Carmel

Hancock dancers just getting warmed up

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By John Lyle Belden

It’s said that history doesn’t repeat but it rhymes, and this tune can go all the way back to 1692.

Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre presented the premiere of new work, “Salem,” during its fall performances, Oct. 23-24 at The Tarkington in the Allied Solutions Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel. The show was a mix of old and new works, performed by both familiar and new dancers.

This is part of an active season that includes the Mélange series, in which dancers and visual artists improvise their works with a vocalist with whom they have not rehearsed. The next such event features singer Tessa Gibbons, dancers Daphne Anastasia Koziura and Benjamin Balistreri, and artist Susan Mauck on Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 14-15, at The Florence at The Academy of GHDT, 329 Gradle Dr., Carmel. In December, the full company performs “Winterfest” – a celebration of the season’s various holidays – at The Florence, starting Dec. 5.

“Salem,” with choreography and costumes by Gregory Glade Hancock and original music by Seager, is set in a prison during a dystopian future in which conformity is enforced and rumors of freethinking “witchcraft” are ruthlessly pursued. The look and style suggest the fanaticism of “1984” with the costumes and high-stakes action even hinting at “Squid Game.” Hancock’s flowing, fascinating storytelling in movement is accentuated by 18 rope nooses (nearly as many as were hanged years ago in Massachusetts Colony) slowly descending over the dancers. These elements combine for an intense experience.

Company dancers were Nathalie Boyle, Caelen Gibbs, McCaleb Hanks, Isaac Jones, Sophie Jones, Kaci King, Abigail Lessaris, Vivien Mickels, Josie Moody, Darcy Mraz, Olivia Payton, and Audrey Springer, joined by Indianapolis Ballet trainees Alyssia Brown, Eden Casimiro, Faith Cordero, Alyssa Ekstrom, Lily Han, Kyla Hayashi, and Adrianna McCarter.

The program also premiered “Ophelia,” a solo tour de force for GHDT assistant director Lessaris. Designed by Hancock, with music by Cory Gabel arranged by Heather King, this work was inspired by the tragic character from Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” presenting in fascinating, flawless dance her perspective of betrayal and growing madness.

Two past works were also revived. The Latin American tragic legend of “La Llorona” featured Springer as Maria, the title character, with the full company – including Hanks as her husband and Mickels as her rival – and Valerie Bussell and Vivien Maresh as the lost children. Later, the biblical story of “Salome” was brought to life with Sophie Jones in the title role, Gibbs as John the Baptist, Isaac Jones as Herod Antipas, and Payton as Herodius.

All dances featured excellent lighting design by Ryan Kharchik.

The Mélange series has a fun anything-can-happen atmosphere, For example, while the performances usually feature a vocalist, in September the music was provided by violinist Noelle Tretick Gosling whose instrumental works in various styles allowed for some improvisation of her own, playing with the movement of Nathalie Boyle while visual artist Xavier Gray made colorful presentation of keywords inspired not only by what he saw but also the fact that the performance/rehearsal space is surrounded by hidden inspirational quotes (not visible to the public).

The November 14-15 Mélange features guest dancers, ballroom professionals Koziura and Balistreri, as the competitors become improvisors to the vocals of Tessa Gibbons, who has been a featured singer with GHDT’s “The Casket Girls” and “La Casa Azul.” All this will inspire artist Susan Mauck, who prefers to make portraits and human figures in a style she describes as “impressionistic with a contemporary edge.” Her creation at each performance will be immediately actioned to someone in the audience with all proceeds going to GHDT programs.

For information and tickets, visit gregoryhancockdancetheatre.org.

Fun carnivorous musical ‘Little Shop’ at ATI

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By John Lyle Belden

Despite the poshness of the city’s reputation, for the next couple of weekends, Carmel, Indiana, has a Skid Row.

Actors Theatre of Indiana presents “Little Shop of Horrors,” the popular musical by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken based on the classic horror film by Roger Corman.

