Chuck's Choices for the weekend of August 2, 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:

The St. Louis Cabaret Festival concludes with the St. Louis Cabaret Conference Showcase (featuring performances by all 30 of the conference singers, yours truly included) Sunday at 7, also at the Bistro.  You can get more information at thecabaretproject.org and tickets for all events at MetroTix.

My take: As I noted in my interview for OnSTL, the cabaret scene in St. Louis is as hopping as it is largely unknown by the general public. That's due, to a large degree, to the many performers who got trained at the St. Louis Cabaret Conference (which runs concurrently with the Festival).  The Bistro has a respectable menu, by the way, so you might want to show up early and grab a bite and a libation.  Both the conference and the festival are the brainchildren of local cabaret entrepreneur Tim Schall (pictured).

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."  The photo at right is by John Lamb.