As of this month, Cane & Table has officially added a Tuesday dinner service, which means that they’re now open seven days a week. 

Cane & Table is a Cuban-meets-Cajun restaurant and bar located in New Orleans’ historic French Quarter from Chef-Partner Alfredo “Fredo” Nogueira, and Neil Bodenheimer’s CureCo, offering exceptional cuisine alongside complementary seasonal and classical cocktails. At Cane & Table, Chef Fredo showcases culinary traditions authentic to his heritage and the region through rustic, seasonally driven menus that marry New Orleans and Caribbean flavors with Cuban influences, and familial culinary traditions. 

Cane & Table is part of New Orleans-based CureCo., the award-winning group behind the dynamic bar and restaurant concepts: Cure, Cane & Table, Peychaud’s, and VALS. 

5-10pm Everyday ​@ 1113 Decatur St. New Orleans, LA 70116

Virgin Hotels New Orleans celebrates the Summer season with an exciting lineup of on-property programming and offerings to stay cool this Summer. From a festive Britney Spears Burlesque Brunch at Commons Club to weekend DJ entertainment and a new special for locals, there's something for everyone. 
 
COMMONS CLUB:
Executive Chef Chris Borges launched a new Summer dinner menu showcasing bountiful dishes highlighting fresh, seasonal ingredients and bold flavors. Relish in new dishes such as Summer Tomato Salad with cucumber, Summer squash, green chickpea puree, black garlic vinaigrette, sumac shallots, and mint; Grilled Peaches with duck rillette, focaccia, chervil, and truffle balsamic; Wagyu Beef Carpaccio with Fried Little Moon Oysters, green beans, olives, piquillos, fingerlings cucumber, and herb buttermilk dressing; Corn Panna Cotta with roasted ‘elote’ corn, avocado, radish, pepita dukkah, and little gem; Local Blue Crab Salad with melon consommé, toybox tomatoes, pine nuts, and fines herbes; Roasted Half Chicken with sherry glaze, potato salad anchoiade, capers, and vignole; Stripped Bass with peperonata, eggplant, fennel, artichoke, gordal olives, and saffron; Braised Lamb Shank ‘Grillades’ with rice grits, peas, baby kale, zucchini masala, and cilantro yogurt; and Zucchini and Pea Masala with cilantro yogurt. 
 
Guests at Commons Club can also enjoy "Night Moves and Grooves," a night of live entertainment every Thursday from 7PM - 10PM, from June 20th to August 29th. On June 20th, Sariyah Idan —  independent and internationally touring singer-songwriter, will be kicking off the festivities with three hours of originals and soul, jazz, and world music covers in the Commons Club. On June 27th, Mikayla Braun will perform.  
 
On Saturday, June 22nd, at Commons Club, immerse yourself in the world of Britney Spears with a prix fixe Burlesque Brunch from 9AM - 2PM. Priced at $40 per person(excluding tax & gratuity), this brunch experience is inspired by the iconic pop star and will feature fierce queens, stunning burlesque brunch bites from Executive Chef Chris Borges, and bottomless mimosas. Showtimes are at 10:30AM and 1PM. Britney Spears-inspired costumes and outfits are encouraged! For reservations, visit OpenTable.   
 
THE POOL CLUB: 
Every weekend, The Pool Club is the place to be with "Poolside Paradise"! On Saturdays and Sundays, from 3PM - 7PM, a rotating lineup of DJs will bring jamming tunes and beats to keep you dancing all afternoon. Savor inventive cocktails from Lead Bartender Heather Blanchard and bites from Chef Chris Borges, all while taking in the lively atmosphere and energetic music.
 
All summer long, non-hotel guests can also spend the entire day lounging by the pool with a specialty Day Pass for $50 per person offered on weekends. Plus, the rooftop pool and bar recently launched "Love for the Locals," where New Orleans’ residents can enjoy reduced pool passes every Monday for $10 (original price: $25). 
 
Virgin Hotels New Orleans is located at 550 Baronne Street. For more information, visit https://virginhotels.com/new-orleans or call (504) 603-8000. 

Review: The Bikeriders

Not many movies are adaptations of photography books, but photographer and filmmaker Danny Lyon’s eponymous 1968 collection enjoys a rare honor. Directed by Jeff Nichols (Mud, Midnight Special), the bikeriders in question - named ‘The Vandals’ in the movie - are based on the true-life stories of a real midwestern bike gang called The Outlaws. 

Lyon (played here by Mike Faist) rode with them for a few years in the early 1960s, taking photos. He also interviewed the gang members and their wives and girlfriends, and his interviews with the real life Kathy Bauer (Judy Comer) set up the story.

