Two on the Aisle - Theatre Reviews for June 20, 2019

This podcast is from episode number 530 of the program, originally broadcast on Thursday, June 20, 2019 and features reviews of the plays:

- FIRE SHUT UP IN MY BONES, by Terence Blanchard & Kasi Lemmons, at Opera Theatre of St. Louis

- THE CAPER IN AISLE 6, by Cecil McKinnon & Jack Marsh, at Circus Flora

- THE BOY FROM OZ, by Peter Allen, Nick Enright, & Martin Sherman, at Stages St. Louis

- SYLVIA, by A.R. Gurney, at Stray Dog Theatre

- THE CORONATION OF POPPEA, by Claudio Monteverdi, at Opera Theatre of St. Louis

- GUYS AND DOLLS, by Frank Loesser, Abe Burrows, & Jo Swerling, at The Muny

- LEWIS & TOLKIEN: OF WARDROBES & RINGS, by David Payne, at the Playhouse @ Westport Plaza

- NEXT TO NORMAL: THE THELONIUS MONK STORY, by Mariah Richardson, at A Call to Conscience & Jazz St. Louis

AND…

- FAT, by Shannon Geier, at because why not? Theatre Company

You can also see video and still pictures of the shows that we've talked about in all of our episodes by looking for us on all social media platforms...YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Search for "twontheaisle" on all of them. Here are the direct links:

Facebook: http://facebook.com/twoontheaislehec
YouTube: http://youtube.com/twoontheaisle
Instagram:  http://instagram.com/twoontheaisle
Twitter:  http://twitter.com/twoontheaisle

See you on July 4, 2019!

Transcript

Announcer: 0:01

This is HEC Media. The views and opinions expressed on the following program do not reflect the views or opinions of HEC or this station. Today we go to the circus, a crap game, Oxford, Australia, coffee clatches and a dog park.

Gerry Kowarsky: 0:16

We hear a very old opera, a very new opera, and a great pianist.

Bob Wilcox: 0:22

Hi, I'm Bob Wilcox.

Gerry Kowarsky: 0:24

And I'm Gerry Kowarsky.

Bob Wilcox: 0:25

Come with us to the theater and we'll tell you what we've seen from our two seats on the aisle.

Rod Milam: 0:32

Welcome to… Two on the Aisle...the podcast...produced by HEC Media in St. Louis, Missouri. Two on the Aisle the podcast is an audio version of the televised and webcast program produced every two weeks that features a review of theater and opera productions around the St. Louis area along with a calendar of theater due to play around the region. The regular hosts of the program, Box Wilcox and Gerry Kowarsky have been hosting and reviewing all over town for more than 25 years on local cable and more recently on the internet. This podcast is from episode number 530 of the program, originally broadcast on Thursday, June 20, 2019 and features reviews of the shows: FIRE SHUT UP IN MY BONES, by Terence Blanchard, at Opera Theatre of St. Louis THE CAPER IN AISLE 6, at Circus Flora THE BOY FROM OZ, at Stages St. Louis SYLVIA, at Stray Dog Theatre THE CORONATION OF POPPEA, at Opera Theatre of St. Louis GUYS AND DOLLS, at The Muny LEWIS& TOLKIEN: OF WARDROBES& RINGS, at the Playhouse@ Westport Plaza NEXT TO NORMAL: THE THELONIUS MONK STORY, A Call to Conscience& Jazz St. Louis AND… FAT, at because why not? Theatre Company Now to start our reviews for this episode, Here's Gerry Kowarsky.

