Daniel Shock

Bard Fest finale: Nothing ‘Tame’ about it

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By John Lyle Belden

Before hanging up the Elizabethan-era pantaloons, Indy Bard Fest wraps its final season with the notoriously in-your-face comedy, William Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew.”

Director Dana Lesh of Improbable Fiction Theatre Company gives the Bard full voice in this production, leaving in some scenes that other adaptations might cut, giving the intertwined plots a more complex yet complete feel. She also has our cast lean in on the fact that, apart from its bizarre romance and characters’ abuses, this is a comedy! Broad slapstick and sharp comic timing abound throughout, with a troupe that holds nothing back.

Angie Dill is a human hurricane as Katherine, our title character. Meanwhile Thomas Sebald, with that rare knack to play a handsome romantic lead like a wolverine on double-espressos, is the perfect wild-eyed match for her as persistent suitor Petruchio. The post-intermission psychological torture is worthy of discussion after the show, whether it ends in total domination or perhaps a means to channel cruel personalities without getting into a murder plot like many other Shakespeare plays. Dill adds to the mystery by not being entirely mean, and showing Kate keeping her wits about her, even when at their end.

The added complexity gives us a full picture of the main alternate storyline, the wooing of younger sister Bianca (Tailynn Downing). This has its own twists involving rival suitors: clever Lucentio (Andrew Daniels), dowry-minded Hortensio (Josh Gibson), and elderly Gremio (Ryan Shelton). For further complication, as Lucentio dons a disguise, he has his servant Tranio (Ben Elliot) pretend to be him. Also, they find a stranger (Thomas Smith) to pretend to be Lucentio’s father Vincentio (Jeff Bick), who will, of course, also show up. All this happens in the house of Baptista (Daniel Shock), who just wants his daughters to be wed and happy.

Contributing to this hilarious mess are Damik Lalioff as Petruchio’s longsuffering manservant, as well as Nalani Huntington, Cathie Morgan, and Kellyn Merrell, in various roles.

Concluding a Shakespeare festival with a comedy that ends not with a wedding, but a scolding? Consider it Bard Fest’s mic drop. Enjoy the madness while you can; performances are Friday through Sunday at the Mud Creek Players “Barn,” 9740 E. 86th Street, Indianapolis. Get tickets and info at indybardfest.com.

We thank producer Glenn L. Dobbs for having us along on this final ride.

Bard Fest: Easy comedy you’ll ‘Like’

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By Wendy Carson

Bard Fest presents William Shakespeare’s “As You Like It,” hosted by Mud Creek Players.

Since this is a Shakespearean comedy, you know there will be characters in disguise, various twisting plot lines, and much confusion. Strangely, there are no twins; what we do have is one of the easiest storylines of all his comedies.

Director Ron Richards staged this show in the beautifully rustic atmosphere of the Mud Creek Barn. With several actors playing more than one character, his having an upstage curtain open or close to signal the beginning and ending of each scene greatly assists the audience in following the story.

The plot is rather simple: Duke Frederick has usurped his older brother, Duke Senior (both played by Kevin Caraher) and cast him into hiding. Orlando (Sam Smith) has been ousted by his violent older brother, Oliver (Connor Phelan) and seeks safety with the banished Duke in the Forest of Arden. Rosalind (Evangeline Bouw), who fell madly in love with Orlando at first sight, is then – being the daughter of Duke Senior – likewise banished from the kingdom. Her devoted cousin Celia (Dani Gibbs) insists on going with her. Due to the dangers of traveling alone, Rosalind dresses as a man, Ganymede, and Celia becomes “his” poor companion Aliena, accompanied by the faithful fool Touchstone (Ryan Shelton). Paths cross, courtship and confusion abound, all ending, naturally (for Shakespeare), in a mass wedding.

