IndyFringe 2023: “Pompeii & Circumstance”

reviewed by Adam Crowe

2023 brings the 5th Fringe show for Clerical Error Productions. Pompeii and Circumstance is one of two Volcanic themed shows in the District Theater this Fringe. Unlike “That’s Hot”, this entry is on the mainstage and takes on a much bigger story.

It is the summer of 79 AD and the Emporer is coming to Pompeii. Tensions are high and slaves scramble to prepare for this momentus visit. Hijinks abound and before too long, (spoiler alert) Mt. Vesuvius decides to steal focus.

Pompeii and Circumstance is not exactly a farce, but feels more in line with Clerical Error’s penchant for Vaudeville. The cast is likeable, consisting of David Malloy, Kate Duffy, Blake Mellencamp, MaryAnne Matthews, Stacey Long, Tracy Herring, Bryan Ball, Manny Casillas, and an especially delightful Trick Blanchfield. All the performers have their moments and are eager to please, though the show more often drags when it should fly. Mellencamp’s entrances are a delight, (and he is also the playwright).

Clerical Error Production’s Pompeii and Circumstance runs at Mass Avenue’s District Theater on August 24, 26, and September 1 and 2. Performance times vary and are available, along with ticket information, at the Fringe page https://indyfringe.org/festival

IndyFringe 2023: “More Stories to be Told: Tasty Bits Too”

reviewed by Adam Crowe

In recent years, my Fringing has been pretty much along the lines of more scripted fare. How nice it was to get a chance to see a real showman ply his craft. Indianapolis’ own Taylor Martin can be seen this year in a show titled More Stories to be Told: Tasty Bits Too – a delicious mix of war stories and magic from the career of a Fringe mainstay.

Martin is a late addition to this year’s line-up, jumping in with little notice when another performer got an out of town break that he couldn’t refuse. Martin has performed in nearly every Indy Fringe since it started, and has had a career full of funny and amazing experiences and encounters that he shares with his audience, sprinkling in some amazing magic tricks to boot. I can’t think of a more genuine IndyFringe experience than seeing Taylor Martin

More Stories to be Told: Tasty Bits Too appears on the District Cabaret Stage on August 20, 26, and 27th. Performance times vary and are available at the Fringe Page under the Magic category at https://indyfringe.org/festival

You can also read a terrific interview with Taylor here: https://www.wfyi.org/news/articles/indy-magic-mainstay-reappears-at-indy-fringe-festival-2023

IndyFringe 2023: “That’s Hot”

reviewed by Adam Crowe

There’s seismac activity on the Cabaret Stage at the District Theatere. Playwrights Haley Glickman and Matt Kraft have contained it and titled it That’s Hot. A comedic look at a relationship forged through vulcanology, That’s Hot has only a whisp of a story, but the fiery (sorry) performances of Glickman and Matthew Walls sustain and entertain the audience wholly!

As married Vulcanologists (NOT geologists!), Walls and Glickman are smart, funny and playful as a couple disecting their relationship on the edge of a volcano. It’s not Brecht, but that’s probably a plus. That’s Hotkept the audience involved and amused. A great fit for a Fringe Festival.

That’s Hotruns on the Mass Avenue District Theater Cabaret Stage on August 25, 26, 31, and September 3. Direction is by Dani Lopez-Roque, with stage assistance from Aaron Henze and Ariel Laukins.

Performance times vary and are available at the Fringe Page: https://indyfringe.org/festival/theatre/

IndyFringe 2023: “Being Rob Johansen”

reviewed by Adam Crowe

Defiance Comedy has had a number of successful shows in the Indianapolis Fringe Festival through the years. Sadly, this year is the first time I am able to catch one. Being Rob Johansen is this year’s entry and is playing at The-Building-Formerly-Known-as-TOTS. If you like Defiance’s work – you probably already have your ticket. You’re not likely to be disappointed. For the rest of us . . .

The show is a dizzying, frenetic spoof, all at the expense of local actor Rob Johansen. Lucky for Defiance, Rob is willing to play along, as they take equal parts “A Christmas Carol” and “Being John Malkovich” to tell a tale of an actor who lets himself get so lost in his own renown that he loses all balance and is ruled by insecurity. If you are unaware of Rob or his career here in Indy, some of the jokes will whiz right past you.

