St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of July 18, 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.

Carol Schmidt

The Cabaret Project and The Blue Strawberry present a Singers Open Mic on Tuesday, June 21st, from 7 to 9:30 pm. “Ken Haller 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.

Jamie Eros and family

The Blue Strawberry presents a This One is For the Women with singer Jamie Eros  on Thursday, July 21st at  7:30 pm. "Jamie Eros performs a one momma cabaret dedicated to moms, wives, sisters, daughters and friends. Perfect for a girls night out or date night away from the kiddos. Come enjoy stories and songs that take you through the journey of an everyday mom of 4!!" The Blue Strawberry is at 364 N. Boyle. For more information: bluestrawberrystl.com.

Clayton Community Theatre presents Neil Simon’s Broadway Bound Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 2 pm, July 21-31.  “This 1986 semi-autobiographical comedy is the last chapter in Neil Simon’s “Eugene” trilogy. It shows Eugene and his older brother, Stanley, dealing with their parents' relationship falling apart as the brothers work together toward being comedy writers for the radio, and, eventually, television. When their material is broadcast on the radio for the first time, the rest of the family is upset to hear a comedic rendition of their own trials and tribulations. How will Eugene and his brother balance their loyalties to their family and to their art?” Performances take place at the Washington University South Campus Theatre, 6501 Clayton Rd. For more information: www.placeseveryone.org

COCA presents Matilda the Musical Friday through Sunday, July 22-24. “Matilda Wormwood, a young girl with extraordinary powers, uses her love of reading and storytelling as an escape from her life with her neglectful and abusive parents. Matilda is sent off to school where she struggles under the reign of the school’s cruel headmistress, Miss Trunchbull, who punishes children for not abiding by her strict rules. Matilda befriends her kind teacher, Miss Honey, who realizes Matilda’s talents and encourages her to embrace her uniqueness. Matilda learns how to stand up to the adults in her life and discovers her own remarkable powers.” Masks are required indoors at COCA. Performances take place on the Berges Mainstage Theatre at COCA in University City. For more information: www.cocastl.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

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 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

Sweeney Todd

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 St. Louis Writers' Group presents a reading of Seven Short Plays by Mario Farwell on Tuesday, July 19 at 6:30 p.m. The reading takes place at Big Daddy’s, 1000 Sidney in Soulard. For more information, visit the St. Louis Writers' Group Facebook page.

Stages St. Louis presents Lin-Manuel Miranda’s In the Heights July 22 through August 21. “IN THE HEIGHTS, the Tony Award Winning Best Musical from the creator of HAMILTON, tells the universal story of a vibrant community in New York’s Washington Heights neighborhood – a place where the coffee from the corner bodega is light and sweet, the windows are always open and the breeze carries the rhythm of three generations of music. It’s a community on the brink of change, full of hopes, dreams and pressures, where the biggest struggle can be deciding which traditions to take with you, and which ones to leave behind.” Performances take place at the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center in Kirkwood, MO. For more information: stagesstlouis.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 through July 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 Tesseract Theatre Company presents All That Remains by JM Chambers Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 4 pm, July 22-31. “Gary survives a school shooting and isn't dealing with the trauma well. Gary’s wife Elaine is trying her best to hold it all together, take care of Gary, work, pay the bills, and deal with her own sadness. Gary and Elaine can’t go on living this way forever and soon they both reach a breaking point.”  Performances take place at The Marcelle Theatre in Grand Center. For more information: www.tesseracttheatre.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.