Chuck's Choices for the weekend of August 3, 2018

New on the list: A pair of challenging and unconventional plays, along with an exciting performance of Verdi's first Big Hit.

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New This Week:

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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.

My take: "Rajiv Joseph," writes Mark Bretz at Ladue News, "was a finalist in 2010 for a Pulitzer Prize in drama for this searing, gripping and provocative story which is given a first-rate rendering by Black Mirror Theatre". At KDHX, Tina Farmer writes that the show "powerfully effective, at times heart wrenchingly painful and always thoughtful and provocative." Black Mirror has had something of an on-again, off-again existence here in St. Louis, but their current season has been a strong one and bodes well for the company's future here.

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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.

My take: As I write in my review for OnSTL.com, Verdi's 1842 Biblical melodrama "Nabucco" ("Nebuchadnezzar") isn't the composer's biggest hit, but it was his first, sealing his reputation as a major new force in Italian opera. Union Avenue's fast-paced and splendidly sung production makes an exceptionally good case for it.

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The Realistic Jonses
Photo by Eric Woolsey

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.

My take: As you can tell by the other new items this week, summer theatre in St. Louis isn't limited to big musicals and light comedies. This latest from Rebel and Misfits is a good bet for anyone looking for something more challenging and unconventional on stage. As Tina Farmer writes at KDHX, this is "a visually and intellectually layered show that takes audiences on a wild ride with a startling and abrupt finish. Darkly funny and expertly paced, the emotional pull of the show lies below the surface and audience members are invited to wade in as deeply as suits their preference. Once again, Rebel and Misfits Productions presents a work that challenges audiences while providing a satisfying and comically driven story."

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Held Over:

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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.

My take: As I wrote in my review of the 2002 USA tour of this show on its first visit to the Fox, I am not now nor have I ever been a fan of the 1970s pop quartet ABBA. When they were cranking out hits like "Dancing Queen", I was sneering at them and listening to Elvis Costello and The Ramones. But when I first saw Mamma Mia! in London back in 2001 surrounded by wildly enthusiastic Brits (who apparently feel about ABBA the way the French feel about Jerry Lewis), I had to admit it was great fun. I found it a completely captivating evening of musical theatre, mostly because Judy Craymer, director Phyllida Lloyd and playwright Catherine Johnson (all from Britain, where this show began) have put together a fast-paced, funny, and occasionally even touching show that can send even a die-hard ABBA hater like yours truly out of the theatre with a smile on his face and a handful of those bouncy, hook-laden melodies rattling around in his brain. So enjoy it, already.