Phoenix Theatre

Don’t tell her it’s ‘About Nothing’

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

By Wendy Carson and John Lyle Belden

IndyShakes brings us the World Premiere of Lavina Jadhwani’s clever play, “Ado.” In what would be her last theatrical work before being taken by cancer in September, she sought to “fix” a logical flaw in William Shakespeare’s comedy, “Much Ado About Nothing.” How does a noble woman – named “Hero” no less – just accept trauma and go forth blindly with an absurd plan?

The action in “Ado” takes place during the offstage hours in Hero’s bedchambers after she was accused of infidelity and spurned by her beloved Claudio at what was to be their wedding. She fainted at the altar, leading to news that she has died from a broken heart.

Our play begins as Hero (Senaite Tekle) and her faithful servant Margaret (Kelli Malise) arrive in her room. She fumes not only about the slights to her character and virtue but also the fact that not a single person, even her father, spoke out in support of her.

The truth of how Margaret was tricked into aiding this betrayal is revealed. Then Hero’s cousin Beatrice (LaKesha Lorene) joins them, only to find that she was masterfully manipulated by the other women to fall for Benedick (a soldier whose return with Claudio from war sets off the plot of the greater Shakespeare work). Already known for her sharp tongue, Beatrice doesn’t take this well.

Hero and Beatrice’s beloved Auntie Ursula (Claire Wilcher) also shows up. Being both independent and traditional, she charmingly talks the others through their issues – hoping, despite the anger in the room, for a happy wedding in the morning. Thus, after much drink, an ersatz Bachelorette Party ensues. Decisions are made, including what to break in lieu of their hearts.

As a feminist examination of the way women in every era are treated and controlled, the setting has a current-day feel, complete with bits of today’s music. Modern syntax mixes in Shakepearean words and phrases to aid the timeless feel, making the events relatable without seeming anachronistic. By the time “epitaphs” are spun in a hip-hop style, it just adds to their cathartic fun.

Directed by Dawn Monique Williams, who was selected by Jadhwani, our cast add relatable depth to the archetypes the Bard assigned to them. Tekle presents Hero’s depth of feeling as strength rather than weakness, finding herself awakened from the fairy tale her life had been. Malise’s Margaret is sassy and unapologetically sexy, aware of her place in society while only feeling shame in her hurting a woman she loves.

Lorene takes Beatrice’s attitude and makes it less a shrew (as the source play implies) and more a fox. She will love Benedick on her own terms; now we can see exactly what those are. Wilcher gives her own sense of fun to a character given limited weight in the original work, but here taking on the role of catalyst, with the wisdom earned by her own life experience.

As the saying goes, the show must go on and that will be for your next viewing of “Much Ado…,” now with a perspective on the considerations behind the play’s happy-ending nuptials.

But even if this is all you see, it is well worth joining this little party with its own great comic moments, especially in their reactions to Claudio’s offstage attempt at repentance. In all, it is nice to see someone peek into the inner thoughts of these characters to reveal the drama not shown in Shakespeare’s script.

Attend “Ado,” playing through March 3 in the black box Basile stage of the Phoenix Theatre Cultural Centre, 705 N. Illinois St. in downtown Indianapolis. Get tickets at phoenixtheatre.org and information at indyshakes.com.

Lessons impact more than students in ALT drama

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

By John Lyle Belden

Home Economics education was a normal part of growing up female in America for most of the 20th century. Colleges took it a step further with degree programs and entire departments so that ambitious ladies could get socially acceptable careers in fields like foods and nutrition or education, or to just become more knowledgeable housewives.

In “Borrowed Babies,” the drama by Jennifer Blackmer presented by American Lives Theatre, an enterprising professor at an Indiana college creates an innovation within that system.

In 1952, Judy London (Jen Johansen) starts her “Home Management House” where four senior Home Ec majors will reside while taking on practical projects in aspects such as cooking and sewing. For them to better understand infant care, Mrs. London has arranged for an actual one-month-old from the local Children’s Home, who will live with them throughout the semester.

In 1982, the program has been inactive for over a decade and the House, where Mrs. London still has her office, is about to be demolished by the University to make way for new construction. Assisted by distracted student Shelly (Rachel Ivie), they are packing up accumulated paperwork and records when a 30-year-old woman (Lauren Briggeman) arrives, insisting on speaking with the professor. Wendy, they discover, has been here before.

On a singular stage set, designed by Nick Kilgore, we witness both eras. Bridget Haight’s direction, lighting design by Paully Crumpacker, and the skill of the cast – especially Johansen – make the story’s constant flow between these periods natural and easy to follow.

