Arts & Entertainment

St. Louis Stage Capsules

Dennis Brown and Paul Friswold suss out the local theater scene

By Paul Friswold  and  Dennis Brown

The Caucasian Chalk Circle Reviewed in this issue.

Harlem Duet A prequel to Shakespeare's Othello, Djanet Sears' Harlem Duet imagines the dissolution of Othello's (Kingsley Leggs) marriage to African-American grad student Billie (Cherita Armstrong), freeing him up to marry his white co-worker, Mona (Nicole Fabbri). With a narrative split across three time periods (the 1860s, the 1920s and the late 1990s), the story is at times choppy. But the import of the play — a pull-no-punches examination of interracial marriages — is never lost. Presented by the Black Rep through May 18 at the Grandel Theatre, 3610 Grandel Square. Tickets are $17 to $43 ($5 discount for students and seniors; $10 rush seats available for students 30 minutes before showtime). Call 314-534-3810 or visit www.theblackrep.org. — Paul Friswold

Jersey Boys Reviewed in this issue.

KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park: LIVE! The dialogue is craptacular. The special effects are better described as "defects." Scenes are riddled with non sequiturs and clumsy transitions, and the set is constructed out of cardboard — and not the expensive stuff. In short, it's another smash hit from Magic Smoking Monkey. Jim Ousley's script is ridiculously faithful to the original movie — a stink-bomb '70s update of The Phantom of the Opera with KISS as superheroes — down to every last painful quip and Ace Frehley "ack!" Ousley also stars as Paul Stanley, a beacon of vacant sexuality who lights up every scene with severely pursed lips and embarrassingly true-to-the-original dance steps. Aaron Orion Baker's Abner Devereaux is a studied portrayal of megalomania and pouting, and he does the best "I've-been-shot-in-the-junk-by-a-laser-gun" face you'll ever witness. Through May 3 at the Regional Arts Commission, 6128 Delmar Boulevard. Tickets are $15. Call 314-361-5664 or visit www.stlshakespeare.org. (PF)

Parenting 101: A Musical Guide to Raising Parents This extended revue about the trials and tribulations of having children is yet another entry in the "you too can write a musical" sweepstakes. Some people enjoy this kind of entertainment. But the only reason I could think of to return for Act Two was to see if the four energetic actors would have any voices left by evening's end. Open-ended run at the Playhouse at West Port Plaza (second level), Page Avenue at I-270, Maryland Heights. Tickets are $42.50. Visit www.theplayhouseatwestport.com or call 314-469-7529. — Dennis Brown