Indiana Repertory Theatre

IRT’s unique and traditional ‘Carol’

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By John Lyle Belden

After a recent performance, the cast of “A Christmas Carol” at the Indiana Repertory Theatre was asked, what percentage of their script was the words of original author Charles Dickens?

While it’s difficult to get a precise number, IRT regular Rob Johansen – who returns to again play Ebenezer Scrooge – is certain it is over 90 percent. The rest came from the hands of past artistic director Tom Haas, he said, “a great writer.” A copy of the Dickens novella, which Haas filled with margin notes and line markings as he adapted it in the 1980s, was recently rediscovered and is on public display at the theatre.

To this process, add director Cara Hinh, who finds a fresh approach with emphasis on scenes that are not always played. I sensed, especially in the first half of the show, a little more humor; however, the spooky and tragic aspects get their moments as well. The familiar story is intact, but note the details. “Know them better,” as it were.

The style of this Indy holiday tradition is the same: A full cast, playing various characters, narrate as they perform their roles, working on a spare stage covered in drifts of “snow” with a few necessary props and setpieces, such as the old metal frame that serves as the office of Scrooge & Marley. Hinh’s staging again makes liberal use of the trap doors, with the elevator-style entrance in the center presenting the Cratchit table. Others are used to great effect, especially in the Ghost of Marley’s visit, and in the final tombstone reveal.

Apparently, according to a post-show discussion, the concept of the production is that an old theatre has lost its roof, leading to the snowy nearly-bare abandoned stage, upon which Spirits of Theatre and/or the Holiday walk the boards to tell once again this Victorian classic. This is reflected in the audience seeing, in shadow, the actual back wall of the old Indiana Theatre, with its nearly forgotten pillars.  

Hernàn Angulo makes a splendid IRT debut as poor Bob Cratchit. We also welcome stage and screen actor Cleo Berry as a Ghost of Christmas Present who is both boisterous and no-nonsense. Natasia Reinhardt returns as Christmas Past, really working the Jack-Frost costume by Linda Pisano. Ryan Artzberger reprises Marley’s Ghost, as well as ol’ Fezziwig. Kenneth La’Ron Hamilton is again Nephew Fred and Young Scrooge – the former irrepressibly cheerful, the latter with his goodwill steadily eroding. Other ensemble members are Jennifer Johansen, Alyssa Naka Silver, Kayla Carter, Kerah Jackson or Vivian Morton as Betsy Cratchit, and Sofia Perlaza or Cate Thomas as Tiny Tim (we saw Jackson and Perlaza).

Whether as a returning tradition or for the first time experiencing this exceptional rendition of a holiday favorite, see Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” through Dec. 24 at the IRT, 140 W. Washington St., in the heart of downtown Indianapolis. Get tickets and info at irtlive.com.

‘Strange Things Happening’ at IRT

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By John Lyle Belden

I first encountered Sister Rosetta Tharpe the way I’m sure a lot of people these days have – on the Internet.

Several years ago, among the must-see viral videos, there was black and white footage of a black woman dressed for church, but playing a Gibson electric guitar with wild rocking riffs, in the 1940s. Her musicianship and dedication to bringing life to gospel music and spirit to pop left an incredible legacy. While it can be said that without Sister Rosetta, there may not have been a Tina Turner or Beyoncè, that can also be extended to Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Jimi Hendrix, Meat Loaf, and Prince – to name but a few. While she had no children of her own, she provided the mitochondrial DNA of Rock ‘n’ Roll.

Now you can see her on the Janet Allen Stage in the upper floors of the Indiana Repertory Theatre, in “Marie and Rosetta.”

Directed by Christina Angeles, who admitted she had to do some “intense Googling” to get to know Tharpe’s music and life story, we find where “This Train” of life has led Rosetta (Cherish Love). In a funeral home in Mississippi, undisturbed and with a handy piano, this will be her rehearsal space before heading to whatever barn or warehouse local Black folks feel safe to gather in to hear her perform. Her meal will be whatever the local church provides. As for her bed, “I’m kind of a casket girl, myself,” she jokes.

