St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of August 6, 2018

This week brings us the first performance in over a decade of the musical The Light in the Piazza as well as a new cabaret show from Kelsey Bearman and a soulful Sunday afternoon with Rick Jensen, Lina Koutrakos, and a host of local singers.

---

Share on Google+:

The Bissell Mansion Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre presents Addams Family Affair through October 28. The Bissell Mansion is at 4426 Randall Place. For more information: bissellmansiontheatre.com.

The Goshen Theatre Project presents the children's musical Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 pm, August 9 - 11. Performances take place at the Hettenhausen Center for the Arts on the McKendree University campus in Lebanon, IL. For more information: www.goshentheatreproject.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 Dead Like Me through November 3. The Lemp Mansion is at 3322 DeMenil Place. For more information: lempmansion.com.

Equally Represented Arts presents Faust go down with all the re$t, opening on Wednesday, August 8, at 7:30 pm and running through August 18. The show is "an experimental, rock-opera-adaptation of Goethe's most celebrated work. The script was created by the ensemble. Join us for this capitali$t tragedy with music, dancing, and drinking." Performances take place at Foam, 3359 S. Jefferson Ave. For more information: www.eratheatre.org.

Act Two Theatre presents The Great American Trailer Park Musical opening on Wednesday, August 8, at 7:30 pm and running through August 19. "A country-rock and blues musical about agoraphobia, adultery, '80s nostalgia, spray cheese, road kill, hysterical pregnancy, a broken electric chair, kleptomania, strippers, flan, and disco, The Great American Trailer Park Musical centers around regular guy Norbert and his agoraphobic wife, Jeannie, whose marriage is threatened by Armadillo Acres' newcomer, the hot young stripper Pippi. The trailer park also plays home to a Greek-chorus-like trio of women Linoleum, Betty and Pickles, each dysfunctional in her own right." Performances take place in the St. Peters Cultural Arts Centre at 1 St Peters Centre Blvd, St. Peters, MO 63376. For more information: act2theater.com.

Lina Koutrakos

Mariposa Productions presents Lina Koutrakos and Rick Jensen's In Concert: A Summer Sunday Filled with Soul on Sunday, August 12, at 3 pm. Featured singers are Katie McGrath, Jerome Elliott, Phil Kassel, Gabriela Kassel Gomez, Debbie Schuster, Beverly Brennan, Robert Breig, Shauna Sconce, Dionna Raedeke, Charlene Reimann, and Patricia Salinski. The performance takes place at the .ZACK Performing Arts Center, 3224 Locust in Grand Center. For more information: metrotix.com

Curtain's Up Theatre presents the Sondheim musical Into the Woods running through Saturday, August 11. Performances take place at the Alfresco Art Center, 2401 Delmar in Granite City, IL. For more information, visit curtainsuptheater.com.

R-S Theatrics presents the musical The Light in the Piazza Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 7 p.m., August 10 - 26. "Winner of numerous Tony Awards in 2005, this musical tells the story of a young American woman vacationing with her mother in Florence in the 1950s. When the woman falls for a local Italian man, uncomfortable truths come to light about what was past and what may be future." Performances take place at The Marcelle Theatre in Grand Center. For more information: r-stheatrics.com.

The St. Louis Writers' Group presents a reading of the play Lock and Dam by Dennis Fisher on Monday, August 6, at 6:30 pm. "On a remote Illinois River waterfront in 1976, Thompson takes stock of his life. People are dying around him with unsettling regularity, he is barely paying the bills by selling dirty magazines to deck hands on barges that pass by, and his best friend has taken up with his ex wife. He petitions God for answers. The Gods respond. Answers are not forthcoming." The event takes place upstairs at Big Daddy's, 1000 Sidney in Soulard. For more information: www.stlwritersgroup.com.

Mariposa Productions presents Kelsey Bearman in Lost and Found on Thursday, August 9, at 8 pm. "Traveling from New York City to her hometown of St. Louis and back again, Kelsey's show explores the ebb and flow of life, with a humorous and thoughtful take on its challenges and triumphs. Including jazz standards, contemporary musical theatre, and pop songs from James Taylor to Taylor Swift sprinkled throughout, Bearman musically travels through the confusion and joy of having choices!" Lina Koutrakos directs, with musical direction by Rick Jensen. The performance takes place at the .ZACK Performing Arts Center, 3224 Locust in Grand Center. For more information: metrotix.com.

Union Avenue Opera presents a panel discussion on Kurt Weill's opera Lost in the Stars on Tuesday, August 7, at 6 pm. Participants include director Shaun Patrick Tubbs, conductor Scott Schoonover, and Kurt Weill mentor Tazewell Thompson. The event takes place at the Union Avenue Christian Church in the Central West End, where the company will present its production of the opera August 17 - 25. For more information: unionavenueopera.org.

