Stage Write

“But I am sure I have always thought of Christmas time as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys.” That line from Scrooge’s nephew perfectly explains why A Christmas Carol is such a powerful play year after year. It is a reminder of all of the wonderful things the Christmas season holds. It's a reminder to value the people that are truly important in your life and to hold them close to you throughout the year. The Indiana Repertory Theatre's annual tradition is back again this year with a wonderful production of the Christmas classic.     The play has the same script each year, narrating the story of Scrooge's change of heart with a revolving cast of characters. The la...

American Players Theatre (APT) is excited to announce its thirty-fourth season, which will run June 8 to October 20, 2013. APT’s flagship outdoor amphitheater Up the Hill will feature William Shakespeare’s The Two Gentlemen of Verona and Hamlet, along with W. Somerset Maugham’s comedy Too Many Husbands; Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead - Tom Stoppard’s accompaniment to Hamlet; and Arthur Miller’s great American classic All My Sons. In the indoor Touchstone Theatre, APT is proud to produce its very first indoor Shakespeare production, an adaptation of Antony and Cleopatra. Also in the Touchstone, Brian Friel’s gripping Molly Sweeney and a reprisal of James DeVita’s Dickens In America, featuring James Ridge. Tickets will go on sale for returning patrons March 4 and to the general public on April 15. APT is a professional repertory theater devoted to the great and future classics. It was founded in 1979 and continues to be one of the most popular outdoor classical theaters ...

Billy Elliot, the story of a young boy who discovers his love of ballet, is on stage now at the Murat theatre, produced by Broadway Across America. It was a treat to be able to see the show for a second time this year . Seeing it again gave me the opportunity to enjoy layers of depth I missed the first time around. I was able to get past first impressions and reflect more on the story and performances. When Billy’s mother passes away the Elliot family looses its anchor and is left reeling. Their community is also at war as the miner’s union goes on strike. In the midst of this chaos is the sweet story of a young boy who feels life his desires don’t match up with his environment. The role of Billy Elliot was played by Noah Parets on Tuesday. The role rotates between three actors and Parets did a wonderful job. He had just the right balance of boyish earnestness and adolescent angst. Billy is trying to deal with feelings of grief after loosing his mother, shame for his growing lo...

   What does it take to be a good writer? Is it harrowing experiences or is it a unique perspective or way of life? Is it something that can be taught or can good writing only come from natural talent? These questions and more are discussed in the Phoenix’ current production: Seminar. The play premiered on Broadway in November 2011 with a stellar cast. Less than a year later the Phoenix was able to snag it as part of its 30th season. It’s currently onstage in the intimate Frank and Katrina Basile Theatre. Four aspiring fiction writers scrape together $5,000 each to hire an accomplished author to teach a 12-week writing seminar. Their teacher, Leonard, is a misogynistic jerk with a palpable self-loathing and a particular talent for crushing dreams. Played with relish by Bill Simmons, Leonard embodies a failed artist, lashing out at others who are just beginning their careers. He stumbles around as if drunk or high while spouting self-absorbed nonsense afte...

This past weekend the Indiana Repertory Theatre hosted the world premier of playwright-in-residence James Still’s new production, The House That Jack Built. A family converges in a cozy home in Vermont for Thanksgiving dinner and as is to be expected with the holidays, emotions run high and past grievances and grief lay just beneath the tender surface. I’ve been a fan of James Still’s work for years, but this production truly rises above anything I’d yet seen. He has an incredible talent for writing characters that are completely unique, yet somehow also completely relatable. That contradictory principle makes the people in his plays unforgettable. Overbearing mothers or bickering spouses could become clichés, but in Still’s plays they never are. Their flaws and connections to each other always run deeper than that and this play in particular, is full of beautifully complicated characters.   Jack, the title character, is an enigma that we never meet, though he shaped t...