Runs through March 12

Nikolai Gogol’s The Diary of a Madman gets star-voltage with Australian-born actor Geoffrey Rush as the civil servant turned madman. The Brooklyn Academy of Music (yes, that miracle on Fulton Street!) is presenting this dark comedy through March 12th at the Harvey Theater. An adaptation of Gogol’s short story, this show might be a whiff too long in Act 2. But Rush’s virtuoso performance will keep your eyes riveted to the stage until the curtain call.

The plot of The Diary of a Madman centers on a civil servant who loses his grip on reality, and descends into madness. Set in St. Petersburg during the first half of the 19th century, Rush’s character is stymied in love and his career, and begins to record the injustices of his life in a diary. On one of his daily sojourns, he overhears  a conversation on the street between Sophie’s dog, Medji, (Sophie is the admired daughter of the director) and the dog, Fifi. He soon shifts from overhearing these dogs’ conversations, to reading the dogs’ letters. And it’s not long after this bizarre episode that he begins to believe that he’s the absent Spanish king. His only real contact with the world, in fact, is a woman who serves him soup at mealtime.

Those who have seen this Oscar award-winning actor in The King’s Speech needn’t be reminded that he’s one of our best living screen stars. And theatergoers who caught his Tony-award winning performance in Pirandello’s Exit the King (playing a 400-year-old king) on Broadway in 2009, are well-acquainted with his superlative acting on stage as well. To be sure, Rush is one of those rare examples of a veteran actor who’s as famous in the present as he is in the past.

Rush has the extraordinary acting range of a classicist, but he nails his comic role here with his vaudevillian talents. His physical comedy is spot-on throughout the evening. And when dancing is in order, he is a dream to watch as he trips "the light fantastic."

The theme of the evening, of course, is madness with a capital “M.” And we get a fascinating, if nightmarish, look into the distorted psyche of this pencil-pusher. As directed by Neil Armfield, this Diary of a Madman becomes a pungent social commentary on how the bureaucracy can push a vulnerable human being over the edge, and into insanity. No, we are not supposed to identify with Gogol’s lunatic, but we can certainly understand the conceit of this story, and the sad reality of how a job can hamstring one’s soul and utterly destroy a romantically-minded individualist.

This Belvoir Street Theater production from Sydney (Australia) deserves a larger audience. There’s some buzz in the theater community that The Diary of a Madman would be a good candidate for Broadway. After all, with Rush in the leading role, it would have lots of box-office draw. And, it would give those theatergoers who miss this short run (through March 12th) at BAM, a chance to see the show on the Great White Way.

The Diary of a Madman

By Nikolai Gogol, Adapted by David Holman

BAM Harvey Theater

651 Fulton Street, Brooklyn

Tickets start at $25, call BAM ticket services at 718.636.4100, or visit BAM.org

Through March 12th.

******************************

Timothy D. Stickney as Macbeth. © Photo by Eric Woolsey. www.repstl.org

Macbeth

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis

The Loretto-Hilton Center at Webster University

Reviewed by David Mount

Feb 9 through Mar 6, 2011

To say “Macbeth is beautiful” may sound like an oxymoron, but The Rep production was just that in many ways. From the onset of the production that opens with a full-cast introduction, a pleasant surprise, and yet, a play is defined with and through a cast of characters. Why not begin every play in this very effective manner?

Award-winning costume designer Dorothy Marshall Englis’ choice of costumes was interesting: extemporal from the military styles of 17^th century through contemporary guerilla warfare. Drab color, echoed in Michael Ganio’s scenic design, is being challenged only by the scintillating red of Macbeth's mantle when he assumes his penultimate position, plunging into murderous madness, and by the blood shed by those standing in his path to success or losing his trust. Indeed, there was an unsettling reality brought about by the gory visualization of the most-often fatal wounds inflicted upon many of the characters in this production; a thick, flowing ooze impossible to overlook in the highly-effective and complimentary lighting design from Kenton Yeager. The minimalist stage props and scenery, effective in conveying the desolate, cold, and treacherous environment of early 1600’s Scotland, drew audience attention to the action on-stage.

