To Do Productions

Donnie Jay's To Do Productions

2009-05-08T07:16:00.007-05:00

In three years' time, between the summer of 2005 and March, 2009, Donnie Jay produced a body of work deserving of critical appreciation. In that short time, he managed to gather a group of theatre artists together to develop and produce the plays included here in this tribute. In that short span of time, To Do Productions scrambled from its hard-scrabble beginnings to take a place in the forefront of New Orleans theatre. He will be missed and will never be replaced.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Donnie Jay!

A Tribute to Donnie Jay

2009-04-29T10:27:00.003-05:00

Friday, May 1, 2009
8:00 PM

The Marigny Theatre

1030 Marigny Street

Your Master of Ceremonies: Vatican Lokey
Musical Director/Accompanist: Jim Walpole

Performers
(In Alphabetical Order)

Becky Allen	Leon Contavesprie
Lisa Davis	Cathy Fox
Rebecca Fox	Rikki Gee
Jason George	Marshall Harris
Eric Michael Liddick	Marcy Marcell
Lyla Hay Owen	Michael Sullivan
Tami Tarmack	Chris Wecklein

Donald James, April 24, 1944 - April 16, 2009

2009-04-16T10:39:00.007-05:00

It is with deep sadness that we write to inform you that our founder and executive producer, Donald "Donnie Jay" James, passed away in his sleep last evening from a long illness.

He was a light to many of us, illuminating shadows in our world and bestowing kindness and compassion on everyone who passed his way. We who knew and loved him carry an empty place in our hearts now that will never be refilled.

God bless and keep you, Donnie.

Take a bow!

The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams

2009-04-12T09:39:00.003-05:00

Tennessee Williams’ seminal classic, The Glass Menagerie, starred Lyla Hay Owen as Amanda Wingfield.

The production, designed and directed by Glenn Meche, also featured Keith Launey as Tom, Liz Mills as Laura, and Leon Contavesprie as the Gentleman Caller.

Read what the critics had to say.

(Archival Information)

What the Critics Had to Say about The Glass Menagerie

2009-04-12T09:37:00.004-05:00

Where Y'At? Magazine: March 2, 2009

The Great Depression and Guernica make up the social and historical backgrounds of the play. Hunger, desperation, and angst are the things that fill place and time, saturating the Wingfields’ little tenement apartment in St. Louis. Yet the expression of their lives is manifested with poetry. …

I asked Glenn and the others why do this play, or better yet, why should anyone come see it? It’s classic American theatre and that doesn’t seem to happen too often locally.

“It’s beautiful.” “It’s Tennessee Williams’ breakthrough success…” There were several responses, but I think the most interesting wasn’t said: we are in a recession on the brink of financial/economic devastation as wars continue to rage in Iraq and Afghanistan. We struggle to hold on to things like hope and belonging – to not fall into the spiraling traps in anomie. I don’t think it’s inaccurate to say Williams gives a voice to such things. And isn’t finding a kind of exorcism in a relatable piece of poetic theatre enough reason to support the play?

Being a bohemian himself, being no stranger to poverty, it’s fitting for Mr. Williams’ work to be staged at The Marigny. It’s the kind of house and talent pool that should be doing his theatre. Well, that being said, Glenn Meche’s poetic eye, and fluent, organic style of direction gives us a fresh production of Tennessee Williams’ career-launching breakthrough play, The Glass Menagerie. Do yourself a favor and see it.

It’s important to support this venue (and like venues). The Marigny Theatre is a stage that deserves to survive this brutal economy. This community-driven theatre gives space and opportunity for both artistic growth and experimentation as well as quality productions of both new and tried plays. If there are safety concerns with going to see a play on this side of town, the guidelines are very simple: be smart and aware, like anywhere else. Carpool, park on the street (the lot isn’t lit well), walk in groups. Don’t let perceived ideas of the area stop you from patronizing the Marigny/Bywater area theatres or music venues.

The cast is as follows: Lyla Hay Owen (Amanda), Keith Launey (Tom), Liz Mills (Laura), and Leon Contavesprie (Gentleman Caller).

This is an incredible opportunity to see a gifted, passionate cast of actors in a classic American play.

- Louie Crowder

Lyla Hay Owen returns to the stage in 'Menagerie'
The Times-Picayune: March 20, 2009

New Orleans actress Lyla Hay Owen doesn't have to dig deep to find the sadness and fragility needed to tackle her comeback role as Amanda Wingfield in "The Glass Menagerie" at Marigny Theatre.

One of the great ladies of the New Orleans theater returned to the stage just nine months after the sudden death of her daughter, New Orleans stage icon Cynthia Owen, and the recent loss of her husband, Larry Landers, who died of liver cancer.

At an evening rehearsal for the play, which opened March 18, the veteran actress said producer Donnie Jay approached her about taking the part.

"He was worried about me," she said, noting that many of her peers were encouraging her to deal with her grief by getting back onstage.

Now, Owen feels like she is just coming back to life, working with "a wonderful cast," including co-stars Keith Launey and Liz Mills as her children Tom and Laura. Leon Contavesprie plays Jim, Laura's ubiquitous Gentleman Caller.

With the exception of a cabaret show with her daughter Cynthia and another with Jim Walpole in 2006, Owen, an actress, playwright, director, composer-lyricist, singer and teacher, had done little onstage in recent years.

After a brief retirement, she has also now returned to the classroom, teaching Talented in Theatre students at Warren Easton, Esperanza, and Edward Hynes charter schools.

"I love teaching the talented what they love, helping them to discover the depths of their creative abilities," she said.

She uses improvisational games that she learned from her days at Chicago's Second City, as well as scene work from Williams' plays and other classics.

"I always tell my students: acting is one of the professions that the older you get, the better you get as long as you stay healthy. That's because you have all these resources: your experiences and knowledge, you have more of yourself available to not only move yourself but an audience, as well."

Williams' writing "calls for sensible, poetical actors who are grandiose, who can go to that big, dark place," Owen said. "He's very demanding. You can't just say his words. You have to invest a great deal to do Williams well."

And, she adds "you have to have a Southern sensibility. It really has to be in your blood because the characters are so different."

The play is being staged before and during the Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival, but it is not part of the festival itself.

Speaking of the personal losses she has endured, Owen quotes the playwright. "Amanda says to Tom in 'The Glass Menagerie' 'Life's not easy, it calls for -- Spartan endurance,' she said. "My husband was the love of my life. He was only 53. But I was grateful he died in my arms and not hooked up to machines. It was beautiful, his last words to me were: 'Are you going to be all right?' That's love. So I had some beautiful moments with death."

Of her daughter, actress and chanteuse Cynthia Owen, she said: "She was generous, and so adorable and filled with life. I can not believe that this spirit, filled with light and love is gone.

"God, I miss her. I've got all of her CDs. I can't listen to them yet."

Far from giving Owen a thick skin, the actress says the losses "brought me closer to sadness and death and the reality of life." She quotes lines from Samuel Beckett's "Waiting for Godot": "Astride of a grave and a difficult birth. Down in the hole, lingeringly, the grave-digger puts on the forceps. We have time to grow old."

"You have to just move on," she says.

- Paul Broussard, Contributing Writer

Director Glenn Meche holds up a mirror to life's truths in his staging of Williams' 'Glass Menagerie'
THE TIMES-PICAYUNE, March 26, 2009

Photo Courtesy of Glenn Meche
(Gentleman caller Leon Contavesprie shares a tender moment with Liz Mills as Laura in Tennessee Williams' 'The Glass Menagerie'.)

The grace and poetry of Tennessee Williams' language can be a trap, similar to Shakespeare, so languorously enveloping the audience in the playwright's words that it misses out on the drama being presented on stage.

Director Glenn Meche's production of "The Glass Menagerie," now at the Marigny Theatre, embraces the audience with the warmth of those words while also giving it a brisk slap in which the drama resonates, vitally coming to life.

Although the narrator claims that none of the characters should be seen as real, Meche counters the notion with the approach of verismo opera, heightening the emotions and realism to expose greater truths.

At the heart of Williams' largely autobiographical story is the artist's longing to break free from his overbearing mother, his miserable job and his emotionally and physically crippled sister -- and the guilt he feels about it all. Tom, the son, narrates the story of his past, but in Meche's production it is viewed not through the gauzy lens of memory, but in the alcoholic haze into which the poet has fallen.

Keith Launey plays Tom with a harder edge than we're used to seeing, which elevates the realism. Having escaped and become the poet and writer he had dreamed of being, he remains haunted by the past. Launey's visceral reactions and seething emotions suggest the poet not as Keats or Shelley but more as a Bukowski or Ginsberg.

Liz Mills gives Laura a ghostlike otherworldliness. With her long, red hair and faraway look, she evokes a pre-Raphaelite imagery, out of place and time of her environs. Her gentle, soft-spoken portrayal is as delicate and rare as blue roses.

The Gentleman Caller is played by Leon Contavesprie with convincing kindness, as he realizes the situation he has been invited into: to be introduced to a co-worker's sister in the hopes that romance is sparked. His lengthy scene with Laura is touching and true. He is in many ways the opposite of Tom, having decided to lift himself beyond his own place through a pragmatic plan of action, rather than merely seeking escape at the movies or in a bottle.

Any production of "The Glass Menagerie" sparkles or shatters with the role of Amanda Wingfield, the mother of all mothers. Lyla Hay Owen is a revelation in the part, depicting Amanda not as the lost soul nearly as delusional as Blanche DuBois, but instead as one of those velvet-gloved but iron-fisted ladies of the South. Owen's Amanda is equal parts Dragon Lady and relentless flirt.

