Heidi Scheuermann - Page 6

Throw on some makeup, grab your highest heels, and hold on to your wigs because something fabulous is strutting into New Orleans tomorrow that you won't want to miss!  KINKY BOOTS is a fairly new, Tony Award-winning musical production brought to you by creative dream team Jerry Mitchell, Cyndi Lauper, and Harvey Fierstein.  Inspired by the true-life events of Steve Pateman, it tells the story of a young man who inherits his family's failing shoe factory. 

Marvin Gaye, The Supremes, Smokey Robinson, The Jackson 5, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross. All are Motown artists that we will get to meet when the national tour of MOTOWN: THE MUSICAL hits New Orleans tonight!

For the second time in the past few years, the Disney favorite BEAUTY AND THE BEAST is in New Orleans. If you caught the show a couple of seasons ago (read my review here), you know that this is one of the most magical productions currently running! It's a classic story with a great message about seeing beyond a person's exterior and trying to get to know them for the person they are inside. Belle certainly sees beyond the Beast's exterior, and through her passionate care, helps the residents of his castle to reclaim their humanity.

Of all the shows that I have seen throughout my lifetime, absolutely none… and I do mean none… nada, zip, zilch… have excited me more than Disney's NEWSIES.  It's honestly surprising upon meeting someone new if I don't mention this show within the first twenty minutes of our conversation.  I love it that much, and I can't wait for this tour to get to New Orleans next week!

After a long process, Jefferson Performing Arts Society has finally opened their brand new theater that cost upwards of $5 million to build on Jefferson Highway near Zephyr Field!  Their first production in the new facility was MY FAIR LADY, which has always been a favorite of mine.

Whether it's Disney's Cinderella, A Cinderella Story, Ella Enchanted, Ever After, or some other variation, you know the story.  This classic fairy tale has been told time and time again.  It just never gets old!  And now, to make things even better, the national tour of Rodgers and Hammerstein's CINDERELLA is making its way to the Saenger Theatre tonight!  That's right, you and yours have the chance to experience the most magical evening of all during the most enchanted week of the year (of course, I'm referring to Halloween).

Rivertown Theaters for the Performing Arts is now in the midst of their very first season of all musicals, and they couldn't have opted for a better opening show than THE PRODUCERS, directed by Ricky Graham.  They also couldn't have chosen a better pair than Sean Patterson and Gary Rucker to play leading men Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom.

I honestly don't think I can name a single person who I know who hasn't seen Disney's The Little Mermaid.  Not even one.  It has been a favorite of so many since the movie premiered in 1989.  The story is based off of a fairy tale written by Hans Christian Andersen, and was adapted for the big screen with music written by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman.  It tells the tale of a 16-year-old mermaid named Ariel, who falls in love with Prince Eric, a land creature.  This love is forbidden by Ariel's father, King Triton.  Disobeying her father, Ariel goes on a quest with her friends Sebastian, Flounder, and Scuttle to make a deal with the sea witch Ursula that will turn her into a human so she can be with her love at last.

Two things in the world that I think are just the coolest are 1) Dolly Parton and 2) being introduced to shows that I don't know anything about before the curtain comes up. Playmakers Theater in Covington combined these two really cool things that I love into one night of laughs when they presented 9 TO 5: THE MUSICAL.

There's that saying 'Every day you live is one day closer to death.'  The opposite happened for me when by some miracle, or maybe even magic, I became younger and younger until I was young enough to think lovely thoughts and follow Peter to his Neverland at Rivertown Theaters.  PETER PAN is a show that has always been very special to me.  Whether it was my sister betting her fellow first graders that they hadn't seen the 'Mary Martin version' or learning the entirety of the shadow puppet show from 'I Gotta Crow,' this story is one that has and will forever resonate within my soul.

Turn on those TVs and set those DVRs! THE MIDTOWN MEN are coming straight to you, New Orleans, on Louisiana Public Broadcasting (LPB) this coming Saturday, August 8th at 9:00pm. Who are THE MIDTOWN MEN, you ask? Well… these guys are something special. Christian Hoff, Michael Longoria, Daniel Reichard, and J. Robert Spencer are four cast members from the original Broadway cast of the hit JERSEY BOYS. They formed a band together and now tour the country singing popular hits from the 60s, and boy are they great!

