One out, boil out: Rel Farrar and her new musical coming to The New Marigny Theatre this month
EVERYBODY'S IN LA: REL FARRAR, PLAYWRIGHT AND LIBRARIAN
Interview by Paul Oswell
Rel Farrar is one of our city's librarians, but she is also debuting her first musical - Out of the Boil - this September. It's a Streetcar Collective for the Arts production, and it involves crawfish and climate change, a mix so intriguing that we had to find out more...
OAD: Hi Rel, thanks for talking to us! How long have you been in New Orleans and which neighborhood do you stay at?
RF: The play premiers right after my 15-year New Orleans anniversary! On a map, where I live is called St. Claude. I guess I should just say 'Upper Ninth Ward' because a lot of people think that I mean the area near the corner of Elysian Fields and St. Claude, which is actually pretty close to the New Marigny Theatre, the venue for the show.
You just cast a new musical, Out of the Boil, and have started rehearsals, how’s it going so far?
I was blown away at the table read how funny everyone was right out of the gates. I am so impressed by the cast, and I am honored to have such talented people performing in this thing. And, we couldn't do any of it without the extremely funny and astonishingly multi-talented Danielle Small (of WaterWorld, The Musical), who is directing.
Tell us what the musical is about and what the audience can expect.
Imagine, not only are you and your friends crawfish living in New Orleans, but also you are at the precipice of a moment where the worst effects of climate change can still be averted. Hard to imagine, I know. So, how do they (how do we) get out of the boil? That's the part that takes the imagination. Luckily, I also have the magic of theater to work with.
What inspired you to do this thing? I know you've written and acted somewhat before but this seems like a whole new beast.
Well, I personally can't think of a better subject for a musical than anthropomorphized crawfish living in New Orleans, set to parody versions of some of the greatest hit songs of the 20th century, and at the time I was obsessed with [band name redacted]. But what inspired me to do it? A smart lady said I should.
The songs are parodies of popular pop songs by a band that everyone will know, but which we'll keep as a surprise. Why were you drawn to that band in particular to score your musical?
Haha, so actually, I haven't been using the name of the band as part of the marketing for the show. But I will say that one of the reasons I thought this band in particular would be so good is because, according to their Wikipedia page, they have the most Billboard top-charting songs, of all the bands that never had a number one single.
The music is being played by the musician Neal Todten - how did you meet him and were you aware of his other projects?
Well I caught the piece Out All Day did about him a few months ago, and when I asked my friend Dante (of the band The Dapper Dandies), I knew I had to go and see him. He was doing harmonium covers of Tom Waits and Jackson Browne accompanied by a tenor sax - absolutely beautiful - and I kept thinking the whole time, 'I really hope this guy agrees to be in my show.'
Tell us a bit about the venue and why you like it so much.
The New Marigny Theater says it's a 'church of arts and sciences'. Seems like it was meant to be. They're very supportive! And what a beautiful, majestic space.
You chose to produce but not to direct and not to act in this production. Why did you make those choices and were they difficult ones?
Well, I like to think I know where my talents lie.
You’re also one of our city’s great librarians! What’s going on with libraries in the city right now, anything people should support or be aware of?
There are two great librarians in the cast, as well! This show's got librarians galore! I would be willing to bet that if you like librarians, you will like this show. I am lucky to live in a city where people generally understand 'Book Bans Bad' (please continue to support NOT banning books!) so I'll just say - I am obsessed with telling people about Kanopy. It's the library's free streaming service for movies, documentaries etc. It's actually my favorite streaming service... there is so much good stuff!
Thanks for talking to us, we’ll check back with a review of your opening shows!
Thanks so much for talking to me!
Out of the Boil opens at the New Marigny Theatre on Sept 26th and runs to Sept 29th, and then from October 3rd-6th. For more information and tickets, click here.
EVERYBODY'S IN LA: REL FARRAR, PLAYWRIGHT AND LIBRARIAN
Interview by Paul Oswell
Rel Farrar is one of our city's librarians, but she is also debuting her first musical - Out of the Boil - this September. It's a Streetcar Collective for the Arts production, and it involves crawfish and climate change, a mix so intriguing that we had to find out more...
OAD: Hi Rel, thanks for talking to us! How long have you been in New Orleans and which neighborhood do you stay at?
RF: The play premiers right after my 15-year New Orleans anniversary! On a map, where I live is called St. Claude. I guess I should just say 'Upper Ninth Ward' because a lot of people think that I mean the area near the corner of Elysian Fields and St. Claude, which is actually pretty close to the New Marigny Theatre, the venue for the show.
You just cast a new musical, Out of the Boil, and have started rehearsals, how’s it going so far?
I was blown away at the table read how funny everyone was right out of the gates. I am so impressed by the cast, and I am honored to have such talented people performing in this thing. And, we couldn't do any of it without the extremely funny and astonishingly multi-talented Danielle Small (of WaterWorld, The Musical), who is directing.
Tell us what the musical is about and what the audience can expect.
Imagine, not only are you and your friends crawfish living in New Orleans, but also you are at the precipice of a moment where the worst effects of climate change can still be averted. Hard to imagine, I know. So, how do they (how do we) get out of the boil? That's the part that takes the imagination. Luckily, I also have the magic of theater to work with.
What inspired you to do this thing? I know you've written and acted somewhat before but this seems like a whole new beast.
Well, I personally can't think of a better subject for a musical than anthropomorphized crawfish living in New Orleans, set to parody versions of some of the greatest hit songs of the 20th century, and at the time I was obsessed with [band name redacted]. But what inspired me to do it? A smart lady said I should.
The songs are parodies of popular pop songs by a band that everyone will know, but which we'll keep as a surprise. Why were you drawn to that band in particular to score your musical?
Haha, so actually, I haven't been using the name of the band as part of the marketing for the show. But I will say that one of the reasons I thought this band in particular would be so good is because, according to their Wikipedia page, they have the most Billboard top-charting songs, of all the bands that never had a number one single.
The music is being played by the musician Neal Todten - how did you meet him and were you aware of his other projects?
Well I caught the piece Out All Day did about him a few months ago, and when I asked my friend Dante (of the band The Dapper Dandies), I knew I had to go and see him. He was doing harmonium covers of Tom Waits and Jackson Browne accompanied by a tenor sax - absolutely beautiful - and I kept thinking the whole time, 'I really hope this guy agrees to be in my show.'
Tell us a bit about the venue and why you like it so much.
The New Marigny Theater says it's a 'church of arts and sciences'. Seems like it was meant to be. They're very supportive! And what a beautiful, majestic space.
You chose to produce but not to direct and not to act in this production. Why did you make those choices and were they difficult ones?
Well, I like to think I know where my talents lie.
You’re also one of our city’s great librarians! What’s going on with libraries in the city right now, anything people should support or be aware of?
There are two great librarians in the cast, as well! This show's got librarians galore! I would be willing to bet that if you like librarians, you will like this show. I am lucky to live in a city where people generally understand 'Book Bans Bad' (please continue to support NOT banning books!) so I'll just say - I am obsessed with telling people about Kanopy. It's the library's free streaming service for movies, documentaries etc. It's actually my favorite streaming service... there is so much good stuff!
Thanks for talking to us, we’ll check back with a review of your opening shows!
Thanks so much for talking to me!
Out of the Boil opens at the New Marigny Theatre on Sept 26th and runs to Sept 29th, and then from October 3rd-6th. For more information and tickets, click here.
