Chuck's Choices for the weekend of December 11, 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:

Bad Jews
Photo: Eric Woolsey

New Jewish Theater presents Bad Jews through December 23. "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." Rabbis Amy Feder abd Michael Alper from Temple Israel will host a talk back session after the 2 p.m. performance on Sunday, December 13. 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.

My take: New Jewish Theater has brought some intriguing new shows to town over the years, and this one appears to be a good example. In her review for KDHX, Tina Farmer says Bad Jews is "a clever script filled with just the right levity, enabling the excellent cast to deliver a deeply evocative and thought-provoking story that sneaks up on you with surprising force."

The Presenters Dolan presents Feyza Eren in A Bossa Nova Christmas on Thursday, December 10 at 7:30 p.m. "A native of St. Louis, Feyza Eren spent 15 years singing performing in the most popular concert halls and jazz clubs in Istanbul and jazz festivals throughout Turkey and Europe, She was a featured vocalist with the Ricky Ford Orchestra, and played at the Val de Jazz Festival in France and the Lionel Hampton Jazz Club in Paris." The performance takes place in the Emerald Room at The Monocle, 4510 Manchester in the Grove neighborhood. For more information: buzzonstage.com/st-louis.

My take: With El Niño and global warming delivering a one-two punch of abnormally warm weather, St. Louis is already starting to feel a bit like Brazil, so why not go all the way? Besides the Emerald Room is a pretty cool, intimate space for cabaret and The Monocle bar's Art Deco Parisian decor is pleasantly classy.

Devil Boys from Beyond
Photo: John Lamb

Stray Dog Theatre presents the comedy Devil Boys from Beyond Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 PM through December 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.

My take: Ah, Stray Dog theatre! This small, smart local company treats is actors and its audiences like royalty and has produced some very fine work over the years. I'm a bit biased in that I've done a number of shows with them and always found the experience worthwhile, but the continued growth of their audience numbers and long string of good reviews indicate that I'm not alone in my admiration. "[T]he crisp, quick paced show," writes Tina Farmer in her review for KDHX, "is a mash up of science fiction and romantic comedy with abundant laughs, quirky characters, compromising situations, and a retro feel. To keep with the season, there's also and uplifting ending and genuine, positive messages about sexuality, gender roles, and acceptance."

The Gin Game
Photo: John Lamb

St. Louis Actors' Studio presents The Gin Game through December 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.

My take: Donald Coburn's script has been a staple of small theatre groups for a long time now, and with good reason. It's filled with great lines for two very well-drawn characters. "Similar to the game of gin itself," writes Tina Farmer at KDHX, "the story behind each of the two characters in the show is neither as simple nor straightforward as it may first appear, and neither are willing to reveal their hand too quickly. The result is a show that teeters on the line between comic and tragic, accidentally revealing truth that is at times humorous to behold, at times painful to consider."

Wicked
Photo: Joan Marcus

The Fox Theatre presents the musical Wicked, based on the novel by Gregory McGuire, running through January 3. "Long before that girl from Kansas arrives in Munchkinland, two girls meet in the land of Oz. One - born with emerald green skin - is smart, fiery and misunderstood. The other is beautiful, ambitious and very popular. How these two grow to become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good makes for 'the most complete - and completely satisfying - musical in a long time' (USA Today)." The Fox Theatre is at 517 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information, fabulousfox.com or call 314-534-1678.

My take: I haven't seen this particular tour, but in my review of the 2005 tour I noted that composer/lyricist Stephen Schwartz and book author Winnie Holtzman have done a remarkable job of simplifying and reducing the story of Gregory McGuire's original novel while still remaining true to the original characters and their relationships. The score is one of Schwartz's best, and that's saying something.

Held Over:

All is Calm
Photo: John Lamb

Mustard Seed Theatre presents the a capella musical All is Calm Thursdays through Sundays through December 23. "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.

My take: As I say in my review, this show combines splendid and often quite complex a cappella singing with readings of letters from soldiers and other historical documents. It's powerfully moving and beautifully performed by a fine ensemble of eleven of our town's most talented singing actors. Highly recommended, especially given the current level of hateful and aggressive political rhetoric that is currently despoiling our holiday season.