November 06, 2017
New Orleans has a well-deserved and well-earned reputation as a town that really knows how to throw a party. So how does this town compare with others during a time of year when everyone is celebrating Holidays, New Year’s, and the like?
Needless to say, we don’t just measure up; New Orleans defines the Gold Standard.
Get ready to really kick the theatrical season into high gear in The Crescent City. Hang on tight-- it’s going to be a wild ride.
Disney’s hit animated television series, PJ Masks, goes LIVE! at the Saenger Theatre, November 1, 8 p.m. Three young friends become Catboy, Owlette and Gekko when they activate their magic amulets and don pajamas. This is a show the entire family will enjoy with great staging, original music, and lots of action.
Introspection, entertainment, and psychedelic music will merge with Flying Lotus in 3D at the Joy Theatre on November 1.
Le Petit Théâtre du Vieux Carré, one of the most historic and charming theatres you will ever attend, and set in a corner of Jackson Square in the French Quarter, will be presenting “The Last Five Years,” November 3-19. As told from the separate perspective of both a husband and wife, the play dramatically recounts the trials of courtship and marriage, all set to an infectious rock music score.
Jim Gaffigan, author, Grammy-nominated performer, stand-up entertainer, and television star is currently presenting his Noble Ape Tour across the country. The New Orleans stop is scheduled for November 3 at the Saenger Theater. This show is the follow-up to the wildly successful Contagious road show, which played to sold-out arenas everywhere.
Iron & Wine, in the person of Sam Beam, brings the cinematic music genre to maturity at the Joy Theatre on November 4.
The “So You Think You Can Dance Tour,” 14th year, taps, waltzes, and glides its way onto the stage at the Saenger Theater, November 5. See your favorite dance stars from the long-running hit TV show, and be enchanted once again with music and moves that held you in amazement when they first aired coast to coast.
The best-selling magic show in Broadway history graces the stage at the Saenger Theater for one performance only, November 9. The Illusionists Present Adam Trent will keep you wondering, “Now just how did he do that?” Trent returns to his solo roots with gusto and mystery.
On the same evening, November 9, the Smoothie King Center presents superstar rapper Jay Z and his 4:44 Tour, who will play to a packed house. Jay has sold over 100 million albums and holds the record for the consistent string of most Number 1 hits, 13.
The Mahalia Jackson Theater for the Performing Arts and The New Orleans Opera Association, one of the oldest opera companies in America tracing its history to the French Opera House in 1859, will continue their tributes to French culture and its influence in New Orleans. Against the backdrop of the city celebrating 300 years of its founding, the grand opera, Jacques Offenbach’s “Orpheus in the Underworld,” an outrageous parody of the life of modern man, will be dramatically staged on November 10 and 12.
The New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts Institute is hosting the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet for several performances, Friday, November 10, and Saturday November 11, at the Freda Lupin Hall on their campus in the Bywater. This company has put American dance at the top of the world’s finest contemporary performing dance ensembles.
One of rock’s greatest and most respected bands., ZZ Top, will be blowing the doors off the Saenger Theater on November 12. Featuring music from their latest album, which was recorded all over the world, 15 tracks produced on 3 continents. Incredibly, the centerpiece track is a heavy rock version of the 1956 Tennessee Ernie Ford hit, Sixteen Tons, which explains the name of the tour, The Tonnage Tour.
Grizzly Bear, a thinking-man’s rock group, emerged from a much-needed, three-year self-imposed exile in 2015. Now, they are as energized as ever. Painted Ruins, their fifth album effort, will be featured in an appearance at The Civic Theatre, November 12.
Primus’ Ambushing the Storm Tour makes its New Orleans stop on November 13 at the Civic Theatre before heading west for the group’s last performances in Los Angeles. Characterized by Guitar World as “one of the most unique and oddball acts in rock and roll,” Primus has just wrapped its ninth studio album, The Desaturating Seven.
