Ann Lemons Pollack
-
Brunch: The Preston
A fine meal at the Preston with excellent service. The quiet decor is a good setting for some colorful food. Read about it here.
-
The Importance of Being Earnest
It’s hard to resist a play that includes probably the 19th Century’s greatest food scene. The Importance of Being Earnest is the current offering from Insight Theatre Company, scampering across the stage at the Grandel Theatre. It’s Oscar Wilde at his best, one funny line after another. One of the main reasons this production glows
-
H.M.S. Pinafore
Ah, those staid Victorians…. H.M.S. Pinafore, now staged by the Union Avenue Opera Company puts the lie to many of the stereotypes we, uh, pin on them. It’s classic Gilbert and Sullivan, of course, and modern theatre-goers might be interested to know that their work bridged things into modern musical theatre as it began to
-
Jersey Boys
Once upon a time, the then-Municipal Opera in St. Louis gave the audiences shows like Sigmund Romberg’s The Student Prince. Teenagers would wonder to themselves, Why are they doing stuff like that? Who wants to hear an operetta, for crying out loud? Of course, it was the people who paid for the tickets who wanted
-
2018 LaBute New Theatre Festival, Set I
It’s time once again for the annual LaBute New Theater Festival at St. Louis Actors’ Theatre. This is the sixth year for the festival, and a good chance for theatre-goers who want to avoid The Same Stuff to see brand new work. As William Roth, SLAS Artistic Director, said on opening night, the short plays
-
End of the Rainbow
Eng of the Rainbow is no lighthearted whimsy, let’s establish that right away. The last few months of Judy Garland’s life come to us unvarnished, in all their spangled, stumbling glory. We are in, mostly, a suite at the Ritz Hotel in London – not a Ritz-Carlton, but an original Ritz, established by Cesar Ritz
-
Singin’ in the Rain
Precipitation and the Muny are old friends. Last week’s opening of The Wiz had a rain delay, of course. The current show, Singin’ in the Rain, whose title has surely caused dozens of jokes among staff and audience alike, was prepared for more than just jokes, we’re sure. But the only rain that fell was
-
Regina
Opera Theatre of St. Louis brings us the relatively unknown work titled Regina. But this is a story and characters film and theater buffs will recognize as Lillian Hellman’s play The Little Foxes, later made into a film with the redoubtable Bette Davis as the lead. Marc Blitzstein wrote the music and libretto with much
-
The Wiz
It’s the Muny tradition, still continuing as they enter their second century: The show must go on. The Wiz began at 9.36 p.m. on opening night. They’d hoped for earlier but a second round of steady rain put things off again. Stalwart audience members stuck around though, mostly covered in the pavilions on either side
-
Hedda Gabler
Hedda Gabler is on the boards at Stray Dog Theatre. It’s a sure winner for those who want something beyond the summer fluffies. Yes, it’s a major work; the title character is considered one of the most important dramatic roles in theater. It’s the sort of story that American soap operas can only hope to