Epilogue Players

Issues of love and money vex ‘The Heiress’

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By Wendy Carson

Epilogue Players brings us an intriguing look at upper class life in 1850 New York with “The Heiress” by Ruth Goetz & Augustus Goetz.

Dr. Austine Sloper (Stan Gilliam) raised young daughter Catherine (Emily Reese Castro) well and it is time she should pursue a marital situation. While not unattractive, Catherine is socially awkward and is constantly reminded of her inferiority to her father’s sainted memory of her mother. She feels she has nothing to offer – except for her inheritance of $10,000 per year from her mother, with an additional $20,000 annually after her father passes (a sizable fortune in that era). Her widowed Aunt Lavinia Penniman (Cathie Morgan) is on hand to assist in helping Catherine gain confidence in herself.

During a dinner to celebrate the engagement of her cousin Marian Almond (Christian Taylor) to Arthur Townsend (Lawrence Wunderlich), she is introduced to his cousin, Morris Townsend (Brett Edwards). Thus begins a whirlwind courtship between the two and a pledge to marry. However, the doctor regards Morris to be nothing more than a fortune hunter seeking to take advantage of his daughter’s naivety. Desperate, Catherine plans to elope, even if it means losing her father’s inheritance.

As events play out, this comic melodrama takes interesting and unexpected turns. Overall, the show is an interesting look at the social strata of the pre-war North, and the cast all do an excellent job bringing their characters to life. I was very impressed by Breanna Helms’s turn as Maria, the Slopers’ maid, who was constantly able to say volumes about any situation with a single look.

The cast also includes Susan Yeaw as Marian’s mother (and Dr. Sloper’s sister), Elizabeth Almond; and Sarah Marone-Sowers as Morris’s sister, Mrs. Montgomery. The play is directed by Kathleen Clarke Horrigan with Jay Stanley, stage managed by Patti Boyle.

In Castro’s performance we get an intriguing profile of a misunderstood soul who eventually comes to understand herself. Edwards gives us the appearance of a very noble and flattering suitor – at first. The line between true devotion and selfish desire seems thin indeed. Gilham gives a sharp performance of a gentleman of the era, frank in his opinions but not without feeling. Morgan’s Lavinia isn’t shy about injecting her own notions of romance into the situation.

“The Heiress” has four more performances, Thursday through Sunday, Nov. 20-23, at 1849 N. Alabama St. (corner of 19th and Alabama), downtown Indianapolis. Reserve tickets at epilogueplayers.com.

‘Everybody’s Girl’ on Epilogue stage

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By John Lyle Belden

Going up Alabama Street to see Madison Avenue sounds confusing – especially if you know the layout of Indianapolis – but actually, it’s the direction to a fabulous show.

Magic Thread Cabaret (Klein and Alvarez Productions) presents drag artist Jim Melton as Ms. Madison Avenue in “Maddie: Everybody’s Girl” for two weekends at Epilogue Players theatre.

We attended and enjoyed her performance of this revue at the White Rabbit in Fountain Square in March. Portraying the hour before she takes the stage, we visit Maddie preparing with accompanist Dustin Klein (every dressing room has a piano, right?) and occasionally fussed over by Tina Brannum Mahern as Mimi the maid. Make no mistake, though, this is all about Maddie and “the mostly true story of my colorful life.”

We learn she is the hottest thing to come out of Bull’s Butt, Idaho, as she relates her struggles with show biz, life, and her inner diva, interspersed with showtunes and standards including the full (with intro) version of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” She is a bit vulnerable, quite funny, and all heart (but not “Roxy Hart,” she substitutes “Madison Avenue” in that lyric).  

Admitting to her stumbles and that at 26, “I’m still learning,” she also notes, “I’m the greatest star, but no one knows it” (from “Funny Girl”). This production is a step in the right direction.

Funny and fabulous, showing she can carry a tune and hold an audience, experience the glow of Madison Avenue, “Everybody’s Girl,” June 27-29 and July 5-6 at 1849 N. Alabama St. (corner of 19th and Alabama), Indianapolis. Get tickets at kleinandalvarez.com.

