Interview: Haircut 100 Returns To America With New Music and New Tour
Haircut 100 are making up for lost time. Currently on tour with ABC and Howard Jones, their singles, “Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl),” “Love Plus One,” “Fantastic Day,” and “Nobody’s Fool” were all top ten singles in Britain in 1982 and 1983. Their seminal debut, “Pelican West,” a classic album from 1982 has never sounded […]
Review: Opera Theatre of Saint Louis Closes The Season with the Heavenly Galileo Galilei
Audiences are being blinded with science by Opera Theatre of Saint Louis’ stunning Galileo Galilei. Closing its 49th season, this company debut explores the dichotomy between science and theology through the life of Galileo, a visionary who challenged the churchy science of the 17th century and paved the way for modern astronomy. Originally, Phillip Glass’s […]
Theatre Review: Sparks Fly and People Die in OTSL’s Julius Caesar
Passion and politics collide with dire consequences in Opera Theatre of Saint Louis’ mesmeric Julius Caesar. Based on Handel’s opera seria, this company premiere features a talented ensemble performing some of the grandest arias in opera. While Handel’s opera is based on Caesar’s visit to Egypt in 48 BC (during the height of the Roman […]
Bad Bohemians: Poverty, Passion and Poor Health Abound in Opera Theatre’s La bohème (Review)
Opera Theatre of Saint Louis’ 49th season continues with a sprightly yet sorrowful production of Puccini’s La bohème. An indispensable part of the opera canon, it was last performed by the company in 2016. La bohème is based on a short story by Henri Murger, a poet and novelist known for his depictions of Parisian […]
Theatre Review: Opera Theatre of St. Louis Presents a Sidesplitting and Surreal ‘The Barber of Seville’
Opera Theatre of Saint Louis’s 49th season begins with a vibrantly colored, laugh-out-loud production of The Barber of Seville. Last staged by the company eight years ago, this production retains the vocal ornamentation, passion, and over-the-top melodrama found in Rossini’s comic bel canto masterpiece. But there are a few big changes. First, the opera has […]
Concert Review: Wang Chung Brings Big Sounds To The Intimate City Winery
The proliferation of ‘80s bands making the concert rounds has intensified over the last decade. As a result, countless artists with a commercial hit to their name during the 1980s have cashed in on the nostalgia gravy train. This is why I approached Wang Chung’s concert on May 23rd with a hint of suspicion and […]
Review: St. Louis Symphony Orchestra Performs “Brahms X Radiohead” With Composer/Conductor Steve Hackman
As classical music looks to connect with younger audiences, the programming offered by many of symphonies is adapting. While the classics of Mozart, Beethoven, Vivaldi, and their ilk remain standard in symphonic repertoires, the works of these masters now are nestled amongst film scores, themed concerts, and rock music. This synthesis of rock and classical […]
Theater Review: Fascism, Physics, and Friendships Collide in COPENHAGEN
From physics to physical confrontation, the St. Louis Actors Studio production of Copenhagen delivers tense drama, political intrigue, and plenty of existential dread. Focusing on the story, director Wayne Saloman’s minimalist staging allows the actors to bring the intensity, making this a must-see production. Set against the backdrop of occupied Denmark, Copenhagen uses nonlinear time to chronicle the friendship between […]
Movie Review: The Evocative CHAPERONE Screens at Slamdance 2024
Chaperone is a lively indie film that breaks many of the norms of traditional narratives in moviemaking. First, it features an entirely Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander cast, led by Misha-Mitzi Akaha and Jake-Laird Akeo in leading roles. Second, the movie builds its plot around an illicit love affair between and older woman and […]
Theatre Review: COSI FAN TUTTE Offers A Comedic Clash of the Sexes
The battle of the sexes is in full effect at Opera Theatre of St. Louis. This clever mêlée of wits drives their production of Mozart’s comedic opera, Cosi fan tutte. What starts as a leisurely vacation turns into a high-stakes competition when two fresh recruits, Guglielmo and Ferrando foolishly believe that their girlfriends, Fiordiligi and Dorabella, […]
