Chuck's Choices for the weekend of December 7, 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:

Topper Productions presents St. Louis native Craig Pomranz in The Break-Up Show on Friday and Saturday, December 7 and 8, at 8 PM. “Craig was named New York's Best Male Vocalist of 2012, and is a current BroadwayWorld.com nominee.” As I noted in my review of his appearance here last February, Mr. Pomranz combines impressive vocal technique with a self-deprecating sense of humor. Last year, for example, he was selling t-shirts emblazoned with the phrase “I Spent the Night With Craig.” Performances take place at the Kranzberg Arts Center, 501 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information: www.brownpapertickets.com or call (314) 965-2526.

Mariposa Artists presents An Evening in December on Friday and Saturday, December 7 and 8, at 8 PM. An Evening in December is a Christmas-themed cabaret evening starring Bob Becherer and Merry Keller with special guests Robert Breig, Brian Derton, Katie McGrath, Shauna Sconce and Jeff Wright. Ron Bryant is pianist and music director for the show, which takes place at The Chapel, 6238 Alexander Drive. Twenty percent of all ticket sales will benefit the Ronald McDonald House, and audience members are encouraged to bring new toys to be donated to Toys for Tots. Some of St. Louis's best cabaret talent will be on display here. For more information: aneveningindecember.brownpapertickets.com.

Photos by John Lamb

Stray Dog Theatre presents the one-man comedy Fully Committed, starring Greg Fenner, Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 PM, December 6-22. "Hired to answer reservation calls at Manhattan’s hottest celebrity restaurant during the holiday season, an unemployed actor must handle the incessant barrage of nightmarish demands. Coercion, threats, bribes, histrionics - a cast of desperate callers will stop at nothing in their zeal to land a prime reservation, or the right table. Written by a former restaurant worker, this one-man tour-de-force is hilarious, heartfelt, and dishy!" I've seen this twice (here at the Rep and in Chicago with Bronson Pinchot) and found it vastly entertaining both times. The characters in Becky Mode's script are deftly and convincingly drawn, which raises this above the level of a simple virtuoso acting display. Performances take place at The Tower Grove Abbey, 2336 Tennessee. For more information, visit straydogtheatre.org or call 314-865-1995.

The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, conducted by Christopher Warren Green, present Handel's Messiah Friday and Saturday at 8 and Sunday at 2 PM. Soloists are Tamara Wilson, soprano; Christopher Ainslie, countertenor; Daniel Montenegro, tenor; and Matthew Treviño, bass. Performances take place in Powell Symphony Hall, 718 North Grand. Yes, I know that oratorio isn't technically theatre (although some are certainly overtly theatrical), but Handel was a man of the theatre who was already well-established as an opera composer when he wrote The Messiah in 1741. He only started writing oratorios because he realized there was a market for them in England. The presence of a countertenor in the list of soloists suggests this might be a more historically accurate Messiah than one sometimes sees at this time of year. For more information: stlsymphony.org.

Magic Smoking Monkey Theatre presents Stupefy! The 90 Minute Harry Potter Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 and 10:30 PM, December 7- 15. “The 7:30pm performance is 'family friendly.' The late show is recommended for audiences 16 and over. Audience members should feel free to dress in their Hogwarts attire, if desired.” Well, how can you not love this idea? Performances take place at the Emerson Black Box Theatre in the Scheidegger Performing Arts Center on the campus of Lindenwood University in St. Charles. For more information: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/290534

Photo by Meghan Moore Hires

Edison Theatre Ovations! Series presents the Reduced Shakespeare Company (RSC) production of The Ultimate Christmas Show (abridged) on Friday and Saturday, December 7 and 8, at 8 PM. “Learn how Santa saved Christmas, the origin of the term "Nutcracker," the truths behind some of our most beloved holiday traditions and more! And Christmas isn't the only holiday in on the laughs: Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and Saturnalia are included, too.” The RSC can be relierd upon to produce smart rapid-fire comedy, so I'd be surprised if this wasn't a hoot. Performances take place at Edison Theater on the Washington University campus. For more information, edison.wustl.edu or call 314-935-6543.

Held over:

HotCity Theatre presents Charles Busch's comedy The Divine Sister November 30 through December 15. "This hilariously irreverent tale tells the story of an indomitable Mother Superior (played 'in-drag') trying to cope with a young postulant experiencing 'visions', sexual hysteria among her nuns, a Da Vinci Code style mystery, and a 'well-endowed' former flame intent on luring her away from her vows." Busch's lunatic sensibility is always worth seeing, and this should be a nice antidote to all the Christmas Carol and Nutcracker performances we get around this time. "Everyone is the show is terrific and could teach master classes in comic timing," says Andrea Braun in her review for 88.1 KDHX. Performances take place at the Kranzberg Arts Center, 501 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information, visit www.hotcitytheatre.org or call 314-289-4063.

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents the comedy The Foreigner November 28-December 23. Performances take place on the main stage at the Loretto-Hlton Center, 130 Edgar Road in Webster Groves, MO. "In this wild and wacky comedy, Charlie Baker needs to get away, and his friend Froggy knows just the place - his favorite little fishing lodge in rural Georgia. To get Charlie some much needed peace, Froggy convinces the locals that his friend doesn’t understand English. But the plan backfires when all the lodge’s inhabitants start revealing deep secrets and diabolical plans in front of their quiet foreign guest." "There are too many very funny bits to list here," noted Robert Mitchell in his review for 88.1 KDHX, "just be assured that if you want a good laugh, that there is more than enough opportunity with The Foreigner." It has been a few decades since the Rep did this fast-paced and somewhat political comedy. Sadly, the satire of Southern bigotry is still relevant. For more information, call 314-968-4925 or visit repstl.org.