Gerry Kowarsky: 1:47

When Opera Theatre of Saint Louis commissions new works, it wants to expand not only the repertory but also the audience for opera. If it is to remain a living art form, our expectations of what opera can be need to widen. The future of opera seemed particularly bright after the world premiere of“Fire Shut Up in My Bones.” The haunting score is by Terence Blanchard, the prolific jazz musician and composer of more than 40 film scores and an earlier opera,“Champion,” for Opera Theatre. The strikingly dramatic and poetic libretto is by Kasi Lemmons, the acclaimed director of“Eve’s Bayou” and other films. The source of the libretto is the memoir, also named“Fire Shut Up in My Bones,” by New York Times OpEd columnist, Charles M. Blow. The title refers to the long-hidden rage that has erupted in 20-year-old Charles at the start of the opera. In the opening scene, he is speeding down a back road toward his home in Louisiana, with revenge on his mind and a gun in his hand. Davóne Tines’s portrayal of Charles is totally convincing and deeply moving throughout. Before he can carry out his plan, Charles is joined by Destiny, who personifies the impulses at work in Charles’ mind. Julia Bullock’s singing has exceptional beauty and emotional power in her portrayal of this symbolic character. Bullock shines also as Loneliness, another symbolic character, and Greta, a catalytic figure in the unleashing of Charles’ fury. Destiny watches with Charles as he relives key moments in his life. Seven-year-old Char’es-Baby, is“a boy of peculiar grace,” who is starved for affection in a family with four older brothers, a mother who supports the family by working in a chicken processing plant, and a philandering father. Charles’ mother and father are brought vividly to life by Karen Slack as Billie and Chaz’men Williams-Ali as Spinner. Char’es-Baby’s loneliness makes him an easy target for a predatory relative. The depiction of childhood sexual abuse at the end of Act I features excellent performances by Jeremy Denis as Young Charles and Markel Reed as Chester. The scene conveys the emotional trauma of the incident without being too explicit. James Robinson’s stage direction is ideally attuned to the story in Lemmons’ libretto, which is a remarkable compression of events leading up to and following the abuse. Allen Moyer’s scenic design is a flexible canvas for Greg Emetaz’s projections, James Schuette’s costumes, Christopher Akerlind’s lighting, and Sea?n Curran’s choreography. The St. Louis Symphony performs beautifully under William Long, as does the chorus under Cary John Franklin. The fine diction coached by Erie Mills enhances the immediacy of a compelling new wor k.

Bob Wilcox: 4:39

Yeah. And uh, yeah, I'd like to hear it again. I think you've got more of the music. Uh, the story is a little different from so many of the stories about child abuse that we're getting so I appreciated that. Uh, but uh, let's hear some of this music.

Speaker 4: 5:07

[Operatic Singing]

Bob Wilcox: 5:18

Circus Flora has returned to the now semi-permanent big tent east of Grand. It's a grand show, an astounding and thrilling demonstration of all the amazing things the human body can do. As usual, Flora has a story to link the acts. But you may have trouble grasping the full import of the story unless you happen to find the program near the end of the program booklet that lists the acts almost in order and has an introductory paragraph explaining that many eons ago a particle in the air called Aurorium gave humans the ability to fly, which we lost when it all dissipated. But now a small amount of Aurorium has been discovered in the basement of a Schnucks store. That has restored the ability to fly in some of the employees of the store, who go up in the air for The Caper in Aisle 6, as this edition of the circus is called. First the Nemean Sisters inhale some Aurorium and then seem almost to float about the suspended ring on which they perform much the usual routines but with unusual grace and beauty. My favorites are next, the St. Louis Arches. If they don't actually fly, they do have enough Aurorium to stay in the air long enough for multiple back flips and close partner acrobatics. The Flying Wallendas are back on the high wire, keeping us breathless with their balance. The HogDiggityDog performers don't look like Schnucks employees– well, the hogs could wind up in one department– nor do they fly, though the leaping dogs can come close. Trio Bellissimo, luxury shoppers at Schnucks, luxuriate in their elegant hand balancing and lovely contortions. Master Juggler Kellin follows intermission. I lost count of how many clubs he keeps in the air– they must have been on Aurorium– and he's careful to drop one club, just to prove how difficult it is to do what he does. Caleb Asch, the Daring Horseman, leaps from horse to horse and through a ring of fire. Duo Ikai soar as they bounce each other off the teeterboard. The Flying Royals, daring young women and men on the flying trapeze, ingest, I guess, the most Aurorium. Clowns Matthew Morgan and Mooky Cornish fill the gaps between the acts. Unfortunately,, much of their humor was verbal, and given the acoustic challenges of a tent, I missed a lot of it. Mooky did conjure a short musical comedy from audience volunteers. And Cecil McKinnon's Yo-Yo the Ringmaster Clown knows the problem and usually makes herself heard. She's also the theatre director. Janine Del'Arte directs the music, she and Miriam Cutler composed it, Margery& Peter Spack designed the scenery, Nina Reed the costumes, Jesse AlFord the lights, Marta Renzi choreographed, Jack Marsh is the company's artistic director. Another exciting evening at Circus Flora.

Gerry Kowarsky: 8:10

It certainly was. The original Broadway production of“The Boy from Oz” began its previews in September 2003. When its leading man, Hugh Jackman, reached the end of his contract, the show reached the end of its run.“The Boy from Oz” needs a charismatic star. It has one at STAGES St. Louis in David Elder, who headlines the show’s rollicking Midwest premiere.“The Boy from Oz” is a jukebox musical about the life of Peter Allen, the singer songwriter from Australia. The score is drawn from Allen’s own songs, which are beautifully integrated into the action. Allen tells his own story, moving elegantly between the roles of narrator and participant in the book by Martin Sherman and Nick Enright. He was born Peter Richard Woolnough in February 1944 in a small town in Australian outback. His mother nurtured his love of performing. His trouble father did not. In 1959, he and another singer formed a brother act, the Allen Brothers, which gained a spot on the TV program, Australian Bandstand. While the duo was on tour in Hong Kong, Judy Garland discovered them. Allen was performing as her opening act when he met and fell in love with Garland’s daughter. Liza Minelli. Her career took off during their 7 years of marriage. His did not. This difference in their success was one reason for the couple’s estrangement. Another was Allen’s homosexuality. Allen’s career seemed dead after the divorce, but it rose from the ashes. Elder’s singing and dancing have infection energy, and his acting ensures that Allen is a character worth caring and learning about. Elder gets splendid support from the three women in his life. Michele Ragusa’s Garland is not just an impersonation but a genuine person. Corinne Melançon is the most supportive of mothers, especially in Act II. Caitlyn Caughell captures the essence of Liza Minelli. There’s fine work, too, from Erik Keiser as the other Allen brother Zach Trimmer as Allen’s longtime partner, and Steve Isom as both Peter’s father and his manager. Ben Iken and Simon Desilets alternate in the role of Peter as a boy. We saw Iken, who fully conveys the early emergence of Allen’s talent and passion for performing. The standards we expect from STAGES were upheld by Michael Hamilton’s direction and musical staging, Dana Lewis’s choreography, Lisa Campbell Albert’s musical direction, James Wolk’s set Brad Musgrove’s costumes, Sean M. Savoie’s lighting, and Stuart M. Elmore’s orchestral design. Opportunities to see“The Boy from Oz” are rare. Don’t let this one pass by.

Bob Wilcox: 10:50

Yeah, it is an exciting show as you say. It's, it's, it's so many ways kind of one man show on if you don't have a very strong performer in that role. And we did with, with David elder and I was very impressed with, we saw Ben. Ikhan as his juniors, uh, takes quite a talent to match what is being done by the grownup. Uh, Peter Allen so about a good music. His songs, let's hear some of them.

Speaker 4: 11:13

[Singing]

