music

IndyFringe: Les Chanteuses

PWJW_Indy IndyFringe, Reviews, Stage , , , , , , , , , ,

This show is part of the 15th Annual Indianapolis Theatre Fringe Festival, a/k/a IndyFringe, Aug. 15-25, 2019 on Mass Ave downtown. Info, etc., at www.IndyFringe.org.

By Wendy Carson

Magic Thread Cabaret brings us an hour of stellar voices raised in tribute to some of the most legendary Divas of our day. Plus, they give us three local ladies whose talents are a brilliant match to the beloved songs they are presenting.

Rayanna Bibbs leads off the night by taking the helm of Aretha’s “Respect”. She channels Jennifer Hudson in her performance of “I am Changing” and her turn at “Baby Love” will have you dancing in your seat. However, her standout number is “A Natural Woman” where she comes out in the most luxurious fur coat and shows you that she is worth every cent of the cost.

Our next Chanteuse is Bridgette Ludlow who roars in with “Midnight Train to Georgia”. Her amazing treatment of “Baby Love”, starting as a sultry torch song and then shifting gears into the bubbly dance song it is. But in my opinion, I think her most amazing work with her interpretation of “God Bless the Child” that I feel showcases her full range of talent in making me (who absolutely hates that song) thoroughly enjoy the song.

Our final singer is Enjoli’ Desiree. She is the one who is given the largest range of material to work with and she gives us her all. The soft yearning of “La Vie En Rose” is a surprising counterpoint to her roaring dominance of “Proud Mary”. She proves that there is not a sentiment she can perfectly express through song.

My one criticism of the show is that the Pianist spends a good portion of the show trying to upstage the singers. I know he is the artistic director, so that should mean that he understands that this is their time in the spotlight and he should allow them to shine.

While each singer assuredly deserves the title of Chanteuse, it is when their voices are brought together that make for some of the most magical performances of the night. So make it a point to pay tribute not only to the Divas being honored, but also the Divas honoring them.

Remaining performances are Friday through Sunday at the District Theater (former TOTS location) 627 Massachusetts Ave.

IndyFringe: Fallen from the Toy Box

PWJW_Indy IndyFringe, Reviews, Stage , , , , , , , , , , , ,

This show is part of the 15th Annual Indianapolis Theatre Fringe Festival, a/k/a IndyFringe, Aug. 15-25, 2019 on Mass Ave downtown. Info, etc., at www.IndyFringe.org.

By Wendy Carson

It’s been four years since The Fourth Wall have been at IndyFringe and once you see their latest show, you will want to convince them to not wait so long to come back and entertain us.

This show is full of entirely new content and spectacularly shows off their virtuosity as performers. Hillary Abigana is a master flautist; C. Neil Parsons brings loads of personality and spunk to the Bass Trombone; and Greg Jukes’ percussion abilities prove that there is not a thing that he cannot bring a pleasing tune from. Plus, they are all accomplished dancers and can utilize their bodies’ movements in ways that will astonish you.

We begin with a touching number with a toy soldier trying to woo a wind-up ballerina but other forces are working to keep them apart.

We are then encouraged to embrace the wonder of childhood as various games with balloons occur. They each balance a balloon of their head, try to keep one from falling by passing it among themselves and even move around holding balloons in place with various part so their body. Oh yeah, did I mention that they are all playing instruments during these feats?

They then present us with three different pieces of artwork that they have choreographed a piece for, each picture created by a child under the age of seven.

There is even a game of Hide and Go Seek played throughout the space with flashlights.

I don’t want to spoil the rest of the surprises they have in store for you. At one point in the show a young child spontaneously shouted out “Yay!” I can’t think of a better compliment to bestow on this group.

Remaining performances are Friday and Saturday nights (Aug. 23-24) at The District Theater (former TOTS location), 627 Massachusetts Ave.

IndyFringe: The Cookie Dough Show

PWJW_Indy IndyFringe, Reviews, Stage , , , , , , , , ,

This show is part of the 15th Annual Indianapolis Theatre Fringe Festival, a/k/a IndyFringe, Aug. 15-25, 2019 on Mass Ave downtown. Info, etc., at www.IndyFringe.org.

