Feature: Le Petit’s New Season Finds Its Heart in Family—Without Chasing a Theme

Le Petit Théâtre du Vieux Carré is rolling out a five-show season that moves from banking dynasties to spectral hijinks, playground diplomacy gone feral to a brass-buttoned Broadway classic and, at last, a New Orleans original production of ONCE. If that sounds eclectic, that’s by design.

“We don’t start ever with a theme, because I find that that can be somewhat limiting,” said Le Petit Artistic Director AJ Allegra about the upcoming season. “Shows usually kind of end up finding thematic through lines themselves after you’ve chosen them. All of the shows that we have chosen for the upcoming season are all very human stories”

But somewhere between the Tony-winning dramas, the Golden Age classics, and the sharp-witted comedies, a clear connection emerged. This year, Allegra added with a laugh at the irony, “I would say family is definitely an overwhelming theme of the season.”

That thread runs through each production: THE LEHMAN TRILOGY’s sweeping, multi-generational portrait of a Jewish family; BLITHE SPIRIT’s sharp-edged comedy of British domestic drama; GUYS AND DOLLs’ found family of gamblers and gangsters; GOD OF CARNAGE’s dueling sets of parents; and ONCE, which Allegra described as “an Irish family and a Czech family working together to make music.”

Allegra says that while thematic unity sometimes appears, variety is the real goal.

“We’re trying to pick a variety of shows that are going to appeal to subscribers, because we have a really strong subscriber base,” Allegra said. “We hear a lot that the subscription model is dying or is on the decline, but actually, Le Petit subscriptions actually have been steadily going up for the last several years, including the hiccup of the pandemic.”

The calculus behind the mix is simple.

“What’s an entertaining season for someone from the New Orleans area that’s going to come and try to see all five of our shows?” Allegra said. “I want to pick things that don’t feel excessively similar[and] make sure that there’s a variety between comedy and drama and American and international stories… and it has to feel relevant… Why here? Why now?”

The season opens with THE LEHMAN TRILOGY, which Allegra calls “a phenomenally theatrical show that tells 150 years of history with only three actors.” The production will also mark the play’s Louisiana premiere.

“It’ll be the first production of the play in the state of Louisiana,” Allegra said. “It’ll be a brand-new production; it’s not a touring production. And it’s a story that’s quintessentially American, about achieving the American Dream and then becoming overly consumed by the American Dream. It’s a rise-and-fall story, because we all know that the Lehman Brothers Bank is no more.”

Directing LEHMAN is Jenny Lavery, an Austin-based director new to New Orleans.

“She’s got a really nice theatrical mind and sensibility,” Allegra says. “This is not a realism-based kitchen-sink drama…these characters are very much breaking the fourth wall, they’re telling the story to the audience, they’re jumping in and out of character to advance the story. I’m excited for Jenny to work on that.”

The season will close with ONCE, the tender, folk-infused musical that nearly made its New Orleans debut in 2020 before the pandemic shut down theatres.

“That production was scuttled because of the forced shut down,” Allegra said. “And for whatever reasons, they didn’t decide to try to remount it, so it has never been done in New Orleans besides the Broadway tour many years ago. I’m excited for us to be able to present [ONCE] as well.”

At the helm is Conner Wilson, assistant to ONCE’s original Broadway director John Tiffany and director of international productions of HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD.

“He is currently the assistant director to Jamie Lloyd on his Broadway production of WAITING FOR GODOT starring Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter,” Allegra said. “[I] can’t wait for the stories that will come out of that rehearsal process.”

Between these premiers there are three very different crowd-pleasers.

BLITHE SPIRIT, Noël Coward’s supernatural comedy, will be directed by Ricky Graham, whom Allegra calls “a perfect choice” for the material.

“Ricky and I both adore British pithy comedies,” Allegra said. “We’re big fans of Noël Coward and Michael Frayn, things like NOISES OFF, BLITHE SPIRIT, even Monty Python. I think that he’ll do wonderfully with that.”

For the season’s “big musical,” Allegra will lead GUYS AND DOLLS.

“After two years of jukebox musicals, I wanted to get back to something that was more American and Golden Age traditional,” Allegra said. “In my opinion, GUYS AND DOLLS is the best musical comedy around. The jokes are hilarious and everything about the show still holds up today.”

The fourth show, GOD OF CARNAGE, is an example of “the fun classic of adults behaving badly,” Allegra said.

“Two sets of parents are meeting to civilly discuss a playground incident between their children,” Allegra said. “And they behave far worse than any adolescent could possibly imagine. Anyone that has had kids or has dealt with the school system, or with a parent group or the PTA [will relate.]. It allows us to fantasize what our ID would do if our ego didn’t keep it in check.”

Allegra encourages audiences to consider season subscriptions, which include discounted student and educator rates as the theatre promotes accessibility to the arts. Allegra also encourages audiences to commit to the full season and emphasizes the fun of being a subscriber.

“We try to keep it accessible,” Allegra said. “We have student price tickets. We also have educator price subscription tickets; anyone that is working in a school or in a teaching field can get those. The subscription model is really the best deal that we have.”

“As much as we like to be a single-ticket culture nowadays becoming a subscriber is really fun because it basically guarantees you a couple [of shows] that you might not know. In that sense, it’s kind of like trying a new restaurant for the first time…I guarantee that there’s a couple of things that you’re familiar with, but a couple of new dishes on the menu are going to be well worth your while.”

Le Petit’s 2025–2026 Season

• THE LEHMAN TRILOGY (Oct. 2-19, 2025) – Directed by Jenny Lavery
• BLITHE SPIRIT (Jan. 8-25, 2026) – Directed by Ricky Graham
• GUYS AND DOLLS (March 5-29, 2026) – Directed by A.J. Allegra & Joni
• GOD OF CARNAGE (April 30-May 17) – Director TBA
• ONCE (June 4-21, 2026) – Directed by Conner Wilson

Subscriptions and single tickets available at lepetittheatre.com.