Bayouland Activities
May 31, 2013
Luke lands at Riverside
June 4, 2013
Anne Galjour knows a recipe for success.
Fresh off a successful run of “Okra,” Bayou Playhouse tackles “Turtles & Alligators,” which was commissioned by the theatre’s Perry Martin specifically for the Lockport stage. Galjour’s environmentally conscious production is chock-full of laughs, reminders of our frail surroundings and, like “Okra,” familiar family relationships played out in a kitchen.
“Turtles & Alligators” has played to receptive audiences since its opening last month. The show runs through June 16.
It all starts with a turtle, a roadside rescue now headed for a cooking pot.
The chef is Hilda, the oldest of three sisters, who is trying to keep the family on track like her late mother would have wanted. Jody Terrebonne convincingly delivers as the rationale sister. The classic Cajun matriarch, Hilda is balancing the onset of middle age – “Turtles, turtles, turtles,” she laments, looking at the lines on her face in the mirror. “All I see is turtles” – and the explosive relationship between her sisters Camille and Betsy.
“Turtles & Alligators” is set on April 12, 2010, the day of the BP Deepwater Horizon explosion, which killed three people and released untold number of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.
The incident is barely a blip for Betsy – aka T-Girl – who is far more concerned with getting her dinner (the rescued turtle) to escape its shell. Played by Aggie Thibodaux, Betsy quickly wins over audiences with her struggle to be considered more mature, despite being the baby of the family. Thibodaux draws the audience in to Betsy’s battles: her romantic yen for neighbor John (played by Seth Pontiff), who thinks of her only as one of the guys; her hatred for her employer (played by Scott Courville); and her attempt to understand the full impact of the events in the Gulf.
The one sister who best gets what the BP disaster means for south Louisiana is Camille. Laura Pierce plays Camille quite believably. She’s invested time and energy trying to make convince lawmakers the coastline is worth saving. And when the offshore rig explodes, Camille immediately begins tracking developing news.
Pontiff and Courville are fun to watch as they bounce between the sisters and each other.
But it’s Dane Rhode in the role of Coco that steals scenes, leaving you wanting to see more of the lovable gator pal. Coco’s hilarious mimicking of his peers make for some of the more side-splitting moments of the production. That’s actually saying a lot, because Galjour has done a fantastic job of capturing the events, places and even dialogue we’ve come to know and love.
“Turtles & Alligators” is a fun, funny show and, in between laughs, you’ll be reminded of how unique and worth saving our homeland is. You don’t want to miss this season-ending production.
By the way, if you catch the show June 1, playwright Galjour will be in town to talk to audiences about the show. It’s a great opportunity to hear firsthand the challenges of writing a show set in the Bayou Region.
For ticket information, visit www.bayouplayhouse.com.
The cast of “Turtles and Alligators” – from left, Jody Terrebonne, Dana Rhodes, Seth Pontiff, Aggie Thibodaux, Scott Courville and Laura Pierce – give life to playwright Anne Galjour’s new Cajun comedy. Set down the bayou, the environmentally-conscious comedy was commissioned by the Bayou Playhouse’s Parry Martin specifically for the theater’s stage.
