KT Peterson

For Frosty Die-Hards who Actually Love Wonderful Xmas Stories

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By John Lyle Belden

As we proceed into December, it’s time we put aside our worries over politics and international strife to consider truly important questions, such as:

  • Is “Die Hard” a Christmas movie – I mean, it absolutely is, right?
  • Does “Prancer” still count?
  • And, can we get ever get enough Jimmy Stewart?

Explore these vital issues with folks who clearly have issues – in “A Very Phoenix Xmas: It’s a Wonderful Die Hard Life Story Actually,” directed and curated by Claire Wilcher. It’s like the beloved performer and intimacy expert worked on an in-depth project on holiday television and cinema, but she took one of those Siberian Santa mushrooms (see the show for context).

Our up-for-anything cast of Matthew Altman, Paige Neely, Devan Mathias, Zachariah Stonerock, and Kelsey Van Voorst take on a series of skits by Wilcher, Jeff Clawson, Steve Moulds, Zack Neiditch, KT Peterson, Mookie Harris, Steven Korbar, Bennett Ayres, and the return of Mark Harvey Levine’s “A Requiem for Shermy,” one of the best tributes to the Peanuts Christmas Special. In video bits between scenes, Wilcher joins in on some classic holiday movie moments.

This show gets a little spooky at times, a lot funny throughout, and just one degree from Kevin Bacon. We’ve seen Mathias and Van Voorst deliver the silly before, and they are at the top of their game here, as well as charming Neely and ever-fabulous Altman; meanwhile Stonerock excels at Pythonesque straight-man delivery, as well as the task of doing likely the most imitated-for-laughs voice in Hollywood history.

Looks like the Phoenix Theatre Cultural Centre’s holiday tradition is here to stay (through Dec. 22) and in good hands. It’s on the mainstage at 705 N. Illinois St., downtown Indianapolis; get tickets at phoenixtheatre.org.

Fringe review: Mr. Boniface the Wise

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By Wendy Carson

Zany doesn’t even begin to describe the characters in “Mr. Boniface, the Wise,” by KT Peterson, playing in the IndyFringe Basile Theatre. In fact, the titular character, Mr. Boniface — a goat-man who lives in the youngest child’s wallpaper and tells her what to do – is the most normal one on display.

We have: the aforementioned youngest child, Gerty, who may be either schizophrenic or just a clairvoyant genius; Angora, a certified scientific genius, who is so bored with the level of education at her school, she has been expelled for her little pranks against the other students; Inga, their harried, narcoleptic mother who is determined that Angora get back into school so that she can succeed at fulfilling her scientific potential; and Mr. Capshaw, Angora’s science teacher, who is madly in love with her and her brain – so much so, that they plan to fake their own deaths and run of to Wisconsin so that she can be part of a pig-cloning team.

Needless to say, hilarity ensues throughout the show as everyone tries to get what they want, and it seems that only Mr. Boniface will persevere.

While Mr. Boniface’s Presidential bid was never revealed to any of us during the play (the actors are distributing campaign stickers around the festival), I hope to eventually hear more of his platform as he seems to be one of the more reasonable possibilities for the 2016 ticket.

So, for a wacky, fun time enjoy this little insight into a family that will make yours look totally normal.