Most of the action takes place in the woods (more pastoral than enchanted). Orlando, pining for Rosalind, posts love poems to trees, or just carves them in the bark when paper isn’t handy. This amuses Ganymede, who offers to coach the young noble in more effective wooing. Gracious Duke Frederick is attended by fellow exiles Amiens (Glenn Dobbs) and melancholy Jacques (Daniel Shock), who delivers the famous “All the world’s a stage” speech. The native herders include Corin (Matthew Socey), full of bawdy innuendo; Silvius (Kay Beischel), a shepherd boy in love; and proud Phoebe (Kelsey Van Voorst), the object of Silvius’s affections who instead has the hots for Ganymede. Some players present other characters, but it is all easy to follow.

For theatre aficionados, note that Richards has set this play up in the style of Commedia dell’arte (a Renaissance style of farce popularized in Italy).  See the cast list on the Bard Fest webpage for the character archetypes.

From top to bottom, this troupe – most with quite a bit of Shakespeare in their CVs – deliver flawlessly. Appropriately, exceptional work is done by Smith, with his earnest easy stage presence, and Bouw, whose energetic style perfectly fits the impulsive Rosalind and her thin disguise. Shelton, wearing motley throughout his roles, is clever enough to amuse no matter what he has on.

You will like “As You Like It,” playing through Sunday, Oct. 15, at 9740 E. 86th St., Indianapolis. See indybardfest.com for info and tickets.

IF welcomes you to ‘Pooh Corner’

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By John Lyle Belden and Wendy Carson

Most of us have spent at least part of our childhood in the Hundred Acre Wood, or even in an acre of our own with some dear plush pals. Return to that wonder-filled place at “The House at Pooh Corner,” presented by Improbable Fiction Theatre Company at the Ivy Tech auditorium in Noblesville.

In pajama-esque costume, Winnie-the-Pooh and friends from A.A. Milne’s books come to life, adapted by Bettye Knapp, directed for IFTC by Dana Lesh. 

Today’s adventure starts with an Emergency Meeting, with much to address. Eeyore is tired of standing out in a field at 3 a.m. and wants a house. A mysterious and frightening new creature has appeared, wreaking havoc on Pooh’s chair and Owl’s home. Who or what is the mysterious “Backson”? Most concerning, though, is that Christopher Robin’s parents are intent on sending the boy away to “Education.” 

This calls for action – perhaps an excursion to the South Pole, as the North Pole has crocodiles.

In this production, what would have been just a charming experience for young audiences has been made truly exceptional by near-perfect casting: 

  • Daniel Shock has not only the constantly contemplative look but also the familiar classic voice of Pooh Bear down solid. 
  • Diann Ryan masters Piglet’s mix of energetic, neurotic, and eager-to-please. 
  • Scott Prill exudes all the gentlemanly gravitas of Owl. 
  • Jennifer Poynter is endearingly maternal and germaphobic as Kanga, dealing with Sean Wood as hyper and eager-for-fun Roo. 
  • Barb Weaver has the take-charge attitude of Rabbit, who also watches over bunny relatives Early (Evelyn BeDell) and Late (Paxton Shock). 
  • Geoff Lynch embodies the blustering braggart force of nature that is Tigger, complete with animated giggle.  
  • Ryan Shelton brays as discontented, depressed Eeyore so well, it’s a wonder he isn’t on the others’ nerves. 
  • Gabrielle Morrison seems to have stepped off the page as Christopher Robin. The voice of his father (one of “them”) is provided by Jeff Bick. 

The commitment by the actors to their plush alter-egos helps immerse us in the whimsy of their world, making this a nice experience for theatre-goers of any age. As an added treat, the cast comes out to greet and take pictures with fans at the front of the stage after each performance. 

Visit “The House on Pooh Corner” April 22-24 – 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday – at Ivy Tech, 300 N. 17th St., Noblesville. Find information and tickets at iftheatrecompany.org.

Switch delivers deep drama of ‘Diviners’ 

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By John Lyle Belden

The drama “The Diviners,” by Jim Leonard Jr., is a thoroughly Hoosier story, with Indiana setting and characters, and it premiered at Hanover College in 1980. But it plumbs deep into all of us, and it makes an excellent start for The Switch Theatre in Fishers.

