Theater Review: Phoenix Theatre: The Legend of Georgia McBride

An Elvis impersonator, a couple of drag queens and a curmudgeon all meet up in a bar one night ...

Sounds like the beginning of a very bad or very good joke, depending on the ending, right?

In fact, it is the basis for a new production at Phoenix Theatre, Indianapolis. The Legend of Georgia McBride, written by Matthew Lopez, brings in dance expert Kenny Shepard as choreographer, and a few of the best local performers to rip up the stage with antics and talent.

Set in a dying bar, owner Eddie, the straight man in this comedic gem, is played perfectly by Ty Stover. The crotchety businessman is desperate to find that winning live show to draw crowds and save the venue. At first he hires a local guy whose passion is impersonating the King of Rock 'n' Roll.

Elvis impressionist, Casey, played by Sam C. Jones, just isn't popular with local patrons. Although Jones personifies the late music legend superbly, bar regulars aren't entertained. Casey returns home to reveal to his fiancee' (Bridgette Ludlow) he is fired, when she interrupts him to reveal she is pregnant.

Enter new performers Miss Tracey Mills and Miss Anorexia Nervosa --impersonators of a different sort. Drag Queens, to be precise.

Mills is portrayed impeccably by John Vessels. Vessels has wowed audiences in numerous roles and productions, including Smoke on the Mountain,  Hello Dolly and Chicago. As a queen of dressing in women's clothing he is uproarious and outright fabulous.

Tutoring the Elvis he-man into becoming a she-man is seamlessly played by Vessels and Jones, with - let's call them feisty debates - is an interaction of pure joy for the audience.

Add in drama drag queen Anorexia, played royally by Jonathan Studdard, makes it's a performance definitely worth attending. Studdard, who's portrayal can only be described as fierce, is a feisty and welcome change to Indy's stage productions.

Side note: Complimentary parking across the street, intimate venue and efficient box office are pluses for visiting the new Phoenix Theatre.

Other notes: Jim Parsons will produce and star inn the upcoming film version of the same name.

Bottom Line: The Legend of Georgia McBride is an absolute must-see for anyone who has even an inkling of a sense of humor.

Tickets: The Legend of Georgia McBride

Elizabeth J. Musgrave is a travel, features, food and wine writer, travel and food photographer, and performing arts and restaurant critic. Follow her on Twitter @GottaGo, LinkedIn and Facebook.

Theater Review: Beef and Boards: Man from La Mancha

Beef and Boards, Indianapolis, steps out of its goody-two-shoe image to bring the dark comedic production of Man of La Mancha to the north-side stage. Also taking things up a notch the powers that be brought in Disney film talent Richard White. 

White grabs the audience's attention as soon as he steps onto the stage and doesn't let go. Smoothly doubling as both Miguel de Cervantes, author of Don Quijote de la Mancha, awaiting his fate in the depths of a castle prison, and Alonso Quijano, slipping from the book's pages into the dismal prison. Set during the Spanish Inquisition, Cervantes acts out the story of Quijano, whose greatest desire is to be knighted as Don Quixote, rescue lovely maidens and provide chivalrous services. Unfortunately, he has so become immersed in the life he wishes to lead, his grasp on reality has slipped more than a little. White's soothing baritone brings joy to "The Impossible Dream (The Quest)," providing goosebumps to more than one person, I am certain.

Sidekick and faithful servant, Sancho Panza, is portrayed delightfully by Eddie Curry, bringing comedic relief to the tale. In fact, this story line and character remind me of another Curry role many years ago ~ Shipwrecked ~ (read review here).

Bar wench/prostitute/rape victim Aldonza/Dulcinea is brought to life by Erica Hanrahan-Ball. As Quixote's love interest, Hanrahan-Ball tries too hard in the beginning, seeming to try to outdo her male counterpart, bringing a sharpness and unnecessary volume to early songs.

She shines brightest when she shares a softer side to the character, allowing her vocals and acting chops to complement the others on stage, rather than compete.

Portraying Innkeeper, and reluctant knight-bestower, Chuck Caruso brings a droll humor to the role, drawing the audience into his angst of being forced to play along with the delusions of White's Quixote. The pair were absolutely harmonious with their interactions.

Special Note: Costumes by Jill Kelly and set design by Michael Layton are to be applauded as well as the cast of talented performers.

Bottom Line: Beef and Boards breaks its own barriers with the production style and level of talent in its version of Man of la Mancha ~ well done.

Images: JulieCurryPhotography.com

Elizabeth J. Musgrave is a fine-living, travel, features, food and wine writer, travel and food photographer, performing arts, wine and restaurant critic. She also is a radio and television guest and host. Follow her on Twitter @GottaGo, LinkedIn and Facebook.

