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IndyFringe: Something funny going on

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This is part of the annual Indianapolis Theatre Fringe Festival, a/k/a IndyFringe 2026, held Aug. 13-23 in venues around downtown Massachusetts Ave. Information at indyfringe.org.

By John Lyle Belden with Wendy Carson

Reviews of: “All You Can Eat,” by American Lives Theatre; “Boy Meets Musical,” by Matt Day; “Breakneck Midsummer Night’s Dream,” by Timothy Mooney Repertory Co.; “The Matt Kraft Comedy Hour,” by Matt Kraft (and friends); “The Phantom of Diopra, IL,” by Diopra Arts Theatre; “Scouts’ Honor,” by Defiance Comedy; “Unalived & Lowkey Forgotten,” by Betty Rage.  

At IndyFringe, the sure-fire ticket sellers are the shows that make us laugh – sometimes at things we can’t believe we’re finding funny. From Shakespeare to new works, IndyFringe 2026 had quite the selection. Speaking of which:

All You Can Eat

American Lives Theatre gets into the act again with a one-act by Christopher Wittman, directed by Jacob David Lang, set in the first decade of the 2000s at a restaurant of a buffet pizza chain near a shopping mall on Black Friday.

Jaded workers Michelle and Luke (Evangeline Bouw and Dakota Reed), with upbeat young Crissy (Cara Wilson) – who just scored a new iPod Nano – are preparing for what will likely be a hellish shift, made worse by the idealistic new guy, Brandon (Henry Mumaw) being late. Manager Jerri (Zarah Shejule) puts on a brave face, has a sign made saying “No Black Friday Deals” (the buffet is already five bucks), and prepares for the worst (i.e. the customers).

This workplace comedy is an entertaining look at the pains of working fast food, seeking purpose in such employment, the ordeal of a trial-by-fire first day on the job, and the odd but genuine camaraderie these crew members share. Adding to this flavor, while Luke is out on an errand, Reed returns as various interesting and often frustrating customers, including the dreaded “Buffet Killer.”

It’s also a bit of nostalgia (the iPod Nano was introduced 20 years ago) to back when Black Friday and shopping malls were more of a thing, as well as the pizzeria we’ll call “DiDi’s.”  

This ALT production was a world premiere for Hoosier playwright Wittman. We could definitely go back for another slice.

Boy Meets Musical

(Review by Wendy Carson)

Note that you do not have to be familiar with the source material to enjoy this show, but you will miss out on a few of the inside jokes.

We begin with Jess (Elizabeth Enderle) watching TV when the announcement of a freak storm is approaching the area. She turns on her favorite show, “Boy Meets World” to watch.

It’s the start of Corey’s (Edgar Tisdale) senior year. He and the gang, Topanga (Kathleen Cicero) and Shawn (Sean Stroup) are looking forward to no longer having to deal with his big brother, Eric (Ryan Powell) and hopefully avoiding interactions with bullies Joey the Rat (Chase Cornelius) & Frankie the Enforcer (Josh Gregory). However, it seems that there is no escaping Mr. Feeney (Preston Dildine).

Suddenly, there is a strange flash of lightning and our main characters, as well as a few other sitcom stars (Morgan Roof and Zachary Adkins), are transported to the current time and place. They enlist Jess’s help to find out what happened and get them back to where they belong.

Presented by Player 2 Productions, with book, music, and lyrics by Matt Day, this show is a madcap look at our past, present and future as well as a hilarious send-up of all the typical TGIF tropes many grew up with.

Breakneck Midsummer Night’s Dream

The irony of Tim Mooney’s “Breakneck” Shakespeare shows is that while these hours-long plays each get reduced to just under an hour (per Fringe festival requirements), for the audience the Bard’s work gets surprisingly expanded. We come to understand more about the plays than what is given by the staging and dialogue. With historical epics, it’s like an entertaining college lecture.

