Melissa Hall

Melissa Hall

Melissa Hall has been reviewing live theater since 2006. She lives in Indianapolis and enjoys the city's thriving local arts scene. She is a member of the American Theatre Critics Association and serves on its Steinberg/New Play committee. She is also a board member of the Indianapolis Shakespeare Company. She loves to travel and has been to 41 states and 16 countries. When she's not at the theatre, she can either be found at home with her husband, daughters, and dog or at her job, running a magazine for a state association.




LEARN MORE ABOUT Melissa Hall

First Show:

The King and I

Favorite Show:

Seeing Les Misérables in London and In the Heights in New York City are two of my favorite memories at the theater.

Favorite Stories:

  • Every Brilliant Thing - An incredible show that blended comedy and drama so perfectly.
  • Silent Sky - A new theater group premiered in our city with this wonderful production.
  • Interview: IRT Playwright-in-Residence Wins Drama Award - It was a delight to learn some of the behind-the-scenes details about playwriting from James Still.
  • Sweeney Todd - I love that shows can range from huge musicals in incredible venues, to a world premier one-man show in a black box theatre. This is an example of the former.
  • J. Eyre - Highlighting an original musical from our city was such a treat.


MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

Review: THE MINUTES at American Lives Theatre
Review: THE MINUTES at American Lives Theatre
January 29, 2024

The stodgy claustrophobic feel of the first half of the show is intentional and director Christ Saunders handles it beautifully. We are meant to be just as frustrated as Mr. Peel at the red tape and wheel spinning of the committee.

Review: TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD at Clowes Memorial Hall
Review: TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD at Clowes Memorial Hall
January 24, 2024

You can go to the show to see Thomas play Atticus, or Mary Badham (who played the original Scout in the film) as Mrs. Dubose, but the real reason you should go is to see a powerful night of theatre. It’s one of the best Broadway Across America productions I’ve seen in recent years.

Review: MATILDA at Buskirk-Chumley Theater
Review: MATILDA at Buskirk-Chumley Theater
December 19, 2023

Matilda is an entertaining show, but the message at its heart is the transformative power of finding love and connection. And that's just about perfect for the holiday season.  

Review: A CHRISTMAS CAROL at Indiana Repertory Theatre
Review: A CHRISTMAS CAROL at Indiana Repertory Theatre
December 6, 2023

A Christmas Carol is back at the Indiana Repertory Theatre. This holiday tradition is an audience favorite for a reason. New this year, Priscilla Lindsay directs and brings so much humor into the show with playful moments between the cast members. 

Review: FROZEN with Broadway Across America
Review: FROZEN with Broadway Across America
November 22, 2023

The mega-hit musical Frozen is on stage now at the Old National Centre. I can’t think of many shows that would be a better fit for a child’s first Broadway experience. These characters are so beloved and watching the show was like leaning into one of Olaf’s warm hugs.

Review: MARY SHELLEY'S FRANKENSTEIN at Indiana Repertory Theatre
Review: MARY SHELLEY'S FRANKENSTEIN at Indiana Repertory Theatre
September 24, 2023

Do you think you know the story of Frankenstein? Do you picture a green-skinned creature with bolts in his neck? The true story is less about the monster than it is about its creator and this adaptation looks closely at the writer behind the story. It's a tale of man's hubris and catastrophic guilt and how very human those things are.

Interview: Cast of ANGELS IN AMERICA at Bard Fest
Interview: Cast of ANGELS IN AMERICA at Bard Fest
May 24, 2023

Bard Fest, Indy's only annual Shakespeare Festival, is producing the epic two-play cycle of Tony Kushner’s Pulitzer-prize-winning Angels in America. They will present Part One - Millennium Approaches and Part Two - Perestroika in rotation throughout the month. In anticipation of its landmark June premier, some of the cast of Angels in America (AIA) answered some questions about the show.

Review: BEAUTY AND THE BEAST at Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre
Review: BEAUTY AND THE BEAST at Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre
May 22, 2023

If you want to be reminded of the magic of theater, take a young child to see their first show. It’s nothing short of exhilarating to see their face light up when a story comes alive in front of them. Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre’s current production of Beauty and the Beast pulls out all the stops. This show is the perfect example of the theater doing what it does best and it’s one of the finest shows I’ve seen there in years.

Review: PREDICTOR at American Lives Theatre
Review: PREDICTOR at American Lives Theatre
May 17, 2023

American Lives Theatre (ALT) closes its strong season with Predictor at the Phoenix Theatre. On the surface, it’s the story of one woman’s fight, but underneath that, the heart of the play lies in the friendship, determination, generational legacy, and so much more that help drive Meg Crane. In the 1960s she invented the home pregnancy test. This is her story and it should’ve been told decades ago. I’m so grateful to playwright Jennifer Blackmer and ALT for sharing it with us now.

