Go See a Play This Weekend!

Go See a Play This Weekend!

By Lynn VenhausManaging EditorSpring has sprung, with many to-dos on your list. So, what play are you going to see this weekend/week?

From college theater productions to intimate dramas to touring musicals, you have a variety of offerings. Celebrate art in any season! Go See a Play!“Are U R?” Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville April 24-28 Metcalf Theatrewww.siue.edu 618- 650-2774 What It’s About: Based on the 1920 Czech play, “R.U.R.” by Karel Cepak, this original SIUE adaptation is an irreverent and provocative mash-up of humor and horror, philosophy and presents From Metropolis to The Matrix, from Brave New World to Westworld, humans are obsessed with the possibility of intelligent machines and the all the questions that they inspire – What is the mind? What is consciousness? And what will it look like when smart technology turns against its creators? and science/fiction, pop culture and faith that explores the nature of artificial intelligence and human consciousness.

“From Jimmy, to America: An Ode to James Baldwin” University of Missouri at St. Louis April 27 and 28 Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Touhill Performing Arts Center www.touhill.org

What It’s About: Through the words of James Baldwin, this
production explores race, identity, and America. In collaboration with Nu-World
Contemporary Danse Theatre, actors and dancers explore our racial identity
through the works, words, and musicality of James Baldwin.

“Godspell” University Theatre at Saint Louis University April 25-28 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday The Grandel Theatre, 3610 Grandel Square MetroTix: 314-534-1111 Tickets available at the door

What It’s About: This is the 2012 retelling of the Stephen Schwartz musical, which is based on the gospel of St. Matthew, that features new arrangements and contemporary references as it takes us on a rousing journey through the parables of Jesus. Director: Stephanie Tennill

‘The Laramie Project’ at St. Charles Community College“The Laramie Project” St. Charles Community College April 24-28 SCC Center Stage Theatre in the Donald D. Shook Fine Arts Building 4601 Mid Rivers Mall Drive in Cottleville, Mo.www.stchas.edu 636-922-8050

What It’s About: This gripping play concerns Americans’
reaction to the hate-crime murder of a young gay man, Matthew Shepard. In
October of 1998, Shepard was kidnapped, severely beaten, and left to die in
Laramie, Wyoming. Moisés Kaufman and the Tectonic Theater went to Laramie and
conducted more than 200 interviews about the event, from which they wrote this
play.

Director: Samantha Stavely

Cast: David Amrhein, Rachel Bohn, Jim Dishian, Jordan
Dennis, Johnny Dishian, Andrew Edmonston, Dane Harris, Jasminn Jones, Jacob
Krznar, Kat Leffler, Amanda May, Travis McIntyre, Angela McNeil, Mia Millican,
Joshua David Neighbors, Mia Politte, Gabby Rivera, Braden Stille, Graham
Woodward and Peggy Woodward.

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” April 26-28 R-S Theatrics and Three Blind Pigs Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 5 p.m. William Kerr Foundation 21 O’Fallon Street, North St. Louis www.r-stheatrics.com

What It’s About: One of Shakespeare’s most beloved
comedies, you’ll see lovers’ spats, clueless actors, and a fairy queen.

Of Note: Shake38 may be gone, but Blind Pigs’ partnership
with R-S Theatrics lives on

“Miss Saigon” Fox Theatre April 23-May 5 www.fabulousfox.com

What It’s About: National tour of acclaimed revival, from the creators of “Les Miserables.”  Based on the Puccini opera “Madame Butterfly,” this is the story of a young Vietnamese woman named Kim who is orphaned by war and forced to work in a bar run by a notorious character known as the Engineer. There she meets and falls in love with an American G.I. named Chris, but they are torn apart by the fall of Saigon. For 3 years, Kim goes on an epic journey of survival to find her way back to Chris, who has no idea he’s fathered a son. Featuring stunning spectacle and a sensational cast of 42 performing the soaring score, including Broadway hits like “The Heat is On in Saigon,” “The Movie in My Mind,” “Last Night of the World” and “American Dream.”

“Never Let Go: A One-Woman TitanicERA TheatreApril 18-20 at The Monocle, Emerald Room, 8 p.m.April 26-27 at The Improv Shop, 3960 Chouteau, 10 p.m.www.eratheatre.org

What It’s About: Twenty-four years ago, Rose ‘Dawson’ miraculously survived the sinking of the Titanic. But her lover, Jack Dawson, did not, and she is not over it. Despite her grief, she’s pursuing her dream of becoming an Academy Award nominated actress. In this production, Rose pitches the idea of turning her story into a work of theatre, or even a motion picture, to an audience of potential producers and investors. She shifts seamlessly from past and present, often without warning, and artistically, and maybe somewhat insanely, blurs the distinction between reality and imagination. Join us for the maiden voyage of your life and never let go!

