James Lindhorst - Page 2

Take Two Production of MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG far exceeded expectations. Stephen Peirick’s leadership, the vocally accomplished cast, and the polished musical direction all come together to create a gem of a show. This production illustrates how, in the hands of the right people, a show of any size can succeed, giving an audience a memorable evening in the theatre.

Last week The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis opened a thrilling and playful production of Frederick Scott’s DIAL M FOR MURDER. The production, running through October 13th, is filled with stellar performances from a cast of all St. Louis based actors. Broadway World had the opportunity to sit down with DIAL M’s Jayson Heil and Eric Dean White to talk about the show, their experiences acting, and their appreciation of St. Louis’ thriving professional theater scene.  

STAGES St. Louis production of RAGTIME is exquisite and an important piece of Americana. The symphonic quality of the Ahrens and Flaherty score has many beautiful sections, and the relevance of the story is timeless. The slowly unfolding narrative is told nicely through Goodwin’s focused direction, the competent performances of the accomplished cast, the gifted musical direction and accompaniment, and the polished work of the technical theater professionals. RAGTIME does not reach the grand heights of the other epic musicals that have become a global phenomenon. But, it is certainly monumental in its storytelling and deserves to be seen, especially this beautifully staged production at STAGES St. Louis.

Director Rachel Tibbetts takes 20-year-old Alice back down the rabbit hole in Slightly Askew Theatre Ensemble’s (SATE) world premiere of Shualee Cook’s TEMPEST IN A TEAPOT. Tibbetts has created a magical world of make-believe for Alice to revisit her past while confronting her future. Everything about the exaggerated whimsical world is fantasy come to life at the eternal tea party. As is often the case with recontextualized works of the classics, the play-within-a-play convention of TEMPEST IN A TEAPOT can become a bit convoluted in its complicatedness. Tibbetts’ vision and the cast’s execution of the material is highly entertaining, however those with limited or no exposure to The Tempest could be left behind in the storytelling. 

Tony nominees Ann Hampton Calloway and Joe Iconis are bringing their cabaret shows to Blue Strawberry Showroom and Lounge. Calloway will perform two shows on September 27 - 28, 2024. Iconis will visit the midtown showroom for two performances on October 18 - 19, 2024.  

New Jewish Theatre’s TRAYF is a delight. The remarkable chemistry between Miller and Schmidt is reminiscent of the great comedic acting duos from the buddy comedies of the past. Their contagious energy makes their portrayals of Schulmy and Zalmy endearing and irresistible. The realism that Sparks and his team bring to the production is commendable and creates enjoyable and believable storytelling. TRAYF is a wonderfully warm and winning comedy about friendship, love, and faith.

Albion Theatre has announced their 2025 season. Their upcoming season will include plays by Martin Mc Donagh, Laura Wade, and J.B. Priestley.  The season opens with McDonagh’s THE BEAUTY QUEEN OF LEENANE from March 14 – 30, 2025. It continues with a production of Wade’s COLDER THAN HERE from June 13 – 29, 2025. The season closes with Priestley’s I HAVE BEEN HERE BEFORE, running October 17 – November 2, 2024. All of Albion’s plays are staged at the Kranzberg Arts Center Black Box Theater, 501 N. Grand Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63103. 

ANYTHING GOES is a perfect production to end the Muny season. It is filled with energetic dancing, superb performances, lots of laughs, and that splendid Cole Porter score. Marcia Milgrom Dodge, her cast, and crew have knocked it out of the park. It’s not just a hit, it’s a home run! 

STAGES St. Louis has announced the full cast of their 2024 production of Ragtime, performing September 20 – October 20 at The Ross Family Theatre at the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center. Ragtime tells the story of three families united by courage, compassion, and a belief in not only the American dream but the promise of tomorrow. Told through a dazzling array of musical styles from the era, this Tony Award-winning musical is bursting with emotion and hope as the surprising interconnections of the heart are discovered and history’s timeless contradictions of wealth and poverty, freedom and prejudice, and hope and despair are confronted. 

St. Louis Fringe Fest ‘24 is in the books. According to St. Lou Fringe President and Artistic Director Matthew Kerns preshow announcements the festival continues to grow and received over 90 applications from artists requesting to participate. Over six days 40 acts took one of the stages in the Grand Center Theater district and delivered nearly 100 performances.  

