John

Join Belfry for novelist’s life-changing homecoming

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By John Lyle Belden

We often find wit and wisdom in tragic moments, and in “Joined at the Head,” playwright Catherine Butterfield looked into an event in her own life for inspiration.

In the current production, presented by The Belfry Theatre at The Cat in Carmel, directed by Larry Adams, a 30-something writer’s return to her old hometown finds her connecting with an old flame, but with an interesting twist.

Maggie Mulroney (Kat Krebs) has finally written a bestseller, a novel about a father-daughter relationship she says is inspired by hers with her own father, who died from cancer years ago. Her bookstore tour brings her to Newbridge, Mass., where she grew up. While there, Jim Burroughs (Kelly Keller), her steady boyfriend in high school, calls to invite her to his house to catch up, and to meet his wife.

Curious and nervous, she goes. His wife, coincidentally named Maggy (Dana Lesh), was a cheerleader in the next-younger class and a straight-arrow personality, so not in the social circle of misbehaving Jim and Maggie. Now, she is in a loving marriage to Jim – and struggling with advanced cancer. Though an understandably awkward meeting at first (one of many humorous moments), they find they share some personality traits as well as homonym names.

As Butterfield’s proxy, Maggie also acts as narrator, frequently stepping up to the fourth wall to elaborate on the scenes. To keep her story straight, Maggy occasionally – to Maggie’s chagrin – steps up and ensures the narrative stays on track.

In various roles are the ensemble of Lexi Gray (including a charming Bed & Breakfast proprietor), Sammie Maier (including an appearance as Maggie’s mother), Sydney Heller (including a hospital nurse), Ben Lagow (including Raymond Terwilliger of PBS station WGBH’s “Best of Boston”), Ethan Pierce, and Zach Buzan.

The story goes to numerous settings, so the simple scenic design by Scott Post (decoration by Claudia Macrae) relies on the flow of the actors and lighting by Eric Matters to nimbly help us see them in whatever places our imagination fills in, aided by a clever single panel at the center of the back of the stage.

At Adams’ urging, the three leads delve into the serious complexity of their relatable characters. We’ve seen Keller in so many modes; this shows him at his most vulnerable as the devoted husband taking on Herculean tasks as best he can. Krebs’s Maggie finds herself as the novelist who apparently writes about others to avoid taking a deeper look at herself. Something about the encounter with her namesake starts her on a journey she is afraid to admit she’s taking. Lesh, who we’ve usually seen in a supporting role or in the director’s chair, really shows her command of the stage here. Given Maggy’s struggle, and the saintly good nature with which she confronts it, if this were Broadway she’d be up for a Tony.

While there is gentle dark humor to be had in this story, the plotline of advancing disease might be a challenge for some viewers, depending on one’s own experience. This is a story not only of one woman’s bravery, but of two other people engaging their own. As in other plays in this tragicomic sort of genre, cancer may take a person’s last breath, but it does not get the last word.

Performances of “Joined at the Head” are 8 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday (May 22-24) at The Cat, 254 Veterans Way, near the downtown Carmel Art & Design district. For info and tickets, go to thebelfrytheatre.com or thecat.biz.

Distant conflict hits home in ‘Escalation Time’

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By John Lyle Belden

How you feel about October 7, 2023, will affect how you respond to “Escalation Time,” an intimate drama at The District Theatre, written by and starring Francesca Root-Dodson with Reuben Barsky and Ray Graham, directed by Molly Shayna Cohen.

East-coast liberal academics Zev (Barsky), a History professor approaching tenure, and Kate (Root-Dodson), an adjunct professor, are married and seem happy – though her wanting to have a child appears to be causing some tension. Then, on that October day, they witness the Hamas attacks in Isreal, just outside Gaza, on their televisions. As the world changes, so does theirs.

From a Jewish family, though non-practicing, Zev is moved by the horrors of the initial attack and hostage-taking. In the days to come, he embraces his heritage with others at the university as they deal with growing antisemitism.  

Kate, who is Russian and whose godfather, Classics professor Jim (Graham), was once part of the Weather Underground, feels for the citizens of Gaza who are caught in the ongoing conflict. She spends evenings with a student protest group, and the rest of her time glued to the videos of death and destruction on her smartphone.

