Chuck's choices for the weekend of October 4, 2013

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 Edison Theatre Ovations for Young People series presents The Adventures Of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer on Saturday, October 5, at 11 AM and 2 PM. “The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer is the story of the enduring love of a brave explorer with a heart as big as a whale. This highly imaginative fusion of animation, mime, puppetry and projection is a multi-award-winning one-man-show by master storyteller Tim Watts. Unique, moving and thoroughly entertaining, this show's “mix of environmental disaster, twee humor and cutie-pie whimsy makes it something akin to a theatrical Wall-E” according to the New York Times. Winner of the 2011 “Best Theatre Show” at the Auckland Fringe Festival, “Outstanding Solo Show” at the 2009 New York International Fringe Festival and “Best Puppetry” at the Adelaide Fringe Festival in 2010.” Performances take place at Edison Theater on the Washington University campus. For more information, edison.wustl.edu or call 314-935-6543.

My take: The Ovations for Young People series has an impressive track record of bringing high-quality children's theatre to town. If you're looking for something to show the young ones why a live show on stage always has more impact than a movie or video, no matter how big the screen is, this might just be it.

The Alpha Players of Florissant present the musical Les Miserables through October 6 at The Florissant Civic Center Theater, Parker Rd. at Waterford Dr. in Florissant, MO. For more information, call 314-921-5678.

My take: Yes, I know we're up to our chapeaux in productions of this wonderful musical/operetta this season, but this one is entirely local and the work of a community theater group to boot. It's such an ambitious undertaking that it would be worth a shout out for that reason alone. Happily, it appears to also be a good production. "Director Sharon Cotner," writes Bob Wilcox in his review for 88.1 KDHX, 'has handled this sprawling story intelligently, and she draws variety and liveliness from the large cast...If you're a "Les Miz" fan, Alpha Players has a production of it you'll enjoy."

St. Louis Actors' Studio opens its seventh season, themed Sins of the Father, with Susan Lori-Parks' Pulitzer Prize Winning play Topdog, Underdog through October 6. A “darkly comic fable of brotherly love and family identity,” the play “tells the story of Lincoln and Booth, two brothers whose names were given to them as a joke, foretelling a lifetime of sibling rivalry and resentment. Haunted by the past, the brothers are forced to confront the shattering reality of their future.” Performances take place at the Gaslight Theatre, 358 North Boyle. For more information, call 314-458-2978 or visit stlas.org.

My take: It's hard to argue with a Pulitzer, and this looks like a good production. "The characters are genuinely compelling," writes Tina Farmer in her review for 88.1 KDHX, "and the all too familiar story of lives of desperation leading to equally desperate actions seems sadly poignant."  

Held over:

Photo: Jerry Naunheim, Jr.

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents the Kander and Ebb musical Cabaret through October 6. “In this multi award-winning musical, a young, naïve American writer arrives in 1930s Berlin and is swept away by the decadent pleasures of the sexy, seedy world that is the Cabaret. At the center of it all is the beguiling Sally Bowles, who takes the stage every night. Inside the Kit Kat Klub life is beautiful, but outside the world is about to change.” Performances take place at the Loretto-Hlton Center, 130 Edgar Road in Webster Groves, MO. For more information, call 314-968-4925 or visit repstl.org.


My take: After multiple revivals and substantial script and score revisions, does this dramatic portrait of a nation on the eve of destruction still have the power to shock and move an audience? Judging by the standing ovation that greeted Cabaret when we saw it, I'd say the answer is "yes, in spades." There were occasional missteps and the amplified voices were not always as clear as they might have been, but those are minor flaws in an otherwise fine production distinguished by smart direction and solid acting; see my capsule review for more details.

Photo: John Lamb

The West End Players Guild opens their 103rd season with the St. Louis premiere of Lee Blessing's Lonesome Hollow by Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM and Sundays at 2 PM, September 27-October 6. There will also be a show on Thursday, October 3, at 8 PM. “In an America of the 'soonish' future, society has taken a stand against sex offenders, consigning them permanently to a series of privately-run gulags. This provocative and chilling parable of vengeance and community standards charts a disturbing trip down a slippery moral slope.” Performances take place at the Union Avenue Christian Church, 733 North Union at Enright in the Central West End. For more information, call 314-367-0025 or visit www.westendplayers.org.

My take: OK, I'm on the board and play reading committee at West End, so I'm not a disinterested party here. That said, I was massively impressed by the script when I read it last year. It's funny, it's creepy, and it raises very provocative questions about the how the punishment a society metes out to its undesirables reflects on its larger values. Theatre that enlightens and entertains is always worth supporting. "This play is probably the riskiest piece WEPG is done to date," writes Andrea Braun in her review for 88.1 KDHX, noting that "WEPG gives it a stylish showcase."

Photo: Peter Wochniak

Stages St. Louis presents My Fair Lady September 6 through October 6. Performances take place in the Robert G. Reim Theatre at the Kirkwood Community Center, 111 South Geyer Road in Kirkwood. For more information, visit stagesstlouis.org or call 314-821-2407.

My take: I have always loved this show, a feeling that only increased after I had the pleasure of playing Alfred P. Doolittle in Stray Dog Theatre's production a few years ago. Unlike some musical adaptations of classic plays, My Fair Lady retains the spirit and a fair amount of dialog from its original (Shaw's Pygmalion). The combination of Lerner and Loewe's score and Shaw's bit is unbeatable. "You should see this absolutely fabulous My Fair Lady if you have the chance," writes Andrea Braun in her review for 88.1 KDHX. "I don’t see how it could have been done any better, and overall, it is just a “loverly” production of an American musical theatre treasure.