It’s likely you are familiar with the story – a nerdy guy finds a weird houseplant that brings him instant fame, but it requires a very special (and gruesome) diet. If you know this from the 1986 film musical, know that the stage version has a few differences, as well as the original “Don’t Feed the Plants” ending. Other popular songs include “Dentist!” and “Suddenly Seymour.”

Joey Boos, a regular at Beef & Boards, makes his ATI debut as Seymour Krelborn in all his nebbish glory. Michaela McGarel, whom we recently saw in “Beehive,” is amazing as sweet, tragic Audrey. Mark Fishback plays the florist Mushnik, their impatient and frustrated boss. Jameelah Leaundra, Maya Mays, and Kayla Perry deliver harmony and guide the allegory as the Motown-inspired chorus.

Jathan Briscoe and Evangeline Bouw appear briefly in the beginning, then vanish to bring the alien flytrap Audrey II to life as voice and puppeteer, respectively. Kevin Toniazzo-Naughton nimbly plays all the other roles, most notably sadistic Orin Scrivello, DDS.

The director and choreographer is D.J. Salisbury, whose love of this musical shows through. The performances all hit the right tone for this campy romp with heart and a lot to say about ambition and what we are willing to do for our dreams.

The scenic design by Jay Ganz makes good use of the modest-sized Studio Theater, including movable walls that smooth the costume and set changes. Musical direction is by Nathan Perry. Stage manager is Nina J.S. Ludwick, assisted by Melissa A. Nathan. Kudos also to costume designer Guy Charles Clark, especially for the outfits in the final number.

As this posts, there are still tickets available for Halloween night. ATI’s “Little Shop of Horrors” runs through Nov. 8 at the Allied Solutions Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Carmel. For info and tickets, go to atistage.org or thecenterpresents.org.

Civic’s ‘Pill’ a strong dose

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By John Lyle Belden

What appears to be just a pop “jukebox musical” turns out to be one of the most important theater works in central Indiana this year.

The Booth Tarkington Civic Theatre presents Alanis Morissette’s “Jagged Little Pill: The Musical,” directed by Civic’s Executive Artistic Director, Michael J. Lasley. The show features all 12 songs on Morisette’s 1995 album – a breakthrough both in international stardom and psychologically as she bared raw emotions in her break from dance-pop (influencing the outspoken and genre-bending women vocalists and singer-songwriters who followed).  The lyrics are all hers, with music co-written by Glen Ballard. The musical also includes eight songs from her other albums, a repurposing of her “Uninvited” (originally on a film soundtrack), and two new songs for this production.

Perfectly matching Morrisette’s style, the book of the musical is by author and screenwriter Diablo Cody. The meshing of lyrics to a coherent plot is not only the most successful since “Mama Mia,” but also delivers impactful messages in a powerful work that stands in a very sum-greater-than-parts way. The uncompromising nature of both Morrisette and Cody comes through in that while this should be necessary viewing for all high schoolers, the language and content keep this strictly PG-13 at least. The circumstances and emotional heft of some scenes even shook adults in the audience.

The story of the musical centers on the Healy family of suburban Connecticut. Mary Jane (Abigail Okerson) stays at home, recovering from a car accident, while husband Steve (Rex Wolfley) works extra hours in Manhattan to keep them afloat. Son Nick (Cole Hurt), a high school senior, has just been accepted to Harvard, while younger adopted sister Frankie (Desirae Brown) deals with being a Black girl in likely the most White circumstances in America. Fortunately, she has a girlfriend, Jo (Kelsey McDaniel), who couldn’t be more out but whose mother insists being gay is a “phase.”

With the arrival of Christmas break, Nick is invited by fellow members of the school swim team to a party (unsupervised, of course) at a classmate’s house. Frankie also goes, invited by new classmate Phoenix (Jacob Schilling), who admired her poetry; they quickly leave, neither liking all the noise and alcohol. Bella (Bridget Dean), who takes on an up-for-anything attitude to fit in, is last seen with popular and well-connected Andrew (Keaton McDorman).