Charming look at ‘Club’ all eventually join

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By John Lyle Belden

Epilogue Players presents the lively comedy, “The Cemetery Club,” by Ivan Menchell, directed by Kelly Keller.

Once a month, Jewish widows Ida (Valerie Nowosielski), Lucille (Lisa Warner Lowe), and Doris (Marie McNelis) meet at Ida’s place and go to a cemetery in Forest Hills, Queens, to visit the graves of their husbands. When we meet them, it is the four-year anniversary of the passing of Doris’s husband, Abe, to whom she is as devoted as ever. Ida still loves her Murray, but is starting to feel she wants to do more than converse with a stone. Lucille is just glad her Harry is staying in one place.

Sam Katz (Tom Smith), the local butcher, comes by to visit the grave of his wife Myrna, and things get interesting.

With an upcoming social event – their friend Selma is getting married, again, and all are invited – the opportunity for dating, and maybe more, is in the air. Tom, feeling like a nervous teen, asks Ida out. Perpetual flirt Lucille appears jealous, while Doris is appalled at the whole situation. This results in hilarious situations reminiscent of “Sex and the City,” but older and more Jewish (and less sex). Mary DeBoer adds spice as Mildred, an additional wedding guest.

Aside from being very funny, the play also tugs at the heartstrings as we see friendships tested while they each in their own way continue to deal with loss and the need to “write a new chapter.” Nowosielski, Lowe, and McNelis have the chemistry of three ladies long comfortable with one another’s quirks. However, this familiarity leads to presumptions of what is best for one who is acting differently. Smith’s character is like a guy at any age who is caught up in a women’s world, trying seemingly in vain to do what is right.

Wendy Brown is assistant director, and Patti Boyle is stage manager.

Embrace life by attending “The Cemetery Club,” performances Thursday through Sunday (June 19-22), at Epilogue Players, 1849 N. Alabama (corner of 19th and Alabama St.), Indianapolis. Reserve tickets at epilogueplayers.com.

Epilogue’s ‘Mr. Green’ a memorable visit

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By John Belden

Being unaware of Epilogue Players’ “Visiting Mr. Green,” the self-described “comedy/drama” by Jeff Baron about a weekly appointment at the home of an 80-something single man, I wasn’t sure what to expect.

Well, this ain’t “Tuesdays with Morrie” – for one thing, our young adult Ross Gardner (Grant Bowen) arrives on Thursdays at the home of Mr. Green (Tom Bartley). This visitation isn’t sentimental, it’s court-ordered. Ross nearly ran over the old man with his car, and accepted fault and the judge’s unconventional version of community service.

To say Mr. Green is a curmudgeon would be putting it lightly. He’s very set in his ways, accustomed to being alone, and it’s hard to tell whether his mind is slipping or he wears distraction like a mask to hide his loneliness at the passing of his wife Yetta – “59 years, never an argument!” – months ago. He is a devout Jew, while Ross hasn’t done much with his faith since his bar mitzvah.

Bartley manages to portray this effectively without the distraction of aging makeup, brusque in his speech and manners, accompanied by slow but purposeful movement. He’s likable, but some of his attitudes challenge us – hard to brush off as just relics of another time or culture.

Ross tries hard to be accommodating. Bowen portrays him as frustrated, a people-pleaser at heart yet unable to find his own peace. We can tell he’s a good person caught in an awkward situation, something to which we can easily relate.

Over time, as one would expect, the two build a rapport of sorts, however a couple of personal revelations – one involving each of them – threaten to destroy their budding friendship. These visits become a compelling mix of gentle laughs and harsh words. As they both serve this unusual months-long sentence, they must find what – aside from Kosher soup – will be enough to heal their damaged souls.

The show is smartly directed by Mac Bellner with encouragement from Baron, whose recently completed second revision of his 1997 script is produced here.

