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36 • 36 • 36 • 36 • 36 • The Official Mag: AmbushMag.COM • May 26-June 8, 2009 • Official Southern Decadence Guide • SouthernDecadence.COM• May 26-June 8, 2009 • Official Southern Decadence Guide • SouthernDecadence.COM• May 26-June 8, 2009 • Official Southern Decadence Guide • SouthernDecadence.COM• May 26-June 8, 2009 • Official Southern Decadence Guide • SouthernDecadence.COM• May 26-June 8, 2009 • Official Southern Decadence Guide • SouthernDecadence.COM
concern for maintaining their own stan-dard of living prevents them from effectingsocial change.
Act Two’s The Big Razzoo examinesthe rise of District Attorney Jim Garrison,his quest to clean up Bourbon Street, andthe resulting fall of the famous stripperJezebel, aka Suzanne Robbins. TheFitzmorrises use this tale as a frameworkfor portraying the allure NOLA has thatgives its savvier denizens the opportunityto separate those who come to the BigEasy from their money.
Perspective does a superb job oflaying out the various social and eco-nomic forces that prevented whites from“doing the right thing”and the relevant his-tory that led up to that point. Fitzmorris pèreet fils are on murkier ground, however,when they move on to somewhat simplis-tic talk of heroes and villains; to expect allpeople to do the heroic thing while con-signing the villain’s cape to those whodon’t ignores the fact that most people fallsomewhere in the middle of this con-tinuum. One could even say that if every-one did the “heroic” thing, it wouldn’t bethat heroic. Such morally complex mate-rial cries out for dramatization; I wonderhow Ibsen or Arthur Miller might have donethis.
The Fitzmorris family’s many de-cades of political involvement in this cityallows them to bring a singular and veryinteresting perspective to the events por-trayed in Razzoo but I’m not sure people’sfear that they might be “missing some-thing” if they go home is the sole forcedriving folks’ actions on Bourbon Streetand beyond. Still, as NOLA politics con-tinue along its absurdist way, it’s enlight-ening to see how previous foibles got uswhere we are today.
Director Buzz Podewell did a beauti-ful job of propelling the stories forwardand keeping the various themes clarified.The ten student actors, including two fromXavier University (Moore-Mitchell show-ing much potential, and Averis Andersonwho is already ready for greater chal-lenges), made for a crackerjack ensemblewith Jennie Stumpf, as the conflicted Momin Perspective and the innocent Suzanne/worldly-wise Jezebel in Razzoo, first
among equals.If I relished the insider’s view that The
Big Razzoo provided, A Matter of Perspec-tive furnished an all too rare pleasure tohear this city’s racial issues spoken ofwith intelligence and candor. I look for-ward to more such insights from theFitzmorrises.
Only an Orphan Girl atActor’s Theatre of N.O.
Back in the early 1940s,Henning Nelms felt that thestage needed more melodra-
mas in which you could “Boo” the villainand cheer the hero, and proceeded towrite Only an Orphan Girl, a throwback tothe plays of the turn of the century. Whileone may question whether there truly wassuch a need, Girl proved popular with itscleanly defined good & evil characters andengaging plot.
Following the classic form, Girl in-cludes questions of parentage, life-chang-ing bequests, duplicitous scheming, in-nocent love, not-so-innocent passion,emotional deception, salt-of-the-earthfolks up against hard times, good-heartedneighbors, fog, a sawmill with a big blade,and a happily-ever-after ending.
For the recent Actor’s Theatre of NewOrleans’ production of Orphan Girl, direc-tor René J.F. Piazza wisely decided not tocamp up the script though he might’veheightened its inherent melodrama a bit.Piazza guided his cast to give suitablyover-the-top performances using a styl-ized approach; if the actors’ reach some-times exceeded their grasp, this is hardlythe kind of material that requires aBarrymore or a Streep to be enjoyable(though hearing accents ranging fromSouthern to Boston (the play’s locale) toYat was a little disorienting).
