drama

Beautiful, fragile ‘Glass’ on IRT stage

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By Wendy Carson

Memory is a funny thing. It can make things seem much better, or worse, than they were without you even knowing. This discrepancy is fully acknowledged by our narrator, Tom Wingfield (played by Felipe Carrasco), in Tennessee Williams’ “The Glass Menagerie” at the Indiana Repertory Theatre.

This 1944 drama is the first theatrical instance of what is now known as a “memory play”. (A current example of the style would be the sitcom, “How I Met Your Mother.”) The point of view is how Tom (based to a degree on Williams himself) remembers these events. He gives us a glimpse of his home life in St. Louis with his overbearing mother Amanda (Julie Fishell) and slightly older sister Laura (Delaney Feener).

Tom is a dreamer who wishes to write poetry but dutifully slaves away at a shoe warehouse to support his family. Laura has been in ill health since her childhood; she also suffers from crushing anxiety, making it almost impossible for her to leave the house for any reason, let alone make friends. Amanda rightly worries about her daughter’s future as she notices Tom’s desire to experience adventures beyond what he sees at the movies every night.

Trying to inspire Laura, her mother drones on about her heyday as a debutante in Mississippi, fighting off the troves of “Gentleman Callers” with a stick. As things reach a boiling point, Amanda forces Tom to bring home a coworker to be a Gentleman Caller for Laura.

Enter Jim O’Connor (Sam Bell-Gurwitz), a former schoolmate who was destined for great things but fell far short. He shows ambition as he seeks to regain his “destiny.”

Director James Still does a beautiful job of making the tale resonate with the audience. While in true Tennessee Williams style, the story ends dismally, it also contains one of the most positive and beautiful scenes he has ever written, and Still keeps the dichotomy perfectly balanced.

Carrasco gives us an engaging narrator, despite his own warning of being unreliable. His Tom becomes wrapped up in the story with us, while his own personal agenda is overshadowed by a fateful evening’s events.

Feener brings to her essential role of Laura a sad sweetness with a degree of resignation to her life with her collection of delicate glass animals. She has a faint hope so impossible that it overwhelms her when it comes to her door, and will test her soul in the coming hour. Feener also has a visible difference that helps emphasize Laura’s feelings of separation from regular society.

Fishell gives Amanda a sort of bluster that thinly hides the fear that things will not work out the way she wishes. Bell-Gurwitz is loud in a more confident manner, yet his Gentleman Caller has experienced enough to yield some good advice.

See the fragile beauty that brought Tennessee Williams to Broadway on the intimate Janet Allen Upperstage of the IRT, 140 W. Washington St., in the heart of downtown Indianapolis, through April 6. Get tickets and info at irtlive.com.

NAATC ‘Stew’ – seeking comfort by making a meal

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By John Lyle Belden

Taking the obvious metaphor, the Pulitzer-finalist drama “Stew” by Zora Howard, presented by Naptown African American Theatre Collective at the Phoenix Theatre Cultural Centre, is a blend of various ingredients.

It’s a story of memory, aging, change, loss, womanhood, and family, simmering in the perspective of working-class Black life in late 20th-century America. It’s multi-generational, set in the home of Mama Tucker (Vickie Daniel), with her daughters Lillian (Dominique Moon) and Nelly (Clarissa Todd) and Lillian’s children – a girl known as Lil’ Mama (Tracy Nakigozi) and the boy, Junior, who should be arriving from a friend’s house at any minute.

It’s that one day a year when folks get together at the local church and one thing that will be expected is Mama’s homemade stew. From the beginning of the day, a broken cup on the floor, everything seems to interfere with getting the food cooked on time. Lillian, visiting long-term (without her husband, who apparently won’t be coming after all) is trying too hard to help and frequently remarks on Mama’s health. Nelly, being 17, still lives there, but she has “a man” and a plan to get away; for now, though, she has endless chores garnished with maternal disapproval.  Lil’ Mama is at that middle-school age where every little thing is “sooo haaard” and her every answer is “I don’t knoooow,” but she’s still big Mama’s little girl, even when she lazily grabs the entirely wrong size cooking pot.