She is not lost in her colonnaded world of 17 gentlemen callers in one afternoon. She fully knows the desperate straits in which she and Laura will be placed when Tom likely follows in the footsteps of his father -- "the telephone man who fell in love with long distances." This makes her situation all the more authentic and her determination true.

While some actresses play Amanda as the villain, Owen unleashes her heart. In doing so, she allows a grateful audience to express its own appreciation at seeing one of this city's finest actresses on stage once again.

- Theodore P. Mahne is a contributing writer for The Times-Picayune.

Steppin' Out, WYES-TV 12, March 27, 2009

By now, the theatre-going public knows Tennessee Williams’ most popular and most performed play, THE GLASS MENAGERIE. Said to be Mr.Williams’ most “identifiable” play, it tells the story of Tom, the emerging writer and his wounded sister, Laura, living in a shabby St. Louis apartment controlled by his sweet - yet domineering - mother, Amanda. As Tom’s sister Laura is so deeply shy, into this unhappy mix arrives “The Gentleman Caller” who they hope will rescue them from a future of unhappiness.

One of the reasons why THE GLASS MENAGERIE rings with such truthfulness is that young Tennessee Williams lived much of it himself. As great a play as THE GLASS MENAGERIE is - and even though it remains so popular on Broadway and, especially, in community theatres all over the world - it is not an easy or sure-footed play. It requires a cast and a director who can deal with the fragile qualities of Mr.Williams’ hurtful script. Happily, the Marigny Theatre has [a] gifted director and a cast of talented actors exactly right for each realistic role.

[This] director ... never “pushes” his actors into histrionics – instead, he permits the action and the high emotions to flow easily and naturally.

Keith Launey is ideal as Tom, the Tennessee Williams character, about to abandon his contentious mother and his crippled sister Laura, played by the ravishing Liz Mills (who never makes a false move on stage). Leon Contavesprie, as the Gentleman Caller, the only healthy minded-character in THE GLASS MENAGERIE, provides the easy charm and strength his role requires.

But this play is dominated by Amanda, the saccharine mother who rules her children like a drill sergeant. Although I have seen THE GLASS MENAGERIE many times, I cannot imagine an actress more comfortable in the role than Lyla Hay Owen. Her southern charm drips like soft candy, but so does her power and determined intent. Ms. Owen’s brilliant performance cinches this GLASS MENAGERIE as the best ever seen.

The proof of the production’s magic is that you can hear the audience’s sniffles at the close.

The director’s skillful handling of the emotional mood music punctuates the tagline every theatrical company longs to hear: “A GENUINE HIT!”

Don’t miss THE GLASS MENAGERIE at the Marigny Theatre through this weekend. Let’s pray that it will be held over - and over.

Top Rating: 4
My Rating: 4

- Al Shea, Steppin' Out

The Gambit, April 6, 2009

"I am the opposite of a stage magician," Tom Wingfield says in the opening monologue of The Glass Menagerie, Tennessee Williams' first big hit, which recently received a stunning production at Marigny Theatre. "He gives you illusion that has the appearance of truth. I give you truth in the pleasant guise of illusion."

Tom (Keith Launey) narrates the play about the caged, stressful life of his family. Some elements of the memory play reach beyond the action. Although best known by his pen name, Williams' real name was Tom. In the play, Tom wants to be a writer but supports the family by working in a warehouse. His only friend, Jim O'Connor (Leon Contavesprie), calls him Shakespeare because of his secretive writing.

Tom's father is long gone, and his mother, Amanda Wingfield (Lyla Hay Owen), is the driving force of the play. She conjures an illusory past inhabited by gallant Southern swains she calls "gentlemen callers." She recounts a single day's 17 suitors as a triumph of her youth. She could have married into money and social prominence but, she tells her children, "I settled for your father."

Tom's sister Laura (Liz Mills) walks with a limp. Amanda's ebullient ego and embellished past increase Laura's self-consciousness. Her ornamental glass animals parallel her own fragile beauty and give the play its central symbol.

Clouds gather over this already unhappy world when we learn Laura has secretly dropped out of business college. Amanda demands that Tom bring a coworker home to supper. Somehow, she will get a gentleman caller for Laura.

Williams took a radical gamble by shifting the focus of the play to an encounter between Laura and Jim (Leon Contavesprie), a man on whom she once had a distant crush. Jim, however, is not an eligible bachelor. Contavesprie and Mills filled the doomed reunion of these two decent young people with wrenching poignancy. Owen brought the difficult and eccentric Amanda to life. Glenn Meche directed the production with a sure hand. Here's hoping he brings it back with the same cast, so more theatergoers can fall under its spell.

- Dalt Wonk

The Glass Menagerie

“There’s such a high price for negligence in this world.” (T. Williams, Glass Menagerie, Amanda)

Recently To Do Productions presented a very splendid interpretation of T. Williams’ lyrical and lovely play The Glass Menagerie at Theatre Marigny. Glenn Meche directed a very moving production with an all star cast, including one of our own top talents, Lyla Hay Owen, in the starring role of the neurasthenic and opportunistically self-deluded mother, Amanda Wingfield. Ms. Owen created a completely unique and earth bound Amanda very different from the ones I have seen on stage several times in other productions. Instead of a totally deluded T. Williams’ heroine, all flighty and fluffy in filmy flowered dresses, Ms. Owen took the character with both hands like a dying azalea bush, cut and slashed her weaker parts away and planted her with deep demanding roots in the richly Indecent-Proposals-imagined soil of her own mind and determination... she changed her from a spindly little bush with one anxious azalea blossom past its prime into an iron camellia growing from an evergreen plant strongly rooted in her hopes and dreams. Ms. Owen was a refreshing and more realistically realized Amanda, a mother who was determined to get her fragile daughter a husband. It was a bravura display of acting keeping the audience on the edge of their seats. Brava, Lyla Hay Owen who was brave enough to change Amanda from a shrinking violet into an iron camellia and do it without sacrificing feminine grace and charm.

And bravissimo to the rest of this all star cast: Keith Launey who seems to have a natural instinct for the art of acting and who did a heart-breaking interpretation of the son, Tom Wingfield; and ditto for the beautiful Liz Mills who was an outstanding Laura Wingfield. Leon Contravesprie made for a handsome, hearty but sensitive gentleman caller, Jim O’Conner. Glenn Meche both directed and did the workable sets. This production was stunningly beautiful. There was not a dry eye in the audience as the play ended. What an elegant kind of cathartic experience this Glass Menagerie turned out to be!

- Patrick Shannon, Ambush Magazine, April 14, 2008

Christmas with the Crawfords by Mark Sargent and Richard Winchester

2009-04-12T09:17:00.005-05:00

Christmas With the Crawfords takes place on Christmas Eve, 1944. Joan has recently been fired by MGM and is looking forward to the live radio broadcast from her Brentwood mansion - to be hosted by her friend, Hedda Hopper - as a way of keeping herself in the public eye while she vies for a role in a film-noir piece entitled Mildred Pierce, reluctantly offered to her by Warner Bros. Suffice it to say the broadcast does not go well. Joan is plagued by problems, including the never-ending arrival of uninvited holiday guests who take over the spotlight to sing their favorite holiday song.

Where else can you see the likes of Bette Davis, Judy Garland, Gloria Swanson, Hattie McDaniel, Carmen Miranda and Ethel Merman all in one room, singing their hearts out without a care in the world? The appeal of Christmas with the Crawfords is broad. Young, old, gay, straight, suburban and city dwellers alike show up for a Christmas with Joan and the children that they will never forget.

The cast featured:

Cammie West
Dan Kuras
Donnie Jay
Jason George
El Tahra Ibrahim
Heze Falkins
Paul Patton
Rikki Gee
Steve Patrick, and
Timm Holt

Timm Holt also served as director.

(Archival Information)

Onepiece by Randy Bibb

2009-04-12T09:08:00.007-05:00

New Orleans' own tour guide extraordinaire has fashioned an original musical parody of those old Esther Williams/Judy Garland MGM movie musicals we all know and love.

Or do we?

Find out for yourself.

Our stellar cast featured local favorites

Cammie West
Chris Wecklein
Rebecca Fox
Joshua Peterson
Tony Fennelly
T.J. Toups, and
Newcomer Wendy Michaels.

Glenn Meche directed. Jim Walpole provided musical direction and accompaniment.

Click here for an inkling of what the critics had to say.

(Archival Information)

What the Critics Had to Say about Onepiece

2009-04-12T09:02:00.004-05:00

'Onepiece' Is a Spoofy Patchwork of Many Movie Pieces at Marigny Theatre

by David Cuthbert
Times-Picayune, 11/11/2008

When Carol Burnett spoofed Esther Williams' waterlogged MGM movie musicals on her variety show, she was constantly knocking one ear to get the water out of the other, a funny bit germane to the subject at hand.

"Onepiece, " which purports to satirize the self-same "Million Dollar Mermaid, " has nothing to do with Williams' escapist film fluff, with two exceptions: a musical number where "Hester Willings" does a striptease inspired by Williams' "Take Ten Percent Off" in "This Time for Keeps" and a sculpted 1940s coiffure that duplicates the artistry of stellar hairstylist Sydney Guilaroff, who kept the star's hairdo in place even underwater.

This is a catty, all-purpose parody that hopscotches film genres and eras with the confidence of a film fan who knows his movie conventions.

