St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of July 10, 2023

What'son St. Louis theater and cabaret stages this coming week. Please leave a comment if anything was wrong or got left out.

Jarrod Spector

The Blue Strawberry presents Tony-nominated singer/actor Jarrod Spector on Wednesday, July 12, at 7:30 pm. “Blue Strawberry is thrilled to welcome Jarrod Spector to the stage after his run in two Muny shows! See Jarrod as Barry Man in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (the role for which he received a Tony nomination) and Frederick Trumper in Chess at The Muny this summer and then come see him up close and personal for an evening of songs and stories.”   The performance takes place at The Blue Strawberry, 364 N. Boyle. For more information: bluestrawberrystl.com

The Lemp Mansion Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre and Jest Mysteries present Death of a Blackheart through August 26. "Ahoy matey! Join us for an exciting evening of murder, mystery and pirates at the best comedy dinner theater show in town. Don your favorite pirate gear and escape to the high seas for an adventure fraught with peril! What part will you play in this hilarious show full of fair maidens, lost boys, rival pirates and wenches? Whichever character you acquire, beware of that famous pirate Captain Jack Blackheart! Aye, he's a scurvy seadog if my eye ever seed one! Gee, I hope no one kills him off!" The Lemp Mansion is at 3322 DeMenil Place in south city. For more information: www.lempmansion.com

The Years
Photo The Midnight Company

The Midnight Company presents The Years by Cindy Lou Johnson Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 and Sundays at 2 pm, July 13 through 29. “The play opens on a tumultuous day for two sets of cousins: Andrea and Eloise, and Isabelle and Andrew. It is Andrea’s wedding day, and she and her sister Eloise, are dealing with the recent death of their father, which was soon followed by their mother’s suicide. On the day of her wedding, Andrea has gone into work to help someone, and returning home is mugged. Meanwhile Eloise has just learned of her husband’s betrayal and the end of their marriage. They make it through that turbulent day. And as the story continues, thirteen years pass, and all of the cousins are forced to deal with the vagaries of life and death that the years deliver.” Performances take place at The Chapel, 6238 Alexander Drive in Clayton. For more information: midnightcompany.com

Just One Look
Photo: The Midnight Company

The Midnight Company presents Just One Look by Joe Hanrahan, starring Kelly Howe as Linda Ronstadt, on selected Wednesdays through August 30 at 7:30 pm. “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 continue at The Blue Strawberry, 356 N. Boyle. For more information: bluestrawberrystl.com.

The Nerd
Photo: Jon Gitchoff

Moonstone Theatre Company presents Larry Shue’s The Nerd through July 23. “In The Nerd, aspiring young architect Willum Cubbert, has often told his friends about the debt he owes to Rick Steadman, a fellow ex-GI whom he has never met but who saved his life after he was seriously wounded in Vietnam. He has written to Rick telling him that, as long as he is alive, “you will have somebody on Earth who will do anything for you." Willum is delighted when Rick shows up unexpectedly at his apartment on the night of his birthday party, but his delight soon fades as it becomes apparent that Rick is a hopeless nerd —a bumbling oaf with no social sense, little intelligence and less tact. As Rick stays on and on, his continued presence among Willum and his friends leads to one uproarious incident after another, until the normally placid Willum finds himself contemplating extreme measures—a dire development which, happily, is staved off by a surprising twist ending.” Performances take place at the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center in Kirkwood, MO. For more information: moonstonetheatrecompany.com

Chess
Photo: Phillip Hamer

The Muny presents the musical Chess through July 11 at 8:15 pm.  “Before Mamma Mia!, members of the pop group ABBA teamed up with Tim Rice (Jesus Christ Superstar, The Lion King, Evita) to create a dynamic drama centered around the world chess championship; mirroring the 1980s Cold War tensions of USA vs. Soviet Russia. The dazzling and beautiful pop rock score became a worldwide smash, including the hit single “One Night in Bangkok.” Chess makes its move to St. Louis (home of the first world championship) and onto the Muny stage for the first time, as the game’s long history continues to rise in popularity. In partnership with the Saint Louis Chess Club and World Chess Hall of Fame .” Performances take place on the Muny's outdoor stage in Forest Park. For more information: muny.org.