One of the most beloved Broadway musicals of all time, “The King and I,” returns to the Saenger Theater for an extended run, eight performances, November 14–19. Winner of 2015’s off-Broadway’s coveted Revival of the Year award, this story of clashing cultures is as relevant today as it was in 1860, when the story is set.
Another spectacular performance the same evening, November 14, will star the prolific and talented, Tori Amos, at the Mahalia Jackson Theater to celebrate the release of her fifteenth studio album, Native Invader. Amos’ music has received multiple nominations for Grammy Awards, and this effort promises even more recognitions.
Colin Quinn has done just about everything a stand-up comic can be expected to do: making the journey from MTV, to Saturday Night Live segments, to late night appearances on talk shows, to live “concerts” all over the world, and even a few film roles. He loves New Orleans and will once again share his viewpoints and his outrage on stage at the Civic Theatre, November 18.
One of South East London’s best kept musical secrets is now exposed and will be in New Orleans at the Joy Theatre, November 18. Troyboi works in a broad spectrum of genres, as well as being a talented producer; he will be on the same bill as Slumberjack.
November 21 at the Joy, 21 Savage brings down the house with his Numb the Pain Tour stop in New Orleans, where he is joined by YoungBoy Never Broke Again.
Once again, an all-star line-up of New Orleans musicians gathers to pay tribute to The Band, and its last performance on November 25, 1976. This will be the 2nd Annual Last Waltz: New Orleans performance with the Honey Island Swamp Band, Robert Mercurio of Galactic, Reggie Scanlon of The Radiators, the John Papa Gros Band, the New Orleans Suspects, Darcy Malone, and many more, November 24 at The Joy Theater.
New Orleans childhood friends turned rap group, Partners in Crime, share their interpretations of life on the streets at the Joy Theatre, November 25, in concert with DJ Jubilee.
A nice way to round out the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend for the whole family is at the Mahalia Jackson Theater, November 26. The stage version of the children’s favorite animated character, Peppa Pig, delivers a Live Surprise, perfect to begin the Holiday Season.
Legends will meet at the Joy Theatre with John McLaughlin, one of the most respected guitar talents in music on his Farewell Tour, joining Jimmy Herring, rock-jam impresario. The results will be astounding. New Orleans will be one of the final stops on The Meeting of the Spirits tour on November 27.
Updating a classic in a most unexpected manner is the joy in The Hip Hop Nutcracker, which takes that timeless tale to places it never dreamed of going. This seasonally-correct theatrical presentation includes digital scenery, dancers, musicians, and a DJ or two, remaining true to the original story and to the genre it features. Enjoy it November 28 at the Saenger Theater.
Direct from a hit television series, magician Michael Carbonaro drops by The Saenger Theater on November 30 to share The Carbonaro Effect. The illusions and antics promise to be just as weird in person as they are on TV, only on-stage there is the added dimension of audience participation.
Defying gravity is a central concept for Cirque Dreams Holidaze at the Saenger Theater, December 5. More than 300 costumes, 20 acts, singers, acrobats, and original music make this 10th anniversary tour something very special. Here is 2-hours of Holiday entertainment that will have the entire family up on the edge of their seats.
Dead & Company keeps the special music of the Grateful Dead alive. They will be in New Orleans December 5 at the Smoothie King Center. Four members of Dead & Company were in the Grateful Dead – Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzman, singer John Mayer, and Bob Weir – and they will be alongside Allman Brothers’ Oteil Burbridge and Rat Dog’s Jeff Chimenti.
All the way from Brooklyn to New Orleans, stand-up comedian, Hari Kondabolu, shares his insightful and hilarious political observations December 10 at The Joy Theatre. Hari is a favorite of late-night television hosts and public radio programs.
The five-movement live music presentation of The Legend of Zelda, Symphony of the Goddesses as interpreted by a 57-piece orchestra and 20-voice chorus uses the Zelda games as the dramatic center point for this two-hour audible and visual feast. They will be at the Saenger Theater, December 15.
