Stage Write

The Phoenix Theatre is excited to announce its 2018/19 season. This will be its first full season is its new home on Illinois Street.  Bright Star  Music, book, and story by Steve Martin and music, lyrics, and story by Edie Brickell Sept. 21-Oct. 7 Cabaret Poe by Ben Asaykwee (a co-production with Q Artistry)  Oct. 5-Nov. 4 A Very Phoenix Xmas 13: Merry Superstitious by Various Artists Nov. 23-Dec. 23 Apples in Winter by Jennifer Fawcett Jan. 11-Jan. 27 The Hotel Nepenthe by John Kuntz March 1-March 24 The Christians by Lucas Hnath March 29-April 14 The Children by Lucy Kirkwood April 26-May 19 White City Murder by Ben Asaykwee (a co-production with Q Artistry)  June 14-July 7 For more information about these shows or to purchase tickets, please visit PhoenixTheatre.org or call (317) 635-7529.  Photo courtesy of Zach Rosing. 

Cabaret Poe is a macabre delight that has become an annual tradition for Indy theatergoers. For the first time it has moved from its Irvington home to Theater on the Square on Mass Ave and has a more elaborate set. This was my first time seeing the show, so I can't compare it to previous productions, but I can say the current version is a must see.  The entire original musical was created by Ben Asaykwee, and uses Edgar Allan Poe’s poetry and infamous short stories to create a collective work perfectly suited for October. At times the cast performs a scene, at others they recite poetry. There's a wonderful balance of variety. There's also live music on the stage enhancing every scene. Each performance features a cast of three people, but Asaykwee is the only actor featured in every show. The remaining two parts rotate between four women. The performance I saw featured Jaddy Ciucci and Renae Stone. Asaykwee could bring on a chill or a laugh with a single raised...

The Yellow Wallpaper is a mind-bending look at one woman’s struggle with mental illness. The play, a NoExit Performance project produced in association with Q Artistry, was adapted and directed by Ryan Mullins. The world premier of this adaptation is on stage until March 9th. The über creepy story was originally published in 1892 and tells the story of Charlotte, a woman who is staying in the country with her husband in order to quiet the symptoms of her nervous depression (possibly post-partum depression). Her husband’s solution is a forced isolation and avoidance of all intellectual stimulation. He has set her up in a strange room where the walls are covered with ugly yellow wallpaper. As the story progresses she becomes obsessed with it and believe she can see a woman lurking behind the designs in the wallpaper. The longer she remains confined to the room the deeper she descends into her madness, taking the audience along for the ride. The set is genius. The play req...