Synopses & Reviews
In 1998, we took our first trip to New Orleans as a couple, and the people we met there made an amazing impression. They were so open, so honest, so real. And the French Quarter is like no other neighborhood in America. What other district is known more by the behavior of its visitors than its inhabitants? The people who live and work in the Quarter have a story to tell, and it was our goal to tell that story without descending into stock New Orleans clichs. On the drive home from New Orleans, as two playwrights in a car with sixteen hours to kill, we soon realized that we had to create an audio play about this unique and boisterous city and her people. As audio theatre producers, we envisioned thirteen half-hour episodes. The characters were inspired by people we met on the trip; new friends. The situations came from our imagination, driven by stories these friends told us about their lives. In 1999, a cast of fifty talented actors helped us make our dream come true, bringing French Quarter to life in thirteen episodes, just as we had hoped. In moments of humor and great drama, they made our characters into people, as they told our tale. Within a year, it was picked up by National Public Radio for the nationally popular NPR Playhouse series, where it aired twice. This novel contains every scene in the seven-CD set, plus bonus scenes that had to be cut from the audio series for time. It also incorporates narration that audio theatre typically omits. If you are already a fan of the audio series, we welcome you to this book. If you've never heard it, visit us on the Web at www.minds-ear.org, and consider picking up the CDs as well.