horror

Dance Kaleidoscope presents fresh spin on Irving ‘Legend’

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By John Lyle Belden

When a prestigious professional dance company takes on a familiar story, the results are as amazing as they are accessible to a broad audience.

In the spirit of the season, Dance Kaleidoscope presents “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” adapted, choreographed, and directed by Joshua L. Peugh. The short story by Washington Irving, set in the years following the Revolutionary War in rural New York, has been deepened from its usual brief telling into a 75-minute program in contemporary and balletic styles. The narrative and atmosphere can get a bit frightening, so this is recommended for ages 13 and up.

Historically, the area around Tarrytown (including Sleepy Hollow) was a frequent battleground between American Continentals and the British Redcoats, joined by Hessian mercenaries, leaving many on all sides dead (including locals of varying allegiance and descendants of the original Dutch settlers). There was even a report of a Hessian officer being decapitated by a cannonball, only identified by his uniform as the head was never found.

This background is a vital part of Peugh’s production. We are frequently visited by various denizens of the spirit world, as well as the restless dead. The dancers in these roles appear in masks, often gauzy to make their faces even more haunting.

Company member Zay puts his slender body to work as the central character, Ichabod Crane. Being sensitive and superstitious, he quickly starts seeing things upon his arrival in town. Ever the academic, he banishes the dark visions with a wave of his book, but they won’t stay away long. He gains the patronage of well-to-do farmer Balt Von Tassel (Nathan Rommel) in setting up his position as schoolmaster, hoping to also gain the hand of his daughter Katrina (Julie Russel) for both her beauty and eventual inheritance (not so much a matter of greed as of honest opportunism). Katrina is flattered but not committed. She and Ichabod share an intimate dance and written love letters, but publicly she still spends time partnered with burly Brom Bones (Ryan Galloway).

Just as Crane is not all hero, Bones is not a pure villain. His jealousy over this interloper manifests more in pranks than assaults, made easy by Ichabod’s growing visions. As the days pass in what seems like a normal routine, the ghosts – including of a man Ichabod saw die in a fight that got out of hand – draw ever closer.  

At last comes the harvest festival, where Brom – dancing with a pumpkin – delivers a frightening tale. The rest of the story, you may already be familiar with. Just be sure to hold on to your hat (and what it rests on).

Our spirits of soldiers and villagers are joined by flying witches, a Woman in White (Savannah Rolfe) and even The Great He-Goat (Rommel). Filling the various roles, as well as living residents, are George Brous, Natalie Campbell, Ryan Jaffe, Gavin Kimmel, Marie Kuhns, Briah Napier, Morgan Ranney, Sarah Tylor, and Manuel Valdes. The famous climactic chase features Kimmel as The Horseman with Jaffe puppeting the frighteningly beautiful horse (designed by Nicholas Peugh).

The movement is exquisite, telling an easy-to-follow narrative while blending with the production’s overall haunted look. Historic McGowan Hall, practically across the street from the Benjamin Harrison house on North Delaware, is spooky from the moment you step inside. This continues onto the spare stage by scenic designer William Boles, with cornstalks standing sentry at the back that eventually move inward like the marching forest of Shakespeare fame. To display pride in the new nation, a giant 13-star Old Glory briefly spreads above. And as spirits can pass through walls, don’t assume there’s a “fourth wall” here. Incredible costuming was designed by Elizabeth Bourgeois. Evocative music was composed by Brandon Carson.

So – no “Trick” – here’s a “Treat:” The premiere of Joshua Peugh’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” continues into a second weekend! Performances are Friday through Sunday, Oct. 9-11, at 1305 N. Delaware St. Get tickets at www.dancekal.org.

A perfectly chilling part of the Indy Spooky Season (with plans to return next October), this “Sleepy Hollow” may itself become legendary.

Macabre musical brings ‘Ripper’ to the stage

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By John Lyle Belden

“Funny, it takes a murder for anyone to notice we passed this way.”

This lament is sung by the women mostly known from their tragic fates in “Jack the Ripper: The Whitechapel Musical,” by Steven Bergman and Christopher DiGrazia, presented by Carmel Apprentice Theatre, directed by Jake Williams.