Meanwhile, Mary Jane has been feeling herself drifting apart from her husband, as well as in constant pain as her meds aren’t working anymore. The pharmacy won’t fill another prescription, so she found pills elsewhere, while promising herself that she’ll start cutting her dose.

The next day, news of Bella’s sexual assault – cruelly spread by photos on social media – rocks the school and affects the Healy family in various ways. Everyone’s façade of perfection is shattering.

Like in life, this show has a number of lighter moments as well, aided by the more upbeat songs. The issue of irony in “Ironic” is thoroughly dealt with in a way that lets us know all involved understand how ironically unironic the song is, and that perhaps we should all just lighten up about it. “Head Over Feet” gets an appropriately charming moment as well. Still, this pill is indeed jagged, and the cast are fortunately all capable of the trademark Alanis “wail,” put to great use by McDaniel in “You Oughta Know” and Oakerson in an unforgettable performance of “Uninvited.”

The ensemble of Chloe Boelter, Ashley Chisler, Drew Hedges, Courtney Krauter, Halle Massingale, Joseph Massingale, DaSean McLucas, Larkyn Muth, Aiden Powell, Jade Radford, Matthew Sumpter, and Mary Kate Tanselle fill various roles, and frequently appear on stage as chorus. Aided by Kasey Walker Lewellyn’s excellent choreography, such scenes amplify the impact of the songs without being visually crowded. The ensemble work really shines in the appropriately disturbing new song, “Predator.”

Music director is Brent Marty, with orchestra managed by Al French. Sydnie Blair is stage manager, assisted by Chrysa Conley.

Lasley noted that, of course, no one had any idea when this musical was scheduled that the topic of public shame of and accountability for sexual assault would become as timely as it has in recent weeks. Still, understanding that it has always been an ongoing concern, he said from the first rehearsals onward he took extra measures for all cast members to feel the stage is a safe space. Actors who spoke after the performance expressed gratitude for this. Intimacy director Emily Rogge Tzucker, who has worked regularly with Civic, helped ensure that the performers would stay professional and not take on the trauma of their characters.

The sense of safety extends to the audience as well. Civic coordinated with Prevail, a local organization that supports victims of crime and abuse, to have one of their staff in the lobby during every performance of “Jagged Little Pill.” Audience members are free to leave during the show if they feel upset or overwhelmed and will have someone to talk to.

Performances are Friday through Sunday, Oct. 9-11, and Friday and Saturday, Oct. 16-17, in the Tarkington at the Allied Solutions Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Carmel. Get info and tickets at civictheatre.org or thecenterpresents.org.

CCP: Living in an idealized past not easy

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By John Lyle Belden

“Home, I’m Darling,” by British playwright and screenwriter Laura Wade, is not often seen outside the UK, where it’s set. However, the central character is captured by the nostalgia of the 1950s as envisioned by popular American television and movies, despite her having been born in England in 1980. 

Carmel Community Players presents a unique production of this Olivier Award-winning comedy at The Cat, directed by Nicole Ansler.

Judy (Lori Ann Gerdisch) and Johnny (Kevin Smith) appear to have the perfect happy marriage – if this were a black-and-white sitcom. Puttering around the kitchen in a pretty dress with pearls and a frilly apron, Judy seems happy to cook and clean at a home in which nearly all appliances and furniture date to the 1950s while Johnny, smartly dressed including a hat, goes to work as a real estate agent. The one concession to 21st century living is a laptop for ordering more vintage stuff online. She only listens to old records and watches old films on a disc player wired into a modified old telly, and has embraced the lifestyle to the extent that she rarely swears and finds herself surprised that Johnny’s boss Alex (Brynn Lee) is a woman.

