Stage Write

Sometimes you see a show that just makes your mind hum for days. Clybourne Park, on stage now at the Phoenix Theatre, is one of those rare shows. The Pulitzer-Prize-winning play is a continuation of Lorraine Hansberry's classic “A Raisin in the Sun.” Her play tells the story of an African-American family that has the opportunity to move into all-white neighborhood in a nicer part of town. It was ground-breaking and controversial when it was first published and performed in 1959. Clybourne Park continues that story; its first act introduces us to Bev and Russ, the white family in the process of selling their home to the family featured in Raisin in the Sun. Bev is a ‘50s housewife overflowing with false cheerfulness. Her husband finds himself withdrawing from society after they tragically lose their son. Their neighbors are in a tizzy when they discover a “colored” family will be moving in and everyone’s true feelings on the subject come out. The second act picks up 5...

Flowers are beginning to bloom and love is in the air. The Indiana Repertory Theatre is closing its season with the classic comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Young lovers’ blossoming relationships run amiss when they cross paths with a forest full of fairies led by the warring King and Queen of the fairies, regally played by Ryan Artzberger and Jennifer Johansen respectively. This production shows us the well-known story of A Midsummer Night’s Dream seen as a dream of a young boy. I must say that if it is all happening inside his head then he’s got a pretty advance view of romantic drama. It’s a unique twist on the play, and garnered easy laughs from the audience. The show embraces the silliness of the situation with physical comedy and features a Puck that is a bit more goofy than clever, but it works as seen through the eyes of a child.   Nick Bottom, played by Henry Woronicz, is the perfect fool. His inflated sense of his own talent makes his transformation into an a...

The Indiana Repertory Theatre has announced its season for 2013/2014. There is a great mix of shows. To buy tickets or find out more information visit their site here . The Crucible – SEPTEMBER 17 - OCTOBER 13 It's the American classic of fear and unchecked accusation. Written as an allegory of early 50s McCarthyism, Miller’s dramatization of the Salem witch trials of 1692 has continued to resonate with generations since. An Iliad – OCTOBER 16 - NOVEMBER 16 Homer’s saga of the Trojan War brought to life by a lone poet telling tales of human loss and folly, connecting it to our era with searing images and words of wars and bloodshed. A Christmas Carol – NOVEMBER 16 - DECEMBER 24 The beloved classic returns. And Then They Came for Me  – JANUARY 17 - FEBRUARY 23 Eva Schloss and Ed Silverberg, friends of Anne Frank, were caught up in the nightmare of the Holocaust but lived to tell of lives spent in hiding and the horrors of the concentration camps. James...

American Idiot, based on the Green Day album of the same name, bursts onto the stage with a flurry of lights and blasting guitars. Sex, drugs and rock and roll, this show has all three in spades. If that trio is not your cup of tea then this one probably isn’t for you. The plot revolves around three friends who find their lives pulling them in very different directions. The musical, a flurry of angst and head-banging with no intermission, is packed with discontent 20-somethings pretending to be tougher than they are. The set is a dirty warehouse with movable scaffolding and a live band on the stage. The back wall is covered with three dozen television screens.   The females in the cast, especially Kennedy Caughell and Alyssa DiPalma, are incredibly talented and almost underutilized. They shine in numbers like “Dearly Beloved” and “21 Guns” and then fade to the background as we focus in on the guys’ issues.   The production is incredibly dependant upon gimmi...

Menopause the Musical is exactly what one might expect. The Beef & Boards debut is a cheeky, fun look at “The Change” set to song. Any woman who can identify with the experience is sure to love the show. Four very different women cross paths in Bloomingdales department store. Despite their differences they have an automatic sense of camaraderie because of the one thing they have in common: menopause! Unlike most Beef & Boards shows, there is no intermission. The musical is a brisk 90 minutes.  The songs are parodies of familiar classics from the 1960s. The songs poke fun at the systems of menopause. From the night sweats to hot flashes, memory loss to mood swings, the reworded versions of “California Girls” and “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” are a playful look at the challenges of Menopause. The set has art deco-style dressing room doors lining the back, allowing for quick entrances and exits. Over the course of one day in the mall the women commiserate and en...