It would not be a proper Holiday Season without Irving Berlin’s American classic, White Christmas. Seldom have song and dance combined so successfully to tell the seasonal story. Set in Vermont, a group of performers are staging a show. New Orleans, while void of snow, responds well to music and lyrics familiar to everyone. Eight performances at the Saenger Theater, December 19-24.
For more than 20 years, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra has toured the world during Holiday Season and they return to New Orleans December 20 at the Smoothie King Center. They will present a completely updated version of their rock opera, “The Ghosts of Christmas Eve.”
New Orleans and the Smoothie King Center have been selected to host the annual meeting of legendary college basketball powerhouses in the CBS Sports Classic on December 23. Kentucky, North Carolina, UCLA, and Ohio State will compete in the neutral-site tournament. These teams have accounted for 25 NCAA Championships and more than 175 tournament appearances.
Nowhere in the world is The Nutcracker Ballet more fully realized, or more dramatically presented, than in Moscow with the Moscow Ballet. And this year, New Orleans shares in that artistic triumph. On December 26, the Moscow Ballet will grace the Saenger Theater stage for one performance only, and the elaborate staging promises to be just as classic as its storyline.
The Smoothie King Center goes full-on with R&B on December 28 with a world-class array of talented performers led by XScape with Kandi Burruss-Tucker, Tameka “Tiny” Harris, and sisters, LaTocha and Tamika Scott. Special guests on the tour are Monica and Tamar Braxton.
DJ Soul Sister brings it home to New Orleans for her 15th Annual Soul Train New Year’s Eve extravaganza at the Civic Theatre, December 31. This promises, as it always has in the past, to be a blow-out of epic proportions, quite an appropriate way to make the transition from one year to the next.
Katy Perry returns and this time she is bringing Witness: The Tour, to the Smoothie King Center on January 5. She will be featuring singles from her new Witness album, which include the Platinum-certified, Chained to the Rhythm, featuring Skip Marley; along with Migos on Bon Appetit.
The incredibly talented and highly popular rock group, Milky Chance, arrives at The Joy Theater on January 14 for a one-night only concert. This group plays to packed houses around the world. Their New Orleans gig promises to be extra-energized, taking place during the Carnival Season.
There are obvious challenges in bringing the essence of an Emmy-nominated hit animated television series to live theatre and the Kratt Brothers Company is more than up to the task: Wild Kratts – Live. This high energy no-holds-barred show is entertainment for the whole family and the antics of the familiar cast of characters are certain to evoke both nods of familiarity and loads of laughs at the Saenger Theater, January 24.
What could be more appropriate than a burlesque named Tabasco and staged in the heart of the French Quarter at Le Petit Théâtre du Vieux Carré? The story of this 75 year-old dining table staple unfolds onstage with great energy and enthusiasm January 25-28.
The New Orleans Ballet Association brings the sensuality of Buenos Aires to the Mahalia Jackson Theater stage on January 27 with an amazing presentation of Tango Fire. Award-winning dancers from Argentina, under the direction of superstar German Cornejo, present the passion, fire, and tempo of what is considered the world’s most exciting national dance.
The legacy of George and Ira Gershwin is one of the great accomplishments of American music and nowhere does their talent shine as bright as the story of An American in Paris. This entirely new stage production is the perfect translation of symphonic music applied to motion pictures and now Broadway. From January 30 through February 4, the Saenger Theater continues its offering of great performances with the Broadway Across America and Broadway in New Orleans season subscription series.
Ticket Information for all venues:
Saenger Theatre
1111 Canal Street
Ticketmaster – www.ticketmaster.com
(504) 287-0351
The Mahalia Jackson Theatre for the Performing Arts
1419 Basin Street
1-800-745-3000
www.ticketmaster.com
The Civic Theatre
510 O’Keefe
(504) 272-0865
www.civicnola.com
Joy Theatre
1200 Canal Street
504-528-9569
www.thejoytheatre.com
Smoothie King Center 1510 Girod Street
504-587-3822
www.smoothiekingcenter.com
Le Petit Theatre du Vieux Carre 616 St. Peter Street
504-522-2081
www.lepetittheatre.com
Needless to say, we don’t just measure up; New Orleans defines the Gold Standard.
