Picture it: Sicily 1922” … but really it was more like, “Picture it: Denny’s 2021,” when I started down the road of exhibitionistic horticulture with an aquatic bend. I was at a regular weekly breakfast of retirees and one of the regulars was a board member in the St. Louis Water Garden Society. Without too…
Few artists in indie House Synthpop command attention like Bright Light Bright Light. Blending shimmering synths with emotionally candid songwriting, he has carved out a distinctive niche—collaborating with icons such as Alan Cumming, Elton John, and Scissor Sisters, while channelling the enduring glamour of Cher. With multiple acclaimed releases and a reputation for authenticity, he…
Michael John LaChiusa and George C. Wolfe’s jazz-age tragedy gets the production it has always deserved. Not everyone has been to this party. Not the joyous bar crawl, not the house party that got a little out of hand. This is the after-party in someone’s loft where the refreshments veer into the illegal, where things…
As Missouri lawmakers continue to introduce legislation targeting “adult cabaret performances,” two bills—Senate Bill 1476 and Senate Bill 1164—have drawn particular attention for their potential impact on drag. While neither bill explicitly bans drag, together they create a legal framework that could significantly restrict where and how drag performances take place across the state.…
When I was pretending to be straight in my early twenties, I met one of the most incredible women in South City. Her name was Bay Tran. Bay’s family came to St. Louis from Vietnam. Fast forward to the streets of South Grand in the early 2000s—I reunited with the one and only Bay, one…
Jeena Yi’s Jesa, directed by Mei Ann Teo and now running at The Public Theater, is anchored by sharply observed characters but hampered by a structure that repeats more than it builds, stretches where it should tighten, and resolves with a neatness that feels at odds with the play’s otherwise compelling messiness. Four estranged sisters…
Anna Ziegler’s Antigone (This Play I Read in High School) at the Public Theater is a show you should see. It is a powerful, performance-driven piece that draws on the ancient tragedy to make a contemporary argument about bodily autonomy and state power. Directed by Tyne Rafaeli, the production grounds the story in recognizable, present-day…
Public Charge, a new play by Julissa Reynoso and Michael J. Chepiga, directed by Doug Hughes at the Public Theater, arrives with strong material and a capable production. The staging is clear, the direction disciplined, and the acting consistently solid. It is a story worth telling. The problem is that the writing undermines it, diminishing…
If you’re interested in gardening, food justice, composting or building community around any of that in St. Louis, you probably already know Ro Kicker. They’re the person behind garden consultation business Grow with Ro, and the friendly worm enthusiast of Ro’s Wigglers. They’re also behind Feed the People Garden Project and its offshoot, Queers in…
Standing on the podium at the 2025 Winter Guard International World Championships, bronze medal dangling from his neck, tears running down his face, and confetti falling all around, La Voûte founder Brandon Fink looked at his young team (ages ranging from 18-27) and was filled with pride that he’d helped facilitate the next generation reaching…
