St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of March 21, 2016

[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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American Idiot
Photo: Jill Ritter Lindberg

New Line Theatre presents the musical American Idiot, based on the album by Green Day, Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 PM through March 26. " New Line continues its 25th season with the powerful, high-octane, rock fable AMERICAN IDIOT, based on the powerhouse album by Green Day, a scorching attack on what they saw as the hypocrisy and moral evils of the Bush Administration after the attacks of Sept. 11, as well as the increasingly submissive nature of the American public. The score includes every song from Green Day's hit album American Idiot, as well as several songs from their follow-up release, 21st Century Breakdown, with music by Green Day, lyrics by frontman Billie Joe Armstrong, a book by Armstrong and Michael Mayer, and musical arrangements and orchestrations by Broadway composer Tom Kitt (High Fidelity, Next to Normal, If/Then). The Toronto Star called the show 'the first great musical of the 21st century.'" Performances take place at the Marcelle Theater, 3310 Samuel Shepard Drive, three blocks east of Grand, in Grand Center. For more information, visit newlinetheatre.com or call 314-534-1111.

The Bissell Mansion Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre presents And Away You Go through March 27. The Bissell Mansion is at 4426 Randall Place. For more information: bissellmansiontheatre.com.

The Lemp Mansion Comedy-Mystery Dinner Theater presents Clueless through April 16. The Lemp Mansion is at 3322 DeMenil Place. For more information: lempmansion.com

The Presenters Dolan present Natalie Douglas in Hello Dolly: The Music of Dolly Parton on Thursday, March 24, at 8 PM as part of the Gaslight Cabaret Festival. "Called "a true force of nature" by The Times UK and "sensational" by Time Out New York. After a Birdland residency and a weeklong triumph in London, Natalie Douglas - a buxom beauty herself - brings her acclaimed Dolly Parton show to our town.." The performance takes place at the Gaslight Theater, 358 North Boyle. For more information: gaslightcabaretfestival.com.

If/Then
Photo: Joan Marcus

The Fox Theatre presents the musical If/Then opening on Tuesday, March 15, and running through March 27. "IF/THEN is a contemporary Broadway musical about living in New York today - and all the possibilities of tomorrow. With unforgettable songs and a deeply moving story by the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award®-winning creators of Next to Normal, this "fascinating, ambitious, and original new musical" (New York Post) simultaneously follows one woman's two possible life paths, painting a deeply moving portrait of the lives we lead, as well as the lives we might have led." The Fox is on North Grand in Grand Center. For more information: fabulousfox.com.

The Presenters Dolan present Liam Forde: Live! on Friday and Saturday, March 25 and 26, at 8 PM as part of the Gaslight Cabaret Festival. " Liam's one break away from the heights - catch him now." The performance takes place at the Gaslight Theater, 358 North Boyle. For more information: gaslightcabaretfestival.com.

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents the world premiere of Molly's Hammer through March 27. "Molly Rush was focused on the endgame- save the world, protect her family. But what would she have to sacrifice? In 1980, the Pittsburgh housewife and mother of six walked into a General Electric plant and took a hammer to a nuclear warhead to protest the buildup of America's nuclear arsenal. Based on the true story of the Plowshares Eight, Molly's Hammer is the world-premiere account of one woman's unwavering beliefs and her family's desperate attempts to protect her from infamy." Performances take place in the studio theater at the Loretto-Hlton Center, 130 Edgar Road in Webster Groves, MO. For more information, call 314-968-4925 or visit repstl.org. Read my review!

Old Wicked Songs
Photo: Eric Woolsdy

New Jewish Theater presents the Old Wicked Songs through April 3 "Hoping to reconnect with his music and shatter the artistic block that has plagued his career, a young American piano prodigy travels to Vienna in the spring of 1986. He is assigned to a vocal teacher who gives him the "Dicheterliebe" song cycle by Robert Schumann. Marans incorporates the poetry of Heinrich Heine and the music of Robert Schumann into the series of events. Through the sessions between the two men, Marans creates a link between two generations who find they much more in common than they think. This is the inspirational journey of two very different men who, with music as their one common bond, must find a way to break through their pasts." 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 Presenters Dolan present Pink Martini: A Spring Fling Featuring China Forbes on Monday, March 21, at 8 PM as part of the Gaslight Cabaret Festival. The performance takes place at the Sheldon Concert Hall in Grand Center. For more information: metrotix.com.

The St. Louis Theater Circle presents the St. Louis Theater Circle Awards on Monday, March 21, at 7 PM. The awards recognize outstanding achievement in locally produced professional theatre as judged by local theatre critics who are members of the Circle. Presenters will include KDHX's own Chuck Lavazzi. The ceremony takes place at The Skip Viragh Center on the campus of Chaminade University . Tickets are available in advance at brownpapertickets.com. A pre-ceremony buffet and open bar will be situated just outside the theater entrance. Food and drinks will be available on a cash basis, but the buffet has to be ordered and paid for in advance. Check out the With Love Catering site for details or call 314-637-7907. The event will be broadcast and webcast live on HEC-TV Charter channel 989, U-Verse channel 99, and at hectv.org

Satchel Paige and the Kansas City Swing
Photo: John Gitchoff

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents Satchel Paige and the Kansas City Swing March 16 - April 10. "The crack of the bat, the roar of the crowd-it's what every baseball player dreams of. In 1947, Jackie Robinson had broken baseball's color barrier, while Satchel Paige and his Negro League All-Stars were barnstorming against their white counterparts in the Majors. It was baseball by day and jazz by night as the impassioned and devoted players tried to find their place in a country on the verge of change." 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.

On Wednesday, March 23, at 7:30 p .m. the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis Ignite! New Play Festival presents Unseen by Mona Monsour. "Conflict photographer Mia wakes up in the Istanbul apartment of her on-again, off-again girlfriend after being found unconscious at the scene of a massacre she was photo-graphing. When Mia's mother arrives from the U.S., the apartment is filled with tension as the women try to unravel what happened. Unseen is a provocative look at one American's attempt to commune with another very foreign, much discussed part of the world." The performance takes place at the Sally S. Levy Opera Center, 210 Hazel Avenue in Webster Groves. For more information www.repstl.org/ignite.

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis Ignite! New Play Festival presents Until the Flood by Daniel Orlandersmith Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday at 1 p.m., March 25 and 26. " The Rep has commissioned celebrated writer, performer and Pulitzer Prize finalist Dael Orlandersmith to write and perform a play about the recent events in Ferguson. She has fashioned a sensitive and moving portrayal of the people in our community, and how they feel about an event that placed St. Louis in a spotlight it didn't expect or relish." The Friday performance takes place at the Sally S. Levy Opera Center, 210 Hazel Avenue in Webster Groves and the Saturday performance at St. Louis Public Radio in Grand Center. For more information www.repstl.org/ignite.

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.