Theatre--Performance (Musical Theatre)

Continuing IPAL’s tradition of a summer youth musical, Vincent P. Barras is directing

his third one in four years, Disney’s Mulan Jr., with a cast of fifty youngsters. The

play will perform July 12th through July 22nd at the Essanee Theatre in downtown New

Iberia. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday performances are at 7:30 and Sunday Matinees

at 3:00. Advance tickets are available at Delaune’s Pharmacy, Paul’s Flower Shop, or

Accentrics on Main Street. Tickets may also be purchased at the door. All tickets are

$10.00. Further information can be obtained by calling the theater at 364-6114, e-mailing

ipal@cox.net, or by visiting the IPAL website www.iberiaperformingartsleague.com

“It’s been a phenomenal experience from start to finish,” said Vincent P. Barras, but he

added, “At first, I thought it would be hard to top last summer’s production of Beauty and

the Beast Jr. until I realized that we didn’t need to. This production would stand on its

own two feet, and it has.”

The play Mulan Jr. covers a young woman named Mulan who embarks on a life-altering

journey. In Asia, the story of Mulan is as familiar as the story of Cinderella is in Western

cultures. Sharing the lead role of Mulan will be Lanie Marcantel and Sarah Menard, both

IPAL regulars who have been in previous youth productions.

The play calls for the character of Mulan to experience some physical pratfalls, and

Lanie Marcantel laughed, “Aside from the bruises and scrapes, it’s a really good

experience. Getting the lead was probably the best thing that happened to me this

summer.”

Sarah Menard, the other actress playing Mulan, noted, “If you have or haven’t seen the

movie, it doesn’t matter because this play will move you. It will make you laugh, cry, all

of it.”

This production is also unique in that it has several new youngsters from outside the New

Iberia area. Some like Hannah Broussard, playing Mulan’s mother Fa Li, are commuting

from Broussard, and several new cast members are from the Firelight Performing

Academy based in Youngsville. Thomas Luke, who’ll play the dragon Mushu—voiced

by Eddie Murphy in the Disney movie—has been in several Firelight productions,

including most recently the part of Joseph in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor

Dreamcoat.

“Everybody’s very inviting,” said Thomas, who is also competing in trampoline at the

National Gymnastics Competition. “Everybody helps each other out whenever they need

help.”

“It’s my first Disney Jr. play,” he added, “and I think it’s cool how we got everything

together in seven weeks and it’s going to be a cool play.”

Other Firelight youth include Adele Hebert, playing Hun, the Ancestor of Love, Trevor

Menard and Seth Ransonet, sharing the role of Chinese bureaucrat Chi Fu, Noah Delatte

as the Emperor of China, Sarah Palmintier as Laozi, the Ancestor of Honor, and Andrew

Palmintier as Magyar, a Hun soldier. Playing various ensemble members are Emma

Luke, Rebecca Palmintier, and Taylor Luke.

The play still has, however, a strong local element with recent NISH graduate Jacqueline

McCarthy serving as assistant director, and several local teens taking several roles.

Playing a tight-knit group of four soldiers are Mitchell Prudhomme (Captain Shang),

Ryan Berard (Qian-Po), Seth Derouen (Yao), and Alex Bonin (Ling.) This will be their

last chance to be on stage together in a youth musical as they enter adulthood and college.

“It’s quite bittersweet, because I’m quite close to these people,” Mitch Prudhomme

remarked, “but it’s the beginning of another chapter in my life. I know I’m going to act

with them again, but probably not in a youth musical.”

Other prominent roles include Kelbi LaShare as Grandmother Fa, and Abigail Daigle,

who plays both an imperious Matchmaker and the Evil General Shan-Yu. There are

also five ancestors who regularly appear and act as narrators for the show: Lin (Anne

Catherine LeBlanc & Rayna Theriot in a double cast role), Yun (Adele Hebert), Laozi

(Sarah Palmintier), Zhang (Kaylon Khamphilavong), and Hong (Jessica Vuong).

Performances at IPAL are supported in part by a grant from the Louisiana Division of the

Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation & Tourism, in

cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council. Funding has also been provided by the

National Endowment for the Arts, a Federal agency.