Scary Stages

Seasonal sensations are the theme of a passel of upcoming productions, perfectly timed for a frightfully good fit to the stages of the metro area.

Which one will win?

Will it be the scientist or the evil alter ego? Audiences will get the chance to find out when Jefferson Performing Arts Society tells the tale of “Jekyll & Hyde” opening Oct. 25-Nov. 3 at the Jefferson Performing Arts Center in Metairie.

The musical, based on Robert Louis Stevenson’s story, looks at a brilliant physician who hopes to create a formula to separate a person’s good from their evil, but the results create a murderous alter ego when he tests the drug on himself. The show, which was first staged in the early 1990s, has been through a variety of changes from the Broadway opening and has become a favorite on the touring circuit, with such memorable soaring numbers like “This is the Moment,” “In His Eyes” and “Alive.”

Ken Goode takes the helm for the JPAS production, with Ken Leach as musical director. Maestro Dennis Assaf leads the 23-member live orchestra.

Taking the title role(s) is Tyler Walls of Kansas City, a veteran of several national tours including “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” and “Into the Woods.” As love interests, Emma and Lucy are Monique Abry Knoepfler and Stephanie Abry. Additional cast includes Luke Sirinides, Lalanya Gunn, Adriel Aviles, Paul Bello, Nathan Long, Barry Acosta, Wayne Gonsoulin, Michael Smith, Ty Robbins, Peter Gabb, Andrew Butler, Jacob Huffty, Virginia Borne, Danny Rubio, Sasha Munchak, Ryan Kelly Moore, Nathan Parrish, Ti Zampino, Gabrielle Santalla, Zane Syjansky, Shelby Wynne, Maggie Jaunet, Victoria Cantrelle, Allee Peck, Abbey Murrell and Rachel Gagnard.

The show runs at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 2 p.m. Sundays at the 6400 Airline Drive theater. Tickets start at $20. jpas.org.

A Jersey superhero

Rivertown Theaters for the Performing Arts stages a musical comedy with a New Jersey accent with “The Toxic Avenger,” based on the Lloyd Kaufman cult film and running at the Kenner playhouse Oct. 25-Nov. 10.

A New Jersey do-gooder runs afoul of the mayor’s henchmen when he tried to clean up his town. He’s plunged into a vat of “radioactive toxic water” and comes out as a 7-foot mutant with superhuman strength who sets his sights on the town’s blind librarian. With music by Bon Jovi’s David Bryan (a Jerseyite), the show features only five players who take all the roles.

Keith Warren is the title character, with Katie Bancroft as Sarah and Laurie Reinagel as the mayor. Kirkland Green and Adam Breaux fill in the gaps — all the gaps.

Gary Rucker is the director, with Jennifer Eastland as musical director and Belle Tudor as choreographer. 

The show runs at 7:30 p.m. Fridays to Saturday, plus Nov. 7, and 2 p.m. Sundays at 325 Minor St. in Kenner. Tickets start at $41. rivertowntheaters.com.

‘Oh, Rocky!’

There are two chances to take that “jump to the left” on both sides of Lake Pontchartrain, each with a live cast and one with the original film and a surprise attendee for “The Rocky Horror Show.”

Patricia Quinn, the original “Magenta” in the play and the film, will be on hand when the iconic cult classic film shows at the Mahalia Jackson Theater of the Performing Arts Oct. 24, celebrating the 49th anniversary. Quinn portrayed half of the brother-sister duo, along with the show’s creator Richard O’Brien. Fans will have a chance to meet and chat with Quinn.

Part of the “Rocky Horror” experience is the “shadow cast” that performs the show in front of the screen, a tradition that dates back to the infancy of the juggernaut that midnight movie has become. The Well-Hung Speakers, who perform routinely at the Prytania Theater, will do the honors at the Mahalia, with Cayla Smith as Dr. Frank-N-Furter, Emily Henry as Janet Weiss and Milo Malone as Brad Majors. Additional cast includes Bri Huber, Hope Gann, Taylor Feingold, Audrey Pugh, Lucy Grissom, Saxon Ball, Serena Allure, Ivana Cry, Noah Deutsch, Sunday Mayer, Macie Barrios, Lizzy Crigler, Stephen Gunther, Bev Van Pelt, Jesse Venable, Keara Sparks and Ruby Rae Levin.