Theater Review: Cirque du Soleil: Corteo

All good things must come to an end at some point. Even life. Mauro the clown has passed on and his friends and family gather to celebrate his life and career.

Cirque du Soleil: Corteo reveals what goes through the mind of a parade clown when his time has come. Will he go to Heaven and receive wings to become an official angel, or slide down into the hotter location?

Climbing ladders into the skies, silk performers, chandeliers and bouncy beds are all brought into the mix as this classic is renewed for today's audiences.

Having seen several Cirque shows, this ranks No. 2 on my list of favorites for the story line and addition of the chandeliers and more multi-performer sets. (No. 1 still is Quidam, about the stranger on the street whom you never notice.)

Although I do not expect perfection, and understand these are skilled gymnasts and acrobatic performers, a few slips and drops in this show made it seem as if a few more rehearsals were needed.

Upcoming shows within the one-tank distance from Indy, include: Evansville and Detroit.

Elizabeth J. Musgrave is a travel, features, food and wine writer, travel and food photographer, and performing arts, hotel and restaurant critic. Follow her on Twitter @GottaGo, LinkedIn and Facebook.

Theater Review: The Phoenix Theatre: The Open Hand

Guest Review: John Simmons

The Open Hand Phoenix Theatre Now Through May 14

Robert Caisley’s The Open Hand is a play filled with surprises – and that may be part of its undoing.

The play opens simply enough with two friends, Allison (Leah Brenner) and Freya (Julie Mauro) lunching at an expensive Asian restaurant. When Freya rushes out to a super-important job interview, Allison is stuck with a check she cannot pay because she can’t find her billfold. Suddenly, a dapper middle-aged stranger named David Nathan Bright (nicely played by Charles Goad) appears and gives Allison both the money for the check and an umbrella for the rain that is pouring down outside … all without asking for a thing in return.

After that, The Open Hand becomes a play in three parts. Part I channels the comic banter from classic sitcoms (the old Dick Van Dyke Show comes to mind) where we learn about the trials facing Allison in her relationship with her talented-but-edgy boyfriend, Todd (Jeremy Fisher), and Freya in her relationship with her laid-back-but-unhappy boyfriend, Jack (Jay Hemphill). Allison, in particular, struggles with expressing her emotions and accepting love from others. She also has a birthday fast approaching … but Allison never, ever celebrates her birthday.

A chance meeting in the park with David Nathan Bright and Allison’s decision to invite him to her “not-birthday” party (two of the play’s somewhat awkward contrivances) lead us into the play’s hilarious and dramatic Part II. David’s seemingly endless affability and generosity lead to feelings of suspicion, jealousy and, finally, anger among his fellow party-goers, as they try endlessly to discern his “real” motives. Here, The Open Hand asks a great question: Have we become so insecure and competitive as a society that we can no longer accept simple acts of kindness from one another? Are we that cynical?
That question goes unanswered, as the play’s closing act moves it away from being a comedy of manners and more towards a story about personal forgiveness. Allison’s birthday-averse behavior and emotional rigidity, it seems, are the results of a traumatic event from her past, an event that is so traumatic (and, like other plot twists, somewhat contrived) that it almost feels like “too much”.

Phoenix’s The Open Hand is a marvelously well-told tale. The cast are all excellent, and Jeffrey Martin’s revolving set − which does quadruple duty as a restaurant, two city apartments and a townhouse – is a wonder to behold. It’s just that, with one too many plot twists on the part of the playwright, you may find yourself wanting a more satisfying resolution to the tale.

Images: Phoenix Theatre

Elizabeth J. Musgrave writes two magazine food and wine columns: Destination Dining and White Linen & Corks,and is a travel, features, food and wine writer, travel and food photographer, and performing arts and restaurant critic. Catch her as the Travel & Leisure Adviser on FOX59 Morning News Show. She also is a speaker, consultant and trainer for hospitality, travel and luxury businesses, P.R., and tourism groups, as well as a radio and television guest and host. Follow her on Twitter @GottaGo, LinkedIn and Facebook.

Theatre Review: Beef and Boards: My Fair Lady

My Fair Lady, once a hit upon Broadway with Julie Andrews, became a film hit with Audrey Hepburn at the helm as Eliza Doolittle, the flower girl turned lady.

Beef and Boards, Indianapolis, brings back to stage the classic tale of rags to silk ~ and “it's complicated” love ~ through May 14.

Portraying the self indulgent, narcissistic, phonetic expert Professor Henry Higgins is David Schmittou.  Flawlessly portraying the pompous know-it-all with zero clue as to his own feelings, Schmittou brings out the vulnerable side of the grammarian without losing his irritating side. Never wavering from correct form or accent, Schmittou brings the audience nearly to tears with his rendition of, “I've Grown (Accustomed to Her Face)” and to tears of laughter with “Why Can't a Woman (Be more like a man?).

