A favorite Agatha Christie mystery and a bawdy pre-war musical both open next weekend, giving live theater fans plenty to sit back and enjoy.
Sullivan Theater in Central stages Murder on the Orient Express from April 25 through May 4, and Ascension Community Theatre presents Cabaret, the stylish political commentary set in a Berlin nightclub. It runs April 24 through May 4.
Two high-profile plays scheduled on back-to-back weekends is a salve to dramatic arts lovers, who were shattered in early March at the abrupt closure of the city’s largest nonprofit theater organization, Theatre Baton Rouge.
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But while TBR, open for 79 seasons, was the biggest player in town, other theater organizations have long been staging well-regarded shows, taking advantage of Baton Rouge’s deep bench of theater talent. Many of the actors who performed in TBR’s large slate of shows have also been performing with Sullivan, ACT and other organizations.
Kamryn Hecker and Don Fields, for example, who played the lead roles in TBR’s final show, Xanadu, will play Sally Bowles and Cliff Bradshaw, respectively, in Cabaret. And Knick Moore, another TBR veteran, plays Hercule Poirot in Murder on the Orient Express.
ACT board of directors president Dustin Delaune says the group is staging the 1998 Broadway revival version of Cabaret, its second show of the 2025 season.
“It’s about a Berlin nightclub during the rise of the Nazi regime,” Delaune says. “We’ve got so many talented people in the show from all over.”
Delaune says the show is rated R, and jokes that it’s a great opportunity for a date night or girls’ night out. The show takes place at ACT’s 165-seat theater in Gonzales.
Murder on the Orient Express is also Sullivan Theater’s second show of the season.
Founder Dave Freneaux says the Central theater organization has built original sets that capture the story’s well-known setting.
“The play takes place on two train cars,” he says. “We’re building a dining car and a sleeper car.”
Freneaux says about half the cast is making their Sullivan Theater debut.
The 130-seat theater opened in 2023, springing from a larger effort in Central to introduce more cultural activities to the community. A group of volunteers provided labor to transform a former fitness center in a strip mall on Sullivan Road into a thriving theater that stages popular performances. Its most recent show, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, was a complete sellout, including an extra showtime added at the last minute to accommodate demand.
ACT celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. Until this season, it had only repeated one show, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. But Delaune says the 25th season has been devoted to bringing back crowd favorites. The season led with Arsenic and Old Lace. Following Cabaret, it will feature Annie as its summer musical, then Steel Magnolias, A Streetcar Named Desire and, for the holidays, Miracle on 34th Street.
Following Murder on the Orient Express, Sullivan will feature Oklahoma! as its summer musical, followed by Noises Off, The Importance of Being Earnest and Elf: The Musical.
And there’s more…
Catch these shows on local stages this spring and summer
Christian Youth Theater
Cats, Young Actors Edition: May 22-25
Playmakers of Baton Rouge
Seussical, Jr.: June 6-8 and June 13-15
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UpStage Theatre Company
Mahalia!: June 27-28
The Old Settler: July 18-20
Christian Community Theater
Singin’ in the Rain: July 27-Aug. 3