Friday, October 31, 2008
Theatre--Performance
This is the final weekend for the repertory presentations of Hedwig and the Angry Inch and The Rocky Horror Show at Cite Des Arts. Both shows will run tonight (Hedwig with its last performance at 8 pm and Rocky Horror at midnight) and Rocky Horror closes tomorrow night with an 8 pm performance.
Theatre--Performance
What began as an exercise in non-linear narrative writing is now a full-length play, currently being prepared for showing as this season’s final production at the Eunice Players’ Theatre. Providence, written by Cody Daigle of Scott, LA, infuses a present day storyline with flashbacks that reveal events occurring in the months leading up to the opening scenes of the play. Jody L. Powell, director of the play, assists the audience in shifting through time by lighting changes, set arrangement, and seamless scene changes.
The story begins and ends with two couples in an airport, with an individual from each couple on the verge of a new beginning. Their futures are uncertain as they take risks that may change their relationships with those closest to them. Unlike traditional plays where the first few scenes are used to set up the plot, this play delivers the main event early on, while the rest of the story has the characters living with the effects.
Having seen a reading of Providence, Powell knew it was a play she wanted to stage one day. “I’ve admired Cody’s work for years and am delighted to share his work with others. It’s a rare opportunity to direct a script written by someone with his talent from this area.” Daigle is pleased to see the play being produced by the Eunice institution. “It’s an honor that my work was chosen when there are so many other options,” he stated.
Daigle’s work is well written, with conversations between the characters so real and honest, that it was chosen by Maeutic TheatreWorks, an off-Broadway company in New York City, to be a part of their 2008 season. The show ran for a month in February and received positive reviews. Byrne Harrison of Stage Buzz Review called it a “a beautiful and touching work of art not to be missed”.
Laurie Lawson, critic for a theatre based website, noted the use of sophisticated and sharp humor to reveal the development of an unexpected, emerging friendship between two men. Their conversations are underscored by the meaning of “providence” as it becomes more than just a destination when the word is capitalized.
This marks the third play Daigle has had produced in New York City, including Life/Play at the International Fringe Festival in 2007, and The Last Night of the World in 2006. His works have also been produced in Lafayette over the past several years.
On the heels of the show’s New York success, Powell assembled a cast of experienced actors she knew would deliver the range of emotions these multi-faceted characters have to display. Andre Andrepont, Angelle Bellard, Gabe Ortego, and Bonnie Pitre fulfill their duties admirably following weeks of character exploration and development that will leave audiences pondering the similarities between the life experiences they share with the characters.
The show will open with a matinee on Sunday, November 2 at 2:00 p.m. Dinner theatre is scheduled for Monday, November 3 at 6:00 p.m. at Nick's on Second St., with the performance immediately following. Other performances dates include November 5, 6, and 8 at 7:00 p.m., and the play will close with a matinee performance on Sunday, November 9 at 2:00 p.m. Season ticket holders should call 866-856-3653 to make reservations. Individuals without season tickets can purchase tickets by calling Louis Wright's Store at 337-457-3330. Tickets are $10; dinner (steak, sides, dessert) plus ticket is $25. The theatre is located at 121 S. Second St. in Eunice.
The story begins and ends with two couples in an airport, with an individual from each couple on the verge of a new beginning. Their futures are uncertain as they take risks that may change their relationships with those closest to them. Unlike traditional plays where the first few scenes are used to set up the plot, this play delivers the main event early on, while the rest of the story has the characters living with the effects.
Having seen a reading of Providence, Powell knew it was a play she wanted to stage one day. “I’ve admired Cody’s work for years and am delighted to share his work with others. It’s a rare opportunity to direct a script written by someone with his talent from this area.” Daigle is pleased to see the play being produced by the Eunice institution. “It’s an honor that my work was chosen when there are so many other options,” he stated.
Daigle’s work is well written, with conversations between the characters so real and honest, that it was chosen by Maeutic TheatreWorks, an off-Broadway company in New York City, to be a part of their 2008 season. The show ran for a month in February and received positive reviews. Byrne Harrison of Stage Buzz Review called it a “a beautiful and touching work of art not to be missed”.
Laurie Lawson, critic for a theatre based website, noted the use of sophisticated and sharp humor to reveal the development of an unexpected, emerging friendship between two men. Their conversations are underscored by the meaning of “providence” as it becomes more than just a destination when the word is capitalized.
This marks the third play Daigle has had produced in New York City, including Life/Play at the International Fringe Festival in 2007, and The Last Night of the World in 2006. His works have also been produced in Lafayette over the past several years.
On the heels of the show’s New York success, Powell assembled a cast of experienced actors she knew would deliver the range of emotions these multi-faceted characters have to display. Andre Andrepont, Angelle Bellard, Gabe Ortego, and Bonnie Pitre fulfill their duties admirably following weeks of character exploration and development that will leave audiences pondering the similarities between the life experiences they share with the characters.
The show will open with a matinee on Sunday, November 2 at 2:00 p.m. Dinner theatre is scheduled for Monday, November 3 at 6:00 p.m. at Nick's on Second St., with the performance immediately following. Other performances dates include November 5, 6, and 8 at 7:00 p.m., and the play will close with a matinee performance on Sunday, November 9 at 2:00 p.m. Season ticket holders should call 866-856-3653 to make reservations. Individuals without season tickets can purchase tickets by calling Louis Wright's Store at 337-457-3330. Tickets are $10; dinner (steak, sides, dessert) plus ticket is $25. The theatre is located at 121 S. Second St. in Eunice.
Theatre--Performance
Bonnie Pitre and Gabe Ortego in Providence, an original work by Cody Daigle, which opens Sunday, November 2nd at the Eunice Players' theatre.
Andre Andrepont and Angelle Bellard in Providence.
Season ticket holders should call 866-856-3653 to make reservations. Those without season tickets can purchase individual tickets by calling Louis Wright's Store at 337-457-3330.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Theatre--Workshop
This is an announcement from Amy Waguespack and Acting Up!:
Most often, our community only experiences the final, polished performance on stage. We are rarely given the opportunity to take part in the rehearsal process. To see how work is developed. To witness the art of collaboration between different disciplines.
Acting Up! opens our process to the public process as we develop our new work entitled Play. Music. Heal. The project brings together actors, musicians, and writers in creating a contemporary story revolving around the potential for music to heal.
We invite you to join us on Monday, November 27th and experience the music and collaboration of Henry Gray and Acting Up!. All sessions are free to the public.
Acadiana Center for the Arts (AcA)
101 W. Vermilion St. in downtown Lafayette
6:00-7:45p.m.
For more information please contact
Paige Krause @ 337.309.4964 or actingupinacadiana@gmail.com
JOIN US FOR ANOTHER SESSION....
NOVEMBER 3 CHRIS COURVILLE
NOVEMBER 10 BERNARD PIERCE
NOVEMBER 17 CHRIS COURVILLE
DECEMBER 1 CHRIS COURVILLE
DECEMBER 8 CHRIS STAFFORD
Funded in part by Louisiana Division of the Arts and Acadiana Arts Council.
Most often, our community only experiences the final, polished performance on stage. We are rarely given the opportunity to take part in the rehearsal process. To see how work is developed. To witness the art of collaboration between different disciplines.
Acting Up! opens our process to the public process as we develop our new work entitled Play. Music. Heal. The project brings together actors, musicians, and writers in creating a contemporary story revolving around the potential for music to heal.
We invite you to join us on Monday, November 27th and experience the music and collaboration of Henry Gray and Acting Up!. All sessions are free to the public.
Acadiana Center for the Arts (AcA)
101 W. Vermilion St. in downtown Lafayette
6:00-7:45p.m.
