THE RUE BAYOU EXPERIENCE
When you arrive at the Rue Bayou, you are immersed in a world that reflects the unique character of New Orleans. The Rue Bayou décor is a collage of shop-worn elegance, music memorabilia and a touch of Voodoo mystery. The house band, The Po-Boys, has got the place rocking, servers whisk by with trays of cold Abita Beer and Hurricane cocktails, and couples on the dance floor are bouncing to the beat and two-stepping the Zydeco.
Your toes can’t help but tap along with the infectious music as you settle in at your table with a snack and cocktail of your choice.
Lights fade, leaving the space glowing in the light of the voodoo spirit candles on the tables.
From out of the glow, we hear a Mardi Gras-style piano riff followed by a voice singing…
I wanna tell you what I did Last Night
But I can’t be sure I remember it right
Cajun beer and a hurricane
What happened next, I can’t explain …
Lights come up and our cast enters welcoming our audience with the rollicking anthem, Last Night at the Rue Bayou.
During the opening, we meet some of the regulars and staff of the Rue Bayou including …
Reverend Beaucoup, the mysterious MC who may not be what he seems.
LaFonda Ramirez, the resourceful manager, who is in love with …
Antoine “Tiny” Bouchard, the shy Gumbo Master who is one of the “outside children” of …
King B, the legendary R&B singer, ruling spirit of the Rue Bayou, and deceased husband of …
Miss Ilean, the Rue’s proprietor and protagonist of our story.
In The Man Can’t Take it Away, Miss Ilean sings of the lifelong hardships that motivate her each day – and the reason why this night brings a mortal threat to the life of the Rue Bayou.
We discover that the club is under yet another threat from “the Man.” This time it is a land grab by the corrupt Parish Commissioner, Rupert Robicheaux.
Desperate for help, Miss Ilean calls upon the spirit of her departed mother, the renowned Voodoo Queen, Mama LaChatte. Mama’s Incantation conjures up the arrival of the Trickster Voodoo Spirit, Papa Legba.
Mystery and menace fill the air like unchained spirits as Act I concludes.
At the Intermission, you can refresh your drinks, learn the Cajun two-step on the dance floor, and dig into a complimentary bowl of the Rue’s Famous Gumbo cooked up by Tiny Bouchard.
(Recipe contained in “Tiny’s Big Eats Cookbook” available in the on-site gift shop.)
Act II begins with Mo’ Gumbo, Tiny’s toe-tapping Zydeco love song to his signature dish – and to his now fiancé, LaFonda. (Music by Dwayne Dopsie, son of the Zydeco legend, “Rockin’ Dopsie.”)
Surprising twists and reversals of fortunes at the hands of Papa Legba keep the audience on the edge of their seats and, literally, involved in the action. (No spoilers here!)
At the Mardi Gras wedding of LaFonda and Tiny, Miss Ilean gives the couple essential advice in keeping love alive in the rousing Tend The Flame.
At the peak of the joy, Papa Legba lives up to his “Trickster” reputation. He lifts the gossamer veil between the worlds of flesh and spirit to reveal they are intertwined in a waltz of love, Tous Est Ici (Everything is Here).
But he still has another trick in store …
Sorry—
no spoilers!