 Clue @ Jefferson Performing Arts
Review by Aura Bishop On Thursday, Jefferson Performing Arts opened their new season at the Westwego Performing Arts Theatre with a production of Clue - the hit play based off of the cult-classic movie based off of the beloved mystery board game. Clue tells the story of six unscrupulous Washington DC socialites, a maid, a butler, a cook, and the convoluted blackmail plot that brings them altogether at a spooky mansion on a dark and stormy night. Each of the characters represents a player in the game, and just like the game, we follow along trying to determine who murdered who and which weapons were used to commit the deed. This crowd-pleaser has something for everyone. It’s a great introduction to the world of Clue, while fans of the movie and game will love the familiar references. Much like the beloved motion picture, Clue the play is full of witty quips, clever word-play, and slapstick physical comedy from start to finish, making it a quick-moving show that keeps the audience constantly engaged. Director Jack Lampert adeptly moves our players throughout the “game” via an impressive set of constantly-moving pieces, representing the large mansion and its hidden passageways, designed by Olivia Winter. The entire cast brings a delightfully high-energy performance. Listen for a well-known local cameo early in the show. The Westwego Performing Arts Theater is smaller than JPA’s East Bank counterpart, but well-designed with comfortable seats and a mid-sized stage that allows for a variety of performances. This was my first time attending a show at this location. My friend and I found it well worth the small adventure over the Huey P. Long Bridge. I will definitely be back in the future to explore Westwego’s cultural district a little further. Performances of Clue run through October 13th. Click here for ticketing and further information
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 The James Beard Foundation’s Taste America event is a nationwide initiative to bring together chefs, special guests, and diners from across the country to celebrate the local independent restaurants at the heart of our communities.
The walk-around tasting at The Sazerac House this Thursday Oct 10th will be an exciting gathering of chefs from the New Orleans culinary community, with food stations being hosted by TasteTwenty chef Serigne Mbaye of Dakar NOLA (pictured), along with several other high-profile New Orleans chefs. Each chef’s offering will reflect their signature style and highlight the uniqueness of their restaurant. The tasting will also have beverage stations and other activations. Click here to reserve your spot and see the full menu and participating chefs  This October, Osteria Lupo invites guests to immerse themselves in all things Italian by honoring National Italian-American Heritage Month, and sharing the flavors and traditions of Northern Italy.
Chef/Owner Brian Burns and Chef de Cuisine Evan Churchill have curated a flavorsome four-course, family-style tasting menu for $65 per person (excluding tax, gratuity, and beverages; full table participation required). The tasting menu highlights some of Osteria Lupo’s popular antipasti, pasta, pizze (pizza), desserts, and new menu items. Dishes, which rotate regularly, might include options like Spicy Rigatoni alla Vodka with crispy garlic and Calabrian chili; Burrata con Panna with arugula pesto, walnut, and aged balsamic; 24-month Prosciutto di San Danielle with fior di latte and basil; and Wood Fired Zucchini with lemon ricotta and pepitas. Guests can also indulge in the Italian-inspired wine and cocktail program, curated by co-owner Reno De Ranieri. Aperitivi options include BlackManhattan featuring Rittenhouse 100 Rye, Averna Amaro, Bittercube orange, and Angostura; Negroni Bianco made with Citadelle Gin, Salers Gentiane, Rothman & Winter apricot, and grapefruit; and L'Orizzonte with Citadelle Gin, Cocchi Americano, lemon, mint, and blackberry. Osteria Lupo is located at 4609 Magazine Street. For additional information, please visit www.osterialupo.com. To reserve a table, book on Resy. NOCCA Foundation's "Home for the Holidays" ft. Irma Thomas, Rebirth, Kermit Ruffins and more!10/9/2024
 The NOCCA Foundation, The Times-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate, and the family of Daniel Price are thrilled to announce the 20th Anniversary Celebration of “Home for the Holidays” on Saturday, December 21 at House of Blues New Orleans (225 Decatur Street). This year’s star-studded music lineup features Irma Thomas, Rebirth Brass Band, Kermit Ruffins, John Boutte, DJ Raj Smoove, Flagboy Giz and Emcee Gralen Banks. Tickets for the event (starting at $79.50, including taxes/ticketing fees) are now available to purchase at www.NOCCAFoundation.org/holiday.
Proceeds from the event will support the NOCCA Foundation's Daniel Price Memorial Fund for Aspiring Artists, which honors the memory of NOCCA alum Daniel Price (Visual Arts, 1993) with scholarships for NOCCA students. To date, Home for the Holidays and the Daniel Price Fund have raised over $500,000 for NOCCA and its students.  King Brasserie & Bar, the modern French brasserie located at Kimpton Hotel Fontenot, rounds out its 2024 culinary tour of the Côte d’Azur region with a fall tasting menu highlighting Marseille, the oldest city in France. Beginning October 1st and running through the end of December, King Brasserie’s Tour d’Azur: Marseille will showcase the intersections of flavor and ingredients that join these two amazing culinary melting pot cities.
