A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE & More Leads BroadwayWorld's St. Louis Summer 2025 Theater Picks

A Streetcar Named Desire, August 7-17, The Grandel Theatre 

Among the most highly anticipated theatrical events in St. Louis this summer is the mainstage production at the Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis (TWSTL.) In celebration of their 10th Anniversary Season, TWSTL is staging William’s seminal work A Streetcar Named Desire.  

William’s masterpiece was the winner of the 1948 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and The New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play. Jessica Tandy won the Tony Award for her portrayal of Blanche DuBois, the insecure fading southern belle. The coveted role has been performed by Blythe Danner, Jessical Lange, Glenn Close, and Natasha Richardson in subsequent Broadway revivals. 

A Streetcar Named Desire will be directed by St. Louis’ Michael James Reed. “When I direct a play, I like to present the material as if the audience, whether familiar with it or not, is seeing it for the very first time. I translate it for the audience of today,” Reed said in the festival press release. He shared the story will be revisited through a different lens.  

The mainstage production will open the 2025 festival on April 7th at The Grandel Theatre and will continue through August 17th.  

La Cage aux Folles, August 8-24, The Muny 

Harvey Firestein and Jerry Herman’s hilarious La Cage Aux Folles returns to The Muny this summer starring Broadway’s Norm Lewis and Michael James Scott. La Cage Aux Folles last played The Muny Stage in 1986. This production will by directed Tony nominated and Muny regular Marcia Milgrom Dodge and is being choreographed by Richard J. Hinds. 

The uproarious and crowd pleasing La Cage Aux Folles tells the story of tells the story of drag club owners Georges and Albin, whose son becomes engaged to a conservative politician. The musical was the inspiration for the hysterical film The Birdcage starring Robin Williams and Nathan Lane. The score includes the empowering “I Am What I Am,” “The Best of Times,” and more.  

The Muny’s summer season is already underway with star-studded and acclaimed productions of Bring It On The Musical, Come From Away, and Disney’s Frozen. The remainder of the season includes the return of Evita, The Muny premiere of Dear Evan Hansen, the previously mentioned La Cage aux Folles, and Jersey Boys. 

Austen’s Pride, July 25 – August 24, STAGES St. Louis 

STAGES St. Louis is staging the new musical Austen’s Pride prior to its launch of a multi-city tour before setting its sights on Broadway. The musical follows Jane Austen as she pens her beloved novel Pride and Prejudice. She embarks on a journey of self-discovery with the stormy romance between Elizabeth Bennett and Fitzwater Darcy as backdrop.  

Stages Artistic Director Gayle Seay and Mosbacher Family Executive Producer Andrew Kuhlman say, “It is a truth universally acknowledged that all of us at STAGES St. Louis are thrilled to be producing Austen’s Pride. This musical with its gorgeous score and fresh take on Jane Austen’s iconic novel is set to be a new classic!” 

Austen’s Pride will star Olivia Hernandez in the title role of Jane Austen, Delphi Borich as Elizabeth Bennet, and Dan Hoy as Fitzwilliam Darcy. The show is directed by Igor Golden, choreographed by Lisa Shriver, with musical direction by Sheela Ramesh.  

Steel Magnolias, July 24 – August 10, Tesseract Theatre Company at The Marcelle 

Last year’s dominant company at The St. Louis Theater Circle Awards, Tesseract Theatre Company, is staging Robert Harling’s Steel Magnolias. Directed by Kathyrn Bently, Steel Magnolias will feature a cast entirely comprised of woman of color.  

Margery Handy, fresh off her St. Louis Theater Circle Award for her supporting performance in Tesseract’s The Inheritance Part 2, will lead the company in the role of M’Lynn. Joining Handy in the cast will be Joana Dominguez as Truvy, Tammy O’Donnell as Ouiser, Victoria Pines as Clairee, Lillie Self-Miller as Annelle, and Lynett Vallejo as Shelby.  

Tesseract has been on a roll with their award-winning productions of The Inheritance Parts 1 & 2, Anastasia The Musical, and this year’s critically acclaimed comedy POTUS. There’s little doubt this highly anticipated production of Steel Magnolias will impress.  

The Details, July 24 – August 3, First Run Theatre at The Kranzberg Black Box 

St. Louis First Run Theatre has selected James Larson’s new play The Details to open their mainstage season. Each year, following a rigorous and blind selection process, First Run selects two new scripts from Midwestern Playwrights and stages their world premiere productions.  

The Details opens when an elderly German American man receives a late-night visit from his young African American neighbor. The two men find common ground despite their cultural differences and age gap.

Directed by Darrious Varner, The Details stars Jaz Tucker as Jackson and Bill Burke as Hoffmann. Most recently Tucker has been seen in the Aquarian Rising production of Topdog/Underdog. Burke has worked with First Run prior in their 2023 Spectrum festival of short plays.  

 Pictured: A Streetcar Named Desire Director Michael James Reed. Photo credit: Zachary Stefaniak (c) 2016