St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of July 30, 2018

New shows this week include a hometown favorite musical at the Muny and an unusual musical at Stray Dog with a book by the author of Driving Miss Daisy.

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The Bissell Mansion Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre presents Addams Family Affair August 3 through October 28. The Bissell Mansion is at 4426 Randall Place. For more information: bissellmansiontheatre.com.

Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo

The Black Mirror Theatre Company presents Ravi Joseph's Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo through August 4. The show is about "a tiger that haunts the streets of present day Baghdad seeking the meaning of life. As he witnesses the puzzling absurdities of war, the tiger encounters Americans and Iraqis who are searching for friendship, redemption, and a toilet seat made of gold." Performances take place in the black box theatre at the Kranzberg Center, 501 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information: metrotix.com.

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.

Curtain's Up Theatre presents the Sondheim musical Into the Woods opening on Friday, August 3, at 7:30 pm and running through Saturday, August 11. Performances take place at the Alfresco Art Center, 2401 Delmar in Granite City, IL. For more information, visit curtainsuptheater.com.

The Lemp Mansion Comedy-Mystery Dinner Theater presents Dead LIke Me August 3 through November 3. The Lemp Mansion is at 3322 DeMenil Place. For more information: lempmansion.com.

Gypsy
Photo by Phillip Hamer

The Muny presents the musical Gypsy through August 2. "Revered by many as the greatest musical ever written, Gypsy is the timeless tale of an ambitious stage mother, Momma Rose, fighting for her daughters' success…while secretly yearning for her own. With a book by Academy Award-winner Arthur Laurents and lyrics by Tony Award-winner Stephen Sondheim, Gypsy features countless showstoppers, including "Let Me Entertain You," and "Together, Wherever We Go." Take our word for it, "You Gotta Get a Gimmick," or better yet a ticket, to see this spectacular Muny gem shine." Performances take place on the Muny's outdoor stage in Forest Park. For more information: muny.org.

Clinton County Showcase presents the musical The Hunchback of Notre Dame Thursday through Sunday at 8 pm, August 2 - 5. " The musical begins as the bells of Notre Dame sound through the famed cathedral in fifteenth-century Paris. Quasimodo, the deformed bell-ringer who longs to be "Out There," observes all of Paris reveling in the Feast of Fools. Held captive by his devious caretaker, Judge Claude Frollo, he escapes for the day and joins the boisterous crowd, only to be treated cruelly by all but the beautiful gypsy, Esmeralda. Quasimodo isn't the only one captivated by her free spirit, though - the handsome Captain Phoebus and Frollo are equally enthralled. As the three vie for her attention, Frollo embarks on a mission to destroy the gypsies - and it's up to Quasimodo to save them all." Performances take place at Breese Northside Park, 1000 North Main Street, Breese, IL. For more information, visit ccshowcase.com.

The Hawthorne Players present Legally Blonde the Musical through August 5. "Elle Woods appears to have it all. Her life is turned upside down when her boyfriend Warner dumps her so he can attend Harvard Law. Determined to get him back, Elle ingeniously charms her way into the prestigious law school. While there, she struggles with peers, professors and her ex. With the support of some new friends, though, Elle quickly realizes her potential and sets out to prove herself to the world." 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.

Mamma Mia!
Photo by Peter Wochniak

Stages St. Louis presents the musical Mamma Mia!, based on the music of ABBA, through August 19. "The ultimate feel-good show, MAMMA MIA! uses the music of ABBA to tell the hilarious and touching tale of a teen's search for her birth father on a Greek Island paradise. See why 54 million people all around the world have fallen in love with this pop-music phenomenon of a mother, a daughter, three possible dads, and an unforgettable trip down the aisle! Chock full of explosive dance numbers, you'll want to unleash your inner "Dancing Queen" with such ABBA hits as "Winner Takes It All," "Take A Chance On Me," and the smash title tune, "Mamma Mia." This enchanting tale of love between mothers and daughters, laughter between old friends, and a celebration of newly found family is a guaranteed non-stop party that you won't want to miss!!" 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 Muny presents the musical Meet Me in St. Louis opening on Saturday, August 4, at 8:15 pm and running through August 12. "Clang, clang, clang, we are off to The Muny! Based on the heartwarming 1944 MGM film, Meet Me In St. Louis paints a wholesome portrait of a turn of the century American family. Set in the summer of 1903, the Smiths eagerly await the grand opening of the 1904 World's Fair. With hits such as "The Trolley Song," "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," "The Boy Next Door" and the title number, this is the perfect finale to our 100th season, and will evoke nothing but love and pride…right here in St. Louis." Performances take place on the Muny's outdoor stage in Forest Park. For more information: muny.org.

Nabucco
Photo by John Lamb

Union Avenue Opera presents Verdi's Nabucco Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm through August 4. Performances take place at the Union Avenue Christian Church, 733 Union at Enright in the Central West End. The opera is sung in Italian with projected English text. For more information, visit unionavenueopera.org or call 314-361-2881.

Hard Road Theatre Productions presents Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma! Fridays and Saturdays at 7 pm and Sundays at 2 pm, through August 5. Performances will be held at the Highland Elementary Schoo auditorium in Highland IL. For more information: www.hardroad.org.

Rebel and Misfits Productions presents The Realistic Joneses through August 12. "In The Realistic Joneses, Will Eno connects two suburban couples who have so much more in common than their identical homes and their shared last names. As their relationships begin to irrevocably intertwine, the Joneses must decide between their idyllic fantasies and their imperfect realities and, ultimately, confront mortality." Performances take place at the black box theater at the JCC, 2 Millstone Campus Drive in Ladue. For more information: www.rebelandmisfitsproductions.com.

The Robber Bridegroom

Stray Dog Theatre presents the musical The Robber Bridegroom Thursdays through Saturdays, August 2 - 18. There will also a 2 pm on Sunday, August 12, and 8 pm on Wednesday, August 15. This rousing, bawdy Southern fairytale comes from the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Driving Miss Daisy. Set in Mississippi, the show follows Jamie Lockhart, a rascally robber of the woods, as he courts Rosamund, the sole daughter of the richest planter in the country. Thanks to a case of double-mistaken identity, the entangled relationship begins to unravel. Throw in an evil stepmother, her pea-brained henchman, and a hostile talking head-in-a-trunk, and you have a rollicking country romp." Performances take place at The Tower Grove Abbey, 2336 Tennessee. For more information, visit straydogtheatre.org or call 314-865-1995.

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.