Executive Chef Samuel Peery and Pastry Chef Lanna Talley have curated a menu that celebrates local ingredients and brings the flavors of New Orleans and French cuisine to the table. The distinctive tasting menu, a feast for the senses, offers three courses, each with a tantalizing array of options and an optional wine pairing, promising a culinary adventure like no other. First Course Roasted Delicata Squash with quinoa, spiced tahini, pomegranate and orange blossom Or, Gulf Seafood Gumbo with crispy oyster and Louisiana rice Second Course Gulf Fish with Moroccan couscous pilaf, pine nut, and preserved lemon Or, Bouillabaisse with potato, fennel, saffron, and rouille crostini Third Course Paris-Brest with banana praline and Bergeron pecan mousse Or, Orange Blossom Madeleines with chocolate ganache, marmalade, and brown sugar-cinnamon gelato For more information and to place a reservation, head to kingbrasserieandbar.com  A calendar of upcoming programs and events organized by the New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA):
Wednesday, October 9, 5–7 pm: Creative Writing Poetry Showcase with Creative Assembly Artist Daniel Fitzpatrick Celebrate the power of words during a poetry showcase hosted by Creative Assembly Cohort member Daniel Fitzpatrick. https://noma.org/event/creative-writing-showcase-daniel-fitzpatrick/ Monday, October 14, 9 am–6 pm: Member Sale at the NOMA Museum Shop The NOMA Museum Shop hosts its annual member sale to kick off the holiday shopping season. https://noma.org/event/member-sale-2024/ Thursday, October 17, 12–1 pm: Book Club Discussion on Glass: Sand, Ash, Heat NOMA’s book club meets monthly to discuss fiction and non-fiction books related to art in the museum’s collection and exhibitions. This month’s selection is the catalogue Glass: Sand, Ash, Heat which features contributions from scholars across disciplines looking at the history of glass. https://noma.org/event/book-club-october-2024/ Sunday, October 20, 2 pm: Created to Create with Creative Assembly Artist Simone Immanuel (In-Person and Virtual) A talk show hosted by NOMA Creative Assembly artist Simone Immanuel, Created to Create is designed to foster honest conversations about creativity with local Black artists in New Orleans. Free and open to the public. A livestream option will also be available. Wednesday, October 23, 6 pm: Elders Sacred Talk Series Each program in the Elders Sacred Talk Series, produced in partnership with the Congo Square Preservation Society, spotlights prolific elder New Orleanians, celebrating the lives they lead while providing the opportunity for visitors to learn firsthand about the impact they’ve had on our city. Saturday, October 26, 10 am–4 pm: Japan Fest (pictured) Celebrate Japanese culture through art, performances, food, and more at Japan Fest, organized by NOMA, the Japan Club in New Orleans, and the Consulate General of Japan in Nashville. Sample Japanese cuisine, enjoy traditional dance groups, martial arts demonstrations, and tours throughout the day. https://noma.org/event/japan-fest-2024/  Double Jeopardy: Murder for Two @ Le Petit Theatre
Review by Todd Perley In the mood for a cozy mystery this October? A ‘cozy’ being, of course, that most wonderful sub-genre of mysteries where the players are isolated, and the action focuses on the characters (all of whom are suspects), and not the grisly fact of murder itself, as presented by Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Angela Lansbury in “Murder She Wrote,” et al. In a genre that leans heavily on a twist, “Murder for Two” delivers a little extra twist right at the top: there are only two actors in this ensemble piece. How is that possible? Max Dovale plays detective-wannabe Marcus Moscowicz with joyful, naïve vim and high hopes of getting that big promotion. And Mark Schenfisch plays…well, everyone else. That’s twelve more characters. The first mystery I wanted solved, reading the program before the play, was how they were going to pull this off. It’s a surprise birthday party for famous novelist and family patriarch Arthur Whitney, and his surprise is delivered (with overkill) by being shot in the head. The detective assigned to the case is an hour away, but local cop Marcus and his silent (translation: non-existent) sidekick Lou are nearby, and they jump at the opportunity to do some sleuthing. Schenfisch switches between his multitudinous characters with a feverish frenzy, quickly adjusting his hat or grabbing this or that accessory to denote who he is at any given moment, and changing his voice and accent to delineate between the suspects. This framework might turn out to be an incoherent mess, but with the energy, skill, and physicality of classic Robin Williams, we always know who Schenfisch is. You’d need an ace actor to make this work, and they found one. Add to the list of duties for both actors that they must sing and play piano, and I can imagine this would be a casting nightmare to check all those boxes. Being a pianist myself, I was especially