Here’s a list of of previous selections:
“A Lesson Before Dying” by Ernest J. Gaines, 2004
“Rising Tide” by John M. Barry, 2005
“Coming Out the Door for the Ninth Ward” by Nine Time Social and Pleasure Club, 2007
“City of Refuge” by Tom Piazza, 2008
“Gumbo Tales: Finding My Place at The New Orleans Table” by Sara Roehen, 2009
“Satchmo: My Life in New Orleans” by Louis Armstrong, 2010
“Nine Lives: Mystery, Magic, Life, and Death” by Dan Baum, 2011
“The World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square” by Ned Sublette, 2012 “Louisiana“ by Erna Bordber, 2013
“Unfathomable City: A New Orleans Atlas” by Rebecca Solnit and Rebecca Snedeker, 2014
“New Orleans Boom and Blackout: One Hundred Days in America’s Coolest Hot Spot” by Brian Boyles (2015)
Supporters of the arts and culture in New Orleans in particular and the state of Louisiana expressed varying degrees of frustration with the outgoing Bobby Jindal administration. Under the governor’s watch, arts education funding was cut, state-owned museum operating hours were curtailed, and then-Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne complained of a lack of investment in tourism advertising — from which the culture benefits.
Now the tides appear to be turning. Incoming Gov. John Bel Edwards’ wife, Donna Edwards, has said in recent interviews that she will make music and arts education a priority in her tenure as the state’s first lady. Dardenne, who ran unsuccessfully for governor, is now part of the governor’s team while serving as the commissioner of administration. Eyes also turn to incoming Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser, who in his role also will serve as the head of the state’s Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, which oversees the Louisiana’s tourism promotion, the State Library of Louisiana, state parks and a several historic sites.
This new administration faces what appear to be annual budgets of $1 billion over at least the next two fiscal years, and so leaders will have to be creative in supporting (and funding) the arts and culture of the state.
How will that affect New Orleans, which, with its historic reputation as a mecca for music, food, art and architecture, is the leading economic engine of the state when it comes to culture?
With a new set of state executive leadership taking place, we asked several leading figures in New Orleans’ arts and culture community what priorities they’d like to see from the new lieutenant governor.
Neil A. Barclay
Neil A. Barclay, executive director, Contemporary Arts Center
“The Contemporary Arts Center creates exhibitions and performances that resonate with and respond to the contemporary issues of our city, and use these activities to engage our audiences in meaningful dialogues in hope of finding inspiring solutions to seemingly intractable problems. We try to set incredibly high standards for service and integrity in our work. We seek to help Louisiana tell the story of a culture beyond what might be found in plantation house tours or for that matter binge drinking on Bourbon Street — we want to help our citizens focus on a New Orleans and state that is home to a brilliant flowering of the human spirit in the 21st Century: resilient, worth visiting, worth being a contributing part of. My hope is that Lt. Gov. Nungesser will do everything he can to make sure that the Louisiana that we all deeply love gains the love, respect and admiration not only of its own citizens but of the citizens of the world as well.”
Carol Bebelle
Carol Bebelle, co-founder and executive director, Ashé Cultural Arts Center “Culture, recreation and tourism are very people-focused areas of state government. It is the lieutenant governor’s job not just to run this office but also to lead the people in bearing valued culture, bridging diverse cultures and making new culture that generates a Louisiana that is a shining example of cultural richness, equitable, and just civic, political and social life. This is done while also stimulating an economy that draws from the cultural richness of our state. Using the pivotal influence of culture and the powerful effect of art, the lieutenant governor should stimulate the economy of tourism, and also, through dialogue and cultural activities, introduce us to one another and our histories. I hope our lieutenant governor will work at weaving a new concept of “we” that includes all of us into the Louisiana history books and cultural economy. I hope he will welcome controversy and use its energy to eliminate unhealthy divisions among and between communities while building bridges of respect, tolerance and equity in Louisiana.”
