wendy

IndyFringe: small Gods/BIG Problems

PWJW_Indy IndyFringe, Reviews, Stage , , , , , ,

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

Jay (Aaron Henze) used to be a Satyr; he partied with Dionysus, but now he exists merely as the God of Small Pleasures. He discovers that he is about to be de-Deified and is desperate to prevent it. His friends Sage (Courtney Peacock), a former Vestal virgin, and Nelson (Robert Webster Jr.), God of Functional Anxiety, try to help advise him on how to prevent his fate.

Devin (Trick Blanchfield), the demonic “Competition,” offers to help him out but Jay decides to try to become a member of another team.

Jay begs Inanna (Leslie Root), Goddess of Love and Justice, to allow him to join her team. She gives him a test to decide. He must make a couple (Allison Reddick and Ryan Reddick) fall in love without the help of her team, Chemistry (Case Jacobus), Shared Interests (Webster) and Timing (Marie McNelis).

Will Jay succeed, or will he lose his powers – and maybe even his horns? Come see this delightful show by Mary Karty at the IndyFringe Theatre and find out. You will truly feel blessed by its sweet sincerity and charm.

IndyFringe: Joyous Faggotry – The Ron Popp Story

PWJW_Indy IndyFringe, Reviews, Stage , , , , , ,

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

Ron Popp is back, and his comedy chops are as honed as ever. He chose the title for this show because it sounded like something from a Tennessee Williams play.

Topics here range from how he coped with the Covid lockdown; to his favorite book as a child; to dating, marriage, and drugs.

You will also learn some fun ways to get revenge on your conservative family members without them knowing it. Also, why are guns the only thing that someone can purchase to collect in order to make others feel threatened?

As with his last show here, I am at a loss to say more about the show without spoiling his jokes. Needless to say, he will have you close to rolling out of your seat with laughter. Popp is quickly becoming one of my favorite comedians of the Fringe and you should really see him now before he becomes so famous he won’t do shows in Indy anymore.

See him at the Indy Eleven Theatre.

IndyFringe: Chasing Temples

PWJW_Indy IndyFringe, Reviews, Stage , , , , ,

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

PWJW_Indy IndyFringe, Reviews, Stage , , , , , , ,

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

PWJW_Indy IndyFringe, Reviews, Stage , , , , , , ,

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

PWJW_Indy IndyFringe, Reviews, Stage , , , , , ,

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

PWJW_Indy IndyFringe, Reviews, Stage , , , , , ,

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

PWJW_Indy IndyFringe, Reviews, Stage , , , , ,

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?

PWJW_Indy IndyFringe, Reviews, Stage , ,

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

PWJW_Indy IndyFringe, Stage , , , ,

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