Waiting for the show at Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre (note: cheese does not actually contain crack)
wendy
Review: Ohmygod, you guys! CrazyLake has hit with “Legally Blonde”
By Wendy Carson
CrazyLake’s new show, “Legally Blonde: The Musical,” does a fantastic job of showcasing many of the talented young adults in the Hancock County area. With a mere 15 percent of the enormous cast consisting of adults, it’s really impressive to see these kids ruling the stage. I’m sure most of them will be off to college and out of the area very soon, but those that do stick around should be regulars on the area stages very soon.
Besides the overall level of acting and singing, the true stand-out here is the choreography by Amy Studabaker. The various dances are not only artfully crafted but perfectly executed. This is especially amazing in the numbers with seven or more dancers performing in unison. The finale with the entire cast is particularly breathtaking.
The show’s story is very faithful to the original movie’s script and the elaborate musical numbers do not detract from the story. However, like the film it was based on, it never takes itself too seriously. Hence, the running gag of Elle’s “Greek Chorus” appearing periodically thoughout.
Payton Cole is sheer perfection in her turn as Elle, a ditzy sorority girl who will do anything (including getting in to Harvard Law School) to snag the man she feels she is destined to be with. Harrison Kenn is appropriately pompous and self-involved as the object of Elle’s affections. Patrick Gawrys-Strand’s does a beautifully nuanced job in his role as Emmitt, the financially disadvantaged kid who is Elle’s most faithful supporter. Studebaker is delightful as Paulette, the salon owner with her dreams of Ireland and a better life with a good man who truly supports her.
Still, many of the true stand-outs are in some of the “lesser role,” such as the divine band of ladies playing Elle’s sorority sisters and the Greek Chorus. Trevor Brown’s take on Kyle, the UPS guy, was hilarious and fun to behold. Of course, I cannot leave out the amazing talents of the two most adorable cast members, Banner McDowell-Fisher and Buddy Brown as Bruiser Woods and Rufus — they were consummate professionals through and through.Honestly, I could easily write at least a dozen or so more paragraphs highlighting every single performer and role but I already feel like I’m exhausting my audience’s patience as well as running out of adjectives. So just let me say that every single cast member was sheer perfection, and if anyone out there misses this production, they will truly regret it.
Performances are today through Sunday and July 17-19 at the H.J. Ricks Centre for the Arts, 122 W. Main St. in downtown Greenfield (on U.S. 40, just west of the county courthouse). Info and tickets at the CrazyLake Facebook page and CrazyLake.com.
Review: Casey Ross Productions’ “Stoops” conquers
By John Lyle Belden and Wendy Carson
It’s too easy to call the Grove Haus, the funky former church building in Indy’s Fountain Square district where Casey Ross puts on her plays, the “Groove House” – because Miss “Uncanny Casey” is so, well, groovy.
And speaking of mildly-outdated but still appropriate words, Ross takes the 1700s Oliver Goldsmith comedy “She Stoops to Conquer” and gives it a groovalicious update.
Like the 18th century, the 1980s were a time of big hair, regretful fashion and wacky music. In the meantime, Florida has become synonymous with rednecks, stupidity and all manner of bizarre behavior. Add these two elements to the script of the classic and slightly bawdy play and you have CRP’s latest entertaining diversion. The tale of arranged marriages (including one between two cousins), mistaken identities, besotted or scheming individuals, and overall confusion meshes well with the chosen setting.
Dick and Dorothy Hardcastle (David Malloy and Ross) own both a home and a motel, sufficiently tacky that one can’t tell one from the other. Dick wants charming daughter Kate (Ann Marie Elloitt) to check out his old friend’s son Marlow (Max Jones), whom they haven’t met, as a potential husband; while Dorothy wants her drunken slacker son Tony (Taylor Cox) to marry his cousin (and Kate’s bestie) Constance (Veronica Orech) to better secure their property, especially the precious jewels that Constance inherited and Dorothy is holding onto as dowry.
Marlow arrives with best friend Hastings (Tyler Gordon), who has cultivated a romance with Constance. From here on, the plot gets twisty, as Tony pranks Marlow into thinking the Hardcastle home is the motel, so the young suitor treats Dick like the hired help and pines for Kate, thinking she is a just a maid and not the lady he was supposed to meet – the girl, in turn, plays along for comic situations that would do the Bard proud. Meanwhile, Hastings and Constance conspire to run away to marry, enlisting Tony’s help in getting the valuable jewels. Everything goes wrong, and, this being a comedy, everything goes right in the end.
