Thursday, July 11:
There’s a ton of theater opening this weekend, offering fare for all tastes and age ranges. The musical Africa Umoja, an energetic pageant of South African history from Johannesburg’s Victory Theatre, is at the Mahalia Jackson Theater until Sunday. (Info here.) Southern Rep presents the premiere of Sean Patterson’s Freedom, in which a Holocaust survivor and an Irish immigrant forge a powerful connection. That show plays at the Contemporary Arts Center until July 28 (Info here). The Sondheim musical A Little Night Music, known for the song “Send in the Clowns,” is the second show in Tulane’s Summer Lyric series (Info here). Recently seen in an NC-17-rated film adaptation starring Matthew McConaughey, Jonathan Mares Productions presents the stage version of Tracy Letts’ black comedy Killer Joe at the AllWays Lounge until July 27 (the show contains nudity; show info here). The Shakespeare Festival at Tulane continues with Romeo and Juliet at the school’s Lupin Theatre. (Info here.)
For kids, the stalwart children’s performance group the Patchwork Players perform their take on Rumplestilskin at the Rivertown Theaters’ Lagniappe Stage, and starting Friday the talented young performers of NORD’s Crescent City Lights Youth Theater bring classic fairytales to life in A Pocketful of Rhymes. Info here.
Two exhibitions, one featuring photographs from the museum’s permanent collection and one showcasing works by Will Henry Stevens from the permanent collection, open at Ogden’s After Hours series, which features a performance by Brian Quezergue. Info here.
On the heels of the 40th anniversary of the 1973 UpStairs Lounge arson and the local premiere of Wayne Self’s musical about the event, Royd Anderson’s 27-minute documentary about the fire screens at 8 p.m. at Chalmette Movies. Anderson presents a Q&A after the free screening. Call (504) 304-9992 for more information.
Brett Martin, a New Orleans-based writer whose work has appeared in GQ and Bon Appetit (where he wrote one of the most spot-on stories about New Orleans food culture), signs his new book Difficult Men, which chronicles a wave of high-quality television series including The Wire, The Sopranos and Mad Men that feature complex protagonists. Info here.
Friday, July 12:
The raunchy romp through a heated cyber-romance The Adventures of Butt Boy and Tigger, named for online aliases of the two characters involved, is back for a second run. It premiered to positive reviews (here and here) at Elm Theater and now getting a remount at Mid-City Theatre. Info here.
The New Orleans Film society hosts a double feature of the New Orleans noir Panic in the Streets and Cool Hand Luke at the outdoor screen at the Old U.S. Mint. Info here.
Shellshocked, local filmmaker John Richie’s documentary about the epidemic of gun violence in New Orleans, particularly among New Orleans youth, screens at the Zeitigeist. Info here.
Celebrate Bastille Day early at NOMA, which hosts a French-themed installment of its "Art You Can Eat" cooking series and a performance of the New Orleans Opera Association’s Opera on Tap, who will perform French music. Info here.
Anchorman, which is getting a sequel soon is the midnight movie at Prytania Theatre Friday and Saturday. Info here.
Saturday, July 13:
Another opportunity for a Bastille Day fete: There’s Francophile activities, including the bartenders and waiters races, happening around the French Quarter on Saturday and Sunday. (Info here.) On Saturday, Paris and Pamplona may collide as the New Orleans’ Running of the Bulls rages through the French Quarter. (Info here.)
Sunday, July 14:
Musically inclined kids of all ages can take a free workshop with Billy Iuso and the Restless Natives for its Sunday Youth Music Workshop. Info here.
