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With all the distractions around, there are too many excuses to not see live theatre.

We give you the reasons you should.

Welcome to PWJW, with information on live drama, comedy, musicals, dance, etc. in and around Indianapolis, Indiana. As in any modest-sized metropolis, there is a surprising amount of activity and talent on numerous stages, from amateur to Equity, from old favorites to avant-garde, with performers and audiences of all ages. If you are seeing this on the Main page, scroll down for the latest reviews. We will also strive to keep the calendar page updated. Thanks for looking in on us!

Click on Pods With John And Wendy in the Menu for our Podcast! (On Hold at the moment, we plan to resume soon)

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On THIS PAGE is the linked list of reviews from the 2022 IndyFringe Festival. 

The 2021 IndyFringe on THIS PAGE.  (No Fringe fest in 2020.)  The 2019 IndyFringe on THIS PAGE.  The 2018 IndyFringe on THIS PAGE. We didn’t see everything, but did get in most of the shows.

Looking back, we don’t have an index page for IndyFringe 2016 or 2017, but HERE is one we did for 2015.

If you place “Bard Fest” or “OnyxFest” in the Search, you can see our coverage of those shows as well.

Death Valley daze at Mud Creek

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By John Lyle Belden

If you think it’s been hot around here, then try spending some time in the Old West town of Death Valley, California. Better yet, head over to the Mud Creek Players Barn and think you’ve gone dizzy from the heat watching “The Ratcatchers Daughter.”

Actually, it’s not meant to make sense, just be a family-friendly fun old-time comic melodrama by Tim Kelly, directed by Collin Moore. True to the venue’s name, there are haybales for those seating front and center, which means the popcorn everyone is encouraged to throw (meant for the villain but it rained down constantly when we went) may get in your hair.

The stagecoach doesn’t run this way anymore, but the town still maintains its orphanage, run by Auntie Hush (Alli Lamb), (in)famous for serving her Hush Mush. Walking over from Reno are Sweet Lotta Bliss (Tanya Keller), seeking love; Whiplash Snivel (Craig Kemp), who wants to close the orphanage and open a casino (Near Reno? Unthinkable!); and Lady Pilfer (Rachel Smith), following the money. Death Valley Nell (Addie Taylor), the Sheriff, is suspicious.

Fur salesman Jack Sunshine (Kelly Keller) seeks to reconcile with Lotta, and to stay sober. Fortunately, there are Temperance ladies Livinia Lagoon (Becky Chilcote), Eunice (Sydney Heller) and Mildred (Adriana Rosebrough) on hand. Unfortunately, Whiplash has a bottle and a devious plan.

There are also Cuspidor (Tim Jamriska) the prospector; Feathertop (Jackson Hawkins), local speaker of frontier gibberish; Hermanita (Alaina Moore), a Latina nun with a guitar she can barely play; and orphans played by Ellisyn Bundy, Fred Margison, Judy McGroarty, Hagan McMillan, Evelyn Odom, Eve Sheward, and Henry Sheward.

Feel free to laugh, cheer, and boo the bad guy, and you’ll have a wonderful time. The barn does have air conditioning, but if the atmosphere still seems stifling, there are cold drinks at concessions – and popcorn, so much popcorn…

“The *Ratcatcher’s Daughter” has one more weekend, with performances Thursday through Saturday evenings, plus a Saturday matinee (July 30-Aug. 1) at 9740 E. 86th St., Indianapolis. Get tickets at mudcreekplayers.org.

(*No rats were harmed, unless they got into Auntie Hush’s Mush.)

Enjoy the betrayal and madness with Indy Shakes

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By John Lyle Belden

“King Lear” stands apart from William Shakespeare’s other tragedies with its proto-feminist overtones and for having multiple villains – working against as much as with each other. Though typically presented, like many of the Bard’s plays, in medieval or Renaissance costumes and props, the monarch on whom it is based, “Leir,” ruled pre-Roman Britain around the 8th century B.C. (No problem for companies who dress Shakespeare works in any style or period they wish.) Also, relevant to current cultural concerns, the plot has an emphasis on mental health.