Kimberly Doreen Burns deftly nails Eliza, the flower urchin striving to better her “place” in life, brilliantly adopting the cockney accent ~ a difficult one to acquire. Daring to approach the rich and famous Higgins' for language lessons, Burns' wonderful portrayal of the “guttersnipe” is feisty, confused and (appropriately) enraged at the lack of empathy from her tutor. Burns best showcased her vocal talent in, “I Could Have Danced all Night.”

 

Schmittou and Burns spar delightfully while Mark Goetzinger's portrayal of sidekick Colonel Pickering is equally enchanting. Buffering the insecure pupil from the overbearing Higgins' Goestinger's Pickering is the perfect balance to Higgins' and Eliza's polar opposite (yet somehow similar) behavior and expectations.

Eddie Curry, portraying Eliza's father, Alfred Doolittle, is a pure joy to watch as he wallows in the low existence he has created, embracing his lot in life as a scoundrel and drunk. Womanizing, and shirking all responsibilities, Alfred is angry when he finds himself in the a world of middle class morality, bringing down the house with, “Get Me to the Church on Time.”

Bottom Line: My Fair Lady is easily one of the TOP 10 shows I have reviewed at Beef and Boards bringing a classic to stage with one of the most cohesive casts assembled at the north-side theater ~ clearly a Must-See for the 2017 season.

 Images: JulieCurryPhotography.com

Elizabeth J. Musgrave writes two magazine food and wine columns: Destination Dining and White Linen & Corks,and is a travel, features, food and wine writer, travel and food photographer, and performing arts and restaurant critic. Catch her as the Travel & Leisure Adviser on FOX59 Morning News Show. She also is a speaker, consultant and trainer for hospitality, travel and luxury businesses, P.R., and tourism groups, as well as a radio and television guest and host. Follow her on Twitter @GottaGo, LinkedIn and Facebook.

Theater Review: Phoenix Theatre: Sex with Strangers

*Written by guest reviewer John Simmons*

Despite its provocative title, playwright Laura Eason’s Sex with Strangers isn’t really about sex,although it does start out that way. The play, at Phoenix Theatre, Indianapolis, through April 9, begins in an out-of-the way B&B that serves as a safe haven for writers.

Here we meet 30- (or is it 40?) something Olivia, whose been badly bruised by the public’s reception of her first novel. Olivia’s world is suddenly upended by the sudden appearance of the much younger − and far-too-sexy – Ethan. Turns out that Ethan is an internet sensation whose online memoir, blog and soon-to-be movie, Sex with Strangers, document his singular accomplishment of having sex with at least one new woman per week for a year. He’s also a huge fan of Olivia’s first novel and (after taking a sneak peek) her unpublished second one.

With the heavy snowfall outside robbing Olivia and Ethan of the internet and access to the outside world, what else is there for them to do – except begin bonking one another just minutes into Act I? It isn’t revealing too much to say that supremely tech-savvy Ethan helps Olivia self- publish an online version of her new novel, while Olivia uses her far more limited social media skills to learn about Ethan’s sordid past ... all with unintended consequences.

The Phoenix Theatre’s production of the two-person show
features some nice performances by real-life couple Angela R. Plank as Olivia and Brandon Alstott as Ethan, but there’s a certain subtext that’s missing.

Alstott draws a convincing portrait of a young man who seems genuinely smitten, is willing to put his sexually overactive past behind him and wants to be taking seriously as a writer. But should we really believe Ethan can move on from all the money, women and fame that keep coming his way? Plank does a nice job showing us Olivia’s fears in getting involved with Ethan and having her new work rejected. But there’s also the suggestion that quietly ambitious Olivia questions Ethan’s commitment because, having benefited from his help in achieving a success she only dreamed of, Erotic Ethan is no longer good enough for her.

Sex with Strangers is more than just the story of a woman who cannot move beyond the toxic bad boy in her life. Strangers is about the lies we tell others in relationships and about the lies we tell ourselves – about ourselves – to justify our own bad behavior. By adding this extra layer of ambiguity – by ‘muddying the waters’ just a bit – Phoenix’s production of Sex with Strangers would move from being a good production to a great one.

Images: Zach Rosing

John Simmons recently moved back to his hometown of Indianapolis from New York City, where he stage managed or produced numerous off-Broadway shows. John was also General Manager of The Active Theater.

Elizabeth J. Musgrave writes two magazine food and wine columns: Destination Dining and White Linen & Corks,and is a travel, features, food and wine writer, travel and food photographer, and performing arts and restaurant critic. Catch her as the Travel & Leisure Adviser on FOX59 Morning News Show. She also is a speaker, consultant and trainer for hospitality, travel and luxury businesses, P.R., and tourism groups, as well as a radio and television guest and host. Follow her on Twitter @GottaGo, LinkedIn and Facebook.

