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1 Gay EasterParade.COM GayMardiGras.COM GayNewOrleans.COM June 8-21, 2010 The Official Mag: AmbushMag.COM 11

Lisa Sings Lee at Le Chat Noir trodding the boards by Brian Sands Email: bsnola2@hotmail.

Rather, having clearly done extensive research on the chanteuse s life, she presented an intelligent, informative and entertaining overview of a career that foreshadowed those of Madonna and Lady

2 Lisa Sings Lee at Le Chat Noir trodding the boards by Brian Sands With her auburn hair, Lisa Picone didn t try to recreate the look of Peggy Lee in her recent cabaret Lisa Sings Lee. Rather, having clearly done extensive research on the chanteuse s life, she presented an intelligent, informative and entertaining overview of a career that foreshadowed those of Madonna and Lady Gaga for its originality, talent and business acumen. With a small but lovely voice that nicely conjured up the smooth style of Lee, Picone drew her audience into the songs. Working chronologically, she did well impersonating Lee s disastrous first recording with Benny Goodman when she was forced to sing in a too high key. Picone blossomed, by which I mean her voice took on a richer persona, as Lee became Miss Peggy Lee with an amusing trip through her Carmen Miranda-inspired period; a simple and lovely What More Can a Woman Do?; and the unforgettable songs she wrote for Lady and the Tramp (Picone s inner comedienne emerged in We Are Siamese). As good as the program s first half was, the second was an absolute knockout as Picone continued with a superb Big Spender (I d like to see her as Charity), I m a W-O-M-A-N featuring great diction & lotsa sass, and a wonderfully wry Is That All There Is? Led by Jesse Reeks on piano, a firstclass trio accompanied Picone with acute sensitivity, fitting her song stylings like a glove. Elbow length, of course. Banu Gibson directed simply, which was fine. Picone may not have Lee s sizzle who does? but she created an evocative tribute to this legendary singer/songwriter. As anyone who has seen Picone in comedy, drama or musical theater here knows, however, she has her own effervescent personality. I look forward to her next cabaret and hope this talented performer will bring a sizzle all her own to it. November at Tulane s Lupin Theatre In Theatre 13 s production of David Mamet s November, Bob Edes, Jr. was fiendishly good as a loser of a U.S. President in a tough re-election fight. Navigating the hairpin emotional turns that various national and campaign challenges foist on him, Edes went from simpering to apoplectic in a flash. What can t this actor do? Butoh? Nah, he could probably do that brilliantly too. Leon Contavesprie was smoothly efficient as the Prez s chief legal advisor while Rebecca Frank brought sly intelligence and an ennobled weltschmerz to his loyal lesbian speechwriter. Mike Harkins and Shad Willingham were equally good in smaller, more thankless roles. Ashley Ricord directed with a sure touch keeping the madness flowing and her cast within the bounds of reality so that the production never fell into mere cartoonishness. The question remains, however, as to why Theatre 13 decided to do this absolutely ridiculous, and not in any good way, play. I love Mamet; Glengarry Glenn Ross is one of the greatest plays of the past 30, maybe 50, years. I love farce, especially if it has a political edge. But to be successful, such a script must evince some realitybased logic or it falls apart. November starts off silly and quickly deteriorates into a sophomorically cynical and simple view of politics. Amidst a numbing cascade of words (e.g., the President s overlong first act speeches), Mamet resorts to the logic of a bad sitcom. And then he throws in gay marriage and avian flu before arriving at a completely ludicrous ending. Premiering in the waning days of Bush2 s presidency, this was pretty wan stuff. Now, with a new president and even bigger things to worry about, it just seemed pointless. In its brief life so far, Theatre 13 has amassed an impressive track record for presenting some comic gems polished to a high sheen. Unfortunately, no matter how well polished November was, it was never gonna be more than scrap metal. Here s hoping that Theatre 13 s soon-toopen production of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels will be a real winner. Go Ye Therefore... at 5168 St. Roch, Gentilly Kathy Randels & Rebecca Mwase s Go Ye Therefore... began with Randels arriving on horseback in the backyard of a home still undergoing post-katrina restoration. The sun lingered above. Ducks flew overhead. Mwase soon joined her from the cross-bedecked roof of the house. These were just the start of director Ashley Sparks beautiful images as she brought this tale of two women, each a daughter of a Baptist preacher, to life. As the sun set and a 3/4 moon rose, and with the aid of Hannah Adams inventive lighting, she had her performers travel through space and time, leading the audience to different venues in the yard each of which provided a new and entrancing perspective. Yet, somehow, Go Ye Therefore... was less than the sum of its parts. What promised to be an exploration of different racial and cultural worship traditions as seen through the playwrights autobiographical lens, became a too diffuse patching together of the personal (racial discrimination, changing church traditions) and the overly thematic (Cecil Rhodes and imperialism, Lot s wife and patriarchy). Randels tribute to her father was clearly heartfelt but went on too long as did an initially witty sequence featuring two broadly drawn preachers, Ebony and Ivory. 12 The Official Mag: AmbushMag.COM June 8-21, 2010 Official ficial Southern n Decadence Guide SouthernDecadence.COM NOLAPride.ORG

Sometimes there seemed to be a too literary employment of words rather than a dramatic use of them resulting in pretty-tolook-at and interesting passages but not very moving ones.