Mooney, like the play’s trickster, throws a curve in the formula with his “Breakneck Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Most noticeably the Tim Mooney Repertory Theatre is not just himself solo, but joined by a cast of Fringe all-stars from across the U.S. This includes local actor Matt Anderson, with Chris Bruzzini, Schmoo Cutlip, Maggie Killian, and Beth Byrd-Lonski as Puck.

We get a bit of commentary, spread among the company. However, the play largely speaks for itself. As is done when “Midsummer” is tightly cast, actors reappear as parts of the three character subsets: the noble Athenians, the Faerie court, and the humble Mechanicals rehearsing a play for the first group, while trespassing on the second. The result is bright, funny and entertaining. It’s edited not only to fit time, but also to enhance clarity so that even a first-timer to this comedy gets the full effect.

Compared to other Breakneck works, though, for those of us familiar with the material there is little additional value. It’s like a nice Reader’s Digest Condensed Shakespeare play. I feel there are aspects that could use some context – like why Athens (perhaps for Greek-inspired magic folk?); what would contemporary (1600s) audiences have understood that we don’t; and what’s the deal with “Pyramus & Thisbe” anyway?

Find the wide array of Mooney’s entertainments, from Shakespeare to famous speeches to his original tragicomedy, “Man Cave,” at timmooneyrep.com.

The Matt Kraft Comedy Hour

Local actor Matt Kraft is brilliant in dramatic roles, which could help explain his sharply wicked sense of humor. He has crafted it into an absurd weapon of mass hilarity in “The Matt Kraft Comedy Hour,” his follow-up to past Fringe entries, “Doctors of Sketch Comedy” and comic fantasia “Somebody That I Used to Know.”

Joined by co-conspirator TJ O’Neil, with Anna Himes, Audrey Stonerock , Morgan Morton, and Zachariah Stonerock, Kraft crafts scenes that are both bizarre and side-splitting. He manages to make televised golf commentary less boring, promote devotion to reading a best-seller, give a candy bar gravitas, send up pretentiously precise restaurant menus (“this is why I don’t come to Carmel”), and inquire why Mr. Jones isn’t teaching his class – all in the worst and most (find more synonyms for funny) way!

To top it off, there is what looks like a sort of long-form improv gone hilariously mad: the Oscar-worthy “Scorsese’s Pride & Prejudice.” (Rated R, of course.)

We’re big on hyperbole and talking stuff up here at PWJW, but everyone we talked to – including fellow Fringe funny-man Jason Adams, who said he wants to produce a full-length “SP&P” – agreed in comparing this to renowned professional comedy sketch shows like Kids in the Hall, Mr. Show, Tim & Eric, The State, and In Living Color. Looking locally, I found the situation set-ups much like the short plays of Mark Harvey Levine, but with a lot more adult language.

Matt Kraft must do more of this. He simply must. Please encourage him.

The Phantom of Diopra, IL

Full disclosure: Wendy and I consider Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “The Phantom of the Opera” to be the most overrated musical ever. However, whether you agree or are a rabid fan of “The Music of the Night,” you would love “The Phantom of Diopra, IL: A Parody.”

Presented by Jordan McQuiston with Elizabeth Enderle, Jackson Lee, Abby White, Anna Meyer, Kelsie Uselman, Chris Enderle, and Aleesia McQuiston, they bring the horror story from an old French novel to a small-town opera house in Illinois. Everyone seems clueless as to how to stop a mysterious masked man’s reign of terror – or clueless, full stop, except for our diva whom the Phantom covets.

We find the limits of love, obsesson, Stockholm syndrome, and the use of copyright works in a parody. For instance, did you know you can sing the alphabet to the ALW score? Also, what happens when you don’t have the budget for the “Masquerade” scene. And it’s not just all for laughs, there is some seriously good singing in this show, as well.

Looking over McQuiston’s body of work, we note he is big on making these serious shows funnier while still entertaining. Add Diopra, IL, to that map.

