Tag: Publicity

Riverfront Times Review: “All Is Calm” at Mustard Seed Theatre

by Luke Steingruby, posted in Theatre

I hate Christmas. I hate the commercialism, I hate the maudlin sentiments and I hate the “entertainment” that comes with the season. If there were, in fact, an actual War on Christmas, I’d be on the frontlines shouting “Happy holidays!” at old ladies while drinking from a plain red Starbucks cup.

But I love Mustard Seed Theatre’s production of Peter Rothstein’s All Is Calm. For three years running the company has staged this a capella musical about the spontaneous Christmas truces that sprang up on the frontlines of World War I, and every year I enjoy the show more than I did the last. Director Deanna Jent and musical director Joe Schoen together craft a powerful story about peace, love and empathy that shines like a beacon in these darkening days.

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Ladue News Review: “All Is Calm” at Mustard Seed Theatre

by Luke Steingruby, posted in Theatre

Directed by Mustard Seed Theatre artistic director Deanna Jent along with musical director Joe Schoen, this hauntingly beautiful and deceptively ‘simple’ one-hour musical is masterfully performed for the third consecutive year, this time with a mostly different cast of 11 beautifully harmonized singers. The accomplished performers blend their diverse voices to affectingly give life to this century-old tale that is both touching and inspirational.

An enormously popular production when first performed by Mustard Seed in 2013, All Is Calm won five St. Louis Theater Circle awards, including Best Musical and Best Ensemble in a Musical. This year’s presentation features eight new cast members with equally impressive results.

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On StL Review: “All Is Calm” at Mustard Seed Theatre

by Luke Steingruby, posted in Theatre

With a script by Peter Rothstein and musical arrangements by Erick Lichte and Timothy C. Takach, this story of the remarkable Christmas truce of 1914—a spontaneous outbreak of peace that occurred at multiple points along the trenches in France—combines splendid and often quite complex a cappella singing with readings of letters from soldiers and other historical documents. It’s powerfully moving and beautifully performed by a fine ensemble of eleven of our town’s most talented singing actors.

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Tickets On Sale For “All Is Calm” At Mustard Seed Theatre

by Luke Steingruby, posted in Theatre

November 27 – December 20, 2015

written by Peter Rothstein with musical arrangement by Erick Lichte and Timothy C. Takach
AllisCalm-01

Times:
Thursdays – Saturdays at 8:00pm
Sundays at 2:00pm & 5:00pm

Ticket Prices:
General $30.00
Senior(65+)/Student ticket: $25.00

Back by popular demand, this a capella musical is a poignant look at man’s humanity during a time of war. Based on a true story.

 See a video from previous performance

Facebook Events:

All Is Calm

Family Performance of All Is Calm

 

Cast & Crew List:

Charlie Barron
Will Bonfiglioi
Paul Cereghino
Tyler Cheatem
Steve Isom*
Greg Lhamon
Gerry Love
Ben Nordstrom*
Tim Schall*
Luke Steingruby
Kelvin Urday

*denotes member of Actors’ Equity Association

Director: Deanna Jent
Music Director:  Joe Schoen
Stage Manager: Katie Donnelly
Asst. Stage Manager:
Set Design: Kyra Bishop
Light Design: Michael Sullivan
Costume Design: Jane Sullivan
Movement & Combat:
Props: Meg Brinkley
Light Board Operator:
Sound Board Operator:
Wardrobe Crew:
House Manager: Joee Gardiner
Program Art: Fox Smith
Photography: John Lamb

In the Media

Pre-Release Articles:
All is Calm 2015: StL Today Q&A Article
All is Calm 2015: St. Louis Public Radio

Reviews:

All is Calm 2015: St. Louis Post-Dispatch Review

All is Calm 2015: Ladue News Review

All is Calm 2015: Broadway World

All is Calm 2015: The Riverfront Times Review

All is Calm 2015: St. Louis Theatre Snob Review

 

All is Calm 2015: Press Release

Program

All is Calm 2015: Show Program

 

Casting Announcement:  “All Is Calm” at Mustard Seed Theatre

by Luke Steingruby, posted in Theatre


Luke Steingruby joins the 2015 cast of “All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914” at Mustard Seed Theatre.