Union Avenue Opera presents a free preview concert of selections from Kurt Weill's opera Lost in the Stars on Wednesday, August 8, at 6 pm. The concert will feature Kenneth Overton as Stephen Kumalo, Krysty Swannas Irina, along with members of the ensemble as they present selections from the opera, which the company will present August 17 - 25. The event takes place at Centennial Christian Church, 4950 Fountain in north St. Louis. For more information: unionavenueopera.org.

Mamma Mia!
Photo by Peter Wochniak

Stages St. Louis presents the musical Mamma Mia!, based on the music of ABBA, through August 19. "The ultimate feel-good show, MAMMA MIA! uses the music of ABBA to tell the hilarious and touching tale of a teen's search for her birth father on a Greek Island paradise. See why 54 million people all around the world have fallen in love with this pop-music phenomenon of a mother, a daughter, three possible dads, and an unforgettable trip down the aisle! Chock full of explosive dance numbers, you'll want to unleash your inner "Dancing Queen" with such ABBA hits as "Winner Takes It All," "Take A Chance On Me," and the smash title tune, "Mamma Mia." This enchanting tale of love between mothers and daughters, laughter between old friends, and a celebration of newly found family is a guaranteed non-stop party that you won't want to miss!!" Performances take place in the Robert G. Reim Theatre at the Kirkwood Community Center, 111 South Geyer Road in Kirkwood. For more information: stagesstlouis.org.

JPEK Creativeworks presents Meeting at the Elder's Circle Thursday through Saturday at 8 pm and Sunday at 3 pm, August 9 - 12. "Meeting at the Elder's Circle is a two-act inspirational comedy, that gives a satirical look on the issues reflecting religion and the church through drama, song and dance. The elders of Christian Tabernacle are gathering together for the Annual Usher's day. Coordinated by Sis. Martha Mooshae, she works diligently to assure the event's success. As with every church, there's always a tyrant in the fold who is Sis. Magalene Jefferies. She may be mean and unruly, but she “keeps it real”. Through the leadership of Pastor Moonshine, Christian Tabernacle defines a moment of truth that changes the hearts and minds of everyone. 'The road to heaven doesn't get shorter by pushing people away.'" Performances take place at the Kranzberg Arts Center, 501 N. Grand in Grand Center. For more information: metrotix.com.

Meet Me in St. Louis
Photo by Phillip Hamer

The Muny presents the musical Meet Me in St. Louis running through August 12. "Clang, clang, clang, we are off to The Muny! Based on the heartwarming 1944 MGM film, Meet Me In St. Louis paints a wholesome portrait of a turn of the century American family. Set in the summer of 1903, the Smiths eagerly await the grand opening of the 1904 World's Fair. With hits such as "The Trolley Song," "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," "The Boy Next Door" and the title number, this is the perfect finale to our 100th season, and will evoke nothing but love and pride…right here in St. Louis." Performances take place on the Muny's outdoor stage in Forest Park. For more information: muny.org.

The Realistic Jonses
Photo by Eric Woolsey

Rebel and Misfits Productions presents The Realistic Joneses through August 12. "In The Realistic Joneses, Will Eno connects two suburban couples who have so much more in common than their identical homes and their shared last names. As their relationships begin to irrevocably intertwine, the Joneses must decide between their idyllic fantasies and their imperfect realities and, ultimately, confront mortality." Performances take place at the black box theater at the JCC, 2 Millstone Campus Drive in Ladue. For more information: www.rebelandmisfitsproductions.com.

Stray Dog Theatre presents the musical The Robber Bridegroom Thursdays through Saturdays through August 18. There will also a 2 pm on Sunday, August 12, and 8 pm on Wednesday, August 15. This rousing, bawdy Southern fairytale comes from the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Driving Miss Daisy. Set in Mississippi, the show follows Jamie Lockhart, a rascally robber of the woods, as he courts Rosamund, the sole daughter of the richest planter in the country. Thanks to a case of double-mistaken identity, the entangled relationship begins to unravel. Throw in an evil stepmother, her pea-brained henchman, and a hostile talking head-in-a-trunk, and you have a rollicking country romp." Performances take place at The Tower Grove Abbey, 2336 Tennessee. For more information, visit straydogtheatre.org or call 314-865-1995.

The Monocle presents This Is Me: A Cabaret with Sam Revilla on Friday, August 10, at 8 pm. "Join Sam for an evening of music, laughter and tears as I share my journey through songs. Featuring songs from Smash, Jekyll and Hyde, First Date and many of your Broadway musicals to Disney movies, and songs by Whitney, Donnie Hathaway, John Legend and many more. You will surely leave The Emerald room loving life a little more." The performance takes place in the Emerald Room at The Monocle, 4510 Manchester in The Grove neighborhood. For more information: themonoclestl.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.