Scouts’ Honor

(Review by Wendy Carson)

Defiance Comedy has raided the cookies jar and given us a sweet look into the ins and outs of scouting and cookies sales with a healthy sprinkling of courtroom drama added in.

New scout in town Lacy (Hannah Embree) is on trial for various offenses but insists she is not guilty of any of them. As each of her troop members is called to the stand, we see the various situations that have brought them to this point.

Previous Troop Leader, Mindy (Amy Reader) tells of how she brought stories of all the fancy rewards her previous troop regularly had, which led to her being stripped of her title and Lacy taking it. Veronica (Samantha J. Lewis) tells of the horrible Saturday they had to spend in Mr. Gary’s – you can call him Glen (Clay Mabbitt) – sales seminar. Nestor Clamslammer (Amy Reader), of the Irvington Clamslammers, tells of how he was threatened and kidnapped by Lacy and Debbie (John Kern) for non-payment of his cookie debt. Janice (Kelsey VanVoorst) would just rather be hugging everyone. Meanwhile, Troop Mom (Devan O’Malia Mathais) is so fiercely driven by her money-hungry ways, that her intentions are more suspect than Lacy’s.

Add to this craziness Emily Bohannon as the vindictive Prosecutor, John Kern as the inept Defense Attorney, Clay Mabbitt as the very loud Bailiff and Rob Johnansen as Judge Honeysuckle, who must somehow oversee this craziness, and you have the perfect recipe for a hilarious Fringe Show.

Unalived & Lowkey Forgotten

When Betty Rage Productions goes for laughs, it’s always one heck of a show. For this one, put “Arsenic and Old Lace,” “Grey Gardens,” “Ghost Hunters” shows, and the famous Joan Crawford/Bette Davis rivalry all in a blender, and cover it with an almost-popular podcast.

What we get is “Unalived & Lowkey Forgotten,” the name of a young woman’s pod about people who were once famous but are now merely dead. She has come across the Folly Theatre, where old frenemies Margo and Dottie died in a fire during their run of “Arsenic: The Musical” years ago. They still hang around, of course, keeping the orphan handyman who lives there (the only one who can see them) busy. With the help of some puppets and the magic words “I remember it like it was yesterday,” we learn the whole sad (yet funny) tragic story.

You can tell Callie Burk-Hartz and friends had fun with this one. We get a goofy multiple murder mystery, ghost story, and tale of personal and professional redemption, all served with some (memories of) L.S. Ayres Tea Room chicken velvet soup.

This ranks as Callie’s second-biggest accomplishment of the month – the first being Festival Director of the whole darn Fringe.

Fateful decisions divide father and son in ALT drama

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By John Lyle Belden

We all have feelings about the events of Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington, D.C. We all have opinions. In “Fatherland,” the intense 90-minute drama by Stephen Sachs, the only ones that matter belong to two men – a father and son from Texas. One was the first up a set of Capitol steps that day; the other contacted the FBI.

Based on actual proceedings, evidence, and public statements in a U.S. District Court trial, American Lives Theatre presents this play at the IF Theatre, directed by Jacob David Lang, assisted by Madison Pickering.

The main set piece is the witness stand where a 19-year-old man, played by Matt Kraft, testifies against his father, portrayed by Scott Russell.  Built by Josh Morrow and Tony Board, the wooden structure seems solid, but its cracks are evident and reveal in splendid visual metaphor the slow fracture of the father-son relationship as past events are recalled. Various jagged pieces open and stay that way, like unhealed wounds.

The production is aided immensely by video projections, including footage of the Jan. 6 events, which were designed by Paully Crumpacker, assisted by Preston Dildine.

Jenni White portrays the U.S. District Attorney prosecuting this case. Confident and feeling the facts are on her side, she guides the son’s testimony, which in turn narrates the story of what brought us all to this point. Joshua Ramsey plays the Defense Attorney, smugly trying to confuse and discredit this principal witness.

