By Lynn Venhaus
Noteworthy for different perspectives and original approaches, a mostly female-forward selection of one-act plays are the highlights of this year’s LaBute New Theater Festival.

Another interesting development is a noticeable female and non-binary presenting team on stage and behind the scenes crew that offer crisp performances and assured contributions. And that’s no dig to the men’s expertise. It’s refreshing to see uncommon fresh voices involved.

The festival, now in its 11th year, and established in 2013, is a unique collaboration between St. Louis Actors’ Studio and Neil LaBute, the renowned playwright, screenwriter, and director of theater and film.

This innovative endeavor introduces and supports new work from across the country. LaBute not only lends his name, but he is part of a 10-member panel that selects the plays from hundreds of submissions, often emerging professional playwrights, and from a vast swath of locations.

This year’s most outstanding work is a gripping sci-fi horror thriller in the vein of the best “Twilight Zone” anthologies called “TEOTWAWKI.”

More than an acronym used by R.E.M. in a song about “The End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine),” this panicky doomsday piece written by two-time finalist Aleks Merilo of Palo Alto, Calif., has taut, carefully crafted layers that have a palpable urgency.

 Deftly directed by Bryn McLaughlin, she effectively builds suspense in a haunting and satisfying way. Sarah Wilkinson is pitch perfect as the spunky, scared, sweet young woman trying to find someone still alive. Every day, she talks on a ham radio, desperately trying to locate fellow survivors.

The likable Wilkinson, a St. Louis Theater Circle Award winner who continues to show her versatility on stage – in primarily musicals and comedies, now adds chilling drama to her growing list of credits.

This terrifying snapshot of a catastrophic event that has led to the collapse of modern society lingers, and Wilkinson is a standout in the introductory piece, and in two others.

Four of the one-acts that follow are uniformly solid, a potent mix of edgy whip-smart farce, audacious parody of corporate greed, cynical tone-deaf privilege on display during daily commutes to work, and a modern poignant reflection on human chemistry and connection.

The one that didn’t quite land in the way it was intended was a rather whiny two-hander, “Poor Me,” by Tracy Carns of New York, who pitted former roommates and supposed friends in the awkward position of one having to tell the other to vacate a residence.

Despite savvy performances from Claire Coffey as defiant Cleo and affable Xander Huber as a nervous, reluctant Tad, the play focuses on a self-absorbed laid-off marketer who is squatting in an apartment building owned by Tad’s father.

She used to live there with Tad and his girlfriend, her friend, but now they are expecting a baby and have since moved away. Cleo’s still there, despite nudges and pleadings, the apartment building is going to be renovated, and they need her to find another place.

She is adamant about staying. Refusing the ultimatum, it’s a frustrating standoff where you have little sympathy for either party, even with Huber’s hangdog expression, especially after revelation of some ugly truths. However, the ending, which appears tacked on, is a head-scratcher.

Coffey, effortlessly poised, excels in three other works – “Hungry Women,” “Carpool” and “Scenes from a Bookstore,” as do the other shrewd performers.

Reagan Posey-Mank, MacLean Banner and Claire Coffey in “Hungry Women.” Photo by Patrick Huber

A cross between “The Gilded Age” and “Yellowjackets,” “Hungry Women” is an unusual satirical look at widows contending with being on their own and going through a famine. Four women, all in well-to-do finery, meet for lunch, and reveal the horrors that have upended their lives.

While explanations aren’t that much a part of Melissa Maney’s witty flip of gender expectations and feminism enlightenment, the quartet of amenable actresses are primed to be brave and fervent.

Maney, of Hillsborough, N.J., gives the actresses meaty roles to have fun with, and Wilkinson again confidently shines in the part of Vic, requiring moxie and swagger — big determined energy.

MacLean Banner and Reagan Posey-Mank are newcomers to the Gaslight Theatre, and as Mary and Eden, project congeniality with Wilkinson and Coffey as Ruth (also newbies) in their dressy layers and coiffed hairstyles. Special mention to costume and wig designer Abby Pastorello for the period pieces.

Sarah Wilkinson as Vic with Blanner, Posey-Mank and Coffey. Photo by Patrick Huber.

The mannered housewives have fun feigning shock at some morally outrageous developments and make their transformations believable.

Director Avery Harrison leaned into the pearl-clutching humor, and the performers boldly followed suit.

Banner, a formidable presence as Disney princesses in big splashy musicals and an insightful director of youth group summer productions, flexes different instruments in her toolbox in three of the one-acts.

