historical

Father and gay son face horrors of Holocaust

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

By John Lyle Belden

I hope that this finds you shortly after I post it – so you can see – or this is shared before the next production – so you can anticipate – the important intimate drama of “A Pink Triangle” by Kirby Taylor.

The title refers to the patch worn by LGBTQ prisoners in Nazi concentration camps. Holocaust histories typically mention the yellow Star of David worn by Jews while tending to note in passing others tortured and killed included Roma, Communists, other political prisoners, and homosexuals. While the effort to eradicate Jewish people cannot be understated, the Pink Triangles were held in lowest regard in the camps, their harsh treatment including horrific medical experiments.

In fact, there was a macabre rainbow of color patches for various prisoner classes, a reflection of the regime’s ruthless organization of cruelty.

Coincidentally, “A Pink Triangle” has a three-fold theme. The first, its setting, is the historical hell of wartime Auschwitz, portrayed in the gaunt, nervous, hungry actors in filthy, ill-fitting striped clothing we see before us. Second is the paranoid horror of their existence and the realization among us watching that so much of the context sounds like something familiar, even relevant to current events. Third, and most important, is that this is a tragic and poignant father-son moment.

Lars (Jim Melton) can barely walk, let alone be capable of literally back-breaking labor in the stone quarry, so he gets the ironic relief of working at his own pace literally shoveling excrement while awaiting a more horrific assignment to Block 10, where experiments are conducted. His pink patch has made him a pariah; even his father momentarily shows revulsion when he sees it.

Hans (Dave Ruark) works beside Lars, the guards apparently unaware they are related. His patch is green, indicating a criminal (possibly for his family’s black-market dealings; we find from their conversation that his wife remains free to secretly help their neighbors with food and essentials). In him we see what in hindsight we refer to the “Good German” who got along and even supported the Nazis until he, like the others he was willing to condemn, was seen as unfit. He has memories of the disastrous end of the first World War and accepted the propaganda of whom to blame for hardship. Now feeling no allegiance to Hitler, he keeps secret the fact that he plays trumpet even though that would grant him easier duty in a prison or military band.

Though this is thoroughly researched, including visits to Europe – Taylor admits she had only heard of Pink Triangle victims a couple of years ago – she emphasizes this is primarily a story of a father and his son making contact, seeking some sort of understanding in what could be the last time they see each other. As a result, she has scripted an incredibly natural hour-plus conversation. Its rough flow is not primarily to communicate to us (which cleverly it does) but rather as two people who share both an intimate bond and immense pain, each felt caused by the other. Issues unresolved and unresolvable are verbally danced around yet must be confronted: Why Clara is still free; feelings about older son/brother Freddie, who served and died for the Fatherland; who betrayed Lars to the Gestapo. Helping stitch these frayed threads of discourse are odd familial touchstones, like past meals, or an ugly yellow couch.

In her directing debut, Holocaust historian Amy Grove of the CANDLES Center in Terre Haute (founded by survivor Eva Kor) keeps the story firmly grounded in its living hell. Death literally stalks these men, and all others held there, which we hear in the bursts of nearby gunfire that occasionally punctuate the scene. It’s also in the eyes of those before us. Melton, who also masterfully applied hollowing makeup, gives Lars the darting expression of a trapped rodent. His moments of feigned bravado and apathy, spiced with black humor. are his sole defense against madness, as fatal resignation battles for hope in his battered psyche.  In Hans’ expression, there is a secretly defiant watchfulness that manifests its hope in constantly looking for ways to work any system he’s in. Apparently, even if he does not survive this – his frequent cough making this more of a possibility – it will literally be on his own terms.  

Though these are fictional characters, they represent real people. Thousands were sent to concentration and death camps under an anti-gay law that predated the Nazi regime but had been strengthened and strictly enforced. The current production of “A Pink Triangle” at The District Theatre includes an exhibition of prints from Pink Triangle Portraits, a project by artist Bryan Sharland to document in paintings every queer victim of the Holocaust of which there is an available photo (including more recent pictures of survivors).

