St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of February 20, 2023

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

The Alpha Players present J.B. Priestly’s An Inspector Calls February 24 – March 5. “It’s April 1912 at the home of the prosperous Birling family. Arthur Birling, his wife Sybil, their daughter Sheila and son Eric are in the drawing room just after dinner celebrating Sheila’s engagement to Gerald Croft, heir to a highly successful family business. Their cozy celebration is suddenly interrupted when the maid announces the unexpected arrival of Police Inspector Goole. The Inspector has come to the home as part of an inquiry into the death of a young woman. As the Inspector’s investigation unfolds, we find that each have secrets linking them to the tragedy.” Performances take place in the James J. Eagen Center in Florissant. For more information: www.alphaplayers.org

The Light
Photo: Phillip Hamer

The Black Rep, presents Loy A Webb’s The Light through March 5. “On their two-year dating anniversary, modern day couple Rashad and Genesis have plenty to celebrate—a marriage proposal and the promise of a new life together. But will their relationship survive when memories buried long ago are uncovered? The Light takes us on an emotional journey of love, laughter, and heartache as the two young adults reconcile their past and reaffirm their personal values to live in the truth.” Performances take place in the Hotchner Studio Theatre on the Washington University campus. For more information: www.theblackrep.org

The Cabaret Project and The Blue Strawberry present a Singers Open Mic Tuesday, February 21, 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. Medium/up-tempo songs are encouraged but not required. 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 cabaret in St. Louis."  The Blue Strawberry is at 364 N. Boyle. For more information: thecabaretproject.org.

The Lemp Mansion Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre and Jest Mysteries present Murder at the Abbey through May 6th. "Immerse yourself in a world full of aristocracy, old money a perhaps a touch of murder!  You’ve been invited to the dinner party held by the Earl of Grantham himself. Some would kill for the opportunity to meet the Crawley family.  They’ll all be there!  The Earl, his beautiful wife and three daughters…not to mention all your favorite characters in, and around, the Grantham house." The Lemp Mansion is at 3322 DeMenil Place in south city. For more information: www.lempmansion.com

Spells of the Sea
Photo: Jennifer Lin

Metro Theater Company presents the world premiere of the musical Spells of the Sea through March 5. “Finley Frankfurter is a 15-year-old fisherwoman who is terrible at fishing. H.S. Crank is a grumpy old lighthouse keeper who has been sitting for 20 years in the dark. Together, this unlikely pair begins an adventure through the ocean to find the Elixir of Life, an elusive remedy that will save Finley’s father from a mysterious illness. On their journey, the pair encounter mermaids and pirates, whirlpools and their worst fears, and finally a new understanding of the meaning of family, friendship, and trust in yourself.” Performances take place at the Grandel Theatre in Grand Center. The show is also available for video streaming beginning on Feburary 16.For more information: www.metroplays.org.

Confederates
Photo: Liz Lauren

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents Confederates by Dominique Morisseau through March 5. “An enslaved rebel turned Union spy and a tenured professor in a modern-day private university are having parallel experiences of institutionalized racism, despite existing more than a century apart. MacArthur Genius Award-Winning Playwright, Dominique Morisseau, brilliantly bends the continuum of time and weaves together the stark realities of racial and gender bias both women face in this illuminating drama.” Performances take place on the main stage at the Loretto-Hilton Center on the Webster University campus. For more information: repstl.org.

Uncle Vanya
Photo: Patrick Huber

The St. Louis Actors’ Studio presents Chekov’s Uncle Vanya Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 3 pm, through March 5. “The visit of an elderly professor and his glamorous, much younger second wife, Yelena, to the rural estate that supports their urban lifestyle. Two friends—Vanya, brother of the professor's late first wife, who has long managed the estate, and Astrov, the local doctor—both fall under Yelena's spell, while bemoaning the ennui of their provincial existence. Sonya, the professor's daughter by his first wife, who has worked with Vanya to keep the estate going, suffers from her unrequited feelings for Astrov. Matters are brought to a crisis when the professor announces his intention to sell the estate, Vanya and Sonya's home, with a view to investing the proceeds to achieve a higher income for himself and his wife.”  Performances take place at The Gaslight Theater on North Boyle in the Central West End. For more information: www.stlas.org.

St. Louis University Theatre presents The Wolves, directed by Nancy Bell, Thursday through Sunday, February 23-26. “In this contemporary slice-of-life play written by Sarah DeLappe, an indoor soccer team, named The Wolves, practices drills as they prepare for a succession of games. As they warm up and talk about life, the players navigate the politics of their personal lives as well as the larger world, gossiping about things like war, menstrual products, genocide, sports, pop culture and their relationships. Each character struggles to define their own individuality while being a part of a team. They bond over a bag of orange slices and personal traumas.” Performances take place at the Xavier Hall Main Stage on the campus at 3733 West Pine Mall in Grand Center. For more information: www.slu.edu

Singnasium presents Broadway Our Way!: A Showcase of STL Based Cabaret Singers on Monday, February 20 at 7:00 pm. “Singnasium's Broadway Our Way is a showcase of STL-based cabaret singers, the culmination of a high-level weekend "bootcamp" taught by New York's Lennie Watts and Steven Ray-Watkins. Join singers Anna Blair, Steve Brammeier, Beverly Brennan, Journee Carter, Gary Cox, Ethan Edwards, Katie McGrath, Angie Nicholson, Donna O'Riordan and Samantha Rodgers.. The show is directed by Lennie Watts with musical direction by Steven Ray-Watkins. The performance takes place at The Blue Strawberry, 364 N. Boyle. For more information: bluestrawberrystl.com.

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Photo: John Lamb

Stray Dog Theatre presents Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Thursdays through Saturdays through February 25. “George and Martha, the American theater’s most notoriously dysfunctional couple, have invited the young and naive Nick and Honey over for drinks. What begins as harmless patter escalates to outright marital warfare, with the provincial newcomers caught in the crossfire.” Performances take place at Tower Grove Abbey, 2336 Tennessee in Tower Grove East. Tickets are only offered in physically distanced groups of two or four. For more information: www.straydogtheatre.org.

Tesseract Theatre Company presents Jason Robert Brown’s two-character musical The Last Five Years Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 4 pm through February 26. “This modern musical ingeniously chronicles the five-year life of a marriage, from meeting to break-up and from break-up to meeting. An emotionally powerful and intimate musical about two New Yorkers in their twenties who fall in and out of love over the course of five years, the show's unconventional structure consists of Cathy, the woman, telling her story backwards while Jamie, the man, tells his story chronologically.” Performances take place at the .ZACK, 3224 Locust in Grand Center. For more information: www.tesseracttheatre.com.

The Washington University Performing Arts Department presents The Oresteia Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 2 pm, February 24 – March 5. “How can justice be achieved without piling new crimes on top of old ones? Ellen McLaughlin’s gripping adaptation of the trilogy by Aeschylus explores the intimacy of violence and the centrality of actions by women in this ancient Greek story about the foundations of the law.” Performances take place in the Edison Theatre on the Washington University Campus. For more information: pad.wustl.edu.

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.