Chuck's Choices for the weekend of March 13, 2015

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:

First Run Theatre presents the 13th Annual Reading Festival, featuring staged reading of the finalists of the annual script submission contest, Friday through Sunday, March 13-15. The schedule is: The Other Side by David Hawley Friday at 7 p.m.; Sparrows Fall by Richard T. Young Saturday at 10 a.m.; Waiting for Gabby by Jessica Beaustring Saturday at 1 p.m.; Elly and Hubert by David Hawley Saturday at 3 p.m.; and Gallows Tales by Steve Callahan Saturday at 7 p.m. Performances take place in the Thomas Hunter Theatre at DeSmet Jesuit High School, 233 N New Ballas Road. For more information email info at firstruntheatre.com, or visit www.firstruntheatre.com.


My take: Want to know what local playwrights have been cooking up? Wonder no longer. Just head on over the First Run's annual reading festival and find out.

Afflicted: Daughters of Salem
Photo: Victoria Lafferty

Metro Theatre Company and the Missouri History Museum present Afflicted: Daughters of Salem by Laurie Brooks through March 22. "Abigail Williams, Ann Putnam, Mercy Lewis, Mary Warren, and Betty Paris meet deep in the dark woods of Puritan New England at night. Denied all outlets for imagination and all hope for the future, the girls unite in a secret society - Allies are found, promises made and broken, power taken. When the girls force the slave Tituba to tell their fortunes, they ignite a crucible of events that burns out of control, leading straight to the infamous Salem Witch Trials. Through their secrets, gossip and accusations these girls become some of the most notorious teens in history." Performances take place in the Lee Auditorium at the Missouri History Museum in Forest Park. For more information: mohistory.org.

My take: Metro can usually be relied upon to redefine the concept of "children's theatre" in ways that will engage and adult audience as well. In her review for KDHX, Tina Farmer says this new take on the Salem witchcraft trials is "an enjoyable well-researched fiction that successfully reminds audiences there are two sides to every story, even history."

Jerry Springer the Opera
Photo: Jill Ritter Lindberg

New Line Theatre presents the St. Louis premiere of the musical Jerry Springer the Opera Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 PM, through March 18. "The New Line season continues with one of New Line's wildest and most ambitious projects, JERRY SPRINGER THE OPERA, the smash-hit, multi-award winning musical that ran to unprecedented rave reviews and standing ovations at the National Theatre in London, after a sold-out run in London's West End. The Sunday Times called it “a shocking, irresistibly funny masterpiece.” With music by Richard Thomas, and book and lyrics by Thomas and Stewart Lee, this is an audacious, fearless piece of theatre that brilliantly and hilariously dissects the cultural forces that have kept Jerry Springer on the air all these years, the lives of quiet desperation that explode into public view in Springer's weirdly nonjudgmental, national confessional." Performances take place at the Washington University South Campus Theatre, 6501 Clayton Road. . For more information, visit newlinetheatre.com or call 314-534-1111.

My take: Come on, how can you not want to see a show with a title like this? The second act, after all, is a "very special" episode of the Jerry Springer Show broadcast live from Hell. And, yes, it really is an opera—or at least a musical in which there is no spoken dialog. "I recognize a quality production with strong direction and spot-on performances," says Tina Farmer in her KDHX review, "and I applaud the company for the bold and daring theater they produce."

Ben Nordstrom

The Presenters Dolan present Ben Nordstrom in Living in the Moment on Friday and Saturday, March 13 and 14, at 8 PM as part of the Gaslight Cabaret Festival. "As one of the most popular and sought after performers in town, Ben performs everywhere - Stages, the MUNY, the Rep, and many of our professional companies. He has wholeheartedly embraced cabaret, and cabaret is lucky to have him." The performance takes place at the Gaslight Theater, 358 North Boyle. For more information: gaslightcabaretfestival.com.

My take: Ben is a familiar face to theatre fans locally, with many shows to his credit at the Rep, Stages, and other professional companies. Reviewing his performance as J. Pierrepont Finch in Stages' How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying last July, for example, I wrote that "Mr. Nordstrom hits exactly the right combination winsomeness and winking slyness, along with a fluid sense of physical comedy." He also did a nice set as part of Neal Richardson's solo cabaret debut last weekend. Expect an entertaining evening.

Circus Harmony presents Peace Through Pyramids: Ferguson on Saturday, March 14 at Ferguson Library, 35 N Florissant Road in Florissant, MO. "Thanks to a Social Impact grant from the Regional Arts Commission and a PNC project grant from the Arts & Education Council of St. Louis Circus Harmony will start the first chapter of Peace Through Pyramids: Ferguson by sharing the story of the St. Louis Arches and the Galilee Circus. The presentation will end with a circus workshop for all participants. The St. Louis Arches are an internationally renowned youth circus troupe comprised of children ages 9-19 from different socioeconomic areas throughout St. Louis." For more information: circusharmony.org.

My take: Circus Harmony does excellent outreach work that demonstrates how the arts can make a big difference in the community. The appearance of their St. Louis Arches acrobatic troupe is always a highlight of Circus Flora as well.