However, this play is about more than global politics or the value of different peoples’ lives. These events strike at the faultlines that were already present, and easy to ignore, in Kate and Zev’s relationship. She is profoundly affected, and likely in need of mental health counseling – something he firmly doesn’t believe in. For his part, what had seemed just a contrarian streak shifts into more conservative attitudes he had ignored or kept hidden all along.

New Yorkers Root-Dodson and Barsky present their roles with well-practiced ease, allowing us to sense the love between their characters, as well as the pain of its fracturing. Local actor Graham, his character wizened and with a “terrorist” past, brings a unique perspective. Being three persons in America yet without strict allegiance to it helps us see their feelings on events half a world away more clearly.

The stage set is the couple’s living room, appropriately littered with multiple stacks of books. Thousands of words surrounding them, yet solutions remain elusive and communication a battle.

“Thought provoking” is an understatement for this engaging piece of theatre. “Escalation Time” has performances Thursday, Friday and twice Saturday, May 21-23, at The District Theatre, 627 Massachusetts Ave., Indianapolis. Get tickets at indydistricttheatre.org.

Look what they’ve done

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By John Lyle Belden

It could be said that Cryptid Entertainment makes musicals for those who hate musicals, or rather, for those who don’t care for Broadway fare with the airs and prestige of classical opera. Building an enviable audience, Dakota Jones and company have given us weird stuff that he has written, then weird stuff that others originally made, much to the delight of Indy’s weirdos (including us).

But perhaps Mr. Jones has been running a long, long grift. Now he brings to the IF Theatre stage a bona fide Off-Broadway and ON Broadway hit, John Cameron Mitchell’s “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” (songs by Stephen Trask). To be fair, though, this Glam-Punk Post-Cold War masterpiece is right in the Cryptid wheelhouse. Let’s open the wig box and have a look.

Having to take what she can get, the IF is allowing “internationally ignored” genderqueer singer Hedwig Robinson to set up in what is apparently a punk-themed art show. She is backed by her band The Angry Inch and her current husband, Yitzhak, a former drag queen from the former Yugoslavia. During her set, she explains her background, growing up on the wrong side of the Berlin Wall; her botched sex change (the “inch”); and her life in America and relationship with rock star Tommy Gnosis – who is performing a sold-out concert down the street. Doing the math would have this taking place around the year 2000, but as rock ‘n’ roll is timeless, don’t sweat the details.

With direction and fierce costuming by Marina Eisenbraun, Hedwig is portrayed by Job Willman, also known as Ilana a la Mode. The performance brings on all the sass, spirit and sadness the role demands, and then some. Jess Hackenberg is Yitzhak, a deep well of resentment tempered with grudging love for the person who brought him out of his disintegrating homeland – obviously wishing (without saying it aloud) that he could perform as his true self once more. As Hedwig frequently interacts with the audience, Cryptid’s production has the thinnest fourth wall we have seen for this particular show. Willman’s drag queen experience likely aids their comfort with the fans, while seating is set all the way up and around the raised stage.

The onstage band (as The Angry Inch) is led by Jill Stewart (keyboard and guitar) with Chris Ritchie (bass), Kristin Cutler (drums), Sally McSpadden Hanna (guitar), Ainsley Paton (bass), and Ben Hogan (guitar). They rock!

Expressing philosophy that hearkens to Plato with the attitude of Pussy Riot, this show transcends its pretense of a concert or definition as a musical to be an incredible sensual experience, fueled by bitter comedy, a driving beat, and the search for both identity and a soul’s “other half.”

As has been the rule lately with Cryptid shows, tickets are going fast and sellouts are likely, “whether you like it or not.” “Hedwig” runs through May 31 on the Basile main stage of IF, 719 E. St. Clair St., Indianapolis. Tickets at indyfringe.org.

Strange ‘Dream’ reflects coming reality

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By John Lyle Belden

I remember when The Year 2000 was used to reference the future. Now it’s history.

In movies and literature – ever since the play that gave us the word “robot” – we imagined living side by side with technology. Now it autonomously delivers our packages. We hold conversations with computers.

From this world of tomorrow swiftly becoming today comes “Your Name Means Dream,” by Josè Rivera, presented by Jewish Theatre Bloomington.

