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Petite Rouge: A Cajun Red Riding Hood September 27, 2007 By Robert Windeler She takes homemade gumbo and cornbread to her sick grandmère. Her en route nemesis is now a big, bad alligator instead of a wolf. She herself is a duck. This is Little Red Riding Hood on the bayou. And what an exuberant retelling of the childhood fable it is! Thanks to the zydeco-inspired music and lyrics by Joan Cushing and a sprightly cast of six that seems much larger, even adults will enjoy this romp. The script is also by Cushing, based on the book by Mike Artell with illustrations by Jim Harris. Here, Petite Rouge (Felicia Curry) and her friend TeJean (Billy Bustamante) not only make their way through the Louisiana swamp but also through the streets of New Orleans during Mardi Gras, all the while trying to escape the clutches of Claude the gator (the delightfully menacing Bobby Smith). Cyana Cook, L.C. Harden Jr., and Tracy McMullan also excel in multiple roles. Reggie Ray's costume design keeps the red cape and hood of the classic story but otherwise is colorfully inspired by Mardi Gras itself. Michael J. Bobbitt's direction and choreography keep it all moving well in spite of an unnecessary intermission (there are no sets to change) halfway through the 75 minutes. The interval does have the virtue of putting the period to the show's best song, "The Riverboat Waltz." Presented by Jonathan G. Willen as part of the New York Musical Theatre Festival at the 45th Street Theatre, 354 W. 45th St., NYC. Sept. 25-Oct. 6. Remaining performances: Sat., Sept. 29, 4:30 p.m.; Wed., Oct. 3, 4:30 p.m., Thu., Oct. 4, 1 p.m.; Sat., Oct. 6, 8 p.m.