Show Reviews
July 8, 2007
Garland tribute an honest treat
By Whitney Smith whitney.smith@indystar.com
July 8, 2007
In time, even the most famous American pop culture icons can fade from public view.
Take Judy Garland, one of the best-known singers and actresses of her day. Thirty-eight years after her death, she is still recognized for "The Wizard of Oz," but not so much for other famous milestones and infamous mishaps -- such as her 1940s movie "Meet Me in St. Louis," her multiple marriages or her battles with alcohol and drugs.
However, the History Theatre, based in Garland's native Minnesota, has paid homage to her vivid voice and resilient spirit, while pulling no punches about her personal life in "Beyond the Rainbow," a dark musical that Actors Theatre of Indiana is presenting through July 15 at Pike Performing Arts Center.
Jody Briskey's finesse with Garland's signature songs is the show's most obvious selling point. But as with Garland, there's more to this show than meets the ear.
Author William Randall Beard devised a fun setting at Garland's 1961 Carnegie Hall "comeback" concert. The 38-year-old Garland smokes and knocks back shots at a makeup mirror before coming out to bark, serenade or dazzle the crowd with 27 of her signature songs and less-familiar standards.
At Friday's opening performance, my favorites were "Be A Clown," "The Trolley Song," "Stormy Weather" and "Over the Rainbow," sung seated at the edge of the stage.
Around Garland's booming voice Beard built a complex backstory, starting with Garland's (aka Frances Gumm's) parents, Frank and Ethel Gumm. The tale moved on to Garland's bittersweet relationship with movie mogul Louis B. Mayer and husbands Sid Luft and Vincente Minnelli.
Beard's smartest trick was to have the mature Garland chat with earlier versions of herself: a young adult played by Katy Gentry, and a cute child portrait by Kennedy Martin.
Such an intimate show might play better in a small, cabaret-style theater, but director Don Farrell makes "Beyond the Rainbow" work in a 1,450-seat house.
Garland was known for her big sound, vibrato and emotional phrasing, and Briskey played up all three. Briskey also obsesses over Garland's ticks and slurred speech, making several songs seem way too similar.
Gentry's Judy was exceptionally fine. Early on, her speaking voice was suggestive of a young Garland in "Wizard of Oz," then the character darkened as the addictions deepened.
Denise Jaeckel's portrayal of gossip columnist Hedda Hopper was delightfully snooty, in contrast to Jaeckel's earthy Ethel Gumm.
There was less nuance in the pushy, controlling qualities that Charles Goad brought to Mayer and Luft. Bradley Reynolds added softer touches to Minnelli.
Beyond the Rainbow
by Josefa Beyer Jul 11, 2007
Four Stars
Actor’s Theatre of Indiana; directed by Don Farrell; Pike Performing Arts Center
Do retro musical revues make good theater? ATI revived Frank Sinatra, the Andrews Sisters and Rosemary Clooney in its first two seasons and now continues the trend with Beyond the Rainbow, a re-creation of Judy Garland’s 1961 Carnegie Hall comeback performance, written by William Randall Beard.
At first, Jody Briskey’s incarnation of the 47-year-old Garland seems like mere caricature, but with every song we remember that Garland was an endlessly captivating caricature: big soulful eyes, fluttering hands and a tremulous voice that knew your woes and a whole world of trouble. Throughout the “concert,” Garland’s hurtful past whispers from the wings and then takes center stage, as her parents bicker and Louis B. Mayer verbally abuses her younger self, played and sung equally well by Katy Gentry.
Like the genius Garland was, Briskey wrenches the irony out of ballads crooned for cads (“Do It Again”), imbues silly songs with a bitter vengeance (“Be a Clown”) and invokes the neurotic self-pity of a woman choosing her own doom again and again (“Alone Together”). Although I’m tempted to cast all theatrical retreads in the same complacent light, I cannot dismiss Rainbow. It has its share of biopic hysterics, but succeeds in giving us insight into the woman behind the icon. Most importantly, Briskey proves that some performers’ talents emerge even as they strive to be the best of somebody else.
Through July 15; 317-216-5455.
—Josefa Beyer
BEYOND THE RAINBOW
Melissa Mayer
The Daily Sun
222 W. South St.
Lebanon, IN 46052
www.dailysun.org
Phone: (765) 482-3333
or (317) 873-2333
Fax: (765) 482-1333
Judy Garland is an iconic figure. She's revered as one of the most talented performers of all time. Countless scores of people have seen and cherished her performances in films like "The Wizard of Oz" and "A Star is Born." But for anyone curious about what lies behind Garland's beautiful music, "Beyond the Rainbow" is a must see.