Aislin (Diane Kondrat) lives alone in New York’s East Village. Every conversation with her adult son results in an argument, so her grandkids no longer visit. Out of concern for her advancing age, declining health, and the fact she washes down her prescriptions with Jack Daniels, he has sent her a state-of-the-art assistant, Stacy (Valerie C. Kilmer), which looks like a young woman but is a synthetic robot body with an AI brain.

“I am beautiful and creepy.”

After a wild (for them) and funny (for us) start, Aislin gradually comes to accept the presence of this talking “toaster” that says it wants to help her live a fuller life, soon seeing “it” as “her.” Taking on those improvements, especially losing the bottle of Jack, is another matter.  

Under the careful direction of Martha Jacobs, both actors take characters that we would have issues with and make them strangely charming.

During a talkback afterward Kondrat said, smiling, that this may be the most F-bombs she’s ever had to utter in a single script. While consistently profane, Aislin is not always angry. She does express frustration at her life, her son, the loss of her husband years ago, and herself, as well as her faux-human companion. However, moments of introspection slip through, as well as compassion at the prospect of actual loss. Those who are familiar with the addicted can see the contradictions of personality here. While her internal circuitry is biological, she is also subject to “glitching” in her own way.

Kilmer delivers an outstanding performance, never breaking character though as Stacy “learns” her movement becomes more fluid and she even picks up some of Aislin’s colorful language. With her perfect memory, we get a lot of callback references that work with the story. To be purely robotic, though not a trained dancer, Kilmer credits an acting class in which she was encouraged to practice isolating individual parts of her body, creating the notion that under-skin servos rather than smooth muscles control her movement. In preparing, she said she paid close to herself and considered how to remove the human element from each action or expression. This precision also shows in full-body character work as she mimics both the movement and voice of Aislin’s son when they communicate through Stacy’s phone app.

While there are some hilarious interactions, there is the underlying stress natural to a situation in which an AI-controlled machine that can bench-press hundreds of pounds and has no soul (the AOS [“Approximation of Soul”] upgrade comes in her next model, she says) is alone with a person with fragile body and mind. Aside from malfunction, there is a risk of hacking by the Skinjobs anti-robot organization.

Post-show discussion brought out various reactions to this engaging and thought-provoking play. While they address serious aspects of technology providing personal assistance for the elderly and differently abled, a process well under way in the off-stage world, there was also genuine affection for the comic interaction between the curmudgeon and the android. Some comments declared this a sort of 21st-century “Odd Couple.”

I personally saw the deeper questions posed by films such as “Blade Runner,” questions of identity and self, both among humans and those programed to emulate them. This was reflected in Stacy’s relating a sort of muscle-memory of a previous, very different, “life.” The policy of her maker, the tech corporation Singularity, is to completely eliminate its imprinted identity after use so that the unit can be refitted for whatever service the next customer wants. “I will not outlive you.”

Though Aislin is Irish-Croation and Catholic, and Stacy allegedly soulless, the board of Jewish Theatre of Bloomington felt this is an important work to bring to the public due to its examination of identity and humanity. As the human character puts it, “I contain multitudes, bitch!”

We are grateful for the opportunity to experience this.

Remaining performances are Saturday and Sunday, May 16-17, at the Waldron Rose Firebay theater, 122 S. Walnut St., Bloomington. They are technically sold out, but tickets might become available. Information at jewishtheatrebloomington.com.

OTP ‘Earnest’ more fun than a Bunbury

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By John Lyle Belden

We have seen local performer Alec Cole on stage since he was a boy (as part of KidsPlay Inc. in Greenfield). Since then, the young man has appeared in area community theatre as an actor and even got to assistant-direct “HadesTown” at Footlite Musicals.

Naturally, the next step was to direct a production himself, and Our Town Players of Franklin agreed to let him helm the popular (and royalty-free) Oscar Wilde comedy, “The Importance of Being Earnest,” which just completed an early-May run.

