District Theatre

IBTC: Feeling trauma and hope through the ‘Bloodline’

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By John Lyle Belden

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.

My silly mind wants call this “We’ll always have Paris” as this is the name of three generations of men sharing the name of this one-person drama’s creator, Paris Crayton III, but the content is a bit too intense for that – though I suspect Grandpa Paris would grin and salute with his ever-present cocktail at the joke.

This is “Bloodline,” a semi-autobiographical examination of the lives of Paris senior, a glib but proud man who leaves the toil of sharecropping in Mississippi for meaningful labor and starting a family in Missouri; Paris junior, who finds love, hard work and good intentions may not be enough to save a marriage, but might give opportunities to his son; and Paris III, whose life takes him from St. Louis to Chicago, Orlando, Atlanta, and New York – but nearly always in the closet.

With only the aid of a bit of effective sound design, a hat, and a highball glass, Crayton presents distinct characters and smoothy flows from persona to persona, with feelings from charming to determined, to despair, to rage. Others invisible around him are made real by his gestures and conversations we follow as his half of the words reveal all.

The weaving narratives give insight into staying positive in the face of blatant bigotry, of being skilled with one’s hands but unable to heal the heart, of growing up wanting to do right but being made to believe your true self is wrong. It is thus both a personal story and widely relatable to living as Black and being gay in America.

At the root is the original Paris, likely an alcoholic, but a principled stubborn soul who finds true love in an instant and keeps faith he will find it again. The story of his courtship of saintly grandma Ruth, as unlikely as it plays out, was actually true, Crayton says.

Meet three generations of characters with strong yet tested character in a powerful performance on the District Cabaret stage, today (as this is posted) and Sunday, Jan. 25-26.  

Drag Theatre lets its ‘Freak Flag Fly’

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By John Lyle Belden

(Note: Out of respect for the art form and its performers, they are identified by their Drag names as given in the show program.)

In the gay community, “fairy” stings as a pejorative, but Indy Drag Theatre celebrates Fairy Tales in style with its production of “Shrek” at the District Theatre. This parody/homage melds the Oscar-winning 2001 film with the Tony-winning 2008 musical (incorporating more elements of the 1990 children’s book) with bits of sassy attitude (RuPaul’s voice does pop in) appropriate to the milieu.

With all audio lip-synched the story is unchanged, so what sells the show are the non-stop visuals – costumes and props by Ailish Forner, makeup by Ciara Myst, wigs from Hair by Blair, with choreography by Kitt St. Clair, and directed by Maddie Deeken with Beelzebabe – and comic yet compelling performances by Miss Kay-Ottic as Shrek, DeLulu Devant as Donkey, and Luna Magick as Lord Farquaad. Princess Fiona is nicely portrayed by Kalinda, with Cici Pasion and Madison Avenue as her younger versions, and Axel Rosie as “love’s true form.” Natalie PortMan puts the drag in Dragon with her performance as the fire-breathing beauty. Our Shrek and Fiona have chemistry (and not just gastric), while Donkey and Farquaad are each major scene-stealers.

Also notable is Alicia Brooke as Pinocchio and Robin Hood. Various other creatures are embodied effectively by Eli Rose, Johnnee Crash, Brentlee Bich, Norah Borealis, Milo Xpat Tayshuns, Rodick Heffley, Freddie Fatale, Senator Gale Lagations, Ava Morningstar, Aqua Marie, and Gorge Bush.

While fun and familiar, this production is also a loud and proud celebration of our differences, and how together we can find in that freakiness a common bond.

Good news: This time we have the review up in time for you to see the show! Seats sell fast, so get tickets at indydistricttheatre.org for performances 7 p.m. Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 21-24 at 627 Massachusetts Ave., Indianapolis.

‘Carrie’ even more mind-bending in Drag

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By John Lyle Belden

(Note: Out of respect for the art form and its performers, they are identified by their Drag names as given in the show program.)

Surviving high school is such a drag, right?!

So, it stands to reason that Indy Drag Theatre would take on the hottest Prom ever shown on stage or screen in “Carrie: A Drag Parody Musical.” The drag-world embrace of outsiders and making what could be considered trashy fabulous while leaning into its campiness help make this show the perfect medium for genderfluid expression.

As director Ciara Myst pointed out on opening night, the original Stephen King novel boldly took on topics such as abuse and bullying. In addition, the musical itself had a rocky path from being one of Broadway’s biggest flops in 1988 to a cult classic with a notable revival (after some necessary rewrites by creators Lawrence D. Cohen, Dean Pitchford and Michael Gore) in 2012. The Indy Drag Theatre performs flawless lip-synch to audio from both a stage musical performance and the hit 1976 Brian de Palma film. Dottie B. Minerva is assistant director; costumes are by Kalinda, with makeup by Ms. Myst, and wigs from Hair By Blair. Choreography is by April Rosè.

Our fabulous cast ironically plays it straight in reproducing the stage experience, imbuing the scenes with appropriate drama and suspense. St. Pussifer shines as misunderstood, mistreated Carrie White, with Vera Vanderwoude St. Clair chillingly playing her strict and insanely devout mother Margaret. AJ Thoma is solid as good-natured Sue Snell, while Eli Rose is the noble Tommy Ross. Brentlee Bich is furiously bitchy as vengeance-minded Chris (the girl behind the infamous blood-bucket prank). Skarlett Rose also does well as tragic gym teacher Miss Gardner.

Other performers include Cadence, Axel Rosie, Ce Ce Santos, Abigail Brown, Desiree Bouvier, Jose Dos Santos, William Moser, Jack Offerman, and Elle Rulon.

If you are a fan of drag, the original book or film, or high-heeled spectacles like “Rocky Horror,” you simply must see this edition of “Carrie” – when it finally makes its way back to Indy’s District Theater. Due to its proximity to the Fringe festival, there was only one scheduled weekend of performances. When an unspecified emergency forced a cancellation on Sunday, it was announced that Indy Drag Theatre would try to bring the show back at a later date.

In the meantime, make plans for their next scheduled show, “Shrek,” Nov. 15-24. Get details at indydragtheatre.com.

Hear and feel the ‘Voices of the Avenue’

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By John Lyle Belden

From Emancipation in the 1860s to well into the 20th century, Black populations brought together by community and herded by racist policies gathered in neighborhoods across America that managed – despite contrary forces – to flourish, at least for a time. In Indianapolis, that legacy is Indiana Avenue.

That street, and its jazz-infused culture, is celebrated at the District Theatre on Massachusetts Ave. in the world premiere musical, “Voices of the Avenue,” a stunning, inspiring story by new playwright Brandi L. Metzger.

Set at an actual popular Indiana Ave. nightspot, the Sunset Terrace, this is the story of sisters Constance (Jodi Holmes), a writer for the Indianapolis Recorder (still a voice for Black issues today), and Pearl (Komoca Rowley), a singer and regular at the Sunset. On the night of club owner Denver’s (Jay Fuqua) 50th birthday celebration, Connie arrives hoping to persuade Pearl to join her in leaving for New York to seek bigger opportunities. The joint is jumping, thanks in part to performer Burnin’ Bernie (Keiston Drake). Also present is a mysterious white man, calling himself Apollo (Clay Mabbitt), who keeps writing something in his notebook.

This is also a story of a time and a place at a cultural and historical crossroads few on the Avenue saw coming. As Denver reminisces, despite troubles through the 1920s and ‘30s, the Black communities rallied and “Indy’s Harlem” persevered. But it is 1945; soon, thousands of men – mostly white – will be returning from the War and the age of “redevelopment” and suburban boom will begin. This Apollo represents succinctly. An advance scout and embodiment of the coming change, he presents himself as an amateur hypnotist who can freeze the moment to let us in our own era beyond the fourth wall know what forces are at play and the justifications they will use to act.

The brighter side of the Avenue, full of life and brave joy, is personified by the music of the outstanding on-stage ensemble, led by Matt “BigBeatz” Franklin at the keyboard, with jazz pianist Carl Hines, Jef Payne on trumpet, and Byron L.A. Hobbs on drums. Stephen Martin Drain and Nakia B. White tend the bar and provide backup vocals. Club patrons are played by Heather Strain, Teresa Francis and DaJuan Thrasher.

This production is in the able hands of veteran director Nikki Miles, assisted by Angela Leonard. Justin M. Lewis provides cool choreography appropriate to the times, and even gets Mabbitt to cut a rug.

The songs are all original, by Metzger in collaboration with Franklin and the actors who perform them. They perfectly capture and move the plot, and a rousing salute to “The Sunset” is fun to sing along to – which we’re encouraged to do at the end.

