Tharp, true cabaret at ACT, etc.

Time to empty the notebook with some quick items.

–It was announced today that Indiana’s own Twyla Tharp will be the recipient of a Kennedy Center Honors this year. She’ll be joined by Morgan Freeman, Barbra Streisand, George Jones, Pete Townshend and Roger Daltry. The gala is held Dec. 6 with a TV broadcast later in the month. The dance pieces are usually the best parts of the show, so I have high hopes for the Tharp segment.

–Very promising news from the American Cabaret Theatre. In addition to its fully-staged theatrical lineup and new Music and Poetry series, ACT will be adding a series of cabaret concerts beginning in 2009. That means both local and national acts being featured in intimate concerts. Don’t look for any info on ACT website yet.

— Actors from the Indiana Repertory Theatre have lent their voices to IMCPL for a kid-focused mystery. Patrons can call 274-4444 for a story–and, of course, a quick plug for the IRT’s upcoming “Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure.”

 –With poker tournaments, roller derby bowling (think about it), Improv comedy, dance (including ballet parking), music (ranging from Jimmy Guilford to a Kiss cover band), and magic, Theatre on the Square’s new “Mass Hysteria” event on Sept. 20th is shaping up into a major blockbuster. Of course, staging it at the same time as Oranje could lead to some very conflicted hipsters.

Your thoughts?