Stage Beat New Orleans (2024)

17/08/2024

To see Brian Sands' review of "CATS: The Jellicle Ball", one of the most amazing shows to come along in a long time, please click on the link below

New in New York I rarely, if ever, begin a column with an exhortation to those who are in NYC or will be there before September 8, but here goes: Run, scamper or do whatever it takes to get a ticket to CATS: The Jellicle Ball, the most brilliant, exciting, magical “new” show in New […]

11/08/2024

To see Brian Sands' reviews of "A Streetcar Named Desire" and "Julius Caesar" as well as a tribute to Kiane D. Davis, please click on the link below

A Streetcar Named Desire at Marigny Opera House thru August 24 Shortly after I saw The Tennessee Williams Theatre Company of New Orleans’ (TWTC) production of A Streetcar Named Desire, I (and presumably the rest of the audience) received an email which said: We are aware of a first time technical ...

12/07/2024

To see the Critics’ Choice Gay Appreciation Award nominees as well as Brian Sands' Critic's Notebook about Sondheim and a write-up of Tulane Summer Lyric Theatre’s "Anything Goes", plus previews of the Shakespeare Festival at Tulane's "Julius Caesar", The Tennessee Williams Theatre Company of New Orleans' "A Streetcar Named Desire" at The Marigny Opera House, Anthony Bean Community Theater's "Grandma, Grandpa & Sunday Morning" at the Millie Charles Auditorium, "The Pirates of Penzance" at Playmakers Theater of Covington, 30 by Ninety Theatre's "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee", "RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars" at the Mahalia Jackson Theater, and "Bette Bathhouse & Beyond" at Café Istanbul, click on the link below

Critics’ Choice Gay Appreciation Award On behalf of Tony Leggio and myself, I am pleased to announce the nominees for the Critics’ Choice Award that will be presented as part of the 34th Gay Appreciation Awards (GAA). They are: Carrie: Blood in the Water produced by Aqua Mob Advertisement (top) ...

28/06/2024

To see Brian Sands' reviews of "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)[Revised][Again]"; "The Cake"; "The Importance of Being Earnest" and "Clue", please click on the link below

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)[Revised][Again] at Tulane’s Lupin Theater In the course of 90 minutes or so, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)[Revised][Again] serves up, in one form or another, all 37 of Shakespeare’s plays (38, if you count Two Noble Kins...

02/06/2024

To see Brian Sands' reviews of Jenny Mercein‘s "Two Elizas" and Intramural Theater's "The Bermuda Can Company", please click on the link below

Two Elizas at Hermann-Grima House I didn’t know quite what to expect as I approached Two Elizas at Hermann-Grima House on the last day of its too brief, four-day run. Purposefully, that is, as I like to encounter new works knowing as little about them as possible. I did know it was written and per...

21/05/2024

To see Brian Sands' reviews of The NOLA Project‘s "Shakespeare’s Tempest Reimagined"; The Tennessee Williams Theatre Company's "The Felt Menagerie"; Le Petit's "Born With Teeth"; and "Mrs. Doubtfire" at the Saenger plus previews of Intramural Theater's "The Bermuda Can Company"; Crescent City Stage's "The Cake"; Komenka's 42nd Spring Concert; N.O. Shakespeare Festival's "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) [revised] [again]"; Tulane Summer Lyric Theatre's "Sweeney Todd" and "Assassins The Musical" at The Azienda Theatre, as well as a tribute to the late Glenn Meche, please click on the link below

Shakespeare’s Tempest Reimagined at the Lafitte Greenway Station through May 25 Magic Shakespeare employs magic in The Tempest, his autumnal dramedy, to move his plot along and serve as a metaphor for the spells he had cast with words in all his previous works. Advertisement Those who go to The NO...

16/05/2024

To see Brian Sands' review of Bianca Del Rio’s "Dead Inside" and Broadway@NOCCA's Claybourne Elder, please click on the link below

Bianca Del Rio’s Dead Inside at the Mahalia Jackson Theater Bianca Del Rio recently brought her Dead Inside Comedy Tour to the Mahalia Jackson Theater. It was boring, unfunny, tedious, uninspired, slow-moving, and witty as a rock. I have no idea why so many people paid their hard-earned money to s...

