review

Serving up Shakespeare’s slasher

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By Wendy Carson

Indy Bard Fest presents “Titus Andronicus” by William Shakespeare.

First of all, let’s address a few things about the source material. This is not a typical Shakespearean tragedy. It is violent, gritty, and rather mean-spirited overall. However, it is also very realistic in its depiction of the wages of war, the brutality spawned from revenge and the immense savagery of “civilized” society.

Bard Fest states that this is not for children, the warning making the subject matter seem like it leans towards an “R” rating when indeed it is much closer to a “PG” or “PG-13” at the strongest. A few murders do occur onstage, with “blood” spray, but the most heinous of the crimes occurs offstage and is only talked about, with its aftereffects being seen in fascinating detail. Since the stage blood seems more akin to Kool-Aid, none of it feels as gruesome as it could be. In fact, a young gentleman at our performance had no qualms about any of the violence, he was more alarmed at becoming a valet to the Queen at one point.

So, parental discretion is advised but do not let that keep you from exposing kids to this rarely-done show. Who knows, it might make them want to check out more of the Bard’s catalogue.

Although I usually try to summarize the stories here somewhat, it’s really nothing more than a lesson in what “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” justice is like. As you enter the Indy Eleven theater, notice that on the back wall of the audience, there is a chart with Titus’s family listed. As the play progresses, more and more of those names get scratched off until only three are left. Also, enjoy the beginning tableau of the family at the table. This is the only time you will see such happiness and normalcy in the production. Oh, and the rightward section of the audience is the “Splatter Zone.”

Director Matt Anderson does an exceptional job keeping the show enjoyable despite its dark subject matter, at times leaning into its gory nature. In fact, the final scene is more fun than frightening.

Dan Flahive brings Andronicus to life as the world-weary soldier who, upon winning victory over the Goths, refuses the Roman people’s will to rule them and would much prefer to rest in the company of his remaining children.

James Kenjorski brings aspiring emperor Saturninus’s blind madness to the forefront by failing to see how his choices and demands will doom the rest of the characters. They start by seeing his family and kinsmen as enemies and taking the captured queen of the Goths as his bride.

Holly Hathaway Thompson gives a perfect rendition of that queen, Tamora, a proud woman whose vengeance is greater than any man’s and lifestyle would put a modern “Real Housewife” to shame.

Nicholas Johnson plays Aaron, a Moor who aids the Goths, as the devil incarnate, a man whose every action is to inflict evil upon the world.

David Marlowe keeps Bassanus, Saturninius’s brother, an endearing soul to whom fate deals a mortal blow.

Haley Glickman plays Titus’s daughter Lavinia, a young woman in love who becomes a pawn in this massive power play. Even though she suffers the worst degradations of any character, she balances her desire for revenge against the reality of its outcome. Whether eloquent or mute, Glickman’s expressiveness shines through.

Craig Kemp brings Marcus, Titus’s brother and a Roman Tribune, a solid solemnity that while not being a target himself, must witness and endure the tragic events of everyone else.

Tamora’s sons, Eli Robinson as Chiron and J.B. Scoble as Demetrius, give Aaron’s character a run for his money as far as dastardly deeds go. However, they do not escape justice and end up as “just desserts” for their mother.

Ben Elliott is appropriately noble as Titus’s eldest son, Lucius, tasked with helping bring justice to these events. Also notable is young Sam Lee as his son (Titus’s grandson), Young Lucius. 

A crowd-pleaser for the rowdies in Shakespeare’s day, which even includes in this production a scene practically straight out of Wrestlemania, it won’t cost you an arm or a leg (maybe a hand?) to see “Titus Andronicus” in its remaining weekend, Friday through Sunday, Oct. 27-29, at the Indy Eleven in the IndyFringe Theatre, 719 E. St. Clair St., Indianapolis. Get tickets at indybardfest.com or indyfringe.org.

Bard Fest tackles tragedy of ‘Medea’

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By John Lyle Belden

“I am a woman of misfortune.”

This understatement is given by the mythical woman Medea, granddaughter of the sun god Helios, but seen as a barbarian as she is from land distant from Greece. She forsook that place and betrayed her father, the King, to aid the Greek hero Jason in stealing the Golden Fleece and traveling to his home to be his wife and bear his children.

