revue

New dinner theatre celebrates Broadway

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By John Lyle Belden

This year there is a new place for dinner and a show, in an old, familiar building. The Murat Shrine Club (north side of the historic building that now houses the Old National Center) hosts Downtown Dinner & Theatre. We got to experience it for the current production of “Broadway Off Broadway.”

After the opportunity to dine like a Potentate at a small buffet, patrons were ushered upstairs to the intimate cabaret stage for a musical revue.

The theme, of course, is various songs of Broadway hits, performed by a very talented troupe: Alicia Barnes, Alexis Koshenina, Jennifer Simms, Parker Taylor, and Rex Wolfley. Company artistic director Simms directed the show and Wolfley wrote its “book,” so to speak, with input from the others.

The narrative structure is built on our cast finding themselves in a “classroom” with magical properties, instructed by the disembodied voice of a spirit of musical theatre, “BOB,” by Ty Stover of StageQuest Theatrical Services. This impish entity helps to bring out the self-confidence, vocal and otherwise, in each of our singers.

All the while, we are treated to exceptional renditions of around 20 showtunes. Some of them you might expect – from Sondheim, Andew Lloyd Weber, Rogers and Hammerstein, etc. – plus some wonderful surprises. (There were whispers of, “What was that one from?”) Look for something from “Chess,” “Wicked,” “In the Heights,” “Spring Awakening, “Dear Evan Hansen,” and even this year’s Tony winner, “Maybe Happy Ending.”

Performances are sharp throughout, infused with good humor – especially as they act manipulated by BOB invisibly positioning them for numbers and dance breaks. Taylor, quickly becoming one of Indy’s biggest stage talents, is particularly good at this. While all are well-cast vocally (and their strengths were taken into account in song selection), Koshenina exhibits show-stopping power and range.

We give this “class” high marks. You can attend Friday through Sunday, Sept. 12-14, Friday the 19th, or matinee or evening Saturday the 20th, at 510 N. New Jersey St., downtown Indianapolis. Get info and tickets at downtowndt.com.

Musical blast from the past by ATI

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By John Lyle Belden

Every era has both its triumphs and struggles; they were also years which those who grew up in tend to remember fondly. For some of us – and many of our parents – that was the 1960s, a time of big changes, big hair, and a lot of great music.

“Beehive: The 60’s Musical” presented by Actors Theatre of Indiana, gives us more than 30 hits from the decade, with emphasis on songs sung by women – from “It’s My Party” to “Me and Bobby McGee.”

Our guides through this time of feminine revolution are six outstanding singers: Rachel Dudt, Riley Francis, Michaela McGarel, Kayla Perry, Kria Rangel, and Abigail Storm, who also acts as host. They are backed by a live band, led by Greg Wolff. The show is directed and choreographed by Carol Worcel.

There are a couple of scenes with direct impersonations of the original singers – done very well – but mostly the emphasis is on heartfelt renditions that sound like we remember coming from our transistor radios. On occasion there may be some audience involvement, such as providing names for “The Name Game,” and throughout we are encouraged to clap and even sing along.

In all, this is just a fun evening of music that still entertains and inspires, even decades later. For the Boomers who remember, or those of other generations who love swinging to the oldies, there are two more weeks of “Beehive,” Wednesday through Sunday, Sept. 10-14 and 17-21, at The Studio Theater of the Allied Solutions Center for The Performing Arts in downtown Carmel. Get info and tickets at atistage.org or thecenterpresents.org.

‘Everybody’s Girl’ on Epilogue stage

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By John Lyle Belden

Going up Alabama Street to see Madison Avenue sounds confusing – especially if you know the layout of Indianapolis – but actually, it’s the direction to a fabulous show.

Magic Thread Cabaret (Klein and Alvarez Productions) presents drag artist Jim Melton as Ms. Madison Avenue in “Maddie: Everybody’s Girl” for two weekends at Epilogue Players theatre.

