St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of September 24, 2018

This week includes season openers from (among others) New Line, West End Players, St. Louis Actors' Studio, Upstream, and New Jewish. So many opportunities to go see a play!

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

Alton Little Theater presents the musical Always, Patsy Cline Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 pm and Sunday at 2 pm, September 27 - 30. "The show is based on a true story about Cline's friendship with a fan from Houston named Louise Seger, who befriended the star in a Texas honky-tonk in 1961 and continued correspondence with Cline until her death. This musical play includes many of Patsy's unforgettable hits such as Crazy, I Fall to Pieces, Sweet Dreams, and Walkin After Midnight. Starring Debbie Maneke as patsy Cline, Lee Cox as Louise Seger, and music by Steve Loucks and the Bodacious Bobcats." Performances take place at 2450 North Henry in Alton, IL. For more information, call 618.462.6562 or visit altonlittletheater.org.

Midnight Theatre Company presents two one-act plays by Mickle Maher: An Apology for the Course and Outcome of Certain Events Delivered by Doctor John Faustus and The Hunchback Variations Thursdays at 7 pm and Saturdays and Sundays at 8 pm through September 29. Performances take place at The Monocle, 4510 Manchester in The Grove. For more information: midnightcompany.com.

The Performing Arts Department at Washington University presents Arriving At by Ike Butler on Saturday, September 29, at 2 pm as part of The A.E. Hotchner Playwriting Festival. "I hate it when this happens. Stuck on a commuter train, no cell service, a couple is arguing, some dude has a suspicious package, the guy in leather looks like he just killed a cocker spaniel, the rich lady has to pee, and I'm fairly positive that the old fart in the corner lives here. And who the hell is humming Queen?" The performance takes place in the A.E. Hotchner Studio Theatre in the Mallinckrodt Student Center on the Washington University campus. For more information, call 314-935-6543 or visit pad.artsci.wustl.edu.

Upstream Theater presents Chef by Sabrina Mahfouz Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 7 pm (except for October 14, which is at 2 pm), September 28 - October 14. "Upstream Theater is excited to host renowned Swiss director Marianne de Pury who will stage the US premiere of the award-winning CHEF by UK/Egyptian playwright and poet Sabrina Mahfouz-the gripping story of how one woman went from being a haute-cuisine head chef to a convicted inmate running a prison kitchen. Leading us through her world of mouth-watering dishes and heart-breaking memories, Chef questions our attitudes to food, prisoners, violence, love and hope." Performances take place at the Kranzberg Arts Center, 501 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information, including show times: upstreamtheater.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.

Darin: Bobby's Greatest Hits

The Playhouse at Westport Plaza presents Christopher Kale Jones in Darin: Bobby's Greatest Hits Wednesday through Sunday, September 26 - 30 "PBS retro-rocker and Jersey Boys star Christopher Kale Jones embodies the dazzling versatility of Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Bobby Darin. Jones won hearts nationwide starring as Frankie Valli in Jersey Boys (San Francisco, Los Angeles, First National Tour), and as a founding member of PBS retro-rock sensation Under the Streetlamp. With a passionate voice and quiet charm, Jones tenderly recounts Darin's story of life lived in the spotlight and lost too soon. Theatre Mania raves, "Jones has the audience swooning until the final curtain." Songs include "Dream Lover," "Mack the Knife," and "Beyond the Sea." The Playhouse at Westport Plaza is at 635 West Port Plaza. For more information: www.playhouseatwestport.com.

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

Evita
Photo by Eric Woolsey

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents the Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's musical Evita through September 30. "The incandescent Eva Perón's rise from poverty to power electrified the world - and made her an iconic political celebrity. Winner of seven Tony Awards, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's tour-de-force musical revels in the glamour, charisma and controversy that defined the First Lady of Argentina. With its unforgettable anthem "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" and kaleidoscope of sights and sounds, Evita dazzles with pure passion." Performances take place on the mainstage at the Loretto-Hlton Center, 130 Edgar Road in Webster Groves, MO. For more information, call 314-968-4925 or visit repstl.org.

St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley presents the drama The Exonerated September 27 - 30. 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.

The Monroe Actors Stage presents the musical The Flood Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 and Sunday at 2:30 pm, September 27 - 30. 25 years ago tragedy happened in this small community of Monroe County and others around it near the Mississippi River valley. But out of the ashes was born something powerful and heart warming. A community of friends and neighbors moved to higher ground and rebuilt their town of "Meyerville" (Sound similar to Valmeyer?). As college students, the composer/writer team of Peter Mills and Cara Reichel visited this area in 1993 and interviewed many who experience the 1000 year flood that year. They created a beautiful script and music composition that clearly shows the heart of what brought this community back together." Performances take place in the Historic Capitol Theatre in downtown Waterloo, Illinois. For more information, visit www.masctheatre.org or call 618-939-7469.

