Need some last minute costume pieces or some last minute party plans? Here’s a selection of happenings over the next few days! 

Mardi Gras Market At The Chloe
February 10th-19th
The Chloe
A Mardi Gras worst nightmare is getting caught on the parade route without a sparkle in sight. Consider us an extension of your costume closet, ready to be raided and full of treasures from your favorite (or soon-to-be favorite) local makers. From headpieces to tricked-out fanny packs, we’ve got you covered. More info

37th Annual Mardi Gras Mask Market 
February 17th-20th
Dutch Alley
Join the 37th annual Mardi Gras Mask and Costume Market. Mask makers from all over converge on Dutch Alley to display their creations. Many mask makers have 20+ years experience. Costume design/accessories will be added this year. More info

Mardi Gras 2023 Balcony Tickets
February 17th
NOLA Cookery
Why just watch the parades when you can get a front row seat to all the action? More info

Beads & Bubbly: Rooftop Mardi Gras Kick-Off
February 17th
Virgin Hotel
Open bar featuring Veuve Clicquot & Casamigos cocktails, food, & entertainment from 2-6pm on the rooftop, steps from the parade route. More info

Boozy Bounce @ Mardi Gras
February 18th
We're taking over Culture Park NOLA with DJ Jordan Rock + DJ Jash Jay + DJ Fally Fal + DJ Zues + DJ Legatron Prime on the beats! Hookah available for purchase! Food trucks onsite! After Endymion, gather your krewe and meet us at Culture Park! More info

Black and Boujee during Mardi Gras
February 18th
Ciao Tapas Bar & Lounge
Always Black... sometimes boujee! Get your all black outfit ready!  More info

Mardi Gras: SHAKEDOWN
February 19th
The Hangar
Special Performances from TREETY, SUBTWEET SHAWN, FRESHXRECKLESS, & ZAIRE! More info

Mardi Gras Hangover Shutdown Party
February 19th
QRU Hookah Lounge & Bar 
Quality Vibes With Great Price Drinks. More info

BACCHUS BASH 2023
February 19th
Generations Hall / The Metropolitan
Mardi Gras' biggest block party with BAG OF DONUTS , Mannie Fresh, BUCKTOWN ALL-STARS, the TOPCATS, Category 6, & more! More info

Copper Vine Mardi Gras Day brunch and Zulu viewing party
February 21st
Balcony access to watch Zulu with unlimited Bloody Mary’s and Mimosas and a full brunch buffet featuring chicken and boudin gumbo, Roasted beet and citrus salad, mini ham and gruyere quiches, caviar deviled eggs, pain perdu, beignets, smoked salmon board and more! Tickets are available to purchase now on the Copper Vine Website.

Assorted further highlights/offers: 
Thoth Sunday at Saba: Thoth is back uptown on Sunday, February 19 and there’s no better place to watch than Saba’s patio (reservations HERE). There will be an outdoor bar for grab-and-go borekas and large-format cocktails.
Bacchus Sunday at Coquette: In the spirit of the Greek god of wine, Coquette will celebrate Bacchus on February 19 with bountiful wine specials alongside their legendary fried chicken. Perfect for refueling between parades. Reservations (12-5pm) HERE.
Mardi Gras cocktails at Josephine Estelle, Lovage, and Alto: All season long, drink your Mardi Gras superpowers with the Immune (carrots, ginger, cayenne, vodka) and Energy (beet, orange, lemon, tequila). Available at Josephine Estelle (dine-in, to-go) and Lovage (to-go). On the rooftop, Alto has a King Cake Frozen Cocktail with rum, amaretto, vanilla, banana, cinnamon, coconut, and lemon.
Mardi Gras staycation at the Ace: For all bookings until March 1, guests can use code BEADS at checkout for 20% off their stay. Good for stays through March.

