Carli Collins Naquin is Tracy Turnblad, center, in Rivertown's production of 'Hairspray' opening Sept. 13.
There's music, merchants and more afoot coming soon to the stages of the Crescent City, with a touch of the circus, a bit of rouge and a lot of interesting entertainment.
Cirque a'blaze?
Country music, including a new number by one of the famous Williams family of troubadours, becomes the backdrop for the excitement and entertainment audiences have come to expect from Cirque du Soleil in the company's new "Songblazers: A Journey Into Country Music" show to soar through the Saenger Theatre for four productions this weekend.
With a tip of the 10-gallon hat to the music makers, the new show "celebrates the diverse influences of country music and its heartfelt stories through time" and marks the performance group's first foray into the sounds of country music.
The acrobatic maneuvers, high-flying phenomenon and other Cirque artistry is paired with contemporary and classic strains from the country songbook, with 35 tunes spanning more than 150 years. Included in the playlist is a new song, "Carnival Heart," written by Sam Williams, son and grandson of legendary musicians Hank Williams Jr. and Hank Williams, penned with fellow songwriters P.J. Harding and Ned Houston.
The show brings the audience on a journey through the history and heritage of country music and includes such tunes as "Man! I Feel Like a Woman," "Friends in Low Places" and "Never Gonna Give You Up."
Tickets for the production start at $44. Performances will be 3:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Sunday at the 1111 Canal St. theater. Visit saengernola.com.
A 'Swift' kick from Varla
Citing inspiration from Taylor Swift, drag legend Varla Jean Merman sets her sights on New Orleans for her special blend of cabaret with "Varla Jean: The Errors Tour."
Two performances of the show are planned at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday at Café Instanbul, 2372 St. Claude Ave.
The performance personae of Jeffery Roberson, Varla Jean "takes you through the Taylor Swift catalogue and creates some hilarious hits and egregious errors" in a show proclaimed to be a "tour-de-farce certain to be an unforgivable, er, unforgettable evening of 'Varla's Version' of entertainment."
Catering to her cadre of fans, called "The Mermies," the larger-than-life, self-proclaimed "ditzy diva" blends classic elements from the Varla Jean pantheon, as well as the signature giant wigs and "overtaxed costumes."
Tickets for the show start at $30 and are available at brownpapertickets.com.
Shakespeare from a new perspective
"Everything That Never Happened" is a new take on the Bard's "The Merchant of Venice," this time reimagined from a Jewish and feminist perspective, set to open Wednesday and runs through Sept. 29 at Tulane University.
The retelling looks at lovers Jessica and Lorenzo as she wants to escape from her father's house, "the Venetian ghetto and her entire culture," weaving through Shakespeare's classic and Jewish history, touching on concepts of disguise, assimilation and more. The play was written by Sarah Mantell.
Directed by Jessica Podewell, the cast includes Noa Berger as Jessica, Jacob Fishman as Lorenzo, Michael Stone as Shylock and Ella Hughs as Gobbo.
The opening production of Tulane's Department of Theatre and Dance season will be performed at 7:30 p.m. through Sept. 28, with a 2 p.m. show Sept. 29, at Lupin Theatre, Dixon Hall Annex, Newcomb Circle on the Uptown campus. Tickets start at $10 at purplepass.com/tulantetd.
'Bright' spot in shark-infested waters
For two performances, Gregory Bright will tell his story of a wrongful conviction and exoneration Thursday and Saturday at The Historic New Orleans Collection.
"Never Fight a Shark in Water: The Wrongful Conviction of Gregory Bright" uses his words as written and directed by Lara Naughton for a one-man documentary stage play at 7 p.m. at 520 Royal St. in the French Quarter.
Bright was convicted in the 1975 death of a 15-year-old in the Calliope Projects. At Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, Bright taught himself to read and then studied law, working for decades before attracting the attention of the Innocence Project New Orleans and subsequent exoneration. The title comes from a saying of one of his fellow inmates: "'Never fight a shark in water; get him on land and you got him.' Well, it took me 27 1/2 years, but I finally got that shark on land."