Get ready to really kick the theatrical season into high gear in The Crescent City. Hang on tight-- it’s going to be a wild ride.
Disney’s hit animated television series, PJ Masks, goes LIVE! at the Saenger Theatre, November 1, 8 p.m. Three young friends become Catboy, Owlette and Gekko when they activate their magic amulets and don pajamas. This is a show the entire family will enjoy with great staging, original music, and lots of action.
Introspection, entertainment, and psychedelic music will merge with Flying Lotus in 3D at the Joy Theatre on November 1.
Le Petit Théâtre du Vieux Carré, one of the most historic and charming theatres you will ever attend, and set in a corner of Jackson Square in the French Quarter, will be presenting “The Last Five Years,” November 3-19. As told from the separate perspective of both a husband and wife, the play dramatically recounts the trials of courtship and marriage, all set to an infectious rock music score.
Jim Gaffigan, author, Grammy-nominated performer, stand-up entertainer, and television star is currently presenting his Noble Ape Tour across the country. The New Orleans stop is scheduled for November 3 at the Saenger Theater. This show is the follow-up to the wildly successful Contagious road show, which played to sold-out arenas everywhere.
Iron & Wine, in the person of Sam Beam, brings the cinematic music genre to maturity at the Joy Theatre on November 4.
The “So You Think You Can Dance Tour,” 14th year, taps, waltzes, and glides its way onto the stage at the Saenger Theater, November 5. See your favorite dance stars from the long-running hit TV show, and be enchanted once again with music and moves that held you in amazement when they first aired coast to coast.
The best-selling magic show in Broadway history graces the stage at the Saenger Theater for one performance only, November 9. The Illusionists Present Adam Trent will keep you wondering, “Now just how did he do that?” Trent returns to his solo roots with gusto and mystery.
On the same evening, November 9, the Smoothie King Center presents superstar rapper Jay Z and his 4:44 Tour, who will play to a packed house. Jay has sold over 100 million albums and holds the record for the consistent string of most Number 1 hits, 13.
The Mahalia Jackson Theater for the Performing Arts and The New Orleans Opera Association, one of the oldest opera companies in America tracing its history to the French Opera House in 1859, will continue their tributes to French culture and its influence in New Orleans. Against the backdrop of the city celebrating 300 years of its founding, the grand opera, Jacques Offenbach’s “Orpheus in the Underworld,” an outrageous parody of the life of modern man, will be dramatically staged on November 10 and 12.
The New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts Institute is hosting the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet for several performances, Friday, November 10, and Saturday November 11, at the Freda Lupin Hall on their campus in the Bywater. This company has put American dance at the top of the world’s finest contemporary performing dance ensembles.
One of rock’s greatest and most respected bands., ZZ Top, will be blowing the doors off the Saenger Theater on November 12. Featuring music from their latest album, which was recorded all over the world, 15 tracks produced on 3 continents. Incredibly, the centerpiece track is a heavy rock version of the 1956 Tennessee Ernie Ford hit, Sixteen Tons, which explains the name of the tour, The Tonnage Tour.
Grizzly Bear, a thinking-man’s rock group, emerged from a much-needed, three-year self-imposed exile in 2015. Now, they are as energized as ever. Painted Ruins, their fifth album effort, will be featured in an appearance at The Civic Theatre, November 12.
Primus’ Ambushing the Storm Tour makes its New Orleans stop on November 13 at the Civic Theatre before heading west for the group’s last performances in Los Angeles. Characterized by Guitar World as “one of the most unique and oddball acts in rock and roll,” Primus has just wrapped its ninth studio album, The Desaturating Seven.
One of the most beloved Broadway musicals of all time, “The King and I,” returns to the Saenger Theater for an extended run, eight performances, November 14–19. Winner of 2015’s off-Broadway’s coveted Revival of the Year award, this story of clashing cultures is as relevant today as it was in 1860, when the story is set.
