Hayden Elefante

Eclipse: ‘80s comedy so ‘very’ dark

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By John Lyle Belden

Summer Stock Stage opens its season with an Eclipse production of “Heathers: The Musical,” based faithfully on, if not the greatest, the most brutally honest Generation X teen movie.

Up front I must note that themes of teen alienation, bullying, homophobia, and especially suicide are essential to the plot, with the latter vital to the dark satire of this story. Those who saw the 1989 film, starring Winona Ryder, Christian Slater and Shannen Doherty, will understand, those who haven’t and could be triggered should exercise caution.

“Dear Diary…” Our central character and narrator is Veronica (Taryn Feuer), who sees senior year of high school as a final endurance run before escaping its toxic culture. Cruel classmates like jocks Kurt and Ram (Hayden Elefante, DeSean McLucas) pick on the weak and odd, like her friend Martha (Kallie Ann Tarkleson) so she has a plan: get in good with the elite clique – the Heathers.

Heather Chandler (Isabella Agresta) is awful, and in charge; Heather Duke (Micah Friedman) is Chandler’s number-one bitch and heir apparent; and Heather McNamara (Kha’Lea Wainwright) is a cheerleader.  

Enter the pale, dark-haired stranger, J.D. (Charlie Steiner), just the right mix of well-read loner and budding psychopath to turn Veronica on and lead her down a path of deadly events that has her wondering: Is she going to Prom – or to Hell?

The adults, of course, are next to useless, including aging hippie teacher Ms. Fleming (producer and program artistic director Emily Ristine). Eric J. Olson portrays ineffective Principal Gowan and a couple of father roles. Jared McElroy also plays dads, as well as Coach Ripper. Cora Lucas steps in as Veronica’s Mom.

The student body includes Lucas, Ben Holland, Elijah Baxter, Olivia Broadwater, and Jane Kaefer.

The musical’s songs, excellently performed, reflect the plot beats of the movie, such as “Our Love is God,” and don’t feel out of place. The dark comedy helps to bring the story together and make its elements – a foreshadowing of too many headlines between that year and now – easier to take. Still, director Maria Amenabar Farias pulls no punches.

Feuer is excellent in a role that is not quite hero, not quite victim, and we believe her and empathize when she wishes she could just put all this aside and “be Seventeen.” Tarkleson gives a brave portrayal of one who smiles through her pain, but can only take so much. Agresta emanates dark power as the kind of alpha who doesn’t let a small thing like death keep her from commanding the stage.

Steiner gets the brooding aspects of his boy with delusions of antihero down even better than Slater in the film. He lets J.D’s dysfunction creep up on Veronica so she doesn’t realize until it’s too late she’s truly a “Dead Girl Walking.”

A darkly comic epic where bad attitudes and good intentions can both have tragic ends, “Heather: The Musical” (by Laurence O’Keefe and Kevin Murphy, based on the screenplay by Daniel Waters) has one more weekend of performances, Friday through Sunday (Thursday is sold out), June 9-11, at the Phoenix Theatre Cultural Centre, 705 N. Illinois St., downtown Indianapolis. For info and tickets, see phoenixtheatre.org.

Kids play the darndest things

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By John Lyle Belden

The Booth Tarkington Civic Theatre presented its Young Artist Program production of the popular musical “A Chorus Line” over the weekend (July 25-28). Considering the actors are all teenagers, one familiar with the show might ask, “Really?!” “Did they even do THAT song?”

Yes, and yes.

Putting aside that kids are usually quite familiar with the language and concepts expressed by the play’s young adult characters, director Emily Rogge Tzucker answers the concerns in her program note, stating that this story of Broadway “gypsies” giving their all for a possible chorus role is instructive to young aspiring performers. Not every singer or dancer will become a star; in fact, most don’t. In “Chorus Line,” nearly 30 are vying for eight spots – “four boys, four girls.” The musical, with book by James Kirkwood and Nicholas Dante, and songs by Marvin Hamlisch and Edward Kleban, humanizes those random faces we see in the background of every show, as each of the main contenders tells what brought them to this point in their lives.

Given the various school and youth programs (including YAP) around central Indiana, the Civic cast are all incredibly talented, a stage loaded with singing/dancing/acting “triple-threats.” And they gave excellent performances in this one-weekend run.

Outstanding performers included: Emily Chrzanowski, who as Diana nearly brought the house down twice, with “Nothing” and “What I Did for Love;” Katelyn Soards as sassy Sheila; Laney McNamar as stage veteran Cassie, stunning in “The Music and the Mirror;” Elie Anania as Val of the infamous “Dance Ten; Looks Three” number; Hayden Elefante as brash Bobby; and Jacob Schilling as troubled Paul. Luke Vreeman played Zach, the director of the show within the show – at first a godlike presence, eventually a man who has to make some hard decisions.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see these names (or any other listed in the program) again on stage here – or elsewhere.

Keep up with future Civic productions at civictheatre.org.

Civic youth stake a sure bet

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By John Lyle Belden

If you didn’t know the ages of the actors in Booth Tarkington Civic Theatre’s production of the classic Frank Loesser musical, “Guys and Dolls,” you would be hard-pressed to guess. Yes, this is the summer show by the Civic’s Young Artist Program for ages 14-18, but those strong voices, dancing chops and overall talent on display compare with any professional tour you’re likely to see.

They bring afresh the story first presented to their great-grandparents’ generation in 1950: Nathan Detroit (Hayden Elefante) needs a place to host his infamous floating craps game, but NYPD Lt. Brannigan (Daniel Miller) is watching all his usual haunts. So, to finance a likely location, Detroit makes a can’t-miss bet with high-roller Sky Masterson (Nathan Nouri) – that he can’t sweep away stoic Salvation Army Sgt. Sarah Brown (Katelyn Soards) on a dinner date to Cuba. Meanwhile, Detroit’s got a doll of his own to worry about; his long-time fiance, showgirl Adelaide (Katherine Patterson), is increasingly allergic to not being married.

Nouri and Soards’ voices soar operatically as they win our hearts. Meanwhile, Elefante is very entertaining and Patterson gives an award-worthy performance. And then there’s Detroit’s right-hand man Nicely-Nicely Johnson, played oh so nicely by Mahesh Gupta. Kudos also to Emily Chrzanoski as Sister Abernathy and Luke Vreeman as Chicago gangster Big Jule.

This musical is directed and choreographed by Anne Beck, who gives these teens quite a workout. The clever dance-filled opening number, setting the stage of the mean streets of New York, is practically a show in itself.

This has been one of my favorite musicals, with hits like “Fugue for Tinhorns (‘I got the horse right here…’)” and “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat” – Wendy likes “Adelaide’s Lament” and “Luck Be a Lady” – and this production did not disappoint. But it’s only for one weekend, with performances through Sunday, July 29, at the Tarkington theatre in the Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Carmel. See civictheatre.org for details and tickets.