Fortunately, her bus driver is white, a big asset in the Jim Crow South.

With her is her new co-star, Marie Knight (Jaela Cheeks-Lomax). Marie had been a backup singer for gospel superstar Mahalia Jackson but upon seeing her talent, Rosetta immediately signed her for her own tour. As the rehearsal gets under way, Marie comes to understand that this isn’t a back-up gig. Sister Rosetta considers them equals, not just as God’s children, but as musicians and singers, with Marie’s piano proficiency complementing Rosetta’s guitar, and their voices sharing in duets, call-and-response and harmony. With affection and often-tested patience, Rosetta gets Marie to loosen up and accept that God doesn’t mind humor, or even a spirited boogie-woogie beat.

Throughout this performance, we see Rosetta with her flat-top and electric guitars and Marie at the keyboard treating us to a dozen hits including “Rock Me,” “Tall Skinny Papa,” and “Strange Things Happening Every Day.” As these women get to know each other, we get their stories as well, gently educating us on a life it feels like we should have already known.

Love embodies Sister Rosetta with a sense of genuine Christian love coupled with the strength of a woman who knows herself well and sees where she believes The Lord wants her to go. Cheeks-Lomax gives us a Marie who is endearing but still unsure of herself, having been consigned to a backup role prior to this moment. We see her emerging into the star she will become (both in this tour and as a solo gospel performer in coming years).  This is one of those shows that when I look back on it, I have to remind myself these are actors, speaking from a script by George Brant.

Though Sister Rosetta Tharpe now resides in Heaven, it seems I have encountered her spirit again. See and hear “Marie and Rosetta” through Nov. 23 at the IRT, 140 W. Washington St. in the heart of downtown Indianapolis. Get info and tickets at irtlive.com.

IRT takes hilarious ‘Steps’

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By John Lyle Belden

Alfred Hitchcock was not known as the Master of Comedy, though he did appreciate dark humor. Since he’s not with us anymore, it is now up to you to see the hilarious adaptation of Hitch’s “The 39 Steps,” now on stage at Indiana Repertory Theatre.

A UK hit by Patrick Barlow from a concept by Simon Corble and Nobby Dimon, based on the Hitchcock film based on the novel by John Buchan, IRT artistic director Benjamin Hanna brings the story to life with its cast of four. Jürgen Hooper plays our central character, Richard Hannay; Tyler Meredith portrays women important to the plot; and all other roles fall to a couple of clowns – seriously, they are billed as Clown 1 and Clown 2 – exuberantly played by Ema Zivkovic and Michael Stewart Allen.

Hannay is an ordinary man living in 1930s London, feeling bored and unsatisfied with life. Fate is certainly about to fix that! During a theatre show featuring the feats of Mister Memory, a mysterious woman with a German accent sits next to Hannay, fires a pistol, and insists on going home with him. The next day, Hannay is on a train for Scotland, evading the police as he is wanted for murder, knowing just enough about a plot of international espionage to get him in even deeper trouble.

The above plot is Hitchcock’s contribution (from Buchan’s book), the rest is non-stop silliness inspired by English theatre traditions (like commedia del arte meets Monty Python) with various props in trunks, the trunks themselves, doors and windows and such on movable frames – plus inventive uses for a ladder – to enact the movie in the most funny way possible. Along the way, look for references to some of Hitch’s other thrillers.

Hooper and Meredith both charm, excellently handling the elements of both romantic mystery and farce. Zivkovic and Allen’s antics, as well as their turns as key characters, are sharply done.

Not wishing anyone ill, but notable local talents Frankie Bolda and Jay Hemphill are the understudies, and we’re sure they are well up to the task.

The Hitchcockian hilarity of “The 39 Steps” runs through Oct. 12 at 140 W. Washington St., in the heart of downtown Indianapolis. Get info and tickets at irtlive.com.

