St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of April 1, 2024

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

Aquarian Rising Productions presents A Colored Funeral by Gregory S. Carr Friday and Saturday at 7 pm and Sunday at 4 pm, April 5-7. “Death is the ultimate equalizer. One thing seldom discussed is how one group of people may handle the topic of 'death' itself different from another. “ Performances take place at the Jefferson Avenue Mission, 2241 Jefferson Ave. Tickets are available at the door.

Meghan Kirk

The Blue Strawberry presents Songsmiths: A Tribute to Singers and Songwriters with singer Meghan Kirk and pianist Ron McGowan on Wednesday, April 3 at 7 pm. “Join us for an unforgettable celebration of singers and songwriters in "Songsmiths," where Meghan Kirk takes the stage to enchant audiences with classic tunes from the Great American Songbook, hits from the 60s and 70s, and mesmerizing show-tunes. Under the musical direction of Ron McGowan, this performance promises a journey through musical history, with surprise special guests adding their unique flair to the experience. Whether you're a seasoned music lover or simply seeking an evening of pure delight, "Songsmiths" offers an extraordinary celebration of the enduring magic of music.”  The Blue Strawberry is at 364 N. Boyle. For more information: bluestrawberrystl.com.

Karen Mason

The Cabaret Project presents Karen Mason in Kander and Ebb...and All that Jazz on Thursday and Friday, April 4 and 5, at 7:30 pm. “The sensational Karen Mason has played leading roles on Broadway (Sunset Boulevard, Mama Mia, Hairspray, Jerome Robbins’ Broadway & more) and returns to St. Louis to celebrate the music and lyrics of one of Broadway’s greatest songwriting teams, Kander and Ebb (Chicago, Cabaret, New York, New York, Kiss of The Spider Woman). Karen won an Outer Critics Circle award for her performance in the celebrated Kander & Ebb off-Broadway review And The World Goes Round, and since then she has been a great singing ambassador of their work. Karen is the most lauded vocalist by New York’s MAC Awards (13 of them) which honor the best in Manhattan cabaret. There’s nothing more wonderful than the pairing of Karen Mason and Kander & Ebb. A night you won’t forget.” All performances take place in the Ballroom at The Sheldon Concert Hall in Grand Center. For more information: www.thecabaretproject.org.

Clayton Community Theatre presents The Play That Goes Wrong Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 2 pm, April 4 through 14.  ““Break a leg!” takes on a whole new meaning for a woefully misguided troupe of players at the Cornley University Society’s opening night performance of . An unconscious leading lady, a corpse who can’t play dead, a ruffled detective, and a word-mangling butler (among others) must battle against technical gaffes, forgotten lines, and sabotaging scenery in a quest to arrive all in one piece at the final curtain call. Part Monty Python, part Sherlock Holmes, all mayhem, this 1920s whodunit is disastrously delightful.” Performances take place at the Washington University South Campus Theatre, 6501 Clayton Rd. For more information: www.placeseveryone.org.

All My Sons
Photo: Jon Gitchoff

New Jewish Theatre presents Arthur Miller’s All My Sons Thursdays at 7:30 pm, Saturdays at 4 and 8 pm and Sundays at 2 pm through April 7. “Set following World War II, All My Sons is the story of two families destroyed by deception and love. Joe Keller and Steve Deever were business partners and neighbors, but the War changed everything and tore their close families apart. As Kate Keller holds out hope for the return of her son Larry (missing and assumed killed in the war), her other son Chris invites Larry’s childhood sweetheart Ann Deever home for a visit, setting in motion the revelation of terrible truths they have fought hard to avoid.  Will the Deever and Keller families survive their own secrets? The answers transform their secretive past into matters of life and death.” Performances take place at the SFC Performing Arts Center, 2 Millstone Campus Drive. For more information: jccstl.com

August: Osage County
Photo: Jon Gitchoff

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents August: Osage County by Tracy Letts through April 7. “This Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award® winning family drama paints a stark and often unflattering picture of the Midwestern family. In this tableau: the pill-popping and manipulative matriarch, a vanished patriarch and three daughters with secrets of their own. Familial tensions rise when all are called back to the family home in Oklahoma. Equal parts heartfelt and heart-wrenching, this story gives an in-depth look at what it takes to keep a family together.” Performances take on the main stage of the Loretto-Hilton Center on the Webster University campus. For more information: www.repstl.org.

SATE presents the Eighth Annual Aphra Benn Festival Friday through Sunday, April 4-6. To kick off the 2024 “Season of Transformations”, SATE will present its eighth annual Aphra Behn Festival. The Aphra Behn Festival is named for the fascinating poet, translator, and spy, Aphra Behn, who is widely considered to be the first English woman to make her living as a playwright. When established in 2017, a goal of the Aphra Behn Festival was to give women interested in directing and writing for theatre an opportunity to get more experience, try out ideas, experiment, and hone their craft. SATE continues to expand the mission to make the Festival a more inclusive space for transgender and non-binary artists, as well. The following plays will be presented each night of the Festival: The The by Anne Valentino, Left to Lose by Stlla Plein, Run Run Run As Fast As You Can by Tessa Van Vlerah and Dylan Staudte, and The Croning by Margeau Steinau. Performances take place at The Chapel 6238 Alexander Drive. For more information: satestl.org.

St. Louis Actors' Studio (STLAS) presents The Whale by Samuel D. Hunter Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings at 8 pm and Sundays at 3 pm, April 5-21. “On the outskirts of Mormon Country, Idaho, a 600-pound recluse hides away in his apartment and slowly eats himself to death. Desperate to reconnect with his long-estranged daughter, he reaches out to her, only to find a viciously sharp-tongued and wildly unhappy teen. Big-hearted and fiercely funny, The Whale tells the story of a man's last chance at redemption, and of finding beauty in the most unexpected places.” Performance take place at the Gaslight Theatre on North Boyle. For more information: stlas.org.

