Varla Jean returns to New Orleans with Chappell Roan show | Entertainment/Life

Stormy weather heads to local stages as a story about a horrific hurricane comes to Jefferson Parish and the theatrical experience Varla Jean Merman blows into town.

Strap yourselves in.

‘Champagne makes me drowsy’

Billed as a “deliriously unhinged evening of comedy, song and sequins,” renowned drag chanteuse Varla Jean Merman returns to the Crescent City with a new show that takes on chart-topping songstresses in a most Varla way.

“Varla Jean is the Drowsy Chappell Roan” features the rouge-tressed “feminomenon” who feels the “Pink Pony Club” performer has “been ripping her off.” In typical style, Varla takes aim at Roan, Dua Lipa, Sabina Carpenter, Billie Eilish and Miley Cyrus in an attempt to make her own mark on the charts.

The show is a blend of live vocals, parody performances, camp and witty repartee swathed in eye-popping costumes.

The onstage persona of Jeffery Roberson, Varla has appeared in films and on television, as well as Broadway and national touring companies and more than 30 solo shows around the globe, including Carnegie Hall and the Sydney Opera House.

The show will be at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 17-18 at Café Istanbul, 2372 St. Claude Ave. Tickets start at $30. brownpapertickets.com.

Great October Storm

In 1893, a hurricane smashed into the Louisiana Gulf Coast that would eventually kill an estimated 2,000 people. This was before storms were named, but it has become known as the Great October Storm.

Cheniere Caminada was a fishing community in Jefferson Parish west of Grand Isle that bore the brunt of the deadly storm. More than 770 people, or about half of the island’s multicultural population, were killed, and the community was left uninhabitable.

Many of those who sought refuge after the storm were early residents of Westwego, and that city will host a play by a Nicholls State University professor about the events.

“As Long as the Earth Lasts” will be performed in conjunction with the Nicholls Players.

Written by John Doucet, “Tant que Durera la Terre” is based on historical narratives and legends passed down by the survivors, including his great-great-grandfather, John Frederique Rebstock.

Doucet will present a pre-show talk about the hurricane, one of the most deadly in U.S. history. 

The show is at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Oct. 17-18, and at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 19, at JPAS’ Westwego Performing Arts Theatre, 177 Sala Ave., in Westwego. Tickets start at $29. Visit jpas.org.

A new chapter

Crescent City Stage will pause production of the holiday highlight “A Christmas Carol” as the professional acting company focuses on long-term sustainability.

Officials note the theatrical community facing the three-pronged issue of “reduced arts funding, limited venue availability and smaller post-pandemic audiences.”

“We’re proud of what we’ve built over the past three years,” said artistic director Elizabeth Elkins Newcomer. “After producing nine shows at Loyola’s Marquette Theater, our next step is to establish a permanent home for our work.”

Newcomer said the comany will focus on finding a permanent home for productions and expanding the growing list of offerings at the Magazine Street studio.

“The studio allows us to deepen our educational mission and connect with the community in new ways,” Newcomer said. “It’s a steppingstone toward a permanent theater that supports artists, tells meaningful stories, and reflects our vibrant city.”

Producing executive director Michael A. Newcomer noted, “We’re forging new partnerships to sustain our work. Securing a permanent home is our top priority, ideally in Orleans Parish, but we’re exploring all options.”

Visit crescentcitystage.com.

On stage this week, Oct. 9-15

“FRANKENSTEIN”: 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Mondays through Oct. 17; Lafitte Greenway at 436 N. Norman C. Francis Parkway. The NOLA Project’s “crazed genius” of the pen, Pete McElligott, breathes new life into the story by Mary Shelley, who probably did not imagine Dr. Frankenstein and his monster would generate too many laughs, but she never met Pete. The show is outdoors and bringing chairs or blankets is recommended. Tickets start at $20, with premier seating included at $55. nolaproject.com.

“KIMBERLY AKIMBO”: 7:30 p.m. through Saturday, plus 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Sunday; Saenger Theatre, 1111 Canal St. Broadway in New Orleans season opener about a teen whose body is turning her into an old woman with a circle of family and friends who are faced with their own unique challenges as well, from alcoholism, crime, unrequited love to just dealing with life. Tickets start at $30. saengernola.com.

“THE LEHMAN TRILOGY”: 7 p.m. Thursdays to Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays through Oct. 19 plus 1 p.m. Oct. 18; Le Petit Théâtre du Vieux Carré, 616 St. Peter St. Three actors play the roles that span generations and recounts the history of a family of Southern dry goods merchants who become one of the greatest success and failure stories of recent financial times with cataclysmic losses in the financial sectors. Tickets start at $35. lepetittheatre.com.

“THE MISS FIRECRACKER CONTEST”: Opening 8 p.m. Saturdays and running 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2:30 p.m. Sundays through Oct. 26; 30 By Ninety Theatre, 880 Lafayette St., Mandeville. The story focuses on Carnelle, her reputation in shreds, as she attempts the ultimate fixer for all-things-woe in the South — win a pageant. With her family having issues of their own and nothing turning out as it should, their futures come into focus and things don’t seem quite so bad. Tickets start at $20. 30byninety.com. 

“STEEL MAGNOLIAS”: 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays through Oct. 19; Slidell Little Theater, 2024 Nellie Drive, Slidell. A cadre of Louisiana women, together as a “hair” force, face life’s major moments, from weddings and childbirth to death and grief. There’s “laughter through tears” as the show runs the gamut of emotions. Tickets start at $20. slidelllittletheatre.org.