 Photo: Le Petite Theatre 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.  Photo: Cat Landrum, 2nd Story Creative 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 The New Orleans Culinary & Hospitality Institute’s (NOCHI) Culinary Arts and Baking & Pastry Arts Spring 2025 cohort invites guests on a journey to East Africa at Waliimo (pronounced wah-LEE-moh). This student-created pop-up café will blend the bold, diverse flavors of Ethiopia, Somalia, Eritrea, and beyond. The pop-up opens for lunch beginning Tuesday, May 20, at NOCHI’s downtown campus, 725 Howard Avenue.
From smoky grilled meats to vegetable-forward stews and fragrant rice dishes, Waliimo will offer a vibrant exploration of East African culinary traditions, all imagined and executed by students as their capstone project and final step toward graduation from NOCHI’s 100-day certificate programs. Guests will enjoy a thoughtfully-curated menu, and an immersive dining experience that reflects the hospitality and flavors of East Africa. There will be a focus on authentic regional spices, including cardamom, cloves, ginger, and paprika. Vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free options will all be featured. Reservations are now open for this culinary experience at www.nochi.org/waliimo. Seatings are available from 11:30 AM until 1:00 PM on the following dates: Tue., May 20 – Fri., May 23 Wed., May 28 – Fri., May 30 Tue., June 3 – Fri., June 6 Tue., June 10 – Fri., June 13 Proceeds and donations from Waliimo will support the NOCHI Scholarship Fund, helping to open doors for aspiring chefs and bakers who rely on financial assistance to enroll. Guests can donate by attending or contributing online at nochi.org.  New Orleans' Blue Theatre Co. will premier Bunny Hill Motel, an original noir thriller by Alex Anthony Vazquez, on May 23, 2025 at the New Marigny Theatre.
Set in 1977 in a rundown roadside motel, Bunny Hill Motel traps its characters in "a boiling pot of suspicion, lust, and fatal ambition". The plot revolves around John, a desperate man on the run with a bag full of stolen cash, who checks in for what he hopes is one last night of pleasure before escape. But when unexpected visitors arrive - an enigmatic call girl, an ominous "friend," and a nosy motel clerk - the walls start to close in. Written and Directed by Alex Anthony Vazquez, Bunny Hill Motel is billed as a noir fever dream with a raw, intoxicating atmosphere. "This is about the thin line between escape and entrapment," says Vazquez. "These characters are trapped in their choices, in their past, and in the pulse of desire they can't silence." Venue: New Marigny Theatre Dates: May 23 - June 1, 2025. 8PM Click here for ticketing and more information  Some of New Orleans' biggest names in music and entertainment are coming together this weekend to being a brand new, innovative and immersive event to the city. Funkstar 2025 takes place this Sunday 27th April featuring Erica Falls, AJ Haynes (Seratones), and animation characters voiced by Tarriona “Tank” Ball and Martin “Bats” Bradford (of NCIS: New Orleans fame).
Journey to Funkstar is a one-night-only immersive concert experience launching Sunday, April 27 at Republic NOLA as part of the 12th Annual NOLAFUNK Series during Jazz Fest. It's a high-energy, high-tech musical event that blends progressive New Orleans funk, sci-fi visuals, gaming, cosplay, and interactive storytelling that, in the words of the organizers, "Will take audiences on a funk-fueled odyssey like no other. Headlined by genre-bending powerhouse Water Seed, the event features an electrifying lineup of special guests: But Funkstar isn’t just a concert — it’s a full-sensory trip. Audiences will step into a retro-futuristic world of live music, digital and comic-book-inspired visuals, animation, and immersive technology. The animated characters will be bringing a bold new layer of storytelling to the experience. The event includes a cosplay contest, video game zone, and sci-fi art installations, making it a full-sensory experience rooted in Black creativity, futurism, and funk. More details and ticketing including $10 student tickets at journeytofunkstar.com Keep your Jazz Fest license to chill going with a happy hour cool down at Mister Mao. Enjoy $8 sunburn classics and a special boozy snowball collab with James Beard award winning Hansen's Sno-Bliz. Hansen's has been serving New Orleans for 86 years, and Mister Mao is excited to welcome theirTchoupitoulas Street neighbor. Wear your best Tommy Bahama & straw hat and join the Mister Mao team at the tropical roadhouse on April 28, 2025 from 5:00pm to 7:00pm.
Hansen's Sno-Bliz Rum Punch $12 rum, amaro, cream of blueberry, cardamom, mint Sunburn Classics $8 Salty Dog, Margarita, Aperol Spritz, Mai Tai or Michelada The New Orleans Jazz Museum and The NOCCA Foundation, in partnership with The Gia Maione Prima Foundation, are excited to debut the 2025 NOCCA Foundation Concert Series, a dynamic new initiative designed to celebrate the artistic excellence of NOCCA alumni, students, faculty and affiliated artists through live performances and original artistic commissions. The series will take place at the New Orleans Jazz Museum’s Performance Center (400 Esplanade Avenue), with the opening concert this Thursday, April 3 featuring two-time GRAMMY-nominated creative Gladney. Admission to the NOCCA Foundation Concert Series is free and open to the public. Seating is limited and offered on a first come, first serve basis.
2025 NOCCA Foundation Concert Series Schedule:
Palm&Pine, the award-winning French Quarter restaurant, is thrilled to unveil the Summer 2025 lineup for its Collaborative Guest Chef Series. From June to September, Chefs/Co-owners Jordan Herndon and Amarys Koenig Herndon will host a roster of guest chefs for a series of exclusive, collaborative dinners.
The Collaborative Guest Chef Series will take place two Thursdays each month from June through September. Doors open at 6:30 PM, and dinners begin promptly at 7 PM. Each evening will feature a five-course prix fixe menu, priced between $85 and $100. Chefs Amarys, Jordan, and their guest chef will personally guide diners through each course, sharing the inspirations behind their collaborative creations. The Palm&Pine bar team will curate a beverage menu to specifically complement each collaboration. Guest Chef lineup follows: June 5: David Barbeau – Resurrection Gardens June 26: TBA July 10: Zak Walters – Sedalia's, Oklahoma City July 31: Martha Wiggins – Café Reconcile (a portion of proceeds will be donated to the café) August 14: Chip Flanagan – Formerly of Ralph's on the Park (Jordan's Chef) August 28: Sophina Uong – Mister Mao September 18: Adrian Lipscombe (Chef, Storyteller, Advocate) - @adie-eats, San Antonio & Enrika Williams – Fauna Foodworks, Jackson, Mississippi September 25: Thomas Billie – Belly of The Beast, Houston A $25 deposit (applied to your bill the night of) is required to book. Seating is limited. Reservations will go live on Monday, April 7, 2025, and can be made through Resy or by calling (504) 814-6200. Palm&Pine is located at 308 N. Rampart Street. For additional information, please visit www.palmandpinenola.com.  The cast of Hamilton (photo: Joan Marcus) 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  Mister Mao's Family-Style Brunch For Two is now available permanently. For $50, you can enjoy a family style feast featuring six courses (see above). This is for two guests, dine-in only. No substitutions (menu subject to change).
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