A necessary and overdue examination of a dark chapter of LGBTQ history – and human history – remaining Indianapolis performances of “A Pink Triangle” are 7:30 p.m. today (as we post this) and 4 p.m. Sunday (June 27-28) on the intimate Brian Payne Theatre (second stage) at the District Theatre, 627 Massachusetts Ave. Get tickets at IndyDistrictTheatre.org.

The syncopated story of America

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

By John Lyle Belden

In the United States’ current social and political climate, approaching a significant celebration of the Fourth of July, it is fitting that Summer Stock Stage presents “Ragtime.” The epic musical by Terrance McNally with songs by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, based on the E.L. Doctorow novel, was a massive hit and Tony winner both in 1998 and the current revival. With a combined cast, crew, and orchestra nearing around 100 – mostly high school and college students – this exceptional production is directed by SSS Artistic Director Emily Ristine Holloway.

Set around 120 years ago, this is an appropriate tribute to America for many reasons.

It is the story of what was then considered an exemplary family. They are introduced by the observant Little Boy (Adam Palumbo), whose Father (Justus Palumbo) became wealthy enough from fireworks and other paraphernalia of patriotism to travel the world, leaving behind Mother (Allie Niethammer), Mother’s Younger Brother (Collin Alber), and Grandfather (Milo Ellis). Mother and Brother become central characters in the narrative, with Niethammer especially showing strength of voice and her role’s character. With clumsy charm, Alber embodies the American restless spirit, always searching for something he’s not sure of, seeking to give his life meaning. While Mother and Brother have transformative dramatic arcs, Father is stuck in an era he too late realizes has gone, naïvely unaware that his beliefs and attitudes are part of the problem.

It is the story of celebrity. The novel and its adaptations mix real historical figures in with the fictional exemplars of various classes. Many names are still familiar, including J.P. Morgan (Graham Bodkin), Henry Ford (Sam Funk), Booker T. Washington (DeMarae Bradley), and Harry Houdini (Max Frank). We also meet the scandalous vaudeville star Evelyn Nesbit (Olivia Steele); the events surrounding the Girl on the Swing described in “Crime of the Centry” are factual. Steele plays her with confident flair while presenting the ego that would outlast her famous beauty. Another notable personality was anarchist agitator Emma Goldman (Lilah Hern), presented with stubborn bravery, persistently and constantly calling out injustice.

It is the story of unending racial struggle. Aside from Mr. Washington’s righteous pontificating, we are presented with the Harlem community that gathers around pianist Coalhouse Walker Jr. (Michael Washington), master of Ragtime music. He had been a carefree traveling musician but realizes his heart belongs to Sarah (Cori Hughey), who he discovers had given birth to his child. However, she had felt abandoned and betrayed by him, leading to desperate actions that result in her taking shelter in Mother’s home. Coalhouse’s story is the central narrative of the musical – from romance, to confrontation with the bigot Willie Conklin (Simon Allen), to tragedy and dire consequences. Hughey and Michael Washington acquit themselves excellently as Sarah and Coalhouse, bringing on heartfelt tears and rapturous applause. Also notable is Asha Smitherman as the soloist in the haunting rendition of “Till We Reach That Day.”

It is a story of immigrants. We see a number of arrivals with little more than the rags on their backs, exemplified by hopeful Latvian refugee Tateh (Luke Aguilar) and his daughter (Gracie Reckamp). He lays bare the whole newcomer experience – the humor, the horrors, and the spark of inventiveness that finally brings him to his part in the American Dream. Even in moments of despair, he perseveres for his little girl, and we can’t help but want him to succeed. To help escape dire circumstances, we get clever minds-eye cameos by fellow immigrant Houdini.  

Family, celebrity, racial tension, immigration issues – this 1906 story echoes like a 2026 campaign, set to music that was new and uniquely American. We highly recommend seeing this if you can; however, performances this Friday through Sunday (June 26-28) at Schrott Center for the Arts are swiftly selling out.