The Performing Arts Department at Washington University presents Florida by Lucas Marschke on Saturday, September 29, at 7 pm as part of The A.E. Hotchner Playwriting Festival. "The Brooksfield household is a bit dysfunctional, but that doesn't prevent them from making a family journey to Florida; neither does the blizzard, the prostitute, the drug dealers, the trigger-happy gas station attendant, or the avalanche of anxieties in a claustrophobic RV. The sunshine state is about as far away as a happy marriage in this hysterical and touching road trip." The performance takes place in the A.E. Hotchner Studio Theatre in the Mallinckrodt Student Center on the Washington University campus. For more information, call 314-935-6543 or visit pad.artsci.wustl.edu.

Slaying Dragons presents the drama A Hatful of Rain on Friday and Saturday, September 28 and 29, at 7:30 pm. "Over fifty years ago, playwright Michael V. Grasso wrote about the devastating effects of opioid addiction in his award-winning play, A Hatful of Rain. It has not been performed in St. Louis since then. Today our society is facing a crisis of this kind of addiction, perhaps even greater than in the 1950's. Our youth are in danger of death from overdose or even suicide. Families are torn apart by the turmoil created by this illness." Performances take place at The Chapel, 6238 Alexander Drive. For more information: eventbrite.com.

St. Louis Actors' Studio presents Lillian Hellman's drama The Little Foxes Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 3 pm, September 28 - October 14. " Lillian Hellman's legendary play about greed and ambition. Set in Alabama in 1900, The Little Foxes follows Regina Giddens and her ruthless clan, including her sister-in-law Birdie, as they clash in often brutal ways in an effort to strike the deal of their lives. Far from a sentimental look at a bygone era, the play has a surprisingly timely resonance with important issues facing our country today.". Performances take place at the Gaslight Theatre, 358 North Boyle. For more information call 314-458-2978 or visit stlas.org.

Love Never Dies

The Fox Theatre presents Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Love Never Dies: The Phantom Returns running through September 30. "The year is 1907. It is 10 years after his disappearance from the Paris Opera House and The Phantom has escaped to a new life in New York where he lives amongst the screaming joy rides and freak shows of Coney Island. In this new, electrically charged world, he has finally found a place for his music to soar, but he has never stopped yearning for his one true love and musical protégée, Christine Daaé. Now one of the world's finest sopranos, Christine accepts an invitation to travel from Paris to New York to perform at a renowned opera house. Christine's marriage to Raoul is suffering at the hands of his drinking and gambling and they desperately need the financial rewards that America can give them. In a final bid to win back Christine's love, The Phantom lures her, Raoul, and their young son Gustave, from Manhattan to the glittering and glorious world of Coney Island - not knowing what is in store for them." The Fox is at 527 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information: fabulousfox.com.

PNC Arts Alive and The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis present Making A Scene: A St. Louis Theatre Expo on Saturday, September 29, from 9 am to 1:30 pm. "This celebration will unite more than a dozen local theatre companies at The Loretto-Hilton Center for the Performing Arts in Webster Groves for a wide range of family-friendly activities, demonstrations, discussions and pop-up performances. The free expo will provide behind-the-scenes insight into how local theatre companies bring productions to life on stages throughout the St. Louis area." All events take place the Loretto-Hilton Center, 130 Edgar Rd. on the Webster University campus. For a complete list of events, visit www.repstl.org/events/detail/making-a-scene-a-st-louis-theatre-expo.

Tesseract Theatre Company presents Mama's Boy, a new play by Rob Urbinati, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 4 pm through September 30 "The riveting story of Lee Harvey Oswald and his complex relationship with his overbearing mother Marguerite, Mama's Boy follows Marguerite's reckless attempts to reunite her family, from Lee's return to the U.S. from Russia, through the assassination of Kennedy, to her son's own murder and her defense of his innocence in the months that follow. A fascinating examination of family dynamics and obsessive maternal devotion played out in the shadow of history. " Performances take place at The .ZACK, 3224 Locust in Midtown. For more information: tesseracttheatre.org.

