​Domestic Abyss: A Doll's House at the Marquette Theatre
Review by David S. Lewis

It is more than passingly uncomfortable that a play written about gender dynamics in 1879 feels perfectly relevant today. 

Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, credited with many of the most important dramatic works such as Peer Gynt and Enemy of the People, was accused of feminist propagandism for A Doll’s House, in which Nora, a married woman realizes that her value to all of the men in her life is based exclusively on her conformity to reductive societal ideals - especially her relationship with her paternalistic husband, Torvault. 

While the original is in three acts, Amy Herzog’s Tony-winning revival (a rarity for a translation) condenses the work to around 90 minutes, which somewhat impedes the repetitive rhythm of the original,  in which deliberate redundancy serves to reinforce the boundaries of the Nora’s world. Herzog also updates the language, transforming quaint idiom like “wretched” into something more contemporarily acidic. 

Herzog’s version forces us to deal with the familiarity of the characters’ interactions; most of us have seen these play out in the relationships of people we know intimately, and the effect is shocking.

In Crescent City Stage’s presentation, director Jana Mestecky, with two decades in the New York theater scene, shows us the play from the eyes of the couple’s children, encouraging us to see ancient dynamics from a symbolically innocent perspective.

In casting Elizabeth Newcomer and Michael A. Newcomer as Nora and Torvald, a couple married in real life portray the dysfunction of the married characters vividly: the chemistry is real and familiar, which permits the pain and outrage felt by the characters to come through incisively.  

The play here feels loaded and modern, and what vestiges of the work’s Old World origins remain imbue the minimalist production with a surreality the serves to heighten the tension. Secondary characters in this are also wonderfully cast: Douglas Scott Streater’s Dr. Rank, a family friend with several important secrets, is genial and warm, and so his revelations land like a blade. 

Sue Jin Song’s Kristine, whose attempts to rebuild her own life upend Nora’s, gives an earnest that makes her character feel complete. And Doug Spearman provides his Krogstad, a brooding and embittered former loan shark trying to turn a new page, with a dignity and affection well-reserved for this false antagonist, seemingly a threat to Nora’s bourgeoise idyll but ultimately the key to unlocking her life’s prison.

Hurricane Francine affected this play's schedule, so please consider supporting them on September 22 @ 2:30p.m. Click here for information and ticketing.  
You can follow David S. Lewis: @allaboardnola
​

Dreads or tales...
PENNY DREADFULS: THE REMARKABLE ROOMING-HOUSE OF MADAME LE MONDE 
Review by Dorian Hatchett

Tennesee Williams never stopped writing.  His most popular pieces stunned Broadway audiences from the 1940s through the 1960s, but his body of work spans his entire life, as wildly diverse as it is prodigious. The three plays performed in Penny Dreadfuls: The Remarkable Rooming-House of Madame Le Monde are among his most esoteric, and for good reason.  

Williams’ work is entertainingly clever and complex, the characters deeply flawed in all the most (and least) relatable ways. There’s never just a story happening on the stage, though. Williams was a gay man who lived in some of the worst times to be gay in America.  He was a sickly child in a dysfunctional family. He had a schizophrenic sister and puritanical family. He saw first hand how humans treat the people who they consider “other” and it informs every word.  

His most popular work was a delicate balance of artful plot and social commentary. The escapism of theater was maintained, and one could enjoy the production and then dissect the deeper narrative at their leisure (or choose not to, and remain entertained by the characterizations alone). Later in his life, though, the critical acclaim was more sparse, and Williams sank his entire might into the power of the stage to deliver that societal critique.  

Instead of subtle, unspoken undercurrents, his stories became morality plays screaming from the rooftops of the pain and mistreatment of society's most maligned, most oppressed, most overlooked. These shows are meant to make the audience uncomfortable; to pour misery directly into your hands and make you sit with it, squirming in the reflection of stage lights and the smell of plywood.

The Tennessee Williams Theatre Company (about to start their 10th season) has a sterling reputation for their candor and sensitivity when interpreting this work. In their hands, these pieces are treated with respect bordering on veneration, the audience becoming their beneficiary.  

