Patchwork Players' PINOCCHIO Comes to Rivertown Theaters This Week

Next up at Rivertown Theaters for the Performing Arts this summer will be the delightful, brand new original Patchwork Players production, Pinocchio, written by one of New Orleans' favorite funny men, Ricky Graham performed on the Lagniappe Stage, tonight, July 6, through July 12, 2015.

The late Buzz Podewell, founder of Patchwork Players, and his troupe of zany actors had been acting silly for so long that grandmothers remember coming to the shows as kids. Since 1984, each June and July they performed two different plays at the Rogers Memorial Chapel on the Tulane uptown campus. The company has been very popular over the years presenting a different program every four years. They dance, sing, tell jokes and interact with audience members, engaging several tots in the cast at each performance. This season, Rivertown Theaters is thrilled to produce and present a brand new original Patchwork Players show, the first since the group was formed at Tulane.

Ricky Graham jumped at the opportunity when asked to create an adaptation of the beloved classic. "When Jess Podewell and Gary Rucker (two original Patchwork Players) approached me about writing for Patchwork I was thrilled! I've been a fan for such a long time. I didn't want to reinvent the wheel - I wanted Pinocchio to look like a long-lost Patchwork show that was found in the box. There are plenty of terrible jokes and puns which, hopefully, will keep the parents as amused as the kids! The story follows the traditional plot line but, as usual, every show is different because of the kids. Audience members become marionettes, donkeys, deep sea creatures, and one lucky person gets to be Jiminy Cricket!" Graham said.

Directed by Jessica Podewell, the production stars Gary Rucker, Greg Stratton, Joe Seibert, Mike Harkins, Chrissy Garrett, and Shelley Rucker.

All performances take placea t Rivertown Theaters for the Performing Arts Lagniappe Stage, 325 Minor St. in the heart of Rivertown, Kenner LA (off Jefferson Highway). Plenty of parking on the streets around the theater. Performances: Monday July 6 at 10:00 am & 11:30 am; Tuesday July 7 at 10:00 am & 11:30 am; Wednesday July 8 at 10:00 am & 11:30 am; Thursday July 9 at 10:00 am & 11:30 am; Friday July 10 at 10:00 am & 11:30 am; Saturday July 11 at 11:00 am; and Sunday July 12 at 2:00 pm. Tickets: $8.50 General Admission. School Field Trips are also available. Box Office: (504) 461-9475 or 468-7221, or online at www.RivertownTheaters.com.

Photo Credit: Mason Wood