Wendy Brown

Epilogue comedy brings new meaning to ‘juke joint’

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By Wendy Carson 

Epilogue Players whisks us away to a senior living center in Upstate New York for the Indiana premiere of Paul Stroili’s rollicking tale, “A Jukebox for the Algonquin.” It is billed as “a serious comedy about sex, drugs, and rocking chairs” yet not a single rocking chair is to be had in the show.

The entire show takes place in The Algonquin Room, one of the many meeting spaces available to the residents. Being such a large place, they split into three main tribes: Indies – those in Independent Living; Asses – in Assisted Living; and Longhorns –in Long-term care, here until the end.

Dennis (Duane Mercier) holds court in the room in much the way that Dorthy Parker ran her round table in the hotel the room is named for. His regulars consist of Johnny (Onis Dean), who has a wicked sense of humor and longs for a jukebox to fill the room with real music and Annie (Wendy Brown) a spitfire who would be quite dangerous if she wasn’t mostly blind. Occasional visits from Tyler (Grant Bowen), the orderly who tries, not too well, to hide his shadier side from everyone; and Josefina (Yolanda Valdivia), the woman in charge of everything, add some bits of spice to daily life.

However, the arrival of two new people brings about all the laughs and drama that anyone could hope for. We first meet Chuck (Albert E. Lahiman III), also known as “Dust Mop Guy.” Despite his quiet demeanor, he has more than enough emotional baggage to fill all the meeting rooms. Then comes Peg (Mary DeBoer), a new Indy who becomes the member of the table they never knew was missing.

Johnny’s quest to raise money for the jukebox hits a snag and all looks lost, until Peg’s efforts to identify the plants her hippie predecessor left behind brings about a lucrative herbal solution to their financial woes. Still, it’s only 2003 and such things are still illegal.

The whole show is exquisitely cast, and co-directors Therese Burns and Amanda Greene keep things rolling along even during the few moments when life steps in and kicks the players. This is a tender, sweet, and very funny look at aging with dignity.

So, pull up a chair at the round table and see whether the gang gets to dance to the living music of actual records – or continue to suffer the sad collection of 17 CDs (three of which are copies of Frampton Comes Alive).

Ticket sales have been brisk, and there is just one week of shows left, Thursday through Sunday, Sept. 18-21, at 1849 N. Alabama St. (corner of 19th and Alabama), downtown Indianapolis. Get info and tickets at epilogueplayers.com.

Charming look at ‘Club’ all eventually join

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By John Lyle Belden

Epilogue Players presents the lively comedy, “The Cemetery Club,” by Ivan Menchell, directed by Kelly Keller.

Once a month, Jewish widows Ida (Valerie Nowosielski), Lucille (Lisa Warner Lowe), and Doris (Marie McNelis) meet at Ida’s place and go to a cemetery in Forest Hills, Queens, to visit the graves of their husbands. When we meet them, it is the four-year anniversary of the passing of Doris’s husband, Abe, to whom she is as devoted as ever. Ida still loves her Murray, but is starting to feel she wants to do more than converse with a stone. Lucille is just glad her Harry is staying in one place.

Sam Katz (Tom Smith), the local butcher, comes by to visit the grave of his wife Myrna, and things get interesting.

With an upcoming social event – their friend Selma is getting married, again, and all are invited – the opportunity for dating, and maybe more, is in the air. Tom, feeling like a nervous teen, asks Ida out. Perpetual flirt Lucille appears jealous, while Doris is appalled at the whole situation. This results in hilarious situations reminiscent of “Sex and the City,” but older and more Jewish (and less sex). Mary DeBoer adds spice as Mildred, an additional wedding guest.

Aside from being very funny, the play also tugs at the heartstrings as we see friendships tested while they each in their own way continue to deal with loss and the need to “write a new chapter.” Nowosielski, Lowe, and McNelis have the chemistry of three ladies long comfortable with one another’s quirks. However, this familiarity leads to presumptions of what is best for one who is acting differently. Smith’s character is like a guy at any age who is caught up in a women’s world, trying seemingly in vain to do what is right.