Rod Milam: 11:35

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Bob Wilcox: 11:55

A dog played by a young woman creates much of the amusement in A.R. Gurney's Sylvia. Greg is a middle-aged man obviously going through a midlife crisis. He dislikes his job and his boss. His marriage is OK but, after 22 years, routine. On a break from the office he goes to the park. He befriends a stray dog. She has a tag around her neck that says Sylvia and nothing else. She likes him, and he likes that, and her. He takes her home. His wife Kate, a teacher, does not like Sylvia. With their children now grown and gone, she doesn't want to be burdened with anyone or anything to care for, to cripple their social life and travels. But for Greg, it's too late. Sylvia fills a need. She gives him the attention and affection that he's missing. They bond. Sylvia knows how to manipulate Greg to keep him interested. She is, in a way, the younger woman a man in midlife crisis might have an affair with. But that is not what Greg needs. He still has the woman he needs in his wife. But the dog gives him something else– though, as another dog owner he meets while taking Sylvia to the park explains, a wife might see the two in much the same way. And Kate does. She wants to get rid of Sylvia. When a friend comes to visit, all Kate can do is complain about Sylvia and Greg. Kate and Greg go for couples counseling. The counselor is also a troubled person, troubled, even, by Sylvia. When Kate gets a grant to study for six months in England, where Sylvia would be quarantined, something has to give. And it does. Tim Naegelin makes Greg a really nice, confused guy who cannot see why he can't have both Sylvia and Kate or why Kate should be upset about it. And he always treats Sylvia like she's a dog. Kay Love's Kate does, too, but in quite a different way. She doesn't like what this is doing to their marriage or to her. Melisa Harlow plays three characters. She's most convincing as Tom, the fellow dog owner in the park. She gets the gender uncertainty of the marriage counselor. She goes way over the top as the friend who visits. Susie Lawrence finds all the right moves to make Sylvia always a dog, even when she talks like a person, and she doesn't need the smudge of black makeup on her nose. Her devotion to Greg is total. She tries to win over Kate, fails, and determines to defeat her. Her string of profanity when she and Greg encounter a cat on a walk astounds Greg. So does her attraction to Tom's dog Bowser. Sylvia is the key to the delights Gurney embeds in his play, and Lawrence unlocks them all. Miles Bledsoe's set smoothly changes from apartment to park, with Tyler Duenow's lights. Director Gary F. Bell also designed the costumes, with amusing touches for Sylvia and for Harlow's three characters. I enjoyed seeing Sylvia again.

Gerry Kowarsky: 14:47

“The Coronation of Poppea” was written centuries ago about events that took place many centuries ago. Yet the opera by Claudio Monteverdi is gripping in the current staging at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. The translation by stage director Tim Albery is contemporary and clever. These qualities come through thanks to the clarity of the English diction, coached by Ben Malensek. The action is exceptionally easy to follow, with little need for reference to the projected titles. It helps that conductor and harpsichordist Nicholas Kok achieves an ideal balance between singers and the eight fine musicians onstage. Most importantly, Albery elicits performances from the entire cast that are as involving dramatically as they are musically. In a modern setting based on Italian cinema from the 1960s, Emily Fons gives the title character a menacing lust for power and provokes irresistible lust in her paramour, the Emperor Nerone. Brenton Ryan gives Nerone a disturbing willfulness that leans toward mania. He reminds me of Jim Moriarty, the criminal mastermind in the BBC mystery“Sherlock.” Nerone’s encounter with Poppea on the long table is extraordinarily erotic. Everyone in the orbit of these two is brought to life vividly, especially the two most mature characters. David Pittsinger projects inspirational dignity as the stoic philosopher Seneca, who was Nerone’s most trusted advisor until Poppea insisted otherwise. A striking contrast to Seneca’s morality is the expediency of Poppea’s nurse Arnalta, portrayed by Patricia Schuman. High praise is due also to: Tom Scott-Cowell as Ottone Sarah Mesko as the Empress Devon Guthrie as Drusilla, Sydney Baedke as Fortuna Jennifer Aylmer as Virtu Michaela Wolz as Amore Philippe L’Esperance and Matthew Cairns as guards, and Jacob Ingbar Joseph McBrayer, and Griffen Hogan Tracy as Familiars. Hannah Clark’s costume designs establish a strong sense of period and style. Her evocative scenic design is harder to pin down. I admire the complexity that has made me think more than any other set I can recall. Christopher Akerlind’s lighting, Tom Watson’s wigs and makeup and Seán Curran choreography add to the fascination of this splendid pro duction.