Another spectacular performance the same evening, November 14, will star the prolific and talented, Tori Amos, at the Mahalia Jackson Theater to celebrate the release of her fifteenth studio album, Native Invader. Amos’ music has received multiple nominations for Grammy Awards, and this effort promises even more recognitions.
Colin Quinn has done just about everything a stand-up comic can be expected to do: making the journey from MTV, to Saturday Night Live segments, to late night appearances on talk shows, to live “concerts” all over the world, and even a few film roles. He loves New Orleans and will once again share his viewpoints and his outrage on stage at the Civic Theatre, November 18.
One of South East London’s best kept musical secrets is now exposed and will be in New Orleans at the Joy Theatre, November 18. Troyboi works in a broad spectrum of genres, as well as being a talented producer; he will be on the same bill as Slumberjack.
November 21 at the Joy, 21 Savage brings down the house with his Numb the Pain Tour stop in New Orleans, where he is joined by YoungBoy Never Broke Again.
Once again, an all-star line-up of New Orleans musicians gathers to pay tribute to The Band, and its last performance on November 25, 1976. This will be the 2nd Annual Last Waltz: New Orleans performance with the Honey Island Swamp Band, Robert Mercurio of Galactic, Reggie Scanlon of The Radiators, the John Papa Gros Band, the New Orleans Suspects, Darcy Malone, and many more, November 24 at The Joy Theater.
New Orleans childhood friends turned rap group, Partners in Crime, share their interpretations of life on the streets at the Joy Theatre, November 25, in concert with DJ Jubilee.
A nice way to round out the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend for the whole family is at the Mahalia Jackson Theater, November 26. The stage version of the children’s favorite animated character, Peppa Pig, delivers a Live Surprise, perfect to begin the Holiday Season.
Legends will meet at the Joy Theatre with John McLaughlin, one of the most respected guitar talents in music on his Farewell Tour, joining Jimmy Herring, rock-jam impresario. The results will be astounding. New Orleans will be one of the final stops on The Meeting of the Spirits tour on November 27.
Updating a classic in a most unexpected manner is the joy in The Hip Hop Nutcracker, which takes that timeless tale to places it never dreamed of going. This seasonally-correct theatrical presentation includes digital scenery, dancers, musicians, and a DJ or two, remaining true to the original story and to the genre it features. Enjoy it November 28 at the Saenger Theater.
Direct from a hit television series, magician Michael Carbonaro drops by The Saenger Theater on November 30 to share The Carbonaro Effect. The illusions and antics promise to be just as weird in person as they are on TV, only on-stage there is the added dimension of audience participation.
Defying gravity is a central concept for Cirque Dreams Holidaze at the Saenger Theater, December 5. More than 300 costumes, 20 acts, singers, acrobats, and original music make this 10th anniversary tour something very special. Here is 2-hours of Holiday entertainment that will have the entire family up on the edge of their seats.
Dead & Company keeps the special music of the Grateful Dead alive. They will be in New Orleans December 5 at the Smoothie King Center. Four members of Dead & Company were in the Grateful Dead – Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzman, singer John Mayer, and Bob Weir – and they will be alongside Allman Brothers’ Oteil Burbridge and Rat Dog’s Jeff Chimenti.
All the way from Brooklyn to New Orleans, stand-up comedian, Hari Kondabolu, shares his insightful and hilarious political observations December 10 at The Joy Theatre. Hari is a favorite of late-night television hosts and public radio programs.
The five-movement live music presentation of The Legend of Zelda, Symphony of the Goddesses as interpreted by a 57-piece orchestra and 20-voice chorus uses the Zelda games as the dramatic center point for this two-hour audible and visual feast. They will be at the Saenger Theater, December 15.
It would not be a proper Holiday Season without Irving Berlin’s American classic, White Christmas. Seldom have song and dance combined so successfully to tell the seasonal story. Set in Vermont, a group of performers are staging a show. New Orleans, while void of snow, responds well to music and lyrics familiar to everyone. Eight performances at the Saenger Theater, December 19-24.