Over at the Frankenstein place

On the north shore, Cutting Edge Theater has established a tradition of its own, staging a homage to the original show each years, with a special “edge” to the production.

Now, under the new name of Cutting Edge Center of the Arts, the Slidell theatrical ensemble presents their “fresh take” on the “Rocky Horror Show” opening Friday through Oct. 26 at 767 Robert Blvd.

The 2024 “interpretation delves into the dark, deep, and mysterious elements that have captivated audiences for decades, offering fans everything they adore about the original but with an exciting twist,” notes the promotional material. “Prepare for a thrilling experience that reimagines the iconic tale, blending nostalgia with innovation.”

Dakota Billiot takes the title role, with Chris Grimwood as Frank-N-Furter, Sean Noggerath as Brad and Meagan Augistine as Janet, Becky Diagrepont and Sara Tweedy as the narrator with Earl Poole, Chloe Hansen, Mike Tanner, Marley Monahan, Missy Avery, Dallas Perry and Elizabeth Wheat. 

The show runs at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, with tickets from $30. cuttingedgetheater.com.

Stranger Tennessee?

A taste of the macabre and the merry will be on tap at 7:30 p.m. Saturday when the Tennessee Williams Theatre Company stages its Strangers’ Ball II — A Little Death at 1239 Baronne St.

A heady mix of seance, service and soiree, the evening includes tarot readings, a silent auction, a mask buffet, psychic medium Ozellar The All-Knowing, music and a seance floor show, plus entertainment by Debbie with a D, Bella Blue, Styxx and more.

“Dress decadently” is the costume de rigueur, with mask provided for those in need.

Tickets start at $100. twtheatrenola.com.

Opening this week Oct. 17-23

“LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS”: Opening 7:30 p.m. Thursday to Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; River Region Performing Arts and Cultural Center, 15146 River Road, Norco. Set in 1960s in Skid Row, River Region Drama Guild presents the story of a hapless orphan, working and living in a destitute flower shop who finds a strange plant that grows into a talking, blood-sucking, mind-controlling menace. With a rock songbook, the dark-tinged comedy is a strange night of frightful fun. Tickets start at $15. rrpa.org.

“PASS OVER”: Opening 7:30 p.m. Oct. 24 on selected nights through Nov. 9, with a 2 p.m. matinee Nov. 3.; New Orleans African American Museum, 1418 Gov. Nicholls St. The NOLA Project presents a take on Samuel Beckett’s iconic tragicomedy “Waiting for Godot,” by Antoinette Chinonye Nwandu, the show looks at two young men standing on a corner, passing time and longing for change. A stranger enters and derails their plans. Tickets start at $10. nolaproject.com/passover.

In production Oct. 17

“GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY”: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Sunday; Saenger Theatre, 1111 Canal St. The show reimagines 20 of Dylan’s songs in a 1930s Minnesota guesthouse populated by “wayward travelers.” Through song, the audience is privy to their lives and hopes. Tickets start at $30. neworleans.broadway.com.

“MURDER FOR TWO”: 7:30 p.m. Thursday to Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday; Le Petit Théâtre du Vieux Carré, 616 St. Peter St. Ricky Graham directs the comedy that features the talents of Max DoVale and Mark Schenfisch in what’s called “a witty and winking homage to old-fashioned murder mysteries” where the duo takes roles of all the suspects and detective for a total of 14 roles. And they also play piano. Tickets start at $17. lepetittheatre.com.

“MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS”: 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2:30 p.m. Sundays through Oct. 27; 30 by Ninety Theatre, 880 Lafayette St., Mandeville. Based on the classic Agatha Christie mystery novel, the play unfolds aboard a snowbound train when the tycoon is skewered in his locked compartment after midnight. But, as luck would have it, super sleuth Hercule Poirot is on board and will find the solution to the “slice and dice” situation from the bizarre collection of passengers. Tickets start at $20. 30byninety.com.