St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of August 18, 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 events web site.

Share on Google+

Photo: Peter Wochniak

Stages St. Louis presents the musical Always..Patsy Cline through August 31. "Jacqueline Petroccia and Zoe Vonder Haar star in the return engagement of the show critics called 'exceptional, must see entertainment.' The touching and true story of Country music legend Patsy Cline and her friendship with Texas housewife Louise Seger returns to STAGES this spring. Combining down home country humor, heartache and 27 of Patsy Cline's unforgettable hits such as 'Crazy,' 'Walkin' After Midnight,' and 'Sweet Dreams,' Always... Patsy Cline endures as a piece of genuine Americana." Performances take place at The Playhouse at Westport Plaza. For more information, visit stagesstlouis.org or call 314-821-2407. Read the 88.1 KDHX review!

The Bissell Mansion Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre presents A Big Easy Murder through October 26. The Bissell Mansion is at 4426 Randall Place. For more information: bissellmansiontheatre.com

Chuck Lavazzi

The Cabaret Project and 88.1 KDHX present the Cabaret Open Mic Night on Wednesday, August 20, from 7 to 10 PM at the Tavern of Fine Arts. The master of ceremonies is 88.1 KDHX senior performing arts critic Chuck Lavazzi and the music director is Carol Schmidt. If you're planning to sing, be prepared to do one or two songs and bring music, preferably in your key. It's also recommend that you have your song memorized. The Tavern of Fine Arts is at 313 Belt at Waterman in the Central West End. There's free parking in the lot right across the street. For more information, visit tavern-of-fine-arts.blogspot.com or call 314-367-7549.

Stray Dog Theatre's New Works Laboratory presents Stephen Peirick's Four Sugars Thursdays through Saturday, August 21-23. "Alyse and her gay best friend, Travis, are getting ready to bid adieu to their “fake” marriage of three years and celebrate Alyse having become an official U.S. citizen. Unfortunately, no aspect of their real-life relationships seem to operate as smoothly as their make-shift marriage did. This two-act, contemporary serio-comedy is written by St. Louis Playwright Stephen Peirick, who is the recipient of an Individual Artist Grant from the Regional Arts Commission to help make this fully realized production of Four Sugars a reality. " Performances take place at The Tower Grove Abbey, 2336 Tennessee. For more information, visit straydogtheatre.org or call 314-865-1995.

Brass Rail Players present Sondheim's Into the Woods through August 24. The performances take place at The Turkey Hill Grange, 1375 Illinois Rte. 15 in Belleville, IL. For more information, visit brassrailplayers.org.

Alfresco Productions presents Jason Robert Brown's musical The Last Five Years Friday through Sunday, August 22-24. Performances take place at the Alfresco Art Center, 2401 Delmar in Granite City, IL. For more information: (618) 560-1947 or www.alfrescoproductions.org.

Photo: Brian Peters

St. Louis Shakespeare presents The Liar by David Ives, adapted from the comedy by Pierre Corneille through August 24. "David Ives (the brilliant mind who penned All In The Timing) offers a fresh, witty and split-your-pants funny translation of Pierre Corneille's 1644 comedy about Dorante, a compulsive liar who masterfully spins an intricate web of lies...now if he could only keep his lies straight!" Performances take at the 560 Music Center in University City. For more information, call 314-361-5664 or visit stlshakespeare.org.

Slightly Askew Theatre Ensemble presents Mary Shelly Monster Show by Nick Otten Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8 August 20-30. "Was Mary Shelley's most famous novel, Frankenstein, really an autobiography? Is she the creator or the creature?" Performances take place at The Chapel Venue, 6238 Alexander Drive. For more information: slightlyoff.org.

The Ivory Theatre presents The Rum Luck of the Irish, an new comedy by Stephen Werner set in St. Louis's Irish "Kerry Patch" neighborhood during Prohibition. Performances take place Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m., August 22-24. The Ivory Theatre is at 7620 Michigan Avenue in the Carondelet neighborhood. For more information: ivorytheatrestl.com.

Photo: Ron Lindsey

Union Avenue Opera presents Wagner's Siegfried in a condensed and reduced version by English composer Jonathan Dove, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM, August 22-30. Performances take place at the Union Avenue Christian Church, 733 Union at Enright in the Central West End. The opera is sung in German with projected English text. For more information, visit unionavenueopera.org or call 314-361-2881.

Insight Theatre Company presents the musical The Spitfire Grill August 21-31. "In this Off-Broadway musical, a feisty parolee named Percy follows a page from an old travel book to a small town in Wisconsin and finds a place for herself working at Hannah's Spitfire Grill. The grill is for sale, but there are no takers for the only eatery in the depressed town, so Percy suggests to Hannah that she raffle it off. New York Magazine called The Spitfire Grill the best musical of 2001.” Performances take place in the Heagney Theatre, 530 East Lockwood on the campus of Nerinx Hall High School in Webster Groves. For more information, call 314-556-1293 or visit insighttheatrecompany.com.

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.