This version of the well-told blend of history and legend stands apart for several reasons. It is mostly sung-through like an operetta, and Jack himself (played by Leo Milletary) frequently takes center stage. Who – among the dozens of suspects proposed by investigators, historians, and countless enthusiasts – is he? The musical gives an interesting theory (new to us), which I’ll leave for you to discover.

The story follows the people whom we do know, including the five most-known Ripper victims: Mary Ann “Polly” Nichols (Kate Knoll), Annie Chapman (Hannah Smith), Elizabeth Stride (Ella Owens), Catherine Eddowes (Cassie Scalzi), and Mary Jane Kelly (Reagan Nagel). Investigating the murders are Inspector Frederick Abberline (Mac Williams), assisted by Dr. Rees Ralph Llewellyn (Duane Leatherman), with Cameron Kaufman as the policeman on duty. A pesky chorus of Gentlemen of the Press (C. Leroy Delph, Tim West, and Kat Moore) are determined to print the facts, even if they have to make them up. Marissa Hassie plays the barmaid at The Ten Bells, a tavern where the doomed women all knew one another.

It is 1888 in foggy, filthy London and Jack is writing “The Story of the Century” in poor women’s blood. After the first falls, a “Merry Maid” presumes she won’t be so foolish – and her body is found next.  Knowing they should be cautious, the next two still can’t help being defiant and fatalistic. Meanwhile, Mary Kelly – the youngest and most mysterious (her life history still confounds Ripperologists) – knows more than she lets on.

The CAT (performing at The Cat, naturally) is a program that welcomes all levels of experience. Milletary, a local musician, makes an impressive theatrical debut. Williams, a familiar face in local community theatre, ably expresses the frustration known to dog Abberline during and long after the Whitechapel murders, with a measure of empathy. The women are equal measure charming and feisty; this especially comes out in their songs, such as “Stride’s Song (Life is Short),” with its take on the “and then there were none” nursery rhyme. In contrast to the fear felt by the ladies, the Gentlemen of the Press are practically giddy with excitement as “The Weekly London Murders” continue to sell papers.

Williams is also music director, with choreography by Maureen Hiner-Akins, and Kellyn Johnson is stage manager.

Performances resume Halloween weekend, Friday through Sunday (Oct. 31-Nov. 2) at The Cat, 254 Veterans Way, just south of Carmel’s Main Street Arts & Design District. Get tickets at thecat.biz.

Athenaeum, NoExit present mysterious ‘Gathering’

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By John Lyle Belden

The Athenaeum in downtown Indianapolis has long been reputed to house restless spirits.

At “The Gathering,” step inside and find yourself in 1919, right after the first World War, during a pandemic known as the Spanish Flu, and at the dawn of Prohibition. Also on people’s minds and hearts were the practice and promise of Spiritualism, a faith path leading many to seek communication with the dead.

This theatrical experience is presented by NoExit Performance, resuming the local company’s practice of site-specific productions.

Famed medium Madame Josephine (Callie Burk-Hartz) has returned to Indianapolis, her hometown, to give her final public séances at the former Deutche Haus. We in the audience are that public. While waiting for her show to begin, we happen to witness some interesting goings-on.

William (Bill Wilkinson), a former skeptic turned Prognosticator, shows us one of his mentalist tricks. Max (Jaddy Ciucci), a Metaphysician, arrives with a curious electric device she wishes to show Mme. Josephine. This sparks the curiosity of Edith (Kallen Ruston), a local reporter.  

Meanwhile, young widow Lorraine (Georgeanna Smith Wade) seeks a private audience with the medium, which the show’s producer Victor (Lukas Felix Schooler) says is not possible without a substantial additional fee. The distraught woman persists, as she needs to contact the spirit of her recently-lost daughter – providing it doesn’t also arouse the shade of her late husband.

We also encounter Nellie (Beverly Roche), a “scientific” Palmist, as well as a fellow Spectator (Audrey Stonerock) about whom we learn something we weren’t meant to know.