Randy Bibb has provided the evocative book, derivative, though not unpleasant, music and serviceable lyrics for this amusing, extended sketch of a show. In "Onepiece, " Hester is an aging, bitchy, Aquacade-cum-movie star threatened "All About Eve"-style by "Deanna Garland, " an Idaho lifeguard whose ambitions are fanned by Hester's fast-talking manager. There's a Mickey-and-Judy subplot and musical comedy digressions to pad things out.

Wendy Michaels looks more like Eleanor Powell than Williams, but gives her hard-boiled lines a sassy snap and socks across the "Never Say Never" tango and bluesy "You Don't Know Much About Hester."

Chris Wecklein brings a good voice and oily manner to manager Bobby Biscayne, and beaming, blond Joshua Peterson is juvenile love interest "Woogie" Pringle (recalling "Oogie Pringle" in "A Date with Judy"). Cammie West is stiletto-sharp as gossip maven Louella Parsnips, who has a song about 31-year-old child star "Surly Dimples" that is entirely superfluous and at the same time very funny. Tony Fennelly, as Deanna's looney tunes mother, has another out-of-nowhere song, but brings to it the instincts of an outrageous clown. This Mom is Norma Desmond, played by Ruth Gordon.

As Deanna Garland, Rebecca Fox doesn't suggest either of her movie namesakes. Her vocalizing is more on the order of Jeanette MacDonald and the love ballads veer toward operetta. T.J. Toups completes the cast as a hick mayor. Jim Walpole's expert piano accompaniment makes Bibb's melodies sound more substantial than they are and Glenn Meche directs in bright, definite fashion.

ONEPIECE

by Al Shea
Steppin' Out, WYES-TV 12, 11/14/2008

What a joy to see, on opening night, the trusty Marigny Theatre with a full house for their current production, ONEPIECE. And well-earned, too, for this delightful little satire on that famous water-soaked star, Esther Williams (with words, music, and book by the super talented Randy Bibb) is fun from start to finish.

Bibb sees Esther as “Hester Willings”, a back-stabbing, ambitious movie star bound to crush all who get in her way. She is envisioned expertly by Wendy Michaels, with impeccable stage timing making her the city’s new all-singing, all-dancing star. Like those old 1940’s College Musicals, ONEPIECE has the tough manager (played well by Chris Wecklein); the dainty ingénue and Hester’s big competition, strong voiced Rebecca Fox; and, of course, her tap-dancing beau, Joshua Peterson. Plus Cammie West as “Louellen Parsnips”, the gossip reporter, and marvelous Tony Fennelly as a half-mad Mother, who stops the show with “I’m a Nervous Wreck”.

All the zany adventures have been guided with a keen knowledge of good farce by Glenn Meche. Piano virtuoso Jim Walpole is the expert Music Director. As interesting and diverting as the company may be, ONEPIECE owes its success to the gifts of its author Randy Bibb, whose score is quite singable and whose lyrics are deft, original and surprising.

No wonder the enthusiastic audience roared their approval. ONEPIECE is a fresh, original, entertaining piece of theatre, adding more luster to the growing reputation of Marigny Theatre. Don’t miss it, playing week-ends at 1030 Marigny Street. Top Raying - 4 Claps of 4

Onepiece

by Patrick Shannon
Ambush Magazine, 11/18/2008

Randy Bibb’s original musical (Onepiece) inspired by the musicals of that cinematic fishwoman, Ester Williams, opened recently at the Marigny Theater to a wildly appreciative audience.

The work is a campy musical directed with an abundance of gay sensitivity by Glenn Meche, with impressive Musical Direction by Jim Walpole and bouncy choreography by El Tahra Ibrahim. Bitch lines abound and the performers seem to enjoy the verbal swordplay as each player gets a chance to prick a bit of blood from the ballooned egos of the characters. Mr. Bibb is to be praised for his lovely music and sharp witted book.

Author Bibb was fortunate in having an all star cast of mostly recognized local talents to help bring his rib-tickling creation into existence. Playing Hester Willings was Wendy Michaels, a girl in a one-piece who looks good, sings well, and knows how to sell it all. Chris Wecklein was Bobby Biscayne, her philandering manager who really only wants to marry her as he tries to enchant her by singing a couple of lovely love songs with his beautiful voice. Wecklein, as only to be expected, was excellent in his role. A big big local favorite, Cammie West, played the Louellen Parsnips role and she, of course, totally stole a couple of scenes, singing and dancing like the really talented big trouper she is and who never disappoints her many fans. Rebecca Fox played the young, young, young small town girl, Deanna Garland, who just happens to swim like a porpoise and who can also sing like an operatic diva. She just may end up replacing Hester Willings, willingly. Joshua Peterson, willingly or otherwise, was the quintessential “over the top” actor trying to play a butch role, which he did with just a touch of the “nell brush.” Playing Miss Deanna Garland’s mentally deranged mother, Mrs. Garland, was the incomparable Tony Fennelly, locally known as the Dame Judi Dench of local thespians. She is absolutely stunning as the unhinged mama in a nursing home and had the audience falling out of their seats with laughter. T. J. Toups did a quietly effective job as Mayor Dwight McDweeb and Mr. Davis.

Nice fortyish costumes were done by Regina Adams with that guy of many guises, Eric Webb as Stage Manager. This charming show can only get better and if you like camp with an occasional stilleto (both heels and verbal weapons) you deserve to treat you self and attend this laugh-filled delightful original musical. This is the type of show one might expect to eventually see at Le Chat Noir. It’s made for just such a venue.

THRILL ME: The Leopold & Loeb Story by Stephen Dolginoff

2009-04-12T07:36:00.011-05:00

THRILL ME: THE LEOPOLD AND LOEB STORY, by Stephen Dolginoff, is a musical drama that recounts the chilling true story of the legendary Chicago teenagers who committed one of the most famous and heinous crimes of the twentieth century. Focusing on their obsessive relationship, THRILL ME recounts the series of events in 1924 Chicago that earned the two boys the distinction of being America's first "thrill killers."

Nathan Leopold was passionate about Richard Loeb, who was passionate about crime and excitement. Richard managed to convince Nathan that together they embodied Nietzsche"s idea of the "Superman" and were above society and its laws. Together they devised a plan to lure a young boy to his death to prove they could commit the perfect murder. But too soon their perfect crime unraveled.

Thrill Me featured Eric Michael Liddick as Nathan Leopold and Joshua Peterson as Richard Loeb. Glenn Meche designed and directed the production, and Jim Walpole served as Musical Director.

To find out what the critics had to say, click here.

The Final Word: A letter from Stephen Dolginoff, December 17, 2008:

Hi Glenn,

I wanted to let you know I have watched the video of your production of THRILL ME and I thought it was excellent.

It is amazing what you were able to create in such a small space.

Some of the things I always brace myself for, such as the music being played too fast, were wonderfully not there! I would say the tempos were spot on perfect!

The actors created very clear and distinct characters (you would be surprised what I have seen in the past!), and I think they both did a great job and had nice chemistry.

There have been small and large productions of THRILL ME over the past five years, and as far as the smaller "black-box" versions go, I would say yours ranks as one of the VERY BEST.

As a writer, it was gratifying to see my intentions clearly up there on your stage (again, you would be SHOCKED at some of the versions I have seen that were less than one would like them to be!)

Thank you again for your belief in THRILL ME - my, god - even through a HURRICANE!
I hope the theatre gods bring us all together again someday.

Best regards,

Stephen

(Archival Information)

What the Critics Had to Say about Thrill Me

2009-04-12T07:29:00.004-05:00

Partners in Crime

By Dalt Wonk, Gambit Weekly, 09/30/2008

The image of the tempter has haunted mankind for centuries. In the book of Job, Satan tempts God to test the faith of pious man. Christ refuses Satan's offer of the world. But who would remember Faust if he had not accepted Mephistopheles' offer?

These connections swirled in my mind as I watched the recent, gripping production of Thrill Me: the Leopold and Loeb Story at Marigny Theatre. Leopold and Loeb were the teenage 'thrill killers" who committed their era's "crime of the century."

Thrill Me is a musical. It's not a Chicago-type of song fest in which leggy chorines weave a low-life fantasy celebrating the glamour of crime. It's not quite Brechtian either. Although Brecht was taken with the allure of crime, he injected caustic left-wing political and social criticism.

Thrill Me by Stephen Dolginoff, despite the songs, is not light entertainment. It surprises by taking the two adolescent murderers seriously and showing us the dynamic that propelled them to the ghastly, purposeless crime that made them famous. I typically resent being sentimentally manipulated, but I did not feel anything of the sort was afoot. Hannah Arendt, writing of the Nazis, spoke of the banality of evil. Maybe that's what makes this weird story so troubling and evocative.

When the play begins, the stage is dark. Musical director and accompanist Jim Walpole plays the overture on a baby grand piano. Nathan Leopold (Eric Michael Liddick) stands behind a bare podium. He answers questions from off-stage voices. We don't realize it at first, but these questions come from parole officers at Joliet prison in 1958. The parole board wants to know why Leopold committed the crime 34 years ago. "A child killed a child," Leopold says sadly. "I'm an old man now." But why did he do it? "It wasn't a dare or a whim. It's simply that I went along with him," meaning his partner Loeb.

The statement oversimplifies what happened, but there's something essentially true about it. For Leopold, the thrill means give me love, affection and sexual gratification. For Loeb, the thrill is about breaking laws, taking chances, proving his superiority to the mass of men — being a Nietzschean superman.

Most of the play is in flashback as Leopold tells his story. Wearing a dark suit, he sits and stares through binoculars. Richard Loeb (Joshua Peterson), wearing a yellow suit, enters and teases him disdainfully. He clearly controls the friendship, and it's clearly more than mere friendship. Leopold and Loeb are upper class, privileged and intelligent, and they attended college together.

