One of Justin Blanchard’s fondest memories from performing in the Shakespeare Festival St. Louis production of Hamlet two years ago is the time he spent talking with audience members after each show’s final curtain. “I always like to come out afterwards. We kind of just mingle with the crowd, and talk with people,” he said. “You can grab me afterwards and ask me questions or tell me what you thought. I always welcome that kind of feedback and interaction with people who have questions. I think that’s a really wonderful part about the festival.” Blanchard plays the villainous Iago in this …

St. Louis-In an award-winning career that has spanned 40 years and over 25 recordings, singer-actress Maureen McGovern keeps coming back to her true passion – performing live. “I just love performing,” McGovern said by phone from an extended concert stop in Palm Springs. “The show is a journey every night. It’s a train we get on together – the audience and myself – and take this journey. It’s cathartic in a way, for me. It’s also just a joy – I work with such incredible musicians, and I feel very blessed about that. And at 62, to still be doing what I love, I’m grateful for that too.” …

The Theatre Guild of Webster Groves is offering patrons more bang for the buck with their current production of “All in the Timing” – it’s buy one ticket, get six one-act comedies. Comedy, however, just hints at what audiences can expect from these one-acts, all written by David Ives. “They are mind-numbingly fun, because they will blow your mind,” said Krystal Stevenson of south St. Louis, who has roles in two of the one-act plays. “They are kind of an interesting, existential view of the world in a way, and I think that’s what makes it more interesting, because it’s done in a very comical …

With a 17-piece big band heavy on brass instruments, the Dave Dickey Big Band will deliver room-filling tunes during their Sunday performance in Kirkwood. “The band’s got a big sound,” band leader and trombone player Dave Dickey said. “They’re all professional guys, so they’re all very good soloists and players.” The performance will be 6-9 p.m. at the Kirkwood Station Brewing Company, which features a good restaurant and a great area for music. “It’s a big room – it’s fun,” he said. “They actually have a dance floor. We had a gig there last January, and so many people showed up, it was great…

Three days before the official opening for six new exhibitions at The Sheldon Art Galleries, art galleries director Olivia Lahs-Gonzales zipped through the exhibition space on a whirlwind tour. “These are pretty stunning,” Lahs-Gonzales said, looking at the large photographs of Tim Simmons. “He uses a (large format) four by five camera. They’re amazingly detailed — you can see every blade of grass.” Simmons and Steve Giovinco have photos in the “Edge of Darkness” exhibit. The photos contributed by Simmons are all shot in darkness or near darkness, with artificial light introduced to highlight…

In the entranceway to the Missouri History Museum, not too far from where a small herd of African elephants roam their enclosure at the St. Louis Zoo, an elephant-like creature sporting huge, curved tusks looms over visitors. This creature, a lifelike replica of a Columbian mammoth, stands 14-feet at the shoulder and looks like it could’ve won a tug-of-war with a couple of African elephants. It is part of the museum’s “Mammoths and Mastodons: Titans of the Ice Age” exhibit, which continues through April 15. These magnificent mammals, which inhabited North and Central America during the …

Actor Robert Picardo is known to Star Trek: Voyager fans as the holographic doctor, so will his appearance this weekend at the St. Louis Science Center will be real or holo? “Since I can reconfigure the magnetic containment field that creates the illusion of my body, to either allow matter to pass through it or be stopped, you don’t really know," Picardo said by phone from Los Angeles, where he lives. "Just coming up and trying to pass your hands through my chest is no longer a sufficient test. Actually, now that I think about it, I suppose that it is. I don’t recommend it though.” During the…

The Saint Louis Zoo will give children something to smile about Sundays in January and February duringDelta Dental Winter Zoo, from fun plays about keeping smiles healthy to games, activities and parades. “It’s always fun to come to the Saint Louis Zoo, but a lot of people don’t think about coming to the zoo in the wintertime,” said Ginny Westmoreland, the zoo’s director of marketing. “But it’s a great time to come out to the zoo, and we’ve developed this series of events leading up to Mardi Gras.” Every Sunday through Feb. 19, the Delta Dental Stage Show will be presented in The Living World…

As a former joke writer for “The Tonight Show” legend Johnny Carson, Louie Katz knows the value of a good punch line. Now, as a standup comic 23 years later, Katz mines the vagaries of vegans and the dangers of dating for comedy gold and couldn’t be happier with his chosen profession. “It’s like an addiction,” he said of doing standup. “After a while I just can’t stop.” Katz, who has done standup on HBO, Comedy Central and shows including “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” and “Last Call with Carson Daly,” is the headliner today through Sunday at the St. Louis Funny Bone Comedy Club at Westport …

From singing on the back of his father’s vegetable truck in the early days when a music career was just a dream, to getting style tips from Tony Bennett, vocalist Tony Viviano has done it all. Throughout the course of his 40-year career, Viviano has become comfortable in many musical genres, from jazz and rock to blues and funk. Jazz takes the forefront during an 8-11 p.m. show Friday at Robbie’s House of Jazz in Webster Groves. Viviano will perform with saxophonist Jerry Greene and his jazz quartet, which features guitarist Tom Byrne, bassist Chris Watrous and drummer Montez Coleman. Viviano…