By John Lyle Belden

Fringe shows are often full of half-baked ideas. Emerging Artists Theatre Indy presents several, in various flavors, so you are sure to find at least one you like. 

There’s a Christmas comedy with a misunderstanding around “Santa Clara.” There is a series of quick funny scenes that take jabs at customer service, mansplaining and The Container Store. I even saw a couple of pieces of moving drama. All this is locally written, presented by local talent.

And then, there’s Paige.

No matter what you think of any one scene or sketch, it is more than worth your ticket to see the finale, Paige Scott at a tiny piano singing the praises of an underrated Hollywood superstar. It is so much more funny than you think, even if you know the comic heights Scott is capable of.

In exploiting the function of Fringe to incubate theatre ideas, EAT is on to something with this show. Hopefully they will scoop up more “dough” in future festivals.

Sorry to be vague, but lineups change with each performance. Remaining dates are Thursday and Sunday (Aug. 22&25) at ComedySportz, 721 Massachusetts Ave.

IndyFringe: Schoolhouse Rock LIVE, Fringe Edition

PWJW_Indy IndyFringe, Reviews, Stage , , , , , , , , ,

This show is part of the 15th Annual Indianapolis Theatre Fringe Festival, a/k/a IndyFringe, Aug. 15-25, 2019 on Mass Ave downtown. Info, etc., at www.IndyFringe.org.

By John Lyle Belden

Though this is at Fringe, note this is not a parody or deconstruction or any avant garde thing. This is the stage show based on — and performing — the various educational commercial-length shorts you (or your parents) likely grew up with back in the days of Saturday morning cartoons.

This production is by the energetic and highly-talented teens of CYT Indy (the local chapter of Christian Youth Theater). In the stage show, a young teacher is having trouble sleeping because she is worried about her first day at school. So the denizens of School House Rock come to her in a dream, to show how “learning is power” and that it lies within her, too.

This being a Fringe-length show, there are only several select numbers the kids get to do, but they do them well. And we even get a reference to the Pluto controversy when Interplanet Janet comes flying around.  

Support future artists, enjoy the memories, and maybe learn something. Remaining performances are 6 p.m. Friday and 1:30 p.m. Saturday at The Oasis (Shriners’ entrance of the Murat, on the north side), 502 N. New Jersey St.

 

IndyFringe: Lady LIVES

PWJW_Indy IndyFringe, Reviews, Stage , , , , , , , , , , ,

This show is part of the 15th Annual Indianapolis Theatre Fringe Festival, a/k/a IndyFringe, Aug. 15-25, 2019 on Mass Ave downtown. Info, etc., at www.IndyFringe.org.

By John Lyle Belden

For those who saw Monica Cantrell as Billie Holiday in “Lady Day” earlier this year, it was easy to presume that this was a rehash of the same material — but this is not a copy, rather it’s a companion-piece. Where in “Lady Day,” we go back to the past to visit Ms. Holiday, in “Lady LIVES,” she comes to us.

It has been announced that the immortal Billie Holiday, who passed from us in 1959, is going to make an appearance in Indianapolis today. Anything is possible in the theatre, so a place is made. And sure enough, there she is, in a shimmering robe — singing 1970s hit “Hello, It’s Me” as though Todd Rundgren had written it for her.

Apparently you can keep up with things here from the Beyond, as she takes on a couple of other contemporary hits (she even says, “More cowbell!”) but she also sings a couple of her own classics, including the biting reminder that “Strange Fruit” once hung from America’s trees. 

As I said during her earlier show (produced in March by Fonseca Theatre Company), Cantrell can channel Holiday perfectly, nailing that unique voice without sinking into parody. It’s as though the Lady truly visited us. Perhaps she did!

This production is conceived and directed by Bill Myers, produced in association with The Timeless Music Project and The Chatterbox. Remaining performances are 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Saturday, 4:30 p.m. Sunday at the District Theater (former TOTS location),  627 Massachusetts Ave.

