St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of May 13, 2019

There's a lot of new theatre this week, including local premieres at New Jewish Theatre and the Black Rep, a new Play Festival at Tesseract, and cabaret shows at the Sheldon and Jazz St. Louis, along with 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.

Come From Away

The Fabulous Fox Theatre presents the musical Come From Away opening on Tuesday, May 14, at 7:30 pm and running through May 26. "The New York Times Critics' Pick takes you into the heart of the remarkable true story of 7,000 stranded passengers and the small town in Newfoundland that welcomed them. Cultures clashed and nerves ran high, but uneasiness turned into trust, music soared into the night, and gratitude grew into enduring friendships." The Fabulous Fox Theatre in on N. Grand in Grand Center. For more information: fabulousfox.com.

Tesseract Theatre Company presents Dates by Elizabeth Breed Penny, opening on Friday, May 17, at 8 pm and running through May 26 as part of the 2019 Festival of New Plays. "Dates is a play about Caroline, a recently "unmarried" woman who has been finding it hard to live in the outside world: literally. Unable to leave her house, she attempts to reconnect with her friends, her therapist, and potential romantic interests through online dating, emails, and text messages. The reality is, her self-imposed isolation is merely a ploy to prevent herself from coming to terms with the abusive relationship she has just come out of." Performances take place at The .ZACK, 3224 Locust in Midtown. For more information: tesseracttheatre.com.

Death Tax
Photo by Jill Ritter Photography

Mustard Seed Theatre presents Death Tax by Lucas Hnath Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 2 pm through May 19. "As Maxine nears the end of her life she is certain of three things: Death, Taxes and the Greed of her daughter who wants her to die quickly. A desperate nurse vows to keep her alive, but at what cost? Darkly comic, the play explores morality and forgiveness." 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.

Tesseract Theatre Company presents Earworm by Shaulee Cook, opening on Wednesday, May 15, at 7 pm and running through May 26 as part of the 2019 Festival of New Plays. "Earworm tells the story of Candles Out, a decade-old punk rock break up song seeking closure with five people whose lives she's entwined with in very different ways - Sasha and Jory, the two band members that wrote her; Trevor, the guy they wrote her about; Elise, Trevor's sister; and Kess, Trevor's new girlfriend … who also happens to be the song's biggest fan. A strange trip involving music and memory and how each affects the other." Performances take place at The .ZACK, 3224 Locust in Midtown. For more information: tesseracttheatre.com.

Alpha Players present the comedy Exit Laughing May 17 - 26. Performances take place at The Florissant Civic Center Theater, Parker Rd. at Waterford Dr. in Florissant, MO. For more information: alphaplayers.org, call 314-921-5678.

Tesseract Theatre Company presents Hoist by Erin Lane, opening on Thursday, May 16, at 7 pm and running through May 25 as part of the 2019 Festival of New Plays. "Sometimes you don't get to be the hero of the story... even when you sign up for it. In 2008, the war rages on in a basement bar in Chicago. Skyler, the bartender and an Afghanistan veteran, has left everything she knows behind in an attempt to survive. She struggles to gain control over her present life, but, day in and day out, discovers it lifeless at the bottom of a rocks glass. As she battles with violent demons, she finds there is no escape when someone from her past walks into the bar." Performances take place at The .ZACK, 3224 Locust in Midtown. For more information: tesseracttheatre.com.

I Now PronouncePhoto: Eric Woolsey

New Jewish Theater presents the St. Louis premiere of the comedy I Now Pronounce Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7:30 pm, Saturdays at 2 and 8 pm, and Sundays at 2 pm, May 16 - June 2. "A play that mines disconnections. After Adam and Nicole's wedding culminates in an awkwardly timed fatality, the reception spins into an increasingly strange evening that leaves the bride and groom questioning just what it is they're celebrating. But there's no stopping the festivities: the flower girls are running amuck, the bridal party members are preoccupied with their own flailing relationships, and everyone needs to stop ordering the blue drinks. Comedies end in marriage. Tragedies end in death. This play begins with both." 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.

Tim Schall

The Sheldon Concert Hall presents singer Tim Schall and pianist Carol Schmidt in Let's Go to the Movies Tuesday and Wednesday, May 14 and 15 at 10 am. "Vocalist Tim Schall takes listeners back to those magic moments, sitting in a darkened theatre, hearing these cinematic masterpieces for the first time! Enjoy some of the greatest songs from Hollywood's most beloved films of all time by songwriters such as Henry Mancini, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Lerner & Lowe, Rodgers & Hammerstein and Irving Berlin.” The Sheldon Concert Hall is on Washington in Grand Center. For more information: thesheldon.org.

The Tennessee Williams Festival presents A Lovely Sunday for Creve Coeur Saturdays and Sundays at 1 and 5 pm through May 19. "Four eccentric and unforgettable women fry chicken, plan a picnic to Creve Coeur Lake, and cope with loneliness and lost dreams in an efficiency apartment on Enright Avenue in the Central West End circa the mid-1930s. Williams gives us more laughs than usual, but no less poetry or poignancy. Williams believed that growing up in St. Louis was essential to the shape of his work. A Lovely Sunday for Creve Coeur is one of his few plays set here, and was the inspiration behind TV's "The Golden Girls." Featuring an all-female cast, A Lovely Sunday for Creve Coeur will be directed by Kari Ely." Performances take place at the Grandel Theatre, 3610 Grandel Square in Grand Center. For more information: twstl.org.