Truly appreciating this writing demands the correct application of dark humor, and the Penny Dreadfuls are apex gallows comedy. The audience writhes internally, and nervous laughter is the near constant over quiet contemplation or rapt attention, the small cast of actors radiating unhinged savagery from their pores. 

The laughter is genuine at first. The show’s master of ceremonies is none other than Jigsaw from the Saw horror movie franchise. The action on stage descends with furious speed, to the limits of what an audience can silently accept, and their discomfort is the most high praise a show like this can receive. 

Monica R. Harris (Madame Le Monde, Mrs. Yorke) commands the stage with her facial expressions, and the other actors' apparent distrust of her is so palpable it may be genuine. Adrienne Simmons (Lily, Jigsaw) is physical theater personified. Her shoulders offer entire soliloquies. Cody Keech (The man with the size 11D, the Boy) seduces more than Miss Simple with his promises of a life fully lived, with all its messy imperfections. 

Accolades must be given to the set design, and its brilliant geometry. Backdrops that fold into themselves is a masterful use of a tiny space, transforming in the blink of an eye. The interaction between stage and audience is effortless, as if the fourth wall simply does not exist. We are acutely aware that they, and their suffering, are part of the show as much as Mint’s mobility hooks, propping up the dialogue with reflected energy.  

I was not immune to the uncomfortable silence, the awkward shuffle of my feet, the nervous laughter, the awareness that I didn't know what to do with my hands. Like many audience members, I made uncouth jokes as I filed out of the auditorium. 

With a declaration that the characters in the rooming–house were none other than Clive Barker’s cenobites, if they were portrayed by tubercular victorian children, I unintentionally reasserted that horror as a genre is rooted in a human need to explore hell as a place we have manufactured, through our own faults. Sartre was right, and it is indeed other people.

PENNY DREADFULS: THE REMARKABLE ROOMING-HOUSE OF MADAME LE MONDE runs at The Lower Depths Theatre @ Loyola University through Sept 28th. Click here for more information and ticketing
​

Several local restaurants and bars are making the most of the Taylor Swift tour passing through the city next month. Fans can dine out on specially-themed menu items - here's a few suggestions, with a chance to win tickets through the Tales of the Cocktail Foundation:

• Ayu Bakehouse - Ayu’s team is introducing Eras-themed baked goods under the Look What You Made Me Dough menu, including a “Gown Shaped like a Pastry” and their signature stenciled sourdough, which will be crafted to theme. For beverages, they’ll have the Bejeweled, with butterfly tea and edible glitter, and King of my Heart, a raspberry white chocolate latte. Hot Mallows (Taylor’s Version) will also be available individually or by the dozen and half-dozen, outlined below for your perusal.
• Cane & Table - Owner-Partner Kirk Estopinal will introduce a cocktail lineup inspired by iconic Taylor Swift moments, including a “Seemingly Ranch Water” with tequila, lime, and soda water, as well as “Champagne Problems” served with vodka and bergamot liquor. The special menu will run at Cane & Table for the month of October ahead of Taylor’s New Orleans stop. 
• Copper Vine Wine Pub & Inn - Whether you’re staying at the newly opened inn, located a quarter-mile from the concert venue, or getting some pre-show bites and cocktails, Copper Vine will be showcasing a select menu accompanied by concert prep activations like a glitter station from Pixie Dust, pop-up accessory shops, and more.
• Saba - Noted as one of Taylor’s previous stops, Alon Shaya’s Saba on Magazine Street will feature themed beverages like the French Blonde with gin lillet blank, grapefruit, and elderflower; the Lavender Haze with vodka, prosecco, lemon, and lavender syrup; and the Maroon with rose, pomegranate, and orange blossom syrup. Guests can dine like the pop star and enjoy modern Israeli cuisine before the show. 
• Tales of the Cocktail - The non-profit organization Tales of the Cocktail Foundation (TOTCF), alongside Children’s Hospital New Orleans (CHNOLA), is raffling two sets of two (2) suite tickets to Taylor Swift’s Eras concert on October 26th. With TOTCF’s mission to educate, advance, and support the global hospitality industry, all proceeds will directly benefit TOTCF and CHNOLA. Additional details, and a link to purchase tickets may be found on the dedicated raffle. 

