Month: July 2025

Indy Shakes’ ‘Errors’ succeeds

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By John Lyle Belden

If one is to genuinely have fun with a work by William Shakespeare, it’s hard to go wrong with “The Comedy of Errors.”

This early work by the Bard is chock full of the kind of confusions that are universal hallmarks of comedy to this day. Therefore – and “wherefore” – Indy Shakes adapted it for their summer outdoor production at Taggart Memorial Amphitheatre in Riverside Park, directed by Rob and Jen Johansen, serious actors who are no strangers to getting goofy on stage.

Taking it perhaps a step further than even crowd-pleaser Shakespeare (who was known to hire clowns), the play also includes members of (and “games” by) Act a Foo Improv Crew, featuring Daniel A. Martin.

The setting is Daytona Beach in 1984. Because reasons to start the plot, interlopers from Venice Beach are not allowed on pain of death. Caught by the police (Martin), Egeon, Merchant of Venice (Zack Neiditch), must either give up 1,000 coins or his head. In a bid for mercy, he tells the ruling Duke (Joshua Owens) his story:

He and his wife had identical twin boys, meanwhile an impoverished woman had such twins of her own, which they took on as companions and servants to their own sons. Later, during a sea voyage, a Tempest split the boat, leaving each parent alone with one each of the pairs of boys. In the process of his long search for his wife, Egeon lost track of his son Antipholous (Andrew Martin) and servant Dromio (Hannah Boswell) in Boca Raton, and thought they may be in Daytona. 

You see where this is going. Conveniently also in Daytona Beach are an Antipholus (Carlos Medina Maldonado) and manservant Dromio (Kelsey VanVoorst). Our young master has a household complete with wife Adriana (Alicia Sims), her sister Luciana (Kelli Thomas), and kitchen maid Luce (Cynthia Collins), who is sweet on Daytona’s Dromio. And remember, thanks to the magic of wearing the same outfit (just go with it), the Antipholuses and Dromios look exactly alike.

It doesn’t take long for this play to live up to its title, with hilarious criss-cross encounters between characters and intrigues that involve others including Ennis Adams as an impatient merchant and Scot Greenwell as Angelo the goldsmith. The gags also take advantage of improvised moments, 80’s and Florida references, and Shakespearean in-jokes like crying “Wherefore art thou, Dromio?!”

Finally, after a botched exorcism and Scooby-Doo-esque chase scenes, sanity is restored by order of the Duke with the aid of a local Abbess (Lynne Perkins).

While this comedy does involve a fairly simple plot for Shakespeare (fine by me, to be honest), I couldn’t help but notice a greater emphasis in the poetic dialogue, of its rhythm and rhyme. Indy Shakes artistic director Ryan Artzberger says this is indicative of Shakespeare exploring the use of verse in his early works, employing rhyming couplets to deliver the punchlines – alongside his famous puns and inuendo.

Performances are first-rate throughout the cast. Martin makes a major contribution with his minor role. I’ve seen Maldonado excel wherever he’s cast – from serious stuff to kids’ shows – and he naturally knocks it out of the park here. Edges of drama here and there, such as Greenwell’s nervousness with Angelo on the hook for a lot of money (a gold chain being on the neck of the wrong Antipholus) or Sims and Thomas as sisters feeling they are being played for fools, enhance the comic stakes for greater hilarity. Boswell and VanVoorst thrive in the absurdity.

Pardon my burying the lead here, but admission to this outdoor spectacle is free! Indy Shakes does need patrons to register their tickets for their headcount, and for a price, VIP tables are available. Remaining performances are Thursday through Saturday evenings, July 31-Aug. 2. For information and to register, visit indyshakes.com.

Strange and silly spycraft in MCP ‘Best Laid Plans’

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By John Lyle Belden

It can be frustrating, while relaxing in Jamaica working on your next book, when the plots of your spy novels start coming true.