St. Louis Shakespeare presents Hamlet April 5-13. “Immerse yourself in the world of "Hamlet," a gripping story of vengeance and moral corruption. This Shakespearean classic invites the audience into the troubled mind of Prince Hamlet, who, haunted by his father's ghost, seeks to avenge his untimely death. Set in the gloomy castle of Elsinore, the play weaves a tale of deception, madness, and existential dread.” Performances take place at Lift for Life Academy High School, 1731 S. Broadway. For more information: www.stlshakespeare.org

Stray Dog Theatre presents the musical Xanadu Thursdays through Saturdays at 8, April 4-27, with an additional performances at 2 pm on April 14 and 21. “Xanadu follows the journey of a magical and beautiful Greek muse who descends from the heavens of Mount Olympus to Venice Beach, California. It’s 1980 and she’s on a quest to inspire a struggling artist to achieve the greatest creation of all time – the first ROLLER DISCO! But when she falls into forbidden love with a mortal, her jealous sisters take advantage of the situation and chaos abounds.” Performances take place at Tower Grove Abbey, 2336 Tennessee in Tower Grove East. For more information: www.straydogtheatre.org.

West End Players Guild presents Dark Matters by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa April 5 through 14. “In an isolated house at the edge of a cornfield, in the mountains of Virginia, something almost beyond belief is happening to the Cleary family. When Bridget Cleary goes missing, in the dead of the night, her husband Michael and son, Jeremy, scramble to help Sheriff Richard Egan find her. Then, as suddenly as she vanished, Bridget reappears, talking about strange visitations and otherworldly beings. Is she lying? Or are supernatural forces at work? DARK MATTERS is a suspense thriller about the secrets that hold families together and the terrible truths we sometimes choose to ignore in the people we love.” Performances take place at the Union Avenue Christian Church, 733 Union in the Central West End. For more information: westendplayers.org

Looking for auditions and other artistic opportunities? Check out the St. Louis Auditions site.

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.

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.

St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of March 25, 2024

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

Molly Sweeny
Photo: John Lamb

Albion Theatre Company presents Molly Sweeny by Brian Friel through March 31. “Blind since infancy, Molly is persuaded by her husband and a surgeon to undergo an operation to try to restore her sight. “What has she got to lose?” the men ask.  This powerful drama by one of Ireland’s greatest playwrights tells Molly’s story through monologues from the perspective of three characters: Molly, her husband Frank, and her surgeon Mr. Rice.” Performances take place in the Black Box Theatre at the Kranzberg Center, 501 N. Grand in Grand Center. For more information: albiontheatrestl.org.

The Black Rep presents The Wedding Band by Alice Childress through March 31.  “Carrying the subtitle “A Love/Hate Story in Black and White,” this is one of American drama’s most revealing tales of interracial love, addressing prejudice and ignorance in early 20th- century America. Set in the Deep South at the end of World War I during the flu epidemic, the play traces a devoted couple’s caustic confrontations with anti-miscegenation laws, family racism, community disapproval, and their own long-buried feelings.” Performances take place at the Berges Theatre at COCA in University City  For more information: www.theblackrep.org.

Eileen Engel in Jacey's Jazz Joint

The Midnight Company presents Eileen Engel in Jacey’s Jazz Joint Wednesdays, March 27, at 7:30 pm. “Engel is Jacey.  You’re at her place, and she wants you to have the best time.  Jacey and her band will be performing some of the best songs you’ve ever heard, done in their inimitable Jacey’s Jazz style.  As the evening goes on, the songs will trigger memories, and Jacey will re-veal stories of where the money came from to open the joint (a guy named Johnny), how the thorny relationship with Johnny evolved, and the dangerous conclusion to their romantic journey.  The heartfelt songs Jacey sings echo the joy and pain of their love.” The show is written and directed by Joe Hanrahan with music direction by Colin Healy. Performances take place at the Blue Strawberry on North Boyle.  For more information: bluestrawberrystl.com

All My Sons
Photo: Jon Gitchoff

New Jewish Theatre presents Arthur Miller’s All My Sons Thursdays at 7:30 pm, Saturdays at 4 and 8 pm and Sundays at 2 pm through April 7. “Set following World War II, All My Sons is the story of two families destroyed by deception and love. Joe Keller and Steve Deever were business partners and neighbors, but the War changed everything and tore their close families apart. As Kate Keller holds out hope for the return of her son Larry (missing and assumed killed in the war), her other son Chris invites Larry’s childhood sweetheart Ann Deever home for a visit, setting in motion the revelation of terrible truths they have fought hard to avoid.  Will the Deever and Keller families survive their own secrets? The answers transform their secretive past into matters of life and death.” Performances take place at the SFC Performing Arts Center, 2 Millstone Campus Drive. For more information: jccstl.com

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents August: Osage County by Tracy Letts through April 7. “This Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award® winning family drama paints a stark and often unflattering picture of the Midwestern family. In this tableau: the pill-popping and manipulative matriarch, a vanished patriarch and three daughters with secrets of their own. Familial tensions rise when all are called back to the family home in Oklahoma. Equal parts heartfelt and heart-wrenching, this story gives an in-depth look at what it takes to keep a family together.” Performances take on the main stage of the Loretto-Hilton Center on the Webster University campus. For more information: www.repstl.org.

The St. Louis Theater Circle

The St. Louis Theater Circle presents the 2024 Awards Gala on Monday, March 25, at 7:30 pm. A cash bar will be open beginning at 6:30 pm. Nominees in more than 30 categories will vie for honors covering comedies, dramas, musicals and operas produced by local professional theater and opera companies in the calendar years 2023. The event takes place at the Loretto-Hilton Center on the Webster University campus. Visit the Theater Circle Facebook page for more information. www.stltheatercircle.org.

Webster Conservatory presents Silence Friday at 7:30 pm, Saturday at 2 and 7:30 pm, and Sunday at 2 pm, March 29 - 31. “Set during the Dark Ages but with contemporary overtones, "Silence" is the tale of Lord Silence of Cumbria who is forced to marry a fiery French noblewoman, Ymma of Normandy. This unlikely pairing exposes a revelation which makes them flee for their lives, and embark on a provocative journey of self-discovery. Silence won the 1997-1998 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize.” Performances take place Browning Mainstage Theatre of the Loretto-Hilton Center on the Webster University campus in Webster Groves. For more information: www.webster.edu/conservatory

Looking for auditions and other artistic opportunities? Check out the St. Louis Auditions site.

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.

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.

Symphony Review: The art of dance with Denève and the SLSO

During the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra’s (SLSO) “Operatic Favorites” concert a few weeks ago, Music Director Stéphane Denève reminded us that for much of its history opera has been accompanied by ballet. It seemed only appropriate, then, that when regular subscription concerts resumed this past weekend (March 16 and 17), ballet was front and center—both figuratively and literally.

