New Orleans’ own, Barbara Shorts, will present a digital cabaret performance from the stages of Le Petit Theatre. Le Petit Théâtre Du Vieux Carré, the small professional theatre in the French Quarter, was founded in 1916, when a group of amateur theatre-lovers began putting on plays in the drawing room of one of the members. The digital event will premiere on Friday, May 7 at 7:30 p.m. CDT and will be available to view through Sunday, May 9.

As John Wirt reported in OffBeat in 2019, Shorts toured internationally from the mid-1980s through the early 2000s, singing traditional jazz with a band of New Orleans musicians. She performed in Sweden, Norway, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Estonia, the United Kingdom and Australia. The aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, however, severely impacted the entertainment business and air travel. When her international gigs declined, Shorts took a job as a dealer at Harrah’s Casino. Although she continued to perform, the time and energy that full-time casino work demanded made it difficult to pursue her music career. When Harrah’s let her go after 13 years of employment, Shorts was actually relieved. “The money was good, but I was not as happy as I was when I was doing my performances and traveling,” she said. “When I walked out of there, I said, ‘Free at last, free at last. Thank God, almighty, I’m free at last.’”

This will be a digital event. After making a ticket purchase you will receive a confirmation e-mail. Then approximately one hour before the event you will receive a separate e-mail with a link to watch the show on YouTube. To order tickets, click here.