The sparkles and feather boas were out in full force last night because after more than a year away from the stage, EGOT winner Liza Minnelli is back in action!  Last night she graced the Gulf Coast at Biloxi's IP Casino with her comeback performance 'Liza Minnelli in Concert with Billy Stritch.'

Le Petit Theatre wrapped up their 2014-2015 season with crowd pleaser MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG.  Music and lyrics written by none other than the amazing Stephen Sondheim, MERRILY tells the story of a one Franklin Shepard (Richard Arnold) and his rise to fame in Hollywood.  Sounds like a dream, right?  But you see, there's a catch.  Frank's road to becoming a great Hollywood producer comes with loss in other areas of his life.  He abandons his career as a Broadway musical composer along with his family and friends.  Turns out fame and money aren't what bring Frank the happiness that he is looking for.

Once again Rivertown has done it, folks.  I mean seriously… I don't think it's actually possible for these guys to put on a bad show.  This time, they took us to the French Riviera to hang out with the likes of Lawrence Jameson (played by Robert Pavlovich), Freddy Benson (played by Gary Rucker), and Christine Colgate (played by Kayla Herrington)… each of them con artists in their own right. 

It's time to dig into those closets and find the shiniest, brightest clothes you've got and head down to the Saenger Theatre for the most colorful show of the season! JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT is headed our way, and is sure to be a fun 2014-2015 season finale. Between the captivating story, the toe-tapping tunes, and the razzle dazzle of the costume and set design, JOSEPH is a show that can be enjoyed by the whole family.

Tonight, Cutting Edge Theater opened musical GOING TO THE CHAPEL, which centers on leading lady Betty Lou and her bridesmaids the week of her wedding. I find the content of this show incredibly timely and fitting for the beginning of spring in the New Orleans area as many deem this time of year 'wedding season.' And who doesn't get a kick out of all of the goofy traditions that ladies go through together to make sure their friend has the wedding celebration of the century? GOING TO THE CHAPEL is a jukebox musical featuring music of the 1960s, and more specifically the 'girl groups' of the 1960s such as The Chiffons, The Shirelles, and The Supremes. Featuring a cast of four amazing ladies, this show is sure to keep you laughing and bopping along to some great tunes!

There have been a few times in my life where I attended an event, be it a theatre production or a concert, and I woke up the next morning still reeling from the excitement with a cheesy smile plastered across my face. The first time I remember that happening was when my dad took me and my younger sister to see Hanson (yes, the Mmmbop guys) on their Middle of Nowhere Tour. I also remember feeling like that after I saw NEWSIES for the first time on Broadway. Experiencing THE MIDTOWN MEN at the Mahalia Jackson Theater was another one of those events. Not only are these guys some of the sweetest, most genuine humans I've ever met - we're talking funfetti cupcake status, here - they have a passion for entertaining that is unmatched.

Coming to New Orleans tomorrow night is an act that no JERSEY BOYS loving theatergoers, including myself, are going to want to miss! THE MIDTOWN MEN, four original cast members from the Broadway hit JERSEY BOYS (Christian Hoff, Michael Longoria, Daniel Reichard, J. Robert Spencer) have come together and have formed their own music group which brings to life the music of the 60's in what's sure to be an energy packed show.

So here's the thing… The first time I heard of/saw ONCE was back in college. A group of friends were squishing into a tiny living room in an on-campus apartment (I think there were probably 10-15 of us), and one of the crew decided we were going to watch this totally awesome movie called 'Once.' So we squished, we sat, we watched. I remember thinking, 'Ok, the movie was cute, but man… the music!' There's no mistaking the magic that is Glen Hansard's and Marketa Irglova's music, including their incredibly beautiful, Academy Award Winning song 'Falling Slowly.'

Will Rogers, 'Oklahoma's Favorite Son,' was one of those do-it-all celebrities. Cowboy; trick roper; vaudeville performer; comedian; newspaper columnist; film actor; politician; husband to Betty Blake; and father to Bill, Mary, James, and Fred. The man did it all. Because Will's vaudeville trick rope act led him to headline the Ziegfeld Follies, THE WILL ROGERS FOLLIES tells his life story as if it were being told through one of Mr. Ziegfeld's productions. It's quite clever. It's also the rootinest, tootinest, knee-slapping, wholesome humored, and down right All-American show I've ever seen. And I loved it.