We attended and enjoyed her performance of this revue at the White Rabbit in Fountain Square in March. Portraying the hour before she takes the stage, we visit Maddie preparing with accompanist Dustin Klein (every dressing room has a piano, right?) and occasionally fussed over by Tina Brannum Mahern as Mimi the maid. Make no mistake, though, this is all about Maddie and “the mostly true story of my colorful life.”

We learn she is the hottest thing to come out of Bull’s Butt, Idaho, as she relates her struggles with show biz, life, and her inner diva, interspersed with showtunes and standards including the full (with intro) version of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” She is a bit vulnerable, quite funny, and all heart (but not “Roxy Hart,” she substitutes “Madison Avenue” in that lyric).  

Admitting to her stumbles and that at 26, “I’m still learning,” she also notes, “I’m the greatest star, but no one knows it” (from “Funny Girl”). This production is a step in the right direction.

Funny and fabulous, showing she can carry a tune and hold an audience, experience the glow of Madison Avenue, “Everybody’s Girl,” June 27-29 and July 5-6 at 1849 N. Alabama St. (corner of 19th and Alabama), Indianapolis. Get tickets at kleinandalvarez.com.

Songs and their stories at BCP

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By John Lyle Belden

Did you know that the true meaning of “fa-la-la-la-la” is, believe it or not, fa-la-la-la-la? (Just musical filler.) Or, that while the tune of “Greensleeves” dates back to 1500s England, the Christmas hymn “What Child is This?” was written in America in the mid-1800s?

Feel free to share this information, as well as nearly all the songs in “Buck Creek Players Christmas Cabaret,” the company’s holiday offering through Sunday, Dec. 8.

For this original revue, directors Georgie Teipen and Tiffany D. Wilson went with the theme “Public Domain” not just because it’s for a cost-conscious community theatre, but mainly because so much of what we enjoy sharing at Christmas is not bound up in intellectual property restrictions, especially traditional music.

But because by their nature these songs are quite old, the stories behind their creation may be little known. Our hosts Clance LaTurner and Jeremy Teipen present the relevant histories of nearly 30 tunes – sacred and secular – which are performed by Nicole Bridgens, Onis Dean, Scott Fleshood, Jennifer J. Kaufmann, Nancy Laudeman, Gary Life, and Jennifer Poynter, accompanied by Debbie Stafford on piano. Their charming delivery enlivens our spirits; highlights include Life’s “How Far Is It to Bethlehem” (the lone protected song, for which he got permission from the writer!), lively company renditions of “Deck the Halls” and “Twelve Days of Christmas,” and Dean’s stirring “Ave Maria.”

This intimate show is given a “black box” setting, with audience seating on three sides of the stage (a ramp is provided for patrons). Singers appear at any of the four corners throughout the performance. The set-up works quite well, and we hope BCP considers it for any future productions that can benefit from this arrangement. Since we’re right there with the singers, we are encouraged to join them in a couple of the songs.

A good time for fans of trivia and traditional holiday hits, find the Buck Creek Playhouse at 11150 Southeastern Ave., Indianapolis (Acton Road exit of I-74); find tickets at buckcreekplayers.com.

ATI: Sentimental song sojourn sheds light on Man in Black

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By John Lyle Belden

In the lowlands along the Mississippi River in Northeast Arkansas, they still grow cotton. We see the big bales in the fields when we drive through the area about once a year to visit relatives near Little Rock. Not much around but farmland, tiny crossroads towns, and rural churches. In pre-mechanized days, cotton farming was incredibly hard; consider what a life of growing and harvesting that crop can do to a family, to a man.

One of those men was John R. “Johnny” Cash, one of the greatest singer-songwriters to come out of the 1950s Memphis music scene. Actors Theatre of Indiana presents a fresh telling of his decades-old story in “Ring of Fire: The Music of Johnny Cash” by Richard Maltby Jr. and William Meade. The series of songs presented make this a musical journey from his boyhood farm to nearby Memphis, Tennessee, then on to Nashville and – as Johnny put it – “everywhere, man.”  

