“Shrek” at Saenger, while “Beth” wreaks havoc at Playmakers | Entertainment/Life

Next week, the autumn fun begins on local stages with two shows in which some “not very nice” protagonists appear. But the villain may not be quite who he seems at first glance.

Sly humor awaits you on both shores of Lake Pontchartrain.

“The Swamps of the Homeland”

Actually, it's quite fitting that Shrek The Musical is making a stop in Louisiana on its national tour.

After all, Shrek lives in a swamp full of fairy tale creatures. Southern Louisiana is a swamp, and the Crescent City has no shortage of fairy tale creatures.

Based on the Oscar-winning 2001 DreamWorks animated film, the comedy follows an ogre, his unwelcome sidekick Donkey (who is actually a donkey), a princess, a treacherous lord, and a host of hilarious characters, including Pinocchio, the Three Little Pigs, Peter Pan, and a dragon.

It seems as if fairy tale creatures are flooding Shrek's swamp because Lord Farquaad wants them out of his “perfect” world. Accompanied by Donkey, he must save Princess Fiona from a dragon for Farquaad so that the terrorist can transform the swamp back into the idyllic pit that Shrek wants.

There's music, dancing and fun in this Tony-winning production, postponed from the spring.

The show runs September 6 at 7:30 p.m., September 7 at 2 and 8 p.m. and September 8 at 1 p.m. at 1111 Canal St. Tickets start at $29. Visit saengernola.com.

“Fasten your seat belt”

The plot sounds a bit like All About Eve, but in this case it's all about Beth. And it's funny.

To kick off its 70th season, the Playmakers Theater in Covington is presenting “Til Beth Do Us Part,” a comedy about a successful woman and her devious assistant who insinuates herself into the businesswoman’s business—and marriage—with hilarious but also horrifying consequences.

The show is written by the same team that wrote the Playmakers' 2023 sell-out hit “The Savannah Sipping Society.”

The show stars Joanna Parr, Shawn Patterson, Stephanie Sayles, Jehna Patterson, Laura Hayes, Daniel Jenkins and Nada Elkassouf. It is directed by Derek Thrush and served as assistant director by Jehna Patterson.

The show begins Sept. 7 and runs Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. through Sept. 22 at 19106 Playmakers Road. Curtains will open a little later to accommodate traffic during bridge construction, theater officials said. The new season also includes Friday performances and reserved seating.

Tickets start at $15. For more information visit playmakers-theater-05.webself.net and for tickets visit bontempstix.com.

In production

“THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME”: Fridays and Saturdays, 8 p.m. and Sundays, 2 p.m. through September 8; Slidell Little Theatre, 2024 Nellie Drive. Based on the Disney animated film, the story centers on the bell ringer of the famous 15th-century Notre Dame Cathedral who flees to the city for a festival, the Feast of Fools, and meets Esmeralda, a Romany woman who treats him kindly. But she has also caught the attention of Captain Phoebus and Archdeacon Dom Claude Frollo, who happens to be Quasimodo's devious caretaker. slidelllittletheatre.org.