Theater Review: Beef and Boards Dinner Theatre: Shear Madness

Breaking from its typical offering of a British farce to jump start the year, Beef and Boards Dinner Theatre, 9301 Michigan Rd., Indianapolis, opens its 2017 season with Shear Madness, running through January 29.

Originally adapted from Paul Portner's work Scherenschnitt, the play evolved over time to settle into its current format. A blend of an improv troupe's comedy, a whodunnit, and a roast of politicians, local events and nearby towns. No one and nothing is off limits as the butt of jokes.

Set in a stylish hair salon, in this case a Mass Ave spot, a retired concert pianist is murdered in her apartment above the unisex salon. Customers, owner and staff are all suspect, with two detectives grilling them, and the audience, for answers to the homicide.

The interactive performance derives much of its rhythm, jokes ~ and ending ~ from the audience, creating a different show nightly.

Stand out performances (besides the audience), include Suzanne Stark portraying Eleanor Shubert, the wealthy socialite from the town of Carmel. Stark's style of snootiness stops short of annoying, instead heightening the hilarity of the goings on.
Jeffrey Stockberger, as homicide detective Nick O'Brien, is best at interacting with the audience and keeps everything flowing smoothly.

Garnering most laughs, definitely, is Daniel Klingler's portrayal of shop owner Tony Whitcomb. Using every mannerism of the stereotypical gay hair stylist, Whitcomb sets the tone for the performance and never lets up.

I strongly recommend getting tickets immediately as this show was close to sold out capacity and an immediate success with the audience. Also, for more frivolity and collaboration with the on-stage antics, get seats close to the stage.

Bottom Line: Beef and Boards' Shear Madness is certain to sell out numerous shows with its cutting wit and ever-changing finale.

Elizabeth J. Musgrave writes two magazine food and wine columns: Destination Dining and White Linen & Corks,and is a travel, features, food and wine writer, travel and food photographer, and performing arts and restaurant critic. Catch her as the Travel & Leisure Adviser on FOX59 Morning News Show. She also is a speaker, consultant and trainer for hospitality, travel and luxury businesses, P.R., and tourism groups, as well as a radio and television guest and host. Follow her on Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter @GottaGo, LinkedIn and Facebook.

Theater Review: Theatre on the Square (TOTS): A Christmas Survival

So many delightful, and deserving, events to attend and performances to review... in that vein, an opportunity has presented itself to me. A gentleman in the world of theater for whom I have much respect has transplanted from New York City to his hometown of Indianapolis and offered to relieve me of some of the numerous reviews worthy of attention in town.

Without further ado ~ enter a review by John Simmons ...

A Christmas Survival Guide has been a staple of many Christmases Past but, even if you’ve seen the show before, you haven’t seen the version now being performed at Theatre On The Square’s intimate, cabaret-style Stage 2 Theater. The TOTS’ creative team has refurbished this holiday chestnut with an assortment of up-to-the-minute pop culture references, well-placed four-letter words and sexy double entendres.

How much a particular sketch tickles your funny bone will, of course, depend on your particular brand of humor. Some standouts include: a hyper-sexed rendition of ‘Baby, It’s Cold Outside’ (with and Eric Brockett); a hilariously hyper-frenzied rendition of ‘Sleigh Ride’ (Anna, Shauna Smith and singing standout Josiah McCruistion); Mrs. Claus (Eric, in drag and employing an accent of undetermined origin) complaining about being neglected by her husband, especially on Christmas Eve; a lonely young woman (Gabby Niehaus) hitting up a department store Santa (Josiah) for a date to the office Christmas party; and a lusty Saint Nick himself (Josiah) extolling the virtues of being ‘the man with the bag’ when attracting the ladies.

Pet owners, in particular, will appreciate the holiday gift exchange between a dog, a cat and their human (Anna, Eric and Josiah). Those who’ve seen the show undoubtedly have favorites of their own (as will you).

The humor is broad and adults only, and some sketches work better than others. A Christmas Carol, it’s not. A Christmas Guide’s laughs also work best when they are shared with others. So, this holiday season – if you and your friends are looking for something more naughty than nice – why not trot down to TOTS and spend an evening with A Christmas Guide’s lively cast (ably assisted by Stage Manager and Cast Member Nikki Sayer and skilled piano man Levi Burke) in ushering in some Yuletide cheer?

The show’s setup is simple: the play’s characters are reading chapters from Dr. Holly’s self-help book, A Christmas Survival Guide, with pre-recorded voice overs letting the audience in on the advice being read. There’s no real story line, but a series of musical comedy sketches (with many offering new takes on classic Christmas songs) about maintaining a brave face when celebrating Christmas in the modern age.