SSS’s next show is a different musical, still set around the same place and time: Disney’s “Newsies,” an entertaining examination of the 1899 New York Newsboys Strike. Performances are July 15-19, also at the Schrott Center, next door to Clowes Hall on the Butler University Campus (610 W. 46th St., Indianapolis). 

Get information and tickets at summerstockstage.com.   

ALT: Heroic act has its own victim

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

By John Lyle Belden

We know from our American history classes that four United States Presidents were assassinated. Wikipedia conveniently lists plots and attempts against about a dozen others, and that two who died of natural causes were suspected to have been poisoned. While interesting – this not being a review of the musical “Assassins” – it’s mostly beside the point here.

In “Arlington, or, Your Forgotten American Hero,” a play by Andrew Kramer in its world premiere by American Lives Theatre at the Phoenix Theatre Cultural Centre, the focus is on one of two notable attempts on the life of President Gerald Ford in California in 1975, particularly on the man who stopped a would-be assassin in San Francisco.

Oliver “Billy” Sipple was out for a walk when he came upon a crowd outside a downtown hotel. People excitedly said the President was staying there. He waited with the throng for a chance at a glimpse of Ford, trying not to bump into a middle-aged woman. When the President appeared, that woman drew out a pistol, fired point-blank – and missed. Having been a U.S. Marine who served tours in Vietnam, Sipple’s well-trained instincts were likely awakened by the report of the gun. With barely a thought, before the woman could fire a second time, he knocked the firearm from her hand while others tackled her to deliver her to Secret Service agents. This single brief yet heroic action would affect Billy Sipple for the rest of his life.

Directed by ALT founder and artistic director Chris Saunders, the play presents Michael Hosp giving an earnest portrayal of Sipple. We first meet Billy years after that fateful encounter with history, alone in his apartment easy chair watching television with a nearly empty bottle of whiskey, lamenting his life.

Suddenly, dead San Francisco LGBT icons appear around him: Writer/publisher/organizers Del Martin (Suzanne Fleenor) and Wayne Friday (Jonathan Studdard); “dangerous” gay activist Rev. Ray Broshears (Rob Johansen); first out gay political convention delegate and community organizer Jim Foster (Evan Wolfgang); and legendary gay politician – and Sipple’s close friend – Harvey Milk (Jay Hemphill). They alert a bewildered Billy that this is “a ritual of reclamation.” What follows recounts the story of one man’s undesired fame and the infamy he feared which followed.

Need I mention that Sipple was gay? This shouldn’t have mattered, except that this was the mid-1970s, which meant it very much did.

Hosp is outstanding as an ordinary guy not just thrust into extraordinary circumstances, but also seeing that story taken and told by others for their benefit, leaving him feeling used on all sides. His moment of respite with “the guy at the end of the bar” (Wolfgang) gives limited relief as it is that aspect of his life that makes what happens to him worse.

Seeing it as more of a boost to their cause than a betrayal, his well-meaning friends out him to Chronicle columnist Herb Caen (Studdard). Suddenly, Sipple transforms in the national press from anonymous to oddity: the “gay ex-Marine.” This will not go down well with his parents (Fleenor and Johansen) back in Detroit.  

Fleenor also plays his friendly and empathetic neighbor. Wolfgang nicely portrays Billy’s brother George, who eventually comes to his own understanding.

Hemphill has a gift for playing larger-than-life characters, and so makes a believable Harvey Milk, complete with activist fire and celebrity charisma. His presence almost seems too convenient to the plot to be real, but was indeed based on fact. Milk and Sipple, two men who each had their own moment involving a political assassination, were long-time friends.

Hero? Gay icon? Just a guy who did what was needed at the time? Billy Sipple was never sure. Today, him having his wish of being left alone (in the Golden Gate National Cemetery) leaves him nearly forgotten. At the end of the play, we get a perspective on its title, which provides us a more suitable memorial.

Get to know this more than ordinary man in “Arlington,” through June 7 at 705 N. Illinois St., downtown Indianapolis. For tickets, go to phoenixtheatre.org, info at americanlivestheatre.org.

In this comedy, she really slays them

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

By John Lyle Belden

As I once heard a comedian say, at some point with a mass murderer’s body count, you’re not sure whether to be appalled, or impressed.

