by George Patterson
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA
A Cocktail Party
at le chat noir
a Winner
Named after one of the first cabarets to crop up on the Left Bank in Paris about a century ago, Barbara Motley's new emporium, le chat noir (the black cat) is a welcome addition to evolving St. Charles Ave. near the corner of Girod St. in the middle of the Warehouse District.
Originally a storefront, Ms. Motley gutted the building and in the front part installed a large, all white bar room with a piano upon which Harry Mayronne plays every weekend before the cabaret show. Through a set of double doors one makes his way into the cabaret room in the rear-a large rectangular room that seats 130 comfortably at tables and banquettes. The stage is large, with a side stage to accommodate a combo; lighting and sound equipment is state-of-the-art; dressing rooms are upstairs. The only architectural decoration in the cabaret room is a liver-shaped canopy over the stage that adds a certain 50's touch. Only beverages are served. No food is offered. The wait staff is swift, courteous and efficient.
Ms. Motley, a successful corporate and marketing management executive as well as one of the major producers of Carl Walker's All Kinds of Theatre production company which has given New Orleans audiences first class productions of Forever Plaid, Three Tall Women, Ruthless! The Musical and Class of 70Something, has created a venue that is comfortable, commodious and intimate-perfect for the kind of cabaret theatre envisioned by this creative duo. Their very first offering, A Cocktail Party in the Ladies Lounge, will be a tough act to follow.
This is Mr. Walker's second foray into all girl musical revues, his first and one of his most successful ventures was Where the Girls Were from the 80s which focused on the music of the 60s. (Although there were both men and women in Class of 70Something, it examined the music and mores of the 70s.) A Cocktail Party in the Ladies Lounge goes back to the 50s and 40s for its inspiration - pre rock and roll - with a cast of five talented women.
The song selections, all 42 of them, reflect two constants in this revue: the soft jazz of so much music of the period and song subjects that revolve around the consumption of alcohol (which gives this show its only self-conscious aspect: "sell the booze!").
What is actually being sold is a touch of camp and much hilarious skewering of the pseudosophisticate affectations of the period-from smoking ("Smoke Rings", "Smoke Dreams", Love Is Like A Cigarette") to actual cocktail parties to flying to bad girls who read dirty books ("I'd Rather Be Burned As A Witch", "Bad Woman", "Prehistoric Man"). The major part of the revue revolves around a set comprised of 15 travel songs ("Chicago", "Hawaiian War Chant", C'est si bon", "Fly Me To The Moon", etc.) with two hapless men called from the audience who sit in wheeled airplane seats and become foils for the five women dressed as stewardesses.
Led by M.I. Scoggin as a kind of tart-tongued, whiskey tenor Elaine Stritch type who keeps the audience in her very hip pocket and is the one who takes the final bow, she is ably supported by blonde and buxom Sydney Beaumont, three-octave ranged Charlotte Lang (who does an Yma Sumac turn in the cocktail party medley that includes "Sway", "Bossa Nova Twist", "Piano Tango" and "Mambo Italiano"), Nancy Eaves and the youngest of the bunch, Lisa Anzelmo. As a singing, acting, vogueing ensemble, these gals will definitely charm more than just a drink from you-they'll win your heart.
All execute Mr. Walker's sight-gag filled direction and Fernand Jackson's campy choreography with a self-assurance that is absolutely refreshing, led as they are by the honeyed tones of Larry Sieberth's trio. Indeed, Mr. Sieberth's arrangements and accompaniment are first rate and, coupled with that excellent sound system (all the women are wired for sound), the music invests the show with a laid back aura that is soothing and relaxing even as it keeps one in stitches with its shameless wit.
Patty Spinale's retro costumes remind one of everything from Modess Because... to Maidenform armor with the Dior look front and center. Geoffrey Halls' scenic design also contributes immeasurably to the humor of the period being skewered-from pink and black Danish modern to Naugahyde and chrome stools.
One must also recognize the "patter" written by Michael Baham that leavens the music and adds so much to the evening's success, along with stage manager/announcer Su Gonczy, who sets the congenial tone and proceeds to run the show, silently and efficiently, from the control booth located immediately opposite the stage.
Besides this wonderful revue, which plays Fri. at 7:30pm and Sat. at 6pm and 8:30pm, there is Thursday Night Cabaret which commences July 8 at 7:30pm with Harry Mayronne, Jr., Ann Casey and Christopher Wecklein and New York on the Avenue which showcases New York pianist, singer and songwriter Rich Look Fri., 10pm and Sat. 11pm. The Piano Bar opens at 5:30pm Thurs. & Fri. and 4:30pm, Sun. Beginning July 11, beverage manager Kol Hegarty hosts afternoon wine tasting at 2pm every Sunday.
Oh, by the way, when you go to le chat noire, for either music or cabaret with your cocktails, remember that only one door down there is a parking lot - and it's free.
Barrymore Returns
Last winter a new 
producing company calling itself Red Noses whipped up quite a stir at the now-defunct Trew Brew Theatre with two excellent productions, both directed by Tulane's Buzz Podewell - Barrymore and U$A, which went on to win a Big Easy award.
Barrymore, starring one of New Orleans' most acclaimed actors, Mark McLaughlin, written by the monodrama ace William Luce, is set on an empty New York Theatre stage which the aging John Barrymore has rented in order to rehearse for a comeback. With only an off-stage stage manager for a line-thrower and listener (played by the equally esteemable Gavin Mahlie), the actor relives his illustrious, whiskey-soaked life.
Although Barrymore was known for his stentorian tones (and was played on Broadway by numero uno stentor Christopher Plummer), in this production Mr. MacLaughlin was able to present the material more internally - predicated no doubt on the intimacy of True Brew's tiny venue - giving the play a richness and complexity that was riveting.
The move to Tulane's Lab Theatre, adjacent to the Lupin Theatre on Tulane's uptown campus, indicates that the production, being produced by Matt Borel, will retain this original heat.
Barrymore reopens Fri., July 16 and plays July 17, 23 & 24, at 8pm. If you missed it at the True Brew, by all means treat yourself to this delicious slice of life in the theatre
Whorehouse Auditions
Carlone's Dinner Theatre, 100 N. Labarre Rd. and Causeway, will hold auditions for the musical comedy The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas July 19 and 20, beginning at 7:30pm. Directors Dane Rhodes and Sandy Bravender need actors from ages 18 to 60 who can sing and dance. The role of Mona has been cast. Actors will be paid according to their experience. Show dates are Sept. 17 through Nov. 6.
JPAS Holds Auditions for New Season
The Jefferson Parish Performing Arts Society will hold singing and dancing auditions for its upcoming season of opera and operetta, which will consist of Madama Butterfly, Oct. 28, 30, to be sung in Italian (opening for Sharpless, a Baritone, and Chorus); Hansel & Gretel, Dec. 5, 11 & 12 (openings for the Father, a Lyric Baritone; Dewman, a Soprano; Sandman, another Soprano, and Hansel, a Mezzo-Soprano); Pirates of Penzance, Feb. 19, 20, 26 & 27 (openings for all major and secondary roles as well as Chorus); and, Oklahoma! Mar. 25, 26 & Apr. 2 & 2 (openings for all roles and Chorus). All positions are paid.
The auditions will be held by appointment only. Call 504.885.2000 for your time slot. Bring a photo and resume. Bring two prepared selections with one selection preferably from the show for which you are audtioning. If you do not have your music memorized, bring an extra copy for the accompanist, who will be provided.