Taylor Crandall and MacLean Blanner in “Scenes from a Bookstore.” Photo by Patrick Huber.

She is most impressive as a young wife and mother in Neil LaBute’s “Scenes from a Bookstore.” She and Tyler Crandall have convincing chemistry as two people who may share a history and unexpectedly reconnect in a Hudson Valley bookstore.

LaBute has slyly built a ‘will they or won’t they’ dynamic as the two keep running into each other, some obviously planned encounters. She has taken a part-time job there as the play unfolds.

The charismatic Crandall and naturally appealing Banner offer nuanced portraits of these two, coyly named “Him” and “Her.” Coffey, who easily fits into an elegant female role, plays ‘the’ wife, “She,” who drops into the business. Think of it as a relationship lens in the manner of Ingmar Bergman’s intimate “Scenes from a Marriage,” with much implied and less spoken aloud.

McLaughlin directed this layered work without ever tipping the scales. It may be a conversation-sparker afterwards, as it’s the last piece in this thought-provoking line-up. LaBute contributes a one-act every year.

The play also has precise technical cues too, and production manager Kristi Gunther, set and lighting designer Patrick Huber, and props designer Emma Glose seamlessly communicated the times and dates as the story progressed.

A laugh-out-loud audacious work is “A Modest Proposal” by David MacGregor of Howell, Mich. Smoothly helmed by Harrison in a nondescript office, MacGregor humorously ratchets up the out-of-control disparity between the haves and the have-nots.

A feisty self-assured consultant, played with relish by Wilkinson, proposes something so absurd as a solution to their bottom-line profitability that the egomaniac bosses, Crandall as an arrogant CEO and Posey-Mank as a condescending CFO, are seriously considering it.

Under Harrison’s distinctive direction, Wilkinson is smooth and silky as the persuasive salesman whose far-fetched plan is guaranteed to push buttons.

Claire Coffey, Xander Huber and MacLean Banner in “Carpool.” Photo by Patrick Huber.

Dave Carley’s script for “Carpool” is subtle, taking a familiar routine and enlivening it with co-worker interactions. Banner is the driver, known as A, Coffey is riding shotgun, known as B, and Huber is a mostly silent uncomfortable intern whose expressions speak volumes.

Then, Carley, from Ontario, Canada, adds some quirky twists, and director Harrison shapes it to be an amusing, off-beat piece.

A benchmark of this year’s festival is the quality of the performers and the writing, and these artists adroitly worked together.

Stage manager Amy J. Paige and her assistant Jayla Pruitt efficiently move things along, and the team pitches in for quick, minimal set changes, usually with splendid needle drops.

In the always intriguing festival’s annual execution, the contemporary pieces are stimulating, with authentic characters created by writers who have something to say, engagingly acted and modestly presented in The Gaslight Theatre’s intimate black box. This year’s offerings demand attention.

St. Louis Actors’ Studio presents the 11th annual LaBute New Theater Festival July 11 to 27, with performances at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and at 3 p.m. on Sundays at The Gaslight Theater on North Boyle in the Central West End. General admission tickets are available via Ticketmaster or at the theater box office one hour before show time. For more information, visit www.stlas.org.

Tyler Crandall, Xander Huber, Sarah Wilkinson and Reagan Posey-Mank pose with playwright Aleks Merilo (center) at LaBute Festival. Photo by Patrick Huber.


By CB Adams
It must have been a challenge trying to fill the Stifel Theater on April 5 for a program with the St. Louis Symphony and guest conductor Ward Stare playing backup band to The Music of R.E.M. Die-hard symphony goers might have resisted a hybrid program of orchestral interpretations of R.E.M. songs and the “Concerto for Violin, Rock Band and String Orchestra” by the band’s bassist, Mike Mills.

The program might have been overshadowed by the reputation of R.E.M., one of the most influential rock bands from the early 1980s to the early aughts, known for their melodic-yet-enigmatic sound, poetic lyrics and the distinctive vocals of frontman Michael Stipe.

On the other side of the spectrum die-hard R.E.M. fans who want nothing less than the band to reunite (good luck with that), might have resisted the program for softening and diluting R.E.M.’s potent oeuvre. Despite the challenges of such perceptions or expectations, St. Louisans delivered a respectable showing while the symphony Mills delivered a satisfying experience that beautifully integrated rock elements into classical structures.

The first half of the performance were two sets of “Orchestral Reconstructions” of R.E.M. songs by composers Carl Marsh and David Mallamud. It is these two composers who deserve the kudos for this portion of the program – come for the R.E.M., stay for Marsh, Mallamud and the SLSO.

