Curtain Up
What with French Quarter Fest and Jazzfest, there isn’t as much theatrical activity, especially on the Southshore, going on this April. Still, there are quite a few shows worth checking out on both sides of Lake Pontchartrain this month and next.
Le Petit Theatre continues its 109th season with Yasmina Reza’s 2009 Tony Award-winning play God of Carnage translated from the French by Christopher Hampton. In this comedy of bad manners, a playground altercation between two eleven-year-old boys brings together both sets of parents for a meeting to resolve the conflict. At first, diplomatic niceties are observed, but as the discussion progresses, the liquor flows, tensions emerge, and the gloves come off as Reza asks “How ‘civilized’ are we, really?”
A.J. Allegra, fresh off his Guys & Dolls success, will helm this dramedy which runs from April 30 through May 17, and stars Tony Award nominee Conrad Ricamora (Oh, Mary!), Julie Lake (Orange Is the New Black), Marie Lovejoy, and Joshua Mark Sienkiewicz. Neighbors behaving badly? What could be more fun!(https://www.lepetittheatre.com/events/god-of-carnage)
While I know God of Carnage offers a wonderfully thought-provoking evening, I know nothing about Primary Trust — and I love it that way! Crescent City Stage gives the regional premiere to Eboni Booth’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play, which I missed in New York, that explores what happens when, without warning, Kenneth loses the only job he’s ever known and is forced out into a world he’s spent his whole life quietly avoiding.
Michael A. Newcomer directs Jarrod Smith as Kenneth, along with Doug Spearman, Nicole Collins, Mark Crosby and Steve Gilliland at the Contemporary Arts Center, May 7-24. I look forward to encountering this play and hope you, too, will support new drama in New Orleans. (https://www.crescentcitystage.com/primary-trust)
Those folks in God of Carnage may behave badly but they got nothing on Medea who, well, no spoilers here (though the tale has been around nearly 2,500 years). The NOLA Project will close out its 21st Season by paying tribute to the Ancient Greeks with Medea, Euripides’ depiction of one woman’s quest for vengeance which may be more timely now than ever.
Director Gab Reisman will use a translation by Alistair Elliot which bought a Tony Award to Diana Rigg when she starred in this tragedy on Broadway. Natalie Boyd occupies the title role in this Medea at Greenway Station (436 N. Norman C. Francis Parkway) which plays May 15-30 and features Robinson J. Cyprian, Jon Greene, Aria Jackson, Roney Jones, Megan Whittle and Kristin Witt. I suspect Boyd shall be as equally award-worthy as Dame Diana. (https://www.nolaproject.com/medea)
Want another tragedy to distract you from the news? The New Orleans Shakespeare Festival at Tulane will present King Lear, the Bard’s most nihilistic work, May 22-June 7 at Tulane’s Lupin Theatre. Directed by Jana Mestecky, Lear stars John Neisler in the title role. With its vain 80ish-year-old monarch slowly going mad, well, sound like anybody you know? (https://neworleansshakespeare.org/)
Prefer something lighter, with supernatural overtones, to distract you from the headlines? Check out Last Night at the Rue Bayou, a new immersive musical experience that will serve up gumbo, drinks, and a Southern Gothic love story, plus a ghost or two. Set inside a juke joint at the crossroads between the living world and the spirits of the bayou, Last Night tells the story of Miss Ilean Durand, the club’s matriarch who must fight to save the establishment from the advances of a corrupt local official. The show features an original score inspired by traditional Jazz, R&B, Cajun, Zydeco, Blues, Second Line rhythms, and Bounce.
Last Night at the Rue Bayou is scheduled to run April 16 –May 3, and the cast includes Queen Shereen Macklin, Donald Jones, Jr., and Keith Claverie. Performances will be at the Storyville Music Hall, located in the space formerly home to BB King’s and Margaritaville (3 French Market Place/1104 Decatur Street), and a ticket includes two drinks. (https://ruebayoumusical.com/)
If you’d like your music mixed with a little tragedy, head over to the Saenger Theatre (thru April 19) for the return of SIX, the musical in which the six wives of Henry VIII battle, American Idol style, for the position of lead singer in their heaven-set band. How will this be determined? Whomever had the worst experience at the hands of Henry, wins.