Suggested ticket price is $25. Visit my.hnoc.org.
In for a 'Penny' ...
Additional shows have been added to the run for "Penny Dreadfuls," the trio of Tennessee Williams one-acts opening this week.
Officials with the Tennessee Williams Theatre Company have included more performances of "The Remarkable Rooming-House of Made Le Monde," "The Case of the Crushed Petunias" and "Why Do You Smoke So Much, Lily?" because of Hurricane Francine. A 3 p.m. matinee and 7:30 p.m. show have been added Sept. 29. A performance Sept. 18 was also added.
Loyola University's Lower Depths Theatre was closed for the hurricane.
Tickets start at $35. twtheatrenola.com.
Opening this week Sept. 19-25
"THE REMARKABLE ROOMING-HOUSE OF MADAME LE MONDE": Opening 7:30 p.m. Wednesday (Sept. 18) and running Thursdays to Sundays through Sept. 29, with additional 3 p.m. performance Sept. 29; Lower Depths Theatre, Loyola University, 6363 St. Charles Ave. The Tennessee Williams Theatre Company's production of three comedic tales of the macabre, "Penny Dreadfuls" with the main show focusing on an abused man, unable to use his legs, who lives in a London boardinghouse of the vicious and miserly landlady, swinging from hooks in the ceiling to navigate the room. He is visited by an old friend who offers little or no help. Also performed will be "The Case of the Crushed Petunias" and "Why Do You Smoke So Much, Lily?" Tickets start at $35. twtheatrenola.com.
In production
"A DOLL'S HOUSE": 7:30 p.m. Thursday to Saturday, 2:30 p.m. Sunday; Crescent City Stage, Marquette Theatre, Loyola University, 6365 St. Charles Ave. Regional premiere of Amy Herzog's adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's classic about a woman, trapped in her "doll house," who seems to have an ideal life and a happy marriage with children, servants and more. But the charade begins to unravel as secrets bring a mirror up to her life. She isn't thrilled with the vision, and she feels trapped. Tickets start at $10. crescentcitystage.com.
"HAIRSPRAY": 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays plus Sept. 26 and 2 p.m. Sundays through Sept. 29; Rivertown Theaters for the Performing Arts, 325 Minor St., Kenner. Tony-winning musical about a curvaceous teen who only wants to dance on a TV show. Well, her dream comes true, but change always comes with someone being upset and, with social upheavals as the backdrop, the poignant message has a rocking beat that touches on a host of issues ranging from racism and integration to how high should one tease their hair, pageants and body positivity. Tickets start at $41. rivertowntheaters.com.
"SCHOOL OF ROCK": 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday; Jefferson Performing Arts Center, 6400 Airline Drive, Metairie. Jefferson Performing Arts Society musical, based on the 2003 movie starring Jack Black, is crafted around music by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, about a substitute teacher who morphs his prep school class into a rock band. The show has a range of music, from Mozart's "Queen of the Night" to Lloyd Webber's "You're in the Band," "Where Did the Rock Go" and "Stick It To The Man." Tickets start at $20. jpas.org.
"SIX": 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2:30 p.m. Sunday; 30 by Ninety Theatre, 880 Lafayette St., Mandeville. Teen version of the story of the wives of Henry VIII who were "divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived" after being married to the British Tudor king. But these ladies aren't just queens from the past, but pop princesses with a modern spin on their stories. Tickets start at $25. 30byninety.com.
"TIL BETH DO US PART": 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday; Playmakers Theater, 19106 Playmakers Road, Covington. Comedy about a successful woman and her devious assistant who worms her way into the businesswoman's business -- and marriage -- with hilarious yet horrendous results. Tickets start at $15. playmakers-theater-05.webself.net.