Stage Write

Sherlock Holmes is a perennial favorite at the Indiana Repertory Theatre. The Hound of the Baskervilles is the latest in a line of successful adaptations of the infamous detective to hit their stage. Sir Henry Baskerville (Eric Parks) returns to England from Canada after inheriting a manor. Unfortunately he may have inherited the family curse as well. Suspicions abound and red herrings are everywhere as we travel to the barren English moors. David Pichette and R. Hamilton Wright’s adaptation is beautifully done, adding some delicious twists to the already wonderful tale. The fog is as thick as the tension and the audience is sucked in from the first moments of the eerie opening scene. At its heart, each Sherlock play depends heavily on the casting of the main duo. It’s the antagonistic tête-à-têtes between the detective and his trusty sidekick that make each of their adventures so enthralling. This production offers up Marcus Truschinski as Holmes and Matthew Brumlow as D...

Take one irresponsible city boy who just wants to dance, add a strong-willed no nonsense country girl, toss in a few money troubles and mistaken identities and you have a formulaic but fun show. Beef & Boards’ current musical “Crazy for You” is a romance wrapped in nostalgia.   The show premiered in 1992, but it’s actually a reworked version of the 1930s’ “Girl Crazy.” It certainly feels more in step with musicals like “Annie Get Your Gun” than anything created in recent years. The Gershwin score includes songs like, “They Can’t Take That Away From Me,” “I’ve Got Rhythm,” and “Someone to Watch Over Me.” It revolves around the Zangler’s Follies, a thinly veiled version of the real Ziegfeld Follies. Bobby Child, played by Blake Spellacy, is our city boy. He heads to a dusty town in Nevada to foreclose on a theater for his domineering mother’s bank. Once in Deadrock he immediately falls for a local girl named Polly and decides the only way to win her is to pretend ...