This and more are presented in the Indianapolis Shakespeare Company production of “King Lear” in their free summer outdoor show at Taggart Memorial Amphitheatre in Indy’s Riverside Park.

The regal Ryan Artzberger takes on the title role with gusto, making all wonder about Lear’s wits from the beginning as he attempts to go into retirement, first dividing his kingdom among his three daughters, portioned according to how they flatter him. Famously, he misunderstands the words of equally greedy Goneril (Anna Takayo) and Regan (Liz Carrier) as love, and the humble honesty of Cordelia (Alexandria Miles) as a sort of betrayal. The latter girl is then banished (to wed the King of France), as is loyal Kent (Milicent Wright) for questioning his judgement. (Wright, playing Kent as a female advisor, takes on a male disguise to stay near Lear – playing the “man” as originally written.)

Daniel A. Martin is Goneril’s more honorable husband, the Duke of Albany, while Ryan Ruckman plays Regan’s co-conspirator husband, the Duke of Cornwall. Kelsey VanVoorst, who briefly appears as the French king, mainly plays Lear’s clever Fool.

Meanwhile, the Duke of Gloucester (Charles Goad) is persuaded by illegitimate son Edmond (Jamaal McCray) that rightful heir Edgar (John Reynolds) is plotting against him. Drew King completes the cast as characters Burgandy and Oswald.

Under Zack Neiditch’s direction, this highly talented cast present an entertaining and easy to follow tragic story, complete with plots and betrayals among the ambitious, and mental health crises among the others. Goad and Artzberger effectively take their characters to the edge (one literally). Reynolds is outstanding as he has Edgar, to stay alive, take on the guise of a mad beggar, “Poor Tom,” who will encounter in turn the king and his father in their disturbed states. By contrast, Van Voorst is totally in her element in what seems the most wacky role being the most wise character on the stage. Takayo, Carrier, Ruckman, and McCray each seethe with deviousness; making it inevitable they could turn on one another.  

Note for those unfamiliar: Don’t get too worried about the rumble of thunder at this outdoor venue, as it’s only the famous storm scene that starts the second act.

Pardon the expression, but you’d be crazy to miss this, yet another top-notch Indy Shakes production – especially as tickets are free. Remaining performances are Thursday through Saturday, July 30-Aug. 1, and available streaming online on Friday, July 31. Get details at indyshakes.com.

Feel free to dream with ‘Frida Libre’

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By John Lyle Belden

The main critique, and recommendation, we can make of “Frida Libre” by Karen Zacarias, on stage through Aug. 2 by Fonseca Theatre Company, is that this is clearly made to be seen by children.

Based on the life of young Frida Kahlo – a girl who wanted to become a doctor but would grow up to be a world-famous artist – the story of this musical (music by Deborah Wicks La Puma) is presented by her school classmate Alex (Abner Torres Delina Jr.). He is a very shy boy who becomes project partners with a very loud girl, Frida (Flor Mojica), with colorful clothes and a noticeable limp – and they only girl in the school.

All other roles are played by Jay Fuqua and Cara Wilson.

The stern teacher they address as Maestro (Fuqua) gives them an assignment to work together, a paper on “metamorphosis.” To research, they go to Frida’s bright blue house to look through her parents’ books. On the way, we find that Alex is afraid of heights and Frida, though not admitting fear, is reluctant to ride the city trolley (a bit of foreshadowing, for those who know).

Becoming aware they are both dreamers, each reveals their ideal inner self: He is Super Luchador (Fuqua), a masked wrestler in a white cape who crushes fear and saves lives. She is Frida Libre (Wilson), running free and working to heal the world. As they study, he shows an eye for details, while she reveals her talent at painting. With the help of a caterpillar in a strawberry jelly jar, they opt for a more elaborate presentation, sure to knock Maestro’s socks off.

Carried along with catchy tunes like “Paint Me a Picture,” “206 Bones,” and “Metamorphosis,” this one-hour narrative presents aspects of Kahlo’s upbringing in Mexico City with sufficient dramatic license to soften her pain and setbacks (though not shying away from them), making it relatable to young audiences. We even find how their dreams, seeming momentarily impossible, come true.  