[Find out more about the music with my symphony preview.]

The ”literally” part refers to the fact that for the first half of the concert, the area of the Stifel Theatre stage in front of the podium was turned into a dance floor for the Big Muddy Dance Company. They were there to perform the world premiere of a ballet commissioned by the SLSO to accompany “Picture Studies,” a 2011 suite by Kansas City–based composer Adam Schoenberg (b. 1980). That work was also the result of a commission, this time from the Nelson-Atkins Museum, who were looking for a 21st-century version of “Pictures at an Exhibition” by Modest Mussorgsky (1839–1881).

Die Drei Pierrots Nr. 2
Photo coutesy of
Nelson-Atkins Museum

Mussorgsky’s suite was based on a collection of works by a single artist, the composer’s friend Viktor Hartmann. Schoenberg’s work is a collection of musical invocations of works by eight different artists (four paintings, three photographs, and one sculpture). So the challenge for Big Muddy Artistic Director Kirven Douthit-Boyd was to create a ballet that reflected both Schoenberg’s music and the works of art that inspired it.

He succeeded admirably. The combination of Douthit-Boyd’s choreography, Schoenberg’s music, and the polished performances of both the Big Muddy dancers and the SLSO added new layers of meaning to the original works of art. Here are a few examples.

Die Drei Pierrots Nr. 2 (The Three Pierrots Nr. 2) is a 1911 painting by Albert Bloch 1882–1961. The three figures in the painting may look dark and a bit creepy, but Schoenberg has given them light and mischievous music more in keeping with their commedia dell’arte origins. The dancing linked those two different sides of Pierrot, with a trio of women in polka dot dresses moving in tight formations that mirrored the grouping in the picture.

Repetition Photo courtesy of 
Nelson-Atkins Museum

Repetition, a 1913 photograph by Kurt Baasch (1891–1964), is the spatial opposite of Der Drei Pierrots. Here, four widely separated pedestrians are captured in their own individual worlds on a strangely empty midday street. The music reflects a less empty and more energetic scene while the dance presents us with the four isolated figures, each with their own style of movement.

Rose with Gray, a 1924 painting by Wassily Kandinsky (1866–1944), is all jagged edges, blocks of color, and a general feeling of edgy energy. Schoenberg’s music matches the mood of the image, as do the choreography and lighting. The latter projects angular abstract shapes on the stage that are a match for the aggressive movements of the dancing.

Rose with Gray Photo courtesy of
Nelson-Atkins Museum

It was, in sum, a memorable mix of sight and sound. I think projecting images of the original art in synch with the music and dance might have given the audience a better idea of how it all fit together, but that could also have acted as a distraction. It was a hit in any case, with both composer Schoenberg and choreographer Douthit-Boyd on hand to share the curtain call.

The second half of the concert brought us back to the ballet with Denève’s compilation of music from the three concert suites from the “Romeo and Juliet” ballet by Sergei Prokofiev (1891–1953). The suites have been popular with audiences. With conductors, not so much.

In his comments before the performance, Denève noted that both he and his fellow conductors often struggle with the odd sequencing of the suites, and said he wished he could call up Prokofiev up and ask him what he had in mind. As a result, performances of the ballet suites often consist of individual numbers reassembled to match the musical vision of the conductor. Gilbert Varga did that, in fact, when the SLSO last played this music in 2016.

Denève said that his R&J suite was “a Romantic suite” intended to follow the arc of the play. Which, to my ears, it certainly did. The “Balcony Scene” was as lush and achingly lovely as I have ever heard it, with a positively ethereal end. “Friar Lawrence” emphasized the sympathetic warmth of the character.

“Montagues and Capulets” (the first movement from the Suite No. 2) was turned into two separate movements, with the break coming right after the dissonant opening fortissimo brass chords and the pianissimo string chorale that follows. Denève then jumped directly to the “Minuet” (the fourth movement from Suite No. 1), not returning to “Montagues and Capulets” until after the puckish “Masks”  (Suite 1, number V). At that point he picked up at rehearsal number 1, which is a repeat of the same ominous opening followed by the lead-footed Allegro pesante “Dance of the Knights.”

Stéphane Denève conducts the SLSO in
Romeo and Juliet
Photo courtesy of the SLSO

The dramatic impact of that contrast was palpable, as was the radical shift to the “Balcony Scene” immediately afterwards. “Death of Tybalt” was an electrifying exercise in virtuosity by the orchestra and the final death of Juliet had a tragic delicacy that echoed the Prince’s final lines from Shakespeare’s play: “For never was a story of more woe / Than this of Juliet and her Romeo.”

It was all beautifully played and conducted with Denève’s customary attention to detail. At around 40 minutes, it felt more like a symphonic poem based on Prokofiev’s score than a mere collection of excerpts. Nicely done, everyone.

Next from the SLSO: Stéphane Denève conducts the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and soloist Tom Borrow in the Piano Concerto No. 5 (“Emperor”) by Beethoven, along with the overture to "Béatrice et Bénedict” by Berlioz and the local premiere of “Pretty” by Julia Wolfe. The final performance is Saturday, March 23, at 7:30 pm at the Touhill Performing Arts Center on the UMSL campus. The Saturday concert will be broadcast live on St. Louis Public Radio and Classic 107.3 and will be available for streaming for a limited time afterward at the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra site.

This article originally appeared at 88.1 KDHX, where Chuck Lavazzi is the senior performing arts critic.

Symphony Preview: Distant drums

In Act I, scene 1 of Shakespeare’s comedy “Much Ado About Nothing,” Leonato, the Governor of Messina, plays down his niece Beatrice’s insulting description of Benedick, saying that there is “a kind of merry war betwixt Signior Benedick and her. They never meet but there’s a skirmish of wit between them.”

[Preview the music with the SLSO's Spotify playlist.]

You can hear that wit in the opening measures of the work that opens the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra concerts this Friday and Saturday (March 22 and 23) as Music Director Stéphane Denève leads the band in a performance of the overture to Hector Berlioz's 1862 operatic treatment of “Much Ado About Nothing,” "Béatrice et Bénedict.” The short, playful opening theme immediately calls to mind the thrust and parry of the verbal duel that invariably begins when Beatrice and Benedick meet.