Southbank Theatre Company presents “Hell’s Belle,” billed as “A True Crime Dark Comedy About Indiana’s First Serial Killer,” by Amalia Howard, directed by Becky Schlomann. Local actor Howard’s script was the winner of Southbank’s playwriting contest to determine this season’s closing show.

Based on the true story of Belle Gunness, a Norwegian-born widow who lived on a farm by the northern Indiana town of LaPorte from 1901 to 1908, we get a light-hearted look at a heavy topic. Howard portrays Belle’s sister, Nellie Larson, who narrates the story, speaking through time to today’s audiences, as well as other roles as needed. Ryan Moskalick and Jim Cherry play various men, many of whom do not live long. One exception is Moskalick as the farmhand Ray Lamphere, who survives Belle only to be tried as an accomplice.

As the star of the show, we have Lisa Marie Smith as Belle. She is plain but not ugly, and quite a find for lonely sons of Norway seeking the comfort of the cooking they grew up with. Her kitchen talents were indeed notable, if you don’t mind the strychnine.

Smith gives her enough cleverness and charisma to keep her activities unsuspected, coupled with her unresolved issues around men and the children she desperately wants but can’t keep alive. She also feels the financial pressure that hits hard on single women of the era. Not that this excuses numerous instances of insurance fraud, but then, a girl gets accustomed to a certain standard of living.

While not downplaying the seriousness of the crimes, we get a rather humorous look at these events, especially the circus atmosphere that attends the eventual discovery of her many, many victims.

How many people did she kill? Did she get away with it all, slipping away with what today would be more than a million dollars? These questions are still debated. The evidence is presented for you to make your own guess as well.

Schlomann is assisted by Rachel Serago; Jenn Byers is stage manager. Simple yet comfy set design is by Scott Hall. Costumes and props are by Karen Cones, with the deadly meat-grinder 3-D printed by Tony Troxell.*

For an entertaining bit of macabre Indiana history, attend “Hell’s Belle,” Thursday through Sunday (April 30-May 3) at Shelton Auditorium, 1000 W. 42nd Street (southwest corner of Butler University), Indianapolis. For info and tickets, go to southbanktheatre.org.

–

*(Edit after original posting, thanks to producer Marcia Eppich-Harris for giving us Troxell’s name.)

Fateful decisions divide father and son in ALT drama

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

By John Lyle Belden

We all have feelings about the events of Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington, D.C. We all have opinions. In “Fatherland,” the intense 90-minute drama by Stephen Sachs, the only ones that matter belong to two men – a father and son from Texas. One was the first up a set of Capitol steps that day; the other contacted the FBI.

Based on actual proceedings, evidence, and public statements in a U.S. District Court trial, American Lives Theatre presents this play at the IF Theatre, directed by Jacob David Lang, assisted by Madison Pickering.

The main set piece is the witness stand where a 19-year-old man, played by Matt Kraft, testifies against his father, portrayed by Scott Russell.  Built by Josh Morrow and Tony Board, the wooden structure seems solid, but its cracks are evident and reveal in splendid visual metaphor the slow fracture of the father-son relationship as past events are recalled. Various jagged pieces open and stay that way, like unhealed wounds.

The production is aided immensely by video projections, including footage of the Jan. 6 events, which were designed by Paully Crumpacker, assisted by Preston Dildine.

Jenni White portrays the U.S. District Attorney prosecuting this case. Confident and feeling the facts are on her side, she guides the son’s testimony, which in turn narrates the story of what brought us all to this point. Joshua Ramsey plays the Defense Attorney, smugly trying to confuse and discredit this principal witness.

Kraft gives an excellent portrayal of a young man deeply conflicted. He feels the division in his family, he fears what his father might do – to others, to himself, and to him – and above all he feels guilty. Regardless of whether the guilt for turning in his father is justified, it feels real to him.