Images: TOTS

John Simmons recently moved back to his hometown of Indianapolis from New York City, where he stage managed or produced numerous off-Broadway shows. John was also General Manager of The Active Theater. Active Theater alumni who have gone on to bigger and better things include Grace Gealey (aka Anika on Fox’s Empire) and Lucy Owens (now appearing in Miss Sloane).

Elizabeth J. Musgrave writes magazine food and wine column: Destination Dining and is a travel, features, food and wine writer, travel and food photographer, and performing arts and restaurant critic. She also is a speaker, consultant and trainer for hospitality, travel and luxury businesses, P.R., and tourism groups, as well as a radio and television guest and host. Follow her on Twitter @GottaGo, LinkedIn and Facebook.

Theater Review: Beef and Boards: Guys and Dolls

Opening at Beef and Boards Dinner Theatre this weekend in Indianapolis is the classic musical Guys and Dolls. Guys, as in wise guys, Dolls, as in the slang term for women you didn't marry.

The classic musical is fast-paced and centers around a group of guys who like illegal gambling and avoiding the cops. One, Nathan Detroit (Eddie Curry), is hooked on loving, but not marrying, Miss Adelaide (Deb Wims), a showgirl who still believes Detroit can become the husband she wants.
Sky Masterson is portrayed by Timothy Ford who returns to the north-side stage, and was last seen here in Singin' in the Rain  and White Christmas. Masterson's romantic interest, missionary Sarah Brown (Betsy Newton), comes into the mix via a bet with Detroit.

A few of the performers stand out in this performance:
Shaun Rice portraying Nicely-Nicely. Rice keeps it low key in the first half, but in the second half you see what he is really made of ~ vocally and energy-wise. Belting out (with ensemble), Sit down, You're Rockin' the Boat," Rice seems to come into his own rhythm. I would certainly like to see that same over-the-top confidence in the first half as well.

Wims camps it up beautifully as the naive, lovelorn Adelaide, giving a seamless performance as the lovable girl in over her head with Detroit. Her energy (and talent) never waiver, keeping the pace for others to achieve and shining as the brightest female performer.

Daniel Scharbrough shines as Lt. Brannigan ~ although I could see him cast as Big Jule as he towers over everyone and Jule is referred to as being a big, scary guy.

Curry brings his special energy as the nuptials-nervous craps-game arranger. From scampering about to get out of marriage, and getting everyone into an illegal dice game, Curry is obviously enjoying himself and brings us along for the fun.

Mark Goetzinger (always love seeing him on stage around town), makes even a minor role memorable as missionary Arvide Abernathy (the sign of a truly talented actor).

Bottom Line: Whether or not you have seen Guys and Dolls in the past, your best bet is to catch the high-energy production rolling at Beef and Boards.

Images: JulieCurryPhotography.com

Elizabeth J. Musgrave writes two magazine food and wine columns: Destination Dining and White Linen & Corks,and is a travel, features, food and wine writer, travel and food photographer, and performing arts and restaurant critic. Catch her as the Travel & Leisure Adviser on FOX59 Morning News Show. She also is a speaker, consultant and trainer for hospitality, travel and luxury businesses, P.R., and tourism groups, as well as a radio and television guest and host. Follow her on Twitter @GottaGo, LinkedIn and Facebook.

Theater Review: Beef and Boards: Sister Act

Sister Act opened at Beef and Boards Dinner Theatre, Indianapolis, this week. As a top film with the same title (1992) starring Whoopi Goldberg, Maggie Smith and Kathy Najimy, it was a big gamble adapting it for the live stage.

Hitting the live theater circuit to mixed reviews from critics, the show about nuns and gun-toting gangsters was a smash hit with audiences the world over.

It's almost better if you have not seen the film as the stage version differs in many ways. Most importantly ~ the music. It is no longer set in Las Vegas with 1950s hits being revamped into spiritually hip songs. Deloris Van Cartier (Zuri Washington) is not a Vegas casino lounge singer, but a '70s bar crooner in Philadelphia.

And the songs, rather than the snappy golden oldies' Top 100 radio tunes, are originals written for the live show. The switch isn't the responsibility of B&B (or any other theater), but the creators of the musical. They are unfamiliar, but still peppy.

What made the film great was the audacity of Deloris to take lounge tunes and switch the lyrics for the Catholic nun's choir. That, and the chemistry between Goldberg (as Deloris) and Smith (as Mother Superior). Add in Najimy's infectious laughter and quirky one-liners and there was no way the movie would not become a classic.

But does the live production hold up against the film?

Yes. And No.

Washington's Van Cartier zips along nicely with sarcastic remarks and annoys the Mother Superior  (portrayed superbly by Suzanne Stark) delightfully, with their back-and-forth banter being one of the more enjoyable parts of the show.