With his diabolical laugh, Piazza stoodout as a villain you loved to hate. YoungBekah Kleindorf did a nice job as thelandlady’s daughter caught up in the hurly-burly. And pianist Ryan McCarty astutelyprovided each character with their ownentrance leitmotif along with period musicthroughout the evening.
Though contemporary playwrightsseem happy to leave melodrama to thedomain of the soap operas, with its breez-ily entertaining Orphan Girl, ATNO gaveaudiences a rare opportunity to experi-ence part of theatrical history. I’ll cheer forthat!
Much Ado About Nothingat UNO’sRobert E. Nims Theatre
While Twelfth Night and AsYou Like It get regular outings, productions of Much
Ado About Nothing, one of my favorite ofShakespeare’s plays, are for some rea-son harder to come by. Though there weremoments when someone could’ve beenforgiven for wondering if this play reallywas much ado about nothing, the plusesof UNO’s recent production eventuallyoutweighed the minuses.
The long first act, encompassing, asit is typically divided, Shakespeare’s firstthree acts, while never unacceptably bad,took a while to get going and never fullycame into focus with good moments alter-nating with pedestrian ones. It is fine toemphasize the comedy in Much Ado, asDirector Beau Bratcher did, but the work’s
by Gary GlitterE-mail: [email protected]
in the spotlightcharm must be brought out from the startas well.
If Chrissy Garrett and James Yeargainfailed to capture some of the sparkle inBeatrice and Benedick’s Act One duel ofwords, by the second act, with B&B havingevolved from mere verbal sparring part-ners into two people profoundly bonded toeach other, Garrett and Yeargain illumi-nated their roles with deeply felt convictionand heart-stopping sensitivity.
Throughout the evening RandyMaggiore was his usual fine self asBeatrice’s uncle Leonato, letting paternalwarmth give way to hot-headed outragewhen his daughter Hero’s honor was calledinto question. Natalie Boyd made for adelicate and charming Hero, and wasparticularly touching at the end when shewas brought back from the “dead” andreunited with her fiancé Claudio (LouisSaubat, III).
Blake Balu went beyondShakespeare’s words for Don John tocreate a fully defined villain, whose ticsand weird ways would not seem out ofplace in a police line-up. Georgette Verdinexhibited good intentions as the Con-stable Dogberry and well-effectedBratcher’s Keystone Kops koncept, butsettled for a two-dimensional character-ization when she might’ve achieved athree-dimensional one.
Bratcher’s updating of the play to 1912Messina, Italy made costuming easier forsure, but I can think of many other, morerelevant twentieth century war fronts fromwhich the soldiers at the top of the playcould return, and Bratcher failed to makea convincing argument as to why he chosethis particular setting. Yet by the end, whenthe moving cemetery scene gave way toHero & Claudio’s reconciliation, and anautumnal warmth had settled on the stage,it didn’t really matter as Bratcher & Co. haddemonstrated that their efforts were in-deed much ado about something.
Playing Possumat Luke’s Brisket &Broadway Dinner Theatre
Congratulations to Luke’s Bris-ket & Broadway Dinner The-atre! Despite a mouthful of a
new name, the old Minacapelli’s is look-ing splendid after a renovation that addeda new sign outside and a slightly raisedplatform to the back of the space so peoplesitting there can now have an unobstructedview of the stage.
What hasn’t changed is Chef GingerLuke’s scrumptious cooking which re-cently included a Brisket Luke with peachglaze which needed only a fork to cut it; atender baked chicken to which a shrimp &tomato Creole sauce added the perfectkick; melt-in-your-mouth glazed baby car-rots; a savory Green Bean Amandine; anda Baked Cheesy Penne Pasta whosesecret ingredient was cream cheese andwhich I had to have three helpings of!Fortunately, I did save room for the yummyDeep Rich Chocolate Cake with hot fudge.