Judy’s best friend Fran (Amalia Howard) is impressed at how clean the home is and notes her husband Marcus (Mike Sosnowski) wouldn’t mind her living a similar life – though she likes her job. On the other hand, Judy’s mother Sylvia (Barbara Babbitt), a diehard feminist, is quick to point out how uncomfortable she is with the whole situation.

This production includes a clever addition: To help intensify the surreal atmosphere – and give the cast more time for costume changes –there are various 50s-60s style TV commercials between scenes, presented with “Mad Men” charm by Tanya Haas and Mark Livingston, with Jason Creighton voicing the announcer. Products include yellow margarine, smooth-smoking cigarettes, and whitening toothpaste for those pesky yellow stains. Written by Amsler after receiving permission from Wade, these bits are among the highlights of the show. Haas even gets to perform an ad jingle.

This retro paradise quickly shows its flaws as money gets tight with Johnny not likely to get the promotion they were counting on. While Fran tries recipes and household hints from one of Judy’s old books, Marcus is caught in a situation that, in these days, gets more serious attention.

“Nostalgia used to be considered a mental disease” is said, and there seem to be deeper issues at play. This is especially true of Judy, whom Gerdisch plays with iron stubbornness tinged with fear. As we learn about her unusual childhood, her attachment to an idealized world becomes clear, edging on cautionary tale.

Meanwhile Johnny is finding himself disconnected from life, stuck more in an acted role than a voluntary lifestyle. Smith, who can’t help looking a bit like Don Draper, shows his manly strength in a rather un-50s manner, with a hope that he can still reach his time-warped wife.  

Howard charms with her supportive personality, though that trait gets sorely tested. While others play at living in the past, Sosnowski’s character Marcus is more of a throwback. Babbitt plays Sylvia as a loving and concerned mother who could grab a sign to join a march. Lee’s Alex is our anchor to the current era – modern suit, cell phone handy – not judging while focused on practical matters.

The choice was made by Amsler, to the relief of the cast, to not attempt British accents. With numerous idioms and references to English cities, there was no attempt to adapt the script to the U.S. (this story is good for practically any English-speaking culture, and has been staged in Australia). I feel this approach works, as it makes the play more relatable, and attempting the accents (especially considering regional dialects) could end up being distracting or even come off farcical, diluting the serious subtext of this already oddball comedy. Besides, the culture Judy is emulating is mostly American anyway.

Assistant directors are Laura Gellin, who is also intimacy coordinator, and Lauren Lotzow, who is also stage manager. The all-volunteer company did an excellent job of rounding up the various era-appropriate props and set pieces (helpers include Tom Smith, Susanne Bush, Charlie Hanover, and Dave Muse). Costume design is by Judy McGroarty.

A fun show with thought-provoking dark edges, “Home, I’m Darling,” has performances 7:30 p.m. Thursday (at a discount price) and Friday, 2:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at The Cat, 254 Veterans Way in downtown Carmel. For tickets, see carmelplayers.org or thecat.biz.

It’s no jive, ATI’s back in the ‘Hive’

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By John Lyle Belden

Actors Theatre of Indiana is buzzing again with the sound of a “Beehive” musical, opening its season with “Never Can Say Goodbye,” remembering the music of the 1970s.

Five of the six women from last year’s “Beehive: The ‘60s Musical” return: Rachel Dudt, Riley Francis, Michaela McGarel, Kayla Perry, and Kira Rangel, joined by Deborah Mae Hill, who was featured in last season’s “Sunset Boulevard” at ATI. Carol Worcel again directs, with musical direction by Ginger Stoltz.

Taking inspiration from the prior musical by Larry Gallagher, this edition is by Fred Stuart with George Luton. While the song selection for this revue gives emphasis to female performers, some songs – originally recorded by men – still feel like ones your Mom (or grandmother) sang along to with the radio back in the day. Whatever the source, as soon as you hear these hits, you can’t help but think of the era they came from.

