Bob Harvey

The New Jewish Theatre kicks off its 2023 season with the Neil Simon comedy Broadway Bound on January 19 – February 5. See photos from the production.

The New Jewish Theatre kicks off its 2023 season with the Neil Simon comedy Broadway Bound on January 19 – February 5. See photos from the production.

The New Jewish Theatre kicks off its 2023 season with the Neil Simon comedy Broadway Bound on January 19 – February 5.

Kansas City Jazz Orchestra Executive Director Lea Petrie and Artistic Director Clint Ashlock today announced the 2022-2023 20th Anniversary Season which includes the much-anticipated performances of The Horn featuring Sean Jones and The Family featuring Lonnie and Chloe McFadden.

The Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis (TWSTL) will increase its reach this summer with a new radio show. 'Something Spoken: Tennessee Williams On the Air' launched on July 11.

The New Jewish Theatre opens their season with a nicely staged presentation of Neil Simon's lovingly written tribute to the those long gone days of vaudeville, THE SUNSHINE BOYS. As you would expect from such a prolific and gifted writer, the jokes come fast and furious, reflecting the nature of the characters as much as the subject matter, particularly with regards to Willie Clark, and his habit of finding some wry and cynical take on any conversation directed toward him. It's a reflex, and one I totally get, because I often find myself doing the same thing. It's a defense mechanism, I suppose. And, if this seems like I'm getting a little deep, that's because this version of the show has a certain poignancy and emotional affectation that provides the play with additional depth. Perhaps that's due to the fact that the main actors are normally ones you would find doing predominately dramatic works. But, this is proof positive that you can't always judge an actor by their portfolio, because they confound expectations with their superb performances. Go see this wonderfully fresh take on THE SUNSHINE boys, you'll certainly be glad you did.

Using cameras to capture wildlife in their natural habitat poses challenges even for the experts. To help budding and amateur photographers African Safari Company (http://www.africansafarico.com/) has teamed up with wildlife photography experts, Nature Photography Adventures, who lead in-the-wild immersion workshops for serious shutterbugs.

The Ceremony for the Seventh Annual Kevin Kline Awards took place last night at the Loretto-Hilton Theater, honoring productions in St Louis from 2011. We've got the full list of nominees and winners below.

Theatre companies are always on the lookout for performance space. There are just not enough venues to house all the groups that have sprung up in the last few years. Even veteran companies have to sometimes choose unusual settings for their productions. Such is the case with BRIEFS, A FESTIVAL OF SHORT LESBIAN AND GAY PLAYS, which was performed at La Perla (February 24-26, 2012), which has probably seen more wedding receptions and private parties than play festivals over the years. However, the issue of space proved to be a non-factor, as a simple stage and just enough chairs allowed the festival to flourish, regularly selling out for every performance. I found it to be an enjoyable and entertaining excursion, myself, and was grateful for the opportunity to see an evening of short plays that centered around the subject of homosexuality, but brought to light different aspects than we're used to seeing.

Friedrich Durrenmatt's THE VISIT (adapted by Maurice Valency) is like one of those expressionistic German films from the 1920's directed by Robert Wiene or F.W. Murnau come to life on the stage. In fact, the characters and their stylized mannerisms seem like they would be right at home in one of the villages that Dr. Caligari might bring his somnambulist Cesare to for exhibition purposes. That's probably one of the reasons I found this unique and moralistic work so fascinating. Stray Dog Theatre is presenting this macabre and unusual play as the closer for their current season, and it's a brilliantly staged affair.

Meet Victor and Walter Franz - brothers who haven't spoken to one another in 16 years. One a beat cop, the other a successful surgeon, they meet in the attic of a soon-to-be-demolished house to sell their deceased parents' property. THE PRICE, an essential Miller drama, explores missed opportunities, seething resentments, and the price of life decisions.

Meet Victor and Walter Franz - brothers who haven't spoken to one another in 16 years. One a beat cop, the other a successful surgeon, they meet in the attic of a soon-to-be-demolished house to sell their deceased parents' property. THE PRICE, an essential Miller drama, explores missed opportunities, seething resentments, and the price of life decisions.