Another enjoyable part were the flawless vocals of Washington and Stark. Sister Mary Robert (played impeccably by Gabrielle Harker), joins these two top-notch performers with her talented vocals and her portrayal as the timid nun-to-be. Most notable were Stark's rendition of "Haven't Got a Prayer," which required her vocal strength; Washington's, "Raise Your Voice" (with Nuns), and Harker's, "The Life I Never Lead."

Lagging slightly in the middle with an extra dance and song, or two, from the gangsters, the play ran longer than a typical show. However, it is energetic, upbeat and outright funny.

Bottom Line: Beef and Boards' Sister Act shines with its strong female performers for this family friendly (and hilarious) production.

Tickets: BeefandBoards.com
Images: JulieCurryPhotography.com

Elizabeth J. Musgrave writes two magazine food and wine columns: Destination Dining and White Linen & Corks,and is a travel, features, food and wine writer, travel and food photographer, and performing arts and restaurant critic. Catch her as the Travel & Leisure Adviser on FOX59 Morning News Show. She also is a speaker, consultant and trainer for hospitality, travel and luxury businesses, P.R., and tourism groups, as well as a radio and television guest and host. Follow her on Twitter @GottaGo, LinkedIn and Facebook.

Theater Review: Actors Theatre of Indiana: Sweeney Todd

Sweeney Todd (Don Farrell) and Mrs. Lovett (Judy Fitzgerald)

Actors Theatre of Indiana, Carmel, opened the much-anticipated Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street production this weekend.

Familiar to fans of Stephen Sondheim, musicals and Broadway hits; the story became even more well known with the 2007 hit film Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street starring Johnny Depp. As good as the movie is, there are some stories which are best to experience via live theater ~ this is one of those shows.

Don Farrell as Sweeney Todd

Don Farrell takes on the title role of Sweeney Todd, in the black comedy with a sensationally sinister performance. Keeping the murderous role from becoming simply a serial killer on the loose, Farrell brings a vulnerable side of his character to light during, "The Barber and His Wife," allowing the audience to witness the happier youthful version of himself prior to losing his wife and daughter to the corrupt local Judge Turpin (Paul Nicely).

John Vessels as Adolfo Pirelli

Accompanying Todd in his razor-sharp removal of loathsome people is Mrs Lovett, played magnificently by Judy Fitzgerald.  Fitzgerald portrays the pie-making enabler with absolute abandon, sharing her contagious delight in the creative solution of her floundering meat pie cafe and Todd's need to slit throats of unworthy folks.

John Vessels is a pure delight as Adolpho Pirelli, the self-proclaimed, "King of Barbers," creating a larger-than-life caricature with his comedic talents. Vessels proves his vocal talent, as well, in the first victim's solo, "The Contest."

Caleb Wertz plays Tobias Ragg, abused waif and assistant to Pirelli then Lovett, with a maturity beyond his years. Craig Underwood takes sleazy to a new level with his portrayal of The Beadle.

The entire cast of this production is seamless and smooth, both in working with each other and portraying their individual characters, with all but the two leads portraying more than one character during the two-act play.

Bottom Line: Sweeney Todd is the best show I have reviewed at Actors Theatre of Indiana and is an absolute must-see for anyone in the Indy-metro area.

Tickets: TheCenterforthePerformingArts.org

Costumes: Katie Cowan Sickmeier

Images: Zach Rosing

Elizabeth J. Musgrave writes two magazine food and wine columns: Destination Dining and White Linen & Corks,and is a travel, features, food and wine writer, travel and food photographer, and performing arts and restaurant critic. Catch her as the Travel & Leisure Adviser on FOX59 Morning News Show. She also is a speaker, consultant and trainer for hospitality, travel and luxury businesses, P.R., and tourism groups, as well as a radio and television guest and host. Follow her on Twitter @GottaGo, LinkedIn and Facebook.

Broadway Across America (in Indianapolis) 2015 - 2016 Season Includes Dreams, Wizards and a Phantom

New season line ups for theaters always give me happiness like Christmas morning. Will it have the shows I want? What surprise productions will be on the lineup?
Broadway Across America's Broadway in Indianapolis' schedule covers all the bases. One I hoped for (The Phantom of the Opera), one I didn't expect (Wizard of Oz), and even one I hadn't known existed.

Below is the entire lineup, including family favorites, new productions and a returning sell-out show.

