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Steve Ross offers a tribute to Cole Porter, April 30-May 1 at the Cabaret at the Columbia Club. Details
here.
 
“Heartland Art: Selections from Your Indiana Collection,” May 1-Feb. 13 at the Indiana State
Museum. Details here.

 
Felines walk a high-wire and play musical instruments during a return of The Amazing Acro-Cats, May 1 at
the IndyFringe Building. Details here.

 
A Park Avenue brat gets an SAT tutor in Jenny Lyn Bader’s comedy “None of the Above,”
April 30-May 22, Theatre on the Square. Details here.

 

April 29-May 1
Hilbert Circle Theatre

The name-recognition draw for this Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra concert is Rimsky-Korsakov’s musical take on the
story of the princess who tries to thwart her murderous husband through storytelling. But there’s also an interesting
undercard, which includes “Mariel,” by Osvaldo Golijov.

The Argentinean composer has had a busy last few years, including the score for Francis Coppola’s films “Youth
Without Youth” and “Tetro,” a new opera for the Met, a song cycle for classical stars Emanuel Ax and Dawn
Upshaw, a cello concerto for Yo-Yo Ma, and a sold-out Lincoln Center festival of his music. Says the composer about “Mariel,”
which premiered at Carnegie Hall in 2008: “I attempted to capture that short instant before grief, in which one learns
of the sudden death of a friend who was full of life.” Details here.
 

May 4
Various locations

Want to upgrade the quality of your dining conversations? Fifteen locally owned restaurants and community locations will
be hosting chats on Tuesday based on Richard Longworth’s book “Caught in the Middle: America’s Heartland
in the Age of Globalism.” This isn’t a mass book club meeting, however. In fact, there’s no need to have
read the book. Just bring an appetite and a desire to discuss Indiana foods.

There’s a different price per restaurant, ranging from $50 a person at R Bistro, Recess and Rick’s Café
Boatyard to free pitch-ins at the University of Indianapolis, St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, the Indiana Humanities
Council and other spots. Details here.

 

May 4-9
Clowes Hall

The producers of “Legally Blonde: The Musical” took a huge chance when, during the show’s Broadway run,
they chose to air the entire shot-from-the-stage show on MTV. I’m not sure what effect that had on the rest of the musically
inclined (or the new audience it hoped to tap), but the TV presentation actually convinced me that what might have been just
another movie-to-stage cash-in actually had some merit.

Staying close to the hit Reese Witherspoon film, the show (which I’ve yet to see live), for the most part knows which
moments to musicalize and when to play the sincerity card. Highlight for me: a loopy, surprisingly sweet, laugh-out-loud song
called “Ireland” for hairdresser/confidant Paulette and “Chip on Your Shoulder,” a good tune for nice
guy Emmett. And an added plus: Michael Rupert, from the original cast of the show (and from the original cast of "Falsettos"
and "The Happy Time" is still with the show.

I’ll be hosting a talk back with cast members after the Wednesday evening performance. Stick around. Details here.

April 30
Basile Opera Center

Think of it as operatic cabaret. Proving that it does more than just stage full-scale, big-ticket productions, the Indianapolis
Opera’s new series offers a chance to get up close and intimate with the music—for a mere $15 ticket. The performance
features up-and-coming members of the Indianapolis Opera Ensemble supplemented by other pros who have worked with the company.
Music for the casual evening includes works by Mozart, Rossini and Verdi. Details here.
 

Company news

A federal judge in Minnesota rejected Guidant Corp.'s guilty plea to charges it hid defects in heart
defibrillators, after some doctors and patients complained about the deal, Bloomberg News reported. Guidant is a coronary
products company spun off from Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly and Co. in the 1990s and acquired by Boston Scientific
in 2006. Boston Scientific agreed to plead guilty and pay $296 million to settle the case brought by the U.S. Department of
Justice. But U.S. District Judge Donovan Frank suggested the company should be placed on probation for failing to disclose
defects with its heart devices to regulators. Prosecutors said in court papers that Guidant officials learned as early as
2002 that some of the implantable defibrillators had a tendency to short-circuit and caused users’ deaths. The company
didn’t disclose the defects for more than three years, the government said.

The first phase of a $65 million expansion opened Tuesday at Marquette, a retirement facility located south
of St. Vincent Hospital on Township Line Road. The expansion is designed to appeal to more active seniors, and includes a
bistro, performing-arts venue, a putting green and exercise facilities with a full-time trainer. A second phase of the expansion,
to be completed later this summer, will include 48 apartments.

The Health Foundation of Greater Indianapolis gave $1 million to Wishard Health Services
to help it purchase software to better coordinate care for pediatric asthma patients. The program provides coaching and educational
materials for children with asthma in coordination with their primary-care providers, including school clinics. The software,
known as RelayHealth Virtual Information Exchange, will electronically deliver patient-education materials to patients in
the pediatric asthma program, with easy-to-understand illustrations and animations. Eventually, Wishard hopes to use the software
to allow patients to schedule appointments, obtain prescription refills and have electronic visits with health care professionals.

The Lifeline helicopter medical service is starting to replace the aircraft it uses for emergency flights across much of
Indiana, according to the Associated Press. Indianapolis-based Clarian Health is buying four new helicopters
to replace aging ones. Lifeline program director Shelly Maersch says the new helicopters will have safety enhancements, with
the pilots being able to use night-vision goggles. The new helicopters also will allow for rear loading and not vibrate as
much. The first new helicopter will be stationed at Howard Regional Hospital in Kokomo. Lifeline also has regional bases in
Lafayette, Muncie, Columbus and Terre Haute.