Critical Notices for 'Pikovaya Dama'

Sarah Bryan Miller of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Chris Gibson of BroadwayWorld.com, Gerry Kowarsky of Two on the Aisle and Steve Callahan of KDHX have seen Union Avenue Opera's Pikovaya Dama. Here's a sampling of what they had to say about the production:

"[Pikovaya Dama] has one of Tchaikovsky's most luxuriously melodic, voice-friendly scores a score which got a fine performance on Friday night at Union Avenue Opera...Artistic director-conductor Scott Schoonover assembled a really impressive group of singers...Everyone's Russian was excellent...The singers were assisted dramatically by director Tim Ocel's intelligent staging...This "Queen of Spades" has a winning hand." --Sarah Bryan Miller

"Scott Schoonover conducts the lush orchestral ensemble with considerable aplomb, while Tim Ocel deftly guides the actors through their paces on stage...The Union Avenue Opera have played their "trump card" with a resplendently dark production of this tragic tale." --Chris Gibson

"The cast at Union Avenue is really strong from top to bottom. Conductor Scott Schoonover and his orchestra produced a rich sound as did the chorus. Tim Ocel's stage direction was clear and fluent." --Gerry Kowarsky

"The collection of voices in Pikovaya Dama is among the very best I've heard in the many years I've been enjoying this company's fine work...The somber melodrama is broken with the occasional shaft of light—a chorus of children, some charming folksongs, an engaging Daphnis and Chloe pastorale...All in all stage director Tim Ocel and music director Scott Schoonover have made Pikovaya Dama yet another feather in the cap of the Union Avenue Opera Company." --Steve Callahan

Pikovaya Dama concludes its run this weekend: Friday, August 27th and Saturday, August 28. Performances begin at 8pm. Sung in Russian with projected English supertitles. Venue: Union Avenue Christian Church located at 733 Union Blvd in St. Louis. To purchase tickets or learn more about this production, please visit http://www.unionavenueopera.org/ or call 314.361.2881