Monday, October 31, 2016

St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of October 31, 2016

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Alton Little Theater presents the musical The Addams Family Thursdays through Sundays through November 6. "The weird and wonderful family created by New Yorker cartoonist Charles Addams comes to life in this zany musical comedy. All the memorable "creepy and kooky" characters are there: Morticia, Gomez, Uncle Fester, Lurch, Grandmama, Wednesday and Pugsley, accompanied on stage by some of their deceased ancestors. In this story, Morticia and Gomez Addams want to continue living amongst death, pain and suffering as they always have. But there is a change brewing." Performances take place at 2450 North Henry in Alton, IL. For more information, call 618.462.6562 or visit altonlittletheater.org.

COCA presents the COCA Theatre Company production of Akeelah and the Bee Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 5 p.m., November 4 and 5. "Akeelah has a crazy passion for words: the more abstruse and labyrinthine, the better. But this gift is almost overwhelmed by the challenge of her daily life in a tough, Chicago neighborhood. Akeelah's aptitude earns her a spot in the National Spelling Bee, which inspires the people in her neighborhood with her courage and tenacity." COCA is at 524 Trinity in University City. For more information: cocastl.org.

Burrow
YoungLiars present the world premiere of Burrow, an adaptation of Kafka's Der Bau adapted and performed by Jeff Skoblow, running through November 5. "Our nameless hero has at long last completed his elaborate secret burrow. Far beneath the ground he is safe from the predators and danger that lurk everywhere above. Or is he? That noise he hears just beyond the edges of the burrow...what is it? Have they found him? Is it the sound of some terrible beast digging relentlessly towards him? Or is it something even worse?" __Performances take place in in the hundred-year-old basement of the Centene Center for the Arts, 3547 Olive Street in Grand Center. For more information: youngliarsburrow.bpt.me.

The Black Rep presents a concert version of the musical Dreamgirls on Saturday, November 5, at 8 p.m. "DREAMGIRLS premiered on Broadway in 1981, with music by Henry Krieger, lyrics and book by Tom Eyen, and subsequently ran for over 1,500 performances. It's based on the show business aspirations and successes of groups like The Supremes, The Shirelles and other rhythm-and-blues greats. It tells the story of a group from Chicago, called “The Dreams,” who go on to become a superstar group, with all of the glamour and challenges stardom presents. " The performance takes place at the 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity Avenue in University City. For more information: theblackrep.org.

The Hawthorne Players present the comedy Driving Miss Daisy November 4 - 13. " Having recently demolished another car, Daisy Werthan, a rich, sharp-tongued Jewish widow of seventy-two, is informed by her son, Boolie, that henceforth she must rely on the services of a chauffeur. The person he hires for the job is a thoughtful, unemployed black man, Hoke, whom Miss Daisy immediately regards with disdain and who, in turn, is not impressed with his employer's patronizing tone and, he believes, her latent prejudice. The performances take place at the Florissant Civic Center Theatre at Parker and Waterford in Florissant, MO. For more information, call 921-5678 or visit hawthorneplayers.info.

Chuck Lavazzi
Photo: Jill Ritter Lindberg
The Cabaret Project and The Monocle present cabaret open mic night every Wednesday from 7 to 10 PM. "Drop by and enjoy a night of great music from St. Louis cabaret artists, backed up by the guest music director Carol Schmidt on the baby grand." The master of ceremonies this week is singer and Cabaret Project board member Chuck Lavazzi. If you're planning to sing, be prepared to do one or two songs and bring music, preferably in your key. At least one of your two songs should be a medium-or up-tempo number. It's also recommend that you have your song memorized. The Monocle is at 4510 Manchester in The Grove neighborhood. For more information: thecabaretproject.org.

Slightly Askew Theatre Ensemble presents Cuddles Wednesday through Saturday at 8 p.m., November 2 - 12. " Eve is a young vampire. Tabby is her sister. Tabby makes the rules. Eve has never left her room. All she knows about the world comes from Tabby and from Eve's storybook characters. Eve does everything a good little vampire girl should do; including drinking Tabby's blood when she has to. But one day, Tabby tires of opening her veins, her heart, and in a breath, Eve's world changes. " Performances take place at The Chapel Venue, 6238 Alexander Drive. For more information: slightlyoff.org.

