St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of March 2, 2015

[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+

The St. Louis Family Theatre Series presents The Adventures Of Harold And The Purple Crayon March 8, 13, and 14. '"One evening, after thinking it over for some time, Harold decided to go for a walk in the moonlight." So begins Harold and the Purple Crayon, the first of seven delightful picture books by Crockett Johnson, following the zany adventures of an inventive young boy. As it turned out, there wasn't any moon that night nor was there a path to walk on, so Harold simply drew them. And thus his journey began. Resourceful and brave, Harold create the world he wants to explore, using nothing more than a big purple crayon and his sky's-the-limit imagination.' 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.

Metro Theatre Company and the Missouri History Museum present Afflicted: Daughters of Salem by Laurie Brooks March 6-22. "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.

Act Two Theatre presents Kander and Ebb's Chicago: A Musical Vaudeville through March 8. "In roaring twenties Chicago, chorine Roxie Hart murders a faithless lover and convinces her hapless husband Amos to take the rap...until he finds out he's been duped and turns on Roxie. Convicted and sent to death row, Roxie and another “Merry Murderess” Velma Kelly, vie for the spotlight and the headlines, ultimately joining forces in search of the “American Dream”: fame, fortune and acquittal. This sharp edged satire features a dazzling score that sparked immortal staging by Bob Fosse." Performances take place in the St. Peters Cultural Arts Centre at 1 St Peters Centre Blvd, St. Peters, MO 63376. For more information: act2theater.com.

Edie's Fairytale Theatre presents The Emperor's New Clothes on Saturday, March 7 at 11 a.m. and Thursday, March 12, at 10:30 a.m. Performances take place at the Regional Arts Commission, 6128 Delmar. For more information: brownpapertickets.com.

Christ Memorial Productions presents the Stephen Schwartz musical Godspell Friday sand Saturday at 7:30 PM and Sunday at 2 PM, March 6-8. Performances take place at Christ Memorial Lutheran Church, 5252 South Lindbergh. For more information, visit CMPShows.org or call 314-631-0304.

St. Charles Community College presents The Heiress Wednesday through Sunday, March 4-8. Performances take place in the Donald D. Shook Fine Arts Building on the campus at 4601 Mid Rivers Mall Drive in Cottleville, MO. For more information, call 636-922-8050 or visit stchas.edu.

Kerith Thompson as Jerry Springer

New Line Theatre presents the St. Louis premiere of the musical Jerry Springer the Opera Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 PM, March 5-18. "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.

COCA presents The Little Prince March 6-14. “This musical play, with book by John Scoullar, music by Rick Cummins and based on the book by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, features COCA Theatre Company (CTC) student actors in tandem with St. Louis professionals. They bring this delightful story of the disenchanted pilot to life, along with the tales he hears about from the young prince from a faraway star. The Little Prince is an immersive, theatrical interpretation with whimsical characters and colorful stories that appeal to the castaway in all of us - and shed light on what really matters. Recommended for ages 5 and up.” COCA is at 524 Trinity in University City. For more information, call (314) 725-6555 or visit www.cocastl.org.

Family Musical Theater presents Love Is in the Air, a fund-raising cabaret starring Kay Love and Jeffrey M. Wright, on Saturday, March 7, at 7:30 p.m. The performance takes place at the Ivory Theatre, 7622 Michigan. For more information, visit familymusical.org or call 314-571-9579.

The Lemp Mansion Comedy-Mystery Dinner Theater presents Murder in Mayberry. The Lemp Mansion is at 3322 DeMenil Place. For more information: lempmansion.com.

Winter Opera St. Louis presents Verdi's Otello, based on the Shakespeare tragedy, Friday at 8 PM and Sunday at 3 PM, March 6 and 8. Performances take place at The Skip Viragh Center for the Arts at Chaminade College Preparatory School, 425 S. Lindbergh. The opera is sung in Italian with project English supertitles. For more information, visit winteroperastl.org.

