St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of May 4, 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.

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Stray Pups Youth Theatre presents the musical Disney's Beauty and the Beast Jr. through May 10 "The classic story tells of Belle, a young woman in a provincial town, and the Beast, who is really a young prince trapped under the spell of an enchantress. If the Beast can learn to love and be loved, the curse will end and he will be transformed to his former self. But time is running out. If the Beast does not learn his lesson soon, he and his household will be doomed for all eternity." Performances take place at The Tower Grove Abbey, 2336 Tennessee. For more information, visit straydogtheatre.org or call 314-865-1995.

Alton Little Theater presents The Dixie Swim Club Thursdays through Sundays, May 7-17, at 2450 North Henry in Alton, IL. "Five Southern women, whose friendships began many years ago on their college swim team, set aside a long weekend every August to recharge those relationships. Free from husbands, kids and jobs, they meet at the same beach cottage on North Carolina's Outer Banks to catch up, laugh and meddle in each other's lives. The Dixie Swim Club focuses on four of those weekends and spans a period of thirty-three years. As their lives unfold and the years pass, these women increasingly rely on one another, through advice and raucous repartee, to get through the challenges (men, sex, marriage, parenting, divorce, aging) that life flings at them. And when fate throws a wrench into one of their lives in the second act, these friends, proving the enduring power of “teamwork,” rally 'round their own with the strength and love that takes this comedy in a poignant and surprising direction. The Dixie Swim Club is the story of these five unforgettable women-a hilarious and touching comedy about friendships that last forever " For more information, call 618.462.6562 or visit altonlittletheater.org.

The Lemp Mansion Comedy-Mystery Dinner Theater presents A Fistful Of Hollers May 1 through August 29. The Lemp Mansion is at 3322 DeMenil Place. For more information: lempmansion.com.

Fools

The Theatre Guild of Webster Groves presents Neil Simon's comedy Fools Fridays through Sundays, through May 9. "Leon Tolchinsky is ecstatic. He's landed a terrific teaching job in an idyllic Russian hamlet. When he arrives he finds people sweeping dust from the stoops back into their houses and people milking upside down to get more cream. The town has been cursed with Chronic Stupidity for 200 years and Leon's job is to break the curse. No one tells him that if he stays over 24 hours and fails to break the curse, he too becomes Stupid. But, he has fallen in love with a girl so Stupid that she has only recently learned how to sit down." 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.

The Looking Glass Playhouse presents the musical Mary Poppins Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m., May 7-17. Performances take place at 301 West St. Louis Street in Lebanon, Ill. For more information, visit www.lookingglassplayhouse.com.

The Bissell Mansion Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre presents Mayhem In Mayberry May 1 through July 26. The Bissell Mansion is at 4426 Randall Place. For more information: bissellmansiontheatre.com

Windsor Theatre Group presents The Musical 1950's with a Nod to Broadway Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m., May 7-17. "Most of the selections are from shows which appeared on Broadway in the 1950's; a few songs are from the pop genre during the same decade. Some of these tunes have been rarely performed since those Broadway productions closed. This enjoyable potpourri will be performed by singers and dancers, with piano accompaniment." Performances take place at The Historic Ozark Theatre, 103 E. Lockwood in Webster Groves. For more information: 314-832-2114.

New Jewish Theater presents the musical My Mother's Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding May 7-31. “The surprise hit of both the Toronto Fringe Festival and New York Musical Theater Festival, My Mother's Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding is the sweet, tuneful and true story of the journey of the playwright's mother as she discovered her true self. Despite its specific title, MMLJWW is a universal story about parents and children, falling in love, and finding out who you are. It has heart and soul and in today's political climate, it couldn't be more timely - plus, it's a TRUE STORY!” 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.

The Odd Couple
Photo: John Lamb

Dramatic License Productions presents the female version of Neil Simon's comedy The Odd Couple through May 10. "Oscar and Felix become Olive and Florence in this, the equally-hilarious female version of Neil Simon's classic comedy about two unlikely roomies who will either become the best of friends or kill each other trying!" Performances take place at Dramatic License Theatre located at upper-level Sears wing of Chesterfield Mall. For more information, call 636-821-1746 or visit www.dramaticlicenseproductions.org. Read the 88.1 KDHX review!

Equally Represented Arts presents R + J: A Telephone Play, or, Don't Drink the Milk Wednesdays through Fridays at 8 p.m. through May 8. "R + J: A Telephone Play is the performance of six new plays created through the context of a game of telephone. Telephone (also known as “don’t drink the milk”) is a game in which one person whispers a message to another person. The message is passed through a line of people until the last player announces the message to the entire group. The original message for this particular game of telephone is the last scene of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. We created an audio recording of this scene and sent it to the first playwright in the line. The playwright listened to the recording and wrote what he/she heard in the form of a play. Then, we sent an audio recording of this new play to the next playwright in the line, and so on. All performances of R + J: A Telephone Play are followed by a Bodysnatchers' The Historical Tragedy or Comedy of, an improvised version of your favorite Shakespeare play." Performances take place at the Chapel, 6238 Alexander Drive. For more information: eratheatre.org. Read the 88.1 KDHX review!

Kirkwood Theatre Guild presents the musical Thoroughly Modern Millie through May 10. "Small-town girl, Millie Dillmount, sets out for New York in 1922, to put some excitement in her life...and hopefully find a rich husband. Millie begins her new flapper lifestyle with enthusiasm but encounters some unexpected turns when she moves into a hotel run by the evil Mrs. Meers and takes a job at Sincere Trust in an attempt to catch the rich and eligible boss...but instead finds herself falling in love with (gasp) an ordinary man. This zany musical, based on the popular movie, took Broadway by storm, winning the TONY Award for Best Musical! It's an absolutely fun-filled, toe-tapping tribute to the flapper era and the exciting beginning of the thoroughly modern woman!" Performances take place in the Robert G. Reim Theatre of the Kirkwood Community Center, 111 South Geyer Road. For more information, call 314-821-9956 or visit ktg-onstage.org.

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.