St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of March 9, 2020

There are new shows this week at the Rep Studio, Kirkwood Theatre Guild, Clayton Community Theatre, and KTK, along with the return of Ken Haller's Medicine Show at the Blue Strawberry.

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The Cake

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents The Cake, opening on Wednesday, March 11, and running through March 29. "For small-town baker Della, the creation of sweet and sumptuous cakes is a rapturous experience. Her love of baking is matched by the intense affection she feels for Jen, the young woman she helped to raise and views as a surrogate daughter. But when Jen asks that Della bake a cake for her wedding to another woman, Della's religious beliefs stop her cold. With immense heart and humor, Brunstetter's play navigates the messy collision of the personal and the political, while illuminating the humanity of all involved." Performances take place in the Studio Theatre at the Loretto-Hilton Center on the Webster University campus. For more information: repstl.org.

Alpha Players present the Clybourne Park running through March 15. "Winner of the 2011 Pulitzer Prize and 2012 Tony Award for Best Play, Clybourne Park is a wickedly funny and provocative new play about the volatile intersection of race and real estate." 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.

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.

Flanagan's Wake
Photo by John Flack

The Playhouse at Westport Plaza presents the interactive comedy Flanagan's Wake running through March 21. "The hit show from Chicago, Flanagan's Wake, is the hilarious interactive show that brings Flanagan's Irish family to St. Louis where they will memorialize his passing. Audiences participate in this comedic memorial with plenty o' pints, crazy sing-a-longs, telling of witty tales and mourn the passing of one of their own: Flanagan. Audiences will pay their respects to glowering Mother Flanagan and to poor grieving fiancée, Fiona Finn. Listen to a eulogy written by County Sligo's best-known writer, Mickey Finn, and tip a pint with Brian Ballybunion, himself a weaver of tales. You can cross yourself with the blessings from St. Gregory's parish priest, Father Damon Fitzgerald, or cross your fingers that local pagan Kathleen Mooney doesn't cast a spell on you. Mayor Martin O'Doul will preside over the proceedings with an iron hand (and a parched throat)." The Playhouse at Westport Plaza is at 635 West Port Plaza. For more information: playhouseatwestport.com.

Head Over Heels
Photo by Jill Ritter Lindberg

New Line Theatre presents the musical Head Over Heels Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 PM through March 28. "HEAD OVER HEELS is the bold, sexy new musical comedy from the visionaries that rocked Broadway with American Idiot, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Avenue Q and Spring Awakening. Conceived by Jeff Whitty, with an original book by Whitty, adapted by James Magruder, originally directed by Michael Mayer, based on a novel from 1580 (not kidding!) and set to the music of the iconic 1980s all-girl rock band The Go-Go's, this subversive, high-octane, laugh-out-loud love story includes hit songs like, "We Got the Beat," "Our Lips Are Sealed," "Vacation," "Heaven is a Place on Earth" and "Mad About You." The wild story follows the escapades of a royal family who set out on a journey to save their beloved kingdom from extinction -- only to discover the key to their realm's survival lies within each of their own hearts. . . though not always in the way they expect. . . and in their willingness to let go of rigid tradition and change with the times." Performances take place at the Marcelle Theater, 3310 Samuel Shepard Drive, three blocks east of Grand, in Grand Center. For more information, visit newlinetheatre.com or call 314-534-1111.

The Looking Glass Playhouse presents the comedy It's Only a Play Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sundays at 2 pm, March 12-22. " It's opening night of Peter Austin's new play as he anxiously awaits to see if his show is a hit. With his career on the line, he shares his big First Night with his "best" friend, a television star, his novice producer, his doped-up diva, his genius director, a lethal drama critic, and a fresh-off-the-bus coat check attendant on his first night in Manhattan. It's alternately raucous, ridiculous and tender-and proves that sometimes the biggest laughs happen offstage." Performances take place at 301 West St. Louis Street in Lebanon, Ill. For more information, visit www.lookingglassplayhouse.com.