‘Wrong’ goes right at the IRT

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By John Lyle Belden

One of the great ironic tricks of theatre is that it takes true professionals to portray clumsy amateurs in a way that delivers side-splitting comedy. This we get from Indiana Repertory Theatre with “The Play That Goes Wrong.”

This was a U.K. and Broadway hit by Henry Lewis, Henry Shields, and Jonathan Sayer, who apparently spend their time in London making other stage genres and classic stories “go wrong.” The script invokes the spirit of Murphy’s Law, in that practically every prop will break or fail and every conceivable mistake can and will be made – combined with a determined “the show must go on” attitude.

This appears to be the Indianapolis premiere, though there were productions last year in Bloomington and Carmel (we reviewed those as well, in case this looks familiar).

To ensure that everything goes perfectly catastrophic, the IRT Margot Lacy Eccles Artistic Director, Benjamin Hanna, directs. The cast includes a couple of the players from last autumn’s “Spelling Bee,” Brent Mutter and Dominque Lawson, and two local masters of physical comedy, Rob Johansen and Claire Wilcher.

The play takes place in England at the Cornley Drama Society’s opening night of “The Murder at Haversham Manor.” The whodunit’s director (Eric Sharp), who also plays the detective, is grateful to finally get a production under way with a full cast, once the technical director Trevor (Ryan Hallahan) and stage manager Annie (China Brickey) are set. The mystery starts from opening curtain with the victim Charles (Johansen) lying on a chaise at center stage. Entering, despite a stuck door, are his best friend Thomas (Mutter), his brother Cecil (Lawson), fiancé Florence (Sarah Coakley Price), and the butler Perkins (Wilcher). Was this murder? Detective Carter arrives to determine it was, and everyone is a suspect.

Of course, this Agatha Christie-style story is constantly upstaged by things falling and failing all over the place, nothing where it’s supposed to be, and cleaning fluid in place of the stage-whiskey. Add to this some superb bad acting, such as Lawson’s comically broad gestures resembling bad attempts at sign language, or Wilcher’s need to have key words written on her hand – and always mispronounced.

Things get even more bizarre when Florence is accidentally knocked out and Annie, script in hand, must immediately take her place, going about as well as you’d expect. Eventually, Price and Brickey are two concussed, dueling Florences fighting for the spotlight.

Throughout, this is a masterpiece of mayhem. The non-stop hilarity surpasses even favorite farces like “Noises Off,” with chaos comparable to Monty Python or The Marx Brothers at their manic best.

Credit goes to Christopher and Justin Swader for the hilariously hazardous stage design.

“The Play That Goes Wrong” runs through May 11 on the mainstage at IRT, 140 W. Washington St., in the heart of downtown Indianapolis. Get info and tickets at irtlive.com.

Beautiful, fragile ‘Glass’ on IRT stage

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By Wendy Carson

Memory is a funny thing. It can make things seem much better, or worse, than they were without you even knowing. This discrepancy is fully acknowledged by our narrator, Tom Wingfield (played by Felipe Carrasco), in Tennessee Williams’ “The Glass Menagerie” at the Indiana Repertory Theatre.

This 1944 drama is the first theatrical instance of what is now known as a “memory play”. (A current example of the style would be the sitcom, “How I Met Your Mother.”) The point of view is how Tom (based to a degree on Williams himself) remembers these events. He gives us a glimpse of his home life in St. Louis with his overbearing mother Amanda (Julie Fishell) and slightly older sister Laura (Delaney Feener).

Tom is a dreamer who wishes to write poetry but dutifully slaves away at a shoe warehouse to support his family. Laura has been in ill health since her childhood; she also suffers from crushing anxiety, making it almost impossible for her to leave the house for any reason, let alone make friends. Amanda rightly worries about her daughter’s future as she notices Tom’s desire to experience adventures beyond what he sees at the movies every night.