Starring: Rachel Tibbetts

Playwrights: Will Bonfiglio and Lucy Cashion

Stage Manager and Dramaturg: Miranda Jagels-Felix

Designers: Morgan Fisher and Bess Moynihan

Eric Dean White and Amy Loui i “Salt, Root and Roe”“Salt, Root and Roe” Upstream Theatre April 26 – May 12 Shows at 8 p.m. except Sundays at 7 p.m. but May 12 at 2 p.m. Kranzberg Arts Centerwww.upstreamtheater.org What It’s About: Tim Price’s play is about the nature of change, the comfort of home and the eternal bond of love, set against the mythical backdrop of the Pembrokeshire coast in western Wales. Identical twins Iola and Anest, who are devoted to age other and aging fast. Anest’s daughter, Menna, rushes to her long-abandoned childhood home where her own ideas of love and compromise are tested to the limit. Director: Kenn McLaughlin Cast: Donna Weinsting, Sally Edmundson, Eric Dean White, Amy Loui

Of Note: A U.S. premiere in co-production with Stages Repertory Theatre of Houston. New at Upstream is “Bohemian Thursday” – all tickets $10 May 2 only.

“Spamalot” Clinton County Showcase April 26-28 & May 3-5 Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Avon Theater, 525 N. Second St., Breese, Ill.www.ccshowcase.com What It’s About: Adaptation of classic comedy film, “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” the Tony-Award winning musical retells the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.

“Translations” The Black Mirror Theatre April 25 – May 4 Thursday – Saturday at 7:30 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m. .Zack, 3224 Locust www.blackmirrortheatre.com What It’s About: Brien Friel’s “Translations” is an intimate look into a world at odds with itself. It could have been set in one of any number of eras and lands – anywhere in which an alien force imposes its culture on a conquered people through the suppression of all that which gave and gives that culture cohesion, especially its language. One needs to look no farther than America, where indigenous peoples still struggle to maintain and transmit their values, beliefs, their souls thru their native tongues.

Paul James and Rich Loughbridge. Photo by Lori Biehl“Tuesdays with Morrie” April 24-May 5 Act Two Theatre St. Peters Cultural Arts Centre www.act2theatre.com What It’s About:  The autobiographical story of Mitch Albom, an accomplished journalist driven solely by his career, and Morrie Schwartz, his former college professor. Sixteen years after graduation, Mitch happens to catch Morrie’s appearance on a television news program and learns that his old professor is battling Lou Gehrig’s Disease. Mitch is reunited with Morrie, and what starts as a simple visit turns into a weekly pilgrimage and a last class in the meaning of life.

Director: Nancy Crouse
Cast: Paul James as Morrie Schwartz, Rich Loughridge as Mitch Albom

William Humphrey, William Roth in “True West.” Photo by Patrick Huber.“True West” April 4 – 28 St. Louis Actors’ Studio Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. The Gaslight Theatre, 358 N. Boyle 314-458-2978 www.stlas.org

What It’s About: This American classic by Sam Shepard explores
alternatives that might spring from the demented terrain of the California
landscape. Sons of a desert-dwelling alcoholic and a suburban wanderer clash
over a film script. Austin, the achiever, is working on a script he has sold to
producer Sal Kimmer when Lee, a demented petty thief, drops in. He pitches his
own idea for a movie to Kimmer, who then wants Austin to junk his bleak, modern
love story and write Lee’s trashy Western tale.
Director: William Whitaker
Cast: Isaiah Di Lorenzo, William Humphrey, William Roth, Susan Kopp

Shepard’s Brilliant ‘True West’ Blazes in Gritty St. Louis Actors’ Studio Production

Shepard’s Brilliant ‘True West’ Blazes in Gritty St. Louis Actors’ Studio Production

By Lynn Venhaus Managing Editor Menace is in the air as a tempestuous sibling rivalry escalates in the late great Sam Shepard’s muscular masculine opus, “True West.”

Clearly, their mother did not heed music outlaws Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson’s warning: “Mammas, don’t let your babies grow up to be cowboys.” The two grown-up brothers can’t be fenced in, especially gonzo Lee, and now it appears unlikely that Austin will ride off into the sunset, despite once playing by the rules.

In the intimate space of the Gaslight Theatre, we’re in for
a splendid guns a-blazing exploration of the after-effects of growing up with a
raging alcoholic dad, with dutiful sons sparing over birthrights, and a splash
of the showbiz industry dreams machinery in California.
The impressive St. Louis Actors’ Studio production allows Shepard’s unconventional
genius to shine and vividly brings out the dark absurdist humor. The
centerpiece is Isaiah Di Lorenzo’s brilliant, blistering performance as Lee, a
swaggering beer-swilling slob.

