St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of April 15, 2019

Easter week is usually a quiet one on the theatre scene, but we still have new shows at Webster Conservatory and Meramec Community College, as well as the monthly Singers Open Mic.

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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.

Dreamgirls
Photo by John Lamb

Stray Dog Theatre presents the musical Dreamgirls Thursdays through Saturdays through April 20. "Journey back to a time in musical history when rhythm and blues weren't everything, they were the only thing. In the swinging 60s, the Dreamettes, led by the powerful Effie White, embark on an R and B music career that leads them across the country. Romantic entanglements, Effies weight, racism, and the arrival of a fresh new sound in the 70s make this show biz musical a thrilling hit." Performances take place at The Tower Grove Abbey, 2336 Tennessee. For more information, visit straydogtheatre.org or call 314-865-1995.

St. Louis Community College at Meramec presents Flaming Guns of the Purple Sage Wednesday through Saturday at 7:30 and Sunday at 2 pm, April 17-20. "Big 8, a former rodeo champ, is struggling to keep the cowboy dream alive even as she faces foreclosure on her Wyoming ranch. But when a wild woman and her one-eyed outlaw biker boyfriend show up on her doorstep, Big 8 suddenly has bigger problems to worry about. The spaghetti Western mythos crashes head-on into B-movie insanity in this shoot 'em up, knock 'em up, cut 'em up comic romp." Performances take place in the theatre on the campus at 11333 Big Bend Road. For more information, stlcc.eduor call 314-984-7500.

Webster University's Conservatory of Theatre Arts presents the musical Love's Labours Lost, based on Shakespeare's comedy, Wednesday through Friday at 7:30 pm and Sunday at 2 pm, April 17-21. "Romance, revelry and enchanting music ignite in this contemporary, yet lovingly faithful, musical adaptation of Shakespeare's comedy. The King and his best buds decide at their five-year college reunion to swear off the joys of women. But when four cute, clever girls from their past show up, they're forced to reconsider all of their vows. Add in an outlandish Spanish exchange student and a performance art-loving professor, and love and devotion are put to the test with hilarious results. Smart, sexy, outrageous and irreverent, Love's Labour's Lost is a madcap celebration of true love and coming of age Performances take place on the mainstage of the Loretto-Hilton Center on the Webster University campus. For more information, www.webster.edu/conservatory/season or call 314-968-7128.

The Lemp Mansion Comedy-Mystery Dinner Theater presents Muurder in Maaaybury! April 19 - July 27. The Lemp Mansion is at 3322 DeMenil Place. For more information: lempmansion.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.

The St. Louis Writers' Group presents a reading of the play Poor Old Soul by Andrea Dempsey on Monday, April 15 at 6:30 pm. "Grandma Agatha is the unquestionable matriarch of the Findlay clan. She sits on her throne (a glider on the front porch), and rules with an age spotted iron hand. As her subjects come and go, to perform their daily tasks, she and her mild, equally aged companion, a lady who is constantly waiting upon the "Queen", keep their neighborhood watch. Beneath the floral house dress and apron, laying dormant under the crepey skin, is a past that would forever alter the lives of the family." The reading takes place upstairs at Big Daddy's, 1000 Sidney in Soulard. For more information: www.stlwritersgroup.com.

Chuck Lavazzi

The Cabaret Project presents its weekly Singers Open Mic Night on Wednesday, September 19, from 7 to 10 pm. Drop by and enjoy a night of great music from St. Louis cabaret artists, backed up by pianist and music director Carol Schmidt and hosted by 88.1 KDHX's Chuck Lavazzi. If you're planning to sing, be prepared to do one or two songs and bring music, preferably in your key. It's also recommend that you have your song memorized. The event takes place at Sophie's Artist Lounge on the second floor of the .ZACK performing arts space at 3226 Locust in Grand Center. For more information: thecabaretproject.org.

True West
Photo by Patrick Huber

St. Louis Actors' Studio presents Sam Shepard's True West Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 3 pm, through April 28. " This American classic explores alternatives that might spring from the demented terrain of the California landscape. Sons of a desert-dwelling alcoholic and a suburban wanderer clash over a film script. Austin, the achiever, is working on a script he has sold to producer Sal Kimmer when Lee, a demented petty thief, drops in. He pitches his own idea for a movie to Kimmer, who then wants Austin to junk his bleak, modern love story and write Lee's trashy Western tale." Performances take place at the Gaslight Theatre, 358 North Boyle. For more information call 314-458-2978 or visit stlas.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.