Stage Write

Almost any French farce will reliably include slamming doors, jealous spouses and sometimes angry Prussians and speech impediments. This jumble of elements creates a frenzy of misunderstandings that's only straightened out in the end. The Indianapolis Civic Theatre's production of Georges Feydeau's most famous farce, "A Flea in Her Ear," has all of those elements and more. Add a few pistols, a seedy hotel, and a love letter and you've got a recipe for disaster. A randy German and an angry Hispanic man add extra doses of humor throughout the show. The show gets off to a slow start, but begins to crackle in the second half. There are three acts and one intermission. This production lacks the pacing essential for a farce to work. It's a delicate balance between banter and action sequences, but the show relied too heavily on the banter in the first half and the action in the second. Paul Hansen serves as both the wrongly accused husband Victor Emmnauel and a d...

Music has a way of seeping into your pores. There's no way to explain the affect that certain songs or artists can have on an individual. It's as if they speak to your soul. Those are the notes and lyrics you heart would have sung if it had a voice. Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre's latest show, "Always... Patsy Cline" is a musical created to celebrate this very fact and the unlikely friendship that formed between the singer and one of her biggest fans. After meeting during a concert Cline gave in Texas, Patsy and Louise Seger became real life pen pals. Christine Mild stars as Patsy Cline, the world-renowned country singer. It's obvious Mild is comfortable in the role, one that she's performed all over the country. Not only does she sound shockingly similar to Cline, she also bears an eerie resemblance to the singer. Her rich voice washes over the crowd in every number. She brings a southern charm and cheek to the role, which is perfectly compliment...

Broadway Across America is thinking pink this week with the Tony Award-winning "Legally Blonde," on stage now at Clowes Memorial Hall. The show is frivolous fun at its finest. It embraces sorority stereotypes and pokes fun at itself with every "OMG" squealed. Anyone who's seen the movie will have a good idea what to expect, just add singing and dancing to the mix. Expect lots of neon lights, velour tracksuits and shades of Pepto Bismol. Becky Gulsvig is a perfect blend of ditzy blonde and sincere determination as Elle Woods. Her sassy entourage, which doubles as a Greek choir, embodies the textbook sorority girl mentality. Michael Rupert embraces his inner slime ball in the role of the cutthroat lawyer Callahan. His big number, "Blood in the Water" drips with delicious sleaze. The UPS guy, played by Ven Daniel, steals each scene he's in and he elicited hoots and whistles every time he walked on stage. One courtroom number, "Ther...

(The five man cast of Around the World in 80 Days) The Jules Verne classic "Around the World in 80 Days" is the Indiana Repertory Theatre's final show of the 2009/10 season. Phileas Fogg (Jeff Cummings) decides to travel around the globe in only 80 days on a spur-of-the-moment bet. Cummings' capture's the a-typical Englishman's attitude to a T. He's all business with a stoic sensibility. Fogg's trusty French servant, Passepartout, played by La Shawn Banks, travels with him and provides a steady stream of slapstick hilarity. (La Shawn Banks and John Lister) With only five actors to play dozens of characters, the talented cast was constantly switching wigs and costumes to cleverly disguise themselves with a new identity. Zack Buell has a particularly trying time playing (according to the playbill) "everybody else." He literally played a different person in almost every scene, becoming the show's chameleon. (An "elephant" in...

The IRT Announces its 2010-11 Season With two world premieres, an award-winning book and hit movie, a Tony Award-winning play, a traditional holiday favorite and the return of the critically acclaimed Going Solo Festival, the Indiana Repertory Theatre (IRT) unveils its 39th Season – a season filled with drama, comedy, mystery and history. 
Holes , by Louis Sachar Sept. 25 – Nov. 6 A lost treasure. A multi-generational curse. Racial injustice. And a bizarre correctional facility where kids serve time digging holes in the desert. Found guilty of a crime he didn’t commit, Stanley discovers more than dirt as he digs – in this quirky comedy, he also finds new friends, the power of perseverance and the truth about his family’s past. What will he find at the bottom of the next hole? Mary’s Wedding , by Stephen Massicotte Nov. 3 – Dec. 4 The night before her wedding, Mary wakes from a recurring dream about a childhood love – and takes the audience through a dreamscape of love, heartache, passi...

"A Chorus Line," presented by Broadway Across America, is on stage now at Clowes Memorial Hall. The show goes behind the scenes of a Broadway chorus line audition in 1975. Over the course of two hours, with no intermission, the audience gets to know what brought each dancer to this point. With a huge cast and a simple set, the show defies many musical norms. There's no major plot, instead it's a compilation of individual stories. The blank stage has a wall of mirrors and little else to distract from the dancers. You quickly realize that the dancers themselves have become the set. Their flawless bodies pose and stand frozen as the spotlight singles out one individual to perform. The other 16 actors stand, all graceful angles, creating the perfect backdrop. The cast is equal parts hilarious, heart breaking and incredibly talented. They sing, they dance and they sass, all while trying to manage their nervousness and anticipation. From the deliciously cold diva Shelia ...

In conjunction with the Indiana Repertory Theatre, the Phoenix Theatre currently has a show by playwright Steven Dietz on stage. The Phoenix's show, "Yankee Tavern," is a conspiracy-fueled drama set in a New York City bar. It was fascinating to compare the two shows. The plots were diametrically opposite, but the rapid flow of dialogue was the same. Dietz's writing style was hard to miss. Both plays dealt with serious issues, while maintaining a sense of humor. "Yankee Tavern" centers on a grad student, Adam, who runs his deceased father's bar. Shane Chuvalas walks the line between cynic and believer as Adam. He's struggling not only to finish his thesis, but also to find closure from his father's death. His fiancée, Janet, (Carrie Schlatter), has grown impatient with his indecision and is beginning to question his true goals in life. Adam's dad's best friend, Ray, is a regular at the tavern and spews out an endless...