Stage Write

A lot has been said about The Book of Mormon in the last few years, so I knew going into it that I should expect a hilarious show. What I wasn't expecting was the level of excellence across the board. The catchy songs, the choreography and the actual performances by the actors were all wonderful. Yes, it's a show written by the creators of "South Park," but it's also a Broadway musical and includes everything that you would expect from something of that genre.  We're introduced to two Mormon missionaries who are traveling to Uganda. The odd couple have the classic characteristics of any opposites buddy comedy. Christopher John O'Neill is particularly entertaining in the quirky sidekick role of Elder Cunningham. Mark Evans plays his counterpart, the earnest Elder Price with unfettered enthusiasm. The two naive missionaries find themselves in the midst of a tiny village which is being attacked by everything from AIDS to militants armed with machine guns

“Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.”   So imagine you’re an actor and a director approaches you with a proposition. “How would you like to play a dozen different roles, male and female, young and old, in eight different shows? By the way, you’ll be performing these shows on the same day.” You’d question their sanity, right? Thankfully eight Indiana performers decided to embrace the challenge instead of calling the men in the white coats. The fact that this idea, born more than a year ago, became a reality is incredible.    The eight plays, listed below, have each been condensed into a single hour, a huge feat accomplished by Maria Souza. The result is a whirlwind of action; the fat is trimmed away and audience members are left with the core of each plot in a relatively easy to follow format. Catherine Cardwell, Polly Heinkel, and Thomas Cardwell each tackle the direction of a couple shows. Their styles work well together and there’s no drastic shift between the plays.