drama

Hyperion passes Inspection

PWJW_Indy Reviews, Stage , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

By John Lyle Belden

Hyperion Players just presented “An Inspector Calls,” a thriller and modern-day morality play by J.B. Priestley, for one weekend at the Switch Theatre in Fishers.

We open in 1912, during a dinner at the posh home of industrialist Arthur Birling (Christopher Vojtko), celebrating the engagement of daughter Sheila (Megan Fridenmaker) to Gerald Croft (Vincent Pratt), son of Birling’s business rival. Also present are Arthur’s perfectly upstanding wife Sybil (Jennifer J. Kaufmann) and their drunken disappointment of a son Eric (Logan Browning). The evening is interrupted by a visitor, police Inspector Goole (Josh Elicker), who informs them a young woman had just died by her own hand, then interrogates each of these characters to reveal their individual roles in the woman’s demise. It appears only the dutiful maid Edna (Lea Ellingwood) is spared.

From this simple plot, a complex web of secrets and shameful behavior is revealed. The cast all act appropriately pretentious and aghast at every turn. Though set in England, no one forces a fake British accent, which helps keep the performances natural, but still spoken with proper airs so that this could be envisioned as a family of Gilded Age Americans – discussions of impending knighthood, pounds and shillings, etc., aside.

Director Nicole Amsler added the innovation of numerous shadow puppets to illustrate the story of the deceased, set in the background at various scenes throughout the play. The tactic is effective, adding to the overall narrative like flashes of memory in a well-made film. The shadows also add to the noir atmosphere and feel appropriate to a pre-cinema culture. In this way, the late Eva Smith – a/k/a Daisy Renton, a/k/a the false Mrs. Birling – becomes a major part of the drama without us ever actually seeing her face. The 200 shadow puppets were crafted and controlled by Delaney Amsler, assisted by Ellingwood; Lesie Blackwell was stage manager.

Votko has Arthur epitomize the Englishman striving to ever be the ideal gentleman – in his words, “a hard-headed, practical businessman.” He constantly needs to be in charge, so is perpetually perturbed as Goole doesn’t play along. Kaufmann ensures Sybil is never shaken from her elitist perch, though she is severely tested. Browning plays Eric as the man-child struggling to rise but only finding his parents’ disappointment. It is Croft, given the proper stiff upper lip and grinning noble bearing by Pratt, who appears to be the son Arthur hoped for. So, it is left to Fridenmaker to give us a Sheila with a conscience, despite having been rude and spoiled as befitted her upbringing. She gets an opportunity for personal growth, which can make her the audience proxy – aside from what you see in yourselves in the other, less likable roles.   

As our Inspector, Elicker presents an eccentric archetype that would come to life later in the century thanks to writers like Agatha Christie and is practically stereotypical by the lifetimes of us in the audience. In the proper home of a “former Lord Mayor of Brumley,” this mainly serves to keep the occupants nicely off-balance, adding to the humor of a clash of social mores. As there are themes of oppression by the uncaring towards lower classes, Goole gets a bit preachy, but his words have an effect. After he departs, the play’s stunning end scene reveals a very telling test of human nature.

If you’ll pardon a spoiler (maybe you’ll forget this by the time another company stages the play), after the curtain, we are left with the question: Who exactly was The Inspector? Between us, my partner Wendy has her suspicions (something you’d find in the details).

This production gives us another example of how Hyperion Players is bringing us intriguing and thought-provoking, yet quirky and entertaining shows, worth the jaunt for Indy folks to eastern Hamilton County. Their next scheduled productions, “The Woman in Black,” opening Oct. 24, and “The 39 Steps,” opening next March 20, will also be at The Switch in Fishers. Find details at hyperionplayers.com.

Witness a special day for ‘Five Women’

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By John Lyle Belden

Eclipse Productions of Bloomington (no relation to the student program in Indianapolis) is establishing itself by immersive productions with mature themes. This time, despite the trigger warnings, we have a comedy.

“Five Women Wearing the Same Dress” reveals the quirky genius of Alan Ball, predating his award-winning screenwriting in “American Beauty” and television’s “Six Feet Under” and “True Blood.” Directed by Jeremy J. Weber and Konnor Graber – who show solidarity by attending in matching floor-length gowns – they have us enter through a “closet” to witness the goings-on in the bedroom of Meredith Marlowe (Jen Wells), whose oh-so-perfect sister just got married.

