‘Cherries Jubilee’ brings New Orleans humor to West Bank | Entertainment/Life

A promise that Joyce Pulitzer made to her mother is once again being realized on a New Orleans-area stage this week, as a hit play from the early 2000s opens on the West Bank. 

Pulitzer put her whole heart into “Cherries Jubilee,” a play about five female friends who graduate from Newcomb College in the 1960s and the decades of their lives that follow.

“It’s a Garden District version of ‘The Group,’ an Orleans Club ‘Steel Magnolias,'” Times-Picayune theater reporter David Cuthbert wrote in 1999.

Originally slated for a two-weekend run, it ended up showing for three months and won the Big Easy Best New Work in Theater award in 2000. After its debut at the Contemporary Arts Center, it also ran at the Southern Repertory Theatre.

Now, thanks to a chance meeting with director Gary Rucker, the play has been revived for a two-weekend run, May 8-10 and May 15-17, at the Westwego Performing Arts Theatre.

As fiery, sweet and lively as the dessert it’s named for, “Cherries Jubilee” follows the friends, starting with the night of their college graduation. Set in a Garden District home, the four acts span 1960, 1970, 1985 and 1990, with each act beginning with the sound of a television segment that sets the mood and time period.

The play navigates the evolution of Southern women in society and how expectations changed over time, from laughing about “MRS degrees” to facing life’s challenges and gaining independence.

The integrity of the play remains the same as its original run, addressing topics such as divorce, abuse and homosexuality. It also pokes fun at distinctly New Orleans culture, like asking, “Where did you go to school?” — which always refers to high school rather than college. Mentions of iconic local businesses like Langenstein’s, Commander’s Palace, Galatoire’s and The Blue Room are also heard throughout the play.

“The script benefits from a lively sense of humor, with a bumper crop of laugh lines that actually get laughs,” Gambit theater critic Dalt Wonk wrote in 2001.

That’s thanks to the camaraderie between Pulitzer and her three friends who helped write the script — Harriet Nelson, Lynne Goldman and Marcy Nathan. 

It took a little convincing to get everyone onboard, as no one had playwriting experience. With a tenacious nature, Pulitzer said she isn’t usually deterred when told she can’t accomplish something.

“I don’t have the credentials, but I have the desire,” Pulitzer said, remembering how she felt at the time.

Pulitzer fondly recalls the writing process, saying it often felt like a party. The four women would get together at coffee shops or one another’s homes to eat, vent and share ideas. According to Pulitzer, if you can talk, you can write a play, as dialogue is the leading force.  

It took years to finalize the script, as it went through multiple rewrites and was critiqued by Goldman’s friend Henry Heymann, who has a Yale degree in drama and directing experience. Pulitzer described Heymann as a “guardian angel,” noting he played a key role in shaping the final play.

“It was group therapy,” Goldman told Cuthbert in 1999. “We knew we weren’t breaking new ground here, but we got together and laughed and blew off steam.”

Pulitzer said there was no pride over authorship; it was a true collaboration.

“If everyone were a quarterback, they wouldn’t win the football game,” she said.

Co-directed by Rucker and Michael Vaughn, the 2026 revival of “Cherries Jubilee” features Savannah Chiasson, Lorna Dopson, Michaela Brown, Lauren Smith, Lauren Gauthier and Dana Panepinto.

Those working behind the scenes are Katalea Ford, Grant Vicknair, Kate Jensen, Alexis Mancuso and Amanda Cavalier.

Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 2 p.m. Sundays. Visit jpas.org for tickets.