Neal Richardson

The Presenters Dolan present Neal Richardson in Pennies from Heaven on Friday, March 6 at 8 PM as part of the Gaslight Cabaret Festival. "Neal is one of St Louis's authorities on musical theater and the Great American Songbook. He has music directed or accompanied the cabaret shows of Julia Murney, Megan McGinnis, Ben Nordstrom, Tim Schall, Jeffrey Wright, Ken Haller and Katie McGrath, among many others. Neal has taught musical theatre at Webster University for the last 15 years. His credits include The Spitfire Grill, OKLAHOMA!, Pippin, Violet, Nine, Into the Woods, A New Brain, Spring Awakening, Carousel and others. He is also a musical director and arranger for the MUNY. As a nationally noted arranger for Hal Leonard, Neal is responsible for the vocal selections of over 30 Broadway shows as well as arrangements for solo piano, including a collection of Radiohead songs." The performance takes place at the Gaslight Theater, 358 North Boyle. For more information: gaslightcabaretfestival.com.

The Bissell Mansion Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre presents Phantom of the Grand Ole Opery through April 26. The Bissell Mansion is at 4426 Randall Place. For more information: bissellmansiontheatre.com

The Fox Theatre presents a new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Phantom of the Opera March 4-15. The Fox Theatre is at 527 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information: fabulousfox.com.

Brian Owens

Jefferson College presents Neil Simon's comedy Rumors March 5-8. "The Deputy Mayor of New York and his wife are celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary. Guests arrive to find their unconscious host bleeding and his wife missing. Hoping to avoid a scandal, his lawyer concocts a story to hide what is assumed to be the truth. But as the rest of the guests arrive, the story grows awry with everyone complicit in a hilarious cover-up that no one even really understands." Performances take place at the Jefferson College Fine Arts Theatre on the campus in Hillsboro, MO. For more information, visit jeffco.edu or call 636-481-3369 or 636-789-3000 ext. 3369.

The Presenters Dolan present Brian Owens in Sam Cooke at the Copa on Thursday, March 5, at 8 PM as part of the Gaslight Cabaret Festival. "Brian Ownens brings a tribute to The King of Soul in his momentous 1964 Copacabana set. Brian comes back to St. Louis and the Gaslight after a tour of Japan. Brian has appeared on ABC's “Good Morning America” and BET's “Jazz Dicovery.” Exceptionally talented, and based in St. Louis." The performance takes place at the Gaslight Theater, 358 North Boyle. For more information: gaslightcabaretfestival.com.

The Presenters Dolan present Joe Dreyer and Rosemary Watts in Transitions on Saturday, March 7 at 8 PM as part of the Gaslight Cabaret Festival. "Rosemary Watts and Joe Dreyer premier their new show "Transitions" at the Gaslight Cabaret Festival. The first couple of St. Louis cabaret brings a brand new show to the Gaslight stage, and their large and fashionable following." The performance takes place at the Gaslight Theater, 358 North Boyle. For more information: gaslightcabaretfestival.com.

The Winslow Boy
Photo: Jerry Naunheim, Jr.

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents Terrence Rattigan's The Winslow Boy through March 8. "When young Ronnie Winslow is expelled from military school for stealing a five-shilling postal order, his father wages an exhaustive fight to clear his son's name. What begins as a private matter quickly becomes a larger question of the rights of the individual against the power of the state. Though the legal battle jeopardizes his health and the reputation of the entire family, Arthur Winslow is determined that right will prevail, no matter what the sacrifice." Performances take place on the mainstage at the Loretto-Hlton Center, 130 Edgar Road in Webster Groves, MO. For more information, call 314-968-4925 or visit repstl.org. Read the 88.1 KDHX review!

The Theatre Guild of Webster Groves presents the classic comedy You Can't Take it With You Fridays through Sundays, March 6-15. Performances take place in the Guild theatre at Newport and Summit in Webster Groves, MO. For more information: theatreguildwg.org or call 314-962-0876.

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.