Judging by the results we saw, we give his debut high marks. It included splendid performances by Theodore Rash as Jack (and “Earnest”) Worthing; Jon Books-Poole as Algernon (call me “Earnest”) Moncrief; Kylie Heagy as Gwendolen Fairfax and Rayne Fort as Cecily Cardew, who both “simply must marry an Earnest;” Jerry Maguire as Lady Bracknell, who sternly forbids the wedding; Beth Popplewell as Miss Prism, Cecily’s governess; Tim Latimer as The Rev. Dr. Chasuble, who enjoys long walks (with Prism);  and James Marietta as the stoic butler (Merriman or Lane, depending on residence).

In a savage satire on Victorian British society that still elicits laughter, the plot centers on the hazards of performing a Bunbury – Algernon’s term for a made-up excuse to avoid a dreaded family or social obligation by needing to be somewhere else (in his case, an invalid friend, Mr. Bunbury, living in the countryside). To disassociate the morally upstanding and roguish sides of his personality, Mr. Worthing is “Earnest in town, and Jack in the country.”  Like any romantic comedy, the pursuit of and overcoming obstacles to the eventual happy-ending marriage propel events.

Maguire, in a wonderfully frumpy yet elegant dress by Sasha Haywood, is wicked fun as the upper-crust lady who won’t let niece Gwendolen marry a man who apparently started life abandoned in a handbag, no matter what his name is.

Making their community theatre debuts, Fort and Heagy each charm as the Earnest-smitten maidens. Whether at odds, or declaring each other “sisters,” they acquit their roles excellently.

We also give scene-stealing kudos to Marietta, who serves with a flourish, and can give almost wordless sarcasm with a glance.  

Cole said his approach to the verbose play was to accentuate Wilde’s words with appropriate movement, keeping the show fun and farcical. Assisted by stage manager Jennifer Feutz, he also credits help from father Dennis Cole (KidsPlay dad and CrazyLake performer); makeup artist and companion, Gemma Rollison; as well as her mother (and Agape staff) Tracey Rollison in finding props.

We confess this was my and Wendy’s first time to Our Town, which uses an excellent venue, AAC Auditorium, in one of Franklin’s city parks. Find out about upcoming productions at otpfranklin.org.

Elementary, ‘Ms. Holmes’ (a study in Summit)

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By John Lyle Belden

A new game is afoot! Summit Performance presents “Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson, Apt. 2B,” by Kate Hamill, at the Phoenix Theatre Cultural Centre.

Those who regularly read these reviews might now be saying, “Wait a minute! Didn’t we just have a female Sherlock Holmes Play a few weeks ago?” In an odd coincidence, there was the Christopher Walsh comedy “Miss Holmes” in April at Mud Creek. However, while that version was set in Victorian London, “Ms. Holmes…” takes place in 2021 – still in London with a flat on Baker Street – and Dr. Joan Watson is now an American.

Watson (Kelsey VanVoorst) has found herself in London, looking for a place to stay for a while, relax, maybe get some writing done. Fate has other plans, as this affordable downtown rental means sharing an apartment with a hyperactive, eccentric young woman named “Sherlock” (Frankie Jo Bolda). If you are familiar with the local theatre scene – especially improv, parody shows, and farcical and Shakespeare comedies – these actors’ names should alert you to the madness that will ensue.

Playing someone who is famously neurodivergent with a 200+ IQ, Bolda also lets Holmes’ id run rampant in a manner that goes beyond recent portrayals (Cumberbatch, Downey Jr., et al) such that it resembles the manic style of “Doctor Who.” Her clothing (boldly designed by Devan O’Malia Mathias) reflects this as well – layered for foggy London, colorful as a panto player. Still, she is no clown. While expressions and actions seem random, her mind and focus are sharp. While others notice her, she notices everything.  

VanVoorst also plays into her strengths as the straight character the comic partner bounces off of. Watson has always been the reader/viewer proxy in these stories, and she gets as frustrated and overwhelmed as we would be, but in a much funnier manner. Few can manage the barely-able-to-speak sputter of a character on the edge like her, and Watson gets plenty of these moments. As the plot unfolds, we find her naturally drawn in towards believable acceptance of this classic odd-couple relationship.

In the roles of Everyone Else: Andrea Heiden nimbly wears many distinctive faces as kindly, understanding Mrs. Hudson, untrustworthy beauty Irene Adler, and others. Clay Mabbit can play likable and slyly evil in equal measure, appearing as Inspector Lestrade, billionaire Elliott Monk, and others, including the introductory narrator.

