 Drew Stroud as Vincent Van Gogh in 'Exhausted Paint' (photo by Kalen Jesse) Exhausted Paint @ Big Couch Review by Paul Oswell Van Gogh spent 11 of his last 18 months in an asylum, wrestling with madness as he created some of his most famous works. Can one man open himself up to beauty so unconditionally that it destroys his own sanity? It’s a question that we’re quickly forced to reckon with in Exhausted Paint (playing at Big Couch through Oct 18th). Drew Stroud plays Vincent Van Gogh, a lone figure on stage, surrounded by abstract sketches on canvas walls and seemingly random artifacts that hang from the ceiling. Vincent is aware he’s in a play (“I’m just a contrivance”), seems clued into his future legacy (“I hate that Don McLean song”) and is ready to push through the fourth wall with a jabbing paintbrush as he muses on one of art’s most enduring life stories. Behind Vincent is a wheel that we the audience have populated with single-word prompt cards, relating to the props. There is an introduction and an ending, but the 14 chapters of this play are given a random order, dictated by the wheel, every night. There’s a potato, a crow, a Chekhovian gun. Stroud’s Van Gogh character pinballs between crises and poetic outbursts. Even within each section, there are sharp shifts in energy, from wide-eyed mania to rambling but beautiful flights of fancy, and poignant reflections on the cruelty of being recognized as a talent, just too late to save a life. Van Gogh was a more prolific writer than he was even a painter, and his letters prove to be engagingly effective source material. This is not a sanitized retelling of Van Gogh’s life, and some of his more problematic peccadillos are writ large as we tick off the chapters. Vincent tells us of the time that he proposed to his widowed first cousin, creating all kinds of familial tension. He romantically pursues sex workers and lives a somewhat chaotic life; unstable and poor, careening around a bohemian - for which, read ‘poor’ - artistic demi-monde. He abuses substances to dull the intensity that human emotion and chromatic stimulus evoke: “I drank paint thinner to remove the telescope in my mind.” It's testament to Stroud’s acting that - even with the addition of the randomising elements of the script - he is able to hold the audience’s attention while shifting dramatic gears so smoothly. He gets up close to the audience, staring one person right in the eyes, interacting with a few of us, covering himself in graphite and paint as the image of his life develops. Carly Stroud’s direction keeps things moving apace, while the creative stage team can take credit for a pleasingly abstract set that still keeps us grounded, and has more than one surprise in store. Van Gogh’s story is a familiar cultural touchstone (even having its own Dr Who? episode), but Justin Maxwell’s script feels fresh and enthralling. Even art history majors might discover a few details about Vincent that they weren’t previously aware of, and there are plenty of jokes peppered into things to counter-balance the waves of tragedy. Theater company Fat Squirrel has taken a chance with an unusual one-man show such as this, but the gamble pays off. Among the paint chips and tree roots and graphite dust, there’s a story of a man who is gorging on the world’s beauty, even while it overwhelms him. Van Gogh is such a bright star in the artistic firmament, and one that shines through in this compelling production. Exhausted Paint is brought to you by Fat Squirrel, and plays at Big Couch through 18th October. Click here for more information and ticketing MORE THEATRE REVIEWS  L-R: Ryan Hayes, David Lind and Leslie Nipkow (photo: Brittney Werner) The Lehman Trilogy @ Le Petit Theatre, New Orleans Review by Paul Oswell In 2008, we watched TV news as employees filed out of glass and steel lobbies, rivers of forlorn faces and bankers boxes. It’s these boxes that construct the worlds of the Lehman family (yes, those Lehman brothers) in The Lehman Trilogy, a sprawling, three-hour capitalist saga (currently playing at Le Petit Theatre through 19th October). Three actors constantly move dozens of boxes like brick slabs, fabricating stock rooms, school desks, throne-like boardroom chairs, train carriages and even the Tower of Babel. The boxes contain scraps of humble beginnings, machinery for expanding empires, and spiritually destructive amounts of money. The boxes frame two centuries of The American Dream. We know how the Lehman dream ended. We start with its beginning. In 1844, Heyum Lehmann (Leslie Nipkow) arrives in America from Rimpar, Bavaria. He is renamed Henry Lehman, the first corrupting imposition of his new home. Brothers Emanuel (Ryan Hayes) and Mayer (David Lind) follow, and they establish a fabric store in Montgomery, Alabama. What follows is one of the most technically impressive shows you’ll see on a New Orleans stage. Nipkow, Hayes and Lind barrel through a conveyor of characters, employing only changes in accent and countenance. Age and gender are transcended as we race through the years, and meet townsfolk, children, wives-to-be. The actors move continuously and seamlessly between the roles, all while balletically sliding tables and throwing cotton bales and hefting those endless boxes around a split-level stage. The blocking alone is a work of art. Three hour-long installments cover the rise and the fall; of money and capital, of humanity and essence. This first generation cloaks itself in Jewish-European identity, marking holidays and sitting shiva for seven days when Henry dies. America requires more corruption, though. Commerce here equals trade with slavers, befriending them, mollifying them even after the Civil War. Decades pass, fabric becomes cotton becomes coffee becomes commodities and railways and banking. In two generations, the Lehman family are millionaires with New York offices. We are told (the script is mostly delivered in the third person) that their children have no Rimpar or Alabama blood. They are pure New York: rhesus positive for capital. While the cast exploit the entire stage, the video wall behind loops through increasingly industrial backdrops. Cotton fields, factories, stock exchanges and unstoppable trains hurtle us through the years. By the third act, the Lehmans are purebred capitalists, mainlining economic growth, the only landscape a glowing panorama of abstract prices. Eventually, the numbers fall. Seven-day shivas have become three-minute silences. A lightning financial meltdown. A 150-year erosion of character. Boxes asunder on the floor. The end. The U.S. Census of 1860 records that in reality, Mayer Lehman owned slaves. This fact is not mentioned on stage. One of the criticisms of this story - which won Best Play at the 2022 Tony Awards - is that the horrors of slavery are mostly elided. They mostly are. I’m not Jewish, so I’m unqualified to talk on the validity of harmful tropes, another point commonly raised about the work. I took it as an indictment of all craven men. Those who worship only commodity and leverage fall far from any aspect of humanity, no matter their background. There are many conversations to be had around The Lehman Trilogy beyond the scope of this review. What can’t be denied is the genuinely astonishing work done by the cast and creative team on this specific production. Leslie Nipkow, Ryan Hayes, David Lind, and the entire crew pull off a formidable, evocative, artistic high wire act. The questions about America in those boxes are undoubtedly difficult ones, but we should open them and sit with their contents. The Lehman Trilogy plays at Le Petit Theatre through October 19th. Click here for more information and ticketing. First night review: Frankenstein by The NOLA Project @ Lafitte Greenway More theater reviews  The NOLA Project's 'Frankenstein' (Photo: Jillian Desirée Oliveras Maldonado) FIRST NIGHT REVIEW: Frankenstein @ The Lafitte Greenway Review by Paul Oswell The comic potential of Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel ‘Frankenstein’ has been heavily mined. Mel Brooks’ and Gene Wilder’s 1974 film ‘Young Frankenstein’ is so beloved that it is many people’s favorite film of all time. So numerous are the spoofs, you’d think you were looking at a literary corpse that’s pretty ripe, and not for new adaptations. I know this thesis is one that I just suggested, but: you’re wrong. Enter The NOLA Project’s ‘Frankenstein’ (playing through Oct 17th at the Lafitte Greenway), written by Pete McElligott. They have, and yes I’m starting a glaringly obvious line of analysis so brace yourself for an indulgent run-on sentence, stitched together parts of the original and its many interpretations, and jolted new comedic life into this moribund cultural cadaver. It’s…and here comes the unforgivably predictable pay-off…alive. The Gothic world building around a bare concrete warehouse is instantly immersive thanks to the cast’s skillful character work. Back that up with Leslie Claverie’s razor-sharp direction and a script that’s as taut as a virtuoso skin graft and you’re in for quite a ride. If you saw last year’s ‘Dracula’ (also penned by McElligott), you’ll love both the tonal similarity and the cast’s astonishing theatrical dexterity, whisking through multiple roles at breakneck speed. We open aboard a ship in the eerie Arctic seas (where Shelley's novel ends), and a beleaguered Victor