Caleb Wilson

Epsilon ‘School’ a class act

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By Wendy Carson

 While it seems that bringing a popular movie to the stage would be an instant ticket to success, there are a few that feel dependent on their stars to pull off the magic of the original – “School of Rock” is one such property. No matter how talented the cast, it is almost impossible to match the man-boy magic of Jack Black. Luckily, Epsilon Theatrical Company has struck that match in their amazing casting of Caleb Wilson as Dewey Finn.

Wilson brings out the lovable side of this Peter Pan character who is absolutely obsessed with winning the local Battle of the Bands and becoming a Rock God.

After sponging off his best friend Ned Schneebly (Darin Richart) for years, he is finally given an ultimatum by Ned’s hot new girlfriend Patty Di Marco (Afton Shepard) to pay some rent or get out. This leads to Dewey posing as Ned for a substitute teaching position at a posh prep school, Horace Green.

While Dewey’s initial lackadaisical attitude has him on the rocks, he happens to overhear his students’ music class and decides to create a band out of these kids to win the contest. While they have only been exposed to classical music, he fast-tracks them on a rock education and creates an awesome band, complete with back-up singers, roadies, sound and light techs, groupies, even a manager/promotions director.

The shenanigans run fast and furious throughout, but everything manages to come together in the end with love and understanding winning the day.

While the several adults in the cast give exceptional performances, Allison Williamson’s turn as Rosalie Mullins, the uptight Principal of Horace Green (and Dewey’s love interest), is sheer perfection.

As for the kids, please note that although the show does have an orchestra at the rear of the building, all the kids with instruments on stage genuinely play them, and do a wonderful job. Principal band members backing Finn (guitar, vocals) are Zack Mooneyham (Luke C. Wilson) on lead guitar, Freddie Hamilton (Colm Tripple) on drums, Lawrence Turner (Thomas Kim) on keyboard, Katie Travis (Tess Eggeson) on bass, and Tomika Spencer-Williams (Koto Hoskins) as featured vocalist. While they, and gold-star student Summer Hathaway (Ellie Richart) as the band Manager, do get most of the lines and attention, all the young performers were amazing at bringing their rock-star roles to life.

Directed for ETC by Jayson Elliott with additional choreography by Mary McDonnel and Tim Reed as music director, “School of Rock” was adapted from the Mike White film by Andrew Lloyd Webber with book by Julian Fellowes, new music by Webber and lyrics by Glenn Slater. (Though ALW was involved, rest assured this musical is [mostly] Cat-free.)

For a feel-good musical tour-de-force that will have you banging your head for a long time afterwards, sit in with the cool kids at Epsilon’s usual venue, Broadway United Methodist Church, 609 E. 29th St., Indianapolis, 7 p.m. Friday, 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 14-16.

Info and tickets at epsilontheatricalco.org.

Agape ensemble brings ‘Hunchback’ to life

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By John Lyle Belden

God bless those who are less seen.

This applies not only to stories such as Victor Hugo’s “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” but also to Agape Theatre Company, a program of Our Lady of the Greenwood Catholic Church. The company shares the spotlight among its participants, as backstage crew are brought up at every curtain call, and during the run of each production, the understudies get to take the stage.

Wendy and I attended one of the understudy-led matinees of the Disney Theatricals musical of “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” and, honestly, it was superb.

Perfect for an endeavor that explores the link between faith and classic drama, while giving youth from junior high to college experience in the theatre arts, the “Hunchback” musical – book by Peter Parnell, music by Alan Menkin, lyrics by Steven Schwartz – draws closer to the original Hugo novel for inspiration than the animated movie. Moments of lightness are contrasted with the dominating 15th-century atmosphere of the Paris cathedral of Notre Dame, complete with Church choir and Latin chant. Songs from the 1996 film are kept, including title character Quasimodo’s “Out There,” Romani dancer (and romantic lead) Esmeralda’s “God Help the Outcasts,” the Festival of Fools theme “Topsy Turvy,” and most notably “The Bells of Notre Dame” which is used as an exposition and framing device throughout the show.

