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St. Louis Actors' Studio presents
Blackbird December February 9 - 25. " This intense work was commissioned by the Edinburgh International Festival, where it received its world premiere. After years in prison and subsequent hardships, Ray, fifty-six, has a new identity and has made a new life for himself, thinking that he cannot be found. Una, twenty-seven, has thought of nothing else; upon seeing a photo of Ray in a magazine, she has arrived unannounced at his office. Guilt, rage, and raw emotions run high as they recollect the passionate relationship they had fifteen years ago, when she was twelve and he was forty. Without any moral judgments, the play never shies away from the brutal truth of this abandoned and unconventional love. Una is looking for answers, not vengeance. Nevertheless, the consequences are shattering." Performances take place at the Gaslight Theatre, 358 North Boyle For more information, call 314-458-2978 or visit
stlas.org.
The Looking Glass Playhouse presents the rock musical
Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. through February 4. "A.J. kicked British butt, shafted the Indians and smacked down the Spaniards, all in the name of these United States - who cares if he didn't have permission? Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson creators, Michael Friedman (Love's Labour's Lost, The Fortress of Solitude) and Alex Timbers (Love's Labour's Lost, Peter and the Starcatcher), cook up an alternate universe (and draw parallels to today's political/populist landscape) with their musical about the seventh U.S. president. Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson follows America's seventh president from his early days as a child on the wild frontier to his controversial reign in the White House." Performances take place at 301 West St. Louis Street in Lebanon, Ill. For more information, visit
www.lookingglassplayhouse.com.
The Cabaret Project and
The Improv Shop present
The Blue Velvet Lounge Saturday at 8 pm., February 10 and 24. "The Cabaret Project teams up with The Improv Shop to co-present their dynamic, fully improvised theater piece featuring live jazz standards - direct from the mythical Blue Velvet Lounge. Each performance features eight smart, funny improvisers who create the stories and sagas of the patrons of the Blue Velvet Lounge - on the spot. Surrounded by live jazz vocal standards, this character driven story is a different show each night it's performed. The Blue Velvet Lounge is a perfect evening out for lovers of cabaret and comedy. Food and drink available at the Improv Shop." The performance takes place at The Improv Shop, 3960 Chouteau in The Grove. For more information:
thecabaretproject.org.
Metro Theatre Company presents
Bud, Not Buddy Fridays and Saturdays at 7 and Sundays at 2 pm through February 25. "Based on the Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott King Award-winning novel, this play combines actors with a 13-piece jazz band performing an original score composed by five-time, Grammy-winning jazz artist Terence Blanchard to tell the story of a boy who finds a home and a passion for music." Performances take place at the Grandel Theatre, 3610 Grandel Square in Grand Center. For more information:
metroplays.org.
Clayton Community Theatre presents William Inge's drama
Bus Stop Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. through February 11. "Eight people are obliged to pass the time together overnight in a small-town diner due to a snowstorm. Three are locals; five are passing through on a bus from Kansas City to Denver. Although the bus cannot proceed, the interactions, relationships and discoveries of the eight characters continue in a flurry. By the time the road is cleared and the travelers are able to move on, no one is quite the same as they were at the start." Performances take place at the Washington University South Campus Theatre. For more information, call 314-721-9228 or visit
placeseveryone.org.
Tesseract Theatre Company presents
Cold by Meredith Ben Jolivet, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 4 p.m., February 9 - 18. "Facing the loss of their only child, Ellie and Jane hunt for hope. But when Jane suggests cryogenics as a way of holding back the inevitable, Ellie tailspins. Forced to make a choice under unbearable circumstances, faced with the minutiae of every day life, and taxed by the weirdness of the human brain, this couple comes together, breaks apart, and grapples with the right thing to do in a situation with no guidepost. At Ellie's lowest, a chatty and exhausted young nurse manages to provide unexpected insight, but this decision could leave this once-happy couple in the cold." Performances take place at The .ZACK, 3224 Locust in Midtown. For more information:
tesseracttheatre.org.
CSZ St. Louis presents
The ComedySportz Show on Saturday nights at 7:30 pm. The show is "action-packed, interactive and hilarious comedy played as a sport. Two teams battle it out for points and your laughs! You choose the winners the teams provide the funny!" Performances take place on the second floor of the Sugar Cubed, 917 S Main St. in St Charles, Mo. For more information:
www.cszstlouis.com.
