Chuck's Choices for the weekend of December 14, 2012

As always, the choices are purely my personal opinion. Take with a grain (or a shaker) of salt.

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The St. Louis Symphony presents Circus Flora: A Child's Christmas in Wales Friday and Saturday at 7 PM and Sunday 2 PM, December 14-16. “Back by popular demand! Circus Flora returns to Powell Hall to collaborate with the STL Symphony in high-wire holiday fun for the family. We welcome back all your favorites including the gravity-defying Flying Wallendas Inspired by Dylan Thomas's heartwarming poem, it's Christmas, with a circus twist!” A Christmas circus show at Powell Hall, based on Dylan Thomas. What's not to like? For more details, check out my review for 88.1 KDHX.  Performances take place at Powell Symphony Hall, 718 North Grand. For more information: stlsymphony.org.

The Randy Dandies, “St. Louis' Premiere Sketch Comedy Burlesque Troupe”, presents the Fa La La La Tits! Holiday Party and Show on Saturday, December 15, at 9 PM. The show “will feature local burlesque all-stars including Michelle Mynx of Mynx Academy of Pole Dance, Vera Valentina of the Hoochie Coochie Girls, and Bibi Dazzle of the Bon Bons. Guest cabaret artist Christy Strickland will also perform. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the St. Louis Red Cross Hurricane Sandy Fund.” Breathes there a man with soul so dead who never to himself has said, "you can't beat seeing good-looking women take their clothes off for a good cause." Or something like that. The show takes place at Plush, 3224 Locust Street. For more information, visit therandydandies.com.

New Jewish Theater presents Lanford Wilson's Talley's Folly through December 23. In his review for 88.1 KDHX, Gary Scott says that "a beautiful masala of cultures sparks spontaneously onstage in New Jewish Theatre’s current production of Talley’s Folly, directed with ruach (spirit) and naches (delight) by Deanna Jent." 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.

The Fox Theatre presents the Broadway musical Wicked December 12 through January 6. I haven't seen this particular tour, but in my review of the 2005 tour I noted that composer/lyricist Stephen Schwarts and book author Winnie Holtzman have done a remarkable job of simplifying and reducing the story of Gregory McGuire's original novel while still remaining true to the original characters and their relationships. The score is one of Schwartz's best, and that's saying something. The Fox Theatre is at 527 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information, call 314-534-1678.

Held over:

HotCity Theatre presents Charles Busch's comedy The Divine Sister November 30 through December 15. "This hilariously irreverent tale tells the story of an indomitable Mother Superior (played 'in-drag') trying to cope with a young postulant experiencing 'visions', sexual hysteria among her nuns, a Da Vinci Code style mystery, and a 'well-endowed' former flame intent on luring her away from her vows." Busch's lunatic sensibility is always worth seeing, and this should be a nice antidote to all the Christmas Carol and Nutcracker performances we get around this time. "Everyone is the show is terrific and could teach master classes in comic timing," says Andrea Braun in her review for 88.1 KDHX. Performances take place at the Kranzberg Arts Center, 501 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information, visit www.hotcitytheatre.org or call 314-289-4063.

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents the comedy The Foreigner November 28-December 23. Performances take place on the main stage at the Loretto-Hlton Center, 130 Edgar Road in Webster Groves, MO. "In this wild and wacky comedy, Charlie Baker needs to get away, and his friend Froggy knows just the place - his favorite little fishing lodge in rural Georgia. To get Charlie some much needed peace, Froggy convinces the locals that his friend doesn’t understand English. But the plan backfires when all the lodge’s inhabitants start revealing deep secrets and diabolical plans in front of their quiet foreign guest." "There are too many very funny bits to list here," noted Robert Mitchell in his review for 88.1 KDHX, "just be assured that if you want a good laugh, that there is more than enough opportunity with The Foreigner." He's right; it's a pretty near perfect production of a brilliantly constructed farce.  It has been a few decades since the Rep did this fast-paced and somewhat political comedy. Sadly, the satire of Southern bigotry is still relevant. For more information, call 314-968-4925 or visit repstl.org.

Photos by John Lamb

Stray Dog Theatre presents the one-man comedy Fully Committed, starring Greg Fenner, Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 PM, December 6-22. "Hired to answer reservation calls at Manhattan’s hottest celebrity restaurant during the holiday season, an unemployed actor must handle the incessant barrage of nightmarish demands. Coercion, threats, bribes, histrionics - a cast of desperate callers will stop at nothing in their zeal to land a prime reservation, or the right table. Written by a former restaurant worker, this one-man tour-de-force is hilarious, heartfelt, and dishy!" I've seen this twice (here at the Rep and in Chicago with Bronson Pinchot) and found it vastly entertaining both times. The characters in Becky Mode's script are deftly and convincingly drawn, which raises this above the level of a simple virtuoso acting display. Performances take place at The Tower Grove Abbey, 2336 Tennessee. For more information, visit straydogtheatre.org or call 314-865-1995.

Magic Smoking Monkey Theatre presents Stupefy! The 90 Minute Harry Potter Friday and Saturday at 7:30 and 10:30 PM. “The 7:30pm performance is 'family friendly.' The late show is recommended for audiences 16 and over. Audience members should feel free to dress in their Hogwarts attire, if desired.” Well, how can you not love this idea? In his review for 88.1 KDHX, Robert Mitchell says that the company "have managed to hilariously desecrate yet another venerable Hollywood classic." Performances take place at the Emerson Black Box Theatre in the Scheidegger Performing Arts Center on the campus of Lindenwood University in St. Charles. For more information: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/290534