Lots of Fringe shows can feel like “inside baseball”; this one turns that dial up to “11”. But if you recognize the name and appreciate humor that frequently dwells in the genital area, this show will reward you and then some!

Defiance Comedy’s Being Rob Johansen runs at Mass Avenue’s District Theater on August 19, 26, and 27, and September 1 and 2. Besides the titular Mr. Johansen, the cast includes Clay Mabbitt, Emily Bohannon, John Kern, Meg McClane, Milo Ellis, and Brittany Magee, (Ben Rockey will join them next weekend). Directing and writing credits go to Matt Kramer, Molly North, Robin Kildall, and Rachelle Martin.

Performance times vary and are available at the Fringe Page: http://www.indyfringe.org/festival

“Play by Play” at District Theatre for IndyFringe

reviewed by Larry Adams

“(God) exists out of time. It really messes with our DVR.”

The IndyFringe Theatre Festival is a lively experience in the downtown area each summer. Cramming 285 performances by over 400 entertainers onto just six stages over three weeks is almost as impressive logistically as it is artistically, but it offers patrons a unique opportunity to experience a wide variety of genres in a fun, compact and well-organized setting. It’s been nine years since I had the opportunity to produce and perform in a Fringe show, so it was with a bit of nostalgia that I entered the District Mainstage auditorium this afternoon to watch Play by Play, a collection of “Tiny Little Plays” by award-winning (and fairly recent Indianapolis resident) Mark Harvey Levine. Produced for IndyFest by Clerical Error Productions, it features the talents (and I do mean talents) of Bryan Ball, Adam Crowe, Tracy Herring, T.J. O’Neil, Talor Ray and Michelle Wafford.

Loosely held together by the running gag of some sort of sporting event, the sixteen scenes run the gamut from, as the Fringe website states, comedy to drama to science fiction- but the emphasis here, with the exception of one particularly sad but sweet entry, is clearly on comedy. There are fish. And psychics. And nanobots. And it works. Really well.

Mr. Levine has done something remarkable here with his script. Somehow, within the limitation of each 2 to 4 minute “play,” he has managed to create genuine, believable, three-dimensional people, as well as relationships and original plots that feel real despite their obvious absurdities. The premise of each scene is communicated naturally and organically in the dialogue, avoiding the need for a ponderous exposition dump to set it up, and the humor is sharp and well-crafted. But it’s not all jokes. The playwright also offers some moments of real poignancy that are likely to stay with you long after the final curtain. Juggling both emotional extremes with such finesse, it’s clear why Mr. Levine is an internationally produced talent.

Bryan Ball and Adam Crowe in a scene from “Play by Play”

No matter the genius of the script, however, comedy can be a difficult thing to translate to the stage. It requires a director with an innate sense of timing, as well as the ability to reign in the tendency of the typical actor (or maybe that’s just me) to take it too far. Fortunately, the direction here, by Jon Lindley, is tight and right on-target. The laughs come and the scenes move on before the audience has a chance to drift, while the more thoughtful moments linger just enough to reach the heart without becoming sappy or maudlin.

Mr. Lindley would no doubt admit, however, that he is helped along by a truly fantastic cast. Honestly, there’s not a weak link in the bunch. If you held my feet to the fire, I’d have to give top honors this afternoon to Ms. Herring, purely on the basis of her portrayal in a segment called “A Birthday Party;” however, every single actor here has such strong turns in other scenes that such a call is nearly impossible and close to meaningless. These folks are all blessed with exquisite comic timing and natural delivery. Their pacing is on the money, and, most importantly, they understand the subtleties of acting that are essential to selling both comedy and drama.

A final quick round of kudos goes to lighting and sound. Both expertly walk the fine line between adding to the production and distracting from it.

