The acclaimed musical Ain’t Misbehavin’ is set to swing onto the Le Petit Stage with a cast of New Orleans locals. Winner of the 1978 Tony Award for Best Musical, this musical revue is a sassy, sultry celebration of the music and spirit of legendary jazz great, Fats Waller. 

“Ain’t Misbehavin’ is the perfect New Orleans musical,” says A.J. Allegra, Le Petit Theatre’s artistic director. “It is a collection of some of the catchiest jazz music paired with Fats Waller’s sly lyrics, whose blush-worthy double entendres are just the right mixture of naughty and nice. It’s also a celebration of Black artistic excellence in the realm of musical theatre, and our all-local cast will knock the socks right off our audiences. What a wonderful way to spend a June night in New Orleans’ French Quarter.”

Ain’t Misbehavin’ will have its opening night on Friday, June 6th, and run through June 22nd. Preview night is Thursday, June 5th, with discounted tickets for all seats.

BOX OFFICE: 504.522.2081 x 1 or lepetittheatre.com 

​Fool's Gold: A Review of Clown Bar 2
By Beth D’Addono

In the Clown Bar, coulrophobia - an intense fear of clowns - is the baseline for survival. If you’re not afraid of these clowns, there's no telling what could happen.

Clown Bar 2 from The Nola Project is playwright Adam Szymkowicz’s second foray into the
sordid mobster-clown underworld. It’s a dark place, a world populated by killers and cops,
hookers and racketeers. But as an alternative to the “beige life” – think living in Iowa instead of
New Orleans – it’s got heart and action. And thanks to Szymkowicz’s writing, Khiry Armstead’s
big top direction and a stellar ensemble performance, Clown Bar 2 is a hilarious study of the
absurd.

Directed as an immersive dramedy that unfolds in and around the audience, as well as onstage,
this is not a show for the literal-minded theater goer. Does it make sense that clowns kill each
other with toy guns and “bleed” streamers (amazing props made by Destiny Gotham) when they die? No, but it’s visually on point and just one of the many comic details that makes the production work.

Wearing eye-popping costumes from Shauna Leone and spot on make-up and wigs from Leslie
Claverie, the cast literally shines. They bring it – there is not a moment where their clown-dom is
in question.

If you didn’t see the original show ten years ago, not to worry, the story is easy to follow. Happy,
played with strutting exuberance by Alex Martinez Wallace, is a cop turned gangster clown who
goes missing. Two of his former colleagues show up to investigate, going “full clown”
undercover to solve the crime. A gang of western clowns led by Brigham Bill show up looking
to take over the action and sight gags and double-crossing hijinks ensue.

The Clown Bar, which boasts a cocktail list with drink descriptions like “heavy on the absinthe
and a little light in the loafers,” sets the stage for flashbacks, shoot outs, romance, and in one of
the best cameos of the evening, a loud talking mime performance by 'Cliteau, Cliteau', a tour de
force from David Sellers. There’s even a funny off-stage sex scene between the two cops, Mac,
(played by Benjamin Dougherty) and the tough-but-vulnerable Gloria (Megan Whittle).
This bar has just about every kind of clown, sex kitten clowns, singing clowns, madame clowns,
assassin clowns. Have you been to Snake and Jake’s lately?

The NOLA Project brings back a few of the original cast members, including the outstanding
Keith Claverie as sad clown Musty, the brother of the ill-fated Dusty in the first show. Acting as
a musical narrator with a classic Emmett Kelly vibe, Claverie manages to out-deadpan Steven
Wright, delivering hilarious one-liners both sung and spoken. His timing is straight-up vaudeville. Jessica Lozano is the gleefully bloodthirsty Popo – I loved her blood-spattered apron - and Natalie Boyd is multi-faceted Petunia.

Clown Bar 2 is a perfect distraction from reality, boss Petunia seeming positively presidential compared to...well, you know. The show, with its whisper of burlesque and smatterings of profanity, is for clown lovers/fearers 21 and over. As the director points out, the show is crime family friendly, not kid friendly.

Clown Bar 2 plays at the AllWays Lounge Twilight Room through June 6th. Click here for more information and ticketing. 

Beth D'Addono is the author of the excellent City Eats: New Orleans book

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First night review: Tiny Beautiful Things @ The Marquette Theatre at Loyola University, New Orleans
Review by Dorian Hatchett

The French have a concept called jolie-laide, which roughly translates to 'ugly-beautiful'. It’s used to describe unconventionally attractive women, but it gets thrown around to describe all sorts of concepts where the true beauty of something lies in its imperfections, rather than in some divine symmetry.

Tiny Beautiful Things is a melange of everything imperfect about people, and how the intersection of lives can bring those imperfections together like facets of cut crystal. It is presented by Crescent City Stage, based on the novel by Cheryl Strayed.  

A novel writer takes on the project of an advice column. It seems simple enough. The word on the page is easy to compartmentalize into something separate from life, though, and our main character finds out all too quickly that the letters are real; perhaps more real than she was prepared for.  

The stage is austere. A single room, with a desk and a different chair at each corner. The entire progression of the plot is in the dialogue, and the lack of fussiness is perfect for forcing the audience to focus on the words, rather than the room.  

Tenea Intriago plays Sugar, the pseudonym for an anonymous advice-broker. She is quirky and interesting, and when she reaches into her lived experience to give guidance, the audience gains a glimpse not only into her life and history, but also a master class in grief and finding yourself through the tides of human experience. The writing is pithy and poignant, and full of brilliant analogies for experiencing life through our fragile conscious. Ms. Intriago is sublime in her portrayal of the complicated, clever Sugar.  

The letter writers are a Greek chorus; three voices in atomic orbit around our columnist. They are portrayed by Steve Zissis, Helena Wang, and Rashif Ali.  Three actors with a plethora of characters, they quick-change from one to the next as simple spotlights frame small monologues.

A barrage of voices, of problems, of the eternal question, “WTF?!” ring out to surround, overwhelm, and intrigue the writer. There is genuine laughter from the audience at times, and the chorus soaks it up and uses it as further fuel to turn around and thrust deep the knives of pain that cover our bravado and our elaborate coping masks– the things that we would use to separate ourselves from the lives of others.  

Once they have us hanging on to their every word, they effortlessly bring forth our own grief, mirrored in bullet points about loss and the moments we cannot seem to escape. Sugar expertly plucks these threads out of the air and weaves them together into a tapestry that is rich and beautiful and ugly, in just the right places. 

Tiny Beautiful Things is playing through May 25th at the Marquette Theatre at Loyola University. Click here for more information and ticketing

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First Night Review: The Wiz @ The Saenger Theatre, New Orleans
Review by Dorian Hatchett

Frank L. Baum’s saga of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and its expansive universe has captivated audiences since the initial novel was published in 1900.  Every generation since has had its own adaptations, right up to the most recent craze surrounding the blockbuster movie adaptation of Wicked.  One of the most unique approaches to the world of the Emerald City and the cardinal witches was the 1974 production of The Wiz, which portrays the story of the first Oz book through the lens of then-contemporary black culture.  

When the show made the jump to Broadway in 1975, it was groundbreaking. The first Broadway production to feature an all-black cast, it also managed to get a nod from the Billboard Music Charts with its single “Ease on Down the Road” covered by a disco group.  Despite mixed critical reviews, the show managed to win eight of the nine Tony Awards it was nominated for during its first year running.  

In 1978, the show was adapted into a feature film, starring Diana Ross as Dorothy (and the feature film debut of Michael Jackson, as the Scarecrow).  The current touring production in the US comes after numerous Broadway revivals and international adaptations.  To say that this show, never a unanimous critics darling, has had an impact, would be a grave understatement.  

This tour is certainly living up to the hype.  Dana Cimone as Dorothy is imminently relatable as a teen girl far from the home she grew up in, but when she sings she channels the voices of her musical theatre ancestors. This girl has pipes. Elijah Ahmad Lewis, D. Jerome, and Cal Mitchell are superb companions as the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion.  Their characters are as much physical comedy as steadfast companions, and the galvanizing force of the quest to take down the witch who has wronged them each in turn is as funny as it is ambitious.  

The costuming of this show deserves special mention. Using high-fashion as an element of storytelling has always been a pillar of this show, and the costume designers here did not disappoint. Colors so saturated they seem to absorb and reflect the stage lights, fantasy hair and makeup, and a generous application of metallics and rhinestones recall the disco era the show hails from, but brings in a modern finish that feels relevant and new, even for those of us who grew up watching the movie over and over.  

Under the expert direction of Schele Williams, the cast and choreography are polished, the voices are clarion, and the costumes are to die for.  Every detail maintains the Broadway flair that we have come to know and expect from Broadway in New Orleans and the Saenger Theater.  
 
The Wiz runs at the Saenger Theatre through May 18th. Click here for information and ticketing

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​Doubt: A Parable @ Le Petit Theater 
Review by David Lewis

When Doubt: A Parable debuted on Broadway in 2005 it immediately won four Tonys and the Pulitzer, which seems like a striking feat for a four-character one-act play about suspected sexual abuse by a Catholic priest.

John Patrick Shanley’s examination of a New York catholic school navigating the possible misdeeds of an affable young priest chose for setting and environment an incredibly loaded situation, but the play isn’t entirely “about” the high-stakes situation it tees up, but rather the dire processes behind the internal decisions faced by its four characters.

When principal Sister Aloysius, deeply mistrustful of both the secular and the overly informal, fences with Father Brendan Flynn over her suspicions about his conduct, we wonder whether her struggle is actually more with her own faith.

Actor Leslie Nipkow finds humor in the character, delivering some of the nun’s most acerbic lines with wicked timing, but also seems to establish herself with the eager and optimistic younger nun Sister James such as to remind you that “grooming” isn’t limited to sinister priests or male abusers. Elizabeth McCoy’s Sister James slowly unravels under the constant accusations and cynicism of her superior, until the shell that’s left is almost identifiable as a younger Aloysius.
 
If there’s a close but reluctant alliance between the two nuns, the distant alliance of actors David Lind and Queen Shereen Macklin is more haunting and complex. Lind plays Father Flynn, the priest accused of abusing the school’s only African American student; Macklin portrays the boy’s mother, Mrs. Muller.

Although the two won’t share a scene, they together explore complicity and deniability, two actors giving strangely corresponding performances, both characters with shockingly parallel agency. Macklin’s Mrs. Muller reminds me of the Greek chorus: it’s the most passive role of the four. These things are happening to her and her family, but we’re still never given the option to acquit her. Like the chorus, she in this way provides the most direct bridge to the audience.
 
The dialogue is tense, but director Ashley Santos senses the play’s real tension stems from the unsaid implications in a narrative that coldly withholds resolution. We are forced to assess disparate themes as though they are truly natural contrasts: The tension between redemption and safety; “cancel culture” social reactions and the very real threat of child abuse by trusted adults in ostensibly safe places; the injurious certitude of the blindly faithful and the crippling risk-avoidance of those waiting for someone else to solve the problems.

Shanley’s masterpiece is well positioned in our current social moment – and in the theater, you’ll find that the distance between yourself and the players is insufficient insulation from the invariable weakness of your own convictions. 

Doubt, A Parable plays at Le Petit Théâtre through May 18th. Click here for information and ticketing.

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After a successful regional premiere of Adam Szymkowicz’s CLOWN BAR ten years ago, the itinerant theatre company is returning to their clown roots with a sequel – this time trading a saloon for a twilight room.

​In this follow up to Szymkowicz's long-running comedy, two years have passed since the events of
CLOWN BAR, and Happy Mahoney – the new clown-crime boss – is missing. Foul play is suspected, so two cops from the “beige life” are enlisted to go deep undercover and solve the mystery.

The NOLA Project’s Khiry Armstead directs ensemble members Natalie Boyd, Keith Claverie, Matthew Thompson, Alex Martinez Wallace, Megan Whittle and Kristin Witt with Benjamin Dougherty, Jessica Lozano, David Sellers and Joe Signorelli completing the cast.

Please note that CLOWN BAR 2 is intended for mature audiences – must be 21+ to attend. For schedule, tickets and more, visit NOLAProject.com.

Adapted by Nia Vardalos from Cheryl Strayed's deeply personal book, Crescent City Stage presents Tiny Beautiful Things,  "a raw and honest exploration of the human experience".

Tiny Beautiful Things personifies the questions and answers that the publication “Sugar” was publishing online from 2010-2012. When a struggling writer was asked to take over the unpaid, anonymous position of advice columnist, Strayed used empathy and her personal experiences to help those seeking guidance for obstacles both large and small. Tiny Beautiful Things is billed as 'a play about reaching when you’re stuck, healing when you’re broken, and finding the courage to take on the questions that have no answers'.

It stars Tenet Intriago, Steve Zissis, Helena Wang and Rashid Ali. Michael A. Newcomer directs. The production runs from May 8 - 25th at the Marquette Theatre. Click here for ticketing and more information. 

Friday May 2nd sees the opening night of Doubt at Le Petite Théâtre> the play is the recipient of the 2005 Tony Award® for Best Play and winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The plot involves Sister Aloysius, a Bronx school principal, who takes matters into her own hands when she suspects the young Father Flynn of improper relations with one of the male students.

Leslie Nipkow appears as Sister Aloysius Beauvier. Playing opposite as Father Brendan Flynn is have David Lind, supported by Elizabeth McCoy as Sister James and Queen Shereen Macklin as Mrs. Muller. New Orleans native, Ashley Santos, takes the helm as Director.

Doubt at Le Petit Theatre  runs through May 18th. Preview night is Thursday, May 1st.

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE: May 1 – 18, 2025 | Thursdays - Saturdays at 7:30 PM; 3:00 PM Sunday afternoons. Saturday, May 17, matinee performance at 2:00 PM. Student matinee performance Thursday, May 8 at 10:00 AM.

Click here for more information and ticketing. 

The New Orleans Shakespeare Festival at Tulane has announced its 32nd season, featuring an array of comedic classics and innovative performances.

This year's season opens with an exciting new translation of Moliere's The Imaginary Invalid, directed by Ann-Liese Juge Fox and starring New Orleans favorites, Doug Spearman and Jessica Podewell. Preview performances begin on June 5th, with the official opening night on June 6th. Performances are Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday matinee from June 6th-June 22nd 

Following this world premiere, the Festival presents Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. This will be directed by Graham Bur and feature James Bartelle, Jane Cooper, Ian Hoch and Alexandra Miles in the cast. Preview performances begin July 101h, with the official opening celebration on Friday July 11th. Performances are Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday matinee from July 11th though July 27th 

In addition to the mainstage productions, the Festival is excited for the return of last season's lagniappe series that "promise to push the boundaries of traditional theater". On June 25th, The Fools Ensemble be back in the Lupin for A VERY IMPORTANT PLAY - a fusion of improv and Shakespeare. 

On June 28th, (un)prompted Shakespeare, featuring actors rehearsing and performing Shakespeare's classic tragedy King Lear in a single day, without the aid of scripts, but with the lines projected as supertitles

Click here for more information and updates

​First Night: Hamilton @ The Saenger Theatre
Review by Eileen Daley

Suffice to say that a lot of quill ink has been spilt by and about Hamilton - both the man, and the biographical hip-hop musical named for him. Opinions are sharply divided on both subjects. I'm not here to re-litigate the debates that swept Tumblr in the last decade, because quite frankly, neither I nor this website have the bandwidth.

It was clear to me, however, as I watched the touring performance stationed at the Saenger Theatre this week, that the viewing experience has changed significantly since it debuted off Broadway in 2015. The humor is a little more ironic, and so is the celebration of immigrants amidst our country's current mass deportation campaign. Perhaps counterintuitively, it made this fairy tale of the nation's founding even more appealing to lose myself in, if only for a night.

Another key difference, of course, was the touring cast who made the material and characters their own. Lin Manuel Miranda is a talented songwriter, but his originating of the title role was a perfunctory honor rather than, let's say, perfect casting (in other words, he hasn't got the range). By contrast, it was a real treat to watch Tyler Fauntleroy bring down the house of representatives as the starring lead.

The whole supporting cast was fantastic, but I particularly enjoyed the Biggie-like gravitas that A.D. Weaver brought to George Washington. The role of mad King George III is often a scene-stealer, and Justin Matthew Sargent was no exception when he got the whole theatre singing along as his backup vocalists. Beyond the principal cast, the ensemble dancers were flawless, and I was surprised how integral they were to the enjoyment of the whole production. They served as key visual interpretation of the rapid-fire lyrics, dazzling production design against a mostly static backdrop, and were just a whole effing vibe unto themselves.

The show's score (and only its score; there's no rhythmless dialogue at all in the show) is incredibly impressive with what it accomplishes. To put the following enthusiasm into context, I've never been a Hamilton girly like that; there were many fans in the audience who had every word memorized, and I'm happy for them (though maybe it's a problem that I could tell that from a distance)! But watching it live for the first time, I was blown away at the complexity of the music.

Each character has a distinctive flow, and many have musical motifs that repeat through multiple songs, giving the whole show a satisfying cohesion. This would be a triumph on its own, but the fact that they're rapping about constitutional compromise in a way that's accessible to audiences of all ages is another feat entirely.

Alexander Hamilton (the man) and New Orleans (the city) happen to have a lot in common. They are both of Creole descent, and their resilience was tested by a hurricane - or two dozen - in their youth. Most importantly, they put their trust and support in their fellow man, for better or worse. The sense of community in this show and its audience is enough to make you consider that the great experiment of American democracy might stave off its doom after all.

Hamilton is playing at The Saenger Theatre through April 20th - click here for information and ticketing