Florissant Civic Center Theatre Announce Winter/Spring Schedule

February

Florissant Fine Arts Council presents: Women Of Ireland. Feb. 10, 2 p.m.

Experience the talents of some of Ireland’s finest female performers, the Women Of Ireland. From Eric Cunningham, the creator of Ireland’s biggest Irish/Celtic Music Festival and Ireland’s Music Awards, Women Of Ireland is an innovative and exciting full stage concert production showcasing the next generation of Ireland’s leading female performers. The show demonstrates the wealth of talent that exists within Ireland’s traditions of music, song and dance. The common theme inherent in the production is the presentation of the most revered qualities of Ireland’s ethnic music transported from the Irish fireside to the international concert hall platform. Special significance is placed on depicting the pure qualities of Irish music in a contemporary setting.

Tickets are $27 adults, $25 Seniors/Students

St. Louis Family Theatre Series Presents: Miss Nelson is Missing. Feb. 15, 7:30 p.m., Feb. 16 and 17, 2 p.m.

At Horace Smedley Elementary School, the kids of Room 207 are famous for being bad. Despite the best efforts of their kind teacher, Miss Nelson, these fifth graders wreak havoc each day in the classroom. Spitballs fly, paper airplanes soar, and no one has done their homework in weeks. After one particularly bad day, Miss Nelson simply does not return to school. In her place, comes a substitute teacher who would make a crocodile look cuddly: the nefarious Viola Swamp. She is dressed like a witch and gives them so much homework that they are certain they will die. Finally the kids of 207 decide to take matters into their own hands by hiring a detective to find their dear Miss Nelson, and fast.

Ticket are $7 to all, group rates available

Ferguson Florissant School District presents: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat – All District Musical. Feb. 27 and 28, 7 p.m., Mar. 1 and 2, 7 p.m.

Featuring students from all 23 schools in the Ferguson Florissant School District. The Biblical saga of Joseph and his coat of many colors comes to vibrant life in this delightful musical parable. Joseph, his father’s favorite son, is a boy blessed with prophetic dreams. When he is sold into slavery by his jealous brothers and taken to Egypt, Joseph endures a series of adventures in which his spirit and humanity are continually challenged. Set to an engaging cornucopia of musical styles, from country-western and calypso to bubble-gum pop and rock ‘n’ roll, this Old Testament tale emerges timely and timeless – perfect for the whole family!

Tickets are $6 in advance, $8 at the door

March

St. Louis Family Theatre Series Presents The Jungle Book, Mar. 3, 2 p.m., Mar. 8, 7:30 p.m., Mar. 9, 2 p.m.

Adapted faithfully by David Morgan from Rudyard Kipling’s source stories, with music by Jaime Ramirez, The Jungle Book begins with the discovery of a man-child by a wolf pack in the Indian jungle. Named Mowgli, the boy is raised by wolf parents and educated in the Jungle Law by Bagheera, a black panther, and Baloo, a great bear. Complicating their efforts are the Bandar Log, a fun-loving tribe of monkeys, who kidnap Mowgli. He is rescued with the help of python Kaa, only to be threatened by Shere Khan, a carnivorous and hungry tiger, and his jackal accomplice Tabaqui. In the end, Mowgli must decide whether to stay in the jungle or take his place in the world of men. Filled with action, drama, comedy, music, and dance, Magik’s vivid production of The Jungle Book will enthrall audiences of all ages.

Ticket are $7 to all, group rates available

Alpha Players Present: Blithe Spirit. Mar. 15, 16, 22, 23, 8:00 p.m., Mar. 24, 2 p.m.

The Alpha Players present Noel Coward’s delightful satirical comedy. Charles Condomine is a successful novelist. Ruth is his charming, strong-willed wife. In order to conduct research for Charles’ latest book, they invite Madame Arcati, a medium, to their home to perform a séance. After prancing about the room reciting nursery rhymes, Madame Arcati summons a ghost from Charles’ past: Elvira – his first wife. Charles can see her, but no one else can. Elvira is flirtatious and catty. She enjoys insulting Charles’ second wife. At first Ruth thinks her husband has gone insane. Then, after watching a vase float across the room (thanks to Elvira), Ruth accepts the strange truth. What follows is a darkly funny competition between two women, one dead, one living. They battle for the possession of their husband. But as the haunting and the hollering continue, Charles begins to wonder if he wants to be with either woman at all.