To help put everyone in the Beehive mood, the ladies revisit the “Name Game” – with a bit  more funk. They take on various aspects of 1970s sound, from the country-rock feel of Linda Ronstadt to the punky pop of Blondie. For the mellow side, there’s a mashup of “First Time Ever I saw Your Face” and “You Light Up My Life” which works nicely.

At the end of the first act comes an excellent tribute to the classic rock band Heart, in which guitarist Bryan Hedrick steps forward into the fog-bathed spotlight. Worcel said this took some persuading, as the musicians prefer to stay in the background, but it came off great. And by the combined power and harmony of the women’s voices, they managed to evoke the legendary vocals of Ann Wilson.

The Beehive band, led by Stoltz, also included Gisele Dollinger, Chloe McManallen, Dave Paulson, Neil Broeker, Christian Starnes, Matt Greven, and Greg Wolff.

The second half of the show ranged from Motown to Country to Disco – as well as the “ooga-chaka” version of “Hooked on a Feeling” – with a couple of instances of bringing an audience member into the act.

Worcel noted after opening night that this was very much a collaborative effort to bring these songs so wonderfully to life. Aside from the cast, and Stoltz and the musicians, she acknowledged stage managers Nina J.S. Ludwick and Hadleigh Pierce.

An excellent evening (or Sunday matinee) of music and memories with an infectious feeling of funky fun, “Never Can Say Goodbye: The 70’s Beehive Musical” is in its second weekend, running through Sept. 20 in The Studio Theater of the Allied Solutions Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Carmel. For info and tickets, visit atistage.org or thecenterpresents.org.

Neighbors take offense while building a fence in CCP comedy

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By John Lyle Belden

It’s said that “good fences make good neighbors,” but that depends on where the fence is.

At least that’s the case with “Native Gardens,” the comedy by Karen Zacarias presented by Carmel Community Players at The Cat, directed by Lori Raffel. Set nowadays in a nice Washington D.C. neighborhood, near-retired couple Frank and Virginia Butley welcome young couple Pablo and Tania Del Valle, who buy the home next door.

Frank (Larry Adams), who worked for the General Services Administration and does consulting from home, takes pride in the yard and flowerbed he has crafted with great care for years, hoping to finally rise above Second Place in the local gardening competition.

Virginia (Vickie Cornelius Phipps) is a strong-willed woman from a Polish-American family, now a top engineer with a major defense contractor. She doesn’t hesitate to speak her mind.

Pablo (Oscar Otero Ortiz), who was disowned by his wealthy family in Chile for marrying a poor “United Statsian,” worked his way through law school and has been accepted to a major D.C. firm. He hopes to make partner.

Tania (Yolanda Valdivia), from New Mexico – her family was there when it was just “Mexico” – is about to complete her doctorate in Social Work as well as her obvious pregnancy. Her plans for the Del Valles’ back yard are a bit different from what’s on Frank’s side: keep the big oak tree, no pesticides, and all plants native to the area.

One thing both couples can agree on is that the chain-link fence between them must go!

Replacing this barrier with a nice wooden fence must happen quickly, as Pablo impulsively invited his fellow attorneys – including a named senior partner – to his backyard for a barbecue the next weekend. However, when work begins, a routine property survey leads to a bizarre “border war.” How neighborly!

What could start out as a bit of a fish-out-of-water situation soon becomes a meditation on precisely whose “water” this is. Being near the nation’s Capital, there are political overtones – the Butleys are right-of-center, more Bush-era Republicans than the current strain; while the Del Valles are more left-of-center (New Mexico is demographically Democratic) and Tania considers herself Latinx. This informs their actions regarding what each one feels entitled to, as they work within their differing paradigms to be good people.

Our four actors deliver great examples of being bitter without becoming unlikable, as each flashes from friendly to comically enraged at a moment’s notice. As words are said (including a swear in Spanish), acorns are thrown, and legal action threatened, there seems to be little actual malice.

