As always, the choices are purely my personal opinion. Take with a grain (or a shaker) of salt.
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New This Week:
The Monroe Actors Stage presents the drama
An Inspector Calls Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 and Sundays at 2:30 p.m., April 13 - 22, in the Historic Capitol Theatre in downtown Waterloo, Illinois. For more information, visit
www.masctheatre.org or call 618-939-7469.
My take: I won't be able to see this production, so this recommendation is based entirely on the fact that the play itself is a powerful indictment on the smugness and moral rot that can accompany material comfort. As such, it's as relevant now as when it was first performed in 1945, if not more so.
An Inspector Calls neatly subverts the conventions of drawing-room drama to deliver a radical message which, sadly, still needs to be delivered today.
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Jesus Christ Superstar
Photo by Justin Been |
Stray Dog Theatre presents Andrew Lloyd Webber's
Jesus Christ Superstar Thursdays through Saturdays, April 12 - 28. There will also be performances at 2 pm on Sunday, April 22, and 8 pm on Wednesday, April 18 and 25. "Jesus Christ Superstar has captivated audiences for more than 40 years. Loosely based on the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, this timeless rock opera follows the last week of Jesus' life, exploring his personal relationships and struggles with Judas Iscariot, Mary Magdalene, his disciples, and the Roman Empire" Performances take place at The Tower Grove Abbey, 2336 Tennessee. For more information, visit
straydogtheatre.org or call 314-865-1995.
My take: Here's another one I'm recommending in advance purely on the strength of the material and on the track record of the producing company. Stray Dog has had quite a string of critical and commercial success lately with its seasons in general and in particular with its musicals. Last year's
Ragtime (in which, to be fair, I performed) walked away with multiple St. Louis Theater Circle awards and sold-out houses. This production of
Jesus Christ Superstar, which features some of the same stars as Ragtime, is already selling out as well. Hence the early inclusion.
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New Jerusalem
Photo by Eric Woolsey |
New Jewish Theater presents David Ives'
New Jerusalem, the Interrogation of Baruch de Spinoza at Torah Talmud Congregation: Amsterdam, July 27, 1656 through April 22. The play is the true story of Jewish philosopher Baruch de Spinoza who was excommunicated from the Jewish community of Amsterdam in the mid-1600's in order to keep the peace for that city's Jews." Performances take place in the Marvin and Harlene Wool Studio Theater at the Jewish Community Center, 2 Millstone Campus Drive in Creve Coeur. For more information:
www.newjewishtheatre.org or call 314-442-3283.
My take: I'm a sucker for this kind of intellectual drama, and New Jewish appears to be doing an impressive job with it. In
her review for KDHX, Tina Farmer says that director Tim Ocel and his cast "work in unison to create a moving and effective show that allows history to reverberate with issues of contemporary concern...The impact of Spinoza's genius is still felt in our national conversation, and the captivating and sharply performed show contains enough story and dramatic tension to engage a broad audience."
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| Rosenkrantz and Guildernstern Are DeadPhoto by Ron James |
St. Louis Shakespeare presents Tom Stoppard's
Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m., through April 15. "This comedy, penned during the height of the absurdist movement, follows the two hapless friends of Hamlet, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, as they go on a journey from which they never return. On a day like any other, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern's peaceful morning is suddenly disrupted when a messenger from Elsinore castle raps on their window informing them that they have been summoned. Thus, begins the journey for our befuddled travelers as they explore fate, their purpose and very nature of existence." Performances take place at the Ivory Theatre, 7620 Michigan in the Carondelet neighborhood. For more information, call 314-361-5664 or visit stlshakespeare.org.
My take: Speaking of lively intellectual theatre, Stoppard's play is still a classic example of how to pour old wine into new bottles. It's "Shakespeare through the wrong end of the telescope" concept is brilliantly executed and always worth seeing. "The dizzying imagination of Tom Stoppard's razor-sharp mind," writes Mark Bretz
at Ladue News, "is in evidence throughout this brisk, brilliant comedy currently being given a delightful rendering by St. Louis Shakespeare."
Held Over:
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Cardboard Piano
Photo by John Lamb |
The West End Players Guild concludes its 107th season with the St. Louis premiere of Hansol Jung's drama
Cardboard Piano Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM and Sundays at 2 PM, April 6 - 15. "In civil war-torn northern Uganda a missionary's daughter and a local teenaged girl exchange secret wedding vows and plan their escape, but they cannot evade the reach of the encroaching civil war. The play explores the deep but tragic relationship between the two young women and a troubled child soldier they try to save. The cardboard piano is their symbol of the hope and courage needed to carry on in a hopeless world. But can anyone have the courage to forgive the unforgiveable?" There will also be a show on Thursday, April 12, at 8 pm. Performances take place at the Union Avenue Christian Church, 733 North Union at Enright in the Central West End. For more information, call 314-367-0025 or visit
www.westendplayers.org.
My take: I'm on the play reading committee as well as the board of WEPG, and was a strong supporter of this play from the beginning. I first saw it at the Humana Festival of New American Plays at Actors Theatre of Louisville in 2016, where I was very impressed with the writing. In
my review, I wrote that Cardboard Piano manages to balance the immediacy of it's "ripped from the headlines" story with a contemplation of deeper issues. As our own domestic political process plays out the conflict between a version of Christianity based on mercy and compassion vs. one based on anger and judgment, the issues in Cardboard Piano feel both immediate and timeless.
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| Hamilton |
The Fox Theatre presents the musical
Hamilton running through April 22. "HAMILTON is the story of America's Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, an immigrant from the West Indies who became George Washington's right-hand man during the Revolutionary War and was the new nation's first Treasury Secretary. Featuring a score that blends hip-hop, jazz, blues, rap, R and B, and Broadway, HAMILTON is the story of America then, as told by America now." The Fox is at 527 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information:
fabulousfox.com.
My take: Yeah, like you need my encouragement to see this massive hit. Reviewing the Chicago production in 2016,
I wrote that
Hamilton is a flat-out brilliant piece of musical theatre that manages to be both educational and entertaining at the same time. In nations, as in nature, diversity is a source of strength.
Hamilton is a reminder of that strength. We are, as JFK wrote in his book of the same name, "a nation of immigrants," so it's encouraging to note that, when we saw Hamilton, spontaneous applause burst out when Jefferson and Hamilton sang "immigrants: we get the job done."
