St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of November 30, 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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All is Calm
Photo: John Lamb

Mustard Seed Theatre presents the a capella musical All is Calm Thursdays through Sundays through December 20. "Join us in celebrating the power of peace in this a capella 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. Read my review!

R-S Theatrics presents Animals Out of Paper Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 7 p.m., through December 8 "When a reclusive origami artist opens her studio to a teenage prodigy and his eager high-school teacher, she discovers that life and love can't be arranged neatly in this drama about finding the perfect fold." Performances take place at The Chapel, 6238 Alexander Drive. For more information: r-stheatrics.com. Read the 88.1 KDHX review!

Bad Jews
Photo: Eric Woolsey

New Jewish Theater presents Bad Jews December 3-20. "Good Jews, Bad Jews - it's all relative in this razor sharp and savage comedy about family, faith, and legacy. Meet Daphna Feygenbaum, a "Real Jew" with an Israeli boyfriend who she met on Birthright. When Daphna's cousin Liam brings home his shiksa girlfriend Melody for their grandfather's shiva and declares ownership of "Poppy's" Chai necklace, a vicious and hilarious family brawl ensues.A gleefully funny, thought-provoking evening of theatre. Outrageously and laceratingly funny, it's about what you choose to believe when you're chosen." 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 Monocle presents The Bitch is Back Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m., December 4 and 5 "Celebrity female impersonator Joe Posa teams up with comedic writer Tony Tripoli of Fashion Police to bring the legendary Joan Rivers back to the stage in "The Bitch is Back!" This ninety-minute comedy show will have you rolling in the aisles with the bawdy humor of the late Joan Rivers." The performance takes place in the Emerald Room at The Monocle, 4510 Manchester in the Grove neighborhood. For more information: buzzonstage.com/st-louis.

Lindenwood University presents A Christmas Carol December 3-5. "Lindenwood University is honored to continue it's yearly tradition of presenting Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. This timeless classic follows the tale of Ebenezer Scrooge on a fantastic journey through time and space, forced to confront his past, present, and future through the aid of his spiritual guides." Performances take at the J. Scheidegger Center for the Arts on the Lindenwood campus in St. Charles, MO. For more information, call 636-949-4433 or visit lindenwood.edu/center.

Stone Spiral Coffeehouse presents A Christmas Celebration on Friday, December 4 at 8 p.m. The show features prose, poetry, and comedy by Shakespeare, Truman Capote, TS Eliot, and Lewis Carroll, among others, along with seasonal songs and a holiday sing-along. Featured performers are Phyllis Thorpe, Ralf Lucas, and Chuck Lavazzi ,with Tom Lilly on guitar. Stone Spiral is at 2500 Sutton in Maplewood, MO. For more information: www.stonespiralcoffee.com.

The Bissell Mansion Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre presents A Christmas Sleigh-Ing through December 30th. The Bissell Mansion is at 4426 Randall Place. For more information: bissellmansiontheatre.com

The Fox Theatre presents Crirque Dreams Holidaze Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 1 and 6 p.m., December 4-6. "In CIRQUE DREAMS HOLIDAZE, Broadway director Neil Goldberg re-imagines the holiday season with over 300 costumes, 20 acts and 30 performers showcasing an endless variety of imaginative, heart-pounding and gravity- defying feats you have to see to believe. Experience gingerbread men flipping mid air, toy soldiers marching on thin wires along with snowmen, icemen and penguins balancing, jumping and spinning in disbelief. The show celebrates the most wonderful time of the year with singers, choreography and exciting production numbers. Performers twirl, bounce and soar thru the air to original music and seasonal favorites brought to life within a stage setting of gigantic gifts, colossal candy canes and 30-foot towering trees & soldiers creating a wonderland of amazement." The Fox Theatre is at 517 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information: fabulousfox.com.

Stray Dog Theatre presents the comedy Devil Boys from Beyond Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 PM December 3-19. "Men are from Mars; women are from Venus; all the rest are from Pluto. A high-camp parody of '50s B-movies and trashy romance novels, mixed with a dash of 'Adult Swim' cartoon. Fold in a heaping portion of screwball comedy and stir gently but keep it lumpy!" Performances take place at The Tower Grove Abbey, 2336 Tennessee. For more information, visit straydogtheatre.org or call 314-865-1995.

The Gin Game

St. Louis Actors' Studio presents The Gin Game December 4-20 at the Gaslight Theatre, 358 North Boyle. " This winner of the 1978 Pulitzer Prize, which originally starred Jessica Tandy and Hume Cronyn and was later revived with Julie Harris and Charles Durning, uses a card game as a metaphor for life. Weller Martin is playing solitaire on the porch of a seedy nursing home. Enter Fonsia Dorsey, a prim, self righteous lady. They discover they both dislike the home and enjoy gin rummy, so they begin to play and to reveal intimate details of their lives. Fonsia wins every time and their secrets become weapons used against one another. Weller longs for a victory to counter a lifetime of defeats but it doesn't happen. He leaves the stage a broken man and Fonsia realizes her self-righteous rigidity has led to an embittered, lonely old age." For more information, call 314-458-2978 or visit stlas.org.