Trying to inspire Laura, her mother drones on about her heyday as a debutante in Mississippi, fighting off the troves of “Gentleman Callers” with a stick. As things reach a boiling point, Amanda forces Tom to bring home a coworker to be a Gentleman Caller for Laura.

Enter Jim O’Connor (Sam Bell-Gurwitz), a former schoolmate who was destined for great things but fell far short. He shows ambition as he seeks to regain his “destiny.”

Director James Still does a beautiful job of making the tale resonate with the audience. While in true Tennessee Williams style, the story ends dismally, it also contains one of the most positive and beautiful scenes he has ever written, and Still keeps the dichotomy perfectly balanced.

Carrasco gives us an engaging narrator, despite his own warning of being unreliable. His Tom becomes wrapped up in the story with us, while his own personal agenda is overshadowed by a fateful evening’s events.

Feener brings to her essential role of Laura a sad sweetness with a degree of resignation to her life with her collection of delicate glass animals. She has a faint hope so impossible that it overwhelms her when it comes to her door, and will test her soul in the coming hour. Feener also has a visible difference that helps emphasize Laura’s feelings of separation from regular society.

Fishell gives Amanda a sort of bluster that thinly hides the fear that things will not work out the way she wishes. Bell-Gurwitz is loud in a more confident manner, yet his Gentleman Caller has experienced enough to yield some good advice.

See the fragile beauty that brought Tennessee Williams to Broadway on the intimate Janet Allen Upperstage of the IRT, 140 W. Washington St., in the heart of downtown Indianapolis, through April 6. Get tickets and info at irtlive.com.

Fans of ‘King James’ seek their own success

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By John Lyle Belden

No matter how emotionally aware men get, how comfortable with our feelings, it’s always easiest to bond over things like sports. And when it’s at some of the biggest moments for your city’s team, that can help make what could be a lasting friendship.

That’s a too-simple summation of “King James,” a two-man buddy comedy by Rajiv Joseph on the Janet Allen (upper) Stage at Indiana Repertory Theatre. The setting is Cleveland; the era runs from 2004, as northeast Ohio-native Lebron James shows great promise with the Cavaliers, to 2016, when that promise is fulfilled.

But for us that man is just an image on an unseen screen. Our focus is on two lifelong Cavaliers fans: Matt (Quinn M. Johnson), a man who grew up seated by his father at nearly every home game; and Shawn (Enoch King), who could only follow on radio and TV, promising his adult self to be in the arena when the long-elusive NBA title finally came. In James’ rookie season, the two are at a crossroads. Matt’s father can no longer attend the games and he – a struggling entrepreneur – needs money, so he puts their Cavs season tickets up for sale. Shawn is eager to buy, having made some money selling his writing, but not for what Matt’s asking. In the course of negotiations, the two end up striking a deal that becomes a friendship.

However, 2010 comes, and with it “The Decision,” an ESPN program during which James announces he’s “taking his talents” to Miami. Needless to say, Matt and Shawn don’t take this well, but the star player isn’t the only one with an important life and career decision.

We also look in on these men in 2014, when James returns to Cleveland, and finally when the Cavaliers win it all. The deep jump-shot arc of a story runs from Matt’s struggling wine bar to his family’s upholstery and knick-knack shop, as his and Shawn’s fortunes rise and fall.

“That’s what’s wrong with America,” Matt declares at anything he doesn’t like. But his is a very American story of seeking to prosper in a Midwest city full of opportunity and uncertainty. Johnson plays him with a cocky confident façade, a fairly noble person beneath, and a lot of nervous energy in between. King, in a style reminiscent of a young Cedric the Entertainer, makes Shawn good humored and easygoing while maintaining a quiet integrity.

Jamil Jude, notable for work across the country, is director. Czerton Lim created an imaginative set with much of it changing between the first and second acts. Miriam Hyfler is stage manager.