Berlioz in 1832
Painting by Émile Signol

Berlioz wrote the libretto himself (even though he neither spoke nor read English all that well), considerably condensing the original "battle of the sexes" comedy in the process. Huge swathes of plot were axed, along with great comic characters like Constable Dogberry to create what the composer called “a caprice written with a point of a needle.” Written just after the monumental “Les Troyens,” the opera had great success at its Baden-Baden premiere as well as in Weimar a few months later. There was no French performance until 1890, though, and "Béatrice et Bénedict.” has never really made it into the standard repertoire.

The overture has fared better in concert halls. It gets high marks for the skill with which Berlioz uses themes from his score to create a kind of vitamin pill version of the opera, with all the comedic and dramatic ingredients combined into a single eight-minute tone poem. “Though drawn from no less than six different arias or ensembles,” writes Michel Austin at The Hector Berlioz website, “the music is seamlessly fused by Berlioz into a coherent symphonic whole, much as Weber had done in his overtures to Der Freischütz, Euryanthe, and Oberon."

Julia Wolfe
Photo: Peter Serling

Up next is the local premiere of “Pretty” by contemporary American composer Julia Wolfe (b. 1958). A co-commission by the SLSO, Berlin Philharmonic (where the world premiere took place last June), Houston Symphony, and the Philadelphia Orchestra, the work’s title is frankly ironic. One might even say that it’s at war with the actual music which, based on the brief excerpts I’ve heard at the Berlin Philharmonic’s Digital Concert Hall, is a high-energy jamboree that’s anything but “pretty” in the conventional sense.

“The word ‘pretty’ has had a complicated relationship to women,” writes the composer on her website.  “It implies an attractiveness without any rough edges, without strength or power…My Pretty is a raucous celebration – embracing the grit of fiddling, the relentlessness of work rhythms, and inspired by the distortion and reverberation of rock and roll.”

War pops up once again as the backdrop for the work that concludes this weekend's concerts, Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, op. 73 (“Emperor”). Indeed, the concerto was composed under the cloud of war and occupation.

When Beethoven was writing the concerto in 1809, Vienna was not so much the fabled “City of Dreams” as a metropolis of nightmares. The French laid siege to it with shelling so fierce that at one point the composer took refuge in his brother's house and covered his head with pillows to escape the din. The royal family—including Beethoven's friend and patron Archduke Rudolf—fled, along with many of the notable families with whom the composer had become close.

Left alone and, once the French occupation began, in difficult financial circumstances due to rapid inflation, Beethoven had little else to do but compose. The fifth concerto is probably the most famous work to emerge from this difficult period, although the Op. 81a piano sonata (“Les Adieux”) is probably a close second. Both were dedicated to Rudolph.

Beethoven
As if you didn't know.

Much has been written about the Concerto No. 5 and, in fact, the program notes this week (based on earlier notes by Paul Schiavo and Yvonne Frindle) provide quite a good map of the composer’s stunning musical landscape. The magisterial first movement, the wistful second, and the jolly concluding rondo all show Beethoven at his best.

The soloist this weekend is Tom Borrow (b. 2000), a 2024 Artist-In-Residence with the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra and winner of the Terence Judd-Hallé Orchestra Award 2023. His big professional break came in 2019, when he was called in at the last minute (the last 36 hours, to be precise) to replace Khatia Buniatishvili in a series of twelve concerts with the Israel Philharmonic. "Tom Borrow is already a star,” wrote Yossi Schiffman of the Israel Broadcasting Corporation, “and we will all surely hear more about him."

I was unable to locate anything by Borrow on Spotify but he does appear in several videos on YouTube, including the second and third movements of Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G major from that legendary 2019 concert.

The Essentials: Stéphane Denève conducts the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and soloist Tom Borrow in the Piano Concerto No. 5 (“Emperor”) by Beethoven, along with the overture to "Béatrice et Bénedict” by Berlioz and the local premiere of “Pretty” by Julia Wolfe. Performances are Friday at 10:30 am and Saturday at 7:30 pm at the Touhill Performing Arts Center on the UMSL campus. The Saturday concert will be broadcast live on St. Louis Public Radio and Classic 107.3 and will be available for streaming for a limited time afterward at the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra site.

This article originally appeared at 88.1 KDHX, where Chuck Lavazzi is the senior performing arts critic.

Opera Review: New stars are born at Opera Theatre's second New Works Collectdive

Last week (March 16–18) Opera Theatre of St. Louis unveiled its second annual New Works Collective (NWC).  This year the composer/librettist teams that created the three brand-new 20-minute operas were selected from a pool of 130 applicants by a panel of St. Louis artists, advocates, and community leaders.

We were there on opening night and just like last year I was struck by the originality, theatricality, and musical appeal of these three newly minted one-acts as well as by the high quality of the singing and acting. Five of the eight members of the ensemble were new to me and all were excellent in their roles.

The cast of "Unbroken"
Photo: Phillip Hamer

The program opened with the most conventional of the three, “Unbroken,” with music by Ronald Maurice and libretto by J. Mae Barizo. It’s the story of Grace (Meroé Kahalia Adeeb) and her family coping with her impending death from lung cancer. It hits her oldest son Ezra (John Godhard Mburu) especially hard, since he’s not entirely prepared to carry on as head of the family and to keep their traditions unbroken.

“I don’t know nothing,” he laments. “How to cook / How to carve / How to live / How to love.” But Grace has faith in him (“You know, I taught you”), and everyone in the family has faith in God, and that, along with their mutual love and support for each other, gives them the resilience they need.

All of that was beautifully encapsulated in Scene 2, in which a heartfelt acappella prayer of thanks and hope for “better days” precedes Thanksgiving dinner. There’s just something about hearing seven voices singing complex and pitch-perfect harmony softly but intently that is irresistible.

The second opera, “Mechanisms,” is the most adventurous of the three, with a more “modernist” score by J. E. Hernández and a linguistically complex libretto by Marianna Mott Newirth. Subtitled “A Chamber Opera Study on Neurodiversity,” it centers on Roe (Helen Zhibing Huang), an eleven year old [I thought she was ten]girl whose multiple learning disabilities make life difficult for her family.

