Jolene Mentink Moffatt

Phoenix launches unflinching look at ‘Rocket Men’

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By John Lyle Belden

During 20th century developments in rocketry, its uses in warfare, and eventually in space exploration, there were contentious discussions regarding solid and liquid explosive fuels. Little is said, however, about how much blood it took.

Phoenix Theatre presents the National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere of “The Rocket Men,” by Crystal Skillman, directed by Chris Saunders.

Dodging the look of a dry documentary or acted out history lecture, Skillman’s drama uses an all-woman cast to portray the men, German scientists and engineers who avoided likely prosecution for working with the Nazi regime in World War II by bringing their expertise to the United States military. A credit to both the talented actors’ dedication and the costuming skill of Anthony James Sirk, their transformation is easy to accept, visually and in their performances (frustration with lesser minds and overbearing bureaucracy – and the thrill of invention – knows no gender).

Wernher von Braun (Constance Macy) is the star – and face – of the program. He is handsome and charismatic; Macy plays him rather enjoying his celebrity, humble-bragging how various meetings with the Pentagon, the press, and notables from President Eisenhower to Walt Disney, keep him from his actual work. He had also been a principal developer of the V-2 rocket which terrorized London during the War. Von Braun’s lifetime dream was to aim his rockets more skyward, into space. With American help, he planned to get mankind in orbit, then onward – to Mars!

We open our narrative with the arrival of Heinz-Hermann Koelle (Jaddy Ciucci), not an ex-member of the V-2 program but a German aviator in the War. He was at this moment a scientist with Martian ambitions of his own, invited by von Braun to join his team at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama. In the spirit of rookie hazing, the others call the young man a “janitor” at first, drawing mirth from Koelle’s reactions, but eventually warming to him.

Helmut Hoelzer (Jolene Mentink Moffatt) is the most easy-going, while Arthur Rudolph (Jennifer Johansen) is more stern, all business. William A. Mrazek (Milicent Wright) splits the difference attitude-wise, and is very particular about the arrangement of his work table. We will also meet Sol Weissman (Charlie Rankin), an American Army veteran and engineer who works on developing the team’s designs, and meets privately with Koelle. 

Always on hand to facilitate the scenes for the men and provide narration for us is a “Friend” (Karla “Bibi” Heredia).

There is dynamic pacing, events marching towards the future through the “history book” we know and things we may not. Still, Koelle – our outsider on the inside – is frequently reminded about the past. People like von Braun designed the wartime rockets, but others built them. Is there more to the story, something that must be reckoned with before moving forward? Ciucci achingly portrays his struggle as he faces these questions for us, fearing the answers while feeling they should become known.

The stage design by Robert M. Koharchik matches the narrative flow with tables and chairs on casters rolling in and out as needed. The lone stable piece is von Braun’s sturdy wooden desk, where he sets aside his celebrity to devote himself to the work – a future he must achieve while the past is forever set aside.

The progress from Army to NASA, “Orbiter” languishing in testing before Explorer is sent into orbit after the shock of Sputnik, “Project Horizon” to the Red Planet shelved as President Kennedy announces our plans for the Moon, then the team pushing the Apollo missions through the Johnson and Nixon administrations, play out in entertaining fashion, seen through the reactions of those who were there from the start.

There is also the book that no one will read. However, its message will eventually reach us, revealing why this story must be cast as it was.

This production also benefits from image projections by Katie Phelan Mayfield and the dramaturgy of Timothy W. Scholl. How much of what we see here is conjecture or dramatic license? A lot less than you should be comfortable with.

A history lesson you won’t soon forget, brilliantly performed, “The Rocket Men” has performances through Sept. 21 at the Phoenix Theatre Cultural Centre, 705 N. Illinois St., Indianapolis. Get tickets and info at phoenixtheatre.org.

New ensemble makes a splash with true tale

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By John Lyle Belden

An incredible amount of local talent coalesced within the Phoenix Theatre Cultural Centre to present the first production of JoJoTomBilBen Theatricals, “The Magnificent Fall: Folding Napkins, Selecting Forks, and Other Death-Defying Feats,” based on the true story of Annie Edson Taylor, the first person to ride a barrel over Niagara Falls and survive.

