As spring shifts into summer, the St. Louis theatre season is undergoing its own transition, with blockbuster season-finale productions from The Black Rep and the Fabulous Fox to the arrival of Opera Theatre’s 2023 Festival Season and St. Louis Shakespeare Festival’s performances in Forest Park.
WHAT: EUBIE!
WHERE: Edison Theatre at Washington University
WHEN: Various times, May 3 to 21
The Black Rep closes out its 46th season with the exhilarating musical revue, “EUBIE!” featuring music from groundbreaking composer and musician Eubie Blake.
“EUBIE!” celebrates the legacy of Blake, one of the greatest contributors to early 20th-century African America music and who broke racial barriers with the 1921 Broadway hit musical, “Shuffle Along,” the first to be written and directed by and to star Black Americans.
The Black Rep’s production is directed by producing director Ron Himes and features an ensemble cast that includes Coda Boyce, DeAnté Bryant, Robert Crenshaw, Serdalyer Darden, Evann De-Bose, Samantha Madison, Venezia Manuel, Carvas Pickens, Tamara PiLar, J’Kobe Wallace and Taijha Necole Silas.
$50 ($45 seniors; $20 students); theblackrep.org
WHAT: JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR 50TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR
WHERE: Fox Theatre
WHEN: Various times, May 9 to 21
Hailed by The New York Times as “an adrenaline-pumping production,” the critically acclaimed Andrew Lloyd Webber musical phenomenon is set against the final weeks in the life of Jesus Christ, as seen through the eyes of Judas. The iconic rock ‘n’ roll score features “I Don’t Know How to Love Him,” “Gethsemane,” and “Superstar.”
Led by Jack Hopewell as Jesus, Elvie Ellis as Judas, Faith Jones as Mary, Grant Hodges as Caiphas, Nicholas Hambruch as Pilate and Kodiak Thompson as Annas, the ensemble cast includes Ethan Hardy Benson, Joshua Bess, Jordan Wesley Brown, Jahlil M. Burke, Cooper Clack, Kalei Cotecson, Emma Cook, Lydia Eku, Savannah Fisher, Domanick Anton Hubbard, Haley Huelsman, Jeremy Makana Hurr, Brett Hennessey Jones, Lena Matthews, Hosea Mundi, L’Oréal Roaché, Colin Robertson, Darren James Robinson, Erich W. Schleck and Lauren Soto.
From $25; fabulousfox.com
WHAT: TREEMONISHA
WHERE: Loretto-Hilton Center
WHEN: May 20 and 26, June 6, 8, 11, 21 and 24 (7:30 p.m.); June 3 (12:30 p.m.)
Although legendary composer Scott Joplin published his opera, “Treemonisha,” in 1911, he never lived to see it on stage. Written as a tribute to his new bride, Freddie Alexander, Joplin’s heroine Treemonisha leads her community into a bright and bountiful future of education, opportunity and prosperity.
Opera Theatre of Saint Louis’ production re-imagines the work as a life-affirming journey of love and creativity with a new prologue and epilogue by composer Damien Sneed and librettist Karen Chilton. “Treemonisha” celebrates the strength, beauty and wisdom of Black women by bringing back to light a forgotten figure of history: Freddie Alexander Joplin.
The cast includes Justin Austin as Scott Joplin/Remus, Brandie Inez Sutton as Freddie Alexander/Treemonisha, Tichina Vaughn as Monisha and Norman Garrett as Ned.
“Treemonisha” is performed in English, accompanied by members of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.
$15 to $150; opera-stl.org
WHAT: TWELFTH NIGHT
WHERE: Shakespeare Glen in Forest Park
WHEN: 8 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday, May 31 to June 25
Set in glamorous, celebrity-filled Miami and bursting with romance, music and high times, St. Louis Shakespeare Festival’s production of “Twelfth Night” is a glorious Latin-inflected story of longing and reinvention in a world where not everyone is who they seem, but love is love and it prevails.
Widely considered to be Shakespeare’s greatest comedy, “Twelfth Night” tells the story of Viola and her shipwrecked twin brother, Sebastian, who have been separated and are finding their way in a strange new world. Gabriela Saker as Viola and Avi Roque as Sebastian lead an ensemble cast under the direction of Lisa Portes.
Shakespeare in the Park is free and no reservations are required, but a limited number of reserved seats are available, from $20 to $25 for general seating to $120 to $300 for box seats.
stlshakes.org
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