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Footlite gets ‘Kinky’ in the best way

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By John Lyle Belden

With among its many lessons that you should be willing to pull together to try something wild with great potential, the all-volunteer cast and crew of Footlite Musicals present the fun and funny hit, “Kinky Boots.”

With book by Broadway legend Harvey Fierstein and songs by equally iconic Cyndi Lauper (making her the first woman to win a Tony for solo songwriting), the 2013 Broadway musical is adapted from the 2005 British film of the same name, in turn inspired by a true story from the 1990s. Set in that 20-ish year ago era in Northampton, England, a man who has inherited a failing shoe factory seeks to save it by filling an unmet need – sturdy but sexy boots for drag queens.

Charlie Price (Alexander Bast) had planned to move to London and take a lucrative marketing job alongside his fiancé Nicola (Nicole Sherlock) but is called back home when his father (Ted Jacobs) passes away. The shoes are well-made, but in a highly competitive market, nobody seems to want them. While seeking to strike a deal with a family friend (Derek Savick-Hesser) Charlie encounters Lola (Kevin Bell), the drag queen star of her own show. He notices her stilettos won’t hold up a man’s body and, after Price & Sons employee Lauren (Mara Fowler) – who secretly has a crush on him – suggests he find “an underserved niche market” to stay in business, gets the idea to make what will be known as Kinky Boots.

Reactions are mixed at the factory, though most buy in as the alternative is unemployment. Factory manager George (Ryan Bridges) is eager and creates a steel-reinforced heel. Foreman Don (Drew Kempin) considers himself a “man’s man” and openly mocks Lola, who is brought on board as designer. In three weeks, there will be a major fashion show in Milan that will make or break the enterprise, as well as the people involved.

We also meet, in the opening number, Charlie and Simon (who will become Lola) as boys, played by Sam Houghland and Ryan Thomas, respectively, as well as Simon’s disapproving father (Jerry Davis).  The cast includes Shari Jacobs, Awbrey Brosseit, Jessica Hackenberg, Logan Laflin, Louis Soria, Ruby Waliser, Jennifer Zotz, and Tom Zotz, who also cameos as Richard, Nicola’s boss.

Lola is backed by her cloud of fabulous Angels, performed by drag artists Conner Becker-Chamberlin, a/k/a Darcy Sparks; Leon Benbow-Blomberg / Miss Dominixxx; Caleb Francis / Penny Loafers; Cameron Grant / Anita Richard; Shawn Hunt / Artemis Da Goddess; Dalen Jordan / Donleigh Delights; Paige Penry / Bella DeBall; and Kenan Tinnin / Body Miss Morphia.

Joyfully directed by Jerry Beasley, we get a (much-needed these days) uplifting story of grit and acceptance. The characters are fairly complex – not just the obvious multitudes in Lola, brought out in glorious voice and expression by Bell. Bast gives us a Charlie who is well-meaning, sometimes off-base, yet easy to root for. Kempin’s Don is mostly bluster, a bloke who literally gets sense knocked into him. Sherlock plays Nicola as one who feels certain of her direction, coming to learn that Charlie doesn’t see success her way. Fowler makes her regular young woman Lauren, who goes from slinging shoes on a factory floor to being “executized” to help make the new line,   appropriately adorable.

Among the volunteers putting this spectacle together are set designers Ted Jacobs and Mary Lich, choreographer Thomas Mason, vocal director Ben Rose, and stage manager Melissa Yurechko. Costumer for the queens is Angel Olivera, assisted by Katie Van Den Heuvel and Michael Morrow. Jeremy Kaylor leads the orchestra.

EDITED TO ADD: Beasley messaged me this – “I would like to add that Claire Olvey Slaven also costumed The Angels as well as assistant directed, and Ben Jones created their hair and makeup look! The Price & Son workers costumes were designed by Edith Burton-Bandy.”

As a counter to current controversies, we get a reminder that for its community Drag is not just a lifestyle, but an essential part of life. Let the spirit of “Kinky Boots” raise you up, and remember: “You can change the world, when you change your mind.”

Performances are Thursdays through Sundays through May 18 at Footlite Musicals, 1847 N. Alabama St., Indianapolis. Get tickets (which have been selling fast) at footlite.org.

