play

Lessons beyond language in ‘English’ at IRT

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By John Lyle Belden

In the United States, we take for granted speaking one of the most confoundingly complex languages on Earth. Still, for various reasons millions of people around the world insist on learning it.

“English,” a light-hearted drama on the serious pursuit of another language, was an MFA thesis project for Sanaz Toossi, the American daughter of Iranian immigrants. Since the play won a Pulitzer Prize in 2023, we presume she was awarded her degree. The Indiana Repertory Theatre now presents the local premiere on the intimate Janet Allen Stage, directed by Persian American educator Azar Kazemi with a mostly Iranian-American cast.

The setting is a classroom in a city near Teheran in 2008. Marjan (Neagheen Homifar), a teacher who had spent some years in the U.K., is instructing an “advanced learners” course to prepare for the Test of English as a Foreign Language, or TOEFL, a necessity for finding work and other opportunities in English-speaking countries.

Elham (Natasha Behnam) has an adversarial relationship with English, having failed the TOEFL before, but needs it to pursue medical studies in Australia. Roya (Leyla Modirzadeh) wants to better communicate with her grandchildren in Canada. Omid (Revon Yousif) has cousins in the States. Goli (Emelia Maryam Mosay) is just 18 and looking to expand her horizons.

“English Only,” Marjan writes on the dry-erase board. This is not only typical of an immersive language class, but also a hint at the way dialogue is portrayed in the play. When we hear accents and stilted speech, it is these characters’ speaking in classroom English. When they converse more freely (in English), it is what we hear translated from Farsi (modern Persian, the language spoken in Iran).

There is a brief exchange in actual Farsi late in the play, helping us experience not just the isolating effect of a very different tongue, but also to note its flowing poetic nature. The characters treasure it for this, while Goli notes that English presents more function than flavor, like rice in a meal.

While for audiences, relating to current and past international events is unavoidable, such controversies are outside the scope of the play. The adversary for these students is not the people of other lands, but their language which has overtaken global communication. They struggle with pronunciations and wrestle with idioms. Not all of these pupils will finish the course. In this way, the themes of this drama become more relatable – especially the feeling of abandoning or even betraying their culture in learning to converse and even think as those outside their world do.

Homaifar as Marjan keeps the classes upbeat, often fun, with classroom games and even the use of American and British films to learn linguistic quirks. Her patient encouragement reminds us of favorite educators from our youth. Still, moments of uncertainty about her work creep in.

Benham and Modirzadeh each portray bitter pessimism sharpened by cultural pride. Mosay  is eager and open. Yousif’s Omid seems more fluent than he lets on, as his motives grow suspect.

A simple classroom delivers numerous lessons for all of us in “English,” running through April 4 upstairs in the IRT, 140 W. Washington St. in the heart of downtown Indianapolis. See irtlive.com for tickets and information.

Civic’s bold ‘Letter’ centers strong heroine

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By Wendy Carson

I have been writing a lot about strong women these days, and Hester Prynne is undoubtably one of the strongest examples of such in American literature.

She first entered my consciousness when I was seven, watching a silent film version of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, “The Scarlet Letter.” While she is vastly flawed, her courage and resolve make her an icon of female empowerment and a character to be further explored. With Kate Hamill’s imaginative script, we are presented with a new look at Hester and her situations in the current production by Booth Tarkington Civic Theatre.

As in the book, in 1640s Massachusetts we meet Prynne enduring punishment for a child born out of wedlock. She refuses to name the father and is therefore ordered by Puritan authorities to wear a red “A” (for Adultery) on her chest for the rest of her life.

Directed by Emily Rogge Tzucker, the biggest difference with this staging is the use of a life-sized puppet portraying Hester’s daughter, Pearl. Designed and built by Evangeline Bouw, and voiced and operated by Emily Bohannon, the character takes on a far more ephemeral role. The lone child in a world of strange rules, she highlights the hellion nature of children who provoke and tease others for their own amusement.