For tickets, visit Indianapolis.Broadway.com

 Broadway Across America Indianapolis

2015 - 2016 Season

CIRQUE DREAMS HOLIDAZE

December 15-20, 2015

*Old National Centre

Be amazed by more than 300 costumes, 20 acts and 30 artists from every corner of the globe. Witness snowmen, penguins, angels, reindeer, toy soldiers, gingerbread men, ornaments and Santa with soaring acrobatics, gravity defying feats, elaborate production numbers, imaginative costumes, illusions and more. The show celebrates the most wonderful time of the year with singers, original music and seasonal favorites all performed in a winter wonderland of amazement.

THE WIZARD OF OZ

January 12-17, 2016

*Clowes Memorial Hall

The most magical adventure of them all. This new production of The Wizard of Oz is an enchanting adaptation of the all-time classic, totally revamped for the stage. (read my review here)

Developed from the ever popular MGM screenplay, this production contains the beloved songs and surprises along the way, including new songs by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber.

ONCE

February 9-14, 2016

*Clowes Memorial Hall

 Winner of eight 2012 Tony Awards including Best Musical, ONCE is a truly original

Broadway experience. Featuring an impressive ensemble of actor/musicians who play their

own instruments onstage, ONCE tells the enchanting tale of a Dublin street musician who’s

about to give up on his dream when a beautiful young woman takes a sudden interest in his haunting love songs. As the chemistry between them grows, his music soars to powerful new heights... but their unlikely connection turns out to be deeper and more complex than your everyday romance. 

NEWSIES

March 15-20, 2016

*Clowes Memorial Hall

Winner of the 2012 TonyAwards® for Best Score and Best Choreography, NEWSIES, based on true events, tells the captivating story of a band of underdogs who become unlikely heroes when they stand up to the most powerful men in New York. It’s a rousing tale about fighting for what’s right...and staying true to who you are. NEWSIES was brought to the stage by an award-winning creative team. It features a score by Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast) and Jack Feldman (The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride) and a book by Harvey Fierstein (La Cage Aux Folles).

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA

May 4-15, 2016

*Old National Centre

Cameron Mackintosh’s spectacular new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s THE

PHANTOM OF THE OPERA comes to Indianapolis as part of a brand new North American Tour. The production, boasts many exciting special effects including the show’s legendary chandelier. The beloved story and thrilling score - with songs like “Music of the Night,” “All I Ask Of You,” and “Masquerade” - will be performed by a cast and orchestra of 52, making this PHANTOM one of the largest productions now on tour.

THE BOOK OF MORMON

April 12-17, 2016

*Old National Centre

 Hailed by The New York Times as "the best musical of this century" and the winner of

nine Tony Awards®, THE BOOK OF MORMON (Read review here) is the blockbuster Broadway smash from “South Park” creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and the Oscar®-winning

composer of Disney's Frozen and Avenue Q, Bobby Lopez. This outrageous musical

comedy follows the misadventures of a mismatched pair of missionaries, sent halfway

across the world to spread the Good Word. *Contains explicit language.

Elizabeth J. Musgrave writes two magazine food and wine columns: Destination Dining and White Linen & Corks,and is a travel, features, food and wine writer, travel and food photographer, and performing arts and restaurant critic. Catch her as the Travel & Leisure Adviser on FOX59 Morning News Show. She also is a speaker, consultant and trainer for hospitality, travel and luxury businesses, P.R., and tourism groups, as well as a radio and television guest and host. Follow her on Twitter @GottaGo, LinkedIn and Facebook.

Theatre on the Square 2015 - 2016 Season Includes Gothic, Gulch and Guns

Theatre on the Square's 2015 - 2016 season brings a fresh look to the tiny theater, as well as the lineup. Recent fundraising efforts have made it possible to revamp the lobby into a cozy area welcoming theatergoers. In case you are not familiar with the Indianapolis staple, its location is 627 Mass Ave., in the heart of theaters, shopping and restaurants.

Enter Love
September 12 – 27

A musical about the ever-changing nature of romantic relationships in the first decade of the 21st century. It is set in an international airport, located in a large city somewhere in the Midwest. The production consists of a series of encounters—with dialogue and music—that take place between an assortment of couples and individuals at various locations—arrival and departure concourses, waiting lounges, baggage check, observation deck, and the central location, a bar—in the airport.

(Read my review of Enter Love here)

CABARET POE – The Musical

(co-production with Q Artistry)

October 3 – 31

Murder, insanity and comedy come together as Q Artistry and Theatre on the Square join forces for the 7th appearance in Indianapolis of this deadly original musical.
(Read my review of Cabaret Poe here)

MISS GULCH RETURNS

October 23 – November 8

Stage Two

Brent Marty revives his one-man/one-woman musical comedy written and originally performed by Fred Barton. It is a loose parody of the character of Almira Gulch from the 1939 MGM film The Wizard of Oz as portrayed by Margaret Hamilton. Blurring the line between fiction and reality, the show builds on the premise that Gulch was an actress - rather than a character portrayed by an actress - who appeared in the film (as herself). Songs include: Born On A Bike, Pour Me A Man, and I Can Be An Icon, Too.