For more information please contact
Paige Krause @ 337.309.4964 or actingupinacadiana@gmail.com
JOIN US FOR ANOTHER SESSION....
NOVEMBER 3 CHRIS COURVILLE
NOVEMBER 10 BERNARD PIERCE
NOVEMBER 17 CHRIS COURVILLE
DECEMBER 1 CHRIS COURVILLE
DECEMBER 8 CHRIS STAFFORD
Funded in part by Louisiana Division of the Arts and Acadiana Arts Council.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Theatre--Review (UL-Lafayette Performing Arts)
There’s lies, there’s damn lies, and then there’s statistics. Or so might say John Graunt, lead character in the UL-Lafayette Department of Performing Arts presentation, The Living. Written by Anthony Clarvoe about the Great Plague which enveloped London in 1665, and frequently using diaries, newspaper reports, or other original sources, the drama played to a full house on its opening night at the University’s Fletcher Hall. Fine acting, beautiful staging, and passionate direction by Department Chairman Nyalls Hartman made it a memorable evening.
The story deals with characters who were unable to escape from (or perhaps chose to remain in) London during that horrible period. It confronts all attending with a question - What would YOU do if 1000 people in your city died in a month, then in a week, then in a day, then in an hour? And who would you blame? Would it be yourself, the government structures, the government leaders, the economy, refugees, the medical establishment, health care policy, the church, or, indeed, God himself? With our own recent experiences of Hurricane Katrina, and more recently Hurricanes Gustav and Ike, it is a question all of us in Southwest Louisiana can understand. Strangely enough the story, about one of the most horrible events to confront the human race, is not about death but about life. And though there are parallels to much going on today (and that has gone on in history under every government, in every generation), it is fundamentally an affirmation of the human spirit. The ending, which I shan’t spoil for you, gives us Clarvoe’s take on the way it’s ‘spose to be.
Outstanding in a terrific cast is Clayton Shelvin as John Graunt, a statistician who has examined the Bills of Mortality to find causes of the epidemic. As he finds out (and who in the modern world of information over-kill and 24 hour news would not understand) the information is inaccurate, self serving and a gross underestimate. In small steps, he leads us through the mysteries of the 1665 plague and of human nature. Shelvin spoke directly to the audience much of the time in a narration of sorts, or perhaps a lecture, but he effectively became our friend and companion as we experienced the terror and fear which enveloped Londoner’s of the era. Shelvin was moving, sensitive, and portrayed John Graunt beautifully. Also outstanding was David Huynh, as Rev. Vincent, and Greta Trosclair in a haunting death scene.
The stage was arranged in three levels, one of which was the theater floor itself, which aided in bringing the impact of the action directly to the audience. Throughout the presentation, the characters never touched (who would), but yet they were acting in the virtual lap of the audience. We were drawn in; we recoiled. Lighting designer Travis Johnson provided evocative lighting which heightened the emotion, aided the story, and carried the action quickly from scene to scene. Costume designer Laura Brody’s work was superior.
Theatre in Acadiana is alive and well, and in the last few weeks it was easy for this reviewer to attend four presentations. UL is to be congratulated for assuming a leadership role in this important artistic area. Though not without controversy, this script was out of the ordinary and the cast was full of young people who were obviously inspired, taught, and growing in the hands of the faculty. The direction, technical work, and acting were top notch. Congratulations to Department Chairman Hartman and the UL administration and faculty for assuming your rightful role.
Interestingly, the final curtain call had fourteen players on stage. Yet the program only listed ten cast members. There’s lies, there’s damn lies, and then there’s statistics.
The show continues thru October 26 with a 7:30 curtain Thursday, Friday, and Saturday and a 2:00 matinee on Sunday. DON’T MISS IT!!!
---Donald Voorhies
The story deals with characters who were unable to escape from (or perhaps chose to remain in) London during that horrible period. It confronts all attending with a question - What would YOU do if 1000 people in your city died in a month, then in a week, then in a day, then in an hour? And who would you blame? Would it be yourself, the government structures, the government leaders, the economy, refugees, the medical establishment, health care policy, the church, or, indeed, God himself? With our own recent experiences of Hurricane Katrina, and more recently Hurricanes Gustav and Ike, it is a question all of us in Southwest Louisiana can understand. Strangely enough the story, about one of the most horrible events to confront the human race, is not about death but about life. And though there are parallels to much going on today (and that has gone on in history under every government, in every generation), it is fundamentally an affirmation of the human spirit. The ending, which I shan’t spoil for you, gives us Clarvoe’s take on the way it’s ‘spose to be.
Outstanding in a terrific cast is Clayton Shelvin as John Graunt, a statistician who has examined the Bills of Mortality to find causes of the epidemic. As he finds out (and who in the modern world of information over-kill and 24 hour news would not understand) the information is inaccurate, self serving and a gross underestimate. In small steps, he leads us through the mysteries of the 1665 plague and of human nature. Shelvin spoke directly to the audience much of the time in a narration of sorts, or perhaps a lecture, but he effectively became our friend and companion as we experienced the terror and fear which enveloped Londoner’s of the era. Shelvin was moving, sensitive, and portrayed John Graunt beautifully. Also outstanding was David Huynh, as Rev. Vincent, and Greta Trosclair in a haunting death scene.
The stage was arranged in three levels, one of which was the theater floor itself, which aided in bringing the impact of the action directly to the audience. Throughout the presentation, the characters never touched (who would), but yet they were acting in the virtual lap of the audience. We were drawn in; we recoiled. Lighting designer Travis Johnson provided evocative lighting which heightened the emotion, aided the story, and carried the action quickly from scene to scene. Costume designer Laura Brody’s work was superior.
Theatre in Acadiana is alive and well, and in the last few weeks it was easy for this reviewer to attend four presentations. UL is to be congratulated for assuming a leadership role in this important artistic area. Though not without controversy, this script was out of the ordinary and the cast was full of young people who were obviously inspired, taught, and growing in the hands of the faculty. The direction, technical work, and acting were top notch. Congratulations to Department Chairman Hartman and the UL administration and faculty for assuming your rightful role.
Interestingly, the final curtain call had fourteen players on stage. Yet the program only listed ten cast members. There’s lies, there’s damn lies, and then there’s statistics.
The show continues thru October 26 with a 7:30 curtain Thursday, Friday, and Saturday and a 2:00 matinee on Sunday. DON’T MISS IT!!!
---Donald Voorhies
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Theatre--Performance
The UL-Lafayette Department of Performing Arts will present Anthony Clarvoe's The Living opening on Wednesday, October 22 at 7:30 pm. The show will run Thursday, October 23th, Friday, October 24th and Saturday, October 25th at 7:30 pm and on Sunday the 26th at 2 pm.
Anthony Clarvoe writes in his preface to The Living, "The events that took place in London in 1665 have survived thanks to the extraordinary testimony left by Captain John Graunt, Dr. Nathaniel Hodges, Sir John Lawrence, Samuel Pepys, and the Reverend Dr. Thomas Vincent; and to a remarkable act of historical imagination, Daniel Defoe’s novel A Journal of the Plague Year. This script owes a handful of sentences, and its existence, to them." So, in fact, the characters of John Graunt, Mayor Lawrence, Rev. Vincent and, presumably, Dr. Harmon, were inspired by individuals who experienced the Great Plague of London firsthand.
