St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of September 2, 2019

The fall season kicks off with new shows at The Rep, the Black Rep, Stages, and the Theatre Guild of Webster Groves, among others.

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St. Louis Shakespeare presents The 39 Steps running through September 7. "Four actors play over 100 characters in this hilarious parody of Hitchcock's 1935 thriller. You won't want to miss it!" Performances take place at Tower Grove Baptist Church, 4257 Magnolia Ave. For more information: stlshakespeare.org.

The cast of Angels in America
Photo by Peter Wochniak

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents Angels in America, Part 1: Millennium Approaches opening on Wednesday, September 4, and running in alternating repertory with Angels in America, Part 2: Perestroika through October 4. "A towering epic that unveils new depths with each passing year, Tony Kushner's Tony- and Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece arrives on The Rep's stage for the first time. The AIDS epidemic is the flashpoint in Kushner's swirling tapestry of American culture, myths and spirituality. Navigating this maelstrom are Prior Walter, whose prophetic visions lead him toward an uncertain destiny, Joe Pitt, a devout and painfully closeted Mormon, and Roy Cohn, a lawyer whose AIDS diagnosis forces him to face a lifetime of misdeeds. These twin plays' vision of a wounded and chaotic nation struggling toward redemption is more urgent than ever." Performances take place at the Loretto-Hilton Center on the Webster University campus. For more information: repstl.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.

The Black Rep presents the musical Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope opening on Wednesday, September 4, and running through September 22. "Garnering a Grammy and Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Musical, Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope was the first musical revue in the history of Broadway to be written and directed by African American women, namely Micki Grant and Vinette Caroll which ran over 1,000 performances. With little dialogue between performances, its poignant social commentary is woven into an unbroken cycle of high-energy, feel-good song and dance numbers." Performances take place at the Edison Theatre on the Washington University campus. For more information: theblackrep.org.

Alton Little Theater presents the comedy Happily Ever After by Mark Dunn opening on Friday, September 6, and running through September 15. " A family friendly farce with a Texas Twang and plot twists aplenty in the tradition of classic Kaufman and Hart!" Performances take place at 2450 North Henry in Alton, IL. For more information, call 618-462-6562 or visit altonlittletheater.org.

The Monocle presents The Hush-Hush Cabaret at 10 pm on Saturday, September 7, at 10 pm. "Anything can happen at the HUSH HUSH, and you never know what sort of exciting acts you'll see! Booking a diverse line up of variety, burlesque, comedy, and so much more, Mimi Le Uke, the Madame of Mischief at the Monocle, guarantees to satisfy! " The performance takes place in the Emerald Room at The Monocle on Manchester in The Grove. For more information: themonoclestl.com

TLT Productions presents Karmatic running through September 8. "'You reap what you sow.' They soon find out that what lies behind and before us are small matters compared to what lies within yourself. Watch Karma go 'round and around... " Performances take place at the Marcelle Theatre in Grand Center. For more information: https://www.metrotix.com/events/detail/tlt-productions-karmatic.

Stages St. Louis presents the musical Man of La Mancha September 6 through October 6. "A romantic and inspiring musical adventure, MAN OF LA MANCHA tells the epic story of seventeenth-century author Miguel de Cervantes and his immortal literary creation Don Quixote." 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 Theatre Guild of Webster Groves presents The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940, opening on Friday, September 6, at 8 pm and running through September 15. "The creative team responsible for a recent Broadway flop (in which three chorus girls were murdered by the mysterious “Stage Door Slasher”) assemble for a backer's audition of their new show at the Westchester estate of a wealthy “angel.” The house is replete with sliding panels, secret passageways and a German maid who is apparently four different people- all of which figure diabolically in the comic mayhem that follows when the infamous “slasher” makes his reappearance and strikes again." 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.

Shakespeare in Love
Photo by John Lamb

Insight Theatre Company presents Shakespeare in Love by Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard, adapted for the stage by Lee Hall, through September 15. "Young Will Shakespeare has writer's block… the deadline for his new play is fast approaching but he's in desperate need of inspiration. That is, until he finds his muse - Viola. This beautiful young woman is Will's greatest admirer and will stop at nothing (including breaking the law) to appear in his next play. Against a bustling background of mistaken identity, ruthless scheming and backstage theatrics, Will's love for Viola quickly blossoms and inspires him to write his greatest masterpiece." Performances take place at the Grandel Theatre in Grand Center. For more information, call 314-556-1293 or visit insighttheatrecompany.com.

Next Generation Theatre Company presents Tuck Everlasting Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 and Sundays at 2 pm through September 8. "11-year old Winnie Foster yearns for a life of adventure beyond her white picket fence, but when she meets the Tuck Family, she gets more adventure than she could have ever imagined, including an extraordinary choice: Will Winnie return to her life, or leave her family behind and join Jesse on a journey of everlasting life?" Performances take place at the Florissant Civic Center Theatre at Parker and Waterford in Florissant, MO. For more information, call 314-921-5678 or visit www.nextgenerationtheatre.company.

The Bissell Mansion Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre presents Sherlock Holmes in "The Case Without a Clue" running through October 27 The Bissell Mansion is at 4426 Randall Place. For more information: bissellmansiontheatre.com

The Lemp Mansion Comedy-Mystery Dinner Theater presents Zombie Love (No Biting) running through November 2. "Calling all Zombies! Tired of being judged for munching on the occasional brain? So you're not really "alive" anymore but you can still enjoy socializing with the living and enjoying a hilarious show together! Well, we've got the perfect show for you! Drama! Comedy! Looove! ...And, of course, Zombies! Don your best Living Dead Costume and choose to be a Zombie, or not (its up to you), but we do promise lots of fun for both the living and the undead! hey, Hey, HEY! No Biting!" The Lemp Mansion is at 3322 DeMenil Place. For more information: lempmansion.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.