January 2011

Dear Subscriber: 

I hope you had a special and amazing holiday season. The production of Over The Tavern brought many new audience members to The Rep and helped give us packed houses during the run. As we are beginning to see, the season as a whole has lots of connection to issues of faith. From You Can’t Take It With You to High to Over The Tavern, our playlist seems to be connected in one way or the other to discussions of faith, and certainly our next show is very much about this subject and shows it in a unique way.

The New Year brings us a new experience with a very new show, The Fall of Heaven. We are mounting the second–ever production of this striking play, written by acclaimed novelist Walter Mosley. You may know Mr. Mosley from his long list of best–selling books which run the gamut from crime fiction to young adult to nonfiction to science fiction. He may be best known for his mystery series featuring the beloved character, Ezekiel (Easy) Rawlins. This hard–boiled private investigator was introduced in Mosley’s first novel, Devil in a Blue Dress, but went on to star in nearly a dozen books, each of which showcased Mosley’s storytelling skill in page–turners that left his legions of fans clamoring for more. Mosley is not only a master storyteller; however, his many works also probe tough issues of race, politics and relationships in America, which is why critics and fans alike have been raving about his work since he appeared on the scene in 1990.

It’s been 20 years and over 33 books since that debut novel, but believe it or not, Mosley didn’t start writing until the age of 34. Paying the bills as a computer programmer, he decided to take a writing course at a local college, and he never looked back. In an interview with CityBeat.com, Mosley said "I can’t stop writing. Two days without writing drives me crazy. Three and I’m bouncing off the walls." It is no wonder then, that the man who has been known to crank out two or more novels a year wanted to try his hand at a new form—playwriting. Taking his inspiration from his own collection of short stories, The Tempest Tales, Mosley wove a new tale that is rich with theatricality. Moving between characters and settings, even taking us between heaven and hell, The Fall of Heaven is an ambitious and very intriguing first play. Mosley explains, "Playwriting is the hardest of all writing. In a novel, you get to explain everything, including the characters’ thoughts." In a play, however, "you have to make every word, every turn, every moment in dialogue count. Things build in a dramatic, but not necessarily direct, way. That’s very difficult. And I love it."

The Fall of Heaven brings us the life, or rather afterlife, of Tempest Landry. After being gunned down by the police in a case of mistaken identity, Tempest is sentenced to hell for a lifetime of wrongdoing. The only problem? Tempest challenges Saint Peter’s sentence and refuses to go. This act throws heaven into a crisis, and the troublemaker is sent back to Earth with his own personal Angel babysitter, Joshua. Since Tempest is technically "dead" and he’s been waiting in line to get to see Saint Peter for a longer time than he realizes—like three years—when he returns to Earth he is put into someone else’s body, so some of his old friends don’t recognize the "new" Tempest. While the powers above are sorting out all the rules and regulations, Tempest tries to figure out if his life really qualified him to go to hell. Joshua finds out that life as a human is more complex than he thought it was, and as he becomes more involved with humans, he is fascinated by the fact that good and evil really have no clarity on Earth. Evidently, it’s more cut and dried around Saint Peter. This is shattering to someone who has been the Chief Accounting Angel in heaven since the beginning of time. And when Basil Bob (aka Beelzebub) arrives with his own ideas, the very fate of heaven and hell end up in Tempest’s shaky hands.

Mr. Mosley has written a very clever piece in which the bigger questions that are posed sort of sneak up on you. At the end of the play, he gives the audience a whole lot to consider and weigh. The show is both cheeky and provocative—never irreligious. As it is set on the streets of New York, there is some use of the language of the street from time to time. Being able to produce the first stage work of this master writer is exciting.

Rep Associate Artistic Director Seth Gordon returns to direct his first Mainstage production after opening the Studio series with Next Fall at the Grandel Theatre. His creative team includes Scenic Designer Robert Mark Morgan (A Christmas Story) whose inspired designs take us to the many locations that Tempest and Joshua visit, as well as Costume Designer Myrna Colley–Lee who is outfitting angels and demons alike. Lighting Designer Michael Lincoln joins us for his Rep debut and Resident Sound Designer Rusty Wandall continues his busy season with his fourth show.

January 12 brings us the second show in our Studio series, The Year of Magical Thinking. Based on Joan Didion’s Pulitzer Prize–winning book of the same name, this play is an intelligent, ironic and honest exploration of the grief that can accompany life’s unexpected turns. When she is ambushed by the sudden passing of her husband, Didion finds herself on a journey to understand what life is really about. Told with the eloquent language and tough candor Didion is known for, this one–woman play paints a hauntingly beautiful portrait of love and loss.

Priscilla Lindsay joins us to direct St. Louis favorite Fontaine Syer in this thoughtful, emotional play. And again, issues of faith very much come into play as would be expected in the very smart writing of Ms. Didion. It certainly is fascinating to have plays written by writers who usually work in other forms on both of our stages at the same time. Our creative team includes Rob Koharchik designing the set, Wendy Meaden creating the costumes, Ryan Koharchik designing the lights and Justin Been handling the sound.

We start the New Year with two plays that will take you on unexpected journeys. Certainly, they will provide you with a great deal to discuss. I hope the New Year is a good one for you. Thank you for your support of The Rep.

See you at the theatre,

Steven Woolf 
Artistic Director

P.S. Don’t forget our annual Food and Wine Experience at the Chase Park Plaza on January 29 and 30. Please join us for great wine, fascinating food and special demonstrations by celebrity chefs including public television personality Lidia Bastianich of Lidia’s Italy, Eli Kirshtein of Bravo’s Top Chef, and driving force behind the Pujols Family Foundation as well as an expert on Dominican cuisine, Deidre Pujols. All proceeds benefit the education and community outreach programs at The Rep. Look for your brochure in the mail.

New York Report: Spiderman is still in previews for another month or so—I’m sure there are changes to be made—they need to make some changes. The flying sequences are impressive. There were lots of young kids at the matinee I saw and clearly they enjoyed it a great deal. If you go, don’t sit too close to the stage as you’ll miss some of the overhead sequences.