THE ARTS

The latest literary, theater, opera and arts updates from New Orleans

Is your kid interested in getting on stage? Does your child want to sing? Is your child into musical theater? Classes start Sept 15, but get in now to save on tuition.

Pam and Jimmy are covering some record breaking real estate in south Florida leaving Miami across the Everglades past Sanibel Island up to Sarasota. Two glorious days meeting with managers of big chains and small independent book stores.

This week in The Reading Life, it's all about reading -- literally -- with reviews of five books about books: Larry McMurtry's "Books: A Memoir," an account of the novelist's life in bookselling; Ammon Shea's "Reading the OED: One Man, One Year, 21,730 Pages"; Leonard Marcus's compelling history of American children's books, "Minders of Make-Believe: Idealists, Entrepreneurs, and the Shaping of American Children's Literature"; James Hawes's "Why You Should Read Kafka Before You Waste Your Life"; and Cathy Alter's "Up for Renewal: What Magazines Taught Me About Love, Sex, and Starting Over."

Susan Larson, Book editor

"The 13 Lessons" is a revealing, multidisciplinary theater piece about adult illiteracy in our community, told from a variety of viewpoints in forceful and humorous scenes, song and dance.

Kesha McKey is electrifying as "Delores" as is Derrick Deal, a young actor whose identity shifts throughout the play.

What could be a dry recitation of statistics comes alive in Lenwood O. Sloan's unexpectedly involving script, culled from first-person oral histories and story circles, and Sh'riff Hasan's adventurous, purposeful direction, in which the play comes off the Ashe Cultural Arts Center stage, taking place around and throughout the audience.

SPOTLIGHT ON: JACK PENDARVIS

What: The comic writer reads from and signs his first novel, 'Awesome.'

When and where: Today, 7 p.m., at East Bank Regional Library, 4747 West Napoleon Ave., Metairie; and Thursday, 6 p.m., Octavia Books.

Jack Pendarvis

Beach Book

Life With My Sister Madonna
By Christopher Ciccone with Wendy Leigh (Author) (Simon Spotlight Entertainment, $26.99)

The singer's brother describes growing up Ciccone, tagging along with the wave of publicity for her new CD.

Following the Atlantic coastline of Florida, Pam and Jimmy discover pristine beaches and dine under the full moon on streets lined with coconut trees. Join Pam as she shares her lessons on how to tighten the google search on finding book stores and save miles in touring them.

Speak Easy Too in Madisonville presents paintings and drawings by the Artist of the Month, Bill Wells.

A wine and cheese reception will be held this Friday, July 25 from 6:30-8 p.m. Artwork will be on display through August 21, 2008.

To celebrate the much anticipated re-opening of Mahalia Jackson Theatre for the Performing Arts, the world's greatest tenor, Placido Domingo returns to New Orleans for a January 17, 2009 gala and to inaugurate the "Placido Domingo Stage."

Surrounding this magnificent event will be New Orleans Opera Association's 66th season, Death by Love. Film, theater and dance have all created memorable death scenes, but no art form portrays this unique moment as well as opera. This season opera goers will see three smart, strong, charismatic women consumed by love.

Three of the world's greatest composers for the stage have provided Manon Lescaut, Violetta and Carmen music that matches their passion and depths of emotion. The darker side of love will be portrayed by the legendary Don Juan of Mozart's masterpiece, Don Giovanni.

The Season

McAlister Auditorium:

Puccini's Manon Lescaut -October 17 & 19, 2008
Mozart's Don Giovanni -November 14 & 16, 2008

Mahalia Jackson Theatre:

Bizet's Carmen -March 20 & 22, 2009
Verdi's La Traviata - April 17 & 19, 2009
Gala Concert with Placido Domingo - January 17, 2009