Mojica, who also portrayed young Frida in the more mature production “La Casa Azul,” fits comfortably in her flower-embroidered slippers. Her charm brings us along to find this is about more than just the transformation of the insect in the jar. Delina eagerly easily connects with the kids of all ages watching, as Alex finds himself growing as well.

Fuqua and Wilson add to the fun, especially as the heroic alter egos. Also, his Maestro comes across as appropriately intimidating, at least from the students’ perspective.

Speech and songs are mostly in English, which casually translates the numerous Spanish words sprinkled in – lending authenticity with understandability and enhanced educational value.

Chandra Lynch directed, with vocal direction by Josiah Ray McCruiston, choreography by Linda Thomson, and costumes by Cee-Cee Swalling.

There is one weekend left! Bring your children to “Frida Libre” performances Friday evening and Saturday and Sunday afternoons (July 31- Aug. 2), at 2508 W. Michigan St., Indianapolis.

While there, see the paintings in “A Celebration of Frida, Luchadors, and Mexican Heritage,” a collaboration with Arte Mexicano en Indiana, in the lobby and next-door gallery.

For details and tickets, see fonsecatheatre.org.

‘Extreme’ measures test family in need

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By John Lyle Belden

In the wake of tragedy, we often have the wish that we could start over, have a new life, even a new house. For a select few, at least the latter happened, aired on national television. A desperate Texas family seeks to join that number in the drama, “Extreme Home Makeover,” by Makasha Copeland, presented by American Lives Theatre at the Phoenix Theatre Cultural Centre.

The title references the ABC television show, “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” (using its common nickname to avoid trademark issues). The process of being chosen, among hundreds of applicants, involved making a video recording to audition by showing both the necessary home renovations and the worthiness of the homeowning family. Scenes here are frequently played to an unseen camera, putting the audience in the position of the mysterious producers who could decide the family’s fate.

Three generations are crowded into this Kingsville, Texas, home: Valentina (Sofia Salgada), her mother Guadalupe (Caroline Lee Sanchez), teen son Marco (Diego Sanchez-Galvan), and 10-year-old daughter Lupe (Laila Matuk). Valentina’s husband, David, recently died, leaving her struggling to keep the house and unable to afford its upkeep, including a broken toilet.

Guadalupe is not thrilled at all about this bid for televised fame. She sees it as yet another insult to the honor of a family who lived on the land since it was part of Mexico two centuries ago, since then being made to work it for the benefit of non-Latino owners. Valentina, however, is practically blinded by hope, insisting on getting the audition just right so that a new home can help rectify their tenuous situation. The children, eager to please both Mom and Abuela, try hard to do their part in the scheme. Marco applies for his first job, while Lupe – who talks to “Aybeecee” like a friend she’s trying to impress – seeks to prove she’s not as useless as she feels.

Local actor Carlos Medina Maldonado directs. He saw the play in development while a student at Texas Tech, noting it reminded him of his own family, with aspects we can all relate to. Intertwined with the themes of hard times and holding on to one’s culture is the universal experience of grief, made more intense when it is the family patriarch who is suddenly gone. Aside from some clothes and possessions, their principal reminder of David is a video of him at Lupe’s last birthday – his singing to her embarrassing then, but treasured now.

The cast’s familial chemistry, combining personalities that are distinct and natural, draw us into their world, feeling both their loving bonds and growing need. Even when they clash, each acts from their perspective of love. Salgada’s Valentina is driven, barely hiding her growing desperation while feeling it is up to her to make everything right. Sanchez’s Guadelupe is a bit of a curmudgeon but adopts a softer touch to help mend their growing crisis, coming through as only a loving grandma can. Sanchez-Galvan’s Marco feels the weight of man-of-the-house expectations, though he’s not feeling quite ready to grow up yet. Matuk, who is over twice the age of the girl she plays, maintains Lupe’s sweetness and innocence, along with a naïve grit of one who doesn’t know what she allegedly can’t do – showing that where there’s a will, there’s Google.

