Brian Sands

Tiny Beautiful Things at Loyola's Marquette Theater through May 25 Dear Sugar – As you may know, Crescent City Stage is presenting Nia (My Big Fat Greek Wedding) Vardalos’ adaptation of “your” book Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar (written, of course, under your real name of Cheryl Strayed) at Loyola University's Marquette Theater through May … [Read more...] about Trodding the Boards May 16, 2025

Doubt at Le Petit Theatre through May 18 After seeing its original off-Broadway production in January 2005, I wrote, “John Patrick Shanley provided gripping theater with his best play to date. In Doubt, a nun tries to determine whether a priest at her school has molested a young boy. If this Manhattan Theater Club production moves to Broadway, as is rumored, don’t miss … [Read more...] about Trodding the Boards May 9, 2025

Orpheus Descending at Loyola’s Marquette Theatre Watching The Tennessee Williams Theatre Company of New Orleans’ recent production of Orpheus Descending at the Marquette Theatre on Loyola University’s campus, I couldn’t help wondering why it has never been turned into an opera. Its poetic monologues could serve as arias, both lyrical and dramatic. Duets among the leads … [Read more...] about Trodding the Boards April 24, 2025

Joe & Marilyn at Westwego Performing Arts Theatre Most people have some familiarity with Marilyn Monroe, the mid-twentieth century movie star and sex symbol whose fame continues to burn brightly as movies, books, songs, etc. about her still tumble forth regularly. Even non-hard core fans may be aware of her early hardscrabble life, celebrity marriages, brief fame in … [Read more...] about Trodding the Boards March 28, 2025

Curtain Up Now that Mardi Gras is just a happy memory, it’s time for theater to move back indoors again. Through the beginning of Jazzfest, lots of shows will be debuting on local stages from Metairie to the Northshore to the West Bank. Hope you’ll be able to check out some--or all--of the following. Coming to bat at the Westwego Performing Arts Theatre is the Jefferson … [Read more...] about Trodding the Boards March 7, 2025

Brechtfest VI at the AllWays Lounge Sure New Orleans has potholes and too many corrupt politicians and a crumbling education system. But it also has phenomenal restaurants, vibrant art galleries & museums, and Mardi Gras. Add to that latter list, Brechtfest whose sixth iteration recently appeared in the Twilight Room of the AllWays Lounge. Regrettably, productions of … [Read more...] about Trodding the Boards February 24, 2025

Timbuktu, USA at The New Marigny Theatre My last column included a brief write-up of Intramural Theater’s recent production of Timbuktu, USA, but it merits a few more words as such inspired madness doesn’t grace our stages too often. Ken Prestininzi’s absurdist comedy tells the wild story of Kelly Kilkenny, an oversexed Secretary of State, who having once been passed over … [Read more...] about Trodding the Boards February 14, 2025

Good Night, Oscar at Le Petit through January 26 Le Petit is currently presenting Doug Wright’s play Good Night, Oscar. Oscar who? Oscar Levant. Oscar Levant who? I suspect those under 30 or 40, or even 50, 60 or 70 might have difficulty answering that question. Even the show’s director, A.J. Allegra, writes in a program note, “If you had asked me two years ago who Oscar … [Read more...] about Trodding the Boards January 13, 2025