New York

From fake fruit to real feelings: Belfry delivers Simon classic

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By John Lyle Belden

You can’t go wrong with a comedy play by Neil Simon, and The Belfry Theatre presents the one that started his incredible run of Broadway and film hits.

“Come Blow Your Horn” is not a musical, but more about blasting one’s own achievements. In this case 1960s swinging single Alan Baker (Josh Gibson), in a nice Manhattan apartment with constant female companionship. He’s been having fun with aspiring actress Peggy (Adriana Menefee), who stretches being “bad with names” to comic lengths. However, his more regular companion, Connie (Alyssa Lay), has come home from her singing tour early.

Meanwhile, Alan’s younger brother, Buddy (Jeff Haber), has arrived to stay with him, finally escaping living with their parents – neurotic and overbearing Mother (Vickie Phipps), and hot-tempered Father (Chris Otterman), who varies from passive-aggressive to aggressive-aggressive. The family owns a wax-fruit factory where the father employs both sons, though he rails at “the bum” Alan’s slacking.

Alan seeks to make Buddy more irresponsible like him, while, ironically, he finds himself having authentic feelings for Connie. But when the playboy antics get too complex, Father’s reaction could rename this show “Come Blow Your Top.”

This comedy shows hints of Simon’s linguistic mastery and knack for wacky situations that reach perfection in his later shows. On its own merits, it’s wildly enjoyable, and you can tell the cast are having fun with it as well. Gibson is great at projecting cheeky confidence, so is in his element here. Haber delivers a perfect contrast, as a man perpetually unsure of himself. After intermission, the two switch demeanors, adding dimension to their characters, as well as more laughs.

Lay is adorable as usual and shows both her and her performer character’s range in her efforts to get Alan to mature. In roles inspired by Simon’s own parents, Phipps and Otterman shine as the Mom and Dad who seem to never be happy, yet still get across that they love their kids – infuriating as they are. Menefee plays Peggy as more nice than smart, elevating a rather limited role. Katherine Gibson has a memorable cameo as Aunt Gussie.

Veteran director Lori Raffel, who has handled plenty of wackiness in various central Indiana companies, delivers an endearing take on this classic. Performances are Friday through Sunday, Sept. 26-28, at The Switch Theatre, 10029 126th St., Fishers. Info and tickets at thebelfrytheatre.com.

ALT: What happens in Aspen…

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By John Lyle Belden

One of the biggest surprises for me in seeing “Aspen Ideas,” the new dark comedy by Abe Koogler, is that the Aspen Festival of Ideas is a real thing – an annual gathering of the world’s rich, famous, influential, and otherwise successful in Aspen, Col., where they share various ideas of how to make the world a better place.

This play, presented by American Lives Theatre at the Phoenix Theatre Cultural Centre, is not about them.

Also planning to attend Aspen are Rob (Clay Mabbitt) and Anne (Diana O’Halloran). We meet them in New York, where they live, at a party where he hopes to make connections for his money management business. They encounter Jay (Alaine Sims), a woman who seems to be there for people-watching, which intrigues Anne as she herself is not comfortable at this event. They also meet Jay’s partner, Chris (Zach Tabor), who is pleasant but quiet – awkward and eccentric when he does speak (similar to the autism spectrum).

Days later, they all meet at Rob and Anne’s “Dumbo” apartment. Unsuccessfully avoiding this soiree is Rob and Anne’s 16-year-old daughter Sophie (Megan Janning), who, when cajoled into saying something to their guests, speaks frankly of her adolescent angst and resentments.

Rob feels compelled to invite Jay and Chris to join them in Aspen, insisting and offering to pay their way. The scenes that follow are on the plane to Colorado, then locations in and near the resort town.

Delayed by Fringe commitments, we saw this on its second weekend (one more remains), having heard that audience feedback has been mixed. What is the “idea” of what we see on the stage?

Neither the script nor Zack Neiditch’s direction allows these characters to be softened for more laughs. While it’s easy to see, perhaps, one of your friends or relatives in Rob or Anne – generally good persons – they become quite insufferable. Mabbitt and O’Halloran glibly commit to characters who feel like has-beens but are actually never-weres – he a frustrated artist of limited talent, she a dancer whose chorus career was ended by injury. They indulge in a poser lifestyle, not realizing it keeps them mired in their mediocrity.

Sims and Tabor excellently portray mysterious characters about whom we can only guess their true nature, even when their intentions are revealed at the end. Sims keeps Jay friendly while making you feel that something is a bit “off” about her. Tabor gives off a shy, even timid vibe in Chris’s quietude, which becomes effectively misleading.

Janning plays Sophie as a girl sharp enough to sense that she may not know what she wants, but it’s not what she’s got. She loves her parents, but hates what they represent.

“Aspen Ideas” is an amusing and interesting character study with an ongoing air of mystery. We found the ending of this 95-minute (no intermission) play intriguing and understandable in its context. Depending on what you think Jay and Chris may be, feel free to speculate what exactly happens on this summer day in Aspen.