Bethany Bultman (right)
Bethany Ewald Bultman, co-founding director and chair, New Orleans Musicians’ Clinic “Dear Lt. Gov. Nungesser,
Where do you turn when you need health care? The New Orleans Musicians’ Clinic (established in 1998) keeps music alive in the tourism capital of Louisiana by providing health care to local entertainers. With LSUHSC, we operate the USA’s first and only comprehensive medical care center for cultural workers. Please help us raise the profile of our innovative and unique mission and add to our sustainability. The NOMC has literally saved the lives of many local musicians. Unfortunately, history has told us that many more music legends die from preventable diseases, often prematurely. Treating more than 2,500 patients and reaching many more through community health and advocacy, our donor-funded organization makes a difference, yet we receive very little state support. We wrestle with the question: If we do not provide much needed health care services to the culture bearers of Louisiana, who will?”
James Fitzmorris
James Fitzmorris, playwright; co-owner, The Theatre at St. Claude “The lieutenant governor is the first smile of Louisiana. An ambassador for our culture, he or she must provide the backslapping, handshaking and ‘Les Bon Temps Roulez’ people come to expect when they journey down here looking to invest in our way of life. And like it or not, much of that focus should be on New Orleans. It is the crown jewel of the state, and the first answer to the question, ‘Why is Louisiana not like the rest of The South?’ Tourism and commerce must not be directed elsewhere in the state just to satisfy the insecurities and greed of politicians or entrepreneurs. Any true champion of our state must be a champion of the Crescent City.”
Jolene Pinder
Jolene Pinder, executive director, New Orleans Film Society “From where I sit, Lt. Gov. Nungesser should make a strong commitment to promoting our state as an inimitable site for arts tourism. I think it’s time that his office takes a survey of the state’s cultural landscape, with an eye to identifying both new events on our cultural calendar and events that have seen tremendous growth in recent years. If the tourism office were to invest marketing dollars into such events that have been less on their radar (i.e. Faux Real, Southern Design Week, LUNA Fete, Creative Alliance of New Orleans’ Art Home Tours, and of course one event very near to my heart, the New Orleans Film Festival), we could increase tourism dollars for the state while providing more opportunities for indigenous Louisiana artists to have sustainable careers. Under Jay Dardenne’s leadership, I saw the Office of Tourism begin to see the potential of growing events like ours. I hope Lt. Gov. Nungesser will continue to see the arena of arts and culture tourism as a top priority.”
Kathy Randels
Kathy Randels, performance artist; founder, ArtSpot Productions “I can’t imagine stepping into this job now; there’s such reversal of damage from the Jindal that has to be done. That said, here are five simple, positive, attainable goals for his leadership in our state that I believe can also greatly benefit the performing artists in our state:
Hire artists from our state roster for every function you give — pay them a good rate.
Encourage business owners and folks with money in our state to do the same.
Bring artists and administrators from every region of the state together for a strategizing panel to hear the needs of the field on the first day of your job!
Look to what worked in the past: FDR’s WPA and National Theatre/Writers/Art, etc., projects to create jobs for artists that will also serve the state. Louisiana is in a state of disrepair from the last administration. Artists are starving and leaving the field because of it.
Raise the state arts budget back up to the level it was at pre-Jindal administration levels on your first day of the job; and keep raising it up each year you are in office.”
Miranda Restovic
Miranda Restovic, president and executive director, Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities “As the head of the Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, the role of the lieutenant governor is to preserve, showcase and market Louisiana’s rich cultural heritage to those within and outside of our state. That is a big job for our culturally rich but cash-strapped state. The priority of our incoming lieutenant governor will inevitably have to be to ensure adequate and increased resources are in place to execute on the targets of his office, especially those associated with preservation and showcasing within the state. Moreover, the lieutenant governor is in a unique position to cross-pollinate services and products and unify the cultural sector across the state, which would only strengthen the Louisiana brand with its own citizens as well as tourists. The Tricentennial of New Orleans is a perfect opportunity to capitalize on this idea.”
Nick Stillman
Nick Stillman, acting director, Arts Council New Orleans “Lt. Gov. Nungesser, congratulations and welcome to your new leadership position. Although your role as lieutenant governor is new, we trust that our argument to you will not be: arts and culture are the lifeblood of Louisiana. Our entirely distinct cultural assets are not only a crucial driver of tourism, they are essential to the quality of life of our citizens. This is why we’re asking you to increase funding for the Decentralized Arts program in each of Louisiana’s parishes. The Arts Council New Orleans’ mission is to demonstrate how art transforms communities. We integrate art as a tool and solution to the challenges our community faces — from crime, blight and youth trauma. Artists are an underutilized asset and can serve as powerful agents of change to create better, brighter, more beautiful communities while keeping Louisiana at the nation’s fore of creative innovation. We welcome an opportunity to meet and work with you to transform Louisiana through the arts.”