L-R: Krysty Swann, Aaren Rivard, Helen Zhibing Huang,
Maria Consamus in "Mechanisms"
Photo: Phillip Hamer

The script briefly shows us her dyspraxia (movement and coordination issues), dysgraphia (difficulty writing), and dyslexia (difficulty reading), but the emphasis is on her synesthesia (seeing colors when, for example, you see shapes or hear music).  Roe experiences the world in general and numbers in particular in terms of colors.  She understands the arithmetic but her need to communicate in terms of color means that she’s failing fifth grade math.. That worries her math teacher father Dean (Aaren Rivard), frightens her mother Lori (Maria Consamus), and angers her teacher Mrs. Waldman (Krysty Swann), who sees Roe as a discipline problem.

The libretto showed how baffling the “normal” world is for her in an unnerving scene set in Mrs. Waldman’s class. The other students sing aggressive nonsense (“Hack–crack / I wanna snack / Backpack / Flapjack / Hackattack”), Mrs. Waldman rattles off numbers too rapidly for Roe to translate them into colors, and Roe finally collapses to the floor as the other students taunt her.

Lighting Designer John Alexander and Video Designer David Murakami did a superb job of letting us see the world as Roe does. When we were in the neurotypical world, everything was in black and white, but when the POV shifted to Roe, the stage came alive with color. In the end, Dean and Lori begin to understand Roe’s world while Roe gains confidence in her ability to navigate theirs. “Color speaks,” she sings happily. “Color teaches. Color has acuity. This is how I know!”

Soprano Helen Zhibing Huang, who did such fine work in OTSL’s “Gianni Schicchi” and “Center Stage Showcase” in 2021, turned in a virtuoso performance in the very demanding role of Roe. She made it easy to suspend disbelief and think of her as a small child.

“Mechanisms” was a work stuffed so full of ideas that it cried out for expansion beyond its 20 minutes. I can easily see it becoming the basis for a full-length work that would allow the relationships between Roe, her family, and the neurotypical world room to be explored in more depth.

L-R: Krysty Swann, Meroé Khalia Adeeb in "On My Mind"
Photo: Phillip Hamer

The evening concluded with the only real comedy of the three, “On My Mind,” with music by Jasmine Arielle Barnes and libretto by Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton. Written in a style reminiscent of contemporary, post-Sondheim musical theatre, it’s the tale of composer Melodee (Adeeb) and poet Lyric (Swann).

They’re black women trying to make it in a field in which they find themselves seriously marginalized. During a professional conference, they also find themselves stereotyped by comically clueless fellow attendees.

Then their eyes meet “across a crowded room,” they instantly bond, and friendship blooms. “Maybe,” they sing in a final duet, “real friends can come after thirty. Maybe sisters just wait till you’re worthy. Maybe love just needs to make its time.”

Stage direction by Kimille Howard was perfection and Darwin Aquino led the small orchestra in exceptional performances of three very different scores.

My only complaint is that OTSL decided not to use projected text, even though the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center has that capability. The tendency of classical trained singers to hit their consonants less clearly as one would like made many of the lyrics incomprehensible, even with story synopses in the program for reference. If it hadn’t been for the librettos that came with my press kit, I would have been lost. Which, based on some conversations I overheard in the lobby, many audience members clearly were.

Once again, OTSL has demonstrated that opera is alive and well in the hands of a new generation of creators. Hope for the future often seems elusive these days. But for a couple of hours on Thursday, at least, it felt like it just might be possible.

Meanwhile, OTSL has a cornucopia of events coming in the St. Louis area, culimating in the opening of the 2024 season on May 25 with Rossini's "The Barber of Seville." More information is available at the Opera Theatre of St. Louis web site.

This article originally appeared at 88.1 KDHX, where Chuck Lavazzi is the senior performing arts critic.

Minterview: Joe Hanrahan and Eileen Engel blend cabaret and theatre at the Blue Strawberry

[Minterview = mini interview.]

Through March 27th, Joe Hanrahan’s Midnight Company is presenting the latest in a series of cabaret-oriented original shows at The Blue Strawberry Showroom and Lounge, just down the street from the Gaslight Theatre on North Boyle.

Movie Music

In “Movie Music” Hanrahan and Eileen Engel serve as hosts for an evening of a dozen songs from classic films. The show includes the stories behind movies along with re-enactments of some memorable scenes.

In “Jacey’s Jazz Joint,” Engel is Jacey, singing an evening of classic songs at her club. As the evening goes on, the songs trigger memories, and Jacey reveals stories of where the money came from to open the joint (a guy named Johnny), how the thorny relationship with Johnny evolved, and the dangerous conclusion to their romantic journey.

I had a chat with Hanrahan and Engel via email about the creative process behind the shows. Here it is, with some edits for clarity.

Chuck Lavazzi (CL): Were “Movie Music” and "Jacey’s Jazz Joint” developed around the same time? Are they companion shows in any way?

Joe Hanrahan (JH): Both were developed at the same time. Eileen and I talked about doing a show. I knew she was classically trained. and did musical theatre, but asked what popular genres she liked, and she said "Jazz."

So I wrote “Jacey's.” But I thought the show was a risk. Most if not all cabaret is real, but this would be a story, fictional, kind of Cabaret Noir. But in case we balked at “Jacey,” I did the movie show as a backup, a middle of the road show that should work. And Eileen, in a magnanimous offering, agreed to do both.

CL: Joe, you’re listed as playwright but to what extent are they collaborations?

JH: The shows are true collaborations. I wrote the scripts. Eileen and I both chose the songs. And the character of Jacey was developed precisely on what Eileen's bringing to the table.

Colin Healy, Music Director and pianist both shows, added some welcome ideas as well as arranging the music. In the case of “Jacey” he and the band (Blake Mickens on bass and Bradley Rohlf percussion ) created their own signature “Jacey's Jazz Joint” sound.

CL: Tim Schall has said that a good cabaret show should be organized like a one-act play, with an overall dramatic arc. For the last year or so, Joe, you have taken this to the next level with scripted shows that are explicitly a cabaret/theatre hybrid. What made you decide to move in that direction after so many years of writing and directing straight plays for Midnight?

JH: After so many years of straight plays, my first introduction to the Cabaret world was with the singer Laka. I first saw her at Blue Strawberry, we started talking, and somehow, we talked a show.

That resulted in “St. Louis Woman”. That may have been the first “cabaret theatre” piece. It was really a play with music. Laka and I discussed doing a stripped down version of the show at Blue Strawberry, but she went in a different direction, and it left me thinking about future shows at Blue Strawberry.

