Stage Write

  If the name didn’t give it away, this is not your average Beef & Boards production. The Broadway hit roars onto the stage with drag queens in stiletto heels and a whole lot of sass. Based on a true story, the musical’s message of accepting people for who they are is more timely than ever. Jacob Butler plays Charlie, the owner of a shoe factory that’s struggling to make ends meet. He’s a traditional fellow who is not quite ready to have his views or opinions shaken by the unconventional and fierce Lola. The show comes alive when Jonathan Studdard makes his first appearance as that fiery character. Studdard can strut with the best of them, but it’s during the number “I’m Not My Father’s Son” that the audience is treated to the true depth of his talent. The beautiful quiet song was my favorite in the show. At one point, Charlie says of Lola, “Whenever you leave a room there’s a great big gaping gap.” The same is true of Kinky Boots. The production hums with life during Studd...

  The Indianapolis Repertory Theatre is heating up these cold snowy days with a sci-fi classic. Fahrenheit 451 is on stage until Feb. 20 on the OneAmerica MainStage. One would hope that this play would become irrelevant in our world, but unfortunately, it’s more important than ever. Earlier this month a school board in Tennessee banned the Pulitzer-prize-winning graphic novel Maus. The book explores the Holocaust through the eyes of the author’s father. The essence of Fahrenheit 451 was born out of Bradbury’s fear that our society would become dependent on technology and lose its ability to learn and think. Now here we are, trapped in a cycle of relying on our screens for all interactions and choosing to remove books that teach the harsher details of our history from schools. It’s a disturbing realization and one that hits close to home when brought to life on the stage.  The original story is adapted by Tobias Anderson. As much as I adore Bradbury’s writing it was distracti...

  Have we ever needed a return to this cozy tradition more? The familiar landscape of fake snow and glowing lanterns welcomes new and old audiences to the Indiana Repertory Theatre’s A Christmas Carol. There are many new elements in the production this year giving it a fresh feel, full of hope and promise.  IRT regular Rob Johansen takes the reigns as Scrooge for the first time. Ryan Artzberger, who has played Scrooge for the past decade, steps into the role of Scrooge’s beleaguered clerk Bob Cratchit. IRT playwright-in-residence James Still directs Carol for the first time. There is also a more diverse cast than we’ve seen in the past, a great change! Johansen is a perfect fit for Scrooge. He captures the cranky character’s sense of sarcasm and scorn which transforms as the play unfolds. Johansen conveys a sincerity that makes Scrooge’s altered state believable and poignant. The talented cast members all play a slew of characters. Their narration of the show in unison and...

  The finale of this year’s bard fest is Elizabeth Rex, a play based on the true story of the execution of the Earl of Essex, the Queen’s lover, for treason. This fictionalized account takes us into a barn holding Shakespeare and his players on the eve of the execution. They receive a visit from the Queen on this pivotal night in her rule. It’s a regional premiere production and an absolute coup for the Bard Fest and a testament to how the event has grown over the years. The scale of the production reaches new heights on every level. This is also the first time they have produced in the Theater at the Fort in Lawrence. It’s a beautiful space, and the set includes a two-tiered barn with lanterns and candles setting the mood. The story explores the delicate balance Shakespeare had to find between writing powerful stories and not offending the Queen. It also debates the societal expectations placed on a ruler who was a woman in a traditionally male position of leadership. Glenn Dobbs’...

  Add together one book club, six members, six meetings, and what do you get? The answer is a lot of drama with a big dose of farcical fun. The Book Club Play is a fast-paced look at one group’s love of reading and how it shapes their lives. From Moby Dick to Twilight, the club tackles reads that shine an unexpected light on issues in their own lives.   The plot explores ideas of culture vs popularity. What makes a book a classic? What makes you a snob or a plebian? As a bibliophile, I loved seeing how expectations and preconceived ideas about books can shape your experience with them. I love the text scrolling over the set between scenes. The characters felt a bit one-note at times. There was a Type-A controlling leader, a frazzled introvert, and a confused jock. I would have loved a bit more character depth as the play progressed. Instead, I felt like they leaned into the stereotypes. The strength of the show lies in playwright Karen Zacarías’ ability to pull in the audien...

Mark your calendars! The dates and locations of this year's Bard Fest have been announced. The annual festival brings together multiple theatre companies and this year, multiple locations, to present Shakespeare's work.  The Shakespeare festival is returning to the IndyFringe Basile Theatre and expanding to The Cat Theatre in Carmel and The Theatre at the Fort in Lawrence. It will include all new original productions of Measure for Measure, Antony and Cleopatra, Love’s Labour’s Lost, and  Macbeth. It will also feature two additional productions of Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolfe? and the award-winning Elizabeth Rex by Timothy Findley. The shows, produced by Bard Fest,  will continue to bring the region’s finest actors to Indianapolis and provide unique visions of the Bard of Avon along with modern classical contemporaries. Bard Fest was first conceived by Glenn Dobbs in the spring of 2015. Launching with an admittedly “overly ambitious” schedule of eight p...

  To return to the American Players Theatre after the pandemic hiatus is magical. All the elements that we’ve missed for the past year are waiting for audiences at the top of the hill. Cymbeline The theatre’s production of Cymbeline is a revelation. The all-female cast flips the tone from oppressive misogyny to tongue-in-cheek barbs and iconic strength. What originates as a story about the value of women based on their chastity and rooted in the mistrust of Imogen’s word over an almost stranger’s transforms into a story of her carving out her own life. The core of that strength always existed in Shakespeare’s words, but the show is often played with Imogen acting only as a casualty of circumstance, a path to her husband Posthumus’ fall and redemption. In director Marti Lyon’s hands and Melisa Pereyra’s barely-contained rage, Imogen has a chance to rise above the role of victim. Cymbeline has always been a fascinating show because unlike Othello and other popular Bard plays, the cha...