05/04/2024

To see Brian Sands' review of The WWII Museum’s "The Diary of Anne Frank" plus previews of Junebug Productions' "Sole 2 Soul" at Ashé Powerhouse Theater, JPAS' "Noises Off", Le Petit's "Born with Teeth", Broadway@NOCCA's Claybourne Elder, and Parsons Dance with The Allen Toussaint Orchestra at the Mahalia Jackson Theater; and some fun stuff in NYC, please click on the link below

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The Diary of Anne Frank at WWII Museum’s Stage Door Canteen The WWII Museum’s Stage Door Canteen recently presented The Diary of Anne Frank, the classic drama about eight Jews hiding from the N***s in a concealed storage attic in Amsterdam. This production used Wendy Kesselman’s adaptation of ...

25/03/2024

To see Brian Sands' reviews of The Tennessee Williams Theatre Company of New Orleans' "Kingdom of Earth", "Beautiful, The Carole King Musical" at Le Petit; and the recent productions of "Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations" and "Golden Girls: The Laughs Continue" at the Saenger Theatre, please click on the link below

Kingdom of Earth at Loyola’s Marquette Theatre through March 24 Through March 24, at Loyola’s Marquette Theatre, The Tennessee Williams Theatre Company of New Orleans (TWTC) is revisiting the first script they produced back in 2015, 1968’s Kingdom of Earth from Williams’ later period, a tale...

13/03/2024

To see Brian Sands' reviews of The NOLA Project's "The Colored Museum" and Slidell Little Theatre's "Next to Normal", click on the link below

Dear Readers–Greetings from Shreveport! For the past 21+ years I have always tried to give you well-crafted reviews. This week, however, due to a variety of circumstances including having to be in north Louisiana on business, I’ve fallen behind schedule but do want to let you know about two most...

21/02/2024

To see previews of shows/ballet/opera opening in the next 5 weeks and, for those who might be in NYC this weekend, Brian Sands' review of Varla Jean Merman’s "Stand By Your Drag", click on the link below

Curtain Up Now that Mardi Gras is just a happy memory, it’s time for theater to move back indoors again. Through Easter, lots of shows will be debuting on local stages from Metairie to the Northshore to Chalmette. Hope you’ll be able to check out some–or all–of the following. I vividly remem...

25/01/2024

To see Brian Sands' review of "Les Misérables", and preview of "Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations", both at the Saenger Theatre, click on the link below

Les Misérables at the Saenger Theatre, January 30-February 4 [This production of Les Misérables played at the Saenger Theatre in 2019 and returns later this month with Nick Cartell still starring as Jean Valjean . The following are excerpts from my January 2019 review of it.] You’ve read Victor ...

12/01/2024

To see Brian Sands' review of NO Shakespeare Fest's "Romeo & Juliet", previews of Intramural Theater's "The Trees", JPAS' "The Mountaintop" & their presentation of "Divine Comedy: From Hell to Paradise", Slidell Little Theatre's "Romeo and Juliet", "Nunsense" at 30 by Ninety Theatre, "The Lion in Winter" at Playmakers Theater, & "San" at Le Petit. and his tribute to the late Robert Lyall, click on the link below

Romeo and Juliet at Tulane’s Dixon Hall on January 12 [Romeo and Juliet, which played at Tulane’s Lupin Theater last summer, returns on January 12 for one performance at Tulane’s Dixon Hall. The following are excerpts from my July 2023 review of it.] In trying to review the New Orleans Shakesp...

05/01/2024

To see Brian Sands' "Year in Review" column, click on the link below

The Year in Review So, do I look at the cup half full or half empty, the “cup” being New Orleans’ 2023 theatrical season? On one hand, about 25% of the productions I saw provided memorable, worthy evenings, some spectacularly so, certainly a respectable amount. On the other hand, the other 75%...

27/12/2023

To see Brian Sands' "naughty'n'nice" reviews of "A Christmas Carol", "Wicked" and "Wheel of Fortune LIVE!", click on the link below

A Christmas Carol at Loyola’s Marquette Theater through Dec. 21 Crescent City Stage is presenting Patrick Barlow’s adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol at Loyola’s Marquette Theater through December 21. In the spirit of the season, let’s do a “Naughty” and “Nice” review...

09/12/2023

To see Brian Sands' preview of December theater offerings in New Orleans and his write-up of New York, including theater, museums, and the newest q***r nightlife hot spot, click on the link below

Curtain Up The holidays are upon us so don’t expect anything too heavy on local stages for the next month or so. Or to kinda quote Stephen Sondheim, “Comedy tomorrow, tragedy next year!” If you’re looking for something to do besides caroling and standing under the mistletoe, check out some.....

