A musical about the New Orleans Saints? Yes! WATCH NOW to learn more about “Our City of Saints”
All right, now this is *** real treat. This is Paul Soniet, and he has *** special project coming up at the Jefferson Performing Arts Center. You are the creator, artistic director, songwriter of *** new play that is celebrating the. History of the Saints. I was fascinated by this when our mutual friend Mark Romig told me about it. Please tell everyone the genesis of it, everything you can about this amazing, I think, endeavor. Well, it’s called our City of Saints, you know. I’m ***, I’m *** New Orleans guy. Uh, actually grew up in on Sonyat Street. Remember going to the Saints games at Tulane Stadium, and, and I’ve always been *** great Saints fan and, uh, started writing songs 2025 years ago. And I, I, I write songs about things, you know, and I know New Orleans, you know, so and, and I started writing some songs, uh, one was about the game going back to the dome after Katrina, an incredible night, and then, you know, some songs about the city, you know, there’s *** challenge to, to live in the city it’s good, bad, and the ugly and the potholes, but you, you love part of it, you hate part of it, so it’s *** struggle, but then I started. You know, thinking about, well, maybe I should put some songs together and, and so that’s what I started doing and I always liked I, I wrote *** song called I’m *** Who Dat, you know, great fun song, but then, you know, thinking about going to Tulane Stadium and when the Saints were born they were born on All Saints Day, so I wrote *** song called All Saints’ Day. And then *** song about uh stomping in the stadium. I was, I was at De La Salle, freshman at De La Salle going and I was able to buy two season tickets because they had used tickets at $1 50s *** game, $18 I think for the whole season. So I was able to buy two, take *** friend and everything, but it was *** great experience, 82,000 seats at two lane stadium. And you know they weren’t that good but it was *** fun experience and then uh one of the things I remember the halftime shows was really good you know they did all this theater they brought in *** guy from Disneyland to do the show so I wrote *** song about the halftime shows better than the game and then *** song about uh John Meacham Junior was called *** toy for *** Texas boy, you know, because he had. He had the Saints, but he also had like racing cars in Indianapolis. He had thoroughbreds. He had *** big wild game reserve in Texas, so the Saints were like *** toy 7, 19 years without *** winning season, you know, and then it moves along to *** song about Tom Benson, *** song about Drew Brees later on and and then actually this. It’s gonna premiere on the 29th of August, which is 20th anniversary of Katrina. And let me just follow up here just so everybody knows what we’re talking about. The songs you wrote are now the musical for this, this play in this theatrical production, so it’s the history of the Saints through song. It’s *** Saints musical, yeah, yeah, it’s ***, it’s *** musical. And when I went to the Jefferson Performing Arts, I had the idea, well, let’s just take the songs because each song is like *** little story. And then we can have *** little story between the song to lead into it and they, they liked it but they said, well, you know, we really would like to turn it into *** musical, uh, you know, stage musical with actors and, and take the story from when you were young to *** little bit older and, and follow it so they, uh, Dennis Assa who’s the artistic director, and Rob Deviney, who’s the CEO there, we worked together and they hired, um, Scarlett. Uh, Langcon as as the director and Aileen Leeo is *** writer, so they put that team together, writer, director and myself to build this story out and it’s *** story about *** family young kids growing up with the friends, going to the games, you know, going out with girls getting married, you know, having kids and then going through Katrina and then. The good times with the Saints, there’s *** song early called The Dark Days during the Saint’s time of all the losing seasons with the bags on the heads and the aints and everything, but then it evolves into, uh, you know, the, the Katrina times which are very emotional, you know, and it, it impacted families and it impacts the family in this play greatly. And um, is it fair to say it’s *** New Orleans story and the Saints are the one constant through generations? Yeah, it’s the vehicles that you can tell *** story with, you know. What does this mean? I know you haven’t seen it yet. I know it’s debuting in about *** month. How is that going to hit you emotionally? To know that look, I know you did this for fun because you love doing it, but it’s still hard work and it’s still your work. Are you gonna be emotional? Are you gonna be happy? Is it gonna be *** roller coaster of emotions seeing your work brought to life? Well, you know, it’s also I’m gonna be an actor in it, so I’m making my. Theater debut at 71 years old, which is kind of ironic. So I’m gonna be in it. I’m gonna be nervous about that. I’m gonna sing some of the songs and we have other actors singing some of the songs. So right now. I’m taking acting lessons, you know, trying to get prepared, so I think if I can get comfortable with the with the lyrics with the dialogue, uh, it, it’s gonna be because it’s *** good story, it’s good songs we, we have, uh, I brought in Mike Esnot who’s *** two time Grammy Award, uh, Emmy Award winning, uh, writer, producer, musician, so. He’s gonna be performing all the music. I’m not gonna play any of the music. I’m gonna be singing some of the songs, but we some got great New Orleans musicians. Uh, it’s gonna be fun, you know. You also have Mark Romig and Bobby Hebert. Mark Romig is gonna be our announcer that’s gonna lead us from little points in the story to the next part, and we have Bobby Hebert that that recorded *** little interview, you know, because he is the father of the Who Danation, you know, so you gotta. Gotta pay homage to the father. Is this gonna be something just as we wrap up here, Saints fans should see, especially look, the one thing that’s great about New Orleans is we are not *** transient city. We were, I went to De La Salle. He went to De La Salle. We all have crazy connections to each other, and the Saints are kind of like the community team. So I think whether you’re 12 or 71, you can probably appreciate this in some way, you know, and the, the, the whole musical ends on *** song called We Are One Town. And um it really is the saints are like *** unifying factor especially when they’re playing well it brings everybody, you know, white people, black people, rich, poor, uptown, downtown, everybody comes together and we are one town when the saints are around, you know, and that’s. And that’s really true. And really quickly it starts August 29th, Friday night. Obviously it’s the anniversary of Katrina, the 20th anniversary at the Jefferson Performing Arts Center. How long will it play for? Just the facts before it’s the 29th, which is *** Friday. There’s *** show on the 30th. There’s *** Friday evenings at 7:30. And there’s *** Sunday matinee on the 31st, so it’s 3 consecutive nights, 3 consecutive shows. Jefferson Performing Arts and the tickets are online already. Our City of Saints. I can’t wait. I, I’m truly excited about it. I love the theater. I love going to New York to Broadway shows, the Sanger and everything, so I can’t wait to see what you have, uh, created it’s gonna be fun. We truly appreciate you coming in. All right, thanks, Fletcher.