Bob Wilcox: 17:15

Yeah, I agree. I don't get to set, but I'm so glad they did this because I'm not a great fan of the Baroque. I don't go go for baroque, but I do a, I did as you said, it's, it's almost a play with music and the way it's done. And so the music rarely rose to what you would call an aria, I would think. But uh, it worked well for what it was to do and a fascinating story. So let's hear some of that music.

Speaker 4: 17:49

[Operatic Singing]

Bob Wilcox: 18:08

Perfect weather, a classic musical, and a terrific performance made it an ideal Muny evening for the opening night of the 101st year in the park and for the introduction of the rebuilt stage. Director Gordon Greenberg, music director Brad Haak, and the entire cast brought the Guys and Dolls created by Frank Loesser's music and lyrics and Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows' book to that 1950s Manhattan life captured by Damon Runyon in his stories that blossomed into a musical. Choreography by Lorin Latarro and Patrick O'Neill began during the overture and kept inventing great moves throughout. Paul Tate dePoo III's scenery used the two new pixel screens stage right and left as well as the large screen upstage, but the crucial Broadway street scene, with the Hot Box and the Save-a-Soul Mission in storefronts side by side, hung from one of the old booms. Tristan Raines put the soul-savers in uniform, the gamblers in flashy wide labels, the Hot Box dancers in as little as possible, and really cut loose for the Havana numbers. Rob Denton polished the lights, John Shivers& David Patridge the sound, Nathan W. Scheuer the video, and Leah J. Loukas the wigs. Jordan Gelber nailed Nathan Detroit. Kendra Kassebaum got more out of Adelaide's Lament than I could have imagined, and she kept doing it with her Miss Adelaide. Ben Davis's smooth Sky Masterson got thrown for a loop by love, as did Brittany Bradford's Sister Sarah Brown with her wonderful voice. She turned for comfort to the comforting Ken Page as her grandfather Arvide Abernathy, and I had to wonder what Page was thinking as Orville Mendoza soared with Page's Broadway triumph, Nicely-Nicely Johnson's Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat. He had a great assist from Zoe Vonder Haar as General Cartwright. The grand old new Muny opened with not a weak spot in the cast or the production of Guys and Dolls.

Gerry Kowarsky: 19:58

It was The Muny at its best. Yes.

Bob Wilcox: 20:03

Let's hear that. Wonderful music.

Speaker 7: 20:05

[Singing from Guys and Dolls]

Rod Milam: 20:35

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Gerry Kowarsky: 21:00

A year ago, David Payne came to the Playhouse@ Westport Plaza to present his one-man show,“An Evening with C. S. Lewis.” I reviewed it enthusiastically. Payne was back at the Westport last week with another show in which he plays Lewis. This one is a two-hander entitled“Lewis and Tolkien, Of Wardrobes and Rings.” The subtitle refers the two works of fantasy for which Lewis and his friend, J.R.R. Tolkien, are best known: Tolkien’s“The Lord of the Rings” and Lewis’s“Chronicles of Narnia,” the first volume of which is“The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.” The two scholars became friends at Oxford through their shared passion for Norse mythology. Later, Tolkien was instrumental in the re-emergence of Lewis’s Christian faith. As a part of a group called the Inklings, they shared their work in progress with each other in meetings at a pub named the Eagle and Child but familiarly known as the Bird and Baby. Lewis actively supported what would become“The Lord of the Rings.” Tolkien was uninterested in the Narnia stories. A rift grew up between the two men over the years, in large part because of Lewis’s marriage. Tolkien was not told about it when it happened, and as devout Roman Catholic, he objected to Lewis’s marrying a divorced woman. The premise of“Lewis and Tolkien” is that Tolkien has arranged to meet Lewis at the Bird and Baby to end the estrangement before it is too late. Lewis is in poor health after a heart attack. It takes while for the men to get to their differences, and when they do, there is less to say about the marriage than in Payne’s one-man show about Lewis, where the story of his marriage is gripping. I found the dialogue in“Lewis and Tolkien” engaging, but without much drama. I was glad to hear Tolkien explain his reservations about the Narnia books and discuss his theory of fantasy. In general, however, Tolkien emerges with less gravitas in the play than Lewis does. I think Gregory Williams Welch’s amiable portrayal of Tolkien accurately reflects the script in this respect. Payne tailored it to Lewis’s strengths and his own.

