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JESSE HALL AUDITORIUM

501-541 S 9th St
Columbia, MO 65201



St. Louis Shakespeare Festival’s ROSENCRANTZ AND GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD is Chaotically Lively


by James Lindhorst - March 28, 2026

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern may be dead, but the St. Louis Shakespeare Festival is very much alive. Those lucky enough to have secured a ticket to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead won’t be disappointed by this chaotically lively production of what Director Tom Ridgley calls “Tom Stoppard�...

Review: RING OF FIRE: THE MUSIC OF JOHNNY CASH at Loretto-Hilton Center


by Rob Levy - March 23, 2026

This jukebox musical, directed by Augustin Family Artistic Director Kate Bergstrom, offers a condensed biography of Cash’s life, told through his music. From his early childhood in Arkansas to his rise to fame at Sun Records, addiction battles, and his advocacy, there’s a lot to cram into two ho...

Review: ROBBIN, FROM THE HOOD at Soul Siren Playhouse has Much to Say About Marginalized Communities


by James Lindhorst - March 21, 2026

Robbin, From the Hood has ambitious intent. Playwright Marlow Wyatt has crafted several potentially compelling scenarios about those living in impoverished and marginalized communities and how the conditions effect their population. But in its current iteration, Robbin, From the Hood loses its drama...

Review: PROMENADE at The Marcelle Theater


by Rob Levy - March 20, 2026

This ridiculously hilarious romp is gloriously wacky. Audiences should set aside any expectations and just go along for the ride. Giddy and wonderful, Promenade succeeds thanks to a stellar cast that relishes the ludicousness of it all. Happily devouring scenery as they goof off, they deliver an  i...

Review: THE ENIGMATIST at Emerson Studio In The Loretto-Hilton Center


by Rob Levy - March 17, 2026

Blending the theater of the mind, math, logic, and visual trickery, The Enigmatist is a mind-blowing and engaging evening of entertainment that causes head shakes, screams of disbelief, and moments of euphoric amazement....

Review: Pearl Cleage’s Fiery FLYIN’ WEST at The Black Rep Examines the Bonds of Sisterhood


by James Lindhorst - March 15, 2026

Flyin’ West is a family drama set against the backdrop of the migration West. The Jon Royal directed production succeeds because of the naturalistic acting of Handy, Pryor, Lockett, and Yancy. The women create realistic, believable relationships among the women they portray. The chemistry in Royal...

Review: The Best and the Rest of SPECTRUM 2026 at First Run Theatre


by James Lindhorst - March 08, 2026

This year’s Spectrum 2026, produced by First Run Theatre, was unique. The six-play festival featured four wittily written plays that stood on their own. Two were flat-out funny, one was a bit macabre, and Tortured Poets Department was beyond charming....

Review: ROMÉO ET JULIETTE at Winter Opera


by Steve Callahan - March 02, 2026

Opera is widely considered to be a seasonal flower.  Around the world opera festivals show their shoots in early spring, they blossom in the summer, and they stretch their glory into the fall.  In St. Louis, though, we find one of the few fine opera companies willing to brave the icy blasts of win...

Review: A BRICK AND A BIBLE Sheds Light on an Important Moment in St. Louis’ Black History


by James Lindhorst - February 21, 2026

You will be entertained by Kathryn Bentley and Colin McLaughlin’s new play, but that is only one small part of why their work needs to be seen. This historical drama is an important part of St. Louis’ Black History. A Brick and a Bible is an empowerment story about women raising their voices for...

Review: DEATHRAP at Tower Grove Abbey


by Rob Levy - February 16, 2026

Filled with gamesmanship, deception, death, and creative differences, Stray Dog Theatre’s Deathtrap is sleuthing at its finest. Well-acted and draped in the unexpected, the production’s apprehensive atmosphere and inventive plot contortions cause audiences to gasp as the drama reaches a bloody c...

Past Shows

The Sleeping Beauty: International Ballet Stars in Columbia, MO!
The Sleeping Beauty: International Ballet Stars in Columbia, MO!
Mar 21

Believe in magic again.Follow the journey of Princess Aurora – from her christening and the wicked curse of Carabosse to a century-long slumber and her...

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