This is the essence of the espionage-themed farce “The Best Laid Plans” by Fred Carmichael, presented by Mud Creek Players, directed by Collin Moore.

Ada Westbrook (Molly Kraus) had tired of writing children’s books and, realizing that spy stories were like fairy tales with guns and sex, drew from her late husband’s work with the U.S. State Department to become “America’s Ian Fleming,” with titles such as “The Seductive Spy.” Her editor and personal assistant Francis Daniels (Lexi Gray) is just glad to no longer proofread stories about silly animals, looking forward to her working vacation with Ada in their beachside island home.

A rather nosy neighbor, Phoebe (Rosemary Meagher) appears, claiming to know one of Ada’s friends, gaining an invitation to come over later for cocktails. Also invited is one of Ada’s husband’s former colleagues Hubert (Ronan Marra), whose son Guy (Matthew Ball) is dating her granddaughter Gail (Lane Fiorini) – they are on their way as well.

Meanwhile, a rather pushy man (Kevin Smith) comes in claiming to work for The Government, saying due to her State Department ties, Ada has been chosen as an intermediary to receive The Plans in an exchange that prevents Them from stealing these threats to national security. She is only given the Swiss bank book to be exchanged, as well as a flowery password exchange, before this Mr. Dike (pronounced “deek”) slips out to his boat, which promptly blows up.

From here, things get complicated, strange – and hilarious.

A very eager Russian-sounding agent, Goralsky (Lark Green), arrives with the right password but apparently dies before completing the exchange.

Then, Phoebe and her husband Vincent (Rob Kent) arrive and – you remember that TV show “The Americans”? These two didn’t do as well in Russian infiltrator school. Also, there’s another agent, Michael (Connor Phelan), who is apparently quickly dispatched.

And Hubert keeps talking to his shoe.

On top of this, Gail and Guy make their own macabre discovery, and deal with it as best they can (badly).

From all this we get constantly-moving bodies that often won’t stay dead, secret identities, repeated failure to find the titular Plans, clever Ada being underestimated, and Francis just needing another drink. For stage buffs, with the use of a window-seat as a hiding place, there are even a couple of references to “Arsenic and Old Lace.”

Kraus thrives playing Ada as the center of attention, while Gray is so cool as the PA who has nearly seen it all, I wondered if Lexi was the secret spymaster. Fiorini and Ball work Gail and Guy’s misunderstandings of the plot into the mix for maximum effect. The others are a nifty mash-up of 007, Get Smart, and Boris & Natasha archetypes working well in this variant of the “slamming door” farce.

For funny with a bit of firepower – and cleverly hidden secrets – “The Best Laid Plans” plays tonight and Sunday (as this posts), July 26-27, as well as July 31-Aug. 2 at the Mud Creek Barn, 9740 E. 86th St., Indianapolis. Get tickets at mudcreekplayers.org.

Nifty ‘nautical nonsense’ by Summer Stock Stage

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By John Lyle Belden

The very concept of “SpongeBob SquarePants” – conflating a living sea sponge with the rectangular kind from your kitchen – alerts you that none of this should be taken seriously (that, and its countless anthropomorphic absurdities).

But you likely know this, as the Nickelodeon animated series created by Stephen Hillenberg and voiced by comedian Tom Kenny has been entertaining children and childish adults for decades. Unsurprisingly, it also spawned a stage musical, now presented by the teen performer program of Summer Stock Stage at Schrott Center for the Arts on the Butler University campus, directed and choreographed by Jerico and Jonnie Hughes.

But can the quality silliness of the half-hour toon be sustained for two full acts of live theatre? To quote the familiar TV opening sequence: “Aye, Aye, Captain!”

