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IndyFringe: Chasing Temples

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This is part of IndyFringe 2021, Aug. 19-Sept. 5 (individual performance times vary) in downtown Indianapolis. Details and tickets at IndyFringe.org.

By Wendy Carson

It’s raining as Betsy Murphy is on the way to sign her divorce papers. It’s been ten years, she’s had four children, how did this happen? Still, she and her ex are still friends. After signing the papers, she gets a sore throat and loses her voice for three weeks.

Two years later she tries to join eHarmony (their site has pictures of how she wants her life to look) but they reject her because her personality is not optimal for a long-term relationship. She tries psychics, retreats, gurus, etc, and nothing is helping her fill the void she feels in her life.

After another 10 years her children decide to go live with their father. Still searching for her truth, she thinks she has it figured out when Menopause hits. However, she is given a chance to make a real difference in the world so she jumps on it.

She ends up in Zimbabwe during the most severe economic crisis they’ve ever endured. She’s caring for children that have been abandoned by their parents because they can’t afford to feed or care for them, The heat is unbearable, she doesn’t know anyone and she is allergic to everything.

Into her life comes a handsome professional soccer player who takes her on a journey to find her lost spirituality, connection to the earth, the truth of who she really is, and her divine destiny. These lessons are not easy and do come with a cost but they also allow her to finally find her voice.

Come witness her story.

Performances on the Indy Eleven stage of the IndyFringe Theatre

IndyFringe: Being Black: The Play – The Life

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This is part of IndyFringe 2021, Aug. 19-Sept. 5 (individual performance times vary) in downtown Indianapolis. Details and tickets at IndyFringe.org.

By Wendy Carson

The show begins with a young lawyer being called by his buddy to go downtown to protest the George Floyd killing. He’s about to go but his psychiatrist wife begs him not to. He’s got kids and responsibilites and while ten or twenty years ago they would have been leading the charge, they need to work for change in a different way.

We shift to a woman landing her dream job because her qualifications were beyond belief, her test scores were off the charts and everyone loved her at the interviews. As she begins filling out her hiring package she is then told that the comapany wants her to change her hairstyle to something less “ethnic”. We she balks she is notified that this is a non-negotiable requirement.

Now the smooth talking DJ on WBLK is playing love songs when he gets a call from his baby sister. She things his soul is in danger because he plays secular music on the radio. He tries to defend his choices by illustrating that Jesus was preaching love throughout the bible but she refuses to hear him. Later he is almost arrested at a coffee shop for refusing to give up his seat to a white customer (even though they are the only ones in the shop).

Mike, our lawyer’s buddy from before, ends up shot during the protest because he tried to hit on a girl and she went crazy and started a riot. He bemoans that fact that during his two tours of duty, he never felt so threatened and scared as he did that night. It was like the military declared war on blacks using the same tanks and guns he used to defend the country.

My words here will never convey any of the powerful messages delivered in this show. Your emotions will range from anger, sorrow, horror, laughter and hopefullness. This world needs to change because these stories are far too typical of a day in the life of a black person in America.

Hear their voices, watch their truth and join the fight for real change in our country. “Being Black,” by Vernon A. Williams, is presented by OnyxFest at the IndyFringe Theatre, featuring Grant Berry, Monica Cantrell, Tommy Gray, Ms. Latrice, Deserae Kay, Ricky Kortez, Rav’n Partee, and Leonard Harris.

IndyFringe: How I Got My Warts Prayed Off

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This is part of IndyFringe 2021, Aug. 19-Sept. 5 (individual performance times vary) in downtown Indianapolis. Details and tickets at IndyFringe.org.

By Wendy Carson

Mandee McKelvey grew up in a trailer park in rural South Carolina. Her family was so poor that she had to take a bath with her brother well into her teens to conserve hot water.