IBTC presents: Kurkendaal gets ‘Real’

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By Wendy Carson

This is one of four scheduled shows in the Black Solos Fest presented by Indianapolis Black Theatre Company, a program of The District Theatre. Performance information and tickets at indydistricttheatre.org.

This weekend, Les Kurkendaal brings an expanded version of his much-lauded work, “The Real Black Swann: Confessions of America’s First Drag Queen.” Since I was not able to see the previous stagings, I was excited to get a chance to see this more fleshed-out production and it did not disappoint.

Ever the engaging storyteller, Kurkendaal brings us an endearing tale to delight and educate us on our past and potential future. Told through reminiscences of a fever-dream he experienced during a biopsy on his leg (benign, he reassures us), he gives us the history of William Dorsey Swann, the first documented black drag queen and political activist. He also forces himself to revisit traumatic instances of prejudice he experienced in his life. As his coping method has been to shut himself up in a protective “Glinda Bubble,” Swann’s spirit makes him realize that he can no longer continue to do this.

Kurkendaal has been reworking and refining this show for the past few years, touring it internationally, and I feel that he has truly found his voice in it. The message – that nothing in the world is going to change until we all wake up and join together to support one another, and do whatever we can to fight those who try to oppress and oppose our brethren – is not new, but it’s vital to remember in our current political climate.

Our review of his performance of “Real Black Swann” during the 2022 IndyFringe festival is here. The narrative is largely unchanged, and it is an excellent look at the life of a man born into slavery, yet entering the turn of the 20th century on his own terms – and in a dress. It also reminds us that the gay underground in American cities goes a lot further back than most folks suspect.

As we post this, there is still a performance at 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 26, on the main stage of The District Theatre, 627 Mass. Ave., Indianapolis.

Statement of Values

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By John Lyle Belden and Wendy Carson

Being entertainment writers, it should matter very little where we, John and Wendy, stand on any issue beyond the edges of the stage. Still, the dramatic arts are culture, easy ammunition for a “culture war.” So, we feel it appropriate to state openly what subtle, unavoidable bias could influence our work. In addition, we’ll note our feelings on issues affecting people we work with and around.

Several months ago, one of our reviews inspired someone to call us “woke” – an odd term for an insult or reprimand, its meaning warped to be practically useless for civil discussion. We believe that the arts, including drama, comedy, musicals, and dance, are meant to awaken the senses and bring awareness – of beauty, absurdity, injustice, whatever.

Creators, directors, and performers bring their points of view. From ancient Greeks, to Shakespeare, to today’s new works, they all “say” something. Otherwise, what’s the point? It would be absurd for us to ignore these themes in our writing. Our approach avoids critiques that only tear artists’ work down; we strive to inform readers what the production is (without explicit spoilers) while praising its notable aspects.

With recent and current events, our concerns extend beyond the stage. Regardless of a show’s content, many performers, crew and staff live with issues of race, ethnicity, LGBTQ+, or personal liberty – parts of their lives that people in legislative or court chambers discuss with disturbing regularity. We are not shy in our support of the “theatre family,” especially as many find there a closer bond than their own kin.

In matters of race and ethnicity, we strive to grow beyond our “whiteness,” to listen and take on the know-better/be-better mindset. A diversity of voices makes our theatre scene that much richer, and we encourage them as much as we can.

Given the wide participation of LGBTQ+ in the creative arts, we can’t fathom being homophobic in this space. The stage has long given shelter to those who don’t feel comfortable away from it.

Trans expression is as old as theatre itself. However, we understand that for many it is not a costume, it is their lives. We are concerned by slurs and slander passing as news and political stance. Walk in our shoes and meet people as wonderful and complex as any others, just as human and needing to live their own lives.

We know it is too easy to say, “I’m an ally,” but for the sake of our friends, relatives, and society in general, we strive to live with an attitude of love and support.

Based on a True Story

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By John Lyle Belden 

There is funny, “ha-ha;” there is funny, “strange and/or wrong” – and there is a bold combination of these, “Funny, Like an Abortion,” a dangerously dark comic drama by Rachel Bublitz at IF Theatre, home of IndyFringe.

A co-production of Theatre Unchained with American Lives Theatre, this intense movie-length one-act is directed by TU’s Megan Ann Jacobs and ALT founder Chris Saunders. 

