Earl Campbell

They won at all costs

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By John Lyle Belden

“That Championship Season” is not an easy play to watch. It is, however, a powerful drama you should see. A quick internet search revealing the names of actors in the Off-Broadway, Broadway and film productions of this 1973 Pulitzer Prize winner by Jason Miller reveals this is one of those meaty Glengarry-Death-of-a-Godot plays men trip over one another to audition for.

Main Street Productions of Westfield has stepped up to that challenge, bravely directed by Lori Raffel. Set in 1977, we meet the coach and members of the 1952 Fillmore High School basketball team from Scranton, Pennsylvania, which, as underdogs, won the State Championship on a last-second shot. (Some Hoosiers can relate.)

George Sikowski (Earl Campbell), former insurance salesman and current Mayor, is on hand at first with the youngest teammate, Tom Daley (Adrian Scott Blackwell) who at 40 is regarded by the group as a sort of drunken prodigal son. Soon to arrive are Phil Romano (Ken Kingshill), who has made a fortune in strip-mining coal; Tom’s brother James (Mark Kamish), a junior high principal, father of five, and George’s reelection campaign manager; and their Coach (Jim Simmons), who may not live long enough to make their next reunion.

It is telling that the team member who made that final shot, “magic” Martin, is missing, and has never attended a reunion.

The approximately hour-and-a-half of manly conversations weave a bit of nostalgia with a lot of discussions of George’s reelection challenge by a popular Jewish man, and how low-key antisemitism can’t be counted on to affect the results. Mr. Charmin has progressive ideas – some of which clash with Phil’s interests – and Mayor Sikowski is partly known for a zoo opening that resulted in dead elephant. Oh, and Phil slept with George’s wife.

While a solid stream of dark humor runs through the drama, it is also noteworthy for the “locker-room talk” used throughout. Raffel and the cast pull no verbal punches here, as what we hear is likely tame compared to how men in this time, place, and situation regularly spoke (and to a degree still do; fellow Veterans could attest). This was before “political correctness” entered the culture, so in addition to sexual and scatological terms, there is no restraint on the “N” word and similar slurs. After all, the “Pollack” and “Wop” in the room don’t seem to mind too much.

But look beneath the rough language and we see that the men Coach thought he had forged are still just boys in need of game plans, reliant on his guidance – flawed as he also is. Simmons in his portrayal reflects every elder you ever adored, but wondered later if that was a good thing. His is a principled bigotry, the kind often waved off as a product of his times, but still shaded with barely acknowledged hate.

Campbell channels the consummate politician, with good intentions, the desire for legacy, and solid principles as long as the check clears. Kamish as put-upon James desperately realizes that at 44 his clock is ticking on becoming a Big Success; his confidence is thinner than even he realizes. Kingshill plays Romano with a demeanor suggesting relation to certain other Italians in the region, but he stays true to the “family” his championship team provides. Tom’s plight is also reflective of the time, his supposed friends pouring him more drinks as they remark how he can’t hold his liquor; Blackwell provides the pathos and humor as each moment requires.

Hopefully you get the idea of the kind of intense drama and insight into damaged manhood this play provides. On that score, this production of “That Championship Season” is a winner. Remaining performances are Thursday through Sunday, April 11-14, at the Basile Westfield Playhouse, 220 N. Union St. Get tickets and info at westfieldplayhouse.org.

Intimate look at classic ‘Murder’

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By John Lyle Belden

As the saying goes, the axle of a railroad car evolved from an old Roman chariot, so as for generations we moved from city to city on narrow but comfortable boxes, things still might feel a little close.

Especially when there’s a dead body in the next car.

When Carmel Community Players found themselves staging the traditionally large production of “Murder on the Orient Express” in the intimate confines of The Cat, director Lori Raffel opted not to re-invent the on-stage railroad. “Why not?” she mused, understanding that theatre-goers know how the magic works. Indeed, seeing cast members and stage managers Samantha Kelly and Chloe Vann transform the sleeper cars to the lounge car (which doubles as a fine Istanbul restaurant) in half-light doesn’t hurt the show one bit, perhaps even aiding the flow as we don’t just stare at a curtain between scenes.

And, as noted, you are never far from the action, especially in the Cat’s up-front love seats (first-come for patrons). This way you never miss a clue, or a punchline in this Ken Ludwig script approved by the Agatha Christie estate.

Please, if you know the solution to this mystery, don’t tell! But if you don’t, relax, it was a difficult case for Christie’s famed Belgian detective Hercule Poirot (Larry Adams), and the resolution has surprised and delighted whodunit fans for decades. Again, if you do know – shh! – and enjoy how it plays out with the wit of Ludwig in Christie’s world, presented by this talented local cast.

In 1934, Monsieur Bouc (Earl Campbell) is rightly proud to be in charge of the famed Orient Express (an actual legendary line that ran the length of Europe) and to host Poirot on an unusually crowded journey to France. However, while a snowstorm halts the train in the mountains of Yugoslavia (around Croatia today), the very shady Samuel Ratchett (Tim Latimer) is found dead in his cabin.