One of the annual viewing traditions leading up to the Academy Awards is the touring collection of Oscar-nominated short films in the animated, live-action and documentary categories. The Prytania Theatre will continue that tradition by hosting the screening of the films Jan. 29-Feb. 4, the theater announced Thursday (Jan. 14).
The announcement comes on the heals of the announcement of all of the Academy Award nominations, with the ceremony televised Feb. 28 by ABC.
Details of the Prytania screening series are sketchy and should be coming soon. Until then, here are the nominated films and their directors:
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
“Body Team 12,” David Darg and Bryn Mooser; “Chau, beyond the Lines,” Courtney Marsh and Jerry Franck; “Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah,” Adam Benzine; “A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness,” Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy; “Last Day of Freedom,” Dee Hibbert-Jones and Nomi Talisman.
BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM
“Bear Story,” Gabriel Osorio and Pato Escala; “Prologue,” Richard Williams and Imogen Sutton; “Sanjay’s Super Team,” Sanjay Patel and Nicole Grindle; “We Can’t Live without Cosmos,” Konstantin Bronzit; “World of Tomorrow,” Don Hertzfeldt.
BEST LIVE-ACTION SHORT FILM
“Ave Maria,” Basil Khalil and Eric Dupont; “Day One,” Henry Hughes; “Everything Will Be Okay (Alles Wird Gut),” Patrick Vollrath; “Shok,” Jamie Donoughue; “Stutterer,” Benjamin Cleary and Serena Armitage
New Orleans burlesque star Trixie Minx loves to add a dash of Valentine’s Day to her February Fleur de Tease shows whenever possible. Now she’s taking that idea to another level and another venue in partnering with the Orpheum Theater for “Cupid’s Cabaret,” on Feb. 14 — “classic vaudeville show with a contemporary heartbeat,” as Thursday’s release stated.
“It’s going to be a whole weekend of burlesque (for Valentine’s Day),” Minx said, referring to the monthly Fleur de Tease show (Feb. 13) as well as her weekly shows Burlesque Ballroom at Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse and Burgundy Burlesque at the Burgundy Bar.
“Burgundy Ballroom and Burlesque Ballroom have a lot of classic striptease, with the singers doing songs about love and stuff like that. And with Fleur de Tease, love is the theme. But this (‘Cupid’s Cabaret’) is more of a vaudeville show. It will be a dinner-theater show with lots of singers. I don’t want to give away too much because I want (the audience to be) open to experience it for themselves.
“I want them to walk in the theater and be surprised.”
The as-yet-unannounced lineup will feature burlesque dancers, aerialists, comedians and local singers. Dinner seating will be sold in pairs and tables will be provided for couples and foursomes. Cocktail packages also will be available, though there will be a limited number of dinner seats available. On top of that, single tickets will be sold in the balcony and loge areas.
Tickets go on sale Friday (Jan. 15) at 10 a.m. Dinner (which will include the seated dinner and champagne) are $225 for two, and $200 a pair for a table of four. Single tickets are $30 for balcony seats, $50 loge. Bar packages also are available. Tickets are available at tickets.orpheumnola.com or by calling the box office at 504-274-4870. For more information, visit www.orpheumnola.com.
Trixie Minx was voted as one of the top 10 favorite burlesque performers in New Orleans in my recent 2015 readers poll. Fleur de Tease was among the top five burlesque/circus shows for 2015 in the monthly/seasonal category. She recently performed in “The Burlesque Show” in Atlantic City.
Cecile Monteyne in “You Don’t Know the Half of It.” (Photo by David Lee Simmons)
When I was asked at NOLA.com for ideas for possible 15 entertainers to watch for 2015, one name sprang to mind. It was pretty much a no-brainer: Cecile Monteyne. Actress, comedian, producer — she was becoming a major presence on the New Orleans entertainment scene, especially with her work with The NOLA Project and in the comedy world with machine A and especially her seasonal “You Don’t Know the Half of It” improv sketch show. I reviewed the show’s October 2015 show here.
