This weekend is positively stuffed with great things to do, from ballet and theater to a comic con to a new city-wide party on the Arch grounds. Catch up with old friends or make new ones — but whatever you do, don't delay in making plans.
Interested in catching the city's first Muslim art show or a major record release party? We've got details on those, too.
1. See Sweeney Todd
Wronged by the law and unjustly exiled, Sweeney Todd returns to England with vengeance on his mind. Fortune favors him: An old acquaintance, Mrs. Lovett, has held onto his barbering tools for him. Equipped for business, he opens his barber shop once more, all the while plotting to lure his greatest enemy in for an uncomfortably close shave. Pie shop owner Mrs. Lovett, for her part, figures out a way to upcycle any stray bodies Todd reaps during his grisly quest. Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler's Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is a musical steeped in darkness and blood, and should put you off shaving for at least a couple weeks. Stray Dog Theatre presents Sweeney Todd at 8 p.m. Thursday to Saturday (April 6 to 22) at Tower Grove Abbey (2336 Tennessee Avenue; www.straydogtheatre.org). Tickets are $20 to $25. —Paul Friswold
2. Watch The Sleeping Beauty
Tchaikovsky's The Sleeping Beauty has stood the test of time. It's the story of a princess cursed by the evil fairy Carabosse to die at the age of sixteen after pricking her finger on a spindle. The good Lilac Fairy intervenes and alters the curse so that Princess Aurora will instead sleep for 100 years, with the kiss of a handsome prince freeing her. The Saint Louis Ballet presents Gen Horiuchi's version of the classic ballet, with its grand cast and grander costumes, this weekend at the Touhill Performing Arts Center on the University of Missouri-St. Louis campus (1 University Drive at Natural Bridge Road; www.touhill.org). Showtimes are at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, and 2:30 p.m. on Sunday (April 7 to 9). Tickets are $25 to $69. —Bill Loellke
3. Meet Chelsea Clinton
After spending a big chunk of her childhood in the public eye, Chelsea Clinton went off to college, got married and started a family. Along the way she met a lot of people, saw some interesting places and essentially lived the ultimate Pinterest-friendly life before that was a thing. She's reemerged to the public sphere with a book that offers suggestions for better engaging with the world as a force for good. She signs copies of It's Your World: Get Informed, Get Inspired & Get Going! Friday, April 7, at 5:30 p.m. at Left Bank Books (399 North Euclid Avenue; www.left-bank.com). Tickets are $11 (good for a family of four people, two adults maximum and one paperback copy of the book) and $21 (same as the $11 deal, only you get a hardcover book). —Paul Friswold
4. LOL at the Second City
Legendary Chicago comedy troupe the Second City brings the funny to the Lou with its revue, "We're All in This Room Together." Combining contemporary sketches and songs with audience interaction and the company's patented brand of long-form improv, it's a show that mines humor from everyday occurrences. If you're looking for a little laughter in your life (face it: we could all use some), pick the show that's been stage-tested and audience-approved. The Second City takes the stage at 8 p.m. Friday, 5 and 8 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday (April 7 to 9) at the Touhill Performing Arts Center on the University of Missouri-St. Louis campus (1 University Drive at Natural Bridge Road; www.touhill.org). Tickets are $34 to $36. —Bill Loellke
First the bad news: Barry Bostwick, star of stage and screen (and The Rocky Horror Picture Show) had to cancel his appearance at this year's Wizard World comic convention. The good news is that there are still a heap of other film stars (Sean Gunn and Nichelle Nichols), comic book creators (Steve Lavigne and Barbara Slate) and famous automobiles (Speed Racer's Mach 5, plus Koach and Dragula from The Munsters). There will also be cosplayers, vendors selling comic books and pop culture ephemera, and a full slate of panels, Q & A sessions, video game competitions and dance parties. Wizard World stakes place from 3 to 9 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday (April 7 to 9) at America's Center (701 Convention Plaza; www.wizardworld.com). Single day admission is $39.50 to $60, and weekend passes are $79.95 to $90. Autographs may require a fee. —Paul Friswold
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