And action there was… war, murder, love and lust, war, murder, betrayal and loyalty, innocence and evil… Shakespeare at his best! …And The Rep at its best! Director Paul Mason Barnes has the credits to evidence his more-than-capable skills, and with so many very-tenured players in the cast how could there be anything but stellar performances? The actors meandered flawlessly through Shakespeare’s verses within a drama that could have occurred in our lifetime. Stellar acting from Timothy D. Stickney as Macbeth, Caris Vujcec as Lady Macbeth, David Graham Jones as one of the Witches, and especially notable, Michael James Reed as Macduff, had to inspire the balance of the cast to shine as well. Stickney’s execution of his role during the banquet in which Macbeth’s madness “goes public” and tableware and food go flying, I think startled every audience member in its stark reality.

The fight scene choreography was worthy of particular note in its ballet-like nature and those kudos go to fight co-directors Brian A. Peters and Shaun Sheley. It is not just the relatively small venue at Webster that makes the sound so easy; it seems the theater’s acoustical qualities are not detrimental, and it is to Rusty Wandall’s credit that he does not overwhelm\ the audience with amplification. Indeed, while we don’t have to strain to hear Shakespeare’s sonorous soliloquys, theater-goers aren’t battered by oft-overdriven oratory… it seems natural.

Once more, The Rep proves to us that despite desparities of time, language, history, ethnicity and geography, Shakespeare is alive and well in St. Louis!

Christopher Hickey as Ross and Michael James Reed as Macduff. © Photo by Eric Woolsey. www.repstl.org

****************************

January 2011

Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet

Presented by DANCEstl

Touhill Performing Arts Center

Reviewed by Lucy Moorman

January 28 & 29, 2011

Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet was founded in 2003 and is based in New York with a strong bent towards Europe and commissioning new works by some international and innovative choreo-graphers. The artistic director, Benoit-Swan Pouffer and ballet master, Alexandra Damiani are both natives of France lending a more worldly approach to the Ballet Company.

The performance featured three dances all done by different choreographers. The first, titled Excerpts from Decadance 2007, was choreographed by Ohad Naharin, a citizen of both Israel and the United States. It began with all dancers standing stone-still until you are thinking "surely something has gone wrong." Then, the movement begins: frenetic, shaking, almost convulsing as they form a line across the front of the stage, staring blankly at the audience. Within moments, one dancer breaks the line of confinement with wild dancing and just as suddenly stops, then there is stillness. Another dancer breaks into wild abandon within the line, then another, until each one has had a turn and you are guessing which one might be next. Then the row of dancers backs slowly, fading into the background, becoming almost invisible with the dynamic lighting.

In another section, a duet begins that is almost violent in nature, the male beating his head against the female's chest, audible enough to the audience to produce a gasp. Then three men come out to dance a bonding ritual, serious and intense when suddenly, a woman in purple struts diagonally across the stage on stilts. She later reappears and breaks into a song like an exaggerated nightclub singer on stilts convincingly until the end when she becomes disgusted with the lip sync and stops singing--a nice humorous release and totally unexpected.

Ten Duets on a Theme of Rescue, looked like ten cases of various folks trying to connect with each other. This one was choreographed by Crystal Pite, a Canadian. A man runs as fast as he can in place while the woman in front of him extends one hand reaching out behind her as he tries desperately to catch it. Every so often he reaches her hand, only to lose it, run again, and catch it again. Backlit lighting gave the dancers soft lines like a poem, creating a feeling but you’re not sure exactly what it is.

 

Frame of View, with choreography by Dutch Didy Veldman, was very creative featuring three door frames that served as many uses of props for the dancers. Sometimes they were apartment doors with parties occurring on the other side while a lone dancer listened through the door. Other times, the doors became alive and not solid with arms pushing through a flexible surface or a lone hand coming out of the mail slot caressing a female dancer until she climbs up the door and disappears down the other side. The lone dancer left out of the party finds a couple that seem to be beating each other up in slow motion. He keeps throwing little bits of confetti at them which they mostly ignore but after many attempts, they finally stop the pounding. It can be tricky explaining these dances but each one contained the theme of doors or doorframes except one. A woman drags a desk and chair through the doorway and dances all around the desk and the chair as though she was both in love and hate with it and I thought, “That’s what writer’s block feels like.”

 

Over all, it was a very enjoyable and innovative performance with wonderfully athletic dancers and creative choreographers. DANCEstl continues to surprise us with dance companies we haven’t seen before and still brings us our favorites such as Alvin Ailey coming March 11 & 12 to the Fox Theatre.

