A New Orleans premiere and a world premiere are waiting in the wings as fall gets rolling with theatrical stories, from classic Sherlock Holmes to a homespun musical about football.
Post-COVID capers afoot
The only real mystery would be why you would miss Crescent City Stage’s “Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson — Apt. 2B” when playwright Kate Hamill takes Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s traditional characters and propels them into the present with a twist.
The show opens Aug. 28 at Marquette Theater with a fresh take on Sherlock and Dr. Watson, both in terms of time and gender. Hamill has crafted the show to focus on two women post-COVID and their efforts to solve a mystery, coexist and survive and thrive in a new world after the pandemic.
Elizabeth Newcomer
Elizabeth Newcomer, the company’s artistic director, helms the show that puts the female focus on the time-honored sleuthing characters.
Flipping genders is nothing new in the entertainment business, but sometimes the shoe fits, and sometimes it’s a painful misstep. Newcomer said this time, it slips right on.
“The mark of how well it works is that I don’t even think about it,” she said. “I’m not missing the fact that Holmes and Watson are traditionally men — it just makes sense. Both characters hold masculine and feminine energy, and played by women, they feel fresh without losing anything we love about them. It also opens new dynamics — like a more-charged connection between Holmes and Irene Adler, and questions about the nature of Holmes and Watson’s partnership. The fact that it feels seamless says a lot about Kate’s skill.”
Hamill’s talents as a writer also come into play with character aspects to which the audience can easily relate.
The cast of Crescent City Stage’s production of ‘Ms. Holmes and Ms. Watson — Apt. 2B’ includes Sarah Colbert Cutrer, Brittany Chandler, Lorene Chesley and Jarrod Smith, opening Aug. 28 at Marquette Theater on Loyola University’s Uptown campus.
“We might not share their exact struggles — or solve murders — but they’re instantly recognizable archetypes we love watching,” the director noted. “They’re characters you’ll care about and have fun spending time with.”
And while Newcomer said she wasn’t necessarily a Sherlockian apostle, “I’m a big fan of a good mystery or detective thriller, but I haven’t been a devoted follower of the original stories. What drew me in here is Kate Hamill’s way of modernizing classics — this script read like a Netflix binge, with the energy of ‘Only Murders in the Building.’
“I knew it would be refreshing. I love strong roles for women, a tight ensemble and the fun of actors playing multiple characters.”
Lorene Chesley plays Holmes, Brittany Chandler is Watson, and Sarah Colbert Cutrer and Jarrod Smith play a host of other personalities.
“It’s witty, fast-paced and just a great time — plus, I can’t resist a good riddle,” Newcomer said.
The dark comedy is onstage at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and at 2:30 p.m. Sundays at 2:30 p.m. through Sept. 14 at Loyola University on St. Charles Avenue.
Special nights, including cast talkbacks, ladies night and date night, are planned. Tickets start at $12. Visit crescentcitystage.com.
Oh, when the Saints go on the stage …
Football plays a starring role in fewer plays than baseball, but New Orleans is a football town and “Our City of Saints” celebrates the Black and Gold and the gridiron staged concert at the Jefferson Performing Arts Center.
Written by Aleen LeBouef with music and lyrics by Paul Soniat, the show follows the Sinclair family through the five decades of the Saints’ trek from newbie team to Super Bowl champs.
Using the real Saints timeline as a guide, the show, directed by Scarlett Saizan-Lancon, follows the central character of Henry Sinclair with a musical score that includes jazz, gospel, brass band and more. Emmy winner Michael Esneault has done the arrangements.
The show also features the vocal talents of Saints announcer Mark Romig and the “Cajun Cannon” Bobby Hebert.
With a story that has the family going through many of the same highs and lows as the hometown team, “Our City of Saints” is a personal message to the Crescent City.
“This musical is a love letter to New Orleans — and to the fans who never gave up,” LeBoeuf said in a news release.
Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 29-30 and 2 p.m. Aug. 31 at 6400 Airline Drive in Metairie, near the Saints training facility. Tickets start at $38. Visit jeffersonpac.com.
On stage this week, Aug. 21-27
“SCHOOL OF ROCK: THE MUSICAL”: 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday; 30 by Ninety Theatre, 880 Lafayette St., Mandeville. Singer-without-a-band Dewey Finn turns the students of a snooty private school from honor rollers to hard rock ‘n’ rollers to compete in the Battle of the Bands, all without their parents or the school administrators finding out. Tickets start at $32. 30byninety.com.
Toto
“THE WIZARD OF OZ”: 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays, plus Aug. 30 and Sept. 6, through Sept. 7; Slidell Little Theatre, 2024 Nellie Drive. Based on the classic book and movie, the musical has Dorothy and her trio of friends roaming through the magical land in search of the Wicked Witch of the West, hoping to get their hearts’ desires from the all-powerful (?) wizard. Tickets start at $25. slidelllittletheatre.org.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.nola.com ’