It’s a riff on a Goodfellas-style retelling, Comer relishing Bauer’s clipped, aspirational working class accent as she spills all into Lyon’s ever-present microphone. It begins with Kathy being prised away from her regular life when she meets Benny, a handsome, monosyllabic bad boy (Austin Butler). Although she has reservations about the biker lifestyle, she falls for him and is quickly subsumed into the group. 

The Vandals are lead by Johnny (Tom Hardy), a taciturn, aging veteran who veers between loving family man and violent psychopathy. This triangle, with Kathy and Johnny trying to lure Benny to domesticity and gang leadership respectively, forms the dramatic core of the film. Johnny sees himself as a Wild Ones-era Marlon Brando type, with Benny having more of a James Dean vibe.  

Via Kathy we meet other gang members, most notably Zipco (a delightfully unhinged Michael Shannon) and Funny Sonny (Norman Reedus, a compulsory casting choice if the movie involves motorcycles). The gang grows quickly, spawning regional chapters, with the attendant aggressive challenges to the leadership.

We mostly follow the gang's antics. Large meetings take place where they drink and fight, we see them in their clubhouse where they drink and fight, and they come across rival gangs, who they fight and drink with. All good, knockabout stuff. 

As Johnny looks to anoint a leader, though, and Kathy tries to remove Benny from an increasingly violent situation, tensions rise. They both want Benny for themselves, and Benny just wants to ride his motorbike, get into trouble and broodingly smoke cigarettes. New gang members arrive with new ideas, and high-stakes power struggles ensue, with The Vandals having to reckon with an existential crisis. 

The three leads have turbo-charged levels of charisma, with Comer standing out in a truly memorable role for her. Some scenes faithfully recreate the book’s most famous photographs, and whatever you think about their lifestyle, it’s hard not to empathize with their camaraderie and rebelliousness. Despite a bare-bones story arch, the time spent with the Vandals is in turn hilarious and shocking, Nichols packaging it in a thoroughly entertaining way. (PO) 

The Bikeriders is playing at the Prytania, Canal Place

The Tennessee Williams Theatre Company of New Orleans (TWTC) will present its much-anticipated staging of Tennessee Williams’ Pulitzer Prize-winning drama A Streetcar Named Desire this summer at the historic Marigny Opera House. The play will be the centerpiece for the company’s 2024 season, collectively themed “Desire”. An all-local team has been assembled to bring the iconic play to life.

The play, which elevated New Orleans’ profile as a literary destination and setting for future works of drama and fiction, follows Blanche DuBois over the course of a long summer in which she arrives in the Big Easy amid the hardest of circumstances. She seeks shelter in the home of her sister Stella, which is shared with Stella’s husband Stanley. Blanche and Stanley could not be more different—or so it seems—and the tiny two-room apartment becomes unbearably hostile to the genteel and fraught Blanche.

She seeks solace in a kind stranger named Mitch, whom she hopes will carry her off into a new chapter of her life, but other forces at play create pressure on all sides of the archetypal Southern heroine. Vice and desire press in on her from all sides, and audiences will be able to peer in on the most private moments in Blanche’s tribulations.

The production is helmed by director Augustin J Correro, TWTC Production Manager Maddie Taliancich & Production Stage Manager Ryan Darby. “We are excited to bring this fresh production of Streetcar to the stage,” says Correro, “In it, we’ll be bringing many of Blanche’s interior struggles into the setting around her, which we hope will be a visual feast for our audience, but we also want to carefully honor the material and the history it has in and about the city of New Orleans. This take on the show will have familiar notes but a number of surprises.”

WHO: The Tennessee Williams Theatre Company of New Orleans | www.twtheatrenola.com
WHERE: The Marigny Opera House. 725 St. Ferdinand St. New Orleans, LA 70117
WHEN:  July 18 - August 2024  (7/18 Preview Performance. 7/19 Opening Night)
TICKETS: $40 - $55 / twtheatrenola.com / 504-264-2580

Clue @ The Saenger Theatre
Review by Dorian Hatchett

Based on a boardgame from 1943, and then a hit movie from 1985, the plot of the chaotic scramble that is Clue: A New Comedy was no surprise to most of the audience tonight at the premiere of the New Orleans leg of the national tour.

There is very little truly new under the sun in the world of the theatre. We attend the theatre to be transported, for a few minutes, to somewhere outside of ourselves. To exist in a place where the story and the movement are magic, even if we already know them by heart. In that goal, I am absolutely delighted to report that this show is a complete success.  

The ensemble cast with their code names were all consummate character actors. In this production, there is no such thing as over the top, and from accented affectation to acrobat-level physical comedy, the the bodies on stage (both alive and deceased) roused the audience to spontaneous laughter and applause in a seemingly endless series of crescendos. From the very first moment of dialogue between Wadsworth and Yvette, the tone is set with a cartoonish approach to comedy and a flawless delivery of witty banter with perfect timing.  

