Stage Write

The Indianapolis Civic Theatre kicked off its 2009/2010 season with a big Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, but not with a Midwest regular like "Phantom of the Opera" or "Cats." Instead the ICT chose "Evita," the story of a real woman from Argentina who became an icon to her country during her short life. Evita, whose real name was Eva Perón, lived a rags-to-riches, fairy tale life. Though her country was racked with rebellion and discontent, she managed to climb the society ladder from her start in a poor family to becoming the country's first lady. She married Argentina's president, Juan Perón, and won over the people's hearts with her political activism. The choreography and costumes were two stand out elements in this show. Each scene was filled with constant movement, making the most mundane scene fascinating with delicate dances between the characters. The costumes captured the 1930s glamour and poverty. There were glorious hats, gloves and go...

"Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" is one of the rare musicals that was made into a movie long before it ever reached the stage. It was released in theaters in 1954 and become a stage musical in 1985. It is on stage now at Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre for the first time in almost a decade. Seven brothers live alone up in the mountains. Their house is full of men and in desperate need of a female hand. The eldest brother, Adam, goes into town and returns with a wife, Milly. Soon all of the brothers want their own wives. Inspired by an old Roman tale, the brothers decide to steal their wives from the local town. The show's lead couple, Tony Lawson, who plays Adam, and his wife Milly, played by Krista Severeid, are a couple in real life and will marry two weeks after the show closes. Their chemistry is clear on stage and whether fighting or courting, they are delightful to watch together. The camaraderie between the seven brothers works well. Fun dance sequences and a con...