 

IndyFringe: Generations

PWJW_Indy IndyFringe, Reviews, Stage , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

This show is part of the 15th Annual Indianapolis Theatre Fringe Festival, a/k/a IndyFringe, Aug. 15-25, 2019 on Mass Ave downtown. Info, etc., at www.IndyFringe.org.

By Wendy Carson

Some of our regular readers may remember that John saw last year’s show by Crossroads Dance and really loved it. While he admits he’s not a dance aficionado, he does like watching it but often has trouble understanding the meaning behind the moves. The company apparently took that to heart and has included some notes in the program to help with understanding the message they are provoking. That said, let’s get to the review.

The show is arranged as a trip through time, reminding us of the history behind our nation. It begins a beautiful balletic piece in which three nature spirits are gaily playing/creating the landscape of the continent. We then move to a suite in tribute to the settlers that tamed the land and made the verdant farmland that stretches throughout our country today.

It then turns to the twentieth century for highlights of various historic decades using songs from those periods.

My personal favorites were: “This One’s For Al” shows the desolation of the Great Depression but still keeps a touch of hope on the horizon. “Jive Bomber” intermixed inspirational wartime tunes of the ’40s with actual radio reports from the battles, showing the pain the nation felt inside, even while keeping up a positive front. However, being a child of the ’80s, I loved their tribute to the decade of neon spandex and big hair in, “MTV Live.”

Choreographers are Ashley Youmell, Brittany Gaither, and Nicole Dean for the pieces listed above, as well as Candace Reiner, Emily Miser, Sammi Bowyer, Josie Meiss, and Rachael Wieczorek.

So, whether you are just a casual fan of dance, or a lifelong devotee, this show will appeal to you. These ladies, while young, bring about an insightful evening of dance that will likely spark some great discussions afterwards.

Remaining performances are 6 p.m. Wednesday and 3 p.m. Saturday at the District Theatre (former TOTS location), 627 Massachusetts Ave.

IndyFringe: A Life of Sorrow — The Life and Times of Carter Stanley

PWJW_Indy IndyFringe, Reviews, Stage , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

This show is part of the 15th Annual Indianapolis Theatre Fringe Festival, a/k/a IndyFringe, Aug. 15-25, 2019 on Mass Ave downtown. Info, etc., at www.IndyFringe.org.

By John Lyle Belden

In 1966, a man looks back on his life and career playing “hillbilly music.” He is Carter Stanley of the legendary Stanley Brothers, who, along with performers such as Bill Monroe, brought Bluegrass out of Appalachia and into our radios and concert halls.

Historian and fellow Virginian Gary Reid presents this one-man show he has developed over the last 10 years. He strums the guitar and sings some “high lonesome” verses, but this is storytelling, not a concert. Still, what stories he has to tell! We hear of Carter and Ralph Stanley’s upbringing, the father who left — twice — and the bizarre way they got their home up on Smith Ridge in the Clinch Mountains. Then, after Carter’s service in World War II, comes the music career, starting with a home-town radio show. He goes from getting into trouble for copying one of Monroe’s songs to eventually playing in his band. Along the way, we hear about characters like Suicide Jones, Fiddlin’ Powers and Pee Wee Lambert.

“I have an independent streak about me!” he declares, but notes “the music was always first.” While he didn’t stray far from the Gospel, he would still enjoy a jar of Dewey’s Finest moonshine on occasion.

Reid’s gentle manner draws you in and keeps you. Like the music, this isn’t anything loud or fancy, but it comes out just right. For anyone with an interest in the roots of “roots” music, “A Life of Sorrow” is highly recommended. When anyone asks me what I liked in the Fringe this year, this show comes first to mind.

Last performances are Friday and Saturday, Aug. 23-24, at the Firefighter’s Hall, 748 Massachusetts Ave. Reid can also be seen around the festival area, playing guitar or selling CDs of classic Bluegrass. Tell him howdy for us.