3 Sometimes there seemed to be a too literary employment of words rather than a dramatic use of them resulting in pretty-tolook-at and interesting passages but not very moving ones. And if Rhodes was justly vilified, no mention was made of the horror that current President Robert Mugabe has brought to Zimbabwe, Mwase s ancestral home. (For that matter, given the African connection with its wealth of religious customs, it s surprising that the validity of monotheism was never questioned.) Still, one could appreciate other elements of the production. A building that mysteriously leaked water was among the spectacular and surprising effects of Jeff Beck s design. A bus labeled Gutting for Glory that drove into the yard from the street, representing the influx of Baptists who came here to help rebuild, brought a collective smile to audience members faces. And newcomer Mwase, who can effortlessly switch from the serious to the comic, is a radiant actress who I hope will grace more local productions. Go Ye Therefore... raised some fascinating questions: How does a preacher s child fit in with the other kids at school? How do you deal with people who have come to help you who want to wash away your traditions? How can one practice a religion with a history of endorsing slavery? If in future incarnations its authors choose to explore these in greater depth and specificity, Go Ye Therefore... could stir people s souls as well as their senses. didn t feel shortchanged. The sound at the Elmwood Palace is excellent and while the camerawork is unobtrusive you get it from all sides even above the stage! Interestingly, the HD gives such clarity that it has a way of flattening things out and making the huge stage seem smaller than it is. In addition to Deborah Voight s interesting backstage interviews with the singers and director Mary Zimmerman, these broadcasts give you the opportunity to see what goes on behind the curtain as the set is changed between acts fun and fascinating! The Met has announced next season s HD broadcasts and I m already looking forward to Iphigénie en Tauride, Capriccio with Fleming, and Le Comte Ory with that cute (and awesomely talented!) Juan Diego Flórez. Love s Labor s Lost at Tulane s Lupin Theatre Love s Labor s Lost is unlikely to be anyone s favorite Shakespearean comedy. It s a talky piece in which four young noblemen swear off the huge army of the world s desires (meaning women ) to concentrate on their studies. It is not without its rewarding moments but they are few and far between. That said, as the recently well-received Shakespeare s Globe production of it demonstrated, a director who can inject some life into it can turn its knotty wordplay into art. Alas, the New Orleans Shakespeare Festival s collaboration with the NOLA Project commenced slowly and only came alive in fits and starts. Director Buzz Podewell reset the play in the early twentieth century but otherwise no overarching directorial concept could be discerned and it lacked the directorial spark that LLL requires to elevate its collegial shenanigans to the frothy comedy it has the potential to be. Despite an amusing sequence in which each of the nobleman discovers that the others have forsaken their vows, Podewell s staging was mostly perfunctory with some passages static and boring to look at. Nor did he prod his cast, an assemblage of some of the city s finest actors, to dig deep and individualize their characters. Thus, while the performances were never less than intelligent and well-locuted, Sean Glazebrook, Peter McElligott, & James Yeargain, as three of the noblemen, were almost interchangeable, the blame to be spread between Podewell and Shakespeare. To be sure, when the Bard conveyed deeper emotions, these three along with Andrew Larimer as the most conscientious of the troupe and their female counterparts (Claire Gresham, Jessica Podewell, Laura Ramadei, Emilie Whelan) connected deeply with his words for some compelling theater. But elsewhere, mere speechifying prevailed. Where Shakespeare provided more character-driven humor this Labor was more successful. A.J. Allegra infused his clownish Costard with scampish wit that seemed to bubble forth organically. Kate Kuen s illiterate country wench summoned forth a simple commedia dell arte charm. Mark McLaughlin was, as usual, a pro as a fatuous pedant. But as a Spanish Don, Danny Bowen was a complete misfire with a terrible accent that wasn t even funny. Emblematic of this production s shortcomings was that its highlight was when a bird s dropping landed from the rafters above with perfect placement on the upper part of an academic gown. South Pacific at the Vivian Beaumont Theater If you re heading to New York this summer but would like a quick trip to the South Seas, do visit South Pacific before it ends its award-winning run in August. Under Donald Holder s gorgeous lighting of Michael Yeargan s vast set, Bartlett Sher directed with cinematic grandeur and tension allowing for few breaks in the action. If you re not choked up by the last scene, you might want to check if you have a heart. As Nellie Forbush, Laura Osnes sang and danced well but lacked a certain inner spark; I actually preferred Liz Argus slightly more mature Nellie in Tulane Summer Lyric s production last year. The rest of the supporting cast were fine with Andrew Samonsky turning in a tougher, older, more experienced Lt. Cable than is usually seen. But the big news is that after his acclaimed run in The Nose at the Metropolitan Opera, in which he sang with robust yet touching voice, Tony Award-winner Paulo Szot is back as Emile de Becque, giving what is sure to be the definitive interpretation of this role for this generation and, probably, the next. Exceptional, soul-stirring acting combined with a velvety baritone for a performance that was, in a word, magnificent. Metropolitan Opera HD Encore/Armida at AMC Elmwood Palace 20 The Met concluded its series of HD broadcasts this season with Rossini s Armida and, though it started earlier than scheduled, with its nearly four hour running time and Renée Fleming s beautiful singing throughout, I Gay EasterParade.COM GayMardiGras.COM GayNewOrleans.COM June 8-21, 2010 The Official Mag: AmbushMag.COM 13

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