Theatre season is in full swing, and fans of the stage have a plethora of productions to choose from! Check out some of our selections, from original productions to regional premieres to Tony Award-winning musicals.
WHAT: JUST ONE LOOK
WHERE: The Blue Strawberry
WHEN: 7:30 p.m., March 1, 8 and 15
One of two original cabaret shows for The Midnight Company’s 2023 season, “Just One Look” tells the story of legendary singer Linda Ronstadt. Written and directed by Midnight artistic director Joe Hanrahan, who also stars in the production, “Just One Look” features Kelly Howe as Ronstadt, considered one of the country’s most successful female singers of all time. Ronstadt, a 12-time Grammy winner, is a recipient of the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and a National Medal of Arts, as well as a Kennedy Center honoree, among other distinguished accolades. To date, Ronstadt has sold more than 100 million albums worldwide, with many of them being certified gold, platinum or multiplatinum in the U.S. and internationally.
In “Just One Look,” Hanrahan will portray a veteran rock ‘n’ roll journalist who finally gets to interview his unrequited love, Ronstadt, though she’s now retired to her hometown of Tucson, suffering from Parkinson’s disease. In the course of the show, they remember her debut in Los Angeles, and Howe becomes the younger Linda, recalling her storybook career and singing her great songs.
$25; midnightcompany.com
WHAT: GRAND HORIZONS
WHERE: Kirkwood Performing Arts Center
WHEN: Various times, March 16 to April 2
The Tony-nominated play by Bess Wohl makes its regional premiere with Moonstone Theatre Company at the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center. The story – a sophisticated and sometimes provocative look at the unpredictable and enduring nature of love – centers on Bill and Nancy, happily married for 50 years and settling into their retirement home on Florida. But now, Nancy wants a divorce. As their two adult sons struggle to cope with the news, they’re forced to question everything they assumed about the people they thought they knew best.
Starring award-winning St. Louis actor Joneal Joplin as Bill and Sarah Burke as Nancy, “Grand Horizons” also features Joplin’s son, Jared Joplin (Ben), Bridgette Bassa (Jess), Cassidy Flynn (Brian), Carmen Garcia (Carla) and William Humphrey (Tommy). It will be directed by Moonstone founder and producing artistic director Sharon Hunter.
$40 ($35 for seniors, $15 for students); moonstonetheatrecompany.com
WHAT: EVERY BRILLIANT THING
WHERE: J’s Wool Studio Theatre
WHEN: March 16 to April 2
What do you do when you’re 6 years old and your mother is in the hospital for attempting suicide? You start a list of everything that is beautiful and fills you with wonder about the world – and leave it on your mom’s pillow to read. That’s the premise of New Jewish Theatre’s production of “Every Brilliant Thing,” an imaginative, engaging one-person show about finding light amid the darkness of depression. Three-time St. Louis Theatre Circle Award winner Will Bonfiglio stars under the direction of Ellie Schwetye, who are reuniting after teaming up for NJT’s 2019 production of “Fully Committed.”
What started as a performance piece, installation art project and Facebook group where people were invited to list their own “brilliant things,” the play by Duncan Macmillan (with Jonny Donahoe) has become a phenomenon with productions all over the country and an HBO documentary special.
$49 to $54; newjewishtheatre.org
WHAT: MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS
WHERE: LORETTO-HILTON CENTER
WHEN: Various times, March 17 to April 9
To close out the 2022-2023 season, the Agatha Christie classic will be brought to life on the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis mainstage by director Hana Sharif, The Rep’s artistic director. The beloved whodunit features iconic Belgian detective Hercule Poirot and a cast of characters that keep the audience on the edge of their seats until its shocking finale.
The mystery thrill ride takes place in 1934 aboard the luxurious Orient Express, stopped in its tracks following an unexpected snowstorm. After a wealthy American businessman is discovered dead, the brilliant and beautifully mustachioed Poirot must solve the mystery before the murderer strikes again.
Led by Armando Durán in the role of Poirot, the production features a talented cast of 15 in this stage adaptation by Ken Ludwig from Christie’s 1934 novel.
From $23; repstl.org
WHAT: TOOTSIE
WHERE: Fox Theatre
WHEN: Various times, March 21 to April 2
The Tony Award-winning musical is coming to the Fabulous Fox for a limited two-week engagement. Hailed by Rolling Stone as “musical comedy heaven,” “Tootsie” is a laugh-out-loud love letter to theatre. It tells the story of Michael Dorsey, a talented by difficult actor who struggles to find work until one show-stopping act of desperation lands him the role of a lifetime.
Based on the 1982 film starring Dustin Hoffman, the musical features a Tony-winning book by Robert Horn and score by Tony winner David Yazbek (“The Band’s Visit”).
From $25; fabulousfox.com
