by Jeanni Ritchie
While no one put on a show quite like the Master in January (Snowpocalypse was a once in a lifetime production in Louisiana!) there were some productions that really hit it out of the park.
We are blessed not just with the level of talent in Central Louisiana in our own community productions but with the incredible Arts Council of Central Louisiana who work tirelessly to bring exciting shows to our area and spread awareness about other’s efforts to enrich our lives with the arts as well.
Play On Theatre, helmed by Kody and Lexie Walker, brought the story of the Holocaust to light in the moving and powerful The Diary of Anne Frank. Starring Lorelei Bolen as Anne, the show was even more impactful to me after visiting the World War 2 Museum in New Orleans just the week before. Wonderful performance at LSUA’s Richard Gwartney Theatre.
OLPS put on an adorable production of Finding Nemo at Lagniappe Theatre in Alexandria. I remember it like it was yesterday. Of course, I don’t remember yesterday that well…
The Mari Center at the Paragon Casino Resort hosted two great performances in January. Master Magician Lance Burton brought his Las Vegas show to Cenla, delighting audiences of all ages with magic tricks, comedy, and audience participation.
The week before, Yacht Rock Gold Experience brought audiences of a certain age (aka mine!) to relive hits of the late 70’s and 80’s. We might’ve sung along to You’re No Good but nobody was saying that about the band. They were fabulous!
I caught & Juliet for the first time at the Saenger Theatre in New Orleans. The female anthem-powered musicals was written by the authors of Schitt’s Creek and had Shakepeare’s wife helping him rewrite the tired old plot of Romeo and Juliet more to her liking. We liked it as well!
While in New Orleans I also caught the Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown at the vintage Prytania Uptown Theater. Not only was the historic circa-1914 theater an experience in itself, the movie was incredible. I knew the music but now I know the man behind it. My current stack of library books is half-filled with tomes about Dylan and Joan Baez.
Two movies out now that I hadn’t seen as of press time are the faith-based Brave the Dark, a true story by Angel Studios about the power of a teacher’s love and Wish You Were Here, which shows how far one would sacrifice for love in Julia Stiles’ directorial debut.
Check out the February Events article in this issue to see all of the incredible offerings in the arts this month.
Jeanni Ritchie is a writer, theatre geek, music lover, and movie buff. She can be reached at jeanniritchie54@gmail.com.