Brittany Magee brings forth not only Prynne’s self-sufficiency, but also her unwavering pride and devotion to her precious Pearl. Renee Whiten Lopez as Goody Hibbins channels some of the hysteria of the time by falsely accusing Prynne of witchcraft to justify her own personal shortcomings and try to rectify the unjustness of it all.

Doug Powers’ interpretation of Governor Hibbins keeps him sympathetic in trying to uphold the law in this wild, new land yet not satisfied by doing so. Matt Anderson excellently shows the inner turmoil of Reverend Dimmesdale, the unnamed yet horribly guilty father of Pearl. Daniel Wilke brings a malevolent force to bear as Roger Chillingworth, who carries the darkest secret amongst the group.

While the show’s staging is extremely simple, with limited cast and efficient set and lighting design by Ryan Koharchik, it helps keep the focus on the actors and their stories. The costuming by Adrienne Conces perfectly accents the various needs of narrative in many unexpected ways.

I was greatly impressed by this amazing interpretation of a story for the ages and would have been more than happy to have had it be my introduction to this powerful woman and her story.

Meet Hester and Pearl, and see their world at The Studio Theater of the Allied Solutions Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Carmel through March 28. Get tickets at civictheatre.org or thecenterpresents.org.

Elect to experience this ethnic exploration

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By John Lyle Belden

Comedy draws a lot of laughs from discomfort, but what if it could be you in the audience who is feeling it?

In “The Hispanic / Latino / Latina / Latinx / Latine Vote,” by Bernardo Cubria – a National New Play Network rolling world premiere at Fonseca Theatre, directed by Carlos Medina Maldonado – a struggling academic shares her lived discomfort relatable to anyone of a non-white ethnicity in the United States.

Having written a book on the subject, Paola (Yolanda Valdivia) is our “expert” on being Latinx. However, she relates her main stressor is being “39 and single” and wanting a child. In the spirit of this show, she will poll the audience (participation is optional but encouraged) about choices such as the “sperm donor” for her IVF.

Kaj (David Wesley Marlowe), on the national staff of The Political Party (not to be confused with The Other Political Party), found her book and called her in to join his research team. For an absurd amount of money, Paola is to help determine how to reach Hispanic and Latino/a/x/e voters.

Other researchers are Nicola (Lexes Rubio), whose father is Cuban; Bernard (Matthew Ball), who is Black; and Rebecca (Rachel Kelso), whose last name is Feldman, and she spent a semester in Venezuela. They barely know the difference among the various Latin American cultures, still, though things predictably get awkward, they are eager to learn.

All other roles are smartly played by Luis Navarro, including the IVF specialist and several Party survey respondents.

Through a lot of nervous and silly humor, we all learn a lot about how varied yet relatable people are, as well as how political maneuvering doesn’t dispel stereotype but leverage it.

Valdivia’s Paola is our cheerful guide through all this, making our experience both enlightening and entertaining. Marlowe’s Kaj is results-oriented, coming across as crass, often a jerk but never apologetic, being what one would expect from one in his position. Rubio presents Nicola as a bit standoffish, but we learn the reason for her attitude. Ball is surprisingly upbeat for being an obvious token, but Bernard gets to give his perspective on his role. Kelso presents in Rebecca a woman trying too hard to relate, complete with flustered apologies.

Through it all we discover a lot about humanity, and that we all eventually say or think something we regret. However, the only way to disappoint this ensemble is to miss seeing the show. Performances of “The…Vote” run through March 29 at 2508 W. Michigan St., Indianapolis. Get info and tickets at fonsecatheatre.org.

And by the way, Indiana’s primary elections are May 5; voter registration deadline is April 6.

Treadwell tragedy retooled by Southbank

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By John Lyle Belden

It’s enticing to explore the mind of a killer, but to only define the person that way misses the point and prevents understanding. In 1927, a woman – an unhappy mother possibly in an abusive marriage – brutally murdered her husband with the help of her lover. One of the most macabre photos published in a newspaper shows the moment of her execution in the electric chair at Sing Sing Prison.