Kraft gives an excellent portrayal of a young man deeply conflicted. He feels the division in his family, he fears what his father might do – to others, to himself, and to him – and above all he feels guilty. Regardless of whether the guilt for turning in his father is justified, it feels real to him.

Russell presents a complex man who has been reduced to a simple ideology. He is intelligent, widely traveled, and until recently successful as an oil well engineer. A reduction in active production left him without work, without purpose. Accepting without question that Donald Trump was as successful as portrayed, a copy of “Art of the Deal” ever in his hand, he not only embraced the MAGA culture, but also joined the Texas Three Percenters. The radical far-right organization intensified his fears for the future of America and primed him for the possibility of violent conflict. Russell gives us a man with cocky energy, a growing fanaticism he mistakes for patriotism, feeding his already-present anxieties. Through his son’s words, we see the slow but steady process that led to this man – convinced he would be a hero – joining the mob assaulting the U.S. Capitol.

Unlike other courtroom dramas, the most important aspect of this production is the examination of what brought these two men to the place we find them in 2022, their feelings, beliefs, attitudes, as well as what has changed – and hasn’t. Not noted, as it happened more recently, is that any guilty verdicts have been negated by Presidential Pardon in 2025.

Still, we do hear the results. The jury, in fact, includes us in the audience. We aren’t literally called on to vote, but are given much to deliberate on as we exit the theatre.

One weekend remains of “Fatherland,” an important piece of theatre for which we are grateful to ALT artistic director Chris Saunders for bringing to Indy. Performances are 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday, May 1-3, at the IF (home of IndyFringe), 719 E. St. Clair St., Indianapolis. Get tickets at indyfringe.org, info at americanlivestheatre.org.

Fonseca Halloween ‘spooktacular’ returns

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By John Lyle Belden

Call it another Indy holiday tradition: Fonseca Theatre Company tickles your funny bone (and the rest of your skeleton) with “Boo-La-La! An Indianapolis Spook-tacular 3,” directed by FTC board president Yolanda Valdivia.

A suspiciously normal-looking cast – Jean Arnold, Preston Dildine, Brant Hughes, Charlie Rankin, and Joshua Short – present a variety of creepy yet funny short plays (including one each by Arnold and Dildine) interlaced with popular songs by the likes of Hall & Oats, Oingo Boingo, and The Ramones.

“Cryptid Group Therapy” by Emily Worrell has a Latin flavor, as well as one of West Virginia’s biggest attractions; “Olly Olly Oxen Free” by Jacquelyn Priskorn delves the most into suspense, as the “game” gets serious; “Rent-a-Stiff” by Fred Tacon is absurdist satire with businesses that would kill to gain an edge; Dildine’s “100 Steps” has us feeling for a spirit stuck in a popular “ghost tourism” spot; “Fair is Foul” by Donna Latham has a Wyrd Sister meeting folks even weirder – celebrity makeover hosts; Arnold’s “Zombie Moves” takes various positions on physical fitness prior to an evening of scaring mortals; and “Bloodsuckers Anonymous” by Paige Scott has the old-school Impaler commiserating with some more recent popular vampires.

This gang all have plenty of experience making local audiences laugh, and do so splendidly here. In addition, Short gets to show off some exceptional physicality, including his Michael Jackson-style dance moves. The musical bits feel more integrated this year, with visual treats along with each cast member getting to sing. Kudos to costume designer Jeanne Bowling and props by Rebekah Radloff for giving it all the right look. Mad Brown is stage manager.

The trick to experiencing the fun side of Halloween is to treat yourself to “Boo-La-La!” It runs through Oct. 27 at 2508 W. Michigan St., Indianapolis.

In addition, there will be a “Boo-La-La-Jr!” the afternoon of Oct. 26, featuring sketches written by the young actors involved – tickets for the youth version are pay-what-you-will.

