St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of September 16, 2019

There are new plays at (among others) Actors' Studio, Looking Glass Playhouse, and Christ Memorial Productions this week, as well as the first show in the Cabaret Project's new season (co-produced with Jazz St. Louis) and the the Project's monthly singers open mic.

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Angels in America, Part 1
Photo by Peter Wochniak

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents Angels in America, Part 1: Millennium Approaches and Angels in America, Part 2: Perestroika in alternating repertory through October 4. "A towering epic that unveils new depths with each passing year, Tony Kushner's Tony- and Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece arrives on The Rep's stage for the first time. The AIDS epidemic is the flashpoint in Kushner's swirling tapestry of American culture, myths and spirituality. Navigating this maelstrom are Prior Walter, whose prophetic visions lead him toward an uncertain destiny, Joe Pitt, a devout and painfully closeted Mormon, and Roy Cohn, a lawyer whose AIDS diagnosis forces him to face a lifetime of misdeeds. These twin plays' vision of a wounded and chaotic nation struggling toward redemption is more urgent than ever." Performances take place at the Loretto-Hilton Center on the Webster University campus. For more information: repstl.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.

Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope
Photo by Phillip Hamer

The Black Rep presents the musical Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope running through September 22. "Garnering a Grammy and Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Musical, Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope was the first musical revue in the history of Broadway to be written and directed by African American women, namely Micki Grant and Vinette Caroll which ran over 1,000 performances. With little dialogue between performances, its poignant social commentary is woven into an unbroken cycle of high-energy, feel-good song and dance numbers." Performances take place at the Edison Theatre on the Washington University campus. For more information: theblackrep.org.

St. Louis Actors' Studio presents Fifty Words by Michael Weller Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 3 pm, September 20 - October 6. "While their nine-year-old son is away for the night on his first sleepover, Adam and Jan have an evening alone together, their first in years. Adam's attempt to seduce his wife before he leaves on business the next day begins a suspenseful nightlong roller-coaster ride of revelation, rancor, passion and humor that explores a modern-day marriage on the verge of either a breakup or deepening love and understanding." Performances take place at the Gaslight Theatre on North Boyle in the Central West End. For more information, call 314-458-2978 or visit stlas.org.

Slaying Dragons presents the Eugene O'Neill's Long Days Journey Into Night through September 21. "Slaying Dragons focuses its fall performance this year on opioid and alcohol addiction. There is no greater play that expresses the heartbreak and devastation of these mental illnesses on a family than this play originally written by Eugene O'Neil. The setting of the play is the early 20th Century. Unfortunately, these addictions have become a greater tragedy as they take the lives of even more of our youth today. We have chosen to broaden the time period as well as other aspects of the play through our production to reach as many populations as possible. The story of the Tyrone family remains unchanged while its impact is more dramatic than ever. Following the show, there will be a panel of experts, along with the cast member, for group discussion." Performances take place at The Chapel, 6238 Alexander Drive. For more information: www.eventbrite.com.

Man of La Mancha
Photo by ProPhotoSTL

Stages St. Louis presents the musical Man of La Mancha through October 6. "A romantic and inspiring musical adventure, MAN OF LA MANCHA tells the epic story of seventeenth-century author Miguel de Cervantes and his immortal literary creation Don Quixote." 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.

The Looking Glass Playhouse presents Matilda, the Musical Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sundays at 2 pm, September 19-29. "Matilda is a little girl with astonishing wit, intelligence and psychokinetic powers. She's unloved by her cruel parents but impresses her schoolteacher, the highly loveable Miss Honey. Over the course of her first term at school, Matilda and Miss Honey have a profound effect on each other's lives, as Miss Honey begins not only to recognize but also appreciate Matilda's extraordinary personality. Matilda's school life isn't completely smooth sailing, however - the school's mean headmistress, Miss Trunchbull, hates children and just loves thinking up new punishments for those who don't abide by her rules. But Matilda has courage and cleverness in equal amounts, and could be the school pupils' saving grace!" Performances take place at 301 West St. Louis Street in Lebanon, Ill. For more information, visit www.lookingglassplayhouse.com.

