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The German Ethel Merman
I was pleasantly surprised by the Beef & Boards Theater’s production of The Producers. You know how you see a film trailer and you get all excited about it, only to find you have already seen all the good stuff in a short, action-packed trailer??? Since I have seen both of the wildly successful film versions of The Producers, I thought I would spend the evening enjoying more of the same, but in person. Hence, my pleasant surprise. The portrayal of the show’s characters was distinctly different in all the right ways.
I have always been a big fan of musicals, but for some reason I never made the short trip to Beef & Boards Theater right here in Indianapolis. Although I had seen Connie and Carla, I never really saw the appeal with Dinner Theater. I may have been thinking of the dreary scene in Soap when Kevin Kline’s character was doomed to a life of misery in dinner theater in Florida. (As you may have noticed, my main form of entertainment is-you guessed it-film.) Not knowing what to expect, I didn’t know that dinner was served before the show, allowing the guest to enjoy the show unencumbered with senior citizens squawking for more clam chowder, or whatever.
Well, OK there was a smattering of gray hairs, but I saw plenty of young people (younger than me) in attendance. No, it did not look like heaven’s waiting room. (That’s MCL.) Also, I thought the show would be tamed down, keeping aging Midwesterners in mind, so as not to get their pacemakers all in a tizzy. NOT SO! I was truly impressed with the hip attitude of the production. They didn’t pull the punches on some of the racier jokes, and the fine line between raciness and sleaze was never crossed.
Until tonight, I had completely forgotten the anger my grandmother expressed when she joined her church group (Heaven’s Waiting Room) on their one and ONLY trip to Beef & Boards. “Oh, it was shameful. Those girls are wearing SKIRTS and there they were, spinning and kicking their legs up in the air. You could see their PANTIES!!! What a disgrace! Don’t they know how ladies should behave??? No decent man would ever want to know a girl like THAT!!!” *cringe* I only remember it so well since that tirade lasted for days, and was kept on a low simmer for weeks later, occasionally boiling over now and again with fits of religious fervor. Ah, yes. I think that’s what kept me away. Silly me. Perhaps it is the fear of a glimpse of panties (don’t they know those are leotards?) that keep the audience younger than I had anticipated. This means more space for you and your friends to attend the next exciting performance!
I have always been a big fan of musicals, but for some reason I never made the short trip to Beef & Boards Theater right here in Indianapolis. Although I had seen Connie and Carla, I never really saw the appeal with Dinner Theater. I may have been thinking of the dreary scene in Soap when Kevin Kline’s character was doomed to a life of misery in dinner theater in Florida. (As you may have noticed, my main form of entertainment is-you guessed it-film.) Not knowing what to expect, I didn’t know that dinner was served before the show, allowing the guest to enjoy the show unencumbered with senior citizens squawking for more clam chowder, or whatever.
Well, OK there was a smattering of gray hairs, but I saw plenty of young people (younger than me) in attendance. No, it did not look like heaven’s waiting room. (That’s MCL.) Also, I thought the show would be tamed down, keeping aging Midwesterners in mind, so as not to get their pacemakers all in a tizzy. NOT SO! I was truly impressed with the hip attitude of the production. They didn’t pull the punches on some of the racier jokes, and the fine line between raciness and sleaze was never crossed.
Until tonight, I had completely forgotten the anger my grandmother expressed when she joined her church group (Heaven’s Waiting Room) on their one and ONLY trip to Beef & Boards. “Oh, it was shameful. Those girls are wearing SKIRTS and there they were, spinning and kicking their legs up in the air. You could see their PANTIES!!! What a disgrace! Don’t they know how ladies should behave??? No decent man would ever want to know a girl like THAT!!!” *cringe* I only remember it so well since that tirade lasted for days, and was kept on a low simmer for weeks later, occasionally boiling over now and again with fits of religious fervor. Ah, yes. I think that’s what kept me away. Silly me. Perhaps it is the fear of a glimpse of panties (don’t they know those are leotards?) that keep the audience younger than I had anticipated. This means more space for you and your friends to attend the next exciting performance!
Tags: &, amy, beef, boards, dinner, producers, stark, the, theater
Add a Comment
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Comment by Eddie Curry on September 6, 2008 at 5:48pm -
Marla and Pat,
Thank you for making the trek up to the northwest side to visit Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre. It is a wonderful Hoosier family owned business, owned and operated by one of the nicest, if not the nicest man in show business. We look forward to your next visit for some of the best "dinner-tainment" in central Indiana. My only regret is that I did not get to meet you after the show. Perhaps next time. Thank you, Amy, for being such a cheerleader for THE PRODUCERS!
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Comment by Pat Coyle on September 5, 2008 at 9:56pm - Nice to see you guys at the show last night. Thanks, Amy, for the tix. All those Smoosiers who passed up this opportunity missed out on a very funny evening...it takes a lot to make me laugh when I'm tired (like I was last night), but I laughed out loud several times during that show. Good stuff. My friend, Christian, had fun too...I didn't know it, but he's a huge Mel Brooks fan, so this was right up his alley.
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Comment by Lou Begnel on September 5, 2008 at 9:11am -
Amy,
That's the first thing I thought when I saw both posts. Nice post Marla. I too was pleasantly surprised by the show. Maybe Palin could borrow some of Mel Brook's genius for her speeches. It would be something like this:
"From Alaska through Nebraska, all I hear about is change. If you really want that, I have got to ask ya, do you mind it if we tax ya?"
And yes, everything is show biz.
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Comment by Marla Ruth on September 5, 2008 at 9:10am - She's dancing with the angels now. I sure hope nobody is doing those shameful high kicks!
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Comment by Amy Stark on September 5, 2008 at 8:31am -
Hey Marla, Did you see the Sarah Palin picture Noah Coffey posted? Hmmm... I don't think Sarah is the German Ethel Merman, but it is ironic he posted that picture on the same day.
One of my favorite lines in The Producers highlights Mel Brooks' genius, "It ain't no mystery...
If it's politics or history... The thing you gotta know is.... Everything is show biz"
Thanks for coming last night, it was fun.
Your Grandma should see Smoke on the Mountain next time it's there. It's squeaky clean and no sign of panties or even leotards. =)
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1. Please use your real name (first and last) when you sign up, or we cannot open your account
2. Please do not use logos or commercial images for your profile photo
3. Events should be posted in the events calendar
4. You can post pretty much anything you want on your own personal page (self promotion, etc), and you can change the style of your personal profile page to reflect your corporate identification if you so choose.
5. Please keep all comments civil and polite. It's OK to feel strongly about a subject, and it's OK to be critical of ideas, but please refrain from personal attacks of any kind.
If you witness or experience any issues, please contact admin@smallerindiana.com and we will look into the matter.
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