Wendy Brown is assistant director, and Patti Boyle is stage manager.

Embrace life by attending “The Cemetery Club,” performances Thursday through Sunday (June 19-22), at Epilogue Players, 1849 N. Alabama (corner of 19th and Alabama St.), Indianapolis. Reserve tickets at epilogueplayers.com.

ALT characters only ‘Human’

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By John Lyle Belden

With the passage of time, we are often prone to looking back at particular eras. Stephan Karam’s Tony-winning play, “The Humans” takes a snapshot of a day during the years between the national traumas of 9/11 and Covid.

In this 90-minute (no intermission) drama, presented by American Lives Theatre at the Phoenix Theatre Cultural Centre, Brigid and her partner Richard (Susannah Quinn and Trent K. Hawthorne-Richards) are hosting Thanksgiving dinner for her family – parents Erik and Deidre (Eric Bryant and Eva Patton), older sister Aimee (Jenni White), and grandmother “Momo” (Wendy Brown) – in her new apartment located in Manhattan’s Chinatown.

It’s a big place for New York, split-level on ground floor and basement, connected by a narrow spiral staircase, but with a view only of a cigarette butts and ash-filled inner courtyard, as well as the occasional disturbing mysterious noises from the neighbors. The one bathroom upstairs, while kitchen and dining area are below, becomes an issue because Momo has severe dementia and, though able to walk some, mostly gets around pushed in a wheelchair; also, Aimee has frequent intestinal symptoms from her ulcerative colitis.

These factors, as well as general family awkwardness, plus Erik and Richard each relating the weird dreams they have been having, serve up all the ingredients for a family-holiday comedy. However, while there a quite a few good laughs in this show, the overall tone is set by Erik’s Thanksgiving toast “to knowing what’s important,” because “one day, it goes.”

We find that each character has something slipping away or lost. As the plot gains substance, it draws out the essence of American life in the early 21st century: that we perpetually, for the sake of our sanity, ignore that every one of us is one setback away from catastrophe. The odd sounds, the grandmother’s babble of insistent phrases you almost understand, as well as individual reflections on a past September day, bring the fast-flowing currents of fear closer to the surface.

Plus, we learn about “pig smash,” which looks kinda fun.

Matthew Reeder directs, assisted by Jacob David Lang, on an excellent stage set by Rozy Isquith, featuring metal spiral stairs that are legendary around Indy theatres.  

As for the cast, this ensemble all know how to bring the feels. I find it difficult to single out any particular performance – White and Brown are among our friends, but I still think it’s fair to call them exceptional: White can play having all-the-problems while still being sweet and relatable; Brown gives a tender performance, punctuated by confusion, anger, and moments of something approaching mischief. Hawthorne-Richards works with nervous charm as the outsider point of view on the others’ family dynamic, and it’s nice (especially for something set only about a decade ago) that it is this different upbringing more than his skin tone that sets him apart.

Bryant brings gravitas to his paternal role, reflecting experience (on other stages) of seeing the story as a director (here, it’s Erik knowing this may not end well) and feeling it as an actor (struggling with circumstances he can’t control). Quinn plays the desperate soul bargaining that if one dream comes true – Brigid getting a nice place to live – her others don’t have to die, either. Patton maintains the stage tradition of the Mom who is like a rock while dealing with the growing cracks.

Walls thump and lights flicker, but knowing how fantasy stories end, we understand what it is that the ghosts and shadows fear. “The Humans” runs through May 11 on the Phoenix main stage, 705 N. Illinois, downtown Indianapolis. Get tickets at phoenixtheatre.org, information at americanlivestheatre.org.

Exploring stories with Westfield’s ‘Geezers’

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By John Lyle Belden

As we age, the mind still spinning in a body that’s not doing as well, we develop our eccentricities. In other words, we become “Geezers.” That’s the name of the heartwarming comedy by Tommy Lee Johnston, now on stage with Main Street Productions in Westfield, directed by Lori Raffel.