Holmes fans will readily recognize the first case the women take on, from “A Study in Scarlet” by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (his first Sherlock Holmes novel, which also brings the literary Holmes and Watson together). Sufficient liberties were taken with the story to give this a fresh look for the 21st-century version of the detectives. Speaking of the era, there are references to the Covid lockdown, as well as current technology – which Holmes avoids, complaining it makes people intellectually lazy (she has a point, to be honest). She insists on using her mind and magnifying glass, leaving the “Googles” to others.

Other canon aspects of the characters are preserved. Watson has PTSD, while Holmes takes bong hits to calm her ever-spinning brain. Also, where there’s a super-sleuth, there lurks someone in the shadows who could be her equal.

Direction is by Summit founder Lauren Briggeman, who manages to keep the madcap happenings under control while bringing out the entertaining best in the cast. Fight, movement, and intimacy director Jaddy Ciucci is a big help with all the physical comedy and other action throughout. Erin Robson-Smith is stage manager.

Even if you don’t know or care about Sherlock Holmes, this production works as a wildly hilarious British buddy comedy with murderous intent. Even the furniture is funny (rarely has an innocent recliner gotten so many laughs).

Come see “Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson” through May 24 in the Basile Black Box stage at 705 N. Illinois St., downtown Indianapolis. Get tickets at phoenixtheatre.org.

Famously psychological thriller at Center Stage

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By John Lyle Belden

“Gaslight” (a/k/a “Angel Street”), the Victorian thriller from the 1930s by Patrick Hamilton, is a rather straightforward story of deception, abuse, and murder. However, with the help of its 1940s film adaptations, the title is now a frequently used verb. Center Stage Community Theatre in Lebanon now brings us the original story, both to entertain and to give the pop-psych expression its context.

Jack and Bella Manningham (Daniel Ott and Stephanie Levell) do not have a healthy relationship, even by 1880s London standards. He controls her like a pet on a leash, not physically but with a more devastating verbal barrage, undercutting her self-confidence at every turn, making her uncertain of everything around her. He berates her in front of the servants, Elizabeth (Sarah Kennedy) and Nancy (Lauren Lotzow), and remarks on the beauty of the latter, a young woman whom it turns out he is secretly seducing.

And if Bella expresses her reservations about all this, she is reminded that her mother had gone mad, dying in Bedlam. It’s only a matter of time, he hints and she believes in constant fear, before she goes that way as well.

One night, a strange man (Adrian Blackwell) with a friendly yet urgent demeanor and a Scottish accent arrives while Jack is out for the evening, calling himself Rough, a former Sergeant and current Detective with Scotland Yard. He tells her of mysterious circumstances regarding the home they had not long ago moved into, how it was the site of a murder, coinciding with the disappearance of some precious jewels. In turn, she tells him her suspicions – how she hears footsteps in a locked room, and how the gas lighting dims on its own at certain times.

Given the mental baggage we bring in with the play’s title, especially given our present cynical era, we have to wonder: Is Det. Rough a real person? Is he an actual police officer? Is this Bella’s hope of rescue – or just prelude to institutionalization? And to what degree are the maids, especially eager Nancy, part of the plot?

Considering that clues such as a chair moved out of place could tip off Jack, his poor wife could be doomed, regardless.

Directed by Lori Raffel, the performances maintain the suspense and unreal nature of what is happening, keeping us invested in the outcome. Ott is consistently horrid, played in a way that we can’t be certain of Jack’s exact motive of driving Bella insane – lust, riches, sadism, or some combination. Blackwell, for his part, feels unreliable but at the same time Bella’s only real hope. Levell delivers an achingly compelling presentation of someone so mentally beaten while still nursing a little spark of hope. Kennedy is stoic as a stereotypical British butler, making her feelings and motives inscrutable, while Lotzow is the opposite, enjoying this twisted game.

The titular lights are part of a nice stage design by Christy Summersett and David Wines.

In all, this is an excellent look at a classic thriller, right down to the appropriately disturbing final scene.

Don’t let anyone convince you otherwise; you would like to see “Gaslight.” It is in its second weekend as we post this, concluding Friday through Sunday, May 15-17, at 604 Powell St., Lebanon. Get info and tickets at centerstagecommunitytheatre.com.