However, Patchy the Pirate (Lucas Heiden) isn’t really needed for this show, despite how much he tries to get involved. With the traditional voiceover of a faux Cousteau, and the help of a just slightly off-stage foley artist (Ethan Cantrell), we meet our principal players: SpongeBob (Jaivean Wilson), Patrick (Taylor Smith), Squidward (Michael Washington), Sandy (Ariyana Johnson), Mr. Krabs (Simon Allen), his daughter Pearl (Madison Fleener), and Krabs’ devious rival Plankton (Lewis Claxon), accompanied by devoted AI partner Karen (Gracie Navarro).

The denizens of Bikini Bottom are played by Paige Murray (Mayor), Claire Kashman (Mrs. Puff), Ehren Knerr (Johnny the Bartender), Graham Bodkin (Perch Perkins), Eli Neal (Old Man Jenkins), Dexter Smith (Larry the Lobster), and Elijah Britt, Evan Cohen, Elowyn Dunn, Nayima Hall, Justice Harris, Eleanor Hendrickson, Seraphim Holmes, Shaleigh Hreskowsky, Henry Kirk, Jyone Kneeland, Isiah Littell, Collin McCune, Robert Newton, Quinn Potter, Vaben Sanders, Olivia Steele, and Keliyah Vincent.

Our tropical undersea village is shaken – literally – by the news that nearby volcano Mt. Humungous is about to erupt. Sandy – a genius inventor, as one would expect from a squirrel capable of living under the ocean – wants to tinker a way to stop the disaster. Plankton, on the other hand, persuades everyone that evacuation is the best option (which he will exploit in his newest evil scheme). Either way, they have until sundown of the next day, emphasized by a countdown clock projected above the stage, before their homes are destroyed.

What follows include a Krabs cash-grab; a benefit concert with The Electric Skates (Little, Steele, and Dexter Smith), with Squidward trying to work in his “Tentacle Spectacle;” Patrick receiving the cult-like devotion of a school of sardines; a Pirate musical number; SpongeBob’s climb to deliver Sandy’s Eruptor Interrupter; and general paranoia and mayhem, with boisterous gloating by Plankton.

This comes with plot-advancing pop songs by various artists including Jonathan Coulton, David Bowie with Brian Eno, Plain White T’s, T.I., Panic! At the Disco, Alex Ebert, Cyndi Lauper with Rob Hyman, Yolanda Adams, The Flaming Lips, Sara Bareilles, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry; Lady Antebellum, John Legend, They Might Be Giants, and Kenny with Andy Paley, as well as the SpongeBob Theme Song by Hillenburg, Derek Drymon, Mark Harrison and Blaise Smith.

One practically magical aspect of this production, which speaks to the talents of the cast, is that they so perfectly embody the spirit of their familiar characters, they “look” the part with just a few visual cues in hair and wardrobe, avoiding distracting and cumbersome outer costumes. Wilson practically glows with SpongeBob’s perpetual boyish optimism, Johnson with Sandy’s pragmatic can-do attitude. Taylor Smith’s Patrick nimbly employs voice and expression to capture the essence of his low-brains/high-loyalty personality. Likewise, Allen is spot-on in nailing the craven capitalist Krabs. With Fleener’s portrayal of Pearl, we see the show’s emphasis on her being a mildly spoiled teenage girl more than being a young whale. Washington expertly portrays Squidward in double-legged trousers with natural ease, including a dance with tentacle taps.

This approach to costuming especially works for Plankton; Claxon sometimes puppets his near-microscopic self, and his flashy green outfit with a (coincidental?) resemblance to Marvel’s Loki helps hint at his cooly sinister intent.

The overall style, from the musical’s book by Kyle Jarrow to the Hughes’s approach and cast and crew’s all-in energy give us a kids show that embraces that part in all of us that wants a fun time and adventure with characters who feel like friends.

This production “The SpongeBob Musical” only has the one weekend: If you see this right after we post, perhaps you can make it to the Saturday or Sunday (July 26-27) performances at Schrott, 610 W. 46th St., Indianapolis (next to Clowes). Info and tickets at summerstockstage.com.