During her teen years she began having warts all over her hands and feet. After suffering both physically and socially for more than two years, her mom asked her if she wanted to see a doctor about them. However, she ended up in a dry cleaners with a guy named Bob praying that she would be alleviated of her burden.

While that may have worked, at 13 she became aware that she was developing another physical deformity, and prayer was not going to help this out at all. In fact, she is still coping with this situation. Yet her story is light, funny and hopeful, even if she has become the basis for medical research due to the uniqueness of her plight.

You should definitely come and witness her saga, and learn the truth of the “Pumpkin Nut Foundation.”

IndyFringe: Wife Material

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This is part of IndyFringe 2021, Aug. 19-Sept. 5 (individual performance times vary) in downtown Indianapolis. Details and tickets at IndyFringe.org.

By Wendy Carson

While Toni Smith has known his wife over half of his life, they have only been married for three years.

Marriage changes a person, as does any commitment that lasts until you die. It made Toni want to eat healthier, exercise more, and become a better wife — wait, what?!

Toni’s realization that, at the age of 30, he is actually a she came as a bit of a shock to him, his wife, and, of course, his family. Still, considering her parents were married in a drive-through chapel in Vegas and her sister came out as a lesbian several years ago, they shouldn’t be too shocked, right?

However, this show is about so much more than this one topic. It covers The true perversion of “Gender Reveal Parties,” the cult of the “American Girl” dolls, sex talks from your dad, and, of course, sexuality through ice cream.

Smith is a hilariously original new comedic voice and this is a show not to be missed. Also, note that being a smaller venue, the Indy Eleven stage at the IndyFringe building will likely sell out quickly.

So get your tickets now, and remember that it’s OK to order vanilla ice cream in public.

IndyFringe: DadBod

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This is part of IndyFringe 2021, Aug. 19-Sept. 5 (individual performance times vary) in downtown Indianapolis. Details and tickets at IndyFringe.org.

By Wendy Carson

Brad Hinshaw has three children born in the span of just four years. And especially after everyone being confined to home over the last year and a half, doing this show is giving him a great excuse to get away from that chaos for a while.

He regales us with stories of being a dad and dealing with a pregnant wife. We find out that Lactation Cookies not only are a thing that exists but also they are delicious (especially with an oatmeal stout).

Hinshaw also warns us of the dangers of both “Lightning Crotch” and “Bowling Alley Jello Shots”.

His stories are funny, interesting, and relatable, even if he is an “Emotional Terminator.” This being his first chance to try material in front of someone besides toddlers, not everything will have a punchline as he works on his new standup routine. Still, if it doesn’t bring a laugh, it will bring a smile.

This ever-evolving show is a must-see for anyone who is, or will be, a parent. Performances are on the Indy Eleven stage of the IndyFringe building.

IndyFringe: Big Gay Debutante Ball

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This is part of IndyFringe 2021, Aug. 19-Sept. 5 (individual performance times vary) in downtown Indianapolis. Details and tickets at IndyFringe.org.

By Wendy Carson

At the age of nine, Meg Anderson discovers a word that embodies her and changes her life forever – LESBIAN.

In the world of her Big Gay Debutante Ball, she would jump on her sparkly, Lisa Frank-inspired, rainbow unicorn cloud and trot through the town with everyone celebrating her word in a scene akin to the beginning of Beauty and the Beast. However, that is not the world she lives in.

The daughter of a preacher, she is taught that this is abohorent, she is wrong, everything around her keeps telling her to be more straight. But her Big Gay Debuntante Ball world is out there somewhere.

Join Meg as she performs for us, through movement, dance, and song, her quest to find and attend her very own Big Gay Debutante Ball. After all, even a lesbian wants to wear a poofy dress and bow to a cake, too.

This show was not the wacky gay comedy I mistakenly thought it was going to be. However, it was beautifully enlightening and Anderson’s storytelling skill will have you being glad you got to attend her Big Gay Debuntante Ball as well.

Performances at at the IndyFringe Basile (main) stage.

