Image from Wikimedia Commons
Okay, people, let's get settled—I know our brains are all still on Spring Break but there's plenty of work to do before Summer and if you think you've just gotta coast on through to the finish line, you've got another thing coming, little missy! Cell phones off, heads up! For realz 'n' junk. Sorry to get all school-marm up in here, but this is the brief lull between the final gasping gusts of Winter's theater offerings and the wealth that warm weather brings to our stages, like so many dogwood blossoms. May, especially, hosts a torrent of openings, with splendid options carrying through Summer into Fall. We have plenty of plays to give the once-over, so let's quit daydreaming and get to it—and get rid of that gum!
Whittling down a highlight list from among the many productions soon on offer is often a delightfully subjective undertaking. If it grabs me for any reason, it makes the list—that simple. Firsts, premieres, exclusives; all beep my radar. Old familiar work, notable writers, intriguing subject matter? Check, check and chickity-check! Ultimately it's just a scattershot that I hope demonstrates the greater abundance that's out there this coming season from companies of all sizes, stalwarts and upstarts. The only illusion of objectivity I can apply is ordering my list, and I arbitrarily chose chronologically. I tried chromatically, but one little trickle of blood from my left ear and I suspected I might be making things a bit too complicated. Let us begin:
Eclipsed, by Danai Gurira. Washington University Performing Arts Department, A.E. Hotchner Studio Theatre, 6445 Forsyth, April 1-10.
See, this is why I included the whole caveat about list order, as first up we have a production from the institution where I began my dramatic academics over 20 years ago. I maintain no affiliation, pinky swear. I also will unfortunately be unable to see the show for review, but I will catch it by the end of the run. Eclipsed deals with the individual and societal devastation of the civil war in Liberia through examination of the wives of a rebel commander. Often the only way to get any sense of the enormity of an unspeakable human cataclysm is by exploring the effects on the lives of some of those individual humans.
Agnes of God, by John Pielmeier. Avalon Theatre Company, ArtSpace in Crestwood Court, Watson and Old Sappington, April 28-May 8.
If all you know of this piece is the 1985 Norman Jewison film, do yourself a favor and rectify that situation. Not to disparage that work or its fine cast, but this play works particularly well with the intimacy and immediacy afforded by live performance. This is the classic character-driven work, the load borne by three actors. Courts have appointed a psychiatrist to investigate the fitness of Sister Agnes, in whose convent room an infant's body has been found. Her Mother Superior aims to protect her. Emotional and gripping, this play challenges its actors and rewards its audience. Moral and spiritual ambiguities transform each of the three women portrayed.
Intelligent Life, by Lauren Dusek Albonico. HotCity Theatre, Kranzberg Arts Center, 501 N. Grand, April 29-May 14.
Funny thing, this chronological list; it's creating a thematic flow I wish I had intended. Female cast followed by female cast, and now examination of faith follows same. Gosh, I'm inadvertently good! What on the surface presents itself as a whacky comedy about aliens and the people who love (or need) to believe in them became, according to Dusek, an opportunity for her to explore her own beliefs, and the nature of faith in general. Sounds meatier than your average screwball. Oh, and Dusek's a Wash. U. grad, to boot. Kismet!
The Lady With All the Answers, by David Rambo. Max & Louie Productions, The Black Box Theatre at COCA, 524 Trinity, May 12-22.
How 'bout some warm and fuzzy? There's no shame in an evening of unapologetically upbeat entertainment, and this one-woman show based on the life and letters of Ann Landers should satisfy. It has played coast-to-coast, and what actress wouldn't relish owning the stage as the beloved advice columnist as she intersperses tales from her life with readings from her favorite letters? Not every night at the theater needs to enrich and edify...fun is fun.
The Abominable Dr. Phibes—in 3-D, author irrelevant. Magic Smoking Monkey Productions, Regional Arts Commission, 6128 Delmar, May 13, 14, 20, 21.