Another star of the show is Armand, the taxidermy armadillo, on loan from Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre where he was in the play’s 2022 world premiere.

Not just a play about basketball, “King James” is about fans whose ability to love a game gives them a means to feel for each other. Performances run through Feb. 9 at 140 W. Washington St., downtown Indianapolis. Tickets and info at irtlive.com.

IRT’s ‘Carol’ familiar and fresh

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By John Lyle Belden

On the evening I write this, yesterday I saw a wonderful matinee performance of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” at Indiana Repertory Theatre.

Earlier today, during a haircut, I told the barber about yesterday’s show. She fondly remembered seeing it years ago as a little girl. After telling her of all the unique features of the IRT production, she said she would look into seeing it this year with some friends. If you, too, haven’t seen it in a while (or at all) perhaps we can persuade you to consider this Indianapolis holiday tradition as well.

Don’t misunderstand; in being a little different, this play is not a parody, or a twist on the story like the movie, “Scrooged.” The Dickens book was adapted decades ago by past IRT artistic director Tom Haas and has been presented annually since the mid-1990s. Its style allows various actors to slip into alternate roles throughout the narrative, which they tell as well as perform, maintaining both the classic language and a good story flow. Only one actor stays the same throughout – as Ebenezer Scrooge – in the well-practiced grasping hands of Rob Johansen. He has played the old miser for a few years now, since switching with Ryan Artzberger, who mainly portrays Jacob Marley’s ghost (“Marley was dead” is vital to the plot, you know) and poor, good-natured Bob Cratchit.

Our spirited Ghosts of Christmas Past and Present are entertainingly presented by Natasia Reinhardt and Sean Blake, respectively. Kenneth L’Ron Hamilton is impressive as both Nephew Fred and Young Scrooge. Talented tykes Henry Kirk or Juniper O’Meara (depending on performance) touch our hearts as Tiny Tim and Child Scrooge. The ensemble also include Kayla Carter, Weezie Chavers, Jennifer Johansen, Sami Ma, and Belle Renee Moore.

Veteran director Cara Hinh makes her IRT debut helming this production. Little changes in staging are noticeable, including clever use of the trapdoors and elevators. This especially adds to the tension of Marley’s visit. But while there are spooky moments, there is far more good-natured humor running through much of the play. The cast visibly enjoy sharing this story with you.

A continued tip of the Victorian top hat to set designer Russell Metheny, whose contributions and annual tweaks are subtle but interesting on a nearly-bare stage covered to overflowing with drifts of the IRT’s artificial snow.  Kudos also to lighting designers Michael Lincoln, Bentley Heydt and Molly Tiede for their atmospheric contributions. Costumes, including a beautifully fresh look for Christmas Past, are by Linda Pisano.

Unique yet familiar, treat yourself to the tradition of IRT’s “A Christmas Carol,” playing through Christmas Eve on the mainstage at 140 W. Washington St., in the bustling heart of downtown Indianapolis. Info and tickets at irtlive.com.

‘Tales’ part of DK’s continuing story

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By Wendy Carson

Last week, I had the privilege of attending a preview performance of the latest Dance Kaleidoscope show, “Late Night Tales,” at the Indiana Repertory Theatre. I decided to go into it without having any idea about what I would see and was delighted by the result.

As I didn’t have a copy of the program at the time, I was not able to read about the ideas behind each of the four sections, so I give you my insights and interpretations as to what I personally experienced. Overall, my impression was that the show took us through several decades of dance styles and history.

The initial piece, hiFi (choreographed by Sean Aaron Carmon), was lively and very jive inspired. It included several fun songs and some classic crooners from Perry Como. This felt like a beautiful tribute to life in the late 1940s, incorporating ballet and touches of modern dance as well.

Dance number two, Rhapsody in Blue (choreographed by David Hochoy), whisked us from the streets of New York City to the ‘50s glamor of Hollywood. It included a spectacular homage to Ginger Rodgers and Fred Astaire, along with choreography indicative of several hit shows of the period.