The set was a real star in this show. A series of shifting walls and doors turned the relatively small stage of the Saenger Theater into an entire victorian mansion with a seamless suspension of disbelief.  The raging thunderstorm beyond the windows of the foyer was a constant companion to the drama within.  

The actors know this set, and interact with it with a comfort and familiarity that rarely shines in traveling productions, and I found myself impressed again and again with the movement of the action as it flowed through walls and around corners with grace and sophistication. All the while, I was laughing at the Benny Hill-esque chase scenes and madcap buffoonery that really highlighted the expertise of the actors and their mastery of the material.

Sometimes the simplest of physical gags can be the hardest to pull off, but this ensemble made it look easy and fun. Instead of attempting to redo the performances of previous actors in these roles, each actor made their character completely their own, in a new approach to a classic story.  

Be delighted, be impressed, be amused, and be part of the audience of a show that is at its root, just fun for fun’s sake.  

Clue: A New Comedy at the Saenger Theater July 18-23 
​

​After overwhelming success last summer, LGD hotspot The Bower is bringing back its tropical summertime Tiki Takeover. Available all summer long at both the restaurant and adjacent Bower Bar, guests can enjoy a selection of dishes and cocktails certain to transport them straight to the Polynesian islands.

With a decked-out space filled with tiki decor, along with an array of tiki-inspired cocktails from Beverage Director Mickey Mullins, guests can enjoy sippables ($14-18) served up in specialty tiki glassware. Libations include Lifeguard – gin, pineapple, lemon, orgeat and bitters; Toasted Daquiri with rum, fresh lime and toasted sugar; Bananavardie – rye, banana liqueur, glittered Campari; Pinky Promise – tequila, hibiscus, apricot and lime with an absinthe mist; Mood Ring – vodka, vanilla bean lemonade and butterfly pea flower; and Sipping Next to Vanna White – gold rum, Aperol, vanilla lemonade and lime. Frozen concoctions include Piña Colada with a house blend of rums, pineapple, and coconut, served in a large coconut and Apostle’s Upswing – rum, mint, peach and pineapple.

Executive Chef Marcus Woodham is spicing it up in the kitchen with options like Spam Musubi - sweet soy glazed spam, sushi rice, furikake, spicy mayo; Huli Huli Pork Ribs with pickled jalapeños, pineapple and cucumbers; and Spicy Salmon Poke with avocado & cilantro rice, beets, pineapple, mango and a lime leaf vinaigrette.  

WHEN/WHERE: Tiki Takeover at The Bower and The Bower Bar is available throughout the summer season. The Bower is located at 1320 Magazine St and is open Monday-Thursday 4PM - 9PM, Saturday-Sunday 4PM - 11PM.

​King Brasserie & Bar at Kimpton Hotel Fontenot is hosting a special Freedom Day party with Afrobeats by DJ Ojay on Wednesday, June 19, from 5 to 9 p.m. Join us and indulge in Happy Hour food and drink specials all night long, including the Martini Frites, made with your choice of a gin or vodka martini your way with King's delicious pommes frites. DJ Ojay will start at 6 p.m. You can make a reservation online by visiting https://kingbrasserieandbar.com/events. 

Also, next Saturday, June 15, King Brasserie will welcome live music from Sasha Masakowski performing at Queen's Brunch. While Queen's Brunch takes place every Saturday and Sunday at King, the third Saturday of each month features live musical performances from New Orleans artists. Queen's Brunch takes place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and includes a unique beverage menu inspired by female distillers and wine makers, along with a 3-course Queen's Tasting in addition to King's a la carte brunch menu. You can find more details and make a reservation online at https://kingbrasserieandbar.com/events, and the Queen's Brunch menu is at https://kingbrasserieandbar.com/queen-s-brunch-menu. 

​
​First night review: The Importance of Being Earnest @ Le Petit Theatre 
review by Aura Bishop

The Importance of Being Earnest is many young English Literature students’ introduction to the work of Oscar Wilde. As a theater student at Grace King High School in 1997, it was also my introduction to Le Petit Théâtre. Prior to this, all of the plays I’d seen were in other schools, colleges, or the occasional church. It was exciting - I was finally going to see a play from a local theater company, in the French Quarter, in a cool, old (possibly haunted?!) theater. 

It's hard to believe that was almost exactly 27 years ago. Everything old is new again.