The stage, brilliantly designed and built by Carlos Teeters, has no visible walls and audience seating on two sides, showing the fishbowl environment brought about by private spaces being exposed to judging strangers. We see the floor plan, while the people upon it show what makes a house a home.

Note the dialogue is a Spanglish mixture that would be genuinely heard in a home like this, yet not too hard to follow for non-Spanish speakers.

An emotionally engaging and inspiring story of a family needing to make some changes, “Extreme Home Makeover” runs through Aug. 2 in the Basile black-box stage at 705 N. Illinois St., downtown Indianapolis. Get tickets at phoenixtheatre.org, and information at americanlivestheatre.org.

The District calls on ‘Genêt’

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By John Lyle Belden

Indianapolis native Janet Flanner was a unique personality, one of the most famous Hoosiers you likely have not heard of. This was likely in part because her writing focused on those around her as she faithfully avoided writing in the first person.

The spotlight gets overdue placement upon this literary icon in the world premiere of “They Call Me Genêt” by D. Paul Thomas, performed by Jen Johansen at The District Theatre. Writing her “Letters from Paris” for the newly established New Yorker magazine from 1925 to 1975, she received her nom de plume from New Yorker editor and co-founder Harold Ross, who mistakenly assumed it was a French variant of “Janet” (the word actually refers to a broom plant with yellow flowers, or a cat-like animal native to Europe and Africa).

We meet Flanner at the end of her time as an ex-pat in Paris, preparing to depart for New York, where she would live with her long-time lover, publisher Natalia Danesi Murray. She packs while struggling to write her final “Letter” for the magazine, and reflects on her various life experiences and the famous (and infamous) people she knew along the way.

Johansen delivers a flawless performance as the woman who would apparently mock the self-indulgent nature of a one-woman show. Aided by an appropriate wig (design by Andrew Elliot), she bears a close resemblance to photos of Flanner, who was fully aware of her plain features, remarking here that she has “the face of an old Pope.” Director Chris Saunders gives us not just a fascinating first-person biography, but also, as he notes, a thoughtful meditation on where the observer fits in among the celebrities she observes.

Among the historical figures she encountered, Flanner wrote about Hitler during his rise to power (a bitter I-told-you-so years later for those who dismissed her prescient profile) and had more pleasant relationships with luminaries including Hemingway, Picasso, and Gertrude Stein. Past notables of art and letters, she remarked, included “the most interesting Paris-ites.”

As for her personal life, Janet is unapologetic while employing her gift of creative language to apply appropriate euphemisms, such as her preference for “the sorority side.” There is a little trepidation at rejoining American society, returning to the post-Vietnam/Watergate country she sees churning towards a sort of “self-betrayal.”

The look and atmosphere are completed with costumes by Guy Clark, set by Josh Morrow, and props sourced by Jan White – including a charming compact typewriter. Rick Northam is stage manager, and Georgeanna Smith Wade is the understudy.

A bit of a wildcat, a shining golden flower, and ever intriguing – get to know Ms. Flanner in “They Call Me Genêt” in performances Thursday through Sunday, July 23-26, at 627 Massachusetts Ave., Indianapolis, presented in partnership with Indy Pride.

There will also be a benefit event, A Parisian Dinner and Garden Party, following the 4 p.m. Saturday performance. For details and tickets to all shows, see indydistricttheatre.org.

What a ‘Ride’!

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By John Lyle Belden

For those in search of the next “Rocky Horror” phenomenon, or who feel that the stakes in “Spelling Bee” weren’t high enough, we invite you to “Ride the Cyclone”!

First developed in Canada in 2008 by Jacob Richmond and Brooke Maxwell, then appearing Off-Broadway the next year, “Ride the Cyclone: The Musical” has more recently taken on cult status with a large Tik-Tok community of fan art, theories, and costumes. The Phoenix Theatre now gives this experience a whirl, directed by K.T. Peterson.