This charming reflection on family, aging, and personal connections has performances Thursday through Sunday, April 10-13, at Epilogue, 1849 N. Alabama St., Indianapolis. Get tickets at epilogueplayers.com.

At Epilogue, ‘Business’ is good

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By John Lyle Belden

Economic conditions are uncertain, but aren’t they always? In 1982, with the Reagan era getting under way, various stresses threaten “A Little Family Business” in the comic drama by Jay Presson Allen (adapted from a French farce by Pierre Barillet and Jean Pierre Gredy) at Epilogue Players, directed by Elizabeth Ruddell.

Ben Ridley (David Beck), president of the Cobbs Carpet Sweeper company is facing competition from inexpensive Japanese electric sweepers, as well as worker unrest. His disappointing son Scott (Mac Wright) plays the flute for a living; daughter Connie (Hazel Bolt) bugs him about his diet like a health nut, but her Republican heart is in the right place; faithful secretary Nadine (Samantha Kelly) is still doable, though he has younger ladies on his mind; and it turns out he forgot his wife’s –heiress Lillian [nee Cobb](Tanya Haas) – birthday. On top of all this, hated former employee and Democratic candidate for Governor Salvatore Farrantino (James Kenjorski) is in town. Still, railing like a slightly updated Archie Bunker, Ben is not about to back down to anyone – until his weak heart intervenes.

Forced to take a leave of absence, the boss is left with little choice but to leave his wife – who had been mostly idle except for catalogue-fueled shopping sprees (and secret donations to progressive causes) – in charge of the company. But after Lillian gets past telling the factory employee grievance committee (H. Dupiton, Katherine Novick, Dale W. Smith, and Mike Harold) she’s “just a woman,” it dawns on her that that is enough. And she has ideas.

Set at a time when women in charge were becoming more common (like Margaret Thatcher in Britain) though still rare, this show offers a light-hearted dose of empowerment with some interesting family dynamics. This includes the distress inadvertently triggered by Scott’s choice of fiancé, as Ben, Sal, and Lillian come to terms with the circumstances of past affairs.

Haas is charming and even when Lillian’s unsure, keeps her whip-smart. Beck makes the randy bigot Ben somehow likable, no doubt aided by the fact his wife never really gives up on him. Bolt boldly plays a feminine Alex P. Keaton – if this were more of a drama, we would no doubt be exploring some daddy issues. Wright plays Scott as one accustomed to his father’s disappointment, which gives him a subtle wisdom as he goes-along gets-along so he can do his own thing. Kenjorski presents a big smile, big handshake, savvy politician with some actual heart for the common man (and uncommon folk like the Ridleys – especially Lillian). Kelly puts the “professional” in professional assistant as Nadine, heroic for putting up with Ben, and making herself invaluable to Lillian.

Kelly also serves as stage manager, and Wright is assistant director. The elegant yet functional set was designed by Ruddell and Ed Mobley

Invest a little time and ticket fare in “A Little Family Business,” Thursday through Sunday, April 18-21, at 1849 N. Alabama St. (corner of 19th and Alabama), downtown Indianapolis. Get tickets and info at epilogueplayers.com.

Life gets funnier with age for these ‘Girls’

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By John Lyle Belden

“Life is like Jello,” says Carlene, the “black widow of Eden Falls.” We’re not sure if that’s true, but we did find ourselves shaking a lot – from laughter – at “The Hallelujah Girls,” the Jones Hope Wooten comedy on stage at Epilogue Players, directed by Therese Burns.

Lea Ellingwood plays manicurist Carlene, thrice widowed and giving up on love, while Barbara Lemay is her sister, Crystal, who hasn’t been the same since that tornado, yet is ever joyous with her celebration – complete with baking and invented “carols” – of every calendar holiday. They join Mavis (Elizabeth Popplewell), who doesn’t mind time away from her frustratingly drab husband, and Nita (Tracy Brunner) who escapes with trashy romance novels like her ne’er-do-well son likes to escape his parole officer, to meet up with Sugar Lee (Valerie Nowosielski) at a long-abandoned church. In the wake of a mutual friend passing away without realizing her dreams, Sugar has decided this building will become her new day-spa, and she needs her fellow 50-plus ladies to pitch in.

