St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of June 25, 2018

There's a lot of children's theatre avaialble this week, along with a popular musical at the Muny, the Grand Center Theatre Crawl, and a chance to sample highlights from Hawthorne Players' Voices of Valhalla without sitting on a bale of hay.

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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 Bankside Repertory Theatre Company presents The Complete Works Of William Shakespeare (Abridged) [Revised] through June 30. "A comedy crash-course on the Bard's canon, an iambic pentametric delight! For adult audiences." Performances take place at The Jacoby Arts Center, 627 E. Broadway in Alton, IL. For more information: www.banksiderep.com.

Ignite Theatre Company presents Disney's Alice in Wonderland Jr. Friday and Saturday at 7 pm and Sunday at 1 and 7 pm, June 29 - July 1. "Travel down the rabbit hole and join Alice, one of literature's most beloved heroines, in her madcap adventures. Featuring updated songs from Disney's thrilling animated motion picture, Disney's Alice in Wonderland Jr. is a fast-paced take on the classic tale." The 7 pm Sunday performance is "sensory friendly." Performances take place at .Zack, 3224 Locust in Grand Center. For more information: ignitewithus.org.

Clinton County Showcase presents the musical Disney's Beauty and the Beast Jr. Friday through Sunday at 8 pm, June 28 - July 1. "The classic story tells of Belle, a young woman in a provincial town, and the Beast, who is really a young prince trapped under the spell of an enchantress. If the Beast can learn to love and be loved, the curse will end and he will be transformed to his former self. But time is running out. If the Beast does not learn his lesson soon, he and his household will be doomed for all eternity." Performances take place at Breese Northside Park, 1000 North Main Street, Breese, IL. For more information, visit ccshowcase.com.

COCA presents Disney's Marry Poppins Jr. Friday at 7 pm and Saturday at 1 pm, June 29 and 30. "Everyone's favorite practically perfect nanny takes the stage in this Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious musical adventure." Performances take place in the Edison Theatre on the Washington University campus. For more information: cocastl.org.

The Drowning Girls

Fourth Wall Down presents The Drowning Girls through July 14. 'The play gasps to life with Bessie, Alice, and Margaret (English women of the early 1900s) trying to remember their lives. Though fragmented, the tragic truth is slowly unraveled: each unassuming, lonely and on the cusp of 'spinsterhood', they're surprised to find Love, along with an avenue toward societal worth… Marriage to "a man of independent means".' Performances take place at Wild Carrot, 3901 Shaw in the Shaw Neighborhood. For more information: www.fourthwalldown.org.

The Hawthorne Players present Echoes of Valhalla on Saturday, June 30, at 2 and 7 pm. For the past eight years, the popular "Voices of Valhalla" events held each October have sold out within the first 24 hours. Author and director Larry Marsh, says that "Echoes of Valhalla" will be a wonderful opportunity for folks who have been unable to get tickets in the past to see some of the very best performances given over the last eight years. The seats are a lot more comfortable in the Civic Center Theatre than on those hay wagons, and you won't have to worry about rain or hay allergies! As in the outdoor hayride productions, leading actors from Hawthorne Players will bring to life the stories and times of people buried in the historic Valhalla Cemetery on St. Charles Rock Road." The performance takes place at the Florissant Civic Center Theatre at Parker and Waterford in Florissant, MO. For more information, call 921-5678 or visit hawthorneplayers.info.

End of the Rainbow
Photo by John Lamb

Max and Louie Productions presents Angela Ingersoll in the one-woman show End of the Rainbow through July 1. "It's 1968 and Judy Garland is about to make her comeback… again. In a London hotel room, with both her new young fiancé and her adoring accompanist, Garland struggles to get "beyond the rainbow" with her signature cocktail of talent, tenacity and razor sharp wit. Featuring some of Garland's most memorable songs, this savagely funny play-with-music offers unique insight into the inner conflict that inspired and consumed one of the most beloved figures of our time." Performances take place at the Grandel Theatre, 3610 Grandel Square in Grand Center. For more information: maxandlouie.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.

Independent Theater Company presents an adaptation of James Weldon Johnson's God's Trombones, adapted and directed by Gregory Carr, Friday and Saturday at 7 pm and Sunday at 2 pm, June 29 - July 1. "'God's Trombones: Seven Negro Sermons in Verse' is part of the great canon of African American literature. This classic has often been brought to life through dramatization on stage. The production will feature audience favorites such as 'The Creation', 'The Prodigal Son', and 'The Crucifixion' and accompanied by traditional gospel and hymns." Performances take place at The Theatre Guild of Webster Groves, 517 Theatre Lane in Webster Groves. For more information: brownpapertickets.com

St. Louis Public Radio presents the Grand Center Theatre Crawl on Friday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 1 and 6 pm, June 29 and 30, at various locations in the Grand Center Arts District. Join St. Louis Public Radio for the finest offerings of the bustling St. Louis theatre scene at the Grand Center Theatre Crawl. Rotate through venues in Grand Center to get free access to 24 local theatre groups in short performances." Featured theatre companies Equally Represented Arts, Insight Theatre Company, Slightly Askew Theatre Ensemble, Prison Performing Arts, R-S Theatrics, The Midnight Company, and West End Players Guild. For more information: stlpublicradio.org

Corinne Melançon and Steve Isom in I Do! I Do!
Photo by Peter Wochniak

Stages St. Louis presents the musical I Do! I Do!, by the creators of The Fantasticks, 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.