Katherine Floyd, Jacob Slager, and stage manager Susan Yeaw work efficiently as “Mr. Mow It All” yard services, doing the fence removal, survey, contract work and scene changes.

Kudos to Joyce Pendleton for her set decoration of the beautiful flower gardens and realistic tree.

“Native Gardens” is like a fun sitcom with lots of subtext about differing views of land and our relationships to it and each other. It points not to a position of right or wrong, but rather – however we individually see things – to being good neighbors.

Performances run through Aug. 16 at The Cat, 254 Veterans Way in the heart of downtown Carmel. See carmelplayers.org or thecat.biz.

GHDT’s ‘Cleopatra’ still shines, new season announced

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By John Lyle Belden

The Tarkington seats were half-full, but overflowing with energy from friends, supporters and dance alumni of Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre for the 2025-26 season-ending revival of its powerful version of “Antony and Cleopatra” Friday night.

If you see this as it posts, Saturday, June 6, we encourage you to see this bold take on the Shakespeare historical tragedy this evening at the Allied Solutions Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel.

Few things say “exotic” to our minds more than Egypt, and Gregory Glade Hancock with story, choreography and costumes, in collaboration with composer and musician Corey Gabel, take full liberty with that concept in bringing what the Bard adapted from history forward to give an old story a current vibe. The setting is Club Oasis, featuring celebrated drag queen Cleopatra (Thomas Mason), who encounters rock star Marc Antony (guest dancer Isaac Jones), whose passions know no limit or restraint. This complicates things for Antony’s wife Octavia (Abigail Lessaris), the sister of club owner Caesar Octavian (Olivia Payton).

Josie Moody oversees the narrative as Lamprius the Soothsayer and agent of Fate. Antony’s attendants are played by Sophie Jones and Nathalie Boyle; portraying Cleopatra’s attendants and backup dancers are Audrey Springer and Vivien Mickels. GHDT summer interns Caelan Gibbs, McCaleb Hans, Darcy Mraz, and Avery Withers are club dancers and chorus. No venomous asps were harmed.

This story of love, power and ambition taken to tragic ends is perfect for Pride Month with its non-binary approach and features a sensuous pas de deux by the male leads.

Gobel’s highly danceable pop-beat soundtrack with recorded vocals – enhancing rather than narrating the story – is woven perfectly with Hancock’s graceful high-energy visual storytelling. Costumes are colorful and appropriately daring. All this is presented with reliably excellent lighting by Ryan Koharchik.

This production is also notable for being the farewell performance for dancer Thomas Mason, performer for seven seasons as well as contributing choreographer and technical director at The Florence in The Academy of GHDT. His will be big shoes (or bare footprints) to fill.

This ends a season bookended by Corey Gabel collaborations, having started last fall with “The Casket Girls.” He is presently working with Hancock on the opener for 2026-27.

After its annual fundraiser, “Fashion at the Florence,” Sept. 19 at The Tarkington, the first full dance production for Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre will be the premiere of “Salem” by Hancock and Gabel, inspired by the historic witch panic, on Oct. 23-24.

GHDT returns to The Florence for the multicultural “Winterfest” in December, and a revival of the murder mystery with movement, “The Black Dahlia” in February 2027. The following programs at the Tarkington are “Remembrance” in April and “A Night in India” in June.

In addition, four “Melange” series programs are planned, Sept. 12-13 and Nov. 14-15, 2026; and March 13-14 and May 15-16, 2027. As before, set in The Florence, they feature an improvised dance and visual art collaboration with a vocalist who reveals their program on stage. The experience is unique to each performance, with the artwork auctioned at the end.

For all the details, see gregoryhancockdancetheatre.org.

GHDT concludes its season in style

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By John Lyle Belden

Time again to look both back and forward at the magnificent works of Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre.

