Bat Boy: The Musical (Young Adults Production)
July 7, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 16 and 17, 2011
Book by Keythe Farley and Brian Flemming
Music and Lyrics by Laurence O'Keefe
This delightfully inventive musical based on a story in the newspaper tabloid Weekly World News is about a half boy/half bat creature who is discovered in a cave near Hope Falls, WV. He is brought to the home of the town veterinarian, where he is eventually accepted as a member of the family and taught to act like a "normal" boy by the veterinarian's wife and teenage daughter. Bat Boy is happy with his new life, but complications ensue until a shocking end to his story. The musical is silly and totally charming with an imaginative mix of skewering humor and energetic glee. The production will be performed by actors ranging in age from 18 to 25. Directed by Kathleen Clarke Horrigan.
Pippin (Young Artists Production)
August 11, 12. 13. 14. 18, 19, 20 and 21, 2011
Book by Roger O. Hirson
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz
The young prince Pippin longs to discover the secret of true happiness and fulfillment in this hip, tongue-in-cheek, anachronistic fairy tale. He seeks it in the glories of the battlefield, the temptations of the flesh and the intrigues of political power (after disposing of his father King Charlemagne the Great). In the end, he finds the happiness and fulfillment come about in the most unusual of ways. The energetic pop-influenced score is by three-time Oscar-winning composer/lyricist Stephen Schwartz ("Wicked," "Godspell" and "Children of Eden") and bursts with one show stopping number after another. This Tony nominated Best Musical will be presented by performers ranging in age from 13 to 18. Directed by Ed Trout.
La Cage Aux Folles
September 16, 17, 23, 24, 25 and 30 and October 1 and 2, 2011
Book by Harvey Fierstein
Music and Lyrics by Jerry Herman
Based on the play by Jean Poiret
Much revived, most recently in a 2010 hit Broadway production, this musical remains one of the all time biggest hits, adding new dimension to the boulevard comedy. After 20 years of un-wedded bliss Georges and Albin, two men partnered for better-or-worse get a bit of both when Georges' son (fathered during a one-night fling) announces his impending marriage to the daughter of a bigoted, right-wing politician. Further complicating the situation is the 'family business': Albin and Georges run a transvestite nightclub in St. Tropez, where Albin is the "star" performer 'Zaza.' Georges reluctantly agrees to masquerade as "normal" when he meets the family of the bride-to-be. But Albin has other plans, with hilarious results. Directed by Dan Scharbrough. Recommended for mature audiences only.
The Music Man
November 18, 19, 25, 26 and 27 and December 2, 3 and 4, 2011
Book, Music and Lyrics by Meredith Willson
Based on a story by Meredith Willson and Franklin Lacey
An affectionate paean to Smalltown, U.S.A., of a bygone era, this musical follows fast-talking traveling salesman Harold Hill as he cons the people of River City, IA, into buying instruments and uniforms for a boys' band he vows to organize - this despite the fact he doesn't know a trombone from a treble clef. His plans to skip town with the cash are foiled when he falls for Marian the librarian, who transforms him into a respectable citizen by curtain's fall. Directed by Bill Hale.
Souvenir (Annual Cabaret Production)
January 13, 14, 15, 20, 21 and 22, 2012
A Play with Music by Stephen Temperley
Described as "a beguiling comic jewel with a heart," Souvenir presents the story of Florence Foster Jenkins, a wealthy society eccentric, who suffered under the delusion that she was a great coloratura soprano when she was in fact incapable of producing two consecutive notes in tune. Nevertheless, her annual recitals in a New York City hotel ballroom brought her extraordinary fame. As news of her terrible singing spread, so did her celebrity. Her growing mob of fans packed her recitals, stuffing handkerchiefs in their mouths to stifle their laughter--which Mrs. Jenkins blissfully mistook for cheers. The climax of her career was a single concert at Carnegie Hall in 1944. Souvenir, by turns hilarious and poignant, tells her story through the eyes of her accompanist, Cosme McMoon, who regards her at first as little more than an easy way to pay the rent. But, as he gets to know her, his initial contempt gives way to reluctant admiration, then friendship and affection. By the play's end, audiences will also have come to love and admire Florence. Directed by Camilla Upchurch.
The Full Monty
March 9, 10, 16, 17, 18, 23, 24 and 25, 2012
Book by Terrence McNally
Music and Lyrics by David Yazbek
Seeing how much their wives enjoy watching male strippers during their "Girls' Night Out," unemployed steelworkers in Buffalo, NY, come up with a bold way to make some quick cash. In the process they find renewed self-esteem, the importance of friendship and the ability to have fun. As the guys work through their fears, self-consciousness, feelings of worthlessness and anxieties (over everything from being overweight to child custody, bigotry to being gay), they come to discover that not only are they stronger as a group, but that the strength they find in each other gives them the individual courage to face their demons and overcome them. Directed by Kathleen Clarke Horrigan.Recommended for mature audiences only.
Big River
May 4, 5, 6, 11, 12, 18, 19 and 20, 2012
Book by William Hauptman
Music and Lyrics by Roger Miller
Adapted from the novel Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Twain's timeless classic sweeps us down the mighty Mississippi as the irrepressible Huck Finn helps his friend Jim, a slave, escape to freedom at the mouth of the Ohio River. Their adventures along the way are hilarious, suspenseful and heartwarming, bringing to life your favorite characters from the novel: the Widow Douglas and her stern sister, Miss Watson; the uproarious King and Duke, who may or may not be as harmless as they seem; Huck's partner in crime, Tom Sawyer, and their rowdy gang of pals; Huck's drunken father, the sinister Pap Finn; the lovely Mary Jane Wilkes, and her trusting family. Propelled by an award winning score from Roger Miller, the king of country music, this jaunty journey provides a brilliantly theatrical celebration of pure Americana. Directed by Maria Matters.
Elizabeth J. Musgrave is a syndicated columnist, travel writer, music, restaurant and performing arts critic. Catch her as Indy’s Arts & Entertainment Adviser on 93 WIBC and follow her on Twitter @ejmusgrave1 and Facebook. Gotta Go is published in the following newspapers:
South Sider Voice, Indiana Weekender, New Palestine Reporter, Pendleton Times Reporter and Fortville-McCordsville Reporter.
Some shows are best enjoyed on the silver screen, like Titanic 3D or Armageddon, while others are able to go from stage to screen and back again with the smoothness of a charming con man. The Music Man is just such a show. Opening at Beef and Boards Dinner Theatre, Indianapolis, the six-time Tony Award winning musical (book, lyrics and music by Meredith Willson) brings a smooth-talking salesman into an Iowa city in 1912.
