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trodding the boards

by Patrick Shannon, IIIE-mail: nedcat@earthlink.net

The Best Little Whorehouse

This King, Masterson, Hall col-laboration is on the boards atLe Petit Theatre under the

bright and cheerful direction of DerekFranklin and Sonny Borey. This popularmusical with the honkey tonk/C&W scorehas become a favorite with regional the-atres and it certainly was the night I at-tended with a nearly sold out performance.Good women and actresses love to playbad women and whores and they seem todo it with such wicked glee. Think of thisshow and Cabaret, both full of sleazywhores. And audiences seem to love towatch them play these roles. Ponder thisa while. However, there is not a weakwoman or whore in this burnished pro-duction. It’s a highly polished renderingand once again we must praise the shin-ing work of Franklin and Borey and asplendid cast, male and female; all havebrought the ninety first season of Le Petitinto being with a lively and entertainingshow.

Karen Hebert is a star in every mean-ing of the word playing the role of MonaStangley, the Madam of this little “chickenranch” establishment. Ms. Hebert makesan entrance that can only be described asa moment of magnificent brightness andbrilliance as she enters stage right on thetop level of the 2 level set, dressed all in awhite bat wing cape with long flared legtrousers split on either side up to herthighs. Looking like a movie star (whentheir were real movie stars) her red hairflames above the pearlescent whitenessof her face and ensemble as she standsthere under a white spot for a few sec-onds. It can best be described as aQueen’s Dream of an Entratura. Ms.Hebert is at the zenith of her theatricalendeavors and she illumines the stagefrom that moment on, singing, dancingand acting with grace and charm. She isbeautiful and talented. Talk about an oper-atic entrance. How lucky we are to havesuch a gifted woman in our town!

Then the have the handsome, lanky,sexy Richard Hutton playing her romanticinterest as Sheriff Ed Earl Dodd. He doesa splendid job using his beautiful singingvoice with great effect.

Lara Grice was sublime as DoatseyMae. Christopher Lloyd Shaw was overthe top funny in the role of Melvin P. Thorpe.Dane Rhodes claimed the entire stagewhenever he was on as Governor C. J.Scruggs. Joan C. Spraggins as Jewel,took the house by storm when she beltedout her solo number and JessieTerrebonne as Angel, one of the whores,was a very believable delight as was An-gela Papale as Shy, the youngest andmost inexperienced member of the ladiesin the house.

I think I counted 25 performers in thisbig and wonderful cast and each actor/actress was marvelous. What an amaz-ing cast!

The clever solid two level set was byChad Talkington, the lively musical direc-tion by Dereck Franklin, and the splendidchoreography by Karen Hebert, with fine

lighting by Earl H. Lennie III.Y’all go on down to Le Petit and have

a real ho-down or ho-up time. This showhas high production values and shouldnot be missed. It really shines.

The Breach

If you missed The Breach, South-ern Rep’s cutting edge productionof an original play by Catherne

Filloux, Tarell McCraney and Joe Sutton“about Katrina, the Gulf, and our nation,”you missed one of the most effective dra-matic and theatrical interpretation of theepic tragedy of hurricane Katrina’s effecton our town and the Gulf Coast yet pro-duced.

Considering the dramatic stage craftcreated by the authors, this play almostcaptured the nearly impossible elementsof this great tragedy fusing the theatricalelements of poetic vision, myth and mys-tery and human suffering. However, I amstill waiting for some masterful playwrightto capture the overwhelming, illusive, anddeeply tragic elements of this apocalypticevent within the parameters of a theatricalconcept whether it be traditional and lin-ear or outre and mind boggling “out there”in concept.

