Theater

I am seriously out of the loop! How did I miss this? It looks like the ShadowApe Theatre Company has resurected their haunting production of Gorey Stories. I caught this way back in 2001 and was pretty well impressed. The whimsical and stark take on the popular rhymes of Edward Gorey by the company made for a very worthwhile trip to the theater.

Performances will run July 28th through August 27th at Butler's Lilly Black Box Theatre, Thursday through Sunday. Thursday and Sunday performances begin at 7pm while Friday and Saturday performances will begin at 8pm. Tickets and more information can be spied at the ShadowApe website.

A group of us were able to catch the opening night of Triple Espresso downtown. Triple Espresso is part variety show, part comedy act—add in a healthy dose of magic and some crowd participation too. When you go, plan on laughing. If you are looking for an all ages show, this should be on your list.

The setting is the Triple Espresso coffee bar and the house entertainer, Hugh Butternut, is celebrating his 25th year at the venue. As part of the festivities, Hugh invited two of his former partners, Bobby Bean and Buzz Maxwell, to the anniversary show. Throughout Hugh's anniversary show, the three relive their past career "low-lights" and lament missing their one big break.

Continue reading "Theater Review: Triple Espresso"

This is the tale of a middle-aged librarian from Holland. Having spent a great deal of time with librarians-in-training while studying in Bloomington, the Librarian's hang-ups for order and consistency are spot-on with many I have met. Where my acquaintances and this librarian differ is how they deal with overdue books.

Continue reading "Theater Review: Underneath the Lintel"

Controversy has been brewing over Perry Meridian High School's decision to preform the musical "Ragtime" (opening February 23rd) because the play contains racial epithets. In fact, the controversy over the play led to a school board meeting Monday night, where they decided they show must go on, but with a warning to viewers about the content.

Ragtime is set in the early 1900's and the subject matter includes examination of racial tensions, designed to raise awareness of race issues in American history. Apparently that examination is too real for some sensitive potential theater-goers. The play appeared on Broadway in 1988, and is critically acclaimed and considered by some to be one the best American musicals. It features a very large cast and complex musical numbers, so for a high school to take it on as a production is very ambitious.

Perry Township's school site indicates that tickets are $10 for reserved seating and $8 for general admission, but I wasn't able to find any information on where to reserve tickets. If you're interested in attending, I'd suggest calling the school and asking about where to obtain tickets at (317) 789-4400. The musical is presented in three shows at Thursday, February 23rd at 7 p.m., Saturday, February 25th at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, February 26th at 2 p.m. Perry Meridian High School is located at 401 West Meridian School Road.

Yep - it's true. The infamous Cirque Du Soleil is making a two night stop in Indy at the Fieldhouse in February 2006. Don't believe me? Well look at this Mr. Smarty Pants! Sheesh...

Tickets go on sale to the general public on December 5th. Prices range from $70 to $100, before additional charges. You know how that goes.

The original "fringe" festival was an impromptu theatre happening on the edge of the Edinburgh International Festival in 1947, in which eight uninvited theater companies camped out at the edges of the official event and began performing, attracting attention from the festival goers. Indianapolis' 10-day event will include over 30 theater companies from Indianapolis and around the world, and will perform new and not-so-new theater in the Massachusetts Avenue theater district, for a price that everyone can afford: shows cost $10. See the website for shows and ticket information.

You simply can't grow up a geek and not have been exposed to Monty Python in some form or another. It's also more than likely that you have sat through endless viewings of their classic movie, The Holy Grail, and even have recited lines from the film back and forth with your friends.

So who would have thought that this cinema masterpiece of high absurdity from 1975 would make its way to Broadway? Hell, who would have thought that people would travel hundreds of miles just to see a musical adaptation of the movie that they have chiseled into their subconscious? Well, I did for one.

Continue reading "Spamalot"