The title refers to the fact that Meredith is one of five bridesmaids in the lavish ceremony at the Marlowes’ Knoxville, Tenn., home in the early 1990s, wearing identical lavender dresses (complete with matching hats and torturous high heels) that they despise. The quintet all find refuge in this room: Cousin Frances (Jada Buehler) is uncomfortably open about being “a Christian” though at her first appearance she quickly breaks the Commandment on coveting, as well as nearly the one about stealing. Trisha (Shayna Survil) had formerly been the bride’s “bad influence” friend, and now that her obligation is done, hopes to find someone for mindless sex. Georgeanne (Kate Weber) is a full bottle of champaign into a respite from her own lousy marriage, wishing a past lover would notice her instead of some other woman in a backless dress. Finally, Mindy (Vera Wagler), the good-natured lesbian sister of the groom, just wants to be away from all the judgmental looks from family and wedding guests.

A clever aspect of this play is that at least three characters become well known to us despite never appearing on stage – the bride Tracy (who all agree is beautiful and successful), groom Scott McClure (whom all the women pity), and the eternal bad-boy Tommy Valentine (former fiancé of Tracy who has hit on or slept with all five other women). As we learn more about past relationships, we see the lasting effects of past trauma that draw shadows over the expected joys of this day.

The performances reveal the unexpected chemistry among these very different individuals brought together by a rather unfortunate uniform. Buehler’s sanctimonious Frances can be a bit much, but her naïve charm keeps her likable. Survil has Trisha wear “jaded” like a badge of honor, or as armor over sensitive scars. Weber plays Georgeanne as someone who has lived a lot in her three decades, mostly for others, but hasn’t given up on youthful exploits just yet. Wagler’s Mindy is the most optimistic and (the irony is noted) girly of the group, though she has her own resentment to work through. Wells’ Meredith embodies her dichotomy as the host (it’s her room, and her joint they pass around) while still feeling stuck as a little sister – being younger than Tracy, Trisha, and Georgeanne, and held back by a traumatic adolescent event. Their interactions build naturally with their shared experience in a pre-smartphone world where all that matters is the sisterhood in the room, contrasted with the formal chaos downstairs and outside the window.

We also get a visit from Mindy’s handsome cousin, Tripp Davenport, played by Jo Moran with the same exuberant charisma they put into the Constellation production of “Alex Gold” earlier this year. Tripp does present a noble challenge for one of our ladies, but we suspect Ball wrote him in for his rather mundane usefulness in the final scene.

Performances run through Sunday, Sept. 8, at the Waldron Firebay Theatre (an intimate black-box stage on the first floor of Waldron Arts Center) 122 S. Walnut St., Bloomington. Get tickets at EclipseProductionsCompany.com.

SSS Eclipse ‘Lizzie’ a riotous spectacle

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By John Lyle Belden

The Summer Stock Stage Eclipse program (professional, with collegiate performers) presents “Lizzie,” the new musical by Alan Stevens Hewitt and Steven Cheslik-deMeyer, book by Tim Maner, based on the Lizzie Borden legend, presented internationally since its introduction in 2010.

To clarify “musical,” this show is a Riot Grrl-style Punk Rock Opera – modify expectations accordingly and hold on for the ride.* To ask why it’s in this mode is to miss the cultural mystique of Miss Borden. She was already an outsider – unmarried at 30, still living with her controlling father and detested stepmother – when the gruesome events of August 1892 occurred in Fall River, Mass.

“Lizzie Borden took an ax, gave her mother forty whacks; when she saw what she had done, gave her father forty-one!”

Being rich from their penny-pinching parents, Lizzie and sister Emma hired the best possible representation, and with an all-male jury actually working in their favor, got her acquitted at trial. However, historians and even her fandom are fairly certain she did the deed. Still, this is not just a play about getting away with murder.