In this play the authors have almostsucceeded. Five actors play up to threedifferent roles with one actor playing one,and they all do so fantastically well. LanceNichols does the role of Charlie, Chorus#2 and his major role as a father, PereLeon, who attempts to come to terms withhis sons private life and falls upon hisChristiana beliefs for support; KennethBrown plays the seemingly errant son;Kesha Bullard does the role of Quan, spiritof Water, Nurse, Poet and Chorus #2, TroiBechet does the roles of an older Quan,Woman, and Linda; Bob Edes, Jr. playsMac and Chorus #4, and Sean Pattersonplays Lynch and Francis. They all performwith very professional abilities and withtouching and convincing dignity as theyact their parts on a simple but stunning setwhich allows them to either stand and lieon a slanting rooftop and walk from it intoa pool of real water surrounding it. Theconstant splash and gurgle of watercaused by the action of the characterswalking or falling into the pool adds apowerful dimension to the true theme ofthis script, that water can both renew andkill, can be palatable or poisonous. It alsoallows for the actors to created heart break-ing images of bodies drowned and float-ing. This marvelous set was designed byTakeshi Kata. It allowed water to becomethe most important character of this script,which is what the destruction of hurricaneKatrina in reality was all about.

Excellent lighting by Bill Liotta, soundby Eric Shim as well as original music,and costumes by Paule LeMasson weretremendous assets to the ambiance andtheatricality of this fine production whichwas faultlessly directed by Ryan Rilette.We all know more or less what the plotwas about, and this fine play almost cap-

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celebrazzi (celebrations-paparazzi) celebrazzi (celebrations-paparazzi)

Co-emcee Lauren Brown joins Miss America 2006 C. Alice Der-Sur; newlycrowned Miss America, Miss Idaho, Tater Ho (Rhonda Roget); newlycrowned Mr. America, Mr. Pennsylvania, Constantine (Jason Hellinger); Mr.

America 2006 Tyrique Davenport Kennedy and co-emcee Opal Masters following thefestive Krewe of Amon Ra’s Mr. and Miss America pageant hosted at the Marigny Theatrein New Orleans.

Marty Curtin and Koo Gaffneyjoin proprietor Jamie Templeand Ambush’s Marsha

Naquin-Delain on the veranda out front ofThe Buttercup eatery in Bay St. Louis aftera fab breakfast there on the coast.

Cutter’s Jimmy Kilgour and Mac McAll joins Buzzy’s Boys & Girls’ Don Dubayand Cutter’s Dudley LeBlanc helping raise $3,766 for the Buzzy’s Boys &Girls Auction hosted at Elizabeth’s restaurant in New Orleans.

Bianca Del Rio jets in from NewYork to join Kabrina Watson forDingo, the game you love to

The Crescent City Outlaws hosted a formal banquet at 5 Happiness in NewOrleans for over 80 participants in their annual run, Jailbreak VII: Escape ToLas Vegas. Covering the entire last weekend in September, the Outlaws

also hosted the fall meeting of the Mid America Conference of Clubs coinciding withthe run.

4 Seasons in Metairie brings the newest revue to the circuit, the PatioPrincesses, playing monthly on the patio adjacent to the club. Photo: (frontrow) Tami Tarmac, Hanna DeVas; (back row) Elizabeth, Sandy Phillips,

Lauren Brown, Valerie Colby-Kerrington, Amber Stone

play to win fab prizes, all courtesy of DanceClub of the Year Oz on Fridays and Sun-days 6-8pm at the Bourbon Street club.

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A Few of My Favorite Things

Though I am no longer workingin the restaurant business, Icontinue to develop new reci-

pes from time to time at home, especiallywhen I invite a friend or two over. Some-times I strike gold, other times the dishesseem to resemble others I have done inthe past, but almost all of them turn outeatable. That is not to say that on anoccasion or two they have been down rightawful. Desserts to me, now that I am a fullfledged diabetic are among my favoritechallenges. Today I shall start with a newfavorite or two of mine.

BROCCOLI & AVOCADO SALAD1 ½ pounds young, tender broccoli1 ripe avocado1 tablespoon lemon juice.½ cup chopped pecansspring mix salad greensRemove the broccoli florets from the

large stems. In a sauce pan with boilingsalted water cook the florets for aboutthree minutes. Drain and cool under run-ning water. Cut avocado in half, removeseed and cube. Sprinkle with lemon juice.Combine avocado, broccoli, and pecansin a small bowl. Place a generous portionof greens on a salad plate and top with thebroccoli mixture. Top with HazelnutVinaigrette dreading.