Performances are Thursday through Sunday, Aug. 28-31, at 705 N. Illinois St., downtown Indianapolis. Get tickets at phoenixtheatre.org and information at americanlivestheatre.org.

Charming look at ‘Club’ all eventually join

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By John Lyle Belden

Epilogue Players presents the lively comedy, “The Cemetery Club,” by Ivan Menchell, directed by Kelly Keller.

Once a month, Jewish widows Ida (Valerie Nowosielski), Lucille (Lisa Warner Lowe), and Doris (Marie McNelis) meet at Ida’s place and go to a cemetery in Forest Hills, Queens, to visit the graves of their husbands. When we meet them, it is the four-year anniversary of the passing of Doris’s husband, Abe, to whom she is as devoted as ever. Ida still loves her Murray, but is starting to feel she wants to do more than converse with a stone. Lucille is just glad her Harry is staying in one place.

Sam Katz (Tom Smith), the local butcher, comes by to visit the grave of his wife Myrna, and things get interesting.

With an upcoming social event – their friend Selma is getting married, again, and all are invited – the opportunity for dating, and maybe more, is in the air. Tom, feeling like a nervous teen, asks Ida out. Perpetual flirt Lucille appears jealous, while Doris is appalled at the whole situation. This results in hilarious situations reminiscent of “Sex and the City,” but older and more Jewish (and less sex). Mary DeBoer adds spice as Mildred, an additional wedding guest.

Aside from being very funny, the play also tugs at the heartstrings as we see friendships tested while they each in their own way continue to deal with loss and the need to “write a new chapter.” Nowosielski, Lowe, and McNelis have the chemistry of three ladies long comfortable with one another’s quirks. However, this familiarity leads to presumptions of what is best for one who is acting differently. Smith’s character is like a guy at any age who is caught up in a women’s world, trying seemingly in vain to do what is right.

Wendy Brown is assistant director, and Patti Boyle is stage manager.

Embrace life by attending “The Cemetery Club,” performances Thursday through Sunday (June 19-22), at Epilogue Players, 1849 N. Alabama (corner of 19th and Alabama St.), Indianapolis. Reserve tickets at epilogueplayers.com.

Mud Creek goes ‘Barefoot’

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By John Lyle Belden

Seeing a comedy by Neil Simon is kind of like treating yourself to a really nice meal. It just feels so good and satisfying. This is certainly true with the highly-quotable silly-even-when-serious fun of “Barefoot in the Park,” presented by Mud Creek Players, directed by Michelle Moore.

In the anything can happen time and place of 1960s New York, newlyweds Paul and Corie Bratter (Matthew Blandford and Piper Williams) move into their first apartment – a fifth-floor walk-up. Corie eagerly awaits a delayed furniture delivery, but the only arrival is the phone company man (Kevin Smith), who feels every step of the five flights (plus stoop). Soon Paul arrives from his job as a lawyer and while his wife giddily accepts their new place, he can’t help but see its many flaws.

Next to ascend the eternal stairs is Corie’s mother, Ethel (Barb Weaver). To see the apartment after it’s furnished, she agrees to return that Friday for dinner.

Paul is also annoyed – while Corie is pleased – to find that their brownstone is full of eccentric tenants, especially their upstairs (attic) neighbor, aging worldly raconteur Victor Velasco (Chris Otterman). Feeling her mom could use some spice in her life, Corie invites him to dinner Friday as well. And that weekend, things get very spicy.

Simon likes to throw together odd couples, and Williams and Blandford portray well their tested love in a comic clash between one who leaps into life and one who prefers to just sit and get some work done. Corie gets almost too manic, yet that overwhelming nature plays into the second-act antics as Paul finds himself literally on the edge. Weaver nicely plays the woman feeling her adventurous years were behind her, finding herself in her wildest one yet. Otterman’s Victor is a gentlemanly force of nature, not so much chewing the scenery as serving it up with the perfect seasoning.

Smith gets to be charming while his AT&T tech catches his breath. In addition, Jackson Hawkins plays the Delivery Man, who not only finally brings furniture at the end of the first scene, but also appears at major scene changes to summon the stage crew – including Alexandra Sarell and stage manager Dallas Ganz – to move things around as needed.

So feast your senses (and “don’t forget to ‘pop’ it!”) at “Barefoot in the Park,” Thursday through Saturday, May 15-17, at Mud Creek Players “Barn,” 9740 E. 86th St., Indianapolis. Get tickets at mudcreekplayers.org.

ALT characters only ‘Human’

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By John Lyle Belden

With the passage of time, we are often prone to looking back at particular eras. Stephan Karam’s Tony-winning play, “The Humans” takes a snapshot of a day during the years between the national traumas of 9/11 and Covid.

In this 90-minute (no intermission) drama, presented by American Lives Theatre at the Phoenix Theatre Cultural Centre, Brigid and her partner Richard (Susannah Quinn and Trent K. Hawthorne-Richards) are hosting Thanksgiving dinner for her family – parents Erik and Deidre (Eric Bryant and Eva Patton), older sister Aimee (Jenni White), and grandmother “Momo” (Wendy Brown) – in her new apartment located in Manhattan’s Chinatown.