Kent M. Lewis, who has performed this show elsewhere, took on the trifecta of director, choreographer and performer, lending his tone-perfect Cash voice as primary vocalist. Brandon Alstott, who has played Cash in “Million Dollar Quartet,” easily takes on the character of young Johnny and lends his own vocal lead and harmony contributions. Matt McClure gets in some vocals as well, and while Lewis and Alstott pick acoustic guitars, McClure straps on an electric, providing the distinctive churning rhythm attributed to Cash bandmate Luther Perkins.

Multi-talented Sarah Hund fits in naturally, adept at anything with strings – especially fiddle – and helping sing and tell the story as characters including Cash’s mother as well as collaborator and eventual wife June Carter. Jordan Simmons plays stand-up bass and gets in a few lines; music director Nathan Perry also has a role, mainly performing at the piano or on accordion.

As a “jukebox musical,” revised in 2013 from the original 2006 Broadway version, this is an excellent revue for fans of old-time Country and Gospel music, as well as Cash’s hits, presented with entertaining flair that engages the audience of the intimate Studio Theater in Carmel’s Center for the Performing Arts. Don’t look for an in-depth biography, though. Maltby is reported to say that he saw in Cash’s music and life “the story of America,” and thus we get a fairly simple outline of a complicated man.

His feelings for the downtrodden are expressed in his song/poem “Man in Black” and we see them shown in his prison concerts (despite his “outlaw” image, he never did hard time himself) and frequently returning to hope in faith. He also found himself leaning on little white pills to keep up his tour schedule, he wryly confesses, but the narrative doesn’t dwell much on this aspect of his life. Still, Cash admits in a regretful tone that without raising a hand to anyone, he still hurt many who loved him.

In the end – his passing in 2003 gently hinted at – Johnny Cash leaves us wanting more, which Lewis and company provide in a brief encore with one of the Man in Black’s most fun songs.

Opening night had everyone in the full house buzzing with how much they enjoyed this show. Word will likely get around, so make a reservation to see “Ring of Fire” before the ATI run ends on Sept. 29. Get info and tickets at atistage.org or thecenterpresents.org.

ATI: ‘Forbidden’ bits both fresh and familiar

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By John Lyle Belden

What Weird Al is to popular music, “Forbidden Broadway” is to popular musicals.

Created by Gerard Alessandrini more than 40 years ago, this Off-Broadway parody revue has been frequently updated and presented worldwide, including a couple of times by Actors Theatre of Indiana, which is performing it again in Carmel through May 12.

Since TV producer Dick Wolf seems to have poached every between-gigs Broadway actor to be on his shows, it seems appropriate that this edition of “Forbidden” opens with “Broadway SVU” (BUM BUM!). As for the rest of the musical skits, skewering various musicals while backhandedly saluting the folks who make them (both creators and talent), I’ll respect the tradition of letting the audience be surprised. There will be some new material, as well as some returning laughs – after all, part of the joke of “Les Mis” is that it never ever truly goes away!

ATI co-founder Cynthia Collins joins the return of accompanist extraordinaire Brent Marty at the piano as well as three new faces to explore this forbidden world: Kieran Danaan, William Kimmel, and Christine Zavakos.

Kimmel, who is also director and choreographer, admitted it was tricky to guide his own performance, as well as helping set up the right set of send-ups from the show’s vast catalogue.

“We had to choose the best for our voices, and for the costumes, the best look-alikes,” he said after opening night. “Most importantly, we had to make sure the order was right, for who is performing a song while the others were changing backstage for the next one.”   

The result is a hilariously dizzying array of Wicked ice queens, naughty puppets, an aging Annie, a boy named Crutchie, and the true spirit of “tradition!” But it’s not all raspberries – watch for a heartfelt nod to shows that you won’t likely see revived, as well as a tribute to a Broadway genius recently departed.