(But first, an aside: There was another NOLA Project figure who, in hindsight, should’ve been considered. A.J. Allegra, The NOLA Project’s artistic director, is seemingly everywhere in New Orleans, acting and directing with the troupe, teaching theater to kids, and even appearing with the LPO. He is very much someone to watch.)
Monteyne and the “You Don’t Know the Half of It” crew marks four years on Sunday (Jan. 17) with a special show at Le Petit, and I profiled that in the New Orleans Advocate. And what I tried to drive home in the piece is how Monteyne — clearly a special talent and presence — often is at her best when trying to make everyone else look good:
When someone’s having a good night, it’s partly because you’re helping them have a good night,” the Tulane grad said. “It helps to work with other funny people or other straight people who can play that cold fish who doesn’t have to respond. I think comedy is at its best when everybody is working together to make one another look funny.
Her 2015 was as good as promised, highlighted by being named the Big Easy Entertainment Awards’ entertainer of the year. (She’d received acting nominations for performances in a drama and a comedy.) And later she delivered what will for sure be another nominated performance in The NOLA Project’s “Marie Antoinette.”
What’s really cool about Monteyne these days is the production she recently wrapped with her brother Jules Monteyne on “One Night Stand Off,” a romantic comedy in directed and co-written by Jules and Cecile, and starring opposite Ian Hoch. I hope to have a lot more about that in the coming days. But until then, go to Le Petit on Sunday and see what all the fuss is about.
Perle Noire performs at Bella Blue’s “Risq” show at Harrah’s New Orleans Casino. (Photo by David Lee Simmons
Internationally acclaimed burlesque performer Perle Noire, who got her start in New Orleans and returns for shows, has been tabbed as the headliner for the 2016 Vienna Boylesque Festival, it was announced Wednesday (Jan. 13). The festival will be held May 18 and 20 in Vienna.
It was the summer of 1972, and David Bowie was riding high off the first leg of his Ziggy Stardust tour in his native England. But as he set his sights on the United States and the leg of a North America tour, he was one man short.
“When he came through America, he realized he needed a piano player, and he needed a piano player to play that music,” recalled pianist Mike Garson, who at the time was working his way through the jazz scene of New York City.
He’d just played on an album by vocalist Annette Peacock, called “I’m the One.” “She was pretty wild,” he said, noting the two shared an avant-garde sensibility that intrigued Bowie as he prepared for the tour.
Garson is recalling these memories during another in a series of phone interviews from his home in Los Angeles on the heels of news of Bowie’s sudden death Sunday (Jan. 10) at the age of 69. As Bowie’s longtime piano player, Garson remembers those early days well, though some details are sketchy. Hooking up with Bowie was easy to remember.
“He asked (Peacock) for a suggestion, she said, ‘This is the pianist to use,’” Garson said. “And that was it. They called me. I was living in Brooklyn at the time, giving a piano lesson. They told me to come to RCA’s studio in New York. I left my 1-year-old with my piano student. My wife almost killed me. And I went to this studio to audition for the band, and David, and, seven seconds after playing his song called ‘Changes, Mick Ronson (Bowie’s guitarist) said, ‘You have the gig.’ … Would you believe that?”
The North American leg of the tour started on Sept. 22, 1972, and found its way exactly two months later to the now-legendary Warehouse in New Orleans. (White Witch, a Tampa glam-rock band, was booked as the opening act and appears on a Beaver Production flyer, but their truck broke down on the way to New Orleans, a spokesperson said, and they arrived the day after the show.) Garson’s foggy on much of the specifics of that night, though he concedes the Warehouse might not have been as spiffy as the other U.S. venues that preceded the show — there were auditoriums, theaters, concert halls, etc. .. and then there was the Warehouse.
Filmmaker Jessy Cale Williamson captured the iconic nature of that rock venue in his 2013 documentary, “A Warehouse on Tchoupitoulas.” When I reached him about the Bowie show, he vaguely recalled, “I think a few people mention the show but there isn’t a segment dedicated to it. If I remember correctly, someone said the rednecks didn’t like it and were booing and cursing. But I don’t think I put that in the film. I tried to keep it upbeat.”