Comedy and Cole do double-duty at Footlite

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By John Lyle Belden

Footlite Musicals gives us a two-for-one courtesy of the Cole Porter musical, “Kiss Me Kate,” with book by Sam and Bella Spewack, and some guy named Shakespeare.

In this show you get a backstage romance set during a Baltimore heat wave, as well as the premiere of “Taming of the Shrew: The Musical.” Fortunately for Footlite director Paula Phelan, they are essentially the same story.

Fred Graham (Aaron Mann) has written, produced, directed, and now stars in “Shrew” opposite, appropriately, his ex-wife Lilli Vanessi (Jessica Hawkins). She plays the title character, fair Katherine, while Fred is Petruchio, the daring gentleman out to woo her.

The musical within this musical also features Lois Lane (Paige Penry), who offstage has been seeing Fred, and who on stage plays the pretty younger sister Bianca. She is in turn wooed by Lucentio, played by Bill Calhoun (Jack Sullivan), who shares Lois’s affections as well as her general lack of scruples, demonstrated by the fact he ran up a big gambling debt and placed Fred’s name on the IOU. This brings on the intrusion of two faux-sophisticated mob toughs (Mitchell Hammersley and Ryan Bridges), arriving to collect.

For those who don’t know or remember the story, “Brush Up Your Shakespeare” and note that things get “Too Darn Hot” as “Another Op’nin, Another Show” doesn’t go “Wunderbar” for Fred and Lilli. It’s enough to make her declare “I Hate Men,” while they strive not to fall “So in Love.” If you are reading this thinking, “Why Can’t You Behave,” dear reader, understand that I’m “Always True to you in My Fashion.” In addition, aside from the Porter hits and big dance numbers, this is also a rollicking comedy with misunderstandings and other farcical elements throughout. This especially includes scene-stealing bits by Bridges and Hammersley.

The big cast includes about 30 additional players, including featured singers Kelly Berryman (“Another Op’nin’…”) and Michael Sherman (“Too Darn Hot”); featured musician Jeremy Kaylor; the practically unflappable Dan Flahive as Harry, who plays Kate and Bianca’s father Baptista; Jeremy Crouch as stressed Stage Manager Ralph; the ever-charming Duane Leatherman as Pops the Doorman; and Kevin Caraher as Mr. Harrison from Washington (Lilli’s fiancé).

With the parallel plots, we not only get a fun mid-20th-century musical, but also a reasonable condensation of the Shakespeare comedy, all complete with a happy ending.

Phelan is assisted by Jerry Beasley and Lauren Werne, with stage manager Melissa Yurechko. Lisa Reynolds is vocal director. Choreography is by Erica Wilkinson, and the orchestra is conducted by Aaron Burkhart.

“Kiss Me Kate” has performances Thursday through Sunday through May 17 at the Hedback Theater, 1847 N. Alabama, Indianapolis. Get info and tickets at footlite.org.  

GHDT ‘Mélange’ continues to amaze

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By John Lyle Belden

In the performance world, we sometimes find something that is so cool, but with a limited audience, and declare it a “best-kept secret.” However, every producer and performer would much prefer that the “secret” get out!

Such is the case with Gregory Glade Hancock, whose Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre has developed a local cultural phenomenon with the “Mélange” series. As we’ve noted in past reviews, it is: One vocalist; one dancer; one visual artist; no rehearsal. Together they collaborate on the spot, with the vocals inspiring movement inspiring art. Thanks to the dedication and professionalism of all involved, the combination works for one-of-a-kind experiences. The artwork is even auctioned at the end of the performance (funds go to GHDT programs) for a unique souvenir.

The best of these so far (and they have all been great) was held on April 18-19. Vocalist Evelyn Rai leaned in on the concept by presenting what she called “a conversation between music, movement, art, and the human heart.” She then proceeded to deliver, with minimal preparation, a song and spoken word stream-of-consciousness performance based on her autobiographical book “From Grief to Grace.” It felt like a rhythm and blues sermon, delivering life wisdom such as “there is a beautiful side to grief” and “in every season there is a lesson.”

