As the Arts & Culture Reporter, I saw a lot of live theater last year.
There were some truly spectacular and mind-blowing performances coming out of our community this past year. I selfishly wanted another chance to talk about them.
The shows are presented in the order in which I saw them.
“Menopause the Musical,” Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre
I’ll tell you a secret about this one.
There’s a media disc of “Menopause the Musical” Beef & Boards sent us 10ish years ago in our bookcase at the Indianapolis Recorder. We assumed it was a DVD, but we don’t have a DVD player, so there was no way to know what’s on it. It’s just something we’ve talked about.
Despite not being anywhere near menopausal age, I was curious about the show, so I went to see it in January when it opened Beef & Boards 51st Anniversary season.
As it turns out, “Menopause the Musical” is whimsical, funny and relatable. It’s the kind of show anyone can enjoy. Its quirky humor, innuendo and parody songs about night sweats, wrinkles and forgetfulness are what make the show so special.
“Fannie: The Music and Life of Fannie Lou Hamer,” Indiana Repertory Theatre
To have one’s life and activism so lovingly portrayed through the music that shaped them is a treasure, and Maiesha McQueen’s portrayal of Fannie Lou Hamer in “Fannie: The Music and Life of Fannie Lou Hamer” was monumental.
This play was engaging in such a heartbreakingly powerful way. One-person shows can often be the most profound. This kind of theater is important historically; transcends the stage, takes us beyond the moment in a way a full cast cannot.
It’s personal, it’s intimate and it’s uncomfortable for both the audience and the actor.
“The Folks at Home,” Indiana Repertory Theatre
Written by R. Eric Thomas, “The Folks at Home” is a modern family comedy about Roger and Brandon, an interracial same-sex couple who find themselves suddenly living with both sets of in-laws and a ghost.
The play is easy to watch and become immersed in. The characters feel like people you know, the set could be your neighbor’s house and the ghost isn’t even scary. The funny moments had me clutching my stomach in laughter, and the serious moments made me feel as if I was intruding on a personal conversation.
“The Folks at Home” is a feel-good show about people learning to live and cope with the fast-paced challenges of life together, and it might be my favorite play of all time.
“Riverside,” Indianapolis Shakespeare Company
The only time you will find me outside in a park at night is for an Indianapolis Shakespeare Company production.
ML Roberts’ “Riverside” was one of those performances I wish I could go back and see again for the first time.
Directed by Rudi Goblen in partnership with the New Harmony Project, this show presented the beauty and complexity of Black history, trauma, legacy and love through three generations of the Johnson family.
“Paul Blart 3: Blart of Darkness,” IndyFringe Festival
As fate would have it, the one show I saw on accident ended up being one of my favorites.
One of the things I really love about live theater is that it doesn’t always have to be serious. It’s meant to be an escape, and that escape should be fun.
“Paul Blart 3: Blart of Darkness” is an absurdist comedy with an amazing cast of actors. I came into the show late, had no idea what was going on and still had an amazing time.
The play came to the 2024 IndyFringe Festival from Broom Street Theatre in Wisconsin. Not exactly local, but IndyFringe Festival and IF Theatre are local and play a huge part in giving new works a chance to see an audience, so I’m counting it.
“Judy’s Life’s Work,” Naptown African American Theatre Collective
I’ve seen every single show produced by the Naptown African American Theatre Collective, and each one finds a way to make me emotional. “Judy’s Life’s Work” by Loy A. Webb, however, is the first time I really saw myself in a show.
Now, I’m not a professional boxer and I haven’t been incarcerated, but I am adopted. And adoption isn’t talked about enough in the Black community. I’ve certainly never seen a play tackle themes of pain and anger surrounding adoption from the adoptee’s perspective until “Judy’s Life’s Work.”
This play did a lot of things well, from Ang Bey’s direction to Xavier Jones, Cara Wilson and Selena Jackson-King’s portrayal of the characters. Seeing stories like this one unfold onstage — all the confusing emotions and tough decisions leading up to a tumultuous and chaotic catharsis — is so unmeasurably necessary for building well-rounded communities.
“She Kills Monsters,” Butler University Theatre
Written by Qui Nguyen, “She Kills Monsters” is a dramedy that takes place in the 90’s. The story follows Agnes, a young woman who, in grieving the loss of her teenage sister Tilly, decides to play her Dungeons and Dragons campaign (a fantasy roleplaying game). As the adventure ensues, Agnes discovers new things about Tilly — who she never really got to know while she was alive — as well as Tilly’s friends, family and herself.
“She Kills Monsters” was first published in 2011, but I’ve been waiting to see it since a friend of mine played Tilly in college a few years ago. Directed by William Fisher, the Butler Theatre production was beautiful, devastating, hilarious and absurd. It was one of those shows that popped up on my radar last minute and I bought a ticket the day of.
Thank God I did, I loved every second of it.
The talent in this show was unmatched. Butler University has some amazing things happening in their theater department.
As welcome in a new year, I want to thank all the wonderfully talented actors, directors, producers, theater technicians and donors who make live theater possible in Indianapolis. Sharing these stories with our community is invaluable.
Editors note: Beef & Boards reached out to let us know the “Menopause the Musical” media disc is in fact photos from their previous production. Due to licensing, their shows are not filmed. Mystery officially solved.
Contact Arts & Culture Reporter (and avid theater enjoyer) Chloe McGowan at 317-762-7848. Follow her on X @chloe_mcgowanxx.
