St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of January 21, 2019

We have new shows this week from (among others) New Jewish, Upstream, and Winter Opera, along with a return of the raucous and brilliant Lea DeLaria.

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Bread and Roses Missouri presents The 2019 Workers' Opera on Sunday, January 27, at 1 pm. "The show consists of new and revised sketches about laborers, unions, and workers' rights in the past and the present. Directed by Kathryn Bentley. Featuring music directed by Colin McLaughlin." The performance takes place at the Missouri History Museum in Forest Park. For more information: breadandrosesmo.org.

Circus Harmony presents Accelerando - A Circus Spy Thriller Saturdays at 12 and 2 pm and Sundays at 2 pm through January 27. "The annual show features Circus Harmony's flying children with all new acts including Chinese Pole and Hoop Diving, some coached by Circus Harmony graduates who are touring the world performing these acts with Cirque du Soleil and les 7 Doigts de la Main!" Performances take place at City Museum, downtown. For more information www.circusharmony.org/accelerando.

Alabama Story
Photo by John Gitchoff

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents the drama Alabama Story running through January 27. "A determined librarian and a segregationist senator face off over an innocent children’s book in 1959 Montgomery. Depicting the marriage of two rabbits – who happen to have different-colored fur – the story has Sen. E.W. Higgins calling for a book ban. But even as the pressure mounts, librarian Emily Wheelock Reed refuses to yield to censorship. Inspired by true events, Alabama Story is a stirring testament to free expression." Performances take place at the Loretto-Hilton Center on the Webster University campus. For more information: repstl.org,

The Playhouse at Westport Plaza presents the musical Avenue Q opening on Friday, January 25 at 7:30 pm, and running through March 3. "Part flesh, part felt and packed with heart, AVENUE Q is a laugh-out-loud musical telling the timeless story of a bright-eyed college grad named Princeton. When he arrives in the city with big dreams and a tiny bank account, he has to move into a shabby apartment all the way out on AVENUE Q. Still, the neighbors seem nice. There, he meets Kate (the girl next door), Lucy (the slut), Rod (the Republican), Trekkie (the internet entrepreneur), superintendent Gary Coleman (yes, that Gary Coleman) and other new friends! Together, they struggle to find jobs, dates, and their ever-elusive purpose in life." The Playhouse at Westport Plaza is at 635 West Port Plaza. For more information: www.playhouseatwestport.com.

The Lemp Mansion Comedy-Mystery Dinner Theater presents Bullets in the Bathtub through April 13. The Lemp Mansion is at 3322 DeMenil Place. For more information: lempmansion.com.

Canfield Drive
Photo by Peter Spack

The Black Rep presents the world premiere of Canfield Drive running through January 27. "In this World Premiere production, two high-powered news reporters from across the aisle are thrown together during a ratings frenzy in Ferguson, Missouri, following the shooting of unarmed teenager Michael Brown. As they untangle the real cause of Brown's death, they struggle to keep their own secrets out of the spotlight. Created from diverse interviews of people from around the corner and around the world, Canfield Drive shines a light of hope as it wrestles with the greatest questions of our age. Canfield Drive, written by Kristen Adele Calhoun and Michael Thomas Walker, is a National Performance Network (NPN) Creation and Development Fund Project co-commissioned by 651 Arts in partnership with The St. Louis Black Repertory Company, and NPN." Performances take place at the Edison Theatre on the Washington University campus. For more information: theblackrep.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.

New Jewish Theater presents District Merchants: An Uneasy Comedy Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7:30 pm, Saturdays at 2 and 8 pm, and Sundays at 2 pm, January 24 - February 10. "In District Merchants, love, litigation, deep passions and predatory lending are taken to a new level. The play wades fearlessly into the complexities of life in America. It is set among Black and Jewish populations in an imagined time and place, simultaneously Shakespearean and post- Civil War Washington, D.C. In Posner's reimagining, the play becomes less about the quality of mercy and more about how flexible a supposedly egalitarian society can be to the varied tribes struggling to find partners in America. Aaron Posner expertly blends humor, emotional truths and topics that make people think. He is able to create characters who are deeply flawed, like we are. In his “uneasy” comedy, he wants us to look at a snapshot in time, the Reconstruction Era, but what he has written is relevant to audiences today." Performances take 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.

Winter Opera St. Louis presents Rossini's comic opera L'Italiana in Algeri Friday at 7:30 PM and Sunday at 3 PM, January 25 and 27. Performances take place at the Dale Williams Fine Arts Center at Missouri Baptist University. For more information, visit winteroperastl.org.

The Looking Glass Playhouse presents the musical Jesus Christ Superstar Thursdasy through Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sundays at 2 pm, January 24 - February 3. A global phenomenon that has wowed audiences for over 40 years, Jesus Christ Superstar is a timeless work set against the backdrop of an extraordinary and universally-known series of events but seen, unusually, through the eyes of Judas Iscariot." Performances take place at 301 West St. Louis Street in Lebanon, Ill. For more information, visit www.lookingglassplayhouse.com.

