Weekly View » Phoenix Theatre

“One Man, Two Guvnors” at the Phoenix

Weekly View — Thu, 10 Sep 2015 05:09:56 +0000

INDIANAPOLIS — Phoenix Theatre of Indianapolis announces the Indiana Premiere of One Man, Two Guvnors opening Sept. 24 on the Steve and Livia Russell Stage. This production runs through October 18, with Rich Rand serving as director.
With seven 2012 Tony Award nominations, Richard Bean’s One Man, Two Guvnors is a glorious celebration of British comedy: a unique, laugh-out-loud play chock full of songs, slapstick and glittering one-liners. Fired from his skiffle band, Francis Henshall becomes guardian to Roscoe Crabbe, a small-time East End hood, but Roscoe is really his sister Rachel posing as her own dead brother, who’s been killed by her boyfriend Stanley Stubbers. Francis takes a second job with one Stanley Stubbers, who is hiding from the police and waiting to be reunited with Rachel. To prevent discovery, Francis must keep his two guvnors apart. Elaborate hijinks ensue.
The cast includes Nathan Robbins, Rob Johansen, Michael Hosp, Chelsea Anderson, Ben Rose, Chynna Fry, Bill Simmons, Tyler Ostrander, Jolene Moffatt, and John Goodson.
Tickets for One Man, Two Guvnors are on sale now. Tickets are $27 per person on Thurdays and Sundays, $33 per person on Fridays and Saturdays, and $20 for anyone 21 & under.During CheapSeats Weekend, September 24-27, all tickets are $20. Tickets for One Man, Two Guvnors may be purchased by calling the box office at 317-635-7529 or visiting phoenixtheatre.org. Curtain times for the production are: Thursdays at 7 p.m, Fridays at 8 p.m, Saturdays at 8 p.m, and Sundays at 2 p.m.

Applause!: April 17-24

Weekly View — Thu, 16 Apr 2015 05:08:13 +0000

CORRECTION AND CLARIFICATION: In last week’s article, “Irvington’s Community Space for Arts,” we forget to tell you exactly where the 5547 Project is located. It is at 5547 Bonna Ave. We regret the omission. Thank you to the many readers who called and asked where it was. We corrected it in our online edition (weeklyview.net).
• Indiana Repertory Theatre’s last show of the 2014-15 season is On Golden Pond, showing through May 10. This has been the IRT’s strongest season to date, and performances have been selling out. What you may not know is for every performance there is a prologue, or pre-show discussion, hosted by IRT staff and artists. The prologue begins 45 minutes before curtain and concludes 20 minutes before curtain. They will also have a special Mother’s Day Brunch before the May 10 performance at 11:30 (show begins at 2 p.m.). Tickets are $25-$59 depending on times and dates. Call 635-5252 or visit www.irtlive.com for more information.
• Road construction on Ritter south of Ellenberger Park that prohibits southbound traffic from the Parkway to Washington St. is creating many headaches for drivers — and residents who are reporting increased traffic on side streets. Please be safe when driving — or walking and biking — on the streets around the construction zone.
• The Phoenix Theatre has always been the place for innovative productions, and their World Premiere of Typhoid Mary opening April 30 and running through May 24 promises to deliver another thought-provoking theatre experience. Written by Tom Horan, the show tells the story of Mary Mallon, the cook who became known as “Typhoid Mary.” The show stars Lauren Briggeman, Jolene Moffatt, and Ben Asaykwee. Following the performance on Sunday, May 3, there will be a post-show discussion on the ethics of medical quarantine, and other modern-day issues of medical ethics raised within the play. The show is for adults only. Tickets are $27-$33. Call 635-7529 or through phoenixtheatre.org.
• This year’s Bike to School Day will take place on May 6. Last year’s national Bike to School Day attracted 2,200 schools. National Bike to School Day occurs in coordination with the League of American Bicyclist’s National Bike Month and builds off the momentum of the national Walk to School Day. Several schools around central Indiana participated, including the Center for Inquiry at School 84 in Indianapolis. There is still time for a school to register to participate. If you are interested, more information is available at www.walkbiketoschool.org.
• Thank you to all the hard-working volunteers on the east side who picked up trash on April 11. The Emerson Heights Cleanup Crew came out strong, as did Windsor Park and Little Flower. When good people come together, good things are bound to happen!

