Tulane University’s two powerhouse theatrical programs announced their seasons Friday at a special kickoff for the performing arts programs at the Uptown campus.
Summer Lyric Theatre and the New Orleans Shakespeare Festival unveiled six shows, plus a bonus, which range from the “thriller-diller” rhythms of Kander and Ebb to the bloody mayhem of the Bard of Stratford.
Musical merriment
Summer Lyric, celebrating 59 seasons of song and dance, mines classic Broadway offerings for a trio of blockbusters.
“Chicago” starts the summer June 18-21, with Jaune Buisson taking the helm as director. The Kander and Ebb and Fosse triumvirate looks at the merry murderesses of the Roaring ’20s.
From left, Joshua Brewer as Chantal; Bob Edes Jr. as Zaza/Albin and Marlene Thian as Odette in the 2013 Summer Lyric staging of ‘La Cage aux Folles.’
“La Cage aux Folles” saunters onstage July 9-12 with Jerry Herman tunes and Harvey Fierstein’s book, directed by veteran Diane Lala. A story of glamour, glitz and empowerment, the original French story stays fresh today.
Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler’s “A Little Night Music” wraps the season July 30 through Aug. 2 with Ricky Graham taking the directing role. A weekend in the country offers an actress a chance to look at life and loves.
“Expect a lot of ‘razzle-dazzle’ at Summer Lyric Theatre at Tulane in 2026,” said C. Leonard Raybon, the artistic director for Summer Lyric and faculty member at Tulane. “In ‘Chicago,’ the smoke and mirrors of sensational true crime; in ‘La Cage aux Folles,’ the bugle beads, sequins, and baubles of authenticity; and in ‘A Little Night Music,’ the farcical backdrop of a circus as a metaphor for complicated human relationships.”
‘Brush up your Shakespeare’
Two shows by William Shakespeare, a comedy by Molière and a night of unprompted theatrical hilarity are on the menu for the New Orleans Shakespeare Festival at Tulane.
“Our 33rd season pairs Shakespeare’s most powerful tragedies with a lineup of playful, one-night-only lagniappe events,” said Graham Burk, interim artistic director for the festival and Tulane faculty member. “Together, they create a season that’s daring, unpredictable and deeply alive, inviting audiences to experience these plays in bold and unexpected ways.”
The tragedy of “King Lear” takes to the stage May 22 through June 2, directed by Jana Mestecky. The story of a king, his daughters and the dark futures they experience is classic Shakespearean style.
“Macbeth,” directed by Burk, is June 26 through July 12. Murder, tyranny and mayhem are the mainstays of this show that has become one of the author’s most popular works.
A little something extra
A pair of lagniappe events will round out the calendar for the festival, with The Fools Ensemble taking a stab at Shakespeare and Molière.
The play is practiced, costumed, rehearsed and performed all in the same day and billed as “(un)prompted.”
The ensemble will present Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing” on June 13 and Molière’s comedy “School For Wives” on July 8.
For information on the season and the offerings, visit liberalarts.tulane.edu/summer-lyric-theatre or neworleansshakespeare.org.
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