Leopold rebels against mistreatment by his hero, but his desire for Loeb is too strong. He craves sex and will do anything to get it. Here we enter an odd, but all too understandable dominance/submission analysis of the tragedy. Nietzche shares the blame with Aphrodite.

Loeb is the mastermind, but he doesn't know what sort of crime will both tantalize him and prove his superiority. He starts with arson, moves on to burglary and finally arrives at the idea of murder. Leopold tries to restrain him, but Loeb is mentally unbalanced in a way that requires both the crime and Leopold's obsequiousness. The two eventually write a contract defining their roles and sign it in blood.

But how will they commit the perfect murder? Aside from the genius of the murderers, there's a crucial twist. They will pick a boy they have no connection with. There will be no leads or motive.

Loeb, in perhaps his most Mephistophelian moment, approaches a schoolboy and offers him a ride in his Packard roadster. This is the boy's last ride. He is bludgeoned with a crowbar and left in a culvert.

Arrogant superiority has its limits, however. Leopold's glasses are found near the body, and as luck would have it, they are equipped with a special kind of hinge. The police have a critical clue.

A tip of the hat goes to director Glenn Meche for focusing on the human truth behind the sordid headlines. Liddick and Peterson gave moving, unvarnished portraits of these misguided souls. Timm Holt's murky lighting was an effective aid to the abstract staging, as were Donald James' apt costumes.

A Sturtle Recommendation

By Richard Read
Sturtle.com, September 26, 2008

If you're in New Orleans, I have two suggestions for you this weekend:

1. See our new show, DIE! MOMMY! DIE!, dammit.

2. Also see Thrill Me, playing its final weekend at the Marigny Theatre.

Now, I know what you're thinking about that second one: a musical drama? A new musical drama? About Leopold and Loeb? Believe me, I know. I had the same concerns when I went last Sunday night. But honestly, by the time they started plotting Bobby Franks' death, I was totally, 100% hooked. Loeb's seduction of Franks is especially good, as was the subsequent unraveling of the duo's Nietzschean plot. The production was simple and spare and intimate and engaging and inventive--exactly my kind of show. Maybe not the kind I tend to work on, but the kind I love to see in my off hours.

Yeah, I know the weather's pretty, and sure, you ought to get outside a bit while the getting is good. But would it kill you to sit in a darkened room with a cocktail and enjoy some hot, thespian action? Sheesh.

THRILL ME, Surprisingly, Does

By David Cuthbert
Times Picayune, September 19, 2008

To be honest, I wasn't expecting much from Stephen Dolginoff's "Thrill Me," a musical about 1920s "thrill killers" Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb. The premise sounds like parody and, indeed, the musical teeters on the brink of satire. There are a few intended, darkly ironic laughs in the lyrics and dialogue, but there also were times when I was the only one laughing.

What revelation can there be in a tale already told to death in countless books, plays, movies and TV shows? ("Rope," "Compulsion," "Swoon," even "Law & Order"). Well, the surprise was mine, because composer/lyricist/book-writer Dolginoff delves into the sado-masochistic psychology of the teenage law student slayers, using song as interior monologues and to heighten emotionally charged, confrontational scenes.

This chamber musical clocks in at 80 intermissionless minutes, with an accumulative hour that is filled either with songs or underscoring, providing a relentless momentum. Apart from some big melodic moments, the music is Sondheim-influenced sprechstimme, with some Kurt Weill overtones. There is also an aberrant little tickle of a theme running throughout, declarative "wanting" arias and a great neurotic waltz-song at the end.

Besides the novelty of musicalizing the story, there's another trick up Dolginoff's sleeve: a startling, fictionalized ending that turns the boys' accepted slave-master relationship into a topsy-turvy folie à deux that is unexpectedly potent.

In Glenn Meche's excellent staging at the Marigny Theatre, the two-character show has been cast with unfamiliar -- but not for long -- singing actors, who complement each other in every way.

As Nathan Leopold, Eric Michael Liddick is the smart little boy who grew up to be a brilliant nebbish. A bespectacled bird-watcher, a college grad at 19 and already in law school, he has a secret life in which he is in thrall to 18-year-old smart-ass sociopath Richard Loeb. Leopold sings, "Everybody wants Richard, but not the way that I do." The force and power of Liddick's singing indicates that this need moves beyond the sexual to serious obsession.

Joshua Peterson's Loeb is Lucifer as the self-infatuated golden boy. He has looks, intellect, money and, in Peterson's performance, exudes a contemptuous charisma as he doles out sexual favors to Leopold to keep him as both accomplice and witness to his Nietzschean superiority. His "Roadster" song, laden with innuendo as he entices their 14-year-old victim into his car, rivals Sondheim's Wolf singing "Hello, Little Girl" in "Into the Woods."

Jim Walpole's nonstop piano artistry and fervent musical direction give a visceral pull to the uneven score, providing a strong foundation of support for the voices.

Ultimately, "Thrill Me" is not the supplicant's plea, but a command, and one fulfilled at the Marigny Theatre.

REVIEW: THRILL ME, Marigny Theatre

By Al Shea
Steppin' Out, WYES-TV 12

Theatre Marigny has seen its dreams come true with a genuine no-holds barred hit: the dramatic true story of Leopold and Loeb, those two notorious teenage killers of the 1920’s, called THRILL ME. Although this material has been seen in movies, with Orson Wells’ Compulsion and later Alfred Hitchcock’s Rope, it was our first time to enjoy its full power live, on-stage. What an experience!

Ace director, Glenn Meche, who had a triumph with his impressive Valhalla, wins new laurels now for his sharp insights into the two leading characters and a pacing as sure and steady as the Super Chief. Meche has cast expertly too with Eric Michael Liddick as the weak “poor little rich boy”, hopelessly in love with the stronger, sinister Joshua Peterson as his manipulative partner in crime. Together this is the best stage duo seen on local stages in some time. They were so into these characters it was creepy.

Accompanied on the grand piano by sturdy, talented Jim Walpole they complete a trio of super local talents who help bring new respect to The Marigny Theatre.

Donnie Jay James and Timm Holt, as Executive Producers, have mounted a musical drama, with all technical aspects proving first-rate on a par with any local theatre.

Don’t miss THRILL ME - a terrible true story of two over-privileged college students who, through boredom - turned killers. The night I saw it, the audience seemed enraptured and sat stone-quiet through the 90 minutes of the awesome action on stage. BRAVO to all connected with this spectacular theatrical achievement. THRILL ME plays week-ends at Theatre Marigny, 2240 St. Claude and Marigny. Do not miss it!

Top Rating - 4 Claps
My Rating - 4 Claps

THRILL ME: the Leopold & Loeb Story

Review by Patrick Shannon III

There is another shocking play being produced as a joint effort by The Marigny Theatre, LLC, and To Do Productions. This little venue in the Marigny is continually creating local theater history by doing things other companies wouldn’t even dream of producing such as Naked Boys Singing!, and you can imagine what one saw bobbling and wobbling all over the stage during that run. I might add it was a sell out and done quite professionally. Now they have veered away from non-gratuitous stares at bare butts, balls, and flaccid flinging undyfillers to a musical about unspeakable thrill crimes committed by Leopold and Loeb: arson and murder - 1924 Chicago.

Thrill Me: The Leopold and Loeb Story, the macabre musical written by Stephen Dolginoff (including the book and lyrics) inspired (?) by what the press billed as the “Murder of the Century” at a time when the nation could be thrilled and intrigued by the bashed-in-head murder of 14 year old Bobby Franks in those “roaring twenties” days by two wealthy young men who were lovers, Nathan Freudenthal Leopold, Jr. and Richard R. Loeb. They claim they committed the crime to prove that they could commit the perfect crime. This subject might lend itself better to an opera, after all we have operas in which characters immolate themselves, Jewish women get boiled in great vats of oil, and dictators rape and torture at will.

The music of Mr. Dolginoff shows great promise leaning in a marvelous classical direction, however he chose to waste his considerable talents on a show about the idle rich so bored with their lives that they decide to spice it up with the murder of a 14 year old boy. Musical Director Jim Walpole played the difficult and intriguing score on a baby grand piano with great aplomb and panache.

Glenn Meche directed this odd and somewhat horrifying musical with a minimum of stage movements upon a minimalist set. He and his vision for the script seemed to open up a door that allowed for a blending of both horror and beauty. And beauty does abound in this show.

Timm Holt did the effective lighting design and the set pieces were constructed by William Powell.

Eric Michael Liddick played Nathan Leopold with grace and a sly and mysterious manner. His facial expressions were very telling and his body language demonstrated good stage presence. As his performances continue he will no doubt totally smooth out any unnecessary elements. As is he did a fine job. He has a beautiful singing voice and a handsome youthful appearance.

Joshua Peterson played Richard Loeb like Shakespeare’s role of Iago no doubt due to his experience doing some of the Bard’s roles. He immediately makes it clear that he thinks he is in control, is a superior being, and a total egomaniacal sociopath. His psychosis leaps out of his character unlike his adoring worshiping lover, Nathan Leopold, who manifests his kinks with a subtle technique, making the end of the play all the more surprising and fulfilling. He is also a handsome actor with a fine singing voice. Patrons, don’t miss this oddly fulfilling show. It’s hypnotic, edgy, and totally au courant. Kudos to a great cast and tech crew!

