Stage Write

What if Juliet had awoken from her sleeping potion to discover Romeo had killed himself… BUT she decided not to do the same. So begins & Juliet, the pop musical that reimagines the heroine’s story. The Broadway Across America production is on stage now at Clowes Memorial Hall. It’s a wild ride filled with well-known songs from the 1990s and 2000s. Most jukebox musicals start with a loose idea of a plot and then find songs to fit the bill based on a specific artist’s catalogue. At the opposite end of the spectrum is & Juliet. It starts with the story idea and then selects songs that fit the required dialogue. The entire pop oeuvre is open for the picking, and you can feel the difference. The music is used in clever duets, so each character has their say. More than anything, it reminded me of the TV series “Glee”, which used songs in a similar way. Many scenes feel more like a concert than a musical, with the large cast using hip-hop and street dance to move the story along. Sh...

  It’s raining on stage at Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre. The stage version of the 1952 musical is back, and many of the previous cast members are revising their roles. Kimberly Doreen Burns is back as Kathy Selden, and Sarah Hund returns as the glamorous and grating Lina Lamont. Joseph Rafael Davila is the new Don Lockwood and brings his exuberance and wonderful singing voice to the role. Choreographing is provided by Doug King, who previously played Cosmo Brown. He understands the intensity required for the dancing in this musical. He’s more than up for the job and keeps the actors flitting around the stage in one elaborate performance after another. The tap dancing is the highlight of the production. One of my personal favorites is “Moses Supposes,” a playful number that highlights the performers’ skills. Davila, Hill, and Kenny Shepard (Diction Teacher) never fail to stay in synch and hit their marks. Pacing in the show is tricky as the big “Singin’ in the Rain” number has t...

  A world premiere, a Hoosier playwright, and a little piece of fascinating but overlooked history. Borrowed Babies has all the makings of a great play. American Lives Theatre’s (ALT) current production is on stage at the Phoenix Theatre Cultural Centre right now. ALT produced playwright Jennifer Blackmer’s Predictor in 2023. That show demonstrated Blackmer could highlight a piece of history while breathing life into it and developing rich characters. Borrowed Babies follows in the same vein. With stellar casting, including veteran actors Jen Johansen and Lauren Briggeman, as well as other supporting cast members, the plot delves into an unbelievably real program in the 1950s where women “borrowed” babies from orphanages and other organizations to practice homemaking skills. To be successful, a show like this has to do more than just relay the history. It has to pull the audience in and get them to care about what is happening. Between Bridget Haight’s direction, Blackmen’s writing...

  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...

  The show is brilliant, let’s start with that. If you haven’t seen it, go immediately. If you’ve seen it before, there’s so much packed into each scene that multiple viewings are essential. The Broadway Across America production is on stage now at the Old National Center (Murat Theatre). Each time I see “Hamilton” something new stands out to me. After a year marked by grief and heartache, the story of so many unexpected young deaths was painful to say the least. To have a show that is a pop sensation, still resonate such deep themes is shockingly rare in the Broadway world. Grief and legacy aren’t light topics, but the speed and humor in the show balance it nicely. Hoosier Michael Natt took the stage as Hamilton at the performance I attended. A.D. Weaver, another Hoosier in the cast, is the fearless leader, George Washinton. Jimmie “JJ” Jeter’s Aaron Burr feels a bit more sardonic than past versions.   Nathan Haydel (John Lawrence/Philip Hamilton) and Lauren Mariasoosay ...

  Hamilton’s “You’ll Be Back” might as well have been written about me and Les Misérables. There will never be a time I’m not drawn to this show. I think we often forget that musicals and plays that have become commonplace to us are still new to the next generation. Bringing my nine-year-old daughter to see the show for the first time was a beautiful experience. I remember seeing it in London for the first time at 21 and being blown away. The depth of the story, the beauty of the songs, the range of the vocals, it was a revelation. Seeing the same response from her made this production particularly special for me. Broadway Across America included this show in its season two years ago, and many of the lead actors, including Javert (Preston Truman Boyd), Valjean (Nick Cartell), the Bishop of Digne (Randy Jeter), and others, all remain the same. Their powerful performances could carry the show alone, but the large supporting cast is full of standouts. Alexa Lopez does a beautiful job ...