Chuck's St. Louis theatre choices for the weekend of November 28, 2014

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:

Magic Smoking Monkey Theatre presents Trey Parker's Cannibal the Musical November 28 - December 6. "Created in the style of the 1950's movie musical Oklahoma!, Cannibal follows the life of Alferd Packer, the man who lead an ill-fated party of men to Colorado Territory during the winter of 1873-74. Alferd was the lone survivor of this trip and was later put on trial for murdering and eating his party. Along the journey to Colorado Territory, Packer loses his beloved horse, Liane, and encounters trappers, snowmen, ninjas, sheep, Indians, aliens and a cyclops, all in an effort to find her." Performances take place at the Ivory Theatre, 7622 Michigan. For more information: cannibal-stl.com.

My take: Magic Smoking Monkey Theatre, the illegitimate love-child of St. Louis Shakespeare, is known mostly for concocting its own scripts from pop culture detritus like the films of Ed Wood and superhero cartoons. Producing an actual book musical—by Trey Parker of South Park and Book of Mormon fame, no less—is an unusual step for them, even if it is the same one they took back in 2011. Reviewing the original production, stltoday.com's Gabe Hartwig described it as "hilarious." "'Cannibal!' is full of inside jokes, profanity and toilet humor. If you enjoy 'South Park,' you'll be right at home." And what better way to celebrate Thanksgiving, I ask you?

The "Ghost Brothers" gang

Peabody Opera House presents the musical The Ghost Brothers of Darkland County on Saturday, November 29, at 8 p.m. "Written by Stephen King, with Music and Lyrics by John Mellencamp, and Musical Direction by T-Bone Burnett, this extraordinary collaboration, 13 years in the making, is a haunting tale of fraternal love, lust, jealousy and revenge, performed by an ensemble cast of 15 actors and a four-piece live band, comprised of members of John Mellencamp's band. The staging of Ghost Brothers is an amalgam of different styles - both old fashioned, resembling an old-style radio show, and yet, modern and unique in its interactive use of storytelling, music and singing to move the macabre Ghost Brothers story forward." For more information, visit peabodyoperahouse.com or call 314-622-5420.

My take: I'll confess that I haven't seen this and, because of time constraints, almost certainly won't. But the combination of talents behind this make it impossible not to recommend. I mean: a Stephen King musical? How can you resist that? Besides, most local theatre is taking the Thanksgiving weekend off.

Held Over:

Mustard Seed Theatre presents the acappella musical All is Calm Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 PM and Sundays at 2 and 5 PM through 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.

"Motown, the Musical"

The Fox Theatre presents Motown, the Musical Tuesdays through Sundays through November 30. "It began as one man's story... became everyone's music... and is now Broadway's musical. MOTOWN The Musical is the true American dream story of Motown founder Berry Gordy's journey from featherweight boxer to the heavyweight music mogul who launched the careers of Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Smokey Robinson and many more. Motown shattered barriers, shaped our lives and made us all move to the same beat. Featuring classic songs such as "My Girl" and "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," experience the story behind the music in the record-breaking smash hit MOTOWN The Musical!" The Fox Theatre is at 517 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information, visit the web site.

My take: As Amy Burger writes in her review for KDHX, this show is a must see for fans of the record label that brought the national spotlight to so many great black performers: Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, The Temptations; the list just goes on and on. There's also a more serious reason to see this show, though. "At various points," writes Ms. Burder, "it seemed serendipitous that this particular show should be running at this time in this city. The racial themes and moments reflecting both Motown's and the nation's history felt searingly real and meaningful in light of current racial tensions in St. Louis. To that effect, those scenes were much more impactful than they might be playing to a different city."