Theater/Film Reviews
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Titus
Hooray. Titus, also known as La Clemenza di Tito, is show about a ruler who is wise, kind and concerned about the people for whom he is responsible. How refreshing is that? Oh, sure, conflict is at the heart of all theatre. And Opera Theatre of St. Louis’ fourth and final production of the year
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Jeremiah Tower: The Last Magnificent
This documentary on the fine chef Jeremiah Tower may not be for everyone. Tower is a brilliant, but ultimately unknowable, man, but he's put out some fabulous food in his career. I had a chance to see the film, and here's what I thought about it. It's currently playing at Plaza Frontenac.
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The Trial
The Trial gives us an interesting combination. Franz Kafka, a writer whose work was so singular that his name has been turned into an adjective meaning deeply bizarre, and Phillip Glass, the contemporary composer, whose name, for many people, brings to mind discordant “modern” music, are the two factors. The result is happily far from
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The Winter’s Tale
The Winter's Tale has it all, drama, tragedy, comedy. This year's presentation of Shakespeare Festival ST. Louis puts this lesser-known work out for all to see – and enjoy. As with much of his work, there's a certain amount of suspended disbelief necessary, but give it that, and you're good to go. Leontes, King of
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The Grapes of Wrath
If you are – relatively – new to opera, you, in particular, need to see The Grapes of Wrath. It will change and inform your perspective for a long time, possibly even permanently. This is a revised, shortened version of the opera that debuted in 2007. Composer Ricky Ian Gordon and librettist Michael Korie also
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Crossin’ Over
Crossin’ Over closes the Black Rep’s fortieth anniversary season. Created by the company’s founder and producing director Ron Himes and Charles Creath, it first appeared in the autumn of 2005. Described as “a musical with a measure of silent rebellion”, it’s a series of musical suites. Himes directed and Creath is the musical director as
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Madame Butterfly
Madame Butterfly has returned to Opera Theatre of St. Louis. Is it a warhorse or a classic? It’s the sixth most-performed opera in the world, according to the website Operabase, which keeps track of these things. It’s also been lambasted as racist and sexist, and even now, there are serious efforts to re-think it, as shown
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First Impressions
What a romp they’re doing at Slightly AskewTheatre Ensemble. First Impressions is a take on Jane Austen’s classic Pride and Prejudice. It’s close to madcap, switching back and forth from scenes from the book to actors breaking the fourth wall to speak directly to the audience about their own (and others’) experiences with the book.
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A Human Being Died That Night
A friend of mine (you know who you are) once went to a theatrical performance in Israel. It was an Irish play about the Troubles, those violent difficulties between Catholics and Protestants that have only in recent years halted. One hopes they’ve stopped rather than paused, certainly. At intermission in this country where buses get
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4000 Miles
4000 Miles opened last week at The New Jewish Theatre. It’s the story of an old New York radical whose 22-year-old grandson comes to crash at her apartment for a while. This all sounds warm and cozy, of course. But while it doesn’t fall into the realm of pathology, it’s very realistic in that things