A boy’s magical quest to save the seas

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By Wendy Carson and John Lyle Belden

Fonseca Theatre presents “Micah Meets a Mami Wata,” an adventure for children (of any age) by Prentiss Matthews III.

Micah (Phoenix Ray Warrior) is a very special boy. He recycles trash and shells from the seashore to make beautiful treasures, adores mermaids (and his special mermaid doll), and loves learning everything he can about the world around him. While his peers, as well as his dad (Josiah McCruiston), think he’s strange for this, his mother (Arika Casey), an ocean scientist, understands this uniqueness is just a part of his heritage.

After making a wish at his birthday party, which no one comes to, he encounters Emi (Makayla McElwain), a real Mami Wata (a mermaid in African lore). Finding himself under water but not drowning, he joins her in a spectacular adventure to heal the oceans. Along the way, they join Sticky, the comb jelly (Casey) and Brumbly, the horseshoe crab (McCruiston) and meet creatures and orishas (divine beings) played by Joshua Short, Empressnikia, and Ja’Taun Tiara.

This easy-to-follow children’s adventure not only takes on the unusual setting of the world’s oceans – from the reefs to the deep – but also tells its story from an Afro-Caribbean perspective. Micah is fascinated by the fact that the mami wata has the same dark skin tone as his. The plot also incorporates these cultures’ traditional use of cowrie shells as our heroes search for specific sacred ones.

In addition, we get a lesson on the dangers of pollution as a growing threat to us all. The production sets its example for environmental stewardship by making nearly all the props (by Jeanne Bowling) and puppets (designed by Beverly Roche and Lukas Felix Schooler) from discarded materials.

Fonseca producing director Jordan Flores Schwartz directs, with choreography by Casey.

Fun and enlightening – both in the mental sense and all the glowing “bioluminescence” effects – “Micah Meets a Mami Wata” has two more weekends, July 25-27 and Aug. 1-3, 7 p.m. Fridays, 4 p.m. Saturdays, and 2 p.m. Sundays, at 2508 W. Michigan St., Indianapolis. Tickets and info at fonsecatheatre.org.

Hadestown comes to Footlite

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By John Lyle Belden

“And we’re going to sing it again, and again!”

For those who missed the recent other production of “Hadestown,” or have seen it and want more, Footlite Musicals brings the “Teen Edition” (largely unchanged from the original) to its stage through Sunday.

The Tony-winning sensation by Anïas Mitchell tells an “old song” that dates at least to Ancient Greece, blending the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice; the relationship between Hades (god of the Underworld) and Persephone (goddess of Spring); and some rather current issues.

The show is set more recently, with buildings resembling downtown New Orleans, reflecting the jazzy style in which we get our story. Our host and narrator is the messenger god Hermes (Plezzance Lawrence), accompanied by a literal Greek Chorus of Fates (Lauren Blackwood, Zyan-Kristyna Byrd, and Ruth Par).

A railroad train from the Underworld brings Persephone (Grace Graves), whose summer stays seem shorter in recent years, before husband Hades (Carter Hinton) comes to claim her. Meanwhile, Orpheus (Eduardo Palapa), the mortal son of a Muse, uses his supernatural gift of music to work on a song he believes will set the cycle of seasons right again. He looks up from his work to see the beautiful mortal Eurydice (Willa Cortez), young but world-weary, seeking comfort. They fall in love and are happy – until the long hard winter returns. Eventually, each of these lovers will go to Hadestown, “way down under the ground,” where events lead to an “Epic” showdown between man and god.

The ensemble players are integral to the story as well, adding vocals for emphasis and moments of call-and-response, as well as aiding the narrative with movement choreographed by Kevin Bell. These are Owen Alvis, Devin Barringer, Marguerite Bougeois, Fender Brokamp, Emma Copes, Christian Diaz, Eloni Fitzpatrick, Oliver Hayes, Hawk Hendrix, Oliver Martinez-Torme, Anna McGaha, Staci Raymount, Louis Rivelli, Ruby Schoettle, Adryan Simmons, and Zoe Wilson.