***************************

John Gabriel Borkman

The Brooklyn Academy of Music’s

Harvey Theater

Alan Rickman, Fiona Shaw and Lindsay Duncan (by permission, BAM copyright 2011)

Reviewed by Deirdre Donovan

Runs Jan 7 through Feb 6, 2011

John Gabriel who? It might not be one of Ibsen’s better-known plays, but John Gabriel Borkman is getting a first-rate staging at the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Harvey Theater. With a lustrous cast and bold direction by James Macdonald, the Abbey Theatre’s production of Ibsen’s penultimate work takes on vivid contemporary meaning.

The plot is tightly constructed, and unfolds more schematically than other dramas in Ibsen’s canon. The action takes place near the capital city, at the Rentheim family estate, in the dead of winter. The titular character, John Gabriel Borkman, is a disgraced financier who was incarcerated three years for embezzlement, and for the past eight years has lived like a prisoner in his own home. Despite his emotional estrangement from his long-suffering wife Gunhild and his adult son Erhart, and loss of his influential friends, he deludes himself into believing that he can somehow make a comeback in the financial world. When Ella, Gunhild’s twin sister and Borkman’s former lover, arrives on the scene for an unannounced visit, she reawakens painful family memories and rattles all the skeletons in the closet. She is intent on settling scores with the embittered Gunhild and the ever-calculating Borkman. Moreover, she hopes to persuade her beloved nephew Erhart to return to the city with her and take on her name, as she is without an heir. Over one long winter night each member of this family confronts difficult truths and decides how they will embrace their individual future.

Like several other male protagonists in Ibsen’s realistic plays, the character Borkman allowed the author to investigate how a broken man lives out his quiet desperation. But this dramatic portrait is not simply a morbid study of a corrupt bank president. Ibsen, through the alchemy of his dramatic genius, illuminates the relation of Borkman’s excessive ambition to his basic humanity and to his women.

And who is Borkman? Consider him as the epitome of the post-Eden man, or as the fictive counterpart to the real-life crookster, Bernard Madoff. If you ever thought Ibsen was old hat, think again.

The show’s production values are solid. Tom Pye’s set is visually arresting and remarkable for its pristine feel. During the evening, you will see two interiors of a grand home, hemmed in by huge snow banks and fierce gusts of sporadically falling snow. Equally eye-catching are Joan Bergin’s period costumes, which look like they could have been borrowed from the Metropolitan Museum’s historical dress collection. The richly embroidered dresses and well-tailored outfits aptly suggest the Borkmans’s former aristocratic life-style and high social standing. To reinforce the ponderous mood and atmosphere, Ian Dickinson’s sound design (the loud footfalls of Borkman pacing in the upstairs room are downright haunting) and Jean Kalman’s lighting is aptly glaring at crucial points. To be sure, this creative team has captured the spiritual emptiness at the core of this work, and given it convincing artistic dimension.

Though the entire cast is excellent, the evening is largely Alan Rickman’s. Rickman fully exudes the pathological personality of Borkman, that ex-con who’s little bothered by his past crime, but greatly irked that he was betrayed. Other notable performances are given by Lindsay Duncan as Ella, Fiona Shaw as Gunhild, and Marty Rea as Erhart. No weak links in this ensemble.

To be sure, The Brooklyn Academy of Music is a world-class performing arts institution and offers a valuable contrast to the horse-racing atmosphere of Broadway theater. If you really are looking for a profound theater experience this season, you might skip the mega-musical Spider Man, Turn Off the Dark at Foxwoods, and head to BAM’s Harvey Theater. John Gabriel Borkman runs through February 6th, and a new adaptation of Nikolai Gogol’s Diary of a Madman (starring Geoffrey Rush) arrives on February 11th.

For more information, phone 718.636.4100 or visit BAM.ORG

*********************

Dralion

by Cirque du Soleil

At the SLU Chaifetz Arena

Aerial Hoop artist, Marie-Ève Bisson

Reviewed by David Mount

Runs Jan 19 through 23, 2011

I’ve never before been to a Cirque du Soleil performance, but it was apparent to all three of us that the world-renowned reputation of this performance company is well-deserved! If this show is like their previous productions, then you might want to add at least one Cirque du Soleil to your bucket list. If, like me, you had no idea of what this “circus” holds in store for the audience, your perceptions of what a circus is will be forever altered and some of you might just realize you’re subconsciously wanting “to run away to join the Cirque!” If you are uncertain, simply visit their website where you can explore via photos and video clips, of all 22 (yes, not a typo, twenty-two!) shows that are currently playing around the world! Friends of ours sat front-row-center the same night we were there and during intermission, they confessed that this is the ninth Cirque they’ve seen… I think that says something.

