St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of October 6, 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.

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Photo: Peter Wochniak

Stages St. Louis presents the musical Always..Patsy Cline through October 12. "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!

Photo: Justin Been

Stray Dog Theatre presents Agatha Christie's thriller And Then There Were None Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 PM October 9-25. "Ten strangers, each with something to hide - or fear - are lured to a remote island by an unseen host. With no way to leave, the guests begin to share their dark secrets-and then, one by one, they die. Based on the best-selling mystery novel of all time, this thriller contains perhaps the most unpredictable plot ever devised by Agatha Christie." Performances take place at The Tower Grove Abbey, 2336 Tennessee. For more information, visit straydogtheatre.org or call 314-865-1995.

Upstream Theater presents Sophocles' Antigone October 10-26. “This ancient drama deals with the tragedy that ensues when society's demand for the rule of law conflicts with an individual's moral imperative-a conflict that recent events in our city have given unforeseen and unwanted resonance.“ Performances take place at the Kranzberg Arts Center, 501 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information, including show times: upstreamtheater.org.

Photo: Joe Angeles

The Performing Arts Department at Washington University presents Anon(ymous) by Naomi Iizuka Thursday and Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m., October 9-12. "Anon(ymous) is a contemporary re-imagining of Homer's Odyssey. The play tracks a refugee named Anon who has escaped from his war-torn homeland and comes to America in the hope of finding his family. At a time when our country is wrestling with the issue of immigration reform, Anon(ymous) offers a provocative look at the topic in this compelling theatrical work by one of America's finest playwrights." The performance takes place in the Edison Theatre in the Mallinckrodt Student Center on the Washington University campus. For more information, call 314-935-6543 or visit pad.artsci.wustl.edu.

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

Photo: Jill Ritter Lindberg

New Line Theatre presents the St. Louis premiere of the musical Bonnie and Clyde Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 PM through October 25. The show is "a kind of horror Romeo and Juliet story, exploring the culture that created this infamous couple and their two-year murder spree, the moral ambiguity of Prohibition and the Great Depression, and a national cult of celebrity that turned these damaged, dangerous kids into national folk heroes, in their twisted quest for dignity in a time of national humiliation. Bloomberg News called the show, 'a pop romance about the American nightmare.' Today, in this time of economic distress in America, this story seems more relevant than ever. Not only could it happen again; it does." Performances take place at the Washington University South Campus Theatre, 6501 Clayton Road. For more information, visit the web site or call 314-534-1111. Read the 88.1 KDHX review!

St. Louis University Theatre presents William Inge's Bus Stop through October 12. Performances take place in Xavier Hall, 3373 West Pine Mall. For more information, call (314) 977-2998 or visit the web site. Read the 88.1 KDHX review!

New Jewish Theater presents The Diary of Anne Frank October 11-November 2. 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.

Windsor Theatre Group presents Forever Broadway Saturdays and Sundays at 2 and 5 p.m., October 11-26. "This is a family-friendly revue of gorgeous and fun melodies. Performances are at 2 pm and 5 pm on both Saturdays and Sundays. Some of the best singers in the metropolitan area will perform solos, duets and chorus selections of some of well-known numbers, as well as some less-remembered tunes from Broadway shows throughout the years. The audience will also be treated to extraordinary dancing." Performances take place at The Historic Ozark Theatre, 103 E. Lockwood in Webster Groves. For more information: 314-832-2114.

Lindenwood University presents Heaven Can Wait by Harry Seagall Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., October 10-18. “Mr. Jordan is checking passengers who are to depart in an airplane for the Hereafter. The routine is interrupted by the arrival of Joe Pendleton, an attractive prizefighter, who refuses to admit he is dead, and it is revealed that Joe is not scheduled to arrive for another 60 years! But Joe can't return to Earth because his manager had his body cremated! The search is on as Heaven attempts to locate a permanent body for Joe, who in the meantime is sent to earth in an interim body, falls in love, and is forced to deal with a murderous couple. Can he keep his new true love? Can he stay alive long enough for Heaven to find a new body? For now, Heaven Can Wait!' Performances take place in the Emerson Black Box Theatre 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.

The University of Missouri at St. Louis presents In the Red and Brown Water Thursday and Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 7 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m., October 9-12. “Combing Yoruba and African-American culture, In the Red and Brown Water tells the story of Oya, a promising track star. As a girl, she must choose between her dreams and caring for her ailing mother. As a woman, she must choose between the man she lives with and the one she cannot live without.” Performances take place at the Touhill Performing Arts Center on the University of Missouri-St. Louis campus. For more information, call 314-516-4949.

