Stage Write

Hamlet This season the American Players Theatre is tackling one of Shakespeare’s most revered tragedies, Hamlet. This production includes the full text and clocks in at three and a half hours with one 20 minute intermission. And they’ve made every single minute count! The show stars Matt Schwader as the tortured prince. He nails Hamlet’s infamous rise and fall of emotions and his delicate balance of sanity. He also manages to infuse just the right amount of humor and snark into Shakespeare’s lines. He is broken and grieving and yet he embraces his role of feigned madness to achieve his goal. It’s a powerful performance. The intense drama deals with the issue of grief and love in equal parts. Hamlet is reeling from the death of his father when he finds out that his mother has married her former brother-in-law. Their marriage comes so quickly on the heels of the death that Hamlet resents both of them. Soon he learns his father was actually murdered by the usurping king, his

Indy Fringe is in full swing on Mass Ave. In its ninth year the festival has more new offerings for its eager crowds. For those new to the festival here's the basics... The Fringe festival is a feast for theatre-goers. There are 384 shows produced over 11 days. They are hosted at eight local stages, including both of the Phoenix Theatre's stages. There are dramas, musicals, cabarets, comedy shows and more, truly something for everyone It's going on every night until August 25th.  Every show is between 45 and 60 minutes and each show cost $10. For the price of one normal theatre ticket you can see 5 shows in one afternoon!  Check out Hope's comprehensive guide here at the Indy Theatre Habit .  This year I was able to make it to five shows, but there's are dozens more available.  Here's the run down of what I saw and a few notes on each show.  Wry   by Kim McCann  This one-woman play tells the story of Holden Caulfield's younger