In the ‘50s, we get to know the four students: Vera (Hannah Luciani) is an honor student, eager to please. Louise (Carmia Imani) is ambitious, her eye on both a career and a certain young man, though she is regarded as the group’s worst cook. Betty (Dorian Underwood) is bright and upbeat with dreams of making it in the New York art scene. Bernie (Sarah Powell), daughter of a former “Rosie the Riveter” and an overbearing father, enjoys fixing things – however, she resists helping to care for the baby, as she doesn’t plan to have one of her own.

Julie Dixon plays Mrs. Rose McGuinness, a social worker with the Children’s Home.

Blackmer, a Professor of Theatre at Ball State University in Muncie, based this play on a past program of “practice houses” there. Having this grounded in a real mid-century experiment, done with the best intentions but a more ends-justify-means standard of ethics typical at the time, makes this drama even more fascinating. It also gives a glimpse into the lives of women college students who must reconcile unlimited potential with limited opportunities.

In addition, this production gives us the pleasure of seeing two of Indy’s best actors, Johansen and Briggeman, go toe-to-toe in a battle of wills. Those playing students also get moments to shine, especially Powell in her deeply conflicted role.

Class is in session, with lessons that ask hard but important questions. “Borrowed Babies” runs through Feb. 22 at the Phoenix Theatre Cultural Centre, 705 N. Illinois St. in downtown Indianapolis. For tickets, go to phoenixtheatre.org.

Phoenix in its Xmas era

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

By John Lyle Belden

That Holiday Tradition that’s an alternative to Nutcrackers or Tiny Tim or other Christmassy cliches – except perhaps to mock them – has returned to the Phoenix Theatre Cultural Centre.

“A Very Phoenix Xmas XVII: Sleigh, Queen, Sleigh!” takes the stage with its various funny and nicely naughty short plays. This time these all-original skits all have common creators – written by director Zack Neiditch with songs by Paige Scott. They are brought to life by Suraj Choudhary, Samantha Lewis, Craig Underwood, Cara Wilson, and Christine Zavakos, who also each give a disturbingly charming (or charmingly disturbing) “Christmas memory” in videos by Zach Rosing.

The various pieces are presented in historical order from past to present, starting with a breaking TV news report from Roman Palestine. A more historically accurate approach is taken in a hilarious look at Christmas in Renaissance-era England. As for the Victorian era, Marley’s still dead. In the 20th century, things really get strange. With more recent decades, be sure to “like and subscribe.”

Note this isn’t all-ages. Mature content includes f-bombs and middle fingers, but no outright blasphemy. Think of it as SNL with HBO standards.

The ensemble work very well together, with most of them interacting in nearly every scene. Neiditch’s knack for comedy and Scott’s for a catchy tune give them plenty to work with.

If this kind of humor fits your stocking, you’ll find it very entertaining with familiar themes taken on like nobody else.  

“A Very Phoenix Xmas” runs through Dec. 21 at 705 N. Illinois St., downtown Indianapolis. Get info and tickets at phoenixtheatre.org.

New play presents a fateful correspondence

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

By John Lyle Belden

There is much to be said for the magic of the theatre, the blurring of space, distance, and communication between characters and to our silent witness, all on the limited confines right in front of us. Thus, our minds easily suspend disbelief, forego the logic that requires more physical and temporal structure expected in cinema or even a novel, all to give us the essence and substance of the story. Put simply, I believe “Wad,” by Keiko Green, could only work on the stage – and the current world premiere production by American Lives Theatre and The New Harmony Project works brilliantly.

Nyce – pronounced “Neese” – (Mollie Murk) is a Ft. Lauderdale teen fascinated with the macabre who finds a program to mail letters to prison inmates on Florida’s Death Row. She selects Jim (Eric Reiberg) and writes to him noting that she has not read about his case beyond being convicted for “double first-degree murder,” that she would rather find out about it from him, from his perspective.  His execution date is five months away.

The black-box confines of the Basile stage in the Phoenix Theatre Cultural Centre are evenly divided between Nyce’s bedroom and Jim’s cell (set design by Matt Mott). Under the direction of Emily Moler, we see Nyce and Jim communicate across the hundred-plus mile distance via balled-up letters thrown across the center line like paper-wads in a classroom (hence the title). What in reality takes days become flowing conversations, complete with mutual-fantasy interactions across the center line. They enact a history lesson, a meet-cute, and even a puppet show. In addition, they each find themselves revealed as lies are discovered and evasions become useless as time grows ever shorter.

Murk nicely embodies the girl at the cusp of adulthood, naively thinking hard truths will come easy. While she is at a turning point at the start of life’s potential, Reiberg gives us a man facing down his end. He is at first indifferent, but finding a non-judgemental friend gives him a cruel dose of hope. Aided by what we learn about his fate through their correspondence, the conclusion is felt more than seen.

While obviously a drama, there is a fair amount of dark comedy, especially in their early interactions – a blend of adolescent sarcasm and genuine gallows humor. Watch closely for deeper elements, such as both characters being Libras – a hint at the scales of Justice, and the fragile sense of balance throughout the narrative.

