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A nonprofit, independent news source to inform, inspire, educate and connect the St. Louis Jewish community.

St. Louis Jewish Light

A nonprofit, independent news source to inform, inspire, educate and connect the St. Louis Jewish community.

St. Louis Jewish Light

A nonprofit, independent news source to inform, inspire, educate and connect the St. Louis Jewish community.

St. Louis Jewish Light

Jewish Plays and Musicals

Barry Edelstein.

The Spielberg of Shakespeare is coming to St. Louis— How Jewish tradition helped him unlock the Bard

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content OfficerPublished April 29, 2025

If people describe you as “the Spielberg of” anything, chances are you’re doing something right. Or at least you know what you’re doing. In the world of Shakespeare, that guy is Barry Edelstein. On May 15, Edelstein will headline the St. Louis...

Darius Milhaud (Milken Archive of Jewish Music) and Vally Weigl (Karl Weigl Foundation)

They fled the Nazis, but their music survived—and now it’s coming to St. Louis

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content OfficerPublished April 21, 2025

On Sunday, May 25, the St. Louis Chamber Chorus will present a powerful and poignant concert titled “War and Peace,” featuring the works of Jewish composers Darius Milhaud and Vally Weigl. The concert will take place at Congregation B’nai Amoona...

Ben Platt attends a discussion of his album "Honeymind" at 92NY on Oct. 9, 2024, in New York City.  (Gary Gershoff/Getty Images)

Backing fellow Jewish entertainer Hannah Einbinder, Ben Platt says his Jewish identity is ‘not defined’ by Israel

Grace Gilson, JTAPublished April 16, 2025

In his first major public comments about Israel since early in the Gaza war, the Jewish actor Ben Platt said his Jewish identity is not defined by Israel. Platt also voiced support for another Jewish actor, Hannah Einbinder, who has drawn criticism...

(L) Jayson Heil in "All My Sons." (R)  Jacob Schmidt and Spencer Sickmann in "Trayf."

From “Trayf” to triumph: New Jewish Theatre actors snag spotlight at awards gala

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content OfficerPublished March 26, 2025

The New Jewish Theatre (NJT) continued its streak of excellence at the 2025 St. Louis Theater Circle Awards, bringing home three acting honors across two standout productions. Actors Jacob Schmidt and Spencer Sickmann were recognized for their comedic...

L to R: Lillian Cooper as Texas, Spencer Davis Milford as the Emcee, Hailey Medrano as Sally, Otto Klemp as
Bobby, and Caroline Pillow as Fritzie

New Jewish Theatre’s hit show ‘Cabaret’ run has been extended

Gerry Kowarsky, Special to the Jewish LightPublished March 24, 2025

The character and story arcs are remarkably sharp, unified and moving in the superb production of “Cabaret” at the New Jewish Theatre. The action takes place in Germany in 1929 and 1930. The central characters are Cliff Bradshaw and Sally Bowles....

Spencer Davis Milford as the Emcee and Hailey Medrano as Sally.

What to know before you see ‘Cabaret’ at the New Jewish Theatre

Jordan Palmer, Chief Digital Content OfficerPublished March 16, 2025

The New Jewish Theatre is set to open its 2025 season with a production that’s as immersive as it is urgent. Running March 20–April 6, “Cabaret” invites audiences into the world of the Kit Kat Klub, where dazzling performances mask the creeping...

Mary Rose Brendel (Karen Smith) and the Tour Company of Mean Girls
Photo by Jenny Anderson, 2023

From pirates to ‘Mean Girls’: 16 unmissable events lighting up St. Louis in March

Patricia Corrigan, Special To The Jewish LightPublished March 4, 2025

Museum exhibits, theater (musicals galore and dramas, too), rock concerts, lectures, flower shows, a blues festival, art shows (indoors and out), dance concerts, live jazz, kids’ programs (Disney on Ice is back!), cabaret shows, operas, a sake tasting,...

Idina Menzel plays Jesse, an ambitious New York art gallery director who heads west after a shocking life event in Redwood

In Idina Menzel’s new Broadway musical, a show tune about Tikkun Olam soars high

By Samuel Eli Shepherd, The ForwardPublished February 16, 2025

This story was originally published in the Forward. Click here to get the Forward's free email newsletters delivered to your inbox. In Redwood, a new Broadway musical about a New Yorker heading west after tragedy, a tree takes up most of the stage. The...

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