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DocuSign Envelope ID:A1391 C8C-C731-4683-B498-D5B7783F86E4 w ,aced 44 Plays for 44 Presidents I Theater I Indy Week <br /> busy five-person cast. Most scenes have some sort of comic or satirical <br /> element, but the stylistic range is all over the map. The legacy of a given <br /> president might be addressed in the manner of a quiz show or silent film, <br /> vaudevillian revue or sober monologue. <br /> Some of the funnier bits include a Borscht Belt-style roast of Thomas <br /> .Jefferson (by Ben Franklin, no less) and an exuberant musical tribute to <br /> Nixon ("We Love Dick!"). On the dark side are tributes to Lincoln and JFK, and <br /> a particularly compelling scene in which Benjamin Harrison slaughters Native <br /> Americans by stabbing red balloons with a knife. <br /> Funny or dramatic, the vignettes come in such rapid succession that 44 Plays <br /> has an inherent problem with tonal consistency. The large audience at last <br /> Saturday's show often seemed unsure when and whether to laugh. And some <br /> bits are simply incomprehensible, unless you're familiar with Martin van <br /> Buren's federal treasury policy, or whatever. <br /> But the flat notes are easy to forgive when you begin to appreciate the <br /> amazing technical proficiency of the cast and crew. The rear of the stage is <br /> occupied by four cabinets filled with costumes and props, which the five <br /> performers bring into and out of scenes at a dizzying pace: hats, guns, <br /> lamps, chalkboards, spanking paddles, fake mustaches and so on. <br /> Meanwhile, the equally busy tech crew is firing off relentless lighting and <br /> sound effects, along with images, scrolling text and film clips on a central <br /> projection screen. There's a tumbling velocity to the production that's <br /> thrilling. <br /> The ensemble cast manages it all with aplomb and the occasional ad-libbed <br /> aside, giving 44 Plays the energy and verve of an improv show. This is a true <br /> ensemble and everyone gets several dozen moments to shine. I particularly <br /> liked Ros Schwartz's spitfire energy, Michael Brocki's gravity in the heavier <br /> bits and Derrick Ivey's alarmingly accurate .Jimmy Carter impersonation. <br /> The thesis of 44 Plays is more or less stated in the midst of the Benjamin <br /> Harrison sequence, after the intermission. It's about how history is written <br /> and how the legacy of our country is communicated in the story of the <br /> presidents. The play encourages us to think about what we know and what <br /> we think we know. Too bad the artfully posed questions are undercut at the <br /> end with some pedantic rock-the-vote nonsense. 44 Plays didn't make me <br /> want to get to the polls, but it did make me want to read up on some of <br /> these jokers. <br /> This article appeared in print with the headline "Young meets old." <br /> Tags: Theater, The ArtsCenter <br /> Related Locations <br /> http:Uwww.indyweek.com/indyweek/the-artscenters-fun-and-fast-paced-44-plays-for-44-presidents/Content?oid=3162395&mode=print 213 <br />