Stage Write

There aren’t many Shakespearean plays where a can dog steal the show, in fact there’s only one: The Two Gentlemen of Verona. It’s one of the Bard’s lesser known works and it includes the infamous dog, Crab. In previous productions I’ve seen the dog played by a stuffed animal, but the Indiana Repertory Theatre’s current production has the real thing and the sweet pup holds the audience captivate every time she’s on stage. As great as the canine performance is, it’s not the only highlight from the show. The IRT opens its 43rd season with a play in honor of Shakespeare’s 450th birthday. The show includes a cast of IRT vets like Ryan Artzberger and Robert Neal (who both starred in HART “The Tempest” this summer), along with some excellent newcomers. Two standouts were Charles Pasternak as Valentine, who vacillates between ardent lover and frustrated exile and Ashley Wickett as both Julia’s maid Lucetta and the sought-after Silvia. The plot itself is not without its problems. Li...

Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre presents a fabulous lineup in 2015 that includes two new productions to its stage.   The season gets off to a solid start with the classic Neil Simon comedy: The Odd Couple , which marks its 50th Anniversary in 2015. Two Beef & Boards favorites will star in this tale of mismatched roomates, with Jeff Stockberger as the easygoing Oscar Madison and Eddie Curry as the uptight Felix Ungar, who moves in with Oscar after his marriage falls apart. What happens next is nothing short of hilarious! Opening on Dec. 27, 2014, the show is on stage through Feb. 8.   Then starting Feb. 12, the Beef & Boards stage is filled with all things Gershwin as it presents the all-American musical Crazy For You . Winner of three Tony Awards and based on the 1930 musical Girl Crazy, the story centers around Bobby Child, who is sent to Nevada to foreclose on a theatre. But when he falls in love with the local postmistress, he devises a plan to save t...