character Descriptions

Chef John Bolaya- (Male) A creative, culinary genius, Chef John’s dishes are the talk of the town. Anyone who’s anyone knows that Chef Bolaya is the hottest and most celebrated food mastermind in all of New Orleans. And that’s a big deal in a town celebrated for food and drink! He’s been in business with his lifelong friend Jacques D’Argent for decades and the two have created New Orleans’ biggest and most successful restaurant group, “Roux & Roe.” He’s the talent of the operation, but he’s not a salesman. The Chef is more comfortable behind a hot stove than exchanging tall tales or hob-knobbing with New Orleans' elite. He’s the behind the curtain talent and Jacques is the showman running the front of house. Costume & Prop Suggestions: Chef hat, mustache, chef coat and white pants, lobster/crawfish, plastic kitchen knife/kitchen utensil.

The Debutante- Babette Chartreuse (Female) Sassy, entitled and precocious, Babette is the jet-setting, upper-crust socialite that is the center of any fete west of Canal St. She’s beautiful, opinionated, albeit vapid, but the good news: she’s wealthy. Well, her family is, namely her uber-successful father Marlon. When most young people are getting serious about career, family and future, she’s dating French race car drivers, betting on thoroughbreds and testing the buoyancy of European Zeppelins. Babette is a world-class diva and she won’t let you forget it. And if her Swarovski and Tiffany accoutrements don’t tip you off, her litany of name-dropping suitors sure will. She’s been seen on the arm of steel tycoons, Hollywood actors, shipping magnates and even Sudanese royalty. Costume & Prop Suggestions: White, ivory or pastel colored dress, pearl , , or floral head-wreath and clutch. Think glamorous and sophisticated with Southern roots.

The Maître D- Arty Fischell (Male) Charming, worldly, this Maitre’ D is never without a joke and has never met a stranger. Meet the ubiquitous Arty Fischell. Although he came from humble beginnings as an orphan, Arty has worked his way up through the Roux & Roe company. He’s washed dishes, tended bar, and ran the front of house. Today, he’s Jacques and Chef John’s right hand man. As it’s his livelihood, Arty lives to serve. He knows the intimate patterns and preferences of all his guests, and he makes it his personal mission that each of his clients is accommodated in class and comfort. What only some people know is that Arty has recently gone through a devastating divorce that has left him nearly broke. Costume & Prop Suggestions: Black tie affair! Black suit or Tuxedo with black bowtie or black tie and handkerchief. Spats, vest, lapel, napkin for serving wine. Waistcoat . Arty is the face of the restaurant's front of house and he always dresses the part.

The Jazz Singer- Harmony Nightingale (Female) Harmony could sing before she could walk. With the voice of an angel and the looks of a lioness, Harmony is bold and straight to the point. Harmony is a long time pal of Jacques’. They met one evening in a lounge on Bourbon Street where Harmony was performing, and after three bars of “My Funny Valentine,” Jacques had to have her for his lounges. Raised in the hospitality industry of New Orleans, Harmony also knows the other side of Bourbon Street, the side the people who live in the Garden District don’t get to see. She knows the low-country, the Bayou, and the mysteries of the swamp and its people. It’s a well known fact that her grandmother was a famous voodoo priestess. It’s rumored that Harmony’s voice isn’t the only thing magical about her. Costume & Prop Suggestions: Evening dress, black fishnet stockings, skull necklace or over the top costume jewelry, fascinator hat, transparent face veil, microphone. Brooding, mysterious, beautiful with a slightly dark edge. The Fisherman- “Gumbo” Jones (Male) “Gumbo” Jones was, as they say, “Born on the Bayou.” Alligators, Jambalaya, and swapping swamp stories are his norm. He’s been fishing and shrimping the Louisiana Bayou for generations. But don’t let his Creole twang fool you, he knows his way around the city just as easily as a tributary. Like a slinking cat, he knows the ins and outs of the alleys, back doors, docks and dive bars all over New Orleans. Gumbo is the sought after supplier of the very best and highest quality seafood South of the Mason Dixon line. But that’s not all he can source... Gumbo is a “fixer and finder.” Doesn’t matter if it’s legal or not; if you need something done or found, Gumbo is your guy to do it. Costume & Prop Suggestions: Overalls or jeans, sleeveless white shirt or tank-top, temporary tattoos, straw-hat, fishing pole.

The Society Columnist- Paige Turner (Female) When she split with her husband in New York, Paige decided to leave her prestigious job at the New York Times and let her Yankee hair down in the Big Easy. She’s a brash New Yorker with a thick accent and a no-nonsense attitude. As a newly appointed Society Columnist at the Tribune, Paige has her finger on the pulse of New Orleans. Her popular column, “The Tattle Tales,” divulges all of the latest gossip. Paige is known for scintillating headlines and a relentless dedication to writing stories that sell newspapers, no matter the cost. Paige has been known to blackmail, manipulate and lie to get what she wants... Costume & Prop Suggestions: Evening dress, romper or women’s business suit, red lipstick, glasses, hair in tight bun, pencil & notepad, camera.

The French Fashion Designer- Bijou D'Coeur (Unisex) Off-spring of world-famous surrealist painter, “Papier Le Peu.” His/Her dad is rich, but his/her other family members are even richer, specifically Bijou’s grandfather, “Herman Herman,” better known as HH and one of the wealthiest men in all of Europe. It’s a mystery who will inherit the fortune, but naturally Papier and Bijou are rumored to be in line. Bijou has found footing as the latest trend in the fashion world. Bijou is an avant-garde, larger-than-life, eccentric artist who’s also known to refer to himself/herself in the third-person. From eccentric , to even more eccentric friends and counter parts, nothing is too wild, weird or imaginative. Bijou loves nothing more than extemporizing on the phases of surrealism while mixing whiskey and bitters. Bijou doesn’t pay attention to convention. Why be dull and drab like everyone else, darling? Costume & Prop Suggestions: The bigger the better! Gowns, dresses or suits/shirts with bold patterns and bright colors, patterned rompers. Large, eye-catching costume jewelry, glasses, bracelets, , earrings.

The Professor- Dr. Avery Weissman (Unisex) Avery is a sophisticated, adventurous and insufferably fascinating British anthropologist. Constantly on the move, Avery calls London home, but in truth Avery is a citizen of the world. Avery has just returned from expeditions in Japan and Siberia. Dr. Weissman has fended off wild lions while on Safari in Kenya, spelunked in the great caverns of Bangladesh and narrowly escaped a Fijian volcano eruption by bush plane. Avery has even settled disputes between cannibal tribes in Papua New Guinea without anyone having a shrunken head! If Avery is yawning while you’re talking, take no offense, he/she just thinks that they're way more fascinating than you. Costume & Prop Suggestions: Khaki or military green pants/shirt, khaki romper, pith helmet, black boots/heels, bomber jacket. Props: Animal print scarf, shrunken head, binoculars, canteen, compass.