Gina (Brenna Whitaker) has her hands full with the residents of Maple Leaf Retirement Community. Ray (Duane Leatherman) naps all day in the comfy chair with his favorite pillow but doesn’t miss any conversation around him. Likewise, Emily (Wendy Brown) seems a tad out of it, watching TV for the commercials whose jingles she sings along with, yet she pops into lucidity at random yet appropriate times. Neil (Chris Otterman) is both a curmudgeon and a prankster. Then there’s Kate (Jen Otterman), a former actor whose constant flirting went too far with a now-fired orderly.

Into this milieu, enter Jack (Adrian Blackwell), a twenty-something who had spent most of his life caring for his deaf mother, a former worker at Maple Leaf, and with her passed on, is given the chance to take her job assisting Gina. He has his own issues, with his circumstances having given him or enhanced traits that resemble the high-functioning end of the autism spectrum – especially communication issues and anxiety. His way of managing his world is to write. He is good, though has trouble coming up with original ideas. At Kate and Neil’s urging, Jack, reluctantly at first, takes on a project of writing stories from the residents’ lives.

We also meet Jenny (Debbie Underwood), who comes to visit Emily but fears she has missed her chance to make their long-overdue reconnection.

Jack takes in the stories by listening and visualizing them – thus we see younger versions of Kate (Alyssa Lay) who almost got a part in one of the worst B-movies of all time (and still regrets it); Neil (David Shaul), an Air Force logistics specialist, meaning he didn’t fly but had to drive through the hell of Vietnam; and Ray (Mike Sosnowski), who was faced with a heart-rending choice.

“The funny thing about the truth,” the elder Ray says, “it holds a high standard.”

We eventually get everyone’s stories, including Gina’s, and why she cries at the end of every shift. Whitaker gives a solid performance as a caretaker with a firm yet soft touch, seeing the residents practically as family – a balm for her own issues that she reveals to Jack. For his part, Blackwell handles his tricky, complex part well, ensuring that we laugh along with, not at, his difficulties.

When folks of a certain age feel free to say practically anything – and do – that generates plenty of laughs, and these “Geezers” don’t hold back. In a play that touches on a wide range of emotions, there is more than sufficient comedy relief.

Still, I must add a “trigger warning” for elements of self-harm, gun violence, and suicide.

Visiting hours are almost up. “Geezers” has four more performances, Thursday through Sunday, Feb. 13-16, at Basile Westfield Playhouse, 220 N. Union St. Get info and tickets at westfieldplayhouse.org.

We love Southbank

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By John Lyle Belden

The power and mystique of the Shakespeare tragedy “Hamlet” are so strong, one can talk about and around the play and not only impart its importance, but also tell a story that stands on its own. This our young protagonist learns in the comedy “I Hate Hamlet,” by Paul Rudnick, presented by Southbank Theatre Company, directed by Eric Bryant.

Set in the early 1990s, television star Andrew Rally (J. Charles Weimer) rebounds from the cancelation of his show by going to New York to play the lead in a Shakespeare in the Park production of “Hamlet.” To be honest, he doesn’t really want to do it, being self-aware that his talent lies more in the small screen than on a big stage.

Still, his girlfriend Deirdre (Michelle Wafford) adores the Bard and might finally give in romantically if Andrew takes the role. His agent, Lillian (Wendy Brown), also sees this as a good decision. On the other hand, we will soon meet his friend Gary (Anthony Nathan), a TV director and smarmy denizen of Hollywood who sees the fading TV star in over his head, getting little to no financial gain from this likely fiasco. Gary arrives with a deal for a style-over-substance show that is assured to make them both rich, if Andrew abandons the Shakespeare gig.

Meanwhile, New York Real Estate broker Felicia (Jean Arnold) has set Andrew up in an eccentrically-decorated apartment that was once home to legendary actor John Barrymore – Drew’s grandfather, and, more importantly, regarded as the greatest Hamlet of his era. Felicia also fancies herself a psychic medium, so she, Andrew, Deirdre, and Lillian (who once knew the actor), attempt to reach out to Barrymore’s spirit.

Unable to resist an opportunity to perform, John (Kevin Caraher) does appear, and won’t leave until Andrew Rally is Hamlet (ghost rules, otherwise he’s stuck).

