St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of February 19, 2018

The Performing Arts Department at Washington University presents Tracy Letts's drama August: Osage County Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 2 pm, February 23 - March 4. "A vanished father, a pill-popping mother and three sisters harboring shady little secrets. When the large Weston family unexpectedly reunites after Dad disappears, their Oklahoman family homestead explodes in a maelstrom of repressed truths and unsettling secrets. Mix in Violet, the drugged-up, scathingly acidic matriarch, and you've got a major new play that unflinchingly - and uproariously - exposes the dark side of the Midwestern family." The performances take place in the Edison Theatre on the Washington University campus. For more information, call 314-935-6543 or visit pad.artsci.wustl.edu.

Blackbird
Photo: Patrick Huber

St. Louis Actors' Studio presents Blackbird through February 25. "This intense work was commissioned by the Edinburgh International Festival, where it received its world premiere. After years in prison and subsequent hardships, Ray, fifty-six, has a new identity and has made a new life for himself, thinking that he cannot be found. Una, twenty-seven, has thought of nothing else; upon seeing a photo of Ray in a magazine, she has arrived unannounced at his office. Guilt, rage, and raw emotions run high as they recollect the passionate relationship they had fifteen years ago, when she was twelve and he was forty. Without any moral judgments, the play never shies away from the brutal truth of this abandoned and unconventional love. Una is looking for answers, not vengeance. Nevertheless, the consequences are shattering." Performances take place at the Gaslight Theatre, 358 North Boyle For more information, call 314-458-2978 or visit stlas.org.

The Cabaret Project and The Improv Shop present The Blue Velvet Lounge Saturday at 8 pm., February 24. "The Cabaret Project teams up with The Improv Shop to co-present their dynamic, fully improvised theater piece featuring live jazz standards - direct from the mythical Blue Velvet Lounge. Each performance features eight smart, funny improvisers who create the stories and sagas of the patrons of the Blue Velvet Lounge - on the spot. Surrounded by live jazz vocal standards, this character driven story is a different show each night it's performed. The Blue Velvet Lounge is a perfect evening out for lovers of cabaret and comedy. Food and drink available at the Improv Shop." The performance takes place at The Improv Shop, 3960 Chouteau in The Grove. For more information: thecabaretproject.org.

Bud, Not Buddy

Metro Theatre Company presents Bud, Not Buddy Fridays and Saturdays at 7 and Sundays at 2 pm through February 25. "Based on the Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott King Award-winning novel, this play combines actors with a 13-piece jazz band performing an original score composed by five-time, Grammy-winning jazz artist Terence Blanchard to tell the story of a boy who finds a home and a passion for music." Performances take place at the Grandel Theatre, 3610 Grandel Square in Grand Center. For more information: metroplays.org.

CSZ St. Louis presents The ComedySportz Show on Saturday nights at 7:30 pm. The show is "action-packed, interactive and hilarious comedy played as a sport. Two teams battle it out for points and your laughs! You choose the winners the teams provide the funny!" Performances take place on the second floor of the Sugar Cubed, 917 S Main St. in St Charles, Mo. For more information: www.cszstlouis.com.

The Lemp Mansion Comedy-Mystery Dinner Theater presents The Comic Book Killer through April 14. The Lemp Mansion is at 3322 DeMenil Place. For more information: lempmansion.com.

The Humans
Photo: Jerry Naunheim, Jr.

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents Stephan Karam's The Humans through March 4. "Three generations of the Blake family have gathered in a dingy New York City apartment for Thanksgiving. Everyone's trying to make the best of it, but life's little indignities are piling up. With a mixture of pathos and dark humor, Karam's vivid family portrait is nothing but honest." Performances take place at the Loretto-Hilton Center on the Webster University campus. For more information: repstl.org.

