The spring season brings renewal as well as a bevy of arts events around the Capital City. Theater organizations citywide are stepping onto the stage with musicals, dramas and kid-friendly shows that are sure to help you emerge from your winter hibernation. Plan ahead and take a look at some of the performances happening this spring.
THEATRE BATON ROUGE
theatrebr.org
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
March 8-24
A tween spelling bee can be a surprisingly dramatic competition packed with thrills and disappointments. Turn it into a musical with a little audience participation, and you get this delightful Tony-winning production focusing on the six spellers in the midst of their big life-affirming—or soul-crushing—turns at the microphone.
The Explorers Club
April 26-May 12
The Explorers Club is a very prestigious and masculine association in late-1800s London. Now they are weighing whether to admit a woman to the team after her discovery of a lost city in this comedic, farcical play.
33 Variations
May 10-19
Two stories separated by 200 years come crashing together in this drama about an Austrian composer realizing his genius and a New York mother and daughter working on their relationship.
RED MAGNOLIA THEATRE COMPANY
redmagnoliatc.org
Love, Loss, and What I Wore
March 8
Local actors read selections from Nora and Delia Ephron’s play at Brew Ha-Ha as part of International Women’s Day.
12 Angry Men Performed by 12 Impassioned Women
April 6-7
This take on Reginald Rose’s classic play will be staged at Ebb & Flow Festival downtown April 6 and at Brew Ha-Ha April 7. It’s part of a nationwide reading of the play by all-female casts.
Motherhood Out Loud
May 12
Conceived by Susan R. Rose and Joan Stein, this Mother’s Day dinner theater event takes place at Mestizo Louisiana Mexican Cuisine.
NEW VENTURE THEATRE
newventuretheatre.org
Fetch Clay, Make Man
March 29-31
When Muhammad Ali was still Cassius Clay, he developed an unlikely friendship with vaudevillian Hollywood star Stepin Fetchit. This drama follows the bond between these cultural icons during the Civil Rights Movement.
The Cookout
May 4
This musical features popular songs and the latest dance moves all centered around the tried-and-true tradition of young and old coming together for an outdoor family barbecue.
PLAYMAKERS OF BATON ROUGE
playmakersbr.org
13
April 25-28
Relocating from the big city to a small town, a precocious preteen struggles to find his place in his new school’s pecking order in this comedic coming-of-age musical.
Sleeping Beauty
May 31-June 9
This rendition of the fairy tale features a headstrong princess, new characters and new music over the classic story of a terrible curse that puts a young princess into a 100-year sleep.
SWINE PALACE
swinepalace.org
Airline Highway
March 20-31
The lives of the residents of the Hummingbird Motel on the edge of downtown New Orleans unfold in this drama. The motel residents are celebrating their dying mother figure Miss Ruby, an aging burlesque queen, with a Mardi Gras-style funeral. Written by Southern playwright Lisa D’Amour, the play debuted on Broadway in 2015 and garnered four Tony nominations.