Alton Little Theater presents the musical Mamma Mia! Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sundays at 2 pm through May 19. "The most romantic musical comedy comes to the ALT stage just as the popular movie sequel hits the screens summer 2018. Love, mishaps, and music by ABBA will have audiences dancing in the aisles again as they feel transported to the Greek Island of Kalokairi on the eve of a wedding!" Performances take place at 2450 North Henry in Alton, IL. For more information, call 618.462.6562 or visit altonlittletheater.org.

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

The Playhouse at Westport Plaza presents Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus Live Friday at 8 pm and Saturday at 4 and 8 pm, May 17 and 18. "The Off-Broadway hit comedy Men Are From Mars - Women Are From Venus LIVE!, is a one-man fusion of theatre and stand-up, and is a light-hearted theatrical comedy based on the New York Times #1 best-selling book of the last decade by John Gray. Moving swiftly through a series of vignettes, the show covers everything from dating and marriage to the bedroom. This hysterical show will have couples elbowing each other all evening as they see themselves on stage. Sexy and fast paced, this show is definitely for adults, but will leave audiences laughing and giggling like little kids! " The Playhouse at Westport Plaza is at 635 West Port Plaza. For more information: playhouseatwestport.com.

Night of the Iguana
Photo by ProPhotoSTL

The Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis presents Night of the Iguana Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sundays at 3 pm through May 19. "The steamy and startling Iguana is one of the most richly textured and dramatically satisfying plays written by Williams. At its center is Shannon, a pastor who has lost his flock, has lost his religion, and has-at the very least- misplaced his sanity and sense of decency. He takes refuge at a rundown resort owned by the lusty and busty Maxine, where they are soon joined by the beautifully refined but repressed Hannah, in the company of Nonno, her nonagenarian grandfather. These two may be scam artists, but they are artists all the same; as such, they offer some brief hope of redemption." Performances take place at the Grandel Theatre, 3610 Grandel Square in Grand Center. For more information: twstl.org.

The Black Rep presents Nina Simone: Four Women opening on Wednesday, May 15, and running through June 2. "Nina Simone's velvet voice was unafraid to sing lyrics that cut right to the truth. Her music and her life were a personal exploration branded in the kiln of the civil rights movement; so, in the aftermath of the 1963 bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church and the tragic loss of the four little girls her powerful anthems, MISSIPPIPPI GODDAM, SINNERMAN, AND OLD JIM CROW, fueled the Civil Rights movement and changed her public persona from songstress to activist. From the iconic 'I PUT A SPELL ON YOU” to FOUR WOMEN, of the title, Simone's lyrics weave a story of four women alienated from themselves and one another due to the color of their skin." Performances take place at the Edison Theatre on the Washington University campus. For more information: theblackrep.org.

The St. Louis Writers' Group presents the second round of its Playwright Slam on Monday, May 6 at 6:30 pm. "Get ready for a night of fun impromptu theater. The order of scripts to be read will be chosen at three, held on May 20" The event takes place upstairs at Big Daddy's, 1000 Sidney in Soulard. For more information: www.stlwritersgroup.com.

The Kirkwood Theatre Guild presents Recipes for Ice, their monthly improv show, on Friday, May 17, at 8 and 10:30 pm at The Steamboat Room, 314 S. Clay in Kirkwood, MO. "Join Adam and his crew for an interactive night of fun and laughter. Beer, wine and food available from Kirkwood Station Brewery." For more information: ktg-onstage.org.

Jazz St. Louis and The Cabaret Project present Shoshana Bean on Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30 and 9:30 pm, May 15 and 16. "Shoshana Bean's three independent solo releases have all topped the iTunes R&B and Blues charts in the US and UK, with her fourth, and most recent project, SPECTRUM, debuting at #1 on the Billboard Jazz charts. Bean has sold out solo concerts around the globe, lent her voice to countless films and TV shows, amassed millions of YouTube views, and performed with artists like Ariana Grande and Michael Jackson. Shoshana is a veteran of the Broadway stage having made her debut in the original cast of Hairspray and starring as the very first replacement for Elphaba in Wicked. She won a IRNE Award forher performance as Fanny Brice in Funny Girl and earned a Jeff Award nomination for her portrayal of CeeCee Bloom in the pre-Broadway musical production of Beaches." Performances take place at the Ferring Jazz Bistro on Washington just east of the Fox in Grand Center. For more information: thecabaretproject.org.

Chuck Lavazzi

The Cabaret Project presents its weekly Singers Open Mic Night on Wednesday, May 15, 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.

KTK Productions presents the musical Smoke on the Mountain Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sundays at 2 pm, May 17-26. "Smoke on the Mountain tells the story of a Saturday Night Gospel Sing at a country church in North Carolina's Smoky Mountains in 1938. The show features two dozen rousing bluegrass songs played and sung by the Sanders Family, a traveling group making its return to performing after a five-year hiatus. Between songs, each family member “witnesses” - telling a story about an important event in their life. Though they try to appear perfect in the eyes of a congregation who wants to be inspired by their songs, one thing after another goes awry and they reveal their true - and hilariously imperfect - natures. By the evening's end, the Sanders family has endeared themselves to us by revealing their weaknesses and allowing us to share in their triumphs." Performances take place at St. John the Baptist Church, 4200 Delor. For more information: kurtainkall.org or call 314-351-8984.

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.