Living

It’s not such an original premise: a man who has played it safe for his whole life receives a terminal prognosis and changes his outlook. In many ways, too, this is a dramatic mirror image of the gentle comedy Mrs Harris Goes to Paris. It’s set in a similar world, with faceless bureaucracy to be stood up to by someone with nothing to lose, repressive British manners to be overcome and fairly low stakes in the scheme of things.  

The central performance by Bill Nighy, though, elevates Living from straightforward schlock. Living is a remake (with a screenplay by Kazuo Ishiguro) of Akira Kurosawa’s 1952 film Ikiru, or To Live. Mr Watanabe is replaced by Nighy’s Mr Williams, a man so buttoned up that you sense he can barely breathe. 

Decades of dull pen-pushing and thankless deference to his betters come crashing down when Williams, a man in his 60s, is given a stomach cancer diagnosis. In the short term, a Ferris Bueller-type day off in Brighton with boozy bohemian playwright (Tom Burke), gives Williams a jolt. He gets drunk, sings out loud in a pub and sees a burlesque show. 

But he eventually translates this newfound urgency and focus to his workplace, and takes up causes that had been floundering in paperwork hell, particularly one that would convert a corner of a working class slum into a children’s playground. 

He takes long lunches with a charismatic young former coworker (Aimee Lou Wood) and looks to instill an unadulterated dose of ‘carpe diem’ into his already-dusty team of younger men. This is done in ways that American audiences might find too subtle to be interesting, but the rebellion has to be analyzed on a relative scale. 

Nighy does such a good job of conveying a life of constraint, a stifling, starch-stiff existence with precious few air pockets for self-expression and certainly no room for bending the system, even for good. Small victories become hugely significant, and even the act of shaking a colleague’s hand and thanking them for their work becomes a talismanic freedom charge. 

The humble playground itself is an obvious visual metaphor for living, and the message is perhaps that letting yourself go on the swings for even a few minutes is better than watching from the sidelines. Living is slow and quaint for the most part, but Nighy’s emergent charm is irresistible, and it’s a welcome reminder to make even the small parts of our lives as memorable as possible. (PO)

Living is playing at the Prytania Theatres at Canal Place

TINA: THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL
First Night Review
at The Saenger Theater

Broadway loves a comeback, stars and subjects alike. Recently, there’s been a renaissance of women who turn their real life lemons into showtime lemonade. There’s Pamela Anderson, hot off her documentary and literary forays into memoir, who poured her exploitation and heartbreak into her performance in the Broadway revival of Chicago as Roxie Hart. But the award for crisis management and reinvention has to go to Tina Turner - both the real superstar, and the star of Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, now touring its Broadway show at the Saenger Theater. With an emphasis on energy, heart, and soul, this musical is a true testament to the resilience and strength of one of the greatest musical icons of our time.

The production opens with a young Anna-Mae Bullock, discovering her gifts and witnessing the breakdown of her turbulent family. From there, the audience is taken on a journey through the ups and downs of Tina's life, including her rise to fame, her tumultuous relationship with her former husband Ike Turner, and her eventual triumph as a solo artist. Throughout the show, Tina's music serves as the backbone, providing a pulse-pounding soundtrack that keeps the audience bouncing in their seats.

The lead actress, Naomi Rodgers, is phenomenal as Tina Turner. She channels spirit and stage presence, delivering powerful vocals and electrifying performances of hits such as 'River Deep, Mountain High', 'What's Love Got to Do with It', and 'Private Dancer'. The supporting cast is equally impressive. The runaway fan favorite was Ayvah Johnson (a Slidell native!) as Young Anna-Mae, who immediately sells Tina’s prodigious nature by virtue of being a singing and acting prodigy herself. Garrett Turner as Ike—no relation, I expect—is pitch-perfect in his mercurial performance, swinging from smooth charm to rage to sniveling as quickly as the tempo changes. The choreography is also a highlight, with faithful reproductions of the high-energy routines that vaulted Tina and the Ikettes to stardom.