LONGING is a fantastic case study in social media messaging and alternate reality romances. Lewy’s dialogue driven script is smart, plausible, and convincing. Bush elicits honest portrayals from Eslamian and Debardeleben, and both actors generate potent sexual tension with their brave all-in performances. 

First and foremost, I go to the theatre to be entertained. A show doesn’t have to be complex, have an agenda, or try to teach the audience a moral to be enjoyable. It’s perfectly acceptable, and usually preferential, to simply be entertained. Prism Theater Company’s [title of show] is an amusing diversion. It’s quirky, silly, funny musical entertainment, and I liked it so much more than I thought I would.  

The satirical CANDLIGHT DINNER and the profoundly moving THE REASON WHY are part of Chorus of Fools “Twice Upon a Stage” that plays the Greenfinch Theatre and dive bar through the weekend. CANDLELIGHT DINNER is not laugh out loud funny but has plenty of ridiculous situational adult humor thanks to Jocelyn Padilla, Xander Huber, and their work with their ‘emotional support puppets.’ THE REASON WHY’s melancholic bittersweetness is both a heartbreaking and uplifting tale of the human spirit. The poignant story builds audience empathy and wets eyes with tears. Its superbness is in its originality, illustrating that our best selves can emerge when we are at our lowest.  

There are two words that describe this outstanding production: stagecraft and storytelling. Ridgley, his talented troupe of six actors, and his designers have collaborated to create a fun and engaging production. Throughout the month of August, Ridgely and his troupe of actors are traveling the bi-state area to bring Shakespeare to the people. At each of the 24-stops The St. Louis Shakespeare festival team presents a streamlined 90-minute production of THE TEMPEST featuring elaborate costumes, inventive set and prop pieces, inspired puppetry, clever sound effects, and a bit of live music and singing. 

The production is artfully directed by Brian Hohlfeld, and skillfully acted Julie Layton (Annabelle), Donna Weinstein (Chanteuse/Mrs. O’Fallon), Julia Crump (Babe), Gary Barker (Richard/Mitch/Joe), and Dominic DeCicco (Paul/Jim/Dennis). The short plays move briskly on a simple set that Hohlfeld adapted with props for each story. William’s stories are amusing, and they flow together nicely thanks to the actors' fine performances. Layton, Barker, and DeCicco have the heaviest lift filling multiple roles across the three shows.   

The Muny debut of IN THE HEIGHTS is a fantastic production of Lin Manuel-Miranda's Tony award winning musical. Angulo has directed a production that captures the emotional heart of Miranda’s story. He makes an enormous splash with the big musical numbers. The choreography is exciting, and the dancing is and joyous.

The 9th Annual Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis opened on Thursday evening with stunning production of CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF. Acclaimed director Michael Wilson has tailored a blistering production with a talented group of local actors to tell Williams’ story of lies deceit, sexual repression, strained familial relationships, and mortality. The highly anticipated production continues at The Grandel Theatre through August 18th as part of the festival events.

Fly North Theatrical’s production of Colin Healy’s BIG MACHINE has a polished and professional look. The cast has strong acting talent. They create memorable characters and deliver better-than-average vocal performances. Credit Rohlf’s direction and Healy’s music direction for the cast’s preparation. The technical elements are all first rate, especially Long and Engel’s expensive looking set and costume designs, and Woods intricate choreography. The narrative was a bit tedious, but it did inspired reading following the show to learn more about Midgley, his work, and the decisions that were made to put profits ahead of consumer safety.

First Run Theatre opened their mainstage season on Friday evening with the world premiere of two one act plays, THE CONVERSATION ABOUT THE KEYS, PART I: TIM WITHOUT THALIA by Yu-Li Alice Shen and CASH FLOW by Marjorie Williamson. Both new plays were directed by Phil Wright and take a humorous look at relationships and interactions between women and men.

When the lights go up on Washington Heights at The Muny next Friday it will be the break of a lifetime for a young actor. Benji Santiago will take center stage to rap the well-known opening line from Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony winning IN THE HEIGHTS. Santiago calls Lin-Manuel Miranda one of his biggest inspirations. He started listening to the Broadway cast recording of IN THE HEIGHTS when he was sixteen. “It’s been my favorite show since then,” he said. Santiago saw his first production of IN THE HEIGHTS when he was a junior in high school. That is right about the same time he discovered his love for theatre. He shared that from the first time he heard the recording he has been envisioning himself playing the role that made Miranda famous.