Until the snow clears and police arrive from Zagreb, it is up to Poirot to solve this expansive closed-door mystery. Whodunit? Considering it is revealed that Ratchett was a man who literally got away with murder, there is motive, and plenty of suspects. Was it the English woman and Scottish soldier (Olivia Carrier and Jeffrey Stratford) who have been quite secretive? Or the wealthy Russian Princess in exile (Cathie Morgan) or her Swedish missionary nurse (Nicole Sherlock)? Or the loud new-money American (Vickie Phipps)? Or the former nurse turned Hungarian Countess (Viviana Quiñones Fabre)? Or yet, Ratchett’s personal secretary (Jonathan Young)? Conductor Michel (Mohamed Armin) has his own puzzle as others claim to see a mysterious someone in a jacket just like his.

Performances are solid all around, especially Adams’ command of the proceedings as the famed Belgian. Phipps has a ball as the stereotypical obnoxious American. It is impressive how this all-volunteer community cast commit to and hold on to their various spoken accents, especially Stratford’s thick brogue.

Remaining departures for “Murder on the Orient Express” are Thursday through Sunday at The Cat, 254 Veterans Way, downtown Carmel. For info and tickets, visit carmelplayers.org.

CCP brings unbelievable adventure to Cat stage

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By John Lyle Belden

“Truth is stranger than fiction
But De Rougemont is stranger than both”

 – The Wide World Magazine, June 1899 (quoted in Wikipedia)

*

Louis De Rougemont was an actual 19th-century personality; Pulitzer-winning playwright Donald Margulies did not make him up. Whether Mr. De Rougemont invented his “amazing adventures,” though, is another question.

See and judge for yourself at “Shipwrecked: An Entertainment! The Amazing Adventures of Louis De Rougemont (as Told by Himself),” presented by Carmel Community Players at The Cat, directed by Lori Raffel.

Embodied by local actor Earl Campbell, De Rougemont relates his fantastic story with an ensemble of Vickie Cornelius Phipps, Joe Aiello, Margot Everitt, Jayda Glynn, Hannah Janowicz, and Tom Smith. He tells of being a sickly boy, raised on stories of adventure read to him by his mother (Phipps). As a teen, he meets a sea captain (Phipps again) and leaves home to find adventure aboard the good ship Wonderworld, searching for pearls off the coast of Australia. As the title hints, he finds himself wrecked and marooned with the ship’s dog, faithful Bruno (Aiello). His journey back to London will take decades, during which he befriends local Aborigines, marrying one (Phipps yet again). He becomes the toast of Britain when he publishes his adventures, but not everyone believes him.

The basic stage set takes us back to a bare-bones turn-of-the-20th-century hall, appropriately giving free rein to our imaginations as the tale is presented with simple, improvised props. Campbell takes on our hero’s charm and charisma with unwavering boldness. Phipps is sweet and versatile, her talent allowing us not to dwell on the Freudian overtones of her casting. Bruno, a literal scene-chewing role, is taken to with endearing gusto by Aiello, who also gets non-barking characters such as the editor of Wide World Magazine, and Queen Victoria.

Other ensemble members get their moments to shine – Smith as the Aboriginal elder and a Royal Geographic Society skeptic, Janowicz showing mime skills reminiscent of her turn in “The Fantasticks,” Glynn as a Paperboy and the card-turner, and Everitt as an able utility player, as well as the gentle nudge needed when the story goes awry.

When all is said and done, we have the highs and lows of our hero’s journey, as well as a counter-narrative. But wherein is the “truth,” and does it matter? To an audience accustomed to watching “Ancient Aliens” and “inspired by true events” on a screen, the bigger questions feel familiar – even current – despite over a century passing since Wide World published the original story.

So, saddle up your sea turtle and indulge in this entertaining “Entertainment,” opening tonight (Aug. 12) and running through Aug. 21 at The Cat, 254 Veterans Way in downtown Carmel. Get information and tickets at carmelplayers.org.

CCP: Explore ‘Curious Incident’ with unique mind

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By Wendy Carson and John Lyle Belden

Christopher John Francis Boone is 15, a mathematical genius who finds all social and physical interactions terrifying. This is because Christopher is autistic. He lives alone with his father in Swindon, UK, having lost his mother two years earlier.

His love of animals brings him out one night to visit the neighbor’s poodle, Wellington, only to find it killed. Since he’s found kneeling with the dog, he is initially accused of its death. When the responding policeman tries to calm him down, his touch causes Christopher to lash out and be arrested. The misunderstanding is cleared up, but Christopher is left with a warning on his permanent record.

Discovering the murder of a dog is too irrelevant to be investigated, he decides, against his father’s strong wishes, to do it himself. This results in him having to talk to his neighbors, who to him are strangers, but he is determined to overcome his fears and solve this mystery, “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime.” This 2015 Tony-winning play by Simon Stephens, based on the acclaimed novel by Mark Haddon, is on stage at the Cat Theater through March 6, presented by Carmel Community Players. 