In addition to the music, Tina - The Tina Turner Musical provides a glimpse into the personal struggles and triumphs of Tina's life. The show chronicles her journey from a battered young artist to a confident and empowered woman, exploring themes of abuse, resilience, and self-discovery. The show even touches on some of the tools she uses along the way: the reciprocal abuse learned from her parents’ relationship; the support from her bandmates and tour manager, also victims of Ike’s temper; and the Buddhist meditation practices that finally give her the strength to leave. It's a moving tribute to the fortitude of the human spirit and the power of perseverance.

The production design is also noteworthy, with stunning lighting and outstanding costume design that all come together to create a truly immersive experience. If you missed the iconic performances of the Ike and Tina Revue or Tina Turner when she was playing live, you’ll feel transported into some of the most memorable shows of the last 50 years. The use of projections, sound design, and special effects are especially effective during scene transitions, which seem to happen almost instantly thanks to the actors doubling as stage crew. This makes what could be a long show move at a clip, allowing the audience to remain immersed in the story being told on stage.

Overall, it's a dynamic and entertaining celebration of one of the most beloved musical legends of all time. The show is a must-see for fans of Tina and anyone looking for a toe-tapping night. New Orleans showed up in its best sequined and fringed getups for the affair, so your 80s wig won’t be out of place. Plus, there’s just something special about dancing and singing to 'Proud Mary' mere blocks away from the bank of the river herself, and it's an experience that will leave you feeling empowered and inspired. (Eileen Daley)

Tina: The Tina Turner Musical plays at The Saenger through February 12th. More information and tickets here. 

The NOLA Project theatre company invites you inside the New Orleans Museum of Art
for a contemporary Frankenstein story set in the fiercely competitive art world.

Gus is an ambitious artist with his sights set on a major exhibition. Unfortunately, he doesn’t quite fulfill the museum’s desire for “different voices.” With the aid of actor Vanessa, Gus creates the brash Balkonaé Townsend persona. All goes to plan until Balkonaé takes control and Gus must face his creation head-on to ridiculous results.

WHITE, written by 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Drama winner James Ijames, was developed at PlayPenn New Play Conference and received its world premiere at Theatre Horizon (Pennsylvania) in 2017. Universities and regional theatres have mounted sold-out showings of the Terrence McNally New Play Award winner as recently as 2021 – the March 2023 production marks the one-act comedy’s local debut.

More information at ​nolaproject.com/white

Copper Vine is excited to announce its 3rd Annual Mardi Gras Wine Dinner on Wednesday, February 8th (6:30 pm). Highlighting natural wines from producers and regions across the globe, the evening will feature a five- course dining experience by Executive Chef Amy Mehrtens and Sommelier Emily Walker designed to stoke curiosity and challenge guests’ understanding of sensorial elements in food and wine.

​Chef Amy has mirrored the wild spirit of these wines with her food pairings, presenting dishes with playful manipulation of structural expectation and featuring eclectic flavors and unanticipated textures.
 
Tickets are now available ($150 per person, inclusive of tax and service) on Copper Vine’s website. 

Paying tribute to the King of all Cuts, The Bower is introducing a limited-run Prime Rib Night, available Thursdays from January 5th – February 23rd. Executive Chef Marcus Woodham has created a menu sure to tantalize even the most discerning carnivore. Priced at $49 per person (excluding tax and gratuity), the three-course special includes The Bower Caesar; Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe with green and pink peppercorns; and a 12- ounce Herb and Mustard Crusted Prime Rib served with a basil and horseradish pesto.

Optional wine pairings are available by-the-glass and by-the-bottle and include both “on the lighter side” & “big and bold” options.  Pricing starts at $14 per glass and $68 per bottle.

Prime Rib Night will take place Thursdays during January and February 2023 (excluding Thursday, February 9th). Reservations are encouraged. The Bower is located at 1320 Magazine Street and serves dinner Monday – Thursday 4PM - 9PM; Friday and Saturday 4PM – 10PM. For reservations or additional information, please visit www.thebowernola.com  or call (504) 582-9738.