St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of May 16, 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 Tom Sawyer Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sunday (May 29) at 2 pm, May 20 - 29. “Refresh your memory of what it means to be a kid and introduce your kids and grandkids to a classic Missouri tale. What a great way to kick off the summer! All the familiar characters are here – Tom, Huck, Aunt Polly, Becky Thatcher and Injun Joe. Watch as Tom learns the lessons of childhood whether “painting” a fence, getting in trouble in school with the strict Mr. Dobbins, courting Becky Thatcher or glimpsing the murder of Doc Robinson in the graveyard. It’s a classic! Masks are required by the Alpha Players and socially distanced seating will be in place.” Performances take place in the James J. Eagen Center in Florissant. For more information: florissantmo.thundertix.com

The Cabaret Project and The Blue Strawberry present a Singers Open Mic on Tuesday, May 17th, from 7 to 9:30 pm. “Chuck Lavazzi is your host, with pianist and music director Carol Schmidt. If you plan to sing bring sheet music or a chart in your own key, and perform your favorite Broadway, pop, or jazz tunes. Or you can just relax, have a drink and dinner or a snack, and enjoy the music. No admission or cover, but there is always a tip jar! All proceeds go to The Cabaret Project, a 501c3 non-profit dedicated to promoting, developing, and sustaining the art of cabaret in St. Louis."  The Blue Strawberry is at 364 N. Boyle. For more information: thecabaretproject.org.

Jason Danieley

The Cabaret Project presents Jason Danieley Wednesday and Thursday, May 18 and 19, at 7:30 pm. “Jason Danieley brings the same dynamic voice, warmth and charm to his Cabaret Series debut as he has to his critically acclaimed, award-winning Broadway roles. Born and raised in St. Louis, Danieley began his career when he was chosen by Leonard Bernstein to play the title role in the Broadway revival of Candide (Theater World Award). From his star turn in Candide, to the original cast of the smash hit The Full Monty and his most recently acclaimed work in the hit musical version of the film Pretty Woman, Jason has entertained audiences on Broadway, in concert halls, and in cabaret rooms across the country. Danieley returns to his hometown to perform a personal evening of songs ranging from Broadway to jazz standards to pop classics.” Performances take place at Jazz St. Louis in Grand Center. For more information: thecabaretproject.org.

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

KTK Productions presents Neil Simon’s The Gingerbread Lady Fridays at 7:30 pm and Sundays 2 pm through May 22. “The Gingerbread Lady is a dark drama with comic overtones centering on Evy Meara, a cabaret singer whose career, marriage, and health all have been destroyed by alcohol. We meet her at the end of a ten week drying out period at a sanitarium when her friend, her daughter, and an actor try to help her adjust to sobriety. The friend is so constantly vain that she loses her husband; the actor, a homosexual, is also doomed, and indeed loses his part three days before an opening; and the daughter needs more affection than she can spare her mother. Evy's efforts at hosting a party crumble when she falls off the wagon and careens toward a tragic end.” Performances take place at St. John the Baptist Parish, 4200 Delor. For more information: kurtainkall.org.

The Lemp Mansion Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre and Jest Mysteries present The Comic Book Killer through August 27. "Calling all superheros and villains! There’s trouble afoot for you both! Evil Doctor Weevil is back and he’s trying to erase your very existence! The time has come to join forces against true evil and restore balance to the comic universe. But who will be the hero or heroes and rid this plain of Evil Dr. Weevil forever? Could it be you? Quick…to the Prius! Dawn your cape and spandex and meet us the famously haunted Lemp Mansion for a mystery like no other! Here I come to save the daaaaaay!!!!"  The Lemp Mansion is at 3322 DeMenil Place in south city. For more information: www.lempmansion.com

Metro Theater Company presents In My Granny’s Garden live at multiple locations in the bi-state area through June 26 and streaming on line June 1 through 26. “Inspired by the children’s book by acclaimed playwright and New York Times bestselling author Pearl Cleage and her husband, writer and director Zaron W. Burnett Jr., In My Granny’s Garden invites the youngest audiences to explore the glory of growing your own food. Watch a tiny seed become a field of corn, green beans, collard greens, and bright red tomatoes. Step into a visual feast inspired by world renowned artist Radcliffe Bailey’s original paintings, and discover the one superpower that fuels Granny’s garden. The play promises to leave the very young nourished in body and soul. In My Granny's Garden was commissioned by the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia. For more information: www.metroplays.org

Anomalous Experience
Photo: Joey Rumpell

The Midnight Company presents Joe Hanrahan’s Anomalous Experience: A Modern Ghost Story Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 pm through May 21. “Inspired by true events, the play is designed as a public lecture from a respected psychiatrist. He’s been dealing with professional ridicule for his research into the phenomenon of Alien Abduction. In the course of the play, he will present two patients who, in very different ways, have been victims of their perceived abductions. While he’s not exactly sure what’s going on, the psychiatrist is convinced that something real, something profound, is happening to these people and to our world.“ Performances take place at the .ZACK in Grand Center. For more information: www.midnightcompany.com

Opera Theatre of St. Louis presents Bizet’s Carmen opening on Saturday, May 21, at 7:30 pm and running through June 25. “Free, rebellious, and beautiful, Carmen is the most desired woman in town. Every man wants her, and every woman envies her. Sparks fly when Carmen meets the young soldier Don José, and they quickly begin a passionate affair. José is ready to sacrifice everything for Carmen: his reputation, his career, even his family. But when Carmen leaves José for the handsome bullfighter Escamillo, a tangled web of lust, obsession, and jealousy play out to fatal effect.” Opera Theatre requires proof of vaccination and strongly recommends that guests wear a mask during indoor events. Performances are sung in English with projected English supertitles and take place at the Loretto-Hilton Center on the Webster University Campus. For more information: opera-stl.org.

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

The St. Louis Black Repertory Company continues its in-person 45th Anniversary season with Jitney by August Wilson, through May 29. "Jitney is the eighth play in August Wilson’s ten-play Century Cycle which examines every decade of the 20th century and chronicles Black American history through the lens of The Hill District of Pittsburgh. Set  in 1977, Jitney takes on the devastating impacts of rapid urban renewal. As the city begins to shut down businesses - including the jitney cab station - to make way for new buildings, we meet five gypsy cab drivers as they struggle to survive." For more information: www.theblackrep.org.

The St. Louis Writers' Group presents a reading of Broom – Act II by Mario Farwell on Tuesday, May 17 at 6:30 p.m. “The play explores racism and police misconduct in America.” The reading takes place at Big Daddy’s, 1000 Sidney in Soulard and on line via Facebook. For more information, visit the St. Louis Writers' Group Facebook page.

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.