The production is directed by Dennis Jones and Ed Trout, who said he really wanted to emphasize the soul of the work – both in the jazz sense and the essence of the ancient legend. For instance, he had Hinton bring out the melodic tones of Hades’ baritone part.

Graves is a delight, both in Persephone’s sassy songs and her repartee. Cortez is also excellent in voice and manner as the tragic Eurydice. Palapa is simply amazing, his Orpheus believably sounding like one touched by the divine. Lawrence as Hermes entertainingly guides the proceedings like one with godly prerogative.

The orchestra, led by Gisele Dollinger, occupies an upstage loft and features a hot trombone solo by Aaron Burkhart. Trout designed the set, which includes using the Hedback Theatre stage trapdoor as a dramatic means of descent.

All this combines into a powerful, unforgettable theatre experience. Timeless legends retain their form while becoming relevant to our lives in this century. Perhaps love conquers all, but it’s still a hell of a fight.

“Hadestown: Teen Edition” has performances Thursday through Sunday, July 24-27, at 1847 N. Alabama St., Indianapolis. Get tickets at footlite.org.  

War ends but struggle continues for returning soldier

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By John Lyle Belden

Center Stage Community Theatre of Lebanon, Ind., boldly presents the world premiere of the drama “Tail End Charlie,” by Joey Banks, directed by Matt Spurlock. This intense look at family dysfunction, mental health, and the hidden wounds of war might be considered daring for a small-town stage – yet apropos as it goes to the heart of the heartland with its setting in a fictional Lebanon-sized town (near Chicago), centered on a young man coming home from World War II.

But first, we see the soldier’s father (Tom Smith), his grasp on reality slipping, declaring both his sons are dead – Robert (Grant Craig), an Army Airman reported shot down over Normandy on D-Day; and elder son George (Davd A. Shaul), who lives but he chooses to see as a “ghost,” hated for costly alcohol and gambling addictions. Yet it is he, the old man, who will have passed away when our story gets under way the next summer, in 1945 with the War in Europe just ended.

Robert, who survived as a prisoner of war, gets home a little early, surprising his wife Dorothy (Sabrina Duprey) as she prepares the homecoming celebration. She is grateful to see him in the flesh, especially after the ordeal of being told he had perished the year before. George arrives with a cheerful greeting, but bad news: their father’s business, Dobson Manufacturing, which Robert would inherit and George managed in his stead, is in danger of being overwhelmed by big-city competitors. Remembering how his brother used to be, Robert rails at him for apparent incompetence until he sees the books himself – and the buy-out bids that would land them on their financial feet, as well as give a severance to the employees facing unemployment regardless.

As Robert mulls the difficult choices regarding his legacy, keeping at bay growing suspicions and unsettled memories, a slick character straight from a gangster flick (Matt McKee) walks in. The man says he’s Frank, a “friend” of George’s, who still owes him money.

Did George lie about giving up gambling? Or is Frank even real? The elder Dobson suffered from hallucinations, even calling one of them Frank, as his mental and physical health deteriorated. Is it just Robert’s overstressed mind, or is there something increasingly wrong with how his wife is behaving? Visits from Dr. Ross (Chris Taylor) offer little insight, though Robert feels confident enough while alone with him to relate haunting details from his crash and capture by the Germans.

Suspense and suspicion build to a tragic end, leaving us much to consider about the fragility of the mind, especially when forced to choose when there is no good choice. The play’s title refers to the vulnerable position of Robert’s aircraft, flying at the rear of the formation. In a way, his fortunes never get better.

Smith lends calm gravitas to the Dobson patriarch, even in a mental fog, delivering a scene that sets the play’s tone with a character whose lingering effect haunts both his sons. Shaul plays George in a way that deftly keeps us guessing – is this a redemption arc, or is he an exceptional liar? Duprey gives us a heartbreaking portrayal of “Dee,” a good-natured woman worn down by the stresses of the homefront, nearly broken with the news of the previous summer, and still struggling to do more than deal with other people’s circumstances.

