Trodding the Boards Buoyant Life
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running with Seussical, a musical in which Victory Swing Band. This new show Dr. Seuss’ marvelous creatures come to marches along until October 20. trodding the boards buoyant life. It continues through Septem- Don’t know much about Evil Dead: ber 8. The Musical except it’s a rock musical Another St. Tammany theater is up based on the cult film series and it’ll be the next as Cutting Edge Theater (747 Robert premiere presentation of Christopher Blvd., Slidell, 985.649.3727) presents Rent, Bentivegna’s new production company, See by Brian Sands the Tony Award-winning pop-rock opera, ‘Em On Stage. But it opens at The Shadow- Email: [email protected] based on Puccini’s La Boheme, that tells box on October 17 and terrorizes until the the story of seven friends in the drug- and 31st. Sounds like perfect Halloween fare to likely to have a large window in it (we know Venom at The Elm AIDS-ravaged New York City of the 1990’s. me. it does from the shadows cast by Mandi It opens August 30 and runs through Sep- Debuting at Los Isleños Heritage and Wood’s lighting); and the bathroom window Theatre through tember 14. Culture Society (1357 Bayou Rd., St. Ber- would probably not let out to where the front Heading down to Orleans Parish, on nard, 504.826.7783) on October 24, Cry September 21 door seems to be. Ferdinand’s efforts were September 4, The NOLA Project debuts A You One is a new site-responsive perfor- The Elm Theatre is to be admired for an avoidable distraction from the drama Truckload of Ink, an original story by local mance and multimedia project from ArtSpot commissioning a new play from a young itself. playwright Jim Fitzmorris, that takes place and Mondo Bizarro about the disappear- playwright and then giving it its world pre- Second on the “B-list” is the intermis- “in the busiest newsroom on the eve of the ance of coastal Louisiana, the people who miere. It is a major step for this adventurous sion. Venom is a short play, less than 90 most massive change to hit New Orleans live there, and what is being done to save theater company. Even more commend- minutes long. I understand local theaters’ newspapers as people fight to save a cul- their homes. ably, the commission came with the charge concern of giving patrons bathroom breaks tural institution from an out-of-state corpo- This roving performance will occur on that the play feature both black & white and generating income from intermission rate dismantlement.” Sound familiar? a stretch of land in Lower St. Bernard Parish characters and to include some kind of refreshment sales. But whether Venom’s A Truckload of Ink plays through Septem- that is rapidly disappearing and will take racial tension. intermission was in the original script or ber 21 at The University of New Orleans’ audience members on an outdoor journey That said, after seeing Clint Sheffer’s inserted at the request of the producers, it Robert E. Nims Theatre (2000 Lakeshore near the Central Wetlands. Cry You One Venom, one wonders if The Elm should’ve ought to go as it breaks the play’s tension Dr., 504.280.SHOW). Talk about ripped will play only on Saturdays & Sundays given the script a little more development just as it was beginning to build. I mean, why from the headlines. through November 24, and there’ll be a time or workshopped it first. Because, as it ask people to get off that roller coaster Not sure what to expect when scien- post-show dinner/discussions on Sundays. is now, the script simply isn’t ready for prime when it finally gets to the very top? tist-turned-comedian Tim Lee comes to Building upon their Ambie Award-winning time. As Meadow, Becca Chapman packs a New Orleans for the first time at The Shad- Loup Garou, this sounds like it will be a Venom tells the strange tale of Meadow lot of power into her small frame. The owbox (2400 St. Claude Ave., unique experience. and Waylon, newlyweds who are heading contrast between her petite stature and the 504.298.8676), September 5-8, with a blend And last but not least, the fabulous down to New Orleans from Missouri when tough talk that comes out of her mouth may of stand up comedy and science. Lee is a Broadway @ NOCCA (2800 Chartres St., their car runs out of gas in a north Louisiana be amusing, but it’s not gratuitous; Meadow comedian with a Ph.D. in Ecology and 800.838.3006) concert series hosted by town. Meadow is the daughter of a high obviously picked up some of her Dad’s Evolution from UC Davis. He’s going to Seth Rudetsky continues with Jane