The Actors Theatre of Indiana's latest show, Beyond the Rainbow recreates Judy Garland's famous 1961 concert at Carnegie Hall — while onstage at the Pike Performing Arts Center in northwest Indianapolis. The production includes three separate Judys; the youngest played by Kennedy Martin, the 38-year-old Garland singing at Carnegie, and a third who plays Garland from her teens through her early 30s. Each actress helps shape the whole picture of Garland's troubled life.
Jody Briskey plays the eldest Garland. Briskey originated the role for Beyond the Rainbow in 2005 and has performed it at many venues in the United States. Briskey nails each wobbly pitch in Garland's well-known style, mimicking the mannerisms of Garland in her later days. She seems to channel Garland's tremulous voice as she belts out famous songs like "Stormy Weather" and "Swanee."
The show revolves around the concert, but Garland's haunting memories of her life unfold on the stage while Briskey performs. The oldest Garland provides the soundtrack to her own life as she sees the painful steps that brought her to that famous Carnegie performance. Her childhood and rise to fame were built upon the unstable foundation of pressure, pills and the constant criticism of the public's eye.
Katy Gentry does an amazing job as she takes on the role of the middle Garland, covering around 20 years of the performer's life. Along with outstanding vocals during each song, Gentry manages to capture Garland's tone of voice and vulnerability. Gentry begins as a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed novice and slowly morphs into a jaded addict overcome with loneliness and the pressure to please everyone. Yet throughout the transformation, Gentry never loses the sweet optimism and eternal trust that Garland seemed to always have.
The cast of supporting characters each took on several roles, playing the parents, spouses, friends and critics in Garland's life. Their collective talent sets the stage for all three Garlands to shine.
Garland's legacy will never be forgotten. Even at her most troubled moments, she was undeniably talented. She exuded a quality that drew people to her, and that same quality will attract audiences to this gem of a show.
Whether you want to know more about Garland or you just want to enjoy a concert of her signature songs, Beyond the Rainbow shouldn't be missed.
Don't Miss the Show:
Performances: "Beyond the Rainbow" tickets are still available for 8 p.m. Friday, July 13, 8 p.m. Saturday, July 14, and 2 p.m. Sunday, July 15.
Tickets: To purchase tickets, call (317) 216-5455. Prices are $32 for adults, $27 for seniors and $19 for students.
For more information about the Actors Theatre of Indiana, visit www.actorstheatreofindiana.org. The Pike Performing Arts Center is located at
6701 Zionsville Road, Indianapolis.
January 1, 2006
The Star's Arts & Entertainment staffers each pick three to watch in 2006
Indianapolis' arts and entertainment scene is filled with everything from pop, classical and jazz music to movies, dance, theater, visual arts and museums. But with so much on the table, who or what is destined to stand out in 2006? Still thinking? Well, stop wracking your brain. The Star's Arts & Entertainment staff has done the work for you. Who and what did they choose? Here's a look at their top picks. Then turn to page 16 for more about the other two.
THEATER / NICK CREWS
1. Indianapolis Theatre Fringe Festival
2. American Cabaret Theatre
3. Actors Theatre of Indiana
Actors Theatre of Indiana
Don Farrell, Judy Fitzgerald and Cynthia Collins - three seasoned New York City - based theater professionals - dropped active and lucrative careers to come to Indianaapolis to start an Equity theater. As for any new transplant, the move was stressful: homes to find, cars to to buy and, for Farrell and Fitzgerald, a new baby to walk the floor at night.
And yet, for all the many demands of this crazed year, the Actors Theatre of Indiana staged three outstanding musical productions in 2005 - "My Way," "Cole" and "Forever Plaid" - shows marked by great arrangements and harmonies, innovative dancing and stellar production values.
If Farrell, Fitzgerald and Collins can deliver work of this caliber during a busy transitional year, it follows that ATI's upcoming season will shine with even more sparkle and style.
December 18, 2005
By Nick Crews
nick.crews@indystar.com
(Learning curve: Actors Theatre of Indiana's Judy Fitzgerald (from left), Don Farrell and Cynthia Collins have learned a lot their first year. - FRANK ESPICH / The Star)
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A closer look at Actors Theatre founders:
Don Farrell
• Hometown: Roswell, GA
• Education: BFA in music theater, University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.
• Theater experience: Farrell, an actor, singer, director and choreographer, was a drama faculty member for New York University's Collaborative Arts Project 21, and taught and performed at Springer Opera House and the Georgia Ensemble Theatre and Conservatory. He has appeared as guest soloist with many national orchestras, including the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, Evansville Philharmonic and Phoenix Symphony Orchestra.
