July 22, 2025
A highlight of The Songbook Academy Concert Saturday at The Payne & Mencias Palladium was the return of 2016 alum and Broadway performer Nina White (Kimberly Akimbo). She represented the high caliber of hundreds of singers who have been students at the Songbook... read more
July 14, 2025
As a practical matter, before reviewing a show I’m seeing, I carefully vet the production, whether it’s a play, a concert, or a dance performance, since I regularly cover all three art forms. Mostly, I do so because, since there is only one of me,... read more
June 24, 2025
During my 45 years of covering the performing arts in Central Indiana and beyond, I have had the great fortune of experiencing an extensive volume of exceptional work. But there have only been a few that had as much of an emotional impact on me... read more
June 12, 2025
I was so completly immersed in the exceptional music, vocals, and atmosphere enhanced by the audience’s electric energy at the Maestros: Jack & Enrico Pops concert, presented by the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, that I couldn’t help be reminded just how thrilling and vibrant live performance... read more
June 4, 2025
Amidst ongoing culture wars, “The Prom, A Musical” offers a welcome escape with its endearing LGBTQ+ love story, set in red-state Indiana. Presented by Summer Stock Stage at the Howard L. Schrott Center for the Arts at Butler University, the musical, with its themes of... read more
May 29, 2025
What sets Indiana Ballet Conservatory apart is how it showcases its students in its productions. Friday, I witnessed that distinction while experiencing The Phantom of the Opera, a ballet version created by IBC Artistic Director and founder Alyona Yakovleva. I consider this work to be... read more
May 22, 2025
Given my Mexican heritage, I was immediately drawn to attend the Indiana Wind Symphony, led by Jay Gephart, in its presentation of Noches Calientes on Sunday at The Palladium at the Allied Solutions Center for the Performing Arts. Any concern over cultural appropriation was immediately... read more
May 17, 2025
Five-time Grammy nominee Michael Feinstein headlined “Celebrate the Songbook,” a concert at the Palladium on Saturday that offered a primer on classic popular music. The Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Matthew Kramer, accompanied the renowned Feinstein, celebrated as the Ambassador of the Great American Songbook.... read more
