Articles

Audiences behaving badly

It happened again on Sunday.

During an intensely delicate — and totally silent — moment in the Indiana Repertory Theatre’s production of “Rabbit Hole,” an audience member opted to unwrap a piece of candy. Not a get-it-over-with unwrapping, this process took…

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More schedule scoops

–Among the performers slated for the yet-to-be-announced 2009/10 Clowes Hall series of concerts: Jazz artist Joshua Redman on Sept. 19, Ballet Hispanico on Oct. 10, a big name country artist and former CMA Male Vocalist of the Year on Nov….

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Want to see Sondheim?

On Thursday, April 30, Stephen Sondheim will be discussing his career in an on-stage interview with NPR’s Scott Simon at IU Auditorium in Bloomington.

Yes, it’s the same Stephen Sondheim who wrote…

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Cultural road tripping

I spent a fair amount of yesterday at a meeting with representatives of tourism departments from around the state. Each touted his or her region’s attractions–from Lincoln Amphitheatre (back in action this year) to the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo,…

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‘Spotlight,’ the rally, and optimism

Times are tough, no question about it. But four events over the last few days conspired to put me in an optimistic mood about the future of the arts in Indy.

That feeling may pass, but for today–inspired by last night’s Spotlight…

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Review: ‘Most Happy Fella”

I’ll admit that expectations played a big part in my experience of Indiana University Opera’s production of Frank Loesser’s “The Most Happy Fella” (running through April 18).

Many, many listens to the cast recording of the original 1956 original—plus a…

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New ballet co. in town

IBJ reporter Kathleen McLaughlin chimes in with an update on efforts to launch a new Indianapolis ballet company:
 
The potential launch of a…

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Scoop: Beatles, Queen, the Dead…

If you’re looking for classical music at Conner Prairie this summer, well, you’d better look carefully.

The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra’s soon-to-be-announced northside season is heavy on pop access, low on the traditional classical cannon. Is that a good thing or a…

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Quotas in theater schedules?

The Denver Post offers a thought-provoking piece about “slot plays.” That is, an annual “African-American play” or “Hispanic play” that fills a regular slot in a theater’s schedule. Right now, to some eyes, the IRT is doing that with “Crowns” and the Phoenix with…

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You-review-it Monday

It’s that time again.

Time to chime in with your A&E experiences from the weekend. I had a three-day run of catching “References to Salvador Dali Make Me Hot” at the Phoenix Theatre, the launch of “Treasure Island” at…

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09/10 ISO schedule announced

I previously gave a sneak peek at some of the Pops concerts on the way from the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra (including appearances by Maureen McGovern and Marvin Hamlisch as well as a Florence Henderson/Shirley Jones TV mamas double bill).

Today, though,…

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Critic axed by Cleveland Orch?

The fascinating story of the battle between The Cleveland Plain Dealer, its high-profile music critic, and the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra has been a long-standing buzz topic in the arts world.

In short, critic consistantly writes negatively about maestro. Symphony pressures newspaper….

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Review: ‘Drowsy Chaperone’ at IU

The major colleges that ring Central Indiana often host touring shows that aren’t part of the Broadway in Indianapolis series (the Reuben Studdard/Frenchie Davis tour of “Ain’t Misbehavin’ is next at Purdue).

For me, the appearance of a yet-unseen show…

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ISO Scoop: Partridge and Brady

While the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra’s ’09/’10 Pops Series won’t be formally announced until April 10, maestro Jack Everly enthusiastically told sold-out crowds at the Hilbert Circle Theatre this weekend that the upcoming progam will include three world premiere programs:

–Mama Brady…

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Scoop: John Green leaving Butler

Students were notified this week that John Green, the visionary head of Butler University’s theater program has accepted the position of Chair of Theatre at Columbia College in Chicago.

Green has been a frequent guest director at the Indiana Repertory Theatre, most recently working on…

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Get thee to Dance Kaleidoscope

Normally, I would wait until the next print edition of IBJ to review an A&E offering. But sometimes, that’s too late and I’m thankful for this forum to share what I’ve seen.

Having experienced Dance Kaleidoscope’s “America, the Modern” last night,…

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Scoop: IRT’s 2009/2010 season

“We are very intentionally reaching out to family audiences,” says Indiana Repertory Theatre Managing Director Steven Stolen, in discussing with me the about-to-be-announced 2009/2010 schedule for our state’s largest regional theater.

He’s not doing that just through programming—which includes a full…

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Review: “In a Dark Dark House”

Neil LaBute is know outside theater circles for writing and directing the lightning-rod film “In the Company of Men,” which he produced while teaching in Fort Wayne. A long string of writing and directing gigs followed, leading to, this month,…

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Cabaret comeback

Since I first started writing about arts in Indianapolis in the mid-90s, I’ve been baffled as to why the American Cabaret Theatre offered so little traditional cabaret.

The format of cabaret is fairly simple: A singer and an accompanist (sometimes a…

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Timberlake fiasco at Indiana Live!

3/17 update: Barbara Coles of Coles Marketing Communications announced this afternoon that she is terminating her company’s relationship with Indiana Live! Casino. For more details, click here.

Update: For more on the story, click here.

Replying to a request for…

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