The story is presented nearly all in song by four women: Lizzie (Erin Lambertson), older sister Emma Borden (Cora Kendall), neighbor and close friend Alice Russell (Mai Caslowitz), and the Bordens’ maid Bridget “Maggie” Sullivan (Samantha Ringor). Backing them – literally, seen through the slats of the set by Abigail Wagner that suggests both a simple home and cozy barn – are the band of Ginger Stoltz (keyboard and conductor), Ainsley Paton Stoltz (bass), Kirstin Cutler (drums), Joy Caroline Mills (guitar), Sally McSpadden (guitar and keyboard), and Taylor White (cello and percussion). Direction is by local actor and teaching artist Devan Mathias with musical direction by Ben Rose (who coincidentally has worked at the actual Lizzie Borden House, now a B&B).

Act 1 brings into focus the conditions the Borden sisters were likely living in, and potential motives for what is to come. The tensions weigh on Lizzie and Emma, while a longing grows in Alice; meanwhile, with a dollar from the girls in hand, Maggie is quick to go downtown for the afternoon so she can say she didn’t see a thing someone might be doing.

In Act 2, there is quite a mess – one song is titled, “What the F*** Now, Lizzie?!” – and loosely period costumes give way for something more turn of the Millenium (all designed by Allison Jones) as events take a more modern procedural, crime-of-the-century feel. The number in which Lizzie and Emma make their Kardashian-esque public plea is priceless.

Throughout it all, these ladies rock their hearts out. There are also touching, tender moments, including a song between Lizzie and Alice that recurs in each act, giving two meanings to “Will you lie?” Overall, a bravura performance.

This show brings more of a different perspective to the Borden case and legend than giving any new facts. Events portrayed in any medium are always conjecture and subject to artistic license. Perhaps a good friend “coming to call” could mean more in 1890s New England. Still, the major points follow the story as told elsewhere. This version is very feminist-focused, so one can forgive the downplaying of other problematic aspects such as suspicions cast on local immigrants. On this stage, it’s the grrls’ turn to tell the story – the closest you get to a male presence is Daddy’s body under a sheet.

Four performances remain for “Lizzie,” Thursday through Sunday, Aug. 8-11, at the Phoenix Theatre Cultural Centre, 705 N. Illinois St., Indianapolis. See phoenixtheatre.org for tickets or get info at summerstockstage.com.

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(*“Lizzie” could be compared stylistically to the musical “Six,” but the latter was developed in the U.K. more recently.)

Venture into Narnia with Westfield kids

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By John Lyle Belden

During World War II, many English children were sent to friends’ or relatives’ homes in the countryside, away from cities where German bombs and rockets fell.

You can’t get much further away than Narnia.

This is the situation of the four siblings in “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe,” a stage adaptation by Joseph Robinette, based on the beloved story by C.S. Lewis (a novel in his Chronicles of Narnia series). It is presented in Westfield as the summer youth production of Main Street Productions through this weekend.

In the country house where the Pevensie children are staying, the youngest, Lucy (Morgan Rusbasan) finds the Wardrobe in the Spare Room, and discovers in it a doorway to a vast, cold forest. There she encounters a faun, Tumnus (Makenzie Walter), who makes the fateful decision to warn her of the White Witch who keeps Narnia in winter – but without Christmas – and to send her to the lamp post that leads back to the Wardrobe portal. When easily-bored brother Edmund (Camren Davis) follows Lucy into the fantasy wood, he meets the Witch (Maile Alpizar) who says she’s the Queen of Narnia and promises him all the Turkish delight he can eat if Edmund brings his siblings to her.

When all four Pevensies cross over, including Peter (Harrison Gabinski Coon) and Susan (Annalisa Schuth), they learn from Mr. and Mrs. Beaver (Chaya Elicker and Nora Gapinski Coon) about the Witch’s treachery, the return of the true king Aslan the lion (Kaelyn Harvey), and a prophecy that these human children (“Sons of Adam, daughters of Eve”) are meant to fulfil. Meanwhile, the Witch dispatches the leader of her secret police, the wolf Fenris Ulf (Layne Thompson) to find the children and slay any being that stands in his way.

This cast of more than two dozen eager children and teens also includes Naomi Mattysse as the mysterious White Stag, Zack Harvey as a Centaur, Cersei Davis as a Unicorn, and John Engle as Father Christmas, who brings the perfect gifts for the Pevensies’ quest.

Directed by Brandi Davis, the fantasy characters are mainly distinguished by head makeup, not encumbered by furs or fake hooves. Full-body costuming is largely reserved for the lead arch-rivals, Alpizar’s Witch in a stunning white gown and Harvey’s Aslan in a dignified lion-hued suit.