Russell presents a complex man who has been reduced to a simple ideology. He is intelligent, widely traveled, and until recently successful as an oil well engineer. A reduction in active production left him without work, without purpose. Accepting without question that Donald Trump was as successful as portrayed, a copy of “Art of the Deal” ever in his hand, he not only embraced the MAGA culture, but also joined the Texas Three Percenters. The radical far-right organization intensified his fears for the future of America and primed him for the possibility of violent conflict. Russell gives us a man with cocky energy, a growing fanaticism he mistakes for patriotism, feeding his already-present anxieties. Through his son’s words, we see the slow but steady process that led to this man – convinced he would be a hero – joining the mob assaulting the U.S. Capitol.

Unlike other courtroom dramas, the most important aspect of this production is the examination of what brought these two men to the place we find them in 2022, their feelings, beliefs, attitudes, as well as what has changed – and hasn’t. Not noted, as it happened more recently, is that any guilty verdicts have been negated by Presidential Pardon in 2025.

Still, we do hear the results. The jury, in fact, includes us in the audience. We aren’t literally called on to vote, but are given much to deliberate on as we exit the theatre.

One weekend remains of “Fatherland,” an important piece of theatre for which we are grateful to ALT artistic director Chris Saunders for bringing to Indy. Performances are 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday, May 1-3, at the IF (home of IndyFringe), 719 E. St. Clair St., Indianapolis. Get tickets at indyfringe.org, info at americanlivestheatre.org.

CCP presents Grand adventure

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

By John Lyle Belden

The play “Men on Boats” by Jaclyn Backhaus is pretty much that – some men who rode on boats going downriver. And yet it is so much more.

Produced by Carmel Community Players, directed by Samantha Kelly, this is about the 10-man excursion on the Green and Colorado Rivers in 1869, the first U.S. government sanctioned expedition to and through the Grand Canyon in present-day Arizona. For this manly feat of bravery, persistence, and luck, the play is cast with all women actors.

Seeing them acting as men, their demeanor as serious as the characters they portray regarded their mission, works in a curious way. It helps that we are accustomed, in the arts as well as in life, to seeing women being strong for each other and intrepid when faced with challenges. It bypasses any sense of machismo, making this adventure more human and relatable. It also gives the character of expedition leader Maj. John Wesley Powell, who lost an arm in the Civil War, a sort of maternal aspect as he led by his wits and wisdom rather than physical prowess.

Powell (Barb Weaver) arranged for four boats, fully provisioned, for the journey. He brought along his older brother, Walter “Old Shady” Powell (Wendy Brown), as well as hunter John Colton Sumner (Kelly Hutchings), who led the first boat; William Dunn (Desiree Black), who becomes a sort of second-in-command; George Young Bradley (Sarah Arthur); O.G Howland (Katarina Zack); Seneca Howland (Victoria Garcia); William Robert Hawkins (Nick Chase); Andrew Hall (Kenzie Wright); and English adventurer Frank Goodman (Ozzie Buttler). While the lands they passed through were familiar to many of European ancestry, with some (including Mormon pioneers) already in settlements, they would be the first to traverse through on the river (rediscovering what Native peoples had seen for millennia), provided they survived the voyage.

Based on Powell’s journals, there is no need for fictional drama as the rapids and falls they traveled over provided plenty. The loss of one of the boats and dwindling provisions provided plenty of tension, with multiple discussions – and arguments – over whether to continue. Powell held firm in his resolve, strengthening most of the others, and respected the wishes of those who left the party.

The cast’s sincere portrayals, with the clever use of “boatveralls” (boat representations designed and built by Kristina Lawyer and Broden Irwin) to perform their movement on the rough waters, help us feel the rush of riding rapids and waterfalls, as well as maneuvering potentially deadly hazards. We get the quirks of individual personalities, including Sumner’s mountain-man mystique, Goodman’s constant nervous chatter, and Old Shady’s campfire songs.

It’s sometimes said that the best man for the job is a woman. See an entertaining take on that concept in “Men on Boats,” with performances Thursday and Friday evenings, Saturday and Sunday afternoons, April 23-26, at The Cat, 254 Veterans Way in downtown Carmel. Get info and tickets at carmelplayers.org.