THRILL ME: the Leopold & Loeb Story
By Brian Sands
Ambush Magazine, September 9, 2008

For those not familiar with Thrill Me’s story, Richard Loeb and Nathan Leopold were two upper class teenagers in Chicago who, inspired by Nietzschean philosophy and love for his friend, respectively, tried to commit the perfect crime, the 1924 murder of a 14- year-old boy. They committed the crime but it was far from perfect. Both were spectacularly caught within days, getting away with their lives only through Clarence Darrow’s famed legal and oratory skills.

These facts would seem to lend themselves to being turned into a galvanizing show, but Stephen Dolginoff’s pedestrian book is matched only by his songs which musically all sound more or less the same, examples of late 20th century generic musical show tunes. If Loeb’s There’s Nothing Like the Sight of Something Burning rises above the rest to give a penetrating insight into his character, the one about the contract they came up with, sex for complicity, was a real snoozer.

It’s only after the crime has been committed that Thrill Me comes marginally to life when desperation & fear, and cowardice on Loeb’s part give added colors to the musical’s wan palette. An unexpected twist at the end having to do with motivation was about the only thrill of the script which even at only 80 minutes felt too long.

This is one instance where a little added sex between the protagonists would not only have spiced things up but perhaps given some insights into the relationship’s perverse dynamics. And why wasn’t Dolginoff’s music more reflective of the 1920’s era? One wonders what Kander & Ebb would’ve done with such material. Oh yeah, Chicago.

One can’t fault the production for not being able to overcome the work’s flaws. Under Glenn Meche’s unobtrusive direction, Joshua Peterson, as Loeb, aptly portrayed a completely wacko, real shit. Without overdoing it, Peterson captured the charisma of the self-confident and self-possessed, and made understandable how Leopold could’ve been in thrall to him.

Eric Michael Liddick’s Leopold was properly nebbishy, but it took a while for him to infuse the character with much personality and be more than a mere doormat. Musical director/accompanist Jim Walpole provided a propulsive force at the piano, preventing any sagging loss of momentum from ever setting in.

More power to Marigny Theatre and To Do Productions for presenting something new and different like Thrill Me: the Leopold & Loeb story. I just wish this tale of two of the most notorious murderers of the twentieth century had indeed thrilled me.

A Demon Oozes Charm

By Michael P. Cahill
OnStage Magazine, Winter 2008-2009

An unlikely musical hit was produced recently at the Marigny Theater by the adventurous To Do Productions. “Thrill Me: The Leopold And Loeb Story,” sets to music the familiar tale of the 1924 random thrill-killing of 14-year-old Bobby Franks by precocious, well-to-do Jazz Age geniuses Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb.

After the 80-minute, intermission-less songspiel by Stephen Dolginoff, few came out of the theater humming “If We Killed My Brother John” or “Life Plus 99 Years.” But, as played by accomplished accompanist and musical director Jim Walpole and staged by director Glenn Meche, the music and action propel the tale swiftly and inexorably toward its inevitable conclusion.

Co-producer Donald “Donnie Jay” James designed the costumes, including an unforgettably dazzling yellow period suit for Loeb. Timm Holt, co-producer and owner of the theater, designed the evocative lighting for the sparse set and spare story.

The production was well cast. Making his local debut, Eric Michael Liddick portrayed Leopold. This writer has always felt that Leopold was the driving force of the deadly duo whose bid for the “perfect crime” was foiled by chance, human error and hubris. The script explores the not-so-subtle sado-masochistic underpinnings of their relationship and acknowledges law student Leopold as the pair’s ultimate mastermind. The career-making role, however, belongs to Joshua Peterson as Loeb. After relocating to New Orleans, Peterson has spent the past year in the chorus of various musicals. Those days may be behind him. With a fine voice, classic good looks and a definite stage presence, Peterson perfectly portrayed Loeb’s self-image of the ultimate Nietzschean Superman. There is no stretch of the imagination to see how women, men, law school admission counselors and, well, anyone might have become obsessed with his surface, despite the rotten substance below. A devil in a pleasing form, Peterson’s Loeb is a devious, manipulative, petulant, psychopathic teen, who, above all, oozes charm.

Gertrude Stein and a Companion by Win Wells

2009-04-08T11:34:00.005-05:00

The play begins just after the death of Gertrude Stein. Her ghost returns to Alice B. Toklas and the genesis and development of their relationship is richly portrayed. Mr. Wells has truly captured the feeling, art, music and literature of Paris of those years, when Picasso and Hemingway and Matisse and all of Gertrude's friends spent their free time in the great writer's salon.

The cast consisted of:

Lisa Davis and
Karen Shields

It was directed by Glenn Meche.

Read what the critics had to say.

(Archival Information)

What the Critics Had to Say about Gertrude Stein and a Companion

2009-04-08T11:12:00.006-05:00

To Do Productions is currently presenting a play at the Marigny Theater written by Win Wells about the life of Gertrude Stein (3/3/1874-7/27/1946), the famous Jewish American writer who left America circa 1903 to spend most of her life in France. After meeting Alice B. Toklas in 1907, these two women spent the rest of their lives together holding a salon in Paris that attracted most of the avant garde artists and writers of their era such as Picasso, Hemingway, Fitzgerald , Cezanne and Renoir and which have since become considered among the greatest artists of the twentieth century.

The play as done by To Do Productions is a simple no frills gentle interpretation of a woman and her companion who were not only important catalysts of the au courant art and literary scene of the twentieth century but have also become, next to Sappho, one of the world’s most renown lesbians and positive examples of the lesbian community as a literary icon.

Probably one of the world’s most famous portraits is the one of Ms. Stein done by Picasso which hangs in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Although Director Glenn Meche has cast his characters in the style of “a happy home life of gentle love and understanding,” Picasso’s portrait implies a woman who sits before one like the Rock of Gibralter.

One wonders if the playwright’s vision was a 'family version' of an otherwise stronger, smarter, less effeminate character.

There was too much Walt Disney and not enough real womyn in Gertrude Stein’s character in Director Meche’s interpretation, although Karen Shields gives us a fully realized and almost too lovable character in her delicate and well polished version of Mr. Meche’s direction. She was very credible but a little too “housewifely” for my taste. I guess what I felt was needed was a dose or two of testosterone.

Lisa Davis, that vivacious, veritable vixen of volatile stage characters was more acceptable as Ms. Stein’s take-charge lover/companion Alice B. Toklas. To paraphrase a comment of Ms. Stein from the play, “without Alice nothing would have been possible.” Alice was a cook (remember
the brownies with hash) from her famous cookbook, among other fine recipes. Toklas was also a take charge woman with a fine business sense, wit, intelligence, and charm, according to all records. Ms. Davis gives her all of those qualities bringing a real life Alice to the stage and the chemistry between her and Ms. Shields is excellent.

Timm Holt did a fine job with the lighting and Wesley Coder’s set decoration was stunning. As the curtain opens, one is suddenly exalted by a kaleidoscope of the brilliant colors of some of the
paintings Ms. Stein owned. They are lit (upstage rear) behind a curtain of scrim which makes them so vivid that the symbol of all they imply creatively for and all that Ms. Stein encouraged from their creators comes together in an epiphany of amazement and joy and beauty. The play,
Gertrude Stein and a Companion may not be an epiphany, but it is a quiet and pleasant joy offering a very lovely evening in the theater.

- Patrick Shannon, Ambush Magazine, 07/01/2008

Gertrude and Alice, together again at Marigny Theatre

As the poet herself might have put it, "A play is a play is a play is a play." Or, in the case of "Gertrude Stein and a Companion" at Marigny Theatre: "Miss Stein upon the stage; engage."

It's not hard to do with Win Wells' entertaining portrait of one of the most successful gay unions of the 20th century, that of avant-garde writer Gertrude Stein and her lover/muse/secretary/enabler of almost 40 years, Alice B. Toklas, of the famous hashish brownies.

The title comes from Ernest Hemingway, who liked Miss Stein quite a bit and Miss Toklas not at all, a feeling that was reciprocated. Later, the press found the phrase useful when the couple toured America after the publication of Stein's critical and commercial success, "The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas" (Stein writing in Toklas' voice, somewhat revised by Toklas as she typed Stein's handwritten manuscript).

After all, no one back in the 1930s was going to describe them as lovers or the world's best-known lesbian couple. They were two curious American women -- one stout and mannish, one small with a furry mustache -- who lived together in Paris, had a fabled collection of Impressionist art and a salon visited by the greats of art and literature as well as American soldiers from two World Wars.

But as accessible as "The Autobiography" was, Stein preferred her experimental "word portraits" in largely impenetrable prose, mocked by the likes of James Thurber. In his play, Wells quotes both women verbatim and deftly approximates Stein's free-verse style. He never cuts too close to the bone, much less approaches prurience in depicting their relationship.

The result, while best enjoyed by audiences with some knowledge of the couple, also serves as a primer, "My First Little Golden Book of Gertrude Stein," intriguing enough to make you want to know more. It name-drops and trots out familiar stories, such as the one about Picasso's portrait of Stein, who protested, "It doesn't look like me," and his response, "It will! It will!"

The play begins with Stein's death in 1946 and hopscotches, in appropriately nonlinear form, through the two women's lives. "Dead is dead," Stein tells us. "But dead is not done. Not over."

Stein is played in warm, solid, convincing style by Karen Shields, an excellent actress who ably embodies Stein's conception of herself as a helpless genius: she who must be served.

The deliciously quirky Lisa Davis makes a prickly Toklas, an opinionated partner devoted to, yet often dominating her more formidable mate, who acquiesces to her will, since in practical matters, Stein is helpless without her. There is a glancing physical verisimilitude between Shields and Stein, while Davis is a glamour girl compared to the actual Toklas. Yet there is acting alchemy to the way Davis fluidly assumes and sheds decades with a black shawl.