In a storage building for a traveling carnival, a ghostly lament is heard, and the Amazing Karnak (Ben Asaykwee) awakens. Not a boast, he says, just the name on the side of his box. Unknown carny magic allows him to read the future, but only of one’s time and manner of death. This being too much of a downer, he’s been adjusted to be more cryptic. As he knows his own demise is imminent, he uses his remaining power to find those he couldn’t properly warn. Six teens, members of a school choir from Uranium City in far north Saskatchewan, died when The Cyclone roller coaster went off its rails. Their spirits are summoned to give one of them the opportunity to resume the life they had lost.

Enter overachiever Ocean (Mia Stewart); sassy only-gay-in-town Noel (Parker Taylor); surly adoptee from Ukraine, Mischa (Seth Jacobsen); comics-obsessed dreamer Ricky (Noah Lee), who had been struck mute from an earlier trauma; and plain and shy Constance (Marachey Fowler), most notable for being Ocean’s best friend and whose catchphrase is a very Canadian “So-rry!”

They are soon joined by Jane Doe (Olivia Broadwater), who had not been identified after the accident as no one could find her head. She replaces it with one from a doll. Having no identity of her own, she looks, acts, and speaks like an animated toy.

They each sing their case for going back through the light (like “Cats,” but more relatable) in a show that is at turns funny, moving, and surreal.

Asaykwee brings a bit of magic to all his roles. Here he gives wide expression to his wooden face, taking charge of the entire stage though he never leaves his box. He also shares this space with some of the best young talent we have seen around Indy.

Taylor once again makes us love a quirky character, even if his life’s dream is to die elsewhere. His Noel is comfortable in his queerness, while frustrated at missing the opportunity to be where he better fits in.

In fact, they all wanted to escape life in their dying former mining town (in our present day, home to under 100 residents). Perhaps it is more frustrating for Ocean, who Stewart plays as a controlling Alpha whose youth shows in her lack of tact. Or for Constance, who feared becoming resigned to living her whole life in Uranium (which, sadly, happened). Fowler takes on her pain of being overlooked and taken advantage of, converting it to inner strength.  

Ricky surprises them all, having regained his voice, and he has a lot to say. Ironically upbeat, Lee shares his sad origin and the cool sci-fi fantasy synthesized from his unconventional upbringing, complete with sexy catgirls.

Mischa is a little older than the others but was mostly denied a regular childhood. Jacobson handles his angst well. Feeling culturally mixed-up, he channels his feelings into hip-hop rhymes, and longs for the girl who liked him on YouTube.

Broadwater shows immense talent in working within the limits of her character in both movement and personality, taking her from creepy to heartbreaking with apparent ease.

Note the production is for teens and up, complete with a few F-bombs and a giant rat (Kristin Wentz). Appropriately cluttered yet versatile stage design is by David B. Vogel, complimented by lighting design by Michael Moffatt and sound and video projections by Ben Dobler.

Like the best carnival rides, The Cyclone is fun, wild, exhilarating, and affecting – and makes me want to get in line for another ticket.

Get yours at the Phoenix Theatre Cultural Centre, where “Ride the Cyclone: The Musical” runs through Aug. 2 at 705 N. Illinois St., downtown Indianapolis. See phoenixtheatre.org.

Cops are up to something (very) funny at Center Stage

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By John Lyle Belden

Lebanon’s Center Stage Community Theatre presents a wild episode of law and disorder with “Unnecessary Farce,” a comedy by Broadway actor Paul Slade Smith, directed by Nicole Amsler.

In a motel at the edge of town, Eric (Hunter Nuzzie), a young police officer needing to prove himself, and partner Billie (Lauren Lotzow), who somehow got a badge despite failing nearly every academy test, are setting up an undercover sting. In the room next door, the new city accountant, Karen (Lisa Anderson) is to meet Mayor Meekly (Ron Pittman) and get him to admit to embezzling millions in public funds. However, while preparing for this, Eric and Karen have developed feelings for one another. To complicate things further, the Mayor has a devoted chief of security, Agent Frank (Matt Anderson), who notices (almost) every detail in the room.  

