This month’s theatre scene has all the razzle and dazzle you’ll need, including a record-breaking Broadway play, a world premiere musical and two new dramas – all making their St. Louis debut.
THE LIGHT – ST. LOUIS BLACK REPERTORY COMPANY
Modern-day couple Rashad and Genesis are celebrating their two-year dating anniversary with a marriage proposal and the promise of a new life together. But when a seemingly thoughtful gift uncovers memories buried long ago, will their relationship survive? Written by Loy A. Webb and directed by Kristi Papailler, The Black Rep’s production of “The Light” is an emotional journey of love, laughter and heartache as Rashad and Genesis reconcile their past and reaffirm their personal values to live in the truth.
Through Feb. 26 at the Hotchner Studio Theatre at Washington University; $50; theblackrep.org
spells of the sea – METRO THEATER COMPANY
From 8 to 18 to 80 and everyone in-between, this world premiere musical on the Metro Theater stage tells the story of Finley Frankfurter, a 15-year-old fisherwoman who is bad at fishing, and grumpy lighthouse keeper H.S. Crank. Together, the unlikely duo begins an adventure through the ocean in search of the Elixir of Life, a hard-to-find remedy that will save Finley’s father from a mysterious illness. As they encounter mermaids and pirates and other obstacles on their journey, the two come to a new understanding of the meaning of family, friendship and belief in yourself. The musical is based on a podcast by Guinevere Govea, who also stars as Finley.
Feb. 10 to March 5 at the Grandel Theatre (a virtual streaming option is also available); $20 to $36; metroplays.org
CONFEDERATES – REPERTORY THEATRE OF ST. LOUIS
Award-winning playwright Dominique Morisseau brilliantly blends the continuum of time by weaving together the stark realities of racial and gender bias in this illuminating drama. Sara, an enslaved rebel turned Union spy, and Sandra, a tenured professor in a modern-day private university, are having parallel experiences of institutionalized racism, despite existing more than a century apart.
Feb. 11 to March 5 at the Loretto-Hilton Center; $23 to $92; repstl.org
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD – FOX THEATRE
Academy Award-winner Aaron Sorkin’s adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning masterwork has been hailed “a real phenomenon…” and currently holds the record as the highest-grossing American play in Broadway history. Set in 1930s Alabama, Harper Lee’s enduring story of racial injustice and childhood innocence centers on one of the most venerated characters in American literature, small-town lawyer Atticus Finch. Emmy Award-winning actor Richard Thomas leads the cast as Finch, along with a cast of characters, including Scout, Jem, Dill, Calpurnia and Arthur “Boo” Radley.
Feb. 28 to March 12 at the Fabulous Fox Theatre; $29 to $110; fabulousfox.com