If I had to quibble (and journalistically I figure that has to be at least a small part of my job), I’d point to that perennial nemesis of live theater, an occasional volume issue from a few of the actors in some of the softer areas of dialogue. In addition, a couple of skits (whoops, I mean “plays”) don’t land as well as the rest: one about the Loch Ness Monster, though not without its laughs, felt a little light in the final analysis, and a piece on Jesus as a young boy treads down some already pretty well-worn comedic paths. But my most significant beef with the show is that the over-arching sports theme of the playwright’s script really doesn’t work for me. I suspect Mr. Levine intended his use of a referee (and a “director”) between scenes to give some sort of continuity to the show, as well as to cover the transitions, but the set changes here are so minimal that such a contrivance is really not necessary, and in this case it actually slows down the process without adding much to the production. Brief, musical interludes would have been enough.

But the problem goes beyond just the scene changes. The whole sporting event gimmick gives off the feeling of having been thoroughly done before, and all the old sports cliches and metaphors used as punchlines in a couple of scenes just seem a bit too easy. Not that they aren’t, in the end, funny, or that the actors delivering them don’t do their jobs well; on the contrary, Bryan Ball and Adam Crowe are pitch-perfect in their portrayal of stereotypical TV sports announcers. But in the end, it simply doesn’t rise to the level of wit and originality so clearly evidenced in literally all other aspects of this show. Leave the sports theme in, and the show seems slightly uneven; drop it, and you lose nothing.

As for the negatives, though, that’s really it. And the strength of the rest of the script combined with the tight direction and wonderful performances earn this show more than enough goodwill to overlook any slight deficiencies in either. Nobody’s perfect.

Bottom line: The Indy Fringe Festival is a valuable addition to the Indy art scene, offering a multitude of shows in diverse genres for patrons to enjoy- and Play by Play is (I’ll resist the somewhat hypocritical urge to write “a home run”) likely one of the best of the best this year. Make the trip downtown to experience some of the top creativity and talent Indy has to offer in Play by Play.

Get more info about IndyFringe 2022 at https://indyfringe.org/festival/

• – photo provided by Clerical Error Productions

Cast for “Calder – The Musical”

Klein & Alvarez Productions, LLC proudly announces the cast of “Calder,The Musical.”

Alexander Calder-Logan Moore
Thalia the Muse/Narrator-Maggie Held
Young “Sandy” Calder-Mitchell Wray/ Ian Gamble
Peggy Calder-Jordan Pecar/Piper Murphy
Louisa Calder-Virginia Vought
Nanette Calder/Ensemble-Emily McDuffee
Stirling Calder/Piet Mondrian/Ensemble-Jake McDuffee
Zelda Fitzgerald/Dancer/Ensemble-Chelsea Anderson
Josephine Baker/Dancer/Ensemble-Ashley Saunders
Gertrude Stein/NYC Times Editor/Dancer/Ensemble-Christa Runion
Dancer/ensemble/Trapeze Artist/Acrobat-Erin Fiandt

Congratulations to all of the cast members! And remember the show dates for the IndyFringe production of this brand new show will be Aug. 18th-28th 2016.

Addendum: I just wanted to add some important info and clarification given to me by Tom Alvarez, who is the lyricist for this show. – First of all, the dates above are the dates for the 2016 IndyFringe and of course every Fringe show gets a total of 6 shows during those dates – Calder’s  six dates are TBA. Also, I am pleased to note this: Tom informed me that Klein and Alvarez Productions is planning a full-length offering of “Calder – The Musical” – date and venue info is also TBA.

Even more on “Calder, the Musical”

Here is a second, more thorough “press release” from Klein & Alvarez Productions, which is putting together a new musical which will be a part of the 2016 IndyFringe next August and will subsequently be produced as a full-blown musical production sometime in the future. I wrote about this event in a previous post: here.

“Klein & Alvarez Productions” will be holding open auditions for roles in our original musical production of “Calder, the Musical!” It is based on the life of artist and sculptor, Alexander Calder, and how he brought art to life. This show will bring his many imaginative works to life onstage through dance and song while also depicting his life.
Auditions: Theatre on the Square on Mass Avenue
*Saturday March 19th from 10 AM to 4PM and on Sunday March 20th 10 AM-4PM. Dance 2-4 PM
*Monday March 21st 6 to 8 pm.

Show dates: Indy Fringe Theatre Fest Aug. 18th-28th, 2016.

