Sunday, September 09, 2018

St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of September 10, 2018

The autumn theatre season picks up speed with the annual Xfest at SIU-E and Japanese theatre at the Touhill, along with new shows from Ignite and Christ Memorial Productions.

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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.

Robert Dubac in The Book of Moron
The Playhouse at Westport Plaza presents The Book of Moron, opening on Thursday, September 13, and running through September 23. "Robert Dubac's newest Off-Broadway hit The Book Of Moron has been described as one of the most hilarious, intelligent and scorching satirical attacks on idiocracy since Mark Twain. Having been brainwashed by a culture that worships the Kardashians over character, delusion over truth, and selfies over self-effacement, Dubac begins his journey with a simple question: Who am I? What do I believe? What's the point? Okay, that's three questions but suffice to say, he has no answers. Just voices. Inner voices who come to life with precision and wit. One by one they pull him into a hysterical alternative universe of critical thought in search of the bigger picture. It's a head trip on a banana peel." The Playhouse at Westport Plaza is at 635 West Port Plaza. For more information: westportstl.com.

Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville presents Buffon Glass Menagerie at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, September 11 as part of Xfest: 4 Days of Experimental Theater. "Gentlemen callers beware: The Wingfields plume their nest with broken glass, twisted morals, and perverted minds. Each night a new audience member will get to play the role of Jim, the gentlemen caller. Tom, Amanda and Laura claim no responsibility for hurt feelings or offended sentiments. These deformed anti-clowns subversively take the piss out of everyone and everything. Why would anyone do this to an American Masterpiece!?!" The performance takes place in the Metcalf Theater on the campus in Edwardsvile, IL. For more information, call 618-650-2774 or visit siuexfest.com.

Ignite Theatre Company the musical Bye Bye Birdie Thursday Saturday at 7 pm and Sunday at 2 pm, September 13 - 16. "When the draft selects rock star Conrad Birdie (Noah Drake), his fans are devastated, but none more than struggling songwriter Albert Peterson (Aaron Drake), whose song Birdie was just about to record. Albert's longtime girlfriend, Rosie (Krista Hartmann), pushes Albert to write a new tune that Birdie will perform on television to a randomly selected fan. The scheme works, with young Ohio teenager Kim McAfee (Gabby Anderson) declared the winner, but no one has counted on the jealous wrath of her boyfriend." Performances take place at 3510 Giles Avenue in south St. Louis. For more information: ignitewithus.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 Theatre Guild of Webster Groves presents Lillian Hellman's drama The Children's Hour Fridays through Sundays through September 16. "Two women run a school for girls. After a malicious youngster starts a rumor about the two women, the rumor soon turns to scandal. As the young girl comes to understand the power she wields, she sticks by her story, which precipitates tragedy for the women. It is later discovered that the gossip was pure invention, but it is too late. Irreparable damage has been done." Performances take place in the Guild theatre at Newport and Summit in Webster Groves, MO. For more information: theatreguildwg.org or call 314-962-0876.

Crowns
Photo by Phillip Hamer
The Black Rep presents the musical Crowns through September 23. "Hats become a springboard for an exploration of black history and identity as seen through the eyes of a young black woman who has come down South to stay with her aunt after her brother is killed in Brooklyn. Hats are everywhere, in exquisite variety, and the characters use the hats to tell tales about everything from the etiquette of hats to their historical and contemporary social functions." Performances take place at the Edison Theatre on the Washington University campus. For more information: theblackrep.org.

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.

Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville presents a performance by the Deeply Rooted Dance Theatre on Thursday, September 13, at 7:30 pm as part of Xfest: 4 Days of Experimental Theater. "Drawing from the companies repertoire, Deeply Rooted Dance Theater presents an evening of short pieces including "Desire", "When Men", "Lambs," and the companies signature pieces, "Church of Nations" & "Heaven". "Deeply Rooted is the city's answer to the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, yet with a profile very much its own… spiritual fervor, physical prowess, and sheer, unalloyed joy in movement." (Hedy Weiss, Chicago Sun Times)" The performance takes place in the Metcalf Theater on the campus in Edwardsvile, IL. For more information, call 618-650-2774 or visit siuexfest.com.

Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville presents Eddie Poe at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, September 13, as part of Xfest: 4 Days of Experimental Theater. "Eddie Poe is a two-_person dark, musical, comedy created and performed by Katie Hartman and Nick Ryan, in collaboration with Mark Benzel. It is a stand-alone sequel to their award-winning, Off-Broadway show Edgar Allan. It follows a sixteen year old Edgar Allan Poe during his first year at the University of Virginia, as he attempts to distinguish himself among the scholarly elite… but he soon finds his old compulsions difficult to control on a campus filled with temptation. Eddie Poe is a dark, comedic riff on the mania, the addictions, and the society that haunted the life and work of America's first professional writer." The performance takes place in the Metcalf Theater on the campus in Edwardsvile, IL. For more information, call 618-650-2774 or visit siuexfest.com.

Evita
Photo by Eric Woolsey
The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents the Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's musical Evita through September 30. "The incandescent Eva PerĂ³n's rise from poverty to power electrified the world - and made her an iconic political celebrity. Winner of seven Tony Awards, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's tour-de-force musical revels in the glamour, charisma and controversy that defined the First Lady of Argentina. With its unforgettable anthem "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" and kaleidoscope of sights and sounds, Evita dazzles with pure passion." Performances take place on the mainstage at the Loretto-Hlton Center, 130 Edgar Road in Webster Groves, MO. For more information, call 314-968-4925 or visit repstl.org.

The UMSL International Studies Program presents Mischief And Mayhem: Japanese Kyogen Farce, on Saturday, September 15, at 8 pm. "Kyogen, "mad words" or "wild speech", a form of traditional Japanese comic theater, is presented by Prof. Laurence Kominz of Portland State University, and his student performers." The performance takes place at the Touhill Center on the UMSL Campus. For more information: touhill.org.

Stages St. Louis presents the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Oklahoma! through October 7. "Oh, what a beautiful musical! Rodgers and Hammerstein's timeless first collaboration was, in many ways, their most innovative. And while OKLAHOMA! completely changed the face of American musical theatre over seventy years ago, it remains as fresh and vital today as it was then with its loving celebration of the American spirit. A stunning blend of drama, music, and dance, the exhilarating Rodgers and Hammerstein score contains such classics as "People Will Say We're In Love," "The Surrey With The Fringe On Top," "Kansas City," "I Cain't Say No," and the pulsating title tune, "Oklahoma!" A gold standard that set the bar for all great musicals that came after it, OKLAHOMA! is unforgettable entertainment for the entire family!" 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.

Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, in conjunction with the SIUE Student Experimental Theatre Organization, presents One and Done, a 24-hour play festival. on Friday, September 15, at 7:30 pm as part of Xfest: 4 Days of Experimental Theater. The performance takes place in the Metcalf Theater on the campus in Edwardsvile, IL. For more information, call 618-650-2774 or visit siuexfest.com.

Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville presents Type/Caste at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, September 12, as part of Xfest: 4 Days of Experimental Theater. "In Lagos, Nigeria, a young boy tries on his mother's wedding dress and discovers a liberating world of make-believe. His dreams of a dazzling theatrical career bring him to America, where he discovers that he'll first have to leap over obstacles placed by an industry that isn't always welcoming to applicants who are neither white nor straight. In his hilarious new solo show, San Francisco Mime Troupe and Beach Blanket Babylon veteran Rotimi Agbabiaka shape-shifts from character to character and uses monologue, song, dance, and drag to embody, explore, and expose the battles minority artists fight in the exclusive world of mainstream American theatre." The performance takes place in the Metcalf Theater on the campus in Edwardsvile, IL. For more information, call 618-650-2774 or visit siuexfest.com.

Christ Memorial Productions presents the musical The Wizard of Oz, based on the classic movie, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 PM and Sundays at 2:30 PM, September 14 - 23. The adaptation was originally created by John Kane for the Royal Shakespeare Company. Performances take place at Christ Memorial Lutheran Church, 5252 South Lindbergh. For more information, visit CMPShows.org or call 314-631-0304.

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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