That segued into shows with Kelly Howe and Jennelle Gilreath Owens, and for both (and beyond) I started and stayed honest to my theatre roots. With each show I was compelled to build the music around a real story, something like Tim says, like a one-act play. But written specifically for the Blue Strawberry space and its traditional cabaret setting.

Jacey's Jazz Joint

As other shows move into development status, will continue to pursue that direction.

CL: Eileen, given that your most recent show was SoulSiren’s production of the 1964 drama “Dutchman,” “Movie Music” and "Jacey’s Jazz Joint" look something of a departure. What drew you to these projects?

Eileen Engel: I like to engage in the art of theatrical storytelling and performance through many different avenues, including all types and styles of plays and musicals. I'm lucky to have been able to have a range of different performance opportunities over the years and I will always strive to challenge myself and grow in each adventure.

This year, I was fortunate enough to be able to touch on the dramatic realm and also get to bask in the vivacious and melodious world of musicals and, in this case, Joe's cabaret theatre. My passion for collaborative creative endeavors extends to embracing diverse opportunities, including the exploration of new works.

Although this is the first time Joe and I have worked together, it was a very seamless process. Even though working with Joe was new to me, I have previously collaborated with Colin Healy and Bradley Rolf many times. It was wonderful to blend new and old faces on these shows. I'm very honored to be a part of everything and I really look forward the future of it all!

“Movie Music” had its first performance on March 6th and will be repeated on March 20th. “Jacey’s Jazz Joint” premiered on March 13th and will repeat on Mach 27th. All shows are at the Blue Strawberry, 364 North Boyle. For more information: midnightcompany.com.

St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of March 18. 2024

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

Molly Sweeny
Photo: John Lamb

Albion Theatre Company presents Molly Sweeny by Brian Friel through March 31. “Blind since infancy, Molly is persuaded by her husband and a surgeon to undergo an operation to try to restore her sight. “What has she got to lose?” the men ask.  This powerful drama by one of Ireland’s greatest playwrights tells Molly’s story through monologues from the perspective of three characters: Molly, her husband Frank, and her surgeon Mr. Rice.” Performances take place in the Black Box Theatre at the Kranzberg Center, 501 N. Grand in Grand Center. For more information: albiontheatrestl.org.

The Black Rep presents The Wedding Band by Alice Childress through March 31.  “Carrying the subtitle “A Love/Hate Story in Black and White,” this is one of American drama’s most revealing tales of interracial love, addressing prejudice and ignorance in early 20th- century America. Set in the Deep South at the end of World War I during the flu epidemic, the play traces a devoted couple’s caustic confrontations with anti-miscegenation laws, family racism, community disapproval, and their own long-buried feelings.” Performances take place at the Berges Theatre at COCA in University City  For more information: www.theblackrep.org.

for colored girls...
Photo: Wolfe Creative Media Services

The Hawthorne Players present for colored girls... through March 24.  “"for colored girls..." offers a transformative, riveting evening of provocative dance, music and poetry.  Women, only identified by the color they are assigned, such as Lady in Red or Lady in Yellow. This groundbreaking "choreopoem" is a spellbinding collection of vivid prose and free verse narratives capturing the brutal, tender and dramatic lives of contemporary Black women. NOTE: Mature language and subjects will be used. Viewer discretion is advised. All patrons, regardless of age must have a ticket for admittance.”  Performances take place in the Florissant Civic Center Theatre in Florissant, MO. For more information: http://www.hawthorneplayers.info

The Kirkwood Theatre Guild presents The Diviners through March 24. “The Diviners is set in Zion, Indiana, during the Great Depression. Buddy Layman is a mentally challenged boy whose sweet nature touches those he meets. Buddy is skilled at finding water (divining). When a stranger, a retired preacher, comes to town, he is able to relate to Buddy in ways most people can’t. As the preacher attempts to help him, Buddy’s past is revealed but cannot be escaped.” 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 A Fistful of Hollars  through May 4. "Gun slingers, dance hall girls, cowboys, gold diggers, cowboy boots and ten-gallon-hats will abound. Rowdy cowboys will duel to the death as the crooked sheriff watches with glee. But none of these characters are as dangerous as Nasty Nate, he’s the orneriest gun in the west and word is that he’s going to be stirring up trouble at the Lemp Mansion. " The Lemp Mansion is at 3322 DeMenil Place in south city. For more information: www.lempmansion.com

Movie Music

The Midnight Company presents Eileen Engel and Joe Hanrahan in Movie Music Wednesday March 20 at 7:30 pm. “The Midnight Company’s world premiere cabaret theatre show, Movie Music, will feature a dozen award-winning songs. Eileen Engel and Joe Hanrahan serve as hosts for a colorful evening of movie memories. They’ll tell the stories behind these movies—the origins, the casting, and some of the foibles that inevitably go along with big productions. They’ll present memorable scenes from these movies as well, and will revisit and present the amazing songs that provided the soundtrack to these films and to our lives.” The show is written and directed by Joe Hanrahan with music direction by Colin Healy. Performances take place at the Blue Strawberry on North Boyle.  For more information: bluestrawberrystl.com

All My Sons
Photo: Ethan Aylesworth

New Jewish Theatre presents Arthur Miller’s All My Sons Thursdays at 7:30 pm, Saturdays at 4 and 8 pm and Sundays at 2 pm, March 21 – April 7. “Set following World War II, All My Sons is the story of two families destroyed by deception and love. Joe Keller and Steve Deever were business partners and neighbors, but the War changed everything and tore their close families apart. As Kate Keller holds out hope for the return of her son Larry (missing and assumed killed in the war), her other son Chris invites Larry’s childhood sweetheart Ann Deever home for a visit, setting in motion the revelation of terrible truths they have fought hard to avoid.  Will the Deever and Keller families survive their own secrets? The answers transform their secretive past into matters of life and death.” Performances take place at the SFC Performing Arts Center, 2 Millstone Campus Drive. For more information: jccstl.com

Sweet Potato Queens
Photo: Jill Ritter Lindberg

New Line Theatre presents the musical Sweet Potato Queens through March 23. “Get ready for the outrageous, high-powered, Southern rock musical that tells the true story of "Boss Queen" Jill and her closest friends in Mississippi, and how they learn to grab life by the sequins, feathers and tiaras to live their lives out loud, on their own terms.” Performances take place at the Marcelle Theatre in Grand Center. For more information: www.newlinetheatre.com

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents August: Osage County by Tracy Letts, March 19 through April 7. “This Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award® winning family drama paints a stark and often unflattering picture of the Midwestern family. In this tableau: the pill-popping and manipulative matriarch, a vanished patriarch and three daughters with secrets of their own. Familial tensions rise when all are called back to the family home in Oklahoma. Equal parts heartfelt and heart-wrenching, this story gives an in-depth look at what it takes to keep a family together.” Performances take on the main stage of the Loretto-Hilton Center on the Webster University campus. For more information: www.repstl.org.

