In an earlier review of “Guys and Dolls,” I commented on how the incongruous title of the first number, “Fugue for Tinhorns,” exemplifies the musical’s Runyonesque style. The fugue is an intricate classical form. Tinhorns are cheap and pretentious. The show’s gamblers speak in a language with the same mixture of high and low elements—polite, […]

First Run Theatre’s current offering is “Tenn.” This is the first full production of Aaron Scully’s play, but it received a reading in March 2025 during the St. Louis Shakespeare Festival’s Confluence New Play Festival.

The current show at The Muny is “Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations.” The Muny staging of the jukebox musical has brilliant performances of 31 wonderful songs from the Motown catalog, and it looks as great as it sounds.

I can think of no better introduction to opera than the “L’elisir d’amore” (“The Elixir of Love”) at Union Avenue Opera. The opera and the production are delightful. Patrons who enjoyed Union Avenue’s “Fiddler on the Roof” ought to give “L’elisir d’amore” a try even if they do not consider themselves opera fans.

The Greenfinch Theatre & Dive has established itself as an important venue for St. Louis theater companies, but the small stage limits the possibilities for some shows. The Greenfinch was the obvious choice for Fly North Theatricals’ current production of Stephen Sondheim’s “Sweeney Todd” because the theater is owned by the same people who run […]

When the lights come up in Will Eno’s “Wakey, Wakey,” a man in pajama pants says, “Is it now? I thought I had more time.” This is a reasonable thing for an awakening man to say, but it is also a poignant reference to the speaker’s mortality. “We’re here to say good-bye,” he says later. […]

“Disney’s Newsies” is a dance show, and there is no better place to see a dance show than The Muny, whose current production is a gem.

The Tesseract Theatre Company has mounted another impressive staging of a musical. The current offering is “Jagged Little Pill: The Musical,” which takes its name and inspiration from a 1995 album by Alanis Morisette.

The 12th Annual LaBute New Theater Festival is underway at St. Louis Actors’ Studio. This edition adds to the festival’s distinguished record of selecting new plays worth seeing.

Rodgers and Hammerstein’s masterpiece, “South Pacific,” can be seen in all its glory in this week’s magnificent production at The Muny.