Stage Write

A one-woman show starring two of Indy’s finest leading ladies, Wild Horses is a fascinating concept with a big payoff. Constance Macy and  Jen Johansen rotate nights for their performances in the coming-of-age story. T he one-act play flies by because it feels like chatting with an old friend who’s regaling you with stories from her past. From first crushes to alcohol concoctions only the underaged would dare to drink, the show captures the electric, reckless feel of youth. The night I attended, Johansen was in the driver's seat and she  kept up the break-neck pace for the entire 80-minute show. Solo shows rest entirely on the shoulders of the actor and  Johansen was perfect for the role. She imbued each scene with humor and heartbreak. She was full of energy and captured the emotional peaks and valleys of adolescence.   She skips easily between half a dozen impressions and voices as she tells the story of the summer when she was 13 and the world was both full of exc...

Education and race: there aren't too many issues that are more divisive in our country at the moment. The Indiana Repertory Theatre's current Upperstage production, Pipeline, tackles them both. The 90 minute play keeps a frantic pace as Nya, a public school teacher, finds out her teenage son has gotten into a fight at his private school.   The show, written by Detroit-native Dominique Morisseau, brings to the stage the debate of public vs. private education and the role race plays in that conversation. In addition to being a playwright, Morisseau was a teacher for years and that experience comes through in her writing. She writes about the struggle from the point of view of both parent and teacher with equal weight.  One of the major strengths of the show is the character of Omari, played with compelling vulnerability by Cole Taylor.  In the hands of a less talented playwright he could easily have been a caricature of an angry young black man. Instead...

"Womanhood shouldn't always mean motherhood." The line from Tom Horan's new play about the invention of the birth control pill is sure to start some interesting conversations. Horan is the Phoenix Theatre's playwright-in-residence and this is the world premiere of The Pill. The show is performed by an all-female quintet of characters, including the infamous Margaret Sanger. The play packs a powerful punch and I was left reeling with the realization of just how far we've come. With the invention of birth control, women truly gained control of their own lives. I loved seeing the messiness of the process. Horan doesn't present it as an easy, quick path to success. Instead it's a fight with red-tape issues, funding problems and FDA hoops that must be jumped through. These things aren't exhausting to watch though, because he tempers the hassles with humor, sprinkling in clever lines. It's obviously well-researched, but instead of overwhelmin...

The Indiana Repertory Theatre opened its season with The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. It's a murder mystery, but not in the traditional sense. The murdered party is a dog and the "detective" is a teenage boy named Christopher, whose developmental disabilities allow him to see the world through a unique lens. The show is at once emotionally exhausting and energetic. There's humor strategically placed in almost every scene to help break the tension. Mickey Rowe is acrobatic as Christopher. He is the first autistic actor to tackle the role in an American production. Though that's an accomplishment in its own right, he's also spot on in his portrayal. His ticks, his conversations, his immediate strong reactions when anything in his world deviates from its comfortable patterns, all of these things give the audience an accurate look at the world of one person with a developmental disability.  As much as this is clearly Christopher's story, th...

Welcome to Boston, Southie to be specific, where jobs are scarce and bingo nights are popular. The Indiana Repertory Theatre’s current OneAmerica Stage play, “Good People”, takes audiences into the tricky topic of social class. It brings up the age-old question of luck vs. hard work; can you succeed with just one?   The play comes from David Lindsay-Abaire, the same author as a previous IRT production “ Rabbit Hole ”. While the topic is very different the playwright's ability to tackle difficult issues no matter how uncomfortable they make us remains the same. And these issues: money, race, social status, etc., tend to make people very uncomfortable The show’s powerhouse performances, particularly from leads Constance Macy and Sean Patrick Reilly, are what really drive the message home. Each one tackles their complex character with an attention to detail that lends a feeling of authenticity to the story. Macy is the down-and-out Margie, a single mom with a disab...

The Indiana Repertory Theatre’s production of “The Game’s Afoot” marks the first time I’ve ever seen a set receive a huge round of applause. The incredible thing is that the breath-taking grandeur of Russell Metheny’s set isn’t the only great thing about this show. The IRT closes its 42nd season with this incredibly entertaining play and anticipation is high for the start of their new season this fall.   Part farce and part whodunit, The Game’s Afoot is a playful mystery that pokes fun at actors and theatre critics alike. Matthew Brumlow plays the real life actor William Gillette who made Sherlock Holmes famous on the stage. Brumlow is the quintessential eccentric actor. He seems to have blurred the line between the famous detective he has portrayed and his own life. After being shot at the end of a performance, Gillette recovers in his mansion and welcomes his fellow cast members to visit on Christmas Eve. This dream cast is wonderfully suited for the ensemble show. ...