Craig does well in giving us in Robert the soldier whose demeanor is not quite off the battlefield – survival reflexes now manifest in hair-trigger moods and snap reactions, compounded by the possibility of a sort of family curse, and the mental baggage he doesn’t dare unpack. Then there’s Frank, a merciless provocateur with the insight of a nagging conscience, which McKee plays with relish.

Language gets intense, though mostly PG-13; there is some impressively choreographed fighting; and we are alerted there will be a gunshot – the circumstances I’ll leave you to discover.

“Tail End Charlie” has two more weekends, July 25-27 and Aug. 1-3, at 604 Powell St. in Lebanon. Get tickets at centerstagecommunitytheatre.org.

‘HI!’ – ‘Puffs’ a hero’s story for the rest of us

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By John Lyle Belden

The difficulty in writing about the hilarious parody, “Puffs, or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic,” is that in the years since the original books and movies of the subject franchise were made and initially enjoyed, its creator has turned out to be much like the villains in her stories.

Still, this Off-Broadway hit by Matt Cox, presented as the summer youth production of Main Street Productions in Westfield, in a way responds to the sense of betrayal by She-Who-Will-Not-Be-Named by giving the narrative to those who don’t feel particularly “Brave,” or “Smart,” or in a privileged elite (like “Snakes”). This one’s for the “Puffs” everywhere, in the spirit, as director Amber K. Roth puts it, of “true friendship.”

Our intrepid Narrator (Carolyn Noneman) informs us up front that this takes place in a certain school of magic in Great Britian in the 1990s, when a certain 11-year-old spent seven years getting into all kinds of adventures, including a literal war. This is NOT about him, despite the fact he keeps showing up.

In rural New Mexico, 11-year-old Wayne Hopkins (Teddy Epstein) also discovers that he is a wizard – also that wizards exist, he’s really British, and owls can deliver mail. He makes his way to the school, where a talking hat chooses to which House each student will belong. While others famously join the “Braves,” Wayne finds himself in the “Puffs,” which is apparently the opposite. His housemates include Oliver Rivers (Spencer Rees Bland), a boy from a non-magical family in Indiana who is gifted in mathematics (for what good that does him here); and Megan Jones (MJ Elliott) a goth loner whose mother (Annalisa Schuth) is in the prison for “Sirius” criminals because she follows the Dark Lord.

Other Puffs include goofy Leanne (Morgan Rusbasan) who thinks that being a wizard at all is cool, and just wants to have a silly slumber party; Ernie Mac (Liam Thompson), succeeding to some degree at trying to be cool; Hannah Abbott (Eve Carson), who maintains high spirits despite the frequent bullying; J. Finch Fletchly (Layne Thompson), whose charisma combines the slacker and class clown archetypes so well, he even enjoys being a possible figment of others’ imagination; nervous Susie Bones (Greta Shambarger), whose family may be cursed; Sally Perks (Nora Gapinski-Coon), who finds she is more attractive without her glasses, making her confident but nearly blind; and Cedric (Carter Dean Kinnett, the one Puff that readers of the books all know about.

The scar-faced kid with weird luck who talks to snakes (name starts with H) is played by Moon Siebe. All other characters are portrayed by Preston M. Blair, Mackey Brose, Lucy Cooper, Lousia Dobson, Jack Elicker, Keighan Johnson, Jack Levine, Calvin Noneman, Dhruvi Shah, Ella M. Steffans, and a mop.

In under two hours (including intermission) we roll through seven years, each more dangerous – with a thicker book – than the one before. The more familiar you are with the franchise, the funnier the jokes and sharper the jabs are. And that really bad thing that happens at the climax of Book 4? It still happens.

