Recipe: Turkey Pâté en croûte
November 1, 2012
Editor’s Picks for November
November 1, 2012
Audiences can prepare for music, dancing and a lot of Cajun references when The Bayou Playhouse brings a fairytale to the bayou in the musical “Cinderella Battistella,” with music by the late Fred Palmisano and book and lyrics by Bob Bruce and David Cuthbert.
Mary Bliss McCrossen, Bayou Playhouse managing director, says she feels this is the “perfect time to try out a show like this.”
“We were looking for a good holiday show that would work for families to come,” McCrossen says. “This is kind of an experimentation year for us to hone in on what our patrons want to see.”
The story is told by Tiffany Billiot, who plays Mama LeRoux, a reader, advisor and voodoo fairy “godmama” for Cinderella.
“When I read for the part at the auditions I thought, she’s just like Miss Cleo. ‘Call me now,’” Billiot says. “She’s pretty much the only friend that Cinderella has at that time.”
Mama LeRoux stirs a big moss-hung cauldron of Mumbo Jumbo Gumbo and offers teach-yourself videos for sale through her toll-free number.
Cinderella Battistella, takes the verbal abuse of her cruel stepmother, Evangeline DeLaParish Battistella, and her witchy daughters, Feliciana and Tangipahoa.
Cinderella, played by Mindy Guidroz, says “Cinderella Battistella” has the basic outline of the original fairytale with a Cajun spice.
Angie LeBlanc, playing Evangeline, says the Battistella version of the stepmother is not as intelligent as the original.
“The wicked or stupid stepmother,” LeBlanc says. “Whichever seems most fitting because I haven’t decided yet.”
The apple does not fall far from the tree with Evangeline’s two daughters, Feliciana and Tangipahoa, who are both wicked and ditsy.
Aggie Thibodaux, who plays Feliciana, says her character is equally evil and hateful to Cinderella.
“They’re both the same level of dumb-yet-wicked, and they’re very Cajun,” Thibodaux says.
Trey Acosta, playing Tangipahoa, says he feels as though he was “typecast” for the role.
“She’s the epitome of white trash who thinks she’s absolutely fabulous even though everyone else disagrees,” Acosta says.
Mama LeRoux rides along the Intracoastal Canal in a boat to bring Cinderella a ball gown and she transforms Cinderella’s two loyal friends Buster Crab and Berl Crawfish into attendants.
Caroline Savoie, playing Buster Crab, says Buster and Berl are “like the mice from the movie.”
Emma Burlette, as Berl Crawfish, says the duo makes the play lighter with comic relief.
“They really want to help Cinderella in whatever ways they can,” Burlette says.
Buster is transformed into a hair dresser, and Cinderella drives off to the Twelfth Night Mardi Gras Ball in a flashy crawfish convertible.
At the ball she wins the heart of Harvey Canale Jr., played by Alex Martin, who is the “prince” of the story because of his father, Harvey Canale Sr., “The King Cake King,” played by Dane Theriot.
Guidroz says she loves this version of the fairytale.
“We’ve got to do Cajun accents, and there’s a lot of slapstick comedy, which is a lot of fun,” Guidroz says. There are a lot of references that you can only get if you’re from Louisiana.”
Director Perry Martin says “Cinderella Battistella” is typically done as a New Orleans “where y’at” comedy.
“They’ve allowed us to adapt it to specifically suit our area,” Martin says. “So this will be the first time with the Cajun adaptations. It’s very fun music and it lends itself very well to Cajun humor. It’s an ‘adult’ show because adults will enjoy it, but the characters are so big and amusing that the kids love it too.”
McCrossen says the Bayou Playhouse is trying to reach out to the community to include all those who want to participate. The musical still needs extras for scenes if anyone is interested.
“We have a great cast,” McCrossen says. “We always try to do one show where we cast completely outside the community because we want to do more outreach with the community, and this is the show for that. We feel like we’ve gotten a great group of Bayou Kidz performers, adults and professionals.”
The musical runs from Nov. 30 to Dec. 16 at the Bayou Playhouse, 101 Main St., Lockport. Tickets can be reserved at www.bayouplayhouse.com or by phone at (888) 992-2968.
The cast of “Cinderella Battistella,” a Bayou Playhouse musical, gets in tune with notes played by Tonia Hampton. The show opens Nov. 30.
