Ben Asaykwee News

Cabaret Poe opened this weekend with a daunting success at the box office. With almost the entire weekend sold out, the Phoenix Theatre expects this show to be a Halloween hit. Cabaret Poe celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. Coincidentally, opening night was Cabaret Poe's 100th performance. 

Bright Star is a bluegrass musical with a big heart. Written by banjo-playing renaissance man Steve Martin and Edie Brickell, the show is set in the hills of North Carolina in the 1940s with flashbacks in the 1920s. It is at times playful and at others steeped in nostalgia. There's a large ensemble cast with a full bluegrass band onstage providing live music. The set is simple, with movable pieces on wheels and straightforward staging. The result is an absolutely delightful show.

Indianapolis has Ben Asaykwee living in its community. As longtime artistic director of Q Artistry, Asaykwee has shared his stunning talents through his original musical creations including The Donner Party Opera, Zirkus Grimm, Al in Boogie Wunderland and the fantastic and visually captivating Cabaret Poe, celebrating its 10th anniversary. For the Halloween season, the Phoenix brings Asaykwee's fabulous Cabaret Poe, an homage to the master of the macabre, Edgar Allan Poe, to the Frank and Katrina Basile Stage.

Indianapolis has Ben Asaykwee living in its community. As longtime artistic director of Q Artistry, Asaykwee has shared his stunning talents through his original musical creations including The Donner Party Opera, Zirkus Grimm, Al in Boogie Wunderland and the fantastic and visually captivating Cabaret Poe, celebrating its 10th anniversary. For the Halloween season, the Phoenix brings Asaykwee's fabulous Cabaret Poe, an homage to the master of the macabre, Edgar Allan Poe, to the Frank and Katrina Basile Stage.

When the Theatre on the Square closed its doors earlier this year, the perennial fall favorite Cabaret Poe needed to find a new home. The show settled into the fourth floor of Circle Centre Mall. It's an unexpected choice, but they make it work. All the best elements are still there, macabre humor, a trio of cynical performers who share the lead, and a delightful selection of Edgar Allan Poe's work. The result is a production that will apparently work in any performance space.

And they're off! The 2014 IndyFringe Festival favorite is back in a full-length format. The Great Bike Race tells the store of the second running of the Tour de France in the most hilarious way possible. It was vicious, with cyclist cheating their way to the finish line, willing to sabotage anyone who crossed their path.

No witnesses. No evidence. All that remains are the chilling photographs of the victims. How do you root out a killer?

No witnesses. No evidence. All that remains are the chilling photographs of the victims. How do you root out a killer?

Phoenix Theatre of Indianapolis announces the World Premiere production of Typhoid Mary opening tonight, April 30, 2015 on the Frank and Katrina Basile Stage. This production runs through May 24, 2015, with Bill Simmons serving as director. Tom Horan wrote Typhoid Mary in 2013 during his first season as the Phoenix Theatre's Playwright-in-Residence.

Phoenix Theatre of Indianapolis announces the World Premiere production of Typhoid Mary opening April 30, 2015 on the Frank and Katrina Basile Stage. This production runs through May 24, 2015, with Bill Simmons serving as director. Tom Horan wrote Typhoid Mary in 2013 during his first season as the Phoenix Theatre's Playwright-in-Residence.

- This holiday season, Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre presents the 20th Anniversary production of its popular one-hour version of A Christmas Carol. Enhanced with traditional carols, this classic Charles Dickens tale is on stage for just 10 performances from Dec. 6-22.

The Pyramid Players are proud to present a fun-filled musical featuring that silly old bear with Winnie-The-Pooh this fall at Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre. This fun show opens Oct. 11 for kids of all ages. Check out a first look below!

Monty Python's Spamalot is a musical comedy 'lovingly ripped off from' the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Like the film, it is a highly irreverent parody of the Arthurian Legend, but it differs from the film in many ways. The original 2005 Broadway production, directed by Mike Nichols with Eric Idle writing the musical's book and lyrics, won three Tony Awards, including the Tony Award for Best Musical of the 2004-05 season and received 14 Tony Award nominations.

Monty Python's Spamalot is a musical comedy 'lovingly ripped off from' the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Like the film, it is a highly irreverent parody of the Arthurian Legend, but it differs from the film in many ways. The original 2005 Broadway production, directed by Mike Nichols with Eric Idle writing the musical's book and lyrics, won three Tony Awards, including the Tony Award for Best Musical of the 2004-05 season and received 14 Tony Award nominations.

CABARET POE, a musical based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe, returns to the Irvington Lodge in Indianapolis for a five-week engagement beginning October 1st.