Still, this is more than a good-natured mocking of a popular set of stories. It sticks to the point of view of the people trying to live their own epic while finding themselves in support of someone else’s. Those kids in the yellow and black school uniforms mattered, too, and any win can feel good, even if it means climbing from fourth place (of four) to third.

This is reflected in the exuberant performances of our talented cast. While Epstein, Bland, and Elliott are solid as the main trio (a counterpoint to the novels’ threesome), Rusbasan and Thompson are naturals at physical comedy – earning as much as stealing their scenes. Kinnett shines, appropriately, with all the suaveness his housemates lack, as well as cooly presenting a much darker side in Act II. Schuth is fun to watch as she demonstrates that you can take the girl out of the Puffs, but not the Puff from the girl. In addition, we give a shout-out to the ensemble member who played Bippy, the odd elf-like character the Puffs really should have noticed earlier, given their dorm’s proximity to the kitchen.

Carolyn Noneman is an excellent host, engaging the audience as she guides us through the story, taking all its absurdities in stride.

Roth is assisted by Melina J. DeGolyer, with student director and dramaturge Anna Pfeiffer. Stage manager is Samantha Kelly, assisted by students Julia Brammer and Corwyn Barrows. Stage crew are William Gapinski-Coon, Jackson Brammer and Sullivan Hill – hopefully among these I mention are the excellent “shadows” helping make the magic happen.

The spell lasts for one more weekend. See “Puffs” Thursday through Sunday, July 24-27, at the Basile Westfield Playhouse, 220 N. Union St.; get tickets at westfieldplayhouse.org.

New ensemble makes a splash with true tale

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By John Lyle Belden

An incredible amount of local talent coalesced within the Phoenix Theatre Cultural Centre to present the first production of JoJoTomBilBen Theatricals, “The Magnificent Fall: Folding Napkins, Selecting Forks, and Other Death-Defying Feats,” based on the true story of Annie Edson Taylor, the first person to ride a barrel over Niagara Falls and survive.

Jolene Mentink Moffatt portrays Annie, joined on stage by John M. Goodson and Ben Asaykwee in various roles – these are the “Jo,” “Jo,” and “Ben” of the company. The play is directed by Bill Simmons (the “Bil”) and was written by Tom Horan (the “Tom,” of course), employing his style that examines history and legend with quirky humor and our tricky relationship with memory.

Goodson primarily portrays Annie’s talkative housecat, our principal narrator. Asaykwee’s roles include Mr. Carmichael, who makes the barrel, and Frank Russell, the carnival promoter who later makes off with it. Initially, his default mode is as the star pupil of Mrs. Taylor, who we meet as a teacher of Manners in a Bay City, Mich., school in 1900. This is one of many jobs and locales in this woman’s life (being a bit older than she’ll ever admit to), and she resolves to take her plunge into history at the Falls near Buffalo, N.Y., on her birthday in October 1901.

In fact, we are all Annie’s students, as there is a degree of audience participation.

Overall, this is a fascinating and entertaining examination of the process of achieving this “brash and irrational act” as well as what happens afterward, complete with whimsical elements – such as dueling mustaches – while relating the efforts of those who did not do so well at the Falls. The wild humor rolls with a serious undercurrent, the question of why this aging widow went through her daredevil phase. In this, perhaps the play’s title refers to more than just Niagara’s plummeting waters.

Moffatt’s charming portrayal is of an American woman of the turn of the (20th) century, seeing and seizing opportunity with a confidence that exaggerates her courage as it dashes ahead, like an object in roaring rapids, too fast for second thoughts to catch up. Goodson is appropriately catty, even when taking on a human role, and we even see his feline’s essential true role in the Niagara stunt. Asaykwee shines in his own way – not too brightly, though, with his knack for not stealing a scene in another’s story but always slyly enhancing it. Simmons’ subtle yet effective direction gives the narrative a genuine feel, and he says in his program note that there was collaboration with the actors, Horan, stage manager Erin Robson-Smith, and crew throughout to shape the final presentation. The show also features props and fine puppets by Emily Solt McGee.