Jazz St. Louis and The Cabaret Project present Lea DeLaria on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 and 9:30 pm, January 25 and 26. "Lea DeLaria seems to have achieved overnight stardom with her two - time, SAG Award winning, stand-out role as Carrie 'Big Boo' Black in the Netflix hit series Orange is the New Black. However, DeLaria's multi-faceted career as a comedian, actress, and jazz musician has, in fact, spanned decades. DeLaria has five records on the Warner Jazz and Classics label, and her book, Lea's Book of Rules for the World, is in its third printing at Bantam Doubleday and Dell." Performances take place at the Ferring Jazz Bistro on Washington just east of the Fox in Grand Center. For more information: thecabaretproject.org.

Love, Linda
Photo: Dunsai Dai

Max and Louie Productions presents Debby Lennon in the one-woman show Love, Linda through January 27. "Linda Lee Thomas was the Southern beauty who married and was the driving force behind legendary song writer Cole Porter at the dawn of the roaring twenties. Though Cole Porter was gay, their companionship and love lasted through 35 years of marriage and a spectacular, glamour-filled life. With innovative jazz arrangements, the timeless music and lyrics of Cole Porter weave through "Love, Linda" examining the darker sides of their life, while also celebrating the deep love that blossomed through their unconventional relationship." Performances take place at the Marcelle Theatre in Grand Center. For more information: maxandlouie.com

Hard Road Theatre Productions presents The Marvelous Wonderettes Fridays and Saturdays at 7 pm and Sundays at 2 pm through January 26. "The pop doesn't stop in this smash hit musical! A high school prom in 1958 and a 10-year reunion in 1968 provide the backdrop for some of the biggest hits of both decades, performed by an irrepressible quartet of young women. Featuring a stacked playlist that includes "Mr. Sandman," "It's in His Kiss," "Respect," "Son of a Preacher Man" and "Lollipop," it's a joyous snapshot of a musical era." Performances will be held at the Highland Elementary School auditorium in Highland IL. For more information: www.hardroad.org.

R-S Theatrics presents the St. Louis premiere of The Motherf*Cker With The Hat Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM, and Sundays at 7 PM, January 25 - February 1. "How do you know where you're going...if you don't know who has been in your home? The seriocomedy explores how 5 people in New York navigate loyalty, trust, and duty through friendship, love and the challenges of adulthood. And how no one should ever underestimate the importance of cleaning up their accessories. Performances take place at the .ZACK, 3224 Locust in midttown. For more information: r-stheatrics.com.

The Bissell Mansion Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre presents Nursery Crimes through May 9. The Bissell Mansion is at 4426 Randall Place. For more information: bissellmansiontheatre.com.

Alton Little Theater presents the drama On Golden Pond Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sundays at 2 pm through January 27. " The touching play takes place at a summer lake home and focuses on a daughter's turbulent relationship with her father and the trials of a loving couple in the twilight years of a long marriage. A testament to the power of love and family and redemption." Performances take place at 2450 North Henry in Alton, IL. For more information, call 618.462.6562 or visit altonlittletheater.org.

Wittenberg
Photo: ProPhotoSTL

Upstream Theater presents the St. Louis premiere of Wittenberg Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 7 pm (except for February 10, which is at 2 pm), January 25 - February 10. "It's October 1517, and the new fall semester at the University of Wittenberg finds certain members of the faculty and student body at personal and professional crossroads. Hamlet (senior, class of 1518) is returning from a summer in Poland spent studying astronomy, where he has come in contact with a revolutionary scientific theory that threatens the very order of the universe, resulting in psychic trauma and a crisis of faith for him. His teacher and mentor John Faustus (Professor of Philosophy) has decided at long last to make an honest woman of his paramour, Helen, a former nun who is now one of the Continent's most sought-after courtesans. And Faustus' colleague and Hamlet's instructor and priest, Martin Luther (Professor of Theology), is dealing with the spiritual and medical consequences of his long-simmering outrage at certain abusive practices of the Church. Tavern disputes, tennis duels, 16th century lounge hits, and the slings and arrows of outrageous wit will tickle your brain into overdrive." Performances take place at the Kranzberg Arts Center, 501 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information, including show times: upstreamtheater.org.

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents the St. Louis premiere of The Wolves by Sarah DeLappe through February 3. "Nine teenage girls prepare for battle on a soccer field. As they stretch and warm up together, the teammates' nonstop banter reveals how a collection of disparate personalities bonds to form a team. With its engrossing flow of dialogue and authentic characters, DeLappe's acclaimed new play distills the raw passion, confusion and wonder of adolescence into exhilarating theatre." Performances take place in the studio theatre at the Loretto-Hilton Center on the Webster University campus. For more information: repstl.org.

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.