A Louisiana Gentleman and Other New Orleans Comedies: Volume 1 - Classic Humor for Book Lovers & Theater Enthusiasts | Perfect for Gifts, Reading Clubs & Cultural Studies

Expertly written and evocative of the mystery and atmosphere of New Orleans before Hurricane Katrina, the plays in A LOUISIANA GENTLEMAN are worthy of both armchair reading and production on stage. They tell stories that could happen only in and around New Orleans, and the characters are so well crafted you come to know them better than they know themselves - their passions, their flaws, their prejudices, and all their idiosyncracies. The settings are just as distinctive and vivid. The time in the title play, for example, is, "twilight, that uncertain time between the quiet of night and the noise of day when the apartments blend into the shadows." In SOLITAIRE, there is a "lazy Sunday tableau," and "the soft cries of sea gulls and the lapping of waves" are heard. The character names, too, are expressive (Quint, Rooster, Hetty, and Beau, for example) as are their descriptions. Dale Ellen Ashton has a "haunted radiance that makes her fragility more precious." Whether a particular play takes place in a mansion on Exposition Boulevard, an abandoned way station near an old train depot, or the deck of the Dixie Queen paddle boat, you will be drawn into the world Rosary Hartel O'Neill creates. I savored each play and feel certain that you will, too.