But willful Jason opts to take up with another woman, Glauce, daughter of the Corinthian King Creon, who will give his kids greater legitimacy. Medea does not take this well. Creon’s solution? Order Medea into exile, not an easy task for a woman without a country.

In the tragic play “Medea” by Euripides, these are her desperate times. In turn, her desperate measures are legendary.

Bard Fest presents a translation by Ruby Blondell in which Medea (Laura Gellin) is joined by a chorus of women through the ages (Liz Carrier, Cassidy Dueker, Kitty Compton, Hannah Embree) to amplify her woes and pleas. Jason (Darin Richart) is just a man doing what he thinks is best, puzzled that she can’t see things his way while discarding her perspective as barbarian thinking. Guy Grubbs plays the kings who are Medea’s doom and hope. Her children are played by Allie Stacy and Ellie Richart. Amalia Howard and Andrea Haskett complete the cast. Natalie Fischer directs.

If you know the dire deeds that Medea does, watch to understand why. If you don’t know, brace yourself (serious trigger warning!), and strive to understand. Gellin gives an unflinching performance, powerful throughout. Darin Richart makes plain Jason’s motivations, in today’s light visible as aspects of controlling narcissism, betrayed in his cry at the climax of what has been done to him, a character left alive.  

This brilliant staging of the celebrated tragedy has three more performances, Friday through Sunday, Oct. 27-29 on the Basile main stage of the IndyFringe Theatre, 719 E. St. Clair, Indianapolis. Get tickets at indybardfest.com or indyfringe.org.

Constellation: Fun international adventure for kids, by George

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By John Lyle Belden

For so many of us, whether children or kids-at-heart, a little monkey called Curious George has been part of our lives. But a lot has happened since the mini-ape encountered the Man in the Yellow Hat decades ago, and through adventures penned by original authors Margret and H.A. Rey and their successors, he has become a rather clever primate.

Inspired by his antics on the PBS Kids animated series, “Curious George: The Golden Meatball” brings the characters to life, presented by Constellation Stage and Screen in Bloomington. The live-action musical features young Juna Sparks as George, with Tucker Ransom as the Man in the Yellow Hat. The remaining cast play various characters, chorus, and delivery personnel essential to the plot. In their feature roles, Maggie Lynn Held is the Doorman to George’s apartment building, Gabriel Armstrong is famous Italian Chef Pisghetti, assisted by Sophia Hoffman as Netti, and Marco Molldrem is the sly inventor, Phinneas. Nicholas Ranauro choreographed and directs.

We open, after some song and dance about the title character, on All You Can Eat Meatball Day, which is Pisghetti’s way of saying thanks to all his customers – who aren’t showing up because Phinneas has built a machine that quickly makes rival meatballs (that are more like meat-cubes, but they seem to be a hit). Discouraged, the Chef closes shop – for good, he says.

George, who had just learned how to make the meaty treats, wants to help. To this end, his curiosity will take him, and the others, all the way to the The Golden Meatball contest in Rome.

This show is squarely aimed at the 10-and-under demographic, with several moments that directly engage the audience. This is a perfect way to introduce a child to the wonder of live theatre, done in a professional manner that grownups can appreciate.

Ransom looks like he stepped right out of the book’s pages, and perfectly personifies the monkey’s patient and caring guardian. Sparks lithely makes use of her dance training to tumble and communicate with gestures as George only speaks in vague chatter. Armstrong manages to work that thin line of Italian caricature to charm the kids without looking objectionable to their parents (for those my age, he reminded me a bit of Father Guido Sarducci from SNL).

Performances of “Curious George: The Golden Meatball” are 6:30 p.m. Fridays and 1 and 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through Nov. 5 at Waldron Auditorium, 122 S. Walnut St., Bloomington. For info and tickets, visit seeconstellation.org.

Bardfest’s ‘Bold’ move pays off

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By John Lyle Belden

In its present form, Indy Bard Fest’s annual festival goes beyond works by William Shakespeare to include notable stage classics and works that could be considered “Shakespeare adjacent.” In this latter mode, we become exposed to playwrights whose works we might not otherwise see.

“A Bold Stroke for a Husband,” is a 1783 comedy by English writer Hannah Cowley (not obscure in her own day, her hits included “The Belle’s Stratagem”) who liked to include commentary on the difficulties of women in European society. The title (wordplay on that of a similar work of the era) refers not to abusive men, rowing, or a brain seizure, but of women who execute brave maneuvers in order to gain or keep the men of their fancy.