IRT: Facing horror with hope and hospitality

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

By John Lyle Belden

We all have a story.

Those of us who remember – most of us alive at the time do – all have a story of where they were and what they were doing on Sept. 11, 2001. Just the two numbers, “9/11,” conjure feelings and/or flashes of memory. While people around the world watched on their televisions, many individuals had more personal stories. Among them were thousands aloft on various airlines, unaware what had happened to four other passenger jets that day.

This is their story.

The Indiana Repertory Theatre presents the regional premiere of “Come From Away,” the musical by Irene Sankoff and David Hein, based on real events and real people involved with the emergency landing of 38 planes (including a jumbo 777) on the remote airfield at Gander, Newfoundland, Canada. All air traffic in and around the U.S. was grounded for days while authorities investigated the terrorist attacks in New York; Washington, D.C.; and Pennsylvania, making certain no other aircraft were involved. To the friendly and very hospitable Newfoundlanders, their only concern was that a number of people that equaled the local population had unexpectedly come to stay for a while. “Welcome to the Rock!”

Directed by James Vàsquez, this production is suffused with the welcoming spirit of the Canadian Maritimes and its folk traditions, set on a simple performing-hall stage partly surrounded by musicians on fiddle, pipes, guitars, and percussion. Wooden chairs and tables suffice for the scenes, as the story is told and enacted by a cast in which every actor has at least two roles.

Gander Mayor Claude Elliott (Brian Ray Norris) coordinates the town’s efforts with the assistance of policeman (of a two-man force) Oz (David Kirk Grant), teacher Beulah (Terra C. MacLeod), new local TV reporter Janice (Hannah Embree) and others, including getting a local school bus driver (Brett Mutter) to put the drivers’ strike on hold to help. Bonnie (Bets Malone) of the local SPCA adamantly seeks out animals in the aircraft holds that need care.

Meanwhile, on the jumbo jet, impatient passengers wonder what’s going on.  This includes Mutter and Jesse Bhamrah as gay couple Kevin and Kevin; Larry Raben as Nick from England, who gets to know Diane from Texas (Crissy Guerrero); Will Mann as Bob from New York, and later as an African traveler; Laraisha Dievelyn Dionne as Hannah, whose son is a New York firefighter; and Embree as a harried flight attendant. Up front is Beverley Bass (Jean McCormick), who was the first woman captain for American Airlines. Bhamrah also plays Ali, a Muslim passenger who gets looked on with suspicion by the others.

No doubt due to the plethora of stories gathered to make this musical, along with the talent and dedication of Vàsquez and the cast, this is an outstanding ensemble effort that still manages to give so many individual perspectives. We get the full range of feelings, from the fear and apprehension, as well as the shock as each character realizes what had happened, to the gratitude and good humor from and in reaction to the Islanders’ generosity. The local flavor includes a sort of Newfoundland initiation so that those “from Away” feel more at home – see the displays on the balcony level of the lobby to learn about the Cod and the Ugly Stick.

Music Director is Angie Benson; especially notable in the band are Liz Browder-Bohall on fiddle and Landon Thomspon on percussion (including the Stick).

Personally, this brought a lot of feelings from that time back for me. I could relate in a small way to what it was like for the people portrayed, as while the 9/11 attacks didn’t happen to them directly, it had a profound effect on their lives. The world had changed, and even after the emergency had passed and the aircraft left, no one would be the same afterward. I hope that some of that impact is impressed on those who can only see this as just a historical event from a quarter-century ago.

There is also a relic from the World Trade Center on display in the IRT lobby, on loan from the Indianapolis International Airport.

If you can, go to “Come From Away,” running through May 10 on the main stage at 140 W. Washington St., in the heart of downtown Indianapolis. Tickets and info at irtlive.com.

Asante shows ‘Glory’ of Attucks team

PWJW_Indy Reviews, Uncategorized , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

By John Lyle Belden

The word “asante” is an expression of gratitude used in much of Africa. Here in central Indiana, we are grateful for Deborah Asante and the Asante Art Institute (expanded from her established art and theatre programs in 2018). This treasured local institution helps guide self-discovery and celebrate the African American experience through creative programs and performances.