 

BCP succeeds at ‘Disaster’

PWJW_Indy Reviews, Stage , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

By John Lyle Belden

Before we give the world to the Millennials, let’s have one more fun show for the memories of Boomers and Generation X, a silly tribute to 1970s pop music and death-defying films in “Disaster! The Musical,” on stage through June 16 at Buck Creek Players.

This show by Seth Rudetsky (an “ah-mah-zing” personality on Sirius/XM’s Broadway channel) and Jack Plotnick takes on thrillers such as “Earthquake” and “The Poseidon Adventure,” and adds fire, rats, sharks, piranhas and disco.

It’s 1979 New York, and the casino ship Barracuda is holding its grand opening. It only has to float to be legit, so it stays moored to the pier. Owner Tony Delvecchio (Corey Yeaman) sank a lot of money into this venture, so what’s a few cut corners going to hurt? That shaking is just construction on the West End Highway, right?

Chad (Scott A. Fleshood) needs to get back into action with the ladies, so gets friend Scott (Jamison Hemmert) to bring him on the boat as a fellow waiter. But just as he’s getting his “what’s your sign?” working, he runs into Marianne (Allie Buchanan), who left him at the altar, choosing her career as a Times reporter over him.

Others on this journey include disaster expert Professor Ted Scheider (Joe Wagner), who wants everyone off the boat immediately; Sister Mary Downey (Emily Gaddy), out to save souls, but worries for her own when faced with an old temptation; Maury and Shirley Summers (Michael Davis and Laura Duvall-Whitson), a couple in a long, happy marriage on what could be their last voyage; disco diva Levora Verona (Joi Blalock), whose career is on the skids; and ship’s entertainer Jackie Noelle (Jessica Crum Hawkins) and her twins Ben and Lisa (both played by Ava Lusby).

The cast also includes Joshua Cox, Christine King, Paige Land, Carrie Powell, Jason Ryan, and Ben Rockey in dual roles as the dutiful security guard and a rich passenger.

The show manages to balance an absurd, fun atmosphere with a touch of genuine suspense. It unapologetically embraces cheesy elements including puppet killer fish, obviously fake body doubles, and a “CASINO” sign that flips over to signal when the boat has capsized, somehow making it all work. And then there’s the music, as pop hit lyrics are warped to fit the plot, and vice versa. For instance, during the opening number every possible meaning for the words “Hot Stuff” is explored to help set up the various elements of the oncoming calamity.

Fleshood makes ‘70s suave look cool; Yeaman is just sleazy enough for us to enjoy every misfortune he encounters; Wagner makes a likable egghead; Hemmert is charming in a hard-luck way; Duval-Whitson and Davis are sweet enough to induce sugar-shock; Rockey can’t help but steal scenes; and the ladies are top-notch — Buchanan providing a humorous yet respectful reflection of the era’s feminist struggles; Hawkins giving dimension to what could have been just a damsel-in-distress role; Blalock being a sassy force of nature in her own right; and Gaddy making a supporting role look like a star turn.  

Lusby is very impressive in her community theatre debut. The seventh-grader shows a lot of talent and a knack for comedy as she smoothly switches between siblings throughout the show.

Director D. Scott Robinson can be reassured that ironically, in this “Disaster” everything went right. Find the Buck Creek Playhouse at 11150 Southeastern Ave. (Acton Road exit off I-74). Find info and tickets at 317-862-2270 or buckcreekplayers.com.

Catalyst’s ‘Class’ in session

PWJW_Indy Reviews, Stage , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

By John Lyle Belden

Nan Macy is a master of portraying strong mature women, and shows this to brilliant effect in the current production of Terrance McNally’s “Master Class,” presented by Catalyst Repertory in association with the Indianapolis Opera Company and The Switch Theatre.