giddy with the music, played by one, the other, or both actors at once, often veering into Victor Borge or Marx Brothers territory with their pianistic pranks. The setup of one actor playing all but one of the roles doesn’t get tired. On the contrary, the pacing of the whole piece increases steadily, reaching a crescendo of jaw-dropping energy by the end. I often thought Schenfisch’s rapid character changes mimicked a J. S. Bach fugue, voices intertwining like ivy, but not even Bach wrote a fugue for twelve voices. Local theater veteran Ricky Graham directs this complicated, hilarious opus flawlessly, as I suspected he might, knowing his work as well as I do. Ricky always surpasses your expectations no matter what he puts his hand to. If I started this play wondering how are they going to pull this off, I left the theater befuddled in a different way, thinking, how DID they pull that off? Did I just see what I thought I saw? Fourteen roles plays by two actors and a ghost, and somehow it all made sense? Howdunnit? Murder for Two is killing it at Le Petit Theater through October 20th. Click here for ticketing and further information  Dead Before Dawn @ The Midtown Hotel
Review by Dorian Hatchett I would like to note that the competing scents of chlorine and fake blood makes for a hell of a mood. Add in a headless aerialist, a couple of boomsticks, human pony players, some extremely well choreographed water ballet demons, and an unlabeled splash zone, and you’ve got a night you’re not going to forget for a while. Or at least until some deadites eat your brains. New Orleans is a tiny city with a vast appreciation of the weird. We love a pop culture mashup or a nerdy in-joke, and we’re just as likely to attend a science fiction burlesque show as the symphony. Aquamob describes itself as “New Orleans Premiere Community Dystopian Horror Water Ballet Troupe” and while that tagline might seem incredibly specific, they keep serving brilliant, hilarious shows that never fail to delight. Their previous production Carrie: Blood in the Water earned them a nod at the Ambush Magazine’s Gay Appreciation awards Critics Choice Nomination. Drowned Before Dawn: An Evil Dead Water Ballet brings you Evil Dead in a way you've never seen before. Featuring a large cast with even bigger stage presence, Ash Williams (William Hudson) was the perfect mix of bloodthirsty bravado and abject terror. Annie Knowby (Lizzy Collins) is a badass who is not putting up with Ash’s machismo in any way. The two of them must battle a legion of demons to save the world. A live band (Bomb Pulse) was an excellent counterpoint to the sound system chainsaw effects. The Midtown Hotel (3900 Tulane Avenue) probably pays a fortune to whoever maintains its pool filters, but it’s worth every penny. In a word: groovy. I’ll definitely be in the audience at the next one, and you should be, too. Dead Before Dawn, An Evil Dead Water Ballet runs at the Midtown Hotel through October 12th. Click here fir tickets and further information  Vanity Fare: Megalopolis
Review by Jeff DeRouen If aging auteurs want to spend enormous amounts of their own money on an insane magnum opus knowing full well it’ll probably flop (although Kevin Costner has recently elaborated on why preliminary box office is a flawed indicator of a film’s long-term success), I am here for it. Francis Ford Coppola’s new epic, Megalopolis, is a bold and uplifting tale that, without all the boobs and blood, could be a new classic we see play every year on NBC at Christmas. The movie follows Cesar (Adam Driver in a fully committed and over the top performance), an eccentric builder who wants to use his magical building material to create a more progressive world to benefit generations. Standing in his way, of course, are folks who have their own designs and desires for power, including Aubrey Plaza who absolutely devours the screen as the scheming and sexy Wow Platinum. Megalopolis, for better or worse, is EXACTLY the movie Coppola wanted to make and any “mistake” you see is an intentional choice from one of history’s greatest filmmakers. Is it on the nose? YES. Is it enormously stylistic in both aesthetic and performance? UNBELIEVABLY SO. Does it wear its heart on its sleeve? YOU BETCHA. And all of it culminates in what can only be described as Coppola’s attempt to inject a giant vision and hope into a society that runs on anger, division, and short-term solutions. I think it’s a masterpiece.  W New Orleans – French Quarter presents Bad Snacks (pictured), the LA-based producer and multi-instrumentalist known for creating violin-infused, genre-bending electronic music. Rich with loft and dance influences, her catalog boasts an expansive landscape featuring lush strings, driving basslines and hard-hitting grooves, supported by Producer and DJ Modern Lover.
WHERE: W New Orleans - French Quarter, 316 Chartres Street WHEN: Friday, October 18, 2024 @ 6:30 PM VIP and GA Tix Available: https://ra.co/events/1987907 |
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