Much of the play puts an amusing gloss on their lives that brooks no suggestion of emotional disruption, such as the angry argument between the two reported by Hemingway in his "A Moveable Feast," but then, both paint him as an unreliable narrator.

Wells depicts two remarkable women determined to follow their own paths, and when they converged, something splendid happened.

Toklas outlived Stein by 21 years, publishing her two anecdotal cookbooks and -- like many a survivor of a gay partnership -- being treated shamefully by Stein's family, evicted from their home and dying blind and broke at 89.

Director Glenn Meche's stylish, assured production is properly spare, the staged bracketed with a modest table and chair for Toklas, a grander one for Stein. The background is composed of paintings from their collection, the Picasso portrait stage center, all behind a scrim curtain, lit so the paintings can be highlighted when mentioned or vanish altogether.

Together with Paul Rudnick's "Valhalla," "Gertrude Stein and a Companion" is the most sophisticated, successful staging the Marigny Theatre and To-Do Productions have given us, reinforcing the importance of careful casting and attention to detail.

- David Cuthbert, Times-Picayune, 07/04/2008

Modernist Women

Modernist paintings dominate Wesley Coder's set: the simply arranged living room of the home Stein and Toklas share. Visually, we can see where Stein is getting her cues, because her collection of paintings line the walls. At the center is the portrait of Stein done by Picasso.

All of the play takes place in this room, and it tells the story of these two women in relation to one another. Nonetheless, Gerturde Stein feels intimate rather than claustrophobic. Under Glenn Meche's direction, Karen Shields (Stein) and Lisa Davis (Toklas) give us two strong-willed though very different individuals who are drawn to one another like the opposite poles of magnets. The play shifts backward and forward through their lives so that it gains variety in time. ...

To Do Productions' Gertrude Stein and a Companion entertains and fascinates. It's well worth the look at the private life behind the legendary writer.

- Dalt Wonk, Gambit Weekly, 07/15/2008

Valhalla by Paul Rudnick

2009-04-08T09:37:00.008-05:00

VALHALLA intertwines two stories: the life of Ludwig of Bavaria, the 1880s Mad King responsible for building a series of storybook castles inspired by Wagnerian operas, and the fictional adventures of James Avery, a wild Texas teenager of the 1940s. These two iconoclasts are tracked from childhood through their deaths, and while they embody separate eras, they are ultimately revealed as time-traveling soul mates. The play explores questions of beauty and madness, as both Ludwig and James pursue lives of operatic passion, bringing them in contact with such diverse figures as a high-school quarterback, the prettiest girl in Dainsville, Texas, most of the characters of Lohengrin and Princess Sophie, who declares herself the loneliest humpback in Europe. VALHALLA is a comic epic, confronting the price to be paid for wanting, and getting, everything you dream of.

- From Dramatists Play Service

The cast included:

Keith Launey
Shannon Williams
Liz Mills
Cammie West
Carlos Gonzalez, and
Christopher Alan Weaver

Directed by Glenn Meche, this was the production that established To Do as an important component of the New Orleans theatre scene.

Read what the critics had to say here.

(Archival Information)

What the Critics Had to Say about Valhalla

2009-04-08T09:24:00.002-05:00

Audiences will be in heaven at 'Valhalla'

"Valhalla" is an enormous undertaking of a play for any theater anywhere.

The technical aspects, lighting and sets, wigs and costumes, the quick changes of character and costumes are but a few of the demands. The six-character play, in which four of the actors play multiple roles, requires a strong and remarkably adroit cast.

Marigny Theatre's production is up to the play's challenges.

"Valhalla" actually tells parallel stories that at times conjoin. One part takes us to Bavaria where Mad King Ludwig II indulges his love of Wagnerian operas. A second section is wound around the fictitious untamed Texas teenager of the 1940s, James Avery, and his undomesticated search for his version of a real life, in and outside of Texas.

Each story shifts, relocates, changes and progresses as the central male characters -- Ludwig, James and James' buddy, Henry Lee Stafford -- grow up from the 10-year-old boys they are when we first encounter them.

We meet James and Henry Lee again as servicemen on their way to Europe during World War II. They, and King Ludwig, continue their quests for self-realization and enlightenment as their fictitious friendship comes to life in Bavaria.

King Ludwig and James share passionate natures, a love of beauty and a desire for exploring sensuality. They both believe, "What's wrong with wanting everything?"

The king was able to indulge his pursuit of "everything," building a theater at Bayreuth, with perfect acoustics, where the works of his idol Richard Wagner still are being performed, and, ultimately, Valhalla. In Norse mythology, Valhalla was the great hall of immortality in which the souls of warriors slain heroically were received by Odin and enshrined. Ludwig built Valhalla as the perfect setting for Wagner's opera, "Lohengrin," the fantasy character with whom he identified.

Director Glenn Meche and costume designer Donald James do a superlative job in realizing playwright Paul Rudnick's funny, complicated tale, guiding an ensemble of actors through this minefield of a play with few mishaps.

James' costumes are a model of visual and artistic mockery. Each moves the play forward while also embracing the demands of actors playing multiple characters.

Ludwig is finely portrayed by Shannon Williams as subtly mad right from the beginning, yet vulnerable to beauty and to love. James Avery, played by Keith Launey, is seduction itself and an equal to Ludwig in his love of beauty.

Cammie West played four, or was it 400, well-delineated characters. Her Queen, her Princess and her Tour Guide Natalie, and others were memorable, full of energy and aplomb. Liz Mills was keenly right and achingly funny and/or moving as every character she portrayed.

It's easy to see why Chris Weaver's Henry Lee Stafford is attractive to both sexes. He is that appealing and that good an actor. Carlos Gonzalez, playing five different roles, showed the work of an inventive and solid actor.

Wagner's exquisite music is heard throughout the performance. Informed by Rudnick's mature, gay sensibility and celebrated humor, "Valhalla" will make you laugh, think, cry and maybe wonder why, or think - why not!

- Lyla Hay Owen, Times-Picayune, 11/09/2007

Minus any hesitation I want to say that director Glenn Meche’s amazing production of Paul Rudnick’s “epic comedy” Valhalla is the best play I’ve ever seen at the humble Theatre Marigny.

The theatre just had a mega hit, as far as box office was concerned, with NAKED BOYS SINGING. Although a smooth production it is not a show I’d wish to see again. Because of Paul Rudnick’s masterful structure of VALHALLA, I could (and I want to) see VALHALLA again. It is unlike any current comedy - a comedy which also touches you. Because Rudnick has much to say about love and life he has two separate tales progressing simultaneously. Often the modern characters interact with the historic personnel in a unique style keeping the play bouncing along. It really is a masterful job. Rudnick’s dialogue is fast and constantly funny filled with bon mots worth repeating. I was very impressed by this off-Broadway semi-hit, which actually deserves a much better reputation.

Director Glenn Meche has guided it all with remarkable fluidity now assuring himself as my favorite director in town - stiff competition. He has cast 6 super-talented actors portraying 25 different characters changing their theatrical attitudes and costumes in rapid speed. As mad king Ludwig, Shannon Williams continues to impress, Keith Launey is the boy from Texas in love with Chris Weaver, who weds the prettiest girl in town. Later the romantic trio produce a baby. Cammie West is the Queen Mother bent on her nutty son becoming king, while Carlos Gonzalez is her major domo handling the maddening Ludwig with curiosity. Pretty Liz Mills is a standout (among so many standouts) as the Texas beauty and the hump back beauty to the King. This is the best acting ensemble in the city right now.

By time Wagner’s themes from TANNHAUSER were heard you could have picked me up with a shovel. Naturally the opening nighters gave this stunning production a solid standing ovation with shouts of BRAVO BRAVO filling the comfortable Marigny Theatre. VALHALLA is an adult, thinking-man’s play one you must pay attention to, with some male nudity. Paul Rudnick’s witty dialogue and Producer Donald James’ glamorous costumes are enough to excite you.

If you enjoy fast, funny, hilarious live stage plays with a masterful director and six superb actors - don’t miss VALHALLA now at The Marigny Theatre on St. Claude one block from Elysian Fields. BRAVO! BRAVO! Top Rating - 4

- Al Shea, Steppin' Out, WYES-TV 12, 11/19/2007

Swan Song

How does one wrap one's mind around Valhalla? Not the mythological Hall of the Slain, where Norse warriors went to their eternal reward. I am referring to Valhalla the comedy by Paul Rudnick that recently received a scintillating production at the Marigny Theater.

In fact, Norse mythology is one of the few things this scattershot drama doesn't touch on. Valhalla is not about a single situation. It's a postmodern centrifugal divertimento that seems to want to spin its various plots off into space, but it is as amusing as it is confusing. The moment-by-moment enjoyment is not dampened by a lingering exasperation about how the contrasted narratives interconnect. ...

Under Glenn Meche's direction, a remarkable cast moved easily through the zigzags of the story " from poignant moment to total, surreal nonsense. If the cast had been less inspired, this epic comedy could have become a tedious conundrum. But as it was, Valhalla delights even when one gets lost.

- Dalt Wonk, Gambit Weekly, 11/27/2007

A Miracle on Marigny Street

No one knows where, when, or why it happens and it rarely does happen, but IT happened recently at the Marigny Theatre on Marigny Street. IT happened when Paul Rudnick’s play, Valhalla, in a recent premiere production of Donald James’ To Do Production Company was staged at this little regional theater magically directed by Glenn Meche. I think it helped put another bright spotlight on this fledgling company.