The audience moves through this production as the scenes play out in several rooms. This also takes us up backstage stairs not usually open to the public (those with mobility issues are taken to the similarly decorated elevator).

Some moments involve movement to evoke the hidden turmoil of these characters, with all their secret feelings and motivations. The first was surprising, but they shouldn’t be for those familiar with NoExit, juxtaposed with the more realistic portrayals of dialogue.

We join the séance itself on the historic stage of the Athenaeum. A rare view of its workings aids the feeling of being in a world on the haunted edge of comfortable reality.

Performances are first-rate, skillfully maintaining the atmosphere so that suspense is imperceptible until the foreboding mood is all around us like an ethereal fog. Smith Wade draws on our empathy while hinting at the darkness that follows her. Schooler keeps Victor equal parts protective and manipulative, never allowing us to trust even as we feel compelled to follow. Burk-Hartz perfectly presents tired and troubled Madame Josephine, up to now a polished professional, yet sensing in this night something too real for mere entertainment.

The subplot building with Ciucci and Ruston’s characters is pleasantly intriguing, as well as the presence of Wilkinson and Roche’s practitioners of occult arts who, though wise to the tricks, are still drawn into the growing sense of mystery.

My one criticism, which could be seen as a compliment – being left wanting to see more. It felt like another scene or two could have deepened the narrative, giving more context and purpose for all the characters, aside from one person’s grave secret mostly revealed at the evening’s climax.

Still, there is plenty here to see and feel. And some things are necessarily left in shadow for us to ponder, just as it should be for this chilling experience.

Performances start in the lobby of the Athenaeum, 401 E. Michigan St., at 7 and 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Oct. 23-25. For information and tickets, visit AthenaeumIndy.org. Get NoExit info on their Facebook page.

Cryptid ‘Evil Dead’ a big mess – just how we like it

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By John Lyle Belden

Why am I even writing this?

Oh, right. They let us in for free. Got thoroughly doused with wet, cold, red, gelatin-fortified fake blood – right in the face, torso, and thoroughly in the crotch – at no charge.

However, if you are reading this, wishing to enjoy the same macabre shower, and you don’t have a ticket to Cryptid Entertainment’s production of “Evil Dead: The Musical,” well, you are pretty much out of luck. Every seat in the IF Theatre’s Basile main stage is covered in gore sold out, every show, except – possibly – the added final performance at midnight on Halloween.

Let me reassure you, though, if you are bothered by wild horror-based humor, R-rated hijinks, nasty words, near-nudity, horny trees, and FUN, then you have (metaphorically) dodged the bullet (and for-real a lot of wet ickiness). Dakota Jones and company can provide you more wholesome entertainment next month.

Since you are likely to miss it, I could frankly write anything here: that Chris Ritchie as Ash truly commits to the role by actually cutting off his hand every night (they sew it back on; these people are professionals!) or that Kylie Schweikarth intensely studied the Mike Rowe “crawlspace” commercials to perfect her lurking in the basement, or that Payton Ullman keeps an exorcist on speed-dial, or that Jess Hackenberg is so method that she took three and a half semesters of the Lost Enochian language to better evoke the Necronomicon, or that Suraj Choudhary managed to memorize the line “stupid b*tch” in Guiness World Record Time (look it up), or even that Tony Schaab’s passionate portrayal of the Moose was so moving the audience could not stay in their seats. And Jonathan Young’s Jake was indeed reliable, we just can’t publicly say at what.

Oh, but you do have a ticket and was just wondering what to expect? If I told you it was awful, would you give up your seats, because I’ve got these friends, and…

All, right, I’ll admit it. It was awesome.

Like “The Rocky Horror Show,” it’s a fully immersive theatre experience – but instead of the audience messing with the actors, the cast and crew mess with you! And it does get messy, reaching well into the seating. Don’t wear anything too delicate. The musical takes on the plots of “Evil Dead” and “Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn” with lots of nods to “Army of Darkness,” featuring Ritchie at his most Bruce Campbell-est and the others all camping it up, including songs and a zombie dance number. Unfamiliar with the films? It’s not a hard plot to follow.

And that Moose – give him the Tony!  

Find out more at indyfringe.org or the Cryptid Entertainment page on Facebook.