The Lemp Mansion Comedy-Mystery Dinner Theater presents
The Comic Book Killer through April 14. The Lemp Mansion is at 3322 DeMenil Place. For more information:
lempmansion.com.
The Monroe Actors Stage presents the drama
Dark of the Moon Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 and Sundays at 2:30 p.m., February 9 - 18, in the Historic Capitol Theatre in downtown Waterloo, Illinois. For more information, visit
www.masctheatre.org or call 618-939-7469.
Act Two Theatre presents the comedy
Dearly Departed Fridays ad Saturdays at 7:30 and Sundays a 2 p.m., February 9 - 18. "In the Baptist backwoods of the Bible Belt, the beleaguered Turpin family proves that living and dying in the South are seldom tidy and always hilarious. Despite their earnest efforts to pull themselves together for their father's funeral, the Turpin's other problems keep overshadowing the solemn occasion Amidst the chaos, the Turpins turn for comfort to their friends and neighbors, an eccentric community of misfits who just manage to pull together and help each other through their hours of need, and finally, the funeral." Performances take place in the St. Peters Cultural Arts Centre at 1 St Peters Centre Blvd, St. Peters, MO 63376. For more information:
act2theater.com.
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The How and the Why
Photo: Eric Woolsey |
New Jewish Theater presents
The How and the Why through February 11. "In Sarah Treem's smart and provocative play about science, family and survival of the fittest, evolution and emotion collide as two women of different generations struggle to come together both on a professional and on a personal level. The play explores many areas of struggle for women, especially in the field of scientific research: the fierce competition among scientists for recognition of their discoveries; the struggles in the academic world for prestigious positions and grant funding: and female attitudes about sex, relationships, men, motherhood and families." 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.
The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents Stephan Karam's
The Humans February 7 - March 4. “Three generations of the Blake family have gathered in a dingy New York City apartment for Thanksgiving. Everyone's trying to make the best of it, but life's little indignities are piling up. With a mixture of pathos and dark humor, Karam's vivid family portrait is nothing but honest.” Performances take place at the Loretto-Hilton Center on the Webster University campus. For more information:
repstl.org.
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| Infected |
Upstream Theater presents the St. Louis premiere of
Infected Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 7 pm (except for February 25, which is at 2 pm), February 9 - 25. "A day trader in quarantine delivers a relentless, near-manic monologue that reveals his derailment from the fast track, and the resultant downward, deadly spiral… as though he may have contracted some horrible virus from the stock market monitors themselves. This gripping piece by one of Germany's leading poet/playwrights is a relentless collage of ideas and images, where past and present collide and where one man's innermost thoughts ricochet inside his head with all the volatility of a stock market in crisis. A very timely psychological study of a man and a society infected by greed." Performances take place at the Kranzberg Arts Center, 501 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information, including show times:
upstreamtheater.org.
The Bissell Mansion Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre presents
Mayhem in Mayberry through April. "Welcome to the 10th annual Mayberry-fest. Everyone is looking forward to the highlight of this event - the Miss Mayberry contest. YOU and Sheriff Andy Trailer will judge the contestants (chosen from the audience) on beauty, poise, cookin' skills and a new category this year - Hog callin'. Will the next Miss Mayberry be the vivacious Dazey Doof from Hazzard County? Or the beautiful hillbilly, Elly May Klumpett? Or will it be the lovely Lois Lame from Smallville? Don't county out the charming Paris Hoosier from Hoosierville. She's the main reason the train stops at Petticoat Junction! Sheriff Andy, Deputy Blarney and Aint Bee invite you to join the fun and the mayhem in Mayberry cause it won't be the same without y'all." The Bissell Mansion is at 4426 Randall Place. For more information:
bissellmansiontheatre.com.
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| Menopause the Musical |
The Playhouse at Westport Plaza presents
Menopause the Musical, "a celebration of women and The Change," through March 31. Four women meet while shopping for a black lace bra at a lingerie sale. After noticing unmistakable similarities among one another, the cast jokes about their woeful hot flashes, mood swings, wrinkles, weight gain and much more. The Playhouse at Westport Plaza is at 635 West Port Plaza. For more information:
playhouseatwestport.com.