St. Louis Community College at Wildwood presents It's a Wonderful Life, a live radio play by Joe Landry, on Friday, December 4, at 6:30 p.m. The production features students, staff and community members.. The campus is at 2645 Generations Drive in Wildwood, MO. For more information: calendar.stlcc.edu

The Sheldon Concert Hall presents film maker John Waters in his one-man show A John Waters Christmas: Holier and Dirtier, on Thursday, December 3, at 8 p.m. "Waters pokes fun at the holiday season with adult-appropriate humor, effectively 'putting the X in Xmas,' developing a show for the open minded and slightly left-of-center audience. Regarded as a shocking entertainer, John Waters carefully chooses his material and exploits it through a dirty lens." Performances take place at the Sheldon Concert Hall, 3658 Washington in Grand Center. For more information: sheldonconcerthall.org.

The Lemp Mansion Comedy-Mystery Dinner Theater presents The Naughty List November 20 - January 2. The Lemp Mansion is at 3322 DeMenil Place. For more information: lempmansion.com

The Tavern of Fine Arts presents the a cappella vocal group One Too Many on Saturday, December 5, at 8 p.m. "St. Louis' newest a cappella group, One Too Many, brings their precise harmonies and beautifully blended voices back to the Tavern." The Tavern of Fine Arts is at 313 Belt in the Debaliviere Place neighborhood. For more information: tavern-of-fine-arts.blogspot.com.

The Monocle presents an open mic night every Monday from 8:00pm to 11:00pm" "Musical Theater actor? Cabaret singer? Balladeer? Beleter? Coloratura soprano? Crooner? Student? Teacher? Performer? Fan? Come on down and sing. All are welcome. Ron Bryant is your accompanist. Bring your sheet music"." The monocle is at 4510 Manchester in The Grove neighborhood. For more information: themonoclestl.com.

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents Peter and the Starcatcher December 2-27. "An apprentice starcatcher and a young orphan boy find themselves on a life-changing adventure when they are charged with protecting magical starstuff from a fearsome pirate. Pursued by a giant crocodile, mysterious mermaids and angry islanders, their fantastical journey is filled with spectacle and whimsy. This swashbuckling prequel to Peter Pan is rich in stage magic, off-the-wall humor and touching sincerity as it takes us on a voyage to an island where dreams are born and time is never planned. Winner of five 2012 Tony Awards." 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.

Sharon Hunter

The Presenters Dolan and The Monocle present Sharon Hunter in Play Me on Thursday, December 3, at 7 and 9 p.m. "Play Me, features songs with a mix of rock and pop from the 1970's. These songs were written and sung by some of the greatest male artists of their generation...Neil Diamond, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, James Taylor, Rod Stewart, TheEagles and more. Now they are given fresh arrangements and a new sound with a woman's voice and sensual touch." The performancs take place in the Emerald Room at The Monocle, 4510 Manchester in the Grove neighborhood. For more information: buzzonstage.com/st-louis.

Clinton County Showcase presents A Seussified Christmas Carol December 4-13. "A whimsical reinvention of Dickens' most beloved Christmas story in wacky rhymed couplets. With zoot fruited juices and binka bird geese, from Bed-Headed Fred to Timmy Loo Hoo, this tale of glorious holiday cheer is similar to something Dr. Seuss might have come up with - if he ever had his way with the story..." Performances take place at the Avon Theater, 525 North 2nd Street Breese IL. For more information, visit ccshowcase.com.

Webster University's Conservatory of Theatre Arts presents Shotgun Wednesday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m., December 2-13. "It is four months after Hurricane Katrina demolished the levees in New Orleans. A Caucasian man named Beau and his son, Eugene, lost their house due to the flood. Now they are renting half of a shotgun duplex from an African American woman named Mattie. Mattie's father also lost his home in the flood, so he is now living with her in her half of the duplex. Both families find that they are having difficulties inhabiting the home together. Will they be able to work it out" Performances take placein the Stage III Auditorium at 470 E. Lockwood on the Webster University campus. For more information, events.webster.edu or call 314-968-7128.

Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville presents Since Africa December 4-12. Performances take place in the Metcalf Student Experimental Theatre on the campus in Edwardsville, IL. For more information, call 618-650-2774 or visit siue.edu.

The Monocle Varieté presents Stuff It..Turkey's Done Friday and Saturday at 9 and 11 p.m., December 4 and 5. "A comedic romp through giving thanks each fall and the holiday where you carve your turkey, but wish you could carve your loved ones! Stuff It! brings joy to the dreaded family table where the roast precedes the toast!" This ninety-minute comedy show will have you rolling in the aisles with the bawdy humor of the late Joan Rivers." The performance takes place in the Emerald Room at The Monocle, 4510 Manchester in the Grove neighborhood. For more information: buzzonstage.com/st-louis.

Sublime Intimacy
Photo: John Lamb

Max and Louie Productions presents Sublime Intimacy by St. Louis actor/playwright Ken Page December 4-20. "Sublime Intimacy is the remembered tales of five friends: an ex-Hollywood actor,a psychology professor, a painter, an actress and a Broadway musical performer whose lives were elevated, touched and indeed changed by their love of a dancer and his dance. While each person's story is different, they overlap, intertwine and inform each other as the lives and tales of friends often do. We the audience, like the characters, are allowed to share in the intimate beauty of the art form through the performances of "The Dancer" as the play unfolds. Sublime Intimacy, isn't that what we all want?" Performances take place at the Wool Studio Theatre at the JCC, 2 Millstone Campus Drive. For more information, visit maxandlouie.com.

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.