The St. Louis Writers Group presents a reading of Mexico by Chris Oliver on  Monday, March 18, at 6:30 pm.  .  More information is available at the St. Louis Writers Group Facebook page.

Looking for auditions and other artistic opportunities? Check out the St. Louis Auditions site.

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.

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.

Symphony Preview: Shall we dance?

“Invitation to the Dance” (“Aufforderung zum Tanz”), Op. 65, is one of the more popular pieces by Carl Maria von Weber, especially in its 1841 orchestration by Hector Berlioz. It’s also a good description of the concerts Stéphane Denève and the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (SLSO) will perform this weekend (Saturday and Sunday, March 16 and 17).

[Preview the music with the SLSO's Spotify playlist.]

Adam Schoenberg
Photo courtesy of the SLSO

The program consists of only two works: “Picture Studies,” a 2011 suite by Adam Schoenberg (b. 1980), and Music Director Stéphane Denève’s compilation of music from the three concert suites Sergei Prokofiev (1891–1953) assembled from his ballet “Romeo and Juliet.”

The Schoenberg work was the result of a commission by the Kansas City Symphony and the Nelson-Atkins Museum to write a 21st-century version of “Pictures at an Exhibition” by Modest Mussorgsky (1839–1881), which in its 1922 orchestration by Maurice Ravel has become a staple of the symphonic repertoire.

Mussorgsky’s suite was based on a collection of works by a single artist, the composer’s friend Viktor Hartmann. Schoenberg’s work is a collection of musical invocations of works by by eight different artists (four paintings, three photographs, and one sculpture). The only common thread is that they were all on display at the Nelson-Atkins Museum. “My main objective,” says Schoenberg in this week’s program notes, “was to create an architectural structure that connected each movement to the next while creating an overall arc for the entire piece.”

Those program notes include not only extensive quotes from the composer but also an interview with choreographer Kervin Douthit-Boyd, whose Big Muddy Dance Company will perform the world premiere of the SLSO-commissioned ballet Douthit-Boyd created for Schoenberg’s music. So rather than write any more about his project myself, I will simply refer you to those notes.

I will, however, make one recommendation: as you read Schoenberg’s commentary of the suite, listen to its world premiere recording by Michael Stern and the Kansas City Symphony Orchestra on the SLSO’s Spotify playlist. Granted, this music is so approachable that an advance listen isn’t really necessary, but reading Schoenberg’s thoughts as you experience his music adds a great deal to the experience.

One more thing that will enhance that experience is seeing the art that inspired “Picture Studies.” Here are the links to the works in question, along with their corresponding movements. I have excluded movements I (Intro) and VIII (Interlude) since those are statements of what Schoenberg calls a “Ghost-like piano theme” that’s a nod to the recurring “Promenade” motif in Mussorgsky’s “Pictures”.

Kirven Douthit-Boyd
Photo courtesy of the SLSO

II. Three Pierrots: Die Drei Pierrots Nr. 2, a painting by Albert Bloch 1882–1961.
III. Repetition: Repetition, a photograph by Kurt Baasch (1891–1964).
IV. Olive Orchard: The Olive Orchard, a painting by Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890).
V. Kandinsky: Rose with Gray, a painting by Wassily Kandinsky (1866–1944)
VI. Calder’s World: Untitled, 1937,  a mobile sculpture by Alexander Calder (1898–1976). There’s more than one Calder mobile labeled Untitled, 1937, but based on Schoenberg’s description I think this is the right one. The Nelson-Atkins Gallery, on the other hand, has Untitled, 1936, so the year must might be wrong.
VII. Miró: Women at Sunrise, a painting by Joan Miró (1893–1983).
IX. Cliffs of Moher: Atlantic Ocean, Cliffs of Moher, a photograph by Hiroshi Sugimoto  (b. 1848). This and the last movement are played without pause after movement VIII.
X. Pigeons in Flight: Pigeons in Flight, a photograph by Francis Blake (1850–1913).

After intermission it’s back to the ballet. This time, though, the dancing will have to be imaginary since we’ll be hearing a good 40 minutes of music from Prokofiev’s “Romeo and Juliet” suites. The ballet and the suites are quite popular today, but the story of their creation is not a particularly happy one.

Prokofiev emigrated to the West in 1918, first to the USA and then to Europe. In 1936 he was lured back to the Soviet Union with what proved to be false promises of personal and artistic freedom. At first he was allowed to retain his passport and make appearances abroad, including an American tour in 1938. But then, as Dorothea Redepenning wrote in a 2001 article for Grove Online, “the trap snapped shut: he was asked to hand in his passport for the transaction of a formality, but did not get it back, so that there could be no question of further tours abroad.”

With the closing of the trap came the imposition of censorship. Although Prokofiev had completed the score for “Romeo and Juliet” in 1936, he soon found obstacles in the path to an actual performance. And there was also the matter of the ending.

When he began work on “Romeo and Juliet” in 1935, Prokofiev had decided to give the ballet a happy ending, and his score reflected that decision. As the composer dryly noted, "living people can dance, the dead cannot". And, as Alice Jones wrote in a 2008 article for The Independent, there was also “the little-known fact of Prokofiev's deeply held Christian Science beliefs, according to which death does not exist. In Prokofiev's vision, the love of Romeo and Juliet is infinite, transcending all earthly boundaries and existing in a paradise-like realm.” Stalin’s censors disagreed, and “Romeo and Juliet” didn’t get an officially approved Bolshoi production until 1946—and then only on the condition that Prokofiev cut the 20 minutes of “happy ending” music he had originally composed and end the ballet with the death of Romeo and  Juliet.

Prokofiev in 1918
en.wikipedia.org

The original “happy ending” version of the ballet was rediscovered and performed at the Bard Summerscape festival outside New York in 2008, but the Stalin-approved version is still the one most often performed today.