Suffice to say, I just wish the theatricalportion of the evening, Playing Possumwritten & directed James Hartman, hadbeen as good as the food. The idea itself(mother of two grown children fakes de-mentia to get attention and discover whather kids really think about her) had poten-tial. But everything else about it (writing,directing, acting) was half-baked. I’ll haveanother serving of the food, please.
Beauties & Bears
Once upon a time in the land ofOz, on May 13 at 10pm, theMiss New Orleans America
Pageant, was magically produced on theirstage. Under the direction of DominiqueDeLorean, Miss Gay Louisiana America2005 and with the cooperation of Oz man-agement for the 20th year, a spectacularproduction was enjoyed by a packed houseall waiting to see who of the four contes-tants would end up being the new MissGay New Orleans America 2009.
On a stage decorated in black andwhite and festooned with several basketsof flowers, the Emcee of the evening, Per-sona Shoulders, started the festivities bybringing to the stage the current and reign-ing MGNOA 2007-08 - Passion ArmaniCassidine. And following her would beAnastasia Davenport - Miss Gay Louisi-ana America 2008 with Damien Daven-port, and current reigning Miss Gay VieuxCarre America 2009 - Bambi Baxter, andDominique DeLorean.
Contestants for the eveningwere: Imani Jackson D'Black, Amy Nelson,Mercedes Ellis Loreal, and Arilyn Roberts.The contestants competed in thecatagories of : Evening Gown/Q&A, andTalent.
The judges had their work cut out forthem as the contestants were out to spareno mercy. They had come to win and cameout of the gates swinging. Between thecategories, and after, the crowd wastreated to a fine line-up of talent from theshowgirls of Oz, and the past winners ofthe MGNOA/MGLA titleholders. Some ofthe entertainers were: Christina Cayne,Coca, Constantine, and Tyra Van Ryan.
And after much deliberation andcrunching of numbers, the winners wereannounced: Second Alternate - Imani, First Alternate - Mercedes, and Miss GayNew Orleans America 2009 Arilyn Rob-erts. An exceptional job was done by all,especially Persona, the lights, sound andbar staff of Oz, and congrats toDominique as the new owner of Miss GayLouisiana America.
Mr. Phoenix New OrleansBear Contest
On Friday, May 15th, at thePhoenix on Elysian Fields,the New Orleans Bears held
their monthly beer bust and on this nightwould have a contest to decide who wouldbecome the Mr. Phoenix New OrleansBear 2009. The stage was ready and de-signed by bartender Eric, with a bewitch-ing night scene.
At 10pm, the Emcee KaCey took to thestage and introduced the four contestantsthat would vie for the honor of MPNOB2009. The contestants were: Courtney,Gino, Matt, and Tim. The catagories were:Bear Wear, Jockstrap, and Bar Wear.
The judges for the evening were:Danny - Bears Club, Mac - Cutter's andEddie - Bears Club. Needless to say they
had their work cut out for them, however,KaCey had the contestants moving alongat a rapid pace since they only had to takeoff one thing and strip down to another.(The whole thing lasted about one hour,my kind of contest!)
And the winners were: 2nd runner-up: (a medal, $10 bar tab) - Gino, 1st runner-up: (a medal, $15 bar tab) - Tim,and MPNOB 2009 - Matt , (special madeleather jacket patch, $25 bar tab, and entryfee to Louisiana Leather Bear, Sire Ursus) Congratulations to Clint, and the BearClub, and all the workers, especially bar-tenders Eric and Brian B.
So ends the week of the Beauties andthe Bears pageants.
trodding the boards ...from 34
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c'est bon
by The Susan Lucci'sE-mail: [email protected]
Latest Updateon Gar Williams
Gar Williams, star of The GarWilliams Show, is still recov-ering from a serious auto-
mobile accident on January 29 on I-10.Gar's hip was crushed, and he also suf-fered both a broken leg and ankle.
George Schwandt, past vice presi-dent of the Louisiana State Gay RodeoAssociation (LSGRA), was the driver ofthe vehicle and is recovering as well, suf-fering two broken legs.