It’s a big place for New York, split-level on ground floor and basement, connected by a narrow spiral staircase, but with a view only of a cigarette butts and ash-filled inner courtyard, as well as the occasional disturbing mysterious noises from the neighbors. The one bathroom upstairs, while kitchen and dining area are below, becomes an issue because Momo has severe dementia and, though able to walk some, mostly gets around pushed in a wheelchair; also, Aimee has frequent intestinal symptoms from her ulcerative colitis.

These factors, as well as general family awkwardness, plus Erik and Richard each relating the weird dreams they have been having, serve up all the ingredients for a family-holiday comedy. However, while there a quite a few good laughs in this show, the overall tone is set by Erik’s Thanksgiving toast “to knowing what’s important,” because “one day, it goes.”

We find that each character has something slipping away or lost. As the plot gains substance, it draws out the essence of American life in the early 21st century: that we perpetually, for the sake of our sanity, ignore that every one of us is one setback away from catastrophe. The odd sounds, the grandmother’s babble of insistent phrases you almost understand, as well as individual reflections on a past September day, bring the fast-flowing currents of fear closer to the surface.

Plus, we learn about “pig smash,” which looks kinda fun.

Matthew Reeder directs, assisted by Jacob David Lang, on an excellent stage set by Rozy Isquith, featuring metal spiral stairs that are legendary around Indy theatres.  

As for the cast, this ensemble all know how to bring the feels. I find it difficult to single out any particular performance – White and Brown are among our friends, but I still think it’s fair to call them exceptional: White can play having all-the-problems while still being sweet and relatable; Brown gives a tender performance, punctuated by confusion, anger, and moments of something approaching mischief. Hawthorne-Richards works with nervous charm as the outsider point of view on the others’ family dynamic, and it’s nice (especially for something set only about a decade ago) that it is this different upbringing more than his skin tone that sets him apart.

Bryant brings gravitas to his paternal role, reflecting experience (on other stages) of seeing the story as a director (here, it’s Erik knowing this may not end well) and feeling it as an actor (struggling with circumstances he can’t control). Quinn plays the desperate soul bargaining that if one dream comes true – Brigid getting a nice place to live – her others don’t have to die, either. Patton maintains the stage tradition of the Mom who is like a rock while dealing with the growing cracks.

Walls thump and lights flicker, but knowing how fantasy stories end, we understand what it is that the ghosts and shadows fear. “The Humans” runs through May 11 on the Phoenix main stage, 705 N. Illinois, downtown Indianapolis. Get tickets at phoenixtheatre.org, information at americanlivestheatre.org.

Cardinal show anything but ‘Ordinary’

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By John Lyle Belden

For these unusual times, Cardinal Stage of Bloomington presents an unusual theatre experience.

Shown online on-demand through Feb. 21, Cardinal’s production of the musical “Ordinary Days” by Adam Gwon relies on technological wizardry to allow four actors to interact while performing their parts in Covid-safe separate locations. Set in New York, circa 2008, we meet four “ordinary” individuals who will have an extraordinary influence on one others’ lives.

Our introduction to them, and this play, initially struck us with an uneasy “what’s this?” feeling. The obviously green-screen NYC backdrop, with our struggling artist-slash-artist’s-assistant-slash-pamphleteer? singing about – what’s this about, again? – but he sure is eager. And wordy. This song could have been written better. And there’s just a single piano in the background. Why does this feel like an audition tape?

If it all seems puzzling to you as well, stick with it. It gets much better.

After Warren (Henry Miller) ends his song with a winning smile, we jump to frustrated grad student Deb (Nina Donville) singing the foundation of her character arc, then to Jason (Julian Diaz-Granados) and Claire (Kayla Marie Eilers) who we discover are moving in together. So that connects two of the characters, but how about the others? A lost-and-found, followed by an odd but artsy rendezvous, kicks off an unlikely relationship between two souls seeking their purpose in art and words. And by the time this hour and a half (no intermission) is over, one pair will affect the other in a subtle but profound way.

Donville delivers as a woman struggling with the expectations of others, and herself, brought to a personal crossroads by impish Warren, in whom Miller channels the “if I can make it there” spirit of the Big Apple, even when his perpetual optimism is challenged. Diaz-Granados’ Jason is a hopeful romantic, wishing to communicate the depth of his feelings for Claire, but instead, at the worst moment, blurts out a proposal. Eilers effectively presents Claire as someone yearning to move forward, but held by a nagging uncertainty. Under the direction of Cardinal Artistic Director Kate Galvin, Gwon’s plot gently weaves together these “ordinary” yet interesting lives with a gust of the wind through the high-rises.

Also tying the scenes and thematic threads together are music director Ray Fellman on piano, and video editor Alyssa V. Gomez of CO-OP Productions, who brilliantly creates character interaction in this strange (for live stage fans) medium. For the vocal harmonies, I’m guessing credit goes in part to sound editor Robert Hornbostel. Rounding out the crew is stage manager Corey Hollinger.

To experience “Ordinary Days,” go to CardinalStage.org, and gather around the screen for a $25 “household” ticket, but only through Sunday.