Set in the near future, Monroe (Alicia Ana Hernandez-Roulet) is setting up a surprise party for her bestie, Jade (Rachel Kelso), at least that’s what appears on her social app accounts and is known by her household smart device, Butler (voice of Thomas Sebald). However, once she feels free of any eavesdropping, Monroe springs the real surprise – it’s an “abortion party!” To Jade’s astonishment, the numerous gift bags each hold or represent a means of ending Monroe’s unwanted pregnancy. Legal and therefore safe abortion is a thing of the past, so they must choose the least-bad option to be executed that night, before anyone else can catch on.

In this portrayal of how elements of “Nineteen Eighty-Four” and “The Handmaid’s Tale” could easily come about in today’s high-tech culture, the mood is lightened by laugh-not-to-cry dark humor and moments of game-show presentation, juggling, and a tap-dance break. Hernandez-Roulet and Kelso take on this challenge earnestly as relatable and entertaining characters. Monroe stays upbeat, even manic, to keep ahead of a creeping despair, as Jade feels her way through being both a true friend and an accomplice to a serious felony.

They are also Alicia and Rachel, two actors breaching the Fourth Wall to remind us that while all the methods given in the play are actual abortion tactics (some going back centuries), they are all dangerous and not to be attempted by anyone.

While Bublitz wrote this prior to the Dobbs v Jackson decision that ended the protections of Roe v Wade, the play does anticipate it happening and we do get from the cast a rundown of the various restrictions put in place across America since the Supreme Court’s 2022 ruling. With the results of recent elections, including the likely enacting of Project 2025 measures in the coming year, something like the events portrayed could soon come to pass.

Enlightening and alarming in what it portends, this show is recommended for those who understand to bring friends who need to know – which, to be honest, is all of us.

“Funny, Like an Abortion” has two more weekends, Nov. 15-17 and 21-23 in the Blackbox (formerly Indy Eleven) stage at IF, 719 E. St. Clair St., Indianapolis. Get info and tickets at theatreunchained.org or indyfringe.org.

‘Boots’ a good fit for Civic

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By John Lyle Belden

The musical “Kinky Boots,” now on stage at the Booth Tarkington Civic Theatre, is a story both of its time and for today.

With book by gay Broadway legend Harvey Fierstein and songs by equally legendary Cyndi Lauper (making her the first woman to win a Tony for solo songwriting), the musical is adapted from the 2005 British film “Kinky Boots,” in turn inspired by a true story from the 1990s. Set in that 20-ish year ago era in Northampton, England, a man who has inherited a failing shoe factory seeks to save it by filling a niche market – sturdy but sexy boots for drag queens.

From today’s perspective, this venture looks like a typical business risk of reaching a niche market. In its context, it’s a cultural bombshell. In 1999, we’re getting used to seeing openly gay characters on TV; in 2005, we are still about five years from the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell” in the military, with gay marriage settled even later.

But this isn’t an artifact of a less-enlightened time. The plot delves into the world of Drag, a culture now under attack, as is gender fluidity and expression in general. “Kinky Boots” reminds us how much we have changed for the better, and how much we haven’t.

Jacob A. Butler plays Charlie Price, a young man who doesn’t want to spend his life making shoes, yet unsure of what he does want. While seeking a job in London with his fiancé Nicola (Braxton Hiser), he encounters club headliner Lola (Jonathan Studdard), who complains about the flimsy heels they have to wear. Meanwhile, as his father (Fernow McClure) has recently died, Charlie has to shut down the Price & Son factory and lay off employees who are like family to him. When one of the workers, Lauren (Kelsey McDaniel), suggests he look to fill an underserved market, inspiration strikes. With Lauren (who secretly has a crush on him) as his assistant, and Lola brought on as designer, Kinky Boots footwear is born.

Not all the workers are on board at first, especially “manly man” Don (Peter Scharbrough). Charlie also has difficulty with Nicola, who wants to sell the factory to convert the building into condos. His hopes rest on the new boots being a hit at a designer footwear show in Milan in just a few weeks – leaving him short on both time and budget.

The large cast includes Tommy McConnell and Ryan Thomas as Charlie and Lola as young boys, and Joshua Hyde as Lola’s father. Our queen is backed by a cloud of Angels, played fabulously by drag performers April Rosè, Justin Sheedy, Blair St. Clair, Vera Vanderwoude St. Clair, Parker Taylor, and Jason Wendt.

