St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of February 27, 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 through 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 Blue Strawberry presents Claybourne Elder Thursday, March 2, at 7:30 pm. “In this candid show, one of Broadway’s brightest (and hunkiest!) stars, Claybourne Elder, shares his favorite songs – from Sondheim to French pop – along with reflections on romance, adventure, and growing up gay and Mormon in rural Utah. He'll also share theatre reminiscences from working with Stephen Sondheim to being on Broadway 8 times a week in his underwear. Get intimate with one of New York's favorite personalities in this hilarious and heartfelt solo show.” The Blue Strawberry is at 364 N. Boyle. For more information:  bluestrawberrystl.com

The Blue Strawberry presents Terry Barber in Mercury: The Music and The Life of Queen’s Freddie Mercury Saturday, March 4, at 8 pm. “Mercury is not as much a tribute to Queen as an exploration of the man’s life and work. When Farrokh “Freddie" Bulsara was eight years old, his parents sent him thousands of miles away to a boarding school in India. The family saw each other once a year. The very shy boy Freddie felt very much alone and lonely. He developed a protective skin. In music, he started to find a way out. The bravado developed at school became a big part of his stage persona. Part broken man and part rock god, Freddie Mercury showed it all on stage, and left if all there. In this new show about the man he reveres, Terry Barber sings Freddie’s songs, and explores the conflicts between his personal and public lives revealed by his music. Terry shares the story of each song, and locates its place in Freddie’s constellation of selves.” The Blue Strawberry is at 364 N. Boyle. For more information:  bluestrawberrystl.com

Ally Gia

The Blue Strawberry presents St. Louis's own Ally Gia in The Climb on Sunday, March 5, at 4 pm. “Join Ally Gia, a graduating senior musical theatre major at Webster’s Sargent Conservatory, as she guides you through an intimate night exploring her life journey towards the stage.” The Blue Strawberry is at 364 N. Boyle. For more information:  bluestrawberrystl.com

The Fabulous Fox presents Aaron Sorkin’s 2018 adaptation of Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird February 28 – March 12.  Richard Thomas plays Atticus Finch in this adaptation, directed by Bartlett Sher. The Fabulous Fox is on North Grand in Grand Center. For more information: fabulousfox.com

First Run Theatre presents the Spectrum 2023 Short Play Festival, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 2 pm, March 3-12. The program consists of seven new one-act plays by local playwrights. Performances take place at The Chapel, 6238 Alexander Drive in Clayton. For more information: firstruntheatre.org/

Fly North Theatricals presents free performances of the musical Peter and the Starcatcher March 3 through 12. Performances take place at the Greenfinch Theater and Dive at 2525 S. Jefferson. For more information: www.flynorthmusic.com

The Kirkwood Theatre Guild presents the Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap March 3 - 12. “After a local woman is murdered, the guests and staff at Monkswell Manor find themselves stranded. It soon becomes clear that the killer is among them, and the seven strangers grow increasingly suspicious of one another. A police detective interrogates the suspects: the newlyweds running the house; a spinster with a curious background; an architect who seems better equipped to be a chef; a retired Army major; a strange little man who claims his car has overturned in a drift; and a jurist who makes life miserable for everyone. When a second murder takes place, tensions and fears escalate!” Performances take place at the Robert Reim Theatre in Kirkwood, MO. For more information: ktg-onstage.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.

The Midnight Company presents Just One Look by Joe Hanrahan, starring Kelly Howe as Linda Ronstadt. “Linda Ronstadt ruled the pop charts and filled stadiums in the 70’s and 80’s. The reigning rock goddess of her era, she later took on light opera - Gilbert and Sullivan on Broadway - and The Great American Songbook with Nelson Riddle. Her involvement in social issues accelerated during her relationship with California Governor Jerry Brown, then running for President. But for Linda, it was always a search for the next great song. Kelly Howe will portray Linda Ronstadt and sing her sensational songs.” Performances take place Wednesdays at 7:30 pm, March 1 – 8 at The Blue Strawberry, 356 N. Boyle. For more information: bluestrawberrystl.com

Nine
Photo: Gerry Love

New Line Theatre presents the musical Nine Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 pm, March 2-25. “Based on filmmaking legend Federico Fellini’s iconic 1963 (semi-)autobiographical film 8 1/2, the musical NINE is a funny, crazy psychoanalytical roller coaster ride through the mind of a troubled, self-doubting genius who's suffering a midlife crisis. Underneath the comedy, it's a story about creation and creators, the sacrifices and compromises and demons, and the mysterious, delicate process of making great art.” .  Performances take place at the Marcelle Theatre in Grand Center. For more information: www.newlinetheatre.com

The Pageant presents the one-man show Men Are From Mars – Women Are From Venus LIVE! on Sunday March 5 at 3 pm. “Moving swiftly through a series of vignettes, the show covers everything from dating and marriage to the bedroom. This hysterical show will have couples elbowing each other all evening as they see themselves on stage. Sexy and fast paced, this show is definitely for adults, but will leave audiences laughing and giggling like little kids!” The Pageant is at 6161 Delmar. For more information: www.thepageant.com/

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.

Variety STL presents its annual Curtain Call Revue Tuesday through Friday at 6 pm and Saturday at 7 pm, February 28 through March 4. The show features kids from ages 9 through 20 from the Curtain Call workshop program. Performances take place  at the Chesterfield YMCA. For more information: varietystl.org

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.

Webster Conservatory presents the musical Rain and Zoe Save the World Friday at 7:30 pm, Saturday at 2 and 7:30 pm, and Sunday at 2 pm, March 3-5. “Two teenage climate activists embark on an impulsive motorcycle journey to join a group of oil protesters. What begins as two young environmentalists’ longing to belong to something greater than themselves gives way to their discovering that the true danger in this world might just be growing up. This brand new play is a funny, sincere and profoundly moving adventure about the ethics of standing up for what you believe, whatever the cost.” Performances take place in the Emerson Studio Theatre on the Webster University campus in Webster Groves. For more information: www.webster.edu

Winter Opera presents Sigmund Romberg’s The Desert Song Friday at 7:30 pm and Sunday at 2 pm, March 3 and 5. “Explore the land of romance and adventure with the mysterious Red Shadow.” Performances take place at the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center, 201 E. Monroe in Kirkwood, MO. For more information: www.winteroperastl.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.