Recent Blog Posts

Shakespeare hall-of-famers

February 5, 2009
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Tonight, the Guthrie Theatre's touring production of "Henry V" comes to Purdue University. Shortly after talking about it on the air today at Fox 59 (where I offer a weekly preview of upcoming arts events--see clip at www.ibj.com/arts), I...
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Should libraries charge?

February 4, 2009
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Should libraries be charging for the hottest materials? The Dallas Public Library thinks so. It's slapped a $5 surcharge on a short list of bestsellers and new-release DVDs. You can find more details here. A slippery slope or a smart move? And,...
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Chicago: Weathering the arts storm

February 3, 2009
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I know I'm not alone among Indianapolis arts lover in taking occassional trips to Chicago for a change-of-venue cultural fix. So I like to keep an eye on the news up there. Well, the Chicago Tribune recently reported on some...
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You-review-it Monday

February 1, 2009
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Yes, there was the amazing football game. But, for me, the weekend also included LA TheatreWorks' production of "The Great Tennessee Monkey Trial" at Clowes and InterAction Theatre's "Durang-o-Rama" at the IndyFringe space. While well acted, "Monkey Trial" fell between two stools. At its...
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Good news for the arts?

January 30, 2009
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Last night, on my way to the Phoenix Theatre to see "Love Person," I called and discovered that the play was sold out. And I hadn't made a reservation. On the one hand, I'm frustated that I didn't get to the show...
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Pinball passion resparked

January 29, 2009
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At the tail end of an IBJ piece I wrote last week on Xscape, the amusement center at Lafayette Square Mall, I lamented the absence of pinball machines at the facility. Growing up in the boardwalk town of Wildwood, NJ,...
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Free tickets...with a catch

January 28, 2009
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Free tickets are being offered for theaters throughout the city. But the catch is one you don't have much control over...your age. It's the tenth year for Free Ticket February, presented by The League of Indianapolis Theatres (which, given its name,...
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13 noms for IBJ Movie Night films

January 27, 2009
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Films that were screened as part of our IBJ Night at the Movies previews scored 13 Oscar nominations. Ten of those noms were for "Slumdog Millionaire." Two others were for "The Duchess" while the final one was a well-deserved Best Original...
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You-review-it Monday

January 25, 2009
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Greetings from New York. My weekend included catching three Broadway shows (I'll be reviewing them in the print IBJ this week) and reading a chunk of Dennis Lahane's novel "The Given Day" while on the trains back and forth to New...
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Beckmann Theatre folds

January 23, 2009
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The Beckmann Theatre--named for Robert D. Beckmann Jr., first president of the Arts Council of Indianapolis--announced today that it will cease operations. "Given the current economic climate and competition for entertainment dollars and sponsorships, the Beckmann Theatre has made the...
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American Cabaret in transition

January 22, 2009
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UPDATE: More news from ACT. The changes at American Cabaret Theatre go well beyond cancelling a single production (see original post below). Information released today states that the company is under new management and will leave its home at the Athenaeum. Shannon...
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Presidential poetry

January 20, 2009
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For only the fourth time in history, poetry was officially a part of the U.S. Presidential inauguration. So did the piece work for you? (You can find the text of Elizabeth Alexander's poem here.) How did it hold up to...
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Exec pay, Chicago discounts, etc.

January 20, 2009
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Occassionally, I like to devote a blog to connecting you to conversations on other blogs. It's that time again. Of course, feel free to comment here on anything you find out there (Hint: right click and open any link in another...
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You-review-it Monday

January 19, 2009
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So, did you catch "Love Person" at the Phoenix? "Defiance" at the multiplex? Comic Joel McHale at the Murat? Or did you listen to frequent blog contributer Hope Baugh talkin' Lincoln with Storytelling Arts? I regretably missed all of that this...
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Marlee Matlin, audience member

January 16, 2009
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Oscar-winner Marlee Matlin ("Children of a Lesser God") got into town early for her "Dancing with the Stars" performance in time to catch the Phoenix Theatre's production of "Love Person." The play stars Tami Lee Santimyer, who also starred in...
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'Defiance': Your thoughts?