Studdard is incredible, bringing both power and vulnerability to the role of Lola. Butler plays Charlie like one on a crash course through the school of hard knocks, needing to learn fast for the sake of others besides himself. Among the lessons are that reliance on others goes both ways, as well as that drag is life, not just a lifestyle.

Scharborough is also notable, Don being a man who has sense literally knocked into him. McDaniel is both sweet and funny as Lauren, making her every-woman character one to root for.

This production is directed by Suzanne Fleenor, who hopes the show will raise both our spirits and our desire to stand for equal rights for all. Brent Marty is musical director; Deena Fogle is stage manager. Choreography is by Kasey Walker.

Fun, funny, and most of all, inspiring, “Kinky Boots” is about a lot more than shoes. Performances run through Oct. 19 at The Tarkington in The Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Carmel. For info and tickets, visit civictheatre.org or thecenterpresents.org.

Summit: Tests of research methods and ethics get personal

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By John Lyle Belden

No matter how good your scientific method is, there will always be one flaw – the all-too-human scientist. But, perhaps, a person’s humanity can be what redeems the research.

In “Queen,” by Madhuri Shekar, presented by Summit Performance Indianapolis, mathematical genius Sanam (Isha Narayanan) and lifelong bee expert Ariel (Chynna Fry), PhD candidates at University of California Santa Cruz, have been working on the issue of honeybee Colony Collapse Disorder for years. Finally, in the 20-teens, during the peak of international concern for pollinator loss, they have what they believe are sufficient study results to publish.

This has their professor, Phil (Ryan Artzberger), overjoyed as the paper will be published as a cover story in the magazine Nature and their peers are giving him an award and an opportunity to address a conference where he and the women will present how Monsanto pesticides are to blame – there is even a bill on the issue being proposed in Congress.

Meanwhile, for Sanam, whose life is her work and verse visa, her traditional Indian parents have set up yet another blind date with an eligible bachelor whose “grandfather played golf with her grandfather.” To keep familial peace and get a free meal, she goes. Enter Arvind (Nayan Patadia), a supremely self-confident Republican-sounding Wall Street trader, whom Sanam detects is a fellow statistics nerd. Bothered by a last-minute problem with the data in the bee studies, she invites him to her office to “check the figures,” which he does, assuming at first that it was a euphemism.

Like the syndrome being researched, the “bad” data can cause this work with so much at stake – individually and potentially for the whole world – to completely collapse. What happened? What and where is the flaw? Can it be fixed, and if not, can it be “fixed” for the presentation?

The plot buzzes with complexity: issues of ethics, standards of research and good science, the politics of Washington and academia, the fight-fire-with-fire temptation to oppose questionable studies with results skewed your way, the bothersome danger of statistical fallacies, clashes of personal ego, and discovering that as a worker bee, wielding the stinger is self-destruction.

Narayanan holds her own as the proud advocate for statistically accurate science, no matter what it says, devoted to mathematical models practically only she can see. Yet deep within is the need for connection to a bigger hive, allowing the creeping possibility of compromise.

Fry gives us heroically minded Ariel as a woman on a personal crusade, a single mom and first from her beekeeping family to graduate college, with a chance to literally make a difference in the world. She is driven both by the nobility of the quest and fear for her daughter’s future.

Artzberger, adept at both the hero and the heel, gives us an excellent counter to the women’s points of view. Phil is both practical and ambitious, arguing that perhaps a single statistical variance shouldn’t jeopardize the entire project and all they will soon reap. The initial numbers were sound, the Nature article already peer-reviewed. The presentation is a day away, and the show must go on, right?

Patadia charmingly plays the wild card – aptly introduced as one who exercises his math-brain with lucrative games of Texas Hold‘em – who brings out the fact that while numbers don’t lie, humans do, even to themselves. His last play, however, is dealt only to Sanam: go all-in, or fold?

This drama fits Summit’s creed, “by women, about women, for everyone,” with today’s often subtle anti-feminist issues. Men taking credit for women’s research is nothing new, but even with female names on the article, Phil calls the shots. Sanam feels the stress of both ethnic tradition and being an exemplar for women in STEM. Ariel is well aware her motherhood is seen as a weakness as well as a strength. Arvind wants an “aggressive woman” who “knows what she wants” while wanting to be her lone source of support. It’s not just the bees who feel endangered.

