St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of May 6, 2019

This week's events include the opening of the Tennessee Williams Festival and the local premiere of a thought provoking play by Lucas Hnath at Mustard Seed.

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Biloxi Blues

Clayton Community Theatre presents Neil Simon's Biloxi Blues Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. through May 12 (except for Friday, May 10, when there is no performance). "This well-known play, the second in Simon's semi-autobiographical "Eugene trilogy," centers on Eugene's observations of the contest of wills between his drill sergeant and an intellectual recruit at a Biloxi, Mississippi, Army base in 1943. Along the way, he loses his innocence in many ways. It is both a reflection on prejudice and people's reaction to prejudice, and also hilariously funny from beginning to end; and it is the winner of multiple Tony awards. CCT plans to present the entire trilogy over 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.

Mustard Seed Theatre presents Death Tax by Lucas Hnath Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 2 pm, May 9-19. "As Maxine nears the end of her life she is certain of three things: Death, Taxes and the Greed of her daughter who wants her to die quickly. A desperate nurse vows to keep her alive, but at what cost? Darkly comic, the play explores morality and forgiveness." 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 Tennessee Williams Festival presents Dear Mr. Williams, written and performed by Bryan Batt, Friday at 8:30 pm and Saturday at 3:30 and 8:30 pm, May 10 and 11. "The blue devils of sex, alcohol, and mendacity take center stage in this tender and funny coming-of-age story of a young gay artist. With the great American playwright as his compass, Batt takes us on a thrilling and very personal journey out of the shadows into a bright light of self-discovery. The tumultuous-and sometimes treacherous-journey from adolescence to adulthood is one we all must take, but Batt's one-man tour de force proves that it's oh so much more fascinating and fun with Tennessee Williams as your guide" . Performances take place at the Curtain Call Lounge at the Fabulous Fox in Grand Center. For more information: twstl.org

Curtain's Up Theatre presents the musical Disney's Freaky Friday Thursday and Friday at 7:30 pm, Saturday at 2 and 7:30 pm, and Sunday at 2 pm, May 10 - 12. Performances take place in the Dunham Hall Theatre on the campus of Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. For more information, visit curtainsuptheater.com.

Bob Wetzel

The Kranzberg Center presents Bob Wetzel in Facing the Music on Saturday, May 11, at 8 pm. "This show will feature the music of songwriters as diverse as Irving Berlin, Jimmy Van Husen, Stephen Sondheim, Paul Simon, Jerome Kern and Don Henley; Bob and the band will spin some of them in ways you have likely not heard before." Carol Schmidt is pianist and music director for the show, which also features Rick Vice on bass and Kevin Gianino on drums. Tim Schall directs. The performance takes place at the Kranzberg Center, 501 N. Grand in Grand Center. For more information: www.metrotix.com

A Lovely Sunday for Creve Coeur
Photo by ProPhotoSTL

The Tennessee Williams Festival presents A Lovely Sunday for Creve Coeur Saturdays and Sundays at 1 and 5 pm, May 11-19. "Four eccentric and unforgettable women fry chicken, plan a picnic to Creve Coeur Lake, and cope with loneliness and lost dreams in an efficiency apartment on Enright Avenue in the Central West End circa the mid-1930s. Williams gives us more laughs than usual, but no less poetry or poignancy. Williams believed that growing up in St. Louis was essential to the shape of his work. A Lovely Sunday for Creve Coeur is one of his few plays set here, and was the inspiration behind TV's "The Golden Girls." Featuring an all-female cast, A Lovely Sunday for Creve Coeur will be directed by Kari Ely." Performances take place at the Grandel Theatre, 3610 Grandel Square in Grand Center. For more information: twstl.org.

The Fabulous Fox Theatre presents the Madea's Farewell Play Tour Friday at 8 pm, Saturday at 3 and 8 pm, and Sunday at 3 and 7:30 pm, May 10 - 12. "Tyler Perry's Madea's Farewell Play Tour will be Perry's 21st stage play. In addition to Perry, the play will star Tamela Mann, David Mann, and Cassi Davis Patton". The Fabulous Fox Theatre in on N. Grand in Grand Center. For more information: fabulousfox.com.

Alton Little Theater presents the musical Mamma Mia! Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sundays at 2 pm, May 10-19. "The most romantic musical comedy comes to the ALT stage just as the popular movie sequel hits the screens summer 2018. Love, mishaps, and music by ABBA will have audiences dancing in the aisles again as they feel transported to the Greek Island of Kalokairi on the eve of a wedding!" Performances take place at 2450 North Henry in Alton, IL. For more information, call 618.462.6562 or visit altonlittletheater.org.

The Looking Glass Playhouse presents the musical Mamma Mia! Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sundays at 2 pm through May 12. " ABBA's hits tell the hilarious story of a young woman's search for her birth father. This sunny and funny tale unfolds on a Greek island paradise. On the eve of her wedding, a daughter's quest to discover the identity of her father brings three men from her mother's past back to the island they last visited 20 years ago. A mother. A daughter. Three possible dads. And a trip down the aisle you'll never forget!" Performances take place at 301 West St. Louis Street in Lebanon, Ill. For more information, visit www.lookingglassplayhouse.com.

