Stage Write

It’s not often you get a peek behind the curtain as an audience member in the theater. I was able to glimpse behind the scenes of the Indiana Repertory Theater’s latest production The 39 Steps. It’s impossible not to have a greater appreciation for a production when you see the actual hammering and sewing that it takes to make it happen. This particular show was done by the IRT in 2011 and many of the sets were saved. The theater-within-a-theater design and creative use of ladders and trunks made for a versatile set. It was easy to morph from a train to a plane with minimal shifts.   The show relies heavily on the gag of four people playing a huge cast of characters. Much of the heavy lifting lands on the shoulders of Ema Zivkovic and Michael Stewart Allen who each play a revolving cast of characters with enthusiasm. Often, they play multiple roles in the same scene, swapping wigs or jackets for a pipe and hat. The pair bring such energy to the play that you can’t help watching t...

  To return to the American Players Theatre after the pandemic hiatus is magical. All the elements that we’ve missed for the past year are waiting for audiences at the top of the hill. Cymbeline The theatre’s production of Cymbeline is a revelation. The all-female cast flips the tone from oppressive misogyny to tongue-in-cheek barbs and iconic strength. What originates as a story about the value of women based on their chastity and rooted in the mistrust of Imogen’s word over an almost stranger’s transforms into a story of her carving out her own life. The core of that strength always existed in Shakespeare’s words, but the show is often played with Imogen acting only as a casualty of circumstance, a path to her husband Posthumus’ fall and redemption. In director Marti Lyon’s hands and Melisa Pereyra’s barely-contained rage, Imogen has a chance to rise above the role of victim. Cymbeline has always been a fascinating show because unlike Othello and other popular Bard plays, the cha...