Garson doesn’t remember much about the show, either. What he does remember, as so many do, was the music and the food he enjoyed. (Mick Ronson apparently knew his way around New Orleans restaurants.) But Garson got a bird’s eye view of New Orleans music during his brief stay there — which is also famous for being the city in which Bowie wrote the lyrics for the song “Time” that appeared on his next album, “Aladdin Sane.”
“I loved that tour and I especially love New Orleans because I have a specific memory of, when we weren’t playing, I went into some of those clubs and just sat in with some of those Dixieland bands and played some of that music with them,” Garson said. “So that was a thrill for me. And the inspiration for ‘Time’ I would suspect would’ve come from there. I was there, and he was writing that music through that whole tour and being affected by every city we went to.
“There could’ve been no better place to help inspire that version of the song for me, and for me to utilize all those ragtime elements from New Orleans in the ’20s and ’30s, and put a little avant-garde twist on it, which was part of my personality for that album.
“I didn’t even remember the names of the places we played. It becomes like one big concert in the sky or something after you play 5,000 shows,” he added. “I do remember the feeling playing there was great. I just remember sitting in these clubs and playing with these jazz musicians, which was trained to do.
“I totally adored it, you know?”
Some Internet sites also cite a Nov. 14 show at Loyola, which probably would have been performed at the Field House on Freret Street, but Loyola officials cannot confirm this date. My personal theory: It had been scheduled, and for some reason canceled — hence, a possible Nov. 22 “make-up” New Orleans date at the Warehouse. When I asked Garson, he replied, “I wouldn’t swear to it, but my recollection was one concert (in New Orleans).”
After the tour concluded, Bowie set his sights on his next album, and wanted to bring his new sideman into the studio in London to record “Aladdin Sane.” But the two were still feeling each other out, even after the Ziggy Stardust tour. For the title track, Bowie had a very particular idea about how he wanted the piano to sound, and so he pressed Garson to show him what he could do in the studio.
“My first solo was a blues solo and he said, ‘Naaah,’ the second one was Latin, and he said, ‘Naaah. Play that crazy stuff that you told me you play in New York in the jazz scenes,’ and I said, ‘Are you sure? That’s why I’m not working Saturday nights.’ And he said, ‘Leave that to me.’
And so Garson played his avant-garde style, and Bowie was convinced. Getting Garson into the zone for “Time,” which Bowie had written in New Orleans, was a much easier chore, given his sensibilities and love of New Orleans’ piano tradition. It’s one that spoke to the kind of cabaret, Brechtian feel Bowie wanted and Garson could deliver on along with everything else — including the “stride” style popularized by some New Orleans piano professors but also the great James P. Johnson.
“Well, I knew David liked that kind of stuff, so, I have a fairly wide palate of music that I have loved, so I just sort of went back into those archives of my mind and brought that to it so it had the avant-garde-ness, it had the stride-ness, and it had the Brechtian, and I think that made David very happy,” Garson said. “But it was all very organic. We didn’t even talk about it that way; it’s just how it evolved, you know?
“Once I heard the song, it was so obvious this is what had to happen with this piece of music.”
Garson has a clearer New Orleans memory: performing alongside the great jazz trumpeter Freddie Hubbard at the 1988 Jazz & Heritage Festival, and later dining at a restaurant that stayed open until 1 a.m. to accommodate his party. As for those New Orleans piano professors, he said: “It’s Allen Toussaint, it’s Dr. John, it’s Harry Connick. It’s all those people, there’s something about that feeling and that kind of way of playing the piano that was inspiring to me when I was growing up.
“I’ve given over 11,000 private lessons in the last 50 years and I suspect I’ve given more lessons in how to play in those styles than any other kind of music that I teach.”
Garson said Bowie never discussed his songwriting technique, on “Time” or any other, so it’s hard to guess how the lyrics, written in New Orleans, came about. But they did speak to what critics and even Bowie himself admitted in terms of his complicated perception of the United States as he moved through the tour and with his bandmates, the “Spiders from Mars.” He often referred to the album as “Ziggy goes to America,” and he often seen alternately repulsed by and fascinated with the country. All Mike Garson knew was, it was the beginning of an incredibly fertile relationship between the two men.
“I was hired for that tour and only that tour. So I was hired for eight weeks and I end up the longest-playing musician with him who did the most albums and the most tours (with Bowie). Go figure,” said Garson, who was profiled in fellow piano player Clifford Slapper’s book, “Bowie’s Piano Man.”
