Donna Parrone

HotCity Theatre's "Maple And Vine" Offers No Answers, But Makes For Great Discussion

Donna Parrone — Wed, 08 May 2013 14:00:00 +0000

Somehow the notion that the 1950’s were an idyllic time in America continues to exist and people continue to idealize that decade in terms of gender confidence, family values and strong American ethics. No one remembers that 37% of (mostly poor) women worked outside the home, 11% of the population was gay and racism was rampant.

Black Rep's Smash/Hit Propelled By Lead Actors, Direction and Sound Design

Donna Parrone — Thu, 02 May 2013 14:47:53 +0000

There is comfort in a familiar musical. You sing snatches of song starting a few days before you go. You see the show and all the lyrics come flooding back and fill your head for days to come, humming under your breath or full out sing-alongs on the way into work. A new musical can be even more exciting, especially the anticipation. How will song and story be integrated? Will you come away singing any of the songs? Is it a story for the ages, or a piece that will one day be dated and irrelevant?

Black Rep's "The Whipping Man": Big Questions, Emotional Depth

Donna Parrone — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 16:16:28 +0000

I appreciate every day I learn something new. A little over 1% of all Southern slaveholders were Jewish and they treated their slaves the same as everyone else. The Whipping Man, opening at the St Louis Black Rep, combines this fact with an intriguing story of faith, family and freedom. The Whipping Man, by Matthew Lopez takes place in April of 1865, after Lincoln has freed the slaves, after the South has surrendered, and during Passover. That’s relevant because the returning Confederate soldier, Caleb, is Jewish, as are his family slaves, Simon and John.

Two Local Theatre Productions Reveal Roles Of Women Through The Ages

Donna Parrone — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 13:57:58 +0000

This past weekend saw the opening of Double Indemnity at the Repertory Theatre of St Louis and As You Like It at St Louis Shakespeare. These are very different plays but, in watching both, I was taken by the roles of women through the ages and what that represents, then and now.

Venus In Fur At The Rep: Entertaining But Unfulfilling

Donna Parrone — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 14:48:24 +0000

The Repertory Theatre of St Louis opened their final studio offering for the season with Venus in Fur by David Ives, directed by Seth Gordon. Thomas, played by Jay Stratton, is a playwright trying to cast his female lead, Vanda (Sarah Nedwek) in an adaptation of Leopold von Sacher-Masoch’s 1870 novel Venus in Furs—the novel that coined the term “masochism.” The play is highly entertaining but the promise of seduction was not fulfilled.