IBJ Daily Arts & Entertainment

THURSDAY, 7/26/07

Delivered every Thursday as part of your IBJ Daily subscription

Matisyahu at the Lawn at White River State Park. An unorthodox orthodox singer. >>>   ShadowApe presents "Welcome to the Monkey House" at the Indiana Repertory Theatre. My (Vonne)gut instinct is that this will be a winner. >>>  Drew Hastings at Crackers Broad Ripple. The farmer takes the stage. >>>  Carrie Newcomer at the Indiana History Center. Music new and old from Newcomer. >>>  "Dos Fallopia: Desperate Spuddwives" at the Phoenix Theatre. Comedy Overies-y. >>>

Outdoor concerts, inside jokes, and an outrageous evening of Kurt Vonnegut highlight the most promising A&E events this week. Matisyahu, Aug. 6 at the Lawn at White River State Park In the restaurant business, the combining of distinct flavors to produce something unique is called fusion cuisine. For purists, it can be unpalatable. For the adventurous, it can be culinary heaven. And sometimes the experiment is interesting, but just doesn't work. On the musical front, one of the hottest fusion acts right now is Matisyahu, and you can judge for yourself this Monday if the mix works for you when he and his band open for 311. At first, the whole idea of Matisyahu may sound like a lame Mel Brooks-ian joke—a Hasidic Jewish reggae singer. (One of his videos shows the black-hatted, black-bearded, black-coated performer being hand-over-handed across a mosh pit.) But he hasn't just become the most popular reggae singer in America based on novelty. Bob Marley is an obvious influence (in sound as well as a willingness to channel spiritual ideas into his music) but you'll also hear hints of Sting in his voice. For more details on the concert, click here. To give a listen to Matisyahu, click here. "Welcome to the Monkey House" ShadowApe Theatre Company presents "Welcome to the Monkey House" at the Indiana Repertory Theatre On one hand, it would be a great thing for Indianapolis if the local ShadowApe Theatre Company became a full-time operation, channeling its edgy, funny, absurdist, make-you-a-bit-uncomfortable artistry into five or six shows a year. On the other hand, maybe ShadowApe is like an HBO series: If it had to conform to the rules of the networks, it wouldn't be able to achieve its special kind of excellence. On the third hand (yes, I can do a third hand because I'm talking about ShadowApe, which makes its own rules), monopolizing this talented crew under one full-season company would deprive other Indiana theaters of some of the region's best actors and designers. To have your conception of local theater shattered, check out ShadowApe's contribution to the city's year-long Kurt Vonnegut celebration with this adaptation of the Indianapolis native's short stories. For more details, click here. Drew Hastings, Aug. 8 at Crackers Broad Ripple Prior to becoming a comedian at age 31, Drew Hastings ran a trucking company and a document-shredding business. These days, he owns a farm Hastings in Ohio. Of course, if you are even an infrequent listener of "The Bob and Tom Show," you know these things and more about this hilariously aloof comic. A regular on the Friends of the Bob and Tom Show comedy tours, Hastings was once asked by an interviewer about his most memorable experience as a comedian. His answer: "The time God was in the audience and told me I was his favorite." We're not sure if the almighty will be there, but expect a crowd if you catch his one-night-only set on Wednesday. For more details, click here. Carrie Newcomer, Aug. 2 at the Indiana History Center Even if you are opening this e-mail late in the workday Thursday, it's not too late to catch one of Indiana's most insightful and empathetic singer-songwriters. For full preview, click here. "Dos Fallopia: Desperate Spuddwives," Aug. 2-26 at the Phoenix Theatre Lisa Koch and Peggy Platt, the Seattle-based duo known as Dos Fallopia, have been facing sketch-comedy challenges since 1990. For full preview, click here. THIS WEEK'S CONTEST: We're giving away two prizes this week: Four packs of "Golden Track" tickets to the David Cassidy and the Jonas Brothers concerts at the Indiana State Fair. To enter, click here.

	If you click "unsubscribe" you are electing to discontinue receiving your entire IBJ Daily subscription,  which includes Monday through Friday regular delivery and Thursday delivery of Arts & Entertainment. IBJ Daily Arts & Entertainment is part of your IBJ Daily subscription. Unsubscribe | Update Profile | Manage Subscriptions We respect your right to privacy - click here to view our policy. Copyright © IBJ Media Corp. 2007. All Rights Reserved. >Privacy Policy Reproduction or use without permission of editorial or graphic content in any manner is strictly prohibited. Reprint orders: To request reprint permission contact IBJ's managing editor. Phone: 317-634-6200 -- E-mail: managingeditor@ibj.com This email was sent by: IBJ Corporation 41 East Washington Street, Suite 200 Indianapolis, IN, 46204-3592, United States of America