Bites from a flea which had pastured on a black rat poisoned the human system so severely that the victim could expire within days, covered in sores called "buboes" or "plague tokens." Plague also took a pneumonic form which was transmitted by coughing or sneezing. Some folklorists contend that the symptoms - a rosy rash or sneezing (A-tchoo!) - along with the aromatic herbs people carried to ward off sickness, is the genesis of a popular children’s song. Its original form was
Ring a ring o’ roses
A pocket full of posies
A-tishoo
A-tishoo
We all fall down.
When plague burst into an epidemic in the summer of 1665, most scholars agree that there was gross underreporting in the weekly Bills of Mortality, caused by families fearful of retribution, and by parish clerks who conspired to prevent widespread panic. By mid-June, over a hundred plague deaths per week were announced in the bills, although the real numbers were much higher. The government’s remedy was to hire older women as "searchers of the dead" - if plague was found, the city quarantined the infected household, nailing shut the doors and posting watchmen to guard against flight. By early July, almost everyone who could afford to leave the capital did so. The King and his court, the Privy Council, families of means, and almost all clergy and physicians fled, leaving the general population to fend for themselves. Those who tried to leave the city after July found the people of the surrounding towns fiercely guarding the roads, turning back anyone from London. The dire lack of doctors and hospitals, coupled with the flight of the clergy, caused great hardship for those who were left behind. A few brave physicians stayed to tend the sick as best they could, wearing protective clothing and beaklike leather headpieces stuffed with herbs. Nonconformist clergymen - whose presence had been outlawed in the Restoration - returned to minister from vacated pulpits. Funerals were forbidden, thus burials took place at night in massive pits dug outside the city walls, attended by the few maverick preachers willing to provide services for mourners.
As is so often the case in human affairs, fear provoked desperation, despair, and the common response to flee. However, London’s Great Plague also saw many acts of uncommon courage and compassion. The Living chronicles an extraordinary effort to survive, not just as individuals, but as a society. Historical accounts are full of behavior that illuminates both the worst and best that human beings are capable of. England’s institutional response to this epidemic allows many interesting comparisons to crisis in our own times. And the response of the individuals in this play allows us to look into our own hearts--to consider how we will respond if those around us fall.
Anthony Clarvoe writes in his preface to The Living, "The events that took place in London in 1665 have survived thanks to the extraordinary testimony left by Captain John Graunt, Dr. Nathaniel Hodges, Sir John Lawrence, Samuel Pepys, and the Reverend Dr. Thomas Vincent; and to a remarkable act of historical imagination, Daniel Defoe’s novel A Journal of the Plague Year. This script owes a handful of sentences, and its existence, to them." So, in fact, the characters of John Graunt, Mayor Lawrence, Rev. Vincent and, presumably, Dr. Harmon, were inspired by individuals who experienced the Great Plague of London firsthand.
Bites from a flea which had pastured on a black rat poisoned the human system so severely that the victim could expire within days, covered in sores called "buboes" or "plague tokens." Plague also took a pneumonic form which was transmitted by coughing or sneezing. Some folklorists contend that the symptoms - a rosy rash or sneezing (A-tchoo!) - along with the aromatic herbs people carried to ward off sickness, is the genesis of a popular children’s song. Its original form was
Ring a ring o’ roses
A pocket full of posies
A-tishoo
A-tishoo
We all fall down.
When plague burst into an epidemic in the summer of 1665, most scholars agree that there was gross underreporting in the weekly Bills of Mortality, caused by families fearful of retribution, and by parish clerks who conspired to prevent widespread panic. By mid-June, over a hundred plague deaths per week were announced in the bills, although the real numbers were much higher. The government’s remedy was to hire older women as "searchers of the dead" - if plague was found, the city quarantined the infected household, nailing shut the doors and posting watchmen to guard against flight. By early July, almost everyone who could afford to leave the capital did so. The King and his court, the Privy Council, families of means, and almost all clergy and physicians fled, leaving the general population to fend for themselves. Those who tried to leave the city after July found the people of the surrounding towns fiercely guarding the roads, turning back anyone from London. The dire lack of doctors and hospitals, coupled with the flight of the clergy, caused great hardship for those who were left behind. A few brave physicians stayed to tend the sick as best they could, wearing protective clothing and beaklike leather headpieces stuffed with herbs. Nonconformist clergymen - whose presence had been outlawed in the Restoration - returned to minister from vacated pulpits. Funerals were forbidden, thus burials took place at night in massive pits dug outside the city walls, attended by the few maverick preachers willing to provide services for mourners.
As is so often the case in human affairs, fear provoked desperation, despair, and the common response to flee. However, London’s Great Plague also saw many acts of uncommon courage and compassion. The Living chronicles an extraordinary effort to survive, not just as individuals, but as a society. Historical accounts are full of behavior that illuminates both the worst and best that human beings are capable of. England’s institutional response to this epidemic allows many interesting comparisons to crisis in our own times. And the response of the individuals in this play allows us to look into our own hearts--to consider how we will respond if those around us fall.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Theatre--Performance
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Aquila Theatre Company, an internationally known theatre company, kicks off the next PASA in the Park with their presentation of The Comedy of Errors, a free outdoor performance offering from the Performing Arts of Society (PASA). This performance is set for 7 p.m. on Thursday, October 30 in Parc International in downtown Lafayette. Gates open at 6 p.m.
The evening event on October 30th is free and open to the public. Donations are accepted but not required. For more information about all upcoming Performing Arts Society of Acadiana presentations, visit www.pasa-online.org or call (337) 237-2787.
Theatre--Review (Teche theatre for the Performing Arts)
Franklin’s Teche Theater for the Performing Arts chose Tennessee Williams’ Cat on a Hot Tin Roof as its 2008-2009 season opener. According to cast-member Ed Verdin, “We always choose deep, challenging, thought-provoking dramas that showcase acting talent.” And this they did. Ably and passionately directed by Allison Jones, the classic came to life in the hands of a talented and dedicated cast. The drama takes place in one day, and involves the terminal diagnosis of Big Daddy, and the reactions of his wife, sons, and in-laws to the situation. Underlying the story are the concepts of truth, love and lust of various kinds.
Act I belongs to Maggie, and in this case LaDaisha Bowles was more than up to the challenges of the role. Seductive, determined, yet hurting, her sensitive performance let us know exactly who is the cat on the hot tin roof and that she wants to get off. With a near-perfect accent, catlike movements, and full of sexual tension she firmly established the sexuality inherent in the story. Brick, played by Ed “Tiger” Verdin was indeed confounded by the cat he shared his life with. His “Brick,” the alcoholic older son of Big Daddy, was well done. Never over-reacting, never showing spunk, despite the pleading of his wife, the taunts of his brother and sister-in-law and the “mendacity of life,” he finds his consolation and hiding place in the bottle. And therein lays his problem. Through Verdin’s performance we see Brick’s weakness and frustration.
Act II, of course, belongs to Big Daddy on a talking jag, as Brick comments. Foul-mouthed and irascible, as the patriarch of the family Big Daddy provides the philosophical underpinning of the plot. “Ignorance of mortality is a comfort,” he notes, but “A man can’t buy back his life, once his life is finished.” Larry Deslatte’s Big Daddy was aristocratic, feisty, powerful, and confident. He confessed to playing the southern gentleman, but admitted to being anything but. In his performance on-stage he smokes a cigar and the aroma filling the auditorium only added to the characterization. With a face like Burl Ives, but a smaller frame, he nonetheless filled the stage. High point in the entire drama was the confrontation between Big Daddy and Brick ending Act II. The dramatic intensity was overwhelming as Brick finally reveals the problem in his relationship with youthful friend Skipper. Bravo to Verdin and Deslatte for an exhilarating moment at the theater!