Summit artistic manager Kelsey Leigh Miller directs and Becky Roeber is stage manager, with a clever functional set designed by MeJah Balams.

As we publish this, “Queen” opens at the Phoenix Theatre Cultural Centre, 705 N. Illinois St., downtown Indianapolis, and runs through Feb. 25. For tickets and information, go to phoenixtheatre.org or summitperformanceindy.com.

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Regarding the ongoing issue of Colony Collapse Disorder, this is the EPA page on the topic.

Teen rite of passage becomes test for all in Civic musical

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By Wendy Carson and John Belden

As you might know, the musical “The Prom” is loosely based on a true incident.* Despite historical  authenticity relative to Disney’s “Pocahontas,” this show – book by Chad Beguelin and Bob Martin, music by Matthew Sklar, from a concept by Jack Viertel – presented by Booth Tarkington Civic Theatre, directed by Michael J. Lasley, entertainingly captures the essence of the story, reflecting the attitudes found in more than just one American town.

From their perspective, at least, this is the story of two aging Broadway stars, Dee Dee Allen (Marni Lemons) and Barry Glickman (Chad Leitschuh) with vanity bigger than their talent. After scorching reviews of their latest flop, they desperately need more positive publicity. With the help of their agent, Sheldon Sapperstein (David Maxwell) and a couple of other actors in need a career boost – Angie  Dickinson (Mikayla Koharchik), who can’t seem to get out of the chorus after 20 years, and Trent Oliver (Evan Wallace), a former TV star who never loses a chance to remind you he went to Juliard – they seek to find a worthy cause that won’t strain them too much. 

Emma Nolan (Kelsey McDaniel) is a high school senior in Edgewater, Indiana, who just wants to take her girlfriend to the Prom. However, the conservative small town district’s PTA, led by Mrs. Greene (Marlana Haig), refuses to allow it, going so far as to cancel the event. Just as it seems that Emma’s ally, school principal Mr. Hawkins (Rex Wolfley), found a way to work the whole situation out, our group of “Broadway Heroes” show up and not only alienate everyone involved, but embarrass Emma.  

Luckily, Hawkins, being a devoted fan of Allen, does not run the whole gang out of town. He even takes the diva to the city’s finest restaurant, Applebee’s.  

After some legal cajoling, the PTA agrees to resume the Prom. Emma plans to take Alyssa (Kaylee Johnson-Bradley), who will finally come out to her family and everyone there. But Emma and her Broadway friends are in for a devastating surprise. 

With the support of our well-meaning heroes, Emma must find a way to take her stand, her way, so that if nothing else, she – and everyone – can dance.

Having only heard a few of the songs beforehand and knowing how the story was handled, we had some reservations as to how this would work out. Would setting the story in Indiana, reportedly as a rebuke to the former Vice President, be a mockery of Hoosiers in general? Fortunately, it’s just gentle jibes we can live with (and have that hint of truth). Rather, the musical’s creators and Lasley’s direction have woven a magical story that is the “Footloose” (with a hint of Cinderella) of our era.  

The whole cast is joyously giving their all in bringing this beautiful event to life. While I am without  enough adjectives to even begin to describe each actor’s fantastic performance, I will say that NYU graduate McDaniel’s powerful voice could land her back in the Big Apple. Broadway’s loss is our gain.

Lemons, Leitschuh, Koharchik and Wallace revel in their license to overact. Haig perfectly portrays the insidious evil of indifference and self-righteousness. Wolfley handles well being the character that is the fulcrum on which the whole plot turns.

Performances of “The Prom” run through Oct. 21 at the Tarkington theater in the Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Carmel. Feel free to bring a date, corsage optional, and arrive early as there is ongoing street construction in the area. Get info and tickets at civictheatre.org or thecenterpresents.org.

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*The true story happened in Mississippi in 2010. (Click here for details) Thanks to Civic for sharing the link.

ALT: Characters seek ‘Sanctuary’ in each other

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By John Lyle Belden

In April of 2001, the DREAM Act was proposed to help undocumented immigrant children stay in the U.S., the only country they have ever known. After the events of Sept. 11, hardening attitudes towards non-citizens and the continually partisan politics of the years that followed made passage of this Federal law ever less likely – you hardly hear about it anymore.