The Playhouse at Westport Plaza presents the satirical musical revue Forbidden Broadway, opening on Thursday, November 3, and running through November 13. "Look out Broadway, we're back! New Season - New Victims - New Laughs! Just when Broadway thought it was safe from the poison pen of funny-man Gerard Alessandrini, Forbidden Broadway returns, sharper and more hilarious than ever! This year's targets include Pippin, Kinky Boots, Les Miz, Matilda, joining favorites including Wicked and The Book of Mormon." The Playhouse at Westport Plaza is at 635 West Port Plaza. For more information: westportstl.com.

Satori presents I'm Gonna Pray for you so Hard Thursdays through Sundays at 8 p.m. through November 6. " Ella is a precocious and fiercely competitive actress whose sole aim in life is making her famous playwright father, David, proud. Over the course of a boozy evening, Ella and David deliberate over whether to read the reviews of her Off-Broadway debut and things unravel from there. Halley Feiffer's dark, probing and very funny new play pulls the audience into the middle of a deeply complicated relationship and sheds new light on the eternal struggles of parents and children to find common ground." Satori is at 3003 Locust in Midtown. For more information: www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2666888

Karen Irwin
The Presenters Dolan presents Karen Irwin in A Janis Joplin Tribute on Friday and Saturday, November 4 and 5, at 8 p.m. as part of the Gaslight Cabaret Festival. "In her magical, stunning tribute to Janis Joplin, Karen Irwin shakes us to the core." The performances take place at the Gaslight Theater, 358 North Boyle. For more information: gaslightcabaretfestival.com.

Lindenwood University presents the Shakespeare's Macbeth Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. November 3 - 5. "Relive one of English Theatre's darkest hours in this presentation of William Shakespeare's chilling masterpiece: Macbeth. When a stalwart warrior's fate is cornered between the maddening desire for power and what he must do to keep what he has taken, he has no choice but to fall into the hands of the sinister and supernatural to hold himself intact. A classic that has withstood the ages, Macbeth dares its audience to question not only the value of human life, but the value of humanity itself.” The performance takes place at The Lindenwood Theatre 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 www.lindenwood.edu/center.

Manifest / Destiny
The West End Players Guild opens their 106th season with the world premiere of Manifest / Destiny by Vladimir Zelevinsky Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM and Sundays at 2 PM, November 4 - 13. There will also be a show on Thursday, November 10, at 8 PM. "In a year when America's immigration history and policies have been front-and-center in political conversations, Zelevinsky's play is especially timely and insightful. An ensemble cast playing dozens of roles offers poignant vignettes of the love and suffering, bravery and betrayal endured by four centuries-worth of immigrants fleeing the Old World for a chance to reinvent themselves in the new one. " Performances take place at the Union Avenue Christian Church, 733 North Union at Enright in the Central West End. For more information, call 314-367-0025 or visit www.westendplayers.org.

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents Mothers and Sons by Terrence McNally through November 13. "Time stopped for Katharine the day her son died of AIDS. Twenty years later, she seeks out his former partner, Cal, only to discover that he has a husband and a six-year-old son. As she and Cal explore memories of someone they both loved, Katharine begins a rocky journey toward reconciliation with the side of her son that she never understood." 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.

The Looking Glass Playhouse presents The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940 opening on Thursday, November 3, and running through November 13. "The creative team responsible for a recent Broadway flop (in which three chorus girls were murdered by the mysterious “Stage Door Slasher”) assemble for a backer's audition of their new show at the Westchester estate of a wealthy “angel.” The house is replete with siding panels, secret passageways and a German maid who is apparently four different people- all of which figure diabolically in the comic mayhem that follows when the infamous “slasher” makes his reappearance and strikes again. " Performances take place at 301 West St. Louis Street in Lebanon, Ill. For more information, visit www.lookingglassplayhouse.com.

