The Marriage Matinee - Page 6

It is a simple act to overlook those beneath you as you go about your daily life, eager to get to the next appointment or entertainment. All of this hubbub is a distraction from what goes on in the alleys and dark areas where you'd rather not look. But if you manage to 'look down,' you'll see and meet the indomitable spirit that is LES MISERABLES.

In the world of healthcare, the topic of insanity is often pushed into a corner and left to fester on its own. This sometimes sinister area of medicine can show both how much humanity we have and how little is left in us when confronted with the frailty of others. These deep and dark subjects permeate The Belfry Theatre's production of ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST.

When the name Jane Austen is bandied about, one does not necessarily think slapstick comedy. However, somehow Kate Hamill has adapted SENSE AND SENSIBILITY to be a vehicle for uproarious laughter, to the delight of the audiences at the Booth Tarkington Civic Theatre in Carmel.

'Tis the season for merriment and general jollity, and both are guaranteed when you take your seat for JANE LYNCH, A SWINGIN' LITTLE CHRISTMAS at The Cabaret, housed in Cook Theater at the Indiana Landmarks building. And both the setting and the art form lent themselves to an evening of food, music, and genuine laughter.

This season of festivities feels incomplete without the iconic phrase, You'll shoot your eye out, kid! It would seem impossible to improve upon the cinematic genius that brought that phrase into vogue, but A CHRISTMAS STORY THE MUSICAL has proven that wrong.

With Thanksgiving barely being survived and a nutty Black Friday put behind me, it was time for the 25th (and final) A Beef & Boards Christmas!

Drawing from ethnic flavors of Latin music and the modern, 21st-century popular styles of rap and hip-hop, IN THE HEIGHTS, by Lin-Manuel Miranda and directed by Karin Stratton, tells the story of a close-knit group of friends in the Washington Heights.

Based on the 2004 movie and the 1998 play The Man Who Was Peter Pan, the musical Finding Neverland is definitely not without charm and some stage magic. The story at its core centers around the friendship of JM Barrie and a widowed mother of four boys.

If you are a fan of the cult classic film Ghost, you will enter the musical with high expectations. Luckily, you will not be disappointed because the musical includes the presence of all your favorite lines and the requisite sounds of Unchained Melody underlying some of the most tender moments of this love story. What I found surprising was the ease with which the stars of this cast took on the larger-than-life roles first portrayed by Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, and Whoopi Goldberg.

Academia. Culture. Anthropology. In-depth study. Research. Data collection. These hardly seem the buzz words for an impactful and insightful play, yet each of those weighty words holds sway in HUMAN RITES.

The Depression Era brings to mind vivid images of poverty, bread lines, and tent cities. However, one couple decided that they would turn this time of nothing into a time of plenty. Enter the dastardly villains of BONNIE AND CLYDE.

From the swish of the golden dresses to the silver zoot suits to the huge smiles of the Dreamettes, DREAMGIRLS at Footlite Musicals sure brought it last Friday night. DREAMGIRLS is a musical documenting the blood, sweat, and tears of a struggling girls group rise to the top of the charts and the positive/negative effects of showbiz mixed with some brilliant vocals.

Imagine an era full of raw energy, vivid passion, and a thirst, drive, and talent that is unparalleled in American musical history. This vibrant scene is revived in MOTOWN THE MUSICAL, an embodiment of a people's voice that speaks to the soul of America. It evokes its dreams and its drive, and the audience is not only a witness but a participant in this remembrance of a time when the sounds of pure talent were teeming from every radio.

If you have a fondness for frivolity, a love of all things irreverent, a strong like or dislike for Shakespeare, and a ready and willing laugh, you belong at the Booth Tarkington Civic Theatre's production of THE COMPLETE WORKS OF SHAKESPEARE (ABRIDGED).