That’s the plot, but more important is the hilarious journey Andrew takes in getting over his “hate” of Hamlet, feeling compelled to prove to everyone – especially himself – that as an entertainer he is more than just “an anytime snack” (see the show, you’ll get it). Caraher plays Barrymore as a manic mentor, while still carrying echoes of the regrets and alcoholism of his mortal years (the real actor did have an interesting biography). He and Weimer engage in some great physical comedy, especially when the swords come out.

Wafford’s Deirdre could be pictured next to “giddy” in the dictionary, a blend of (literally) virginal innocence and fangirl ebullience. Brown plays her aging German agent as both sensible and wistful, the latter especially when she has her long-awaited second encounter with the spirited stage star. Nathan does broad comedy as naturally as breathing and embodies happy-go-lucky about as heartily as anyone short of an actual cartoon. It’s telling that Gary lives so much in the alternate reality of the West Coast that he easily sees Barrymore without an inkling that the event is supernatural.

A roaring good time in a sly homage to the power of Shakespeare and the character of those who take it on, you’ll love “I Hate Hamlet.” Performances are Thursday through Sunday, Nov. 14-17, at Shelton Auditorium, 1000 W. 42nd St., Indianapolis, on the southwest corner of Butler University campus. For info and tickets, see southbanktheatre.org.

Diving into Div(X)Fest

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By John Lyle Belden

How does one describe the ongoing process by which a stage production comes to be? It’s a bit crude to say “how the sausage is made,” as that is just too messy an image to place on creating art. On the other hand, saying its “how the magic is made” – aside from likely being trademarked by Disney – glosses over just how productively messy the journey can be. Writers like myself (and Wendy) use these terms to impress on the reader and likely patron that this work is not finished, but still worth a look which lends an insight into the labor of love (emphasis on both) plays, musicals, et al, truly are.

So, I’ll just say that IndyFringe’s annual Div(X)Fest (formerly Diva Fest) is our witness to the base materials our creators spin into theatre gold. (I think that works.) This year’s edition, again celebrating the talents of women (as well as trans and non-binary folx), features readings of three new works. One day remains, Sunday, June 9, starting at 2:30 p.m. in the IndyFringe theatre, 719 E. St. Clair St., downtown Indianapolis. Tickets are pay-what-you-can. Info at indyfringe.org.

Reviewing in reverse order of presentation, these plays are:

“The Sleepover,” I mention first because it is the closest to completion, planning its world premiere at the 2024 IndyFringe Festival in August. It is a unique collaboration begun earlier this year among five women who also perform in this “coming of age dramedy.”

Christine Gordon (as Alexis), Emily Worrel (Rowan), Natalie Fischer (Jessica), Samantha Hines (Chloe), and Wilhelmena Dreyer (Sydney) are 14-ish girls gathering for their annual (for all but Rowan, who is new to town) end of school year sleepover at Alexis’ house. There is a sense of transition, mainly signaled by moving on to high school in the fall, which has the hostess especially meticulous in her planning.

There is tension among them practically from the start, especially after Sydney finally arrives and they engage in their traditional game of Truth of Dare, “Kessler Road Rules.” Along the way we find hidden secrets, insights into true feelings, and hints of the presence of a monster they thought they had only made up – all magnified through the everything’s-extreme perspective of adolescence.

As others noted at one performance, although all five women contributed to the creation and writing of this play – from exploratory conversations and exchanging basic ideas to fleshing out characters. their relationships, and what they say and do – the pieces have melded together in what feels like a single narrative voice. They admit it did feel a bit like they were school friends who shared a deep bond in this process.

This should generate a lot of buzz going into this year’s Fringe, and we can’t wait to see how their creepy cryptid actually comes to life.

