St. Louis Stage Capsules

Dennis Brown and Paul Friswold suss out the local theater scene

By Dennis Brown and Paul Friswold on Thu, Apr 28, 2011 at 4:00 am

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Newly Reviewed
Awake and Sing! Reviewed in this issue.

Black Pearl Sings! Reviewed in this issue.

Ongoing
Till We Have Faces Deanna Jent's adaptation of C.S. Lewis' Till We Have Faces is as thought-provoking as it is beautifully staged and performed. Queen Orual — played by both Sarah Cannon and Michelle Hand, occasionally simultaneously — tells us of her life and how she's building a "case against the gods." The deities have stolen her mother and her sister and have precluded her from finding love and living happily (or so she believes). Orual as a young woman (Cannon) is intelligent and headstrong but also lonely. In her maturity (played by Hand), these characteristics become colder and harder as love flees before her, or is flung away by her. The dual casting is no gimmick, as Hand and Cannon are almost playing different women. In the second act we see how these two pieces fit together to form a wounded whole, and the full character of Orual is revealed with all its flaws and finer qualities intact. Presented by Mustard Seed Theatre through May 1 at the Fontbonne University Fine Arts Center Theatre, 6800 Wydown Boulevard, Clayton. Tickets are $20 to $30 ($15 for students and seniors). Call 314-719-8060 or visit www.mustardseedtheatre.com.
— Paul Friswold