St. Charles Community College presents the classic comedy My Three Angels Wednesday through Saturday at 7:30 pm and Sunday at 2 pm, September 16 - 30. "The scene is French Guiana, a region where on Christmas day the temperature has graciously dropped to 104 degrees. A family whose roof is in desperate need of maintenance employs three convicts as roofers. On the way from France is an evil-minded cousin to oust the father of the family from his business and his cold-blooded nephew, who is jilting the father's daughter for an heiress. The three convicts-two of them murderers, the third a swindler-take the visitors on. All three have warm hearts and are passionate believers in true justice. Possessing every criminal art and penal grace, they set matters right and in doing so redeem themselves as real life angels to the grateful family. This play was also the basis for the 1955 film, "We're No Angels" which starred Humphrey Bogart in his only comedic movie role." Performances take place in the FAB Theater in the Donald D. Shook Fine Arts Building on the campus at 4601 Mid Rivers Mall Drive in Cottleville, MO. For more information, call 636-922-8050 or visit stchas.edu.

The Looking Glass Playhouse presents the musical Newsies Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 pm and Sunday at 2 pm, September 27 - 30. "Set in turn-of-the century New York City, Newsies is the rousing tale of Jack Kelly, a charismatic newsboy and leader of a band of teenaged "newsies." When titans of publishing raise distribution prices at the newsboys' expense, Jack rallies newsies from across the city to strike against the unfair conditions and fight for what's right! " Performances take place at 301 West St. Louis Street in Lebanon, Ill. For more information, visit www.lookingglassplayhouse.com.

Oklahoma!
Photo by Peter Wochniak, ProPhotoSTL

Stages St. Louis presents the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Oklahoma! through October 7. "Oh, what a beautiful musical! Rodgers and Hammerstein's timeless first collaboration was, in many ways, their most innovative. And while OKLAHOMA! completely changed the face of American musical theatre over seventy years ago, it remains as fresh and vital today as it was then with its loving celebration of the American spirit. A stunning blend of drama, music, and dance, the exhilarating Rodgers and Hammerstein score contains such classics as "People Will Say We're In Love," "The Surrey With The Fringe On Top," "Kansas City," "I Cain't Say No," and the pulsating title tune, "Oklahoma!" A gold standard that set the bar for all great musicals that came after it, OKLAHOMA! is unforgettable entertainment for the entire family!" 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.

Liz and Ann Hampton Callaway

Jazz St. Louis and The Cabaret Project present Ann Hampton Callaway and Liz Callaway in Sibling Revelry on Wednesday at 7:30 pm and Thursday at 11 am and 7:30 pm, September 26 and 27. "The dynamic sibling duo of Ann Hampton Callaway and Liz Callaway have been thrilling audiences for decades. Both are Tony nominated performers and each has performed their solo shows for St. Louis audiences. This special duo show has not been seen in St. Louis for over 20 years and the Callaway's are reuniting for a series of encore performances of this award winning, celebrated sister act!. The two have performed Sibling Revelry on and off since 1995 at venues around the U.S., and it continues to draw critical acclaim. Don't miss these Tony nominated performers who are equally at home on the Broadway stage, concert hall and cabaret clubs." Performances take place at the Ferring Jazz Bistro on Washington just east of the Fox in Grand Center. For more information: thecabaretproject.org.

This Random World
Photo by John Lamb

The West End Players Guild opens its 108th season with the St. Louis premiere of the comedy This Random World by Steven Dietz Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM and Sundays at 2 PM, September 28 - October 7. "Only the audience knows that every character is connected to almost every other character is some way. Dietz's tale is one of continuous missed connections, a series of mostly funny and sometimes touching almost-interactions that would change the characters lives if they happened, which they don't." There will also be a show on Thursday, October 4, at 8 pm. 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 Performing Arts Department at Washington University presents Tom and Grace by Scott Greenberg on Friday, September 28, at 7:00 pm as part of The A.E. Hotchner Playwriting Festival. "Thomas is in love. Grace is in love too. But love is a trick of the eye, a whisper in the ear; love is as unreliable as a cloudy-day shadow - or maybe it's just the ghost of those who we pray will love us back. If we reach out to touch it, it will probably giggle and disappear, but if we save it in a box, at least we'll know it's there." The performance takes place in the A.E. Hotchner Studio Theatre in the Mallinckrodt Student Center on the Washington University campus. For more information, call 314-935-6543 or visit pad.artsci.wustl.edu.

The Zombies of Penzance
Photo by Jill Ritter Lindberg

New Line Theatre presents the world premiere of the rock musical The Zombies of Penzance, based on Gilbert and Sullivan's The Pirates of Penzance, Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 PM, September 27 - October 20. "New Line Theatre has shocked the music world by discovering a controversial, long-lost first draft by the legendary British team of librettist W.S. Gilbert and composer Arthur Sullivan, who together wrote fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896...In Gilbert and Sullivan's never-before seen original draft, dated December 1878 and titled The Zombies of Penzance (with the unwieldy subtitle, At Night Come the Flesh Eaters), Major-General Stanley is a retired zombie hunter, who doesn't want his daughters marrying the dreaded Zombies of Penzance, for obvious reasons." 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.