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Regional Reviews: St. Louis The Second Hurricane Also see Richard's reviews of Austen's Pride, Steel Magnolias and Dollhouse by Three Manufacturers
With a libretto by poet and dance critic Edwin Denby, Aaron Copland's 1937 opera was originally intended for school performances. It premiered at the Henry Street Settlement in a production designed by Orson Welles. And now, beautiful, iconic singing seems commonplace in a show that's rustic and glowing, and set in a time when America desperately needed hope. The production runs about 90 minutes, when you add in a ten minute intermission, although the original ballet sequence is not included here. And now, in its highest drama, The Second Hurricane bursts with Copland's vibrant tonalities and wonderful vocals under the musical direction of John Gerdes, who conducts 24 serious singer/actors and 12 musicians. The overall direction at Stray Dog Theatre is by company founder, Gary F. Bell. And it's almost miraculous to me that he could coax his ten young performers, modern teenagers, into pulling off such a Booth Tarkington level of innocence. At lights-up, a first hurricane has already blown through this bucolic, unspecified part of the country, not far from a town called Independence. And a daring pilot (Jan Niehoff) takes off with a plane-load of local children in farm clothes to help with storm relief (because they weigh less than adults). But the mission takes a bad turn, and we spend the scene before intermission with the teenagers in something like Lord of the Flies territory as flood waters rise. One can hardly watch it without mourning the recent young flood victims in Texas. Brittany Kohl is very fine as the school principal, and the performer known as Gansner is excellent on stage as the radio operator messaging the pilot, discussing another round of horrendous weather in Morse code, in a minute that grows strangely tense. The adult choir also features quality performers including Chris Moore and Terrell Thompson. Trapped far from home as a second hurricane approaches, the children try to reason their way through their fears. Bryn Sentnor embodies the expressionistic tone of the great choral numbers in her physicality as Gwen. And, as another teen called "Fat," Wesley Balsamo digs deep on a lonely hilltop overnight, in his torment. Jabari Boykin is excellent as Lowrie, despised for his can-do attitude, and Soren Carroll is great as Butch, as is Ben Hammock as Gyp. Young Stray Dog veteran Nadja Kapetanovich has a beautiful solo in "Queenie's Song." And Cece Mohr strikes a truthful note throughout as the youngest, Jeff, unexpectedly abandoned by his parents before the plane's arrival. A remarkable and rare experience, with fine acting in the adult chorus as well, full of fretful parents and stunned townspeople. It's another side of Aaron Copland to be savored and remembered. The Second Hurricane, produced by Stray Dog Theatre, runs through August 30, 2025, at Tower Grove Abbey, 2336 Tennessee Avenue, St. Louis MO. For tickets and information, please visit www.straydogtheatre.org. Youth Cast: Adult Choir: Youth Choir: Stray Dog Orchestra: * Appearing for select performances. Production Staff: |