There are more than vegetables simmering in this house. Each one of these ladies has a secret. The least disruptive one is of Lil’ Mama auditioning for her school’s play, Shakespeare’s “Richard III.” This allows Mama to remind all that she was part of the church theatre league, and to recite the Bard’s expressions of a woman’s grief from memory.

Daniel, initially the understudy for Mama (Renee Lockett left due to illness), gives a commanding performance with the boldness of a woman knowing she has Jesus by her side and generations of strong Black women behind her. Ever maternal, she goes from scolding to tender and back in a heartbeat. This day’s changes and surprises test Mama’s resolve, sometimes severely, but we see her rising to nearly every challenge.

Moon gives us in Lillian the complexity of a woman dealing with a lot, including the state of her marriage and the lives of her children. Todd, on the other hand, portrays Nelly naively certain of how her life will play out, while knowing deep down it’s about to get a lot more complicated.

Nakagozi has mastered the art of playing an absolute brat – and not in a cute way, though she can be that as well. It’s apparent that Lil’ Mama largely can’t help being like this, and somewhere in all the frustration is a little girl who really does want to be good and helpful.

LaKesha Lorene directs, keeping “Stew’s” recipe at a low boil with plenty of humor and heart. She noted before our performance that a number of students in NAATC’s Education for All program worked on staff and crew for this production.

The struggles, laughter, shouts, and tears here are relatable to any of our families, though one aspect that will define this day, felt keenly by the Tuckers, is sadly too familiar. Come and savor what these women have to share. Performances of “Stew” run through March 30 at the Phoenix, 705 N. Illinois St., Indianapolis. Get tickets at phoenixtheatre.org or naatcinc.org.

While you’re at the show, order the new NAATC fundraiser cookbook!

Agape: True story of youthful resistance to a cruel regime

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By John Lyle Belden

“We are your bad conscience” – from Leaflet 4 of The White Rose, summer 1942

Agape Theatre Company established itself as exploring the conjunction of faith and the theater arts, and with “Why We Must Die So Young,” adds one of the darkest moments in human history.

Written and directed by local playwright William Gebby, this drama tells the story of The White Rose, a resistance movement of students at the University of Munich, roughly from May 1942 to February 1943. This would be during the height of Nazi Germany’s power and territorial gains; Munich is in Bavaria, southern Germany, at the time deep within the Axis powers’ empire.

Agape shows are typically youth productions, however, this play has an appropriate mix of young artists and adults which maintains a realistic look, aside from apt costuming and the jarring presence of Nazi flags at the corners of the stage. Another important aspect is that from the beginning the audience is alerted to the fate of the White Rose members portrayed: all, save one, will be executed. This, in addition to expressions of faith by the characters, gives the drama the aura of a Passion Play. We know how it will end and must deal with that growing tension, yet a theme is the perseverance of the expressed ideal beyond death.  

Sophie Scholl (Sofy Vida), whose family members see Nazi ideology as antithetical to Christianity, departs from their home in Ulm (directly west of Munich, just over the Bavarian border) to join her brother Hans (Joshua Lehman) at the University. There they, along with schoolmates Traute Lafrenz (Megan Janning), Christoph Probst (Codie Monhollen), Alexander Schmorell (Joey Devine), and Willi Graf (Thor Hunter) attend the lectures of Prof. Kurt Huber (Robert K. Fimreite), who openly yet cleverly expresses his disdain for the current regime. Moved by his increasingly un-subtle calls to action, the young men and Sophie secretly make and distribute their first anti-Nazi leaflet.

Being Hans’s girlfriend, Traute is kept out of the loop – which she resents, as she quickly figured out what’s happening. She thus soon joins and adds a loose network of like-thinking friends in other cities. Huber, once he is informed who wrote the leaflets (and that it’s not a Gestapo trap), also joins the White Rose, authoring one of its most powerful messages.

Mac Williams and Agape founder Kathy Phipps play Hans and Sophie’s conscientious parents, with Julianna Britt as younger sister Inge. Hannah Schwitzer is Gisela, one of the kids’ friends in Ulm.

