Stage Write

  Bard Fest, Indy's only annual Shakespeare Festival, is producing the epic two-play cycle of Tony Kushner’s Pulitzer-prize-winning Angels in America. They will present Part One - Millennium Approaches and Part Two - Perestroika in rotation throughout the month. In anticipation of its landmark June premier, some of the cast of Angels in America (AIA) answered some questions about the show. Q: What themes does Shakespeare’s work share with Angels in America? A: Matt Anderson (Louis): Many of Shakespeare’s works are so sweeping and encompassing, stretching out for hours and taking time to delve into love, politics, relationships, self-worth, life and death, prejudices and pain, blood and ghosts, hilarity and horror, the mundanely real and the confoundingly supernatural… and Angels in America explores deeply all of those themes and more. Mira Nehrig (Harper Pitt): Oh, truly, there are so many. Shakespeare would grapple with politics, gender dynamics, and family within one play (wheth...

  If you want to be reminded of the magic of theater, take a young child to see their first show. It’s nothing short of exhilarating to see their face light up when a story comes alive in front of them. Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre’s current production of Beauty and the Beast pulls out all the stops. This show is the perfect example of the theater doing what it does best and it’s one of the finest shows I’ve seen there in years. The stage may be on the smaller side, but the cast uses the entire theatre, wandering the aisles to the delight of the children in the audience. The production uses scenes of taverns and castle interiors projected on the walls to give Michael Layton's set design added depth. Just wait for "Be Our Guest" to be blown away by the Main Street Music Theatre's lavish costumes. Jameelah Leaundra is the perfect Belle. Her voice is lovely, especially in the number "Home". Her vocals are excellent, but it's the warmth and intelligence ...

American Lives Theatre (ALT) closes its strong season with Predictor at the Phoenix Theatre. On the surface, it’s the story of one woman’s fight, but underneath that, the heart of the play lies in the friendship, determination, generational legacy, and so much more that help drive Meg Crane. In the 1960s she invented the home pregnancy test. This is her story and it should’ve been told decades ago. I’m so grateful to playwright Jennifer Blackmer and ALT for sharing it with us now.   The show moves fast with quick scene changes and wheels on every desk and chair that makes up the set. There is an incredible crew of individuals, from the set designer to director Bridget Haight that make this whirlwind piece possible. The supporting six cast members flip between their many roles in a matter of seconds. A lab worker, roommate, mother, coworker, the list goes on and this hard-working cast keeps pace! Brittany Magee takes on the role of Crane. She is passionate and infuses the performanc...