Yeah, it’s kinda trauma-porn but each Wife sings her tale in the style of a different pop diva (Beyoncé, Adele, Britney and other such one-named wonders), so entertainment rules. Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss’ tunes may all sound more or less the same, fading from memory with amazing rapidity, but their lyrics are witty, sharp and even occasionally moving. I’m not sure if I’d give SIX a 10 (probably more like a 7.5), but, as a 20something friend put it “I felt like I was in a history lesson taught at a pop concert!” There are worse ways to spend 90 minutes. (https://www.saengertheatreneworleans.com/six-the-musical-tickets/)
The cast of SIX (photo by Joan Marcus)
Following SIX, The Book of Mormon comes to the Saenger again May 12-17. This Tony award-winning musical about Mormon missionaries in Africa is by South Park’s Trey Parker & Matt Stone and Avenue Q/Frozen’s Robert Lopez. Its humor tends to elude me until midway through the second act, but after that point I find myself laughing unconditionally. (https://www.saengertheatreneworleans.com/events/the-book-of-mormon-17-may-2026/)
If Queens and Mormon missionaries are too real for you, journey to the Northshore April 17-May 3 for Slidell Little Theatre’s Shrek the Musical in which an ogre, a donkey, a princess and a small multitude of other fairy tale characters fight for justice. Inspired by the 2001 Oscar-winning movie, the last time SLT did Shrek, in 2016, I wrote that “while the first act lags in its mid-section as exposition is ladled out, the second one is a complete delight,” and, with a large cast–71!–all fabulously costumed, I described the production as a “pinnacle of community theater.” Here’s hoping things will turn out happily ever after again. (https://www.slidelllittletheatre.org/)
Alas, we know that things do not turn out happily in The Laramie Project. This groundbreaking play draws upon hundreds of interviews conducted by members of the Tectonic Theatre Company with the citizens of Laramie, Wyoming, as well as published news reports and company members’ journal entries, to depict the events surrounding the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard, an openly gay college student.
Having recently seen a student production of Laramie Project at the University of Louisville, 26 years after its debut, the script holds up remarkably well. While admittedly a talky piece as we hear from a wide variety of folks, some intimately involved with the slaying and some just on its periphery, it may well put a lump in your throat. You can see for yourself at Mandeville’s 30 by Ninety Theatre April 18-May 3. (https://30byninety.com/shows/the-laramie-project/)
Loss and humor co-mingle in Chapter Two, Neil Simon’s 1977 semi-autobiographical play that follows George Schneider, a recently widowed writer, as he navigates a whirlwind romance with Jennie Malone, a recently divorced actress. Encouraged by his brother Leo and Jennie’s friend Faye to re-enter the dating world, the couple must overcome their respective grief, insecurities, and the fear of starting over.
Chapter Two hasn’t been presented in this area for a long time so you well might want to consider taking a trip to Covington to see this humane comedy when Playmakers Theater presents it May 2-17. (https://playmakers-theater-05.webself.net/)
Back on the Southshore, Jefferson Performing Arts gives the local premiere to Jagged Little Pill, the Alanis Morisette musical with a book by Diablo Cody that explores the cracks beneath the surface of a seemingly picture-perfect suburban family. Jack Lampert directs the show which stars Katie Harrison who was superb as another mother, in Slidell Little Theatre’s Next to Normal, in 2024. Jagged Little Pill runs April 17-26 at the Jefferson Performing Arts Center in Metairie. (https://www.jpas.org/performance/jagged-little-pill/)
And May brings two versions of Cinderella to the area for lots of happily-ever-afterness.
