Chuck's St. Louis theatre choices for the weekend of November 14, 2014

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

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Mustard Seed Theatre presents the a cappella musical All is Calm Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 PM and Sundays at 2 and 5 PM, November 14-December 14. “Join us in celebrating the power of peace in this acapella musical based on the true story of soldiers during World War I who for one night, put down their arms and played soccer instead of exchanging bullets.” 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.

My take: This show is apparently going to be a holiday tradition at Mustard Seed, and with good reason. The story of the remarkable holiday truce that spontaneously interrupted the insanity of World War I remains an inspiring reminder of what happens when ordinary people ignore the manipulations of their leadership and allow their basic decency to take control of their actions. The lesson for contemporary politics is clear.

The West End Players Guild continues their 104th season with Boom Town Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM and Sundays at 2 PM, November 14-23. There will also be a show on Thursday, November 20, at 8 PM. “From the prolific pen of movie and TV star Jeff Daniels, author of more than a dozen plays, comes Boom Town. Angela Tompkins has a husband, a failing convenience store and a dream of running off to Chicago with her lover, the local banker. In an explosive story that mixes small-town politics, love and betrayal, Angela must face reality when her husband discovers the truth.” 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.

My take: Daniels has proven to be a prolific and gifted playwright, with an impressive ability to create characters and situations that grab and hold your interest. Full disclosure: I'm on West End's board of directors and play reading committee, which vetted this script for the company.

The Presenters Dolan present Carole J. Bufford: Body and Soul on Friday and Saturday, November 14 and 15, at 8 PM as part of the Gaslight Cabaret Festival. "Carole J. Bufford has emerged a hot new star in the New York cabaret world, a view broadly shared by critics, audiences, and club owners, alike. She has performed in some of New York's most important venues (Town Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center) and with major stars (Michael Feinstein). In her critically acclaimed show, BODY AND SOUL, she explores the fiery world of passion." The performances take place at the Gaslight Theater, 358 North Boyle. For more information: gaslightcabaretfestival.com.

My take: Jim Dolan continues to bring an exciting mix of veteran performers and new discoveries to the St. Louis cabaret scene. This is Ms. Bufford's first appearance locally and it's highly anticipated.

Equally Represented Arts presents The Residents of Craigslist, conceived and adapted by ERA’s Artistic Director, Lucy Cashion, and Associate Artistic Director, Will Bonfiglio, November 12-16. "THE RESIDENTS OF CRAIGSLIST is a one-act performance piece that realizes the classified advertisements website Craigslist as a full yet lonely house containing a myriad of people – its residents." Performances take place at the AlphaBeta Club, 2618 North 14th Street. For more information: equallyrepresentedarts.com.

My take: Granted, I have no idea whether this fascinating concept will be worth seeing or not, but as ERA demonstrated in it's first outing, Make Hamlet, this is a group ready and willing to push the theatrical envelope. Which can't be bad.

The Presenters Dolan present Sheri Sanders: Rock It on Thursday, November 13, at 8 PM as part of the Gaslight Cabaret Festival. "The acclaimed author of Rock The Audition, How To Prepare for and Get Cast in Rock Musicals, Sheri Sanders comes to town to teach a master class to the musical theater students at Webster. A New York musical theater actor and insider, Sheri offers us a captivating rock cabaret, after a sold out run in New York attended by many of the actors she has taught and helped to get cast in Broadway shows." The performance takes place at the Gaslight Theater, 358 North Boyle. For more information: gaslightcabaretfestival.com.

My take: As I noted in a review of Barb Jungr's rock-inflected show a few years ago, cabaret is a genre that can embrace an impressive variety of music, including rock and soul. Ms. Sanders has impressive credentials, and I'd expect her show to be intriguing.

Held Over:

Max and Louie Productions presents the US premier of the comedy Chancers through November 16. "Aiden's bright and fully stocked store has no customers, a vagrant at the doorstep, and his family living in the back room while they rent their home to strangers. Pre-recession, Aiden expanded his empire and store count and spared no expense. After the foreclosures, the construction workers that once filled his stores were laid off, and no longer paying customers. The skeleton of the closed hot food bar hulks in the corner as daily reminder to Aiden that his store is slowly slipping away. Beyond the brilliant colors and bright lights of the store, we see the fields and the town of Kildare, with its rich horse racing history and plenty of old money. But the view of the town as a quaint village is a thing of the past in a global economy. Tesco has permanently joined the landscape of rolling fields and high street shopping and Aiden is in denial of his certain future." Performances take place at the Kranzberg Arts Center, 501 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information, visit maxandlouie.com.

My take: In her review for 88.1 KDHX Tina Farmer says that while she finds the playwright's ending not entirely persuasive, "the sharp performances and biting humor make for an enjoyable production with a bit of an edge." "Thanks to the delightful efforts of its quartet of players," says Mark Bretz at Ladue News, "this Chancers delivers on its promise to keep an audience laughing at the wacky ineptitude of its characters." The cast includes some fine actors whose work I know first-hand.

Photo: Jerry Naunheim, Jr.

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents A Kid Like Jake through November 16. "Alexandra and Greg are stressed. Test scores, campus visits and entrance interviews for their son are almost too much to handle. Especially since this prep isn't for college, it's just part of the process of winning a place in one of Manhattan's exclusive kindergarten programs. Four-year-old Jake's intelligence has him in the running for a top school, but when the focus turns to his imagination and affection for dress-up, acceptance takes on a whole new meaning." Performances take place in the studio theatre at the Loretto-Hlton Center, 130 Edgar Road in Webster Groves, MO. For more information, call 314-968-4925 or visit repstl.org.

My take: There are generally good reviews for this one. Writing for broadwayworld.com, for example, Chris Gibson calls it "an engaging and, in many ways, touching and sensitive production that's sure to spark a lot of positive conversation about the subject, and that makes it important enough in of itself, but its also a work that makes you really care about these characters in a very raw and emotional way that is quite unexpected." Even reviewers who have misgivings about the script have been impressed by the quality of the Rep's production.

First Run Theatre presents the 2014 Spectrum One-Act Play Festival Friday and Saturday at 8 PM and Sunday at 2 PM, November 14-16. This year's plays are No Other Gods Before Me by Richard Newman; Night of the Armadillo by Jason Slavik; Bang by Richard Newman; Miss Nancy's Playhouse by Mario Farwell; The Jungfrau by David Hawley; and The Adventures of BunnyMan by Mario Farwell. Performances take place at Southampton Presbyterian Church, 4716 Macklind. For more information, call (314) 352-5114 or visit www.firstruntheatre.com.

My take: At First Run it's all St. Louis playwrights all the time, and the spectrum festival gives you a chance to see the work of multiple writers in one evening. The quality of First Run's productions can be uneven, but they're doing important work here, and that deserves some praise.