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Mary Mathews
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trodding the boards by Brian Sands Email: bsnola2@hotmail.

1 trodding the boards by Brian Sands Venom at The Elm Theatre through September 21 The Elm Theatre is to be admired for commissioning a new play from a young playwright and then giving it its world premiere. It is a major step for this adventurous theater company. Even more commendably, the commission came with the charge that the play feature both black & white characters and to include some kind of racial tension. That said, after seeing Clint Sheffer s Venom, one wonders if The Elm should ve given the script a little more development time or workshopped it first. Because, as it is now, the script simply isn t ready for prime time. Venom tells the strange tale of Meadow and Waylon, newlyweds who are heading down to New Orleans from Missouri when their car runs out of gas in a north Louisiana town. Meadow is the daughter of a high muckamuck in some crazy religious cult who wants her brought back home. To that end he s engaged some local law enforcement types of loose morals to do his dirty work. Sheffer s style is Tarantino by way of Shepard; nothing wrong with that. But there s little as to what drives these characters or who they really are so all we get is hyped-up melodrama in a seedy motel room. It s unfortunate because there s lots of potential for a frothy Southern stew here. Meadow s cult considers African-Americans literally apes yet Waylon s a young black man. Did she marry him to spite her Dad? Or does she really love him? It s never quite clear because their relationship at no time fully comes into focus. Of course, maybe it could be a little of both, or even be left ambiguous, but Sheffer never explores this dimension. Similarly, by featuring a corrupt African-American detective, Sheffer removes the likelihood of overt racism as a motivating force for Rocky s abuse of Waylon. But he fails to examine black-on-black violence and how it differs, if at all, from that of blackon-white. In other ways, the script doesn t clarify all that s going on and plot points can be a challenge to follow. Director Pamela Davis- Noland suitably gives Venom the exhilarating pace of a roller coaster ride, but some of the necessary exposition may have gotten lost in the process. Booze and guns and doublecrosses and mysterious men in a Waffle House, not to mention that wackadoodle cult and its nasty enforcers, add to the menacing atmosphere, but don t give an audience a lot to care about. And the ending is absolutely ridiculous. Despite all that, I credit Davis-Noland and her cast of four for holding my attention throughout; I certainly was never bored. Baffled maybe, but not bored. And at the top of my Bafflement List is Anthonyka Ferdinand s set. Even if it was meant to be abstract, the most squalid of motel rooms would at least have a bed and some other furniture in it; the bedroom would be unlikely to have a large window in it (we know it does from the shadows cast by Mandi Wood s lighting); and the bathroom window would probably not let out to where the front door seems to be. Ferdinand s efforts were an avoidable distraction from the drama itself. Second on the B-list is the intermission. Venom is a short play, less than 90 minutes long. I understand local theaters concern of giving patrons bathroom breaks and generating income from intermission refreshment sales. But whether Venom s intermission was in the original script or inserted at the request of the producers, it ought to go as it breaks the play s tension just as it was beginning to build. I mean, why ask people to get off that roller coaster when it finally gets to the very top? As Meadow, Becca Chapman packs a lot of power into her small frame. The contrast between her petite stature and the tough talk that comes out of her mouth may be amusing, but it s not gratuitous; Meadow obviously picked up some of her Dad s bravado. Matthew Thompson has less to work with as Waylon, who may well be a talented artist but that aspect of his character feels more tacked on than an organic part of his being. Thompson conveys well Waylon s initial bewilderment at being caught up in something he hadn t bargained for but there s something false about his final drunken stupor, for which the script and direction can take some of the blame as well. Thompson does impart a genuine sweetness to this befuddled young man, but there are few sparks between him and Chapman. They seem more like best friends running away to the big city than passionate honeymooners. Moses brings an authentic swagger and a mellifluous voice to Rocky, the kind of role you d expect Samuel L. Jackson to play in the movie version. If we never discover what drives this badass besides money and power, it s not Moses fault. As Rocky s white ex-con assistant Gumdrop, Matt Story reveals a different side of his talent from the usual disaffected urban men he plays. Story expertly finds the humor in this double-digit IQ cracker without overdoing it, leaving the audience to wonder, despite his assertions to the contrary, if he s simply not the smartest bottle in the six-pack or if he might really be a little mentally challenged. The Elm has given Sheffer a wonderful opportunity. If he s wise, he will continue to work on this play so that it can fulfill its potential. In the mean time, you have four more weekends to see this work in progress. Curtains Up on the Fall Season Summertime and the living is easy...except for all the folks who are putting finishing touches on those shows about to kick off the Fall season. Slidell Little Theatre (2024 Nellie Dr., Slidell, ) is already up and running with Seussical, a musical in which Dr. Seuss marvelous creatures come to buoyant life. It continues through September 8. Another St. Tammany theater is up next as Cutting Edge Theater (747 Robert