Applause!: Dec. 12-19

Weekly View — Thu, 11 Dec 2014 06:08:11 +0000

• Despite the cold rain on Dec. 5, the Irvington Holiday Open House put on by the Irvington Merchant’s Association saw a nice turnout. Thank you to the merchants and shoppers who made it a success!
• EclecticPond, the east side’s classic works troupe, recently announced they will have a new home in the Irvington Coal Factory. They will be leasing 2,800 square feet in the facility, allowing them to develop a new black-box theatre. In the meantime, EclecticPond will hold their 2014-2015 performances at the Irvington United Methodist Church, 30 N. Audubon. Their next production is 10 x 10, which opens Jan. 10 for two weekends — go see this unique production of 10 of Shakespeare’s plays given the 10 minute treatment. Tickets are only $10, and available online at http://etc10x10.bpt.me/
• East Village Business Owners and ReCycle Force are holding a near east E-Cycle Collection Drive on Sat., Dec. 13 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the curb at 1825/1827 E. New York St. Old electronics (toys, lamps, toasters, cordless phones, modems, printers, keyboards, monitors, TVs, etc.) for safe and eco-friendly recycling.
• Join your neighbors at the The Benton House, Monday December 15th at 7 p.m. for a spirited reading of the classic Christmas tale, A Christmas Carol, adapted from the 1942 Basil Rathbone radio play. Violin and rattling chains accompany the voices of Scrooge, Marley, and more in the parlor of the beautifully restored Benton House, built in 1873. The event is sponsored by Bookmamas and is free. The Benton House is located at 312 S. Downey Ave. in Irvington.
• Once again, there seems to be a rash of burglaries from garages and cars on the east side, especially in Emerson Heights and Irvington neighborhoods. Thieves are looking for unlocked cars, homes and garages — crimes of opportunity. If you see suspicious people, please call 9-1-1 with descriptions of vehicles or persons. The police can only be in so many places — we can help be their eyes and ears. You can remain anonymous by telling the dispatcher up front that you don’t want to divulge your name.
• The Phoenix Theatre recently received a National Endowment for the Arts grant to support their “Heritage” series of three plays by or about artists of color. The three part series includes River City by Diana Grisanti, Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea by Nathan Alan Davis, and a new play with music based on Mexican folk tales, to be developed by the Phoenix and presented in English and Spanish in November of 2015. The Phoenix does some ground-breaking theatre; visit them at www.phoenixtheatre.org for current shows and tickets.
• The Alternative Gift Fair, now in its third year, will be held Dec. 13 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Irving Theatre, 5505 E. Washington St. Lots of local, handcrafted gifts for everyone on your list. Admission is free.