In keeping with STLAS’ season theme, “Blood is Thicker Than
Water,” director William Whitaker heightens the bravado and tightens the
tension, all the better for the outrageous, twisty surprises.

As the black-sheep oddball Lee, Di Lorenzo sets the tone when he shows up at his mother’s neat suburban home where his writer brother is housesitting.  William Humphrey establishes their differences quickly as the tall and tidy Austin. In body language and inflection, both men tell you all you need to know about who they are and their adversarial relationship. One can surmise this isn’t their first rodeo — the brothers have agitated and needled each other their entire lives. Lee circles, like an animal, trying to mark his territory for dominance. Those animal characteristics will become more prominent in the brothers’ face-off.

In the suburban silence of their mother’s kitchen, 40 miles outside Los Angeles, Ivy League graduate Austin attempts to work on his screenplay because he has a development deal with a hot-shot Hollywood producer. His wife and child did not accompany him. Disheveled Lee hasn’t seen him in five years because he’s been living in the desert. Does he want to stir up trouble? After all, he is a cunning thief and loves drama.

William Humphrey, William Roth in “True West.” Photo by Patrick Huber. Producer Saul Kimmel arrives for a meeting, and William Roth embodies those smarmy back-slapping, old-school wheeler-dealers. In an improbable move, he likes Lee’s pitch for a modern western better than Austin’s period-piece love story, and switches allegiance midstream. Whoa! The news turns their worlds upside down. Austin is angry that his ne’er-do-well brother has co-opted his dream. Tables are turned and the gauntlet is thrown. Soon, the brothers are making a pigsty of their mother’s home, destroying any decorum or convention. When Austin steals toasters, toast will be made and offered, a meaningful gesture. Real working toasters are plugged in on the set. Bravo.

As the brothers’ resort to their animal instincts, it’s
certainly not pretty when Mom arrives home from her Alaska trip. She can’t deal
with her trashed house and soon flees. Hmmm…

The unrepentant alcoholic dad lives in the desert. The kids have issues because of the family alcoholism and dysfunction, of course. But mom (Susan Kopp) is ineffectual and somewhat ditzy. Because Shepard’s career was shaped by his alcoholic upbringing, it also frames this work, for there are no happy trails.

Di Lorenzo and Humphrey display all the resentment,
jealousy and one-upmanship that the play calls for, carefully crafting their
individual behaviors. They’re well-rehearsed at getting under the skin of the
other one. 

Shepard wrote “True West” in 1980, when he was a resident
playwright in San Francisco. It was the third in a troubled family tragedy
trilogy, preceded by “Curse of the Starving Class” and “Buried Child.”

While he would go on to a lengthy acclaimed career as both a playwright and an Oscar-nominated actor, Shepard obviously had experience with the whims and phoniness of the screen trade, which he also skewers with glee.

This bold and brisk story has been malleable enough to be
relevant in multiple decades, maintaining its bite nearly 40 years later.

The play gained notoriety in 1982 when then-unknown actors
John Malkovich and Gary Sinise moved their Steppenwolf Theatre Company
production to off-Broadway and it was named a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize
for Drama in 1983. An acclaimed revival on Broadway in 2000 starred John C.
Reilly and Philip Seymour Hoffman, and recently, a limited engagement starred
Ethan Hawke and Paul Dano.

The savagery is real and intense, and scenic designer Patrick
Huber’s well-appointed set is a marvelous playground for the family sparring.

Whitaker has secured a safe space for DiLorenzo to create a
rhythm for the off-the-wall loose cannon, and he is mesmerizing. Humphrey is
steady, on guard for Lee’s ability to suck all the air out of the room. You
feel his frustration.

The unpredictability of Lee is what keeps the audience
engaged. But nobody is safe. Could they be parts of the same person?

Lighting design by Steve Miller accentuates the sunny days
while the outstanding sound design by Whitaker and Jeff Roberts provides the
cacophony of crickets and howls of coyotes.

One of the show’s aural treats is the use of old-timey
country-and-western music to lead in and out of scenes.
This dynamic, rugged production has true grit and an affection for the dueling
brothers, but never gives in to predictability, excelling in its edginess.

St.
Louis Actors’ Studio presents Sam Shepard’s “True West” April 12 to 28 at The
Gaslight Theatre in the Central West End, 358 N. Boyle Ave. Performances are
Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. For tickets or more
information, visit www.stlas.org. Phone is 314-458.2978. The West End
Grill and Pub is now open for dinner, snacks and drinks.