The Theatre Guild of Webster Groves presents the comedy Love, Sex, and the IRS through March 15. "The classic farce that everyone should be doing - especially around tax time! Jon Trachtman and Leslie Arthur are out of work musicians who room together in New York City. To save money, Jon has been filing tax returns listing the pair as married. The day of reckoning comes when the Internal Revenue Service informs the "couple" they're going to be investigated. Leslie masquerades as a housewife, aided by Jon's fiancée, Kate. Complicating matters further, Leslie and Kate are having an affair behind Jon's back, Jon's mother drops in unexpectedly to meet her son's fiancée, and Leslie's ex-girlfriend shows up demanding to know why Leslie has changed and won't see her anymore. Like a cross between I Love Lucy and Some Like it Hot." Performances take place in the Guild theatre at Newport and Summit in Webster Groves, MO. For more information: theatreguildwg.org or call 314-962-0876.

Ken Haller

The Blue Strawberry presents Ken Haller in The Medicine Show on Saturday, March 14, at 8 pm. "Ken Haller's The Medicine Show peddles miracle cures compounded by Jason Robert Brown, Adam Guettel, Stephen Sondheim and other noted practitioners of the healing arts. In song and story, Ken shows us how becoming a doctor is just the first step in becoming a healer." The Blue Strawberry is at 364 N. Boyle in the Central West End. For more information: www.bluestrawberrystl.com.

Kirkwood Theatre Guild presents On Golden Pond opening on Friday, March 13, at 8 pm and running through March 22. "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 in the Robert G. Reim Theatre of the Kirkwood Community Center, 111 South Geyer Road. For more information, call 314-821-9956 or visit ktg-onstage.org.

The Bissell Mansion Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre presents Phantom of the Grand Ole Opry through April 26. "Millions of people flock to the Grand Ole Opry House to see Tammy Whino's one woman show, "Stand By Your Man." Here, amid the fried chicken, line dancing and dinner theatre, Tammy is the Queen of the Grand Ole Opry. Or is she? When she is found murdered, many suspect the Phantom because everyone knows the house is haunted. Or could the murderer be Billy Ray Serious, Naomi Dudd, and we can't forget about Nelson Willy?" For more information: bissellmansiontheatre.com.

Clayton Community Theatre presents the comedy The Philadelphia Story Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 2 pm, March 12-22. "The 1940 film stared Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn and James Stewart based on the Broadway play of the same name by Philip Barry. The story is about Philadelphia socialite, Tracy Lord, whose wedding plans are complicated by the arrival of both her ex-husband and a magazine journalist. The socialite character of the play was inspired by Helen Hope Montgomery Scott (1904-1995), a Philadelphia socialite known for her hijinks, who married a friend of the playwright Barry." a popular genre in the 1930's-1940's. Performances take place at the Washington University South Campus Theatre. For more information, call 314-721-9228 or visit placeseveryone.org.

KTK Productions presents the rock musical Return to the Forbidden Planet Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 2 pm, March 13-22. "Fasten your seatbelts, return your tray tables to the upright position and prepare to blast off! In this Olivier-award-winning musical, the many works of Shakespeare are aligned with a fabulous rock 'n' roll score to create a fun-filled, jiving-in-the-aisles musical. Loosely based on Shakespeare's The Tempestand the 1956 sci-fi classic film Forbidden Planet, Return to the Forbidden Planet finds a spaceship, helmed by Captain Tempest, making an emergency landing on the uncharted planet D'Illyria. The only residents there are the mad scientist Doctor Prospero, his daughter Miranda, and their robot Ariel. They were banished into hyperspace when Miranda was just a baby, and she has known no other world than this. Featuring rock 'n'roll hits of the 50s and 60s ("Great Balls of Fire", "The Monster Mash", "Good Vibrations", and others), a B-movie atmosphere, and dialogue in iambic pentameter, Return to the Forbidden Planet is Shakespeare's unwritten rock 'n' roll masterpiece. Throw in a roller-skating robot, unrequited love, and a scary space monster, and you've got one groovy show." 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.