09/12/2023

To see Brian Sands' write-up of Chicago, including the Lyric Opera's "Jenufa", the Art Institute, the Field Museum, and the Museum of Ice Cream, click on the link below

Chicago Culture I hadn’t been to Chicago in a while and certainly not in November. I guess I shouldn’t complain as I had overall nice, sunny weather. But now I know why they call it the Windy City. No, it’s not because of Mother Nature’s bl****bs. Rather, it refers to the city’s windbag po...

31/10/2023

To see Brian Sands' reviews of "I Wrote a Song" and "Witch Perfect" plus previews of JPAS' "Young Frankenstein" & "Looped", Randy Bibb's "Onepiece", ArtSpot Productions' "The Road to Damascus (as Told by Grandmother to Little Red)", New Orleans Opera's "Blue" and The Company-A St. Bernard Community Theatre's "Misery ", click on the link below

I Wrote a Song at The AllWays Lounge I Wrote A Song, Trey Ming’s 2018 musical, recently returned to The AllWays Lounge. Based on countless true stories, it’s just your average boy-meets-girl, boy-gets-married, boy-looks-at-gay-porn-becomes-a-Baptist-preacher-sneaks-off-to-bathhouses-gets-outed-i...

24/10/2023

To see Brian Sands' reviews of Varla Jean Merman’s "Stand By Your Drag", "A Wonderful World", Fat Squirrel's "Broken Codes", and "Let the Right One In" at Le Petit, click on the link below

Varla Jean Merman’s Stand By Your Drag at Cafe Istanbul In July, I went to a Comedy Festival at the New Orleans Arena. Other than Tiffany Haddish, who was very funny, I laughed more at Varla Jean Merman’s Stand By Your Drag than all the other comics combined. Why hasn’t Ms. Merman yet gotten h...

12/10/2023

To see Brian Sands' reviews of Aqua Mob’s "Carrie: Blood in the Water" and "Into the Breeches!" at Playmakers Theater in Covington plus previews of "Back in the Day", "Le Code Noir", "Broken Codes", and Varla Jean Merman's "Stand By Your Drag", and a write-up of NYC theater ("Titaníque", "Kimberly Akimbo", "Swing State") and museums, click on the link below

Carrie: Blood in the Water at the Drifter Hotel through October 7 Aqua Mob’s Water Ballerinas and Ballerinos may not be quite ready yet for the Olympics, but do any of those athletes who “go for the gold” perform their synchronized swimming routines wearing high-heeled shoes as Daisy Konfused ...

18/09/2023

To see Brian Sands' reviews of The Tennessee Williams Theatre Company‘s "Spring Storm" and JPAS' "The View UpStairs" plus previews of "The Big Easy Beat", Trey Ming's "I Wrote A Song", "Night of 1000 Stevies New Orleans", and "Witch Perfect" starring RuPaul’s Drag Race veterans Scarlet Envy, Tina Burner, and Alexis Michelle, click on the link below

Spring Storm at Loyola’s Lower Depths Theatre through September 23 In 2010, Tennessee Williams’ early play Spring Storm received its European premiere in Northampton, England; virtually unknown in America, it had never been mounted in the playwright’s lifetime. The production then transferred ...

22/08/2023

To learn who the winner of the Critics' Choice Gay Appreciation Award was and see previews of Southern Decadence events, The Tennessee Williams Theatre Company's "Spring Storm", JPAS' "The View UpStairs", "Steel Magnolias", & "The Adventures of Tortoise and Hare", Trey Ming's "I Wrote A Song", "A Wonderful World, A New Musical about the Life and Loves of Louis Armstrong" at the Saenger, "Into the Breeches" at Playmakers Theater, "13 The Musical" at 30 by Ninety Theatre, New Orleans Opera’s "The Marriage of Figaro", Night of 1000 Stevies New Orleans, Witch Perfect, and Aqua Mob's "Carrie: Blood in the Water", click on the link below--

2023 Critics’ Choice Gay Appreciation Award winner On behalf of Tony Leggio and myself, I am delighted to announce that the winner of this year’s Critics’ Choice Gay Appreciation Award (GAA) is Where the Suga Still Sweet written by Brian Egland and produced by No Dream Deferred. The award was ...