Two main plots run through this play, set in late 1700s Madrid, Spain. Don Carlos (Trent K. Hawthorne-Richards), who left his wife Victoria (Tailynn Downing) and their children to have an affair with Donna Laura (Hannah Elizabeth Boswell), learns his lover has tricked him out of the deed to the estate that had been in his wife’s name. Devious Laura refuses to sign it back, dumping him for another gentleman.

In other events, Victoria’s cousin, Olivia (Wilhelmina Dreyer) has her father Don Caesar (Angela Dill) insisting she commit to a suitor immediately to avoid old-maid status and eventually give him an heir. The gentlemen arrive, first Don Garcia (Katie Brownlee), then Don Vincentio (Jordan Paul Wolf), who are verbally dispatched by Olivia with the aid of her saucy maid Minetta (Rowan Apple-Knotts).

Though, in our closest link to the Bard, we see the lady as a “shrew” to rival Shakespeare’s Kate, Olivia secretly pines for a different man, Don Julio (Ryan James Moskalick), whom she toys with in another way.

Don Caesar, meanwhile, calls his own bluff in that he’d marry the neighbor’s young daughter and send Olivia to a convent if no son-in-law was secured. This is distressing to Marcella (Cass Knowling), the teen in question, as the law and customs of the time would allow for it – but Caesar comes to his senses and insists the girl only pretend their engagement to spur Olivia to action.

Speaking of tricks, Laura’s latest obsession is Florio, actually the desperate Victoria in disguise! A bit of subterfuge with the valet, Gaspar (Tracy Herring), should help to put things right.

This ribald piece of 18th-century feminism is entertaining, funny, and fairly easy to follow. Cross-gender and transgender casting aid the topsy-turvy atmosphere, accented with beautiful costuming by Sue Kuenhold, sharply directed by Max McCreary in the intimate atmosphere of Shelton Auditorium.

The men are buffoonish, but in an appropriately genteel way. Moskalick gets to play the one dude with sense – thus a worthy match for beautifully bold Dreyer as Olivia – though he gets fooled a bit as well. Hawthorne-Richards presents Carlos as downright pathetic, making Downing’s Victoria all the more noble in rescuing him as well as their fortune. Other women get plenty to flex their acting chops, whether as villain (Boswell) or trickster (Apple-Knotts, Knowling, Herring).

Strike boldly for the venue at the southwest corner of the Butler University campus, 1000 W. 42nd St., Indianapolis, for performances this Friday through Sunday (Oct. 27-29). Get info and tickets at indybardfest.com.

FTC ‘Spook-tacular’ returns

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By John Lyle Belden

In the spirit of a local theatre tradition that satirizes and celebrates the December holidays, Fonseca Theatre Company gives the Spooky Season its due with “Boo-la-la!”

Directed by FTC producing director Jordan Flores Schwartz, we get a dozen funny skits and songs dealing with Halloween and various horror personalities, performed with gusto by Bryan Ball, Ashton Driscoll, Charlie Rankin, and Lara Romero. Script contributions are by Jean Arnold, Michael Donohue, Christine Kruze, Paige Scott, Emily Worrell, and it just wouldn’t be one of these shows without a piece by Mark Harvey Levine, who has a bit of fun with the long-deceased Bard of Avon.

Do black cats feel lucky? How does an old frightener compete with new haunted attractions at the other end of the hollow? What’s the adoption fee for a werewolf? And what material would Mary Shelley bring to open mic night? These and other life and death questions get answered, or at least hilariously mocked in this fun production for all ages – a 10-ish boy was at our performance, and we heard him remark to his folks afterward how much he enjoyed it.  

“Boo-La-La! An Indianapolis Spook-tacular 2” runs through October 29 at 2508 W. Michigan St., Indianapolis. Get info and tickets at fonsecatheatre.org.

CCP stages locally penned inspiring comedy

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By Wendy Carson

Things are not going well for Nikki. She postponed her wedding, moved out of her fiancé’s  apartment, dropped the majority of her law clients, and rented a new place of her own which may or may not be haunted. Add to this an obsessive landlord, a clingy fiancé, and a very grumpy police officer and you have the makings for this tender and rollicking play, “aMUSEd,” presented by Camel Community Players. 