The third number, Peak/Valley (choreographed by Janice Rosario), brought us to the ‘60s and the strong influences of Martha Graham on the dance styles of this time. The movement evoked images of tribal celebrations, African wildlife, and personal interactions. Being much more stylized, it felt more in tune to the modern dance styles one would expect from the company.

The final number, “Late Night Tales (choreographed by Joshua Blake Carter), brings forth the title of the show and some of its inspiration. With clips of an interview with David Bowie interspersed, we are plunged into the gritty underground rock movement of the ‘70s. The latter half of this offering felt like a tribute to futuristic sci-fi stylings (think Metropolis) and provided an amazing showcase to highlight each dancer’s physical prowess and abilities.

In all, the show was delightful and appeals to all ages, hopefully inspiring some familial stories for our generations to share. Unfortunately, it only had one weekend of performances, but DK has more wonderful dances planned in the coming months: “Nothing is Forever, Darling,” featuring the music of Rufus Wainwright, in January at Schrott Center for the Arts; and world premieres “Emerge” and “Under the Covers,” March and May, respectively, at Newfields. Visit dancekal.org for details.

I would also like to mention that with it being a preview, I was privy to watching the cast go through their individual warm-ups prior to the show. That was a wonderful performance all its own. If you ever have the chance to experience it yourself, I strongly suggest you do.

IRT does A-OK with the B-E-E

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By John Lyle Belden

Funny how so much of your life seems to hinge on what happens in your middle-school years. Funny enough, in fact, that it’s good to laugh – with, not at – the struggles of the kids caught up in “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” at Indiana Repertory Theatre.

Being the IRT, you can expect and experience a highly professional production, including the nicely constructed Gym setting (in a fictional “Putnam County, USA,” though the program notes there is such a county in Indiana, to the west of Indy) with a lively scoreboard that lights up to cleverly illustrate and comment on the goings-on below. A sharp cast of local and visiting actors give us characters we can all relate with or knew in our school days.

We meet Rona Lisa Peretti (Michelle Lauto), our upbeat emcee and past champion; assistant principal Doug Panch (Ryan Artzberger), who calls out the words and promises to behave this time; and Mitch Mahoney (R.J. Griffith), who is “comfort counselor” as part of his court-ordered community service.

The contestants are: Chip Tolentino (Matheus Barbee), noble Boy Scout and last year’s winner; Logaine Schwartzandgrubenniere (Devin Mathias), a budding activist with two very involved dads; Leaf Coneybear (Dominique Lawson), a homeschooled free spirit unsure of his own worth; William Barfeè (Brett Mutter), armed with confident bluster and his “magic foot;” Marcy Park (Ayana Strutz) an overachiever (six languages!) who was spelling champ at her previous school; Olive Ostrovsky (Ariana D. Burks), a shy girl with distant parents, her best friend is the Dictionary; and some spellers chosen from the audience (don’t worry, you have to apply to be selected).

This musical, by Rebecca Feldman with Rachel Sheinkin (book) and William Finn (music and lyrics), directed and choreographed for IRT by Patdro Harris, is lively, funny, and heartfelt. We get both the present challenge for these youths, the stress of the bee expressed in the song “Pandemonium,” as well as a look into their inner lives, as each gets at least a song of their own. Castmates step in to portray family members as needed. The humor comes from their situations, as well as great one-liners such as an interesting “fact” given about each contestant – including the selected audience members – and the replies to “please use the word in a sentence.”

The elements of improv keep the show fresh and unpredictable (these actors are up to the challenge), and even yielded some of the biggest laughs on opening night. If you are familiar with the show, you know who wins the contest – but the finalists’ performance lends sufficient tension to make the ending work. It is also uplifting to see most who don’t hoist the trophy each find victory in their own way.

