Entertainment

St. Louis Is Getting a New Bookstore, Leviathan, This Year

Published

1 week ago

April 24, 2024

Two experienced booksellers have come together with plans to open a new independent bookstore in the City of St. Louis this year. The location is TBD, but you can get a sneak peek this weekend on South Grand.Leviathan Bookstore is the brainchild of Amanda Clark and James Crossley, two experienced booksellers who fell in love and decided to form a professional partnership in addition to their personal one. Clark is well-known in St. Louis’ literary circles as the events and marketing manager for the Novel Neighbor in Webster Groves and more widely as the founder of Renegade STL Tours, the groundbreaking historical tour company that the RFT named “one of 75 reasons to love St. Louis.” Clark met Crossley in 2018 at the publishing trade show BookExpo — and bookselling tips soon turned into a long-distance romance. Crossley is the founding manager of Seattle’s Madison Books, a five-year-old indie that Publishers Weekly listed as a finalist for the best bookstores in America. Fortunately for St. Louis book lovers, Crossley didn’t just fall in love with Clark. He also fell in love with the city. “There’s a strong sense of the past here that I love, but I also see amazing potential for the future,” he said in a prepared statement. “I think it’s a great bookstore town, and I’d like to help make it an even better one.”To that end, the couple plans to open Leviathan Bookstore later this year — but you don’t have to wait that long to get a glimpse of the titles they’ll be offering. They plan to debut this weekend at Dunaway Books (3111 South Grand Boulevard). Since Leviathan won’t sell used books and Dunaway doesn’t sell new ones, you can expect to see an ongoing collaboration as Clark and Crossley figure out their brick-and-mortar plans.Said Clark in a statement, “We visited Dunaway one Saturday evening to talk about our plans to open a bookstore, and said that we might be interested in doing a pop-up as a sort of prelude to a permanent brick-and-mortar shop. Claudia and Kevin immediately jumped in with what the next step would be, and it wasn’t long before the four of us had planned Leviathan’s pop-up grand opening on April 27.”That day is Saturday, and it also happens to be Independent Bookstore Day. If you’d like to celebrate that auspicious occasion with one of the great second-hand shops, even while launching what will likely be the city’s newest great new book sellers, they’re offering refreshments and music from 5 to 7 p.m.Also worth noting is that unusual store name. Naturally, with Clark’s love of history, there’s a good story behind it. According to the shop’s press release, Clark and Crossley were inspired by the Missouri Leviathan, a skeleton of a mighty beast that a German immigrant named Albert Koch assembled in the 1830s. Unfortunately, the massive creature was fictional.”More cautious scientists in later years realized he’d jammed multiple mastodon skeletons together,” the release notes. “Notwithstanding this minor error in judgment, Koch is an inspiration for the scope of his vision, his eagerness to please the public, and yes, his chutzpah. That’s why the Leviathan partnership is rolling up their sleeves, using what they find, and creating something bigger and better than the sum of its parts, just as a growing number of independent booksellers are doing all across the country.”
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The Inheritance Part 2 Completes a Beautifully Crafted Epic

Published

20 hours ago

May 3, 2024

Natural Bridge

Matthew Lopez’s The Inheritance Part 1 & Part 2 is a brilliant exploration of the legacy of AIDS on the lives and communal history of gay men. Last week, Tesseract Theatre Company stunned audiences with the beautifully connected and performed Part 1. This week, Director Stephen Peirick and an exceptional cast complete the story with a truly unforgettable and affecting Part 2, the St. Louis premiere of the heartfelt and moving conclusion.

The play opens with the supporting characters lovingly describing an old farmhouse in upstate New York. The house is owned by Walter, a recently deceased gay man, and was a gift of sorts from his longtime partner Henry. Since Walter’s death, Henry has been spending a lot of time with Eric Glass, and he asks Eric to marry him. Eric, still reeling from the loss of his apartment and a breakup with his fiancé Toby Darling, hesitates at first but later says yes. Unfortunately, a happy ending is not guaranteed as the self-destructive Toby crashes the wedding with Leo, a youthful sex worker who counts Henry among his clients. From this point, Part 2 thoughtfully unravels the relationships and lies, revealing each character’s truth and leading to a conclusion that is deeply affecting, painful and, somehow, resonant with love and hope.