Act III finally brings the entire family together in the resolution of the story and the conflicts that have been built up. Big Mama, played by Denise Hodge, finally has her chance to show her stuff, and despite her world collapsing around her she does so with real spunk. She roars, she cries, but she goes on. Ricky Pellerin as Gooper and Erin Segura as Mae are perfectly matched as the frivolous, greedy, catty “younger sibling family.” And their children are … obnoxious. The fertile family provides the little “comic relief” in the story, and is to be commended for supporting, but not overwhelming, the efforts of the four central characters. The rest of the cast, Tyra Yarber (Rev Tooker) and Christian Glorioso (Dr. Baugh) and a staff of five servants admirably did the job of bringing the time, place, and family life to the stage.
The set designed by Tyra Yarber and constructed under master builder Brett Casselman was a wonder. We could feel we were in a plantation, where the rich and successful confronted real life. A slightly raked bed made the bedroom scenes easy to see and follow.
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof plays only four performances, and regrettably half are already over. Only Monday, October 20 and Tuesday, October 21 are left. The show is long (over 3 hours plus 2 intermissions), but if you are interested in serious theater, is well worth the trip. A big “Bravo” to director, cast, and organization for such an ambitious undertaking.
--Don Voorhies
Act I belongs to Maggie, and in this case LaDaisha Bowles was more than up to the challenges of the role. Seductive, determined, yet hurting, her sensitive performance let us know exactly who is the cat on the hot tin roof and that she wants to get off. With a near-perfect accent, catlike movements, and full of sexual tension she firmly established the sexuality inherent in the story. Brick, played by Ed “Tiger” Verdin was indeed confounded by the cat he shared his life with. His “Brick,” the alcoholic older son of Big Daddy, was well done. Never over-reacting, never showing spunk, despite the pleading of his wife, the taunts of his brother and sister-in-law and the “mendacity of life,” he finds his consolation and hiding place in the bottle. And therein lays his problem. Through Verdin’s performance we see Brick’s weakness and frustration.
Act II, of course, belongs to Big Daddy on a talking jag, as Brick comments. Foul-mouthed and irascible, as the patriarch of the family Big Daddy provides the philosophical underpinning of the plot. “Ignorance of mortality is a comfort,” he notes, but “A man can’t buy back his life, once his life is finished.” Larry Deslatte’s Big Daddy was aristocratic, feisty, powerful, and confident. He confessed to playing the southern gentleman, but admitted to being anything but. In his performance on-stage he smokes a cigar and the aroma filling the auditorium only added to the characterization. With a face like Burl Ives, but a smaller frame, he nonetheless filled the stage. High point in the entire drama was the confrontation between Big Daddy and Brick ending Act II. The dramatic intensity was overwhelming as Brick finally reveals the problem in his relationship with youthful friend Skipper. Bravo to Verdin and Deslatte for an exhilarating moment at the theater!
Act III finally brings the entire family together in the resolution of the story and the conflicts that have been built up. Big Mama, played by Denise Hodge, finally has her chance to show her stuff, and despite her world collapsing around her she does so with real spunk. She roars, she cries, but she goes on. Ricky Pellerin as Gooper and Erin Segura as Mae are perfectly matched as the frivolous, greedy, catty “younger sibling family.” And their children are … obnoxious. The fertile family provides the little “comic relief” in the story, and is to be commended for supporting, but not overwhelming, the efforts of the four central characters. The rest of the cast, Tyra Yarber (Rev Tooker) and Christian Glorioso (Dr. Baugh) and a staff of five servants admirably did the job of bringing the time, place, and family life to the stage.
The set designed by Tyra Yarber and constructed under master builder Brett Casselman was a wonder. We could feel we were in a plantation, where the rich and successful confronted real life. A slightly raked bed made the bedroom scenes easy to see and follow.
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof plays only four performances, and regrettably half are already over. Only Monday, October 20 and Tuesday, October 21 are left. The show is long (over 3 hours plus 2 intermissions), but if you are interested in serious theater, is well worth the trip. A big “Bravo” to director, cast, and organization for such an ambitious undertaking.
--Don Voorhies
Theatre--Review (Teche Theatre for the Performing Arts)
After watching the Pollitt family celebrate the patriarch's birthday in Tennessee Williams' classic Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, you will go home and clasp your own dysfunctional family to bosom with gratitude. Infidelity, homosexuality, alcoholism, chicanery and children in need of domestication--this play has it all spread out among a cast with names like Gooper, Sister-Woman, Brick and Maggie The Cat.
The plot basically consists of the struggle to inherit Big Daddy Pollitt's vast estate. Like all the best tycoons he has made no will and clearly favors one son over the other. It's people like this that keep Dear Abby in business. Well, Big Daddy has terminal cancer, his favorite son is a lush and probably gay. The other son is a responsible lawyer with a wife and five and a half children. Guess who isn't getting bupkis if Big Daddy DOES sign a will.
Brick is laid up in his room (at Daddy's house) with a broken ankle and no visible means of support. His sole comfort is a well-stocked liquor cabinet which insulates him from the demands of his frustrated wife, Maggie (the cat of the title). Maggie wants love, money and a child and all that stands in her way is a feckless husband who can't seem to get past the fact that Maggie tried to commit adultery with Brick's best friend Skipper. This resulted in Skipper telling Brick that he couldn't have sex with Maggie because she was the wrong half of the couple. Brick pitched a fit, Skipper died and Maggie spends all of Act One thinking over the wisdom of THAT plan.
Brick and Maggie's bedroom is Ground Zero for the rest of the family who traipse in and out without bothering to knock. This probably has an inhibiting effect on Brick's libido but it's not the worst of his problems. Eventually Maggie tells Big Daddy a big fib. She claims to be pregnant--by Brick--and ends the play by pouring out Brick's alcohol and propping him up in bed while she lays down the law.
This play is VERY tricky for a number of reasons. In the first place there really isn't ANYONE you would care to know personally. They range from annoying to repellent and the moral center of this universe is a drunk.
Second, the entire first act is a virtual monologue by Maggie as she has to enlist our sympathy while laying out the whole plot and psychoanalyzing every character who matters, living or dead. All this while putting on stockings and makeup with the aim of getting a rise out of her surly husband who barely speaks to her. That's pretty much the first act.
In the second act we find out, along with Brick, that Big Daddy has no problem with homosexuality. It worked for him and he sees no reason it shouldn't work for Brick. Big Daddy points out that Brick is his own worst enemy and Brick gives Big Daddy a bit of news in return. Big Daddy is going to die of cancer, sooner rather than later. Big Daddy takes it like a man--he has a tantrum.
In act three everyone concedes that nice guys finish last, though nobody in this play actually knows one. Still, the gloves come off and finally Maggie and Brick, who have prided themselves on honesty if nothing else (and they're right about that), connive in lying to the rest of the family about Maggie's pregnancy. Apparently, the thinking is that sex got them into this mess and sex can get them out of it again.
Despite a cast of thousands, the play is really a three-person drama. It rises and falls on Maggie, Big Daddy and Brick. Brick has the miserable job of being the reactor to everything that happens. He never initiates anything but his responses are vital to the performances of the other two. He needs to be able to hold our interest by saying and doing virtually nothing. Maggie has to hit notes other than sex and Big Daddy has to get past being a crude narcissist.
You can see a handsome production of this staple of the American Theatre at the Teche Theatre for the Performing Arts in Franklin on Monday and Tuesday, October 20 and 21, at 7:30.
The production, directed by Allison Jones, looks great and features some fine acting. Ladaisha Bowles is a commanding Maggie and Larry Deslatte Jr., a blustery Big Daddy. As Brick, Ed Verdin makes art of surly silence which is capable of abrupt explosions. Erin Segura is a pretty and sympathetic Mae and Ricky Pellerin makes you sympathize with Gooper. Denise Hodge is a "smother" for the ages as Big Mama. The no-neck monsters are little horrors and the guests and servants look appropriately uncomfortable at the shenanigans going on around them.