Holmes and Rowley give great performances with voices sharp whether in song or snapping at each other as siblings do. We can feel their relational struggles as well as the growing shadow of the bigger story they are in. Fuqua plays Denver as all charm and blind optimism, perhaps not an angel, but a vital part of the Avenue. Drake gives Bernie the driven attitude of the talented up-and-comer not wanting to consider there might not be a place to get to.

The only disappointment is that this intense experience clocks in at just under an hour. Still, a lot of story and history is packed in. It never feels rushed, like great jazz; I just wasn’t ready for it to end. It’s one thing to learn by reading, lecture, or even documentary, about the spirit of Indiana Avenue, but “Voices of the Avenue” gets you to truly feel it.

This work was brought about by Black Light Training and Development, a grantee of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Metzger is a recent graduate of its playwriting course. Find more information at the program’s Facebook page.

Remaining performances of “Voices” are today (as we post this) and tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday, June 1-2, at the District Theatre, 627 Mass. Ave., Indianapolis. Get tickets at indydistrictthteatre.org.

Fabulous flora in drag ‘Little Shop’

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By John Lyle Belden

To borrow from an unrelated comedy gang who put male bodies in dresses: Now for something completely different.

Indy Drag Theatre was in full bloom at the District Theatre with its production of “Little Shop of (W)Horrors:  A Drag Parody Musical.” The fairly new local company took on a mostly straight (ha-ha) presentation of the movie-turned-Broadway-turned-movie, but done by drag queens, kings, and other genderfluid royalty. In the true spirit of the Drag art form, emphasizing spectacle and visual parody and satire – in the most *fabulous* manner possible – our performers expertly lip-synch the lines and songs from Broadway and film audio, but what you see on the stage is even more entertaining than most renditions of the classic boy/girl/man-eating-plant story.

With no scenes drastically altered, this serves to inform or remind those unfamiliar with the source work. However, if you know what happens, it becomes awesome on another level. Shoddy-sheik staging and costumes match both the story and the tongue-in-cheek mood. Dance numbers both advance the story and “work it” a la a Ru-Paul revue. In the best melding of the already-goofy musical and this milieu, our star houseplant, Audrey II, transforms from the standard hand-puppet to the toxic fabulousness of Ciara Myst.*

Other principal cast members include Parker Taylor as Seymour Krelborn, the Skid Row orphan who discovers the plant; Pancha La Flor as Audrey, the sweet girl at the flower shop Seymour is sweet on and the sadistic Dentist (Beelzebabe) beats on; Eli Rose as florist Mr. Mushnik; and our hot chorus of backups Ava Morningstar (as Crystal), April Rosè (Chiffon), and Devin Hill (Ronette).

Also on stage are Axel Rosie, Drucilla Demora, Blue Lightning, and understudies Jared Matthew, Zariah, and Kalinda Morningstar.

Taylor, who has been brilliant in recent regular stage productions, puts their talent to excellent use – one who would be great a century ago mouthing and emoting a silent film. La Flor is not the beanpole actress you usually get for Audrey, kind of like if Broadway had tapped a young Jennifer Coolidge, but she makes it all work (in both senses of the word) wonderfully. As for Ms. Myst, the ability to strut the whole stage makes this fierce flytrap more dangerous than in any other medium.

Direction is by Krystie Roberts, with choreography by April Rosè, IDT’s co-founder (with creative director Blair St. Clair).

If you are a teen (with cool parents) or older and hip to any of this at all, it is a must that you support this marvelous meld of “holla”- worthy entertainment (and yes, whooping it up is encouraged, but slip your dollar bills into their Venmo). Remaining performances are Thursday through Sunday, Feb.  22-25, at the District Theatre, 627 Massachusetts Ave., Indianapolis. Get tickets (including VIP) and info at indydistrictthe.org or indydragtheatre.com.

*

[*In keeping with the culture and respecting personal boundaries, if the Drag name is all we are given for a performer (which is as unique and individual as what’s on their driver’s license anyway), that’s all we publish.]

Musical send-up of Scrooge story returns

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By John Lyle Belden

Ben Asaykwee’s “Christmas Carol Comedy” at the District Theatre has joined the ranks of downtown Indy’s cherished holiday traditions. Yes, we’re all surprised (I imagine Asaykwee is), but I’m not actually as he is really talented and the show is really funny.

I mean, look at the nice stuff we said about it last year.

As so much about the world today is silly and dumb, this musical parody of Dickens’ classic fits right into this season’s offerings. While Ben is over at the Phoenix, assistant director Hannah Boswell takes care of things, as well as roles including a talkative Christmas Future. This being a “Q-munity” production (started by Asaykwee’s Q Artistry company), there are numerous performers at all levels of experience, whose having fun at this easily translates to the sold-out audiences.

