Year in Review I don’t think anyone will be sorry to see the curtain coming down on 2020. In this year-like-no-other, theaters and other performing arts venues throughout our area were forced to shut down in mid-March. For about two months after that, it seemed as though the light that usually shines so brightly on the arts here had gone off as local artistic directors … [Read more...] about Trodding the Boards December 29, 2020
Arts & Culture
Trodding the Boards December 15, 2020
The Nutcracker at Jefferson Performing Arts Center thru Dec. 20 JPAS Artistic Director Dennis Assaf was justifiably proud, excited, and a bit relieved when he stated during his pre-show speech that The Nutcracker would be the “first live theater production we’ve done here since January.” Though the opening matinee performance had sold out, due to Covid-19 necessities, the … [Read more...] about Trodding the Boards December 15, 2020
Book Review: Outrages: Sex, Censorship, and the Criminalization of Love
Outrages: Sex, Censorship, and the Criminalization of Love. Naomi Wolf. Chelsea Green Publishing, 2020. ISBN: 978-1-64502-016-5. 384 pages. $19.95 Every book Naomi Wolf writes manages to piss off critics and her latest book, Outrages, is no exception. The book chronicles the struggles and eventual triumph of John Addington Symonds, an obscure … [Read more...] about Book Review: Outrages: Sex, Censorship, and the Criminalization of Love
Trodding the Boards December 1, 2020
Lillias White/The Seth Concert Series through December 27 Lillias White had been scheduled to appear on The Seth Concert Series on October 4, but had to postpone till November 15. It was worth the wait to have her appear on this live broadcast. Wearing a raspberry-colored sequined top and her signature close-cropped hair, White told of originally wanting to be a nurse … [Read more...] about Trodding the Boards December 1, 2020
Trodding the Boards November 17, 2020
Church of Twerk at The Music Box Village How should I describe Ha Sizzle and Team Sizzle’s Church of Twerk? A neo-soul/bounce concert featuring twerking dancers? Immersive performance art? A glorious revival meeting? All of the above? I'm not sure, but it had me grinning from ear to ear for nearly all of its 60 minutes. Taking place at the only-in-New Orleans Music Box … [Read more...] about Trodding the Boards November 17, 2020
Trodding the Boards November 3, 2020
Theatre For One: For This Moment at Loyola University Hallelujah! Live theater has returned to Orleans Parish! Granted, it was only for two weekends. And audiences were limited. And the run is over now. But it happened and successfully so. What “it” was, was Theatre For One: For This Moment put on by Loyola University’s Department of Theatre Arts & … [Read more...] about Trodding the Boards November 3, 2020
Book Review: If These Ovaries Could Talk: The Things We’ve Learned About Making an LGBTQ Family
If These Ovaries Could Talk: The Things We’ve Learned About Making an LGBTQ Family. Jamie Kelton and Robin Hopkins. Lit Riot Press, 2020. 345 pages. Several years ago, a lesbian couple decided to start a family. Anne and Jaimie would each get pregnant and have a child. Anne was the first, but when it came time for Jaimie to conceive, she … [Read more...] about Book Review: If These Ovaries Could Talk: The Things We’ve Learned About Making an LGBTQ Family
Tony’s Top Fabulous Five November 3, 2020
You do not have to feel guilty anymore. I have decided to change the name of my “Guilty Pleasures” column to “Tony’s Top Fabulous Five”. Each article will give you my top five interesting ways that help me enjoy myself and forget the crazy world we are living in at the moment. #5. Pickleball Before a few weeks ago, I had never heard of pickleball. … [Read more...] about Tony’s Top Fabulous Five November 3, 2020
Trodding the Boards October 20, 2020
The Pillowman at Swamplight Theater through November 1 As I headed to Ponchatoula to see a production of The Pillowman, I didn't know what to expect as it would be the first time I'd be attending the theater there. When I got to the Swamplight Theater and discovered that this challenging play was not actually part of its schedule but a presentation by a new, young … [Read more...] about Trodding the Boards October 20, 2020
Tony’s Top Fabulous Five October 20, 2020
If there is one thing I have embraced since this quarantine started, it’s that life is too short and nothing is guaranteed. You need to embrace the little enjoyments. Before I kept my guilty pleasures to myself; now I am no longer sorry or embarrassed about the things I like, no matter how silly or crazy they may be. You have nothing to feel guilty of! Here … [Read more...] about Tony’s Top Fabulous Five October 20, 2020