Upstream Theater presents the St. Louis premiere of Infected Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 7 pm (except for February 25, which is at 2 pm) through February 25. "A day trader in quarantine delivers a relentless, near-manic monologue that reveals his derailment from the fast track, and the resultant downward, deadly spiral… as though he may have contracted some horrible virus from the stock market monitors themselves. This gripping piece by one of Germany's leading poet/playwrights is a relentless collage of ideas and images, where past and present collide and where one man's innermost thoughts ricochet inside his head with all the volatility of a stock market in crisis. A very timely psychological study of a man and a society infected by greed." Performances take place at the Kranzberg Arts Center, 501 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information, including show times: upstreamtheater.org.

The Bissell Mansion Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre presents Mayhem in Mayberry through April. "Welcome to the 10th annual Mayberry-fest. Everyone is looking forward to the highlight of this event - the Miss Mayberry contest. YOU and Sheriff Andy Trailer will judge the contestants (chosen from the audience) on beauty, poise, cookin' skills and a new category this year - Hog callin'. Will the next Miss Mayberry be the vivacious Dazey Doof from Hazzard County? Or the beautiful hillbilly, Elly May Klumpett? Or will it be the lovely Lois Lame from Smallville? Don't county out the charming Paris Hoosier from Hoosierville. She's the main reason the train stops at Petticoat Junction! Sheriff Andy, Deputy Blarney and Aint Bee invite you to join the fun and the mayhem in Mayberry cause it won't be the same without y'all." The Bissell Mansion is at 4426 Randall Place. For more information: bissellmansiontheatre.com.

JPEK Creativeworks presents The Meeting Friday at 8 pm, Saturday at 3 and 8 pm, and Sunday at 3 pm, February 23 - 25. "Fascinating and dramatically compelling, this eloquent play depicts the supposed meeting of two of the most important men of modern time: Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Differing in their philosophies, but alike in their mutual respect, the two men debate their varying approaches to the same grave social problems." Performances take place at the Kranzberg Arts Center, 501 N. Grand in Grand Center. For more information: metrotix.com.

Webster University's Conservatory of Theatre Arts presents the comedy Men on Boats Wednesdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. through February 25. "In 1869, one-armed explorer John Wesley Powell and his crew of 9 men in 4 boats went down the Colorado River into the Grand Canyon, not knowing what lay ahead. This great adventure is reenacted by ten women -- the rapids, the rations, and the ride of their lives. An ingenious, hilarious, and brilliant new play, Men On Boats brings to life the true(ish) history of a 1869 expedition like you have never seen it before." Performances take place in the Studio Theatre of the Loretto-Hilton Center on the Webster University campus. For more information, www.webster.edu/conservatory/season or call 314-968-7128.

Menopause the Musical

The Playhouse at Westport Plaza presents Menopause the Musical, "a celebration of women and The Change," through March 31. Four women meet while shopping for a black lace bra at a lingerie sale. After noticing unmistakable similarities among one another, the cast jokes about their woeful hot flashes, mood swings, wrinkles, weight gain and much more. The Playhouse at Westport Plaza is at 635 West Port Plaza. For more information: playhouseatwestport.com.

The International Brotherhood of Magicians, Ring 1, presents its annual Parade of Magic on Saturday, February 24, at 2 and 7 p.m. "Top professional magicians from all over the Midwest will converge on St. Louis to present TWO shows filled with fun, laughter and of course Magic! Nowhere else can you find such great entertainment for such an affordable price. Award winning magicians from the International Brotherhood of Magicians will be appearing and disappearing in a magical experience guaranteed to be unforgettable! A Great Family Event! You've seen them on TV and now you can see them Live!" Performances take place at the Kirkwood Community Center, 111 South Geyer Road. For more information: ibmring1.yapsody.com

Red Scare on Sunset
Photo: John Lamb

Stray Dog Theatre presents the comedy Red Scare on Sunset Thursdays through Saturdays through February 24. "In 1950s Hollywood, film star Mary Dale finds the Red Menace invading her Beverly Hills backyard. When she discovers her husband has been lured into the local Communist Party by way of a Method acting class and there is a left wing plot to abolish the star system, Mary wages a private war to save her husband, country, and billing over the title. The McCarthy era is turned on its head in this outlandish take on a serious subject." Performances take place at The Tower Grove Abbey, 2336 Tennessee. For more information, visit straydogtheatre.org or call 314-865-1995.