Act Two Theatre presents Nuncrackers: The Nunsense Christmas Musical November 4 - 13. "The Nunsense Christmas Musical, NUNCRACKERS, is presented as the first TV special taped in the Cable Access Studio built by Reverend Mother in the convent basement. It stars the nuns you love, plus Father Virgil, and four of Mount Saint Helen's most talented students. Featuring all new songs including Twelve Days Prior to Christmas, Santa Ain't Comin' to Our House, We Three Kings of Orient Are Us and It's Better to Give than to Receive, this show is filled with typical NUNSENSE humor, some of your favorite carols, and a “Secret Santa” audience participation. We're certain this NUNSENSE Christmas Show will make you laugh, and maybe tug at your heartstrings. It's the perfect way to ensure that your holiday season is merry and bright!" 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.

Gail Payne
The Emerald Room at the Monocle and The Presenters Dolan present singer Gail Payne in Red, White and Blue Burgoo on Saturday, November 5, at 8 p.m. " Life-long Midwesterner and world traveler, Gail Payne presents a savory and sweet potluck of musical perspectives on the American dream. With a variety of ingredients from the musical gardens of Gershwin and Sondheim to Mellencamp and the Dixie Chicks, Payne cooks up a thought-provoking and entertaining evening that celebrates the complex flavors required for our increasingly nuanced American palate. Alex Rybeck is pianist and music director for the show, which is directed by Broadway star Faith Prince." The performance takes place in the Emerald Room at The Monocle, 4510 Manchester in the Grove neighborhood. For more information: buzzonstage.com/st-louis.

Kirkwood Theatre Guild presents comedy Steel Magnolias November 4 - 13. "The celebrated Southern classic of family and friendship, this is the story of a group of strong and beautiful women who cluster around Truvy's Beauty Parlow in a small Louisiana parish. The story centers on Shelby, who moves fro wedding to childbirth to medical complications with a love of live and a willingness to face its possibilities bravely with support from steely southern sisterhood." 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.

Prime Theatre presents The Transmigration Show on Saturday, November 5, at 8 p.m. " Transmigration (or reincarnation) is the belief that the soul does not die with the body, but begins a new life in cyclic existence. In the course of six shows, this trippy play festival will follow two characters (“twin flames”) as they pass through this cycle. The night before the festival, six writers will receive a different reason for reincarnation (such as unfinished business or the fulfillment of debt), and each will pen a script based on this prompt by dawn. The next morning, six directors and six casts will arrive to bring these works to life by the evening. While each play will bring its own style and voice to the festival, together they'll function as a cohesive whole - like a great concept album instead of six single songs. In addition to the onstage performances, the Transmigration Show will integrate inspirational artwork from visual artists." The performance takes place at Southampton Presyterian Church, 4716 Macklind. For more information visit facebook.com/primetheatrestl or call (314) 884-1647.

Dael Orlandersmith in Until the Flood
Photo: Peter Wochniak
Through November 6, the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents Until the Flood. Writer, performer and Pulitzer Prize finalist Dael Orlandersmith spent a week in St. Louis interviewing people from every corner of the region about recent social unrest. From these conversations, she has crafted a play that reflects the complexity of St. Louis. Performances take place at the Loretto-Hilton Center on the Webster University campus. For more information: repstl.org.

The Theatre Guild of Webster Groves presents the thriller Wait Until Dark Fridays through Sundays, November 4 - 13. "A sinister con man, Roat, and two ex-convicts, Mike and Carlino, are about to meet their match. They have traced the location of a mysterious doll, which they are much interested in, to the Greenwich Village apartment of Sam Hendrix and his blind wife, Susy." 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.

St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley presents the drama The Woolgatherer November 4 - 12. Performances take place in the Fisher Theatre on the campus at 3400 Pershall Road. For more information, www.stlcc.edu/fv or call 314-644-5522.

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.
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 Calendar.

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