A Model for Matisse

The Midnight Company presents the A Model for Matisse Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 2 and 7 pm through September 21. "The play presents the relatively little known and tender relationship between one of the twentieth century's greatest artists, Henri Matisse and Sister Jacques-Marie, who inspired him to create what he considered the masterpiece of his life's work - the revolutionary Chapel of the Rosary in the perched Mediterranean village of Vence in France." Performances take place at the .ZACK, 3224 Locust in Grand Center. For more information: midnightcompany.com

Cyrille Aimee

Jazz St. Louis and The Cabaret Project present Cyrille Aimee in Move On: A Sondheim Adventure on Wednesday and Thursday, September 18 and 19, at 7:30 p.m. " Aimee brings her eclectic style to the music and lyrics of Broadway legend Stephen Sondheim. Jazz Times says of her 2019 CD of Sondheim classics “Aimée offers an object lesson in how to make difficult material one's own with Move On: A Sondheim Adventure.” The acclaimed vocalist ventured from singing on street corners in Europe to dazzling audiences at the world's most prestigious jazz festivals, acting on Broadway and braving the audiences at New York's Apollo Theatre to be called a “rising star in the galaxy of jazz singers” (New York Times). St. Louis audiences have the opportunity to hear this dynamic artist tackle some of the greatest songs from the musical theater genius of Stephen Sondheim." Performances take place at the Ferring Jazz Bistro on Washington just east of the Fox in Grand Center. For more information: jazzstl.org.

Christ Memorial Productions presents Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma! Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sundays at 2:30 pm, September 20-29. "Rodgers and Hammerstein's first collaboration remains, in many ways, their most innovative, having set the standards and established the rules of musical theatre still being followed today. Set in a Western Indian territory just after the turn of the century, the high-spirited rivalry between the local farmers and cowboys provides the colorful background against which Curly, a handsome cowboy, and Laurey, a winsome farm girl, play out their love story. Although the road to true love never runs smooth, with these two headstrong romantics holding the reins, love's journey is as bumpy as a surrey ride down a country road. That they will succeed in making a new life together we have no doubt, and that this new life will begin in a brand-new state provides the ultimate climax to the triumphant OKLAHOMA! " Performances take place at Christ Memorial Lutheran Church, 5252 South Lindbergh. For more information, visit CMPShows.org or call 314-631-0304.

The Monroe Actors Stage presents Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 and Sundays at 2:30 pm through September 22. Performances take place in the Historic Capitol Theatre in downtown Waterloo, Illinois. For more information, visit www.masctheatre.org or call 618-939-7469.

The Kirkwood Theatre Guild presents Recipes for Ice, their monthly improv show, on Friday, September 20, 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.

Compass Improv presents the St. Louis Compass Improv Festival Thursday through Saturday, September 19-21 at The Improv Shop, 3960 Chouteau. For more information: www.compassimprov.org

The Bissell Mansion Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre presents Sherlock Holmes in "The Case Without a Clue" running through October 27 The Bissell Mansion is at 4426 Randall Place. For more information: bissellmansiontheatre.com

Ken Haller

The Cabaret Project presents its monthly Singers Open Mic Night on Tuesday, September 17, 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. Your guest MC this month is Ken Haller. 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 in the .ZACK Performing Arts Center in Grand Center. For more information: thecabaretproject.org.

The Lemp Mansion Comedy-Mystery Dinner Theater presents Zombie Love (No Biting) running through November 2. "Calling all Zombies! Tired of being judged for munching on the occasional brain? So you're not really "alive" anymore but you can still enjoy socializing with the living and enjoying a hilarious show together! Well, we've got the perfect show for you! Drama! Comedy! Looove! ...And, of course, Zombies! Don your best Living Dead Costume and choose to be a Zombie, or not (its up to you), but we do promise lots of fun for both the living and the undead! hey, Hey, HEY! No Biting!" The Lemp Mansion is at 3322 DeMenil Place. For more information: lempmansion.com.

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.