10/08/2023

To see Brian Sands' reviews of the Anthony Bean Community Theater's "The Bodyguard, the Musical" and The Tennessee Williams Theatre Company of New Orleans' "Sweet Bird of Youth", click on the link below

The Bodyguard, the Musical at the New Orleans Jazz Market through August 27 About seven years ago, the Anthony Bean Community Theater (ABCT) was asked to leave its longtime home on Carrollton Avenue as the church that rented space to them wanted to start using its auditorium hall for other purposes....

05/08/2023

"Sweet Bird of Youth" returns to the Marigny Opera House this weekend, now extended through August 19. Here's Brad Rhines' review for NOLA.com

https://www.nola.com/entertainment_life/arts/in-sweet-bird-of-youth-tennessee-williams-rages/article_9862c130-2f3a-11ee-9bd9-b769114a580a.html

Early in the opening act of Tennessee Williams' 1959 hit “Sweet Bird of Youth,” Princess Kosmonopolis suffers a panic attack and struggles to breathe, demanding an oxygen tank and mask

31/07/2023

To see Brian Sands' reviews of the New Orleans Shakespeare Festival's "Romeo and Juliet" and the National WWII Museum's "Expressions of America", click on the link below

Romeo and Juliet at Tulane’s Lupin Theater through July 30 In trying to review the New Orleans Shakespeare Festival at Tulane’s (NOSF) current production of Romeo and Juliet, to use the lingo of today, “It’s complicated.” First of all, it’s a good solid production without a weak link in ...

13/07/2023

To see the Critics’ Choice Gay Appreciation Award nominees as well as Brian Sands' review of Tulane Summer Lyric Theatre’s "Little Shop of Horrors ", plus previews of the Shakespeare Festival at Tulane's "Romeo and Juliet", Summer Lyric Theatre’s "Oliver!", The Tennessee Williams Theatre Company of New Orleans' "Sweet Bird of Youth" at The Marigny Opera House, Fat Squirrel's "Star-Crossed, A Midsummer Nightmare" at Gallier Hall’s Ty Tracy Theatre, NOBA’s Summer Dance Concert at NOCCA's Lupin Hall, "Shrek The Musical Jr." at Playmakers Theater of Covington, and 30 by Ninety Theatre's "Always A Bridesmaid", click on the link below

Critics’ Choice Gay Appreciation Award On behalf of Tony Leggio and myself, I am pleased to announce the nominees for the Critics’ Choice Award that will be presented as part of the 33rd Gay Appreciation Awards (GAA). They are: The Baltimore Waltz produced by Fat Squirrel Advertisement Big Freed...

28/06/2023

To see Brian Sands' round-up of cultural goings-on in New York, including a variety of museum shows and some plays on and off-Broadway, click on the link below

New in New York If you’re heading up to New York for July 4th, or any other time this summer, I wish I could recommend a bunch of new theatrical offerings for you to enjoy. Alas, that is not the case (and more on that later). What has blossomed, in many cases just since I […]

20/06/2023

To see Brian Sands' reviews of Fat Squirrel’s "The Baltimore Waltz" at Gallier Hall’s Ty Tracy Theatre and New Orleans Shakespeare Festival's "Twelfth Night" at Tulane’s Lupin Theater, plus previews of 30 by Ninety Theatre's "The Producers", "Miss Rose: A Cabaret" at the Marigny Opera House, "The UpStairs Lounge" at NOMA’s Lapis Center, and "RuPaul’s Drag Race Werq The World Tour 2023" at The Mahalia Jackson Theater, click on the link below

The Baltimore Waltz at Gallier Hall’s Ty Tracy Theatre through June 22 I know I saw The Baltimore Waltz when it was done at the CAC in the 1990s. I just can’t remember who directed or acted in it or much else about the production (googling didn’t help). Just that it left me kinda cold. […]

28/05/2023

To see Brian Sands' reviews of Le Petit’s "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" and Broadway's "Bad Cinderella", "Some Like it Hot", and "& Juliet", click on the link below

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time at Le Petit through June 4 Comparisons are odious. That said, after I saw The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time on Broadway in 2014, I described it as “a wondrous coming of age show about an autistic/math genius teenager” and encourag...

23/05/2023

To see Brian Sands' reviews of No Dream Deferred’s "Where the Suga Still Sweet" & "The Defiance of Dandelions" and The NOLA Project's "A Midsummer Night’s Dream", click on the link below

Where the Suga Still Sweet (thru May 21) and The Defiance of Dandelions (thru June 17) at the André Cailloux Center for Performing Arts It’s rare to go to a performance of a new play in New Orleans or even New York or, for that matter, just about anywhere these days, and find yourself on […]

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