Bob Wilcox: 23:04

Ah, yes. Good point in that. But yeah, I enjoyed listening to them, but uh, maybe not as dramatically compelling as Lewis alone.

Gerry Kowarsky: 23:13

And that show really was compelling.

Bob Wilcox: 23:15

Yeah. Does a connection exist between artistic ability and mental illness? Robert Schumann, Vincent Van Gogh, Tennessee Williams are among the more prominent artists who spent time under psychiatric care. Thelonius Monk, the great jazz pianist and composer, one of the founders of bebop and a major influence on musicians from the mid-twentieth century on, was another. Mariah Richardson has written a play about him. Monk had periods of feverish work both composing and playing music and making attempts to explain in words what he was doing, followed by periods of depression and silence. It's not easy to write a play about such a man. Richardson takes a chronological approach, beginning with his early development as house pianist at Minton's Playhouse in Harlem in the 1940s, where he learned a lot sitting in with leading jazz musicians. Richardson highlights Monk's eventual recognition and his increasing mental problems. She, director Fannie Belle Lebby, and music director Dwayne Bosman assembled an impressive cast to explore this difficult material, led by Phillip Graves as Monk. Graves is not only a highly accomplished pianist, he mastered Monk's quirks in performance, the moments when a policeman would find him sitting on the street, unresponsive, and take him to the mental ward at Bellevue, where he would plead with his wife and his agent and his doctor to get him out of this place he hated and back to his piano. Rachel Simone Mitchell made distinct three women, Monk's mother Barbara, an early girlfriend Ruby, and his wife Nellie. Eliana Steele played the Baroness Pannonica“Nica” de Koenigswarter, a Rothschild and a patroness of several leading players of the jazz that fascinated her. She remained close to Monk the rest of his life. Jason J. Little doubled as jazz musicians and close friends of Monk pianists Bud Powell and Billy Taylor. Colin McLaughlin played Monk's agent and his doctor in the mental ward. Darrell Mixon on bass and Steve Tatum on drums accompanied Graves's Monk. Ponchita Argieard managed costumes and props. Next to Normal: The Thelonius Monk Story ran only two nights at Jazz St. Louis, a co-production of Jazz St. Louis and A Call to Conscience Interactive Theater for Social Change. I hope it has more exposure, perhaps with a less confusing name.

Gerry Kowarsky: 25:29

Yes, indeed. I agree completely.

Bob Wilcox: 25:31

Well, let's hear some Monk music

Speaker 8: 25:34

[Jazz Music].

Gerry Kowarsky: 25:56

In the opening scene of Shannon Geier’s“Fat,” Amy and Joel are giddy about their engagement, but he becomes concerned when she wants a snack just after they have eaten a full meal. She objects to his concern. This conflict over Amy’s eating plays itself out again and again in scenes covering two decades. Laura Deveney as Amy and Dan Stockton as Joel turned in convincing performances in the recent production of“Fat” by because why not theatre company. The prejudice in our society against overweight people is denounced with passion by Amy and her friends, played by Ashley Netzhammer, Stephanie Rhein, Robyn Harders, and Basmin. The script does not, however, skate over the actual difficulties Amy’s weight causes for her health, her marriage, and her daughter, Tara, played persuasively by Bethany Miscannon. Tara takes her resentment out on an overweight classmate named Jessa, whose testimony in court about the bullying is deeply moving in Laurel Button’s portrayal. Eventually Tara develops an eating disorder of her own. There’s good work in additional scenes, both serious and comic by Blessed Knew, Rob Wood, Jaclyn Amber, and Jodi Stockton. Elaine M. Laws directed. Sydney Forgatch designed the lighting. The sympathies of this script are wide. Its objects of satire are narrow: ignorance and intolerance. No easy answers emerge from the play about the difficult relationship some people have with food. I do, however, appreciate the hard-won conclusion offering hope that eating disorders and longstanding resentments can both be overcome.