For persons labelled “illegal” there have been a number of Americans who show compassion, and since the 1980s numerous jurisdictions have been declared “Sanctuaries” in which local officials won’t pursue or prosecute immigrants on their status alone. One of these is Newark, New Jersey, where, as we see in the local premiere of the drama “Sanctuary City” by Martyna Majok, life is not necessarily easier.

Despite the rumors of right-wing memes, being in a relative no-enforcement zone is no free ride. Government benefits are still denied, federal officials can pounce at any time, and any small breach of the law can lead to detention and likely deportation. This is the lived experience of a teen boy (Diego Sanchez-Galvan) trying to be just another high school kid with few worries beyond his next math test. However, his mother is considering returning to her homeland – a place he has no memory of – even if she must go alone.

In the first act of Majok’s play, presented by American Lives Theatre and directed by Drew Vidal, we get what is also a fascinating look at the relationship between two best friends, as a young Latina (Senaite Tekle) frequently visits the boy at his home, escaping her abusive stepfather. Scenes are chopped and minced in rapid-fire succession, reflecting the constant staccato stresses of their days – school; bad home lives; sorting their feelings for each other; and keeping out of sight of the government, even if it means letting others take advantage of them. The girl eventually gets a lucky break, and after the boy’s Senior Prom, they form a highly risky plan to give him a taste of freedom as well.

The second act encompasses one fateful evening more than three years later in which feelings and loyalties are questioned and tested with the intervention of young law student Henry (Carlos Medina Maldonado).

I’m leaving out quite a few details to avoid spoilers, but the main character names and the countries of their birth are never given, keeping our attention on the humanity of those caught in what shouldn’t be such a complex and sometimes no-win situation, especially for young souls who just want the same opportunities as everyone around them. This, and the contrasted pacing, make for an engaging experience, sharply pulled off by Vidal and the cast.

For one aspect of the plot to work, note that Act II takes place in 2006, bringing to memory another manner in which American law did not see people as equals.

Sanchez-Galvan gives us a sympathetic character, good humored despite a life that feels like a rodent trapped in a maze. Tekle gives us a great example of someone you easily feel for, yet only think you know. Maldonado’s voice of reason, which edges on cynicism, cuts to the heart of their situation in stinging fashion.

As is customary for ALT, founding artistic director Chris Saunders has arranged for talk-back discussions after each performance, which can include guests involved with the issue of undocumented immigrants.

A play that you will likely think and talk about long after the final bows, “Sanctuary City” is on the intimate Basile stage of the Phoenix Theatre Cultural Center, 705 N. Illinois St., Indianapolis, through Sept. 24. Get tickets at phoenixtheatre.org, information at americanlivestheatre.org.

Old play’s themes are ever current

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By John Lyle Belden

Was there ever a good time to be 15 years old?

For an answer, there is the hit Broadway musical “Spring Awakening.” Based on a controversial 1891 German play, it presents the Teutonic teens of the 1890s with music styled from the 1990s (by Duncan Sheik, lyrics and book by Steven Sater), because, aside from the Latin lessons, it’s all essentially the same. Put aside the cultural and technological differences, and the themes ring familiar.

The musical, now at the District Theatre, is presented by Fast Apple Artists, founded by Kelsey Tate McDaniel, an Indianapolis actress and recent New York University graduate. Mack Fensterstock directs.

Wendla (McDaniel) is becoming aware of feelings and mysteries which her mother is hesitant to explain. Her upbringing has been idyllic, which is good, except she’s feeling uncomfortably naïve. The other girls, especially Martha (Sophie Sweany) and Ilse (Eden Franco), wish they had such quiet homes; Anna (Adrian Daeger) and Thea (Lauren Lewis) muse over which boys they will eventually marry.

As for the boys, Moritz (Kendrell Stiff) is struggling, with no adult willing to cut him any slack. His best friend, Melchior (Dylan Kelly), is a budding intellectual growing frustrated with the status quo. Georg (Nathan Brown) lusts after his piano teacher. Hanschen (Jim Melton) and Ernst (Parker Taylor) quietly lust for each other. Otto (Kipp Morgan) just lusts.

For much of the play, we get glimpses into their lives and conversations, with the microphones coming out when characters let their hormone-fueled inner selves express their questions and frustrations. As we move into the second act, we see what happens when a lack of guidance and support brings our youths to hard – even tragic – lessons.