As noted above, the “Romeo and Juliet” suites have been popular with audiences. But as Joshua Barone wrote in a 2018 New York Times article, “the suites, which are structured more like symphonies than tone poems, can be unsatisfying for conductors.” That includes Maestro Denève.

“I wish I could call Prokofiev and ask him what is the exact purpose of his three suites,” Mr. Denève said in an interview for the article. “With all my respect, of course, for Prokofiev, I can’t understand his logic.”

When the SLSO performed music from the “Romeo and Juliet” suites in 2016  guest conductor Gilbert Varga was on the podium with seven movements selected to mirror the dramatic arc of both Shakespeare’s play and the revised ballet. Stéphane Denève is doing essentially the same thing this weekend but—based on the number and order of the selections—in somewhat greater depth. You can see a more detailed breakdown in the program notes or just listen to the selections in the Spotify playlist.

The Essentials: Stéphane Denève conducts the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra in Adam Schoenberg’s “Picture Studies” and selections from the ballet “Romeo and Juliet” by Prokofiev. “Picture Studies” will be accompanied by an SLSO-commissioned ballet performed by the Big Muddy Dance Company with choreography by Kervin Douthit-Boyd. Performances are Saturday at 7:30 pm and Sunday at 3 pm, March 16 and 17, at the Sifel Theatre downtown.

This article originally appeared at 88.1 KDHX, where Chuck Lavazzi is the senior performing arts critic.

St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of March 11, 2024

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

Albion Theatre Company presents Molly Sweeny by Brian Friel March 15 through 31. “Blind since infancy, Molly is persuaded by her husband and a surgeon to undergo an operation to try to restore her sight. “What has she got to lose?” the men ask.  This powerful drama by one of Ireland’s greatest playwrights tells Molly’s story through monologues from the perspective of three characters: Molly, her husband Frank, and her surgeon Mr. Rice.” Performances take place in the Black Box Theatre at the Kranzberg Center, 501 N. Grand in Grand Center. For more information: albiontheatrestl.org.

The Black Rep presents The Wedding Band by Alice Childress opening on Wednesday, March 13, and running through March 31.  “Carrying the subtitle “A Love/Hate Story in Black and White,” this is one of American drama’s most revealing tales of interracial love, addressing prejudice and ignorance in early 20th- century America. Set in the Deep South at the end of World War I during the flu epidemic, the play traces a devoted couple’s caustic confrontations with anti-miscegenation laws, family racism, community disapproval, and their own long-buried feelings.” Performances take place at the Berges Theatre at COCA in University City  For more information: www.theblackrep.org.

The Lemp Mansion Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre and Jest Mysteries present A Fistful of Hollars  through May 4. "Gun slingers, dance hall girls, cowboys, gold diggers, cowboy boots and ten-gallon-hats will abound. Rowdy cowboys will duel to the death as the crooked sheriff watches with glee. But none of these characters are as dangerous as Nasty Nate, he’s the orneriest gun in the west and word is that he’s going to be stirring up trouble at the Lemp Mansion. " The Lemp Mansion is at 3322 DeMenil Place in south city. For more information: www.lempmansion.com

Eileen Engel in Jacey's Jazz Joint

The Midnight Company presents Eileen Engel in Jacey’s Jazz Joint Wednesdays, March 13 and 27, at 7:30 pm. “Engel is Jacey.  You’re at her place, and she wants you to have the best time.  Jacey and her band will be performing some of the best songs you’ve ever heard, done in their inimitable Jacey’s Jazz style.  As the evening goes on, the songs will trigger memories, and Jacey will re-veal stories of where the money came from to open the joint (a guy named Johnny), how the thorny relationship with Johnny evolved, and the dangerous conclusion to their romantic journey.  The heartfelt songs Jacey sings echo the joy and pain of their love.” The show is written and directed by Joe Hanrahan with music direction by Colin Healy. Performances take place at the Blue Strawberry on North Boyle.  For more information: bluestrawberrystl.com

Sweet Potato Queens
Photo: Jill Ritter Lindberg

New Line Theatre presents the musical Sweet Potato Queens through March 23. “Get ready for the outrageous, high-powered, Southern rock musical that tells the true story of "Boss Queen" Jill and her closest friends in Mississippi, and how they learn to grab life by the sequins, feathers and tiaras to live their lives out loud, on their own terms.” Performances take place at the Marcelle Theatre in Grand Center. For more information: www.newlinetheatre.com

The Political Theatre Group presents A St. Paddy's Day Palooza Saturday at 8 pm Saturday and 2 pm on Sunday. “Act One contains popular Irish songs performed by Paul Kruta.  Paul is a regular performer of Irish music at Morrison's Irish Pub in Alton, IL. Set list includes rebel/patriot tunes and Irish drinking songs.  Act Two contains the Irish one-man play The Good Thief by Conor McPherson and performed by Anthoy Wininger.  A ruffian reveals the remorse and regret he feels after a botched job leads to murder, kidnapping, and finally a desperate flee that results in unfortunate casualties and imprisonment.  The show contains graphic language.” The show takes place at The Gaslight Theater, 358 N. Boyle Ave. For more information:  tickets.gaslighttheater.net.

The St. Louis Writers Group presents a reading of David Hawley’s new one-act plays Elly and Hubert and Dad's Comfortable Dinner with His Family on  Monday, March 11, at 6:30 pm.  More information is available at the St. Louis Writers Group Facebook page.

The Servant's Last Serve

The Theatre Guild of Webster Groves presents the comedy The Servant’s Last Serve Friday and Saturday at 7:30 pm and Sunday at 2 pm through March 17.  “It is 1912, London. Due to a misdiagnosis from his incompetent doctor, wealthy Sir Winston Livingston believes he is going insane and does not have long to live. He summons his staff and opportunist niece from North Carolina for a formal reading of his will. Livingston Manor falls into chaos when Sir Winston announces he is willing the entire estate to his beloved cat, Master Fifi. Included in this announcement is the provision that should the cat predecease Winston the estate would be divided among the servants and his niece.” Performances take place at the Guild theatre at 517 Theatre Lane, at the corner of Newport and Summit in Webster Groves. For more information: www.webstergrovestheatreguild.com

Looking for auditions and other artistic opportunities? Check out the St. Louis Auditions site.

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.

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.