Jolene Mentink Moffatt portrays Annie, joined on stage by John M. Goodson and Ben Asaykwee in various roles – these are the “Jo,” “Jo,” and “Ben” of the company. The play is directed by Bill Simmons (the “Bil”) and was written by Tom Horan (the “Tom,” of course), employing his style that examines history and legend with quirky humor and our tricky relationship with memory.

Goodson primarily portrays Annie’s talkative housecat, our principal narrator. Asaykwee’s roles include Mr. Carmichael, who makes the barrel, and Frank Russell, the carnival promoter who later makes off with it. Initially, his default mode is as the star pupil of Mrs. Taylor, who we meet as a teacher of Manners in a Bay City, Mich., school in 1900. This is one of many jobs and locales in this woman’s life (being a bit older than she’ll ever admit to), and she resolves to take her plunge into history at the Falls near Buffalo, N.Y., on her birthday in October 1901.

In fact, we are all Annie’s students, as there is a degree of audience participation.

Overall, this is a fascinating and entertaining examination of the process of achieving this “brash and irrational act” as well as what happens afterward, complete with whimsical elements – such as dueling mustaches – while relating the efforts of those who did not do so well at the Falls. The wild humor rolls with a serious undercurrent, the question of why this aging widow went through her daredevil phase. In this, perhaps the play’s title refers to more than just Niagara’s plummeting waters.

Moffatt’s charming portrayal is of an American woman of the turn of the (20th) century, seeing and seizing opportunity with a confidence that exaggerates her courage as it dashes ahead, like an object in roaring rapids, too fast for second thoughts to catch up. Goodson is appropriately catty, even when taking on a human role, and we even see his feline’s essential true role in the Niagara stunt. Asaykwee shines in his own way – not too brightly, though, with his knack for not stealing a scene in another’s story but always slyly enhancing it. Simmons’ subtle yet effective direction gives the narrative a genuine feel, and he says in his program note that there was collaboration with the actors, Horan, stage manager Erin Robson-Smith, and crew throughout to shape the final presentation. The show also features props and fine puppets by Emily Solt McGee.

For this and one more weekend, through July 20, you can see the “Queen of the Mist” and her various methods of folding napkins (and other feats) in “The Magnificent Fall” on the Basile Stage of the Phoenix Theatre Cultural Centre, 705 N. Illinois St., Indianapolis. Get tickets at phoenixtheatre.org.

Quirky Christmas at a Montana bar in new comedy

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By John Lyle Belden

It seems the wooded lands on the northern edge of the United States host some eccentric goings-on. A number of films, TV shows, and plays have celebrated this, and now we can add “Snow Fever: A Karaoke Christmas,” a holiday comedy by Robert Caisley presented as part of a National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere at the Phoenix Theatre Cultural Centre.

To paraphrase one of its characters, weird stuff happens at Christmas, especially in Montana.

The Phoenix black-box stage has been converted into a bar, the Wet Whistle, which features a drink special that audience members can purchase before the show. It used to belong to Laverna (Jolene Mentink Moffatt) – then known as Taverna Laverna – but now is the property of her son, Brendan (Grant Niezgodski), who runs it with Kenny (Austin Hookfin), an odd young man with “no backstory” and little impulse control.

Local college student Lucy (Sarah Powell) arrives to interview for a job to discover she not only has it but also has arrived late on her first day. Laverna says that can be forgiven (she lives upstairs and acts like she still runs the joint, complete with her free hand with the booze). Kenny comes in with another young woman seeking work, Greta (Akili Ni Mali), a professional Karaoke DJ whom he injured with a frozen snowball to get her attention.

Preparations are under way for the bar’s Christmas Eve party, despite the growing snowstorm outside. The only band Brendan can book is a pair of banjo-playing twins, and he absolutely refuses to have anything as upbeat as the karaoke machine (which Greta is already setting up) in his somber dive bar. Also, Kenny has stolen a tree from the farm of the one man whose name no one is to say – “F. U.” (Brian Tyrell) – thanks in part to what happened at last year’s party.

Also, I should mention, there is Duke. No one knows what Duke is, but he is there.