So, what should you expect?

 

First of all, don’t count on seeing animals in this circus… other than humans playing animals, and in this year’s production they are mythical Chinese “dralions”… half dragon, half lion. Cirque du Soleil takes one out of the mundane freak show and stupid-pet-trick mentality and raises the evening to a professionalism akin to opera, ballet and serious theatre. What you will see is athleticism and consummate showmanship for more than two hours.

 

Before the show begins, three clowns appear and begin mingling with the audience. They are off-the-wall and get the audience involved even before the show begins. Giovanni, one of the clowns, was smitten by one of our young friends, Sandra, (herself a student of the circus school in St. Louis), and to a shower of confetti thrown by nearby audience members, he pulled a veil from his pocket and duped her into “marrying” him in front of all in the arena! Little did we suspect this was just the beginning of the silliness they would incite that evening.

There’s also no sawdust in the ring… while the stage is circular (the audience sat in a horseshoe-shaped loop that allowed viewing from the front and two sides), it is a smooth raised platform with hidden trapdoors and magically-rising pedestals. While the typical circuses are performed in a tent with poles supporting the “big top” from which are strung the various wires and struts and trapezes, Cirque du Soleil utilizes a beautifully executed and sophisticatedly-engineered circular structure hung from the ceiling from and into which artists of various skills emerge and disappear.

Handbalancing artist, Han Yuzen

While some of the acts you will experience are similar to those you may have seen elsewhere, such as juggling and acrobatics, you will have to admit that these exquisitely-costumed athletes take the performance level up at least a notch… or five! The opening act of handbalancing is so astounding you’d believe that gravity had been temporarily suspended and that the artist had no bones in her body! Again, if you dare to compare this experience to any other Barnum-and-Bailey you’ve seen, you will realize that almost every performance is graceful and surreal. In particular, the aerial pas de deux, a sensual, almost sexual, duet is performed both on the floor and in the air with the aide of long silk drapes which the “aerial dancers” use to elevate and lower themselves while circling the stage.

 

In my personal opinion, the most original and unique display was that of the trampoline artists whose routine reminded me of a Tony Hawk performance minus the bikes and skateboards. The performers leapt from platforms projecting at various locations from a 30-foot high sloping wall down onto the tramps and rebounded to “walk” up the wall or land nimbly on another platform, sometimes leaping across a 20-foot gap between two trampolines, several twists and somersaults injected in each leap! And, while a “normal” circus might depend upon three rings to keep your attention, there is so much happening nearly all the time that it seems there’s an explosion of input and flooding of the senses. It’s almost impossible to take it all in.

 

Most circuses have music to accompany the acts and we were not surprised that this circus employed music as well, but given the electronic controls so evident on the floor of the Chaifetz, I was certain the orchestral soundtrack was recorded and playback controlled by the sound technicians until the five-piece “orchestra” was introduced about halfway into the program. The sound was so rich and vibrant (surprising for such a cavern as Chaifetz) that it seemed there had to be more people playing! What did surprise us was there were two vocalists, of operatic quality, singing throughout nearly all the show. Agnès Sohier and (particularly the voice of) Cristian Zabala were quite simply, amazing.

 

The professional expertise of each and every performer and the perfection of the technical aspects of this show are such that it takes a human flaw, such as a dropped ball or missed landing, to realize you’re watching a live performance. Despite a couple of “drops” and “misses” that evening and the lack of a glossy program booklet (there was only a two-page photocopied handout), it was incredibly astounding and magical, complete with a two-inch blanket of snow that had “materialized” since we’d entered the arena.

 

I am so disappointed I missed last year’s visit of the Cirque to St. Louis! I won’t miss next year! We can’t wait for them to come back!

****************************

Pericles

by The Black Rep at

The Grandel Theatre

Reviewed by David Mount

Runs Jan 5 through Jan 30, 2011

If you’ve read my reviews in the past, you’ll know my goals are not so much about being critical of performers and performances as they are about encouraging St. Louisans to take advantage of the incredible world of theatre and performing arts available in and around this city. While I’ve made that clear, in the case of the current presentation of Pericles, director Andrea Frye and The Black Rep have credibly pulled off what I perceive to be a hallmark expertise of the company: an artful, magical transformation in time and space of a Shakespearean work which is very believable and enjoyable and that, as Shakespeare endeavored himself to do, creates a relevant contextual frame of reference.