Vonnegut isn't always associated with sweet stories of love and romance. In fact, most people would assume he never wrote anything near those topics, but the Indiana Repertory Theatre's current Mainstage production features three Vonnegut short stories that are perfect for February lovebirds. Who Am I This Time? celebrates one of Indiana's greatest writers with a sublime collection of his stories reworked as a trilogy of love stories set in a sleepy little Indiana town. Janet Allen directs with her deft hand, taking advantage of the talented musicians in the cast to provide songs as interludes between the scenes. The rollicking songs and tender ballads add a great tone to the production. The first piece is a story titled "Long Walk to Forever" which in classic Vonnegut style was originally called "Hell to Get Along With." It's about a soldier who goes home for a brief visit with his old childhood playmate.   The second title piece was my favo...

Sometimes you see a show that just makes your mind hum for days. Clybourne Park, on stage now at the Phoenix Theatre, is one of those rare shows. The Pulitzer-Prize-winning play is a continuation of Lorraine Hansberry's classic “A Raisin in the Sun.” Her play tells the story of an African-American family that has the opportunity to move into all-white neighborhood in a nicer part of town. It was ground-breaking and controversial when it was first published and performed in 1959. Clybourne Park continues that story; its first act introduces us to Bev and Russ, the white family in the process of selling their home to the family featured in Raisin in the Sun. Bev is a ‘50s housewife overflowing with false cheerfulness. Her husband finds himself withdrawing from society after they tragically lose their son. Their neighbors are in a tizzy when they discover a “colored” family will be moving in and everyone’s true feelings on the subject come out. The second act picks up 5...

The Tony-award-winning play God of Carnage is currently on the Indiana Repertory Theatre's main stage. The adult comedy is a 90 minute show with no intermission and provides an intense look at what happens when two couples are thrown together to resolve a scuffle between their young sons. Although it sounds like it might make for dour material, the show is hilarious. Don’t let the homey set lull you into a false sense of security. Though the cast may seem polite enough on the surface, their immature tendencies are lurking just below the surface and need only the slightest provocation to be released. IRT’s playwright in residence, James Still directs. Still is always at his best when telling a character driven story and this one is no exception. With his excellent guidance the characters, which are somewhat unlikeable, are also incredibly relatable. It's hard not to see a little bit of yourself in the couples as they spiral away from social niceties. Ryan Artzberger plays Ala...

The Indiana Repertory Theatre's Going Solo Festival is back for the third year. The festival features three separate one-man shows and gives audiences a chance to compare an contrast some fascinating plays. Each one is 90 minutes with no intermission and highlights one of the IRT's regular performers. The festival includes a world premier by playwright-in-residence James Still. The show, " I Love to Eat : Cooking with James Beard," introduces us to the host of America's first cooking show. The exuberant chef is played by Robert Neal. His passion for life is contagious and in only a few moments the audience is swept away as he bounces from one side of the stage to the other, guffawing as he goes. Each moment is filled with emotion; the brief flashes of anger or sadness are just as intense as the joy. Beard is shown as a man who embraced every aspect of life, food music, friendship, language, etc. The portly cook is incredibly alive, bubbling over with his enthusia...

Four characters, three scenes, two actors and one big issue. The Indiana Repertory Theatre presents “Iron Kisses” on its upperstage. Written by the IRT’s playwright-in-residence, James Still, the show is about family relationships. On the surface the show is about love, both hetero and homosexual and it would be easy to focus solely on that element. Gay marriage is a hot topic and one which is divisive in almost all circles. But this show reaches much deeper than that subject. It revolves around one family and its struggles to accept and love each other despite the countless flaws that get in the way. Using only two actors, the production tells the story of Billy and Barbara, siblings who were raised in a small Midwest town. After growing up, Billy moves to San Francisco and Barbara marries and stays in her hometown. During the course of the play Billy and Barbara’s parents are invited to their gay son’s wedding and learn that their daughter is getting divorced. The parents’ thoughts...