Chris Kernan, as Eric Glass, and Tyson Cole, as Leo, are the center of this complex story, and their bond of friendship, though initially unlikely, is authentically derived and compelling. Both performers fully inhabit their character’s essential humanity and worth. Though they care deeply about each other, Henry and Eric’s relationship remains tenuous and ultimately untenable, particularly as Eric finally finds meaning and purpose in his life at Walter’s house. John Hey deftly moves through Henry’s guarded layers and the wall he’s built around his emotions. Henry eventually finds peace in a lovely coda at the end of the story that’s tender and emotionally cathartic.

Though featured less in Part 2, Gabriel Paul is mesmerizing as he reveals Toby’s confusion and inescapable suffering. Toby’s final scene is a moment of understated trauma that’s tremendously effective and well connected. Jacob Schmidt and Sean Seifert once again remind us of young Walter and Henry’s lasting love, filled with joy and affection, while Margery Handy and Nic Tayborn are heartbreaking as Margaret and the memory of her son Michael. Stephen Henley, Donald Kidd, Alex C. Moore, Kevin O’Brien, and Kelvin Urday complete the talented cast, and each has strong, memorable moments.

In addition to the evocative performances, superb direction from Peirick and excellent stage craft from lighting designer Tony Anselmo and sound designer Jacob Baxley ensure the audience remains fully engrossed in the compelling and realistically intertwined story.

While seeing Part 1 is not required to understand and enjoy Part 2, it is recommended. The two parts seamlessly flow into one another, and seeing the first provides greater understanding and appreciation for the second. The Inheritance is a theatrical triumph that reconciles and expertly integrates an era many would rather ignore or forget with the present state of gay men in America. More than that, it is an important reminder of the legacy and determined resilience of queer people and of their right to live openly and unashamed, to love who they love and to rightfully claim their space in the world.

The Inheritance Part 2 is written by Matthew Lopez and directed by Stephen Peirick. It is presented by Tesseract Theatre Company at the Marcelle (3310 Samuel Shepard Drive) through Sunday, May 5. Showtimes vary. Tickets are $25 or $40 for both parts at tesseracttheatre.com.

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Saint Louis Zoo’s Brand New Baby Zebra Is Ready for Visits

Published

1 day ago

May 3, 2024

Natural Bridge

Last month, on April 16, the Saint Louis Zoo (1 Government Drive, stlzoo.org) welcomed a female Grevy zebra foal — Roxie.

The adorable foal, who weighed 95.8 pounds at birth, was the first ever animal born at the Saint Louis Zoo WildCare Park, a safari park under development in north county.

“This is both a joyful and historic moment for WildCare Park,” said Saint Louis Zoo WildCare Park Director Sabarras George in a statement. “We are thrilled to reach this milestone on the path to building a world-class safari park and conservation center here in St. Louis County.”

Gemma, Roxie’s mom, and Presley, her dad, were paired together at the Zoo as part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan for endangered Grevy’s zebras, according to a press release. Seven-year-old Gemma was pregnant with Roxie when she moved from the Zoo to WildCare Park in September 2023. The two currently live in the Kent Family Conservation and Animal Science Center. Presley lives in the Red Rocks area of the zoo with the rest of the zebra herd.

“Gemma is a first-time mom and is doing everything right in caring for her newborn,” said General Curator at WildCare Park Martha Fischer in a statement. “Roxie follows her mom closely, is nursing well and has a lot of energy.”

To visit the sweet new baby, head over to the zoo this weekend. Its hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

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The World’s Largest Bounce House Will Be in Sauget Next Weekend

Published

1 day ago

May 3, 2024

Natural Bridge

If you associate Sauget solely with strip clubs and heavy industry, prepare to be shook: Next weekend, the East Side town originally christened Monsanto, Illinois, is going to be crawling with kids.The Big Bounce America is setting up at the home of the Gateway Grizzlies, Grizzlies Ballpark Field (2301 Grizzlie Bear Boulevard, Sauget, Illinois), beginning Friday, May 10. Unlike last year’s lengthy residency in the Saint Louis Galleria parking lot, this stay lasts just one weekend, so plan accordingly.Big Bounce America includes seven inflatable attractions, including the self-proclaimed (but presumably verified?) World’s Largest Bounce House, which alone clocks in at 24,000 square feet. There’s also a “deep sea foam party inflatable” called OctoBlast, a 900-foot-long obstacle course, a “sports arena” and what promotional materials call a “space-themed wonderland.” Suffice it to say, that’s a lot of bouncing.Tickets start at $22 for toddlers, $35 for kids and $45 for adults. Full details at thebigbounceamerica.com.Note that hours don’t begin until noon, so by then all the party people should be long gone from Sauget’s usual attractions. Unless they decide to stick around a nice hungover bounce session.
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