LIVE MUSIC
TUNES: Longtime Radiators guitarist Camile Baudoin, with friends Reggie Scanlan, Frank Bua and John Fohl, will perform April 2 at the Dew Drop Inn from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Buy home-cooked food next door from First Free Mission Baptist Church ladies next door. Soft drinks, water, beer and wine also for sale. Adult admission is $10 cash; students and children free. No outside food, drinks or pets; bring lawn chairs to sit outside on the grounds at 430 Lamarque St. in Mandeville.
TUNES: The next Mandeville Live! free concert on April 1 will feature Sugar Shaker at the Mandeville Trailhead, 675 Lafitte St. Free live music from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Bring blankets and chairs, but no food or drinks. Concessions for sale on site. More info, (985) 624-3147.
ROCKIN: Where Y’acht will entertain at a free April 7 concert at the Covington Trailhead as the city’s Rockin’ the Rails spring music series continues every Thursday evening in April. The group, which self-identifies as a yacht rock cover band specializing in music from the late 70s and early 80s, will play from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Bring blankets and lawn chairs, but buy food and beverages from vendors on site.
THEATER
MIA: The Archbishop Hannan High School Blackfriars’ are presenting “Mamma Mia!” at Fuhrman Auditorium, 317 N. Jefferson St., in Covington. A large cast of players will keep the laughs and dance numbers coming as the musical tells the story of a young woman’s quest for her father in this jukebox musical written by British playwright Catherine Johnson, based on the songs of ABBA. Shows April 24-26 are 7 p.m., with a special 2 p.m. matinee on April 26. Tickets at eventbrite.com, $15-$25. Box office opens at 6 p.m., showtime at 7 p.m.
COMEDY: “How the Other Half Loves,” a comedy about infidelity by Alan Ayckbourn, shows at Playmakers Theater through April 10. Directed by Arden Allen Dufilho, the comedy features a philandering husband who invites trouble when he invents a story about a co-worker’s marital troubles to cover up his own tryst with his employer’s wife. The play features Evette Randolph, Chris Eberle, Jonah Boudreaux, Summer Kavalir, Tanner Tomingas and Peyton Wilson. The assistant director is Naomi Wilson. Tickets are $20 at playmakersinc.com. Performances are at 7 p.m. Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays.
DREAM TEAM: “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” through April 2 at the Cutting Edge Theater, 767 Robert Blvd., in Slidell. The first Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice musical based on the story of Joseph from the book of Genesis. Friday and Saturday shows at 8 p.m. only. Tickets at Eventbrite or get discounted tickets by calling (985) 285-6666. Tickets start at $30.
SONDHEIM: The Cutting Edge Theater performers and singers provide a weekend of musical theater April 8-9 when they remember the great Stephen Sondheim with songs from West Side Story, Company, Into the Woods, Sweeney Todd and more. Two 8 p.m. shows; tickets $30-$45. Buy them through Eventbrite or save the online fees by texting (985) 285-6666 to order without extra fees. Theater at 767 Robert Blvd. in Slidell.
ART
DUNBAR: The work of celebrated modern art pioneer George Dunbar is on exhibit at the Slidell Cultural Center through April 22 in “George Dunbar — A Retrospective.” Dunbar’s art, which shows internationally, can be viewed locally by appointment only during gallery hours Wednesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Same-day viewings will be accommodated, based on availability. Call (985) 646-4375. The 2055 Second St. gallery is located in Slidell City Hall, just miles from Dunbar’s longtime home on the banks of Bayou Bonfouca.
ART: On April 9, Spring for Art returns with an evening of art and fun. From 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., the St. Tammany Art Association will host a party on Columbia Street with demonstrations, shopping, entertainers, and an art market. Reserve a spot at the link sttammany.art/sfa-22-market.
A GUMBO OF EVENTS
GERMAN TIME: An April 2 “Halfway to Oktoberfest Pub Crawl” is scheduled from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. to raise money for A Rhea of Hope to help Louisiana residents fighting bile duct cancer and to benefit the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation. Six Old Mandeville restaurants, mostly along Girod Street, will be decorated in an Oktoberfest theme and offer discounts for their German food or drinks. Each location will have a German game, activity, contests, photo booth or music, along with information about this cancer. Tickets to participate are $25; $40 for a pair. Eventbrite. For more info, visit Northshore Oktoberfest by a Rhea of Hope Facebook page.
BREAKFAST: The Slidell Noon Lions Club has resumed their “Last Saturday of the Month” Pancake Breakfast from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Enjoy pancakes, sausage and beverage for $6 at the Lions Den, corner of Cleveland Avenue and Carey Street. Proceeds benefit Leader Dogs for the Blind, Louisiana Lions Summer Camp for Disabled Children and local organizations. Bingo follows at 11:30.
BUNNY TIME: Northshore Mandeville Kiwanis Club presents pancake breakfast with the Easter bunny on April 9 from 9 a.m. until noon. Takeout available; pancakes and sausage, $5 donation. Fun activities for the kids and free photo with the bunny. For more, call Terry at (504) 236-3435.
PLAY: Northlake Newcomers April luncheon and game day takes place April 8 at Beau Chene Country Club at 602 Beau Chene Drive in Mandeville. Play Bunco, Hand & Foot Canasta or Mah Jongg. Doors open 10 a.m. Lunch is $17 for members or guests. Everyone welcome; reservations required. See www.northlakenewcomers.com.
NATURE EVENTS
BIRDS: On April 8 from 6:30 a.m. until noon, participate in “Bayous and Canals of the Manchac Swamp” bird watching by pontoon boat. Starting at the Joyce Wildlife Area boardwalk, see migratory birds feast in the swamp. Continue with a leisurely boat ride into “Stinking Bayou” for some different habitat and more birding in areas where alligators are common. An experienced bird guide will ID migrating birds as they pass. Bring binoculars and cameras for a spectacular showcase of birds in flight. Cost is $45 for members, $50 nonmembers. Limited space; register early by contacting [email protected] or call (985) 626-1238.
NIGHT BIRDS: More birding on April 8 from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. during “Big Branch by Night & Red-cockaded Woodpeckers.” See nocturnal birds, including owls, night-herons, rails, bats and common nighthawks, along with frogs and other night creatures. Starts out early to see the endangered Red-cockaded Woodpecker returning to their nests. In the Big Branch National Wildlife Refuge, biologists have provided artificial nest boxes carved into live pines for nesting and roosting cavities. Continue along a boardwalk over grass beds and then to trails for easy access to the other habitats. Experienced bird guides will point out migrating birds. Free for Members of Northshore Nature Center; become a member and register early with [email protected] or call (985) 626-1238.
MORE BIRDS: On April 9 from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m., enjoy the Abita Creek Flatwoods Preserve, part of a 10,000-acre tract of intact pine flatwood wetlands in southeast Louisiana managed by The Nature Conservancy. Nearly 30 rare, native plants identified in the area, as well rare grassland birds such as Bachman’s sparrow and Henslow’s sparrow and many Prothonotary warblers. Cost is $20 members; $25 nonmembers. Bird guide will accompany. Limited space; register early with [email protected] or call (985) 626-1238.