Judy Fitzgerald
• Hometown: Indianapolis, IN
• Education: Graduate of North Central High School; BFA in music theater from Millikin University.
• Theater experience: Fitzgerald, an actress, singer and choreographer, has performed extensively in New York and on the road, working with stars such as Glen Close, Liza Minnelli, Debbie Reynolds, Shirley Jones, Bob Newhart, Omar Sharif, Hal Holbrook and Douglas Fairbanks Jr.
Cynthia Collins
• Hometown: Livingston, NJ
• Education: BFA in theater from Ohio University.
• Theater experience: Collins, a choreographer, singer and actress, has performed off-Broadway, in national and international tours and at regional theaters throughout the United States. She has shared the stage with Ben Vereen, Sandy Duncan, Cy Coleman, Betty Comden and Adolph Green, among others.
Forever Plaid
• When: Through Dec. 30.
• Where: Zionsville Performing Arts Center, 1000 Mulberry St., Zionsville.
• Tickets: $27-$30. (Those holding tickets to Ballet Internationale's "Nutcracker" can exchange them for discounted tickets to the 2:30 p.m. Dec. 21 performance: $15 adult, free for children 12 and younger.)
• Info: (317) 669-7983 or visit www.actorstheatreofindiana.org.
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'Forever Plaid," a musical comedy about a 1950s all-male singing group, closes out Actors Theatre of Indiana's inaugural season when it opens Wednesday at the Zionsville Performing Arts Center.
And to hear ATI principals Don Farrell, Judy Fitzgerald and Cynthia Collins tell it, if a show ever were created about Indianapolis' newest Equity theater company's first year, it might well be called "Forever Busy."
Farrell and Fitzgerald (who are married, with a new baby) and Collins moved from New York to Westfield in May. Their luggage sat unpacked while the group rushed into rehearsals for the company's Indianapolis debut, the Frank Sinatra tribute "My Way."
"Cole," a revue of the music of Cole Porter, quickly followed at the Indiana History Center in September.
With rehearsals for "Forever Plaid" under way, Farrell, Fitzgerald and Collins took a break to talk to Star reporter Nick Crews about setting up an Equity theater in the Heartland, ATI's first season and what lies ahead for the theater.
Why did the three of you -- established New York-based performers -- pick up and move to Indianapolis to start a theater company?
Fitzgerald: Growing up in Indianapolis, I was involved in many theatrical productions while attending North Central High School, so I knew this was the perfect environment for the type of productions we present. When we thought it was time to take our experience and start a professional theater company, Indiana seemed the perfect choice.
What are your thoughts about setting up an Equity theater company in Indianapolis? ("Equity" refers to Actors' Equity Association, the union that represents professional stage actors and stage managers.)
Collins: The arts in Indianapolis are growing, but there's still not an oversaturation of Equity theater companies. We feel that this city deserves the highest quality of theater available. Being Equity members and having worked in some of the finest Equity houses in the country, we believe that we can offer Indianapolis just that.
What is the value an Equity theater group brings to cities such as Indianapolis? What does the "Equity" label mean?
Collins: Being a member of Equity means striving to bring the best theater to audiences. There's no better education as an actor than learning your craft from other Equity actors in an Equity theater. The experiences I value the most came from working with seasoned Equity performers.
Farrell: Adding another Equity theater company to the Indianapolis cultural scene gives Central Indiana national exposure, and in time it will also help bring economic growth through corporate development.
Looking back on your first season, what have you learned?
Fitzgerald: I've learned how much three people can do; it is amazing what you can accomplish when you put your whole heart into something. We've had a ton of support from family, friends and all of the wonderful people we have employed this year.
What's in store for Actors Theatre of Indianapolis and its audience next season?
Fitzgerald: We have our shows lined up. Now we're waiting to find out about the availability of future venues. We're also inviting potential individual and corporate sponsors to consider ATI as a group they might want to support, and hoping to reach into other areas of Indiana. And we're excited to be able to sell season tickets and start a subscriber base for 2006.
Farrell: Our 2006 season will present an Indiana premiere, a highly entertaining revue, a remount of a 2005 production (by popular demand), and a new work.
You don't have a permanent home. Are you looking for a performing space of your own?
Farrell: We've enjoyed presenting in a variety of communities this past year, but it's been difficult. Not having a permanent home means people have to work to find us, and it forces us to spend a lot on theater rental, so, yes.
Judy and Don, you went through a very busy year while also being parents to your new daughter. What's that been like?
