Actors Theatre of Indiana — Attraction in Carmel

Titanic: I have nothing but praise for the cast, orchestra, choir and orchestrations for Titanic. I would give all of them 5 stars. I gave Titanic an overall score of 4 stars because for me, while the Palladium is a fabulous and gorgeous concert hall, it is not well suited for theatre. The venue, itself, limits what can be done with sets since there are no curtains or backstage. Anyone sitting on the sides must lean over the edge frequently to see the entire production.

Beyond that, and this is completely my personal taste and has nothing to do with the quality of the performance or the ability of the performers, I found the book rather boring and the score largely forgettable. For a musical of this stature, I would expect a lot more character development so that the audience would feel a connection to the characters. The story, itself, is fairly basic so the only thing that would make it captivating would be strong character development.

As far as the score, being a composer, if I don't walk away from a musical with any of the numbers stuck in my head, I am not impressed. Also, in the second Act (especially the opening number), the music did not portray the gravity of the situation.

Bottom line, if you're expecting to find the story in this musical extremely powerful and moving, it is not. If you want to enjoy the wonderful sound quality and beauty of the venue, and the talent of the performers and musicians, you definitely will. I have seen numerous performances by ATI at different venues and have never been disappointed with their performances. Their performances are definitely...

I delight in attending performances at our black box theater, the Studio Theater. It is intimate and the play is bound to be awesome. I am a huge fan of Judy Fitzgerald and Cindy Collins. We are so blessed to have them in Carmel. They also attract excellent talent to our venue.

“Whodunit” was a nice escape back to 1931. The humor was universal. In addition to the excellent actors, the set was very well done as were the sound effects and the music.

A great surprise was getting to talk to the cast and crew afterward. That adds to the intimacy of the theater and the cast and crew are so open to questions and so patient as they answer. Since many are repeat performers, it’s really nice to get to know them.

If you haven’t seen Whodunit, it’s a lovely way to spend an afternoon or evening. Bring your friends and laugh together.

Now I cannot wait to see 9-5! Also I just heard about Titanic, so I need to look into that.

Thanks to ATI for another outstanding performance. Carmel is blessed to have you.

(The photos are during the Q and A after the...

I attended ATI’s production of Titanic at the Payne & Mencias Palladium on Friday and thoroughly enjoyed it. The entire cast was so very talented and told the story with so much heart. I wasn’t very familiar with the show before, but the powerful score and performances will definitely stay with me. Being in the Palladium added a sense of scale and grandeur that made the whole experience feel even more special. The whole evening felt like a top-notch show you’d see at a major theater, and I really appreciated the thought and care that went into every detail… from the acting and staging to the costumes and sound. It’s honestly amazing to have this level of theater right here in our community. ATI continues to impress, and I feel so lucky to be able to experience productions like this close to home. I’m already looking forward to...