For regular tickets to the main version, visit fonsecatheatre.org.

Fringe hosts North Pole comedy mystery

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By Wendy Carson

Defiance Comedy is known for its zany musical spoofs and original content. This year this local comic crew brings us a delightful new treat for the holidays, “Claus Out,” a hilarious parody of the “Knives Out” film franchise.

Twenty years ago, Rudolph was murdered. While Prancer was initially charged, a lack of concrete evidence released him. Amid the chaos, Santa Claus disbanded his reindeer team.

Now, each reindeer has been mysteriously invited back to the scene of the crime, where Santa plans to reveal the truth behind this tragedy. Unfortunately, he is murdered just prior to the revelation. Now there is a bigger case to be solved.

While you may think you know those involved, their true personalities and motives are much cloudier. Take Dasher (Austin Hookfin), dripping with jealousy at the usurping of his leadership role of the team; Dancer (Charlie Rankin) whose affair with a bad-boy reindeer threatens her goody-goody image; Prancer (Joseph David Massingale), the initial suspect whose two days in lock-up left a lasting impression; Vixen (Paige Scott), the sultry seductress with an eye towards wearing the Big Hat; Comet (Shelby Myers), who thinks this is all because Merry is in retrograde and perhaps the right crystal/tea combination will fix everything; Cupid (Preston Dildine), whom everyone loathes, but he used his hiatus from the team to become an internet mogul; and Donder (Kelsey VanVoorst) and Blitzen (Ben Rockey) who are unabashedly German party animals though perhaps a bit slow on the uptake.

Add into the mix, Elfie (Robin Kildall), who is just trying to keep the Christmas Spirit alive while going full fan-girl on the famous Detective Benoit Bellz (Jason Adams), who was also mysteriously invited in order to solve the crime.

Writer/Director Matt Kramer digs deep into his bag of treats to give us a bounty of laughs, gags and moments of pure comic delight. The amazingly talented cast brings his works and lyrics to life perfectly, not to mention their mastery of Emily Bohannon’s choreography.

Who killed the most famous reindeer? And their boss? As the cast sings in “Intermission Song,” you may think you know, but you’re probably wrong. Find out at the IndyFringe Theatre, 719 E. St. Clair St., Indianapolis, Dec. 8-10 and 14-16. For tickets, go to indyfringe.org.

ALT: ‘Living’ not easy in award-winning drama

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By John Lyle Belden

This is a story about entrapment. It is people trapped by situations, accidents, choices – even their own bodies. What you pay to deal with that is the “Cost of Living,” a play by Martyna Majok presented by American Lives Theatre at the Fonseca Theatre.

Eddie (Clay Mabbitt) seems to be stuck in the Twilight Zone. To deal with loss, the former trucker leaves texts at an old number that has mysteriously texted him back. And now, the trap has snapped on you in the audience. This isn’t the main plot point, and as we get into the next scene, we’re not even sure where what we just saw fits. Hold on, though, it’s worth working our way back out.

John (Preston Dildine) has a mind that’s making him rich, and a body with cerebral palsy that requires him to hire someone to bathe it. In a manner like pelting with stones, he questions Jess (Teneh Karimu) to see if she is of the mettle to do the undignified job. Also, he finds it intriguing that she is Ivy-educated, yet works all night waitressing at bars. 

Ani (Olivia Mozzi) really doesn’t want to deal with Eddie right now. She’s managing well enough since the accident that shattered her spine, and would rather have someone other than her ex taking care of her. But he, babbling attempts at kindness and bouncing like a hyper puppy, really wants to help. 

This Indianapolis premiere of the 2018 Pulitzer-winning drama is directed and stage-managed by ALT founder and Artistic Director Chris Saunders, who made a point of casting people with disabilities in the two chair-bound roles (their actual conditions are different than what is portrayed). Don’t look for heroic uplift from them; they portray genuine people trying to live as best they can – like those of us without wheels. This helps give the actors meat to work with, lending dimension to John and Ani that contrasts with the binds that able-bodied Eddie (mental) and Jess (economic) find themselves struggling against. 