In the last days of the Hoover presidency, with the nation sunk into the Great Depression, we meet a rather extraordinary boy. Buddy (Colin McCabe) is 14 but hasn’t had a bath in at least a decade, ever since nearly drowning in the river, losing his mother to the current as well as a degree of his mental capacity. His fear of water gives him such sensitivity to its presence that he became a natural “diviner,” capable of finding underground streams for wells, and feeling approaching rain even while the sky is clear. 

His father Ferris Layman (Larry Adams) and 16-year-old sister Jennie Mae (Lauren Hall) take care of him, dealing with his impulsive behavior and understanding his odd speech pattern that constantly has him talking in third person. Fellow citizens of the small town of Zion, Indiana, largely accept him as he is, including Goldie (Jean Adams) who runs the local diner and keeps plenty of root beer on hand for Buddy, and Norma Henshaw (Debbie Underwood), who runs the local dry-goods store with her daughter, Darlene (Gloria Merrell).

The neighbors, farmer Basil Bennett and his wife Luella (Dan Flahive and Ginger Home) see Buddy’s abilities as a blessing, Daniel Shock and Mason Tudor play their farmhands, Melvin and Dewey (who is sweet on Darlene). 

Into this world comes C.C. Showers (Earl Campbell), a former preacher from Kentucky who gave up his vocation to be a common laborer. He takes a job at Ferris’s mechanic shop, and takes an interest in helping Buddy. In town, Norma, being deeply religious, sees the man’s arrival as a sign that the local church will be rebuilt, and true to her steel-trap mind, will accept no other explanation.

Directed by Lori Raffel, the performances flesh out the characters well, but the focus is mainly on Buddy. McCabe embodies the role with the skill of someone much older — he is an eighth-grader, but his parents said he has been performing for years. Hall, Merrell, and Tudor also acquit themselves well. The veteran performers wear their roles like comfortable clothes. Campbell does well in spite of a script that leaves many questions about Showers unanswered — this is not his story, but it feels like there is one to be told. 

This play has gentle humor and a Waltons-like folksiness, but its still waters run deep in what is ultimately a tragic story. Performances run through Oct. 6 at The Switch, located inside the Ji-Eun Lee Music Academy, 10029 E. 126th St., Suite D, in Fishers. Get information and tickets at theswitchtheatre.com.

 

Before CCP shuffles off: a bold ‘Buffalo’

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By John Lyle Belden

A quick note for those who haven’t heard: Carmel Community Players has lost its lease at the Clay Terrace shopping center, where “American Buffalo” is their last play on that stage, and is in the process of finding a new home. The next production, the musical “Ragtime,” will be presented at the Ivy Tech theater in Noblesville in April. For more details see carmelplayers.org.

Famed stage and screen writer David Mamet once said that the key to writing drama is to present a character wanting something, then placing obstacles in the way of him getting it. (Apparently swearing a lot is important, too.)

In Mamet’s “American Buffalo,” on CCP’s Clay Terrace stage for one more weekend, Donny (Larry Adams) really wants a valuable coin. It was just another trinket at his junk shop, but some slick buyer came in and bought it from him at a surprisingly high price – now Donny is sure it was worth a lot more, and that this man has other priceless coins as well. Faithful but mentally challenged Bobby (Daniel Shock) is eager to do “the job” for Donny, and not just be the lookout, but Teach (Earl Campbell) insists that the burglary be entrusted to him. Donny agrees, but also wants another accomplice – but can you trust a man who possibly cheated you at cards the night before?

Under the direction of Lori Raffel, this production presents the Mamet formula as a study in complex and conflicted characters. Donny wrestles with his pain at feeling he was taken advantage of, his feelings of responsibility for Bobby, and the need to get one good high-dollar score – Adams works all these subtleties well. Campbell is sharp as a jerk who talks big, but is no fool. Bobby is a cypher, making one unsure what he does and doesn’t know, and does and doesn’t understand – and why is he always asking for money? – Shock is spot-on in his delivery.

It’s that simple, and that complex. Add in some F-words and you’ve got classic Mamet, ending this chapter of the CCP’s ongoing story on a very strong note. Get tickets while you can: call 317-815-9387 or visit the website.