Matt Anderson is back as Scrooge, Shelbi Berry as Christmas Past, Tiffanie Bridges as Christmas Present (and, well… you’ll see), Maria Meschi as Marley, Emerson Black as Fezziwig, and Michelle Wafford as Mrs. Cratchit, with Jeff Stratford as Bob Cratchit, Tristan Montgomery as Fred, Miki Mathioudakis as Mrs. Fezziwig, and an ensemble of characters and Victorian Urchins played by Adrienne Anderson, Alex Kao, Anahit Aleksanyan, Anna Lee, Arin Anderson, Ben Curry, Beth Gibson, Calvin Meschi, Cari Gallagher, Charlotte Wagner, Derwin Lester, Elsie Huldeen, Emily Persic, Finley Eyers, Fiona Eyers, Jessica Dickson, Kallen Ruston, Katie Eaker, Kelly Haas, Kendall Crenshaw, Lillian Hall, Lisa Anderson, Luna Capehart, Mandy Holzhausen, Michael Persic, Noah Lee, Patrick Clemens, Sam Lee, Sophia Capehart, and Spencer Hahn.

You have seven chances (at the time of this posting) to see this charming, fun, silly, entertaining, and now traditional yuletide treat, but tickets are selling fast, playing Thursday through Sunday, Dec. 14-17 and 21-23. Get them at indydistricttheatre.org.

Bradbury Center hosts one hell of a show

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By John Lyle Belden

Emmy winner and Ray Bradbury superfan Bill Oberst Jr. has portrayed many characters who reflect the darkness within mankind; in his new one-person show, “Adversary,” he takes on the Devil himself.

Presented as part of the IU Indianapolis Ray Bradbury Center “Festival 451 Indy,” Oberst’s performance in the District Theater, Sept. 30-Oct. 1 is the world premiere. (If you are seeing this as it is posted, you may be able to make the 2 p.m. Sunday show.)

Satan, who enjoys toying with the words of others, regards himself through sources ranging from ancient scripture to Mark Twain. Oberst contributes one piece, “Your 3 A.M. Therapist.” Mr. Bradbury is not quoted, though this suits the literary mission of the festival, and Oberst said in a follow-up Q&A that Bradbury’s character of Mr. Dark in “Something Wicked This Way Comes” was an inspiration – one of the better depictions of the Devil in fiction.

“Here we hear lies; here we hear truth,” the entity before us declares. “The devil is in the distinction.”

He focuses on three principal “true lies” that sound good and right but are bendable to darker purposes. Passages such as Fyodor Dostoevsky’s “The Grand Inquisitor,” from “The Brothers Karamazov,” show their application.

It is sometimes said that a work of theatre challenges you in the audience. This one literally does. Old Scratch knows you are watching and speaks to you through the ephemeral fourth wall. Do you answer? Regardless, there is plenty of food for thought here – dine with care.

“Adversary” is a unique, engaging, and in its own dark way enlightening theatre experience. For more information on Oberst and his projects, visit billoberst.com; click here for the Ray Bradbury Center in Indianapolis.

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.

See why everyone went bananas for Baker

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By John Lyle Belden

Like, I suspect, many others, most of what I knew of Josephine Baker was that she was an early 20th-century performer who chose continent-wide fame in France over being just “a Negro” in America. And, knowing she was being adored rather than belittled, she indulged in and claimed power over stereotype with her infamous “Sauvage” dance wearing little more than a string of bananas.

But any cursory look at her biography shows that Baker is so very much more than the first African-American international superstar. “Josephine: A Musical Cabaret,” presented by Dynamite Lunchbox Productions and starring co-creator Tymisha Harris, at The District Theatre in downtown Indianapolis, presents her life story in a most entertaining fashion, letting Baker herself tell it between timeless songs of her era.

Harris brings the diva to life in non-stop flirtatious mode – remembering, relating, dishing, confessing. One moment she dances in pasties, the next she feigns modesty to a gentleman she addresses (including a few she sees in the audience). Yet even at her most exotic, she maintains that tasteful line one had to toe in that time when even the Folies Bergère had its limits. Thus, consider this a pushing-it PG-13 or light R rating for teens and older.

That flirting was with both men and women, as recent biographers have revealed and our Baker freely admits, making her an LGBTQ icon, as well as a war hero and Civil Rights activist – both of these are also addressed.

