Ann Lemons Pollack
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Kinky Boots
It's definitely a sign of how this town has changed when a big crowd at the Muny is roaring at the jokes in Kinky Boots. The folks who would have been horrified at La Cage aux Folles when it played at the Muny in 1986 certainly were nowhere to be found at this musical comedy, which began as
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Fire Shut Up in My Bones
One the (many) things Opera Theatre of St. Louis is doing right is bringing in new work. This year’s showpiece is the second one commissioned from Terence Blanchard after his success with Champion. That premiered here in 2013 and has gone on to acclaim elsewhere. Fire Shut Up in My Bones is based on the
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The Coronation of Poppea
Is it really a love affair or a case of two power-mad people connecting? The Coronation of Poppea tells the story of the emperor Nero’s second wife, a sort of How To Succeed at Empressing Without Really Trying. We meet them onstage at Opera Theatre of St. Louis while Nerone, as he’s called in the
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Guys and Dolls
Let’s cut to the chase here. Guys and Dolls, which has opened the Muny’s 101st season, is nothing short of splendid. Yes, the new stage is marvelous, including the orchestra pit, which has elevators in it. (You’ll see.) But the show, a perennial for many reasons, in this version is a peak American musical theatre
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The Boy From Oz
For years, Peter Allen was mainly known for being married to Liza Minnelli, back when she was mainly known for being Judy Garland’s daughter. The Boy from Oz tells the story of his life from well before the marriage until his death at age 48. Allen, of course, was a performer and songwriter from Australia.
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Rigoletto
Where would opera, indeed, all fiction, be without deceit, or, at the very least, misunderstanding? Rigoletto, the great Giuseppe Verdi opera, is based on deceit and love; Opera Theatre of St. Louis gives it a dark, dramatic treatment showcasing both those elements. Despite darkness, drama and deceit, it manages to be quite beautiful, no small
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Love’s Labors Lost
People who are serious about the language generally love Shakespeare. That said, “serious” is a word that probably should not be applied to Love’s Labors Lost, a comedy he wrote around the time he was tossing off Romeo and Juliet. It’s full of word jokes, although I admit lots of them are not easy to
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Charlie Johnson Reads All of Proust
Charlie Johnson is a retired insurance guy who lives in a small town in Indiana. He is not, to be sure, the former Big Red quarterback who completed his master’s and PhD degrees in chemical engineering at Washington University while playing here. (His photo playing in the incredibly muddy game in 1964 with the Giants
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The Marriage of Figaro
The Marriage of Figaro certainly is one of the classic operas, among the most frequently performed in America and world-wide. That said, if you’re a novice to this form of entertainment, this production of it from Opera Theatre of St. Louis could well be an entry-level drug. Consider it, if you will, a sort of
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I Now Pronounce
He’s just sort of stunned. She’s a bridezilla. Expect very little optimism from a comedy about a wedding. Then you’ll be all set for I Now Pronounce, the comedy now at the New Jewish Theatre. Ed Coffield, NJT’s artistic director and a guy with an active sense of humor of his own, has directed this