[TITLE OF SHOW]

November 12-22

Stage Two

Jeff and Hunter, two struggling writers, hear about a new musical theatre festival. However, the deadline for submissions is a mere three weeks away. With nothing to lose, the pair decides to try to create something original. Helped by friends Susan and Heidi, Jeff and Hunter write a show about writing a show. [Title of Show] - taken from the space on the festival’s application form which asks for the [title of show]. The musical received a Tony Award® nomination for Best Book of a Musical in 2009.

A CHRISTMAS STORY

November 27 – December 20

Humorist Jean Shepherd’s memoir of growing up in the Midwest during the 1940s follows 9-year-old Ralphie Parker in his quest to get a genuine Red Ryder BB gun under the tree for Christmas. All the elements from the beloved motion picture are here, including the family’s temperamental exploding furnace; the boys’ experiment with a wet tongue on a cold lamppost; the Little Orphan Annie decoder pin and Ralphie’s father winning a lamp shaped like a woman’s leg in a net stocking.

8 REINDEER MONOLOGUES

November 27-December 20

Stage Two

Eight reindeer dishing about the real Santa Claus. All those rumors you’ve heard about him and the elves? About Rudolph’s little secret? About Vixen’s story that was leaked to the press? All true. Yes, the reindeer finally speak up and – believe us – they do not hold back.

SKYLIGHT

January 22 - February 13, 2016

Kyra is a young woman surprised to see the son of her former lover at her apartment in a London slum. He hopes she will reconcile with his distraught, now widowed, father. Tom, a restless, self-made restaurant and hotel tycoon, arrives later that evening, unaware of his son’s visit. Kyra, who was his invaluable business associate and a close family friend until his wife discovered their affair, has since found a vocation teaching underprivileged children. Is the gap between them unbridgeable, or can they resurrect their relationship?

KILLER JOE

February 19-March 5, 2016

Stage Two

Hired by the dissolute Smith family to murder the matriarch for insurance money, Killer Joe takes the daughter to bed as a retainer against his final payoff which sets in motion a bloody aftermath as the “hit man” meets his match. The first play by the author of August: Osage County, which premiered at Chicago’s Steppenwolf before going on to acclaimed productions in London and New York. 

PASSION

Music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim

March 11 – 26, 2016

Set in 19th century Italy, this dramatic musical concerns a young soldier and the changes in him brought about by the obsessive love of Fosca, his Colonel’s homely, ailing cousin.

PORNO STARS AT HOME

April 1- 23, 2016

Stage Two

All those people who live fantasy lives up there on the not so silver porno screen ~ what might they be like at home, away from the tacky lighting and cheap interiors of their workaday world? What might they fantasize about? One wants to be discovered as a serious actress; one, a star of gay porno, is actually heterosexual and wants to be recognized as such; another wants a child. At Georgia Lloyd Bernhart’s birthday party which wish, if any, will come true?

BATBOY: The Musical

April 29 - May 28, 2016

Inspired by a series of tabloid headlines published in 1992 by The Weekly World News, a group of spelunking West Virginian teenagers discover a creature and the sheriff brings it to the local veterinarian’s home. He begins to assimilate to human life and become a part of the Parker family while trying to keep his penchant for sucking human blood under control. When Edgar tries to ingratiate himself with the townsfolk of Hope Falls, he is quickly rejected, and he and Dr. Parker’s daughter (who fall in love) run away together. After a single night of joyous freedom, tragedy strikes when Meredith finds them and reveals the dark secret of Bat Boy’s origin.

TIME STANDS STILL

June 17 - July 9, 2016

Sarah and James, a photojournalist and a foreign correspondent, are trying to find happiness in a world that seems to have gone crazy. Theirs is a partnership based on telling the toughest stories and, together, making a difference. But when their own story takes a sudden turn, the adventurous couple confronts the prospect of a more conventional life.

RENT

July 15 - August 13, 2016

20th anniversary of RENT on Broadway! Set in the East Village of New York City, Rent is about falling in love, finding your voice and living for today. Winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Rent has become a pop cultural phenomenon with songs that rock and a story that resonates with audiences of all ages. Based loosely on Puccini’s La Boheme.

Tickets and details are available at TOTS.org

Elizabeth J. Musgrave writes two magazine food and wine columns: Destination Dining and White Linen & Corks,and is a travel, features, food and wine writer, travel and food photographer, and performing arts and restaurant critic. Catch her as the Travel & Leisure Adviser on FOX59 Morning News Show. She also is a speaker, consultant and media trainer for businesses, P.R. and tourism groups. Follow her on Twitter @GottaGo, LinkedIn and Facebook.