In all, “Wad” is a fascinating, thought-provoking, and affecting look at two distinct characters, revealing the humanity they share with each other – and us. Performances run through Sept. 28 at 705 N. Illinois St., downtown Indianapolis. Get info and tickets at phoenixtheatre.org.

Phoenix launches unflinching look at ‘Rocket Men’

PWJW_Indy Reviews , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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.

ALT: What happens in Aspen…

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

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.

New ensemble makes a splash with true tale

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

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.

Summit shows the ‘Different’ could be any of us

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

By John Lyle Belden and Wendy Carson

Summit Performance Indianapolis does more than produce great plays. As a community outreach, it presents “This is Different,” an original one-act play, followed by open panel discussion, on living with and looking past the stigma of substance use disorder (SUD).

Quoting Summit: “It is the ninth Community Conversation One-Act produced by Summit and developed in collaboration with Dr. Sally Wasmuth… at the IU Indianapolis School of Health and Human Services… created from local interviews, conducted by Dr. Wasmuth.”

One performance remains, 7 p.m. tonight (June 28) on the main stage of the Phoenix Theatre Cultural Centre, 705 N. Illinois St., downtown Indianapolis. As the production is made possible in part by the City of Indianapolis and the Opioid Settlement Funds through the Indy Arts Council, all tickets are free, but reservations are needed at phoenixtheatre.org.

Told mainly through compelling monologues, the first-person stories collected by Wasmuth were crafted by playwrights Lauren Briggeman, the director and a Summit founder with long experience in drama; and Kelsey Johnson Lyons, who approached the script from her experience as a poet. Briggemen noted that choreographer Mariel Greenlee, formerly a company member with Dance Kaleidoscope, took the initiative in recommending movement used to underscore the performances. Simple yet effective lighting and sound are by Laura Glover and Olivia Lawson; Nico Meisner is stage manager.

The spirit of collaboration is reflected by the cast, each a major local talent: Tracy Herring, Miki Mathioudadkis, Morgan Morton, and Tracy Nakagozi. The source, script, and earnest delivery combine to thoroughly humanize the addicts in recovery that they represent. While additiction is expensive and devastating, they warn, most of all it is “sneaky.” It’s a party – until it’s not. Without excuses or complaint, the women who speak through these four relate their circumstances, their losses, what they salvage, and the human desire to belong, whether among others or just alone in your own yellow house.

You likely know or may even have been someone like these anonymous real souls. Especially if you don’t, it is imperative to understand them. The discussion after the one-hour performance gives plenty of room for exploring what this means to you, and all of us.

The title, “This is Different,” turns out to have a double meaning. It is what that voice within says when it dawns that instead of using a substance, the roles are reversed; then it’s the realization when after all your attempts to get “clean,” you finally see real recovery.

Big thanks to Dove Recovery House for its participation in this production, and to the continued community work of Summit Performance Indianapolis.

Mysterious forces at work in ‘Oak’ at Phoenix Theatre

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

By John Lyle Belden

During the new Terry Guest drama “Oak” at the Phoenix Theatre Cultural Center, you could ask, what’s happening? The simple answer is that children and teenagers routinely disappear near Odella Creek, deep in rural Georgia, and have for generations. The query then follows: How? And why?

To learn the legend, we meet local youngsters Pickle (Jadah Rowan), her little brother Big Man (Joshua Short), and their cousin Suga (Tracy Nakigozi). They each know a version of the two-century-old story of Odella, a slave girl who, not long after giving birth, found an opportunity to escape – alone. It was believed that she drowned in the creek that now bears her name, near the old oak.

The implied question becomes, is this a simple horror story of a disturbed ghost, a vengeful spirit preying on children? Or is this something different – a cryptid, wild animals, or even a human predator? However, the question that we hear, announced over public address systems, is “Do you know where your children are?”

Pickle and Big Man get home after the 7 p.m. curfew, which only adds to the annoyance of their mother, Peaches (Psywrn Simone), who prepares for her shift at Krystal (a Southern burger chain similar to White Castle). The kids must stay at home after dark, at least until “snatching season” ends in July. On the radio, an urgent report states that this time, a white girl has disappeared.

Meanwhile, on the way to her house, Suga sees the glowing red eyes.

This chilling piece of Southern Gothic horror is a National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere. At each stop (this being the second between theatres in Florida and New York), the production takes on a different approach. For the Phoenix, Guest is joined by director Mikael Burke, who also worked on his “Magnolia Ballet” in 2022.

Conjuring the proper spooky atmosphere in a live performance is challenging, so the crew’s contributions are especially vital. The simple yet effective set design by Robert Koharchik, aided by lighting by Laura E. Glover and soundscape by Brian Grimm, put the action “in the round” with seating surrounding the floor of the black-box Basile stage. Aided by fog effects, well-played paranoia, and those “eyes,” the sense is not that we are surrounding the actors but that the setting has surrounded us with them.