Bob Wilcox: 27:32

Yeah, it was good. Although I still, I wish there was more information about this accident that brought about the ending. Uh, but uh, that confused me considerably, but Eh, you know, nicely nice. Otherwise good treatment of the subject. Yes.

Rod Milam: 27:50

Let's take a look at what's going on in Saint Louis Theater for the next couple of weeks. In June and July of 2019 let's start with a dinner theaters. The Dinner Detective Hilton St. Louis Frontenac Murder Mystery Dinner Show Through July 27, 2019 Muuurder in Maaaybury! Lemp Mansion Comedy-Mystery Diner Theatre Through July 17 Flaming Saddles Bissell Mansion Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre Through July 28. The Marriage of Figaro Opera Theatre of St. Louis Through June 29 Be More Chill New Line Theatre Through June 22 Love’s Labors Lost Shakespeare Festival St.Louis Through June 23 The Boy From Oz Stages St. Louis Through June 30 Rigoletto Opera Theatre of St. Louis Through June 30 Sylvia Stray Dog Theatre Through June 22 The Caper in Aisle 6 Circus Flora Through June 30 Travels With My Aunt ACT Inc., St. Charles Through June 23. Also at Opera Theatre of S aint Louis. The Coronation of Poppea Opera Theatre of St. Louis Through June 28 Leaving Iowa ACT Inc., St. Charles Through June 22 Fire Shut Up in My Bones Opera Theatre of St. Louis Through June 29 Disney’s 101 Dalmations Stages St. Louis Through June 30 Kinky Boots The Muny Throug h June 25 Indecent Max& Louie Productions Through June 30 An Amazing Story: German Abolitionists of Missouri Gitana Productions Through June 23 Hedwig and the Angry Inch The Q Collective Through June 29 Singin’ in the Rain Looking Glass Playhouse, Lebanon, Ill. June 23 As You Like It Southern Illinois Univ.-Edwardsville June 21-30 Recipes for Ice Kirkwood Theatre Guild June 21 A Taste of New York Mariposa Artists June 22 Center Stage Opera Theatre of St. Louis June 25 1776 The Muny June 27-July 3 The Revolutionists Insight Theatre Co. June 28-July 14 The Selfish Giant Christ Memorial Productions June 28-30 Grand Center Theatre Crawl Grand Center June 28-29

Bob Wilcox: 30:18

We'll be watching some of these productions from our two seats on the aisle.

Gerry Kowarsky: 30:22

And we'll be watching the mail and the email for your thoughts on theatre and this program, and for items for the calendar. Send them to Two on the Aisle, HEC Media, 3221 McKelvey Road, Bridgeton, MO 63044, or by email to tota@hectv.org.

Bob Wilcox: 30:37

Join us next time on cable and the web for lots of musicals and unusual plays.

Gerry Kowarsky: 30:43

We'll see you then.

Rod Milam: 30:50

This episode of Two on the Aisle was made by the following people Producer- Bob Wilcox Associate Producer- Gerry Kowarsky HEC Media Producer- Paul Langdon Hosts- Gerry Kowarsky and Bob Wilcox Television Director- Rick Rubbelke Segment Editors, and Videography- Kerry Marks, Paul Langdon, Ben Smith, and Rod Milam Audio- Paul Langdon Associate Producers and Studio Camera Operators- Kerry Marks and Ben Smith Set and Lighting- Paul Langdon, Kerry Marks, and Ben Smith Theme Music- Daniel McGowan HEC-Technical Support- Jayne Ballew HEC Media Assistant Producer, Social Media Broadcaster, Podcast Producer, and Podcast Host- Rod Milam Two on the Aisle was made possible with the support from the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis. Don’t forget that you can find all things Two on the Aisle online on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram. Just go to each social media platform…search for TWO- ON- THE- AISLE…and Like, Subscribe, and Follow us there. Thanks for downloading the Two on the Aisle Podcast. We’ll see you next time.

Announcer: 32:02

This is an HEC Media podcast.