Thus, it’s no surprise that the National Endowment for the Arts has deemed St. Louis’ own black theatre troupe worthy of continued support through a “Shakespeare in American Communities Shakespeare for a New Generation” grant. Director Frye describes the current Shakespeare production as a superpositioning of the African-American experience onto an “exhilarating piece of storytelling” and my guests and I must confirm that is absolutely true!

 

While this is not her directorial debut, I’ve never before had the pleasure of seeing Ms. Frye lead a performance, but have enjoyed her portrayal as the nurse in last year’s exceptional Black Rep production of Romeo and Juliet. In Pericles, Frye and the cast have managed to simultaneously move this epic tale from its origin in Persia and the Mediterranean to such diverse cultural and geographical settings as pre-colonial Africa, pre-Duvalier Haiti, twentieth-century New Orleans, and 1950’s Cuba. If you’re a rigid, dogmatic person who can’t stand any deviation from an original script, this won’t be for you, and for that I’m sorry, because you’ll be missing out on a truly creative portrayal of a timeless theme; please stay home and watch that old, worn-out VHS tape instead (really, I’d rather you come anyway, buy a seat, pass out, and still support one of the premier African-American theatre groups in the US). On the other hand, if you’re open to experiencing a new interpretation of age-old human hurdles and triumphs, you’ll not be disappointed.

 

My partner and I were in agreement that the players’ portrayals were each artistically and professionally worthy. In this production, all cast members have multiple roles and convincingly move between the persona with ease. One would normally read at this point in a review, the praises and disses that each actress/actor earned in this show, but let me reassure you that there’s good reason the cast backgrounds in the Playbill read as they do... there is no shortage of documented and awarded excellence in this group of thespians with experience in live theatre as well as in film and print. While I’m content to let you go to this production with an objective mind, I wanted to state simply that the performances of Linda Kennedy, Joe Hanrahan, and Robert Mitchell are something to behold for yourself.

 

This story of politics, magic, love, loss, death and deception isn’t normally presented to 11-year olds, but my son was totally enthralled by the tale as presented this evening. When I whispered to explain something happening on stage, without turning his head, his reply “I get it, Dad!” said all I needed to hear. Despite the Shakespearean English, I believe that even tweens will understand and become engrossed in this artful blend of music (Robin Weatherall) and contemporary dance (choreographer Heather Beal), lighting (Mark Varns), scenery (Dunsi Dai) and costumes (Sarita Paula Fellows).

 

Before I close this review, I'll make only one statement of disappointment: given the proven perennial quality of this group of talented performers and supporting functions, I cannot understand why there were so few people in the theatre on a Saturday afternoon in January! What better way to spend a cold wintry day than letting your imagination go and opening your senses to a timeless tale told by experts? You still have time to redeem yourself as the play runs until Sunday, January 30th.

Call the box office at the Black Rep (314) 534-3810 or MetroTix (314) 534-1111.

The Grandel Theatre is at 3610 Grandel Square (one block west of Grand, one block north of The Fox). Map it here.

 

[If, like many, you don’t know the plot of Pericles, since it’s not one of the most famous of Shakespeare’s works, I’ll try to synopsize it here. If you don’t want to have the outcome revealed, please stop reading now… a spoiler follows.

 

Once upon a time, there is a fine well-educated gentleman, Pericles, a prince of Tyre who travels by ship to Antioch where he knows there is a beautiful, available daughter of the king. As it happens, the king and his daughter are entangled in an incestuous relationship that they cover up by still entertaining suitors for her hand. In many tales, there is a formidable riddle that the hero must solve or die. So it is put to Pericles, as to all the suitors before him (who all seem to have guessed wrongly as their skulls decorate the palace in Antioch), to come up with the answer. Being intelligent as well as clever, Pericles realizes the answer to the riddle spells-out the incestuous shame and that to reveal this truth also sentences him to his mortal end. He asks the king for more time to think and being not stupid, he hits the high seas again, averting an early end to the story.