With hijinks aplenty, mad misunderstandings, and doors to slam, we get a raucous comedy with a smidge of thriller as the workings of the local Scottish mafia – “the Clan, with a ‘C’” – are revealed, bringing on the feared Highland Hitman, a killer known as (dramatic pause) Todd! (Kevin Shadle). Then eventually, the Mayor’s wife, Mary (Julia Wallyn), comes looking for her husband.

Amsler has the good fortune of a great cast for this kind of show. Lotzow has been excellent in various roles over the last two years and definitely has a knack for comedy. Lisa Anderson gets to cleverly upstage her more practiced husband, Matt, both being masters of going with the madness (even if it means losing one’s pants) without being too over-the-top.

While most characters appear to understand the seriousness of the goings-on (no matter how absurd they’re becoming), Pittman effectively plays the Mayor as blithely oblivious, even though he was the one who proposed this suspicious event in the first place. Shadle, a treasure of Central Indiana community theatre, boldly presents another memorable character – bagpipes, thick accent, and all. Wallyn brings her own sort of disarming charm

To our surprise, this is Nuzzi’s first theatre role. His handling of scenes ranging from slapstick to romantic to standoff at gunpoint shows a natural feel for the material and solid comic chops.

As always, credit is due to the all-volunteer crew. Assistant director is Heather McKee and Stage Manager is Ava McKee. Amsler takes on many other tasks, including excellent set design and decoration with Christy Summersett – two connected hotel rooms with eight doors and good sightlines. Amsler also did costumes (including a kilt) with Heather McKee, as well as props.

A hilarious escape from the heat of summer, indulge in “Unnecessary Farce,” Friday through Sunday, through July 26, at 604 Powell Street in Lebanon. Get info and tickets at centerstagecommunitytheatre.com.

IBTC’s ‘Museum’ has much to show us

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By John Lyle Belden

Don’t be confused; “The Colored Museum” is not a static exhibit, but a theatrical work, a series of scenes that move with the rhythm of continuing centuries-old struggle.

Most surprising is that the show could be considered a museum piece itself: This play by George C. Wolfe hit Broadway in 1986. Forty years ago, yet it still feels so current, so “woke,” so “Black Lives Matter” – and as relevant as ever. It works as a companion piece to last year’s equally irreverent production of “Ain’t No Mo’” by the Indianapolis Black Theater Company. This year’s IBTC production of “Museum” is directed by local cultural icon Deborah Asante, leading an outstanding cast of local Black talent.

Performers include Empressnikia, Empress Marlena, Clarissa Michelle, PsyWrn Simone, Alicia “The UnCuT Diamond” Sims, John Singleton, Edward Strickling Jr., Tre’Vaughn, and young Anya C. Carlton as “The Future,” with audio contributions by Reno Moore and Rick Drumm, and on-stage percussion by Komoyaka King.

From the beginning, as the flight attendant of Celebrity Slaveship advises us that “shackles must be worn at all times,” we are in for one hell of a ride. Wolfe’s satire through the play’s 11 scenes is both sharp and hilarious. Examinations of Black life and culture employ sufficient absurdity to confront the surreal experience of being African American. We encounter archetypes including a Mammy, a disturbed soldier, a gay “Snap Queen,” and a singer who found fame and respect in France but must face what she left behind. Nothing is sacred, including the too-perfect models of Ebony magazine, and the award-bait Black roles in “The Last Mama-on-the-Couch Play.”

The look is completed with a neat set design by Antonio Burks that suggests an exhibit hall, complete with a turntable to display the next piece in the collection. Burks also contributed designs in the excellent projected visual elements.

Stunning both as comedy and thought-provoking theatre, “The Colored Museum” opens for four more performances, Thursday through Sunday, July 9-11, at The District Theatre, 627 Massachusetts Ave., downtown Indianapolis. Get tickets at indydistricttheatre.org.

Father and gay son face horrors of Holocaust

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By John Lyle Belden

I hope that this finds you shortly after I post it – so you can see – or this is shared before the next production – so you can anticipate – the important intimate drama of “A Pink Triangle” by Kirby Taylor.