Actors often get a kick out of playing the villain, and Alpizar and Thompson take to their roles with gusto. When the Witch/Queen is upset, you’ll know. At the other end of the scale, Harvey gives the Lion all the gravitas she can muster – appropriate as Lewis, a devout Christian, wrote Aslan as a sort of avatar of Jesus Christ.

You have four more chances to visit this vision of Narnia, 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday (July 25-28) at Basile Westfield Playhouse, 220 N. Union St. (leave early to get around downtown construction). Get tickets at westfieldplayhouse.org.

History’s flow through Black communities explored in ‘Riverside’

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By John Lyle Belden

The Indianapolis Shakespeare Company, a/k/a Indy Shakes, understands you don’t have to look across the Atlantic for a compelling timeless story. In fact, their current world premiere, “Riverside” by M.L. Roberts, takes place in part on the very ground where it is being performed.

Executive Artistic Director Ryan Arzberger said Roberts underwent extensive research and numerous interviews with people who have lived in the area for decades in the African-American communities in and around Indianapolis, then created a chronicle of a family whose legacy runs through both Indiana and Black history, a well-informed historical fiction and relatable human epic.

A talented and dedicated ensemble play all the parts, from the eternal River that predates the red, then white and black, people who settled here, up to the cusp of present generations in the 1960s. They are Olamide Asanpaola, Kayla Carter, Terra Chaney, Holiday, Malik James, Akili Ni Mali, Ed Gonzalez Moreno, and Milicent Wright, with Jamaal McCray, Josiah McCruiston, and Clarissa Todd as swings. Rudi Goblen directs.

In 1821, there is a settlement of free African-Americans on the White River, led by church Pastor Simon (Moreno) and Sister Sarah Johnson (Carter), who is knowledgeable of the law and whom in the nearby new city of Indianapolis will uphold it. One day, Jacob (James) happens upon the town; he is technically “free” but his white “Massa” who brought him up from Mississippi to work a new farm near Lafayette has him under an unreasonable contract of servitude. After a dramatic standoff, Jacob gains his physical freedom, but it takes time, and Sarah’s gentle patience, to break the chains in his mind and spirit.

The Johnson family that starts on the River follows it down into the heart of Indianapolis, where we find them on legendary Indiana Avenue in the 1920s. Times seem good, but peace is fragile and short-lived, as are some of the neighborhood residents.

As turbulent times follow, Johnsons move upriver to the growing community of Riverside, home of today’s park (and Taggart Memorial Amphitheatre, where this play is presented). In 1962, there is a popular amusement park there, posted Whites Only. Grudgingly accustomed to the culture of segregation, local Blacks take advantage of the singular “Colored Frolic Day” at the park – except for the Johnson children, who at least attempt a protest.

Peppered with humor, music, spirit, and hope, while never afraid to confront the darkness, “Riverside” presents an endearing portrait of a family, a people, and their well-earned place in this American city we call home. The performers help us not just see but feel how the rivers of water and time have brought us to where we are today.

“Riverside” is presented 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, July 25-27, at 2441 N. White River Parkway, Indianapolis. Performances at this beautiful outdoor venue are free, with paid VIP seating available. Either way, reserve a ticket to help with headcount for this not-for-profit organization. For more information, visit IndyShakes.com.

Enter the shadowy world of ‘M’

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By John Lyle Belden

Never a company to shy away from dark material, Catalyst Repertory presents “M,” a new play based on an old movie, written and directed by Tristan Ross. The original, by legendary German film pioneer Fritz Lang in 1931, was a predecessor to the genre of film noir. Being Lang’s first picture with sound, he innovated with it in ways that still inspire today’s filmmakers.

Ross captures the feeling of entrapment in a black-and-white world with the audience on three sides of the black-box Everwise Stage (formerly Indy Eleven) surrounded by heavy dark curtains. Entering and exiting this space feels like a labyrinth. Actors’ costumes are in blacks, greys and browns, with among a spare few props bright red balloons for effective contrast.

Voices literally surround us with some lines delivered by obscured actors behind the curtains or prerecorded. Little girls are puppets (provided by Beverly Roche) with vague innocent faces, ethereally voiced offstage by Kristin Watson Heintz. Technical director Arden Tiede and lighting designer Tim Dick assist with the noir effects, including fog and image projections, with graphic assistance by Catalyst founder Casey Ross.