We also meet Chelsea Jackman as Prof. Huber’s wife Clara; assistant director Leslie Gebby as intellectual Frau Docktor Mertens; and Matthias Neidenberger, Candice Clorinda, Albert F. Lahrmann III, Nathan Rakes, Doug Rollison, and Ruth Bowen in other roles.

The story moves at a steady pace through numerous short scenes, the small underground movement progressing while its participants maintain near-impossible optimism, feeling at times fraught but carrying on aided by youthful recklessness. There is only slight lag in the transitions; I wonder if a future staging with a large three-side turntable of setpieces might improve the flow. We get not only the growth of the White Rose’s reach, but also the more persistent and desperate search by the authorities to shut it down. Our young agitators knew the risks, but that doesn’t reduce the impact of inevitable tragedy.

Vida is simply inspiring as Sophie, earnest and faithful. Lehman takes to his role like a committed soldier (which Hans also was) showing his bravery is not bluster. Monhollen gives all aspects of a complex character – Probst being concerned for both the safety of his wife and children, and the fate of his nation. Our father figures – boldly shown by Fimreite and Williams – are stalwarts as well, willing to stand up to unjust authority in a dangerous era.

Important history which could be seen as inspiration during current events, “Why We Must Die So Young: The story of the White Rose Resistance,” has three more dates, Friday through Sunday, March 14-16, at Arts for Lawrence’s Theater at the Fort, 8920 Otis Ave., northeast Indianapolis. Get tickets at artsforlawrence.org.

Southbank: It truly is all relative

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By John Lyle Belden

Very few people can know what it is like to be Albert Einstein – arguably, one – but did he understand, or care, what it is like to be the rest of us?

In “Relativity,” a drama by Mark St. Germain presented by Southbank Theatre Company, in December 1949 Einstein (Anthony Johnson) receives a visit from a young reporter, Margaret (Morgan Morton), at his home on the Princeton University campus. His housekeeper/secretary Ms. Dukas (Miki Mathioudakis) doesn’t approve, but the lauded genius welcomes another opportunity to talk about himself and his contributions to physics.

However, since his decades of research, discovery, and scholarly work had been written about numerous times already, Margaret maneuvers the interview to other topics, such as Einstein’s two marriages, and his children. What’s there to say, Einstein says, reciting the publicly known facts.

But she has also interviewed Albert’s son – now things get serious.

In this imagined incident, employing Einstein’s own quotations and writing, one of the greatest intellects of the last century is probed to explore the nature of relationships, family, and what is important. We confront the burden of genius: what it owes the world, and what we owe to it.

Director Ronn Johnston said what we see on the stage is so much more than what one would read from the script. He worked with our highly-talented trio to bring life and dimension to these characters – two we don’t know and one we can only presume to – to give a more genuine, relatable conversation between one leading with the heart and another from his unique brain.

This comes at a time when Einstein, who felt he had brought order to our understanding of the universe, explored the new frontier of quantum theory, reconciling the unpredictable with his predictable cosmos. But where in this universe does a child fit in?

Johnson nicely embodies the walking contradiction of the serious intellect with the wild hair, relaxed suit and quotable sense of humor. Incomprehensibly complex equations calm him, while discussion of close relations brings on a darker countenance and mood. Morton seems to combine the aspects of a strong woman and questioning child into a single irresistible interrogator.  Mathioudakis portrays a tireless defender feeling she may be the only one to truly understand the man, including his flaws.

Energy and matter, or the people who matter – explore “Relativity” Thursday through Sunday at Shelton Auditorium, 1000 W. 42nd Street, Indianapolis (Butler University campus).  Get info and tickets at southbanktheatre.org.

Belfry blesses us with ‘Little Women’

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By John Lyle Belden

“When you feel discontented, think on your blessings.”

This mother’s advice to her four daughters lends a theme to Louisa May Alcott’s classic autobiographical novel, “Little Women.” The Belfry Theatre, as part of its 60th season, presents the book’s adaptation by John Ravold at First UMC in Noblesville.