“The Silent Supper” by Kaitlynn McShea is a work of subtle horror in which an older woman sits by a ruined table, struggling to remember what happened before “the fire came.” In this reading, directed by Christine Gordon, Wendy Brown portrays the woman, exhausted by nightmares as every sweet memory “never goes right,” as well as the growing buzz of insects. Each remembrance is enacted by a foursome of local actors (I don’t have names at the moment; may fill in if I get them later) who give us some insight into their lives – presuming the one remembering is a reliable narrator. This short work does well in building suspense, reminiscent of Stephen King at his best. It gives Brown a good role to work with, portraying a troubled soul who pulls on our empathy.

“On the Rag Dolls” by Allison Fradkin starts the day’s entertainment, directed by Mira Cassidy, as a trio of young women (again, names unavailable) play three edge-of-puberty besties on their own “Casual Friday” sleepover. However, this scene is a satirical comedy with entendres and puns coming at you with the pace of a hit sitcom, expressed by girls who barely, if at all, get the subtexts (still, you know tweens talk like that). The trio are apparently all in the same hardcore Evangelical Protestant community, though only one goes to the Christian Academy rather than public school, so talk of the future is of boys they will marry and the children they will have (though sex is gross), as well as if their just-started periods are “the curse” or a blessing. – “Men-ses the day!” one girl resolves. – This work in progress is hilarious and shows lots of potential; after-show talkbacks allow us to give Fradkin ideas on where to take this story (as with McShea above).

We extend a big thanks to IndyFringe for hosting this event and their continued engagement in the development of local talent and new works.

‘Grand’ look at love and relationships

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By John Lyle Belden

Welcome to Grand Horizons Independent Living Community, conveniently located about an hour’s drive from Philadelphia, Pa., or Washington, D.C. In nice apartments with neighbors close at hand a retired couple like Bill and Nancy French, married 50 years, are free to do whatever they want.

Nancy: “I want a divorce.”

Bill: “Okay”

Welcome to “Grand Horizons,” the Broadway comic drama by Bess Wohl presented in its Indiana premiere by The Hyperion Players, directed by Nicole Amsler.

Bill (Chris Otterman) and Nancy (Wendy Brown) prepare for their split as if it were just another household chore, but their sons and daughter-in-law are, to put it mildly, freaking out. Brian (Matt Hartzburg), a high school theatre teacher, is beside himself, wondering if there’s some mystery illness or dementia at play. Older brother Ben (Todd Isaac), a lawyer, is stumped at the illogic of it all, while his very pregnant wife Jess (Morgan Marie French), a couples counselor, tries to employ her skillset to no avail.

There are some deep issues here, including the central couple’s affections outside their marriage – Nancy for now-deceased old flame, Hal, and Bill for new girlfriend, Carla (Cathie Morgan). There is exploration of the nature and meaning of love: Did the Frenches lose it, or ever really have it? And how has it affected their sons, who are each hopeless people-pleasers – Ben with his checkbook, and Brian with his desire to cast every kid in his class whether the roles exist or not.

Brian’s loneliness and confusion comes through in a scene where he brings home a potential one-night stand, Tommy (Austin Uebelhor), who quickly alerts him that neediness is not a turn-on.

As for Ben, he is coming to grips with the actual dysfunction in his upbringing, suddenly afraid of what it could mean as he starts a family of his own. This stress also pushes Jess to the limit.

This examination of relationships and how we feel and communicate blends moments of heartfelt memory and longing with hilarious family-sitcom punchlines. Since older-person roles are usually supporting, it was nice to see Brown and Otterman really shine as the leads. Hartzburg and Isaac portray well two men who haven’t quite emerged from their boyhood insecurities, while Morgan French shows the spark of motherhood that comes with being on the verge of bringing another life into the world, while wondering if she is the only true grownup in the room.

Caroline Frawley assistant directs, and Elianah Atwell is stage manager.

Learn how marriage is like a boa constrictor, that “the defining feature of being an adult is not doing what you want,” and to be careful with the U-Haul. Remaining performances of “Grand Horizons” are Friday through Sunday, March 22-24, at Arts For Lawrence’s Theater at the Fort, 8920 Otis Ave. Get info and tickets at hyperionplayers.com or artsforlawrence.org.

