Rob Levy - Page 3

Now in production by Stray Dog Theatre, Good People ironically offers very little decency in its presentation of working-class Southies looking to catch a break. At its core is Margie Walsh, a tough-as-nails, blue-collar working mother whose desire to do right by her mentally challenged daughter upends her life. Saddled with unreliable caregivers and always looking for more money, she struggles to keep steady work and make ends meet.

While there have been hundreds of adaptations of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, few of them have had the energy and contemporary flair of Hana Sharif's revised production currently onstage at the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis.

Filled with pathos and weighty drama, A Piece of My Heart, is a gritty, and oftentimes uncomfortable portrayal of what the over 11,000 women stationed in Vietnam dealt with as they nursed, comforted, and entertained troops.

A cocktail of bad bosses, allegations, accountability, and the desire for second chances are shaken and stirred in the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis’ world premiere of The Gradient.

Stray Dog’s Blue/Orange is a relevant exploration of the connection between class, race, and mental health. This finely directed and well-acted production is layered with raw emotions that stay with audiences long after the curtain has come down.

Emerging from the pandemic for their 30th season, New Line Theatre is welcoming audiences back to live theater with The Story of My Life, an emotionally powerful two-hander about memory, friendship, individualism and, the power of words.

At a time when social justice issues and the role of entertainers bringing attention to relevant social issues is more prescient than ever, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis’ production of Dreaming Zenzile is both uplifting and relevant.

Crafted with great affection and care, TWStL’s on-location production of The Glass Menagerie is a first-rate production that combines the allure of nostalgia and place with an ensemble that skillfully brings the angst, faded dreams, and disappointments of Williams’ to the stage with vivid clarity.

Tiny Beautiful Things, arrival to St. Louis could not be more prescient. Excellently presented and emotionally compelling, its themes of healing, love, courage, and acceptance remain important local communities struggle to return to normalcy.

Globalism, greed and international politics collide in the Repertory Theatre St. Louis’ sterling production of Mlima’s Tale. Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage’s poignant and emotional play about the horrors of the global ivory trade is the company’s only production for its augmented 20202/2021 season.

Camp, corsets and Aqua Net collide in a kinetic burst of Greece lighting that meshes the intense drama of Sir Philip Sidney's 16th century literary work, The Arcadia with the seemingly frivolous power punk of The Go-Go's,

There is a lot to wig out about with The Rep's production of The Mystery of Irma Vep. A rapid-fire mélange of B-movie insanity and camp hijinks, it is a throwback to a time when bawdy and raucous theater was a rebellious sign of the times.

Theater is at its most compelling when the work on stage stays with the audience long after they have left the production. This is especially true with Upstream Theater's Wildfire, a well-acted and perfectly executed play that delves deeply into the psyche of some pretty ugly people.

Expeditiously paced and featuring a talented ensemble, The Rep's Mojada: A Medea in Los Angeles is an unflinching look at the underbelly of immigration that continues this season's focus on offering intriguing dramas filled with complex characters.

In staging a refreshed version of Pride and Prejudice, the Rep has confidently made its case that well produced drama of classic works can continue to remain relevant in the context of contemporary times.

The arrival of the Repertory Theatre St. Louis' production of The Lifespan of a Fact could not be better timed. Although set in 2003, it's explorations of fiction versus nonfiction, fact versus embellishment and storytelling verses the truth could be ripped from the headlines of the modern world.

Angels In America is must-see event that is, in equal parts, a depiction, dialogue, response and conversation about the AIDS crisis. It also is underpinned by themes of race, life, death, faith and politics.

Adapte from the 1994 film, A MAN OF NO IMPORTANCE centers around Alfie Byrne, a down on his luck bus conductor and theater director whose latest theatrical production leads to a powerful journey of self-discovery.

DEAR MR. WILLIAMS centers on the parallel journeys between Batt and his beloved playwright. Sharing Williams passion for The Big Easy, Batt's metamorphosis from adolescent soccer player to an actor lauded by Helen Hayes is a bumpy coming-of-age story filled that is equally parts hilarious, ironic, tragic, contemplative and rousing.

Three decades later SAY ANYTHING remains one of best romantic comedies of the late 1980s. Confronting issues like adolescent love, social status and independence. Its crisp dialogue, witty charm and killer soundtrack provides the perfect launching point for John Cusack's enduring career.