In December, 1862, we meet the Marsh sisters in their modest Massachusetts home: headstrong tomboy Jo (Emily Haus); kind, nurturing Meg (Emma Gedig); proud, self-centered Amy (Natalie Piggush); and shy “Mousie” Beth (Lizzie Schultz). Jo (patterned after Alcott herself) is also a writer, and leads her siblings in rehearsing a melodramatic play with an audience of supportive mother Marmee (Mary Garner) and young neighbor Laurie (Gideon Roark) who has brought his slightly-older tutor John Brooke (Samuel Smith). Slipping in at the back of the parlor is the very strict, proper, and wealthy Aunt March (Christina Burch).

This play-within-the-play involves some brilliant “acting” by the girls, including Jo in a wild mustache, providing a scene of comedy that alone is worth your ticket to the Belfry show. But moods soon change as a telegram arrives from Father (away at Washington, DC, as a chaplain to the Union Army), and Marmee must depart to be with him.

The second of three acts (intermission comes between II and III) gives the bulk of the original novel, including the arrival of Father (Rob Lawson) and another bit of awkward comedy as Meg and John sort out their feelings for each other. We also get a hot-tempered clash between Amy and Jo, and Beth’s tragically declining health.

The third act, set later, includes part of the “Good Wives” second part of the novel and introduces Professor Bhaer (James Semmelroth Darnell), Jo’s German friend arriving from New York.

Directed by Barcia Alejos, assisted by her son, Daniel Alejos, this production is charming and beautifully presented. Haus is outstanding as Jo, bringing all the aspects of a young woman ahead of her time, yet very much in the spirit of new ideas endemic to mid-1800s New England and changes brought by the Civil War era. Gedig, Piggush, and Schultz also bring life to their archetypes, helping us feel for their individual struggles. Roark is good-natured and Smith dashing, even the characters seeming content to be supporting roles in this feminine world. Garner and Lawson make parenting almost look care-free. As for Burch, her stoic portrayal reflects a woman who has learned only one way for a woman to be strong in their society, and dares not let her nieces stray from it – still, we get hints that there is a heart under that rigid corset.

The story we see does differ a bit from Alcott’s writings, resulting in unfamiliar scenes. Unfortunately, Ravold’s liberties in adaptation also include a couple of anachronisms. They can be ignored, and shouldn’t take away from the excellent work of cast and crew.

“Little Women” has another weekend of performances, Thursday (with special pricing) and Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m., at 2051 Monument St. (enter at Door 2 on the north side, not main church entrance). Get tickets at the thebelfrytheatre.com.

‘Four Women’ face horrors with song

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By John Lyle Belden

Oh, “To be Young, Gifted, and Black” – then to have it all be suddenly taken away.

This was the fate of four girls at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, when it was bombed by members of the KKK on Sept. 15, 1963. Among the thousands who were compelled by this incident to take action for Civil Rights was the outspoken Black singer and songwriter Nina Simone.

In “Nina Simone: Four Women,” the play by Christina Ham on the mainstage of the Indiana Repertory Theatre, we see the entertainer at her piano on Sept. 16, struggling to channel her rage into a new song – “an anthem,” she insists – to focus the feelings of all who hear it.

In dark imaginings presented in the exceptional stage design by Regina Garcia, Simone (Akili Mi Mali) is just a few steps from the ruined church floor, with charred pews askew and scattered remnants of toys, before the church’s lone surviving stained-glass window. And she is not there alone. Sarah (Jamecia Bennett), a middle-aged woman in housekeeper’s dress and apron, examines the scene. She recognizes Simone and encourages her to sing a hymn rather than an angry tune with objectionable words. Nicely-dressed Sephronia (Ariel Williams) also appears, ratcheting up the tension even more as she, being lighter-skinned, faces disdain from darker-hued folks – though, as she points out, all the Whites outside see is “another Negro.” Eventually, we meet the fourth woman, Sweet Thing (Precious Omigie), a sex worker holding proud to what dignity she can muster.

Director Austene Van said this encounter with the scene and these three archetypes of Black women of the era help Simone to process this change in her life and career, from singer of popular tunes to an activist with her own emotionally charged songs. With some humor, music including many hits from Simone’s repertoire, and frank discussions, we see the struggle from those who had to live it – and arguably still do.

The “fifth” woman is music director Morgan E. Stevenson who accompanies on Simone’s piano as needed.

