St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of July 11, 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 Blue Strawberry presents magician John Johnson and one-handed juggler Dale Jones on Monday, July 11, at 7:30 pm as part of the Magical Mondays series.  “When you toss sleight-of-hand magic, motorcycles, and martial arts in a blender, out comes dynamic magician John Johnson.  Dale Jones, the first one-handed juggler that history records, invented an entirely new way to juggle to compensate for his atrophied right hand (which he injured severely at age 8." The Blue Strawberry is at 364 N. Boyle. For more information: bluestrawberrystl.com.

The Blue Strawberry presents An Evening of Nat King Cole with Broadway actor and jazz pianist/singer Bryan Eng on Tuesday, July 12, at 7:00 pm. “Eng brings his  swinging trio back to the St. Louis after a sold-out show in December. For  this one-night-only event, Eng leads his trio in honoring the legacy of his hero, Nat King Cole.” The Blue Strawberry is at 364 N. Boyle in the Central West End. For more information: bluestrawberrystl.com.

Bob Wetzel and the band

The Blue Strawberry presents Bob Wetzel in Peasant, Pirate and Poet: The Music of Jimmy Webb Thursday, July 14, at 7:30 pm. “Four-time Grammy Winner Jimmy Webb wrote MacArthur Park, Wichita Lineman, Galveston, Up, Up and Away, All I Know, By The Time I get To Phoenix, Honey, Come Back, and The Worst That Could Happen. His songs were made famous by Frank Sinatra, Glen Campbell, Richard Harris, Barbra Streisand, Elvis Presley, The 5th Dimension, James Taylor, Johnny Cash, Art Garfunkel, Linda Ronstadt, Josh Groban and Donna Summer, among many others. They continue to resonate. In the last year, they were sung on national tours by Toby Keith, Little Big Town, and Guns N’ Roses. And he had a rap hit with Kanye West. Bob Wetzel sings the songs, tells the stories of their creation, and of the man.” Christopher Denny is pianist and music director for the show, which is directed by Lina Koutrakos. The Blue Strawberry is at 364 N. Boyle in the Central West End. For more information: bluestrawberrystl.com.

The Blue Strawberry presents Jeanna de Waal: Musical Theater Songs I Like To Sing Friday, July 15, at 7:30 pm. “Immediately following her run as Mary Poppins at The Muny, Jeanna is thrilled to be returning to the Blue Strawberry for one night. The intimate concert will include songs - new and old - from the Broadway catalog, personal anecdotes from Jeanna’s time in the industry, and general musings she hopes you’ll find amusing.” The show is also available via live video stream. The Blue Strawberry is at 364 N. Boyle in the Central West End. For more information: 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

Assassins

Fly North Theatricals presents Sondheim’s Assassins through July 23. “A multiple Tony Award-winning theatrical tour-de-force, Assassins combines Sondheim's signature blend of intelligently stunning lyrics and beautiful music with a panoramic story of our nation's culture of celebrity and the violent means some will use to obtain it, embodied by America's four successful and five would-be presidential assassins. Bold, original, disturbing and alarmingly funny, Assassins is perhaps the most controversial musical ever written. Assassins lays bare the lives of nine individuals who assassinated or tried to assassinate the President of the United States, in a one-act historical "revusical" that explores the dark side of the American experience. From John Wilkes Booth to Lee Harvey Oswald, writers, Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman, bend the rules of time and space, taking us on a nightmarish roller coaster ride in which assassins and would-be assassins from different historical periods meet, interact and inspire each other to harrowing acts in the name of the American Dream.” Performances take place at .ZACK on Locust in Grand Center. For more information: https://www.flynorthmusic.com

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

Rodney's Wife
Photo: Joey Rumpell

The Midnight Company presents the St. Louis premiere of Rodney’s Wifeby Richard Nelson Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, and Sundays (July 17) at 2pm through July 23. “Rodney’s Wife is set during a steamy summer in Rome, 1962.  It takes place over a day and a half in an Italian Villa full of an extended family and scorching secrets.  Rodney, whose Hollywood stardom is beginning to dim, has arrived to star in one of the first, pre-Eastwood, Spaghetti Westerns.  With him is his second wife, Fay, who, as she arrives, isn’t sure if she can last another day as just “Rodney’s wife.”  And Eva, his sister, once married to Rodney’s agent, but since his death, hanging on to her brother and her lifestyle any way she can. And Lee, his daughter by his first wife, who, after ten years at girls’ schools and college, is now back in the heart of the family.  And Ted, Lee’s fiancee, a surprise to the family and, somewhat, to Lee.  And Henry, his new agent, with a pregnant wife back in the States, and a movie star to care for in Rome.” at The Chapel Venue, 6238 Alexander Drive. For more information: midnightcompany.com

Mary Poppins
Photo: Phillip Hamer

The Muny presents the musical Mary Poppins through July 13 at 8:15 pm.  “Based on one of the most popular films in history, Disney and Cameron Mackintosh’s Mary Poppins is practically perfect in every way. Transporting audiences by umbrella to London at the turn of the last century, this Tony Award-winning stage adaptation features a carpet bag full of classics, including “Chim Chim Cher-ee,” “Step in Time,” “A Spoonful of Sugar” and “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.”” Performances take place on the Muny's outdoor stage in Forest Park.  For more information: muny.org.

The Muny presents the musical Sweeney Todd July 16-23 at 8:15 pm.  “Stephen Sondheim’s musical thriller Sweeney Todd July 16-23 at 8:15 pm.  “The Broadway legend and American musical masterpiece makes its Muny debut. Set in 19th century London, Sweeney Todd has captivated audiences around the world with its dark wit and haunting tale of love. Sweeney Todd is classified as a ‘horror musical,’ and best suited for older teens and adults.” ” Performances take place on the Muny's outdoor stage in Forest Park.  For more information: muny.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 Actors’ Studio presents the eighth annual LaBute New Theater Festival through July 31. “STLAS received hundreds of submissions worldwide and selected eight to be produced on the stage at The Gaslight Theater. This year's festival features productions by winners of the 2020 Festival, which, due to the pandemic, were postponed. There will be two artists receptions held in the adjacent West End Grill space on Fridays July 15 and 29. Patrons are encouraged to stay and meet the playwrights, actors and crew.” Performances take place at The Gaslight Theater on North Boyle in the Central West End. For more information: https://www.stlas.org/

Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea
Photo: Phillip Hamer

The St. Louis Black Repertory Company opens its 46th Anniversary Season with Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea through July 23 . “When 18-year-old Dontrell Jones decides to voyage into the Atlantic Ocean in search of an ancestor lost during the Middle Passage, his family struggles with the thought of losing its prized son to the waters of a mysterious and haunting past. Blending poetry, humor, wordplay and ritual, this rhythmic journey is a present-day hero’s quest to explore the lengths and depths we must go to rewrite history’s wrongs.” Performances take place at the Edison Theatre on the Washington University campus. For more information: www.theblackrep.org

The Department of Theater and Dance and SIU-Edwardsville presents the musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sundays at 2 pm, July 15-24. “Told entirely through song with the help of a main character Narrator, the musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, follows preferred son Joseph in the reimagining of the Biblical story of Joseph, his father Jacob, eleven brothers and the coat of many colors.  After being sold into slavery by his brothers, Joseph ingratiates himself with Egyptian noble Potiphar, but ends up in jail after refusing the amorous advances of Potiphar's wife.  While imprisoned, Joseph discovers his ability to interpret dreams, and he soon finds himself in front of the mighty but troubled, Elvis-inspired, Pharaoh.  Joseph's solution to Egypt's famine elevates him to Pharaoh's right-hand man and reunites him with his family.” Performances take place at the Dunham Hall Theatre on the campus in Edwardsville, IL. For more information: www.siue.edu

The Length of a Pop Song
Photo: Taylor Gruenloh

The Tesseract Theatre Company presents The Length of a Pop Song by by Taylor Gruenloh Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 4 pm, through July 17. “Lex has no choice but to move back into her parent’s house after another incident of self-harm. Her mother wants to help prepare her for an upcoming trial against an adult website hosting non-consensual videos of Lex, but Lex can’t find a reason to look forward to tomorrow.” Performances take place at The Marcelle Theatre in Grand Center. For more information: www.tesseracttheatre.com

Eugene Onegin
Photo: Dan Donovan

Union Avenue Opera presents Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin Friday and Saturday at 8 pm, July 15 and 16. “Tatyana, a lovesick girl from the countryside, declares her love for Onegin and finds herself spurned by the disenchanted aristocrat. Onegin, indifferent to the feelings of others, disregards Tatyana’s advances to pursue Olga, his friend Lensky’s betrothed. A duel commences and Onegin finds himself victorious albeit deeply tormented. He returns years later to find Tatyana happily married to Prince Gremin. Struck by her beauty, Onegin declares his love for her only to find himself face to face with the folly of his naïveté. Eugene Onegin is a sophisticated and melancholy masterpiece by one of classical music’s most universally beloved composers. Tchaikovsky’s lush melodies are enhanced by the opera’s uniquely Russian folk tunes, infectious waltzes, and passion-soaked arias bringing to life Alexander Pushkin’s verse novel like never before.” Performances are sung in Russian with projected English supertitles and take place at Union Avenue Christian Church, 733 Union at Enright in the Central West End. For more information: unionavenueopera.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.