In mid-May, we had the last of the 2025-26 season’s “Mélange” series. Vocalist Angela Manlove presented a program of Broadway hits around the theme of “Finding Your Voice.” Aside from songs she has performed on stage, from “Aida,” “The Bodyguard,” and “Ragtime,” she indulged in a bit of “Chicago,” “Wicked,” and “The Little Mermaid” (taking a moment to praise Disney for showing her daughter an Ariel that looks like her), along with heartfelt numbers from “Waitress,” “Songs for a New World,” and “The Notebook.”

Throughout all this, GHDT company dancer Olivia Payton wrote out the songs’ emotions in movement – working the whole area energetically, then coming closer for intimate moments with Manlove. Meanwhile, impressionist painter Debbie Slack worked. During the performance we saw, the painting imagined the performance space of The Florence as a field of flowers, with a Peyton’s figure tracing a graceful line. Bidding was fierce for the finished work (sold to benefit GHDT programs).

We cannot recommend this unique performance series enough. Watch for upcoming Mélange dates at gregoryhancockdancetheatre.org.

In the meantime, very shortly there will be one of Gregory Glade Hancock’s excellent productions of visual storytelling, the story of “Antony and Cleopatra,” inspired by the Shakespeare play based on historical figures during the rise of the Roman Empire. For this show, the story – with choreography and costumes by Hancock, music by Corey Gabel – takes place in a modern Egyptian-themed club where rival performers stir up the drama.

GHDT last performed this program in June of 2022. I noted then that as the concept played with setting and gender, the result was a compelling, fascinating story of forbidden desire and love, rash actions and tragic consequences. Thomas Mason and Abigail Lessaris, as well as Payton, will likely reprise their roles as part of a full cast of company dancers and students.

This will conclude the company’s 2025-26 season. Performances are one weekend only, Friday and Saturday, June 5-6, at The Tarkington in the Allied Solutions Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Carmel. Get tickets at the GHDT website or thecenterpresents.org.

Join Belfry for novelist’s life-changing homecoming

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By John Lyle Belden

We often find wit and wisdom in tragic moments, and in “Joined at the Head,” playwright Catherine Butterfield looked into an event in her own life for inspiration.

In the current production, presented by The Belfry Theatre at The Cat in Carmel, directed by Larry Adams, a 30-something writer’s return to her old hometown finds her connecting with an old flame, but with an interesting twist.

Maggie Mulroney (Kat Krebs) has finally written a bestseller, a novel about a father-daughter relationship she says is inspired by hers with her own father, who died from cancer years ago. Her bookstore tour brings her to Newbridge, Mass., where she grew up. While there, Jim Burroughs (Kelly Keller), her steady boyfriend in high school, calls to invite her to his house to catch up, and to meet his wife.

Curious and nervous, she goes. His wife, coincidentally named Maggy (Dana Lesh), was a cheerleader in the next-younger class and a straight-arrow personality, so not in the social circle of misbehaving Jim and Maggie. Now, she is in a loving marriage to Jim – and struggling with advanced cancer. Though an understandably awkward meeting at first (one of many humorous moments), they find they share some personality traits as well as homonym names.

As Butterfield’s proxy, Maggie also acts as narrator, frequently stepping up to the fourth wall to elaborate on the scenes. To keep her story straight, Maggy occasionally – to Maggie’s chagrin – steps up and ensures the narrative stays on track.

In various roles are the ensemble of Lexi Gray (including a charming Bed & Breakfast proprietor), Sammie Maier (including an appearance as Maggie’s mother), Sydney Heller (including a hospital nurse), Ben Lagow (including Raymond Terwilliger of PBS station WGBH’s “Best of Boston”), Ethan Pierce, and Zach Buzan.

The story goes to numerous settings, so the simple scenic design by Scott Post (decoration by Claudia Macrae) relies on the flow of the actors and lighting by Eric Matters to nimbly help us see them in whatever places our imagination fills in, aided by a clever single panel at the center of the back of the stage.