Ni Mali beautifully brings Simone to life, in looks, bearing and voice. The others get to sing as well; Bennett’s bold rendition of “His Eye is On the Sparrow” had inspired reactions from the opening night audience.

As Simone herself might point out, this is about more than her. The girls who died that Sunday are ever in the characters’ minds – unlike the newspapers of the day, they say the victims’ names. The song that emerges from this event, “Mississippi Goddam,” widens the focus from a single city to the entire American South and includes the murder of Medgar Evers that year.

“Nina Simone: Four Women” runs through March 2 at the IRT, 140 W. Washington St. in the heart of downtown Indianapolis. Get info and tickets at irtlive.com.

Poolside play with deep issues

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By John Lyle Belden

“Here is a man…”

In the opening scene of “Red Speedo,” a new drama by Lucas Hnath presented by American Lives Theatre, Peter (Alex Oberheide) is extolling the virtues of his brother Roy (Cody Miley), an Olympic-level competitive swimmer to his Coach (Drew Vidal). Peter, who is also a lawyer, has endeavored in addition to represent Roy as his agent – including working out an endorsement deal with Speedo, the famous global swimwear brand.

Our star athlete who (in this narrative) out-swam Michael Phelps in a club event and made headlines by taking a year on a “spiritual journey” to the desert, is overjoyed at his success while anxious about the Olympic trials that weekend. One moment he doubts, the next he explains the sea-serpent tattoo on his back leaves no doubt which swimmer people are watching. He also wants part of the design’s tail that would be under the suit etched across the leg of his special-edition red Speedo.

However, there is an issue: Performance-enhancing substances have been found in the Club locker room. While a fellow swimmer is implicated, Peter knows that suspicion could fall on everyone, Roy in particular.

Events are further complicated with visits by Roy’s ex-girlfriend Lydia (Paige Elsse), who lost her license as a sports therapist for an unrelated drug-misuse case – an event when Roy and especially Peter were not helpful.

“I wanna be a real person,” Roy laments at one point. But that is not to be. He is a swimming machine with no other skills and an education hindered by spending every spare moment at the pool, putting it all on the line with the singular goal of Olympic medals and the marketing riches that follow. A dancer with Dance Kaleidoscope, Miley does well as an actor in a role requiring a lot of speaking and emoting – his other skillset only displayed by his mostly-visible well-toned body. It’s hard to portray one who may not have quite the wisdom or intellect of those around them without devolving into stereotype, and Miley manages this with minimal “dumb jock” vibes. His odd life carries real consequences, as we witness his struggle for some sort of “normal” he can live with.

Oberheide nimbly portrays a man of noble intentions but slippery morals, swiftly finding his plans on the edge of collapse just as he (and Roy) are about to make it big. Vidal’s Coach is a bit more principled but finds himself tested as well – especially when his own future is on the line. Elisse’s Lydia is the good person who justifies doing bad things for those who she loves, including an interesting twist on two wrongs maybe making a right.

ALT founder Chris Saunders directs, giving us a thought-provoking examination of ethics and human behavior that happens to involve a swimming pool. Speaking of which, a real water-filled pool is set up at the front edge of the Russell Theatre main stage in the Phoenix Theatre Cultural Centre (set design by Matt Mott). It mostly provides the appropriate setting atmosphere, though does feature in a couple of important moments. As Saunders reassured us, there is no “splash zone” for audience members to be concerned about.

Shout-out as well to artist Phoenix Woods for Roy’s “ink.”

“Red Speedo” runs through Feb. 16 at the Phoenix, 705 N. Illinois St. Get tickets at phoenixtheatre.org, info at americanlivestheatre.org.

Fans of ‘King James’ seek their own success

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By John Lyle Belden

No matter how emotionally aware men get, how comfortable with our feelings, it’s always easiest to bond over things like sports. And when it’s at some of the biggest moments for your city’s team, that can help make what could be a lasting friendship.

That’s a too-simple summation of “King James,” a two-man buddy comedy by Rajiv Joseph on the Janet Allen (upper) Stage at Indiana Repertory Theatre. The setting is Cleveland; the era runs from 2004, as northeast Ohio-native Lebron James shows great promise with the Cavaliers, to 2016, when that promise is fulfilled.

