Brian Sands

The Year in Review 2022 was bookended by two phenomenal productions. The first was the regional premiere of Twelfth Night, The Musical, a new (2018), buoyant adaptation of Shakespeare’s comedy by up’n’coming composer Shaina Taub. The second was an original, witty deconstruction with meta touches of Shrek The Musical that was far more enjoyable than that often plodding … [Read more...] about Trodding the Boards December 27, 2022

Macbeth at The Fortress of Lushington All hail Dane Rhodes! Rhodes, a two-time Ambie Award-winner (in the same year no less!), has not been seen on local theater stages of late, in part because of the pandemic, in part because TV and films have been keeping him busy. Now looking trim, muscled and DILFy, he made a welcome return to our boards in Macbeth at the Fortress of … [Read more...] about Trodding the Boards December 20, 2022

SIX at the Saenger Theatre through December 4 I had seen Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss’ SIX in London in 2019 and, between the British accents and over-amplification, had a hard time understanding most of the lyrics. I came out of the theater feeling like a guest at party where everyone else was having a great time except me. So, I’m happy to report that, having seen SIX’s … [Read more...] about Trodding the Boards November 29, 2022

Curtain Up With the holidaze upon us, local theater shall be taking a backseat to family gatherings, bonfires on the levee (and other places), and seasonal festivities. Still, there are some shows coming up in December...and not all of them deal with Nutcrackers or Grinches! If you’re a fan of the Tudors--or any of today’s pop princesses--head over to the Saenger Theatre … [Read more...] about Trodding the Boards November 15, 2022

The Family Line at the BK [Beauregard-Keyes] Historic House through November 20 Since 2018, Goat in the Road Productions (GRP) has presented a remarkable series of immersive plays in notable French Quarter edifices that entertain and enlighten about seminal moments in New Orleans history. If you enjoyed The Stranger Disease (2018) and The Uninvited (2020), as I did, you … [Read more...] about Trodding the Boards November 1, 2022

The Seagull or How to Eat It at NOMA's Sculpture Garden through Oct. 30 It’s telling that the front page of the program for The Seagull or How to Eat It lists it as being “by Gab Reisman and Anton Chekhov”. Others might have billed something similar (and there’ve been many such adaptations) as “an adaptation by [playwright’s name] based on Anton Chekhov”. In this case, … [Read more...] about Trodding the Boards October 18, 2022

Curtain Up As we approach Halloween, here are the shows that will be running in October. Hope they’ll all be treats! One event that is sure to be a treat is New Orleans Ballet Association’s presentation of Ukraine’s Kyiv City Ballet as part of its first U.S. tour. On February 23, the company unknowingly boarded what would be one of the last flights out of Ukraine for … [Read more...] about Trodding the Boards October 4, 2022

Gay Appreciation Critics’ Choice Award Blame it on Covid brain or just because we got out of the routine after no Gay Appreciation Awards (GAAs) since 2019, but I and my colleague Tony Leggio neglected to bestow a Critics’ Choice Award on any production from the past year or so at the recent GAAs. To make up for that, we’d like to announce the following nominees, all of … [Read more...] about Trodding the Boards August 23, 2022

Dusa, Fish, Stas & Vi at Bryant Park Nola through August 18 It’s always a good sign when a new company joins New Orleans’ theater scene, but especially so after the past couple of years of pandemic challenges. So, a hearty welcome to Artistic Director Andrea Watson’s Fat Squirrel whose initial season features a mix of new and classic plays. For its second outing, it’s … [Read more...] about Trodding the Boards August 15, 2022