YoungLiars presents The Coldhearts production of the punk-rock opera The Unrepentant Necrophile Friday and Saturday at 8 pm, February 23 and 24. "A mortician falls in love with a man as she prepares his corpse for burial. She has three days until the funeral... but three days isn't enough. "The Unrepentant Necrophile" is a three-person, minimalist musical created with drums, electric bass, and electric guitar.A blend of physical theater, music and horror, it explores sexuality, consent and gender politics through the anarchistic lens of punk rock. It premiered at the 2015 Twin Cities Horror Festival in Minneapolis. Performances take place on the 4th floor of the Centene Center for Arts and Education in Grand Center. For more information: brownpapertickets.com.

KTK Productions presents the comedy Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. through February 25. "Stuck in their family home in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Vanya and his adopted sister Sonia live a quiet existence until their lives are thrown into comic upheaval with the arrival of their B-list celebrity sister, Masha, and her 20-something boy toy, Spike. Add to that a soothsaying housekeeper, a star struck young neighbor and a rather odd costume party, and the stage is set for mayhem and hilarity in this present-day homage to Chekhov. Winner of the 2013 Tony Award for Best Play.” Performances take place at Southampton Presbyterian Church, 4716 Macklind. For more information: kurtainkall.org or call 314-351-8984.

St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley presents Clifford Odets's drama Waiting for Lefty Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sundays at 2 pm through February 24. "Clifford Odets' ground breaking 1935 WAITING FOR LEFTY is the story of a meeting of a New York cab drivers' union on the verge of a strike. The union's corrupt leader Harry Fatt does everything he can to discourage it, and the mysterious absence of the left-leaning advocate Lefty Costello doesn't bode well for the would-be strikers. After hearing the heart-wrenching tales of four hard-working cab drivers - each story dramatized before the eyes of the audience before transitioning seamlessly back into the union meeting-Agate Keller takes the stage and demands immediate action." Performances take place in the Fisher Theatre on the campus at 3400 Pershall Road. For more information, www.stlcc.edu/fv/ or call 314-644-5522.

Alton Little Theater presents the comedy mystery Who's in Bed With the Butler? Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. through February 18. "Mad-Capped hilarity with mile-a-minute dialogue and a very twisted plot ensues when a California Billionaire bequeaths all his assets to his only daughter.....but what about the Mistress? The loyal Housekeeper? or even the bumbling Detective - is he for REAL? Audiences will love sorting it all out!" Performances take place at 2450 North Henry in Alton, IL. For more information, call 618.462.6562 or visit altonlittletheater.org.

The Fabulous Fox presents The Wizard of Oz Friday at 7:30 pm, Saturday at 2 and 7:30 pm, and Sunday at 1 and 6 pm, February 23 - 25. "There truly is no place like home as the greatest family musical of all time, the wonderful WIZARD OF OZ, twists its way into St. Louis! The entire family will be captivated as they travel down the Yellow Brick Road and beyond with Dorothy, Toto and their friends the Cowardly Lion, Tin Man and Scarecrow in this lavish production, featuring breathtaking special effects, dazzling choreography and classic songs." The Fox is at 527 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information: fabulousfox.com.

Looking for auditions and other artistic opportunities? Check out the St. Louis Auditions site.

For information on events beyond this week, check out the searchable database at the Regional Arts Commission's Events Calendar.

Would you like to be on the radio? KDHX, 88.1 FM needs theatre reviewers. If you're 18 years or older, knowledgeable in this area, have practical theatre experience (acting, directing, writing, technical design, etc.), have good oral and written communications skills and would like to become one of our volunteer reviewers, send an email describing your experience and interests to chuck at kdhx.org. Please include a sample review of something you've seen recently.