ST. LOUIS: The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis has announced six mainstage productions, three studio series productions, and two additional productions as part of its 2020-21 season.
“This year, we want to share the magic of the Rep with both our longtime supporters and new audiences across the region,” said artistic director Hana S. Sharif in a statement. “Our new season will combine classics, groundbreaking new shows, and robust family programming to reflect the dynamic character of the city we call home.”
The mainstage season will open with Little Shop of Horrors (Sept. 4-Oct. 2), with book and lyrics by Howard Ashman and music by Alan Menken, the classic musical about a man, his crush, and his carnivorous alien plant.
Following this will be the world premiere of Catherine Butterfield’s Top of the World (October dates to be announced). This psychological thriller follows a television crime showrunner whose episodes begin to mirror his life a little too closely as he desperately looks for clues following his wife’s suicide.
Next up will be The Great Leap (Oct. 30-Nov. 22), by Lauren Yee. The story follows a Chinese American basketball phenom who travels with his basketball team to Beijing, where he finds himself in the middle of a personal, political, and cultural standoff amid the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests.
The mainstage season will continue with Native Gardens (Jan. 15-Feb. 7, 2021), by Karen Zacarías. This comedy follows two neighboring houses as a polite backyard dispute between neighbors turns into a spiraling feud.
Next is Regina Taylor’s Oo-Bla-Dee (February 2021 dates to be announced). A celebration of the female musicians who fought for their rightful place in American history, the musical follows a 1940s Black female jazz band as they journey from St. Louis to Chicago in a climate of racism, sexism, and an unforgiving industry.
Closing out the mainstage season will be Moby Dick (March 12-April 11), adapted from the Herman Melville book by David Catlin, which follows Captain Ahab’s hunt for the great white whale.
Meanwhile, the Rep’s Steve Woolf Studio series will open with Hir (Oct. 9-Nov. 1), by Taylor Mac. This dark comedy follows Isaac as he returns from Afghanistan to find his family completely upended.
Next up will be the world premiere of The Gradient (Jan. 8-31, 2021), by Steph Del Rosso. A new facility promises to rehabilitate men accused of sexual misconduct, but the culture inside muddles those high ideals. A new employee at the facility finds herself locked in a psychological battle with her latest client.
The studio series will close with Lynn Nottage‘s Mlima’s Tale (March 26-April 18, 2021), a lyrical journey through the darkness of the international ivory trade after Mlima, an African elephant, is murdered for his tusks.
Additionally, the Rep will present Twisted Melodies (July dates to be announced), a one man show about the music of Donny Hathaway, written by and starring Kelvin Roston Jr., as well as Michael Wilson’s adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol (Dec. 6-30).
Founded in 1966, the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis is a professional theatre striving to produce an eclectic range of productions.