So, if like me you saw the title “A Karaoke Christmas” and thought this might turn out to be a fluffy holiday music revue, we must remind ourselves: This is the Phoenix F-ing Theatre. Director John Michael Goodson sees this play as a quirky rom-com, but without the Hallmark schmaltz. There is singing in the show, mainly popular karaoke hits. But as love and nostalgia are as much a part of the holidays as the common Christmas trappings, a little “I Will Survive” works just as well as Jingle Bells.

Moffatt revels in her role as mama-bear/queen bee/cougar – the whole menagerie. Laverna can be a bit much, but with a big heart and best intentions. Niezgodski makes a great Phoenix debut, his pragmatic and at times bitter character weathering the chaos. Mali plays Greta as charmingly independent, a roaming soul who takes what life gives her, strange as it may be. Powell also plays Lucy as a roll-with-it sort of character, with more the attitude of someone familiar with the local ways. As for Hookfin, what may seem like just another take on the goof he plays so well in local comedies turns out to have surprising depth; what Kenny appears to lack in intellect he more than makes up for in intuition, as well as irresistible charm.  

Kudos to the cozy set design by Shane Cinal and props by Kristin Renee Boyd.

For a heartwarming holiday play with no heavy message, just good times with a few old pop hits thrown in, come in out of the cold for “Snow Fever,” performances through Dec. 22 at 705 N. Illinois St., downtown Indianapolis. Get info and tickets at phoenxtheatre.org.

Summit: Much revealed in women’s sacred space

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By John Lyle Belden

On a mountain in France, what appears to have been a Medieval monastery has been repurposed as a unique women’s retreat in “The Convent,” a play by Jessica Dickey given a full production by Summit Performance Indianapolis following a successful staged reading last summer, directed by Summit founder Lauren Briggeman.

Mother Abbess (Jolene Mentink Moffatt), founder and leader of the facility, had been a regular American wife and mother who gave up her ordinary life to seek God. Unsatisfied with religion organized in His name, she instead dedicated The Convent to Her spirit. Upon arrival, each seeker gives up modern clothing and conveniences (including the smartphone). She receives simple clothes, is expected to do the chores of centuries past, and must study to identify with her “Nomen,*” a historic female Christian Mystic.

British heiress Cora Dimlin (Carrie Ann Schlatter), assigned Catherine of Siena, has done many such retreats, and acts as The Convent’s number two. She arrived first, as did her friend Bertie (Chynna Fry), a naïve survivor of an isolated cult, assigned St. Clare of Assisi. Jill (Maria Argentina Souza) arrives next; she is at a crossroads in career and marriage, and assigned Teresa of Avila. Wilma (Miki Mathioudakis) is a nun who finds herself unable to pray; she is assigned St. Hildegard. Tina (Shawnte P. Gaston) is trying to change from seeking pleasure to seeking purpose; she gets Juliana of Norwich. Running in late, to past participants’ dismay, is brash bratty Patti (Dekyi Ronge), still holding her Nomen card for Mechtilde von Hackeborn that she received in a previous session.

Feel free to Google the Saints (none are fictional), however, we do get to learn a bit about them during the play.

As these women undergo their journey of self-discovery, they undertake various exercises (including physical). At mealtime prayer they express, “I want…,” starting with trivial things that pop into their heads, adding items until a true deep desire comes forth.

While each has to come to terms with what feelings and needs brought them to this place, the main struggle is between Mother Abbess and Patti, for reasons that soon become clear. Though their connection is easy to guess, Moffatt and Ronge excellently portray their fraught relationship. Fry gives us a charming girl who finds more than her spirit awakening, while Schlatter embodies the English ideal of stiff-upper-lip control, at least for as long as Dimlin holds out. Gaston does a good balance of portraying a woman acting like a “tourist” yet still open to the retreat’s purpose. Mathioudakis plays another strong character; she allows Wilma to shift paradigm without abandoning the person she vowed to be. Souza gives us Jill’s inner chaos that didn’t stop with a change in scenery.

No real sacrilege here, but still for mature audiences, “The Convent” is a fascinating and thought-provoking examination of the continuing struggle and need for women to define themselves in the worlds they live in. There are a number of laughs, a tear or two, and a few unexpected sacred visions.