With the current climax of high school and college basketball under way downtown, Asante focuses on the program that helped change the game far more than most people realize. The historical drama “A Touch of Glory” by Laura Town, directed by Ms. Asante, tells the story of the Crispus Attucks Tigers, the first all-black team in America to win a public high school state championship, taking the title in 1955 and 1956, a team that featured future hall-of-famer Oscar Robertson. It was also the first state title for an Indianapolis squad. This is well known, yet far from the whole story.

We are guided through this story by the “Angel” spirit of Willie Burnley (played by Joshua Short), whose hoop dreams ended after high school, getting his wings from cancer a few years later. He has not only a story to tell, but also an important role in it. He notes that Robertson was known to get a triple-double – double-digit points, rebounds, and assists – nearly every game.

Willie will tell us about Oscar’s two greatest assists.

At the heart of the story is the Tigers’ coach, Ray Crowe (Reggie McGuire), who worked his way up from school janitor and built a team in a school that didn’t even have a proper gym. His determination, confidence and optimism help to win over reluctant and cautious principal Russell Lane (Ennis Adams Jr), as well as his fiancé/wife of saintly patience Betty (Clarissa Michelle), and the boys who played street ball in “The Dust Bowl” – Burnley, Robertson brothers Bailey (Joshua Bruton) and Oscar (Deontà Stark), future Mr. Basketball Hallie Bryant (Bryce Hawthorne) and future Globetrotter Dill Gardner (A’veon Curry), who played barefoot.

The play also features Matthew Brown as sportswriter Bob Collins, who sees more than good story here; Rick Drumm in supporting roles; and Joe Wagner as a couple of less savory persons.

Most impressive are the Cheerleaders – empressnikia, Shelby Brown, Taylor Todd – fitting naturally as a sort of Greek Chorus as well as aiding the story and its atmosphere.

Short gives Burnley, who mostly rode the bench but didn’t seem to mind, an infectious joyful energy that keeps us engaged. This, and the earnest portrayal of Coach Crowe by McGuire, help elevate the by-the-numbers sports hero story to something that feels important beyond its own time and place. Though we know the end, in looking at the story from an early-50s perspective we feel the tensions, imminent threat, and the deafening silence in place of support from other parts of the city and state.

We get an interesting glimpse into the Robertsons: Bruton’s Bailey is brash and vocal, yet focused while on the court. Stark’s Oscar lets his game do the talking and easily comes across as a future legend. Curry as Gardner gives an interesting perspective on the meaning of success under limited options. Keiston Drake plays another Tiger player, and also provides beautiful vocals during a musical moment.

The choreography by Shawn Cowherd extends beyond the cheer routines as the scenes of basketball action move with easy grace and athletic beauty. Clever and functional set design is by Antonio Burks, with costumes by Latoya Adams. AshLee Burks is assistant director, and Kelli Thomas is stage manager.

The Academy provided support on and behind the stage. Credit where due: Kyler Brown, Lamont Swayze, Kawai Castillo, Adina Sconiers, Ava Floyd, Zeruiah Bailey, and Reygan Rucker, with teaching artists Jasmine Robinson and Reno Moore and performance mentor Kiheem Brown.

“A Touch of Glory” has performances 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, as well as 1 p.m. Saturday (April 2-4) at the Athenaeum, 401 E. Michigan St., Indianapolis. For tickets, see athenaeumindy.org. Put on some green and gold if you feel like it, and you might even learn the “Crazy Song.”

GSC mounts ‘Richard III’

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

By John Lyle Belden

Garfield Shakespeare Company is an exceptional part of the Indianapolis theatre scene. The not-for-profit volunteer company, residing at beautiful Garfield Park south of downtown, keeps the spirit of classic theatre alive with quality productions and free admission for audiences.

Starting its 20th Anniversary Season, GSC presents the tragic history of William Shakespeare’s “Richard III.” Based on one of England’s less-liked monarchs, we see how this proud, ambitious, and unscrupulous Duke murders his way to the Crown, then famously ends up losing his horse.