First up, New Orleans Ballet Theatre’s glorious production of Cinderella returns to the Orpheum Theater May 9-10. When it debuted in 2019, I wrote “With new choreography by Gregory Schramel, Carlos Guerra, and Marjorie Schramel to Sergei Prokofiev’s gorgeous music, Cinderella was consistently beautiful to look at and, in its retelling of this classic fairy tale, even touching as we observed its heroine’s liberation from her oppressive home life. The choreographers employed clear staging to advance the story while filling it out with elegant dance.” (https://www.neworleansballettheatre.com/)
Next will come Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella at Rivertown May 15-31, featuring seven classic R&H songs and Douglas Carter Beane’s updating of Hammerstein’s original book, which adds contemporary references, revamps one of the stepsisters into a dorky but nice gal, and makes Cinderella a more conscious shaper of her own destiny. (https://www.rivertowntheaters.com/event/cinderella)
Wishing everyone a happy ending in the coming months!
New in New York
I was in New York City recently for less than three days, but still managed to attend a variety of new shows and exhibits. If you’re up there in the coming weeks (or months) by all means check these goodies out.
I saw Cats: The Jellicle Ball off-Broadway in the summer of 2024 (check out my original review at https://www.ambushmag.com/trodding-the-boards-august-16-2024/), and thought it one of the greatest shows I’d ever seen. This brilliant reconceptualization of Andrew Lloyd Weber’s Tony Award-winning musical has now moved to Broadway (Broadhurst Theatre) and remains a must-see spectacular event.
Recast in the setting of drag ballroom competitions (think Pose but without most of the angst), this Cats brings lustrous humanity to its many characters. Skimbleshanks, “the railway cat” is now an NYC MTA conductor. Gus, “the theatre cat”, remains a theater cat but has morphed into a diva extraordinaire grandly portrayed by the legendary Junior (Paris is Burning) LaBeija. And Grizabella, “the glamour cat”, here radiates true pathos as a former ballroom champion now consigned to the sidelines, miserably clutching her faded trophy.
If I missed the long runway of PAC NYC, where this production originated, that allowed for extended catwalking, Directors Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch now offer an even more immersive experience with cast members popping up throughout the theater to make even those in the balcony feel included in the fun.
I’m not sure if any changes have been made since 2024, but Qween Jean’s costumes seem even more varied and dazzling now, perfectly defining each of the characters. Omari Wiles and Arturo Lyons’ choreography seems to have expanded even further beyond the somewhat limited vocabulary of voguing to place it firmly in the continuum of great Broadway dance musicals that stretches back to the 1930s when George Balanchine, whose influence can be felt here, choreographed many of Roger & Hart’s shows. Adam Honoré’s lighting envelopes the theater in a cornucopia of rainbow colors that reflect and refract the joyfulness that occupies the stage.
And I’m pleased to report that the reservations I had about Sydney James Harcourt, as the Mick Jagger-esque Rum Tum Tugger, have evaporated. He’s reconceived his performance so that instead of being a Jagger wannabe, he’s a softer, cooler cat (more in keeping in line with his own personality according to some interviews)–a hep “smooth jazz” guy rather than a rocker–and hence much sexier and more appealing. And that’s even before he does a kwik striptease to reveal his chiseled bod.
Sydney James Harcourt of Cats: The Jellicle Ball with guest judges Susan Sarandon (r.) and her grandson (l.)
The rest of the cast, led by André De Shields in a show-stopping performance as Old Deuteronomy, and trans actress “Tempress” Chasity Moore, making an astounding Broadway debut as Grizabella, continue to thrill, delight and exhibit the utmost degree of purr-fection in every cat-egory of theater arts (sorry, couldn’t resist).
Bottom line: every queer person should see this unforgettable show…and probably every straight person, too. (https://catsthejellicleball.com/)
I also thoroughly enjoyed Giant (Music Box Theatre), starring John Lithgow as beloved children’s book author Roald (Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, Matilda) Dahl who just happened to be quite the anti-Semite.
Mark Rosenblatt’s script is a talky one, as we observe various people in Dahl’s orbit try to contain the fallout from an interview he actually gave in 1983, just prior to the publication of a new book, The Witches. Rosenblatt, however, cannily beguiles us into rapt attention as we watch the drama play out over nearly two & a half fleet hours; Nicholas Hytner’s simple yet astute direction keeps the bodies in motion while allowing for moments of rest, when the sharp dialog alone sustains our interest, as well.
