Stage Write

Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre is thrilled to announce its 2017 season.   Shear Madness (Dec. 29, 2016 – Jan. 29) The season starts Dec. 29 with the Beef & Boards debut of the hilarious hair-raising hit: Shear Madness. The longest-running play in American history, this madcap comedy takes place in a not-so-typical hair salon. When the old lady upstairs is mysteriously murdered, the audience combs through the clues, questions the suspects and determines “whodunnit” so the show is different every time it’s presented! On stage through Jan. 29, Shear Madness contains some innuendo and adult humor, and appropriate for ages 13 and above.   Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Feb. 2 – March 26)      Starting Feb. 2, the Bible meets Broadway in the first collaboration between Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. The famous story about the trials and triumphs of Jacob’s favorite son is t...

Jets and Sharks have taken over Clowes Memorial Hall as West Side Story closes the Broadway Across America 2012/13 season this week. The young cast brings the tried and true musical back with earnest renditions of “America” and “Tonight.” The dance-heavy production adds some unique elements including a strange ballet dream sequence for “Somewhere” that puts the tomboy character of Anybodys front and center. It also turns the playfully light number “Gee, Officer Krupke” into a crasser fare. More successfully it incorporates a significant amount of Spanish into the lyrics of the songs and dialogue. This change helps highlight the differences between the cultures, giving the Puerto Rican scenes a distinct feel. A few characters, particularly Theo Lencicki as Riff, seemed to have a hard time finding their footing in their roles; he never quite clicked with the character. When you’ve had the opportunity to see multiple productions of the same show, different plot points ten...

Two warring cultures, young people from opposing sides falling in love, sound familiar? It's not "Romeo and Juliet," it's "West Side Story." Inspired by the Shakespearean saga, the musical is set in New York in the 1950s and is now onstage at Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre in Indianapolis. The Jets, a gang led by Riff, have decided to declare war on the Sharks, a gang of Puerto Rican immigrants. In the midst of the building tension, Tony, a member of the Jets, and Maria, sister of the Sharks leader, Bernardo, manage to fall in love. The tragic tale of the star-crossed lovers is set to the music of Leonard Berstein, with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. The well-known songs, like "Tonight" and "I Feel Pretty," are crowd pleasers. The two leads are new to Beef & Boards. Evy Ortiz stars as Maria and Loren Christopher plays, Tony. They are both talented actors. Ortiz's voice is beautiful and it brings a richness to each number she's ...