HAZELNUT VINAIGRETTEDRESSING

½ cup hazelnut oil3/4 cup olive oil½ cup hazelnuts, roasted and skinned1 teaspoon soy sauce1 teaspoon thyme, finely chopped1 egg white¼ teaspoon white pepper

by Donnie JayE-mail: auntie-dee@hotmail.comPhoto©GrahamStudioOne.COM

cookin' with auntie dee

Combine all ingredients in a foodprocessor. Process until well blended.

CRABMEAT IMPERIAL1 pound crabmeat (picked over shells

removed)1/2 cup scallions, finely chopped½ cup bell pepper, finely chopped¼ cup chopped pimentos1 egg yolk1 teaspoon dry mustard2 tablespoons paprika1 cup mayonnaise (recipe follows)¼ cup parmesan cheese¼ cup bread crumbsSalt and pepper to tasteIn a large bowl combine the crabmeat,

scallions, bell peppers, pimento, egg yolk,paprika, and ½ cup mayonnaise. Stir, mix-ing well and salt and pepper to taste.Spoon the crabmeat mixture equally intoone cup baking dishes, cover with theremaining mayonnaise. In a small bowlmix together parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs. Sprinkle tops of cups with cheeseand bread crumb mixture. Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for about tenminutes or until hot and bubbly.

MAYONNAISE:2 egg yolks½ teaspoon salt1 teaspoon lemon juice½ teaspoon dry mustardPinch of cayenne2 cups cooking oil2 tablespoons boiling waterCombine the egg yolks, salt, lemon

juice, dry mustard, and cayenne in a mix-ing bowl; beat with and electric mixer orwhisk until slightly thickened, about fiveminutes. Add one cup of oil, one teaspoonat a time, beating constantly until mixturebecomes a thick emulsion. Add the re-

maining cup of oil, 1 to 2tablespoons at a time.When all of the oil is incor-porated, beat in two table-spoons of boiling water.Cover and refrigerate untilready to use.

CORN PUDDING9 ears fresh corn¼ cup scallions, thinly

chopped¼ cup chopped pi-

mentos4 large eggs½ cup half and half1 ½ teaspoons bak-

ing powder1/3 cup butter2 tablespoons

Splenda2 tablespoons all-pur-

pose flour1 tablespoon butter,

melted1/8 teaspoon ground

pepperRemove and discard

husks and silk from corn.Cut off tips of corn kernelsinto a bowl, scrape milkand remaining pulp from

cob with a paring knife to measure threecups. Set corn aside. Combine eggs, halfand half, and baking powder, stirring wellwith a wire whisk. Melt 1/3 cup butter in alarge saucepan over low heat; add sugarand flour stirring until smooth. Removefrom heat; gradually whisk in egg mixture.Stir in the corn. Pour corn mixture into agreased 1 ½ quart casserole. Bake un-covered, at 350 degrees for forty to forty-five minutes or until pudding is set. Drizzlewith one tablespoon melted butter;sprinkle with ground pepper. Broil 1 ½inches from heat for about two minutes oruntil golden brown. Yield: six servings

TROPICAL LIME CHEESECAKECRUST:1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs¼ cup (1/2 stick) margarine, melted¼ cup Splenda2 packages (8 ounce) cream cheese

softened1 cup Splenda4 eggs½ cup sour cream2 tablespoons lime juice2 teaspoons lemon zestPreheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray

bottom of spring form pan lightly with veg-

tured the immensity of its deeply tragicsubject matter. Great praise to all con-cerned.