Fitzgerald: Nonstop. In less than a year, we have moved from New York City, bought a house, a car, started a new company, produced two productions and are now on our third, and -- most importantly -- had our beautiful daughter Elizabeth. It has been a whirlwind, but fantastic.
Farrell: It's been extremely exhausting, and a constant learning process, but this life change has also been a blessing. It's allowed Judy and me to be involved with raising our daughter; it's been a true joy.
July 16, 2005
With its debut performance of "My Way: A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra," the lavish production now at the Zionsville Performing Arts Center, the Actors Theatre of Indiana has put itself at the top of the heap.
It's also raised the bar for production standards for every theater in town.
Even if you don't like Frank Sinatra or the pop music associated with him, consider catching this show. The towering back-lit art deco sets by Atlanta-based Scott Sargent; diaphanous lighting by Amy Johnson; and a tight and tasty trio made up of Terry Woods on piano, Tom Harvey on drums and Don Jenkins on bass will leave you, as the saying goes, slack-jawed and trout-mouthed.
But at the heart of this swinging, seductive and handsomely produced show are the songs -- Frank's songs -- which is to say some of the truly great pop songs of the 20th century.
What this show is not is a crass impersonation of Sinatra. You get an opulently staged, tasteful celebration of Sinatra's life and work, complete with the peerless voices of Don Farrell, Judy Fitzgerald, Cynthia Collins and Jon Lambert; matchless harmonies; sharp repartee; and stylish and graceful dancing.
Song after song is given a fresh, fun and soulful reading with choice arrangements. Nearly 60 tunes are here; sung end-to-end, they capture the 50-plus-year career of Ol' Blue Eyes.
On one level, "My Way" -- written by David Grapes and Todd Olson -- is as light as confection; the songs are interspersed with dialogue that gives the songs a narrative context but little else; there's not much new to be learned here.
But the characters, all of whom play out dual love interests throughout the show, keep up a flirtatious banter that shows Sinatra was nothing if not romantic.
But except for the featherweight plot, there is nothing to find fault with, and much to gush about.
Fitzgerald combines Eartha Kitt soulfulness with the brassiness of Ethel Merman. In addition to being about the sexiest thing on a local stage right now, Collins (who also handles choreography) sparkles like the diamonds on her wrist and sings with control, versatility, soul and richness. She also dances with precision, ease and passion.
Farrell, who has sung frequently with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, shows why he gets repeat invitations from musicians of such discrimination: He's no Sinatra -- no one is -- but from him these songs go down like a smooth martini. Lambert holds his own, and then some, no small feat in company of this caliber.
Songs include "Strangers in the Night," "My Kind of Town," "It Was a Very Good Year," "New York, New York," "I've Got You Under My Skin" and "My Way."
With this show, Actors Theatre of Indiana lets us live again the urbanity, grace and style of the man who dared to do it his way.
September 2, 2005
By Nick Crews
nick.crews@indystar.com
It's delightful. It's delicious. It's de-lovely.
It's the breezy and sophisticated tribute to Cole Porter, "Cole," that the Actors Theatre of Indiana has brought to the Indiana History Center for a limited run through Sunday.
It delivers.
Director Don Farrell has assembled an evening that well showcases the life and work of the Indiana-born poet laureate of American musical theater at the stately Frank and Katrina Basile Theater.
The production features a stage set with a striking, back-lit cityscape (designed by Scott Sargent), a grand piano and a worthy pianist (Terry Woods), six standout vocalists, some arch choreography and 45 Cole Porter songs -- all performed just down the hall from the Cole Porter Room of the Indiana History Center.
The revue provides a rare opportunity to hear these great Porter songs as we seldom get to these days -- accompanied tastefully by an acoustic piano and sung by vocalists who are not channeled through body microphones.
It is a treat in an auditorium of this size to enjoy a performance by vocalists who dispense with the technology and actually project songs that are free of crackling, dunning volume and sound disruptions.
Devised and assembled by Benny Green and Alan Strachan, "Cole" combines most of Porter's hit tunes -- and several of the lesser-known ones -- with a narration that tells the story of his life through its various phases: from Paris to New York to Europe, Hollywood and back to Broadway.
The show is mostly structured sequentially; early numbers in "Cole" include Porter's first published composition, "The Bobolink Waltz" from 1906, moving on through several tunes he wrote while a student at Yale University, and early Broadway efforts such as "See America First." Early in Act One, the 1910 Porter composition, "When The Summer Moon Comes 'Long," is performed by a male quartet.
Most of the show, however, centers on well-known Porter standards, among them "Begin the Beguine," "Love for Sale," "Night and Day," "Anything Goes," "It's De-Lovely" and "I Get a Kick Out of You."