While he does eventually find the killer’s identity, the path to that information has Christopher discover a huge family secret and embark on a journey that tests his resolve and the very limits of his abilities.

The staging, like the novel, is from Christopher’s point of view. Director Larry Adams and his crew (assistant Karissa Monson, lighting and video design by Eric Matters, set by David Muse, and sound design by Lori Raffel) excellently deliver the technical aspects of his world with all its abrupt stimuli, cacophonous sounds, and tangled language. 

Being on stage the whole time, the role of Christopher is demanding to start with – add to this a British accent, various physical tics and almost constant movement and it turns into a Herculean challenge. In his first leading role, Noah Ebeyer is spectacular in embodying the part. He never seems to act; we only see the troubled genius trying to make sense of his world, get the answers he feels he deserves, and get to school in time to take his Maths A-Levels exams. Adams agrees with the talk of the performance being award-worthy, marveling at how Ebeyer took naturally to the role. And while the boy he plays may be put off by us strangers, he makes us feel something special for him.

Christopher’s teacher Siobahn (Lori Colcord) provides support and reads to us much of his inner dialogue from a notebook he had kept. Earl Campbell is sharp as his father Ed, struggling to do what’s best for Christopher and learning the hard way the consequences of keeping facts from one whose mind relies on them for his whole life’s structure. Nikki Lynch plays Christopher’s loving but overstressed mother Judy.

The rest of the cast – Tanya Haas, Kelly Keller, Cathie Morgan, Gus Pearcy, Ryan Shelton, Barb Weaver – morphs from one character to another (people as well as inanimate objects) while also voicing Christopher’s self-doubts and thoughts. No actual dogs were killed in the making of this show – including Bob Adams in a touching canine cameo.

Also, you will cheer for a mathematical solution! (Stay through the curtain call.)

The Cat is at 254 Veterans Way in downtown Carmel. Find information and tickets at CarmelPlayers.org.

Switch delivers deep drama of ‘Diviners’ 

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By John Lyle Belden

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Before CCP shuffles off: a bold ‘Buffalo’

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By John Lyle Belden

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

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

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

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

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

Hilarious glimpse into the dark and ditzy side of Hollywood

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By John Lyle Belden

Playwright Neil Labute’s talent for showing how nasty allegedly civilized people can be to each other is on hilarious display in his comedy, “The Money Shot,” at Theatre on the Square through March 4.

It’s a pleasant evening in the Hollywood Hills when two movie stars meet at one’s home to discuss with their significant others the imminent filming of a love scene. Aging action hero Steve (Earl Campbell) is star and executive producer of the movie being made; friend and Oscar-nominated actress Karen (Sarah McGee) is the love interest. Steve is married to 20-something aspiring actress Missy (Lauren Hall) while Karen’s spouse is Bev (Lisa Marie Smith), an assistant editor on other major films.

As they converse, we get to know this foursome: Steve is a callous ass who can be aggressively ignorant, then skillfully switch the subject when corrected. Karen is a sort of Hollywood holier-than-thou devoted to numerous causes and opportunities to brand herself. Missy is a living embodiment of the stereotypical ditz. Bev is well-educated and easily the smartest person in the room, but gets combative the moment something stupid or insensitive is said – therefore spending the entire 90 minutes of this play in an emotional minefield.

After numerous arguments – generating everything from but-gusting hilarity to jaw-dropping did-he-just-say-that moments – the movie stars get to the topic at hand: The director wants their love scene to not just be steamy, but to also contain actual sex acts. The spouses are asked to agree, or at least veto specific bodily maneuvers. This results in the most bizarre list ever made, as well as a high-stakes wrestling match (yes, actual, by-the-rules wrestling).

If this sounds like something that must be seen to be believed, I heartily agree. See it (but don’t bring the kids; there’s no nudity but plenty of blue and descriptive language)!

Campbell does an incredible job of playing an incredible jerk. McGee swings from inspiring to smug to vulnerable with ease. Their Steve and Karen are easily comparable to various real-world stars, adding to the fun of seeing these portrayals.

Hall gives glimpses of Missy not quite being as dumb as she looks, especially at the film’s climax (pun intended) when she truly perceives these characters’ power dynamic. And Smith, aided by a bold hairstyle choice, disappears into her character, delivering an awesome performance that I don’t want to elaborate too much on, lest I accidentally offend and get beaten up by Bev.

Directed by TOTS boss Lori Raffel, this show on the cozy confines of the Second Stage could easily sell out, so call 317-685-8687 or see www.tots.org. TOTS is at 627 Massachusetts Ave. in downtown Indy.

John L. Belden is also Associate Editor and A&E editor of The Eagle (formerly The Word), the Indianapolis-based Midwest LGBTQ news source.