Mustard Seed Theatre

Production Photos from “Dogfight” at Stray Dog Theatre

by Luke Steingruby, posted in Theatre
“This your first trip to Frisco?”
“Gonna be havin some kinda time!”
“Don’t you miss out on some kinda time!”
“It’s your last night, so have at em boys!”
“Here’s to JFK and the USA.”
“If you ain’t a lesbian, my name’s Eddie Birdlace.”
“Let me take you out tonight.”
Hey Good Lookin…
Come to a party with me.
Come to a party with me.
Come to a party with me.
Come to a party with me.
Nothing short of wonderful.
“What do you say, you comin’ or what?”
“You keep your trap shut!”
“How do I look?”
“Let me try!”
“You’re supposed to put it on the lips. It’s all over the place!”
Blast Off
It’s just a party!
“We all want to cum!”
“When I see that face…”
“That almost breakable face.”
“I’m hard to dance with?”
It’s just a party!
“Da-ding-ding-ding!”
“You let them win, and a dog’s what you become in the Dogfight!”
It’s just a party!
“Cotton candy and lemonade.”
Ticker Tape Parade
“He asked you nice!”
Ticker Tape Parade
Ticker Tape Parade
Ticker Tape Parade
Ticker Tape Parade
“A rose for a Rose.”
“I thought you’d like it!”
“The three of us…”
“…and oh, a beer…”
“If they forgot something, we’ll learn it!”
“Wake up San Fransisco!”
Before It’s Over
Before It’s Over
Before It’s Over
Before It’s Over
Before It’s Over
“See a world beautiful and strange, spinning off somewhere, saying meet me there.”
“It’s so close, don’t let it get away. There’s so much to do before it’s over.”
“I wish you weren’t leaving tomorrow…today.”
“I wanna spend my last night with you. I like you!”
“I don’t know why you’re so afraid to play this for people.”
Give Way
Give Way
“That’s a real pretty night dress thingy…”
Give Way
“I wanna see you.”
“Some kinda drum like there’s something beginning…”
“Some kinda drum like there’s something beginning…”
Say Goodbye
Say Goodbye
“32!? What are you some kinda grandma fucker?”
“Check it out! You owe us a bee!”
“You think this is gonna keep you safe and warm on the other side of the world?”
“That stuff don’t matter where we’re goin. This…this is about the only thing that does!”
“Can’t you hear it boys?”
Vietnam
Vietnam
“We three bees have a mighty sting, and we come prepared for anything!”
“We three bees living semper-fi, thick like blood and we’re do or die!”
“We three bees are forever young, so watch your back or you might get stung!”
Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam
“What about your B’s?”
Come Back
Come Back
“Eddie?”
“I don’t know why them…why not me?”
Take Me Back
Take Me Back
“Welcome home!”
The Stray Dog Band

Photography by John Lamb

RFT Review: “Dogfight” at Stray Dog Theatre

by Luke Steingruby, posted in Theatre

arts1-1Eddie Birdlace (Brendan Ochs) is an eighteen-year-old Marine who has one last night in San Francisco before shipping off to Vietnam. It’s November 21, 1963 — the night before President Kennedy will be killed — and Eddie is eager to win the dogfight planned with his friends Boland (Luke Steingruby) and Bernstein (Kevin O’Brien) before they settle that little conflict in southeast Asia. The boys anticipate a quick victory and a hero’s welcome when they return — but first they have to humiliate some women.

It is a lesson we never remember. Young men are trained to kill, women are there for the taking and the world races ever onward to some uncertain destiny. And yet two people can find one another in that chaos, and come to understand each other, if only they care enough to look deeply into themselves.

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St. Louis Theatre Snob Review: “Dogfight” at Stray Dog Theatre

by Luke Steingruby, posted in Theatre

They are bolstered by a strong supporting cast, including a very versatile Steingruby and O’Brien as Eddie’s Marine pals

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Snoop’s Theatre Thoughts Review: “Dogfight” at Stray Dog Theatre

by Luke Steingruby, posted in Theatre

The show also does a good job of portraying well-rounded characters, managing to make the Marines interesting and sympathetic characters despite some of their more unsavory attitudes. The actors deserve a lot of credit for this sympathy, as well, with Steingruby’s shady Boland and O’Brien’s eager Bernstein being brought to life convincingly.

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Critical Blast Review: “Dogfight” at Stray Dog Theatre

by Luke Steingruby, posted in Theatre

Luke Steingruby seemed to relish the opportunity to play an asshole, while Kevin O’Brien was perfect as the bombastic yet naive man-child.

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