Ann Lemons Pollack
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The Kiss/De Kus
Ever have a memorable conversation with a stranger? The sort of encounters that happen in a neutral place, sitting on a train or a cross-table cafe chat that begins casually and sort of grows of its own accord? Those I've had always seemed like short stories or the genesis of novels. Maybe one of those
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Dogfight
Let's get this out of the way: On one level, it's hard for me to be objective about "Dogfight", the new musical at Stray Dog Theatre. The play, from the film of the same name, runs from the night before the JFK assasination until a year later. Three young Marines are about to leave for
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Brunch: Kamayan
We haven't had much Filipino food in St. Louis outside of private homes. Our loss, certainly; eating new kinds of food is always an enriching experience. I'm told that in India, they believe that eating new food makes you smarter, and in light of research involving neural pathways in the brain, it certainly seems like
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Heathers
"Heathers" might as well have been written for Scott Miller, New Line Theatre's founder. It's hard to imagine a high school musical being that full of social criticism – although perhaps less difficult to conceive of the language and sexual discussion that the show brings, social criticism and overt sexuality being part of Miller's professional
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El Morelia
Found: A weekend excursion for Eaters. Well, maybe not even an excursion, depending on where you live. There's an excellent and relatively large Mexican market in Bridgeton, on St. Charles Rock Road, right across from the Lowe's. And on Saturday and Sunday, they serve tacos. Pretty remarkable tacos, in fact. Let's talk about the tacos
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BBQ Saloon
The BBQ Saloon, which opened in the space long occupied by the Majestic on South Euclid, has bravely taken on a cuisine that's very popular in St. Louis right now. There are lots of barbecue contenders in town these days, from national award winners to holes in the wall. So where does this entry stand?
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Just One Bite: ‘Nduja
This bite from Salume Beddu isn't for everyone. 'Nduja is a spicy, spreadable sausage an old salami-like creation from Calabria, Italy. Salume Beddu is offering it, in chubby packages or as a lunch option with bruschetta. I'd long been eager to try it, so when I found it on their menu, jumped right in. And
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Seminar
It's a large Upper West Side apartment, populated by four authors in search of, yes, characters but also encouragement and enlightenment and, in some cases, success. Theresa Rebeck's play "Seminar" at St. Louis Actors' Studio gives us four young and young-ish authors who have paid big bucks for ten weekly sessions with a formerly famous
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All The Way
The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis' choice of plays to open its 49th season, "All The Way", could not have been more perfectly timed. The nation now sits in the aftermath of Ferguson and in the opening campaigns of the 2016 presidential elections. Robert Schenkkan's powerful play about Lyndon Johnson and the Civil Rights Act
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The Full Monty
It's nearly always a good sign when a show drags an audience member around between ugh and whee! That's pretty much what happened to me with The Full Monty, the final production of Stages St. Louis. The show is an adaptation of an Oscar-nominated British film about unemployed steel workers in England. They've moved it