Wendy told me, “I keep forgetting they’re understudies.” Given their chance to shine, we got stellar performances by Caleb Wilson as Quasimodo, standing in for Ben Frederick; Ruth Bowen as Esmeralda, in place of Rebekah Barajas (who was Maria in Agape’s “West Side Story”); Jake Hobbs as self-righteous Archdeacon Dom Claude Frollo, otherwise played by Aiden Lucas; and Olivia Schemmel as the energetic “Queen of the Gypsies” Clopin Trouillefou, rather than the “King” played by Cyrus Dzikowski. We saw Quasimodo’s unfortunate parents played by Isaiah Haydon, in the place of Jack Tiehen – who instead portrayed Captain of the Guard Phoebus, in place of Wilson – and Hailey Ready, in place of Bowen.

Several in the cast play the plaster Saints and stone Gargoyles, who, rather than being comic relief as in the movie, are Quasimodo’s only true unjudging friends. As the conversations are in his head, we hear the Hunchback speak without impediment, as well as the statuary. In understudy, we saw Sarah Franklin, Rachel Majorins, and Ellie Wooden as the Gargoyles. Also notable was Nate Irskens as St. Aphrodesius.

Directed by past Agape performer Brynn Hensley, assisted by Sofy Vida and under the eye of artistic director Dr. Kathy Phipps, with musical direction by David Turner and stage managing by Mia Joelle Baillie with Joseph Devine, this is solid quality entertainment no matter who is on stage.

Remaining performances are 7:30 p.m. Friday, 2:30 p.m. Saturday (with understudies), 7:30 p.m. Saturday, and 3 p.m. Sunday, July 28-30, at Lutheran High School, 5555 S. Arlington, Indianapolis.

For tickets and information, including how performers ages 8-18 can join Agape’s Theater Practicum Class and take part in their upcoming Christmas production of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” visit agapetheatercompany.com.

Agape youth willing to ‘rumble’ with tough topics

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By John Lyle Belden

Agape Theater Company, a middle- through high school youth program hosted by Our Lady of the Greenwood Catholic Church, has a particular approach. It takes on classic stage works – from Shakespeare to Broadway – with an eye to the moral and spiritual lessons they hold. In June, they tackled the subject of a Tony winner with now two Oscar-winning film productions: “West Side Story.”

(Various excuses I could give prevented Wendy and I from attending opening weekend, but Agape invited us for the closing.)

With book by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein, and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, the mid-20th century musical is based on Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet,” with feuding families replaced by rival street gangs: the Jets, white kids whose working-class families are getting pinched by Manhattan’s building boom; and the Sharks, young immigrants from Puerto Rico hoping for their own American Dream. Personally, I think the “Story” is a little better than in R&J, as the tension and stakes are a little more real with a clash of two cultures, and Tony (our stand-in for Romeo) is, while still a lovesick fool, less immaturely foolish than that boy in Fair Verona. Plus, there are those cool songs (reeeal cool).

Directed by Kathy Phipps with musical director April Barnes, the young cast gave a top-notch performance. The present medical concerns that put a lot of understudies and swings on the stage in New York also struck here, yet the company managed to roll with the changes, with only a couple of cancellations, and making cast changes without losing a step.

Bursting with talent and Latinx pride are Rebekah Barajas as Maria, Jaelynn Keating as Anita, and Cordale Hankins as Sharks leader Bernardo. Leading the Jets with an ever-tense feeling their turf is slipping away are smooth Riff (Grant Scott-Miller, u/s Nathan Ellenberger) and hot-headed Action (Clayton Mutchman), who long for their true leader, Tony (Johnny Gaiffe, u/s Caleb Wilson) to take charge. But Tony has a real job, and senses real possibilities (“Something’s Coming”) but as the saying goes, “When you’re a Jet, you’re a Jet.” The gangs want to have the rumble (gang-fight) to end all rumbles, with the terms set at the neutral-ground school dance. Tony and Maria are each reluctant to attend, but they go – they meet – and their fates are set.

Other tensions include the cops, ever-present but always a step behind (and the butt of the joke in one song). More subtle is the hint dropped by Bernardo that Tony is called “Pollack” behind his back, not even fully respected by his fellow Caucasians. In today’s climate, we especially feel for “tomboy” Anybodys (Aleah Mutchman, u/s Jocelyne Brake) and the desire to join a hoodlum gang being their only hope for being “one of the boys.”

