‘Confederacy’ heads to Lockport

Fresh off a storm-laden season, Bayou Playhouse Producing Artist Director Perry Martin is lightening the mood this season, bringing a light-hearted selection of Louisiana’s top plays.

This month’s offering, a costumed stage reading of “A Confederacy of Dunces,” runs April 9-11 and April 16-18.

After playing around the metro New Orleans area and the U.S. for nearly seven years, the production makes a stop in Bayou country.

Back, too, is actor and radio personality John “Spud” McConnell. He appeared at Bayou Playhouse last month as Louisiana’s legendary former governor, Huey P. Long, in a special run of “Kingfish.”

Over the years McConnell has played the lead role in “Confederacy,” he’s BECOME Ignatius, literally. A life-sized bronze statue on New Orleans’s Canal Street commemorates McConnell’s portrayal of Mr. Reilly from Kenneth Holdridge’s stage adaptation of John Kennedy Toole’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel.

Martin, who directed McConnell in both “Kingfish” and “Confederacy,” has close ties with the star. The two were college roommates, formed a comedy team for a bit and have continued to entertain south Louisiana audiences.

In the meantime, McConnell has done a fair share of acting, appearing in more than 30 films, two seasons of “Roseanne” and countless theatre gigs.

“John and I have been working on shows for more than 30 years,” Martin said. “He’s a great actor. I’ve worked with a number of celebrities over my career and I can honestly say that John is one of the most talented people I’ve ever known. When Spud walks onstage, it becomes his show.”

For those unfamiliar with “A Confederacy of Dunces,” the show centers around Ignatius J. Reilly, an educated but slothful 30-year-old man who resides at his mother’s home in Uptown New Orleans. After running into trouble early, Reilly’s forced to do the unthinkable: go out and get a job.

It’s there that this modern Don Quixote encounters an equally colorful brood.

Martin said nine actors have been cast in the show, although a set cast list was still undecided as of press time. “We’ve got some surprises planned since not all of the cast is available each night of the show,” he said. “I can promise that no two nights will be the same.

“It’s 75 minutes of pretty much non-stop laughter,” he continued. “In fact, my directorial control ends when the lights go out. It’s often a battle to tell who’s having more fun, the audience or the actors onstage.”

Two shows remain in the Bayou Playhouse’s second season – “Going to Jackson,” which opens April 23, and “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” which has been rescheduled for later this spring.

“Last season was pretty hurricane heavy mainly because Bayou Playhouse was built from Hurricane Katrina,” Martin admits. “Last year, we had three [productions] about hurricanes, and a couple of other shows that actually talked about hurricanes. Last season was mostly about Louisiana bayous – the people, their culture and some of the problems that they’ve had to conquer.

“This season, the focus is on classic Louisiana shows,” Martin said. “We’ve tried to fill it up with a bigger promotional ticket. Hopefully, everyone will come out and enjoy the shows.”