What does a restaurant do to celebrate almost a quarter of a century of being recognized for their trailblazing culinary innovations?  They undergo a complete re-design, the décor reflecting the cuisine’s constant evolution. Although owner Gary Wollerman has updated the restaurant’s décor throughout the years, this is the first floor to ceiling remodel for the celebrated seafood restaurant.

After working with local interior designer Christine Diggs on previous updates for the restaurant’s Private Dining Room and Bar, he that knew Diggs shared his vision. Together, they have transformed the expansive restaurant. GW Fins is housed in a historic, turn-of-the-century French Quarter warehouse.  The new design features a deeper color palate and every surface – from chairs and banquettes to the walls, ceiling and floors – have all been transformed.

“I couldn’t be more thrilled watching our vision for this new design take shape and be brought to reality,” states Wollerman.  “We’re all so excited to welcome our guests back, and see their reaction to the more upscale, and altogether sexier vibe we’ve created for them."

Wollerman has chosen wall finishes and textured fabrics in deeper, richer palates of silver and dark blues and charcoals, all highlighted by a dramatic floor to ceiling mural. 

“We’re delighted that another project we’ve been working on during the first half of the year is also taking place, just after this remodel, on October 1st," says Wollerman. "It's collaborative, dry-aged fish dinner with Chef Michael and the country’s two other dry aged fish pioneers, Liwei Liao and Davin Waite. This will be the perfect opportunity to showcase our new restaurant design and the culinary innovations from three industry leaders at a truly remarkable dinner." 

The cost for this five-course wine pairing dinner is $225 per person, exclusive of tax and gratuity.   Seating is limited, as well as communal, and it is suggested to secure reservations as soon as possible. Reservations for this dinner can only be made online here.

​
​Sand, Ash, Heat: Glass at The New Orleans Museum of Art 
Review by Jamie Chiarello

As a street artist who is used to sitting out in the quarter hawking my paintings, a museum is a very special and particular type of place to me. On one hand, it is easy to eschew most establishments, to question whether art should be sought in a museum anymore than learning in school or God in a church.

On the other hand, I will always remember one of my formative museum experiences where I entered with a big chip on my shoulder about the stupid masses who didn't care for anything I cared for and then looked around me and was dumbstruck by the symbolism of a museum in itself; a building where people who deeply care about art house it, and work tirelessly to preserve it for future generations. 

I didn't have any particular expectations upon entering the NOMA to see the show 'Sand, Ash, Heat: Glass at the New Orleans Museum of Art'. The main question I have been asking myself when experiencing art is: What is my initial direct visceral experience? How do I make sense of this? How is this affected by any subsequent explanation about the work before me?

The curation of this collection is extraordinary. Upon entering, we are immediately confronted by an enormous, pitch-black chandellier by Fred Wilson. Stepping closer, I was both in awe of the intiricacy and skill in handling such a delicate material, and mildy repulsed in a pleasurable way by the slick blackness of the material that reminded me of both oil and H.R. Giger.

Seeing the chandellier at eye level evoked a theme that reoccured over and over through out the show: Who made these works? For whom? Fred Wilson's piece both asks and answers this question, and it is worth going to see the show for this piece alone.

From there, we are shown glass works from antiquity, mostly from the Middle East and the Roman empire. You can't help but wonder, what lives did these objects live in their own times? Will our old junk bottles one day be in museums to be ogled over and speculated upon? It is impossible to study any art or material development divorced from the brutality of human history.

The beautiful shining crystal banana and sugar bowls only silently nod to the slave labor and the historical exploitation of local communities employed to obtain such luxuries. Looking at the work from the Venetian Island of Murano we are asked questions of labor, skill, beauty and alchemy. A room exploring glass bead work, and displaying a Black Masking Indian suit by Big Chief Down M. Edwards of the Timbuktu Warriors is a striking local feature.

Leading into the modern and contemporary realms, the intent seems to shift to become more about provocation. There is a show of 3D printing and vases, and I want to loop back around to the start of the show, though this is more so a reflection on my own tastes and interests. 

