Theater and dance are calling on old classics and charging ahead with new works this fall.
‘T’
- When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, 4 and 8 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 12-29
- Where: 2 Millstone Campus Drive
- How much: $27-$59
- More info:
What do you do when you love to roller skate and listen to rock music but live in an orthodox Jewish community? Take a road trip into the secular world, obviously. Zalmy spends his days performing good deeds around his community with his best friend, Shumel, but his secret roller-skating nightlife leads him on a heartwarming adventure.
‘American Idiot’
- When: 8 p.m. Sept. 12-Oct. 5
- Where: Marcelle Theater, 3310 Samuel Shepard Drive
- How much: $20-$30
- More info:
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Ten years after releasing “Dookie” in 1994, Green Day released “American Idiot,” an angry look at a post-9/11 America that simmered with malcontent and political disillusion. The musical is based on the album and follows three friends as they make their way to adulthood in the big city.
‘Dial M for Murder’
- When: Sept. 18-Oct. 13; performance times vary
- Where: Loretto Hilton Center, 130 Edgar Road, Webster Groves
- How much: $35-$95
- More info:
Tony Wendice wants to kill his wife, Margot. But it won’t be easy. Their elegant home becomes the setting for a deadly game of cat and mouse as Tony’s greed and dreams of revenge spin into chaos.
‘Ragtime: the Musical’
- When: Sept. 20-Oct. 20; performance times vary
- Where: Kirkwood Performing Arts Center, 210 East Monroe Avenue, Kirkwood
- How much: $45-$82
- More info:
“Ragtime” is a turn-of-the-century (the last century, not this one), drama about three families trying to survive in the midst of an Industrial Revolution. This show really will feature a family. Tamar Greene, better known as George Washington in Broadway’s “Hamilton,” is starring as Coalhouse Walker Jr., and his own son will play his son in the show.
‘Back to the Future’
- When: Sept. 24-Oct. 6; performance times vary
- Where: Fox Theatre, 527 North Grand Boulevard
- How much: $32-$105
- More info:
Based on the 1985 film starring Michael J. Fox, this musical is about a teen who travels in time. He ends up in the past when his parents were teenagers and starts messing with the timeline. If he can’t set things right, then he’ll never be born. Oh yeah, and he invents rock ‘n’ roll.
‘Red Jasper’
- When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 4-13
- Where: Gaslight Theatre, 358 North Boyle Avenue
- How much: $22-$25
- More info:
In “Red Jasper” by St. Louis-native Michael Madden, Isadora’s breast cancer has returned. Some people don’t know how to act around her, but she’s not shy about telling them. Tom is an attractive guy she meets during treatment, but he by turns angers and disappoints her. She’s sarcastic; he’s friendly. They’re both navigating a very inopportune time to fall in love.
‘N𱹱ǰ!’
- When: 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, Oct. 10-Nov. 2
- Where: Stray Dog Theatre, 2336 Tennessee Avenue
- How much: $30-$35
- More info:
Just last year, Netflix treated us to a spooky miniseries about the downfall of a rich family and it was all based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe. (“The Fall of the House of Usher,” if you missed it.) Now, you can get a different angle on Poe, the American writer behind short stories like “Tell-Tale Heart” and poems like “The Raven.” This show focuses on Poe’s life and stories.
‘Western Symphony’ and ‘Serenade’
- When: 7:30 p.m. Oct. 12, 2:30 p.m. Oct. 13
- Where: Touhill Performing Arts Center, 1 Touhill Circle, Bellerive Acres
- How much: $36-$84
- More info:
Get ready for a boot-scootin’ ballet when St. Louis Ballet tackles George Balanchine’s “Western Symphony,” which mixes ballet with American folk dancing. Also on the program is his “Serenade” and “After the Rain” from Christopher Wheeldon, who choreographed “MJ: the Musical.”
‘LܲԲ’
- When: Oct. 18-Nov. 3
- Where: Kranzberg Black Box, 501 North Grand Boulevard
- How much: $20-$30
- More info:
This Duncan MacMillan play asks the question how you can bring a baby into an overpopulated world rife with political division and with an environment being destabilized by climate change. Presented by Albion Theatre company, the show, described as an “off-kilter love story,” will be presented using the original British script.
‘()’
- When: Oct. 24-27
- Where: Berges Theater, COCA 6880 Washington Avenue, University City
- How much: TBD
- More info:
In the spring, Big Muddy Dance company rebranded as St. Louis Dance Theatre. The company’s first season with the new moniker is themed (Re)Imagine, and its first show, “(Re)Claim,” will feature work from Robert Battle, who was the artistic director for the renowned Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre for 11 years. In addition to Battle’s “Unfold,” the company will perform “Dance” by its own artistic director, Kirven Douthit-Boyd.
‘A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical’
- When: Oct. 29-Nov. 10; performance times vary
- Where: Fox Theatre, 527 North Grand Boulevard
- How much: $37-$135
- More info:
Neil Diamond rose from obscurity in Brooklyn to become one of America’s most prolific and popular singer-songwriters. This jukebox musical tells the story of his life through the songs that would make him a household name like “Sweet Caroline,” “Forever in Blue Jeans” and “America.”
‘The Roommate’
- When: Oct. 23-Nov. 17
- Where: Emerson Studio, 130 Edgar Road, Webster Groves
- How much: $55
- More info:
When Sharon takes on a roommate, her life turns upside down in this play by Jen Silverman. New roommate Robyn may just be up to no good with her murky past. And that pushes Sharon into her own journey of self-discovery.
Pilobolus
- When: 7:30 p.m., Nov. 9
- Where: Touhill Performing Arts Center
- How much: $50-$285
- More info:
NPR once described Pilobolus as “gods and goddesses of physical dance theater.” Dance St. Louis brings this favorite to town for the show “re:Creation.”
‘Peter Pan’
- When: Nov. 13-24; performance times vary
- Where: Fox Theatre, 527 North Grand Boulevard
- How much: $37-$125
- More info:
Let’s face it. “Peter Pan” had a Tiger Lily problem. The cliche Native American character was not the vibe. Fortunately, playwright Larissa FastHorse was able to write a new adaptation of the show and bring “Peter Pan” to new heights on Broadway and now at the Fox.
‘First Date’
- When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, 4 and 8 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 21-Dec. 8
- Where: JCC, Millstone Campus Drive
- How much: $27-$59
- More info:
“First Date” from New Jewish Theatre will put your first date stories to shame. Casey is a serial dater and goes on a blind date with Aaron. A casual drink turns into dinner, and suddenly the two are in a restaurant where patrons are transforming into family members and exes, and their inner critics have taken on a life of their own.