Feel free to say, “I want” tickets – performances run through April 9 on the Basile Stage of the Phoenix Theatre Cultural Centre, 705 N. Illinois St., downtown Indianapolis. Info and tickets at PhoenixTheatre.org.

(*Ancient word for “name,” or perhaps reference to “gnomon,” the indicating part of a sundial.)   

Phoenix: ‘Love’ in an unusual place

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By John Lyle Belden

True story: In the middle of the Pacific Ocean, an area bigger than many countries, there is a vast sea of human-generated garbage. Now, what if a solitary seabird called Nigel, who lived on a remote island off New Zealand (also true), instead occupied a tiny patch of land in those plastic-infested waters?

This sets the stage for “Love Bird,” a play by K.T. Peterson at the Phoenix Theatre. Note that I write “solitary” above rather than “lonely,” as in this fantasy, Nigel (portrayed by Scot Greenwell) constructed a couple of companions from the washed-up flotsam.

Elegant Saundra he adores, and wishes would return his affection. Nigel creates an extravagant nest, and even composes a song for her on his homemade instrument. But also, there’s easygoing Jessica, who likes to hang around in a nearby tree (a shrubbery, she corrects in his head). She’s the kind of friend who is easy to talk to.

“What a world we create for ourselves,” Nigel remarks, with no sense of irony.

He has a ring-pop secreted in a shell-covered box for his true love. The nearby pod of whales converse mainly with each other, so Nigel instead argues with some oncoming storm clouds. Suddenly, another flesh-and-blood seabird appears.

Norman (Bill Simmons) has different plumage, a gregarious personality, and likes to draw in the sand – mostly portraits of eggs. He comes bearing a gift of clothespins. He also seems to have been observing Nigel from afar, which is bothersome. 

Concerns are put aside, however, as Nigel sets up a wonderful dinner party for Norman, a double-date with Saundra and Jessica. Eventually, the storm butts in, and changes everything.

The portrayals of these birds (Nigel is a gannet, Norman is unspecified but resembles a brown boobie) are fascinating and highly entertaining. With the help of creative makeup, clownish clothing by Beck Jones, and movement to mimic creatures not used to walking everywhere, what we get is anthropomorphic but not human. Rather than seeing bird costumes revealing the personality within, we observe pure personalities with the hint of an avian exterior.

I wanted to love this play more than I did. There was much affection for Nigel among the audience, partly because Greenwell is just so darn adorable. In fact, it is the stellar talents of both him and Simmons – who provides contrast, tension, and eventually revelation – that elevate this performance above issues I had with the text. The human-relatable metaphors get muddled, as the characters make references both to being birds (“when I was a fledgling”) and being stuck in an office job with a “Karen.” And is it really that necessary for a bird to have a boat?

One obvious point in the play is the ubiquitousness of the garbage, from which Nigel makes his world,* and that Norman is tempted to eat. (This brings on one hilarious literal “gag.”) The fact that it goes without comment should perhaps be distressing to us, as our junk becomes “normal” to the creatures who live there. But in its colorful arrangement by set designer Kyle Ragsdale, and the way Nigel/Greenwell relishes its pieces, it comes across more quaint than invasive.

Directed by Jolene Mentink Moffatt, with the quirky weirdness you often get in plays like this (which has long been a hallmark of the Phoenix), this romantic comedy like no other might not be for everyone. But it is worth a look for its visuals and performances. At the core, it’s just a couple of bird-brains looking for companionship, and we can all relate to that.

One weekend of performances remain, through Feb. 20 on the mainstage at 705 N. Illinois St., downtown Indianapolis. Get info and tickets at PhoenixTheatre.org.

(*The trash was not a factor in the life of the real Nigel, as he lived on a relatively clean island with concrete gannets placed by researchers to attract the birds. Poor Nigel was the only taker, making him Internet-famous. The lone but not lonely bird passed away in February 2018, next to his concrete “mate.” Other live gannets have since taken his place on Mana Island, two miles north of New Zealand. [Source: Washington Post])  

Phoenix: Story of treasure in unexpected place

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By John Lyle Belden

Once upon a time there was a woman, a trailer-park resident, who purchased an interesting abstract painting from a junk shop. Somebody told her it could actually be a long-lost work by a famous artist.

