Songblazers–A Journey into Country Music touring through Feb. 2, 2025
Cirque du Soleil’s Songblazers–A Journey into Country Music played here at the Saenger Theatre last month but, as it’s touring the country, I thought it’s still worth writing about in case it turns up in a theater near you.
Songblazers can be divided into three components: the music, the acrobatics/circus-y stuff, and its story.
If you like country music, especially of the bluegrass variety, this show’s for you. Featuring over 35 numbers, including Will the Circle Be Unbroken, Working Man Blues, All My Ex’s Live in Texas, The Devil Went Down to Georgia and many more, Kyle Edmonston leads a five piece band that’s augmented by six cast members who double as musicians/singers. The performances are all topnotch and a pleasure to listen to.
Not surprisingly for a Cirque du Soleil extravaganza, the circus acts are the highlights of the show. Bruno Macaggi of Spain impressively juggles lotsa red Solo cups. Brazil’s Cecilia Figueiredo and Eliel Diaz offer fun, slapsticky hand to hand acrobatics. Brittany Gee-Moore from Canada mesmerizes as she creates poetry in motion with her Cyr wheel. A troupe of eight gents from Tanzania amaze as they skip rope within twirling ropes and then, later, form astounding human pyramids. And if I had to pick a favorite, it was Olga Makhausta of Ukraine who bounced high into the air from a thin pliable wooden plank (an Acro bar) held by her two colleagues, spun around in Olympics-worthy moves, and then landed perfectly, again and again, back on the plank–wowza!
The cast of Cirque du Soleil’s Songblazers, A Journey into Country Music
And then there’s the show’s book about a young songwriter who wants to “find his voice”. I had a feeling this would be the weak link when I settled in my seat and started looking through the program and discovered that there were not one but two synopses of the story PLUS a description of the main characters (though no bios of the hardworking performers–shame on Cirque!). While usually unnecessary, this actually might’ve been a good idea as the plot would’ve been hard to follow without those elucidations of it. It’s both corny and at times incomprehensible, like some weird dream, with comic bits that are not very funny. Amy Tinkham is credited as “Show Director & Writer” and she has a long list of “conceptualizing performances for many of the top [musical] artists in the world”, but her storytelling skills could use some sharpening.
If country/bluegrass music and showmanship is what you want, especially if you have kids, there are worse ways to spend two hours. If you’re also hankering for coherent musical theater, however, Songblazers is likely to break your achy breaky heart.
[More info at https://www.cirquedusoleil.com/songblazers]
New in New York
Usually when I go up to New York City, there’s quite a lot of things to take in, especially in the museum/art gallery and theater scenes. When I was up there last month, however, there wasn’t, perhaps because I’ve been up there a lot recently for family matters and have seen everything I wanted to see or the season hadn’t really gotten going yet or who knows why.
So I can report to you on the only thing that I did see, The Roommate by Jen Silverman (Booth Theatre thru Dec. 15) starring Mia Farrow and Patti LuPone. And, surprisingly, given that it’s a subdued two-character dramedy, I felt much the same about Roommate as I did about Songblazers.
A tale of opposites (Iowan vs. New Yawker) brought together in “a big old house in Iowa City” by some wild circumstances, I’m happy I saw The Roommate for Farrow’s and LuPone’s performances.
Farrow has the tougher time of it as her Robin is more wanly written than LuPone’s Sharon. I don’t know too many Iowans, but Robin struck me as a cliche, all wide-eyed innocence like she just emerged from a cornfield. Sure, it’s possible, but Silverman needed to have given her a more believable back story and underlying characteristics for this to make complete sense. Still, though Farrow hasn’t been on a stage in a while, her acting chops remain in quite good shape.
If there was some tentativeness to Farrow’s performance, as though she hadn’t yet fully formed it at the preview I attended (or she might’ve been a bit under the weather as she was out with Covid for a few days after I saw the show), she still endowed Robin with a subtle but powerful yearning to enlarge herself and try new things. Flaky and too trusting, perhaps, but not a bad person at all.