Mysterious forces at work in ‘Oak’ at Phoenix Theatre

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By John Lyle Belden

During the new Terry Guest drama “Oak” at the Phoenix Theatre Cultural Center, you could ask, what’s happening? The simple answer is that children and teenagers routinely disappear near Odella Creek, deep in rural Georgia, and have for generations. The query then follows: How? And why?

To learn the legend, we meet local youngsters Pickle (Jadah Rowan), her little brother Big Man (Joshua Short), and their cousin Suga (Tracy Nakigozi). They each know a version of the two-century-old story of Odella, a slave girl who, not long after giving birth, found an opportunity to escape – alone. It was believed that she drowned in the creek that now bears her name, near the old oak.

The implied question becomes, is this a simple horror story of a disturbed ghost, a vengeful spirit preying on children? Or is this something different – a cryptid, wild animals, or even a human predator? However, the question that we hear, announced over public address systems, is “Do you know where your children are?”

Pickle and Big Man get home after the 7 p.m. curfew, which only adds to the annoyance of their mother, Peaches (Psywrn Simone), who prepares for her shift at Krystal (a Southern burger chain similar to White Castle). The kids must stay at home after dark, at least until “snatching season” ends in July. On the radio, an urgent report states that this time, a white girl has disappeared.

Meanwhile, on the way to her house, Suga sees the glowing red eyes.

This chilling piece of Southern Gothic horror is a National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere. At each stop (this being the second between theatres in Florida and New York), the production takes on a different approach. For the Phoenix, Guest is joined by director Mikael Burke, who also worked on his “Magnolia Ballet” in 2022.

Conjuring the proper spooky atmosphere in a live performance is challenging, so the crew’s contributions are especially vital. The simple yet effective set design by Robert Koharchik, aided by lighting by Laura E. Glover and soundscape by Brian Grimm, put the action “in the round” with seating surrounding the floor of the black-box Basile stage. Aided by fog effects, well-played paranoia, and those “eyes,” the sense is not that we are surrounding the actors but that the setting has surrounded us with them.

Within this story is a memory best told as a fairy tale, “The Princess and the Wolf,” with excellent puppets by props artisan Kristin Renee Boyd.

Suspense grows, tempered with nervous humor – especially in the kids’ encounter with Simone as First Lady Temple, the shotgun-wielding old woman said to be the only survivor of whatever truly happens at Odella Creek.

Rowan, Short, and Nakigozi have not only the youthful look, but also deliver the right touch of childhood wonder, fear, and risk-taking appropriate to their young characters. Even at 16, Pickle still feels that childlike urge to believe what adults say is impossible – how else does she explain this world? With similar hopeful naivete, she and Suga feel that they will be safer if they move away to a big city.

Subtext is dense here, hanging thick as the moss around the stage or the Southern humidity you swear you can feel. The Black experience today and the burden of history are reflected in the horrors of Odella’s experience, the media’s different attitude towards a routine tragedy when inflicted on a white child, and an aspect of Paradise being where the taxis always stop for you. A reference to the Atlanta Ripper of the 1920s (an actual unsolved case) shows the history of public indifference when girls with dark skin vanish. The perils of escape – however it’s defined – are a constant motif.

We will get few answers here, and those received may haunt as much as those left unknown. Dare to find out what waits at the “Oak,” with performances through June 8 at 705 N. Illinois St., downtown Indianapolis. Get info and tickets at phoenixtheatre.org.

‘Dracula’ stalks Garfield Park

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By John Lyle Belden

Garfield Shakespeare Company is taking on a couple of classics outside the Bard’s folios, including the 1920’s adaptation of “Dracula,” by Hamilton Deane (who was authorized by the Bram Stoker estate) and John L. Balderston.

The play makes some small changes from the novel and sets the story in the ‘20s so that Count Dracula arrives in England overnight by airplane rather than in the hold of a cursed ship. Otherwise, things look eerily familiar.