She reportedly replied, “Who the f#@& is Jackson Pollock?”

This true story is the touchstone for the comic drama “Bakersfield Mist,” by Stephen Sachs, on the main stage of the Phoenix Theatre through Dec. 19.

Jolene Mentink Moffatt is Maude Gutman (not the actual woman’s name, so there is room for dramatic license), hard drinking and filthy mouthed, but refreshingly honest and likable. Her cozy home appears to have been invaded by an antique mall thrift store, but she treasures every trashy trinket and questionable bit of wall art. Given the set decoration and California climate, it’s anyone’s guess whether the decorated Christmas tree indicates whether it’s the holidays or not.

She nervously awaits the arrival of fussy art expert Lionel Percy (Joshua Coomer), who can’t help but have a sour first impression of this situation, even before he gets to see the potential Pollock. 

But gaze upon it he does, and using only the expertise in his brain and the “blink” of his eyes, he confidently declares the painting a clever forgery.

Maude refuses to accept this. “What if you’re wrong?” she demands.

Thus the battle of wits is engaged, though for Maude it began before Lionel even entered her home. And the New York expert who literally wrote the book on this kind of art (more than once!) finds that while she hasn’t been to college, Maude has come to know a lot about Jackson Pollock.

Like all great theatre – or seemingly random color swirls on a white canvas – this play resonates beyond what we first encounter, as with the help of some purloined whiskey these two delve deeply into what art is, what evidence is necessary to confirm its value, and what it truly means. As art reflects life, what is genuine and what is false about the work that is us? Director and Phoenix regular Constance Macy gets a wonderful, gritty, and frequently hilarious performance from this duo, climaxing in a moment that – even if you know how this event actually resolved – has you on the edge of your seat. 

Not your typical December show, but, as I noted, there is a tree, and a bowling pin painted as a snowman, and plenty of spirit. It would be a shame to miss “Bakersfield Mist” at the Phoenix, 705 N. Illinois St., downtown Indianapolis. For info and tickets, call 317-635-7529 or visit phoenixtheatre.org.

Scars and healing in ‘Alabaster’

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By John Lyle Belden

“I’m not polite company,” says June, the lone survivor of a tornado that ripped through her family’s farm a few years ago. She was left with countless scars, many of which are on her body. 

This has brought a renowned photographer to rural Alabama — famous for celebrity portraits, Alice has taken on a project to feature the scars on various brave women, showing their defiant beauty. But then, she has deep wounds of her own.

Also on the farm is Weezy, a common goat gifted with insight she shares verbally with June, and compassion for her mother Bib, an old nanny-goat without long to live.

This is “Alabaster,” by Audrey Cefaly, the long-awaited drama that re-opens the Russell main stage of the Phoenix Theatre, 705 N. Illinois St. in downtown Indy. Originally part of the 2019-20 season, the play is directed by Jolene Mentink Moffat, with brilliant performances by Maria Argentina Souza (June), Lauren Briggeman (Alice), Joanne Kehoe (Weezy), and Jan Lucas (Bib).

There are many themes at play here — loss, mourning, pain, recovery, holding on, letting go, and facing what comes next. There is also a constant stream of gentle humor, as one would expect when the narrator is a talking goat. Cefaly says in her program note that Weezy is “an instrument of the Divine.” I like to think of it as, “What if Jiminy Cricket were a goat?” Regardless, Kehoe takes on the role with a determined smile, giving the animal’s natural traits a sage quality.

It’s become routine in these reviews to dwell on how completely and comfortably Briggeman embodies her every role, and this is no exception. However, Souza matches her in a skillful portrayal of a character with spiky walls, a soft interior, and a mood that turns on a dime. June, who spends her days painting artworks on broken barn wood, is a soul both standing in the eye of her storm and still caught in its vortex; taking her outside these two states is Weezy’s wish, and becomes Alice’s mission — but is it a directive from her worried brain or her healing heart? 

Though Bib only speaks “goat,” Lucas can still communicate so much with a single look, as her character bides her time until her catalyst moment.

