FIRST NIGHT REVIEW: JOE & MARILYN: A LOVE STORY @ WESTWEGO PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
Review by Todd Perley

​Of Marilyn Monroe’s three marriages and affairs, her liaison with Joe DiMaggio had the longest run, and perhaps the strongest connection. Joe & Marilyn follows the relationship between the
Yankee Clipper and the Blonde Bombshell from the night they met, through their marriage, their divorce, and up until her death a decade after it all began (I assume that’s not a spoiler?).

​It was DiMaggio who came to her aid, post-divorce, when she was briefly institutionalized, and he organized her funeral, and kept it small and intimate. The play even alleges they were flirting with the idea of getting remarried (because that works well, as Taylor and Burton demonstrated some years later...).

DiMaggio’s career when he met Marilyn was on the wane. Recently retired from baseball, he was still wildly famous as being the MVP of...sheesh, all time, right? And while Monroe’s career had already begun its trajectory when they met, her star was on the rise, as his was relegated to publicity shots and appearances. This must have tweaked his 1950s nose in a decade which frowned upon the wife being the main breadwinner, and his frustration and jealousy is hinted at, and physical abuse briefly alluded to.

Mid-century sex roles, compounded with hounding public scrutiny of every move of the hyper-famous couple likely played a role in turning the marriage into a doomed crucible. Speaking of crucibles, her subsequent marriage to playwright Arthur Miller fared even worse.

Through Willard Manus’s writing, Janet Shea’s direction, the standout performances of Jonathan Mares and Sarah Colbert Cutrer dive deep and lovingly into the character. Joe & Marilyn does not read as a tragedy, despite its ending with Marilyn’s overdose.

Mares and Cutrer have undeniable chemistry in this two-hander - they bear up extremely well, carrying the heavy load of a decade-plus recap of a tumultuous, but mutually caring, and beautiful relationship. Mares conveys equal amounts of tenderness and frustration, while Cutrer is as sexy, intelligent, and layered as Monroe’s own performances. Our heroes are definitely batting a thousand here.

Joe & Marilyn plays the Westwego Performing Arts Theatre through 23 March - click here for information and ticketing.​

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Alon Shaya presents a March 26 dinner at Miss River, celebrating the legendary Jacques Pépin as he turns 90. This will be Jacques Pépin Foundation's first (and only) event in New Orleans as part of its 90/90 series, which honors Chef Pépin's milestone birthday and prolific 75-year career as an educator and chef. 

• WHO: Alon Shaya (Chef and Co-Founder, Pomegranate Hospitality) + Jacques Pépin Foundation
• WHAT: A celebratory evening benefiting the Jacques Pépin Foundation’s first nationwide fundraising campaign. Guests will enjoy cocktails and canapés upon arrival, followed by a five-course menu presented and prepared by host Chef Alon Shaya. The menu, which can be viewed in full HERE, feaures Pépin's classic dishes reimagined with Louisiana ingredients and flavors: Fromage Forte on Melba Toast, Crab Gratin, Redfish on the Half Shell, and Crêpe Suzette with Creole Cream Cheese Ice Cream, to name a few.
• WHEN: Wednesday, March 26, 2025 at 6 p.m. 
• WHERE: Miss River at Four Seasons Hotel New Orleans (2 Canal Street)
• RESERVATIONS: Reservations ($250) are available HERE.

WHO/WHAT: James Beard Award-winning Chef Nina Compton invites guests to an exclusive book launch and dinner celebrating her highly anticipated new cookbook, Kwéyòl / Creole: Recipes Stories and Tings from a St. Lucian’s Chef Journey, on sale to the public on April 1, 2025.

Written by Chef Compton with author Osayi Endolyn, Kwéyòl / Creole is the story of her thrilling culinary journey from St. Lucia to Jamaica, Miami, and New Orleans and explores the cuisines and places that have shaped the St. Lucian chef’s unique culinary perspective.

The four-course pre-fixe dinner – available all evening and priced at $75 per person (excluding tax and gratuity) – is inspired by the book, highlighting the vibrant flavors of Chef Compton’s journey. Chef Compton will be on-site for photos and autographs and will be participating in a few brief guided Q&As throughout the evening. Signed copies of the book are available for $37.50 and can be purchased when making a reservation. 

WHEN/WHERE: The Kwéyòl / Creole book launch dinner will take place at Compère Lapin at The Old No. 77 Hotel, 535 Tchoupitoulas Street in New Orleans. Reservations are available from 5:30PM – 9PM and can be made HERE.

Next up for theater company The NOLA Project is a one-man play, Every Brilliant Thing. The story explores depression and hope, uncertainty and change, confusion and joy, heartbreak and anger, relationships and solitude, risk and resistance, guilt and forgiveness. The main character interacts with audience members to tell about life with their mother’s depression as a backdrop, including the effects it has had on their life and relationships. 

"[The play] is a powerful reminder of all the small things that really make life worth living
– things we probably take for granted,” said Artistic Director Tenaj Wallace. “And at a time when
mental-health conversations are more important than ever, The NOLA Project really wanted to invite our audience into a story that’s so universally resonant. It’s interactive, it’s intimate, but – most importantly – it’s deeply human. More so than any show we’ve ever done, I think.”

The NOLA Project production features ensemble member Alex Martinez Wallace and is helmed by ensemble member Natalie Boyd, making her directorial debut.

“This is a perfect play for The NOLA Project right now because I think collectively, as humans, we are struggling with grief and searching for rays of joy among the clouds,” said Boyd.
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Every Brilliant Thing will be presented at Big Couch New Orleans. For schedule, tickets and more, visit NOLAProject.com.