As in the original story, by Lang with Thea von Harbou, there is a serial killer, known as “the Midnight Man,” attacking young girls. Ten have been brutally murdered when Mrs. Beckmann (Maria Meschi) discovers her Elsie is missing. Among the last to encounter the child alive was a friendly blind man (Craig Kemp) who we discover is a homeless former lawyer who manages through barter to get balloons to sell to neighborhood children. Police Chief Lohman (James Mannan) and Detective Grodin (Kirk Fields) find an unseeing “witness” only the beginning of their frustrations, as practically no clues are found and suspect leads go nowhere.

Meanwhile, the criminal community has grown frustrated with massively increased police activity and a fearful population cutting deeply into their “business.” Plus, even hardened criminals have no patience with child murder. Thus, one of their leaders, Breaker (Tristan Ross) leads an underworld search for the Midnight Man, with the help of thief Frank (Jeff Stratfer) and club/brothel owner Sharp (Austin Hookfin), with the Balloon Vendor working the “invisible” street people.

Another genre-inspiring aspect of this story is that the audience sees the perpetrator early on, one of the early plots about a killer’s descending madness and the other characters’ struggle to find and stop him. Normal-looking John Beckert (J. Charles Weimer) is locked in a cycle of obsession and predation. He acts quickly once a random potential victim is sighted, this being both a sign of dangerous impulsivity and part of what makes him impossible to predict.

However, eventually good detective work, and a vital clue realized by the balloon man, lead cops and crooks each to close in on Beckert. Which will get to him first, and what will “justice” be when they do?

The story is appropriately taut, tense and not as predictable as you would think, even as events feel inevitable. The acting is outstanding. Meschi, a mother herself, compellingly communicates the horror and desperation of Beckmann’s grief and need for answers and resolution. Kemp easily portrays his blindness without any broad gestures, his eyes looking nowhere as he “sees” with his hearing and speaks with clear voice to ensure understanding. Fields seems to toy with stereotype, at first an ineffective cop but proving his worth as Grodin realizes the right details to give his attention. Mannan gives us the Chief who is both police and bureaucrat, under frustrating pressure on both sides. Our underworld trio effectively play close to type – Stratfer’s Frank jittery nervous, Hookfin’s Sharp ever suave, and Ross’s Breaker deeply intimidating. (In the movie, the latter’s character is a safecracker, here he seems to be an enforcer; either way, his leather gloves are apropos.)

For his part, Weimer gives us an emotionally driven performance that gives insight into Beckert’s disordered mind and personal horror. This “monster” is given neither justification nor supernatural menace; as is noted during the search, he is “a man, like one of us.”

Consider the title to stand for Midnight Man, or “Murderer” as Lang did, or even the Roman numeral as the killer states “there will be a thousand more” if he is not caught. Regardless, find Catalyst’s “M,” with performances through July 7 at the IndyFringe Theatre, 719 E. St. Clair St., Indianapolis. Get tickets at indyfringe.org.

Desperate straits of addiction in ALT drama

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By John Lyle Belden

American Lives Theatre concludes its 2023-24 season as bold as ever with the drama “Spay” by Madison Fiedler, directed by Jen Johansen.

The setting is a recent September in Williamson, West Virginia (an actual town, hidden away on the Kentucky border). Noah (Jaddy Ciucci) has returned from the hospital, where she had been recovering from a very public heroin overdose, to the home of her half-sister Harper (Shawntè Gaston), who has custody of her pre-kindergarten son Benny (offstage).

The pains of withdrawal and pangs of addiction still rage in Noah, but she insists this time she can stay clean – as she had been for nine months prior to the recent incident. Harper, a no-nonsense kindergarten teacher, insists on assurances that this time will be different. Noah will live there, and in turn she pledges to break up with her boyfriend (and dealer) Jackson (Matt Kraft).  We soon see how thin her resolve is on that point.

As the days start to cautiously pass without a relapse, a stranger comes to Harper’s door while Noah is at work. Aubrey (Julie Dixon) has come from a city hours away to offer help in the name of an organization that specializes in aiding young women with addiction. Harper is naturally slow to trust, but Aubrey confides that she had lost her own daughter to addiction and brings up a lot of valid points and advice, forcing Harper to seriously consider more aspects of her situation.