To stay a step ahead of pop-culture trivia experts in the audience, there are references to a certain popular book-based movie — which this play is kinda like, but kinda not — but only the goat truly goes meta (in a scene that even involves yoga). 

Perhaps we can all use a barnyard animal to talk to. Performances of “Alabaster” run through Oct. 31, see www.phoenixtheatre.org for info and tickets.

Phoenix goes bananas for ‘Xmas’

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By John Lyle Belden

You know, it’s just not Christmas season without a visit from Anna Banana!

..Said no one ever. (But don’t tell Anna!) Now that she’s the fourth-most-popular female holiday icon (since most people can’t think of more than three) she gets to host “A Very Phoenix Xmas 13: Merry Superstitious” at the Phoenix Theatre.

As you can already tell, the oddball tone of the previous 12 incarnations of this holiday tradition is still very much alive. However, this edition — directed by quirky Q Artistry founder Ben Asaykwee — features an all-female cast. Past Phoenix stars Jolene Mentink Moffatt, Phebe Taylor, Jaddy Ciucci and Jenni White are joined by Shawnte P. Gaston, the powerhouse presence of Tiffanie Burnett, the instrumental prowess of Beef & Boards regular Sarah Hund and the manic energy of ComedySportz star Frankie Bolda.

While they all play multiple roles, it’s Bolda in the banana outfit, and Ciucci makes a feisty Virgin Mary. But while the comedy is a bit irreverent, the content doesn’t get sacrilegious or too mature. Something amiss does happen to Santa, though, that reverberates through the show.

The series of sketches has numerous authors, including Asaykwee, Jean Childers-Arnold, Lou Harry, Steven Korbar,  Zack Neiditch, and Steffi Rubin. Mariel Greenlee choreographed a touching dance scene, performed by the ensemble, inspired by a historic holiday event.

There are also witches, a history lesson, a look back at a (sorta) famous kick-line, breaking news, surprising mashups, and (in Harry’s contribution) what could be described as “Law & Order: Scriptural Victims Unit.” Plus, the cast tell us what’s on their wish list this season.

For an unusual — What other Christmas show has a talking banana? — funny and fully entertaining holiday treat, check out this “Very Phoenix Xmas,” with performances through Dec. 23 on the mainstage at 705 N. Illinois St. in downtown Indianapolis. Call 317-635-7529 or visit phoenixtheatre.org.

Asch’s work rises anew in Phoenix production of Vogel’s ‘Indecent’

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Indecent kiss
The infamous kiss — Abby Lee (left) and Courtney Spivak in ‘Indecent’ at Indy’s Phoenix Theatre.  (Provided photo by Zach Rosing)

By John Lyle Belden

 

The Phoenix Theatre has never shied from – in fact it embraces – controversial stage works. With its present production of the Tony-winning drama, “Indecent,” by Paula Vogel, it goes another layer by showing how a popular play shocked Broadway nearly a century ago.

Polish-Jewish writer Sholem Asch wrote just one play, but it became a sensation throughout the Yiddish-speaking world, and even found fame in translation throughout Europe. But when an Americanized “God of Vengeance” went on Broadway (even after playing in New York’s Yiddish theatres with no controversy), the cast and producer were quickly arrested and charged with indecency. Not only was this a Jewish play by a Jew (a troublesome thing in 1923), but it is set in a brothel and features two women falling in love, kissing passionately on stage.

According to program notes, when Vogel was approached about writing this play, she said she immediately pictured a ragged troupe of actors in an attic. That’s who we meet as the lights come up: Lemml the stage manager (played by Nick Jenkins) and his troupe portrayed by Mark Goetzinger, John Goodson, Abby Lee, Jolene Moffatt, Bill Simmons and Courtney Spivak.

Goodson spends most of the narrative as Asch, bringing his surprising new work to a Warsaw writer’s salon, taking it – with Lemml’s help – to the stage, and dealing with the fallout of the indecency trial. He embodies the role well, in all stages from an eager genius to a bitter man focused on the next phase of his writing.