But for us that man is just an image on an unseen screen. Our focus is on two lifelong Cavaliers fans: Matt (Quinn M. Johnson), a man who grew up seated by his father at nearly every home game; and Shawn (Enoch King), who could only follow on radio and TV, promising his adult self to be in the arena when the long-elusive NBA title finally came. In James’ rookie season, the two are at a crossroads. Matt’s father can no longer attend the games and he – a struggling entrepreneur – needs money, so he puts their Cavs season tickets up for sale. Shawn is eager to buy, having made some money selling his writing, but not for what Matt’s asking. In the course of negotiations, the two end up striking a deal that becomes a friendship.

However, 2010 comes, and with it “The Decision,” an ESPN program during which James announces he’s “taking his talents” to Miami. Needless to say, Matt and Shawn don’t take this well, but the star player isn’t the only one with an important life and career decision.

We also look in on these men in 2014, when James returns to Cleveland, and finally when the Cavaliers win it all. The deep jump-shot arc of a story runs from Matt’s struggling wine bar to his family’s upholstery and knick-knack shop, as his and Shawn’s fortunes rise and fall.

“That’s what’s wrong with America,” Matt declares at anything he doesn’t like. But his is a very American story of seeking to prosper in a Midwest city full of opportunity and uncertainty. Johnson plays him with a cocky confident façade, a fairly noble person beneath, and a lot of nervous energy in between. King, in a style reminiscent of a young Cedric the Entertainer, makes Shawn good humored and easygoing while maintaining a quiet integrity.

Jamil Jude, notable for work across the country, is director. Czerton Lim created an imaginative set with much of it changing between the first and second acts. Miriam Hyfler is stage manager.

Another star of the show is Armand, the taxidermy armadillo, on loan from Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre where he was in the play’s 2022 world premiere.

Not just a play about basketball, “King James” is about fans whose ability to love a game gives them a means to feel for each other. Performances run through Feb. 9 at 140 W. Washington St., downtown Indianapolis. Tickets and info at irtlive.com.

Exploring the degree we ‘Flex’ to fulfill dreams

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By John Lyle Belden

I am in a unique position to review the play “Flex” by Candrice Jones, presented by Summit Performance Indianapolis at the Phoenix Theatre Cultural Centre. At the time and place of this fictional drama – late 1990s in rural southeastern Arkansas – I was a small-town reporter covering sports in that region. I also grew up in a tiny town where basketball was practically the only school sport, and to have a player noticed at all by college scouts was a miracle.

Starra Jones (Shelby Marie Edwards) is the star point guard of the Plano, Ark., (pronounced “Plain Ol’ Arkansas”) High School Lady Train. The daughter of a promising woman baller from pre-WNBA days, she practices on a packed-dirt court by her home. Fellow senior teammates are Sidney Brown (Maggie Kryszyn), who recently moved from California, bringing with her attention from Division-1 scouts; Cherise Howard (Marissa Emerson), a devout newly-minted youth minister who wants baptism to wash away her feelings for…; Donna Cunningham (Enjoli Desiree), who will use an academic scholarship to escape small-town life; and April Jenkins (Kelli Thomas), whose unplanned pregnancy will likely get her benched by no-nonsense Coach Pace (Alicia K. Sims) just as the Train are State Tournament bound.

Starra was brought up in a take-charge ethos as powerful as her talent, calling the shots in a traditional 1-3-1 offense. Coach finally feels, with two star players in a tightly knit squad, she can run the “Flex” offense she has developed for years. This calls for frequent passing to overwhelm opponents – a lot more sharing than Starra is used to, on top of seeing Sidney’s stats and status rise. Meanwhile, April has a plan to get back on the court, involving a secret road trip across the Mississippi River. Desperate measures are being taken, putting these girls’ futures and perhaps even their souls at risk.

Directed by A.J. Baldwin, the play excellently portrays both the closeness of small-town life, developing tight bonds and pride, and the desperate urges of youth to kick the dirt off your feet for good, getting out to find bigger opportunities far away from Plano. These five mesh as a team and both fight and support one another like sisters. Edwards, our principal narrator, gets much of the focus (like her character) but this squad all give brilliant performances, bringing out their dreams, struggles, and pain for us all to share – making triumph all the more sweet.