The Lemp Mansion Comedy-Mystery Dinner Theater presents Muurder in Maaaybury! through July 27. The Lemp Mansion is at 3322 DeMenil Place. For more information: lempmansion.com.

The Sheldon Concert Hall presents Ben Nordstrom and Steve Neale in The Music of Billy Joel and Elton John on Saturday, May 11, at 11 am. "Two of St. Louis' favorite musical theater performers come together to celebrate music icons Billy Joel and Elton John. Enjoy hits such as "New York State of Mind," "Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me," "Scenes From an Italian Restaurant" and "Your Song," performed with Ben and Steve's trademark wit and charm." The Sheldon is at 3648 Washington in Grand Center. For more information: thesheldon.org.

Nice Work if You Can Get It
Photo by Julie A. Markle

Kirkwood Theatre Guild presents the musical Nice Work if You Can Get It through May 12. "This hilarious new screwball comedy premiered on Broadway in 2012. This new musical, featuring the glorious songs of George and Ira Gershwin, pokes fun at the Prohibition era in a clash of elegant socialites and boorish bootleggers. Set in the 1920s, "Nice Work If You Can Get," is the story of a charming and wealthy playboy Jimmy Winter, who meets a rough female bootlegger, Billie Bendix, the weekend of his wedding. Jimmy, who has been married three (or is it four?) times before, is preparing to marry Eileen Evergreen, a self-obsessed modern dancer. Thinking Jimmy and Eileen will be out of town, Billie and her gang hide cases of alcohol the basement of Jimmy's Long Island mansion. But when Jimmy, his wife-to-be and her prohibitionist family show up at the mansion for the wedding, Billie and her cohorts pose as servants, causing hijinks galore." Performances take place in the Robert G. Reim Theatre of the Kirkwood Community Center, 111 South Geyer Road. For more information, call 314-821-9956 or visit ktg-onstage.org.

Night of the Iguana
Photo by ProPhotoSTL

The Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis presents Night of the Iguana Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sundays at 3 pm, May 9-19. "The steamy and startling Iguana is one of the most richly textured and dramatically satisfying plays written by Williams. At its center is Shannon, a pastor who has lost his flock, has lost his religion, and has-at the very least- misplaced his sanity and sense of decency. He takes refuge at a rundown resort owned by the lusty and busty Maxine, where they are soon joined by the beautifully refined but repressed Hannah, in the company of Nonno, her nonagenarian grandfather. These two may be scam artists, but they are artists all the same; as such, they offer some brief hope of redemption." Performances take place at the Grandel Theatre, 3610 Grandel Square in Grand Center. For more information: twstl.org.

The Bissell Mansion Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre presents Nursery Crimes through May 9. The Bissell Mansion is at 4426 Randall Place. For more information: bissellmansiontheatre.com.

The Theatre Guild of Webster Groves presents the comedy Over the Tavern running through May 11. "In that most idealized period of 20th-century America, the Eisenhower years of the 1950s, the Pazinski family has a lot going on in their cramped Buffalo apartment. The youngest of the bunch, 12-year-old Rudy, is a smart, wise-cracking kid who's starting to question family values and the Roman Catholic Church. When Rudy goes up against the ruler-wielding Sister Clarissa and announces that instead of being confirmed he'd rather shop around for a more "fun" religion, all hell breaks loose." Parental discretion is advised." Performances take place in the Guild theatre at Newport and Summit in Webster Groves, MO. For more information: theatreguildwg.org or call 314-962-0876.

The St. Louis Writers' Group presents the first round of its Playwright Slam on Monday, May 6 at 6:30 pm. "Get ready for a night of fun impromptu theater. The order of scripts to be read will be chosen at random. Actors to read will be chosen at random. Each script will be given a five minute read, and rated by a panel of judges based upon audience reaction. The judges will select several plays to move on to round two, held on May 13" The event takes place upstairs at Big Daddy's, 1000 Sidney in Soulard. For more information: www.stlwritersgroup.com.

Salt, Root, and Roe
Photo by ProPhotoSTL

Upstream Theater presents the St. Louis premiere of Salt, Root and Roe running through May 12. "Tim Price's Salt, Root and Roe is a poetic masterwork about the nature of change, the comfort of home, and the eternal bond of love, set against the mythical backdrop of the Pembrokeshire coast in western Wales. The play centers on identical twins Iola and Anest, who are very devoted to each other. Ageing fast, and with the time they have together more fragile by the day, they arrive at a desperate decision. Word of this reaches Anest's daughter Menna, who rushes to her long-abandoned childhood home where her own ideas of love and compromise are tested to the limit. In spite of its somber themes, the play is light, textured and at times very funny-and in the words of one reviewer "like a pebble picked from a Pembrokeshire beach… something to take home and reflect over, something that evokes a smell of the sea..."Another US premiere from Upstream Theater, in co-production with Stages Repertory Theatre of Houston." Performances take place at the Kranzberg Arts Center, 501 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information, including show times: upstreamtheater.org.

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.