Also co-created by Michael Marinaccio and Tod Kimbro, this production runs a full two acts rather than the Fringe Festival-length performance seen elsewhere on the tour. Remaining dates are tonight (as I post this) and Sunday at the District Theatre, 627 Massachusetts Ave., Indianapolis. Get tickets at indydistricttheatre.org and info on the show and tour at josephinetheplay.com.

Drama at District a raw look at recovery

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By John Lyle Belden

Ever had a “toxic” relationship? How about literally toxic.

“Drugs and alcohol have never let me down. They have always loved me.”

These are the words of Emma, a struggling actress at the center of “People, Places & Things” by Duncan Macmillan (writer of “Every Brilliant Thing”) which had a successful London premiere in 2015. Stage Door Productions brings it to Indianapolis, nurtured and directed by Kevin Caraher, playing at The District Theatre on Mass Ave.

Emma (Trick Blanchfield), scarred by traumas of which we will learn, whole-heartedly believes her statement above, but comes to suspect the chemicals’ love is destroying her. To quote an unrelated work, breaking up is hard to do.

She prefers to live in the masks of the characters she portrays, but they are starting to blur into one another. The play opens with her on the stage of a classic work, having a dissociative episode. When she inevitably checks into rehab, she claims the name of the character she plays. During her recovery and relapses, she is accompanied by shadows of herself (Sara Williams, Audrey Stonerock, Cara Wilson).

Thus, the central point-of-view character is also an unreliable narrator, bringing to bear one of the frustrating factors of recovery. Even when the person wants to change and craves help, lying has become as natural as breathing, especially to one’s self. Macmillan’s words effectively keep the audience following the plot off-balance: Is Emma’s brother dead, as she says, and which set of circumstances she relates are true? Do the no-nonsense Nurse at the rehab center and happy-shiny Therapist for group sessions actually look like her Mom (all played pitch-perfect by Denise Jaeckel)? Are her parents as deeply flawed and toxic in their own way as she claims? Is even her name what she says it is at any point?

Emma’s love of stagecraft becomes a vector for hard lessons as other members of Group use her as their sounding-board for “exercises” in what each recovering addict will say to a significant person in their lives. Mark (Ryan Powell in an award-worthy performance), who immediately sees through her BS, gets that ball rolling, and continues to challenge her throughout the play. He has gained wisdom the hard way, including understanding without mentioning it that any (if this were Hollywood) romantic connection would just be the chemicals and desperation talking. (Thank you, Mr. Macmillan, for dodging that trope.)  

Other members of Group, played by Tailynn Downing, Anna Himes, Matt Kraft, David Molloy, Adrienne Reiswerg, and Bryan Ball Carvajal (as Foster, past patient and present staffer) each have their own perspective of addiction, relating the various paths both the downward spiral and upward climb can take. Then there’s brave, brilliant Dan Flahive as Paul, the patient who takes things too far, whose higher power is apparently a schizophrenic Jesus. What could be, and to a small extent is, played as comic relief becomes a look into the abyss any staffer or past patient of such a facility has seen too often.

Still, in contrast to Emma, the others “get it,” the reason why they are there, that they are sick and desire to truly get well.

Some might see thematic similarities to the 2000 recovery rom-com film, “28 Days,” starring Sandra Bulloch, but this story has a lot more raw, authentic-feeling edges and is better played through the style and magical realism of live theatre. It reflects the real-world fact that one visit to an institution is rarely enough. Also, know that not all its characters will be alive at the end of the play.

Saving the best for last, I’ll note that Blanchfield is truly outstanding. She draws on wells of pain and strength like few can, while somehow getting some hope in that bucket. She communicates “hot mess” while still making us want to root for her. We are blessed beyond reason to have her recently join the central Indiana theatre scene.

In a lighter note (and there are a few) we do get to see an actor nearly naked – and it’s not who you might expect (consider yourself warned).

A huge thank you to Caraher for getting this masterpiece to Indy, and executing it so well, and hat-tip to stage managers Whitney Leigh and Amelie Zirnheld. While this has a simple set, by Kathy Hoefgen, it is notable for the visual metaphor that the “EXIT,” whether triumphant or tragic, is always there.

Performances continue tonight (as I post this), Sunday, and next weekend with two shows on Saturday, through June 25. For tickets, visit indydistricttheatre.org. (Note to Googlers: There is a Stage Door Productions in Virginia, so for the Indiana company, look up their Facebook page.)