We open with the events of Stoker’s story already in progress. Mina died in recent weeks of a strange sort of anemia, and now Lucy Seward (Kyarah Love) is weakening from a similar condition. Her father, Dr. Seward (Banjamin Mathis), is perplexed and worried – and further stressed by the rantings of Renfield (Derrick Krober) a troublesome patient in his sanitorium.  Lucy’s fiancé, Joan Harker (Tess Smith), shares Seward’s concern and both have given their blood in transfusions to help sustain her. A new neighbor from eastern Europe, the nobleman Count Dracula (Christopher O’Hara) has also taken an interest.

At Dr. Seward’s request, his friend, the well-travelled scientist Abraham Van Helsing (Aaron Collins) arrives to investigate the cause of Lucy’s malady. We can tell he has an idea of the answer but must ascertain all the facts and ensure that all are ready to accept what he must reveal. Also on hand are the dutiful maid, Miss Wells (Sydney Engelstein), as well as the orderly Butterworth (Jake Hobbs), who has his hands full keeping Renfield in his locked room. Cuthbert, the plush mouse, plays himself.

GSC member Cheri Walker-Owens makes her directorial debut. Cheyenne Henson is stage manager, whose crew includes two – Miranda Khoury and costume designer Ella King – who become thralls of the vampire. Also vital to this production are fight director Chris Burton and especially intimacy director AJ Stannard, considering all the “necking” going on.

The well-paced story acknowledges that the audience already knows what is going on, with the characters steadily figuring it out with only about a scene’s worth of necessary disbelief once Van Helsing reveals the facts. The growing dread as Dracula stays steps ahead of his pursuers is amplified by the genius casting of O’Hara, whose tall frame, cinema-perfect look, suave manner, and mesmerizing baritone voice had us wondering if the Count himself had auditioned.

The gender swap of Joan (for Jon) Harker is barely noticeable as Smith is fierce, her character’s devotion being both shield and weapon against the unnatural foe. For his part, Collins gives an action-hero air to Van Helsing, constantly inspiring the others. Love only plays Lucy passive at first, giving her more range of feeling and a sense of internal struggle as the stakes become clear.

You likely know the story, but it’s something else to see it performed right in front of you, on a fairly small stage level with the seating on three sides. And you can’t beat the price – free! – but contact gscindy.org to reserve your seat. Performances are Thursday, Friday, and Sunday, April 24-25 & 27, at the Garfield Park Arts Center, 432 Conservatory Drive, Indianapolis.

‘Misery’ still thrills at BCP

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By John Lyle Belden

In the years since Stephen King published his thriller “Misery” in 1987, there have been countless real-world stories of deranged fans stalking and even killing their celebrity obsessions. Yet this story is the most chilling, thanks in part to the William Goldman film adaptation, directed by Robert Reiner and released in 1990, starring James Caan and Kathy Bates (winning her an Oscar).

Goldman also adapted “Misery” for the stage, which Buck Creek Players now brings to life. Popular author Paul Sheldon (Mark Meyer) awakens severely injured in a remote house in the Colorado Rockies. The home belongs to Annie Wilkes (Lisa Banning), a nurse who rescued Sheldon from an auto wreck during a blizzard – and happens to be Paul’s “Number One Fan.”

Annie is obsessed with Paul’s novels about Victorian heroine Misery Chastain, and while caring for Paul reads his new non-Misery manuscript (which she hates), then makes her way into town to get the latest copy of his just-released “Misery’s Child.” She gushes over this new story, until she reaches the final chapter. Misery is dead?! Seeing this happen to her favorite character – her hero, practically a friend in her mind – enrages her beyond disbelief. Paul must write, and right this wrong!

As in the book and movie, this is an engrossing battle of wits. Paul, in a slowly-healing body, through his fog of pain, desperately seeks a way out of his entrapment. Meanwhile, Annie’s madness grows while sharpening her realization that there is only one way her and Paul’s story can end.

Aaron Beal completes the cast as Sheriff Buster, whose suspicions of what’s happening at Annie’s house grow with every visit.

Banning convincingly portrays Annie’s obsessive nature – at first fawning over Paul, later driving her to treat him like a misbehaving pet, at all times a little unbalanced – as well as her strict moral sense, with a sort of charming (at first) sense of eccentricity. It evokes in the best way the chilling transformation of Bates in the film.