However, this voice of reason also comes with a choice that seems unreasonable – at least, at first.

It has become widely known the alarming degree to which opioid addiction has ravaged the coal country of Kentucky and West Virginia (part of a nationwide epidemic). This fact, plus an excellent stage set (designed by Zac Hunter) with running water and comfy furniture, aid excellent performances to help the audience, seated on three sides around the Phoenix Basile stage, feel right there with these characters.

Ciucci employs her whole body in a convincing portrayal of near-constant physical and mental pain. Her manner of speech and expression, a variety of moods as damaged and disordered synapses keep her on a perilous edge of self-control, are convincing, while generating a surprising amount of situational dark humor. In her deceptively calm moments, there is the sense they will not last.

“This is a survival town.” That line by Harper sums up the feeling of a desperate need for stability and control that Gaston ably portrays. She has deep affection for her sister but finds herself forced into constantly employing it as tough love. And she is readily a fierce defender of Benny.

Kraft plays Jackson as a charming, means-well, naïve redneck. He seems to care for Noah, but a close listen to his words shows signs of narcissistic control, wanting her as both the girl addicted to him and the loving woman he wants to marry, seemingly blind to the contradiction. His often-infuriating presence adds to the humor.

Dixon plays Aubrey as a gently-revealed enigma, leaving it to us to resolve if she is more savior or bargaining devil. According to ALT artistic director Chris Saunders, organizations such as the one she represents do exist.

Given her long-time presence on numerous stages, it is surprising that this is Johansen’s directorial debut. She has brought her experience with the actors’ perspective to bear to bring out the best in this talented ensemble.

Also notable is the musical soundscape by Todd Mack, with its haunting Appalachian tones.

The play ends on a fraught note, with a decision made but the consequences yet to be seen. This would be infuriating in a movie (begging a sequel) but on the stage a common device to open dialogue about what was just seen and our feelings about it. Still, it was a bit of a stun, the cautious applause when the lights came up snapping us out of a trance, delivering us swiftly back from two states away. Still, those issues, we realize, are here in Indiana as well.

A stunning, engrossing look at a widespread problem brought home to the individuals mired in its depths, “Spay” runs through June 30 at the Phoenix Theatre Cultural Center, 705 N. Illinois St., Indianapolis. Get tickets at phoenixtheatre.org, information (including ALT’s coming 2024-25 season) at americanlivestheatre.org.

Diving into Div(X)Fest

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By John Lyle Belden

How does one describe the ongoing process by which a stage production comes to be? It’s a bit crude to say “how the sausage is made,” as that is just too messy an image to place on creating art. On the other hand, saying its “how the magic is made” – aside from likely being trademarked by Disney – glosses over just how productively messy the journey can be. Writers like myself (and Wendy) use these terms to impress on the reader and likely patron that this work is not finished, but still worth a look which lends an insight into the labor of love (emphasis on both) plays, musicals, et al, truly are.

So, I’ll just say that IndyFringe’s annual Div(X)Fest (formerly Diva Fest) is our witness to the base materials our creators spin into theatre gold. (I think that works.) This year’s edition, again celebrating the talents of women (as well as trans and non-binary folx), features readings of three new works. One day remains, Sunday, June 9, starting at 2:30 p.m. in the IndyFringe theatre, 719 E. St. Clair St., downtown Indianapolis. Tickets are pay-what-you-can. Info at indyfringe.org.

Reviewing in reverse order of presentation, these plays are:

“The Sleepover,” I mention first because it is the closest to completion, planning its world premiere at the 2024 IndyFringe Festival in August. It is a unique collaboration begun earlier this year among five women who also perform in this “coming of age dramedy.”

Christine Gordon (as Alexis), Emily Worrel (Rowan), Natalie Fischer (Jessica), Samantha Hines (Chloe), and Wilhelmena Dreyer (Sydney) are 14-ish girls gathering for their annual (for all but Rowan, who is new to town) end of school year sleepover at Alexis’ house. There is a sense of transition, mainly signaled by moving on to high school in the fall, which has the hostess especially meticulous in her planning.