Tickets are $16 adults, $14 seniors/students, $8 children under 12

Florissant Fine Arts Council Presents: Eleanor: Her Secret Journey, Mar. 20, 7:30 p.m.

Starring M*A*S*H actress Loretta Swit, Eleanor: Her Secret Journey is an engaging and educational theatrical event as Mrs. Roosevelt recalls events from the end of World War I to 1945. From the producers of FDR (2010-11 Applause/Applause season), it’s an incredibly personalized, intimate portrait of the historic woman and the many challenges that surrounded her. Her canny and clear-eyed intelligence helped her evolve from an ugly duckling into a powerful woman whose greater beauty emerged from the warmth and compassion she brought to issues of war, peace and human rights.

Tickets are $27 adults, $25 seniors/students

April

Florissant Fine Arts Council Presents Biloxi Blues. Apr. 4 – 7:30 p.m.

Neil Simon’s hit play follows the adventures of Eugene Morris Jerome and his fellow Army inductees as they struggle through basic training near Biloxi, Mississippi, in 1943. These men are universal soldiers facing the same fears, anxieties, and loneliness that grip all young recruits about to encounter the ultimate test of combat. Mr. Simon brings his great sense of humor and humanity to every word of this magnificent play. This touring theatre company presents the very best of the American theatre tradition as they continue examining the heart of the American character through the medium of live theatre. They are proud to dedicate this production of BILOXI BLUES to the men and women in our military ranks who help to protect and defend the American Dream.

Tickets are $27.00, adults, $25 seniors/students

Hawthorne Players Present: Leading Ladies, Apr. 12, 13, 19, 20, 8 p.m., Apr. 21 2 p.m.

Two English Shakespearean actors, Jack and Leo, find themselves so down on their luck that they are performing “Scenes from Shakespeare” on the Moose Lodge circuit in the Amish Country of Pennsylvania. When they hear that an old lady in York, PA, is about to die and leave her fortune to her two long lost English nephews, they resolve to pass themselves off as her beloved relatives and get the cash. The trouble is, when they get to York, they find out that the relatives aren’t nephews but nieces!

Tickets $16 adults; $14 seniors/students

Florissant Valley Men of Harmony Present: Florissant Barbershoppers – Men Of Harmony Annual Show, Apr. 26 – 7:30 p.m.

The Florissant Men of Harmony offer a blend of rich acapella harmony and light-hearted entertainment as they present a spoof of a popular TV show of years past. Think “Jethro” and “liquid gold” and you can probably guess which show. As usual, they find a way to incorporate the music and bring great harmony in the barbershop style. This show is a great entertainment value for the whole family.

Tickets are $10 in advance, $12 at the door

May

Northwinds Concert Band Presents Sounds of Courage, May 3 – 7:30 p.m.

Northwinds Concert Band, under the direction of Larry Marsh, will present “Sounds of Courage,” a program of heroic and inspirational music. The concert will feature the American premiere of a new composition by noted Austrian composer Otto Schwarz entitled “White Rose.” The work is dedicated to the young men and women who resisted Nazi Germany. A special lobby display created for UMSL’s German Culture Center will present the stories of courageous individuals and groups. Other works will include upbeat marches and music from film and Broadway, plus music commemorating stories of heroism from American history.

Northwinds is a program of Ferguson Florissant’s Community Education Department.

Tickets are $8 adults, $6 seniors/students

Alpha Players Present Murdered to Death, May 17, 18, 24, 25 – 8 p.m., May 26 – 2 p.m.

This hilarious spoof of the best of Agatha Christie is set in a country manor house in the 1930’s with an assembled cast of characters guaranteed to delight. The play introduces the inept and bungling Inspector Pratt, who battles against the odds to solve the murder of the house’s owner. It soon becomes clear that the murderer isn’t finished yet, but will the miscreant be unmasked before everyone else has met their doom, or will the audience die laughing first?

Tickets are $16 adults, $14 seniors/students, $8 children under 12