He sets sail for Tarsus, a kingdom where a famine has gripped the land and the people have been beset by all sorts of bad sorts, raping, pillaging, burning, and the like. Pericles, a gentleman, of course, gives Tarsus all the grain in his ships’ holds and rescues the starving citizens from uncertain fate. If you are a sailor, you know that men who love the sea don’t stay away from that mistress too long and he sets sail yet again. Alas, like all good and noble heroes on their quest, he meets with fortune again and ends up on the seeming short end of that stick, too: he is shipwrecked and becomes the sole survivor, landing on the shores of Pentapolis where there is a contest for the hand of Princess Thaisa. Being that he appears penniless and otherwise destitute, it seems he’s not got a chance as an untitled suitor, but by virtue of his virtues, he indeed catches her eye above all others and they fall in love. (The stick wasn’t so short after all… but don't be too hasty, Shakespeare has another ace up his sleeve!)

Pericles and Thaisa marry, of course, with the blessings of her father and the happy couple sets off, on a honeymoon cruise, again by ship. This ship, too, is beset by a horrendous storm during which Thaisa dies giving birth to their daughter, Marina. Sailors of old, being very superstitious (as they still are today), believe their misfortune is linked to the corpse of Pericle’s wife, and convince Pericles to cast her casket overboard. The ship and crew survive the storm and put to harbor again in Tarsus. He asks the favor of the Tarsan rulers, Cleon and Dionyza, to raise his infant daughter and being that they are indebted to him for alleviating the famine, they agree wholeheartedly. From there, Pericles sets off on yet another voyage, this time purportedly to assuage his grief.

Unbeknownst to all, the casket containing the body of Queen Thaisa washes up on an island and is taken to a doctor who through magic miraculously revives her!

As time winds on, the infant Marina is raised as one of the Tarsus royal couple's own children, but being that she was blest by such great genetic stock of a handsome Pericles and a beautiful Thaisa, her beauty soon eclipses that of the couple's own daughter and thus dashes the hopes of her step-sister's chances of finding her own handsome prince! The not-so-pleased surrogate mother, Dionyza, would like to see Marina dead to better her own offspring's chances and sets an assassin to task. Fortunately, for both the assassin and Marina, the would-be killer is saved the "trouble" by marauding pirates who kidnap Marina and sell her to a brothel in Mytilene.

It seems that in Shakespeare's time, personal traits like honesty and goodness are genetic because Marina, now purportedly a prostitute, is so virginal and goodly a soul that she is ruining the brothel's business. By her purity and chaste happiness, she turns every lusty john, including the governor of Mytilene, into splendid godly citizens who not only refrain from taking her virginity, but even renounce debauchery!

In time, Pericles returns to Tarsus to claim his daughter, but the evil Dionyza is forced to tell him that his daughter had met with a fatal illness. It's no surprise that Pericles sets sail yet again, but now he's become a tortured soul, a recluse and curmudgeon, a hollow shell of his former self. When they once again put in at Mytilene, Pericles' heartbroken, despairing condition is known to all the town's inhabitants, and the governor, one of those whose life was changed by Marina, not knowing they are father and daughter, sends Marina herself to the ship to revive the despairing prince.

The two engage in a conversation and soon accidentally discover their connection. So revived to sanity, and evidently, to his intuitive senses, Pericles has a vision of the goddess Diana that sends him to her oracle at Ephesus. Marina accompanies him and once arrived, Pericles meets a priestess serving Diana. Through some Shakespearean tangled-web-untangling, the priestess recognizes her long-lost husband and he his long-dead wife. Thus are the two tragic losses of his wife and daughter magically turned into a romance with everyone living happily ever after!

*********************

December 2010

Cirque Dreams Holidaze

The Fox Theater

Reviewed by Lucy Moorman

Runs December 21-29, 2010

 

This is a light-hearted Christmas show with brightly colored costumed ornaments coming to life on a stage that is filled, floor-to-ceiling, with toy soldiers and a giant Christmas tree. Some ornaments sing, some dance, some are elves, but there are plenty of white-knuckled moments of acrobats, trapeze artists, and contortionist circus-type performers who do impossible things with their bodies.

In Everyone’s Flipping Out, four performers from Ethiopia are costumed as gingerbread cookies. While two performers are lying down, they toss two others back and forth with their feet, the tossed performers landing in various balancing poses. Another impressive act are the twins from China called "Two Times Fun Ornament" who playfully pull their extremely limber bodies through long narrow tubes with their heads meeting up with their feet. Among the cast of characters, there’s an Ice Queen, Ragdoll, Santa and his Helper, Flying Reindeer, Skipping Elves, Slippery Penguins, and Aerial Angels, to name a few. You get the idea of the frivolity. In Symphony of Bells, the elves pull 5 “random” (or are they plants?) folks from the audience to ring Christmas bells at varying pitches that becomes a comedy act and a concert in and of itself.

