When: Sundays, 2 p.m., Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m. and Thu., Sept. 1, 7:30 p.m. Continues through Sept. 4 2016
The wealthy Geronte is sadly dying. He's very old, and he's been dying for a long time now, but this is surely the end. Still, he bravely soldiers on with his plan to wed the lissome Isabelle. But Isabelle loves Eraste, Gerona's upstanding and penniless would-be heir. Their plan was to wait out the old man and then live happily ever after on Eraste's inherited wealth. Now what? Geronte's servant Lisette conspires with the youngsters and Eraste's servant Crispin to make sure their dream wedding comes true — and if Geronte has to die, let him die. David Ives' witty update of The Heir Apparent, a little-known French farce written by the even lesser-known Jean-François Regnard, took Off-Broadway by storm in 2014. Now St. Louis Shakespeare presents The Heir Apparent at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday (August 26 to September 4) at the Ivory Theatre (7620 Michigan Avenue; www.stlshakespeare.org). There is one 7:30 p.m. show on Thursday, September 1. Tickets are $15 to $20.