The play not only makes use of the small stage at the head of the house, but also the central floor area, with actors occasionally sitting with and talking directly to the audience. This intimate staging not only helps us connect with the action, but also precludes the need for sticking microphones to the actors. This is a refreshing change from most Indy-area community theatre. However, in this environment, enunciation and vocal projection are more critical, and any failings are more noticeable. Opening night only had a few unclear lines, which no doubt have been worked on during this intervening week, and the story was easy to follow.
The stage set is appropriately tacky, with a couple of in-joke posters, and Ross’s sound design includes a lot of snippets of ’80s hits, keeping the mood light and fun.
Under the direction of partner “Fedora Dave” Matthews, Ross makes a welcome return to the boards, exuding gleeful maternal malevolence under a burgundy wig. Elliott is 100 percent pure-cane sweetness; Cox does slackerdom proud; Gordon is suave and valiant; Orech is comically sharp; and Molloy is fun as the blustering patriarch. Also notable is John Garlick, who comes in late in the play as Marlow’s father. Jones does great at his complex character, having to come off as naive, shy and buffoonish, but then win us over as the romantic hero at the end (Elliott-as-Kate’s kind, forgiving nature helps).
The setting doesn’t translate 100 percent, but is close enough when one considers Southern society can be at least as idiosyncratic as Olde England. One reference to pounds instead of dollars sounds out of place, but can be forgiven.
The show has one more weekend, Friday through Sunday at 1001 Hosbrook St. Tickets are $15. Get info at facebook.com/caseyrossproductions and go get your groove on.
“Idiot Anthems” – We should have more shows like this
By Wendy Carson
Wednesday night, select members of the “American Idiot” cast got together at Theatre on the Square for an “Idiot Cabaret” concert. Even though most notice of the show was by Facebook invite or other theater insider word-of-mouth, the crowd was decently large and up for anything.
Taking the stage dressed in what would best be called “casual black” were Lydia Burke, Lisa Ermel, Olivia Huntley and Carly Kincannon, with castmates Spencer Curnutt and Matthew Lee. (“American Idiot” continues through July 5 at the Phoenix Theatre.)
The theme for the evening was “Songs of Angst,” with the first half of the set being popular songs that were meaningful to each performer during their school years and the second half being favorite songs of angst from Broadway.
While the radio hits were familiar, each singer chose their own arrangement, and while most were in stark contrast to the original, all of them were equally beautiful. Who would have thought that “Jaded” by Aerosmith would work perfectly as a torch song?
The whole show was spectacular, with each singer bringing their all — even the few technical glitches between the songs were entertaining. Everyone who missed this event really missed out on a unique and fantastic show.
For anyone out there who didn’t know about the cabaret show, John and I are doing our best to find out about these events as soon as possible and will be posting that information here, as well as the Facebook page, so you won’t miss another one.
Personally, I would really like to see more of these cabaret events happening. Hopefully, someone will step up and organize them into a monthly occurrence. Besides replacing the “Glee” withdrawal most of us are feeling, the opportunity to showcase many of our talented local actors in a more relaxed light would be very welcome. Especially our teen and young adult performers would get a chance to test their range and gain more experience. There is so much potential for some amazing shows, plus, the one-night-only scheduling should help to make the audiences more diverse yet still very supportive.
Review: An imperfect “10”
By Wendy Carson
Theater on the Square is currently presenting the world premiere of a new play, “The Perfect ’10’,” by local musical talent, Sean Baker. Baker has a long musical history in the Circle City, comprising of being part of several bands, The Leisure Kings being the most well known. He is also the house pianist for Chef Joseph’s at the Connoisseur room, the current and more upscale incarnation of Agio.
Being an autobiographical piece, the story is a new artistic offering for Baker. However, it does fall short of its goal. It plays more as a play being workshopped than a finished product.
This is not to say that it is entirely unwatchable and does not show some promise. The story development in the second act is quite compelling and does prove that, with some polish and rewrites, that this play will work.