Created and directed by Neil Goldberg, Cirque Dreams Holidaze comes from Goldberg's Florida-based Cirque Productions, which since 1993 has been producing touring shows such as: Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy and Cirque Dreams Pandemonia. Cirque Dreams has five uniquely different productions touring throughout the U.S. and is not connected to Cirque du Soleil. Cirque Productions gives many talented young performers from all over the world a chance to run away and join the cirque. Over 150 very talented and skilled individuals compose, design, and invent these productions with collaboration and their imaginations. The stage design and brightly-colored sparkling costumes are a “joy to the world.”

At times there is so much happening on the stage, it’s hard to keep up with the girl spinning numerous hulu-hoops on various parts of her body or the young man rolling and spinning around inside a ring but for the most part, the pacing keeps the show exciting. It is appropriate for all ages but I think the young ones would be the best audience. Dust off your Christmas spirit and rush down to the Fabulous Fox Theatre to catch this show, playing until Wednesday, December 29th.

 **************************

St. Louis Repertory Theatre

Reviewed by Verna Kerans

Runs Oct 13 through Nov 7, 2010

On Friday, October 13th, the St. Louis Repertory Theatre opened a world premier of High which was written by Matthew Lombardo and beautifully directed by Rob Ruggiero.

 

The acting was superb. How else could you describe Kathleen Turner as Sister Jamison and Evan Jonigkeit as Cody? Turner is a Catholic nun working in a Rehab Center for disturbed teens. Drugs and depression are usually the main culprits here and Sister has had some success in the past with her patients but Cody is a whole new type of teen and confounds every attempt at rehabilitation that Sister tries.

Cody is unwilling to delve deep into his psyche and reveal what his problems are. He rejects Turner while circling the chair she sits in and threatening her. These actions seem to be his only way of dealing with his problems.

 

There is one more actor in this drama – Michael Berresse, as Father Michael. As the author has written him, he is soft-spoken but determined that Sister Jamison will not give up on Cody as she has threatened to do nearly from the beginning of the therapy. Since the two main characters are so loud and strong maybe Lombardo was reluctant to have three people acting at full-tilt all the time. However, I found the composure of Father a bit of a drawback.

Each character in this play has secrets that are mostly revealed in exposition – even the ending is verbal summation. My biggest problem with this play is the remove that Lombardo has written for Sister Jamison and thusly how Turner plays this role. Where is her compassion? That was a stumbling block for me. I understood the possible reason but I still had problems with it.

This play is due to play on Broadway and so if there are changes to make I feel pretty sure Matthew Lombardo will make them before it opens.

High will play through November 7. You still have time to catch one of our greatest American actresses, Kathleen Turner, on stage at The St. Louis Repertory Theatre. Call the box office at 314-968-4925.

*****************************

September 2010

Reviewed by Verna Kerans

Runs through Sep 26, 2010

We saw two great shows last week, as different as night and day but both with very similar messages: You Can’t Take it With You at the St. Louis Repertory and Shrek, The Musical. Both tell us that "you can’t judge a book by its cover” – you have to get to know people and then make up your mind.

Shrek will play until September 26 so you still have some time to catch the show at The Fox. You Can't Take It With You (reviewed below) will run until October 3.

I feel silly admitting that I'd never seen Shrek, the Movie, but the fun of seeing the show at The Fox was the surprise of the ending. Probably everyone else in the theatre had seen the movie so I imagine having all those delightful characters come to life was quite a thrill. The sets were simple but effective and the lighting and special effects were captivating. The dragon was certainly one of the best parts of this spectacle.

Shrek was played by Eric Patterson who was also in the Broadway production. Haven Burton, also from the B'Way company, plays the Princess Fiona and Alan Mingo, Jr. plays the best friend, Donkey. David F.M. Vaughn plays the villain, Lord Farquaad. Realizing that he is playing this role while kneeling throughout the entire show except to accept his bows is simply amazing.

The Fox presented a half-hour preview show on Channel 5 the week before the show opened and it was wonderful to see how Vaughn accomplishes this feat. We were also able to see how the dragon is operated and how long it takes to apply all the makeup to the cast members. Watch for a similar show before The Fox opens its next show.