As the production’s trigger warning notes, “Spring Awakening” deals with issues of sexuality, abuse, assault and rape, firearms, suicide, teen pregnancy, abortion – stuff we’ll likely still be singing about in the 2090s.

The cast includes Jennifer Simms in Adult Woman roles and S. Michael Simms in Adult Man roles, as well as Bailey Rae Harmon, Katie Kobold, and Alexis Koshenina in ensemble parts.

The players, especially with being not much older than the persons they portray, give a powerful performance that we feel as much as hear. The simple stage set (recycled from the District’s former “outback” stage) puts the emphasis on the emerging personalities they present.

Following up on last year’s acclaimed production of “Heathers,” McDaniel and company establish themselves as a welcome new facet in the jewel of Indy’s stage scene.

Performances of “Spring Awakening” are Thursday through Saturday evenings, and Saturday and Sunday afternoons, at 627 Massachusetts Ave., Indianapolis. Get tickets at indydistricttheatre.org. Learn about Fast Apple Artists on McDaniel’s website.

Fonseca: Play’s college gives bold lesson

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By John Lyle Belden

Founding father Thomas Jefferson’s proudest achievement was the 1819 founding of the University of Virginia, an institution of higher learning open to (if Wikipedia can be believed) “students from all social strata, based solely on ability.” It admitted its first woman in the 1890s, and the first Black student – after a lawsuit – in 1950. Of course, it’s widely known now that Jefferson was an Enlightenment thinker who opposed the slave trade, yet owned hundreds of people of color himself, including Sally Hemmings, who – with little choice in the matter – was his mistress with whom he fathered a few children (who essentially got nothing from his estate).

In “tj loves sally 4 ever” by James Ijames, presented by Fonseca Theatre Company, directed by Josiah McCruiston, we step to the 200-year-old walls of Commonwealth of Virginia University (next stop over in the theatre multiverse from UVA, not to be confused with Virginia Commonwealth, a totally different college). It was founded by Founding Fathers and, until recently, honored them with statues that have been removed. On the stage set by Kristopher D. Steege, the monuments literally leave their shadow on the school. There is an appropriately diverse student body, with a Black Greek scene and hip-hop at the Homecoming events, but there are tensions. So many tensions.

Our guide (the fourth wall is very thin) and central character is Sally (Chandra Lynch). You can guess at the last name – but this is “now,” not back then, if it matters. She is furthering her studies as a research assistant to dean Thomas Jefferson (Eric Bryant) – not “that” one from ages ago, just a descendant. To make this digestible in a 90-minute (no intermission) comic drama, we have the rest of the students represented by these souls: Harold (Atiyyah Radford), a student activist who is always right, in principle anyway; and Annette and Pam (Shandrea Funnye and Avery Elise), two Sisters of Beta Beta Epsilon who smile through gritted teeth as they give tours of campus buildings with names of past slaveholder and anti-integration families by day, and in the evenings Stomp the Yard and speak their minds. As scenes and discussions require some elaboration for the audience, Annete and Pam quietly slip in to offer “Footnotes.”

All this happens during a memorable Homecoming week where different views of history are on inevitable collision course – including a certain white man’s feelings for a young black woman in his employ.

In McCruiston’s hands, this production is a cautionary love note to academia, a reminder of what “getting woke” meant originally (the play premiered in early 2020): to awaken to past injustices, acknowledge them and move forward with respect for all, without attempting to gaslight those who know too well the painful past that it wasn’t “that bad.” A hoop skirt might look good on a Black body, but it hearkens to a time when that flesh was property. Issues of both race and sex get a hard look in this play.

Lynch seems to make Ijames’ words her own, giving depth of both feeling and understanding to the often odd goings-on. Radford goes from angry-young-man to shuck-and-jive comic with entertaining alacrity, but without yielding a gram of dignity (even when relieving himself on the wall). Funnye and Elise reminded me of cast members of HBO’s “A Black Lady Sketch Show” with sharp delivery of simultaneously comic and enlightening moments. As for Bryant, he holds his own as the guy who just assumes he understands race, but we see far more of his lily-whiteness than anyone needs to.

Funny and thought provoking – like practically every play at Fonseca, but it maintains the high standard – “tj loves sally 4 ever” runs through August 6 at 2508 W. Michigan St., Indianapolis. Get info and tickets at fonsecatheatre.org.