At first reluctant at this mutual midlife project, the others agree, and Spa-Dee-Dah! becomes the Georgia town’s newest hotspot, complete with sauna. Not everyone is thrilled with this, as social vultu- I mean butterfly Bunny Sutherland (Elizabeth Ruddell) wanted to raze the old church and build a museum to hersel- I mean the town. Her first attempt at sabotage fails; sending Sugar’s ex-fiance Bobby Dwayne (Brad Burns) to take the renovation contract gives the women the most reliable worker in the area. Sugar and Bobby smolder below the surface, but she refuses to forgive him for what happened the day of their high school graduation, tolerating him until the work is done.

Meanwhile, single postal worker Porter (Grant Bowen), having survived a near-death experience, decides to court Carlene. Noticing the women working at the former church, he dubs them “the Hallelujah Girls.”

The play takes place over a year of Fridays, when the Girls routinely gather, highlighted by Crystal’s latest over-the-top costume. There are the ups and downs of starting a small business, Bunny’s endless plotting, and, my, Bobby Dwayne does look good in them shorts, right, Sugar Lee?

Still, through all the laughs and fun, one bad swing of the hammer brings certain disaster. Given the setting, maybe they’ll get a miracle.

Epilogue Players was established as a place for those 50 and older to shine, so this show is a perfect fit, with lively performances by these young-at-heart actors. The wisecracks about aging sound genuine, but with more good humor than despair, striking the funny bone just right. Also, the costume outfits Burns comes up with for Crystal are a treat in themselves. Everyone is sweet-tea refreshing, except for Bunny, whom Ruddell makes just as deliciously evil.

Amanda Greene is assistant director and stage manager. And a hat-tip to props master Diane McGuire for finding the “Why limit Happy to one Hour?” sign that could serve as a theme for the whole project.

With an upbeat theme that it is never too late in life to work on your dreams (including romance), hilarity liberally scattered throughout, and a lesson on the true value of a good peach brandy, this is a fun escape from the local Georgia-like heat, with remaining performances Thursday through Sunday, June 22-25, at 1849 N. Alabama St. (corner of 19th and Alabama), downtown Indianapolis. Tickets and info at epilogueplayers.com.

Epilogue: Secrets of neighborhood ‘Miracle’ revealed

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By John Lyle Belden

As posted in the program, playwright Tom Dudzick was inspired by an actual shrine to the Blessed Virgin Mary erected in his childhood Buffalo, N.Y., neighborhood by a barber who said She had appeared to him in his shop. Thinking, “there’s a story here,” Dudzick made up the Nowak family of his comedy, “Miracle on South Division Street,” on stage Thursday through Sunday at Epilogue Players.

In the year 2000, Ruth (Shannon Clancy), an aspiring actress and writer, calls a family meeting. Garbage-truck driving brother Jimmy (Grant Bowen) is on hand, and mother Clara (Letitia Clemons) arrives to critique Ruth’s method of preparing lunch. Soon, sister Beverly (Jeanna Little) joins them, persuaded to put off bowling practice (big tournament tonight!) to find out what is going on.  

These Nowaks, Polish Catholics of varying piety, are caretakers of the famous statue, revered in the neighborhood but ignored by the Vatican. Ruth has both good and potentially bad news: rather than pen her in-progress novel, she will write a play about the shrine, for which a producer has already approached her; however, the story of the statue will be quite different from the one Clara has had them tell their entire lives.

Family mayhem ensues. But as revelations crash like waves upon the family – “like if the Hardy Boys were Catholic!” Jimmy declares – a bigger story comes into focus, bringing fresh meaning to the “Blessed Mother.”