“So I was on there having come playing from jazz clubs in New York City, I was treasuring every moment of it in every city because they were all wonderful concerts. And I, knowing it’s only eight weeks, was thinking this is going to be one of the greatest experiences in my life. And it turns out it is, but I had many, many more after that. So, coming from a jazz club or playing for 10 people and making five bucks, and then you’re playing for thousands of people in these cities all through the United States, driving in the limo with David, as he was writing these songs, as he’s listening to Aretha Franklin, as he’s listening to soul music, preparing even towards the ‘Young Americans’ album, no less the ‘Aladdin Sane’ album – this was miraculous.”
Looking back, it stuns him how easy it was to take it all for granted.
“When you’re in it and you’re in your 20s, you kind of think, ‘This is fun,’ but you’re too much of an idiot to realize that you’re doing something that will be historical. It was like, great gigs, they were fun, and it was more money than the jazz gigs that I did, but it was like a ‘big deal’ kind of thing.
“Now you look back and you wish you could be starting that tour tomorrow.”
NOTE: I’d love for folks who attended the Warehouse show in 1972 to share their memories of that night in the comments section, and to please help confirm this possible Nov. 14 show at Loyola. I doubt it did happen, but would be nice to confirm. I’m working with Loyola on this as well.
Rivertown Theaters for the Performing Arts announces its upcoming seasons with all the “Let’s put on a show!” brio you’d come to expect from the most consistently popular producer of Broadway musicals. And so it was with Tony Award-ceremony grandeur, once again, that the company rolled out its 2016-2107 season Saturday (Jan. 9) with a reception and sneak preview in the venue, complete with co-emcees (and company partners) Gary Rucker and Kelly Fouchi, songs from upcoming shows, and a sneak preview of the upcoming “Sweet Charity.”
It will be the company’s fifth season. For more info, call 504-461-9475 or 504.468.7221 or visit rivertowntheaters.com.
“How do you top last year’s most ambitious season of all musicals? You raise the bar again by presenting a season filled with different, unique, yet challenging and spectacular offerings to appeal to our extremely loyal and appreciative audiences who have supported, cheered us on, and grown with us over the past years,” Fouchi, co-artistic/managing director, said in a press release. “… We are thrilled with the support and response that we have received for each season’s offerings. Topping the ‘best of’ lists, each of the shows last year played to sold out houses and enthusiastic audiences.
“Our goal is to continue to present audiences with productions that are full of high entertainment value featuring some of the area’s most talented performers.”
Rivertown Theaters’ upcoming season will see the following productions: “Let the Good Times Roll” (Sept. 9-25) another musical jukebox from the Big Easy Buddies (“Under the Boardwalk”); “1776” (Nov. 4-20), the 1969 Sherman Edwards-Peter Stone musical about the founding of a nation; “Billy Elliot the Musical” (Jan. 13-29), Elton John’s 2005 adaptation of the the 2000 movie about a boy who dreams of being a dancer; “The 39 Steps” (March 10-26, 2017), Patrick Barlow’s satire of both John Buchan’s novel and Alfred Hitchcock’s thriller; “Bye Bye Birdie” (May 5-21, 2017), the Michael Stewart-Lee Adams musical send-up of the Elvis Presley mania of the 1950s; and “The Little Mermaid” (July 13-23, 2017) Alan Menken’s 2008 adaptation of the 1989 Disney animated musical blockbuster.
At Saturday’s preview/fundraiser, which included an auction, the company recognized the contributions of “Volunteers of the Year”: Jane Hirling (Kelly Fouchi’s mother) and Kenner City Councilman Keith Reynaud.
Here is a breakdown of those productions, with descriptions provided by Rivertown Theaters:
“Let The Good Times Roll”
Sept. 9-25, 2016
Directed by Rich Arnold
“The Big Easy Buddies are back with an all new show! Since their crowd pleasing, sold out hit show “Under The Boardwalk” here at Rivertown Theaters, patrons continually request that we bring back The Buddies. So here they are kicking off our 2016-2017 season, and bringing their tight harmonies and slick choreography to your favorite doo-wop, Motown and rock ‘n’ roll hits, including classics inspired by the city of New Orleans. ‘The Buddies’ will again be joined by the dazzling ‘Big Easy Babes’ with their nod to the girl groups and diva anthems of the 1950’s and ’60’s. The great American Radio Songbook comes to life in a rollicking musical event that promises all the spectacle, excitement and extraordinary talent our audiences have come to expect. The Times-Picayune says, ‘The non-stop energy the quartet brings to the stage is positively infectious and makes the show a treat not just for those audience members who heard this music originally on jukeboxes at the malt shops. It is a night for the entire family to enjoy.’ ‘Let The Good Times Roll’ will have audiences smiling and singing along, proving that retro never sounded so new!”