Blvd., Slidell, ) presents Rent, the Tony Award-winning pop-rock opera, based on Puccini s La Boheme, that tells the story of seven friends in the drug- and AIDS-ravaged New York City of the 1990 s. It opens August 30 and runs through September 14. Heading down to Orleans Parish, on September 4, The NOLA Project debuts A Truckload of Ink, an original story by local playwright Jim Fitzmorris, that takes place in the busiest newsroom on the eve of the most massive change to hit New Orleans newspapers as people fight to save a cultural institution from an out-of-state corporate dismantlement. Sound familiar? A Truckload of Ink plays through September 21 at The University of New Orleans Robert E. Nims Theatre (2000 Lakeshore Dr., SHOW). Talk about ripped from the headlines. Not sure what to expect when scientist-turned-comedian Tim Lee comes to New Orleans for the first time at The Shadowbox (2400 St. Claude Ave., ), September 5-8, with a blend of stand up comedy and science. Lee is a comedian with a Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolution from UC Davis. He s going to have to be pretty funny to be more comic than the folks in Baton Rouge who keep pushing Creationism. Le Petit Theatre (616 St. Peter St., ) kicks off its regular season on September 6 with Lombardi about the legendary Green Bay Packers Coach Vince Lombardi. Casey Groves plays the football icon and will be joined by his real-life wife, Rachel Whitman Groves, who ll play the part of the coach s wife. Lombardi will be on the field through September 21. Also opening on September 6 will be Ma Rainey s Black Bottom with which the Anthony Bean Community Theater (1333 S. Carrollton Ave., ) completes its presentation of August Wilson s Century Cycle. Set in a Chicago recording studio in 1927, the drama brought Wilson widespread recognition for its dramatization of a recording session with blues legend Ma Rainey, her band members, and the white producer & agent who make themselves wealthy through Rainey s recordings. Ma Rainey plays through September 29. Moisés Kaufman s 33 Variations, the story of a modern-day music scholar driven to solve one of classical music s enduring riddles the mystery behind Beethoven s Diabelli Variations even as her own health and relationships crumble, gets its regional premiere on September 11 from Southern Rep. The production, which will combine drama, moving images, and live music performed by concert pianist Dr. Chia-Hsing Lin, runs at the Contemporary Arts Center (900 Camp St., ) through September 29. The World War II Museum s Stage Door Canteen (945 Magazine St., ) pays tribute to Bob Hope with Thanks for the Memories: Bob Hope and his All-Star Pacific Tour opening on September 20 with a cast of 14 who ll recreate Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, The Andrew Sisters, Carmen Miranda, as well as Bob himself, all backed by the Victory Swing Band. This new show marches along until October 20. Don t know much about Evil Dead: The Musical except it s a rock musical based on the cult film series and it ll be the premiere presentation of Christopher Bentivegna s new production company, See Em On Stage. But it opens at The Shadowbox on October 17 and terrorizes until the 31st. Sounds like perfect Halloween fare to me. Debuting at Los Isleños Heritage and Culture Society (1357 Bayou Rd., St. Bernard, ) on October 24, Cry You One is a new site-responsive performance and multimedia project from ArtSpot and Mondo Bizarro about the disappearance of coastal Louisiana, the people who live there, and what is being done to save their homes. This roving performance will occur on a stretch of land in Lower St. Bernard Parish that is rapidly disappearing and will take audience members on an outdoor journey near the Central Wetlands. Cry You One will play only on Saturdays & Sundays through November 24, and there ll be a post-show dinner/discussions on Sundays. Building upon their Ambie Award-winning Loup Garou, this sounds like it will be a unique experience. And last but not least, the fabulous NOCCA (2800 Chartres St., ) concert series hosted by Seth Rudetsky continues with Jane Krakowski (October 7), the return of Patti LuPone (November 16), Charles Busch with special guest Varla Jean Merman (December 2), and Christine Ebersole (January 6, 2014). What an incredibly wide range of choices. Start planning now! review...from 55 Cronkite... Dealey Plaza... Dallas, Texas... President John Fitzgerald Kennedy and Jacqueline, Texas Governor John Connally and Nellie... the Warren Commission... Lee Harvey Oswald... Jack Ruby... Vice-President Lyndon Johnson and Lady Bird... Love Field... the Dallas Trade Mart... Stemmons Freeway... Texas School Book Depository... the pink and blue Chanel suit... Air Force One... the Zapruder film... the single bullet theory... Secret Service Agent Clint Hill... Parkland Memorial Hospital... the grassy knoll... Dallas Police Officer JD Tippit... the Texas Theatre... Arlington National Cemetery...conspiracy theories... the Eternal Flame... Camelot... These are people, places and things you will read and hear about as we approach November, years is a long time and this is big. Books are out, movies have been made... look for more. PARKLAND... a dramatic film from the American Film Company will be released on September 20. It follows the events at Parkland Memorial Hospital after the assassination in Directed by Peter Landsman, it was produced by Gary Goetzman, Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton and Nigel Sinclair. Stars include Zac Efron, Tom Welling, James Badge Dale, Jacki Weaver, Paul Giamatti, Jackie Earle Haley, Billy Bob Thornton, Marcia Gay Harden and Bitsie Tulloch. JACK KENNEDY: ELUSIVE HERO, written by Chris Matthews was published November 1, Matthews is the host of [continued on 58] 56 The Official Mag: AmbushMag.COM August 28-September 9, 2013 Official ficial Southern n Decadence Guide SouthernDecadence.COM