IndyFringe: Grace and Nick – Have You Been Drinking?

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This is part of IndyFringe 2021, Aug. 19-Sept. 5 (individual performance times vary) in downtown Indianapolis. Details and tickets at IndyFringe.org.

By Wendy Carson

When entering the show, you are asked to take a slip of paper and write upon it the worst thing that has ever happened to you. Please take the time to do this, as they payoff later is very well worth it.

Grace Bahler and Nick Polk gallantly zip from one skit to another with a bright energy that will keep you laughing. Skits range from various reactions to the revealing she is pregnant to the hassles of drunk people on a plane.

Grace shines in her solo skit as a “Master of all Accents Worldwide” while Nick’s solo brings you back to the frenetic energy of Martin Short during his heyday.

My favorite highlights were the two small children playing “Grown-ups;” scenes from a “Conversion Camp” (complete with a mention of a certain politician); and the two of them sitting around drinking heavily, citing the horrible things from the past two years making these drinks necessary (remember the bowl?).

This show is a nice palate cleanser from some of the more serious shows in the lineup or if you just want a quick laugh or two. However, the venue has very limited seating, and there are only two performances left as of this posting, so get your tickets now.

IndyFringe 2021

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The Indianapolis Theatre Fringe Festival — now just called IndyFringe — returns after a year’s hiatus (y’all know why). Aside from reducing the overall number of performance sites, there are two main changes this year: First, performances are Thursday through Sunday for three weekends, extending the festival and eliminating the performers’ frustration of near-empty houses on weekdays. Second, the emphasis is mainly on local and regional acts — something the festival had been trending towards over the last several years, but now essential with travel uncertainties.

Wendy and John are taking their “Iron Fringe” approach, seeing as many of the shows as possible. This post hosts the links to the reviews. Now that ticket prices have crept up to $20 each (performers still get 80%) we feel it’s even more important to help you decide what fits your tastes, or might be worth taking that hour to see.

One show we won’t make it to, but can highly recommend, is Lear’s Shadow by Indy Bard Fest (IndyFringe Theatre), a revival of a performance from the 2019 Shakespeare festival. The play by Brian Elerding has a modern woman using the Bard’s mad king to make sense of her situation. Nan Macy “is incredible, both as (the lead) and as (Lear), as we come to learn the parallels between the two — picking favorites, pushing away a loved one, psychological trauma, and the need to rage against something that can’t be controlled.” (She may have different co-stars in this year’s production.)

We can also recommend Acts of Gratitude by Dance Kaleidoscope (Athenaeum). OK, we haven’t seen this one, but for those familiar with the world-class work of David Hochoy’s renowned company, all I have to say is: Here is nearly an hour of Dance Kal for only 20 dollars! We were lucky enough to see the DK 2018 show, but honestly, sell-outs are the rule.

LINKS TO THIS YEAR’S REVIEWS:

Abraham Lincoln: Hoosier Hero by Danny Russel

Act a Foo Improv Crew

A Dry Rose’ by Missy Koonce

Being Black by OnyxFest

The Betsy-Patsy Show by Elizabeth Young-Collins

Beyond Ballet by Indianapolis Ballet

Big Gay Debutante Ball by Meg Anderson

The Breakfast Clue by Defiance Comedy

Cabaret Latino: Songs of the Americas by Magic Thread Cabaret

Chasing Temples by Betsy Murphy

Classical Collaborations by Crossroads Dance Indy

Climate Follies by Jim Poyser

Copyright/Safe by Catalyst Repertory

DadBod by Brad Hinshaw

Deadpan Jan: My Life is not a Sex Party, or is it? by Jan Gudaitis

Downtown Magic! With Jordan Rooks

Driving Kenneth and Betsy Ross by Garret Mathews

Grace and Nick – Have You Been Drinking? by Grace Bahler and Nick Polk

Honk Squawk Love by Paige Scott

How I Got My Warts Prayed Off by Mandee McKelvey

Jordan Allen’s Magic Party

Joyous Faggotry by Ron Popp

Narnia by Agape Youth Theater

Oak Island in Concert by American Lives Theatre

The Old Man and the Old Moon by Carmel High School

Pixel the Cat Does Shakespeare by To The Rescue Theater

Radium Girls by CYT Indy

Rocket in Your Pocket! Father Ned in Space, the Musical by Clerical Error Productions

