The St. Louis Area Theatre Calendar

For the Week of 10/21/2019

Updated Sunday, October 20, 2019

Brought to you by Stage Left and 88.1 KDHX.

To submit your event, send an email to calendar at stageleft.org. Your event information should be in text format (i.e. not part of a graphic), but feel free to include publicity stills for inclusion here and on the enhanced version of this calendar at the Stage Left blog (where you can offer comments, updates and corrections).

And don't forget to check out my list of St. Louis theatre links!

This week brings us some new musicals, including the highly-anticipated Dear Even Hansen.
Alton Little Theater presents the Agatha Christie thriller And Then There Were None Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sundays at 2 pm, October 25 - November 3. Performances take place at 2450 North Henry in Alton, IL. For more information, call 618.462.6562 or visit altonlittletheater.org.

Brighton Beach Memoirs
Photo: Greg Lazerwtz
New Jewish Theater presents Neil Simon's Brighton Beach Memoirs Thursdays at 7:30 pm, Saturdays at 4 and 8 pm, and Sundays at 2 pm through October 27. "Brighton Beach, September 1937. Eugene Jerome is dreaming of baseball and girls. Over the course of a few short days amid family harmony and disharmony, young Eugene will come to understand life a little deeper. This award-winning play is a bittersweet memoir that captures the life of a struggling Jewish household where, as his father states 'if you didn't have a problem, you wouldn't be living here.'" 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.

Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville presents Closer by Patrick Marber opening on Wednesday, October 23, at 7:30 pm and running through Sunday, October 207. "Dan rescues Alice. Anna photographs Dan. Larry meets Anna online. Alice rescues Larry. This is London at the end of the twentieth century where lives collide and fates change in an instant. Strangers become lovers and lovers become strangers. On its premiere in 1997, Closer won Olivier, Evening Standard and New York Drama Critics' Circle Awards. Since then, the play has been produced in more than 200 cities across the world." Performances take place in the Metcalf Theater on the campus in Edwardsvile, IL. For more information, call 618-650-2774 or visit www.siue.edu.

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.

Dear Evan Hansen
The Fabulous Fox Theatre presents the musical Dear Evan Hansen opening on Tuesday, October 22, at 7:30 pm and running through November 3. "A letter that was never meant to be seen, a lie that was never meant to be told, a life he never dreamed he could have. Evan Hansen is about to get the one thing he's always wanted: a chance to finally fit in. Dear Evan Hansen is the deeply personal and profoundly contemporary musical about life and the way we live it." The Fabulous Fox Theatre in on N. Grand in Grand Center. For more information: fabulousfox.com.

Solid Lines Productions presents a staged reading of the play Edith Can Shoot Things and Hit Them on Sunday, October 27, at 2 pm. "Three kids - Kenny, his sister Edith, and their friend Benji - are all but abandoned on a farm in remotest Middle America. With little adult supervision, they feed and care for each other, making up the rules as they go. But when Kenny's and Benji's relationship becomes more than friendship, and Edith shoots something she really shouldn't shoot, the formerly indifferent outside world comes barging in whether they want it to or not. Admission is free! The play will be followed by a talk-back with the actors. Doors open at 1:30pm, curtain is at 2pm." The reading takes place at Sophie's Artist Lounge in the .ZACK Performing Arts Center, 3224 Locust. For more information: solidlinesproductions.com.

COCA and The Black Rep present Four Little Girls: Birmingham 1963 Fridays at 7:30 pm, Saturdays at 5 and 7:30 pm, and Sundays at 3 pm through October 27. Note that the Sunday, October 20, performance is sold out at this time. " Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, Cynthia D. Morris Wesley, and Addie Mae Collins. This production imagines these four young girls before the terrible event on September 15, 1963- the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. Through story and song, the play shines a light on their dreams, their times with family and friends, and the trials and tribulations they faced as children living in a divided and segregationist city. A full chorus sets the tone with spirituals and anthems of the Civil Rights Movement such as "Amazing Grace," "Oh, Freedom," and "Woke Up This Morning." Performances take place at the Staenberg Performance Lab at COCA in University City. For more information: cocastl.org.

