Chicago, 1938. Three women take rooms in a seedy hotel. Each awaits a low-down snake of a man.
This fall, the St. Louis Black Repertory Company will launch its 48th season with “Blues in the Night.” Conceived by Sheldon Epps, the Broadway-style revue — a love letter to the early days of jazz and blues — unfolds entirely through classic torch songs and blues melodies.
“It is a songbook of the greats,” said Ron Himes, founding director of The Black Rep as well as the Henry E. Hampton Jr. Artist-in-Residence in Arts & Sciences at WashU.
Himes, who will direct the show Sept. 4 to 29 in WashU’s Edison Theatre, added that numbers like Bessie Smith’s “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out” and Harold Arlen’s “I Gotta Right to Sing the Blues” allow audiences “to unpack the feelings of three women who carry on through the adversities of their lives. It is a great way to mark the opening of our 48th season.”
Following “Blues in the Night,” the season will continue with “Chicken & Biscuits” (Jan. 8-25, 2025), a family comedy by Douglas Lyons that made its Broadway debut in 2021. Next will be Melda Beaty’s “Coconut Cake” (Feb. 5-March 2) and Kelundra Smith’s “The Wash” (March 12-30), both produced as part of the National New Play Network’s flagship Rolling World Premiere partnerships.
Rounding out the season will be “Radio Golf” (May 14-June 1), the final installment of August Wilson’s epic 10-play The American Century Cycle.
Performances of “Chicken & Biscuits” and “Radio Golf” take place in Edison Theatre. “Coconut Cake” will take place in WashU’s A.E. Hotchner Studio Theatre. “The Wash” will take place at COCA, 6880 Washington Ave.
Tickets are $50, or $20 for students and children. Student rush tickets are $15. Season subscriptions also are available. Tickets can be purchased at the Washington University box office; the Black Rep’s box office, 813 N. Skinker Blvd.; or by calling 314-534-3810.
For more information or a complete schedule, visit theblackrep.org.