“1776”
Nov. 4-20,2016
Directed by AJ Allegra
“What better time to celebrate the birth of America’s independence than during an election year … and what better way than with a Tony Award winning musical set in 1776? The turning point in American history blazes to vivid life in our November musical offering, ‘1776.’ A funny, insightful and compelling musical with a striking score and legendary book, ‘1776’ puts a human face on the pages of history. We see the men behind the national icons: proud, frightened, uncertain, charming and ultimately noble figures determined to do the right thing for a fledgling nation. Step back in time and be inspired by our founding fathers as they attempt to convince Congress to vote for independence from the shackles of the British monarch by signing the Declaration of Independence. This uplifting musical will have you beaming with pride and patriotism.”
“Billy Elliot, the Musical”
Jan. 13-29, 2017
Directed by Kelly Fouchi
“Millions of fans … Thousands of standing ovations … 10 Tony Awards including Best Musical … this is ‘Billy Elliot The Musical,’ the spectacular show with the heart, humor and passion named Time Magazine’s “Best Musical of the Decade!” Based on the international smash-hit film and featuring a score by music legend Elton John, ‘Billy Elliot’ is an astonishing theatrical experience that will stay with you forever. Set in a northern English mining town, against the background of the 1984 miners’ strike, ‘Billy Elliot’ is the inspirational story of a young boy’s struggle against the odds to make his dream come true. Follow Billy’s journey as he stumbles out of the boxing ring and into a ballet class where he discovers a passion for dance that inspires his family and community and changes his life forever. Join us for this powerful story that has captivated audiences around the world. Contains adult language, PG-13.”
“The 39 Steps” March 10-26, 2017
Directed by Ricky Graham “This two-time Tony Award winner is currently enjoying a second run on Broadway and is in its 10th year of performances in London’s West End. The 39 Steps is a comedic spoof of the classic 1935 Hitchcock film, with only four actors portraying more than 150 characters, sometimes changing roles in the blink of an eye. The brilliantly madcap and gripping comedy thriller follows our dashing hero Richard Hannay, as he races to solve the mystery of ‘The 39 Steps,’ all the while trying to clear his name! This ‘whodunit, part espionage thriller and part slapstick comedy’ is great fun for everyone from 9 to 99. The show’s uproarious fast pace promises to leave you gasping for breath … in a good way!”
“Bye Bye Birdie”
May 5-21, 2017
Directed by Gary Rucker “Before Beatlemania, before Beiber Fever, came hip-swingin’ teen idol Conrad Birdie (loosely based on Elvis), who, to the dismay of his adoring fans, is about to be drafted into the army by Uncle Sam. In Bye Bye Birdie, the 1950’s rock-n-roll musical comedy, Birdie’s agent, Albert and his secretary/girlfriend, Rosie, cook up a plan to send him off in style. They must write Birdie a new hit song and have him bestow “one last kiss” on a lucky fan, live on the Ed Sullivan Show. A town full of colorful characters including crazed teenagers, a jealous boyfriend, and a spotlight stealing father make for a rollicking good time. In addition to the popular silver screen adaptation starring Ann Margaret, Bye Bye Birdie is a Tony Award winner for Best Musical and features such beloved songs as ‘Put on A Happy Face,’ ‘Kids,’ ‘The Telephone Hour’ and ‘A Lot of Livin’ To Do.'”
“The Little Mermaid”
July 13-23, 2017
Directed by Ricky Graham
“Based on the Disney animated film, the hit Broadway musical, and one of Hans Christian Andersen’s most beloved stories Disney’s ‘The Little Mermaid’ is a hauntingly beautiful love story for the ages. In a magical kingdom fathoms below, we meet Ariel, the little mermaid who is tired of flipping her fins and longs to be part of the fascinating world on dry land. Joining her are Sebastian, Ariel’s crabby sidekick; Ursula, the evil sea witch; Triton, King of the Sea and the handsome and human Prince Eric. Dive on in! Life is the bubbles, under the sea! Reserve the best seats early for your little guppies, our summer family shows sell out quick!”
