St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of January 28, 2019

Companies with new shows this week include R-S Theatrics, SATE, and Metro Theatre Company. There's also a classic musical at the Fox.

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The Playhouse at Westport Plaza presents the musical Avenue Q 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.

Slightly Askew Theatre Ensemble presents Classic Mystery Game Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8 pm, January 30 - February 16. "Classic Mystery Game: a parody (or a spoof, maybe a send-up, possibly a take-off). The use of parody in human culture is ritualistic, so here is SATE, once more, to perform yet another ritual. Classic Mystery Game investigates Western society in 2019 through the lens of the hilarious 1985 movie, CLUE...which in turn was investigating Western society in 1985 through the lens of McCarthyism. Perhaps by distilling our world through so many layers of comedy, as the ritual calls for, we'll discover a bit of Truth - even if it's merely a smile at the end of a funny play." Performances take place at The Chapel Venue, 6238 Alexander Drive. For more information: slightlyoff.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.

Black Anthology presents The Creation Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m., February 1 and 2. "Black Anthology was founded in 1989 by Marcia Hayes-Harris to provide a means of commemorating the history and progress of African Americans. Since its creation, the program was totally student run, from the script to set and costume design. However in the beginning skits were compilations centered on pertinent literature. Over the years, the productions have become a scripted play. Even with the changes in the format of the show, Black Anthology's aims remain the same and we, the executive board, hope to see the program continue to thrive." The performances take place in the Edison Theatre on the Washington University campus. For more information: edison.wustl.edu

Dennie Nast Is Back

Ten Directions and the St. Lou Fringe present Audrey Crabtree in her one-woman show Dennie Nast Is Back Fridays at 8 pm, February 1 - 15. "Oscar-winner, Emmy-winner, 2-time Tony winner, 6-time Kevin Klein Award Nominee and international performance superstar Deenie Nast delivers a no holds barred, song-filled tribute to her lonely fans. Nast heads to St Louis with a hilarious and heartbreaking exploration of relationships, loneliness, and true connections. Nast is back with a vengeance, singing the hits from her past, revealing very personal stories, and re-enforcing her legendary status to modern audiences. Songs, physical comedy, audience interaction and general 'Nast-iness" will ensue!" Performances take place in the Emerald Room at The Monocle in the Grove. For more information: www.deenienast.com.

District Merchants
Photo by Eric Woolsey

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 through 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.

Fontbonne University presents the musical Edges Thursday through Saturday at 8 pm and Sunday at 2 pm, January 31 - February 3. “From Pasek and Paul, the musical genius behind Dogfight, Dear Evan Hansen, The Greatest Showman, and La La Land, comes a thrilling song-cycle about coming of age in these fast moving times.” 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 Fabulous Fox Theatre presents the musical Fiddler on the Roof opening on Tuesday, January 29, and running until February 10. "Tony®-winning director Bartlett Sher and the team behind South Pacific, The King and I and 2017 Tony-winning Best Play Oslo, bring a fresh and authentic vision to this beloved theatrical masterpiece from Tony winner Joseph Stein and Pulitzer Prize winners Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick. The original production won ten Tony Awards, including a special Tony for becoming the longest-running Broadway musical of all time. You'll be there when the sun rises on this new production, with stunning movement and dance from acclaimed Israeli choreographer Hofesh Shechter, based on the original staging by Jerome Robbins. A wonderful cast and a lavish orchestra tell this heartwarming story of fathers and daughters, husbands and wives, and the timeless traditions that define faith and family." The Fabulous Fox Theatre in on N. Grand in Grand Center. For more information: fabulousfox.com.

The Hundred Dresses

Metro Theatre Company presents The Hundred Dresses opening on Sunday, February 3 at 2 pm and running through February 25 " Wanda Petronski, the new girl in Room 13, is a Polish immigrant who lives in a shabby house and doesn't have any friends. Every day she wears the same faded blue dress, but tells her new class-mates that she has a hundred dresses at home. Her classmates tease Wanda about her hundred dresses until one day she disappears from school. As guilt overtakes the children, they decide to find out what happened to Wanda and to make amends. But is it too late? Bullying, friendship and forgiveness are at the center of this play adapted from the beloved Newbery Honor Book by Eleanor Estes." The performance takes place at the Grandel Theatre, 3610 Grandel Square in Grand Center. For more information: metroplays.org.

The Looking Glass Playhouse presents the musical Jesus Christ Superstar Thursdasy through Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sundays at 2 pm through 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.

Alton Little Theater presents Maybe This Time Friday and Saturday at 7:20 pm and Sunday at 2 pm, February 1-3. "This play shows four online dates with good and bad, humorous and sad results. You not only see and hear the two people on the blind date but also see and hear what their brains are thinking. It shows how miscommunication and misunderstanding can lead to all kinds of unexpected and unwarranted consequences. You will laugh, you will be moved and you may even see yourself in there too." Performances take place at 2450 North Henry in Alton, IL. For more information, call 618.462.6562 or visit altonlittletheater.org.

The Motherf*Cker With the Hat
Photo by Jill Lindberg

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 through 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.

Wittenberg
Photo by 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) through 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 Wolves
Photo by Jon Gitchoff

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.