Mallory Ward directs a cast of varying experience, all dedicated to honoring the Bard’s work. Derrick Krober eagerly plays the title role, from the start charming nearly everyone while noting with a grin to us watching that he intends to be “the villain.”

In various roles, the other players include Rayanna Bibbs (her proud Lady Margaret never fooled by Richard); Spencer Dorian Crane (compelling in vastly different ways as sad Lady Anne, a reluctant assassin, and sassy Catesby); Hans Cummings (his Clarence almost talking his way out of dying); Omar El Jordi; Sydney Engelstein; Susan Gaertner; Guy Grubbs (playing both a King and a Mayor); Joni Metcalf Kemp; Miranda Khoury (as Queen Elizabeth, with a sharply delivered speech late in the play); Fred Margison; Tess Smith (parts include the heroic Earl of Richmond); and Chad Yadon (in the pivotal role of Buckingham). Also, the multi-talented Zella Mae Elm plays prince and princess roles as well as performing traditional and original songs – one with Shakespeare’s lyrics – playing the mandolin in lieu of a lute.

Performances are 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday (March 26-28) at the Garfield Park Arts Center, 2432 Conservatory Drive. While admission is free, as seating in this indoor venue is limited, reservations are recommended at gscindy.org.

Tragic depth in half-full bathtubs

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

By John Lyle Belden

Fascination with unusual murder has been a pop culture staple for centuries, especially if such stories are true. Through the last century or so, the arts have explored the minds of monstrous killers, as well as the clever persons deducing who did the deed. Now, stories will often focus on those unable to speak for themselves.

In “The Drowning Girls,” at Main Street Productions in Westfield, we hear them loud and clear.

Based on events in England, this unique drama by Canadians Daniela Vlaskalic, Beth Graham, and Charlie Tomlinson, directed here by Molly Bellner, features just three clawfoot bathtubs on the stage, actually containing water. From these emerge the three known murder victims of George Joseph Smith. They speak to each other – and to us – relating how they were each taken in by the lifelong thief, swindler and bigamist, and how he was finally brought to justice for their killings in 1915.

Bessie Mundy (Jo Bennett) went with husband “Henry Williams” to a seaside resort; Alice Burnham Smith (Monya Wolf) was in a Blackpool boardinghouse with husband “George Rose Smith;” Margaret Elizabeth Lloyd (Sarah Eberhardt) resided with husband “John Lloyd” in Highgate, London. All three died of “misadventure” – perhaps a seizure? – in the bath. The women’s savings, and life insurance, naturally went to the husband.

As the three actors examine and reenact the events, they take on other roles as needed, including taking turns as smooth-talking Mr. Smith(Williams/Lloyd). Society and expectations on women play a part, but also the manipulation familiar to stories of psychopathy, abuse, and controlling behavior.

The pacing and style of the material is familiar to those who enjoy true-crime documentaries and podcasts, which aids the sense that this is nonfiction. Having reviewed the steps that led to their watery demise, Bessie, Alice and Margaret then perform as the various people who finally brought Smith to the gallows – including the attentive Burnham parents, their suspicions deepened by strange coincidence, as well as detectives who broke new ground in forensics and investigation.

Bennett, Wolf, and Eberhardt, each outstanding, don’t put on period English accents as their plight is timeless, as likely to happen in 1914 or 2014 (or ’26). They fully take their characters’ opportunity to express their frustration and give their example as warning, complete with charming moments and gallows humor, yet never straying from the circumstances of their fate.

The simple set (complete with waterproofing, we surmise) is by Ed Trout. Beautiful white gowns by costumer Cathie Morgan help complete the scene. Stage manager is Marissa Hassie, with backstage assistant Baylor Bates.

Though it only took a few inches of water to kill them, “The Drowning Girls” go deep. Performances are Thursday through Sunday, March 26-29, at the Basile Westfield Playhouse, 220 N. Union St. (Downtown construction slows traffic, but the site is accessible.) Get tickets from Main Street Productions at westfieldplayhouse.org.