Within this story is a memory best told as a fairy tale, “The Princess and the Wolf,” with excellent puppets by props artisan Kristin Renee Boyd.

Suspense grows, tempered with nervous humor – especially in the kids’ encounter with Simone as First Lady Temple, the shotgun-wielding old woman said to be the only survivor of whatever truly happens at Odella Creek.

Rowan, Short, and Nakigozi have not only the youthful look, but also deliver the right touch of childhood wonder, fear, and risk-taking appropriate to their young characters. Even at 16, Pickle still feels that childlike urge to believe what adults say is impossible – how else does she explain this world? With similar hopeful naivete, she and Suga feel that they will be safer if they move away to a big city.

Subtext is dense here, hanging thick as the moss around the stage or the Southern humidity you swear you can feel. The Black experience today and the burden of history are reflected in the horrors of Odella’s experience, the media’s different attitude towards a routine tragedy when inflicted on a white child, and an aspect of Paradise being where the taxis always stop for you. A reference to the Atlanta Ripper of the 1920s (an actual unsolved case) shows the history of public indifference when girls with dark skin vanish. The perils of escape – however it’s defined – are a constant motif.

We will get few answers here, and those received may haunt as much as those left unknown. Dare to find out what waits at the “Oak,” with performances through June 8 at 705 N. Illinois St., downtown Indianapolis. Get info and tickets at phoenixtheatre.org.

Where there’s a ‘Will,’ there’s a ‘Play’

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

By John Lyle Belden

Indy Shakes, The Indianapolis Shakespeare Company, presents a performer who seems to conjure the spirit of William Shakespeare himself in a way you’ve never seen the Bard before.

“Gender Play, or, What You Will,” is a mostly one-person show by non-binary actor Will Wilhelm, written by Wilhelm with Erin Murray, and directed by Emily Tarquin. The current production is in the black-box Basile Theatre in the Phoenix Theatre Cultural Centre.

As we enter, we are asked to get into the spirit of the evening by picking up a Tarot card (yours to keep) and put on a bit of the various pieces of costuming made available to all (return those after). The seating is extremely casual, with comfy chairs around the stage. Wilhelm and his assistants Emily Root, Beks Roen and DJ Senaite Tekle mingle with us a bit before the show, encouraging the costuming and perhaps giving you a little scroll to read aloud at a point during the show.

It quickly becomes obvious that these proceedings are very queer – in all senses of the word!

Wilhelm tells us his personal story of struggling as a “trans, non-binary, genderqueer” actor in a theatre world that, though supportive, still wants to “type” people to roles.  He adores Shakespeare’s work – and that they share a first name – so one night he somehow manages to contact the long-dead playwright, who was, it turns out, “totes queer.”  

This is not an unheard-of assertion. Speculations of his sexuality (possibly bi) and the events of his life outside of Stratford and when not on stage in London are plentiful due to little documentation outside of comments by critics, and (of course) Shakespeare’s published works. Channeling the Bard, Will/Will tells of his relationship with Henry Wriothesley, Third Earl of Southampton, a rather pretty young man judging by his portrait. Shakespeare did publicly dedicate a couple of romantic poems to him, and it is thought the Earl was secretly the subject of a number of sonnets.

Consider that in the plays there are a number of strong women, gender-fluidity in character disguises is common, and all female roles were played by men – giving us moments in which a man plays a woman who is pretending to be a man while still appearing obviously female to the audience. Taking this thought further, Wilhelm asks, “Could we train our brains to be gender imaginative?”

To this end, he recites passages and examines characters from a number of plays – including “Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “Macbeth,” “King Lear,” “Hamlet,” and the Chorus Prologue of “Henry V” – yielding fresh perspective from familiar material. In Juliet (of “Romeo &…”) he sees by his perspective of living in a world that gives a person little choice in how they can live and be true to themself how she, and many trans youth, meet her tragic end.

This frank discussion comes wrapped in a fabulous amount of fun, including a Tarot reading, a bit of magic, and an all-audience dance party with bubbles!  The result is like a wild combination of an unforgettable house party, an old-time séance, and a fascinating college lecture by your favorite professor. It’s an event with gay overtones that feels “gay” in the archaic joyful sense.

Aside from extra-dimensional forces, local entertainer Taylor Martin advised on the show’s magic. The comfy yet energizing stage set is by Caitlin Ayer. Shout-out also to Winter Olamina for Will’s perfect costuming.

We try not to overuse “must-see,” but if this seems interesting at all, please get to “Gender Play,” Thursday through Sunday, through April 27. For tickets, go to phoenixtheatre.org; get information at indyshakes.com.