Sims mainly plays the mentor but adds layers as Coach Pace also finds she, too, has lessons to learn. The title comes to mean more than a basketball strategy, as all figure out when in life one should – and shouldn’t – be flexible.

I was also impressed that this story was not critical of the role of evangelical Christianity in the girls’ lives, letting it be a source of comfort and even healing in Charise’s unsure yet faithful hands.

SMALL SPOILER: I did have one concern about the script, in that a stumble in the tournament, while essential to the plot, did not eliminate them from the Finals. Please allow some dramatic license here.

Inventive set design by Maggie Jackson puts a basketball court flowing into a rural highway at the center of the black box Basile Stage, with seating on both sides giving a good close view to all. Stage managers are Becky Roeber and Chandra Lynch, who also appear as referees.

With a real hoop at regulation height, the most impressive aspect was how well-practiced the actors were, as there are a number of moments in which shots had to be made. At our performance, every swoosh was right on cue.

Experience small-town hoop dreams with “Flex,” through Feb. 2 at 705 N. Illinois St., Indianapolis. Get info and tickets at phoenixtheatre.org.

A family life far from ‘Normal’

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By John Lyle Belden

We encourage all who can to see “Next to Normal,” the Tony and Pulitzer-winning musical by Brian Yorkey and Tom Kitt at Footlite Musicals.

A couple of caveats: There are all manner of content warnings for this dramatic rock opera about a mother’s struggle with severe bipolar disorder, including themes of suicide, drug use, and treatment by electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). This production places all the seating on the stage, meaning both a more intimate experience and limited audience size. Technically all performances – through Sunday, Jan. 19 – are sold out, but any who wish to take a seat left by a no-show are encouraged to try. Call 317-926-6630 for details.

Diana Goodman (Angela Manlove) looks like a typical suburban Mom, with a headstrong son, Gabe (Parker Taylor); overachieving daughter, Natalie (Tessa Gibbons); and very understanding even when baffled husband, Dan (Milo Ellis). She has also had 16 years of bipolar symptoms, for which she has taken numerous medications.

Off her pills at Gabe’s urging, she goes manic, including inviting Natalie’s new boyfriend Henry (Nate Taillon) to dinner. But everything will come crashing down when the birthday cake comes out.

Bobby Haley plays both psychopharmacologist Dr. Fine and the more helpful therapist, Dr. Madden.  

Realizing the complexities of portraying mental disorders, as well as the advances in diagnosis and treatment since the show’s premiere Off-Broadway in 2008 (and on Broadway the next year), director Paige Scott sought guidance from mental health professionals, including Tracy Herring and Erin Becker (who are also local actors). They said they have seen in their practice people much like the musical’s characters – those with serious mental illness as well as family members with their own issues. Herring noted that practically all the portrayals of symptoms and treatment here are appropriate and not sensationalized for the stage.

“I expected to hate it,” Becker said of her first encounter with the show. But she, too, appreciated the manner in which the events were shown, adding that ECT has become even more manageable than what Diana experiences – the character’s over-the-top response a reaction to past horror stories of “shock therapy.” While considered a last resort (as it is presented here) for severe conditions, Becker notes that some patients will undergo a session, “maybe 30 seconds,” and go to work later that day.

The actors took great pains with their portrayals, resulting in beautiful, heartfelt work. Manlove brings us into Diana’s pain, but we also see the toll her illness takes on the others. Gibbons’s Natalie acts out, needing to be seen; Ellis’s Dan is a rock that is crumbling. Meanwhile, Taylor gives a brilliantly fierce performance as Gabe. Haley strikes the right balance of professionalism and empathy as Madden. Taillon as Henry plays the kind of friend we all need at times like these.

With mental health awareness having come to the fore in today’s culture, “Next to Normal” is as important a theatre work as ever, and in Scott’s careful hands, with this cast and crew, a masterpiece.

Footlite Musicals is located at 1847 N. Alabama St., Indianapolis; online at footlite.org.