January 14, 2009
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Even with the cold, there was a full house for Wednesday's screening of "Defiance"--including many who won tickets here on the blog. So, attendees, what did you think?
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Happier days ahead

January 14, 2009
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The best thing about attending "Happy Days" at Clowes Hall last night was seeing the poster for the upcoming LA Theatre Works tour of "The Great Tennessee Monkey Trial" and finding out that the great John Heard will be...
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Bollywood in Indianapolis

January 13, 2009
Comment(1)
While "Slumdog Millionaire" isn't a Bollywood film, the Golden Globe winner does play with some of the conventions popularized by the Indian film industry--including the joyful dance sequence that ends the film.  "Slumdog's" box office and critical success may bode well for a long-running series of...
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You-review-it Monday

January 12, 2009
Comments(7)
A busy weekend for me included a Friday evening run to Mass Ave. for the opening of Three Dollar Bill's new sketch comedy show "Fiddleschticks," a Saturday evening at Beef & Boards where "Don't Dress for Dinner" kicked off the...
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Seeing Red (Skelton) in new bio

January 9, 2009
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In a previous blog, I mentioned reading "Red Skelton: The Mask Behind the Mask" (Indiana Historical Society Press) by Wes. D Gehring. I was asked for some additional thought. Well, here goes: In the book, Gehring, a Ball State film professor...
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Arts once removed

January 8, 2009
Comments(6)
The British TV channel Sky Arts will be broadcasting English National Opera's production of "La Boheme." Nothing new there. The twist is that it will, simultaniously, broadcast a live, behind-the-scenes, view. See story here. If both were offered here, I'd guess that...
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ISO deep discounts tickets

January 6, 2009
Comments(6)
For this post, I turn the blog over to IBJ reporter Kathleen McLaughlin. If you thought car salesmen had the lock on limited-time offers and blowout prices, check the blue light flashing over Hilbert Circle Theatre. The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra is...
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IMA budget cuts: Park pushed back

January 6, 2009
Comments(7)
Earlier today, the Indianapolis Museum of Art announced a series of cutbacks designed to trim $1.7 million from its budget due to "significant losses to its endowment as well as shortfalls in income generated through donations and purchases at the museum store...
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How bestsellers are made

January 5, 2009
Comments(3)
Ever wonder how and why some books seem to come out of nowhere to become bestsellers? There's an interesting story you might have missed in Saturday's "Wall Street Journal." Find it here. In it, reporter Anita Elberse discusses the increased emphasis...
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You-review-it Monday

January 4, 2009
Comments(4)
Two shows opening at Theatre on the Square. The first First Friday of 2009. A couple of stray concerts. And, of course, all that New Years activity. There was a surprising number of choices of arts activity over the last few...
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  1. Doug Henning!

  2. These guy were thugs — they grew up in freaking Haughville! Smh, sigh. If the mayor needs/wants "quality" Black Hoosiers who are NOT corrupt, give me a call — I know plenty. Land bank info here - http://www.kubepharm.com/indylandbank/IndyLandBank.html

  3. Magician and illusionist!

  4. The basic idea of nice apartments with parking and retail is a good one, but this design seems overwhelmingly big/tall for Broad Ripple. The size could be disguised a bit with lots of big trees/landscaping, but the complex is too massive to blend in easily. That section of canal between College and Westfield will also need to be upgraded on both sides. Nice apartments facing onto a nice promenade with shade trees/plantings could bring together the canal towpath/Monon recreation, the outdoor seating at existing restaurants, and this project into something that upgrades the whole area. A plan for the whole stretch makes more sense than facing nice new housing onto what looks like a ditch. Is there a plan? Does the public have input? Who pays? The apartment idea seems to be reasonable, but Whole Foods is not a good idea for appropriate retail. Besides the store being physically too big, there are already Fresh Market at 54xCollege and Whole Foods in Nora for fancy groceries. Good Earth and Kroger are within walking distance of the Shell site. There are at least 7 grocery stores within a safe bike ride. Whole Foods would add nothing but traffic congestion. This design is on the right track, but there needs to be more work done to ensure that it blends in with and enhances the existing community. A project that large will set a tone for that whole part of town. It could be a real asset, but only if done right.

  5. I did not move to Zionsville to live in Carmel. This and the subsequent developments to follow will ensure a vanilla uniformity of strip malls and apartment buildings as we seek to bring our town down to the least common denominator. We were warned before recent elections that pro-development council members would make sure their friends (landowners and developers) would be able to make their millions off of the exploitation of Zionsville. Why in God's name would we sell out the best preserved small town in the State of Indiana?

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