A musical about the New Orleans Saints? Yes! WATCH NOW to learn more about “Our City of Saints”
Updated: 1:14 PM CDT Jul 17, 2025
“Our City of Saints” is a staged concert musical celebrating the soul of New Orleans through faith, family, and football.* Presented by Jefferson Performing Arts, book by Aleen LeBoeuf, music & lyrics by Paul Soniat. The production is director by Scarlett Saizan-Lancon and produced by Dennis G. Assaf.In the attached VIDEO Q&A, Sports Director Fletcher Mackel talks with Soniat about the upcoming event.The musical opens in 2015 inside a cozy memorabilia room, where Older Henry reflects on his life and the legacy of the New Orleans Saints. As he sifts through cherished keepsakes, the past comes alive around him. Through music, memory, and heart, we journey back to 1966 when the Saints were born, and follow the intertwined stories of Henry, his lifelong best friend Willie, his wife Etta, and their extended family.We meet them first as hopeful teenagers hustling for tickets in the team’s earliest days, stomping their feet in Tulane Stadium and dreaming of better tomorrows. As life unfolds, we witness moments of loss, love, rivalry, sacrifice, and forgiveness — both on and off the field. Through it all, the Saints remain a beacon of pride, and the memorabilia room becomes a place where memories—and sometimes regrets—are revisited and healed.From the heartbreak of Katrina to the elation of the 2010 Super Bowl, each chapter reveals how the Saints offered hope, healing, and identity to an entire city. The musical culminates in an emotional crescendo that celebrates not just a team’s victory, but the triumph of a people who never stopped believing.With a score that spans gospel, R&B, jazz, and classic New Orleans brass, *Our City of Saints* blends football and family legacy into one soaring narrative — full of joy, grit, and the spirit of a city like no other.Paul Soniat’s music serves as the emotional engine of *Our City of Saints*, blending the rhythm of the streets with the spirit of the Superdome. From anthemic crowd chants to deeply personal ballads, the original score carries the audience through triumphs and heartbreaks alike. These songs don’t just accompany the story — they *are* the story, capturing the pulse of New Orleans across generations.
NEW ORLEANS —
“Our City of Saints” is a staged concert musical celebrating the soul of New Orleans through faith, family, and football.*
Presented by Jefferson Performing Arts, book by Aleen LeBoeuf, music & lyrics by Paul Soniat. The production is director by Scarlett Saizan-Lancon and produced by Dennis G. Assaf.
In the attached VIDEO Q&A, Sports Director Fletcher Mackel talks with Soniat about the upcoming event.
The musical opens in 2015 inside a cozy memorabilia room, where Older Henry reflects on his life and the legacy of the New Orleans Saints. As he sifts through cherished keepsakes, the past comes alive around him. Through music, memory, and heart, we journey back to 1966 when the Saints were born, and follow the intertwined stories of Henry, his lifelong best friend Willie, his wife Etta, and their extended family.
We meet them first as hopeful teenagers hustling for tickets in the team’s earliest days, stomping their feet in Tulane Stadium and dreaming of better tomorrows. As life unfolds, we witness moments of loss, love, rivalry, sacrifice, and forgiveness — both on and off the field. Through it all, the Saints remain a beacon of pride, and the memorabilia room becomes a place where memories—and sometimes regrets—are revisited and healed.
From the heartbreak of Katrina to the elation of the 2010 Super Bowl, each chapter reveals how the Saints offered hope, healing, and identity to an entire city. The musical culminates in an emotional crescendo that celebrates not just a team’s victory, but the triumph of a people who never stopped believing.
With a score that spans gospel, R&B, jazz, and classic New Orleans brass, *Our City of Saints* blends football and family legacy into one soaring narrative — full of joy, grit, and the spirit of a city like no other.
Paul Soniat’s music serves as the emotional engine of *Our City of Saints*, blending the rhythm of the streets with the spirit of the Superdome. From anthemic crowd chants to deeply personal ballads, the original score carries the audience through triumphs and heartbreaks alike. These songs don’t just accompany the story — they *are* the story, capturing the pulse of New Orleans across generations.