Patti LuPone and Mia Farrow in The Roommate (photo by Julieta Cervantes)
LuPone, on the other hand, wholly inhabited Sharon; there was not an ounce of “Patti” on the stage of the Booth Theatre, only a tough, 65-year-old lesbian from the Bronx who’s had some entanglements with the law. I have no doubt she had gone through Silverman’s script and thought through every single line she had, mining each one for its subtext, and, by accretion, sculpted a preternaturally authentic character from this process; it wouldn’t surprise me if she had hung out with some older butch lesbians to achieve the just-right posture and stance that she used.
As for the story itself, I’d rather forget the phone calls used for exposition; the authorial manipulation; the cheap (if occasionally funny) laughs; the pot (as in marijuana) scene that would’ve been dated 40 years ago; plot points that didn’t make sense; plot turns you could see coming from a mile away (and I’m usually not good at that sort of thing); and the utter preposterousness Silverman used to conclude her play. I actually felt sorry for Farrow and LuPone, two fine thespians, that such a script was the best they could find that could provide roles for women of their age.
So while I don’t always agree with New York Times theater critic Jesse Green, he nailed it when he ended his review of the show with “The Roommate…delivers a pair of very satisfying performances that cancels out the play. You’ll remember LuPone’s sneers and Farrow’s tears — not what caused them.” (https://theroommatebway.com/)
Curtain Up
While things have been relatively quiet since Labor Day, from now till the Holidays there’ll be lots of options for those looking for entertainment of the non-Taylor Swift variety. Of course the biggest dramatic event of all comes to a culmination on November 5; don’t know how it’ll turn out (fingers crossed!), but make sure you play your part in it and vote!
The NOLA Project starts its 20th Season at the New Orleans African American Museum (NOAAM) (1418 Gov. Nicholls St.) with Antoinette Chinonye Nwandu’s Pass Over which draws on Waiting for Godot, the Book of Exodus, and current (and not-so-current) headlines as two young Black men, Moses and Kitch, in “the (future) present; but also 2021 CE; but also 1855 CE; but also 1440 BCE” pass time by “the river’s edge; but also a ghetto street; but also a plantation; but also a desert city built by slaves; (and also the new world to come ((worlds without end)).”
Seen on Broadway in 2021, I found parts of Moses’ and Kitch’s plight involving, though there seemed to be a good deal of filler. The play came most to life in a surreal scene as Mister, a seemingly obliging white guy (emphasis on “seemingly”), shares a large meal with Moses and Kitch, and then, later, when a vicious cop has a change of heart. Pass Over may not be a perfect evening of theater, yet it’s an interesting and worthy one that gives audiences lots to think and talk about.