Review: AN AMERICAN IN PARIS at Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre
Review: AN AMERICAN IN PARIS at Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre
April 5, 2023

If you love dancing, have I got a show for you! An American in Paris is on stage for the first time at Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre. Many will recognize the story from the Oscar-winning 1951 film of the same name. The familiar Gershwin score and songs are lovely and “They Can’t Take That Away From Me” is a particularly beautiful moment in the show.

Review: SHAKESPEARE'S WILL at Indiana Repertory Theatre
Review: SHAKESPEARE'S WILL at Indiana Repertory Theatre
March 31, 2023

Shakespeare's Will is a one-woman show about the Bard's wife. At a brisk 90 minutes, the show covers a lot of ground. The famous playwright leaves grief in his wake, but Anne Hathaway was a woman with her own story.

Review: WILD HORSES at the Phoenix Theatre
Review: WILD HORSES at the Phoenix Theatre
February 6, 2023

What did our critiA one-woman show starring two of Indy’s finest leading ladies, Wild Horses is a fascinating concept with a big payoff. Constance Macy and Jen Johansen rotate nights for their performances in the coming-of-age story. The one-act play flies by because it feels like chatting with an old friend who’s regaling you with stories from her past. From first crushes to alcohol concoctions only the underaged would dare to drink, the show captures the electric, reckless feel of youth.c think of WILD HORSES at Phoenix Theatre?

Review: HEROES OF THE FOURTH TURNING at American Lives Theatre
Review: HEROES OF THE FOURTH TURNING at American Lives Theatre
January 17, 2023

Empathy is often in short supply when it comes to how we feel about people on the opposite side of the political divide. Heroes of the Fourth Turning, a Pulitzer-prize finalist, explores that tricky topic in an intense and memorable way. The show is perfectly in line with American Lives Theatre’s mission to provide provocative and entertaining plays to Indy.

Review: CLUE at Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre
Review: CLUE at Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre
January 3, 2023

Clue, the classic whodunit farce, kicks off Beef and Boards Dinner Theatre's 50th anniversary season. The mystery show takes the famous board game and film and turns it into a play. Each character is given a weapon and a motive and the murders begin. Eddie Curry directs the fast-paced production and keeps the actors as close to their movie counterparts as possible. 

Review: ALADDIN at Broadway Across America
Review: ALADDIN at Broadway Across America
November 17, 2022

Broadway Across America does big musicals well. Obviously, the trend of movie-to-musical has touched every genre, but Disney musicals tend to translate well in that medium. Aladdin is no exception. Everything is big, bright, sparkling, and bursting with color. The special effects don’t disappoint. There are lightning-fast costume changes and spectacular sets. The Cave of Wonders is particularly impressive.

Review: TICK, TICK…BOOM! at Phoenix Theatre
Review: TICK, TICK…BOOM! at Phoenix Theatre
October 18, 2022

The story resonates with any artist who has questioned their future. By the end, you feel like you're part of the tight-knit trio as they navigate the difficult passage from their 20s into the next inevitable stage.

Review: KING JOHN at Shelton Auditorium
Review: KING JOHN at Shelton Auditorium
October 10, 2022

What did our cOne of the highlights of this year‘s Bard Fest is the rarely-produced King John. There are whispers of other Shakespeare plays echoing in the heartbreaking history All the classics are there but presented in a show that’s often overlooked. There are warring families, devious brothers, and vindictive paranoid monarchs, all grasping at power with greedy fingers. ritic think of KING JOHN at Shelton Auditorium?

Review: THE LIFESPAN OF A FACT at American Lives Theatre
Review: THE LIFESPAN OF A FACT at American Lives Theatre
September 6, 2022

The show is a beautiful reminder of what we all love about theater. When the show ends, the discussion begins.

BWW Review: MARY POPPINS Delights Families at Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre
BWW Review: MARY POPPINS Delights Families at Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre
May 24, 2022

Mary Poppins, the classic story of a practically-perfect nanny who comes to care for the neglected Banks children is on stage now at Beef and Boards Dinner Theatre. It’s a perfect show for families with young kids to enjoy. Statues come to life and kites are flown as the characters learn the timeless lesson of remembering what’s truly important in life.

BWW Review: DEAR EVAN HANSEN at Murat Theatre
BWW Review: DEAR EVAN HANSEN at Murat Theatre
April 27, 2022

High school is a different world from what many of us experienced growing up. Now, social media is an integral part of life and that fact is evident from the scrolling feeds presented on the hanging panels of the Dear Evan Hansen set. The story of a community coping with the suicide of a teenage boy took Broadway by storm when it premiered in 2016. It helped people feel seen and connected in a time when suicide and hopelessness run rampant in our society.



 1         




Videos