Dare to explore – once more if you’ve seen it before – “Forbidden Broadway” at the Studio Theatre in the Centre for the Performing Arts in downtown Carmel. Get info and tickets at atistage.org or thecenterpresents.org.

Mud Creek filled with holiday ‘Spirit’

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By Wendy Carson

Christmas is the time of the year we all gather with family and/or friends and celebrate the joy of the season. However, not all of us have loved ones with which to celebrate.

In Mud Creek Players’ “The Spirit of Christmas: A Holiday Cabaret,” such is the plight of Mabel (Anne Phelan), who is spending Christmas Eve cleaning the local theater where she volunteers. While struggling not to feel sorry for herself, a mysterious voice reminds her that while she may not have actual souls to be around, her rich supply of Christmas memories are what she should focus on.

The rest of the cast (Audrey Beaverson, Lauren Bogart, Nicole Bridgens, Stephen DiCarlo, Emily Keenan, Sophie Liese, Dani Lopez-Roque, Karen Naber, Noah Nordman, and Tara Weed) embody those memories and help guide Mabel through them to renew her Christmas Spirit. Even director Chris Bundy steps in a time or two.

Through a mix of traditional and newer songs, with a lesser-heard one or two, they remind Mabel, and us, of the delights of childhood and the meaning of Christmas. They even have a hilarious take on “The 12 Days of Christmas” that will have you seeing that song in a very different way.

Bundy and the Mud Creek crew have changed up the seating arrangements, giving the “Barn” a true cabaret set-up with audience members seated at tables throughout the venue. Tables are provided with a delicious snack mix and Holiday Punch for all as well as a trio of desserts and other drink choices served by the performers at intermission, all at no extra charge.

Remaining performances, Friday through Sunday, Dec. 8-10, are sold out, according to MudCreekPlayers.org. Go to the Contact page on the site, or email info@mudcreekplayers.org to ask about possible openings due to cancellations or additional seating.

Footlite ‘Family’ invites all to holiday celebration

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By John Lyle Belden

Footlite Musicals is an all-volunteer organization, and it’s in that spirit of community that, rather than a single-story musical, everyone pitches in on a singing revue with aspects of Radio City Spectacular to create a familiar-feeling yet new holiday celebration, “A Footlite Family Holiday.”

You know this is going to be a little different when the first singer enters crooning “Pure Imagination” from Willy Wonka. However, after this invocation of holiday whimsy and magic, we get a variety of old favorites, carols, and newer songs of the season – from traditional, to Irving Berlin, to Pentatonix – performed with the Footlite pit orchestra, acapella, and even one number with kazoos. There is plenty of swaying and dancing with numerous costume changes, trees, a train, an audience sing-along (lyrics provided), and a sacred moment.

Nods are given to different celebrations: Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, and, at most performances, a tribute to Diwali presented by Indy Bollywood Group (Sana Suresh Kumar, Deeya Jain, Haleigh Lincey, Usha Sirimalle, Raaga Yoga, and Tamara Yoga).

For additional artistic flair, there are a couple of impressive moments with aerialist Molly Campbell performing above the stage on silks.  

It seems that nearly everyone else does a little of everything – some of the singers dance, some of the dancers sing – so I’m hard pressed to give any single credits. Here’s how the program lists the ensemble: Featured singers Anya Andrews, Zach Bucher, Aprille Goodman, Logan Laflin, Carolyn Lynch, Leigh Query, Danny Roberds; featured kick-line dancers Renee Callahan, Claire Gray, Bailey Ray Harmon, Paige Penry, Megan Raymont, Lindsey Schaecher, Ashley Sherman, Amelie Zirnheld; ensemble players Susan Bott, Jeremy Crouch, Jarred Harris, Jenn Kaufmann, Nancy Laudeman, Nicole MacLean, Libby Munson, Grace Rehmel, Lydia Rivers, Chris Vojtko, Sparrow the Poodle, youngsters Elsie Daunhauer and Leo Daunhauer (who appears as a breakdancing Elf on the Shelf); and, at least during the first act, Santa Claus himself.