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Matthews, like Kennedy, is a Roman Catholic Irish American.

THESE FEW PRECIOUS DAYS: THE FINAL YEAR OF JACK WITH JACKIE, was written by

.. former contributing editor of TIME magazine and longtime senior editor of PEOPLE

It focuses on Jack and Jackie s last year together and the drug use and infidelities.

Matthews book begins when Jack was a student at Choate, so it paints a broader

Their writing styles are different, Anderson having a background in magazines and

They deal with much of the same material.

I enjoyed both books but if your not that familiar with the Kennedy mystique, I

Lee Daniels THE BUTLER is out now. It has a fine cast and has gotten rave reviews.

Watch out for a new Billy Bob Thornton film, JAYNE MANSFIELD S CAR.

2012. The cast includes Robert Duvall, John Hurt, Kevin Bacon and Billy Bob.

.. my question is why it took so long to be released in the states?

3 review...from 56 MSNBC s Hardball and the book is a New York Times best selling biography. Matthews, like Kennedy, is a Roman Catholic Irish American. He started life as a Republican but came under Kennedy s spell at age 11. THESE FEW PRECIOUS DAYS: THE FINAL YEAR OF JACK WITH JACKIE, was written by Christopher Anderson... former contributing editor of TIME magazine and longtime senior editor of PEOPLE magazine. It focuses on Jack and Jackie s last year together and the drug use and infidelities. Both men have other books and articles on the Kennedys. Matthews book begins when Jack was a student at Choate, so it paints a broader picture. Their writing styles are different, Anderson having a background in magazines and Matthews being a political commentator and pundit. They deal with much of the same material... interviews with family members, lifelong friends, key advisors and political confidants. Both agree that the Marilyn Monroe stories and Kennedy s use of drugs for his medical conditions are true. Both hint that as the older crowd dies off, we will get at more details. I enjoyed both books but if your not that familiar with the Kennedy mystique, I recommend JACK KENNEDY: ELUSIVE HERO. It is now out in paperback. Lee Daniels THE BUTLER is out now. It has a fine cast and has gotten rave reviews. It opened #1 on August 16. I will review it next issue. Watch out for a new Billy Bob Thornton film, JAYNE MANSFIELD S CAR. It is set in 1960s Alabama, filmed in Georgia and premiered in Berlin in February The cast includes Robert Duvall, John Hurt, Kevin Bacon and Billy Bob. It has gotten some great press... my question is why it took so long to be released in the states? It will be in limited release starting September 13. One Great Chick... Karen Black well I d like to go to Memphis, but I don t know the way... and I d like to tell you how I feel, but I don t know what to say... and I d like to go to heaven, but I forgot how to pray... so just help me keep from sliding down some more... Memphis, from Robert Altman s NASHVILLE Karen Black (July 1, 1939-August 8, 2013) CONGRATS again to Tami Tarmac and Venus Santiago, Southern Decadence Grand Marshals XXXIX... you girls have a great day... Next DEADLINE Tues., Sept. 3rd pensacola paparazzi Shows, Parties & Emerald City ~ Pensacola, Florida ~ Photos by Lauren Mitchell marsha@ripandmarsha.com 58 The Official Mag: AmbushMag.COM August 28-September 9, 2013 Official ficial Southern n Decadence Guide SouthernDecadence.COM

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