At Adams’ urging, the three leads delve into the serious complexity of their relatable characters. We’ve seen Keller in so many modes; this shows him at his most vulnerable as the devoted husband taking on Herculean tasks as best he can. Krebs’s Maggie finds herself as the novelist who apparently writes about others to avoid taking a deeper look at herself. Something about the encounter with her namesake starts her on a journey she is afraid to admit she’s taking. Lesh, who we’ve usually seen in a supporting role or in the director’s chair, really shows her command of the stage here. Given Maggy’s struggle, and the saintly good nature with which she confronts it, if this were Broadway she’d be up for a Tony.

While there is gentle dark humor to be had in this story, the plotline of advancing disease might be a challenge for some viewers, depending on one’s own experience. This is a story not only of one woman’s bravery, but of two other people engaging their own. As in other plays in this tragicomic sort of genre, cancer may take a person’s last breath, but it does not get the last word.

Performances of “Joined at the Head” are 8 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday (May 22-24) at The Cat, 254 Veterans Way, near the downtown Carmel Art & Design district. For info and tickets, go to thebelfrytheatre.com or thecat.biz.

ATI shines with story of faded star

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By John Lyle Belden

Actors Theatre of Indiana gives us a “new way to dream” in an old story, the musical “Sunset Boulevard” by Andrew Lloyd Webber with Don Black and Christopher Hampton, based on the 1950 classic noir film co-written and directed by Billy Wilder.

The movie, which the book of the musical closely follows, starred former silent film star Gloria Swanson (who, unlike her character Norma Desmond, did manage a transition to “talkies”) and William Holden, giving them, Wilder and the film Oscar nominations. It’s also notable for ending with one of the most famous lines in the history of film.

Our Norma is played splendidly by Judy Fitzgerald, joined by the return of fellow ATI co-founder Don Farrell as her butler Max. Being a film noir story, someone will die violently; struggling script writer Joe Gillis (Luke Weber) tells us what leads up to that moment.

After a couple of numbers about the high-pressure hassle of getting a movie produced and made, Joe leaves the Paramount studios – dodging husky repo men after his car – and ends up in the driveway of a large old mansion on Sunset, where he finds an aging movie star about to hold a funeral for her pet chimpanzee.

Promised ample pay, Joe agrees to edit the script Norma has written for her cinematic return (not a “comeback,” she insists). He quickly sees that she is delusional and the pages unfilmable, but he gets to stay at the mansion, so he does. Meanwhile, at Paramount, he works with his friend Artie Green’s (Calvin Bernardo) fiancé Betty Schaefer (Deborah Mae Hill) on an actually promising script for a “Girl Meets Boy” romance.

We also meet various Hollywood folks played by Scot Greenwell, Keith Potts, Megan Arrington-Marks, Brooklyn Stewart, Corey Rudell, Peter Scharbrough, and Eric Olson, who also charmingly portrays legendary director Cecil B. DeMille.

Being set in 1949-50, there are a lot of stage cigarettes. The mood is also set by black-and-white film projections of the era, designed by Joey Mervis. Director Michael Blatt has this typically larger than life musical adapt to the intimate space of The Studio Theater with the help of a flexible set design by Jay Ganz. It hints at the artificiality of Hollywood with pieces at times folding shut like they are part of a backlot studio, other times revealing the worn splendor of Norma’s home.

Musical director is Ginger Stoltz and choreographer is Carol Worcel. Fitzgerald and Weber provide appropriately big bold voices for this big musical, with Farrell’s practically operatic.

There is also a fair amount of humor, mainly directed at the foibles of the movie biz. Norma’s mental decline, meanwhile, is taken more seriously, a contrast that aids the slow-boil suspense.  And it will all lead to that iconic spoken line.

For a look at the dark side of the movie biz, where even “the Greatest Star” can become left behind, see the beautifully tragic “Sunset Boulevard,” Wednesdays through Sundays through May 10 at the Allied Solutions Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Carmel. For tickets, visit atistage.org or thecenterpresents.org.