Encore Theatre Group presents The Haunted Pool - A New Musical Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sundays at 3 pm through November 3. "Umi, a spirited young woman preparing to become Queen of Mephaire. All her life Umi has lived under one strict command from her father Rejas, the King: DO NOT GO to the HAUNTED POOL! Umi wants to obey her fathers wish but given her rebellious nature, her curiosity gets the best of her and she defies the King. What is it that she finds at The Haunted Pool? Secrets, the truth, or will she come face to face with the dreaded figure who resides there? Don't be trapped by fear! Join Umi on her adventure! This production, full of surprise and wonder, is one that you DON'T WANT TO MISS! Performances take place at the Thomas Dunn Learning Center, 3113 Gasconade Street. For more information: www.eventbrite.com.

The Performing Arts Department at Washington University presents the musical Legally Blonde Fridays through Saturday at 8 pm and Sunday at 2 pm, October 25 - November 3. " Elle Woods has it all. She is the president of her sorority, a Hawaiian Tropic Girl, Miss June in the campus calendar, and, above all, a natural blonde. She dates the cutest fraternity boy on campus and wants nothing more than to be Mrs. Warner Huntington III. There is just one problem; Elle is too blonde. After Warner breaks up with Elle and goes off to Harvard Law School, Elle follows him, determined to win him back. The ensuing journey takes her far from the life she has known and brings her to the realization that there is a lot more to her than meets the eye." The performances take place in the A.E. Hotchner Studio Theatre on the Washington University campus. For more information, call 314-935-6543 or visit pad.artsci.wustl.edu.

The Lifespan of a Fact
Photo by Phillip Hamer
The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents The Lifespan of a Fact running through November 10. "Celebrated author John D'Agata has just written a sublime and shattering magazine essay. But is the story true? When the world's most neurotically precise fact checker starts dissecting the author's work, it begins to split at the seams. As the final deadline looms, hard facts square off against emotional truths in a funny and searing high-stakes showdown." Performances take place at the Loretto-Hilton Center on the Webster University campus. For more information: repstl.org.

The St. Louis Writers' Group presents the final round of its Playwright Slam on Monday, October 21, at 6:30 pm. "The scripts have been chosen. This time we will have ten minutes from each one and the judges will award the points and may the best playwright win." The event takes place upstairs at Big Daddy's, 1000 Sidney in Soulard. For more information: www.stlwritersgroup.com

The Bissell Mansion Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre presents Sherlock Holmes in "The Case Without a Clue" running through October 27 The Bissell Mansion is at 4426 Randall Place. For more information: bissellmansiontheatre.com

Fontbonne University Theatre presents The Spitfire Grill running through October 27. Performances take place at the Fontbonne Fine Arts Theatre, 6800 Wydown Blvd. For more information, www.fontbonne.edu

The St. Louis Storytelling Festival presents Story Lounge: Hauntings on Thursday, October 24, at 7 pm. "The St. Louis Storytelling Festival's "Story Lounge: Hauntings", features chilling, spine-tingling narrative performances based on literary works. Held at the Kranzberg Arts Center Studio in the heart of the Grand Center Arts District, prepare to revel in the fiendish delights of the season. And remember, "the most frightening monsters are the ones that exist in our minds". The event takes place at the Kranzberg Arts Center, 501 N. Grand in Grand Center. For more information: www.metrotix.com

Kevn Corpuz as Tommy
Stray Dog Theatre presents the rock musical The Who's Tommy through October 26. "Back by popular demand! Based on the iconic 1969 rock concept album, The Who's TOMMY is an exhilarating tale of hope, healing, and the human spirit. The story of the pinball-playing, deaf, dumb, and blind boy who triumphs over his adversities has inspired and amazed audiences for 50 years." Performances take place at The Tower Grove Abbey, 2336 Tennessee. For more information, visit straydogtheatre.org or call 314-865-1995.

The Lemp Mansion Comedy-Mystery Dinner Theater presents Zombie Love (No Biting) running through November 2. "Calling all Zombies! Tired of being judged for munching on the occasional brain? So you're not really "alive" anymore but you can still enjoy socializing with the living and enjoying a hilarious show together! Well, we've got the perfect show for you! Drama! Comedy! Looove! ...And, of course, Zombies! Don your best Living Dead Costume and choose to be a Zombie, or not (its up to you), but we do promise lots of fun for both the living and the undead! hey, Hey, HEY! No Biting!" The Lemp Mansion is at 3322 DeMenil Place. For more information: lempmansion.com.

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.