Fall Theater & Art Season Gets Underway

Ethel Winslow — Thu, 29 Aug 2013 05:11:32 +0000

Exhausting. Exhilarating. Provocative. Those are a few words that linger after a marathon of IndyFringe13 attendance where I saw 30 shows (Paula saw 35, because I was down for the count on Saturday) over 11 days. Thirteen was a lucky number for Fringe this year, where they saw record-breaking attendance, and a 16 percent increase in ticket sales. Of the five top-grossing shows, four of them were local productions: ShadowApe, Three Dollar Bill Comedy, NoExit Performance, and Dance Kaleidoscope. Indianapolis audiences are clearly hungry for quality, locally produced productions.
September is the traditional start for the theater season. To get a preview of what the Indiana Repertory Theatre season, they will be hosting an Open House on Sept. 5 at 5 p.m. They will offer guided tours back stage and in the costume and scene shops. Upcoming shows at the IRT include The Crucible from Sept. 17-Oct. 13, An Iliad from Oct. 16-Nov. 16, A Christmas Carol from Nov. 16-Dec. 24. Dance Kaleidoscope will perform at the IRT Oct. 24-27 with “New Dimensions” and “American Rhapsody” Jan. 9-12. Season tickets are available, as well as single tickets. Visit www.irtlive.com for information about prices, discounts, and more. The theater is located at 140 W. Washington St. Call 635-5252 to order tickets and get show times.
The Phoenix Theatre will host eight more performances of Love, Loss and What I Wore Sept. 5-15 from their 2012-13 season before moving on to Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, the Tony award winning play Sept. 19-Oct. 20. The Phoenix is known for bringing high-quality contemporary theater to its space. They are located at 749 N. Park Ave. Call 635-2381 or visit www.phoenixtheatre.org for a full line-up of plays and ticket prices.
Buck Creek Players at 1150 Southeastern Ave. is celebrating 40 years of quality productions this year, and kicking off the 2013-14 season with the comedy Rumors Sept. 27-Oct. 6. They’ll follow it with The Little Town of Christmas Dec. 6-22. Tickets range from $18-$16 depending on the production. Visit www.buckcreekplayers.com or call 862-2270 for more information.
Epilogue, a small community theater doing good work will open their 2013 season with Getting the Gold, a story about 80 year old Cammy Cobb and a murder. Shows begin Sept. 6 and run through the 22nd. Curtain times are 7:30 p.m. for Friday and Saturday shows, and 2 p.m. for Sunday shows. Reservations are required; call 926-3139 or e-mail epilogue.players@yahoo.com for more information. In November, they will feature Bubble Gum & Bobby Socks.
Q Artistry is bringing back Cabaret Poe, the full-scale musical based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe, for this October for the 4th year. Tickets go on sale Sept. 1. The show sells out fast, so be sure you make reservations as soon as possible by calling 677-5317 or visiting qartistry.org. They perform at the Irvington Lodge, 5515 E. Washington St.
EclecticPond, which also performs at the Irvington Lodge, will kick off their 2013-14 season with Shakespeare’s R&J, which was originally created for student audiences. Shows will run Sept. 13-28. Contact them at 207-2080 or visit them online at eclecticpond.org for a full schedule. They’ll revisit the very popular (and funny) 10×10 Dec. 27-Jan. 4.
Mud Creek Players on the northeast side of town will start the theater season off with Shakespeare in Hollywood Sept.13-28. Visit www.mudcreekplayers.com or call 290-5343 for ticket information. Mud Creek has been around for about 60 years; they are located at 9740 E. 86th St.
In Beech Grove, the Spotlight Players have been making a name for themselves. They’ll be presenting Torch Song Trilogy Oct. 10-20 at the theater located at 524 E. Main St. Shows are at 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays and 2:30 p.m. on Sundays. Tickets are $15 general admission. Call 767-2774 or visit www.spotlight-players.org for more information.

Stanley Sees Kay’s Look: Stanley Banks (Jeff Stockberger) realizes how happy his daughter Kay (Lisa Ermel) is as she talks to her fiancé in Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre’s production of Father of the Bride, now on stage through Sept. 29.

Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre is currently presenting Father of the Bride through Sept. 29. Now in its 40th year, Beef & Boards offers comedies and musicals throughout the year, all accompanied by dinner buffet. Beef & Boards also offers children’s programming, including Winnie the Pooh from Oct. 11-Nov. 9. The next adult offering will be Les Miserable, beginning Oct. 4 and running until Nov. 24. Beef & Boards tickets range from $37.50-$62.50 and include the buffet. Discounts are available for children and groups of 20 or more. The theatre is located at 9301 N. Michigan Rd. Call 872-9664 or visit www.beefandboards.com for more information about their upcoming season or for ticket availability.