The NOLA Project production will be directed by Tenaj Wallace and features Martin “Bats” Bradford (Moses), DC PauL (Kitch) and Keith Claverie (Mister/Cop). Pass Over will be presented at NOAAM’s outdoor Sanctuary Stage October 24-November 9 with reserved and bring-your-own seating options available. More info and tickets at https://www.nolaproject.com/passover
Martin “Bats” Bradford and DC PauL in Pass Over (photo by SJ Walker Studios)
Out in Metairie, Jefferson Performing Arts Society (JPAS) presents Jekyll & Hyde: The Musical (Oct. 25-Nov. 3). Based on Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic thriller, Jekyll & Hyde tells the tale of a brilliant mind gone horrifically awry; set to a pop-rock score by Frank Wildhorn with book & lyrics by Leslie Bricusse, the musical will be directed by Ken Goode and stars Tyler Walls in his JPAS/NOLA debut. (https://www.jpas.org/performance/jekyll-hyde/)
Currently on the boards (or the rails, as the case may be), 30 by Ninety Theatre’s Murder on the Orient Express continues through October 27 in Mandeville. This is a stage version of Agatha Christie’s grand tale of the murder of an American tycoon aboard a luxury train that’s seemingly unsolvable until ace Belgian detective Hercule Poirot (played by 30 by Ninety’s Co-Founder Jason Leader) starts putting the clues together. Whodunnit?! Head to the Northshore to find out. (https://30byninety.com/shows/murder-on-the-orient-express/)
After that mystery is solved, comes Sister Robert Anne’s Cabaret Class (Nov. 1–10). In it, for all you Nunsense fans, feisty, street-smart, and immensely talented Sister Robert Anne “teaches” us how to put together a cabaret act, using some of the most memorable numbers by Nunsense’s award-winning composer Dan Goggin. The musical stars Jennifer Gesvantner as Sister Robert Anne with Monica Hodges on keyboards. (https://30byninety.com/shows/cabaret-class/)
Also on the Northshore, SPLaT Fest (Shakespeare’s Premier Louisiana Theatre Festival) will present Macbeth for its sophomore production after last year’s Measure for Measure. Director Julie Generes sets Shakespeare’s bloody tragedy not only in the Abita Springs Trailhead Museum’s Amphitheater, but in the surrounding woods. Starring Quinton Williams as the Scottish king and Mona Nasrawi as Lady M, Macbeth opens on All Soul’s Day (Nov. 2) at 5:00pm, and continues the next day at the same time. Watch out for any wayward daggers! (https://www.splatfest.org/)
Eric Generes, Gary Mendoza, and Janie McNulty in Macbeth (photo by Julie Generes)
Back on the Southshore, Anita Vatshell’s “vexing modern day tragedy” Open Up the Kingdom Mama plays at the New Marigny Theatre November 7-16. Set in a post-Roe v. Wade New Orleans where access to reproductive care is severely restricted, a highly unexpected pregnancy causes controversy when a 56-year-old widow must determine if a miracle conception is fate or the result of a voodoo hex on her lover.
Vatshell also directs a cast that stars Jennifer Pagan and features Doug Wilcox, Samantha Beaulieu, Amelia Lormand, Andrea Dube´, Claudia Duran, Andrew Bagnato and Robert DoQui. Depending on how the election turns out, this could be a fantasy, a documentary, a horror story, or some combination of all three! (https://newmarignytheatre.com/event/open-up-the-kingdom-mama-nov-7-16th/)
Following Open Up the Kingdom Mama at the New Marigny Theatre (aka Church of Arts and Sciences), Fat Squirrel returns with another “vexing tragedy”, albeit an older one, Euripides’ The Trojan Women which chronicles the fates of the last of the great women of Troy, immediately following the city’s fall. This drama runs from December 3 thru the 13th. (https://newmarignytheatre.com/event/the-trojan-women/)
Similar to Fat Squirrel’s Trojan Women, for their second outing, The Fire Weeds are employing some seasonal counterprogramming with their production of Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, quite the antithesis of A Christmas Carol. Jaclyn Bethany (Honey), Lin Gathright (Martha), Carl Palmer (George), and James M. Reilly (Nick) star in this Tony Award-winning play which can be seen December 4-21 at Big Couch. (https://www.thefireweeds.org/) [Note: This production has been rescheduled to January 5-14.]