The title refers to the patch worn by LGBTQ prisoners in Nazi concentration camps. Holocaust histories typically mention the yellow Star of David worn by Jews while tending to note in passing others tortured and killed included Roma, Communists, other political prisoners, and homosexuals. While the effort to eradicate Jewish people cannot be understated, the Pink Triangles were held in lowest regard in the camps, their harsh treatment including horrific medical experiments.

In fact, there was a macabre rainbow of color patches for various prisoner classes, a reflection of the regime’s ruthless organization of cruelty.

Coincidentally, “A Pink Triangle” has a three-fold theme. The first, its setting, is the historical hell of wartime Auschwitz, portrayed in the gaunt, nervous, hungry actors in filthy, ill-fitting striped clothing we see before us. Second is the paranoid horror of their existence and the realization among us watching that so much of the context sounds like something familiar, even relevant to current events. Third, and most important, is that this is a tragic and poignant father-son moment.

Lars (Jim Melton) can barely walk, let alone be capable of literally back-breaking labor in the stone quarry, so he gets the ironic relief of working at his own pace literally shoveling excrement while awaiting a more horrific assignment to Block 10, where experiments are conducted. His pink patch has made him a pariah; even his father momentarily shows revulsion when he sees it.

Hans (Dave Ruark) works beside Lars, the guards apparently unaware they are related. His patch is green, indicating a criminal (possibly for his family’s black-market dealings; we find from their conversation that his wife remains free to secretly help their neighbors with food and essentials). In him we see what in hindsight we refer to the “Good German” who got along and even supported the Nazis until he, like the others he was willing to condemn, was seen as unfit. He has memories of the disastrous end of the first World War and accepted the propaganda of whom to blame for hardship. Now feeling no allegiance to Hitler, he keeps secret the fact that he plays trumpet even though that would grant him easier duty in a prison or military band.

Though this is thoroughly researched, including visits to Europe – Taylor admits she had only heard of Pink Triangle victims a couple of years ago – she emphasizes this is primarily a story of a father and his son making contact, seeking some sort of understanding in what could be the last time they see each other. As a result, she has scripted an incredibly natural hour-plus conversation. Its rough flow is not primarily to communicate to us (which cleverly it does) but rather as two people who share both an intimate bond and immense pain, each felt caused by the other. Issues unresolved and unresolvable are verbally danced around yet must be confronted: Why Clara is still free; feelings about older son/brother Freddie, who served and died for the Fatherland; who betrayed Lars to the Gestapo. Helping stitch these frayed threads of discourse are odd familial touchstones, like past meals, or an ugly yellow couch.

In her directing debut, Holocaust historian Amy Grove of the CANDLES Center in Terre Haute (founded by survivor Eva Kor) keeps the story firmly grounded in its living hell. Death literally stalks these men, and all others held there, which we hear in the bursts of nearby gunfire that occasionally punctuate the scene. It’s also in the eyes of those before us. Melton, who also masterfully applied hollowing makeup, gives Lars the darting expression of a trapped rodent. His moments of feigned bravado and apathy, spiced with black humor. are his sole defense against madness, as fatal resignation battles for hope in his battered psyche.  In Hans’ expression, there is a secretly defiant watchfulness that manifests its hope in constantly looking for ways to work any system he’s in. Apparently, even if he does not survive this – his frequent cough making this more of a possibility – it will literally be on his own terms.  

Though these are fictional characters, they represent real people. Thousands were sent to concentration and death camps under an anti-gay law that predated the Nazi regime but had been strengthened and strictly enforced. The current production of “A Pink Triangle” at The District Theatre includes an exhibition of prints from Pink Triangle Portraits, a project by artist Bryan Sharland to document in paintings every queer victim of the Holocaust of which there is an available photo (including more recent pictures of survivors).

A necessary and overdue examination of a dark chapter of LGBTQ history – and human history – remaining Indianapolis performances of “A Pink Triangle” are 7:30 p.m. today (as we post this) and 4 p.m. Sunday (June 27-28) on the intimate Brian Payne Theatre (second stage) at the District Theatre, 627 Massachusetts Ave. Get tickets at IndyDistrictTheatre.org.

