St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of February 17, 2014

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 ArtsZipper site.

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The Lemp Mansion Comedy-Mystery Dinner Theater presents its Bullets in the Bathtub through April 27. The Lemp Mansion is at 3322 DeMenil Place. For more information: lempmansion.com

The Bissell Mansion Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre presents Flaming Saddles through April 27. The Bissell Mansion is at 4426 Randall Place. For more information: bissellmansiontheatre.com

Mustard Seed Theatre presents Gee's Bend through February 23. The play “explores the affect of the Civil Rights Movement on a remote island in Alabama.” Performances take place at the Fontbonne Fine Arts Theatre, 6800 Wydown Blvd. For more information, call (314) 719-8060 or visit the web site at www.mustardseedtheatre.com. Read the 88.1 KDHX review!

The Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Webster University presents The House of the Spirits by Caridad Svich, based on the novel by Isabel Allende, Wednesdays through Sundays, February 19 - March 2. “The haunting best-selling novel by Isabel Allende comes to the stage in this fascinating adaptation, showing the struggles of a landed, privileged family in a South American nation as four generations of women face up to a powerful patriarch and dictatorship in the 20th century.” Performances take place in Emerson Studio Theatre at the Loretto-Hilton Center on the Webster University campus. For more information: www.webster.edu/fine-arts/departments/conservatory/index.html or call 314-968-7128

Lindenwood University presents Sondheim's Into the Woods February 20 - 22. Performances take place at the J. Scheidegger Center for the Arts on the Lindenwood campus in St. Charles, MO. For more information, call 636-949-4433 or visit lindenwood.edu/center.

Photo: Joan Marcus

The Fox Theatre presents the musical Jersey Boys February 19 - March 2. The musical is based on the careers of Rock and Roll Hall of Famers The Four Seasons: Frankie Valli, Bob Gaudio, Tommy DeVito and Nick Massi. "This is the story of how four blue-collar kids became one of the greatest successes in pop music history. They wrote their own songs, invented their own sounds and sold 175 million records worldwide - all before they were thirty!" The Fox Theatre is at 517 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information, call 314-534-1678.

The Presenters Dolan present Ken Page: Old, New, Borrowed, and Blue on Thursday and Friday, February 20 and 21, at 8 PM as part of the Gaslight Cabaret Festival. "Star of stage and screen, Ken Page is newly added to the Gateway Cabaret Festival lineup! A veteran of Broadway's original casts of Cats, Ain't Misbehavin', The Wiz, Ain't Nothin' But The Blues, and Guys & Dolls, Ken is one of Broadway's and the MUNY's favorite players. Film audiences know Ken from Dreamgirls, Torch Song Trilogy, and as the voice of Mr. Oogie Boogie in the Tim Burton cult classic, The Nightmare Before Christmas. In Old, New, Borrowed & Blue, look for Ken to include a range of songs from Old Broadway, New Broadway, his favorite artists, and the blues." The performances take place at the Gaslight Theater, 358 North Boyle. For more information: www.gaslightcabaretfestival.com/.

Alfresco Productions presents Ladies First Friday and Saturday at 7:30 PM and Sunday at 2:00 PM, February 21-23. Performances will be held at the Alfresco Art Center, 2041 Delmar Avenue in Granite City IL. For more information: www.alfrescoproductions.org

Photo: John Lamb

Stray Dog Theatre presents Douglas Carter Beane's The Little Dog Laughed Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 PM through February 22, with an extra 2 PM matinee on the 22nd. “A devilishly hilarious Hollywood agent, a movie star with a recurring case of homosexuality, and a hustler and his ambitious girlfriend struggle to uncover the truth about what they really want. In the process, they trigger a non-stop stream of laughs in this Tony-award winning comedy. For MATURE AUDIENCES: In an effort to keep the selection of shows engaging and dynamic, this production may not be appropriate for all ages.” Performances take place at The Tower Grove Abbey, 2336 Tennessee. For more information, visit straydogtheatre.org or call 314-865-1995. Read the 88.1 KDHX review!

Photo: John Lamb

The West End Players Guild continues their 103rd season with Brian Friel's Lovers Thursday through Saturday at 8 PM and Sunday at 2 PM. “Renowned Irish playwright Brian Friel spins the tales of hope and regret of two very different couples - one a pair of youngsters just beginning their love life, the other a couple entering the twilight of life together. Set in contemporary Ireland, Lovers offers hard lessons about Irish life and whether love can make a difference.” Performances take place at the Union Avenue Christian Church, 733 North Union at Enright in the Central West End. For more information, call 314-367-0025 or visit www.westendplayers.org. Read the 88.1 KDHX review!

KTK Productions presents A Love Story by Sherry Stryhal through February 23. Performances take place at Southampton Presbyterian Church, 4716 Macklind. For more information, call 314-351-8984.

St. Louis University Theatre presents Middletown by Will Eno February 21 - March 2. Performances take place in Xavier Hall, 3373 West Pine Mall. "Mary Swanson just moved to Middletown. About to have her first child, she is eager to enjoy the neighborly bonds a small town promises. But life in Middletown is complicated: neighbors are near strangers and moments of connection are fleeting. Middletown is a playful, poignant portrait of a town with two lives, one ordinary and visible, the other epic and mysterious. A tart play which captures life's absurd beauty via a steady stream of gorgeous little comments on big things." For more information, call (314) 977-2998 or visit www.slu.edu/theatre.

Brass Rail Players present Nunsense - the Mega Musical February 21 - March 2. The performances take place at The Turkey Hill Grange, 1375 Illinois Rte. 15 in Belleville, IL. For more information, visit brassrailplayers.org.

Photo: Jerry Naunheim, Jr.

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents Other Desert Cities through March 9. “Things get bumpy when promising young novelist Brooke Wyeth returns home to Palm Springs to get her family's approval of her newest work - a tell-all memoir dredging up long-kept family secrets. Daring her conservative parents to oppose her, Brooke draws a line in the sand, and when it is crossed, the result threatens to undo them all. Politics, lies and regrets collide in this biting, sharp and fiercely funny Pulitzer Prize finalist.” Performances take place on the mainstage at the Loretto-Hlton Center, 130 Edgar Road in Webster Groves, MO. For more information, call 314-968-4925 or visit repstl.org. Read the 88.1 KDHX review!

Act Two Theatre presents the musical The Pajama Game February 21 - March 2 in the St. Peters Cultural Arts Centre at 1 St Peters Centre Blvd, St. Peters, MO 63376. For more information: act2theater.com.

St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley Theater Department presents Reasons to Be Pretty through February 22. Performances take place in the Fisher Theatre on the campus at 3400 Pershall Road. For more information, call 314-644-5522.

The Presenters Dolan present Tim Schall: 1961 on Saturday, February 22, at 8 PM as part of the Gaslight Cabaret Festival. " In 1961 the Beatles debuted at the Cavern Club in Liverpool, Bob Dylan entered the Greenwich Village folk scene, 19 year old Carole King wrote her first #1 hit, Moon River won the Oscar for Best Song and in February of that year Tim Schall was born! Join Tim as he celebrates his birthday in a show dedicated to the music of his natal year." The performance takes place at the Gaslight Theater, 358 North Boyle. For more information: www.gaslightcabaretfestival.com.

The Performing Arts Department at Washington University presents the classic comedy You Can't Take it With You Friday and Saturday at 8 PM and Sunday at 2 PM, February 21 - March 1. Performances take place in the Edison Theatre in the Mallinckrodt Student Center on the Washington University campus. For more information: pad.artsci.wustl.edu or call 314-935-6543.

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.