St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of February 28, 2022

Now including both on-line and live events during the pandemic. Your event information should be in text format (i.e. not part of a graphic), but feel free to include publicity stills. To get your event listed here, send an email to calendar [at] stageleft.org.

The Alpha Players present the comedy The Irish Wake of Patty O’Toole Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sundays at 2 pm  through March 6. Performances take place in the James J. Eagen Center in Florissant. For more information: alphaplayers.org.

Jeanna de Waal

The Blue Strawberry presents Broadway’s Jeanna de Waal on Friday at 7:30 March 4. “Straight from the roller coaster of Diana the Musical - a highly talked about new musical that told the story of Princess Diana and quickly developed a cult following - meet Jeanna de Waal. Hear Jeanna sing for her supper and tell jokes for her Negroni, as she wanders the theaters of the world telling vaudeville tales of the life of a theater actress in an unprecedented time."  The Blue Strawberry is operating under a "COVID careful" arrangement with mandatory vaccination and masking. The Blue Strawberry is at 364 N. Boyle. For more information: bluestrawberrystl.com.

ERA Theatre presents the radio play SHE by Nancy Bell with music by Joe Taylor and Lyrics by Nancy Bell via on-demand streaming  "SHE controls the radio station of the fascist regime in power. SHE's also the star of the broadcast. Her recording studio abounds with music and oysters. But in the nearby government camps full of misfits and would-be revolutionaries, only torture and starvation is thick on the ground. Tonight, however, SHE's realm feels different. The bombs sound closer. Time moves faster. But SHE will finish her radio show, and it will be her finest. If executing every number in the broadcast means some people need to die, so be it; it is a small sacrifice. The citizens need her and she will not let them down." SHE is available on most major platforms including Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Music, YouTube, and BandCamp. For more information: www.eratheatre.org

First Run Theatre presents Spectrum 2022: A Festival of Short Plays Fridays and Saturdays at 8 and Sundays at 2 pm, March 4-13. Performances take place at The Chapel, 6238 Alexander Drive in Clayton, MO. For more information: firstruntheatre.org   

The Lemp Mansion Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre and Jest Mysteries present Bullets in the Bathtub J through May 7. "Mob bosses, flappers, bootleggers and crooked cops will abound as event attendees are transported back in time to Trixie's speakeasy right in the heart of the roaring 20's. There will be plenty of rowdy characters at this fun, interactive event but none so dangerous as Harry "Bullets" Hyde. He’s the boss of the bosses and he is not too keen on "The Familys" taking over his territory. Parts will be passed out at the door and guests can participate as much or as little as they would like too. Some might be famous gangsters of the past, others may dodge the cops as they bootleg over state lines and a few might even be fun, flirty flappers. When a group like this gets together, it’s almost inevitable that somebody ends up "sleeping with the fishes." The Lemp Mansion is at 3322 DeMenil Place in south city. For more information: www.lempmansion.com

Head Over Heels
Photo: Jill Ritter Lindberg

New Line Theatre presents the musical Head Over Heels March 3-26. “Head Over Heels is the bold, sexy new musical comedy from the visionaries that rocked Broadway with American Idiot, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Avenue Q and Spring Awakening. Conceived by Jeff Whitty, with an original book by Whitty, adapted by James Magruder, originally directed by Michael Mayer, based on a novel from 1580 (not kidding!) and set to the music of the iconic 1980s all-girl rock band The Go-Go's, this subversive, high-octane, laugh-out-loud love story includes hit songs like, “We Got the Beat,” “Our Lips Are Sealed,” “Vacation,” “Heaven is a Place on Earth” and “Mad About You.” The wild story follows the escapades of a royal family who set out on a journey to save their beloved kingdom from extinction -- only to discover the key to their realm’s survival lies within each of their own hearts. . . though not always in the way they expect. . . and in their willingness to let go of rigid tradition and change with the times.” Performances take place at the Marcelle Theater, 3310 Samuel Shepard Drive. For more information: newlinetheatre.com

R-S Theatrics presents While the Ghostlight Burns, a virtual discussion series featuring R-S Artistic Director Sarah Lynne Holt in conversation with St. Louis theatre artists, Mondays at 7 pm.  Conversations will be archived at the R-S Theatrics YouTube channel. For more information: r-stheatrics.com/while-the-ghostlight-burns.html

Stick Fly
Photo by Phillip Hamer

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents St. Louis premiere of Stick Fly by Lydia Diamond through March 6. “The LeVay family’s annual summer vacation to Martha’s Vineyard is thrown into a state of disarray by long-standing tensions, sibling rivalries and a drunken game of Scrabble. This Outer Critics Circle Nominee for Outstanding New Broadway Play explores class, race and generational dynamics through the eyes of a modern African-American family.” Performances take place on the Berges Mainstage Theatre at COCA in University City. For more information: www.repstl.org.

Fireflies

The St. Louis Black Repertory Company continues its 45th Anniversary Season with Fireflies, by Donja R. Love. The production runs through March 6. “Directed by Atlanta-based actor and director Andrea Frye, and featuring Zahria Moore and Eric Conners, the courageous work takes an intimate approach to exploring personal aspects of the Civil Rights Movement. Set in the Jim Crow South, Fireflies tells the story of Olivia, the inspiring speechwriter and force behind her charismatic husband Charles and his freedom movement. When four little girls are bombed in a church, the couple’s relationship is thrown into jeopardy as Olivia begins to believe ‘this world ain’t no place to raise a colored child’." This intimate performance allows viewers to experience the powerful drama from Olivia’s female-led perspective.” Performances take place at the Hotchner Studio Theatre on the Washington University campus. For more information: www.theblackrep.org

The St. Louis Writers' Group presents a reading of the The Piéta Trilogy by Richard Stimac on Tuesday, March 1, at 6:30 pm. “Richard Stimac is a published poet. The Pieta Trilogy of one-act plays is his first attempt at writing drama. One reader suggested Sam Shepard and Harold Pinter as role models, given Richard's tense domestic setting.” The reading takes place upstairs at Big Daddy's, 1000 Sidney in Soulard. For more information, visit the St. Louis Writers' Group Facebook page.

The Washington University Performing Arts Department presents the musical Rent Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm, Sundays at 2 pm, February 25 – March 6. Performances take place in the Edison Theatre on the Washington University Campus. For more information: pad.wustl.edu.

Webster Conservatory presents The Learned Ladies by Molière, translated by Richard Wilbur, through March 6. “Molière’s timeless comedy satirizes pseudo-intellectualism and social climbing while celebrating the power of true love to expose and conquer hypocrisy. Wilbur’s “lighter-than-air verse upholds the idiom and letter of Molière,” describes a New York Times critic. The translator’s “rhymed couplets are always crisp and playable.” Guest artist Rebekah Scallet, Producing Artistic Director of the Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre from 2011 to 2020, directs. Performances take place in the Emerson Studio Theatre in the Loretto-Hilton Center on the Webster University campus in Webster Groves. For more information: www.webster.edu/conservatory

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.