Donna Parrone

Review: Roundabout Theatre's "Anything Goes" At The Fox Has Great Energy And Spirit

Donna Parrone — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 15:55:35 +0000

Review: Upstream Theatre's "An Iliad" An Intense Evening Of Storytelling And Music

Donna Parrone — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 15:34:39 +0000

Sunday night of An Iliad’s opening weekend found me headed down to one of my favorite theaters, Upstream Theater, where the work is always interesting. I attended this St Louis premiere with one of my favorite gals and the actor of this one man show, Jerry Vogel, is one of St Louis’ finest. Director Patrick Siler created an evening of intense storytelling and music; the music provided with great finesse by Farsid Soltanshahi.

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.