For this and one more weekend, through July 20, you can see the “Queen of the Mist” and her various methods of folding napkins (and other feats) in “The Magnificent Fall” on the Basile Stage of the Phoenix Theatre Cultural Centre, 705 N. Illinois St., Indianapolis. Get tickets at phoenixtheatre.org.

CrazyLake presents wacky western whodunit

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By John Lyle Belden

Our goofy Greenfield friends at CrazyLake Acting Company tackle the multi-genre mess of “Murder at the O.K. Corral” by Blair Graeme, who was apparently inspired to simultaneously write a farce, a Western, a tribute to television’s golden era, and a mystery that honestly keeps you guessing throughout.

Set in those mid-20th-century years when all three of your TV channels featured legendary cowboys, gunslingers, and lawmen in white hats, we are on the remote desert location of “Days of the O.K. Corral.” Famed German director Hermet Von Kibbel (Jesse Vetters) has been hired to apply his eccentric style to Episode 57: “Curse of the Rattler.”

The show stars Hoyt Hite (Luke Agee) as Marshal Bat Bannister, with Stoop Nasley (Corey Yeaman) as his sidekick Ordinary Jones, Arlene Saknusen (Taylor Shelton) as schoolmarm Miss Fripp, Betty Bannon (Alex Paddock) as saloon girl Miss Pretty, and Fred (Matt Little) as Fred, the bartender. This episode features Leslie Syntax (Chris Vehorn) as gun-toting Wild Belle Oakley; Sheila Voo (Katherine Novick) as Gloria, daughter of the Rattler’s first victim; and Duncan Cadwallader (Trever Brown) as Chief Adobe, a stereotypical (typical in context) Indian.

Von Kibbel’s wild ways are frustrating for the cast and practically abusive to his assistant and script boy Wendell Alapeno (Peyton Rader). For camera man Bosco Laine, (Ethan Stearns), it’s just another job. It quickly becomes apparent that Hoyt was hired for his dashing good looks – and that’s about it. While he comically breaks character, and what few lines he remembers aren’t always his, the other actors are not exactly A-list either. Between takes, we get in their own accents their regrets in being stuck on a sweaty soundstage rather than on Broadway – or practically anywhere else.

Things go from bad to weird when the Rattler, a vengeful Native spirit, emerges from their story to actually kill someone. Who really did it? And who could be next? While each person has their suspicions and (like everyone in showbiz) secrets, Duncan – very aware how offensive his Adobe character is – frets that he’s obviously next to die.

I won’t say here who the victim(s) is/are, because not everyone stays “dead,” which further complicates the plot. Revelations of other names (which might belong to anyone here) add to the mystery. For instance, the actors all have the same agent, the mysterious Cookie LaJar, whom none have actually met.

The play is directed by Alex Agee and Christine Schefer, answering the question of what if Agatha Christie wrote a Carol Burnett skit on the set of “Gunsmoke.” The set here, with some clever features, was designed by Dan Riddle. Andy Sparks is stage manager.

Vetters shows his talent for an unapologetically over-the-top character in Von Kibbel, while Luke Agee gives us a likeable doofus as Hoyt. Rader looks a bit like a young Weird Al, complete with manic personality, as Wendell. Novick plays a character suspiciously in flux, from girlish to sneaky, while Shelton’s Arlene has quirks of her own – including aspiring to be in a musical, and frequently flirting with Fred. Performances all around are noteworthy, as everyone eagerly contributes to the mayhem, bringing on big laughs and head-scratching twists.

To visit the Old West, go east: “Murder at the O.K. Corral” opens Friday, running July 11-12 and 18-20 at the H.J. Ricks Centre for the Arts, 122 W. Main St. (US 40), Greenfield. Get tickets at crazylakeacting.com or Hometown Comics in Greenfield.