The performances -- by Don Farrell, Judy Fitzgerald, Cynthia Collins (who choreographs the show with Farrell), Bradley Reynolds, Karlton Turner and Julia Viktrup -- range from good to excellent. Porter fans probably won't learn much new from the narration, but it's not intrusive; in most cases the storyline brings the right amount of context to the songs.
From December 25, 2005
By Nick Crews
nick.crews@indystar.com
Vocal harmony, like love, is a many-splendored thing.
And in "Forever Plaid," the show the Actors Theatre of Indiana has brought to the Zionsville Performing Arts Center, that splendor joins a zany -- if somewhat geeky -- story, sharp musical arrangements and a rich set to bring warmth and entertainment to a chilly evening.
In the 1950s, four young men form a vocal harmony group, the Plaids, after meeting in a high school audiovisual club. Frankie (Michael Dotson), Sparky (Don Farrell), Smudge (Scott Ganyo) and Jinx (Jon Lambert) are nice boys for whom life's chief joy is striving toward the seamless, four-part vocal harmonies of their heroes: the Four Lads, the Four Aces and (Butler University's own) the Four Freshmen.
But on the way to their first professional gig, a bus full of teenagers (headed to see the Beatles at "The Ed Sullivan Show") slams into their car, dispatching the Plaids to death and silent limbo. Decades pass. Then, by some wondrous act of providence, the boys get a chance to return to Earth to perform.
That show becomes our show, as the Plaids sing like the angels they are, swaying, finger-popping and bumbling (they are green kids, after all) through almost 100 minutes of mostly entertaining musical comedy.
If the book is disposable, it does establish a fun narrative on which to hang the production's 30 songs. These standards date from that musical era -- bookended by Bing Crosby and the Beatles -- when warm and close group harmonies, not screaming Stratocasters, were the basis of pop music. Songs include "Catch a Falling Star," "Shangri-La" and Plaid finale "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing."
The performance by Dotson, Farrell, Ganyo and Lambert is a tribute to the beauty of this nearly forgotten musical idiom of close-wrought vocal harmony. They bring enthusiasm, heart and soul and a harmony worthy of James Raitt's layered arrangements, aided by Terry Woods (piano) and Don Jenkins (bass).
Director Farrell (who also choreographs) adds sheen by again tapping Atlanta-based scenic designer Scott Sargent for another winningly stylish set.
December 28, 2005
Lisa Gauthier
Forever Plaid
Actors Theatre of Indiana
Zionsville Performing Arts Center
Through Dec. 30
Terry Woods (musical director; top left), Scott Ganyo, (bottom row, left to right) Don Farrell and Jon Lambert in Actors Theatre of Indiana's 'Forever Plaid'
Add a little harmony to go with that joy this holiday season. Actors Theatre of Indiana is presenting a light-hearted, well-tuned Forever Plaid at the Zionsville Performing Arts Center.
The four members of the ’50 singing group The Plaids come back from limbo to perform the concert that they were suppose to the night they died. A little goofy, a little self-conscious after 40-plus years of no practice, the guys sincerely and sweetly take the stage for an evening of music, pre-rock and roll.
Michael Dotson, Don Farell (also the director/choreographer/producing artistic director), Scott Ganyo (Three Guys Naked from the Waist Down at the Alley), Jon Lambert (The Last Session at Theatre on the Square) and Jim Ream (chair of the University of Indianapolis’ Department of Theater) capture the innocence of the age to a T.
The four voices blend well, creating a sound that transports audiences back in time. Songs such as “Undecided” feature cute moves, and Farell is a hoot on “Perfidia.” Standout numbers include “No Not Much” and an impressive bass from Ganyo on “16 Tons.” But the best “number” was the Ed Sullivan Show in three minutes and 11 seconds. Watch for your favorite highlights. The Plaids go Calypso with “Matilda,” including a sing-along, and some lucky audience member gets to come on stage to help out with “Heart and Soul.”
The second half of the show the guys cut loose more, as their newfound material selves settle in, and the pace of the show picks up. While the first half sees them stumbling (on purpose), after intermission they have their groove back — for the most part. While the show is funny, there is just a tinge of sadness, since after the concert the guys have to go back. Where, no one really knows.
Pianist Terry Woods and bassist Don Jenkins provide steady backup in the musical department. Sets and costuming are fine, if not dazzling.
Forever Plaid continues Dec. 28 at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m.; Dec. 29 at 7:30 p.m.; and Dec. 30 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $27-$30. The Zionsville Performing Arts Center is located at 1000 Mulberry St. (the high school). Call 317-669-7983 for reservations.
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