Stage Write

  A remote country manor, a murderer on the loose, and a blizzard; put them together and you’ve got a classic Agatha Christie story. Beef & Boards opens its 2026 season with The Mousetrap and it is a delight. As the snowstorm worsens, the tension builds and the guests can’t help but question everyone’s alibi. Eddie Curry directs and the story clips along throwing red herrings in every scene. It’s perfectly paced, which should be no surprise as the world’s longest-running play has kept audiences entertained since premiering in 1952 in London. Audience members are famously asked to keep the big reveal a secret so every person who sees the shows gets to experience the twist themselves. The casting is wonderfully done. Newcomer Malia Munley nails the role of Mollie Ralston, the timid guest house owner who finds her inner steel as the danger draws closer. Crowd favorite Jonathan Cobrda was electric as Christopher Wren, a troubled young man who vacillates between whimsical and di...

  Welcome to Big Cherry where the dedicated city council members are ready and waiting to plan the annual heritage festival. The American Lives Theatre production of Tracy Letts’ one-act play “The Minutes” is on stage now at the Phoenix Theatre Cultural Centre.  The show has a slow start as the meeting we’re watching is almost too realistic. It hits close to home if you’ve ever attended small-town meetings with petty conflicts and private grievances. It took me back to my years as a daily reporter covering the board of zoning appeals, and town councils.  Robert’s Rules of Order go out the window when blood begins to boil. When Charles Goad (Mr. Carp) appears the plot kicks into high gear. His role looms large in the story even before he arrives. As the catalyst for the action, he’s perfect, both passionate and sincere. Up until that point, it feels a bit like an awkward waiting game as Mr. Peel (Josh Ramsey) sits on the sidelines desperate for answers.     R...

  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...

A Very Phoenix Xmas celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. The irreverent Christmas show has become an audience favorite as a nontraditional entertainment option during the holiday season.   Anyone familiar with the show knows not to expect sugar and spice, but there are moments of quiet reflection worked into the production that hit all the right notes. In honor of reaching the decade milestone, the show features longtime Phoenix regular Gayle Steigerwald in a unique role. Between skits she provides some behind-the-scenes tidbits and fun looks back at how the show has evolved over the years. The walk down memory lane is equally entertaining for those who have been at every show and for those attending for the first time. For those unfamiliar with the structure, imagine a theatre version of a Saturday Night Live Christmas special. Each section features a new story, song, dance, or funny skit. Regulars will recognize the sock monkeys dancing the can-can and...

Awkward social situations, touchy marital talks, and discussions about uncomfortable issues, you’d expect nothing less from the playwright who wrote, “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” Acting Up Productions’ current show “At Home at the Zoo” is a unique play to say the least. Originally presented as a one act production called “The Zoo Story,” the playwright added another act to the beginning of the show decades later. The result is a strange blend, but a fascinating one. The first act (the newer of the two) introduces us to Peter and Ann, a content married couple who somehow end up discussing some delicate issues. The couple, played by Allison Reddick and Joshua C. Ramsey, are convincing as a pair who have grown accustomed to their monotonous lives. They’ve established a comfortable life, but like most couples, they long for a bit of excitement. Ann begins to wonder if they wouldn’t benefit from a little disorder in their world. The second and more well-known act follow...

  Over the past 25 seasons Diane Kondrat has performed in dozens of roles at the Phoenix Theatre. Now she can be seen for the final time in the Hoosier state playing the handpicked role of Rita Lyons, the matriarch of a dysfunctional New York family in the Frank and Katrina Basile Theatre. This part is perfect for Kondrat, offering her a chance to showcase both her comedic timing and dramatic prowess. The Lyons provides a tightly-wound look at the unique intricacies of one family’s dynamics. It’s a black comedy providing wildly funny lines, but each clever barb cuts another character to the core.     Rita is a piece of work. In the opening scene she discusses her design ideas for a new living room with her husband. Quickly you realize she’s asking her husband what he thinks of these new ideas with the full knowledge that he’ll be dead soon and won’t be around to enjoy it. There is no love loss between the two. Though the couple has been married for 40 yea...

What would have happened if if the famous psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud and the author and theologist C.S. Lewis had met and discussed their diametrically opposed world views? That's the situation imagined in Mark St. Germain's play Freud's Last Session on stage now at the Phoenix Theatre. The fascinating show is a brisk 80 minutes with rapid-fire dialogue and no intermission. The two-actor production features Gordon McCall as Freud and Scot Greenwell as Lewis. At first their accents are a bit jarring, but soon the audience is caught up in their fierce sparring and everything else fades to the background. The men give excellent performances, oscillating between friendly banter and heated debate. The meeting of the two great minds never actually happened, but much of the rest of the show is based on fact. Shortly before his death, Freud moved to London to escape the Nazi occupation in Austria. In the play he and Lewis are caught in the midst of the London bombings and betw...