Theatre--Review

The show must go on! And it did. Despite the efforts of Gustav and Ike, September 11th saw the delayed premier of two original one-act plays by Austin Sonnier, Jr. Directed by Maureen Brennan, and presented at Cite’ des Arts, the opening night audience witnessed Heads and Tales and Greasy Spoon, two atmospheric and humorous one-act plays written by local musician, author, and playwright. Though a native of Lafayette, Sonnier’s mother is from New Orleans and he is obviously deeply attached to the (once and future) great city. It showed in these two idylls to life in very different parts of that city.

Sonnier’s Heads and Tales is a ghost story of sorts. It is very much in the spirit of stories I heard from older relatives I once visited in New Orleans –stories about Marie Laveau and voodoo, about Delphine LaLaurie and her haunted house, about the door at the top of the stairs in my aunt’s house that I had better not open. Heads and Tales deals with a house on St. Charles Avenue haunted by none other than the devil himself. Presented largely in a narrative expository style, the story involves activities in the house over a hundred year period. As one of the characters says, in this house “If it ain’t strange, it ain’t normal.” Brennan’s direction was quite restrained allowing the Sonnier’s words and story itself to draw the audience into the goings-on. Of particular note was Sheryl Ned, who as the Speaker, interacted with the audience in a series of extensive monologues. The middle of these had the audience applauding her bravado presentation. Jack Sorenson played three characters (Sam/Devil/David) yet successfully delineated each of them.

Sonnier’s The Greasy Spoon tells the story of a very different place … a 9th Ward eatery now reopened since Katrina. In a plot reminiscent of Nunsense, Uncle Roland has died and is stored in the freezer with the chicken and sausage…and needs to be buried. Employees and relatives of the Café’s owner (played wonderfully by Paul Batiste) scheme ways to do so via a plot in “The Jefferson’s Meet Lucy” mode. Here, Brennan’s direction is much more flamboyant and the audience responded by laughing throughout. Erika Fox, as “Sonny,” delivered a great torch song as part of the show adding to everyone’s enjoyment, and Patricia Cravins as “Whale Tail” Watson really caught the spirit, voice, and character of N’awlns. But to me stealing the show was Joshua Broussard, as James “Honeyboy” Smith, restaurant cook and schemer extraordinaire. His characterization was right on, from voice to movements to attitude. His stage “business” … eating out of a plate, searching for a cigarette, charming Sonny Jones … was amazing and always added dimension to his character.

Of course, a word about the set (by Duncan Thistlethwaite). I went to the lobby at intermission and upon returning could hardly believe it was the same theater! It took a while to realize that the black flats were the same, but a whole new world had been created. With but simple furniture everything was different, but the same.

This was New Orleans, after all.
---Donald "Doc" Voorhies