Sandy Rustin's THE COTTAGE, Tracy Lett's THE MINUTES and Anna Ziegler's THE WANDERERS Get Their St. Louis Premiere

Pictured above Left to Right: Jordan Coughtry, The Cottage; De-Rance Blaylock; Raisin, Joel Moses, The Wanderers; Brianna Kothari Barnes, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical; and Nick Freed, The Minutes. 

After a brief hiatus for the Labor Day Weekend, the St. Louis Theater scene gets back into full swing with more than twenty shows opening between now and the end of the year. Broadway World critic James Lindhorst picks the six shows opening in September and early October that he thinks cannot be missed, including the local premieres of Sandy Rustin's The Cottage, Tracy Lett's The Minutes, and Anna Ziegler's the Wanderers.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream by St. Louis Shakespeare Festival Tour Co.

Running until September 14 is St. Louis Shakespeare Festival’s Tour of their outrageously fun adaptation A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Conceived and directed by Tre’Von Griffith, A Midsummer Night’s Dream has been called “delightfully amusing and filled with dazzling performances.” Broadway World said the ensemble dazzles and wows the audience in Brandin Vaughn’s colorful, textured and playful costumes. Griffith wrote the original music and choreographed the whimsical multi-media production. A Midsummer Night’s Dream continues its tour of parks around the bi-state area through mid-September. Visit stlshakes.org for more information.

The Cottage at The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis opens its new season with the regional premiere of Sandy Rustin’s The Cottage. Starring Andrea San Miguel and Jordan Coughtry, The Cottage is a laugh-out-loud farce. Rustin is best known for penning the script for CLUE that wowed audiences at STAGES St. Louis two seasons ago. In The Cottage a wife exposes her affair to her husband and her lover’s wife. Coughtry told Broadway World in an interview that The Cottage is, “fast, funny, and a bit naughty with laughs that are relentless.” The Cottage opens on the mainstage at the Loretto-Hilton Center on September 3rd and continues through September 28, 2025. Visit repstl.org for more information.

Raisin at The Black Rep

The Black Rep opens RAISIN, the musical version of Lorraine Hansberry’s Tony Award Winning Play A Raisin in the Sun. Raisin features a variety of musical styles including jazz, pop, and gospel. The original Broadway production was nominated for nine Tony awards, winning for Best Musical and Best Leading Actress. It ran for over two years and 847 performances. Ron Himes, founder and artistic director of The Black Rep, will direct the production which will run from September 3 – 21, 2025, at the Edison Theater on the Washington University Campus. Visit theblackrep.org to purchase tickets.

The Wanderers at New Jewish Theatre

Anna Ziegler’s play The Wanderers continues New Jewish Theatre’s 2025 season with performances from September 11 – 28, 2025. The Wanderers stars St. Louis Theater Circle Award winners Joel Moses and Maggie Wininger. It is directed by Theater Circle award winner Robert Quinlan who last directed NJT’s phenomenal production of Into the Woods. The Wanderers examines the relationships and friendships of two married couples who live their faith in opposite ways. Ziegler’s play premiered at The Old Globe Theater in San Diego in 2018. Subsequent stagings included Roundabout Theatre’s off-Broadway production in 2023. Charles Isherwood of The Wall Street Journal called The Wanderers “absorbing, twisty, and thoughtful – and the finest play of the year.” More information is available at the New Jewish Theatre’s website.

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical at STAGES St. Louis

Brianna Kothari Barnes comes to STAGES St. Louis to take on the iconic role of Carole King in Beautiful for the fifth time. Critic Lori Schneider of Aisle Seat said, “Her vocals soar in a role she was born to play.” Beautiful tells the story of Carole King’s prolific songwriting career, culminating with the release of her Grammy winning album Tapestry. The album Tapestry has sold over 25 million copies making it one of the bestselling albums of all time. The original production of Beautiful took Broadway by storm in 2014 and ran for more than five years. The score includes King’s hits “So Far Away,” “Will You Love Me Tomorrow,” “The Locomotion,” “I Feel the Earth Move,” and many more. It is song after song of recognizable music from the 60’s and 70’s. Beautiful: The Carole King Musical will play the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center from September 19 – October 19, 2025. Visit stagesstlouis.org to purchase tickets.

One local editorial note, the original production of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical was produced by former Muny artistic director Paul Blake and St. Louis’ Mike Bosner, a graduate of John Burroughs high school. Bosner now runs Bosner productions in New York City. Most recently he and St. Louis’ Terry Schnuck produced the Tony Award winning Shucked on Broadway.

The Minutes at Stray Dog Theatre

The St. Louis premiere of The Minutes opens at Stray Dog Theatre on October 2nd.  This highly anticipated production had to be included on this list. Written by Pulitzer Prize and two-time Tony award winner Tracy Letts, The Minutes premiered on Broadway in 2022. It is a comedic look at small town politics that’s been called powerful, resonant, and funny. The cast features some of St. Louis’ most talented actors including St. Louis Theatre Circle Award nominee Nick Freed, and St. Louis Theatre Circle Award winners Lavonne Byers, Jon Hey, and Stephen Peirick. Catch The Minutes at Tower Grove Abbey through October 18, 2025. Visit straydogtheatre.org for more information.

Other productions opening in September include Classic Adventure Movie: Never Say Die at Slightly Askew Theatre Ensemble (SATE), and the Festival of New Works: Spotlight on Hope at Prism Theatre Company. Complete information can be found for all fall productions by clicking on the St. Louis Theatre Circle’s Theatre Calendar.