Stage Voice

WHAT A PIECE OF WORK WAS JACK: Barrymore at Avalon Theatre

By: Andrea Braun, Theatre Arts Correspondent

Legend has it that when John Barrymore died, his friends, including actor Errol Flynn and director Raoul Walsh gathered in a bar to mark the occasion.  Walsh left, and with the help of a couple of co-conspirators, stole Barrymore’s still un-embalmed body from the funeral home, took it to Errol Flynn’s house, and propped it up in a chair. When Flynn came home, he was extremely drunk, but sobered up quickly in terror as he saw “Jack” sitting right there. He claimed to have screamed his head off, and even when he learned it was a joke, was unable to sleep all that night.

Is this story true? Who knows? It’s about the only one John Contini didn’t tell among the outrageous statements and actions attributed to Barrymore during his very large life. Of course, he couldn’t have related it, since the play takes place in 1942, one month before “The Great Profile’s” death at 60. He lived fast, and he died young, but it was too late to leave a good looking corpse. He remains vain to the end, however, since he seeks reassurance from the prompter (Scott McMasters as “Frank,” unseen but heard throughout the show) he has hired to help him prepare for a comeback as Richard III. “I don’t look middle-aged, do I?” Barrymore asks. “Not anymore, sir,” Frank says flatly.

DIVAS ON THE DOLE: WAITING IN THE WINGS

Written by Andrea Braun, Theatre Arts Correspondent

This is a good month to see lesser known works by well known playwrights: The Albee plays (Everything in the Garden closed last weekend at Stray Dog; The Lady from Dubuque is currently running at Muddy Waters) and now Act Inc’s summer repertory season includes Heroes (trans. By Tom Stoppard) and Waiting in the Wings by Noel Coward, which opened last night. "Wings" is an old-fashioned three-act butt numb-er, but it has good performances, some of Coward’s trademark sparkling dialogue, and an interesting setting to recommend it.

By Andrea Braun, Theatre Arts Correspondent

The above is a very brief definition of what a dramaturg may (or may not) do during the production of a play. First, there is the matter of the term itself. Both "dramaturg" and "dramaturge" are used interchangeably, though the practice itself is "dramaturgy" (hard "g"). A playwright may also be called a "dramaturg." So can a translator, a scholar, a theatrical historian, or someone who gets the director’s coffee while offering an opinion about blocking a scene. Confused yet? Yeah, me too, but it says in the playbill that I am the "Dramaturg" for The Lady from Dubuque, now playing at the Kranzberg Arts Center by Muddy Waters Theatre Company. I thought Vital Voice readers might enjoy a backstage look at the process of putting on a show.

The Devil and Seymour Krelborn: Little Shop of Horrors at Stages, St. Louis.

By Andrea Braun, Theatre Arts Correspondent

Picture it: Skid Row, the early 1960s. A young man, Seymour Krelborn (Ben Nordstrom) was taken from an orphanage to be a virtual slave for Mr. Mushnik (Darin De Paul) a down-at-heels florist. The other employee in the shop is Audrey (Maria Couch) a dim blonde who is abused by her boyfriend, a sadistic dentist, but is the object of Seymour’s devotion. Life on the street is depicted by bums and winos blocking the way to the garbage cans. A Greek Chorus of sorts is comprised of Chiffon (Valisia Lekae) Crystal (Rashidra Scott) and Ronnette (Lisa M. Ramey) who guide us through this vale of tears via tunes to the music of the era. All one could add to make this thing more depressing is a mass murderer. Oops! Got one! The world of Little Shop of Horrors sounds dreadful on paper, but nope. It’s a musical comedy, and if it’s your kind of humor, it’s hilarious.

BY: COLIN MURPHY - SENIOR WRITER

Rent heads rejoice! The rock musical that reinvented the Great White Way returns to the Fabulous Fox June 2-7.

Rent: The Broadway Tour is a must see production with Adam Pascal, Anthony Rapp and Gwen Stewart reprising the roles they originated on Broadway. Joining the trio are Justin Johnston (Angel Schunard), Lexi Lawson (Mimi Marquez), Michael McElroy (Tom Collins), Jacques C. Smith (Benjamin Coffin III), and Haneefah Wood (Joanne Jefferson).

                          SHE WAS SO VAIN: Martha Mitchell Calling

By Andrea Braun, Theatre Arts Correspondent

Nathan Hale, Abraham Lincoln, Anwar Sadat, Yitzak Rabin, Martha Mitchell. Martha Mitchell? Why is she on this list? Well, because, according to Martha Mitchell Calling, the "big mouth of the south" belongs on a roster of patriots who gave the last full measure of devotion for their countries. Those who, by their words and deeds, proved that love of country was more important to them than life itself.

IT IS A BRAVE NEW (SILLY) WORLD: Return to the Forbidden Planet

By Andrea Braun, Theatre Arts Correspondent

It would have been fun to see the Olivier Awards ceremony (The British version of the Tonys) in 1990. Return to the Forbidden Planet took Best Musical honors when Miss Saigon was also a nominee. But while Miss Saigon pulls out all the stops in production values—remember that helicopter?—Return to the Forbidden Planet revels in its bargain basement look and ridiculous "Fakespeare" dialogue. Both are based on high-toned source material, Madame Butterfly and The Tempest, respectively, but Miss Saigon takes it all so very seriously and "Forbidden Planet" plays for laughs, which it receives in abundance.

BY: COLIN MURPHY - SENIOR WRITER

The national tour of the new production of "A Chorus Line" will hit the boards at the Fabulous Fox May 12-24 giving a new generation of St. Louisans the opportunity to experience the "singular sensation"  that, well over three decades ago, shattered every Broadway record.

Opening in 1975, the original production still retains the title of longest-running American musical (15-years) and took home the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, nine Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Score and Book, and the New York Drama Critics Circle Award.

IT’S ALL THERE IN BLACK AND WHITE: The Good Times are Killing Me

By Andrea Braun, Theatre Arts Correspondent

There are 18 actors in The Good Times are Killing Me, and that’s a lot of people to wrangle in the small black box at Fontbonne, the home of Mustard Seed Theatre. Fortunately, director Deanna Jent is a past master at crowd control as she showed us in Measure of Measure. Here though, the many tend to overwhelm the few too often. The play seems busy and unfocused at times. Big events are glossed over and details that would make us feel more for the characters are missing.

"Beauty’s only Skin Deep, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah": The Ugly One

By: Andrea Braun - Theatre Arts Correspondent

One thing that makes a comedy enjoyable is if the actors look like they’re having fun. After weeks of rehearsal, if they seem like they’re engaged in their situations for the first time, the show is much more likely to turn out to be fresh and amusing. The Ugly One’s four cast members demonstrate that truth. Ben Nordstrom (Lette), Michelle Hand (Fanny), Terry Meddows (Karlmann) and Charlie Barron (Scheffler) give the audience a good time because they seem to be having a blast themselves with this romp through weird science.