While the format is familiar, this particular collection of songs and performances stands apart, making it a fresh entertaining addition to local holiday traditions. Join the “Footlite Family Holiday” through Dec. 3 at 1847 N. Alabama St., Indianapolis. Get tickets and info at footlite.org.

Asaykwee’s ‘Scary Scary’ silly silly fun fun

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By John Lyle Belden

The artistic treasure that is performer and playwright Ben Asaykwee has taken the inherent absurdity of spooky urban legends and run them through the funhouse mirror that is campy 1980s pop culture for his latest presentation, “Scary Scary.”

Having lived through that era, when the over-the-top slasher film had its day (though often ending up on the direct-to-videotape shelves), I can tell you there was more to the 80s than goofy lingo and bad hair – but those are the easiest parts to have fun with, so just stick with that (and stories of mysterious landline phone calls and hook-handed maniacs and more) – as Asaykwee, with co-conspirators Carrie Powell, Ryan Powell, Kallen Ruston, Georgeanna Smith Wade, and Noah R. Winston, sing, dance, and reenact these horrific-ish scenes.

The acting is frantic and off-kilter, with a sort of improvised feel, enhanced by wild wigs, mimed gestures, audience encounters, and actors calling out anachronisms – “Did you try calling Star-69?” “That’s a ‘90s thing!”

Performances are held in appropriately close quarters with the audience seated up on the roomy stage of the Basile Theatre of the Athenaeum, so beware: THE LAUGHTER IS COMING FROM ON THE STAGE.

As for the guy with the hook hand? Nobody’s been able to find him.

Anyway, for a surprisingly all-ages campy take on stories you might hear at camp (by flashlight), you have two more chances to see “Scary Scary,” 7:30 and 9 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 4, at the Athenaeum, 401 E. Michigan St., Indianapolis. For tickets, visit athenaeumindy.org.

IndyFringe: Jewel Box Revue 2022

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This is part of IndyFringe 2022, Aug. 18-Sept. 4 (individual performance times vary) in downtown Indianapolis. Details and tickets at IndyFringe.org.

By John Lyle Belden

Tom Alvarez and Dustin Klein’s Magic Thread Cabaret celebrates the past and showcases today’s talent with Jewel Box Revue 2022 at the District Theatre.

The original Revue toured nationally and internationally from 1936 to 1999, featuring live-singing “female impersonators” and a “male impersonator” – what we now call drag queens and kings. With their widespread appeal and fame, as Alvarez notes, “these pioneers were among the first to crack open the closet door.”

Today’s jewels are Miss Pearl (Keith Potts), Miss Sapphire (Isaiah Moore), Miss Opal (Ervin Gainer) and Miss Ruby (Jim Melton); with emcee Danny Diamond (Kelsey VanVoorst); dancers and co-choreographers Topaz (Xavier Medina) and Jade (Jade Perry); and sparkling on-stage musicians Galen Morris on bass, Matthew Dupree on drums, and music director Klein on piano.

Alvarez wrote and directed the show, featuring songs from Broadway and past greats.

Among the various numbers: Potts is exquisite in delivering the Judy Garland hit “The Man That Got Away” as well as “The Ladies Who Lunch” from the musical “Company.” Moore has us feeling Etta James’ “At Last.” Opal gives proper sass to Pearl Bailey’s “You Can Be Displaced.” Melton is arousing with “Don’t Tell Mama” from “Cabaret” and inviting with Rosemary Clooney’s “C’mon-a My House.” Even VanVoorst gets into the act, challenging Potts with “Anything You Can Do.”

Wendy and I were fortunate to get into a sold-out audience. It’s recommended you act fast to get in to see this marvelous show, 7:15 p.m. Thursday or 9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 1-2.