Meet Victor and Walter Franz - brothers who haven't spoken to one another in 16 years. One a beat cop, the other a successful surgeon, they meet in the attic of a soon-to-be-demolished house to sell their deceased parents' property. THE PRICE, an essential Miller drama, explores missed opportunities, seething resentments, and the price of life decisions.

What do Lucille Kallen, Mel Brooks, Neil Simon, Woody Allen, Michael Stewart, Mel Tolkin, Larry Gelbart, Carl Reiner and Selma Diamond have in common? Most are Jewish, and all were denizens of the famed 'Writer's Room' where they labored to create the comedy sketches for the live 90 minute weekly variety series, 'Your Show of Shows' starring the legendary Sid Caesar. Composites of these writers make up the characters in Neil Simon's raucous comedy,LAUGHTER ON THE 23RD FLOOR, set in 1953 during television's golden age.

Sometimes when I'm seeing a show about a particular subject I'll look through my library and re-read (or newly purchase) books that pertain to it. When I noticed that the New Jewish Theatre's production of Neil Simon's Laughter on the 23rd Floor was on the schedule, I decided to bone up. So, I picked up Sid Caesar's biography, 'Caesar's Hours', and I also watched a few DVDs of 'Your Show of Shows' and 'Caesar's Hour', as well as thumbing through my copy of Mel Brooks' biography ('It's Good to Be the King'). Attempts have been made before to put on display that elusive magic that took place in the writer's room of those shows, including the Brooksfilm production of My Favorite Year. But, I think LAUGHTER ON THE 23RD FLOOR best captures the moment, focusing its attention on the actual work and play that went on in the room between the star and his genius stable of writers. The current presentation by the New Jewish Theatre is simply hilarious, and greatly aided by a wonderful cast and terrific direction.

What do Lucille Kallen, Mel Brooks, Neil Simon, Woody Allen, Michael Stewart, Mel Tolkin, Larry Gelbart, Carl Reiner and Selma Diamond have in common? Most are Jewish, and all were denizens of the famed 'Writer's Room' where they labored to create the comedy sketches for the live 90 minute weekly variety series, 'Your Show of Shows' starring the legendary Sid Caesar. Composites of these writers make up the characters in Neil Simon's raucous comedy,LAUGHTER ON THE 23RD FLOOR, set in 1953 during television's golden age.

What do Lucille Kallen, Mel Brooks, Neil Simon, Woody Allen, Michael Stewart, Mel Tolkin, Larry Gelbart, Carl Reiner and Selma Diamond have in common? Most are Jewish, and all were denizens of the famed 'Writer's Room' where they labored to create the comedy sketches for the live 90 minute weekly variety series, 'Your Show of Shows' starring the legendary Sid Caesar. Composites of these writers make up the characters in Neil Simon's raucous comedy,LAUGHTER ON THE 23RD FLOOR, set in 1953 during television's golden age.

CONVERSATIONS WITH MY FATHER is kind of a misnomer. The character of Eddie Ross (nee Goldberg) doesn't converse as much as harangue the people around him. But, don't take this as a knock on Herb Gardner's play; it's more of a clarification than anything. This isn't just the ramblings of a bitter old man, but an exploration of his particular experience immigrating to America, and trying to fit in by rejecting his Jewish heritage.

The New Jewish Theatre opens its 'Bat Mitzvah Season' on Wednesday, September 30 with Herb Gardner's 1994 quasi-autobiographical classic about three generations of a Jewish family living on the lower East Side, CONVERSATIONS WITH MY FATHER. Gardner's play, a beautiful paean to the Jewish immigrant experience and father-son relationships explores the story of Eddie Ross (nee Itzhak Goldberg), a Russian immigrant who with his family, runs a Canal Street saloon.

The New Jewish Theatre opens its 'Bat Mitzvah Season' on Wednesday, September 30 with Herb Gardner's 1994 quasi-autobiographical classic about three generations of a Jewish family living on the lower East Side, CONVERSATIONS WITH MY FATHER. Gardner's play, a beautiful paean to the Jewish immigrant experience and father-son relationships explores the story of Eddie Ross (nee Itzhak Goldberg), a Russian immigrant who with his family, runs a Canal Street saloon.