The characters occupy two ends of a spectrum, with Clara embodying a traditional mother type that Clemons imbues with a loving spirit, and simple-pleasures Beverly an upper-Midwest archetype. Meanwhile Ruth has Big Apple ambitions and one foot in the closet, while Jimmy is courting danger by seeing a woman outside the faith. Bowen balances a man/boy character who doesn’t want to make waves yet feels the need to make his own way. Clancy ably handles the burden of being the fulcrum on which the plot balances, a sister and daughter resigned to being the truth-teller, though she feels it could cost her the trust and love of her family.

Directed by Ed Mobley, this very funny heart-filled family drama is a reminder that miracles do happen – often in ways we don’t expect.

Performances, through April 30, are at Epilogue’s corner stage at 1849 N. Alabama St., Indianapolis. Info and tickets at epilogueplayers.com.

Epilogue brings monster tale to life with radio magic

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By John Lyle Belden

When dealing with a familiar favorite story, the best part is in how it’s told.

In “Frankenstein: The Radio Play,” presented by Epilogue Players, Mary Shelley’s classic novel is presented as a radio drama produced in 1940s London – an escape from the horrors of the real world. Adapted by Philip Grecian from his stage play, based on Shelley’s 1818 book, the production gives us a theatre of the mind experience while providing a glimpse into how the audio magic is made.

The immersive experience goes a step further by not renaming the actors as British counterparts, and by including radio ads promoting every advertiser in the program. This may be the best promotion English Ivy’s restaurant and bar (in today’s Indianapolis, just down the street) has ever gotten.

Craig Kemp (actually from the U.K., by the way) voices the titular figure, Victor Frankenstein – whom any literature buff will note is the true “monster” of the novel – in fine fashion, from the soothing doctor in love to the ecstatic “it’s ALIVE!” during the creature’s “birth.” Other actors provide major and minor parts (the broadcast audience can’t see them, so switching is a manner of inflection, which they easily do). Principally, Alex Bast is the doctor’s friend and assistant, Henry Clerval; Dale W. Smith is their peer, Professor Waldman; Caity Withers, the studio announcer and producer, is Baroness Frankenstein; Phoebe Aldridge is young Catherine Frankenstein; Melody Simms is Catherine’s governess, Justine Moritz; Bella King is Victor’s cousin and fiancé, Elizabeth Frankenstein; Grant Bowen is Arctic explorer Capt. Robert Walton, as well as the blind man, Delacey; and Jason Creighton is The Creature (usually referred to by epithets, by himself as Adam/Lucifer, but never as his “father’s” name), giving an appropriately powerful rendition of the misunderstood beast.

Also deserving of star billing are foley artists Amanda Greene, Roger E. Dutcher, Karen Markle, and Zach Thompson, who undertake complex effects with as close as the era allowed to surround-sound. Seeing the various gadgets used only adds to the fun while their acoustical accuracy doesn’t break their spell. Daniel Watson directs and composed some of the music, performed by Bethany Watson on piano.

Glancing over the novel’s plot summary as well as various films from James Whale to Kenneth Branagh and variations including breakfast cereal and Abbot & Costello, I probably should make some notes of the story here. This play does start and end on Cpt. Walton’s ship approaching the North Pole. Henry sounds quite handsome, with no hunchback noted, and is a fellow scientist, not a servant. Also, a critical plot point, the brain supplied to the creature is that of a genius Victor admires (not “Abbie Normal”), which becomes evident at the Adam’s clarity after his initial mental fog, making his reasoned impulses for revenge more menacing. Finally, there is no postmodern wink or sight-gags among the English cast; this show is played for chills, not laughs.

Performances run through Feb. 26. Space is limited at the little theatre on Hedback Corner, 1849 N. Alabama St., and tickets are selling fast. Get yours at EpiloguePlayers.com.   

Mothers know best in Epilogue comedy

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By Wendy Carson

Parents – we all have them; we all love them; they all give us both good and bad advice; and they all drive us crazy. This is the basic premise of Katherine DiSavino’s “Things My Mother Taught Me,” presented by Epilogue Players.