Go to http://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0a4daeaf2fa1fa7-calder to reserve a spot.

We are looking for:
*Alexander “Sandy” Calder-(7 to 10 yrs old approx.)
*Alexander Calder-Adult version (20s to early 40s)
*Louisa Calder-Calder’s wife (20s to 30s)
*Peggy Calder-sister (8 to 14)
*Calliope the Muse/Narrator-comic role, woman or man (any age)
*Monsieur Marquis-Ringmaster of the Circus-(any age)
*Stirling Calder-Calder Father (30’s-50s)
*Nanette Calder-Calder’s Mother (30s-50s)
*6 Dancers/Singers/Actors (Ensemble) (Choreography by Mariel Greenlee) Musical theatre, jazz, tap dancing, modern
We will also be paying all actors and dancers.
*Dance Auditions from 2 to 4 PM

*Please have a short monologue that shows off your acting ability and a short 1 to 2 minute song to sing. Resume or head shots also are welcome if you have them.
Character Descriptions:
*Young Alexander Calder-“Sandy” (7 to 10 years old) -Little bit eccentric, bright, sings, cute kid, talented, passionate, imaginative, curious, likes to tinker and build in his workshop with wire and found materials, is bullied for being so ‘different.” Solo song and ensemble

*Alexander Calder-(adult male-20s to 40s in age) Baritone/low tenor lead singing voice (many songs), charismatic, artistic, colorful, dresses in red often, the same traits as Sandy the boy, “a big kid,” ambitious, free spirited, sometimes given to mumbling his thoughts, playful, driven, creates art when faced with hardships, a ton of a man, handsome, dark features, average build.This character sings the most songs. He creates a world of art that serves as the theme of the show, the power of imagination, and to create a world without evil, his aim is to use art to promote peace, hope, and harmony in an often troubled and dark world.

*Louisa Calder-Alexander’s wife-20s to early 40s in age) Elegant, beautiful woman, dresses very chic, sweet, supports Alexander, his ‘rock’ in a way, plays the accordion, fun loving. She also sings a few songs, one duet with Alexander, alto or soprano range.

*Calliope” the Muse-(20s to 40s in age) (male or female) more alto/belty range singing role, she is brassy, comedic, sarcastic, campy, and serves as the narrator. She sings in many songs and helps to carry the story along with her physical humor.. Many solos and part of the ensemble numbers.

*Peggy Calder-(7 to 13 years old) Alexander’s older sister, sings, sweet, protective of her brother, Sandy makes art for her when they are children. She is always there for him. Solos and part of the ensemble numbers.

^Monsieur/Madame Marquis the Ringmaster-Dances/Sings (male or female) (20s to 40s in age) Sings a few songs/solos, and is featured in the jazzy circus number, “That’s For Sure.” Mysterious, sexy, jazzy, intriguing, a showman, host of the party character. Also part of ensemble and will double as other roles in disguise.

*”Rigolout” the Strong Man-(20s to early 40s) -male, sings, baritione or tenor range, sexy, good physique, dashing, showman, also might include some dancing in group, production numbers. Mainly ensemble role.

*Nanette Calder- (20’s to 40’s) in age) Alexander’s mother, a painter, sweet-loving woman that supports her son and his artistic attributes. alto or soprano range-sings a few songs, ensemble also.

*Stirling Calder-Alexander’s father (20s to 40s in age) -Also artistic, he is a sculptor, struggling artist early on, but fairly successful later in life. He supports his son, strong personality, but wants him to become something rational, a mechanical engineer. baritone or low tenor range, sings with Nanette and ensemble.

*Ensemble Dancers/Singers will serve as chorus as well and smaller needed roles. (Many of these roles will be used for the full production later in 2016, not Fringe Festival. Fringe festival will consist of a cast of approx. 12 cast members. Many ensembles roles will be doubled or shared. Must be versatile. Strong actor/singer/dancers.

Minor and Ensemble Roles:

Pablo PIcasso

Zelda Fitgerald

Josephine Baker

Gerturde Stein

Marcel Duchamp

Calamity the Clown

Lion Tamer

Pierre

Jaques

Bella the Café Owner

Museum Curator

Ship Engineer/Big Boss

Newspaper Editor

Ringling Brothers-John and Charles

Bearded Lady

Museum Exhibit Guests

Keep an eye out for this upcoming happening: a new musical!