The script, by local playwright Megan Ann Jacobs, was originally presented as part of 2019’s DivaFest. She has since expanded the story and enriched each character involved.  

Sebastian (Joe Wagner), the current Muse of Comedy, has tried to avoid serious entanglements with his past “instruments,” but made a single exception for novelist Anita (Wendy Brown) and stays with her to the very end. Even for an immortal, losing someone close scars you deeply.  

Enter Nikki (Ameetha Widdershins), who knows this pain all too well herself. She rented the amazing and affordable apartment where Anita had died, and Sebastian is wallowing in pity. Sparks fly, as they move from standoff to compromise. His lack of a corporeal body makes for some great slapstick humor and mistaken identities involving Nikki’s fiancé, Ryan (Malcolm Marshall), landlord Tyler (Austin Uebelhor), and Officer Bridges (Ahnn Christopher). Plus, Anita makes a post-death appearance or two herself. 

Director Kelly Keller does a great job balancing the zany humor with the touching glimpses of the pain both lead characters must work through.  

The whole cast is a delight to behold and thoroughly immersed in the story. In fact, at our performance, a small scuffle within the show rolled nearly into the audience. Widdershins manages to be both soft and prickly as the moment demands. Marshall, who only recently made his community stage debut, shows steady improvement in taking on a meaty role. Wagner, looking like a mid-level executive (which he sorta is for the gods), has fun being as much trickster as inspiration. Uebelhor is a hoot and nearly steals his every scene. Christopher and Brown give their moments the right touch, as well.   

John and I both loved the show when we originally saw it, and I really like this more fully fleshed-out version, nicely paced and never feeling padded. It lovingly brings all of the characters to a just and happy ending.

Performances are Friday through Sunday at The Switch Theatre, 10029 E. 126th St., Suite D, Fishers. For info and tickets, see carmelplayers.org.

Kids face difficult climb in Mathews play

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By John Lyle Belden

Once again, author and former journalist Garret Mathews draws from the deep well of his upbringing to bring us the new play, “No Hope Rope,” based on people and experiences in his high school in the 1960s in rural western Virginia coal-mining country.

Uber-nerds Rayburt (Max Gallagher) and Titus (Christian Perez) have only each other as they are popular with no one else in Dungannon High School. Rayburt is fascinated with words; Titus is fascinated with everything math, tech, and space – he was STEM long before that became a thing. Rayburt gets by, by laying low. Titus prefers to obnoxiously live in his own world, constantly consulting his imaginary computer and giving loud updates to NASA. One thing they share, though, is a lack of upper-body strength. This presents a problem in their senior year as it is announced by the principal, persuaded by football Coach Alexander, that all boys must complete the 40-foot rope climb to graduate.

For our young subjects, that rope in the corner of the gym may as well be 40 miles high.

Rayburt feels doomed, but Titus has a plan. The school weight room is open to all students, not just the athletes, and if they can learn to lift The Heavy Objects, they might be able to lift themselves up before the school year ends. On their first day, as Titus addresses the issues of cool nicknames and proper grunting, they encounter the quarterback of the State Champion Roughnecks, Charley Alexander (Austin Helm), prize son of “Coach Daddy” who is likely assured a scholarship with a Michigan college.

In this funny and heartwarming G-rated look at teen life in the Heartland, we see this is about more than climbing a length of rope. Climbing hand over hand to the top is easy for some, but not for many when the coal mine is a long way down. For the women, maybe they’ll marry the man who becomes foreman or works above ground. Rayburt wants out, likely to a career in journalism, but he feels the gravity. Titus sees his escape as a pathway to the stars. Charley is content working on small engines or his “funnies” – inspired by the comics on the Ed Sullivan show – but his choices bear the weight of family and community expectations. Our young actors embody the characters perfectly, hinting at bright futures themselves.

Mathews, who supplies the adult intercom voices, says the characters are based on himself and people he knew – he can name the know-it-alls he lovingly mashed up to make Titus – but especially for those of us who know rural America (I like to think of the culture of Mathews’ stories as “Hoosier adjacent”) we can all relate.

Aaron Henze gladly directs this production, hoping that works like this (and Mathews works like “Jubilee in the Rear View Mirror” and “Opening Hank Williams”) find a wider audience. As we post this, there is still time to catch “No Hope Rope” at the District Theatre, 627 Massachusetts Ave., Indianapolis, today at 2 and 7 p.m., or tomorrow at 4 p.m. (Oct. 14-15). Get tickets at indydistricttheatre.org.