It’s hard singling out individual performances, as this was such a great ensemble. Artzberger is such an IRT mainstay that it’s easy to overlook just how naturally he puts on every character he’s called on to play. Lauto isn’t local, but as Peretti has a natural chemistry as though she truly was this county’s top realtor and past spelling champ. Griffith gives the right balance of “street” and sweet called for in Mitch’s situation.

Mathias is familiar to local audiences, though not necessarily her earnest lisping inner child as Logaine. Lawson demonstrates wonderful versatility by leaving behind his turn as Seymour from “Little Shop” a few months ago to give us the charmingly naïve, yet brave, Leaf – reflecting many of us in the audience when blurting “is that even a word?” when given something obscure to spell – as well as an important moment as one of Logaine’s dads. Barbee also has some great moments (including one Chip would rather forget) and a good pitching arm with the snack tray. When done right, you just want to give Olive a big reassuring hug – and I think Burks had us all that smitten. Barfee is so many things – obnoxious, aggrieved, confident to a fault, needing to succeed to feel worthy, wanting to be appreciated, and on the edge of unsure – Mutter nails them all. As Marcy, Strutz was perfectly cast as she is not only wonderful in the role, but also capable of the dance and gymnastics that make her solo number really pop.

Kudos also to scenic design (mentioned above) by Britton Mauk, and music director Joshua Burniece. In the lobby balcony, there is a display that includes how costume designer Linda Pisano reflected the characters’ personalities in their outfits.

This show is at the IRT for just a short spell, through Oct. 13, at 140 W. Washington St. in the heart of Downtown Indianapolis. See irtlive.com for information and tickets.

‘Little Shop’ on IRT’s big stage

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By John Lyle Belden

The Indiana Repertory Theatre likes to have fun with its spring season closer, so, considering we just experienced “a total eclipse of the sun,” it is apropos that the IRT indulges in the popular musical, “Little Shop of Horrors.”

Originally a low-budget 1960 Roger Corman horror flick, “Little Shop” became an Off-Broadway hit with book and lyrics by Howard Ashman and music by Alan Menken in 1982 (before they went on to Disney) and returned to the big screen, directed by Frank Oz, in 1986. Odds are, you know the story: Clumsy Seymour and bubbly but abused Audrey work for Mushnik’s Skid Row Florist where the young man reveals he has found a strange and unusual plant. With its macabre diet, Audrey II has a hunger that grows and grows, just like its fame and the plant itself, until its horrible plot is revealed!

If you are unfamiliar with this, by all means see it; if you’ve only seen the movie, note there are a couple of different songs and a more tragic, yet still entertaining, ending. There are also a few stylistic touches we haven’t seen in previous stage productions.

Directed by IRT Margot Lacy Eccles Artistic Director Benjamin Hanna, this show gets first-class treatment with scenic design by Czerton Lim, costumes by Izumi Inaba, and plant puppets by Matthew McAvene Creations, manipulated by Rob Johansen, as well as a backstage band, conducted by Andrew Bougoin or Teneh B.C. Karimu (depending on performance).

We get the doo-wop harmonies of the chorus of Tiffany Theona Taylor, Jessy Jackson and Raquelle Viteri; Dominique Lawson as appropriately miquetoast yet vocally strong Seymour; Lucy Maria Godinez as charmingly naïve Audrey; and IRT regular Ryan Artzberger as that mensch Mushnik. Kyle Patrick nimbly rolls from role to role including bums, the “semi-sadist” dentist Orin, and various customers and press who can’t get enough of that mysterious plant. Speaking of which, when “It talks!” that’s the voice of Allen Sledge.

For those who seek more meaning in the madness, check out program materials which point out this show’s connection to traditional tales like “Faust,” which does help explain its enduring popularity, aside – of course – from the giant trash-talking man-eating plant on stage.

What more can we say? A show like this tends to sell itself, but you have to make that call or click to get the tickets. Performances run through May 19 on the mainstage at 140 W. Washington in the heart of downtown Indianapolis. See irtlive.com.