I feel compelled to write about a conversation I had at IRT the other night with an old acquaintance of mine, Tom Alvarez. As we chatted in the cabaret just before seeing The Mystery of Irma Vep, Tom told me about a project he is working on – a new musical which will be presented as a short one hour piece at next summer’s IndyFringe. The plan is to subsequently expand that into a full length Broadway style musical for later production.

This new musical is being put together under the working title “Calder: The Musical” and Tom is collaborating on the project with a musician friend,  Dustin Klein, who joined our conversation later. They both spoke excitedly about the process of creating a show which includes forming a corporation, finding funding, plans for work-shopping the project as well as having an upcoming appearance on WISH-TV 8’s morning program Indy Style next Thursday (2/21/16) at 9 am.

Dustin Klein (right) and Tom Alvarez, collaborators of “Calder: The Musical”

A little about the subject matter – Alexander Calder, the American sculptor known as the originator of the mobile and other mechanized pieces originally worked as a mechanical engineer, but he had a life-changing experience aboard a ship which launched him into his remarkable and prolific artistic career. The musical intends to bring his life in art to life as art.

It won’t be until March that any opportunity for local performers will become available when auditions for the work-shop version of the show are held. I understand that from this working cast, the cast for the local premiere of the show will likely be formed. I’ll try to keep you informed – stay tuned.

PS – you can read more about the project here and here .

Photo by Crowes Eye Photography

“The Dealer Smiles” at IndyFringe

reviewed by Ken Klingenmeier

Last evening, Mrs K and I made our second rare trek out to Mass Ave’s theatre district to take in our friends, Larry Adams and Jaime Johnson, in their play – The Dealer Smiles at IndyFringe. My regular readers may recall that I caught wind of a version of this show over a year ago in June 2012, when I finally watched a video of the show which the playwright had sent me, (https://asota.wordpress.com/2012/06/22/the-dealer-smiles-a-play-by-larry-adams/) and was struck by it’s form and message. The same readers may also recall the successful run the show had at Westfield Playhouse earlier this year, which I wrote about last April (https://asota.wordpress.com/2013/04/20/the-dealer-smiles-at-westfield-playhouse/). Seeing it live, shared with other audience members, was a treat and a revelation.

After the Westfield show, the guys planned on expanding the show, reworking some of the angles and ideas, and taking it to IndyFringe 13. Between last April and now, the freshened script was written and rewritten, rehearsals took place, and I was honored to be asked to be included as a sort of ad hoc director, to help stage and iron out the production. All the hard work has certainly paid off.

Last night’s opening show took place before a full house at the Theatre on the Square’s smaller venue (so “sold out” = 50+ audience members) and was a solid success. The piece has grown into an especially smart, very funny, sensitive and moving offering. I realize that I have lost my objectivity now that I have had a hand in this production, but I must say – Larry Adams (who, when he is not writing plays or performing in one, is a family physician in Zionsville) has written an extremely compelling play – taking on mammoth-sized ideas about life, death, the here-after, God, and our relationship to him, and has packaged it in such an appealing, concise, entertaining and mind-sharpening script – I feel I cannot tout it, and this production of it, strongly enough. EVERYONE should see it. I hope all the many fringers who took a chance seeing this show last night will provide the word-of-mouth advertising enthusiasm that this show deserves.

Jaime Johnson (left in both photos) and Larry Adams star in “The Dealer Smiles” at INDYFRINGE13

Jaime Johnson is especially adroit in the role of Josh, a man in a Spiderman shirt who wants you to believe he is the Christ. His comic skills, with wonderful body language and facial expressions, fill the character and make him the unlikeliest of saviors. Larry, as the recently divorced Matt, is a wonderful foil for Jaime’s talents, while adding his own well-honed approach to the role, especially in the dramatic side of the story. The result is a well-balanced and, dare I say again, enlightening experience for the audience.

My truest hope is that this show will be recognized for what it is, and will be featured by other reviewers as a highlight of this year’s edition of IndyFringe. I hope YOU will take the time to go experience this show.

