Indy Theatre Habit

On Saturday night I drove to the northwest side of Indy to the Pike Performing Arts Center to see the Actors Theatre of Indiana’s production of “The World Goes Round: The Songs of Kander & Ebb.”  This revue was conceived by Scott Ellis, Susan Stroman, and David Thompson, and directed by ATI’s c0-founder and Producing Artistic Director, Don Farrell.  The show closed on Sunday, so this review won’t help you decide whether or not to go see it, but I want to record some thoughts about it anyway. 

The show was a lovely, creative mix of familiar and unfamiliar songs.

I had never heard of John Kander (music) or Fred Ebb (lyrics) before but this show made me realize that I know a lot of their songs.  I bet you know a lot of them, too.  Every Hoosier who has ever gone to New York on business has sung “Start spreading the news…I’m leaving today…” to friends and family members at some point while packing her (or his) suitcase, for example.  And who hasn’t sung “Maybe This Time” to herself (or himself) on the way home from an enjoyable first date or job interview?  It was fun to hear and see the familiar songs professionally and freshly interpreted.

I also enjoyed being introduced to songs that were new to me.   The jittery “Coffee in a Cardboard Box” was hilarious, for example.  The whole show made me want to see, or see again, the shows from which the songs originally came.

This show also got me thinking about professional theatre in general. 

You know from reading my blog, I hope, that I love and respect community (volunteer) theatre as much as I do professional theatre.  However, there is a difference in overall quality most of the time.  

Indy has, I think (somebody please correct me if I’m wrong!), five professional theatre companies in addition to ATI.  They are: the Indiana Repertory Theatre, aka the IRT; the Phoenix Theatre; Beef&Boards Dinner Theatre; Heartland Actors Repertory Theatre, aka HART; and ShadowApe Theatre Company.

Each of these six professional companies fills a unique and important niche here.  I.e. - they are not all trying to be professional in the way that Broadway theatres are professional.  I am glad for the variety and I wouldn’t want to give up any of them.  I hope they all continue to thrive.

That said, on Sunday night I kept thinking, “I bet this is what a professional show on Broadway is like: very well done and with a BIG presence.”  I have never actually been to a Broadway show.  I was surprised to learn recently that most Broadway theatres in New York are huge, like the Pike Performing Arts Center.

In his curtain talk, director Don Farrell said that this was ATI’s fourth season and that by 2010 they hope to be established in a permanent home as the resident professional theatre company in Carmel, Indiana’s new Performing Arts Center, just north of Indy. 

I think that will be a tipping point for ATI.  People will always know where to find them, and the 500-seat theatre will be just the right size for a professional, Broadway-like company in Indiana. 

(By the way, for comparison’s sake: the IRT’s main stage space seats approximately 600.  I don’t think of the IRT as “Broadway-like,” however.  Hmm.  I can see that one of these days I am going to have to go back to New York and see some shows!  Or at least buy a ticket or two to the Broadway shows that tour Indy.)

I say this about the size because I overheard a woman say to her companion during intermission at the show Saturday night, ”This is so good!  I wish there were more people here!”

Her comment surprised me because, good heavens, there were at least 200 people in the audience!  That is not too shabby for a show that didn’t even feature anyone’s children!  But I guess the crowd felt small to her because the Pike Performing Arts Center can seat 1,450 people.  I bet ATI will easily fill a 500-seat theatre in 2010, especially as more and more people find out about the caliber of their shows.

Farrell and his associates are doing their best to get the word out now.  On Saturday night, Farrell told us that if we loved the show, we could bring our ticket to him afterwards to be stamped and signed.  Then, if we came back with a stamped-and-signed ticket stub and a paying friend on Sunday, we could see the show again for free. 

I did love the show, and if I hadn’t already had plans on Sunday, I would have gone back, confidently dragging a friend and splitting the cost of his or her ticket.

The ensemble consisted of three women (ATI’s resident choreographer, Cynthia Collins; ATI’s artistic director, Judy Fitzgerald; and Melissa Schott) and two men (Duane McDevitt and Bradley Reynolds), all of whom are professional actors.  The director/stage manager/co-choreographer, Don Farrell, the scenic designer, Duane McDevitt, the sound designer/audio engineer, Aaron Harley, and the lighting designer, Gary W. DeMumbrum, are all members of Actors’ Equity Association.  In other words, they are professionals, too.

The musicians didn’t have Equity stars next to their names in the program, but their bios indicate that they, too, have been professionally trained and bring a wealth of professional experience to their work at ATI.  Their music was excellent.  Terry Woods was the musical director/pianist for this show.  Tammy Anderson played keyboard and Greg Wolff played percussion.  Most of the time they were behind the set, but we got to see them in action at the opening of Act Two and at the very end of the show when the back set piece rose to reveal them.

The whole set was flexible, in fact, with subtle layers and panels that slid in and out and up and down to enhance the features of each number while maintaining the visual integrity of the whole piece.  Some of the panels looked to be made of brick and were covered with movie posters.  Others were covered in words relating to the collaborative process: “friends,” “irony, “dazzle, “harmony,” “mischief, “hope,” “desire,” and more.  One panel gave a dictionary definition of collaboration, followed by “See ‘Kander and Ebb.’”    There were also five or six low levels of flooring. (Set constructed by McGuire Scenic, Inc.)

I already mentioned some of the numbers that I especially enjoyed, including Melissa Schott’s feisty rendition of “Maybe This Time.”  Here are just a few other highlights:

* Cynthia Collins’ and Duane McDevitt’s steamy dancing (choreography by Collins) in “Arthur” made me want to find a similar stress-reliever of my own.  Collins sang, ”I have my coffee in the morning, brandy in the evening, and Arthur in the afternoon” with a delightful smugness.

* Bradley Reynolds made me laugh out loud as he sang about being in love with “Sara Lee”…the coffee cake maker!  This number included an appearance of the three female cast members dressed in outfits that included red boas and Sara Lee packages on their hats. (Costumes designed by…I can’t tell from the program who designed the costumes for the show, but they were all funny and/or elegant.  The choreography for this number was by both Farrell and Collins.)

* Duane McDevitt’s deep, powerful voice gave me chills as he sang “Kiss of the Spiderwoman” surrounded by cobwebs made of light.

* “Colored Lights” was a new song for me.  Judy Fitzgerald’s rendition of it was both moving and funny.

* I could hardly believe my eyes when Reynolds and McDevitt started to actually roller skate during ”The Rink.”  They were joined by the women and then all five of them whizzed fearlessly in a chain around and around on the stage as they sang!  I am laughing again, remembering.  It was great.  (Choreography by Don Farrell.)

The ensemble’s jazzy interpretation of “Cabaret” was wonderful, too, and I laughed out loud again at the cleverness of the multi-lingual “New York, New York” at the end.

At intermission, I ran into Mark Szobody, Senior Director of Special Events for the Indiana History Center.  He told me that he had hired the ATI people to create a special Valentine’s show for the IHC earlier this year.   That show had been so well received that he has asked them to offer the show again as a New Year’s celebration at the IHC.

In the meantime, ATI’s next production will be a farce called “A Perfect Wedding.”  It will open on September 11, 2008, and offer a bit of light-heartedness on that somber day.  For more information about ATI, please call 317-669-7983.  To make reservations, please call the Pike Performing Arts Center box office at 317-216-5455.

Hope Baugh – www.IndyTheatreHabit.com