Meyer tackles the role of Paul as a fairly nice regular guy who happens to have an exceptional talent for which he hides away in a mountain lodge to bang out a novel. This disruption to his routine has him forcing Paul to plot events in real life, which proves to be a lot harder than typing them to the page. His moments of pain are quite convincing – here’s hoping he wasn’t too “method.”

Jeremy Tuterow directs, and Susanne Bush designed an excellent stage set featuring Paul’s room isolated away from the more welcoming kitchen, with sight-lines that draw us in to Annie’s tightly controlled world.

Three performances remain of “Misery,” Friday through Sunday, April 4-6, at the BCP Playhouse, 11150 Southeastern Ave., Indianapolis (Acton Road exit off I-74). Get info and tickets at buckcreekplayers.com.

Hyperion haunts local stage with popular British thriller

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By John Lyle Belden

It’s extremely difficult to do horror on stage.

To be more precise, it is very hard to do frightening on stage. Horror in a broader sense abounds in theatres, especially at this time of year. We get literature and social commentary with a bit of chill with Frankenstein, or we indulge in campy jump-scares with horror-comedies and musicals. We even get normalized ghoul-next-door with a show about witches or the Addams Family.

But spookiness that kinda gets to you, or has the easy-to-scare friend in the next seat gasp or nearly jump out of their chair? That’s hard. That’s “The Woman in Black,” presented by Hyperion Players.

Based on the 1983 novel (set early in the 20th century) by Susan Hill, this gothic story was adapted by Stephen Mallatratt into the second longest-running play on London’s West End. It is directed here by local actor and director Liz Carrier.

On a rehearsal stage with a scattering of set pieces, we meet David Johnson and Nicholas Gibbs as Arthur Kipps, solicitor, and Actor, a trained thespian. Disturbed by memories raised during a traditional British Christmas telling of ghost stories, the former has written his story out and asks the latter to help him in presenting it to close family and friends. During the course of this play, both will be Actors and, depending on the scene, either will be Kipps. It’s not hard to follow, though – this isn’t the scary aspect.

From our vantage as the shadows of this empty hall, we see the tale unfold of young Kipps being called from foggy London to the foggy village of Crythin Gifford to attend to the estate of recently deceased Mrs. Drablow, especially her Eel Marsh House manor among the marshlands by the North Sea. Things start out eerie enough, including encounters with certain townsfolk, but get worse with sightings of the titular Woman, mysterious noises, and a growing number of disturbances.

The acting, both overall and play-within-the-play, is excellent. Johnson nimbly switches from one character to another in tone, accent, and expressions. Gibbs shows practiced confidence in engaging the Kipps script and an earnest manner in portraying the junior solicitor. With their aid, Carrier arranges the proper dark atmosphere for this story, making vital the contributions of sound designer Zach Catlin, Adam Fike for the lighting, and hair and makeup artist Bella Lazarides. With all the fog, shadow and sound effects, we can imagine we see the horses, the friendly dog, and even…

Please note the cast list is just two persons.

Spend some time in the dark with an unsettled – and a trifle unsettling – spirit; experience the mystery of “The Woman in Black,” performances Thursday (yes, Halloween!), Friday and Saturday at The Switch Theatre in Ji-Eun Lee Music Academy, 10029 126th St., Fishers. Get info and tickets at HyperionPlayers.com.

‘Carrie’ even more mind-bending in Drag

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By John Lyle Belden

(Note: Out of respect for the art form and its performers, they are identified by their Drag names as given in the show program.)

Surviving high school is such a drag, right?!

So, it stands to reason that Indy Drag Theatre would take on the hottest Prom ever shown on stage or screen in “Carrie: A Drag Parody Musical.” The drag-world embrace of outsiders and making what could be considered trashy fabulous while leaning into its campiness help make this show the perfect medium for genderfluid expression.

