Annie Jr. in Lake Charles, LA for Three More Performances

A group of female orphans sing and dance on stage while one jumps into a huge laundry bin. Another one joins the first in the laundry bin and the first one jumps out of the bin. When the head of the orphanage looks for the second orphan, all of the other orphan girls laugh and say that she escaped and the head of the orphannage gets mad.

Later on, the stage is split so about a third of it is a radio station and the other two-thirds is the orphanage where the girls are listening to the radio. They are amazed because that second orphan is now on the radio.

Radar and I posing with Miss Hannigan.

These are two scenes that can be seen in Lake Charles's Christian Youth Theater's production of Annie Jr. The play is currently being produced in the auditorium at LaGrange Senior High School.

An actress to watch is Allison Snider. Her talent and obvious hard work show in her portrayal of the bitter orphan hating Miss Hannigan. Also great is Randilyn LeJeune as Annie. If close enough to the stage, it can be seen that her facial expressions are perfect when it comes to the character of Annie.

The rest of the cast is also very talented and there is nothing weak about any of the cast in this play. They include McKenzie Menard (Molly), Gianna Lewis (Tessie), Elizabeth Campbell (July), Hannah Miller (Duffy), Ava DeLano (Kate), Elisabeth Pettefer (Grace Farrell), Quaid Nichols (Rooster), Olivia DeLano (Lily), Abram Conner (Warbucks), Zachary Benot (Drake), Chase Landry (Mrs. Greer), Hunter Becton (Mrs. Pugh), Claire Bailey (Cecile), Brynn Mayo (Annette), Cooper Self (Bundles), Maria Lee (Chauffer), Benjamine Gabre (Louis Howe), Rachael Riquelmy (Dogcatcher), Duff Nichols (FDR), Dylan Freeman (Bert Healy/Announcer), Annalise Funk (Sounds Effects Woman), Alana Fournet (Star to Be), Kyah Busby (Police Officer Ward/Cop/Policewoman), Olive Foreman (Man/Maid Servant #1), Abigail Pettefer (Man/Maid Servant #2), Harleigh Miller (Man/Maid Servant #3), Bliss Nichols (Man/Maid Servant #4), Kellsie Jones (Man [Woman]), and Aubree Babaz (Usherette).

The Orphan Ensemble is made up of Kaylee Mayo, Nyla Sonnier, Rylee Menard, and Zoe Thrasher. The Servant/NYC Ensemble is made up of Amanda Sanders, Blaire Buller, Elliot Fuselier, Grace Boyer, Kamila Vigo, Katherine Pierrotti, Kathryne Berken, Morgan Castillo, and Niobe Jade.

The lighting is wonderful. White lights highlight happy scenes while red illuminate and give the feel or hate or anger. Blue lights are often used for sadness or night time.

I lost my program somewhere along the way from leaving the theatre to my car, so I am sorry for not mentioning everybody. The director, ?, and the assistant director, Brahnsen Lopez, did a wonderful job of making it so the actors are always visible, yet, when they need to be in groups, they are placed into groups, yet not bunched into a crowd. The choreography by Joey Boyette is extremely impressive as the actors follow it at all different ages and yet, it is stunning and fun to watch on stage.

Annie Jr. can be seen three more times. They are:

• Saturday, May 11 at 2pm
• Saturday, May 11 at 7pm
• Sunday May 12 at 3pm

Standard Tickets are $15. Tickest for children aged 12 and under, people 65 years of age and older, members of the military, students, and for each person if in a group of 10 or more are $10. If tickets are purchased at the door, they are $20.

Get the $15 online via credit card at Lake Charles's Christian Youth Theater's Webite by clicking the blue button that says "Purchase Tickets."

Spring Awakening in Lake Charles, LA for Three More Performances

A group of 19th century German boys sit in a classroom reciting rote literature. When the teacher goes to talk to somebody else, a couple of them start discussing what is obviously a wet dream that one had. However, he is extremely embarrassed by it and finds it to be a terror. Then a discussion of the dreams of the different boys in the class are had and suddenly they break out into the song, "The Bitch of Living" while dancing.

That scene can be seen in Spring Awakening which is currently being produced by Black Market Theatre. It is based on the play by Frank Wedekind. The entire cast did an amazing job, but two actors truly stand out. Those two are Bryce Louviere who plays Melchior and Brian Lazo who plays Moritz. These two actors especially stand out when they have scenes together. Of course, Joey Boyette, who plays Hanschen and Rupert. He also provided the amazing choreography performed by the entire cast.

Other cast members include Ella Theriot (Wendla), Davin Faulk (Ernst and Reinhold), Jeff Johns (Georg and Dieter), Sydney Landry (Otto and Ulbrecht), Hailey Cooley (Ilse), Bryanna Rose (Martha), Joy Abshire (Anna), Jessica Broussard (Thea), Noelie Puckett (Adult Woman), and Trevor Chaumot (Adult Man).

Black Market Theatre does what it does best. It puts on edgy shows that challenge the audience. However, Spring Awakening deals with issues that we still deal with today. These issues are important to bring to light however it is done. This play, as they say, truly brought all the feels.

Sometimes when there is a live band for a performance, there can be issues with having them on the stage. However, the band is in this was perfect for the show. At no time did the music overpower when the actors were singing. The band members include William Lormand (guitar), Collin Thomas (bass), Daniel Fontentot (drums), Isaiah Windsor (piano), and Nikki Guillory (cello).

The lighting design by Jonathan Richards complimented the shows themes very well. It was mostly dark with blue lights and some with red and the lighting definitely help evoke emotions. Jessica Lormand did an amazing job of costuming, especially the finding the German school boys.

Others involved with the productions of this play are Ted Oliver, Richard Chricton, Devin Faulk, and Dennis Murdock.

Spring Awakening contain many adult scenes and some disturbing subject matters. These include physical violence, sexual violence, suicide, victim blaming, mental illness, domestic abuse, and more. The show is for adults.

Spring Awakening can be seen for three more times in Lake Charles, LA. The show is being performed at the Benjamin Mount Theatre in the Old Central School at 809 Kirby St. in Lake Charles, LA. Tickets are $18 (a total of $19.71) when bought online. Ticket sales are located at The Black Market Theatre Yapsody Page for Spring Awakening.

The show can be seen at the following times:

• Friday, May 3, 2019 at 7:30pm
• Saturday, May 4, 2019 at 7:30pm
• Sunday, May 5, 2019 at 2:30pm