Sunday, March 18, 2018

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

Anything Goes
Photo by Jill Ritter Lindberg
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New Line Theatre presents Cole Porter's Anything Goes Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 pm through March 24. "Anything Goes is a masterful mashup of musical comedy, gangster movie, screwball comedy, and social satire, because even in terms of form, anything goes. First opening in a time when John Dillinger, Bonnie and Clyde, Al Capone, and evangelists Aimee Semple McPherson and Billy Sunday were all national celebrities, this was potent, pointed satire; and it's just as subversive today. The show's evangelist turned nightclub singer Reno Sweeney is equal parts McPherson and infamous speakeasy hostess Texas Guinan (the model for Velma Kelly in Chicago). And though we never meet gangster Snake Eyes Johnson, he's seems a fair double for Dillinger." Performances take place at the Marcelle Theater, 3310 Samuel Shepard Drive, three blocks east of Grand, in Grand Center. For more information, visit newlinetheatre.com or call 314-534-1111.

As It Is in Heaven
Photo by Gerry Love
Mustard Seed Theatre presents the drama As It Is in Heaven Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 2 pm through March 31. "The tranquility of women living in an 1830's Shaker community in Kentucky is threatened by the arrival of newcomers claiming to see angels." Performances take place at the Fontbonne Fine Arts Theatre, 6800 Wydown Blvd. For more information, call (314) 719-8060 or visit the web site at www.mustardseedtheatre.com.

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents the classic comedy Born Yesterday through April 8. "Junkyard tycoon Harry Brock swaggers into Washington, D.C., determined to buy a senator or two. The monkey wrench in his schemes is Billie Dawn, his seemingly dim-witted ex-showgirl girlfriend. But when Brock hires a reporter to tutor Billie, she rapidly comes into her own as a force to be reckoned with. This sharp and snappy comedy hilariously skewers Beltway corruption." Performances take place at the Loretto-Hilton Center on the Webster University campus. For more information: repstl.org.

Caught
Photo by Peter Wochniak
The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents Caught through March 25. "In the era of 'fake news,' Caught creates a bracingly unique experience that will keep you wondering what's real and what's theatre. An art exhibition by a Chinese dissident is the first phase of a multi-layered puzzle, which presents the audience with an ever-changing set of rules. Chen's piece deftly examines the blurred lines between truth and artifice, both in the theatre and in life." Performances take place in the studio theatre at the Loretto-Hilton Center on the Webster University campus. For more information: repstl.org.

The Fox Theatre presents the musical The Color Purple opening on Tuesday, March 20, and running through April 1. "The a soul-raising score of jazz, gospel, ragtime and blues, THE COLOR PURPLE gives an exhilarating new spirit to this Pulitzer Prize-winning story. Don't miss this stunning re-imagining of an epic story about a young woman's journey to love and triumph in the Ameri'one of the greatest revivals ever.' Experience the exhilarating power of this Tony-winning triumph!" The Fox is at 527 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information: fabulousfox.com.

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.

Alton Little Theater presents the comedy Exit Laughing Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sundays at 2 pm through March 25. "EXIT LAUGHING by Paul Elliott has been likened to be part "Golden Girls" and part "Designing Women" in that it relies on characters who are well - 'characters'. And yes the play's initial premise is that we lose good friends and things can get difficult in the later years of life - but WAIT - the play is not at all about death but about living life to the fullest. When the biggest highlight of your life for the past thirty years has been your weekly card night out with the girls, what do you do when one of your foursome inconveniently dies? If you're Connie, Leona and Millie, three southern ladies from Birmingham you do the most daring thing you've ever done. You "borrow" the ashes from the funeral home for one last card game and the wildest, most exciting night of their life begins with a police raid, a stripper, mega-laughs and a whole new way of looking at all the fun you can have when you're truly living. And it turns out that the departed Mary has a lot to say through messages and gifts she has arranged to arrive after her death---she sets in motion a new beginning for her friends and even a recalcitrant daughter comes to understand the difference between living and just existing." Performances take place at 2450 North Henry in Alton, IL. For more information, call 618.462.6562 or visit altonlittletheater.org.

O'Fallon TheatreWorks presents The Great Gatsby at the O'Fallon Municipal Centre auditorium Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 2 pm through March 25. "Based on the classic American novel, The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the O'FallonTheatreWorks' production brings the breathtaking glamour and decadent excess of the Jazz Age to life with an original soundtrack and award-winning set designers. Synopsis: In this Simon Levy adaptation of the novel, self-made millionaire Jay Gatsby passionately and obsessively pursues Daisy Buchanan, the wife of another wealthy man." The O'Fallon Municipal Centre is located at 100 North Main Street in O'Fallon, MO. For more information, visit www.ofallon.mo.us or call 636-379-5606.