There are quite a few good laughs to be had, especially Sean’s encounter with “Beaux Derek.” Maybe with the trimming of unneeded characters, Justine and Allyson in particular, it would flow better. The interactions with Sean’s therapist might be better reflected with her in voice-over, save for a late-night phone call which plays perfectly. Also, while the bartender’s actions are quite funny, he does tend to upstage and draw attention from some of the more vital dialogue. A reining in of his antics is needed. Plus, it wouldn’t hurt to add a few more songs and eventually turn the show into a full-fledged musical.
I would advise you to either watch or re-watch the movie, “10” (1979, directed by Blake Edwards, starring Dudley Moore and Bo Derek) prior to the show as there are quite a few inside jokes and nods to it in the play. Still, if you’d like to catch a rising talent at beginning of his writing career, go and check out “The Perfect ’10’” at TOTS, 627 Massachusetts Ave., Indianapolis. Call 317-685-8687.
Review: “American Idiot” at Phoenix Theatre
By Wendy Carson
In 2004, punk band Green Day released their celebrated concept album, “American Idiot.” The album’s lineup formed a story of teen angst in the new millennium. Upon hearing the record myself, I could see the threads of the story woven together in a complex narrative that seemed to lend perfectly to a full-fledged musical. Luckily for us all, Michael Mayer felt the same and Billie Jo Armstrong, the band’s lead singer, agreed. While many of the overall themes of the show hearken back to Mayer’s previous show, “Spring Awakening,” the story’s present-day setting makes it more accessible to the target Millennial audience. With Indiana’s current increase in heroin usage and the resulting HIV crisis, the show could not be more relevant and meaningful. Naturally, The Phoenix Theatre proudly brings this story to the Indy stage almost a year to the day after its Broadway run’s end.
The show’s story follows just under a year in the life of three slacker buddies (Johnny, Will, and Tunny). Their disillusionment with life in their suburban home town leads them to decide to take a bus to the big city and go experience all that life can provide. Sadly, Will is waylaid before he can even leave by his girlfriend’s unexpected pregnancy so he is forced to remain behind and long for the adventures relayed by Johnny’s occasional postcards.
In the big city, Tunny is plagued by intense depression and is called to join the army in order to find himself. He eventually ends up a troubled, broken veteran who only survives with the love and devotion of an Extraordinary Girl.
Meanwhile, Johnny’s search for meaning leads him to the seductive world of drugs, courtesy of the charismatic St. Jimmy. During this time he meets the girl of his dreams and they share a fiery affair until she tries to wake Johnny from his drug-fueled haze. Things escalate quite quickly with him choosing the allure of St. Jimmy to the love of Whatsername.
Eventually, all three characters reunite in their little hometown to face the choices they’ve made and how they’ve changed as a result of them.
Directors Bryan Fonseca and Emily Ristine have rounded up an exceptional cast to bring this story to life, many of whom are veterans of the Phoenix’s 2011 production of “Spring Awakening.” Spencer Curnutt expertly brings all of Johnny’s angst and desperation to his performance. Lisa Ermel once again shows her amazing range in the ethereal role of Whatsername. Lydia Burke brings a poetic grace to her Extraordinary Girl. Matthew Lee and Carly Kincannon’s portrayal of Will and Heather expertly show the harsh reality of teenage parenthood. Eric J. Olson shows the dangerously enticing St. Jimmy and his world of drug-fueled oblivion as an easy answer to life’s stresses, yet never lets us forget its cost. Lincoln Slentz’s vulnerability as Tunny was only marred by his struggle to stay in tune on some of the songs. While the remaining five cast members are only listed as “Ensemble”, their ability to believably breathe life into the myriad of roles they are called on to assume makes each one stand out as a major talent.
While the harsh, grittiness of this show might make some apprehensive, the show’s message resounds so much with today’s youth that it should be a must-see for anyone over 15 if only to show them some of the harsh realities of the world and drug addiction in a format they will better respond to. I would best describe the show as this generation’s version of “Hair” (sans nudity but with mature language and a scene of simulated sex). See the show Thursdays through Sundays through July 5 at the Phoenix Theater, 749 N. Park Ave. (corner of Park and St. Clair near Mass. Ave.), Indianapolis, but you should get your tickets soon, because they are selling quickly and you really don’t what to be an American Idiot by missing out.
Plays with John & Wendy 