La Rue's Return or How's a Bayou?

 Time to switch gears as we head into the wonderful world of melodrama.

Evil always returns...
only this time, it has a bad French accent!

First production of LA RUE'S RETURN at Pollardville

Oh, he's back alright. Jacques La Rue, that is. He's the villain in the very first theatrical venture show written by Edward Thorpe and myself. a little melodrama called LA RUE'S RETURN or HOW'S A BAYOU?.


It's amazing how LA RUE continues to rear his bereted noggin after all these years. The show was born in the brain of my best friend Ed Thorpe back in 1970s. He had spent a good deal of his teenage years in the magical land fabled in story and song known as Pollardville, eventually becoming a cast member in the melodrama/vaudeville production at the Palace Theater long before it became the Showboat. Ed had been inspired to pen his own melodrama a few years later with the goal of presenting it on that very same stage. When he showed what he had to me, I could see that all the elements had been put into the place, but it had only one problem It was too short. The script in that stage was perhaps fifteen minutes long at best. He graciously asked me to collaborate with him to flesh it out and yup, make it longer.

Soon these two neophyte playwrights were off and running. Oh, we stumbled along the way, both of us filled to the brim with the arrogance of youth and the stubbornness that accompanied it. We argued over everything, whether it be a scene or merely a syllable. But it wasn't long before we struck gold and when we did, we'd celebrate like twin Walter Hustons in TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE. Our joint effort was productive, tumultuous and ultimately, forever cemented a bond between two best friends that had already known each other for at least ten years up to that point.

Ed and I also had the same comic sensibilities. In other words, we laughed at the same stuff. I can honestly say we were both students of comedy as well, well versed in both current and classic. By that, you can also assume that we borrowed from everywhere to put this script together, sometimes out and out lifting favorite bits or lines from other sources.  The formula for our first script was: Larceny + Inspiration = Creativity. As a result, we wrote some quite genius pieces of our own and came up with this big bowl o' gumbo known as LA RUE'S RETURN.

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Wayne Head and Nicole Eddy-Pursch in LA RUE #2

LA RUE'S RETURN tells the tale of French criminal Jacques La Rue who returns to New Orleans to exact his revenge on those who sent him to prison...including his ex-fiancee Polly Montclair, owner of the French Quarter bistro Chez What. Standing in his way are a brave, yet dim US. Cavalry officer and a whacked-out witch. The action culminates in a swashbuckling sword fight in the swamp and the overwhelming power of love. 

Gee. That sounds so damn good, I might want to see that again myself.

Son of a gun if that show didn't see the light of day as the Pollardville Palace Theater's 30TH production where it ran for six months. About ten years later, I was fortunate enough to direct my own version of LA RUE at that same magical theater with an updated script.

Other theaters that have produced LA RUE'S RETURN

Proud papa Ed Thorpe in Oceano, CA 

BLACK BART PLAYHOUSE-MURPHYS, CA

GOLDEN CHAIN THEATRE-OAKHURST, CA

GASLIGHT THEATER-CAMPBELL, CA

AVENUE THEATER-WEST PLAINS,MO

GREAT AMERICAN MELODRAMA-OCEANO,CA

MT. VERNON COMMUNITY THEATRE-MT. VERNON, MO

GRAHAM REGIONAL THATRE-GRAHAM, TX

ACTORS STUDIO-BAKER CITY, OR

CAST OF CHARACTERS

JACQUES LA RUE-A swarthy Louisiana French Creole. Tall and lean, he moves as a cat with the stealth of a serpent. 

POLLY MONTCLAIR-Owner of the CHEZ WHAT bistro in the French Quarter of New Orleans, originally, light, bright, and purely beautiful, now sickly and drawn; a cloud of doom and despair her constant companion. 

LIEUTENANT ALAN WEXSTAD-A young, barely commissioned officer in the United States Cavalry, squeaky clean without and within. . 

IKE Faithful and loyal bartender at the CHEZ WHAT. 

MIMI Alluring and naïve French chambermaid to Polly. 

SWAMP CRONE The daft old sorceress, source of legend and lore for many years. 

LAZLO Dirty, disheveled and reeking of cheap liquor, his only question in life, “Who's buyin'?"

Performance rights for LA RUE'S RETURN are available....naturally. Royalties are $40 per performance. Email me at writtenbysc@gmail.com for more info and to receive a perusal script 

CLICK HERE TO READ AN EXCERPT OF LA RUE'S RETURN