Put a little extra aside for the baby-sitter, though. The production runs over three hours. Language and thematic material make this a PG (PG-13?) evening.
---Walter Brown
The plot basically consists of the struggle to inherit Big Daddy Pollitt's vast estate. Like all the best tycoons he has made no will and clearly favors one son over the other. It's people like this that keep Dear Abby in business. Well, Big Daddy has terminal cancer, his favorite son is a lush and probably gay. The other son is a responsible lawyer with a wife and five and a half children. Guess who isn't getting bupkis if Big Daddy DOES sign a will.
Brick is laid up in his room (at Daddy's house) with a broken ankle and no visible means of support. His sole comfort is a well-stocked liquor cabinet which insulates him from the demands of his frustrated wife, Maggie (the cat of the title). Maggie wants love, money and a child and all that stands in her way is a feckless husband who can't seem to get past the fact that Maggie tried to commit adultery with Brick's best friend Skipper. This resulted in Skipper telling Brick that he couldn't have sex with Maggie because she was the wrong half of the couple. Brick pitched a fit, Skipper died and Maggie spends all of Act One thinking over the wisdom of THAT plan.
Brick and Maggie's bedroom is Ground Zero for the rest of the family who traipse in and out without bothering to knock. This probably has an inhibiting effect on Brick's libido but it's not the worst of his problems. Eventually Maggie tells Big Daddy a big fib. She claims to be pregnant--by Brick--and ends the play by pouring out Brick's alcohol and propping him up in bed while she lays down the law.
This play is VERY tricky for a number of reasons. In the first place there really isn't ANYONE you would care to know personally. They range from annoying to repellent and the moral center of this universe is a drunk.
Second, the entire first act is a virtual monologue by Maggie as she has to enlist our sympathy while laying out the whole plot and psychoanalyzing every character who matters, living or dead. All this while putting on stockings and makeup with the aim of getting a rise out of her surly husband who barely speaks to her. That's pretty much the first act.
In the second act we find out, along with Brick, that Big Daddy has no problem with homosexuality. It worked for him and he sees no reason it shouldn't work for Brick. Big Daddy points out that Brick is his own worst enemy and Brick gives Big Daddy a bit of news in return. Big Daddy is going to die of cancer, sooner rather than later. Big Daddy takes it like a man--he has a tantrum.
In act three everyone concedes that nice guys finish last, though nobody in this play actually knows one. Still, the gloves come off and finally Maggie and Brick, who have prided themselves on honesty if nothing else (and they're right about that), connive in lying to the rest of the family about Maggie's pregnancy. Apparently, the thinking is that sex got them into this mess and sex can get them out of it again.
Despite a cast of thousands, the play is really a three-person drama. It rises and falls on Maggie, Big Daddy and Brick. Brick has the miserable job of being the reactor to everything that happens. He never initiates anything but his responses are vital to the performances of the other two. He needs to be able to hold our interest by saying and doing virtually nothing. Maggie has to hit notes other than sex and Big Daddy has to get past being a crude narcissist.
You can see a handsome production of this staple of the American Theatre at the Teche Theatre for the Performing Arts in Franklin on Monday and Tuesday, October 20 and 21, at 7:30.
The production, directed by Allison Jones, looks great and features some fine acting. Ladaisha Bowles is a commanding Maggie and Larry Deslatte Jr., a blustery Big Daddy. As Brick, Ed Verdin makes art of surly silence which is capable of abrupt explosions. Erin Segura is a pretty and sympathetic Mae and Ricky Pellerin makes you sympathize with Gooper. Denise Hodge is a "smother" for the ages as Big Mama. The no-neck monsters are little horrors and the guests and servants look appropriately uncomfortable at the shenanigans going on around them.
Put a little extra aside for the baby-sitter, though. The production runs over three hours. Language and thematic material make this a PG (PG-13?) evening.
---Walter Brown
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Opera--Performance
The Acadiana Symphony Orchestra and the UL-Lafayette Opera Theatre have announced their joint production of The Marriage of Figaro. Dates for the performances are April 30th (7:30 pm), May 2nd (7:30 pm) and May 3rd (tentatively scheduled at 3 pm). The May 3rd production will feature the student cast. There will also be 2 performances for area schools on May 1st (at 9 am and 11 am). The opera will be performed in English and directed by Shawn Roy and conducted by Maiusz Smolij accompanied by the Acadiana Symphony Orchestra.
All performances will be at Angelle Hall's Ducrest-Gilchrist Auditorium on the UL-Lafayette campus. Tickets can be purchased from the Acadiana Syphony (412 Travis Street in the Oil Center).
All performances will be at Angelle Hall's Ducrest-Gilchrist Auditorium on the UL-Lafayette campus. Tickets can be purchased from the Acadiana Syphony (412 Travis Street in the Oil Center).
Theatre--Performances
This is from The Rocky Horror Show production team:
Remaining Hedwig performances (all at 8 pm): 10/23, 10/25, 10/31
Remaining Rocky Horror perforamnces:
10/18(TONIGHT!) at 8pm and Midnight
10/24 (8 pm and Midnight)
10/31 at Midnight (almost sold out)
and 11/1 at 8 pm
Reactions have been great...Audiences have been large
Come join the fun
Reserve your seats TODAY!
Remaining Hedwig performances (all at 8 pm): 10/23, 10/25, 10/31
Remaining Rocky Horror perforamnces:
10/18(TONIGHT!) at 8pm and Midnight
10/24 (8 pm and Midnight)
10/31 at Midnight (almost sold out)
and 11/1 at 8 pm
Reactions have been great...Audiences have been large
Come join the fun
Reserve your seats TODAY!
Friday, October 17, 2008
Theatre--Performance
The Evangeline Players are proud to present their Christmas show, It's A Wonderful Life. Based on the beloved classic starring James Stewart and Donna Reed, this adaptation by Doug Rand from the screenplay by Frances Goodrich, Albert Hackett, Frank Capra, and Jo Swerling, has kept all the magic of the original movie. George Bailey, played by Steven "Smitty" Smith, Jr., receives a wonderful gift: the ability to see what his life would have been like had he never been born, and the results are life-altering. All the rich characters are there: the loving wife Mary (Stephanie Judice), the congenial drunkard Uncle Billy (Milton Resweber), the despicable Mr. Potter (Bob Sidman), and the angel in training Clarence Oddbody (Vincent P. Barras). A cast of twenty actors under the direction of Vincent P. Barras brings this Frank Capra masterpiece to life. The cast includes Joyce Case, Kristyn Champagne, Ivy Fauntleroy, Isabelle and Peyton Florsheim, Kayla Heintz, Jacob and Justin Judice, Keith Laperouse, Sarah Leonard, Chris Parich, Will Perry, Jesse Schexnayder, Mac Stearns, Audrey Thibodeaux, and Dr. Daniel Wiltz.
The play opens at the DuChamp Opera House in St. Martinville on Friday November 7th and runs until Sunday November 23rd, with Friday and Saturday performances at 7:30 pm and Sunday matinees at 2:00 pm. Tickets are $10.00 per person and can be obtained by calling the DuChamp Opera House at 394-6604 or Shamrock Office Supply at 394-5574.
The play opens at the DuChamp Opera House in St. Martinville on Friday November 7th and runs until Sunday November 23rd, with Friday and Saturday performances at 7:30 pm and Sunday matinees at 2:00 pm. Tickets are $10.00 per person and can be obtained by calling the DuChamp Opera House at 394-6604 or Shamrock Office Supply at 394-5574.
