by Jeanni Ritchie
Little Women: The Broadway Musical (LCU)
The first March production that I saw was aptly about the March sisters! Theatre Louisiana Christian (tlc) and the LCU Music Dept. presented Little Women: The Broadway Musical!
Based on Louisa May Alcott’s life and novel Little Women, the show followed the adventures of sisters Jo, Meg, Beth and Amy March with a rousing score and vibrant choreography.
Watching the sisters onstage reminded me of my own girls, from the youngest always frustrated because she couldn’t do the things her older sisters did (Olivia Huffman was a perfect Amy!) to watching four distinctly different personalities love and fight simultaneously. Jo (Cheyenne Carbaugh) was the de facto leader just as my oldest was. It’s interesting how the timeless classic remains unchanged but your perspective shifts as you grow older. Especially to see how Jo’s writing took precedence over her love life!
The show, the third and final production of the season, is one of Theatre Professor Tabitha Huffman’s favorites. “These students have put in so much work this year, and it’s evident in the quality of each production. It’s exciting to see both seasoned and new actors grow in their craft.”
It was exciting to see the beloved tale in song as well!
Beauty and the Beast (Lagniappe)
I love it when I can see the school show of a production. The energy kids bring to a performance is an added element to the show itself!
Beauty and the Beast, the classic tale as old as time, was told beautifully at the Lagniappe Event Center by a talented youth cast. Led by Belle aka Beauty (Evie LaFleur) and the Beast (Denton Jaques), the performers danced and sang through the beloved story of looking beyond the surface to see one’s true heart.
Audiences got a kick out of little Chip (Lyla Moran) and the flamboyant Lumiere (Coya Pierce). I adored the Silly Girls (Les Filles de la Ville) played by Lily Claire Blakeney, Madelyn Lombardi, and Daisy Wester. Take note of the names- these girls will adorn your playbills for years to come!
One of the funniest parts of the show was an unscripted moment. As the townspeople gathered to “kill the beast” and were storming the castle, children in the audience started shouting “Don’t kill the beast!” and one lone voice, a little louder than rest, shouted “Do it! Do it!”
Next up for Lagniappe Theatre is Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat May 9-11 at the Lagniappe Event Center.
High School Musical (Bolton Academy)
Bolton Academy presented their first ever spring show: High School Musical March 21-23. They’d announced it during their fall musical, Footloose, and I’ve been singing the songs ever since. I’ve even been searching for the perfect crème brûlée. Where were you, Zeke Baylor?
Libby Heard, able to gender-bend easily to a high school casting director’s delight, played Troy Bolton with Sarah Arnold taking the role of Gabriella Montez. Show biz sibs Ryan and Sharpay were delightfully played by Eli Tyler and Adeline Gauthier. Ava Tarver was a scene-stealer as Ms. Darbus!
My favorite numbers were Wildcat Cheer, When There Was Me and You, We’re All in This Together, and Bop to the Top.
Directed by Jeremiah Mitchell and aided by Set Director Taylor Broussard, the High School Musical production will go down as The Start of Something New for Bolton Academy’s Theatre Dept.
Guys and Dolls (Menard)
I hadn’t seen Guys and Dolls onstage since the Bringhurst Little Theatre was still standing. What a wonderful refresher of the musical about two NYC gamblers and the women they loved in the Gangster Era.
The entire cast from Holy Savior Menard Central High School was incredible. Aubrey Fontane played the coquettish Adelaide with the perfect blend of innocence and scheming. And she had a fabulous voice to boot! I could’ve watched Fontane all day!
Nathan Detroit (Everett Raborn) played off Adelaide well, especially when finding out she’d already told her mother they were married with five kids. “It’s been 14 years!” she told him. “What was I supposed to say?!” When Nathan leaves, her ring finger is still bare and she shares Adelaide’s Lament.
Mission worker Sarah (the angelic Ava Walker) and Sky Masterson (Hollis Chatman) have their own love story, a bet turned true love. Who wouldn’t fall in love with that gorgeous soprano voice Walker has? Chatman, for his part, gave Marlon Brando vibes during Luck Be A Lady.
Also lighting up the stage were Nathan’s gambling buddies Nicely-Nicely (Daren Kho), Benny (Baylor Fall), and Rusty (Emiliano Valle) with rousing numbers including the title track, Guys and Dolls.
This was my first Menard production to see since I’d moved back home. It will not be my last!
What incredible talent we have in Central Louisiana from the youngest Lagniappe performers like Max Warren (LeFou) to the college seniors in their final TLC performance at Louisiana Christian University. What an honor to invest in their lives as an audience member!
Jeanni Ritchie is a contributing journalist and lifelong theatre fan. She can be reached at jeanniritchie54@gmail.com