​At large, the show is incredibly engaging, and very well organized. Like glass, our perceptions of ourselves and historical markers have tendencies toward warping and are strangely fragile and enduring. Go to City Park, go to the museum: this is a worthwhile way to ponder and pass time in the Anthropocene. 

The Sand, Ash, Heat: Glass at the New Orleans Museum of Art runs at NOMA through February 10th, 2025. More information here. 

Chef Nicole Cabrera Mills of New Orleans' Pêche Seafood Grill has been named one of Food & Wine's Best New Chefs of 2024. The honor recognizes Chef Mills as one of the most talented up-and-coming chefs in the country. Food & Wine's Best New Chefs class has shaped the future of American cuisine for some 36 years. 

After closing doors at Saint John on Decatur Street in May, Executive Chef and Owner Eric Cook will reopen with an updated lunch and dinner menu, featuring many of the restaurant’s previous top-selling dishes, along with an enhanced daily happy hour. Leading the charge in the kitchen under Cook will be Chef de Cuisine Darren Chabert, who has worked alongside Cook for the last two years, overseeing culinary operations at Gris-Gris, Gris-Gris to Go Go and Saint John. The new location is at ​715, St. Charles Avenue. Saint John website

Cirque du Soleil will set up their temporary home in the Sanger Theatre in a couple of weeks to present Songblazers, a new, innovative, country-themed show. This dynamic theatrical production pays tribute to the legendary and modern trailblazers of country music. Charting the journey of two main characters as they forge their own path to country recognition, Songblazers premiered in  July 2024 in Nashville and arrives in the Crescent City this September for two nights only.

Original songs are partly a collaboration with Sam Williams, a contemporary country artist, and grandson of country pioneer Hank Williams. Carnival Heart, for example, is a gut-wrenching number inspired by a personal yearning for self-discovery, friendship, and hope. 

​“The title idea came to me pretty easily after becoming acquainted with Cirque du Soleil,” says Williams. “Where I come from, most people don’t get to go to the circus. We go to county fairs and carnivals, and the carnival in a small town is filled with joy, excitement, mystery, euphoria, you name it. That feeling is one you always remember, and I think the roller coaster of emotions lines up with what you want to feel seeing such an incredibly beautiful production such as Cirque’s.”

Drawing inspiration from a rich legacy of country music, Songblazers pays homage to the legendary names of the past while embracing the talents of contemporary artists. There's also, of course, the breathtaking acrobatics, awe-inspiring aerial acts, and displays of strength and dexterity form the Cirque performers. 

Click here for more information and ticketing

The Apostle
review by Jeff DeRouen

I miss video stores. Something about being able to look at titles I can pick up with my hands seems a more efficient way of curating my viewing instead of, you know, scrolling through Netflix for two hours before deciding to just go to bed.

The New Orleans Public Library is a fix for my nostalgia ache, as they get just about every new release on DVD or Blu-ray and have a large selection of older titles (including Criterion for those in the know). And so I enjoy the occasional perusing of the shelves and finding hidden gems I may have missed or would like to see again.

This week, my soul was led to a rewatch of Robert Duvall’s small and magnificent Louisiana-based film, The Apostle (dir. Robert Duvall, 1997). Shot in towns like St. Martinville and Des Allemands, Duvall hired locals (amateur actors and regular folks) to inject verisimilitude to the story of a disgraced evangelical preacher. He believes he’s on a divine mission to revitalize an old Louisiana church, after losing his own congregation and fleeing from the police in Texas.

Duvall gives us the world of Charismatic Christianity, where Jesus reigns supreme and even the worst sinner can be delivered unto salvation. It's also fun to see Billy Bob Thornton in one of those early redneck, racist roles that the guy does so well. He deals with the subject ironically and unflinchingly, delivering a more authentic faith-based story than any of the recent, stylized and melodramatic Angel Studio releases. And Louisiana, captured in all its sweaty, sunlit, mosquito-infested beauty, is the perfect backdrop for this moving and messy tale of redemption.

You can buy/rent The Apostle online (on YouTube only for some reason) or head to the public library and get that good ole standard definition DVD.