Walking into the showroom at the Kemp Auto Museum in Chesterfield is like stepping back in time to an era when cars were called roadsters and friends lounged in the rumble seat to get a little air. The museum has dozens of gleaming automobiles nestled side by side on a polished black tile showroom floor that reflects the cars’ images as if they were parked next to water. It opened in 2006 primarily to showcase an impressive collection of Mercedes-Benz vehicles. “This is the only automobile museum in the United States that features Mercedes-Benz automobiles,” museum curator Rodger Van Ness …

From musicians and magicians to face-painting and fireworks, First Night 2012 at Grand Centerin St. Louis offers something for everyone this New Year’s Eve. “I’m really excited about it this year,” said Travis Howser, director of events and theater for First Night. “It’s a wide range. I think there’s a general perception that this thing is specifically for families. Now it is a really family-friendly festival, and we do have a lot of families, but with the range of performances that we have, it’s for everyone. Every age, race, whatever—that’s what I find most exciting about the festival, is …

With model trains chugging through 5,000 square feet of blooming plants, Christmas trees, Nutcracker soldiers, wooden rocking horses and other old-fashioned toys, the Missouri Botanical Garden’s “Gardenland Express” holiday display is a throwback to an era people cherish and miss. “We’re kind of becoming a traditional spot for a lot of people,” said Karen Hill, a public information officer with the garden. “The old department store windows downtown used to have trains and things like that in them. A lot of people have commented over the years that our display kind of reminds them of that and …

A Christmas Parade with visits from Santa and Mrs. Claus, elves, snowmen and more, downtown businesses with live holiday scenes in the windows and the play “A Laura Ingalls Wilder Christmas” make Hannibal the place to be this weekend. “We certainly would like to invite visitors to Hannibal and have them experience Hannibal in a whole new light this season,” said Gail Bryant, director of the Hannibal Convention and Visitors Bureau. The annual parade, sponsored by the Hannibal Jaycees, has the theme “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas.” With the historic downtown decorated for the …

Polar bears, penguins, prairie dogs and flamingos will all be dressed in their holiday finest and lighting up the night to greet visitors at the annual U.S. Banks Wild Lights holiday light show at the St. Louis Zoo. "It’s really beautiful," said Michael Macek, curator of birds at the zoo. "It’s grown every year that I’ve been here, and I’ve been here 20 years. Every single year they add more. It’s actually quite nice, because it’s so cold and dark, it’s nice to see the zoo lit up." Wild Lights is open 5:30-8:30 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday through Dec. 11. Starting Dec. 16, it will be …

Santa Claus is coming to town, and he and Mrs. Claus will be arriving in style by horse-drawn carriage at 11 a.m. Friday to kick-off the 37th annual Christmas Traditions at Kister Park in downtown St. Charles.The Clauses will be escorted by the Lewis and Clark Fife and Drum Corps and the Legends of Christmas, a cast of 34 Christmas characters from a Victorian-era Santa to Tiny Tim from A Christmas Carol. The characters, all with a back story, will roam the downtown area meeting and talking with visitors. World War II Santa, for instance, wears Army fatigues and a helmet and discusses …

Andrew Bourne, 12, patrolled the command center of the starship "Enterprise," his head seemingly on a swivel while gawking at the lights on the control panels and the massive image of Earth visible on the view screen at the front of the expansive bridge. While he wasn’t on an actual starship, Andrew and his father, David Bourne, had trekked from Atlanta on a cross-country trip that included a visit to Star Trek: The Exhibition at the St. Louis Science Center. The exhibition, which runs through May 28, is packed with costumes, character and makeup displays, a mix of genuine and replica props …

Percussionists Matthew Coley and Ronni Kot Wenzell will be drumming up interest in contemporary art at 2 p.m. Saturday with a performance at the Contemporary Art Museumin St. Louis. It will be an appealing blend of cutting edge music and art, with Coley and Wenzell accompanying the work of artist David Noonan. Coley, a lecturer in percussion at Iowa State University, said these art forms work well together. "The music we’re doing is relevant to a lot of current times and current affairs that are happening," he said. "One of our composers is from Poland, one from Denmark, one from China, and …

With night hikes through the eerily decorated grounds, spooky fireside stories and opportunities to see the zoo’s animals in a new light, Mercy Children’s Hospital Boo at the Zoo offers fun for everyone 5:30-8:30 p.m. Friday through Sunday at the Saint Louis Zoo. "It’s a great way to experience the zoo at nighttime and walk around," said Ginnie Westmoreland, the zoo’s director of marketing. Kids in costume are welcome, and will get a discount off the regular event admission of $4 for members and $5 for non-members. "Most of the activities are aimed at kids between three and eight, but older …

Jazz guitarist Tom Byrne will be the opening act and the headliner during the second annual benefit concert for jazz station WSIE 88.7 FM 2-6 p.m. Sunday at the Original Sharky’s On The River in St. Charles. Byrne, an adjunct professor at Webster University when he isn’t performing, said he is proud to be part of the benefit performance. "We’re glad to be doing this," he said, speaking for his fellow performers. "WSIE is the only full-time jazz station in St. Louis. So it’s really a great cause, and we’re really happy to be supporting it." Greg Conroy, director and general manager at WSIE, is…