The next year, journalist and playwright Sophie Treadwell published “Machinal,” a fictional examination of a case resembling the one recently in the headlines. This expressionist work with simple staging makes us feel the dark events as we witness them. In the 1920s, women in the workplace were fed into a social machine that used them as the system and the men who ran it saw fit. In the 2020s, Marcia Eppich-Harris proposes that these grinding gears still turn as director of the play for Southbank Theatre Company.

With a dream-like atmosphere (often edging on nightmare), setpieces shift, props become representational, and while costuming stays in the earlier era, technology blends typewriters and telephones with smartphones and laptops. The cast of Natalie Beglin, Brant Hughes, Nia Hughes, Adriana Menefee, Beverly Roche, Patrick Vaughn, and J. Charles Weimer each take on various roles, as well as often appearing in dapper black hats as a sort of Greek Chorus to enhance and punctuate the scenes.

At the center of this is our Young Woman, an excruciatingly brilliant performance by Alaine Sims. With Eppich-Harris’s guidance, she bravely gives substance to the experience of crippling anxiety.

The world is unkind to Her, perhaps as much as for other women who seem to have adapted. With the resigned acceptance of her mother (Roche) and at his insistence she marries her boss (Vaughn) though she can’t stand his touch. She gives him a child, bearing his disappointment at a daughter rather than a son. Then, in the arms of a lover (Brant Hughes) she feels “purified” and plots her escape. Finally, betrayed by lilies and little stones, she meets the fate foretold in the electric hum of the opening scene.

With dialogue often in patter that anticipates beat poetry and hip-hop, and the haunting jazzy Chorus who could be echoes of the press, a jury, or just city folk of the Roaring Twenties who read-all-about-it, this drama flows like a well-told story, reaching out to the frustrated soul within us, reminding us that the machinery is ever turning.

Madison Pickering is assistant director, with Gary Curto as stage manager. The set design is by Kai Harris, with lighting design – essential to this production – by Aaron Burns.

Regarded as one of the greatest plays of the 20th century – with much to say in the 21st – “Machinal” has performances Thursday through Sunday, March 19-22 at Shelton Auditorium, 1000 W. 42nd St., Indianapolis (southwest corner of Butler University campus).

For information and tickets visit southbanktheatre.org.

Belfry: Story of growing up and growing apart

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By John Lyle Belden

Do you miss your high school days? Or were you thankful to leave them behind?

These questions come to mind as we watch the three ladies of the play “Vanities,” the Off-Broadway hit by Jack Heifner presented by The Belfry Theatre at The Cat in Carmel, directed by Jen Otterman.

The title metaphor dominates the back of the stage: three mirrored dressing tables where the actors finish their makeup and will change wigs between scenes. Rather than spoil the stage “magic,” this provides an element of continuity. We meet three young women from a Texas town in their senior year of high school, fall 1963; as college seniors and sisters at the KKG sorority in 1968; and meeting up as adults in New York in 1974.

Kathy (Ka’Lena Cuevas), head cheerleader and planner of all major social events, practices for that day’s pep rally with squadmates Mary (Becca Bartley) and Joanne (Cara Olson). In this era between Elvis and the Beatles, the girls are very much of their time. Mary relates the degree to which she lets her boyfriend, Jim, touch her, while Joanne declares she would never allow that with her beau, Ted. Meanwhile Kathy is in a chaste-but-serious relationship with steady Gary.

At Kappa Kappa Gamma, Kathy is still an obsessive planner, readying for the Spring rush and dismayed at the quality of freshmen applying for the sorority. Jim and Gary are each history, but Joanne will marry Ted shortly after Commencement. She looks forward to being a housewife as her husband becomes a lawyer, her degree in music almost an accidental thing. Mary is getting a degree in interior design and tickets to Europe, trading life with disapproving parents for a quest to be “the perfect lost person.” Kathy, facing a future for the first time without her best friends, will continue her life of structure and schedule as a teacher.

In a nice NYC garden apartment, Kathy invites her old friends over – Mary from her SoHo art gallery, Joanne from the Connecticut home she shares with her attorney husband and young children. Champaign will flow, as will words and honest feelings.

