Ballet slippers and Beyoncé’s sister
The former Holy Trinity Catholic Church, built in 1853, stood vacant and decaying way past “faded splendor” for fourteen years until Dave Hurlbert and partner Scott King saw a For Sale sign stuck in the front yard in 2011. When they purchased the historic edifice, Hurlbert’s original intention was to turn it into a workspace. Their plans got much bigger as it grew into a “church for the arts,” underwent extensive renovations (close to a million dollars’ worth so far), became a nonprofit, and was rechristened the Marigny Opera House.
In its first year alone, the 160-year-old building offered an impressive number of events; it was the setting for two operas, six dance performances, two stage plays, numerous film screenings, and puppet performance art, plus three concerts and six recitals. Today, it also serves as a spiritual and community resource, hosting 12-step meetings, Sunday Musical Meditations, and gatherings of neighborhood and charitable organizations. The opera house now has a resident contemporary ballet company comprising six principal dancers, who perform to live music and often debut new works such as the world premier of Orfeo in 2015, a ballet choreographed to an original score by local composer Tucker Fuller.
Info
Address 725 St. Ferdinand Street, New Orleans, LA 70117, +1 504.948.9998, www.marignyoperahouse.org | Hours For the current performance and event schedule visit www.marignyoperahouse.org/calendar| Tip To feed the stomach as well as the soul, Cake Cafe & Bakery (2440 Chartres St) is a mere five blocks away. Owner Steve Himelfarb developed a strong following selling his chocolate cake door-to-door before opening a permanent location. During Mardi Gras season, Cake Cafe is known for their signature king cake with apple-and-goat-cheese filling.
More famously, the interior—which looks like an archeological discovery, with its high vaulted ceiling, curved archways, and antique lanterns hanging a good 15 feet in the air—was the site of Depeche Mode’s “Heaven” video and Solange Knowles and music-video director Alan Ferguson’s highly untraditional nuptials. The entire wedding party, which included the bride’s sister Beyoncé and her husband, Jay-Z, wore all white. Musicians Kelela, Questlove, and Kindness performed, and Solange and Daniel Julez, her 10-year-old son from a previous marriage, had a dance-off to the song “No Flex Zone” by the hip-hop group Rae Sremmurd.
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