ON THE BOARDS
by GEORGE PATTERSON, New Orleans

A CLOSER WALK WITH PATSY CLINE

North Star Theatre, 347 Gerard St., Mandevile, 504.626.1500; 1.800.924.5538.
Another musical look at the ill-fated country singer written by Dean Regan and directed by Lori Bennett. It stars Mari )Serpas) Vigueira with her band, The Instigators. The production also features the director's husband, Michael Bennett, playing a number of roles ala Greater Tuna with Ms. Vigueira's husband, Ed, serving as musical director. Thurs. - Sat., 8 pm, thru Aug. 2.

ALL IN THE TIMING

Lafayette Community Theatre, 529 Jefferson, Lafayette, 308.235.1532.
LCT's Experimental Theatre presents the area premiere of David Ives' award-winning collection of six outrageously hysterical one acts, collectively called All In The Timing . July 17, 18, 19, 24, 25 & 26, 8 pm.

DARYL'S PERILS: DEMON DOMINATRIX OF THE MOON MEETS THE AMAZON QUEEN OF THE LOST LAGOON

TrueBrew Theatre, 200 Julia St., 504.522.2907.
Written by Ricky Graham & David Cuthbert, with music by Harry Mayronne, Jr. & choreography by Karen Hebert, scenery by Ron Williams, costumes by Debbie Simeon and Roy Haylock and starring Becky Allen, Shelley Poncy & Ron Williams, this is an outrageous new musical comedy homage to Hollywood cliff-hanger serials. Others in the cast are: Kerry Mendelson, Sean Patterson, Stephen Rizzo, Billy Slaughter, and Mandy Zirkenbach. Thurs., Fri., & Sat., 8 pm; Sun., 3 pm.

THE ECUMENICAL CONVERSION SCAM & THE BIG SHOT OF AFRICA

CAC, 900 Camp St., 504.523.1216 or 504.522.5252.
Raven Productions presents two new plays by James McKay Fitzmorris in repertory. Nick Faust directs both, with Bert Pigg playing a New Orleans councilman in The Big Shot Of Africa along with Carol Sutton, Harold Evans, Karen Kaia-Livers, Michael Sullivan & Michael Arata, while The Ecumenical Conversion Scam (part two of this "kitchen trilogy") will feature Ron Gural, Adriana Bate, Tim Daley, Gemma Denmark, Max Arnaud and producer Aimee Hayes. Scenic design is by Mac Eaton. Big Shot: Sun, July 27, 7:30 pm; Wed., July 30, 7:30 pm. Ecumenical: Wed., July 30, 9 pm (Informal preview); Thurs., July 31, 7:30 (preview); Fri., Aug. 1, 7:30 (opening); Sun., Aug. 3, 2:30 pm; and, Big Shot: 7:30 pm; Ecumenical Tues., Aug. 5, 7:30 pm; Big Shot: Wed., Aug. 6, 7:30 pm; Ecumenical: Thurs., Aug. 7, 7:30 pm; Big Shot: Fri., Aug. 8, 7:30 & 9:30 pm; Ecumenical: Sat., Aug. 9, 7:30 pm; Ecumenical: Sun., Aug. 10, 2:30 pm; & Big Shot: Sun., Aug. 10, 7:30 pm, Aug. 10.

THE MUSIC MAN

Dixon Hall Theatre, Newcomb College, Tulane University, 504.865.5269.
The Tulane Summer Lyric Theatre, celebrating 30 years, presents Meredith Willson's oom-pah 1958 musical with 76 trombones and Anthony Laciura as the penultimate turn-of-the-century con man, Prof. Harold Hill, with Dee Moody as the girl of his dreams, Marion "the librarian". Others featured in the large cast are director Frank Monachino, Savannah Wise & Drew Haro. Beverly Trask choreographs and Pam Legendre is music director. July 31, Aug. 1 & 2, 8 pm; Aug. 2 & 3, 2 pm.

PAGEANT

CAC's Freeport MacMaRon Theatre, 900 Camp Street, 504.523.1216 or 504.522.5252.
This was a rousing Off-Broadway musical comedy hit of several years ago, in which the audience gets to pick the winner of a nightly beauty pageant with men playing the beauty contestants. Written by Bill Russell, Frank Kelly & Robert Longbottom, with music by Albert Evans, Carl Walker will helm this local premiere edition with musical direction by Michael Howard, costumes by Roy Haylock, sets by Keith Christopher, lights by Martin Sachs and sound by Jeffery Talbolt, produced by All Kinds Of Theatre. Wess Hughes plays emcee Frankie Cavalier, presenting Brooks Braselman as Miss Deep South, Russell Hodgkinson as Miss Great Plains, Douglas Park as Miss Bible Belt, Steve Sherman as Miss Texas, Paul Soileau as Miss Industrial Northeast and Ken Weatherup as Miss West Coast. Thurs. & Fri.., 8 pm; Sat., 6 & 9 pm, through Aug. 16.

PECOS BILL

Rogers Chapel, Broadway and Newcomb Campus, 504.865.5105.
Tulane University Department of Theatre & Dance's Patchwork Players Improvisational children's theatre company conceived, written and directed by Buzz Podewell, presents its version of the Western myth with a cast comprised of Podewell's daughter, Jessica, Tom Dugger, Greg Stratton, Kathryn Walton, Lance Spellerberg and Marc Anderson. Tues. thru Fri., 9:30 & 11 am thru July 25; Sat., July 26, 10 am & 1 pm. Thru July 27

THE WIZARD OF OZ-THE DOROTHY GAYLE STORY

Movie Pitchers, 3941 Bienville St., 504.488.4925.
Rene Piazza and his Piazza Productions presents his skewed take on the L. Frank Baum classic in which Dorothy is put on trial for killing two witches and stealing property. The cast includes April Babin, Daryl Cade, Jennifer Carriere, Gene Desrochers, Andy Hebert, Charlotte Lang, Gina Porretto, Dane Rhodes, Gary Rucker, Rebecca Taliancich and Stacy Taliancich as Dorothy. Fri. & Sat., 7:30 pm; Sun., 2:30 pm thru July 27.

IN THE WINGS

THE BOYS IN THE BAND

Southern Repertory Theatre, 3rd Level, One Canal Place, 504.525.4498.
The Krewe of Petronius, in association with Southern Repertory Theatre, presents Mart Crowley's classic black comedy about life among New York gays, circa 1968. George Patterson directs. Aug. 22, 23, 29, 30 & 31, 8 pm; Sun. Aug. 24, 2 pm.

LI'L ABNER

NORD Theatre, Gallier Hall, 504.565.7860.
Ty Tracy's 1997 Summer Youth Workshop presents this 50's musical comedy hit with book by Norman Panama and Melvin Frank (based on Al Capp's comic strip) with music by Gene DePaul and lyrics by Savannah's own Johnny Mercer. Boasting a cast of 60 between the ages of 8 & 18, Kasey Marino plays Li'l Abner & Angela Mannino is Daisy Mae. Aug. 7 - 24, Thurs. - Sat., 8 pm; Sun., 2 pm.

LUTHER

First Unitarian Universalist Church, 2903 Jefferson Ave., 504.833.8748.
Julie Condy's Summer Stages presents its second musical for young people of the summer, an original jazzy tale of a cool and hip high school student by New Orleans' own Delfeayo Marsalis. Aug. 15 thru 24.