Gar has undergone three surgeriesand is in a rehab home in Harahan. Hisrecovery is proceeding and he should beable to return home soon.
The Gay Williams Show which givesa touch of Hollywood nostalgia, continueswith rotating episodes at public accessChannel 78. Airing every Wednesday andSaturday at 8:30am and 8:30pm, Gar isexpected to return soon to produce newepisodes.
Forbidden Fruit MakesComeback at the Jungle
Forbidden Fruit, a star studdedrevue at the original location ofRubyfruit Jungle makes its
comeback at the club's new location, 1135Decatur Street. Under the direction of vet-eran star Lisa Beaumann, the show runsevery Thursday at 10:30pm.
Lisa has an array of special guestseach week. Just last week Lisa broughtJasmine SX to the stage along with thetalents of Tyra Van Ryan, and this year'sCrack Whore, Frankie.
The Marcell-Bouvier Factor
Yes, it's veteran star MarcyMarcell, and Entertainer of theYear and Miss LSGRA Eliza-
beth Bouvier, we're talking about.Every other Saturday you can catch
The Golden Age Revue under the direc-tion of Marcy at JohnPaul's at 11pm. Itstars Princesse Stephaney, ReginaAdams, Zsa Zsa d'LaHor and guest. Aboutonce a month the guest star is our dearfriend Opal Masters.
FourPlay is Elizabeth's gig runningevery other Friday at JohnPaul's at 9pm. Itbrings King Cake Queen XVI Tami Tarmac,Prom Queen Cathy Fox, Southern Deca-dence Grand Marshal XXXV Tittie Toulouseand veteran star Lauren Brown to thestage. The closing production number forthis show benefits a different charity eachmonth.
Barry Bareass Reins inCalendar Boys
Barry Bareass is back at it againmaking a triumphant return toThe Corner Pocket to host the
Calendar Boy Contest. The contest origi-nally held on Thursdays, has moved toSundays at 9pm.
On Barry's first week back, he brought11 hot boys to the bar top. Barry hosts both
the weekly contest and the bi-weekly fi-nals. The weekly winner gets $100 cash.
What's great about this contest is thatafter you see the boys each perform once,they come back as a group displayingtheir contestant number. Ballots arehanded out to each member of the audi-ence. You vote on 1st and 2nd place choos-ing the number of your favorite contestant.Both winners come back to compete in thebi-weekly finals.
Bruce slings cocktails for the showand sometimes even Miss Ashlee getsbehind the bar to help out.
Getting in the Zoo
Getting in this Zoo is quite easyand it's FREE! It's The ZooRevue held alternate Satur-
days at Big Daddy's at 11pm. Your hostesshere is Rusty LaRoux, Southern Deca-dence Grand Marshal XXXI, known as themost notorious tongue this side of theMississippi...it's wicked! And who out theirhas not been tongue-lashed by her? Youknow we love you girl!
Rusty brings an array of talent to thestage here with regulars like Marcy Marcell,Princesse Stephaney, Opal Vanderhurst,Ava Sinclair, Bliss, and special guest orguests. Usually Wayne and Shane areserving up cocktails for this extravaganza.
Wii Wii Monsieuror Mademoiselle
Wii fever has hit the Big Easyin a big way bringing allmembers of the GLBT
community out to play.Every Wednesday head on over to
700 Club at 9pm. The club host its own WiiWednesday Bowling Tournament withthe winner taking home a bottle of Smirnoffvodka. The club also offers all 13 flavors ofSmirnoff for $4 during game play.
Another Wednesday destination onthe other side of the Quarter is RubyfruitJungle at 9pm. Here the club offers WiiBowling with both drink specials andprizes.
And from Monday through Thursdaycatch Wii Sports at Oz 6-8pm. There'sbowling, tennis, golf, baseball and boxinghere. Plus the club offers $2.50 well cock-tails and domestic beer 4-9pm Monday-Friday and 4-8pm Saturday and Sunday.