On a small stage with no real set and only actors in bright costumes, this dark comedy which explores man’s often unattainable quest for beauty-from Bavaria’s gay Mad King Ludwig to a young dreamer in Texas growing up before WWII - and the ultimately tragic cost of their blind ambitions became the ineffable vehicle for one of those IT theatrical experiences. One critic I know wept. Another came to almost every performance. This Valhalla caused the audience to become so swept up in the moment that there was profound silence at the end, then explosive applause.

This show was an example of the power and influence that can happen when either through luck or insightful selection, the actors chosen play their parts on stage with such red hot perfection that the whole play becomes a mystical journey into that unforgettable something which the great critic Walter Kerr called “theatrical incandescence” - when IT happens, people leave the theater so moved, so burned by the fire of fine art, that they will bear the seared scar forever. And that’s what makes for great theater. And that’s what those of us lucky enough to witness this production discovered. A burning beauty in the words and ideas of the playwright and the “pretend with perfection” skills and phosphorescent chemistry of just the right actors at the right moments, at least one of which had never been on stage before.

And who were the actors who left such a splendid shining theatrical memory of their work in our hearts and minds? Cammie West-Patterson as Margaret Avery/Queen Marie/Princess Enid/ and Natalie Kippelbaum; Carlos Gonzales as Pfeiffer/Otto/Footman/Princess Ursula the Unusual/ Rev. Howesberry and Sergeant; the beautiful 18 years old Chris Weaver in his debut on stage as Henry Lee Stafford/ Helmut/Opera Singer; Keith Launey as James Avery; Liz Mills as Sally Mortimer/Princess Patricia/Princess Sophie/Marie Antoinette/Annie Avery and Shannon Williams as Mad King Ludwig.

Glenn Meche directed with all the gods at his side. Kevin Champagne did choreography, Timm Holt lighting, and Donald James, assisted by Regina Adams did the beautiful costumes.

It is this kind of ineffable theatrical experience which defines the worth and the necessity of live theater. It is a magical production in every sense of theater artistry such as this one that brings the true glory and necessity of the arts and the catharsis of theater into the realms of the spiritual. And that what the IT is all about. To Do Productions and the cast and tech crew of this show really did let IT all hang out with emotionally pyrotechnical repercussions. Your show was a little miracle on Marigny Street.

– Patrick Shannon, Ambush Magazine, 01/02/2008

Naked Boys Singing

2009-04-08T09:11:00.007-05:00

To Do Productions and the Marigny Theatre teamed up for their first co-production with this presentation of the off-Broadway hit revue.

The cast included:

Bryan Wagar
Jason George
Julius Dietze
Marshall Harris
Phillip Gordon, and
Travis Resor

Curious to hear what the critics had to say? Click here.

(Archival Information)

What the Critics Had to Say about Naked Boys Singing

2009-04-08T08:54:00.003-05:00

After the cast of "Naked Boys Singing" came out in towels, teased a bit and then whipped them off during the catchy opening number "Gratuitous Nudity" (a la "Comedy Tonight") it gave the audience the opportunity to check 'em out. After that, the show became more or less a typical off-Broadway revue, with nudity as its theme and a low costume budget.

- David Cuthbert, Times-Picayune, 09/06/2007

Most of us know that song from the musical Gypsy sung by one of the three strippers that begins, “You gotta have a gimmick, If you ain’t got a gimmick....” well, the musical revue currently on stage at the Marigny Theatre has not one, but six gimmicks, all of which are visible throughout the song and dance numbers performed by a cast of talented men who have the balls to let their gimmicks dangle and bounce around for all to see. And why not, I guess. Of course when one has seen as many as this reviewer (yeah I was a short arm inspector for the U.S. Coast Guard) it becomes not that exciting, but to dangle ones dingle under spotlights for about an hour and a half is quite a gimmick and a little unnerving to say the least. Nervous giggles from much of the audience, especially the ladies. And a few lesbians who may be seeing such gimmicks under spotlights for the first time.

So, Marigny Theatre and To Do Productions has another hit on its stage and this time with gimmicks. The review is directed with the touch of a master under the hand of one of our town’s most talented and professional of Musical Directors/Director Jonne Dendinger, who also designed the sparkly and witty set. There is clever lighting by Timm Holt and just a yard of so of costumes by our marvelous Mistress of All Stage Works, Donnie Jay. With this line up of front line techs one quite naturally assumes a good show will be performed.

And one is not wrong to assume such. The first act gives us several song/skits such as the opening number, Gratuitous Nudity of which the lyrics declaim, “Which you have all come to see....” and you get your first full frontal shot of extended male nudity in all its varied wobbling, trembling, wrinkled and ironed, thick, thin, long, short, fat, well nestled or not, hanging from the mid section of 6 healthy virile looking male specimens. At first it brought to mind those sex ed films shown in Coast Guard boot camp....”and now we have the male penis which as you can see
hangs above the testicles...these have not been injured by any venereal disease such as the ones you are about to see in the next view...etc. etc. But in the case of this live and on stage showing the message is one of light hearted satire and parody all about the subject at issue, the penis.

Jason George does a fine job dancing with broom and bucket, dust cloth and maids hat to the song The Naked Maid. It’s always a pleasure to see this young talented actor in the nude. He has a beautiful dancer’s body and other noticeable assets.

My favorite in this first act is the song parody Bliss of the Bris, with very funny lyrics about the Jewish ritual circumcision. The song is done with a droll sense of perfect comedic timing by Philip Gordon in a baby diaper and the cast all dressed up to resemble various stereotypical Jewish family members including a Rabbi holding a large scissors.

There is a touching song Window To Window that deals with love and yearning sung with a sensitive touch by Bryan Wagar to someone he sees and loves beyond his window. The love object is posed by Jason George.

This act ends with three other songs which are about other aspects of male to male adoration.

The second act presents us with some of the best numbers in the show, especially my favorite Perky Porn Star performed with bounce, bravura and charm by the well endowed in every aspect Philip Gordon. This is a delightful song and dance routine you won’t easily forget.

The other seven songs are all well done by these brave let it all hang out cast members which included Julius Dietze (who sings a very touching love song solo beautifully) and Jason George, Philip Gordon, Marshall Harris, Travis Resor, and Bryan Wagar. Each of these star performers has his own solo and each does it with praise worthy ability and fine singing voices. Each guy was able to do the excellent choreography very well all created by handsome Kevin Champagne. You might say they each have a moment to become cock of the walk on stage.

If you missed Naked Boys Singing! during its long run in New York (it’s still running) now you get to see a fine version here in our town. Don’t miss this show. You can brush up on your anatomical knowledge rather than your Shakespeare and enjoy some very clever songs in a professional display of naked boys singing. It’s theatre in the raw and good for you, like veggies and whole grains. It’s a fun filled frolic of bare flesh served under a cover of spicy song and dance.

- Patrick Shannon, III
- nedcat@earthlink.net
- www.CrescentCityChronicles.net

Sympathetic Magic by Lanford Wilson

2009-04-07T18:04:00.009-05:00

In Sympathetic Magic the mysteries of the universe as well as artistic and human creation are explored in an ensemble comedy/drama. A varied group of friends and family, living in San Francisco, in the nineteen-nineties, are confronted with the knowledge that not only do we know next to nothing about the world we live in and the people we live with, but that we each have a chaotic universe inside ourselves waiting to be explored and released.

The cast included:

Lisa Davis
Steve Kubick
Carlos Gonzalez
El Tahra Ibrahim
Frederick Mead
Lewis Routh
T J Toups, and
Tony Fennelly

The production was directed by Don McDonald, with Ann Sauve serving as assistant director.

Click here to read what the critics had to say.

(Archival Information)

What the Critics Had to Say about Sympathetic Magic

2009-04-07T18:00:00.001-05:00

Quietly and unobtrusively, Marigny Theatre continues to improve. I'm not talking about the productions themselves. Those have to be judged individually. The auditorium, however, has evolved over the past few years from a dance room behind a bar to an attractive little playhouse with cabaret seating -- not to mention scallop shell lamps on the exposed wooden pillars, decorative swaths of fabric, eight spotlights and a proscenium curtain that works smoothly. It's come a long way, baby.

The most recent outing at the theatre was To Do Productions' staging of Lanford Wilson's Sympathetic Magic, which won a 1996-97 Obie award. Magic gives us a San Francisco cauldron boiling with emotional and philosophical complications.

The philosophical conundrums, for the most part, center on the mystery of the universe. We get an oppositional tension between science and faith as a way of confronting that mystery. But neither the religious nor the astrophysical impulses come through free and clear. Both are clouded by that equally mysterious universe that lies within. ...

All in all, Sympathetic Magic was a worthwhile, ambitious project. Don McDonald directed and designed the lights as well. His lighting and simplified staging helped keep this complex tale from bogging down. ...

The cast was game and did a commendable job, though almost any production would be doomed to unevenness by the extraordinary demands of the script. Nonetheless -- with this New Orleans premiere -- To Do gave us a welcome opportunity to see one of the less frequently performed plays of a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright.

- Dalt Wonk, Gambit Weekly, 02/20/2007

Now She Dances by Doric Wilson

2009-04-07T13:26:00.008-05:00

Doric Wilson's work in progress ran at the Marigny Theatre from November 3, 2006, through November 12, 2006.

Among the cast were:

Bridget Erin
Chris Schlumbrecht
Michael Martin
Carrie Rosenberger
Dave Fuller
Jennifer Growden
Paul Atreides

The play was staged by Steve Patrick.

See what the critics had to say here.