The Looking Glass Playhouse presents Madagascar: A Musical Adventure Thursday and Friday at 7:30 pm, Saturday at 2 and 7:30 pm, and Sunday at 2 pm, June 28 - July 1. "Take a journey out of the Central Park Zoo and onto an enchanted desert isle with your favorite crack-a-lackin' friends from the DreamWorks blockbuster film, MADAGASCAR! Join Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra, Melman the Giraffe, Gloria the hip-hip Hippo, and, of course, mad King Julien for a musical adventure of a lifetime. Filled with gut-busting laughs galore, rockin' dance moves, and an upbeat up-to-the-minute score " Performances take place at 301 West St. Louis Street in Lebanon, Ill. For more information, visit www.lookingglassplayhouse.com.

Stages St. Louis presents the musical Madagascar: A Musical Adventure, based on the animated film, through July 1. "STAGES invites you to take a journey out of the Central Park Zoo and onto an enchanted desert isle with your favorite crack-a-lackin' friends from the DreamWorks blockbuster film, MADAGASCAR! Join Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra, Melman the Giraffe, Gloria the hip-hip Hippo, and, of course, mad King Julien for a musical adventure of a lifetime. Filled with gut-busting laughs galore, rockin' dance moves, and an upbeat up-to-the-minute score that includes "Move It, Move It," exploring a brave new world was never so much ridiculous fun!" 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.

The Playhouse at Westport Plaza presents Outlaw Friday and Saturday, June 29 and 30, at 8 pm. " OUTLAW is a one-man show, starring George Christie, thirty-five-year president of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club. It takes us from his childhood, growing up as the son of poor Greek immigrants, to his tenure as an employee of the Department of Defense with top security clearance, to his glory days as a leader of the most infamous outlaw motorcycle club on the planet. OUTLAW chronicles the rise and fall of a man, from celebrity parties to solitary confinement in federal prison. It is the story of an era in America that has come and gone, with all its myth, magic, music and harsh reality." The Playhouse at Westport Plaza is at 635 West Port Plaza. For more information: playhouseatwestport.com.

Take Two Productions the musical Rock of Ages Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sundays at 2 pm, June 29 - July 7. "It's the tail end of the big, bad 1980s in Hollywood, and the party has been raging hard. Aqua Net, Lycra, lace and liquor flow freely at one of the Sunset Strips last legendary venues, a place where sex machine Stacee Jaxx takes the stage and scantily clad groupies line up to turn their fantasies into reality. Amidst the madness, aspiring rock star (and resident toilet cleaner) Drew longs to take the stage as the next big thing (and longs for small-town girl Sherrie, fresh off the bus from Kansas with stars in her eyes). But the rock and roll fairy-tale is about to end when German developers sweep into town with plans to turn the fabled Strip into just another capitalist strip mall. Can Drew, Sherrie, and the gang save the strip - and themselves - before it's too late? Only the music of hit bands Styx, Journey, Bon Jovi, Whitesnake and more hold the answer." Performances take place at Southampton Presbyterian Church, 4716 Macklind. For more information, visit taketwoproductions.org.

The Muny presents the musical Singin' in the Rain opening on Wednesday, June 27, at 8:15 p.m. and running through July 3. "A timeless Muny favorite, Singin' in the Rain has all the makings of a Tinseltown tabloid headline - the starlet, the leading man, a love affair for the ages and the unexpected transition from the silent film era to "talkies." Known for its unforgettable hit-parade of Hollywood standards, splashy production numbers, hilarious situations and snappy dialogue, this Muny production is sure to be a downpour of pure delight." Performances take place on the Muny's outdoor stage in Forest Park. For more information: muny.org.

The Black Tulip Chorale presents You Come Too Saturday at 8 pm and Sunday at 1 pm, June 30 and July 1. The Black Tulip Chorale is "St. Louis' only LGBTQIA-friendly mixed voice ensemble welcoming all genders and orientations. In its inaugural season, the Black Tulip Chorale promotes social consciousness through the finest in choral repertoire." Performances take place at the Ethical Society, 9001 Clayton Road, on Saturday and at the St. Paul United Church of Christ, 3510 Giles, on Sunday. For more information: www.brownpapertickets.com

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.