Singin’ for Fame
There are so many budding starsout on the circuit and for yourchance to catch them in action
live, why not hop into the world of Karaoke?On Tuesdays, it's Kocktail Karaoke
with Rikki Gee hosted at Good Friends Bar8-11pm. Here the best singer wins a fabu-lous prize.
The next night, Wednesday, bringsyou to Karaoke at Cafe Lafitte in Exilehosted by Alex at 9pm. The winner takeshome a bottle of Jeremiah Weed SweetTea flavored vodka, while both 1st and 2ndplace gets a serving of World famousTater Tots from Clover Grill.
Thursday brings you to RubyfruitJungle at 8pm for Karaoke with DJ DorianGrey. And then it's back to the Jungle onSunday at 6pm for Karaoke with DJ DorianGrey as well, with 50¢ draft, $1 CactusJuice and $4 Smirnoff cocktails.
The Triple Crown
It's three for Sunday at Dance Clubof the Year Oz right down the streeton Bourbon from Ambush Head-
quarters.Begin your afternoon with Drag Dingo
with Blanche Debris at 6pm doling out aprize for each of the 11 games held.
Then it's the Boy Next Door Contestwhich is a crowd favorite as Blanche getsunsuspecting boys out of the audience tobare it to win $50 cash and a $50 bar tab.And you, the audience, choose the winner.
Next up is Sunday Show Night bring-ing the Oz girls, Coca, Mercedes EllisLoreal and Tyra Van Ryan to the stage with
a special guest each week. Blance em-cees the affair and the cast productionnumber is always a crowd favorite in thisrevue. Following the show, you can dancethe night away with DJ Tim Pflueger.
Four Cuts
Y'all know we're moving intothose hot days of Summer.What better way to get in the
mood for the beach, the streets, or vaca-tion than getting your own personal make-over. We're talking hair here and mustrecommend one of the most popular hairsalons in the French Quarter, Mickey NolanSalon.
Here proprietor Mickey and his staff ofstylists: Yvonne, Stephen and Ashlee canwork their magic.
The salon's at 815 Toulouse Streetand open Tuesday-Saturday 10am-6pm.Tuesdays and Wednesdays is ServiceIndustry Discount Days.
by Rip & Marsha Naquin-Delainwww.ripandmarsha.com
E-mail: [email protected]
chop chop
New OrleansRestaurant Guide
Bywater Restaurant, Deli & BBQ,3162 Dauphine St., is noted for its gumbo,barbeque, pizza, sandwiches and spe-cials serving breakfast, lunch and dinner.Hours are 9am-9pm Mon.-Fri., and Sat. &Sun. Closed Wed. Call 944.4445 foradditional info. MasterCard/Visa accepted.
Cafe Amelie, 912 Royal St., offersromantic courtyard or indoor dining alongwith both eclectic culinarycreations and drinks. Serv-ing lunch and dinner, Wed.-Sun. 11am-9pm, and Sun.,brunch 10am-3pm. Call412.8965 for reservationsor additional information.
Clover Grill, 900 Bour-bon St., is open 7 days andfeatures breakfast includ-ing build your own om-elettes. But let’s not forgettheir fab burgers grilled rightunder a hub cap and thenthere’s all those sand-wiches, sides, dessertsand shakes. Call 598.1010or visit CloverGrill.COM.
Country Club Restau-rant, 634 Louisa St. Under the new direc-tion of Chef Coy LeBeau, he has takenattention to detail and ingredient, and fo-cused on a more contemporary menu atan even more affordable price point. Stillthe best food, but at even more unbeliev-able value! Serving 7 days 11am-10pm 7days and Sunday Brunch 11am-3pm. VisitTheCountryClubNewOrleans.COM or call945.0742 for more information.
Krystal, 116 Bourbon at Canal, Open24 hours, it's one of the best stops for fastfood with tasty burgers, hot dogs andbreakfast. Call 523.4030 for more info.