Second Annual Tap Cabernet by Circle City Tap

Shakespeare’s Histories: Ten Epic Plays at a Breakneck Pace by Tim Mooney

Shopping Network! by Betty Rage Productions

Simon Ferocious: Improvised Music Legend by Stroopwafel Improv

Small Gods/Big Problems by Mary Karty

Stewart Huff: Do Jokes Still Work?

Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind by UIndy Theatre

Transitory State by Theatre Unchained

We’ve Come a Long Way, Ladies! by Of Thee I Sing

Wife Material by Toni Smith

Win, Lose or Die! by ComedySportz Indianapolis

IRT’s Christie mystery an exciting ride

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By Wendy Carson

In whodunits, the locked-door mystery is one of the cornerstones and most compelling of all scenarios in the genre. Someone had to have done it, but who, and how? Agatha Christie’s “Murder on the Orient Express” is one of the most original versions of the mystery in existence – not only because of the lavish setting, but also the revolutionary solution to the puzzle. Famed playwright Ken Ludwig has adapted this intriguing story for the stage, now playing at Indiana Repertory Theatre.

Legendary detective Hercule Poirot (Andrew May) has to cut his vacation in Istanbul short to take a case in England. In need of quick travel arrangements, he accepts an offer from his dear friend, Monsieur Bouc (Gavin Lawrence), of transport on his company’s train, the luxurious and now-legendary Orient Express. These two are joined by a quirky array of travelers.

British Colonel Arbuthnot (Ryan Artzberger) and Mary Debenham (Nastacia Guimont) are scheming about something in secret, yet not too covertly.

Samuel Ratchett (Ryan Artzberger in a second role) is a loud, rude American “businessman” who feels money can buy anyone or anything. Hector MacQueen (Aaron Kirby) is his overworked and oft-abused secretary.

Princess Dragomiroff (Dale Hodges), one of a number of exiled Russian royalty roaming about Europe, is traveling with a new companion, Greta Ohlsson (Callie Johnson) who has been serving as a missionary in Africa and is very unsure of anything.

The beautiful Countess Andrenyi (Katie Bradley) is traveling on her own. With her storied past, including a stint as a medical doctor, she intrigues everyone, including the elusive Poirot.

Also traveling on her own is the obnoxiously abrasive Helen Hubbard (Jennifer Joplin), an American who quickly gets herself on everyone’s “hit list.” Attempting to oversee all of this is Michel (Rob Johansen), the train’s French conductor.

Add to this a snowstorm that stops the train – right before a murder occurs – and you have a wonderful setting for a grand mystery. All passengers are accounted for at the time of the killing, or are they?

Anyone familiar with the character of Poirot knows that he is a quirky and particular personality. May adeptly explores as many facets as he can without frolicking into the territory of camp. His performance alone is worth the price of admission.

Artzberger does an exceptional job of playing vastly different characters with great aplomb. Guimont keeps her character a frigid distance from all but Arbuthnot, seemingly as a protective guise.

Joplin submerges herself into the typical “ugly American” so well, it is surprising that she is not the one who meets with the knife.

Hodges keeps the Princess as mysterious as her peculiar wardrobe. Johnson’s take on Ohlsson, the missionary, is wacky and almost overdone, but it does lend some lightness to the dark tale.

Kirby does an exceptional job of keeping his character sympathetic rather than just shady. Lawrence deftly keeps his frantic businessman persona from being entirely heartless, worrying equally about the safety of his passengers and the bad press a murder would bring to his luxury rail service.

