Stage Write

  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...

  Miranda is a CIA operative working in Yemen in the current upperstage production at the Indiana Repertory Theatre. Written by IRT's playwright-in-residence James Still, the show is the third play in a trilogy he created. The first play, The House that Jack Built premiered at the IRT in 2012. The second play, Appoggiatura, is part of the theatre's 2017/18 season. Each play works as a stand alone, but they deal with a single family and a tragedy that has shaped their lives.  At its heart Miranda is about identity. The titular character is strong-willed and stubborn. The only thing fluid about her is the constant shift in her public persona. She goes by four different names in the short time we have with her. Her identity is shaped by her work and family.When her faith in the identity she's created is shaken, she begins to question everything.  Jennifer Coombs embodies the broken but brash Miranda. Her layered performance captures the troubled spy's inner turm...