Louisiana Pizza Kitchen, 95 FrenchMarket Place is famous for its wood firedgourmet pizzas, pastas, salads and ap-petizers. Open 7 days from 11am-10pm,call 522.9500 or visitLouisianaPizzaKitchen.COM.
Magazine Perks, 4332 Magazine,serves gourmet coffee, sandwiches, past-ries, danish and cakes. Open 7 days 7am-10pm. Call 899.2911 or visitMagazinePerks.COM.
Marigny Perks, 2401 Burgundy,serves gourmet coffee, sandwiches, past-ries, danish and cakes. Open 7 days 7am-10pm. Call 948.7401 or visit
www.marignyperks.com.Mona Lisa Restaurant, 1212 Royal
St., features Italian specialties includingsalads, pizzas, sandwiches and both lunchand dinner entrees. Lunch 11am-5pmThurs.-Mon., Dinner 5pm-10pm 7 days.Call 522.6746 for info.
Petunias, A Restaurant, 817 St.Louis, is open daily 8am-3pm servingbreakfast, brunch, lunch, crepes, poboys,salads, gumbo, Cajun/Creole specialtiesand dinner Wednesday-Sunday 5-10pm.Call 522.6440 for more info.
Quartermaster: The Nellie Deli, 1100Bourbon St., was voted Restaurant/Deli ofthe Year once again and is open 24 hours7 days. Serving breakfast, lunch and din-ner, the deli offers free delivery. Call529.1416 to order.
New Orleans Muffuletta at Restaurant/Deli of the YearQuartermaster: The Nellie Deli,
1100 Bourbon St.
38 • 38 • 38 • 38 • 38 • The Official Mag: AmbushMag.COM • May 26-June 8, 2009 • Official Southern Decadence Guide • SouthernDecadence.COM• May 26-June 8, 2009 • Official Southern Decadence Guide • SouthernDecadence.COM• May 26-June 8, 2009 • Official Southern Decadence Guide • SouthernDecadence.COM• May 26-June 8, 2009 • Official Southern Decadence Guide • SouthernDecadence.COM• May 26-June 8, 2009 • Official Southern Decadence Guide • SouthernDecadence.COM
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Queen & King Petronius XLVIII Freddie& Arthur welcome guests to Petronius’
Cocktails And Crowns Trois
More royalty at Petronius’ CocktailsAnd Crowns Trois at
Fredrick Guess Studio
King Cake Queen XVI Tami Tarmacsocializin’ at Cocktails And Crowns
Princesse Stephaney & Prince Sam joinPetronius’ Cocktails And Crowns Trois
Queen of da Ho’s & Jimmy at Petronius’Cocktails And Crowns Trois
Amon Ra’s Paul & Lee catch Petronius’Cocktails And Crowns Trois
Celebratin’ Orlando’s 60that Society Page
Rinal & Don pop into Society Page forOrlando’s 60th b-day
Bywater Restaurant’s Mike broughtover some of his famous BBQ ribs for
Orlando’s b-day blowout
Society Page Bartender’s Mike & Byronslingin’ cocktails for Orlando’s
60th b-day
Teah joins the festivities at SocietyPage for Orlando’s 60th
Rusty LaRoux joined by David for TheZoo Revue at Big Daddy’s
Wayne & Shane sling cocktails at BigDaddy’s for The Zoo Revue
Opal Vanderhurst in The Zoo Revueat Big Daddy’s
Marcy Marcell in The Zoo Revue
Ava Sinclair in The Zoo Revue
Tim, Lawton & Bob join Bartender Jim &Bessie Ann at Cutter’s for cocktails
Lacy & Felipe pop into Cutter’s
Peewee & Mac show off their full PotLuck bellies at Cutter’s Pot Luck Dinner
Cutter’s Bartender’s Chris & Jim slingcocktails for Cutter’s Pot Luck Dinner
snappaparazzi
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