Even though the show was delightful, I noticed a number of patrons with children who did not seem to return after intermission. The show is way too long for children, some characters are very difficult to understand, and as cute as Pinocchio's nose is, his voice isn't! Why do actors/directors continue to inflict teeny-weeny voices on characters like fingernails on blackboards?!?

On the plus side, director Rob Ashford has quite a list of credits to his name and his co-director Jason Moore, graduated from Northwestern. All-in-all, the show moves right along with music by Jeanine Tesori who also has a formidable list of credits to her name including an Olivier Award for Caroline, or Change at the National in London.

When you buy four family tickets for $100 the price drops to a reasonable one, so call 314-534-1111 to ask about the promotion. It seems that I read somewhere that certain restaurants are also having specials.

**************************

You Can’t Take It With You

 St. Louis Repertory

Reviewed by Verna Kerans

I can’t recall how many times I’ve seen You Can’t Take it With You, but it always makes me laugh. This show is currently playing at The Repertory Theatre with Joneal Joplin as Grandpa Vanderhof, the patriarch of the Sycamore family. His view of life is a bit radical but when it comes to paying the IRS, I completely agree with him.

The various characters who come and go certainly fit into “don’t judge a book….” This is especially true when Alice Sycamore and Tony Kirby fall in love and the Kirby parents arrive one day early for dinner. Much mayhem ensues. I especially enjoyed Barbara Kingsley in her double role.

There are several familiar faces besides Joneal Joplin in this production: Susie Wall as Gay Wellington, a hilarious inebriated actress come to read one of Penny’s (Carol Schultz) many plays. Another well-known actor is Anderson Matthews as Essie’s (Stephanie Cozart) dancing instructor, Boris Kolenkhov. I think this role suits him better than any in which I have seen him.

The first act seems a little slow on timing but the second act moves right along – lots of jokes and mishaps. Of course, by Act Three everything is all straightened out and true love succeeds. Each character is clearly defined and well-directed by Steven Woolf.

You Can’t Take It With You plays through October 3. Call the box office: 314-968-4925.

**************************

July 2010

Cats

The Muny

 

Reviewed by Lucy Moorman

 

Runs July 19 -25, 2010

 

Have you ever seen a “Jellicle Cat?” That’s a word made up by T.S. Eliot in the book "Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats.” Andrew Lloyd Weber composed the music to Cats and it’s become one of the most popular and longest running Broadway Shows.

Jellicle cats start off the show staged in a back alley or junkyard with a sparkling backdrop and a bright full moon. The tribe of cats are excited as they dance about the stage because this is the night the revered “Old Deuteronomy” will select the special cat to travel on to the “Heavyside Layer” (the next life—or nine lives for cats.) First, we meet Jennyanydots, an overweight tabby who “sits and sits and sits all day and that’s what makes a Gumby cat.” Then we are dazzled by Rum Tum Tugger, the rock star and typical of every cat I’ve had: “I’m always on the wrong side of the door.”

With all the dancing and frivolity of various cats presenting their stories, the mood quickly changes as a hushed tension takes over. Grizabella, the glamour cat who has seen better days, makes her entrance with crooked ears and tattered coat. At first, all the cats shun her. But after her plaintive song “Memory” in the second act, she wins the cats and the audience over. Old Deuteronomy selects her for “Up, up, up past the Russell Hotel, Up, up, up to the Heavyside Layer.”

This is the third time I’ve seen Cats and what I missed in this performance is the humans acting more like cats. Other times, I’ve seen them running and scooting across the stage but perhaps they can’t scoot across the Muny stage. I would have liked more preening, more washing about the face and ears with a well-licked paw, more hissing, clawing, and attitude or should I say “cat-itude.”

Opening night seemed a little rough in places. Sometimes the dancers were off. Sometimes the mics were off when they should have been on and the spotlight was frequently late upon arrival of the featured cat of the moment.

However, there were some strong performances. Old Deuteronomy (Ken Page) was a formidable presence deserving of awe and respect from the cats and the audience. His booming voice was especially moving during the summation, “The Addressing of Cats.”  Also noteworthy and enjoyable, was Rum Tum Tugger (Kevin Loreque) with his swagger like Mick Jagger. But, the highlight was definitely the heartfelt “Memory” that Grizabella (Stephanie J. Block) pulls out from her worn-out soul at the end. She totally nailed the solo. I got chills…and it was still hot out.

Cats continues at the Muny through July 25, 2010.