ST. LOUIS — The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis returns for its 56th Season with a 2022-2023 showcase featuring the mystical and riveting production of Madhuri Shekar’s “House Of Joy,” August 28-September 18 at the Loretto-Hilton Center in Webster Groves.
"As I programmed the 2022-23 season, I was inspired by the blossoming life of spring,” said Hana Sharif, artistic director of The Rep.
“From our reinvestment in the arts to the renewal of our commitment to the St. Louis community, my goal was to provide an array of productions that align with our mission of sharing entertaining and thought-provoking world-class art."
“House of Joy is set in a Mughal Empire harem, and it's in this mystical Southeast Asian world,” Sharif said. “It's a world that deals with magic and is a world driven by energies. It appears as a glittering utopia, and I love its magical realism.”
Although the story centers on an emperor, a concubine, his daughter, and female guards, Sharif said “House of Joy” ‘s theme analyzes the dynamics of power and love beyond just focusing on the women entering the utopia and prohibition from exiting it.
“I love that this play looks at love in every aspect, the love between partners, love between mother and child, love between a leader and their most trusted confidant,” she said.
“Private Lives,” the second show of The Rep’s mainstage full season, runs Sept. 30-Oct. 23 at the Catherine B. Berges Theatre at COCA.
It's a hilarious, unexpected story about former married couple Amanda and Elyot, who ironically run into each other while vacationing in the French Riviera on their honeymoon with their new spouses. During the discovery, the two reflect on why they fell in love with each other and why they divorced each other.
“It’s a Noel Coward classic comedy that takes you on a funny, dysfunctional wild ride,” Sharif said. “The Rep has produced the production over the last 56 years. This is the third time it's been produced here. It's been at least 20 years since it was last produced.”
The Rep’s “A Christmas Carol” tradition returns Nov. 18- Dec. 30 at Loretto-Hilton. The Sharif-directed production starring a BIPOC cast and some actors with visible and invisible disabilities, chronicles the journey of Ebenezer Scrooge (played by a Black male actor)’s ghosts of his past, present, and future finally catching up with him.
“It features flying, ghosts, choreography, lots of music, traditional carols, and rapping,” Sharif said. “It's my love letter to St. Louis because it reflects what regional theater can be at its best.”
Keeping the holiday spirit, “The Glowy Snowy Day,” opens the new year Jan. 6-9, 2023, at Missouri History Museum.
It's a free outdoor, socially distanced drive-thru illuminated puppeteer show and podcast that narrates the story of a young boy named Peter who plays outside with his friends during the season’s first snowstorm.
“The site-specific drive-thru experience for families is based on Ezra Jack Keats’ book, The Snowy Day,” Sharif said. “The production is phenomenal. More than 60 puppeteers are participating in it.”
“Putting It Together: A Musical Review” runs Jan. 27-Feb. 19 at The Berges Theatre with a walk down memory lane featuring legendary composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim’s greatest songs.
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