Young Olivia (Erynne Sutton) and her long-time boyfriend Gabe (Ethen Romba) are in the process of moving in together. However, the new chair they picked out together is stuck in the doorway, which also alludes to how they are still stuck under their parents’ careful scrutiny, even after moving halfway across the country.

Since Gabe is a mama’s boy, he, naturally but to Olivia’s surprise, invites his parents to come help with the move. Lydia (Serita Borgeas) is the classic definition of a “Smother,” and her husband Wyatt (Tom Meador) is easy-going and totally oblivious to her overzealous nature. Once they arrive, Lydia takes over everything and poor Olivia is overwhelmed.

Things go even more haywire when Olivia’s parents Karen (Karen K. Temple) and Carter (R.C. Thorne) arrive as well. Add to this their moving van being stolen and the crazy antics of their building manager, Max (Stephen E. Foxworthy) and you can see how the laughs just keep on coming in this delightful farce.

Sutton gives Olivia a tender hopefulness that everything will eventually work out for everyone while Romba keeps Gabe at wits end trying to keep all of his plans together, no matter who spoils them.

Borgeas shows the caring side of Lydia that is often overlooked due to her commandeering ways while Meador shows Wyatt is more interested in finding a fix to a situation that the repercussions his actions might have. Temple brings Karen’s fears of her child repeating her own mistakes to the forefront of her own neurosis while Thorne brings so much light-hearted sweetness to his role as Carter.

Director Brent Wooldridge keeps the laughs coming, while allowing the solid parental advice within the script to be heard.

Learning can be fun – at least when you’re in the audience. Take a lesson at Epilogue, “Hedback Corner” at 1849 N. Alabama, Indianapolis, through Sunday, Sept. 25. Get information and reserve tickets at epilogueplayers.com.

Bizarre courtship for ‘Sara’ at Epilogue

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By John Lyle Belden

“Getting Sara Married” plays out like a rom-com by way of the Twilight Zone, but if you roll with the absurdity, it’s a lot of fun.

In this comedy by Sam Bobrick, directed by Veronique Duprey at Epilogue Players, Sara (Monya Wolf) is a busy New York defense attorney and, as the title hints, single. She enjoys her solitary lifestyle and has no interest in marriage whatsoever.

Thus her Aunt Martha (Molly Kraus) takes it upon herself to engage in some unusual matchmaking. She has Brandon (Vince Pratt), the handsome professional she has selected for Sara, bonked on the head by “jack of all trades” Noogie (Brian Nichols) and delivered, unconscious, to Sara’s apartment. Need we mention Martha might not be entirely sane?

Shocked, Sara scrambles to prevent needing a defense lawyer herself. Brandon awakes, and after an amusing bout of amnesia, sorts out who he is, but not why he’s in a strange woman’s home — which he is impressed with, by the way. He grabs a quick bite before leaving, but is taken down by a just-remembered food allergy.

How is Brandon going to explain all this to his fiance, Heather (Rachel Kelso)?

Set just before smartphones took over the world, we only see Martha at the stage edge, on the other end of her landline — sometimes getting work from her favorite chiropractor (Alex Dantin) — presented charmingly by Kraus with unflagging confidence. 

Wolf ably takes us along on Sara’s emotional roller-coaster. Pratt plays a bit of a confused goof, but not dumb, so we can see the qualities that got Brandon chosen for this odd adventure. Nichols as eager-to-please Noogie is a likable mook, and I’m not just saying that so I don’t have to keep looking over my shoulder. Kelso has an interesting arc with Heather, a woman who — though initially infuriated — comes to understand the situation. Dantin seems to enjoy being the strong, silent type.

Hilarious with an odd charm, the show has four more performances, Thursday through Sunday, Feb. 20-23, at Hedback Corner, 1849 N. Alabama St. near downtown Indianapolis. Call 317-926-3139 or visit www.epilogueplayers.com.