After an unpredictable
theatrical year caused by COVID, the Jefferson Performing Arts Society plans to
return with a full season this fall. Although JPAS has continued to put on
plays as COVID restrictions in Jefferson Parish loosened, it has been unable to
produce the opulent musicals to which faithful audience members are accustomed
to. It stuck to the classics like Arsenic and Old Lace and One Flew
Over the Cuckoo's Nest in this unprecedented year. While plays like
these are not going anywhere in the 2021-2022 season, musicals are coming back
with a gusto!
This fall marks JPAS's
return to producing large-scale musicals on its main stage in the Jefferson Performing
Arts Center on 6400 Airline Dr. in Metairie.
"We look
forward to welcoming everyone back to the theater for an engaging communal
experience!" Dennis Assaf, JPAS co-founder and artistic director, said.
The first show set to
grace the JPAC's stage is Addams Family from October 8-17, 2021. This
musical follows the creepy, cooky, and altogether ooky Addams family as they
grapple with their oldest daughter, Wednesday, falling in love with a
not-so-spooky boy. Audiences will enjoy lots of laughs, a bit of romance, and a
chorus of ghostly ancestors as an introduction to the Halloween season.
Rodger's and Hammerstein's
Cinderella will take the stage next from December 3-12, 2021. This
classic musical follows the classic fairy tale and is sure to be a magical
evening for the whole family.
Shortly after Cinderella
closes, The Nutcracker will dance across the stage for one weekend only:
December 18-19. Although not a musical, this classic Christmas ballet will
surely satisfy any audience member looking to enjoy JPAS's impressive,
large-scale productions.
In the spring, Shrek The
Musical will take audiences back to the 2001 animated cult classic just in
time for St. Patrick's Day. From March 11-20, 2022, everyone's favorite mean,
green ogre and his lovable donkey friend will be singing and dancing their way
through the swamp and over treacherous terrain to rescue Princess Fiona, all
from the comfort of JPAC's stage.
JPAS will also produce Fly, a play about the Tuskegee Airmen, African American World War II pilots trained in Alabama at a time when the US military was still segregated. Their impressive work and many military honors earned through their war efforts paved the way for the desegregation of the military and eventually the Civil Rights Movement. This story is one of many stories about our country's history that open our eyes to the many gaps in our history books. Fly tells this story with lots of music, captivating visuals, dynamic military ceremonies, and a character named Tap Griot who tap-dances "as" the thoughts of these military men who could not speak their minds. This will be the play's Southeastern regional debut, according to JPAS, and will be playing from February 4-13, 2022.
The God of Carnage, where two married couples meet to discuss a scuffle between their kids and gradually degenerate into children themselves, and Murder on the Orient Express, based on Agatha Christie's classic whodunit story, will both be produced at JPAS's Westwego Performing Arts Theatre on 177 Sala Ave. in September and late April through early May, respectively.
Individual tickets for the
2021-2022 season will be available July 1, but season tickets will be on sale
as early as May 13.
For more information or to buy tickets, go to jpas.org.