Lithgow adds another magnificent performance to his oeuvre; charming yet persnickety, smart yet stubborn, his Dahl shows us how prejudices take root. The rest of the cast are all up to Lithgow’s very high level.
John Lithgow leaving the Music Box Theatre after a performance of Giant
Giant opened at the Royal Court Theatre in London in September 2024 and played in the West End in 2025. With the current situation in the Middle East, its Broadway run (thru June 28) couldn’t be more timely. (https://gianttheplay.com/)
I haven’t yet had a chance to see Titaníque on Broadway (thru July 12), but I adored this send up of the Oscar-winning movie Titanic, as well as Celine Dion, when I saw it off-Broadway in 2023 (see my write-up, about halfway down at https://www.ambushmag.com/trodding-the-boards-october-3-2023/). If bigger is better, it should be a complete blast in the St. James Theatre. (https://titaniquebroadway.com/)
Turning from theater to museums, “Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Treasures from the Mozarteum Foundation of Salzburg” at the Morgan Library & Museum (thru May 31) tells the story of the great composer’s life and career using some objects that have crossed the Atlantic for the first time, including Mozart’s own clavichord and violin(!), as well as famous portraits, letters, manuscripts, first editions, and personal objects of Mozart & his family.
As we journey through Mozart’s life, youth with his father, Leopold, and sister Nannerl in Salzburg, followed by adult life with his wife, Constanze, in Vienna, the exhibit aptly traces his many travels, continual quest for employment and renown, family tensions, and constant creative output amid illnesses and other challenges.
Mozart’s wallet
“Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Treasures from the Mozarteum Foundation of Salzburg” may be a bit text heavy, but it’s worth a visit, especially for Mozart afficionados. Interestingly, the item I found most moving in the exhibition was Mozart’s silk wallet which he used until the end of his life, keeping it in his breast pocket while traveling; it held his most important documents such as letters of credit and letters of recommendation to prove his identity upon arrival at courts abroad (as tho he couldn’t just sit down at a piano and play). To think this small item was next to Mozart’s heart… (https://www.themorgan.org/exhibitions/mozart)
The Metropolitan Museum presents “Raphael: Sublime Poetry” (thru June 28), the first comprehensive exhibition in the United States on Raffaello di Giovanni Santi (1483–1520). In his short life of only 37 years, this titan of the Italian Renaissance, a peer of Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, achieved profound success as a painter, designer, and architect.
Portrait of Bindo Altoviti (c. 1515-16) by Raffaello di Giovanni Santi aka Raphael (1483–1520)
“Raphael: Sublime Poetry” brings together drawings, paintings, and tapestries, and if it pays particular attention to Raphael’s portrayal of women—from his use of nude models to his depictions of the Madonna and various Saints—perhaps not surprisingly, I found his “Portrait of Bindo Altoviti”, a young banker born in Rome to a noble Florentine family, most captivating. Hmmm…wonder if I saw him at the Pub the other night. (https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/raphael-sublime-poetry)
And now for something completely different at the Museum of Modern Art. “Frida and Diego: The Last Dream” (thru Sept. 12) celebrates Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera—the two iconic Mexican artists who were romantically involved from 1928 until Kahlo’s death in 1954—in a first-of-its-kind collaboration with the Metropolitan Opera. Organized in conjunction with the Met’s new production of El Último Sueño de Frida y Diego, the presentation at MoMA features artworks by Kahlo and Rivera in an installation designed by Jon Bausor, the set designer of the opera.
Tree of Hope, Remain Strong (Árbol de la esperanza, mantente firme) (1946) by Frida Kahlo (1907-1954)
In this one-room exhibit, Bausor situates a life-size tree in the middle of it with branches that extend to the walls. Paintings and drawings by the couple occupy spaces under the branches and along the walls; it all has a rather tropical feel. If a number of the works seemed familiar (as a Kahlo fan, I’ve seen them included in other exhibitions of hers elsewhere), a series of Rivera’s costume designs for a ballet are charming, and the exhibit gives us a rare opportunity to discover some fabulous paintings by Kahlo from private collections. (https://www.moma.org/calendar/exhibitions/5882)
And that tower of talent Varla Jean Merman will soon return to the NY area–twice!–with her newest extravaganza, Varla Jean’s The Drowsy Chappell Roan, first, May 15-17, at Joe’s Pub in Manhattan (https://publictheater.org/performances-jp/2026/v/varla-jean-merman-is-the-drowsy-chappell-roan/), and then, on June 6, on Fire Island at The Ice Palace (https://redeyetickets.com/events/varla-jean-merman-is-the-drowsy-chappell-roan).
Here’s my review of The Drowsy Chappell Roan from last fall. If you or anyone you know will be up North in the coming weeks, go see this grand cabaret…and say HI to Varla for me!
Varla Jean Merman with Jasper
Having covered–and admired–Varla Jean Merman for years, even decades, I feel like I could now safely employ a boilerplate review for all her performances. Such phrases as “knowing, sly humor” and “so well-written [by Jeffery T Roberson with additional material by Ricky Graham and Jacques Lamarre]” apply to all her shows, her face remains a masterpiece of “priceless expressions”, and she continues to be “a national treasure”. I’d merely have to update the specific details for her annual appearance at Café Istanbul.
This year’s edition, wittily titled The Drowsy Chappell Roan, riffs on the current crop of pop divas, all of whom, Varla makes abundantly clear, stole from, er, were inspired by her. While I’m more or less familiar with the names of all of them–Billie Eilish, Sabrina Carpenter, Ariana Grande, Dua Lipa, Olivia Rodrigo, and the eponymous Ms. Roan who truly looks like she could be Ms. Merman’s granddaughter, er, daughter, er, niece–and could probably recognize most of them (tho I’m a little hazy on Ms. Carpenter and Ms. Rodrigo), the only song I could hum along with in the entire show was Roan’s “Pink Pony Club” and that only because a friend introduced me to it not too long ago. And, of course, a song that sampled Sound of Music’s “My Favorite Things”.
Never mind. You don’t have to be able to distinguish Dua from Olivia to thoroughly enjoy The Drowsy C.R. as Miss Merman tries to stay relevant among this new generation of pop artists, all “colleagues” of hers.
From the nasty but hilarious opening number “Got To Go” about Varla’s weak bladder (she has to take a “leak of faith”), to the annual number with Varla’s sexy man, er, pet, the adorable Jasper, to a priceless clip of Aretha Franklin giving Taylor Swift shade, this ramble through Ms. Merman’s life of the past 30+ years is filled with hysterical parodies of the young divas’ songs (“Pink Pony Club” becomes “Big Phony Jugs”) and true stories flawlessly told that had me smiling/laughing nonstop.
My favorite? A fabulously bizarre, actual MTV promo from 1993 featuring Varla as the “poop Princess”. Alas, it doesn’t seem to be online, thus one more reason for catching The Drowsy C.R. live and in person.
Under Michael Schiralli’s, as always, perfect direction, The Drowsy C.R. continues for 90 jam-packed minutes (including intermission–gotta have a cocktail break, eh?) with stops along the way for a great story featuring Elton John and a delicious special guest appearance from Dina Martina. A big surprise at the end (no spoilers here!) touchingly ties the entire show together in brilliant truth-is-stranger-than-fiction fashion.
Brian W Johnston puts in his usual series of sassy cameos, most notably this time as Coco Peru and Bianca Del Rio. Jim Buff’s chic costumes, including the silver opener that makes Varla look like a Hershey’s Kiss, are phenomenal. The fantastic, clever videos, animation and all things multimedia are by Deven Green and Handsome Ned. And, not surprisingly, Brooklyn Campagne’s wigs are spectacular.
Miss Merman may have left Café Istanbul’s building, but she’ll be taking this delectable show on the road to San Francisco, Orlando, Puerto Vallarta, Palm Springs, Los Angeles, Boston, etc., etc. If you’re in any of these gay ol’ towns when VJM is, be sure not to miss this Mistress of the Pink Pony Club.