There is tension among them practically from the start, especially after Sydney finally arrives and they engage in their traditional game of Truth of Dare, “Kessler Road Rules.” Along the way we find hidden secrets, insights into true feelings, and hints of the presence of a monster they thought they had only made up – all magnified through the everything’s-extreme perspective of adolescence.

As others noted at one performance, although all five women contributed to the creation and writing of this play – from exploratory conversations and exchanging basic ideas to fleshing out characters. their relationships, and what they say and do – the pieces have melded together in what feels like a single narrative voice. They admit it did feel a bit like they were school friends who shared a deep bond in this process.

This should generate a lot of buzz going into this year’s Fringe, and we can’t wait to see how their creepy cryptid actually comes to life.

“The Silent Supper” by Kaitlynn McShea is a work of subtle horror in which an older woman sits by a ruined table, struggling to remember what happened before “the fire came.” In this reading, directed by Christine Gordon, Wendy Brown portrays the woman, exhausted by nightmares as every sweet memory “never goes right,” as well as the growing buzz of insects. Each remembrance is enacted by a foursome of local actors (I don’t have names at the moment; may fill in if I get them later) who give us some insight into their lives – presuming the one remembering is a reliable narrator. This short work does well in building suspense, reminiscent of Stephen King at his best. It gives Brown a good role to work with, portraying a troubled soul who pulls on our empathy.

“On the Rag Dolls” by Allison Fradkin starts the day’s entertainment, directed by Mira Cassidy, as a trio of young women (again, names unavailable) play three edge-of-puberty besties on their own “Casual Friday” sleepover. However, this scene is a satirical comedy with entendres and puns coming at you with the pace of a hit sitcom, expressed by girls who barely, if at all, get the subtexts (still, you know tweens talk like that). The trio are apparently all in the same hardcore Evangelical Protestant community, though only one goes to the Christian Academy rather than public school, so talk of the future is of boys they will marry and the children they will have (though sex is gross), as well as if their just-started periods are “the curse” or a blessing. – “Men-ses the day!” one girl resolves. – This work in progress is hilarious and shows lots of potential; after-show talkbacks allow us to give Fradkin ideas on where to take this story (as with McShea above).

We extend a big thanks to IndyFringe for hosting this event and their continued engagement in the development of local talent and new works.

Glimpses of comics’ lives in ‘Purple Lounge’

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By John Lyle Belden

In case there is any confusion, note that “Live at the Purple Lounge” has nothing to do with Prince. Another clarification: “Green Room” is just the traditional name for the place performers can relax before and after going on stage; it can be any color.

This said, welcome to the Purple Lounge comedy club, presented by Betty Rage Productions at the IndyFringe Basile Theatre. Seating includes cozy little tables, where crew member/bouncer, Chelsea (Kelsey VanVoorst), the New Comic, greets us. She doesn’t enforce a drink minimum but advises there are plenty of adult and alcohol-free beverages available for purchase at the back of the room.

However, what we see before us is not the classic stand-up stage backed with faux brick, but the backstage Green Room, tended by club manager Bethany (Meg McLane). Over the course of a few nights, we hear the last bits of a comic’s set, then see what happens in this room after.

Rory (Brooke Neubaum) closes with laments about her dating life, then comes into the room to find her mother Victoria (Jean Arnold) – a successful sex-positive writer – waiting with a rather stress-inducing surprise.

Sydney (Tracy Herring) slays in her set, then comes backstage to husband John (Chad Pirowski) with news that she can book a West Coast tour – a small miracle for a lesser-known 50-year-old comic. He doesn’t quite share her happiness.

Lena (Anna Himes), on the other hand, bombs – and it’s not the first time. Sure enough, old friend Travis (Dave Pelsue) is there to remind her that it’s been a year now. There’s a way to get herself funny again, he promises.

Anna (Rachel Kelso) makes her set about how sadly vanilla her girlfriend is. Meanwhile, in the Green Room, said partner Logan (Laurel Clark) is on her phone with customer service about a defective sex toy.

Abbie (Jenni White), one of the club regulars, is a hit again. Backstage with Bethany, a long-time friend, she is forced to confide an issue that not even her “husband Bill” can help with.