The Presenters Dolan present Katie McGrath: Love in the Desert: Romance in the Age of Scarcity on Saturday, October 11, at 8 PM as part of the Gaslight Cabaret Festival. "Nobody's better at love gone bad than Katie, who asks, 'In our world economy, scarcity is the problem of having seemingly unlimited human wants and needs in a world of limited resources. But this issue is also alive and well in matters of love. Why is it then, as we age and the prospective romance population shrinks, we become needier yet more demanding than ever?'" Neal Richardson is pianist and music director, with special musical guest Ethan Edwards. The performance takes place at the Gaslight Theater, 358 North Boyle. For more information: gaslightcabaretfestival.com.

Clinton County Showcase presents the musical Little Shop of Horrors October 10-19. Performances take place at the Avon Theater, 525 North 2nd Street Breese IL. For more information, visit ccshowcase.com.

The St. Louis Family Theatre Series presents The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley Friday through Sunday, October 10-12. Performances take place at the Florissant Civic Center Theatre at Parker and Waterford in Florissant, MO. For more information, call 314-921-5678 or visit www.florissantmo.com.

Peabody Opera House presents the musical Nice Work if You Can Get It, featuring songs by George and Ira Gershwin, Friday through Sunday, October 10-12. "It's the Roaring Twenties and a cast of outrageous characters gather in New York to celebrate the wedding of wealthy playboy Jimmy Winter. But things don't go as planned when the playboy meets Billie Bendix, a bubbly and feisty bootlegger who melts his heart.”. For more information, visit peabodyoperahouse.com or call 314-622-5420.

Over Due Theatre presents the musical Side Show Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM and Sundays at 2 PM, October 10-19. “While the Great Depression rages through America, an unlikely pair is beginning their rise from freaks trapped in an exploitative carnival underworld to Vaudeville and Hollywood stars. Based on the true story of famous Siamese twins Daisy and Violet Hilton, the Tony-nominated musical Side Show follows the Hiltons' journey of stardom, romance, and heartbreak with the sisters coming to terms with the question "Who Will Love Me As I Am?" Featuring a moving blend of Rock, Pop, Vaudeville, and Classic Broadway music styles, this surreal spectacle cannot be missed!” Performances take place at the Olivette Community Center, 9723 Grandview Drive, in Olivette, MO. For more information, call 314-210-2959 or visit overduetheatrecompany.com

Winter Opera STL presents free performances of Michael Ching's Speed Dating Tonight, a "comic opera in one act about the trials and tribulations of finding love in a world that moves too fast." Performances take place Friday through Monday, October 10-13, at different locations in St. Louis and Metro-East. For details, visit the web site at winteroperastl.org.

The Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Webster University presents Diane Son's Stop Kiss Wednesdays through Sundays through October 12. "After Callie and Sara meet, their fast friendship leads to an unexpected attraction. Their first kiss provokes a violent attack that transforms their lives in a way they could never anticipate." Performances take place in the Emerson Studio Theater at the Loretto-Hilton Center on the Webster University campus. For more information, visit the web site or call 314-968-7128. Read the 88.1 KDHX review!

Photo: Gerry Love

Valhalla Cemetery and Hawthorne Players present Voices Of Valhalla: A Hayride Through History October 10 and 11. Hayrides through Valhalla Cemetery depart every fifteen minutes beginning at 6:30 each evening as members of the Hawthorne Players portray some of the noted locals buried in Valhalla. Look for yours truly (pictured) as composer and music critic Paul Tietjens. Valhalla Cemetery is located at 7600 St. Charles Rock Road. For more information, visit the Hawthorne Players web site.

COCA Theatre Company presents The Yellow Boat by David Saar Friday at 7 PM and Saturday at 2 and 7 PM, October 10 and 11. "The Yellow Boat" is based on the true story of Saar's son, Benjamin, who was born with congenital hemophilia and died at the age of 8 from AIDS-related complications. A uniquely gifted visual artist, Benjamin's buoyant imagination transformed his illness into a blaze of colors and shapes in his paintings. "The Yellow Boat" is directed by Shawna Flanigan. Recommended for ages 8 and up.” COCA is at 524 Trinity in University City. For more information, call (314) 725-6555 or visit www.cocastl.org.

The Lemp Mansion Comedy-Mystery Dinner Theater presents Zombie Love! (No Biting) through November 2. The Lemp Mansion is at 3322 DeMenil Place. For more information: lempmansion.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.