Hosting a 28th season dominated by excellent performances, Union Avenue Opera’s second production, Falstaff may be the strongest of the bunch. Written when he was almost 80, Verdi’s comedic opera is a pared-down version of The Merry Wives of Windsor amended with scenes from Henry IV, Part 1, and Part 2 for dramatic heft and […]
Joseph Puleo is once again exploring the impact of immigration in St. Louis. Much like his previous film, America’s Last Little Italy: The Hill, his latest, A New Home examines how Bosnian immigrants built a community in the Gateway City that provided them with a brighter future. Screening at the 22nd Annual Whitaker St. Louis […]
Opening the 28th season in their home for the first time in over two years, Union Avenue Opera is filled with a renewed sense of energy. This vitality is especially apparent in the season’s opener, Eugene Onegin, an intense production filled with incredible performances and beautiful music. Based on Pushkin’s novel, Eugene Onegin is set […]
With so much intensity permeating through Opera Theatre of St. Louis’ 48th season, it is good to see the company let its hair down. With two emotionally heavy world premieres surrounding it, The Magic Flute provides some much-need relief. Renovated by director Omer Ben Seadia’s clever pacing, Jessica Jahn’s vivaciously creative costumes, and Ryan Howell’s set design, […]
It is only fitting that Opera Theatre St. Louis closes out its 48th season with an opera about overcoming adversity. Back on its home stage in front of an audience for the first time since 2019, the company has faced several challenges, including postponing two world premiere presentations. But, in the case of Harvey Milk, […]
For Opera Theatre St. Louis, the season doesn’t get much better than having two world premiere operas in the same season. The first, an adaptation of Dr. Oliver Sacks’ book Awakenings, was originally planned as the opener for the 2020 season. Despite being stalled, this highly emotional opera has finally arrived. Relentless in its intensity […]
Bullfighting and bravado take center stage for Opera Theatre of St. Louis’ feisty production of Carmen. Set in Franco’s Spain, Rodula Gaitanou’s battle of the sexes takes a little time to get going. But, once it does, the production kicks into overdrive. Opening the company’s 48th season, Gaitanou’s interpretation breaks away from the trendy projections […]
After an unpleasant split in 1993 fans of the Pixies were resigned to the fact that the band would never play together again. At the time, the future of the band looked dire. Singer Frank Black was making solo records, Kim Deal was having success with The Breeders and The Amps, while Dave Lovering and […]
Justin Zuckerman’s Yelling Fire in An Empty Theater removes any pretense that moving to a new city is easy, fun, or romantic. His entertaining first feature film replaces these tropes with a gritty narrative rich in bohemian angst. Isadora Leiva gives a lively performance as Lisa, a young woman whose arrival in New York is fraught with […]
Pulling into the station as the world is reopening and people are rushing to get back to normal, Alex Nevill’s leisurely documentary Ferroequinology could not be better timed. Translated literally as “the study of iron horses,” his film, streaming as part of Slamdance 2022, follows two wandering spirits as they set out on separate railroad photography […]
