Stage Write

On Golden Pond is the quiet story of an elderly couple who return to their lake house in Maine to relax for the summer. The Indiana Repertory Theatre is closing its 43rd season with a subtle exploration of the family dynamics between three very different generations.  The play has a sweet, slow rhythm. It's in no hurry to introduce the audience to all the characters or even the main heart of the play. Those who have seen the Oscar-winning movie will recognize all the characters: the cantankerous Norman, about to celebrate his 80th birthday, his patient wife Ethel, and his daughter Chelsea who keeps her distance because of bitter childhood memories. Then there's Chelsea’s boyfriend, a polite dentist and his feisty 13-year-old son who might just be exactly what Norman needs. The set was excellent, with high-arching beams and the view of a lake stretching out in the distance through the windows. Robert M. Koharchik’s beautiful design has a rustic charm and looks comfor...

Radio Golf is the tenth and final play in August Wilson’s Pittsburgh Cycle. The Indiana Repertory Theatre has produced plays from this series in the past (The Piano Lesson and Gem of the Ocean), each of which has had its own unique feel. Each of the 10 different plays are set in one decade of the 20th Century and look at issues the African American community have had to deal with during that time. This newest production, set in 1997, is on stage now. An ambitious man, Harmond Wilks, returns to the rundown neighborhood he grew up in to spearhead his campaign for Mayor and a redevelopment project in the area. One house is set to be torn down to make way for a Whole Foods. The man who grew up in the home claims he still owns it. The house happens to be the setting of Gem of the Ocean, the first play in the cycle, which makes it a nice bookend for the series. At the IRT there's always something to love, but a few of the elements in this production fall short. At two hours and 45 minute...

The Indiana Repertory Theatre's current main stage production is a great choice for February, Black History Month. "The Piano Lesson" is one of a ten-part series written by August Wilson that chronicles black American culture and experience. Each of the plays represent one decade in the 20th century. The IRT included one of the plays, "Gem of the Ocean" in last year's season. The entire work captures the life styles and struggles black Americans faced during the tumultuous century. This show, a Pulitzer-prize winner, is set in the 1930s and follows the Charles family. Brother and sister Boy Willie and Berniece find themselves on opposite sides of an argument when Willie decides he wants to sell a family heirloom of which they share ownership. The object in question, a priceless piano, is covered with ornate carvings detailing the family's rise from slavery. Boy Willie is a bubbling cauldron of trouble and bad attitude. He sees only his own future and wha...