For more than 20 years, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra has toured the world during Holiday Season and they return to New Orleans December 20 at the Smoothie King Center. They will present a completely updated version of their rock opera, “The Ghosts of Christmas Eve.”
New Orleans and the Smoothie King Center have been selected to host the annual meeting of legendary college basketball powerhouses in the CBS Sports Classic on December 23. Kentucky, North Carolina, UCLA, and Ohio State will compete in the neutral-site tournament. These teams have accounted for 25 NCAA Championships and more than 175 tournament appearances.
Nowhere in the world is The Nutcracker Ballet more fully realized, or more dramatically presented, than in Moscow with the Moscow Ballet. And this year, New Orleans shares in that artistic triumph. On December 26, the Moscow Ballet will grace the Saenger Theater stage for one performance only, and the elaborate staging promises to be just as classic as its storyline.
The Smoothie King Center goes full-on with R&B on December 28 with a world-class array of talented performers led by XScape with Kandi Burruss-Tucker, Tameka “Tiny” Harris, and sisters, LaTocha and Tamika Scott. Special guests on the tour are Monica and Tamar Braxton.
DJ Soul Sister brings it home to New Orleans for her 15th Annual Soul Train New Year’s Eve extravaganza at the Civic Theatre, December 31. This promises, as it always has in the past, to be a blow-out of epic proportions, quite an appropriate way to make the transition from one year to the next.
Katy Perry returns and this time she is bringing Witness: The Tour, to the Smoothie King Center on January 5. She will be featuring singles from her new Witness album, which include the Platinum-certified, Chained to the Rhythm, featuring Skip Marley; along with Migos on Bon Appetit.
The incredibly talented and highly popular rock group, Milky Chance, arrives at The Joy Theater on January 14 for a one-night only concert. This group plays to packed houses around the world. Their New Orleans gig promises to be extra-energized, taking place during the Carnival Season.
There are obvious challenges in bringing the essence of an Emmy-nominated hit animated television series to live theatre and the Kratt Brothers Company is more than up to the task: Wild Kratts – Live. This high energy no-holds-barred show is entertainment for the whole family and the antics of the familiar cast of characters are certain to evoke both nods of familiarity and loads of laughs at the Saenger Theater, January 24.
What could be more appropriate than a burlesque named Tabasco and staged in the heart of the French Quarter at Le Petit Théâtre du Vieux Carré? The story of this 75 year-old dining table staple unfolds onstage with great energy and enthusiasm January 25-28.
The New Orleans Ballet Association brings the sensuality of Buenos Aires to the Mahalia Jackson Theater stage on January 27 with an amazing presentation of Tango Fire. Award-winning dancers from Argentina, under the direction of superstar German Cornejo, present the passion, fire, and tempo of what is considered the world’s most exciting national dance.
The legacy of George and Ira Gershwin is one of the great accomplishments of American music and nowhere does their talent shine as bright as the story of An American in Paris. This entirely new stage production is the perfect translation of symphonic music applied to motion pictures and now Broadway. From January 30 through February 4, the Saenger Theater continues its offering of great performances with the Broadway Across America and Broadway in New Orleans season subscription series.
Ticket Information for all venues:
Saenger Theatre
1111 Canal Street
Ticketmaster – www.ticketmaster.com
(504) 287-0351
The Mahalia Jackson Theatre for the Performing Arts
1419 Basin Street
1-800-745-3000
www.ticketmaster.com
The Civic Theatre
510 O’Keefe
(504) 272-0865
www.civicnola.com
Joy Theatre
1200 Canal Street
504-528-9569
www.thejoytheatre.com
Smoothie King Center 1510 Girod Street
504-587-3822
www.smoothiekingcenter.com
Le Petit Theatre du Vieux Carre 616 St. Peter Street
504-522-2081
www.lepetittheatre.com