Theatre--Review (UL-Lafayette Opera Theatre)
Ray Blum reviews the UL-Lafayette Opera Theatre production of Secrets Every Smart Traveler Should Know in the October 17th edition of the Daily Advertiser.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Theatre--Performance
Rehearsals are underway at the Eunice Players' Theatre for Providence, the final production of the season. This two-act play written by local playwright, Cody Daigle, was produced off-off-Broadway earlier this year and was deemed a critical success. Jody L. Powell, director of the show, is proud to announce an outstanding cast, composed of theater veterans and returning favorites.
The play involves Neil and Jo, a married couple undergoing stressful times, and Mark and Sara, two friends at a crossroads as one prepares to start a new phase of life at the other’s insistence. An unexpected life-changing event brings the two men together to form a new friendship based on shared emotions. The story is beautifully told through a blending of current events and personal flashbacks.
Playing the role of Neil is Andre Andrepont of Opelousas. Although Andre is most active at Opelousas Little Theatre, his most notable role having been Elwood P. Dowd in Harvey, he previously amused audiences on the EPT stage as Nick in Over the River and Through the Woods. Appearing as Jo, Angelle Bellard has recently been playing on various stages in Acadiana including Abbeville and Lafayette. Eunice audiences may remember her roles Cherie in Bus Stop and Nicki in The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940.
Joining the cast as Mark, Gabe Ortego is fast becoming a Eunice staple as he was cast earlier this year as Joe in The Last Night of Ballyhoo and last year as Motel in Fiddler on the Roof. Gabe has many credits from Opelousas Little Theatre, including director of Monky Business and The Last Five Years. Bonnie Pitre returns to the EPT stage as Sara, after having appeared in Woman and The Sound of Music, and running the lighting for If the Shoe Fits.
The show will open with a matinee on Sunday, November 2 at 2:00 p.m. Dinner theatre is scheduled for Monday, November 3 at 6:00 p.m. at Nick's on Second St., with the performance immediately following. Other performances dates include November 5, 6, and 8 at 7:00 p.m., and the play will close with a matinee performance on Sunday, November 9 at 2:00 p.m. Season ticket holders should call 866-856-3653 to make reservations. Individuals without season tickets can purchase tickets by calling Louis Wright's Store at 337-457-3330. Tickets are $10; dinner (steak, sides, dessert) plus ticket is $25. The theatre is located at 121 S. Second St. in Eunice.
The play involves Neil and Jo, a married couple undergoing stressful times, and Mark and Sara, two friends at a crossroads as one prepares to start a new phase of life at the other’s insistence. An unexpected life-changing event brings the two men together to form a new friendship based on shared emotions. The story is beautifully told through a blending of current events and personal flashbacks.
Playing the role of Neil is Andre Andrepont of Opelousas. Although Andre is most active at Opelousas Little Theatre, his most notable role having been Elwood P. Dowd in Harvey, he previously amused audiences on the EPT stage as Nick in Over the River and Through the Woods. Appearing as Jo, Angelle Bellard has recently been playing on various stages in Acadiana including Abbeville and Lafayette. Eunice audiences may remember her roles Cherie in Bus Stop and Nicki in The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940.
Joining the cast as Mark, Gabe Ortego is fast becoming a Eunice staple as he was cast earlier this year as Joe in The Last Night of Ballyhoo and last year as Motel in Fiddler on the Roof. Gabe has many credits from Opelousas Little Theatre, including director of Monky Business and The Last Five Years. Bonnie Pitre returns to the EPT stage as Sara, after having appeared in Woman and The Sound of Music, and running the lighting for If the Shoe Fits.
The show will open with a matinee on Sunday, November 2 at 2:00 p.m. Dinner theatre is scheduled for Monday, November 3 at 6:00 p.m. at Nick's on Second St., with the performance immediately following. Other performances dates include November 5, 6, and 8 at 7:00 p.m., and the play will close with a matinee performance on Sunday, November 9 at 2:00 p.m. Season ticket holders should call 866-856-3653 to make reservations. Individuals without season tickets can purchase tickets by calling Louis Wright's Store at 337-457-3330. Tickets are $10; dinner (steak, sides, dessert) plus ticket is $25. The theatre is located at 121 S. Second St. in Eunice.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Theatre--Performance
The Theatre League of Louisiana presents The Pajama Game at the Heymann Center on Wednesday, October 15th at 7:30 pm.
From Music Theatre International:
The dangers of a workplace romance are explored to hysterical effect in this romantic comedy from the creators of Damn Yankees. Conditions at the Sleep-Tite Pajama Factory are anything but peaceful, as sparks fly between new superintendent Sid Sorokin and Babe Williams, leader of the union grievance committee. Their stormy relationship comes to a head when the workers strike for a 7½-cent pay increase, setting off not only a conflict between management and labor, but a battle of the sexes as well.
Bright and brassy, this unconventional, fast-paced Broadway favorite is every bit the embodiment of legendary director George Abbott at his very best. The energetic score by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross is brimming with songs and dances, which have become popular and musical theatre standards (among them “Hey There,” “Steam Heat” and “Hernando’s Hideaway”) and features plenty of splashy, fun production numbers, including a comic “dream ballet.” For solid, classic musical comedy, it’s hard to beat The Pajama Game.
For more information, ccontact the Heymann Center.
From Music Theatre International:
The dangers of a workplace romance are explored to hysterical effect in this romantic comedy from the creators of Damn Yankees. Conditions at the Sleep-Tite Pajama Factory are anything but peaceful, as sparks fly between new superintendent Sid Sorokin and Babe Williams, leader of the union grievance committee. Their stormy relationship comes to a head when the workers strike for a 7½-cent pay increase, setting off not only a conflict between management and labor, but a battle of the sexes as well.
Bright and brassy, this unconventional, fast-paced Broadway favorite is every bit the embodiment of legendary director George Abbott at his very best. The energetic score by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross is brimming with songs and dances, which have become popular and musical theatre standards (among them “Hey There,” “Steam Heat” and “Hernando’s Hideaway”) and features plenty of splashy, fun production numbers, including a comic “dream ballet.” For solid, classic musical comedy, it’s hard to beat The Pajama Game.
For more information, ccontact the Heymann Center.
Theatre--Peformance
Aquila Theatre will perform the classic drama The Iliad in a daytime performance for junior high and high school students at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday October 29 at the Heymann Performing Arts Center. Admission for the student performance is $5 per person through advance registration with PASA. Interested principals and teachers can call the PASA office at (337) 237-2787 for more information.
Theatre--Master Class
On Wednesday, October 29, PASA and Acting Up!, the professional theater company at the Acadiana Center for the Arts (ACA), will host a master class with members of Aquila Theatre. The class will be held at the ACA from 4:30-6:30 p.m.
" This master class is a theatrical training opportunity for actors in our community to connect professionally with and learn from Aquila Theatre Company, a highly respected acting troupe known for staging original and innovative performances," says PASA Executive Director Jacqueline Lyle.
Company members from Aquila Theatre will teach an advanced physical theater master class that gives participant a chance to experience the requirements and discipline of working and performing in a physical theatre company. It focuses on ensemble acting and participants will explore the imaginative and physical resources that the company uses in order to create its own unique theatrical style.
The master class fee is $10 and, due to space limitations, registration in advance is required by calling (337) 233-7060.
For more information about all upcoming performance of Performing Arts Society of Acadiana, visit www.pasaonline.org or call the PASA office at (337) 237-2787
" This master class is a theatrical training opportunity for actors in our community to connect professionally with and learn from Aquila Theatre Company, a highly respected acting troupe known for staging original and innovative performances," says PASA Executive Director Jacqueline Lyle.