True to the title, we have three young women who struggle to see outside themselves. Cuevas maintains a calm demeanor with Kathy, guarded and rarely letting on how confident (or not) she really feels, but never aloof. Bartley takes Mary on her arc of rebellion with an anxiety-tempered smile as she experiences all she can, finding everything but fulfillment. Olson embraces Joanne’s embrace of conservative society expectations, keeping her Texas accent and uncomplicated worldview (except for the strain of childrearing) throughout.

While the subject matter gets serious – complete with a couple of well-placed F-bombs – this is generally a comedy, and these besties do bring on quite a few hearty laughs. In all, an entertaining, intriguing look at an era and the women who came of age in it.

Don’t be too proud to see “Vanities,” 8 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday, March 13-15, at The Cat, 254 Veterans Way in downtown Carmel. For tickets visit thecat.biz or thebelfrytheatre.com.

Lots to unpack in Center Stage rom-com

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By John Lyle Belden

A good comedy skit relates the concept of past relationship “baggage” to literal suitcases. A good play takes that idea and makes it so much more.

Center Stage Community Theatre in Lebanon presents “Baggage,” by Sam Bobrick (acclaimed playwright and writer for shows ranging from Captain Kangaroo and Bewitched to helping create Saved by the Bell), directed by Veronique Duprey.

Phyllis Novak (Lauren Johnson) and Bradley Naughton (Mark Livingston) accidentally picked up each other’s identical bags at the airport. She cautiously lets him come to her apartment to switch them back. While hers is the heavier piece of luggage, he carries the larger emotional burden, still pining – openly weeping, actually – for his ex-wife. Phyllis tries to stay aloof, but her “curiosity problem” kicks in and despite their rough first encounter, they get to know each other better.  While he tries to get over his loss and she seeks to adjust her impossible standards for dating men, they agree to go out with each other platonically.

Do you see an improbable romantic comedy coming on? So does Dr. Jonathan Alexander (David Shaul), holder of degrees from prestigious universities and a couples expert, having written three books on the topic (which he will sell you). He enters along the fourth wall, instructing the audience and warning Phyllis of the folly of this entire plot, especially her doomed belief that she can change Bradley to her liking.

We also meet Phyllis’s best friend Mitzi Cartwright (Amy Keitt), a free spirit who gladly takes the play’s events as they come while hoping for a happy ending of her own.

In all, we get a clever and funny romantic adventure, complete with snappy dialogue – Bradley: “You’re a nutcase.” Phyllis: “That’s possible.” The meta element of Dr. Alexander weaving in and out of the play enhances the experience, a fresh way of acknowledging this often-told kind of story.

Johnson makes Phyllis engaging and relatable, having transformed fear of relationships into an impossible need for certainty. Livingston manages the tricky job of keeping some degree of dignity in Bradley, even while little more than a living puddle of tears. Keitt spritely presents Mitzi as someone you would believe had built a koi pond in her living room, because, why not? Shaul bridges the on- and offstage worlds effectively, his PhD-fueled ego adding to the humor.

Duprey has brought out the best in the talented cast; she is assisted by daughter Audrey, who also lurks in the shadows as stage manager (hat-tip to elder daughter Sabrina for helping on preview night). Center Stage’s comfy stage design is by Christy Summersett and David Wines, with decoration by Wines and Lauren Johnson. Like other community theatres, all labor is volunteer, including costumes by Kathie Criss and props by Elizabeth Ruddell.

Pick up “Baggage” for the next two weekends, through March 8, at 604 Powell St., Lebanon. Get info and tickets at centerstagecommunitytheatre.com.

Mud Creek brings the chaos of ‘Carnage’

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By John Lyle Belden

When as parents we advocate for our children, ironically, it’s too easy to become childish ourselves.

That’s the serious premise of the Tony-winning comedy “God of Carnage” by Yasmina Reza. And it is serious – at first – before descending into seriously hilarious chaos, presented in the cozy confines of Mud Creek Players, directed by Kelly Keller.