Frankenstein (played with glorious scheming idiocy by Keith Claverie) has been rescued by a spooked collection of seafarers. The suave but seedy Captain Walton (Matthew Thompson pompously lording it on deck) wants to know more. "You wish to know my whole life story?" asks Frankenstein. "No. No. I don't think we have time for that...", but it’s too late, and with the first of many, many laughs, we’re spirited back to Victor’s childhood. The first half is a hailstorm of gags that come at you from all angles. Victor’s love for his adopted sibling Elizabeth (an adorably bratty Keyara Milliner) develops alongside his reanimation obsession. In college, his professor (one of a host of James Bartelle’s incredible weirdos in this show) inspires him to conquer death via an amazing extended riff on homeopathic medicine. Characters and plot points come thick and fast. Godrick the sexy graverobber (Noah Hazzard oozing seductive silliness), Victors’ fully mature ten-year old brother (Thompson again, stealing every scene he’s in with costume designer Jazzmyne Cry’s incredible visual), a suspiciously ardent cop (a pitch-perfect Kristin Witt), a dancing medium, and a cheeky postal worker (J’aiLa Christina dynamically nailing both) all pinball around the venue. Khiry Armstead’s (sound) and Adachi Pimentel’s (lighting) designs keep things engagingly atmospheric, and some fantastic human shadow puppetry against a hung sheet (among other deft touches) speaks to the talents of Lucas Harm’s production design. Breaths caught in the interval, the second half introduces the creature, but don’t expect any clichéd neck bolts. Michael Aaron Santos brilliantly melds slapstick brutishness and humanity with genuine pathos. The source material is treated with refreshing fidelity, but it’s interpreted so imaginatively; see for instance the ingenious workaround that directs the creature’s learning. The joke rate is still frantic, but the climactic confrontation threads compassion into the comedy: “We are our own creations” becomes a poignant refrain. No joke set up is left hanging, the callbacks are flawless, and every supporting character (too many to individually admire here but see 'Extras', below, for added info) adds to the anarchic hilarity. Even a passing bike tour blasting music was seamlessly folded into the performance. Frankenstein is a triumph for cast, director, writer and crew. There’s a huge heart beating beneath this riotously funny monster of a show. The NOLA Project's 'Frankenstein' plays at the Lafitte Greenway through October 17th. Click here for more information and ticketing FIRST NIGHT REVIEW: THE LEHMAN TRILOGY MORE THEATER REVIEWS EXTRAS
There's a lot of moving parts in this show, and I could have written twice as many words, but here's a few extra thoughts in case you're interested (no spoilers, I don't think): - Alex Martinez Wallace has done an amazing job with the fight choreography. - Noah Hazzard plays live music on stage amid all the chaos, and it's impressive! - The characters that only come in for a scene or two (including the skeevy guy, the passive-aggressive couple, Father Walton, the concerned parents, the Eurotrash serial killers, etc) are so well thought-out and performed, set up great jokes, and not a single line or character feels superfluous or indulgent. - Michael Aaron Santos' switching between monster and human modes of speaking as he occasionally breaks the fourth wall is the best kind of comedic whiplash - Shout out to production manager Tova Steele and stage managers Sara Clawson and Josef Pons (Asst.) on what must have been a challenging process, expertly handled - Olivia Winters' props also held the world building together wonderfully.  Wendy, Darling @ The Midtown Hotel Review by Todd Perley “Where you’re seated, there’s a chance you may get splattered with blood. Is that okay?” I feel that any event where I don’t go home splattered with blood is a night wasted. My friend MJ whispered, “Is this Gallagher on crack?” We nodded assent with big, stupid grins and were handed airline- sized bottles of 'Jack’s Red Rum', and that, plus the sanguinary caveat, had already created an immersive experience even before getting to the pool where much of the action of the play would be...well...immersed. We begin with the ensemble gathering in 1920s togs as Midnight and the Stars and You is played by The Bomb Pulse, our live band for the evening. If you know Stanley Kubrick’s film adaptation, this melody is the quickest and most effective way to set the scene. Champagne and ballroom dancing, and a quick dip in the pool for our first water ballet. The audience howls, hoots, whistles, laughs, and applauds, turning the space into an