If we learn anything from this, it has to be that communication is super, super important. The huge flaw is the actions of the individual speaking for the club online – and I don’t know who that is – but it was really difficult to watch. It seems clear that very little research was done, and people were referenced in their statement without being contacted or consulted. It demonstrated no real knowledge of the art form or the community. And then when whoever was speaking tried to pull it in a different direction – claiming dissatisfaction with Ruby’s performance – well, too late now. If that had been clearly communicated from the beginning we wouldn’t be here now.
One of the many delights about finally being able to check out Cecile Monteyne’s seasonal “You Don’t Know the Half of It” improv show (now at Cafe Istanbul) is to see the now-steady stream of young comic talent — often as a continuation of sorts with The New Movement. (Monteyne is an alumnae.)
I’ll be previewing “You Don’t Know the Half of It” in a few days in the New Orleans Advocate in advance of the four-year anniversary show Jan. 17, at Le Petit, and in the process of researching story stumbled upon the work a few of her regulars are doing in the start-up sketch troupe Virginia’s Harem — most notably Emily Slazer and Valerie Boucvalt, who performed in the fall show, my first.
Seems the group landed a hard-to-land “showcase” spot at the prestigious SF Sketchfest in San Francisco this weekend — this, after forming just about a year ago. Along with several of the top sketch troupes in the nation, SF Sketchfest will serve host to several famous comedians, including Billy Crystal and Patton Oswalt as well as a reunion of “Waiting for Guffman” cast members and a tribute to “Funny or Die.”
Not bad.
“It’s really exciting,” said Slazer, a 26-year-old Slidell native who’s only been performing locally for about two years after graduating first from Centenary College in Shreveport and then The New Movement. “It is pretty prestigious for such a young group to get a showcase spot. There will be a mix of smaller groups like us and much bigger, nationally recognized comedians ,which will be a special experience for us to see what their comedy is like and what we can learn from it.
“We’re really lucky to be going,” she continued. “This is the first time I’m touring to do comedy so I’m very excited. It feels like a little bit of a legitimacy thing. It sets it apart from being a casual hobby. I never feel I have to make money doing comedy to be fulfilled. But this is more than just your friends thinking you’re comedy.”
Jonathan Greene and Valerie Boucvalt
Slazer and Boucvalt are reason enough to watch this troupe; I couldn’t keep from laughing at just about everything Slazer did at Cafe Istanbul, whether pretending to be in double arm casts and dropping bizarro Sam’s Club references to her partner (the actor with the script) or simply rolling her eyes. There’s almost a hint of Lena Dunham’s best moments; Slazer has the kind of intuitive comic timing that I imagine one gets either through good genes or lots of training. But she’s flat-out funny.
And yet she was basically scared shitless to take an improv class as a requirement while at Centenary, despite being in theater since she was 10 years old.
“I was terrified and went in kicking and screaming, and fell in love with it after take the class,” she said. “What really appeal to me early on … was the failure of it. Learning how to fail and to be OK with that. If you fail as an actor there are ramifications. But if you do at improv early on, there’s an indication that you’re trying. You’re making big choices. You’re gonna fail at first. You have to learn it.
“I felt this is really cool that I can take big chances and make big choices and fail and it’s OK. I’m a much more brave person in my whole life than when I started improvement. It’s a good life skill.”
Check out this more timely video (released Tuesday, Jan. 5, above), the sketch “Stripping Badges,” a collaboration between Virginia’s Harem (Slazer, Boucvalt, Alicia Hawkes, Margee Green, Erica Goostrey and Liz Beeson) and fellow New Orleans sketch group Stupid Time Machine. It’s about a drunken bachelorette party that gets horrifically sober thanks to some traumatized cops turned strippers (CJ Hunt, James Hamilton). I’ll say no more.
And here’s a link to a scene from this past October’s “You Don’t Know the Half of It,” featuring Slazer opposite Corinne Williams.
popsmartnola.com 