The Muny presents West Side Story July 15-21 at 8:15 pm.  “One of the greatest and most powerful musicals of our time. Loosely based on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, West Side Story is a love story that has endured the test of time. Tony and Maria find themselves in each other’s arms in a dance of romance, but can they escape the tensions in the streets? The classic Sharks and Jets rivalry leaps onto the Muny stage for the first time in a decade. With the memorable “Maria,” “Tonight” and “I Feel Pretty” this is your chance to fall in love with this story all over again!” Performances take place on the Muny's outdoor stage in Forest Park. For more information: muny.org.

Safe Space
Photo: Patrick Huber

The St. Louis Actors’ Studio presents the ninth annual LaBute New Theater Festival through July 23. “STLAS received hundreds of submissions worldwide and selected four to be produced on the stage at The Gaslight Theater, along with a brand new piece by esteemed film director, screenwriter and playwright Neil LaBute, for whom the festival and is named and who serves on its creative team. This year's productions include the following works/playwrights: The Mockingbird's Nest by Craig Bailey of Vermont, One Night in the Many Deaths of Sonny Liston by JB Heaps of New York, Da Vinci's Cockroach by Amy Tofte of California, The Blind Hem by Bryn McLaughlin of Oregon, Safe Space by Neil LaBute” Performances take place at The Gaslight Theater on North Boyle in the Central West End. For more information: www.stlas.org

The St. Louis Writers' Group presents a night of one act plays including Gertie and Amos, a "1920's vaudeville-style musical" by Rob Miller and Kris Oliver. "Gertie, a put-upon lower middle-class housewife, grows overwhelmed when her husband, Amos, comes home with yet another get-rich-quick scheme." The reading takes place upstairs at Big Daddy’s in Soulard. For more information, visit the St. Louis Writers' Group Facebook page.

Tesseract Theatre presents Amy Lyte’s Red Curtain Rivalry through July 16 as part of the company’s New Play Festival.  “Two community theaters in the same city are putting on the same musical at the same time. And war has been declared. Between big misunderstandings, plenty of shenanigans, and a lot of lessons learned, each company battles to win the most audience members and prove themselves the best production of "A Doll's House: The Musical!" that the community theatre community has ever seen.” Performances take place at the Marcelle Theatre in Grand Center. For more information: https://www.tesseracttheatre.com/

Tesseract Theatre presents Gwyneth Slope’s In Bloom opening on Friday, July 14 at 8 pm and running through July 23 as part of the company’s New Play Festival.  “Dorothy is raising four teenage girls all on her own, but when she meets someone new at her mother's wedding, she begins a pivotal year of balancing her happiness with the wants of her daughters. Rosalind (18) is going off to college in the fall, Lorelei (16) is discovering her own privacy, Camille (14) is frustrated with her medical condition, and Eileen (12) doesn't understand why everything isn't about her.” Performances take place at the Marcelle Theatre in Grand Center. For more information: https://www.tesseracttheatre.com/

The Turn of the Screw
Photo Dan Donovan

Union Avenue Opera presents Benjamin Britten’s The Turn of the Screw Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm through July 15. "Hired by a mysterious and absent guardian, a young governess travels to a remote English country house to care for two precocious young orphans. Greeted by the housekeeper Mrs. Grose (Christine Brewer), she soon is faced with the possibility that something sinister is afoot. What follows are a series of increasingly ominous supernatural accounts with two of the manor’s previous staff—Miss Jessel, the children’s depraved former governess, and the valet, Peter Quint, her diabolical lover. Based on the mid-19th century horror novella by Henry James, Britten’s seductive, luminous, and brilliantly structured score builds delicious tension to create one of opera’s greatest ghost stories that will have you gripping the edge of your seat" Performances are sung in English 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
 

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