One Hell of A Homecoming

Claire Zachanassian returns to her hometown trailing clouds of money -- lots of it -- as well as a panther, two eunuchs, a couple of torpedoes, several ex-husbands and an intriguing proposition: She will donate a huge sum of money to the town and its people if they will agree to kill her former lover, Alfred III. Alfred's quite popular in town, and the people refuse the request, but Claire is patient. With all that money looming just for the taking, surely their resolve will crumble and Claire will buy justice for Alfred's long-ago spurning of her. Friedrich Dürrenmatt's The Visit offers a warped perspective on love, justice and the darker corners of the human psyche -- and it's a comedy, albeit a grim one, to boot. Stray Dog Theatre presents The Visit at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday (June 9 through 25) at the Tower Grove Abbey (2336 Tennessee Avenue; 314-865-1995 or www.straydogtheatre.org). Tickets are $18 to $20.
Thursdays-Saturdays. Starts: June 9. Continues through June 25, 2011