St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of May 28, 2018

What's on stage this week? Quite a lot, as St. Louis emerges from the holiday weekend hiatus and launches a week of opera, comedy, drama, and musical theatre.

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Opera Theatre of St. Louis presents the world premiere of An American Soldier, by Huang Ro and David Henry Hwang, opening on Sunday, June 3, and running through June 22. "Danny Chen is the son of Chinese immigrants, and a proud American. He enlists in the US Army in 2011, eager to serve his country. In boot camp, Danny is welcomed by his band of brothers. But in Afghanistan, his own base becomes enemy territory as military hazing turns deadly. Based on a true story, this opera asks powerful questions about what it means to be an American." Performances take place at the Loretto-Hilton Center at 135 Edgar Road on the Webster University campus. All performances are sung in English with projected English text. For more information: experienceopera.org call 314-961-0644.

The Book of Mormon

The Fox Theatre presents the hit Broadway musical The Book of Mormon opening on Tuesday, May 29, and running through June 3rd. "The Book of Mormon features book, music and lyrics by Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone. Parker and Stone are the four-time Emmy Award-winning creators of the landmark animated series, “South Park.” Tony Award-winner Lopez is co-creator of the long-running hit musical comedy, Avenue Q. The musical is choreographed by Tony Award-winner Casey Nicholaw (Monty Python's Spamalot, The Drowsy Chaperone) and is directed by Nicholaw and Parker." The Fox is at 527 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information: fabulousfox.com.

Clayton Community Theatre presents Neil Simon's comedy Brighton Beach Memoirs Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m., May 31 - June 10. "This well-known play, the first in Simon's semi-autobiographical Eugene trilogy, shows the coming of age of a young man in Brooklyn in 1937. This story is an affectionate, thoroughly entertaining lesson in overcoming hard times with warmth, and humor. CCT plans to present the entire trilogy over the next three seasons." Performances take place at the Washington University South Campus Theatre. For more information, call 314-721-9228 or visit placeseveryone.org.

CSZ St. Louis presents The ComedySportz Show on Saturday nights at 7:30 pm. The show is "action-packed, interactive and hilarious comedy played as a sport. Two teams battle it out for points and your laughs! You choose the winners the teams provide the funny!" Performances take place on the second floor of the Sugar Cubed, 917 S Main St. in St Charles, Mo. For more information: www.cszstlouis.com.

The Lemp Mansion Comedy-Mystery Dinner Theater presents A Fistful of Hollers through July 28. The Lemp Mansion is at 3322 DeMenil Place. For more information: lempmansion.com.

The Bissell Mansion Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre presents Get "Hitched" To A Redneck Or Die through July 29. The Bissell Mansion is at 4426 Randall Place. For more information: bissellmansiontheatre.com.

The "Purple" cast of I Do! I Do!

Stages St. Louis presents the musical I Do! I Do!, by the creators of The Fantasticks, June 1 through July 1. "I DO! I DO! tells the poignant story of 50 years in the married lives of Michael and Agnes. This two character musical version of the comedy/drama 'The Fourposter' takes place entirely in a bedroom and takes its audience on a whirlwind journey that begins in 1895 and ends half a century later. I DO! I DO! offers its audiences a frank look at the miracle of marriage as Michael and Agnes experience childbirth, parenthood, and the eventual settling down to face the future and their advancing years together. Originally written for the Broadway stars, Mary Martin and Robert Preston, STAGES employs the innovative theatrical hat-trick of two separate rotating casts: neither of which you will want to miss! An unabashed gift to the many couples who have walked through our doors, I DO! I DO! will be sure to steal your heart while celebrating the many triumphs and heartaches of marriage: past, present, and future!” Performances take place in the Robert G. Reim Theatre at the Kirkwood Community Center, 111 South Geyer Road in Kirkwood. For more information: stagesstlouis.org.

Life Sucks

New Jewish Theater presents Life Sucks by Aaron Posner through June 10. "An irreverent adaptation of Anton Chekhov's Uncle Vanya, Posner's contemporary riff on the work is altogether wise, profoundly humane, hilarious, quirky, endearing and, in countless clever ways, brilliantly faithful to its source. Posner brings a playful, far from cynical, originality to the story of a group of yearning, frustrated, heartbroken, questioning, and in many ways privileged souls who are, in their varied and deeply flawed ways, trying to cope with all the essential conundrums of existence. It is essentially a play about love, loss and longing - with a healthy dose of Jewish philosophizing thrown in. Never has unhappiness been so much fun." 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.