all-inclusive party. Set in the Underglance Hotel in New Orleans, the Torrance family was warned, before the hotel closes for the season, “Are you sure you want to be here through the summer? It can get very lonely and isolating.” (No lie!) And so begins the tale-as-old-as-time story of Stephen King’s 'The Shining' wrapped in a tortilla of snarky parody. Psychic son Danny (Riley Elise) is college-aged, and mom Wendy (Rebecca Poole) knows to use the they/them pronouns, while self-absorbed, frustrated Jack Torrance (Cody Keech) never catches on and obtusely sticks with he/him. This is a subtle detail that both brings the story into the 21st century, and establishes Jack as the asshole, with succinctness. Danny is visited by their childhood ‘imaginary friend’ Tony (dressed as a cartoonish tiger, natch) and is warned of the dangers of the Underglance Hotel for those who shine. Dick Hallorann, the hotel’s resident drag queen chef, also warns Danny telepathically, but assures them what they see can’t hurt them. Yah, right. Most of the scenes are punctuated with a water ballet sequence set to contemporary music expertly played by The Bomb Pulse. Throw in a little pole dancing from the Grady Twins (why not!), and a wet hedge maze constructed of leaf-adorned paddle boards just for funsies, and the Torrance’s season of turmoil has never been so hilarious. Keech’s Jack is genuinely frightening amidst the camp of the rest of the performances, which adds a touch of danger and tension. Danny’s complicated relationship with Tony the Tiger illustrates how alone they’ve been throughout a life spent with the shining talent. I’m not too concerned with spoiling the plot of The Shining. IYKYK, after all. But I’ll refrain from any further spoilers of how Aquamob and especially the deft direction of Lizzy Collins skewers these well known plot points. It’s best to go into this as blind as possible. Let each irreverent moment surprise you. And they will. One of the most enjoyable aspects of Wendy, Darling is the atmosphere the company and band manage to create. No polite clapping at the end of each ballet scene. Screams and whistles are encouraged, more akin to a rock concert. During intermission (through which the band plays some rockin’ good tunes), my friend MJ was regaled by the woman seated next to them about the eight seasons of Aquamob plays she had seen, as she vowed she would never, ever miss a production by this company. I looked around during intermission and saw everyone talking to everyone, friends and strangers alike, and the whole courtyard felt like a Mardi Gras parade with that New-Orleans-specific sense of community and bonhomie. I can’t say I’ve ever been to a play that evoked this special feeling that only our city can understand. I don’t know the precise recipe to create this world, but Aquamob thankfully does. You leave the show just feeling so connected and damned good! Although I left without a drop of blood on me, the night was most certainly not a waste. A bloody good time. You may have 'Midnight and the Stars and You' stuck as an earworm for the next few days, but it’s an acceptable price to pay. I’m with MJ’s neighbor -- a new convert, I will henceforth be at every year’s Aquamob production. Absolutely do not miss Wendy, Darling! Wendy, Darling plays at the Midtown Hotel through October 11th, click here for more information and ticketing READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH DIRECTOR LIZZY AND AQUAMOB FOUNDER ALAYNE Fat Squirrel has announced its next production: Exhausted Paint: The Death of Van Gogh, directed by Carly Stroud and starring Drew Stroud in a one-man performance of an immersive theatrical journey, penned by local playwright Justin Maxwell. Grounded in the poignant personal writings of Vincent van Gogh, Exhausted Paint weaves together a sequence of monologues drawn from the artist’s letters, offering audiences intimate access to his mind and spirit through a shifting narrative.
Tickets are available on the company's website, fatsquirrelnola.square.site. The company’s tiered ticketing model ensures socio-economic diversity in attendance. The NOLA Project theatre company is returning to Lafitte Greenway. Pete McElligott (THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW, DRACULA) adapts FRANKENSTEIN, in a world premiere. Leslie Claverie (THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW, DRACULA) directs fellow NOLA Project members James Bartelle, Keith Claverie, Michael Aaron Santos, Matthew Thompson and Kristin Witt as well as local performers J’aiLa Christina, Noah Hazzard and Keyara Milliner. FRANKENSTEIN will be the third NOLA Project production to be staged at the Greenway Station.