As director Ciara Myst pointed out on opening night, the original Stephen King novel boldly took on topics such as abuse and bullying. In addition, the musical itself had a rocky path from being one of Broadway’s biggest flops in 1988 to a cult classic with a notable revival (after some necessary rewrites by creators Lawrence D. Cohen, Dean Pitchford and Michael Gore) in 2012. The Indy Drag Theatre performs flawless lip-synch to audio from both a stage musical performance and the hit 1976 Brian de Palma film. Dottie B. Minerva is assistant director; costumes are by Kalinda, with makeup by Ms. Myst, and wigs from Hair By Blair. Choreography is by April Rosè.

Our fabulous cast ironically plays it straight in reproducing the stage experience, imbuing the scenes with appropriate drama and suspense. St. Pussifer shines as misunderstood, mistreated Carrie White, with Vera Vanderwoude St. Clair chillingly playing her strict and insanely devout mother Margaret. AJ Thoma is solid as good-natured Sue Snell, while Eli Rose is the noble Tommy Ross. Brentlee Bich is furiously bitchy as vengeance-minded Chris (the girl behind the infamous blood-bucket prank). Skarlett Rose also does well as tragic gym teacher Miss Gardner.

Other performers include Cadence, Axel Rosie, Ce Ce Santos, Abigail Brown, Desiree Bouvier, Jose Dos Santos, William Moser, Jack Offerman, and Elle Rulon.

If you are a fan of drag, the original book or film, or high-heeled spectacles like “Rocky Horror,” you simply must see this edition of “Carrie” – when it finally makes its way back to Indy’s District Theater. Due to its proximity to the Fringe festival, there was only one scheduled weekend of performances. When an unspecified emergency forced a cancellation on Sunday, it was announced that Indy Drag Theatre would try to bring the show back at a later date.

In the meantime, make plans for their next scheduled show, “Shrek,” Nov. 15-24. Get details at indydragtheatre.com.

FTC presents genuinely haunting tale

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By John Lyle Belden

And now, a dark comedy in which characters are often plunged into darkness.

“A Skeptic and a Bruja,” the play by Rosa Fernandez presented by Fonseca Theatre Company, is also the title of a paranormal podcast by three women of color: Jess (Arëe Lyn) is the Bruja (Spanish for “witch,” that in this case references a particular spiritual practice); Sam (Cara Wilson) is the skeptic, compulsively seeking a logical explanation for anything that happens; and Remy (Yolanda Valdivia) handles all the tech, making audio and video recordings of the other two as well as setting up a/v equipment to detect and record anything weird.

They have come to investigate an old house being converted into a bed-and-breakfast by professional chef Pricilla (Chandra Lynch). Before the podcasters arrive, we already hear the thumps and see a door open itself. But, of course, all is quiet when the investigators arrive. Sam openly wonders if this will be worth their time, while Jess sees it as at worst a free stay at a quaint B&B with gourmet meals. They are fascinated by the upstairs room full of creepy dolls, though.

Soon enough, the entities in the house make themselves known, taking advantage of the fears and regrets each of the women were already afraid to confront, especially for Remy, who just recently lost her mother.

Directed by FTC Producing Director Jordan Flores Schwartz, the play effectively grows tension from laughs to chills as circumstances grow more serious. Well-executed startling effects are employed, including sounds, visuals, and falling objects, aided by the work of light and sound designer Ben Dobler.

Our foursome play these scenes with zero camp. Lynch has Pricilla already inclined to think she’s haunted by her partner who died of cancer a year earlier. Wilson expresses Sam dealing with her mask of rationality rapidly fraying. Lyn gives Jess the centered calm of a woman who has seen ghostly entities her entire life, only growing concerned when her guardian spirit makes an abrupt exit. Valdivia takes on the complexity of Remy’s being the target of the house’s unseen residents, coupled with reconciling the fraught relationship she had with her Mom.

You could look at this as a cool telling of a ghost tale somewhere between “Scooby-doo” and “The Conjuring” films, or, as an unconventional story of women finding their inner strength to deal with the regular-world grief that haunts them (and eventually, all of us). I think it’s both. Regardless, this haunted house is worth a visit.

“A Skeptic and a Brujah” plays through July 28 at 2508 W. Michigan St., Indianapolis. For info and tickets, visit fonsecatheatre.org.