Clerical Error brings legendary actress to life

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By John Lyle Belden

Known for their comical works, Kate Duffy and Clerical Error Productions have taken on their most serious project yet: “Call Me Kate: Katherine Hepburn Tells it Like it Is.”

Based on a 1970s television interview Hepburn gave to Dick Cavett, this intimate production, held recently in the cozy confines of The Brick Room comedy club in Noblesville, takes us to a 1973 episode of “The Dick Cavendish Show” at ABC studios in New York. The audience is, of course, the studio audience, in sight of a black-and-white monitor that shows appropriate commercials and the flashing “APPLAUSE” sign. As we settle in, the crew are busy – David Molloy as Arthur the producer, Dennis Forkel at the bulky camera, Stacy Long and Cindye McDaniel on hair and makeup, and studio page Manny Casillas. Cavendish (Blake Mellencamp) arrives, blue interview question cards in hand, and finally, Ms. Hepburn herself (Duffy), fussing about the rug and the arrangement of the furniture, barking orders and receiving reassurance from her assistant Phyllis (Wendy Brown). Within seconds, Arthur is counting down: “Four, three, two…” Cue music and applause.

Can something with this big a cast be considered a one-woman-show? As in a great screen bio-pic or stage reenactment, Duffy completely disappears into Hepburn, bringing the Hollywood legend to energetic life. The time frame, between her 1960s performances with Spencer Tracy (“Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner”) and Peter O’Toole (“The Lion in Winter”) and her upcoming notable roles with John Wayne (“Rooster Cogburn”) and Henry Fonda (“On Golden Pond,” winning her fourth Oscar), has Kate at the pinnacle of her power and fame. Mature and candid about her age, she reflects on her varied career, both the hits and the flops, and the many fellow legends she worked with – as well as a few choice words for a director or two she felt deserving of obscurity.

It is clear that Duffy has thoroughly researched the actress, in voice and manner picking up her unique style with confidence, while sharply “remembering” various studio stories and her feelings towards others, especially long-time co-star Tracy. As a further test, all audience members are asked before the show to write a question for “Kate” to answer in the last segment of the program. She answers several, completely in character. (Just don’t ask about films or TV she hasn’t done yet!)

For his part, Mellencamp plays Cavendish as a little starstruck and rather flustered, barely in control of his own show (which Kate has no problem pointing out). It adds to the humor, and the sense that especially in those times, guys can barely handle the presence of a strong woman just being herself.

Clerical Error Productions will next present “Mother Ireland: Women Who Shaped a Nation” in May, before working up a fresh farce for IndyFringe in August. Still, I hope we haven’t heard the last of “Kate” and given this successful premiere, you could one day get to question a “living” legend.

ALT: Damaged souls in Inge’s dark drama

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By John Lyle Belden

The title, “Natural Affection,” despite being part of a spoken line, is ironic.

A lesser-known yet highly regarded drama by William Inge (its brief 1962-63 Broadway run suffered from poor publicity), it is a story of people struggling with life and relationships in upper middle-class Chicago apartments. The overall atmosphere is Tennessee Williams, without the humidity.

In the current American Lives Theatre production, single mother Sue (Carrie Anne Schlatter, or Christine Zavakos on select dates) is expecting a Christmas visit from her troubled teen son Donnie (Zach Hoover), allowed temporary release from the “work farm” to which he had been sentenced for an assault years earlier. Sue’s life had been hard, but she has found success as a buyer for a downtown department store, which irks her live-in boyfriend Bernie (Alex Oberheide), a struggling Cadillac salesman.

Next door are friends, of a sort, Vince (Ronn Johnstone), a mostly-functioning alcoholic with both high income and debts, and his wife Claire (Diana O’Halloran), who married for money and is now unsure what she wants – aside from Bernie, again.

Other roles are filled by Wendy Brown, Tim Leonard, Garrett Rowe (including a scene as Donnie’s fellow parolee), and Haley Glickman (most notably in the play’s climax).

