Ann Lemons Pollack
-
Nina Simone: Four Women
Once again because of a show in town, it seems like a good time to recount some too-recent history. On September 15, 1963, in the midst of the civil rights movement, which was particularly active in Birmingham, AL, a bomb went off at the 16th Street Baptist Church. It was during Sunday school hours. Four
-
Come from Away
It’s coming on to eighteen years since the awful events of 9/11. There’s a whole generation now that doesn’t remember the actual day or has only a cursory knowledge of what happened. There was so much going on and so much not going on that it’s easy to overlook one of the largest of the
-
Dear Mr. Williams
For those who are suckers for storytelling, let me warn them that Dear Mr. Williams ran only over the weekend just past. The Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis brought in Bryan Batt, who created the piece and performs it, for three shows. Batt, of course, is an actor who has had a SAG Award for
-
A Lovely Sunday in Creve Coeur
It’s not often that one thinks of Tennessee Williams as having a light hand at drawing the human condition. But it surely shows in A Lovely Sunday for Creve Coeur. It’s a Sunday morning in June, the sun is up, a pigeon coos outside the window of a small apartment in St. Louis. Dorothea (Maggie
-
Death Tax
You know those people who announce they didn’t like a play or a movie because,\ the uniforms of the soldiers didn’t have the right patches for whatever unit and time frame was involved? Or the style of fork in a banquet scene hadn’t come into use for another 70 years? Seems unfair to trash all
-
The Night of the Iguana
The Night of the Iguana kicks off this year’s Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis, and it’s a hot time in the old town. Taken from a short story which evolved into the play and then a film, it’s one of the classic Williams pieces, full of steam and drama. A seedy hotel in the rain
-
Salt, Root, and Roe
Growing old is not for sissies: That saying and its variants have been around for several generations, so long there’s no good attribution for it. Like many such lines, it’s remained evergreen because it’s pretty much true. And if anyone forgets, there’s Salt, Root, and Roe to remind them. Upstream Theater brings us the American
-
F & B’s Eatery
Another notable lunch stop racked up, and we’re heading back for weekend breakfast soon – although I’ll bet they’re busy then. F&B’s Eatery on Hampton is advertising how good their hamburger is, and if that’s not a challenge, I’ve never seen one. There’s a black bean burger and a turkey burger, plus a patty melt
-
Duck Donuts
There’s a new kid on the block. Or, more accurately, a new donut in town. Duck Donuts opens today, April 19, in Chesterfield. Duck? Yes, the chain began in Duck, North Carolina, on the Outer Banks. They’ve been around for 13 years and have spread like mad. (I first ran into them in Bristow, VA,
-
Duck Donuts
There’s a new kid on the block. Or, more accurately, a new donut in town. Duck Donuts opens today, April 19, in Chesterfield. Duck? Yes, the chain began in Duck, North Carolina, on the Outer Banks. They’ve been around for 13 years and have spread like mad. (I first ran into them in Bristow, VA,