Macy portrays legendary opera soprano Maria Callas, who, late in her career, is giving the titular class for young vocal students. Callas’s career was notable not only for her exceptional voice, but also tabloid-style scandals including rivalries with other singers and her affair with shipping magnate Aristotle Onasis. Here we see this brash, blunt diva with a well-established chip on her shoulder from having been looked down upon for her Greek heritage and her weight (she underwent drastic weight loss at the peak of her career, a boon to her casting but possibly hurting her voice). She is far too proud to acknowledge her declining vocal ability, living the adage of “those who can’t do, teach.” Regardless, she gives her charges a lot to learn about presentation and passion.  

With such serious subject matter, and her lapses into troubled memory, it’s easy to forget until you see this how incredibly funny this show is. For instance, Macy’s timing is perfect in saying “let me stop you there,” the moment a poor student opens her mouth.

As for her “victims,” we get some nice vocals from Abigail Johnson, Shederick Whipple, and Rachelle Woolston. And we see, as they do with Callas, that there is more to great opera than just knowing the words. Sean Manterfield is Manny, the piano accompanist. Thomas Smith is a stagehand badgered by Callas, but also turns the tables portraying Onasis in her recollections. Director Tony Johnson also has other cast members drift in and out of her memory as figures from her past.

This is a “class” you won’t want to skip, as hilarity and tragic depth occupy the stage in equal measure, wielded by a master, portraying a master. Brava!

“Master Class” performances are Friday through Sunday at 10029 E. 126th St., Fishers. Get tickets at theswitch.yapsody.com.

Challenges of modern farm life in Still’s ‘Amber Waves’ at IRT

PWJW_Indy Reviews, Stage , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

By John Lyle Belden

The story of the Olson family of rural Indiana is like that of many farmers across America, which is part of what makes “Amber Waves” by James Still such an important play.

Mr. Still, the playwright-in-residence at the Indiana Repertory Theatre, where this drama plays on the upperstage through April 28, took inspiration from his own upbringing on a Kansas farm, which his family has since lost.

The Olsons face the very real danger of losing what generations of kin had built, even as they witness an old friend’s farm, and its family’s possessions, going up for auction. Mike (Torsten Hillhouse), the only one of the “Olson boys” to stay on the farm, tries to only think of what chores and repairs must be done in the coming days, to keep the faith that it will be enough, and to search the skies for long-overdue rain.

Mike’s wife, Penny (Mary Bacon), is totally devoted both to her husband and their vocation. She largely succeeds in staying positive, even as unpaid bills pile up, but teenage son Scott (William Brosnahan) and 12-year-old daughter Deb (Jordan Pecar) become increasingly aware that something’s wrong.

Much of the story involves Deb’s point of view. She works for elderly neighbor Johnny Apple (Charles Dumas), who always seems to find more odd jobs for her to do, giving her a few more much-needed dollars. Her situation also strains her relationship with best friend, Julie (Riley Iaria), from a more wealthy family. Meanwhile, life goes on, with the County Fair, school activities, the Homecoming game — normal aspects of country living.

The atmosphere is made complete with music and songs by Tim Grimm and Jason Wilber, performed onstage by Grimm and Rachel Eddy.

First performed in 2000, the play has been updated, including tech references, but the core story is as current now as it was then. There is even a mention of recent tariffs affecting crop prices. It tugs at the heartstrings in a genuine manner, as we see a family experience what feels like a lifetime in a single year.

Directed by Lisa Rothe, the performances feel natural, like these actors truly are family, or that Hillhouse really stepped off a tractor before coming onstage. Bacon is outstanding as a mother finding the multiple roles of a farm wife almost overwhelming, but persevering through willpower and love.

The simple wooden stage set and old latch-handle refrigerator at the back suggest a timeless, well-worn comfortable setting (kudos to scenic designer Narelle Sissons). Lighting designer Mary Louise Geiger makes clever use of glass-jar lighting. Grimm grounds this production with his music, singing and connection to the original production; Eddy provides a perfect compliment, an Appalachian virtuoso of various string instruments, and a beautiful voice.

The IRT is located at 140 W. Washington St. in downtown Indy, near Circle Centre. Call 317-635-5252 or visit irtlive.com.