October 18, 2026
Saturday night at the Basile Theatre, The Rocky Horror Show did not merely return — it erupted. When I first saw The Rocky Horror Picture Show in 1975, it changed my life. As a gay man coming of age before the AIDS crisis, I felt... read more
October 12, 2026
The Carmel Symphony Orchestra opened its 50th season Saturday at the Payne & Mencias Palladium with “HORIZONS: The Promise of a Vast Land.” The anniversary mattered, but the orchestra’s sound is what stayed with me. Under conductor David Commanday, the strings had lift and warmth,... read more
October 4, 2026
Dance Kaleidoscope launched its 55th season Friday with an epic burst of theatrical dance at McGowan Hall on Indianapolis’ near Northside. The world premiere of Joshua Peugh’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow unfolded with sweeping scale, haunting atmosphere and bold visual imagination, making the... read more
October 2, 2026
I saw a production of Disney The Lion King North American Tour Thursday at the Murat Theatre at Old National Centre in Indianapolis, presented by Broadway in Indianapolis. Even after all these years, The Lion King can still make me wonder how anyone came up... read more
September 5, 2026
Never Can Say Goodbye: The ’70s Beehive Musical does not try to be a big, complicated story musical, which is part of its charm. Presented by Actors Theatre of Indiana, the production opened Friday at The Studio Theater in Carmel, Indiana, and was directed and... read more
September 4, 2026
On September 3 at Feinstein’s at Hotel Carmichael in Carmel, Ind, Marilyn Maye offered what only a consummate cabaret artist can: an evening that felt intimate, spontaneous, beautifully shaped and deeply generous. From the first notes of “The Song Is You,” she made clear this... read more
August 7, 2026
Summer Stock Stage’s preview of “Dear Evan Hansen” at Butler University’s Howard L. Schrott Center for the Arts offered a familiar musical through a fresh, student-driven lens. A professional-level musical theatre company focused on high school and younger performers, Summer Stock Stage brought confidence and... read more
August 6, 2026
I recently conducted a Zoom interview with Charles Busch, who called from his Manhattan apartment, for my On the Aisle with Tom Alvarez podcast, available wherever you listen to podcasts. In our conversation, the playwright, performer, novelist and cabaret storyteller reflected on Aunt Lil, Charles... read more
