Ambush Magazine

The Official Gay Magazine of the Gulf South™

Brian Sands

Brian Sands began writing for Ambush Magazine in 1996. He became Co-Theater/Performing Arts Editor in 2002, going solo in 2011 upon the retirement of his late colleague Patrick Shannon with whom he founded the Ambie Awards in 2003 and presented them through 2011. He is a member of the Big Easy Theater Committee. He currently co-hosts, with Brad Rhines, Stage Talk with Brian and Brad; episodes can be seen at https://www.facebook.com/StageBeatNewOrleans

Trodding the Boards July 26, 2022

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Henry IV, Part 1 at Tulane’s Lupin Theater through July 30 For the first time in its 29 year history, the New Orleans Shakespeare Festival is presenting Henry IV, Part 1, a tale of political infighting, warring battles on the fields of England, and interpersonal relationships that mutate throughout the course of the production’s two hours. This second installment of … [Read more...] about Trodding the Boards July 26, 2022

Trodding the Boards July 12, 2022

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Curtain Up As typically happens when the temperatures go up, theater activity goes down. Still, a goodly number of shows, from comedies to dramas to musicals to a drag extravaganza, will be playing in the greater New Orleans area in July and August. If you prefer your entertainment “live and in person” rather than on TVs, movie screens, cell phones, or computers, plan on … [Read more...] about Trodding the Boards July 12, 2022

Trodding the Boards June 28, 2022

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School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play at Loyola’s Marquette Theater thru July 1 (Full disclosure: I am the sponsor of The Carol Sutton Memorial Grant and I, along with Grant advisers Gwendolyne Foxworth and Wanda Rouzan, awarded The NOLA Project a 2022 grant to help offset some of the costs associated with the postponement, due to the Omicron Covid surge, of School … [Read more...] about Trodding the Boards June 28, 2022

Trodding the Boards June 14, 2022

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As You Like It at Tulane’s Lupin Theater through June 25 If you’ve never seen As You Like It before, the New Orleans Shakespeare Festival’s current production (running thru June 25 at Tulane's Lupin Theater) will serve as a good introduction to this pastoral comedy by the Bard. Directors Jon Greene & Torey Hayward have served up a straightforward rendering of it that … [Read more...] about Trodding the Boards June 14, 2022

Trodding the Boards May 31, 2022

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Porcupine at Bywater Wonderland through June 5 Michael Merino is a brave playwright. Inspired by an article in Cabinet Magazine, Merino wrote Porcupine in 2009 to commemorate the centenary of psychoanalysis’ arrival in America, via Sigmund Freud’s lectures at Clark University in Massachusetts. Author George Prochnick’s article explained why Freud had a bronze porcupine on … [Read more...] about Trodding the Boards May 31, 2022

Trodding the Boards May 17, 2022

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Curtain Up Given that, as I write this, the last four weeks have included Easter, French Quarter Fest and Jazzfest, local stages have been relatively quiet. With things now back to normal (or what passes for normal here), the boards have lit up with a variety of shows all over town including the West Bank and North Shore. Here’s an overview of the productions that will be … [Read more...] about Trodding the Boards May 17, 2022

Trodding the Boards May 3, 2022

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Varla Jean Merman's Little Prick at Café Istanbul Varla Jean Merman returned to Café Istanbul recently and I'm calling the police! Why? Because her new show assaulted me! After her Little Prick performance, my face hurt, literally, from grinning for 90 minutes. Oh Officer! Accurately dubbing herself a “Superspreader of good cheer”, Varla (I’d refer to her as “Ms. Merman” … [Read more...] about Trodding the Boards May 3, 2022

Trodding the Boards April 5, 2022

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For Whom the Southern Belle Tolls at Loyola's Lower Depths Theater through April 9 In March 2020, The Tennessee Williams Theatre Company of New Orleans (TWTC) had been just about to open its production of Williams’ In the Bar of a Tokyo Hotel when the world changed and things shut down. They then hoped to return to the stage that fall with For Whom the Southern Belle … [Read more...] about Trodding the Boards April 5, 2022