(Archival Information)

What the Critics Had to Say about Now She Dances

2009-04-07T13:02:00.003-05:00

To Do Productions presented an all too short world premier run of Doric Wilson's NOW SHE DANCES! (A fantasia of the trial of Oscar Wilde) at the Marigny Theater.

Mr. Wilson's curiously engrossing play within a play was an anachronistic drama in the style of Pirandello and it's subject matter on one level was a well written study concerning tolerance and compassion for those who are different, i.e. gay, lesbian and transgendered human beings. His script was lovely to hear, full of delightful alliterations and historical references, the kind of play that serious theater-goers enjoy. It was very au courant in style and effect and the production values of this company were high, particularly the beautiful costumes, all created and stitched up by Mr. Donnie Jay. The visually attractive, workable, and colorful low-budget sets were clever and well done and the excellent sturdy well crafted performances of the actors deserve high praise. Michael Martin (Lane), Carrie Rosenberger (Gladys), Chris Schlumbrecht (Bill), Paul Atreides (Sir Herod), Jennifer Growden (Lady Herodias) Bridget Erin (Miss Salome) and David Fuller (The Prisoner) each created stunning characters, performances. Steve Patrick directed this unusual play with panache. I hope we all get to see it again for a longer run.

- Patrick Shannon III, Crescent City Chronicles

Although first produced some 40 years ago, Doric Wilson's "Now She Dances!" only now, in its final revised form, recently received its official American premiere. Having begun life at off-Broadway's famed Café Cino, it certainly has the feel of something that could have been seen Off-Broadway (or off-off-B-way) in 1966. ...

Inspired by Oscar Wilde's life and particularly his "Salome", "Now She Dances!" first gives us backstage intrigue and in-jokes as a ragtag theater group seems to be readying a production of the biblically inspired tale. With a nod to Genet, some sort of anarchy or chaos seems to rage in the outer world with, gasp!, homosexuals at the root of it. Life and art then turn back upon one another with Escherian twists. ...

Director Steven Patrick steered a company of pros (Bridget Erin, Jennifer Growden, Carrie Rosenberger, Paul Atreides and, chief among them, Michael Martin) to give suitably broad performances that managed to make the most of this...without falling into camp. ...

Patrick's appropriately amateurish set, Don McDonald's moody lighting and Donnie Jay's costumes, especially his luscious Victorian gowns, all added to the proceedings. ...

To Do Productions is to be commended for its ongoing commitment to this seminal gay playwright.

- Brian Sands, Ambush Magazine

Take Me Out by Richard Greenberg

2009-04-07T12:39:00.013-05:00

Richard Greenberg's play ran from September 1 to October 1, 2006, then returned for a revival engagement in January, 2007.

The original cast included:

Carlos Gonzalez
Dave Hotstream
Duck Tennant
Jason George
Steve Kubick
Alphonse Bladergroen
Chris Schlumbrecht
Gemayel Holloway
Joe Roybal
Marten Johnson, and
Steve Patrick

The production was designed and directed by Glenn Meche, and it was the first of his many successful productions.

See what the critics had to say.

(Archival Information)

What the Critics Had to Say about Take Me Out

2009-04-07T12:30:00.001-05:00

...Unlike other comedies on "America's great pasttime," TAKE ME OUT takes a serious, "through a glass darkly" look at the sport. Here a tough, but sensitive [player], well played by Carlos M. Gonzales, has a tough time keeping problems down when his star player happens to be black and homosexual. Jason George plays the intellectual athlete with poise and humor. Steve Kubick is his "merry" accountant who gives TAKE ME OUT its best moments with a penetrating monologue on "The Game." Dave Hotstream as an up and coming star from the bigoted backwoods is the catalyst for the play's strongest action.

Glenn Meche directs it all with a firm hand in a velvet glove, especially in scenes where the game of the diamond becomes a metaphor for democracy and - fair play.

- Al Shea, "Steppin' Out", WYES, Channel 12, New Orleans

With a good director like Glenn Meche, and lots of creative imagination, a company can take a play produced elaborately...in New York...and strip (no sarcasm intended) it down to its barest set requirements...Add creative, effective lighting and sound effects, show-casing a well-rehearsed cast of a few good, and some excellent, actors, and one can end up with a fine successful show about baseball...That's exactly what our town's stage wise and much loved Donald "Donnie Jay" James and the To Do Productions Company has done!...

With a compelling script that tries to make a mesmerizing metaphor between baseball and democracy - and also turns baseball into a Zen or mystical experience, Take Me Out is a hit in more ways than one...

Carlos Gonzalez was wonderful as the intelligent and tolerant member of the team, Kippy Sunderstrom. With a wonderfully believable baseball player squint, he captured the character of a compassionate, funny, and loving man as he presented his points to his teammates and the audience with a tolerant humanity...

Jason Goerge was Darren Lemming, the half white and half African American uber-athlete who decides to "come out as gay" to the world, believing that as an always protected super sportsman out fielder he need not fear anything. Mr. George was stunning as he does the role of the desired handsome and well-hung super baseball player, and you get to see it all emotionally and physically...

David Hotstream was Shane Mungitt, who must be a born actor because he gave a compelling, finely tuned performance as the red-necked pitcher (also well-hung and handsome). His character is also a homophobic racist from Arkansas-Mississippi-Tennessee who comes from a shattered past of orphanages and violence; and brings chaos to The New York Empires' Garden of Eden...

Steve Patrick was well cast as Skipper and William Danziger - each role a polished cameo. Marten Johnson was Martinez, Joe Roybal was Rodriguez, Chris Schlumbrecht was Jason Chenier, Duck Tennant was Toddy Koovitz, Gemayel Holloway was Davey Battle, Alphonse Bladergroen was Takeshi Kawabata, and Steve Kubik was Mason Marzac; and all of these actors supported the team effort - baring it all - some in raw emotions - some in the raw all-together. Each actor successfully created his own polished moments that illuminated their characters or an important point in the play...

Mr. Marzac does not get nude, but makes up for it with a subtle scene stealing...interpretation of his role as a nerdy, gay, financial advisor to the rich super athlete lead. Mr. Marzac is heart-felt and funny as he discovers baseball, big bats, and other things in this play which will appeal to the salacious as well as the sagacious in anyone who enjoys a good show!..

Don McDonald was the very creative Lighting and Sound Director whose work really helped make this play a knockout among low-bucks productions...Great praise goes to everyone affiliated with this production who bared their handsome bodies and souls in a well done play which was nearly faultless. Not to be missed!!!

- Patrick Shannon, Ambush Magazine

The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told by Paul Rudnick

2009-04-07T08:42:00.011-05:00

Paul Rudnick's hilarious take on the Bible marked our return to our own Promised Land following the Katrina Exodus.

The cast included:

Cammie West
Jason George
Karen Shields
Lisa Davis
Michael Castrillo
Bridget Erin
Chris Schlumbrecht
Dennis McCann
Jamie Temple
Paul Cowgill
Rikki Redd, and
Tony Fennelly

Our Director was Todd Blauvelt. Photographs were by Carlos Gonzalez.

See what the critics had to say here.

(Archival Information)

What the Critics Had to Say about The Most Fabulous Story ...

2009-04-07T08:40:00.002-05:00

Actor and director, Todd Blauvelt, directed the wonderfully wacky, manic, yet moving work with a sense of "Keystone Cops on the loose" energy in the first act and a more sensitive attitude in the second act...

Karen Shields played the Stage Manager. Ms. Shields performed her role with a tough tongue-in-cheek smile on her face and the certitude of a benign Lesbian Avenger. Her's was a screamingly funny interpretation of what I've always thought God really is, a Goddess Stage Manager of the Cosmos, and a tough lesbian with a miraculous sense of humor.

Jason George was Steve, the other man in the Garden of den. This new young actor is a handsome young man with a lot of talent, some if which he could hardly hide behind his jockstrap. I expect to see this young actor in many more roles. He did an inspired job with this one.

Tony Fennelly was Miriam, Mom # 1, and Rabbi Sharon. Ms. Fennelly, aka as The Dame Judi Dench of local stages, gave a vivid and hilarious performance in her three roles. Especially memorable was her part as the wheelchair confined lesbian Rabbi Sharon as she stole the entire stage from the rest of the cast with her over the top, delicious to watch interpretation. Ms. Fennelly is a volcanic talent just waiting for the right role in which she will astound the community with her explosion of yet to be released abilities.

Bridget Erin was Cheryl Mendel, Babe, and Mom # 2. Ms. Erin is a big talent and shines in her roles in this production, especially as the Mormon girl with a die hard belief in Angels.

Cammie West was Jane. This young lady is a talent that I think can play any role. She's always a delight to see and did a great job in this show. She was quite a sensation as a dyke in labor in this show's second act.

Jamie Temple was Trey Promfet and Dad #2. Mr. Temple is a very seasoned actor from whom we can always expect a great performance. He did not fail in this show and he also got to say the best and wittiest one-liners during the Christmas party that was the second act.

We are...very lucky to have these guys in our town. I expect to see many fine productions from their new theatrical production company.

- Patrick Shannon, Ambush Magazine

Street Theater by Doric Wilson

2009-04-07T08:20:00.015-05:00

Doric Wilson's homage to Stonewall was To Do Productions' first presentation at the Marigny Theatre, the beginning of a long and successful collaboration.

The cast featured:

Jason George
Michael Castrillo
Cammie West
Lisa Davis
Bridget Erin
Chris Schlumbrecht
Rikki Redd
Jamie Temple, and
Tony Fennelly

Todd Blauvelt directed.

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2009-04-04T05:08:00.004-05:00