“Partnering with Lafitte Greenway lets us turn a public space into a stage,” said NOLA Project Artistic Director Tenaj Wallace. “Our hope is that neighbors, families, and audiences – whether it’s their first play or their fiftieth – will feel like this type of community rooted theatre, that The NOLA Project is committed to, belongs to them, too.” FRANKENSTEIN will be presented October 2-17 at 436 N Norman C Francis Parkway. Seating is bring-your-own general admission – camping chairs are recommended for the outdoor, concrete venue. All performances start at 7:30pm. For detailed schedule, tickets and more, visit NOLAProject.com. It’s the story of a Southern family that began with a dry goods store in Alabama and evolved into a financial powerhouse. The Lehman Trilogy weaves together nearly two centuries of family history as this epic theatrical event charts the humble beginnings, outrageous successes, and devastating failure of the financial institution that would ultimately bring the global economy to its knees. Returning to the Le Petit stage to bring this moving chronicle to life are Ryan Hayes, David Lind, and Leslie Nipkow. Leading the team through 150 years of history is director Jenny Lavery.
The Lehman Trilogy has its opening night on Friday, October 3rd, running through October 19th. Preview night is Thursday, October 2nd, with discounted tickets for all seats. Students of all ages can purchase discounted tickets for all shows, and groups of 10 or more can use code GROUP to save 20% online. Seats are still available for the student matinee on Thursday, October 9th. Single-show tickets are now available for The Lehman Trilogy, along with full-season and partial-season 4-Play packages for the 2025-26 Le Petit season. BOX OFFICE: 504.522.2081 x 1 or lepetittheatre.com 
Dear Evan Hansen
Rivertown Theatres Review by Beth D'Addono If an anxiety-riddled teenager falls out of a tree, does anybody care? This is just one of the driving issues in the show Dear Evan Hansen, which won six Tony awards in 2017 including best musical. Eight years later, the story still resonates, a heartbreakingly raw tale of teen suicide, loneliness, social media fake news and ultimately, flawed redemption. Dear Evan Hansen is a genre-bending musical, with Grammy-winning music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (the writing duo behind the songs in the films La La Land and The Greatest Showman) and book by playwright Steven Levenson. Set against the backdrop of the social media age, with ever-changing screens depicting the relentless power of online “community,” Dear Evan Hansen manages to be both high tech and low touch at the same time. The show tells the tale of an awkward and lonely teenager who feels unseen and unimportant. When his classmate Connor Murphy dies by suicide, a misunderstanding about their relationship leads Connor’s parents to Evan, who perpetuates what starts as a little white lie, but blows up into a complex web of deceit. Actor/singer Jacob Morris rises to the challenge as the show’s angst-ridden main character. Morris has a strong, expressive voice, owning the show’s heart-tugging anthems while perfectly embodying the nervous tics of a broken, isolated teen. The stakes are high. While Evan manages to eventually do the right thing, it’s hard to cheer him on as he perpetuates the lie. He’s clearly embracing the charades limelight, but then again, this is a kid who nobody ever noticed. Morris mines Evan’s sensitive core, keeping it real through a roller coaster of emotions. Morris is matched by a consistently strong ensemble, with shout outs to stirring performances by Lewis as Connor and Ruby Rae Levin, as his tough yet vulnerable sister Zoe. Ryan Reilly is wonderful as the jammed up, grief-stricken dad Larry Murphy. When he sings To Break in a Glove to Evan, both characters are shattered by loss and wishing for what will never be. Ashley Lemmler delivers a strong performance as Evan’s mother Heidi, an over worked single mom who sings a showstopping version of the poignant ballad, So Big/So Small. There were lots of sniffling and passed tissues on opening night. Dear Evan Hansen is a long and intense performance that rings true in an age where everybody else seems to be living their best life on Instagram and TikTok, leaving so many of people of all ages “On the outside, always looking in,” just one of the powerful lines in the first act anthem, “Waving Through a Window.” It's is a profound musical that rings true for anyone who's ever felt unseen in a crowded room. That it’s onstage at Rivertown is a big deal. The licensing company reached out to the Kenner theater, asking director Kelly Fouchi to present the first non-replica production in the U.S. Instead of this being a bus-and-truck traveling version of the original, Fouchi and her team were able to flex their own creative muscles. The company offered fresh