Company members from Aquila Theatre will teach an advanced physical theater master class that gives participant a chance to experience the requirements and discipline of working and performing in a physical theatre company. It focuses on ensemble acting and participants will explore the imaginative and physical resources that the company uses in order to create its own unique theatrical style.
The master class fee is $10 and, due to space limitations, registration in advance is required by calling (337) 233-7060.
For more information about all upcoming performance of Performing Arts Society of Acadiana, visit www.pasaonline.org or call the PASA office at (337) 237-2787
Theatre--Performance
Lafayette (La) Acadiana residents have the opportunity to experience a comedy classic and flex their acting skills when the Performing Arts Society of Acadiana (PASA) hosts a variety of community activities leading up to Aquila Theatre's performance of The Comedy of Errors on October 30, 2007 at 7:30 p.m.
Aquila Theatre headlines PASA's annual free performance at Parc International in downtown Lafayette on October 30th, 2008 at 7:30pm. PASA in the Park is an annual event sponsored this year by Lee Michaels Fine Jewelry, FM Bank, E Bell Designs and Centennial Wireless. This performance is also supported in part by grants from Southern Arts Federation, and the Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Culture, Recreation & Tourism, in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council, and additional grants as administered by the Acadiana Arts Council.
The first event is a community discussion led by ULL's Dr. Susan Nicassio at the Iberia Public Library main branch on Tuesday October 21 at 6:00 p.m. that will focus on The Comedy of Errors, a classic Shakespearean comedy that is considered by some to be a brilliantly encrypted message to a deeply divided Elizabethan England. Others consider it is a hilariously entertaining comedy written by one of literature's greatest dramatists.
Aquila Theatre returns to the Parc International stage exactly 3 years after they launched the very first PASA in the Parc. In 2005, PASA was set to present Aquila Theatre's Hamlet at the Heymann Performing Arts Center but due to the devastation of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the Heymann Center became unavailable due to the housing of storm evacuees.
After deciding to go forward with the performance, PASA decided to move the show to Parc International and was such a hit that PASAthe Park became an annual offering
The Comedy of Errors is one of Shakespeare's most well known comedies. The plot of the story involves two pairs of identical twins in the same household separated by a devastating shipwreck and a hilarious case of mistaken identity. But as the comedy unfolds, all is not what it seems.
The New York Times says: "No one who sees the rousing production by the excellent Aquila Theater Company will forget a whit of it."
The Aquila Theatre's imaginative production of Shakespeare's classic comedy is a "must-see" for newcomers to Shakespeare and current enthusiasts alike. The company has won international praise for their innovative presentations of classical drama and their unique staging of classical comedy. Aquila has also received prestigious international awards and high praise from audiences, critics and scholars. Some of their accomplishments include representing the National Endowment of the Arts at the White House and performing Shakespeare for the President and First Lady and, in the summer of 2007, making their Edinburgh Festival debut.
"This is a great night of fun for everyone come out and see theatre in best way possible at Parc International under the stars with family and friends," says PASA Executive Director Jacqueline Lyle, "The best part is that it is free so everyone will have the chance to experience a fantastic theatrical production."
In addition to the performance, audience goers are encouraged to dress in their favorite Halloween costume and compete for a variety of prizes, including tickets to upcoming PASA performances. The contest starts at 6:30 p.m. and costume categories include: most creative, scariest and cutest costume. This is an all ages contest and everyone is invited to participate.
Limited bleacher seating will be available and PASA in the Park-goers are encouraged to bring blankets or lawn chairs. Beverages and popcorn will be available for purchase and picnic dinners are welcome. However, no ice chests or pets are allowed.
The evening event on October 30th is free and open to the public. Donations are accepted but not required.
Aquila Theatre headlines PASA's annual free performance at Parc International in downtown Lafayette on October 30th, 2008 at 7:30pm. PASA in the Park is an annual event sponsored this year by Lee Michaels Fine Jewelry, FM Bank, E Bell Designs and Centennial Wireless. This performance is also supported in part by grants from Southern Arts Federation, and the Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Culture, Recreation & Tourism, in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council, and additional grants as administered by the Acadiana Arts Council.
The first event is a community discussion led by ULL's Dr. Susan Nicassio at the Iberia Public Library main branch on Tuesday October 21 at 6:00 p.m. that will focus on The Comedy of Errors, a classic Shakespearean comedy that is considered by some to be a brilliantly encrypted message to a deeply divided Elizabethan England. Others consider it is a hilariously entertaining comedy written by one of literature's greatest dramatists.
Aquila Theatre returns to the Parc International stage exactly 3 years after they launched the very first PASA in the Parc. In 2005, PASA was set to present Aquila Theatre's Hamlet at the Heymann Performing Arts Center but due to the devastation of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the Heymann Center became unavailable due to the housing of storm evacuees.
After deciding to go forward with the performance, PASA decided to move the show to Parc International and was such a hit that PASAthe Park became an annual offering
The Comedy of Errors is one of Shakespeare's most well known comedies. The plot of the story involves two pairs of identical twins in the same household separated by a devastating shipwreck and a hilarious case of mistaken identity. But as the comedy unfolds, all is not what it seems.
The New York Times says: "No one who sees the rousing production by the excellent Aquila Theater Company will forget a whit of it."
The Aquila Theatre's imaginative production of Shakespeare's classic comedy is a "must-see" for newcomers to Shakespeare and current enthusiasts alike. The company has won international praise for their innovative presentations of classical drama and their unique staging of classical comedy. Aquila has also received prestigious international awards and high praise from audiences, critics and scholars. Some of their accomplishments include representing the National Endowment of the Arts at the White House and performing Shakespeare for the President and First Lady and, in the summer of 2007, making their Edinburgh Festival debut.
"This is a great night of fun for everyone come out and see theatre in best way possible at Parc International under the stars with family and friends," says PASA Executive Director Jacqueline Lyle, "The best part is that it is free so everyone will have the chance to experience a fantastic theatrical production."
In addition to the performance, audience goers are encouraged to dress in their favorite Halloween costume and compete for a variety of prizes, including tickets to upcoming PASA performances. The contest starts at 6:30 p.m. and costume categories include: most creative, scariest and cutest costume. This is an all ages contest and everyone is invited to participate.
Limited bleacher seating will be available and PASA in the Park-goers are encouraged to bring blankets or lawn chairs. Beverages and popcorn will be available for purchase and picnic dinners are welcome. However, no ice chests or pets are allowed.
The evening event on October 30th is free and open to the public. Donations are accepted but not required.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Theatre--Contest
PASA is sponsoring a contest to choose a local performer in the 100 Years Of Broadway show. Winner will sing a solo part in the finale! Runners up will sing one chorus number with the stars of the 100 Years of Broadway Show at the Heymann Center on Thursday November 13,2008. All runners-up and winners will receive a pair of tickets, and a free show CD.
Audition Today!
To submit an audition: You must be 15 years of age or older. No purchase necessary. Winner must be available at the Heymann Performing Arts Center by 1 PM on the day of the performance for sound check and rehearsal. Entries recieve an automatic 15% discount on tickets to the show. You can upload your audition using MySpace, Facebook and YouTube.
MySpace: Submit a friend request to Singing With the Broadway Stars.
Facebook: Become a fan of Singing With the Broadway Stars.
YouTube: Add Singing With the Broadway Stars as a friend.
No video camera? No problem!
Acadiana Open Channel will video auditions and assist applicants with uploading the video to the contest website for free! Interested applicants should call AOC at (337) 232-4434 ext. 201 to schedule an appointment.