The syncopated story of America

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By John Lyle Belden

In the United States’ current social and political climate, approaching a significant celebration of the Fourth of July, it is fitting that Summer Stock Stage presents “Ragtime.” The epic musical by Terrance McNally with songs by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, based on the E.L. Doctorow novel, was a massive hit and Tony winner both in 1998 and the current revival. With a combined cast, crew, and orchestra nearing around 100 – mostly high school and college students – this exceptional production is directed by SSS Artistic Director Emily Ristine Holloway.

Set around 120 years ago, this is an appropriate tribute to America for many reasons.

It is the story of what was then considered an exemplary family. They are introduced by the observant Little Boy (Adam Palumbo), whose Father (Justus Palumbo) became wealthy enough from fireworks and other paraphernalia of patriotism to travel the world, leaving behind Mother (Allie Niethammer), Mother’s Younger Brother (Collin Alber), and Grandfather (Milo Ellis). Mother and Brother become central characters in the narrative, with Niethammer especially showing strength of voice and her role’s character. With clumsy charm, Alber embodies the American restless spirit, always searching for something he’s not sure of, seeking to give his life meaning. While Mother and Brother have transformative dramatic arcs, Father is stuck in an era he too late realizes has gone, naïvely unaware that his beliefs and attitudes are part of the problem.

It is the story of celebrity. The novel and its adaptations mix real historical figures in with the fictional exemplars of various classes. Many names are still familiar, including J.P. Morgan (Graham Bodkin), Henry Ford (Sam Funk), Booker T. Washington (DeMarae Bradley), and Harry Houdini (Max Frank). We also meet the scandalous vaudeville star Evelyn Nesbit (Olivia Steele); the events surrounding the Girl on the Swing described in “Crime of the Centry” are factual. Steele plays her with confident flair while presenting the ego that would outlast her famous beauty. Another notable personality was anarchist agitator Emma Goldman (Lilah Hern), presented with stubborn bravery, persistently and constantly calling out injustice.

It is the story of unending racial struggle. Aside from Mr. Washington’s righteous pontificating, we are presented with the Harlem community that gathers around pianist Coalhouse Walker Jr. (Michael Washington), master of Ragtime music. He had been a carefree traveling musician but realizes his heart belongs to Sarah (Cori Hughey), who he discovers had given birth to his child. However, she had felt abandoned and betrayed by him, leading to desperate actions that result in her taking shelter in Mother’s home. Coalhouse’s story is the central narrative of the musical – from romance, to confrontation with the bigot Willie Conklin (Simon Allen), to tragedy and dire consequences. Hughey and Michael Washington acquit themselves excellently as Sarah and Coalhouse, bringing on heartfelt tears and rapturous applause. Also notable is Asha Smitherman as the soloist in the haunting rendition of “Till We Reach That Day.”

It is a story of immigrants. We see a number of arrivals with little more than the rags on their backs, exemplified by hopeful Latvian refugee Tateh (Luke Aguilar) and his daughter (Gracie Reckamp). He lays bare the whole newcomer experience – the humor, the horrors, and the spark of inventiveness that finally brings him to his part in the American Dream. Even in moments of despair, he perseveres for his little girl, and we can’t help but want him to succeed. To help escape dire circumstances, we get clever minds-eye cameos by fellow immigrant Houdini.  

Family, celebrity, racial tension, immigration issues – this 1906 story echoes like a 2026 campaign, set to music that was new and uniquely American. We highly recommend seeing this if you can; however, performances this Friday through Sunday (June 26-28) at Schrott Center for the Arts are swiftly selling out.

SSS’s next show is a different musical, still set around the same place and time: Disney’s “Newsies,” an entertaining examination of the 1899 New York Newsboys Strike. Performances are July 15-19, also at the Schrott Center, next door to Clowes Hall on the Butler University Campus (610 W. 46th St., Indianapolis). 

Get information and tickets at summerstockstage.com.