aspects to the production, including stunning digital screens recreating school and home settings as the story unfolds. Scenic designer Ben Needham and lighting designer Gabby Brown created an eye-popping, high-tech context for a story that literally unspools screen by screen. Bryce Slocumb co-directs with Fouchi, who also choreographs. Musical director Elise Spurlock and the band of musicians did a bang-up job with this gorgeous score, with Mathieu Silverman. conducting and on keyboard. Never mind if there were times when the balance of sound seemed off - hanging on every word goes with the territory for this gorgeous heartbreaker of a musical. Dear Evan Hansen plays through Sept 28th at Rivertown Theatres. Click here for more information and ticketing. Beth D'Addono is a culture and food writer - her newest book, 'City Eats: New Orleans' - is out now. (Read our review) Subscribe for your free weekly arts and culture newsletter: 
first night: out cry, The Two-Character Play by tennessee williams @ THE LOWER DEPTHS THEATRE9/14/2025
Tracey E. Collins and Kyle Daigrepont in Out Cry (photo by Britney Werner)
Out Cry: the Two-Character Play Lower Depths Theatre at Loyola University Review by Dorian Hatchett The best way to turn a palace into a prison is to lock the doors. Out Cry: the Two-Character Play by Tennessee Williams examines the compulsion of the artist to create art, and the inherent fragility of the human psyche. Endless poetry written in praise of the adaptability and kindness of the human heart completely discounts the truth. That for every love sonnet or ballad of fortitude, there's a sinister library of loss and depravity. Our hearts are monsters. That's why our ribs are cages. Tracey E. Collins is Clare. She's forceful and vibrant and hyperbolic and made of fear and bravado in equal measure. Her and her brother are trapped in the vicious cycle of the poor artist. The need to perform, to create, to produce is constant and endless. Without creating, there is no audience. Without an audience, the actor is alone and hungry with only their own thoughts to keep them company. Kyle Daigrepont is Felice. He is secretive and steadfast. He sees his sister's whimsy as weakness. His creativity stems from a deep well of responsibility, and like so many men, he considers himself rational. He's not, of course, but instead has convinced himself that his emotions are simply factual rather than facetious. Out Cry is among the most rarely staged of Williams’ work. He rewrote it constantly, from the first draft in 1966, to a second and third version in 1975. The demands of such intensity and deep range on a cast of two makes it difficult to cast and even more difficult to perform. Collins and Daigrepont are sublime in their roles. At times hard to watch, simply overwhelmed in second hand desperation, the rapt audience seemed acutely aware that what they were watching was the active dissembling of two people, broken again and again on the wheel of creative license and expectation, and sharing something that may be folie à deux, or may just be aching truth. The line between character and actor is blurred time and time again, as the play within a play flows back and forth between Felice and Clare and their character's needs on the stage within a stage, and the personal triumphs and sorrows of the actors playing them, on the stage that is their lives. The final, quiet resolution to simply continue the play, because nothing ever ends, is distressing, but also allows the audience and actor alike to let go of the responsibility of knowing, and move on to acceptance. To get lost in this play is an honor, but also a pyrrhic victory of the highest order. The stage may be a prison for the actor, but Out Cry takes no prisoners. Out Cry: the Two Character Play runs through September 21st at the Lower Depths Theatre at Loyola University. Click here for more information and ticketing We are one of the few places left doing reviews of local New Orleans theater! Subscribe for your free, weekly arts and culture newsletter: One of Tennessee Williams' lesser known plays hits the stage this month, as the Tennessee Williams Theatre Company of New Orleans present 'Outcry'.
The stage is swallowed in darkness when Clare and Felice arrive to perform their act, but they’ve been performing the show for so long that they struggle to determine where the play ends and their true lives begin. As they gaze out to the pitch dark maw of the theatre, they can’t be sure whether the audience is there or not, so they determine to present the show…perhaps for the last time? Find out what they have to show you in Tennessee Williams’ plaintive and poetic cry of the heart, starring local powerhouses Tracey E. Collins and Kyle Daigrepont. DIRECTED BY BEAU BRATCHER SEPTEMBER 10 - 21 @ THE LOWER DEPTHS THEATRE AT LOYOLA UNIVERSITY |
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