Lee and Spivak are wonderful, portraying women who fall in love both within the play and offstage. Under the direction of Martha Jacobs, their sublime affections bloom beautifully. Phoenix regulars Goetzinger, Moffatt and Simmons are solid, as usual. As for Jenkins, his work is astounding, especially as we come to why we encounter the troupe as they were in the opening scene.

Indecent Lemml-Asch small
Nick Jenkins (left) as tailor-turned-stage manager Lemml and John Goodson as celebrated Yiddish writer Sholem Asch. (provided photo by Zach Rosing)

 

The multiple languages involved in telling the story are portrayed in part by easy-to-read projected captions. Often the dialogue is in English but the projected cue will say something like “In Yiddish” to maximize understanding and dramatic flow while keeping everything in context.

In the end, it’s like we’ve seen two great plays – we get a Cliff’s-notes understanding of “God of Vengeance (Got fun nekome)” as well as the full measure of Vogel’s work. But you only need to get one ticket. Performances are through July 8 at the Phoenix, now located at 705 N. Illinois St. in downtown Indianapolis; call 317-635-7529 or visit phoenixtheatre.org.

Putting the ‘Cat’ in Catalyst

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Corbett (Pat Mullen), right, converses with local cats (from left) Orangey (Dane Rogers), Calico (Audrey Stonerock) and Striper (Matt Anderson) in Bennett Ayres’ “Feral Boy,” presented by Catalyst Repertory at Wheeler Arts Community near Indy’s Fountain Square.

By John Lyle Belden*

We’ve likely all seen that internet meme along the lines of “I don’t want to adult today; I want to cat.” Local playwright Bennett Ayres took that idea to its bizarre conclusion in the new drama, “Feral Boy,” presented by Catalyst Repertory on the LongShot Theater stage at Wheeler Arts through May 28.

Corbett (played by Pat Mullen) has graduated college and is expected to take his next step in life. But is it truly his? He excelled in classes, became president of a fraternity, made friends with his bros and had sex with the right girls. Next comes internships and an internet marketing career to make his upper-class parents proud.

But after his roomates (Matt Walls and Donovan Whitney) depart, he starts to see the world through his own eyes – the fish tank in the neighbor’s (Dennis Forkel) window; the cute townie, Betsy (Patty Blanchfield), who works at the nearby convenience store; and especially all the neighborhood’s feral cats.

One night, a feline neighbor, Orangey (Dane Rogers), speaks to him. From then on Corbett draws himself further into their world, meeting gentle Calico (Audrey Stonerock) and their alpha, Striper (Matt Anderson). With the help of Wikipedia’s data on cat behavior, Corbett makes joining their ranks his mission.

The cats are represented by Patrick Weigland’s puppets – elegant slender alley-cat forms with expressive movement provided by their three actors, as well as lurking projected shadows. The portrayals nimbly display their cautious grace and suspicious attitudes expressed in different ways: Rogers’ Orangey blustery and paranoid, Stonerock’s Calico wary but trusting, and Anderson’s Striper cool and controlling.

Mullen excellently guides us through his journey from “imaginary” human to something he sees as more “real.” What appears to others as a man coming apart and abandoning responsibilities, he embraces as a necessary transformation. Blanchfield also shines as the woman caught up in his madness, seeing Corbett as her means of escape – but she can’t follow where he’s going.

The cast also features Sarah Holland Froehlke as Corbett’s mother, and the voices of Jim Tillett, Jolene Moffat and Ayres.

The play itself is an absorbing story, embracing its absurdity – reminiscent of Chuck Palahniuk (“Fight Club”) – without any tongue-in-cheek. Is Corbett delusional? (The cats never speak to anyone else or when he’s around others.) It hardly matters when considering the play’s allegory and questions raised about identity, expectations and how we decide a life’s path. Taken together, director Zach Stonerock and his cast and crew have woven a darkly beautiful drama.

Wheeler Arts Community is located at 1035 Sanders St. in Indy’s Fountain Square neighborhood. For information and tickets, visit uncannycasey.wixsite.com/catalystrepertory or Catalyst Repertory’s Facebook page.

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*Full disclosure: Wendy and I are good friends with Catalyst founder and artistic director Casey Ross, and I helped the production by designing the play program booklet – and making a few copies. But it really IS a good show, just ask Lisa G!