Show & Tell

Local Theater Returns!

By Mark Bretz

While national COVID-19 vaccine rates rise and metro area residents enjoy whatever normalcy has returned this summer, the local theater scene is bustling once again. As more and more companies open up, here are a few of the performances to look forward to this summer. ln  The Muny returns to its outdoor stage in Forest Park for the first time in nearly two years when Smokey Joe’s Cafe opens on Monday, July 26. With approval from the City of St. Louis Department of Public Health, The Muny will open all 11,000 of its seats to the public, encouraging patrons who are not vaccinated to continue to wear masks. Following Smokey Joe’s Cafe, which runs through Aug. 1, The Muny will present The Sound of Music from Aug. 3 to 9, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers from Aug. 12 to 18 and On Your Feet! from Aug. 21 to 27. It will close with Chicago from Aug. 30 to Sept. 5. muny.org  STAGES St. Louis will welcome patrons to the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center on Aug. 6, when it presents Always … Patsy Cline, its inaugural production at the spacious new venue. Executive producer Jack Lane, retiring artistic director Michael Hamilton and their troupe will show Patsy Cline through Sept. 5, followed by the STAGES debut of the long-running Broadway jukebox musical Jersey Boys, from Sept. 24 through Oct. 24. stagesstlouis.org  Stray Dog Theatre returns to its home at the Tower Grove Abbey for an outdoor presentation of the three-man show Art, from Aug. 5 to 21, followed by productions of Blue/Orange and Who’s Holiday this fall and winter. straydogtheatre.org  With its production of King Lear playing to sold-out audiences in June, St. Louis ShakespeareFestival will present productions of Othello by its touring company from Aug. 3 to 29 throughout Missouri and Illinois, as well as a new work, Shakespeare in the Streets: The Ville, at the Annie Malone Children’s Home from Sept. 9 to 11. stlshakes.org  The sixth annual Tennessee Williams Festival will take place from Aug. 19 to 29 in St. Louis’ Central West End neighborhood. The Moon and Beyond, Tennessee Williams and the Central West End will include presentations of The Glass Menagerie and other Williams-related works. twstl.org  Max & Louie Productions has announced its comeback to local stages with the St. Louis premiere of Tiny Beautiful Things, based on Cheryl Strayed’s New York Times bestselling essay compilation of the same title. The play follows Sugar, an online advice columnist who helps reallife readers seeking her counsel on sundry topics. The show runs from July 29 to Aug. 8 at The Grandel. maxandlouie.com  Union Avenue Opera returns to performances with an abbreviated and re-imagined 2021 season titled Opera Under the Big Top. The noted opera company is presenting Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann (Tales of Hoffmann) on Friday, July 23, (a matinee) and Saturday, July 24, at the Big Top in St. Louis’ Grand Center district. On the same dates, with the matinee switched, Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville) is taking the spotlight. unionavenueopera.org  The Midnight Company follows its June presentation of Here Lies Henry with an expanded version of Now Playing Third Base for the St. Louis Cardinals … Bond, James Bond at The Chapel until Sunday, July 25. First presented at St Lou Fringe a few years ago, Joe Hanrahan’s one-man show tells the story of a teen boy living in St. Louis in 1964. midnightcompany.com  Finally, First Run Theatre returns with an original work entitled Look Into My Eyes, written by Robb Willoughby and directed by Robert Ashton, from Aug. 13 to 22 at the Kranzberg Black Box Theater. firstruntheatre.org