance.

But I am also dismayed by the way the pandemic has decimated theatre in the U.S. Every day you hear about more theatres being forced to close and audience members not returning.  It’s disheartening, but it’s also an opportunity to look at our art and see how we can maintain our roles as meaningful and vital parts of our communities. The numbers are telling us that we can’t just do what we’ve always done, which means there’s a tremendous opportunity for ingenuity in the industry. 

11. What is your favorite thing to do in St. Louis?

I love to go for walks in Forest Park and wander around through the trails. Especially in summer when there are so many wildflowers in bloom everywhere – it’s magical. 

12. What’s next?

For New Jewish Theatre, we finish our 2023 season with “Into the Woods,” and start 2024 with Arthur Miller’s “All My Sons.”  For me personally, I’m directing “We All Fall Down,” a regional premiere by Lila Rose Kaplan for NJT.  It will open at the end of May.  

Scallet, teaching.

More About Rebekah Faye Scallet

Age: 45

Birthplace: Madison, Wisconsin

Current location: Brentwood, Missouri

Family: Married to Joe Stafford with 2 sons, ages 8 and 11

Education: I have a B.A. in English and American Literature from Brandeis University, and an M.F.A. in Directing from Illinois State University

Day job: Artistic Director for New Jewish Theatre

First job: Babysitting

First play you were involved in or made: But the first play was “The Hobbit” at the Arkansas Children’s Theatre – I was 12 and I ran the sound board. 

Favorite jobs/roles/plays or work in your medium? I have directed Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” three times and worked on six different productions in various capacities. I have loved each one and would direct it again in a heartbeat. It’s an incredible play. 

Dream job/opportunity:  I’d love to direct Tom Stoppard’s new play “Leopoldstadt”– it’s epic and powerful 

Awards/Honors/Achievements: Received the Arkansas Arts Council’s Individual Artist Fellowship for Directing

Favorite quote/words to live by: “All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts”

A song that makes you happy: “The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy)” by Simon & Garfunkel