The chemistry between Dildine and Karimu is compelling. Mozzi takes someone who is a bitter pill and makes us love her. And Mabbitt has the chops to keep a character that means well but overtalks in that likable lane between pathetic and comic caricature. 

Where will these characters be when the “bill” comes due? “Cost of Living” runs through April 30 at Fonseca Theatre, 2508 W. Michigan St., Indianapolis. Get information and tickets at AmericanLivesTheatre.org.

Catalyst raises ‘Hell’ again

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By John Lyle Belden

*What if the term “soul-sucking job” could be taken literally?

* What if the dying American institution of the shopping mall resorted to desperate measures to keep itself alive?

* What if a couple of highly talented but potty-mouthed theatre people decided to make a twisted comedy musical about this?

Welcome to “Hell’s 4th Ring: The Mall Musical,” presented by Catalyst Repertory at the IndyFringe building through Feb. 25.

This is not our first visit to Hell’s Gate Mall. A 50-minute version premiered as part of the 2015 Fringe Festival. A lot of people loved it; Wendy even noted (in her review) that the show should be expanded into a full-length musical. Now at last, creators Casey Ross and Davey Pelsue bring us a full two-act version, expanded but not padded-out.

According to Dante, the Fourth Ring of Hell is occupied by sinners damned by greed. So, what better place to erect a temple to consumerism? Whether this Twilight Zone-ish place is in this world or the next is never clear, but this is the place to pick up some great bargains, and where job security takes on new meaning. Just obey the rules: No running; No leaning on the railing; and, No intimate “mingling” between employees.

Brian (Christian Condra), who is this close to selling the massaging chair, wants desperately to mingle with Sofie (Afton Shepard), who refolds clothes far more than she sells them. She believes she is only there for the summer, but Brian knows better; she will soon be full-time, forever. Meanwhile, Eric (Pelsue) doesn’t care as much for working at his Goth-accessories shop as he does trying to hook up with bodacious curvaceous Chelsea (Hannah Elizabeth Boswell). Then there’s Lee (Pat Mullen), who used to work at a computer game store but now offers bourbon chicken samples in the food court. The mall’s denizens also include a trio of Mall Rats (Jim Banta, Donovan Whitney and Sara Gable) who follow/idolize Eric and never seem to buy anything over a dollar. And then there’s Bart (David Molloy) the security guy, a cross between Doctor Strangelove and the Terminator.

Though Ross directs, the musical shows its flexibility in that the only actors from the Fringe version are Pelsue, Molloy, and Zoe Molloy as the mall’s public address voice. Yet the cast seems right at home, giving this tragic farce their all. Condra handsomely perseveres like Brad from “Rocky Horror.” Shepard smiles through the confusion like a Disney princess trapped in the wrong movie. Pelsue is the perfect mix of charm and attitude, while looking like the opening act for Spinal Tap. And as she did in Bardfest’s “Taming of the Shrew,” Boswell’s moxie and vocal skill blew. me. away. As for Mullen, let’s just say he wields a mean sample tray. The cast also includes Preston Dildine as the ghost of “terminated” coworker Dylan.

From the rockin’ tunes to the odd plot, the show balances suspense and romance with a healthy dose of silly for an entertaining experience. The mature content is mainly multiple F-bombs and some rude gestures in the choreography, so this show is for teens and up (eventually, this will only be for adults, as we’d have to explain to kids what a mall was).

Find Hell’s Gate at the IndyFringe Basile Theatre, 719 East St. Clair St. (just east of the College/Mass Ave./St. Clair intersection). Get tickets at www.indyfringe.org and info from Catalyst’s website or Facebook.