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Alleged terrorist B.B. Wolf fends off centuries of criminal charges levied against him by supposed fairy-tale heroes in the Bayou Playhouse’s “The Trial of the Big Bad Wolf.”

Armed with technicalities, truth and insults, the Big Bad Wolf combats a high-strung harem of pigs, an Elmer Fudd-inspired boy who cried wolf and a girl draped in a red hood who may be a bit rough around the edges, among many others with grievances.


“The whole thing is one big ‘Loony Tunes’ cartoon,” Director Perry Martin, formerly an agent for Mel Blanc, voice of Bugs Bunny and many more cartoon characters, said. “This gave me the opportunity to put every ‘Loony Tunes’ cartoon on stage that I could possibly imagine. … It’s going to be a really fun holiday musical.”

Written by Bob Bruce and David Cuthbert, the same duo who penned last winter’s mega-hit “Cinderella Battistella,” the script also provides Martin the opportunity to inject Cajun humor and local references.

There’s Sheriff Web, for instance, Deputy Duffy (who Red Riding Hood derisively refers to as “Bro”) and an elderly woman who gushes Cajun French while intimidating the wolf with her sensuality.


Dominating the show’s first act are the famed three pigs, not little inasmuch as they are boisterous.

Sara Goodrum, stage manager at the playhouse for the past three seasons, hasn’t graced the stage since 2009’s “Great Big Doorstep.” She and Martin had discussed her return for some time, and she said this production was natural because it allows her to tap into her voice and comedy skills.

“We’re pigs, but we think we’re really pretty,” said Goodrum, playing the pig Luzianne. “We’re really loud, and we’re really obnoxious. I’m having a lot of fun portraying a sloppy, funny, fat pig.”


Following the pigs are Little Bo Peep, Peter Pan, Gargantu-Anne, Red Riding Hood and the diminutive boy who cried “wolf.”

Perhaps it would be cliché to construct the Big Bad Wolf’s character as sympathetic, and the plot surely would reach a quick dead-end if his behavior were all just a big misunderstanding.

Instead he remains something of a monster, using his wile to circumvent the charges and remaining unapologetic of the wrath he wrought.


Playing the lead is 23-year-old Jacob Williams, a recent graduate of Louisiana State University’s theater program who boasts a wide array of voices.

“I think it’s hysterical,” Williams said. “Being the Big Bad Wolf, I get to do all kinds of crazy stuff. … When I heard that he was going to let me do whatever voices I want, I got really excited about that.”

Michael Whitener, a 40-year-old with on-screen experience, plays Sheriff Web in the musical, his first in 23 years. It is also his first work with Martin, whose willingness to manipulate the script allows the actors to tap into their creativity.


“As far as creating a character, it leaves it wide open for you,” Whitener said. “You can take what fits within the confines of vaudeville and ‘Loony Tunes’ and take those elements and create something really unique out of it.”

Assisting Martin is stage manager Camille Griffin, who has worked at the playhouse since 2008.

“We’ve never had a big musical like this on our stage before,” Griffin said. “It’s so interactive with the audience. The interaction is very intense. It’s going to get you on your feet, it’s going to get you clapping.”


Martin called to Newton’s Third Law of Motion when describing the pace and direction of the cast’s consistent on-stage movements: Each action is matched by an equal and opposite reaction.

Judge Judy, played by Nichole Williams, wields the gavel – often as a weapon – amid the frenzy in her courtroom.

Williams, who teaches theater for the Terrebonne Parish School District, returns to the stage for the first time in five years. Martin said she is indicative of the way this production blends talent, which ranges from professionals to first-timers.


“This is my long lost family, my extended family, that I didn’t know existed until now,” Williams said.

Martin repeatedly referenced last winter’s successful run of “Cinderella Battistella” – the Cajun-themed musical was extended for three weeks – and said he hopes to obtain the same atmosphere with “The Trial of the Big Bad Wolf”: family-friendly humor with inside jokes devised for Lafourche Parish residents.

“(‘Cinderella Battistella’) was a big, big hit,” Martin said. “We realized at that point a good Christmas formula is a fun, family musical that’s good for kids of all ages.”


Aggie Thibodaux, Feliciana from “Cinderella Battistella,” plays the pig Roseanne. She said last year’s holiday production ranked among her favorites and said the tone of this year’s winter musical is similar, though it accomplishes that goal from a different avenue.

“This is a lot more slapstick than Cinderella, which will be a different twist on what we had before,” Thibodaux said.

“The Trial of the Big Bad Wolf” runs through Dec. 22 at the Bayou Playhouse, 101 Main St., Lockport. Admission is $23 for adults and $12 for children 12 and younger. For more information, call (888) 2968 or visit www.bayouplayhouse.com.


– editor@gumboguide.com

The Big Bad Wolf (Jacob Williams) poses ahead of three pigs who bring him to court. They are Luzianne (Sara Goodrum), Roseanne (Aggie Thibodaux) and Gargantu-Anne (Anna Davaine).

ERIC BESSON | GUMBO ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE


B.B. Wolf prepares for the pigs’ attack.

ERIC BESSON | GUMBO ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE