Chuck's Choices for the weekend of August 10, 2012

As always, the choices are purely my personal opinion. Take with a grain (or a shaker) of salt.

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New this week:

The Muny presents the musical The King and I through Sunday at 8:15 PM in the outdoor theatre in Forest Park. "From the breath taking costumes and towering sets to the precision of the dancers, musicians and performers, Director Rob Ruggiero, Choreographer Ralph Perkins, and Executive Producer Mike Isaacson have delivered a fitting finale to the Muny’s 94th season," writes Connie Bollinger In her review for 88.1 KDHX. For more information, visit muny.org or call 314-361-1900.

The big draw for me this weekend is the St. Louis Cabaret Festival, a production of The Cabaret Project which runs concurrently with the St. Louis Cabaret Conference. The festival kicked off Wednesday with a showcase featuring six young artists who had just completed three days of intensive cabaret training. Performance continue with:

• Cabaret and musical theatre star Karen Mason on Friday at 8 PM as part of the 2012 St. Louis Cabaret Festival. “Mason's cabaret shows have established her as one of the industry's most sought-after cabaret singers. She has headlined nearly every major nightclub and concert hall in New York and is the winner of 10 MAC (Manhattan Assoc. of Cabarets and Clubs) Awards, 3 Bistro Awards, and the Nightlife Award.”
• Barbara Fasano, Eric Comstock, and Jason Graae, along with pianist and songwriter Rick Jensen on Saturday at 8 PM. All four are on the faculty of the Cabaret Conference and are nationally-known stars in their own right. I wouldn't miss this for the world.
• The St. Louis Cabaret Conference Showcase on Sunday at 7 PM as part of the 2012 St. Louis Cabaret Festival. “The St. Louis Cabaret Conference is one of the nations top training programs for cabaret performers and its showcase is the culminating event of 4 days of intensive cabaret training for 20 talented singers, both experienced and newcomers. The showcase offers audiences a funny, touching, inspiring night of music that lifts the spirits of those on stage and off.”
All shows take place at The Jazz Bistro, 3536 Washington Avenue. For more information, visit thecabaretproject.org or licketytix.com.

Held over:

Stray Dog Theatre presents The Great American Trailer Park Musical Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 PM, August 2 through 18, with two new shows added on Friday and Saturday, August 24 and 25. There will be a matinee on the closing Saturday at 2 PM in addition to the evening show. I have three perfectly good reasons to recommend this show. First, I've worked with Stray Dog often enough in the past to know that they do entertaining trash just as well as more high-falutin' stuff. Second, how can you pass up a chance to see some of our classiest actresses get truly crude? Third, in his review for 88.1 KDHX, Robert Mitchell says "if you're looking for laugh-out loud absurdity punctuated by catchy country-tinged tunes and schmaltzy, heartfelt rock ballads, then by all means, head to Stray Dog's current production." Performances take place at The Tower Grove Abbey, 2336 Tennessee. For more information, visit straydogtheatre.org or call 314-865-1995.