Bard Fest: Easy comedy you’ll ‘Like’

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By Wendy Carson

Bard Fest presents William Shakespeare’s “As You Like It,” hosted by Mud Creek Players.

Since this is a Shakespearean comedy, you know there will be characters in disguise, various twisting plot lines, and much confusion. Strangely, there are no twins; what we do have is one of the easiest storylines of all his comedies.

Director Ron Richards staged this show in the beautifully rustic atmosphere of the Mud Creek Barn. With several actors playing more than one character, his having an upstage curtain open or close to signal the beginning and ending of each scene greatly assists the audience in following the story.

The plot is rather simple: Duke Frederick has usurped his older brother, Duke Senior (both played by Kevin Caraher) and cast him into hiding. Orlando (Sam Smith) has been ousted by his violent older brother, Oliver (Connor Phelan) and seeks safety with the banished Duke in the Forest of Arden. Rosalind (Evangeline Bouw), who fell madly in love with Orlando at first sight, is then – being the daughter of Duke Senior – likewise banished from the kingdom. Her devoted cousin Celia (Dani Gibbs) insists on going with her. Due to the dangers of traveling alone, Rosalind dresses as a man, Ganymede, and Celia becomes “his” poor companion Aliena, accompanied by the faithful fool Touchstone (Ryan Shelton). Paths cross, courtship and confusion abound, all ending, naturally (for Shakespeare), in a mass wedding.

Most of the action takes place in the woods (more pastoral than enchanted). Orlando, pining for Rosalind, posts love poems to trees, or just carves them in the bark when paper isn’t handy. This amuses Ganymede, who offers to coach the young noble in more effective wooing. Gracious Duke Frederick is attended by fellow exiles Amiens (Glenn Dobbs) and melancholy Jacques (Daniel Shock), who delivers the famous “All the world’s a stage” speech. The native herders include Corin (Matthew Socey), full of bawdy innuendo; Silvius (Kay Beischel), a shepherd boy in love; and proud Phoebe (Kelsey Van Voorst), the object of Silvius’s affections who instead has the hots for Ganymede. Some players present other characters, but it is all easy to follow.

For theatre aficionados, note that Richards has set this play up in the style of Commedia dell’arte (a Renaissance style of farce popularized in Italy).  See the cast list on the Bard Fest webpage for the character archetypes.

From top to bottom, this troupe – most with quite a bit of Shakespeare in their CVs – deliver flawlessly. Appropriately, exceptional work is done by Smith, with his earnest easy stage presence, and Bouw, whose energetic style perfectly fits the impulsive Rosalind and her thin disguise. Shelton, wearing motley throughout his roles, is clever enough to amuse no matter what he has on.

You will like “As You Like It,” playing through Sunday, Oct. 15, at 9740 E. 86th St., Indianapolis. See indybardfest.com for info and tickets.

Teen rite of passage becomes test for all in Civic musical

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By Wendy Carson and John Belden

As you might know, the musical “The Prom” is loosely based on a true incident.* Despite historical  authenticity relative to Disney’s “Pocahontas,” this show – book by Chad Beguelin and Bob Martin, music by Matthew Sklar, from a concept by Jack Viertel – presented by Booth Tarkington Civic Theatre, directed by Michael J. Lasley, entertainingly captures the essence of the story, reflecting the attitudes found in more than just one American town.

From their perspective, at least, this is the story of two aging Broadway stars, Dee Dee Allen (Marni Lemons) and Barry Glickman (Chad Leitschuh) with vanity bigger than their talent. After scorching reviews of their latest flop, they desperately need more positive publicity. With the help of their agent, Sheldon Sapperstein (David Maxwell) and a couple of other actors in need a career boost – Angie  Dickinson (Mikayla Koharchik), who can’t seem to get out of the chorus after 20 years, and Trent Oliver (Evan Wallace), a former TV star who never loses a chance to remind you he went to Juliard – they seek to find a worthy cause that won’t strain them too much. 