Meanwhile, as artist Christina Hollering worked diligently at her easel, dancer Cody Miley (a veteran of Dance Kaleidoscope who has performed with GHDT) interpreted Rai’s words in flowing movement. He seemed a little impish at first, even invading the artist’s space to playfully dab a bit of her charcoal on his face. However, it becomes evident that his method is to link together the elements, bringing human connection to artistic endeavor. Rai goes with this, even indulging Miley by taking his hand for a few joyous steps. For this Mélange, the trio was a foursome, as Ian Dunlap on keyboards provided perfect accompaniment, and even got to play a solo.

In a word, the experience of April’s show felt transcendent. Find out what superlatives you can attach to the next Mélange on May 16-17 in The Florence performance space at the Academy of Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre, 329 Gradle Dr., Carmel. This will feature vocalist Angela Manlove, dancer Olivia Payton, and visual artist Debbie Slack.

Manlove is a powerhouse performer whom we have seen twice in the iconic Sarah role in “Ragtime,” once in the Whitney Houston role in the musical of “The Bodyguard,” and in a major supporting role (The Moon) in “Caroline, or Change.” Which, if any, of this material she brings will be a surprise to all – but still spectacular.

Payton, a GHDT company regular who was the lead character in the recent “Exodus,” last performed a Mélange two years ago. Her balance of athleticism and grace, we described then, was a “sultry style (that) perfectly complemented every song… She seemed to feel her way through the various moods evoked by (the) vocals.”

Slack, who works in an expressionist style on varied subject matter, states on her website, “For me, painting is both a joyful and deeply spiritual process.” Her gallery includes still lifes, as well as capturing the motion of Indy race cars.

Get tickets ($25 each) at gregoryhancockdancetheatre.org. And help spread the word!

Fonseca: Diner serves up potential for redemption

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By John Lyle Belden

Regarding the comic drama “Clyde’s” by Lynn Nottage, presented by Fonseca Theatre, a famous 19th-century French quote used by the original Japanese “Iron Chef” series comes to mind: “Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are.”

Or, as the serene chef of this roadside diner puts it, “What’s your favorite sandwich?”

Clyde (Chandra Lynch) is proprietor of the restaurant, of which we only see the kitchen. An ex-offender who doesn’t mind being offensive, she hires felon parolees who find themselves with nowhere else to go. Her demeanor is cruel, even abusive, with a belief that those convicted are forever unredeemable losers that would put Javert of “Les Misérables” to shame.

The zen-like sandwich master Montrellous (Jamaal McCray) raises the crafting of ingredients between slices of bread to art bordering on philosophy. While exacting in his process, he takes pleasure in the simple fact that truckers come from miles around just to have one of his delicious creations. His co-workers come to embrace his approach, desiring to make their own perfect sandwich that “tastes like the truth.”

Clyde, of course, scoffs at this but doesn’t mind the business their unique menu brings in.

Also working the kitchen are Rafael (Ian Cruz) with a robbery conviction and a 12-Step sobriety chip; Tish (Shandrea Funnye) who was busted for drugs while caring for a daughter with medical issues; and Jason (Dave Pelsue) who has a temper, an assault conviction, and Aryan tattoos (which, him being the only White person present, doesn’t go over well with the others).

Director Josiah Ray McCruiston infuses this production with his devotion to good storytelling. We see in every character the distinct fears of the formerly incarcerated, their anxiety over the mistrust and misuse by those they know in the outside world, dealing with the sense that such treatment is deserved, striving to somehow make their lives – if not better – at least worth carrying on. Trust must be rebuilt; anger must be discarded; the act of making something nourishing can be nourishing itself.  

Fortunately, while there are cutlery and dishes, the food itself is mimed. This not only aids the ephemeral nature of its making (and it’ll never look better than it does in our imagination) but also this busy kitchen would generate a lot of food waste over several performances, and the smell would just make us all in the audience hungry. Kudos to Bernie Killian for the set design of this convincingly clean and cozy diner kitchen, complete with order-up window at the back. Paully Crumpacker’s lighting and Ben Dobler’s sound are also commendable.

As I’ve indicated, this is about so much more than making a great sandwich, but it also gets you thinking: What’s your favorite?

Bon Appetit. Performances are Fridays at 7 p.m., Saturdays at 4 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m., through May 17, at 2508 W. Washington St., Indianapolis. Get info and tickets at fonsecatheatre.org.