muckamuck in some crazy religious cult bravado. have to be pretty funny to be more comic Krakowski (October 7), the return of Patti who wants her brought back home. To that Matthew Thompson has less to work than the folks in Baton Rouge who keep LuPone (November 16), Charles Busch end he’s engaged some local law enforce- with as Waylon, who may well be a talented pushing Creationism. with special guest Varla Jean Merman (De- ment types of loose morals to do his dirty artist but that aspect of his character feels Le Petit Theatre (616 St. Peter St., cember 2), and Christine Ebersole (Janu- work. more tacked on than an organic part of his 504.522.2081) kicks off its regular season ary 6, 2014). Sheffer’s style is Tarantino by way of being. Thompson conveys well Waylon’s on September 6 with Lombardi about the What an incredibly wide range of Shepard; nothing wrong with that. But initial bewilderment at being caught up in legendary Green Bay Packers’ Coach Vince choices. Start planning now! there’s little as to what drives these charac- something he hadn’t bargained for but Lombardi. Casey Groves plays the football ters or who they really are so all we get is there’s something false about his final icon and will be joined by his real-life wife, hyped-up melodrama in a seedy motel room. drunken stupor, for which the script and reVIEW ...from 55 Rachel Whitman Groves, who’ll play the It’s unfortunate because there’s lots of direction can take some of the blame as part of the coach’s wife. Lombardi will be Cronkite... Dealey Plaza... Dallas, Texas... potential for a frothy Southern stew here. well. on the field through September 21. President John Fitzgerald Kennedy and Meadow’s cult considers African-Americans Thompson does impart a genuine Also opening on September 6 will be Jacqueline, Texas Governor John Connally “literally apes” yet Waylon’s a young black sweetness to this befuddled young man, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom with which the and Nellie... the Warren Commission... Lee man. Did she marry him to spite her Dad? but there are few sparks between him and Anthony Bean Community Theater (1333 Harvey Oswald... Jack Ruby... Vice-Presi- Or does she really love him? It’s never quite Chapman. They seem more like best friends S. Carrollton Ave., 504.862.7529) com- dent Lyndon Johnson and Lady Bird... Love clear because their relationship at no time running away to the big city than passion- pletes its presentation of August Wilson’s Field... the Dallas Trade Mart... Stemmons fully comes into focus. Of course, maybe it ate honeymooners. Century Cycle. Set in a Chicago recording Freeway... Texas School Book Depository... could be a little of both, or even be left Moses brings an authentic swagger studio in 1927, the drama brought Wilson the pink and blue Chanel suit... Air Force ambiguous, but Sheffer never explores this and a mellifluous voice to Rocky, the kind of widespread recognition for its dramatiza- One... the Zapruder film... ”the single bullet dimension. role you’d expect Samuel L. Jackson to play tion of a recording session with blues leg- theory”... Secret Service Agent Clint Hill... Similarly, by featuring a corrupt Afri- in the movie version. If we never discover end Ma Rainey, her band members, and the Parkland Memorial Hospital... the grassy can-American detective, Sheffer removes what drives this badass besides money white producer & agent who make them- knoll... Dallas Police Officer JD Tippit... the the likelihood of overt racism as a motivat- and power, it’s not Moses’ fault. selves wealthy through Rainey’s record- Texas Theatre... Arlington National ing force for Rocky’s abuse of Waylon. But As Rocky’s white ex-con assistant Gum- ings. Ma Rainey plays through September Cemetery...conspiracy theories... the Eter- he fails to examine black-on-black violence drop, Matt Story reveals a different side of 29. nal Flame... Camelot... and how it differs, if at all, from that of black- his talent from the usual disaffected urban Moisés Kaufman’s 33 Variations, the These are people, places and things on-white. men he plays. Story expertly finds the hu- story of a modern-day music scholar driven you will read and hear about as we ap- In other ways, the script doesn’t clarify mor in this double-digit IQ cracker without to solve one of classical music’s enduring proach November, 22. 50 years is a long all that’s going on and plot points can be a overdoing it, leaving the audience to won- riddles—the mystery behind Beethoven’s time and this is big. Books are out, movies challenge to follow.