Mustard Seed Theatre and Theatre Nuevo present Luchadora! June 1 - 17. “A story of a young girl's journey to save the honor of her family, and inspired by the Ancient Chinese folktale of Mulan, LUCHADORA! explores themes of courage, identify, family and determination. Join Lupita as she becomes immersed in the world of Lucha Libre wresting, and gains profound insight about her Mexican-American culture and family history. The cast includes 4-6 youth ages 14-18 and 6-10 adults. Directed by Anna Skidis.” 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.

The Black Mirror Theatre Company presents the one-woman play Magdalen Thursday through Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m., May 31 - June 3. “Magdalen Laundries were institutions of confinement, often run by Catholic nuns, in which as many as 30,000 Irish women and girls were held in forced labor, some for most of their lives. The first opened in 1765; the last closed in 1996. The pain and suffering endured in them is still being revealed. Eventually, Magdalen Laundries spread to three continents. Some are said to still be in operation today. Written and performed by St. Louis native, Erin Layton, this highly acclaimed piece premiered at the New York International Fringe Festival in 2012. Layton tells the full story of the Laundries from many perspectives, changing characters and dialects with masterful grace and style.” Performances take place in the black box theatre at the Kranzberg Center, 501 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information: blackmirrortheatre.com

Regina

Opera Theatre of St. Louis presents Mark Blitzstein's Regina running through June 24. "Theft. Blackmail. Murder. Is there nothing that Regina Giddens won't do to satisfy her ambition? Based on Lillian Hellman's play The Little Foxes, and set against a Southern backdrop of spirituals, jazz, and ragtime, this deliciously twisted opera pits siblings and spouses against each other in a battle for the family business. Prepare to be scandalized - and entertained - as the renowned Susan Graham returns to Opera Theatre to portray one of the American stage's most fascinating characters." Performances take place at the Loretto-Hilton Center at 135 Edgar Road on the Webster University campus. All performances are sung in English with projected English text. For more information: experienceopera.org call 314-961-0644.

Shakespeare Festival St. Louis presents the tragedy Romeo and Juliet nightly except for Tuesdays, June 1 - 24. Beginning at 6:30 the Green Show presents pre-play entertainment a variety of local performers on multiple stages. The play begins at 8 p.m. Performances take place in Shakespeare Glen next to the Art Museum in Forest Park. For more information, visit shakespearefestivalstlouis.org.

Tesseract Theatre Company presents Spinning Jenny, a new play by Kevin Ferguson, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 4 p.m. through June 3. "When Jenny discovers the world outside of her family's traveling carnival she begins to see there's more to life than a quick con job. Will she defy her family for a new way of life or will she be another lost soul on the midway?" Performances take place at The .ZACK, 3224 Locust in Midtown. For more information: tesseracttheatre.org.

O'Fallon TheatreWorks presents Tarzan the Musical at the O'Fallon Municipal Centre auditorium Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 2 pm, June 1 - 9. The O'Fallon Municipal Centre is located at 100 North Main Street in O'Fallon, MO. For more information, visit www.ofallon.mo.us or call 636-379-5606.

La Traviata

Opera Theatre of St. Louis presents Verdi's La Traviata through June 23. "Violetta has one important rule: never fall in love. As a Parisian courtesan, her life is full of parties, admirers, and - most importantly - freedom. Then she meets Alfredo. His naive sincerity sweeps her off her feet. Just when Violetta thinks she has escaped her past, she is asked to make an unthinkable sacrifice. Will pride, love, or honor prevail? Embrace the romance of this Verdi masterpiece, featuring the directing debut of star soprano Patricia Racette" Performances take place at the Loretto-Hilton Center at 135 Edgar Road on the Webster University campus. All performances are sung in English with projected English text. For more information: experienceopera.org call 314-961-0644.

New Line Theatre presents the St. Louis premiere of the rock musical Yeast Nation Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 PM, May 31 - June 23. "The world's first bio-historical musical comedy, from the mad geniuses who brought you Urinetown! It is the year 3,000,458,000 BC. The Earth's surface is a molten mass of volcanic islands and undulating waves. The atmosphere is a choking fog lit by a dim red sun. And the mighty waters of the world are inhabited only by rocks, sand, salt, more rocks, a little silt, and the great society of salt-eating yeasts - yes, yeasts! - the world's very first life form! These single-cell salt-eaters are the only living creatures on earth, and they're struggling against a food shortage, a strange new emotion called Love, and the oppression of a tyrannical yeast king. But when the king's son ventures out of the known yeastiverse, the yeasts' epic story - and ours - is changed forever." 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.

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.

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.