Laura Michelle Kelly
Photo by Paul Smith
Muny Magic at the Sheldon presents Laura Michelle Kelly Wednesday and Thursday, March 21 and 22, at 7:30 p.m. "After enchanting audiences in The Muny's productions of The King and I (2012) and South Pacific (2013), Kelly is currently starring in the Lincoln Center national tour of The King and I. Join her for an evening of song, story and laughs at Muny Magic at The Sheldon." Performances take place at the Concert Hall in Grand Center. For more information: muny.org.

Missouri Baptist University presents Shakespeare's Macbeth "Macbeth tells the story of a brave Scottish general who receives a prophecy that one day he will become King of Scotland. Consumed with ambitious thoughts and spurred to action by his wife, Macbeth seizes the throne and becomes a tyrannical ruler who is forced to commit terrible acts to protect himself from enmity and suspicion." Performances take place in the Pillsbury Chapel on the campus at 1 College Park Drive in west St. Louis country. For more information: calendar.mobap.edu

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.

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.

Lindenwood University presents the student improv comedy troupe The Nick of Time Players on Sunday, March 25, at 7:30 pm " The Nick of Time Players are directed by Theatre Program Professor Larry Quiggins. The troupe has several performances throughout the year that are sure to leave your sides splitting!" The performances take place in the Emerson Black Bos Theatre at the J. Scheidegger Center for the Arts on the Lindenwood campus in St. Charles, MO. For more information, call 636-949-4433 or visit www.lindenwood.edu/center.

Alpha Players present Neil Simon's comedy The Odd Couple through March 25. "This classic comedy opens as a group of the guys assemble for cards in the apartment of divorced Oscar Madison. And if the mess is any indication, it's no wonder that his wife left him. Late to arrive is Felix Unger, who has just been separated from his wife. Fastidious, depressed, and none too tense, Felix seems suicidal, but as the action unfolds, Oscar becomes the one with murder on his mind when the clean freak and the slob ultimately decide to room together with hilarious results as The Odd Couple is born." Performances take place at The Florissant Civic Center Theater, Parker Rd. at Waterford Dr. in Florissant, MO. For more information: alphaplayers.org, or call 314-921-5678.

Tesseract Theatre Company presents the world premiere of Purple Heart City, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 4 p.m. through March 25. "Nobody has seen Daniel in eighteen months. When he suddenly returns home, hoping to pick life up where he left it, he finds a family hesitant to forgive him and a community that is tired and haunted by a past of having nuclear waste contaminating its creeks and backyards." Performances take place at The .ZACK, 3224 Locust in Midtown. For more information: tesseracttheatre.org.

Kirkwood Theatre Guild presents Ruby Sunrise through March 25. "Illuminating two fascinating moments in America's cultural and political history the play sets off from a farm in Indiana in 1937, as a young girl named Ruby struggles to turn her dream of the first all-electrical television system into a reality. Move to 1957, to a McCarthy-era New York TV studio as Lulu, Ruby's daughter, attempts to get her mother's story told through the medium of television. Groff's script is filled with humor and irony as the story charts the course of the phenomenon of television: from early idealism and sparks of genius, to promises fulfilled and compromises brokered, and beyond." Performances take place in the Robert G. Reim Theatre of the Kirkwood Community Center, 111 South Geyer Road. For more information, call 314-821-9956 or visit ktg-onstage.org.

Inevitable Theatre Company presents the Risk Theatre Initiative production of Stiff: A Fast Paced Story About Moving Slow March 22 - April 1. "Award-winning Dallas actress Sherry Jo Ward chronicles her struggle with Stiff Person Syndrome, an incredibly rare disease which impairs her mobility and causes her unexplained pain. Part stand-up comedy, part PowerPoint presentation, STIFF is a "must-see" theatrical event - a unique and engaging first person account of what it means to re-assess one's own goals and ambition when confronted with a life-altering diagnosis." Performances take place in the black box theatre at the Kranzberg Arts Center, 501 N. Grand in Grand Center. For more information: inevitabletheatre.org.

Ari Axelrod
New Jewish Theater presents Ari Axelrod in his cabaret show Taking the Wheel on Saturday, March 24, at 8 pm. In a show that explores his personal story and Jewish journey, Axelrod will perform songs from the Molly Picon musical Milk and Honey, “Shiksa Goddess” from Jason Robert Brown's The Last 5 Years, as well as songs from Les Mizperformed in Hebrew along with many others. His director for the Cabaret is Tony award winner, Actress/Singer and, Faith Prince." The performance takes place in the Marvin and Harlene Wool Studio Theater at the Jewish Community Center, 2 Millstone Campus Drive in Creve Coeur. For more information: www.newjewishtheatre.org or call 314-442-3283.

The St. Louis Writers' Group presents a reading of a The Thomascantor of Leipzig, a new play by Steve Clark, on Monday, March 19, at 6:30 pm. "In 1721, Leipzig needs a new music director, and they want Telemann, Germany's superstar composer...not J.S.Bach, a second-rate mediocrity. Can Telemann make a deal?" The event takes place upstairs at Big Daddy's, 1000 Sidney in Soulard. For more information: www.stlwritersgroup.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.

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