From <i>Annie</i> to <i>Shrek</i>, live theater is hot this summer in Baton Rouge
Live theater is entertaining, inspiring and sometimes tear-jerking. It’s also an underrated way to escape the Louisiana heat. This summer in Baton Rouge, it’s back in a big way with numerous popular productions hitting the stage, many of them family friendly. The explosion of performances signals a post-pandemic return to normal for the dramatic arts.
“This is the first big musical we’ve done since Frozen in December 2019,” says Todd Henry, executive director of Playmakers of Baton Rouge, whose production of Annie Jr. opens June 3 and runs through June 12. “It’s really exciting. We’ve got a cast of 27, and we had over 100 kids audition. The choreography and direction are incredible.”
Also opening June 3 is Red Magnolia Theatre Company’s production of The Revolutionists, a dark comedy about four historic women—playwright Olympe de Gouges, assassin Charlotte Corday, former queen Marie Antoinette and Haitian rebel Marianne Angelle—as they navigate the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror.
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‘It’s a play that discusses a lot of things—sisterhood, how women can find their place in revolutions and how does the concept of something like ‘fraternité’ apply to women in a revolution that did not include them,” says Courtney Murphy, a member at large for Red Magnolia Theatre Company and the show’s director. “It’s the untold story of women in that time period.”
Later in the month, Theatre Baton Rouge stages Shrek: The Musical, coincidentally timed with the beloved movie’s 20th anniversary, says TBR Artistic Director Jenny Ballard. “The cast is great, with many returning and several new members,” Ballard says. Theatre Baton Rouge will also host its seventh annual gala on Sunday, July 17, in the Old Governor’s Mansion with a live cabaret celebrating the music of Stephen Sondheim.
Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, UpStage Theatre Company will open The Dance on Widow’s Row on June 27. Founded and run by now-retired Southern University and Baton Rouge Community College theater professor Ava Brewster-Turner, the award-winning company stages about five shows a year in its 50-seat black box theater on Wooddale Boulevard. “This is a show we’ve performed in the past, and we’re bringing it back,” Brewster-Turner says. “It’s very funny and audiences love it.”
Starting this weekend, here’s what you’ll find on stage this summer in Baton Rouge:
Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical
Charming tale of a magical child, her horrible parents and the scariest headmistress ever
Christian Youth Theater (CYT)
May 26-May 29
LSU Shaver Theatre
Tickets: cytbatonrouge.org
The Revolutionists
A dark comedy featuring four different women’s perspectives during France’s Reign of Terror
Red Magnolia Theatre Company
June 3-5, June 10-12
Theatre Baton Rouge Studio Theatre
Tickets: redmagnoliatc.org
Annie Jr.
The rags to riches story of a hard-knock orphan and her dog in Depression-era New York
Playmakers of Baton Rouge
June 3-12
LSU Reilly Theatre
Tickets: playmakersbr.org
Beautiful: The Carole King Musical
Song-filled story of Carole King, one of America’s greatest songwriters, and her rise to stardom
Broadway in Baton Rouge
June 6
River Center Theatre for the Performing Arts
Tickets: raisingcanesrivercenter.com
Shrek: The Musical
Musical version of the beloved ogre-centric romance
Theatre Baton Rouge
June 17-July 3
Theatre Baton Rouge Main Stage
Tickets: theatrebr.org
The Dance on Widow’s Row
Comedy about four North Carolina widows on the hunt for love
UpStage Theatre
June 24-26
1713 Wooddale Boulevard
Tickets: upstagetheatre.org
Godspell
The parables of Jesus depicted through an eclectic collection of songs
Christian Youth Theater (CYT)
July 21-23
LSU Shaver Theatre
Tickets: cytbatonrouge.org
The Wizard of Oz
The Royal Shakespeare Company’s version of the beloved L. Frank Baum novel about Dorothy’s adventures in Oz
Theatre Baton Rouge Young Actors Program
August 18-21
Theatre Baton Rouge Main Stage
Tickets: theatrebr.org
Kings
Welcome to King’s Hair Care, where Black men share wisdom and discuss institutions never meant for them. Written by New Venture Executive Director Greg Williams.
New Venture Theatre
August 19-21
LSU Shaver Theatre
Tickets: newventuretheatre.org
Recommended for audiences 13 and older
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