Michael and Veronica Novak (Mason and Andrea Odle) have invited Alan and Annette Raleigh (Gregory Roberts and Amanda McCabe) to their home to calmly resolve the situation involving their 11-year-old sons. Earlier, the Raleighs’ Benjamin struck Henry Novak with a stick, breaking his teeth. The atmosphere is tense but calm as they initially come to an understanding that Veronica has written down. They try to relax with coffee and clafouti, but continued conversation ensures that their fragile peace will break in a major way.

Mix in attorney Alan constantly getting calls on his cell phone, a realistic (warning to the squeamish) episode of nausea, and a full bottle of fine rum, and this little gathering will go totally off the rails.

The Odles nimbly balance affection and resentments like the real-life couple they are. Andrea’s Veronica weaves the line between voice-of-reason and passive-aggressive. Mason’s Michael is a people-pleaser by nature, but can only take so much. Roberts affects the self-important demeanor of a lawyer – Alan represents a troubled pharmaceutical company, adding an interesting side-plot – coupled with smugly brutal honesty. McCabe is outstanding as she instantly communicates shock, as well as hilarious reactions and manic moments of madness.  

Kudos to the volunteers who helped put this show together, including set design and props by Chris Bundy. Kristin Hilger is assistant director and Jalynn Cheatham is stage manager.

Sadly, the tulips don’t fare well, but apparently no hamsters were harmed in the making of this play. (Still, if you happen to find Nibbles, please let Keller know.)

See the hilarious wrath of “God of Carnage” this Friday (8 p.m.) and Saturday (2:30 and 8 p.m.) at the Mud Creek Barn, 9740 E. 86th St., Indianapolis. Get tickets at mudcreekplayers.org.

Don’t tell her it’s ‘About Nothing’

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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.

BCP: Convent winery spilling secrets

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By John Lyle Belden

I suspect Catholic orders are nowhere near as fun as they are portrayed in stage comedies. Still, welcome to the Sisters of Perpetual Sewing in “Drinking Habits,” the hilarious comedy by Tom Smith on stage at Buck Creek Players, directed by Thom Turner.

Sister Augusta (Marie McNelis) and Sister Philamena (Beth Popplewell) have found that mending the garments of priests and Cardinals doesn’t bring in enough money to keep the convent open, so they let the juice from their grapes ferment and sell the wine in town – secretly, as Mother Superior (Ben Jones) is opposed to alcohol of any kind. Even mentioning it by name is forbidden.

This is far from the only secret. Just before the arrival of a new nun, Sister Mary Catherine (Megan Slocum), there is word of a secret visitor coming from the Vatican. Also, a pair of local reporters, Paul (Noah Lee) and Sally (Lauren Lotzow), are snooping around. Parish priest Father Chenille (Caleb Slocum) gets caught up in the paranoia, and gets the young groundskeeper George (Will Wortman) involved in some subterfuge.

All this makes for non-stop farcical slamming-doors slapstick fun, complete with all manner of clerical disguises.

Jones is divine (easy to accept as Mother since drag queens naturally command attention) and never cracks no matter how wacky things get. McNelis and especially Popplewell are fantastically frantic. Lee handles his ever-shifting role with comic aplomb. Lotzow, as well as her character, has fun with Sally’s steady focus on getting the scoop. Megan Slocum keeps Mary Catherine a mix of nervous and serene which makes her endearing. Caleb Slocum plays the priest as overwhelmed but still good-natured. Wortman keeps George sweet and simple without being dumb, just rolling with events as they happen.

The stage set, designed by Susanne Bush, includes a cutaway view of the Holy Closet, enhancing many comic moments.

For a good time, complete with creative euphemisms for alcohol (Satan’s Mouthwash, anyone?), “Drinking Habits” has just three more performances, Friday through Sunday, Feb. 13-15, at the Buck Creek Playhouse, 11150 Southeastern Ave., Indianapolis (Acton Road exit of I-74). Tickets at buckcreekplayers.com.

Lessons impact more than students in ALT drama

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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.