Stage Write

  First, it was a runaway best-selling novel, then a globetrotting film starring Tom Hanks; now the newest iteration of The Da Vinci Code makes its way to the stage. The Indiana Repertory Theater’s season opener is a fast-paced thriller that tackles symbolism throughout the ages as a professor gets swept up in a conspiracy during a trip to Paris. The set makes the most of projector screens with echoes of the Louvre pyramid glowing throughout the show. After a while, it gets a bit tiring on the eyes, but it's a dramatic and striking way to capture the audience's attention before the show even begins. The digital screens are an intricate part of the story. They show security footage, hallways of art in museums and churches, symbols within paintings, etc. Megan Kreidler plays Sophie, a cryptographer with the French Police.  Her performance beautifully balances grief, vulnerability, and curiosity. It's hard to adapt a popular book to the stage, but the sense of adventure isn’t ...

  The Phoenix Theatre kicked off its season with a world premiere of James Still's latest play. "Everybody's Favorite Mother" tells the story of Jeanne Manford and her son Morty. Manford made headlines and shocked the nation when she publicly declared her support of her gay son. In 1972, she wrote a letter to the New York Post, marched with him, and later founded Parents of Gays (later PFLAG), in an effort to bridge the divide between the gay and heterosexual communities. Her unwavering support and advocacy eventually led President Obama to posthumously award her the Presidential Citizens Medal. The show is brought to life in the smaller black box theatre at the cultural center. It's transformed into a pride alley with seating on two sides and projector screens on the other sides. The tight 90-minute production moves swiftly, jumping in time, splicing in clips from real news stories and speeches, and pulling the audience into the action. There are dream sequences ...