The St. Louis Family Theatre Series presents the
Vital Theatre Company production of
Pinkalicious the Musical Friday, February 9, at 7:30 pm; and Saturday, February 10, at 2 pm. "Pinkalicious can't stop eating pink cupcakes despite warnings from her parents. Her pink indulgence lands her at the doctor's office with Pinkititis, an affliction that turns her pink from head to toes - a dream come true for this pink loving enthusiast. But when her hue goes too far, only Pinkalicious can figure out a way to get out of this predicament." Performances take place at the Florissant Civic Center Theatre at Parker and Waterford in Florissant, MO. For more information, call 314-921-5678 or visit
florissantmo.com
Fontbonne University presents
Principal Principle Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 8 pm and Sunday at 2 pm, February 7 - 11. "Armed only with her dreams of making the world a better place and six weeks of training, Kay Josephs quits her corporate job to teach English in an urban high school. She wakes up to harsh realities: The copy machine is broken, the system is broken, and the spirits of her fellow teachers are broken. Or are they? A dark comedy of academic intrigue." Performances take place in the Fontbonne Fine Arts Theatre on Wydown and Big Bend. For more information:
fontbonne.edu
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| Red Scare on Sunset |
Stray Dog Theatre presents the comedy
Red Scare on Sunset Thursdays through Saturdays, February 8 - 24. "In 1950s Hollywood, film star Mary Dale finds the Red Menace invading her Beverly Hills backyard. When she discovers her husband has been lured into the local Communist Party by way of a Method acting class and there is a left wing plot to abolish the star system, Mary wages a private war to save her husband, country, and billing over the title. The McCarthy era is turned on its head in this outlandish take on a serious subject." Performances take place at The Tower Grove Abbey, 2336 Tennessee. For more information, visit
straydogtheatre.org or call 314-865-1995.
The Presenters Dolan presents
Katie McGrath: Significant Others on Saturday, February 10, at 8 p.m. "Significant Others: the people, places and events that make us - well, us. Features a lively mix of Great American Songbook, pop, country and soul. McGrath's proceeds will benefit St. Louis's own Guardian Angel Settlement Association, whose social services programs and developmental childcare program work to improve the lives of those in our community struggling with poverty." The performances take place at the Kranzberg Center 501 N. Grand in Grand Center. For more information:
metrotix.com.
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Silent Sky
Photo: John Lamb |
The West End Players Guild continues its 107th season with the drama
Silent Sky Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM and Sundays at 2 PM, February 9 - 18. " It is the inspiring true story of Henrietta Leavitt who, in the earliest days of the 20th century, triumphed over sexist prejudice and devastating personal hardship to reshape for all time our scientific understanding of our universe and our own place in it." There will also be a show on Thursday, February 15, 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.
Clinton County Showcase presents
Things My Mother Taught Me Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m and Sundays at 2 p.m, February 9 - 18. "Olivia and Gabe are moving into their first apartment together. They've just packed up all of their belongings and driven halfway across the country, to start a new life together in Chicago. Their moving day doesn't go exactly as planned, though, and things become slightly more complicated when all of their parents show up to help! Unbeknownst to Olivia, Gabe has invited both sets of parents to surprise her. One of the moms spills the beans that Gabe is going to propose and if that's not bad enough, the U-Haul, containing ALL OF THEIR POSSESSIONS - - -INCLUDING THE ENGAGEMENT RING is stolen from the street after only one load has been brought into the apartment! Can a two bedroom apartment contain all of the love, laughs, worry and wisdom that's about to happen? This brand new comedy takes a generational look at relationships, and how sometimes parents are passing their best lessons on to their children without even meaning to. Funny and touching, this one will make you laugh out loud and fall in love all over again." Performances take place at the Avon Theater, 525 North 2nd Street Breese IL. For more information, visit
ccshowcase.com.
Alton Little Theater presents the comedy mystery
Who's in Bed With the Butler? Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m., February 9 - 18. "Mad-Capped hilarity with mile-a-minute dialogue and a very twisted plot ensues when a California Billionaire bequeaths all his assets to his only daughter.....but what about the Mistress? The loyal Housekeeper? or even the bumbling Detective - is he for REAL? Audiences will love sorting it all out!" Performances take place at 2450 North Henry in Alton, IL. For more information, call 618.462.6562 or visit
altonlittletheater.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.
