Chuck's Choices for the weekend of July 26, 2013

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

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New This Week

Carol Schmidt

The St. Louis Cabaret Conference presents the High School Cabaret Conference Showcase on Sunday, July 28, at 7 PM. The showcase features six singers from the conference with Carol Schmidt at the piano. The performance takes place at The Bistro at Grand Center, 3536 Washington Blvd. Tickets are $10, available at the door with cash or check.

My take: As I noted in my interview for OnSTL last week, the cabaret scene in St. Louis is as hopping as it is largely unknown by the general public. The St. Louis Cabaret Conference has been producing top-notch talent for years now. The high school version is relatively new, but the degree of talent displayed by the kids in the program is really pretty amazing. It doesn't hurt that Tim Schall and Carol Schmidt are both very effective teachers and talented performers in their own right. The Bistro has a respectable menu, by the way, so you might want to show up early and grab a bite and a libation.

Blood Brothers
Photo: John Lamb

St. Louis Actors' Studio presents the Neil LaBute New Theater Festival Part 2 through July 28 at the Gaslight Theatre, 358 North Boyle. Part 2 features performances of The Possible by LaBute along with Kink by Joshua Thomas, Blood Brothers by Rachel Fenton, Present Tense by Nancy Bell and Peter Grandbois, and Cut by Daniel Damiano. For more information, call 314-458-2978 or visit stlas.org.

My take: I'm not an unabashed admirer of LaBute, but there's no question that an evening of new plays by local playwrights is always welcome. "The first part of the festival," writes Tina Farmer in her review for 88.1 KDHX, "set the tone with assertive, contemporary shows that bristled with tension and energy. The company's production of the second series of new short plays fully demonstrates that commitment to previously untested material and ideas as well as emerging playwrights."

Held Over

Photo: John Lamb

Stray Dog Theatre presents the musical Little Shop of Horrors Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 PM, July 18-August 3. There will be a matinee on the closing Saturday at 2 PM in addition to the evening show. "Seymour, a nerdy floral shop employee, becomes an overnight sensation when he raises an exotic plant that has a mysterious craving for human blood. Based on a 1960’s low-budget sci-fi film, this gleefully gruesome rock musical has zany characters and songs sure to delight audiences of all ages." Performances take place at The Tower Grove Abbey, 2336 Tennessee. For more information, visit straydogtheatre.org or call 314-865-1995.

My take: I've done a number of shows with Stray Dog over the years and have been consistently impressed with the quality of their work and how well they treat their performers and tech folks. You might not think that matters that much from the audience standpoint, but as someone who works both sides of the footlights, I can tell you can a cast that's loving their work will always communicate that to the audience, intentionally or otherwise. Besides, this show—with its spot-on parodies of 50s and 60s sounds and hilariously dark humor—is always worth seeing. "As usual," writes Tina Farmer in her review for 88.1 KDHX, "the company does not disappoint with this production, adding a touch of earnest to the inside jokes and dark humor inherent in the original script."

Photo: Stewart Goldstein

The Black Rep presents the musical The Wiz through July 28. Performances take place at the Grandel Theatre, 3610 Grandel Square. Joining the cast for this extended production are J. Samuel Davis as The Wiz, Leslie Johnson as the Tinman, and Alicia Reeve as the Scarecrow. For more information, visit theblackrep.org or call 314-534-3810.

My take: This 1970s soul version of The Wizard of Oz crackles with energy, and a good production is always fun. This particular production of The Wiz was originally scheduled to close on June 30. Ticket sales were so brisk, though, that the Black Rep elected to go an hiatus for two weeks, re-cast the roles whose actors had conflicts for July, and re-open this weekend. "I had a blast," wrote Sheila Schultz in her review of the original production for 88.1 KDHX. "I head home humming 'Ease on Down the Road'. Still humming."