Being a stand-up comic is a funny life – both “funny ha-ha” and funny/unusual – and we get plenty of both in these scenes. The unique lifestyle and stresses of the job are explored in various ways, as well as the toll they can take on those who love them. Some of the biggest laughs, such as the moments with Rory and Victoria, or Anna and Logan, come with their share of tears. In this backstage sanctuary you’re as likely to find a metaphorical punch in the gut as a gut-busting punchline.

Performances are top-notch, especially McLane, who we usually see in absurd comedy shows, getting to exercise her dramatic range to great effect. Himes and White also hit us directly in the feels in their scenes.

Directed by Betty Rage founder Callie Burk-Hartz, “Live at the Purple Lounge” has just four more performances, 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday (May 23-25), at 719 E. St. Clair, Indianapolis. Get info at bettyrageproductions.com and tickets at indyfringe.org.

Gritty ‘Streetcar’ an immersive ride

PWJW_Indy Reviews, Stage , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

By John Lyle Belden

A relative newcomer to the Hoosier theatre scene, Eclipse Productions of Bloomington (no relation to the student company in Indy) presents its take on Tennessee Williams’s “A Streetcar Named Desire.” One of the founders, Konnor Graber, told us Eclipse’s shows “are going darker, grittier, and authentic.” This stage classic turned out to be the perfect vehicle, steered by director Kate Weber (another founder, along with Ashley Prather and Jeremy J. Weber).

Perhaps coincidentally running during Mental Health Awareness Month, the production focuses on the growing madness of Miss Blanche DuBois, an aging Southern Belle who lost both her family and their former plantation, Belle Reve, in Mississippi, and goes to her only living relative, sister Stella Kowalski, in a cozy working-class apartment in New Orleans’ French Quarter.

Actually, we meet Blanche (Dania Leova) before the play officially starts, as the lobby has transformed to the vistors’ parlor of a Louisiana mental hospital, not long after the unfortunate woman’s committal in 1947. She is quiet and literally restrained in her chair, while a nurse (Connie Shakalis) reads poems by Poe to keep her calm. We are entertained by a visiting singer (Jen Wells, who is also stage manager) accompanied by Noel Patrick Koontz on guitar.

The theatre doors open, and Blanche is wheeled in before we are allowed to enter and take our seats. Wells follows, her voice lilting “Dream a Little Dream” as she climbs through the audience. For a moment, Blanche is at the corner of the stage, perhaps wondering, how did it all come to this? A quick blackout, and we all proceed to find out.

Leova is exquisite as Blanche, charm laid on as thick as the region’s humidity. She has us believing her despite ourselves, never relenting as the center of attention, though we see her trustworthiness slowly erode. Graber is powerful as Stella’s husband, Stanley. Little effort is made to make the man likable, though he has a personal magnetism that keeps his friends and wife loyal. His is another study in untreated mental issues, a lifetime of class resentment and being called “pollack,” capped by service in World War II, leaving him with a constant undercurrent of rage, only abated when transformed into lustful attention to Stella (Shayna Survil), who is addicted to him like a drug. He practically snarls his lines, at or edging on a shout; every object he handles gets slammed somewhere; and sensing a fellow façade, he sees through Blanche from the start and never lets her forget it. Survil, for her part, is endearing as she struggles to stay the voice of reason, the mediator between her unstable housemates. Alas, she also has what would now be classed a trauma bond with her often abusive husband.

Shakalis and Benjamin Loudermilk are charming in their own way as neighbor/landlords Eunice and Steve Hubbell, in their stormy but loving relationship. Playing Stanley and Steve’s bowling and poker buddies are Koontz as Pablo and Jeremy Weber as Mitch, a single man living with his ailing mother, who takes a fancy to Blanche – a relationship she proceeds to toy with and exploit. Weber ably portrays both Mitch’s infatuation and his solid sense of honor.

The performance is accentuated by the growing intervention of Blanche’s intrusive mental static, music, and other noise provided by sound designer Joshua Lane. Kate Weber credits the combined efforts of her direction, Lane’s soundscape and lighting by Allie Mattox for the overall effect. We all become witness to Blanche’s ever-worsening state, snapped by a rash act that, with her at last speaking truth, no one believes – or wants to.

Bearing in mind appropriate trigger warnings, come aboard the “Streetcar” this Thursday through Sunday, May 16-19, at the Ted Jones Playhouse, 107 W. 9th St., Bloomington. Get info and tickets at eclipseproductionscompany.com.