Wow, I so should have taken credit for the flow of this thing! Hot on the heels of fluffy light comedy comes the raucous, kitschy, absurd, whack-a-doodle-doo that is par for the course when this red-headed stepchild of St. Louis Shakespeare raises the curtain. They've done campy adaptations of Planet of the Apes, Reefer Madness, Ed Wood's Glen or Glenda (camp built-in!) and most recently, the One-Hour Star-Wars Trilogy. This time out, the material is a classic B-movie mad-science thriller from 1971 which featured Joseph Cotten and homeboy Vincent Price. Among the promotions for the film was a poster which appropriated the then-sensational Love Story with the tag-line, “Love means never having to say you're ugly.” MSM should have no problem serving this up as a riotous night at the thee-ay-tur.
The Taming of The Shrew, by William Shakespeare. Shakespeare Festival St. Louis, May 25-June 19.
Okay, this one's a bit forced, but the chronology works. From an offshoot of the old gray lady of Shakespeare in the Lou we go to the new adherents to the all-Willy diet. Since this is a Spring-into-Summer list, it would be silly to ignore the big kids in the sandbox. The shows are grand, moneyed affairs with elaborate staging—definitely a spectacle everyone should get out to see. I do have to recommend that you actually pony up for a seat. The lawn seems like a great option until the attention spans wane (about fifteen minutes in) and cel-phones and frisbees and untethered moppets steal the show. It ain't a Jimmy Buffett show, y'all! I mean, the lawn's okay, and the amplification is more than enough, but the lack of respect and attention are too distracting for me. Quality acting and direction, though.
Just Desserts, by Neil LaBute. St. Louis Actors Studio, The Gaslight Theater, 358 N. Boyle, June 3-19.
This one was a lock to make the list. So much sex appeal: a world premiere by one of the key playwrights of our time, written specifically for a St. Louis company? Done. This collection of one-acts and monologues needs to be top of the list for any lover of language. LaBute possesses a wit and flair for dialogue that are hard to match, as exhibited in plays like The Company of Men and The Mercy Seat and his many well-known film involvements. These vignettes should provide a feast for wordniks, irrespective of their previous familiarity with LaBute.
Also this summer, Stages St. Louis's 25th season begins with A Chorus Line June 3-July 3 and continues through fall with some familiar musical favorites (Robert Reim Theatre, 111S. Geyer). Insight Theatre Company offers a full and varied season, but I was particularly drawn to Shipwrecked!: An Entertainment, by Don Margulies, June 21-July 31, as it features beloved St. Louis actor Joneal Joplin performing with his son and daughter, Jared and Jen (Heagney Theatre at Nerinx Hall, 530 E. Lockwood). And for a little Christmas in July, Citilities brings us The Crumple Zone, by Buddy Thomas, a gay-love-triangle-at-the-holidays comedy—y'know, the usual. (That's also at the Gaslight.)
This list represents a mere fraction of what's out there as our gardens begin to bloom and our brains come out of hibernation. We only have this bounteous variety because one chunk of people work hard to put it out there, and another chunk go to see it. Just like our embattled public broadcasting, we viewers hold in our wallets the future of St. Louis theater and the variety of material offered; and like public tv and radio, much of this richness is brought to us through non-profits—anyway, nobody's doing it to get rich, let me tell you. That's your assignment: go see some of this stuff or a show by one of the myriad other companies space would not allow here. Support the passion of these devoted folks, because often, besides the personal satisfaction they derive from creating this art, our attention and applause are the greatest payback they get. Got it? Class dismissed.
Devin C. Baker is a native St. Louisan who studied acting and theater arts at Washington University in St. Louis, then at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, where dramaturgy and playwrighting were also emphasized. He threw in an English literature double-major for pizazz. He resides in South St. Louis with his lovely wife, Odessa, their beloved golden retriever, Buddy, and a cat. The cat is named Chappy-Beans. Devin is largely ambivalent about this cat.