Thoroughly Modern Millie

Style rather than substance isthe happiest element to befound in a musical such as

Thoroughly Modern Millie, the latest showto bring lots of sweet sugary escapistnonsense to the patrons of RivertownRepertory Theatre. It’s a typical formulaicmusical in which all things come to ahappy ending. It’s one of those preciousyet enjoyable “office musicals” like Pa-jama Game and How To Succeed InBusiness Without Really Trying. To wit:Millie arrives in Manhattan from Salinas,Kansas. She wants to become a thor-oughly modern woman and marry formoney rather than love. It’s circa 1920,New York is full of flappers, jazz, and illegalbooze and “modern women.” No sooneris Millie on the streets of the Big Apple thanher suitcase, her purse, and one shoe issnatched and she is now without any-thing. Desperate for help, she trips ayoung guy rushing by and it’s love amongthe skyscrapers. They hate each other atfirst, but you know how these plots go. Hegets rid of her by giving her the name of ahotel that caters to young women in need.She goes there. The hotel keeper is an evilAsian woman who drugs young ladies forthe white slave trade if they are all alone inthe world. And so on. It really does notmatter. Plot and subplot in musicals likethis are as inane as a high school crushdescription in the diary of an adolescent.And the music of Jeanine Tesori and lyricsof Dick Scanlan though zippy and light areforgettable even in the recorded scoreused by the director for the cast rather thana live orchestra. Inane or not, the familiarstory lends itself to some wonderful sing-ing and dancing and some excellent di-rection by Gary Rucker. Rucker gives us acrisp well paced song and dance enter-tainment that’s just splendid but a bit toolong.

etable pan spray. In a medium bowl, stirtogether graham cracker crumbs, marga-rine and Splenda. Press mixture into bot-tom and up sides of spring form pan. Bakeeight to ten minutes or until lightly goldenbrown. Remove from oven and cool com-pletely. Reduce heat to 250 degrees. In alarge bowl, beat cream cheese with elec-tric mixer until light and fluffy. Graduallybeat in Splenda; mix well. Add eggs, sourcream, lime juice and zest; mix well. Pourinto prepared crust. Place shallow pan ofwater on bottom rack of oven. Place springform pan on a cookie sheet, place onmiddle rack in the oven. Bake one hourand fifteen minutes. Turn off oven, leavedoor to the oven closed, allowing thecheese cake to remain in heated oven forone hour. Remove and allow cooling toroom temperature. Refrigerate for at leasttwo hours. If desired, garnish with whippedcream and thin lime slices before serving.Yield: 12 servings.

Well my little ones, I sincerely hopeyou’ll try these new recipes and that youenjoy them as much as I do. You maycontact me via this publication. Until nexttime around, hope you enjoy everythingyou eat.

Svelte and impeccable in the leadrole as Millie Dillmount, Kelly Fouchi shinesand glows under the spotlight. Hand-some Rich Arnold as her love interest,Jimmy Smith, is right up there with her, hisburnished stage presence gleams andhis polished tenor voice is like silver spar-kling above the recorded orchestralsounds.

Karen Ann Cox is pretty and sings anddances as well as the leads in her role asthe secretly super rich Miss DorothyBrown. Vatican Lokey is a study in perfec-tion as he brings excellence and highcomedy to the role of Trevor Graydon.Leslie Limberg was more than memo-rable in her role as the zipped out OfficeManageress, Miss Flannery, a womanwith a crazy hair do. Tracey E. Collins is adarling delight with a perfect sense oftiming in the evil yet comedic role of thefaux Asian lady, Mrs. Meers. She’s a realscene stealer along with her two Chinesekidnappers, T. Joe Seibert as Ching Hoand Kyle Daigrepont as Bun Foo whowere excellent and funny in their parts.Staci Robbins as Muzzy Von Hossmere,the “older actress role” in this little pas-tiche of theatrical conventions was morethan competent and a knockout in her firstbig solo Only In New York. She has astrong singing voice but I just wish shewould let go and really use it as I know shecan. Come on Muzzy, let it rip. Use ALL thatstyle and class and sass I know you can.

With absolutely gorgeous “flapper”costumes by Linda Fried; somewhat ad-equate set pieces by Chris Adams andadequate lighting by Shawn Ramagos,this show does entertain. Except for thewobbly elevator, one of several set piecesthat just don’t work esthetically or other-wise. And what is more annoying and atrue mark of amateur regional communitytheater than NOT MASKING THE WINGS.This seems to be director Rucker’s direc-torial signature: allowing actors to be seenparading back stage in full costume like aFifth Avenue Easter Parade is totally dis-concerting. Nothing breaks a scene or

trodding the boards ...from M-16

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