Earnest is probably one of Wilde’s most accessible works - a farce of mistaken identities about the expectations of 'proper society' and how we are all different people in different social situations. Its sharp, witty lines are still quoted to this day. The humor is equally of its time and ahead of its time, with some surprises and plot twists, which is why this play is still fun to read and watch even though it was written almost 130 years ago. 

I wasn't sure what I would remember or what I would forget from the plot of the show. Thankfully, I remembered just enough to anticipate some favorite bits and I forgot just enough to enjoy it as if it were fresh. In many ways, this production brought me back to my first visit to this theater and everything that thrilled me about it. The lush period costumes (designed by Kaci Thomassie) and the elaborate set (scenic designer Joan Long) were a great escape to another place and time - both my own youth and to Oscar Wilde’s 19th Century England.

Rohan Padmakumar has perfected the sly smile and confident mischief of rakish playboy and musician Algernon Moncrieff. Noah Hazzard is delightful as hopeless romantic and slightly more responsible friend Jack. Yvette Bourgeois is hilarious as the book-tossing, manic pixie dream ward Cecily. Bethany Lee is the picture of the perfect ingenue/mistaken love rival Gwendolyn. 

Tracey E. Collins is the endlessly quotable society aunt Lady Bracknell, who knows how to slice everyone, much like the cucumber sandwiches she always seems to be in search of: “Hesitation of any kind is a sign of mental decay in the young, of physical weakness in the old.” This may be one of the best performances of the role I've seen. 

David W. Hoover raises eyebrows and maybe some hair as the overly jolly Rev. Canon Chasuble. Queen Shereen Macklin has her performance of absent-minded intellectual governess Miss Prism in the bag, and Kyle Daigrepont is punchy and hits his punchlines in the dual roles of Lane and Merriman. 

All of this is adeptly directed by A.J. Allegra. It's his first time directing a show at LPT since he took on the role of Artistic Director of the theater company last year, delivering a show that's well-paced, with note-perfect comic timing. 

The Importance of Being Earnest is at Le Petit Théâtre through June 23rd. Click here for show and ticketing information. 

Home's Kitchen at NOCCA
review by Paul Oswell

There are two kitchen-and-food-based plays running in New Orleans with a focus on the LGBTQ+ community right now. The Cake is a colorful comedic romp, while new play Home’s Kitchen (written and directed by Maeve Chapman - read our interview here), although it has amusing moments, skews more dramatically. 

Mari (played by Sam Drust) lives alone in her New York apartment, listless and unmoored in life. She writes obituaries for a living, obsessively watches a cooking show (the titular Home’s Kitchen) and hangs out with her queer best friend, Liam (Matthew Raetz). As Mari loses her job and spirals into depression, Liam announces that he wants to study in California, unsettling their dynamic. 

Meanwhile, we’re privy to behind-the-scenes drama in the TV show kitchen. Chef and star Richard (Stephen Ladow) is losing his producer Paul (Michael Vaughn-Kennedy), who is suddenly being particularly flirty and wants Richard to present an episode raising money for LGBTQ+ causes. Richard is newly divorced from his wife, estranged from his family, and seems to be still working out his sexuality. 

The two plots take place at either end of a runway-style stage, often at the same time, with Mari being able to mute the TV, Richard occasionally miming his way through until she turns it up again. This is one of the more daring aspects of the production, another being a kind of ‘split screen’ effect as conversations from each end of the stage intertwine. 

There’s also the high-wire artistic decision to have the characters eat spaghetti live on stage, a sometimes messy choice delivering a relatable serving of quotidian reality. The actors must be relieved they’re not breaking into a plate of lobsters, at least. 

Consumed with ennui, Mari delves into her past passion of cooking (she’s a graduate of the CIA - that’s the Culinary Institute of America) to reboot her career opportunities, while Richard wrestles his personal and professional lives with increasing anxiety. Slowly, the leads' worlds slowly edge towards each other in an unexpected way. 

There’s good use of visual effects to project text messages and Twitter updates, as well as voiceovers as characters take phone calls. Drust and Ladow carry the main storyline empathetically, while Raetz and Vaughn-Kennedy provide expressive, compelling support. 

The cast deftly navigate a logistically-challenging play, and Chapman’s direction employs clever blocking to imbue the two static scenes with some dynamism. Liam Corley’s lighting and multimedia effects, as well as Chris Rodriguez’s set design make the most of a visual economy, with impressively believable staging. 

Set against the backdrop of the legalization of gay marriage in the United States in 2015, and dealing with the legacy of the AIDS crisis, there’s a feelgood ending with a dash of bittersweet sentiment. Our lives’ menus are subject to shifting tastes, and with often unexpected changes, and in Home's Kitchen, it’s all about what you do with the new ingredients.  

Home's Kitchen runs at NOCCA through Sunday 9th June. Click here for show information and ticketing