St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of October 14, 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 Lungs by Duncan MacMillan October 18 through November 3. “Climate change, overpopulation, war, and political division. Why would anyone want to bring a baby into this world? Successful English playwright Macmillan addresses these issues in this “off-kilter love story (that) is brutally honest, funny, edgy and current” (The Guardian). It will be presented using its original British script.” Performances take place in the Black Box Theatre at the Kranzberg Center, 501 N. Grand in Grand Center. For more information: albiontheatrestl.org.

Joe Iconis

The Blue Strawberry presents Joe Iconis with Special Guest Alex Ferrara on Friday and Saturday, October 18 and 19, at 7:30 pm. “In a rare piano-only show, Tony-nominated musical theater writer and performer Joe Iconis (Be More Chill, Signature Theatre’s upcoming The Untitled Unauthorized Hunter S. Thompson Musical) will perform an intimate set of original tunes, brand new material from shows in the works, explosive singalongs, and a whole lot of banging on the ol’ piano. Come knock back a stiff one, have a good old-fashioned cry, share a laugh with a stranger, and shake off your dust with contemporary musical theater’s favorite maverick writer. ” The Blue Strawberry is at 364 N. Boyle. For more information: bluestrawberrystl.com.

The Blue Strawberry presents a Master Class in Performance for Musical Theater and Concert/Cabaret with singer Joe Iconis on Saturday, October 19, at 1:00 pm. “You are invited to take part in a performance master class with Joe Iconis, the illustrious and iconoclastic composer/lyricist of Be More Chill, Broadway Bounty Hunter, Love in Hate Nation, and Bloodsong of Love. Get invaluable notes, tips and pointers from Joe about your performance of his work. Or just come and observe, and get a behind-the-curtain glimpse at the kind of work it takes to be a performer. Scott Miller, artistic director of New Line Theatre, producer of the regional premiere of Be More Chill in 2019, will also be on hand for a short interview with Joe about the process of writing a show and bringing it to the stage.” The Blue Strawberry is at 364 N. Boyle. For more information: bluestrawberrystl.com.

Clayton Community Theatre presents Tennessee Williams’s Night of the Iguana, Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sundays at 2 pm, October 17 through 27. “Reverend T. Lawrence Shannon is a minister recently fallen from grace and expelled from his congregation for a "nervous breakdown," who travels to 1940s Mexico to work as a travel guide. Among his group of tourists, however, is a 16-year-old girl, Charlotte Goodall, with whom Shannon has recently been accused of an inappropriate relationship. Meanwhile, his friend and motel owner Maxine Faulk sees in Shannon an escape for her loneliness following the death of her husband, Fred. The situation is only complicated further by the arrival of Hannah Jelks, a spinster from Nantucket, and her father, Nonno, a renowned poet in failing health who is attempting to compose what will be his final work. As Shannon and Jelks develop a deep bond, Maxine's jealousies get the best of her.” Performances take place at the Washington University South Campus Theatre, 6501 Clayton Rd. For more information: www.placeseveryone.org.

Am I Dangerous?
Photo: Carolee Carmelita

Contraband Theatre presents Am I Dangerous? by St. Louis playwright, e.k. doolin Wednesdays through Saturdays at 7:30pm through October 26. “All of her life, sixteen-year-old Philoten has been told about dangerous women. Those who flaunt their bodies. Those who are different. Those who do not follow the rules. And she’s tried, so hard, not to be dangerous. But then, something really awful happens. A few things, actually, but one of them is unforgivable and forces her to ask the question of herself, Am I Dangerous? Am I Dangerous? springboards off ancient questing stories like Shakespeare’s Pericles, creating a brand-new fem-tagonist origin story with themes around coming of age, familial reconciliation, bodily autonomy, and cultivation of the native and natural biosphere.” Performances take place at The Chapel, 6238 Alexander Drive in Clayton. For more information: www.contrabandtheatre.org.

First Run Theatre Writers’ Workshop presents a reading of The Bhutto Project by Dennis Corcoran and Naveed Moeed on Monday, October 14, at 6:30 pm. “The Bhutto Project is named after Benazir Bhutto , the first female Prime Minister of Pakistan who was assassinated while campaigning for her 3rd term in office in 2007. The Bhutto Project tells a fictionalized version of the nation's continued progress – and setbacks – through the eyes and lives of two young girls from Pakistan’s Swat Valley who, like their historical counterpart, Malala Yousafzai, and so many others, found the courage and strength to persevere.” The reading takes place at Square One Brewery in Lafayette Square. For more information: firstruntheatre.org.

Metro Theatre Company presents An Unlikely Hero by Emilio Rodriguez Friday at 7:00 pm, Saturday at 10:30 am and 2 pm, and Sunday at 2 pm, October 18-20. “In a world of heroes and villains, where do you belong? Jordan doesn’t fit in at school and spends every free moment immersed in comic books. A sudden invitation to attend Haven High, a school for superheroes, sends Jordan on a journey of self-discovery to find their place in the world. Is Jordan doomed to be a villain or will they prove to be a superhero after all? Best enjoyed by ages 6 and up. Approximate run time is 70 minutes with no intermission.” Performances take place at the Missouri History Museum in Forest Park. For more information: www.metroplays.org.

Riverside Theatre Project presents Shakespeare’s Macbeth Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 2 pm, October 18 through 27. "Three witches tell the Scottish general Macbeth that he will be King of Scotland. Encouraged by his wife, Macbeth kills the king, becomes the new king, and kills more people out of paranoia. Civil war erupts to overthrow Macbeth, resulting in more death." Performances take place at the historic Showboat Theatre in Hermann, Missouri. For mor information: www.riversidetheatreproject.com.

 

Ragtime
Photo: Phillip Hamer

Stages St. Louis presents the musical Ragtime through October 20. “At the dawn of a new century, everything is changing and anything is possible. A sweeping musical portrait of early twentieth-century America, RAGTIME, tells the story of three families united by courage, compassion, and a belief in not only the American dream, but the promise of tomorrow. Told through a dazzling array of musical styles from the era, this Tony Award-Winning musical is bursting with emotion and hope as the surprising interconnections of the heart are discovered and history’s timeless contradictions of wealth and poverty, freedom and prejudice, and hope and despair are confronted.” Performances take place at the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center in Kirkwood, MO. For more information: stagesstlouis.org.

Nevermore
Photo: John Lamb

Stray Dog Theatre presents the musical Nevermore: The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 through November 2, with an additional performance  at 2 pm on Sunday October 20. “This unique and wildly theatrical experience combines haunting music and poetic storytelling to chronicle the fascinating life of iconic American writer Edgar Allan Poe. At once gorgeous and grotesque, Nevermore explores the events that shaped Poe’s character and career, blurring the lines between fact and fiction—after all, as Poe himself writes, “All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream.”” Performances take place at Tower Grove Abbey, 2336 Tennessee in Tower Grove East. For more information: www.straydogtheatre.org.

Upstream Theater presents the professional premiere of Spanish playwright Pedro Calderón de la Barca's Life is a Dream in a new translation by G.J. Racz, October 18, 19, 24, 25, 26, 31 and November 1, 2 at 8:00 pm; October 20 at 7:00 pm; and October 27 and November 3 at 2:00 pm. “Pedro Calderón de la Barca's best-known drama follows the journey of Prince Segismundo, who was imprisoned at birth due to a prophecy. As he grapples with his newfound freedom within a world of court intrigue, Segismundo ponders the nature of his existence and the power of his own choices. A play of enduring relevance in an age filled with political uncertainty.” Performances take place at The Marcelle in Grand Center. For more information: www.upstreamtheater.org.

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