The dancing and acting were superb – having actors the ages of their characters helped – as were the voices, heartbreaking at times. Still, despite the fun moments, the story is still a tragedy. There was no backing down from the dark moments, complete with believable anguish.

In a promotional video, the principal cast spoke of the emotional burden they were taking on, and of being true to all who have done these roles before. When asked what they hoped the audience would take away, the unanimous answer was that all would take time to look past people’s differences and let go of hate. They did well towards accomplishing that mission.

Agape will next perform at IndyFringe in August, with “Sing Down the Moon: Appalachian Wonder Tales.” They also return to Indy Bard Fest this fall with Shakespeare’s “The Winter’s Tale.” For more information, including supporting this 501c3, visit agapetheatercompany.com.

Agape kids return “Sound of Music”

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By John Lyle Belden

Even when one of your musical’s biggest songs is, “Climb Ev’ry Mountain,” who expects to have to scale the peak of a global pandemic?

Agape Performing Arts Company (to which I’ve given much praise in the past), a youth theatre program hosted by Our Lady of the Greenwood Catholic Church, bravely opened its production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “The Sound of Music” in March of 2020, only to immediately close.

Because COVID-19, which shut the whole world down.

But director Kathy Phipps and the cast and crew kept following that dream of telling the beloved story of the Von Trapps. With the lineup largely intact, they perform a one-weekend engagement at the Basile Theatre in the Athenaeum downtown, in the heart of Indy’s again-bustling Mass Ave arts-entertainment-dining-etc. district.

Remaining live performances, 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. today and Sunday (June 5-6), are sold out, but Sunday’s shows are available livestreamed at agapeshows.org.

The quality of the child/tween/teen performances is top-notch, as usual, with the bonus that the Von Trapp children actors are very near their characters’ stated ages. Liesl IS “Sixteen, going on Seventeen.” Agape wisely chose to keep college-student Elise Scrogham as the principal Maria, who anchored a solid ensemble Friday night.

To maximize the experience for all young actors, many roles are understudied and double-cast, with the alternate players taking the stage at different performances. Maria is also played by Meghan Wombles. Others include Elijah Beasley and Grant Scott-Miller as Captain Von Trapp, Rebekah Barajas and Silvia Seidle as Liesl, Devyn Knauss and Jackson Steuer as Friedrich, Josee DeBoor and Maggie McKinney as Louisa, Tobin Seiple as Kurt (God bless him), Evelyn Skaggs and Marygrace Rykowski as Brigitta, Adilyn Walker and Regina Kalscheur as Marta, Kesslee DeBoor and Victoria Franklin as Gretl, Olivia Schemmel and Jocelyne Brake as the wise Mother Abbess, and Clayton Muchman understudies Scott-Miller as collaborator Baron von Elberfeld.

Caleb Wilson fits right in as a late casting addition as Franz, the butler. Virginia Sever is the housekeeper, Frau Schmidt. Maura Phipps makes Frau Schraeder (the Captain’s wealthy momentary fiance) likable, and even noble in her final gesture. Aidan Morris, on the other hand, maintains a sinister air around messenger-boy Rolf that only Liesl apparently doesn’t see. The large and harmonious chorus of Sisters of the Abbey are led by Brilynn Knauss (Berthe), Kat Seiple (Margaretta) and Gemma Rollison (Sophia). And we look forward to the energetic Nathan Ellenberger, here as conniving Max Detweiler, chewing up scenes for many shows to come.

You likely know this story (and many songs) by heart. But if you don’t, here’s the pitch: It’s an old-school story of the original Antifa. With music. And children. And nuns. Who sing, even if they’re not supposed to. If you are only familiar with the classic Oscar-winning Julie Andrews film, note that the popular tunes are not in the same order or context, and there are a couple more songs. But “Edelweiss” will still touch your heart.

Even in a volunteer organization, keeping the rights to a legendary show for a dark year aren’t cheap. Please consider buying some swag, making a donation, and making a point of seeing Agape’s future productions, including a one-act “Narnia” at this August’s IndyFringe, and their staging of Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” during BardFest in the fall.