Stage Write

  Clue, the classic whodunit farce, kicks off Beef and Boards Dinner Theatre's 50th anniversary season. The mystery show takes the famous board game and film and turns it into a play. Each character is given a weapon and a motive and the murders begin. Eddie Curry directs the fast-paced production and keeps the actors as close to their movie counterparts as possible.  The cast reads like a who’s who of Beef and Boards' favorites including Suzanne Stark, John Vessels, Deb Wims, David Schmittou, Jeff Stockberger, and Sally Scharbrough. Audiences might also recognize a subdued Ben Asaykwee in a very different role than many of his other productions. Scot Greenwell particularly shines as the timid Mr. Green. For each cast member, the role plays to their individual strengths. Schmittou's impressive monologue explaining each of the crimes at the end is an absolute highlight.  The set is incredibly simple, a turntable with half a dozen doors perfec...

South Pacific is a musical that’s been around long enough for most people to already know whether or not they love it. Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre’s latest production of the show hasn’t changed much since its last turn on the stage almost ten years ago. Deb Wims reprises her role as the naïve nurse from Arkansas, Jeff Stockberger is back as Luther Billis, and Cynthia Thomas returns as Bloody Mary. Lt. Joseph Cable and E mile de Becque are played by newcomers to Beef & Boards, Mickey Rafalski and Robert Wilde respectively. Both were excellent, and Rafalski’s voice brought a particularly beauty to numbers like “Younger Than Springtime”. There’s not much time to see the romances develop throughout the show. From the opening scene we learn that Nellie and a Frenchman, Emile de Becque, have met and fallen in love. Later Lt. Joseph Cable falls for a local Polynesian girl, Liat, in a matter of moments. It’s hard to root for relationships that seem to develop so sudden...

  As mismatched lovers board an ocean liner audience members know there will probably be some partner swapping before everyone gets their happy ending and disembarks. Anything Goes has been entertaining crowds for 80 years and is on stage now at Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre. The show contains a selection of charming well-known songs, like “It’s De-Lovely” and “I Get a Kick Out of You,” by Indiana’s own Cole Porter. Timothy Ford plays the pining lead, Billy Crocker. He has fallen for a debutante who is out of his league and engaged to someone else. His desperate attempts to win her are sweet, but he seemed to be singing a bit out of his range during most numbers.   Deb Wims plays the brash night club singer Reno Sweeney. Her strength lies in the dance numbers and she’s particularly good in the title song, a big number that closes the first act. Sarah Joy Ledtke’s turn as the ditzy Erma was an unexpected delight. Her performance of “Buddie Beware” turned the throw...