The Dealer Smiles continues with 5 more showings. They are scheduled:
Sunday, Aug 18 – 7:30pm
Tuesday, Aug 20 – 9:00pm
Thursday, Aug 22 – 7:30pm
Saturday, Aug 24 – 4:30pm
Sunday, Aug 25 -1:30pm
All tickets are $10 and are available at the door. Advance tickets are available by going to http://www.indyfringe.org and pre-ordering them (a service charge is added on). All audience members must make a one-time $5 purchase of a “backer-button” which is good for the duration of the festival.

“Flowers and Other F-words” at Fringe 2012

reviewed by Ken Klingenmeier

Alright, confession: I am not a Fringer – not a goer or a doer. I am certain that there is a lot of worthwhile activity which takes place there, but in my personal theatre persona there is not room for the oft-profane, leftward leaning, self-indulging festive of “anything goes”. I am not a truly “anything goes” type of guy – I am filtered, and I am comfortable being what I am, especially theatrically speaking.

So, it was a large deal for me to venture out last night, with Mrs. K at my side, to attend our first Fringe show, the offering of my longtime friends, Larry Haworth (whom I have worked onstage with and as a director of in 7 shows since 1999) and Amy Pettinella (whom I have known since 2003, when she joined an “Oral Interpretation” class I was teaching as an aspiring writer who hoped for a voice for her pieces).

Their Fringe play, Flowers and Other F-words, is a collection of vignettes, performed by Haworth, directed by Pettinella and written by both, concerned with the many sides of a man. The pieces range from an angry man’s stirring visit to his long-gone parents’ gravesite, to a regretful man’s visit to the Viet Nam Memorial to work out his feelings about courage and loss, to a proud grandfather’s visit to the grand-daughter he helped raise, on her 16th birthday. We also visit with a simple man, a man dreading a disclosure and a man of retirement age facing the prospect of a proposal. It is a good variety of circumstances to spend an hour with, and Haworth does a wonderful job with the tasks of the one-man show, a difficult genre to be sure. Difficult because you are up on stage alone, with no one else’s energy to feed on, no one to help untie your tongue or no one to help create the imagination that is theatre.

Haworth is a very good actor – I have seen this firsthand many times and have held him in high esteem for it for many years. This is material he is very comfortable with, as a lot of it, though not all, is biographical. The first piece, Good vs. God, especially seemed so – from what I have gleaned about his past from many conversations over the years. So, the emotions seemed genuine and collected from his reality – method, almost.

But I sensed a little difficulty on Haworth’s part with allowing enough emotion out of himself in that first piece and I felt this was the product of two things: One – the room he played in, the smallish Theatre On The Square Stage II, where too strong a portrayal could ring off the walls and possibly damage patrons’ eardrums, seems confining. There was a kind of restricted display in Good vs. God when the deep regrets of a tightly restricted childhood and parental outlook turned to anger. This room could have, I think, created the hold-back feeling in that part of the performance.

Second – the very choice of said emotion being loud and ringing  if given full force seems to enhance the issue. Pettinella and Haworth might have changed this choice to a more centered and core-held emotional display which would have carried the day and allowed for a truer subsequent collecting of self, which is what I think was the specific untrue moment.

This is one of the few things I saw that seemed a problem in conveying the emotions of a man, in this case driven to expunge his locked up feelings about his father’s choices and his mother’s angst. The other 5 vignettes played true, with emotion correctly placed. And there are a ton of emotions in the pieces.

The piece as a whole is, I think, a triumph for Haworth/Pettinella. It explores a full range of a man’s challenges in a very universal way. It brings to light the side of a man and his life that is often not dealt with in this format. And I must say that it seems a tremendous move forward thematically for Ms. Pettinella, who has a continuing spectrum of themes to explore now that she has made a departure from female-angst-centered themes. I look forward to her upcoming Almost Heaven at Indy Fringe Theatre in November.

Flowers and Other F-words continues at the FringeFest Saturday and Sunday, August 27 and 28 at 3pm and 10:30pm, respectively. I urge you to attend and not miss an opportunity to see solid writing, performed by a gifted actor.