On Stage/New Orleans: 'Purlie,' 'As Bees in Honey Drown,' 'Laughing Wild'
by Roberts Batson, theater critic, Southern Voice Weekly
Thursday, 17 May 2001
"St. Charles Avenue is reclaiming its reputation as a center
for theatrical activity, a history that began in 1835 when James Caldwell built the St. Charles Theatre to compete
with the Creole's French Opera House in the Vieux Carre. This exciting development became obvious last week when the Ty Tracy Theatre and Le Chat Noir, venues only two
blocks apart, launched exuberant new shows on the same night. Although these two stages have very different purposes-the Ty Tracy Theatre is the New Orleans Recreation Department's
theatrical arm, while Le Chat Noir is Barbara Motley's elegant cabaret club-both their current hits are perfectly
appropriate choices.
NORD has the musical PURLIE, based on Ossie Davis' play "Purlie Victorious." A pre-show disclaimer cautioned
audiences that the script is set in pre-civil rights racism, so the dialogue is expectedly peppered with words
you wouldn't hear in polite conversation today. The opening night audience was far too sophisticated to misunderstand this folk tale and expressed their sentiments
with a standing ovation and cheers.
Director Ty Tracy leads an extremely attractive cast to an evening of on-the-nose moments. Leo Jones, who also
provides choreography and vocal direction, carries off the title role handsomely, mixing charm with
gravitas. Carmen White, as Lutiebelle, affects a peculiar accent that almost renders the dialogue incomprehensible, but that
doesn't get in the way of her delivering a comic tour-de-force. Also first-rate are Sandra Richards and Phillip Watson, the comic couple, and Bob Gault as the old racist plantation
owner.
Down the street at Le Chat Noir, Brava Productions is delighting audiences with the Southern premiere of Douglas
Carter Beane's comedy, AS BEES IN HONEY DROWN, a fable of contemporary New York life in the fast lane of celebrity
self-promotion. Alexa Vere de Vere, played with convincing flair by Francine Segal, is a mad glamorous diva in the mold of Mame
Dennis Burnside and Holly Golightly. But "Bees" has a harder edge than "Auntie Mame" and "Breakfast
at Tiffany's."
That doesn't stop the fun on Chat Noir's stage, though. Peter J. Callahan is genial as a young writer that Alexa
manipulates, and a quartet of versatile actors plays all the other roles. All are outstanding: Bob Edes, Jr., Kristopher
Kael, Mary Lee Gibbons and Leah Loftin. Director David Hoover does a bang-up job with staging that is both functional and imaginative, and he is aided
in both by the contributions of his design team: David Raphel, Tony French, Su Gonczy, Jason Knobloch and Tony
Pierce.
In the neighborhood, but off St. Charles Avenue-actually off-off-off-Avenue
down by the wharves-is the Pickery, where Theatre Louisiane is presenting Christopher Durang's LAUGHING WILD.
It's a demanding script that requires two actors-playing a gay man and a deranged woman-to perform an act-long
monologue each. Both actors turn in finely drawn characterizations. Amy Woodruff has the harder task, as Durang gives the character very little to like. And Daniel LaForce shines
in a precisely etched performance."