For more detailed information and how to submit your audition go to: www.singingwiththebroadwaystars.com.
Contest Ends: Friday, October 31 at 5 pm
Questions? Visit us online at www.pasaonline.org or call (337) 237-2787.
Audition Today!
To submit an audition: You must be 15 years of age or older. No purchase necessary. Winner must be available at the Heymann Performing Arts Center by 1 PM on the day of the performance for sound check and rehearsal. Entries recieve an automatic 15% discount on tickets to the show. You can upload your audition using MySpace, Facebook and YouTube.
MySpace: Submit a friend request to Singing With the Broadway Stars.
Facebook: Become a fan of Singing With the Broadway Stars.
YouTube: Add Singing With the Broadway Stars as a friend.
No video camera? No problem!
Acadiana Open Channel will video auditions and assist applicants with uploading the video to the contest website for free! Interested applicants should call AOC at (337) 232-4434 ext. 201 to schedule an appointment.
For more detailed information and how to submit your audition go to: www.singingwiththebroadwaystars.com.
Contest Ends: Friday, October 31 at 5 pm
Questions? Visit us online at www.pasaonline.org or call (337) 237-2787.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Theatre--Review (UL-Lafayette Opera Theatre)
Secrets Every Traveler Should Know is inspired by the Fodor travel guide of the same title. This revue, which ran for 900 performances on Broadway, is packed with useful information and suggestions. Uzbekistan is a place to get away from it all--from it ALL. You can have a hot time in Martinique. The William Morris Travel Agency will do for your travel plans what is has done for Paris Hilton's career plans. Dark pleasures and heartaches await those intrepid enough to actually wait for the next operator.
Originally performed with only four actors and a small combo, this production has expanded the cast to 14 singers and dancers accompanied by a piano and bass. This presents no problems and creates the opportunity to see an additional ten talented young people on the stage. Although not all of the performers are Vocal Arts majors, all of them have experience singing and dancing on stage. It shows. The clever lyrics are clearly enunciated and the dances are fun to watch. There is even an audience participation line dance taught by the cast at the end of the intermission!
A revue is just a collection of skits, songs and dances, usually humorous and satirical. Secrets is genuinely funny and the cast has a wonderful time presenting the material. It would be hard to pick a favorite performer although Jared LeBlanc has "star" written all over him. Martha and Ruth Diaz and Jenee Luquette are perfect as Barbie Doll stewardesses. Sasha Massey is a torch-singing Carol Burnett. Nick Manzo brought the house down with a rubber glove. Kristina Marshall can dominate a stage just standing there--although she does considerably more than that in a Carmen-Miranda getup backed by a male chorus right out of Vegas. Lindy Waldmeier is a martini-swilling beauty on a cruise to ennui with Brandon Breaux who may be the incarnation of Noel Coward's id. Evan Melancon can milk an audience sleeping in a chair! Nathan Abbot brings Rat Pack savoir-faire to a scene about what we leave behind when we leave home. Kevin Credeur looks like Ratso Rizzo as he sweats through customs. Alex Hollerman is a hoot as a small-town girl with a big city heartache who has a bus ticket and isn't afraid to use it. Stacy Broussard shows us why Star Search will never go out of fashion.
The whole cast just sparkles playing a variety of characters in the thirty or so songs and skits. Music Director/Pianist Marcus McCullough gets some great lines in a salute to the Salzburg Mozart Festival. Marcus is worth watching anyway. This man lives his music. He also has the best musical joke in the show as he tries to extricate himself from the last few bars of a Mozart concerto. Robert Nash, on bass, has some great expressions.
The costumes are witty, especially the stewardess outfits and the costume for NAKED IN PITTSBURGH which was a clear audience favorite. HOT LAVA puts the emphasis on HOT. I have to say it was my favorite number for staging, costume, performance and all-round pizzazz. But really, any number would be someone's favorite and they all deserve it. Check out Ruth Diaz and Evan Melancon in orthotic devices singing and dancing like Astaire and Rogers--in body casts. What's not to love?
Small pieces moving on and off the stage combined with a clever backdrop let the show move along smoothly and quickly and supply all the visual reference we need. Sound and lights are smooth.
You could see a production of this show that spent more money, but you won't see a better production.
Smart Traveler Secret # 100--This show is about to close. Catch it tonight. Secret #101--Director Shawn Roy is a local treasure. Tell him so.
Secret #120--The acoustics in the room are fine unless you sit right next to the piano, as I did. Leave a little space so that you can hear the singers better. The show is not amplified so the singers have to hold their own with the musicians. They can and do, but they're more successful when they are closer to the audience than the musicians are.
---Walter Brown
Originally performed with only four actors and a small combo, this production has expanded the cast to 14 singers and dancers accompanied by a piano and bass. This presents no problems and creates the opportunity to see an additional ten talented young people on the stage. Although not all of the performers are Vocal Arts majors, all of them have experience singing and dancing on stage. It shows. The clever lyrics are clearly enunciated and the dances are fun to watch. There is even an audience participation line dance taught by the cast at the end of the intermission!
A revue is just a collection of skits, songs and dances, usually humorous and satirical. Secrets is genuinely funny and the cast has a wonderful time presenting the material. It would be hard to pick a favorite performer although Jared LeBlanc has "star" written all over him. Martha and Ruth Diaz and Jenee Luquette are perfect as Barbie Doll stewardesses. Sasha Massey is a torch-singing Carol Burnett. Nick Manzo brought the house down with a rubber glove. Kristina Marshall can dominate a stage just standing there--although she does considerably more than that in a Carmen-Miranda getup backed by a male chorus right out of Vegas. Lindy Waldmeier is a martini-swilling beauty on a cruise to ennui with Brandon Breaux who may be the incarnation of Noel Coward's id. Evan Melancon can milk an audience sleeping in a chair! Nathan Abbot brings Rat Pack savoir-faire to a scene about what we leave behind when we leave home. Kevin Credeur looks like Ratso Rizzo as he sweats through customs. Alex Hollerman is a hoot as a small-town girl with a big city heartache who has a bus ticket and isn't afraid to use it. Stacy Broussard shows us why Star Search will never go out of fashion.
The whole cast just sparkles playing a variety of characters in the thirty or so songs and skits. Music Director/Pianist Marcus McCullough gets some great lines in a salute to the Salzburg Mozart Festival. Marcus is worth watching anyway. This man lives his music. He also has the best musical joke in the show as he tries to extricate himself from the last few bars of a Mozart concerto. Robert Nash, on bass, has some great expressions.
The costumes are witty, especially the stewardess outfits and the costume for NAKED IN PITTSBURGH which was a clear audience favorite. HOT LAVA puts the emphasis on HOT. I have to say it was my favorite number for staging, costume, performance and all-round pizzazz. But really, any number would be someone's favorite and they all deserve it. Check out Ruth Diaz and Evan Melancon in orthotic devices singing and dancing like Astaire and Rogers--in body casts. What's not to love?
Small pieces moving on and off the stage combined with a clever backdrop let the show move along smoothly and quickly and supply all the visual reference we need. Sound and lights are smooth.
You could see a production of this show that spent more money, but you won't see a better production.
Smart Traveler Secret # 100--This show is about to close. Catch it tonight. Secret #101--Director Shawn Roy is a local treasure. Tell him so.
Secret #120--The acoustics in the room are fine unless you sit right next to the piano, as I did. Leave a little space so that you can hear the singers better. The show is not amplified so the singers have to hold their own with the musicians. They can and do, but they're more successful when they are closer to the audience than the musicians are.
---Walter Brown
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