Emma Nolan (Kelsey McDaniel) is a high school senior in Edgewater, Indiana, who just wants to take her girlfriend to the Prom. However, the conservative small town district’s PTA, led by Mrs. Greene (Marlana Haig), refuses to allow it, going so far as to cancel the event. Just as it seems that Emma’s ally, school principal Mr. Hawkins (Rex Wolfley), found a way to work the whole situation out, our group of “Broadway Heroes” show up and not only alienate everyone involved, but embarrass Emma.  

Luckily, Hawkins, being a devoted fan of Allen, does not run the whole gang out of town. He even takes the diva to the city’s finest restaurant, Applebee’s.  

After some legal cajoling, the PTA agrees to resume the Prom. Emma plans to take Alyssa (Kaylee Johnson-Bradley), who will finally come out to her family and everyone there. But Emma and her Broadway friends are in for a devastating surprise. 

With the support of our well-meaning heroes, Emma must find a way to take her stand, her way, so that if nothing else, she – and everyone – can dance.

Having only heard a few of the songs beforehand and knowing how the story was handled, we had some reservations as to how this would work out. Would setting the story in Indiana, reportedly as a rebuke to the former Vice President, be a mockery of Hoosiers in general? Fortunately, it’s just gentle jibes we can live with (and have that hint of truth). Rather, the musical’s creators and Lasley’s direction have woven a magical story that is the “Footloose” (with a hint of Cinderella) of our era.  

The whole cast is joyously giving their all in bringing this beautiful event to life. While I am without  enough adjectives to even begin to describe each actor’s fantastic performance, I will say that NYU graduate McDaniel’s powerful voice could land her back in the Big Apple. Broadway’s loss is our gain.

Lemons, Leitschuh, Koharchik and Wallace revel in their license to overact. Haig perfectly portrays the insidious evil of indifference and self-righteousness. Wolfley handles well being the character that is the fulcrum on which the whole plot turns.

Performances of “The Prom” run through Oct. 21 at the Tarkington theater in the Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Carmel. Feel free to bring a date, corsage optional, and arrive early as there is ongoing street construction in the area. Get info and tickets at civictheatre.org or thecenterpresents.org.

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*The true story happened in Mississippi in 2010. (Click here for details) Thanks to Civic for sharing the link.

Phoenix hosts grand ‘Grandmothers’ in comedy caper

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By John Lyle Belden

For decades an asset to both the Indy arts and African-American communities, Actors Ink returns to the boards with a focus on “POCA” – People Of a Certain Age.

That mission, giving aspiring actors of any experience level in their 60s or older their time to shine on stage, is reflected in the present production of the comedy “Grandmothers, Incorporated,” by Crystal V. Rhodes and L. Barnett Evans, based on their series of mystery novels, directed by Sandra Gay at the Phoenix Theatre Cultural Center.

Finding a home broken into can be distressing, but what if it’s you in the wrong house? Bea, Connie, Hattie, and Ms. Fannie had planned a “spiritual retreat” to their friend’s cabin in the woods. After a few wrong turns, they arrive at the vacation home to find everything thrown about – a complete mess – and a man tied up in the closet! What’s more, the man turns out to be notorious local drug kingpin Chevron Harris; what’s worse, this might actually be his cabin.

The main mystery for these ladies to solve is how to get out of this without ending up in jail for B&E, or a worse fate at Chevron’s hands, while ensuring the man gets behind bars where he belongs.

The cast puts in a brave effort, putting aside aches, pains and occasional memory glitches to draw laughs and delight from a supportive audience. But you don’t have to be a close friend or relative to thrill at Sharon Maye-Jordan’s sass as Miss Fannie or fall under the spell of smooth-talking Eric Yancy as Chevron, who can suddenly switch from suave to spiteful. Patricia Ann Brookins is Bea, and depending or the performance, Deniece Bailey or Patty Johnson is Hattie, Linda Murray Parks or Pamela E. Yancy is Connie, Betty Meriweather or Georgia Myers is a radio announcer who appears at the end, and Larry David Keogh is an alternative for Chevron. Luther Montgomery is heard as the “Voice of God.”

This partnership with Actors Ink is a credit to the Phoenix Theatre’s continuing commitment to community arts and minority voices. The production is also supported by Witherspoon Presbyterian Church.

Performances of “Grandmothers, Incorporated” are Friday through Sunday, Oct. 13-15, on the main stage at 705 N. Illinois, downtown Indianapolis. Get tickets at phoenixtheatre.org.