Calvin Wilson

St. Louis

Features Reporter and Critic at St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Theater critic at https://t.co/wOYa5Ywbdb. So many plays, so little time. But all the world's a stage.

Articles

Episode 1: The Liar

Oct 10, 2023 | kcsufm.com | Erin Fuller |Calvin Wilson

Everyone enjoys listening to stories. Everyone hates liars. So this is the perfect podcast! Every episode 3 participants each tell their crazy story. However, one of them is lying (Bum bum bum). Can you sniff out the liar? Let’s put your lie-detecting abilities to the test. In this episode of “You Lying Snake,” we have Adam, Kaitlin, and Kaleb. Each story is a treat to listen to. The depth of the lies is mind-boggling. So… let’s listen.
Don't miss these upcoming shows by 3 top St. Louis dance companies

Aug 28, 2023 | stltoday.com | Calvin Wilson

Dance as a serious art form has developed a devoted following in the St. Louis region. Three of the top presenters — the Big Muddy Dance Company, Dance St. Louis and St. Louis Ballet — have announced their schedules, featuring performances that promise to keep fans engaged. The Big Muddy Dance CompanyThe company’s 2023-24 season is called “Becoming.” The main stage programs include:Nov.
Best Bets: Story of the Year, O-Town, Darius Rucker, Jodeci, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Lil Baby

Aug 10, 2023 | stltoday.com | Daniel Neman |Kevin C. Johnson |Jane Henderson |Calvin Wilson

Toss the TuskWhen 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Aug. 11 • Where St. Louis Zoo, 1 Government Drive, Forest Park • How much Free • More info stlzoo.orgDo you own ivory — or fur, or pelts — that you kind of feel bad about owning? The St. Louis Zoo is making it easy to get rid of them and anything that was once part of an endangered animal.
'Sister Act' makes its bow as season-ending show at the Muny

Aug 9, 2023 | stltoday.com | Calvin Wilson

‘Sister Act,” the hit 1992 comedy film starring Whoopi Goldberg, wasn’t a musical. But as Deloris Van Cartier, a lounge singer on the lam from gangsters and posing as a nun, Goldberg got to lead a choir — in the process transforming it from unlistenable to heavenly. So unlike quite a few screen-to-stage adaptations that have been notably lacking in song-and-dance magic, the musical running Aug. 14-20 in its Muny debut wasn’t necessarily a bad idea.
STLFringe Fest returns, 'planting the seeds' to nurture new works onstage

Aug 8, 2023 | stltoday.com | Calvin Wilson

Back for its 12th edition, STLFringe Fest promises to deliver the kind of envelope-pushing performances that have made its reputation. Forty-two productions will be presented Aug. 14-20 at locations in and around the Grand Center neighborhood of St. Louis. Among the headline attractions are “The Oreo Complex,” a solo performance featuring Lillian C.
Elaia, Olio and Nixta will leave Botanical Heights locations

Aug 7, 2023 | stltoday.com | Calvin Wilson

Three restaurants that brought new life to Botanical Heights are leaving the neighborhood at the end of the year. Elaia, Olio and Nixta, located at the intersection of Tower Grove and McRee avenues, will move to the Delmar Maker's District, owner Ben Poremba announced in a Facebook post on Saturday. "After unsuccessful efforts to buy the joint buildings we've called home, we have made the difficult decision to relocate," Poremba wrote.
For director of 'Rent' at the Muny, enduring story about connection hits close to home

Jul 31, 2023 | stltoday.com | Calvin Wilson

'Rent," the musical about New York bohemians coping with gentrification and the AIDS crisis, captured the mainstream imagination and earned a Pulitzer Prize for the late composer-lyricist-librettist Jonathan Larson. An off-Broadway, Broadway and touring success that also inspired a 2005 film adaptation and has taken its place as a landmark in American theater, "Rent" makes its Muny debut Aug. 4-10.
The Agatha Christie effect: Board game comes to life in 'Clue' at Stages St. Louis

Jul 19, 2023 | stltoday.com | Calvin Wilson

There’s nothing like a good old-fashioned murder mystery, especially when the body count allows for comedy. And that’s certainly the case with “Clue,” the Stages St. Louis production running July 21-Aug. 20 and directed by Steve Bebout. Based on a board game and a 1985 film about murders in a mansion, the show might be of particular interest to fans of British mystery author Agatha Christie, who became to that genre what Stephen King is to horror fiction.
Hungry plant has a mind of its own in 'Little Shop of Horrors' at the Muny

Jul 19, 2023 | stltoday.com | Calvin Wilson

"Little Shop of Horrors” has an intriguing premise: It’s about a plant that eats people. Based on a 1960 film, the horror-comedy musical has been a hit both on and off Broadway. Last staged at the Muny in 2011, the show returns to the outdoor theater July 25-31. Nicholas Ward stars as the voice of the voracious plant, Audrey II, in a cast that also includes Robin De Jesus as nerdy flower shop clerk Seymour and Patti Murin as his co-worker Audrey.
Hungry plant comes to life onstage in 'Little Shop of Horrors' at the Muny

Jul 19, 2023 | stltoday.com | Calvin Wilson

‘Little Shop of Horrors” has an intriguing premise: It’s about a plant that eats people. Based on a 1960 film, the horror-comedy musical has been a hit both on and off Broadway. Last staged at the Muny in 2011, the show returns to the outdoor theater July 25-31. Nicholas Ward stars as the voice of the voracious plant, Audrey II, in a cast that also includes Robin De Jesus as nerdy flower shop clerk Seymour and Patti Murin as his co-worker Audrey.