If you’re in the mood for something lighter, head to the Saenger Theatre for Beetlejuice (Nov. 12-17). Based on Tim Burton’s film, this musical tells the story of Lydia Deetz, a strange and unusual teenager whose whole life changes when she meets a recently deceased couple and a demon with a thing for stripes. Irreverent yet touching, and featuring an astonishing Tony-nominated set, Beetlejuice may be a bit late for Halloween here, but could still serve as inspiration for Mardi Gras outfits. (https://www.saengernola.com/events/beetlejuice/)
Another movie-inspired musical comes to the Saenger when Elf The Musical sleighs in there December 3-8. For those not familiar with the film, it’s about Buddy, a young orphan who mistakenly crawls into Santa’s bag of gifts and is transported to the North Pole. Unaware that he is actually human, Buddy’s enormous size and poor toy-making abilities cause him to face the truth. With Santa’s permission, Buddy embarks on a journey to New York City to find his birth father, discover his true identity, and help New York remember the meaning of Christmas. (https://www.saengernola.com/events/elf/)
Elf may be about a grown man who wears tights, but the really gay show at the Saenger this season is The Cher Show (Dec. 17-22) which brings to the stage the life of you-know-who, about whom it was once said, “The only thing that will be left after a nuclear holocaust is Cher and cockroaches.” (She didn’t disagree). Featuring Tony-winning costumes by Bob Mackie, this bio jukebox musical uses three actresses to play the iconic, Oscar-winning singer/actress at different stages in her career. (https://www.saengernola.com/events/the-cher-show/)
Catherine Ariale, Morgan Scott, and Ella Perez in The Cher Show (photo by Meredith Mashburn Photography)
Its costumes probably won’t be as spectacular as The Cher Show, but the tunes in Heart & Soul, Songs of Hoagy Carmichael will surely make up for it since they include Stardust, Heart and Soul, The Nearness of You, In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening, Skylark, Up the Lazy River, etc., etc. Paul Soniat, John Parker, Rich Look, Alden Hagardorn, and Heidi & Philip Melancon perform the many numbers associated with one of the most successful entertainers of the 1930s and ’40s at the Monkey Hill Bar & Theater on November 10, 14 and 17. For reservations, call (504) 202-0986 or email melonsongs@gmail.com
More great music can be heard at Le Petit Theatre when The Big Easy Boys & Babes return there November 14-16 with their newest revue, Live at Le Petit: The Big Easy Beat!, a rocking tribute to the musical heritage of New Orleans highlighting such classic rhythm and blues artists as Fats Domino, Irma Thomas, The Dixie Cups, and more! (https://www.lepetittheatre.com/events/live-at-le-petit-the-big-easy-beat)
The Big Easy Boys & Babes
For those looking for something even gayer than The Cher Show, head to the Orpheum Theater on November 17 for the 6th annual Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Show. While there’s no guessing as to what wild and unexpected directions this year’s show will take, audiences can expect “over-the-top camp spectacle, side-splitting gags, brand new songs, heartfelt storytelling, thrilling dance numbers, and iconic costumes” from RuPaul’s Drag Race alumni BenDeLaCreme and Jinkx Monsoon. (https://www.jinkxanddela.com/)
Jinkx Monsoon and BenDeLaCreme (photo by Jacob Ritts)
If Jinkx and DeLa are too tame for you, then you might want to head to Temple House (3150 Dauphine St.) on November 30 for EXÖRCISE, A Fashion Ritual featuring fashion and BLOODLINES, a performance piece by visual artist and designer LUCERNE, a “Swiss-born, Berber creature who was ripped from Europe as a child and forced to grow up in the U.S. suburbs in a born-again Christian family.” EXÖRCISE offers a fashion show presented through performance art and ritual in which LUCERNE melds those two worlds to confront, for the first time, a tortured family history in a significant way. (https://www.eventbrite.com/e/exorcise-tickets-1025496947977?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl)
On the other hand, if Jinkx and DeLa are too wild for you, then you’ll be pleased to know that Crescent City Stage’s production of Patrick Barlow’s adaptation of A Christmas Carol returns to Loyola’s Marquette Theatre December 4-15. About last year’s premiere, I wrote “Director Elizabeth Elkins Newcomer effectively conjures up the proper moods and set pieces for this oft-told tale with bounteous imagination, never permitting the pacing to flag.” (https://www.crescentcitystage.com/a-christmas-carol-2024)
Michael A. Newcomer and cast in A Christmas Carol (photo by Brittney Werner)
May Halloween bring you nothing but treats (and maybe a few tricks), and may your Christmas stockings be filled to the brim!