Emphasizing a desire for originality, Mills expressed his preference for orchestral pieces that incorporated R.E.M. melodies in innovative ways rather than relying on conventional symphonic embellishments. And that’s exactly what was most interesting and intriguing about these works.

Other than the occasional recognizable phrase, they weren’t really recognizable as R.E.M. songs. Even if you knew nothing of R.E.M., these reconstructions stand alone as enjoyable experiences. For instance, you wouldn’t miss Stipe’s plaintive howl in “Cuyahoga” even if you knew the song – that’s how differently distinctive Marsh’s interpretation is.

Mills and McDuffie in concert with Winston-Salem Orchestra. J Farley Photography.

Several years ago, Mills approached Marsh with a commission, inviting him to “deconstruct” several R.E.M. songs (a mix of hits and personal favorites) and create new orchestral compositions from their elements. Marsh is known for his eclectic blend of classical orchestration and contemporary electronic elements, crafting immersive soundscapes that traverse genres with depth and innovation.

Mills tasked Marsh deconstructing five R.E.M. songs: “Pilgrimage” from Murmur (1983), “Cuyahoga” from Life;s Rich Pageant (1986), “Near Wild Heaven” from Out of Time (1991), and “Try Not To Breathe” and “Everybody Hurts” from Automatic for the People (1992). Marsh’s approach to “Everybody Hurts,” R.E.M.’s iconic song, involved exploring variations of the dominant piano line’s triplet patterns.

To complement Marsh’s contributions, Mills enlisted David Mallamud, a renowned composer and arranger, to deconstruct another set of R.E.M. songs. Mallamud’s selections included “Fall on Me” from Life’s Rich Pageant (1986), “It’s the End of the World as We Know It (and I Feel Fine)” and “The One I Love” from Document (1987), “Find the River” and “Man on the Moon” from Automatic for the People
(1992), and “Supernatural Superserious” from Accelerate (2008).

Mallamud’s approach differed from Marsh’s, resulting in a single long suite composed of his six deconstructed pieces that began that flowed from the Intro and Bargaining through Denial, Anger, Depression and Acceptance. All interpretations were strong, but the last song, a jaunty “It’s The End of the World As We Know It” was the clear crowd-pleaser.

The second half of the performance featured Mill’s own “Concerto for Violin, Rock Band, and Orchestra,” which is a hybrid of a song suite and a true concerto. The piece is a collaboration between Mills and lifelong friend and violin virtuoso Robert McDuffie, who is known for his appearances with prestigious ensembles like the New York and London Philharmonic Orchestras.

Debuting in 2016, the concerto has been performed a dozen times and explores a unique fusion of rock and classical elements. Unlike previous attempts at blending these genres, the concerto stands out for its focus on melody, effectively marrying the raw energy of rock with the sophistication of a string ensemble.

Divided into six sections, the concerto resembles more of a diverse suite than a cohesive violin-centric composition. Notably, the orchestration and additional music contributions from David Mallamud underscore the collaborative nature of the piece. As you might expect, the rock influence predominated during this performance, with Mills assuming his role on bass alongside McDuffie, William Tonks on guitar and Gerry Hansen on drums.

Unlike previous attempts at blending these genres, the concerto stands out for its focus on melody, effectively marrying the raw energy of rock with the sophistication of a string ensemble. This was most evident in “Stardancer’s Waltz,” during which McDuffie fully explored a variety of riffs that could make the tune an enduring standard.

Mills in concert at another hall with this touring show.

He showcased remarkable confidence and strength in his rendition of melody lines and demonstrated mastery in precision, fluidity and speed. He also displayed skills that would challenge even the most adept electric guitarists, which contributed immensely to the success of this hybrid concerto.

Another crowd-pleaser was “A Little Nightswimming,” a poignant, piano-driven track from R.E.M.’s acclaimed 1992 album, Automatic For The People – and a personal favorite. “Nightswimming,” is one of the best songwriting achievements that Mills made with R.E.M. and the concerto’s version was a beautiful, graceful duet between Mills and McDuffie.

For those who took a chance on the SLSO’s R.E.M. performance (let’s call ourselves shiny, happy people), the experience demonstrated that the mutability of music is a big tent that can accommodate hybridizations among genres. After all, classical composers from Bartók and Dvořák to Copland and Williams have drawn folk songs and popular music, infusing classical compositions with the rich cultural
tapestry of their respective regions. And you can add Mills to that list.