Look for world premieres, Broadway’s best and iconic moments from the silver screen as the 2024 theatre season gets underway in St. Louis.
The premiere season of Broadway at Stifel Theatre kicks off this week with Harper Lee’s Pultizer Prize-winning “To Kill a Mockingbird.”
Directed by Tony Award winner Barlett Sher, the American classic has quickly become one of the greatest plays in Broadway history. Emmy Award-winning actor Richard Thomas plays the role of Atticus Finch in the national tour, which runs Jan. 9 and 10 at Stifel Theater
Next is the Tony Award-winning musical comedy, “Hairspray,” on Feb. 8 and 9. Set in 1960s Baltimore, the story follows 16-year-old Tracy Turnblad as she dances her way onto TV’s most popular show.
Tickets for both are now on sale, stifeltheatre.com
The St. Louis Black Repertory Company opens its 47th season this week with the world premiere of “Hold On” by Paul Webb, the play that inspired the 2014 award-winning film, “Selma.”
Directed by The Black Rep’s producing director Ron Himes, “Hold On” opens Jan. 12 and runs through Jan. 28 at Washington University’s Edison Theatre.
“Hold On” follows the inner struggle of two extraordinary leaders: Martin Luther King Jr. and President Lyndon Johnson. Their personal battle – like the battle on the streets of Selma – is ultimately decided by King’s greater moral compass.
The story takes place at the height of the civil rights movement: In March 1965, Johnson introduced the Voting Rights Act to Congress – the same month voter registration protests began in Selma, making the Alabama city the battleground for Black suffrage. The ensuing violence added pressure on Congress to act, and the bill passed in four months.
Single tickets and Season 47 subscriptions are now available, theblackrep.org
At the Fabulous Fox, the curtain will rise later this month on two very buzzed-about Broadway hits.
First up is the Tony Award- and Grammy Award-winning “Jagged Little Pill” runs Jan. 19 to 21 featuring the groundbreaking lyrics and music of Alanis Morissette.
Nominated for a record 15 Tony Awards following its Broadway premiere in 2019, “Jagged Little Pill” is about the perfectly imperfect Healys, a family struggling with stress, trauma and addiction, and how they seek the path to healing and redemption.
In addition to beloved Morissette hits such as “You Oughta Know,” “Head Over Feet,” “Hand In My Pocket” and “Ironic,” the musical also features brand-new songs written for the show, as well as choreography by Tony Award nominee and frequent Beyoncé collaborator Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and an onstage band under the musical supervision of Grammy, Tony and Pulitzer Prize winner Tom Kitt (“Next to Normal,” “American Idiot”).
“Jagged Little Pill” earned 15 Tony Award nominations in 2020, including Best Musical, and won the award for Best Book of a Musical and Best Featured Actress in a Musical.
The North American tour of “Funny Girl” follows from Jan. 23 to Feb. 4 for a limited two-week engagement at the Fox.
Featuring the iconic songs “Don’t Rain On My Parade,” “I’m the Greatest Star” and “People,” the musical comedy revival is breaking box-office records on Broadway week after week with the bittersweet story of Fanny Brice. Fanny – a girl from the Lower East Side who dreamed of a life on the stage – was told she’d never be a star. But then something funny happened and Fanny becomes one of the most beloved performers in history, shining brighter than the brightest lights of Broadway.
Tickets are now on sale for “Jagged Little Pill” and “Funny Girl,” fabulousfox.com
The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis has announced it is moving forward with its 2023-2024 season next month with “Moby Dick.”
The thrilling adaptation by Lookingglass Theatre Company of Herman Mehlville’s timeless tale will debut at The Rep Feb. 6 to 25. Adapted and directed by David Catlin, the exhilarating journey captures the madness, obsession and bloodlust of Captain Ahab’s hunt for the great white whale in an acrobatic and theatrical spectacle.
The news comes as organization reports it has reached 80% of the $2.5-million goal for its Rally for The Rep campaign. The status of the final show of the season, “August: Osage County,” is not yet clear. An announcement is expected at a later date.
Tickets for Moby Dick are now available, repstl.org
Moonstone Theatre Company has secured a new home for its upcoming 2024 productions.
“The Sound Inside,” from Feb. 8 to 25, will be at the Robert G. Reim Theatre in Kirkwood. Written by Adam Rapp, the play made its Broadway premiere in 2019, receiving six Tony nominations, including Best Play.
The suspenseful drama centers around a brilliant Ivy League professor, a mysterious student and a troubling favor, exploring the limits of what one person can ask of another. “The Sound Inside” stars Moonstone producing artistic director Sharon Hunter and Ryan Lawson Maeske under the direction of Gary Wayne Barker, who directed the company’s 2023 production, “The Nerd.”
Moonstone’s second show of 2024 is expected to be announced at a later date and will also play at The Reim.
Tickets for “The Sound Inside” are now on sale, moonstonetheatrecompany.com
Before “Oppenheimer” and The Manhattan Project, there was “Copenhagen…”
Next month, the St. Louis Actors’ Studio will present Michael Frayn’s Tony Award-winning historical drama at The Gaslight Theater.
Set in 1941, the story is based on a meeting in Copenhagen between German physicist Werner Heisenberg and his Danish counterpart, Niels Bohr. Together, they revolutionized atomic science in the 1920s, but now find themselves on opposite sides of a world war.
“Copenhagen,” which won the 2000 Tony Award winner for Best Play, runs Feb. 9 to 25 and stars Aaron Orion Baker, Joel Moses and Lizzi Watt. Wayne Salomon directs.
Tickets are now available, stlas.org
The Midnight Company will present two world-premiere cabaret theatre shows in March at Blue Strawberry.
“Movie Music,” a tribute to the great award-winning theme songs from memorable films, will play March 6 – just in time for the Oscars on March 10 – and also on March 20.
Serving as hosts for an evening of movie memories are Midnight artistic director Joe Hanrahan and St. Louis artist Eileen Engel, who will entertain the audience with stories behind the films, as well as present unforgettable scenes and the iconic songs from the soundtrack.
“Jacey’s Jazz Joint,” a one-woman show starring Engel, runs March 13 and 27, and features a character study of Jacey accompanied by sensational songs.
“Movie Music” and “Jacey’s Jazz Joint” will be under the direction of Hanrahan, who also wrote both shows.
Tickets for both productions are now available, BlueStrawberrySTL.com