This dark drama with, at best, a grim humor provides hearty material for the actors. The undercurrent of dysfunction soon becomes apparent between Sue and Bernie. Schlatter ably expresses the woman constantly pushing against her own insecurities, never quite sure she’s made it. Despite her workplace success, she still feels the need for a marriage to make her truly happy; which with her going on 40 in the 1960s, brings feelings of desperation. Oberheide, for his part, wears his neediness like the tailored suit he wears to work the car lot, coming across like the smarmy guy who’s about to talk you into all the options. It burns him that his girlfriend makes far more than he does, which he gives as the reason for not marrying her. On top of this, Bernie has an abusive temper, but more bipolar than controlling, bringing Sue along on the ride.

As noted above, the “natural” way you’d assume a Midwest family holiday to go is absent here, especially with the neighbors, as Vince tries to salve insecurities about both his financial worth and his sexuality with a wild swinger lifestyle. Johnstone is excellent at playing someone so perpetually pickled you could almost smell it on him without delving into comic drunk stereotype. We hear moments of lucidity between the slurred lines, a kaleidoscope of shifting emotions, and when he’s truly had one too many, it’s more pathetic than funny. O’Halloran portrays the debutante who never matured beyond high school, in desperate need of affections she can only see as transactional; Claire wants better for herself, without a clue about where to start.

Hoover’s Donnie is a Freudian scholar’s dream, the hurt boy in the body of a dangerous man, never sure how to connect with a mother he has only seen infrequently through his tragic life. His scars are both visible and deep, as we discover a character like a revolver with a single chamber loaded. Tension builds from one trigger moment to the next, to the last.

Directed by ALT artistic director Chris Sanders (one of his passion projects), assisted by Tim Leonard with Marta Hamilton as stage manager, this gripping study of human affections, however you define them, runs through Jan. 21 at the IndyFringe Theatre, 719 E. St. Clair, Indianapolis. Get tickets at indyfringe.org and info at americanlivestheatre.org.

Cat, CCP stage farcical salute to struggling actors

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By Wendy Carson      

Is the thought of seeing one more Christmas-themed production making you want to spew your eggnog? If so, you need to drive over to The Cat in Carmel and catch a performance of Carmel Community Players production of “Moon Over Buffalo.”

The 1995 comedy by Ken Ludwig is notable not just for its slamming-door farcical elements but as the vehicle in which Carol Burnett returned to Broadway. Needless to say, there are plot twists and laughs aplenty.

In the summer of 1953, George Hay (Jason Creighton) and wife Caroline (Tonya Rave) have washed out on the Broadway stage as well as in Hollywood and tour the country in reparatory, alternating between productions of “Cyrano de Bergerac” and “Private Lives.” They are currently stuck in Buffalo, N.Y.

Still stinging over the loss of lead roles in the upcoming Frank Capra-directed Scarlet Pimpernel film, they are resigned to make the best of things. Having Caroline’s mostly deaf mother, Ethel (Wendy Brown), along as their costumer and all-around extra doesn’t improve their lot.

In a fortuitous turn of events their daughter, Rosalind (Natalie Piggush), has returned to introduce them to her new fiancé, Howard (Mac Wright). However, she never seems to get the opportunity, and his being tongue-tied doesn’t help. Add to the mix Richard (Brian Sprayue), the Hays’ lawyer who is madly in love with Caroline and trying to sweep her away from her husband; Eileen (Nicole Sherlock), the ingénue who is pregnant from a brief dalliance with George; and finally, Paul (Grant Bowen), Rosalind’s ex, who is still madly in love with her.

Secret loves, mistaken identities, a generous amount of alcohol, and the possibility of being cast in Capra’s film after all make for a rollicking night of craziness. It’s also good for those who like a peek at backstage life and the quirks of showbiz people, flavored with the evergreen lament that live theatre is dying (shakes fist at television).

Directed by Elizabeth Ruddell, the entire cast is spectacular; their tireless embracing of every comic element will keep you laughing so much that you can forget that “Marley was dead” or any other holiday frippery.

Performances are Thursday through Sunday, Dec. 14-17, at The Cat, 254 Veterans Way, downtown Carmel (in the Arts and Design district, a distance away from the Kristkindlmarkt). Get tickets and info at carmelplayers.org.