Johansen shines both as the Conductor – not quite as minor a role as you’d first think – and his hilarious turn as the Head Waiter of Bouc’s restaurant in the show’s opening scene.

Bradley as the Countess enthralls us all, characters and audience alike, daintily dancing her way through the story never demanding but certainly drawing all attention available to her.

Christie’s story is a tale for the ages, especially with a twist ending that anyone unfamiliar with the book or movies will never see coming. Director Risa Brainin does a remarkable job keeping the soberness of the entire drama while allowing for its sharp wit, no doubt aided by Ludwig (known for farces like “Lend Me a Tenor”), to shine through.

The stage is a visual spectacle worthy of the legendary train, with designer Robert M. Koharchik placing elements of the sleeping and dining cars on an inventive rotating stage. This and projected elements by L.B. Morse give the proper sense of motion and help the scenes flow when the Express is stopped, maintaining the necessary tension. Even if you already know how it will eventually play out, it’s one exciting ride.

“Murder on the Orient Express” runs through March 29 at the IRT, 140 W. Washington St., Indianapolis (near Circle Centre). Call 317-635-5252 or visit irtlive.com.

For young audiences, IRT presents the power of positive playacting

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By Wendy Carson

Our new friends, Devan (Mathias), Isaiah (Moore), and Frankie (Bolda) have decided to put on a play for us.

Devan has drawn a picture of a train and wants to deliver it to her other friends who live a long way away on the other side of the big, big hill. So it is decided that Devan will be a train engine, Isaiah wants to be everything but finally settles on being a doggie passenger on the train, and Frankie will help out by making all the proper sounds throughout.

This is “The Little Choo-Choo That Thinks She Can,” the return engagement of a play for very young patrons at the Indiana Repertory Theatre, a familiar story made new by IRT playwright-in-residence James Still.

Once the train is all loaded up with passengers, Devan begins the trip up the big, big hill. However, the hill is just too big for her to make it over. She tries to enlist the assistance of various other engines but they all can’t, or won’t, help her out. 

She keeps trying, and each attempt gets her a little farther up the big, big hill — but quite not over it. We, her friends in the audience, offer encouragement to assist her in believing she has the ability to actually make it up the big, big hill by herself.

Will she make it? Will her special delivery get through to her friends? What sound does a giraffe make? These questions and others will be answered in terms that preschoolers, special-needs kids, and even the grown-ups who brought them will understand..

This show is a wonderful introduction to live theater shows for young children. It never talks down to them and encourages them to have fun, be themselves and maybe even learn a thing or two.

The room is divided into three seating areas. Each actor takes one section and gets to know their new friends (the individual kids in the audience) prior to the show. We are all asked to participate in the show, but only to our levels of comfort. 

This was especially evident in the performance I attended, one of their “Sensory Friendly Performances:” The lights are kept brighter; there are fidget spinners, headphones, and other toys available to use during the show; and it is acceptable to leave and return as the need requires. There is also a guide for parents to assist with knowing when loud or potentially off-putting things will occur. This allows all attendees to enjoy the show as much as possible. In fact, I hardly would have known it was not a regular performance if they had not brought it up beforehand.

The play was a delight for myself and my companions, especially the precocious little 4-year old for whom this was her first live show. She liked meeting Isaiah, both as an actor with skin like hers, as well as the purple puppy. She told me and her mother she can’t wait to see a play again.

This IRT Exploring Stages production (targeted to ages 3-8) is directed by Benjamin Hanna. Performances are held in the “cabaret” space, which isn’t too big and allows for easy interaction, through March 1. Tickets start at just $8 for a child to sit on the floor near the action, $17 for an adult to join them. The IRT is at 140 W. Washington in downtown Indianapolis, close to Circle Centre. For more information, call 317-635-5252 or visit irtlive.com.