"Amusing Ambiguities"

When playwright Georges Feydeau (pictured, at left) presented his farcical plays in fin de siècle Paris, France, patrons typically threw tomatoes and cabbages, and reviewers showed no mercy in relegating his plays to those enjoyed by the less cultured of society.

His plays often involved a mistaken motive or a mistaken identity, and were filled with misunderstandings and great coincidences. Though dismissed in his day, he is now considered one of the great playwrights of the Edwardian era.

In keeping with Feydeau’s flair for people turning up in the wrong places, the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site, 1230 North Delaware Street, Indianapolis, will be the host of the Victorian Theatre by Candlelight’s spring production of “Amusing Ambiguities.”

To view this montage of three of Feydeau’s short plays, patrons will rotate among three different rooms of the presidential mansion to experience each play in a different setting. The Harrison’s furnishings, antiques, candlelight recreate the ambiance of 19th Century salon theatres.

In “Ladies’ Man,” staged in the master bedroom, a young woman seeks the counsel of her older cousin regarding how to deal with her gentleman suitor who is pressing marriage. However, both women are in for a surprise when they learn new things about this enigmatic young man.

In the back parlor, the audience will enjoy, “Romance in A Flat.” A young music student awaits her new maestro to instruct her in piano. However, the play takes a most amusing twist when we learn that the music teacher has appeared at the wrong flat and was indeed expecting someone quite different.

A comedy of errors unfolds in the dining room in “Wooed and Viewed.” An hysterical woman calls on her lawyer neighbor with a most unusual request for dealing with her jealous husband. The lawyer believes she wants a divorce, but she has other plans for retaliation.

“Amusing Ambiguities” opens on 20 April, and will be performed every Friday and Saturday evening through 5 May. There is a matinee at 2 p.m. 29 April. Tickets are $20 per person. Needless to say, reservations are highly recommended.

The Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site, a 16-room Italianate style house, was constructed by Harrison in 1874 and is a National Historical Landmark recognized by the United States Department of the Interior.

We're in the National News Again. Sigh!

An Indiana legislator has accused the Girl Scouts of America of teaching girls to want lesbian sex and revering Communists as role models.

Sounds like a joke? This Indianapolis Observer wishes it were!

However, Indiana state Rep. Bob Morris (R-Fort Wayne) is deadly serious. He actually wrote a letter to his fellow legislators explaining his refusal to sign a House Resolution recognizing the 100th Anniversary of Girl Scouts of America (you can read it here).

It includes this statement: "I have been told that, as of today, I am the only member not supporting the Girl Scout Resolution."

Well, no kidding, Rep. Morris! That's because you're out on this shaky limb all by your lonesome.

Time for another Thin Mint, or maybe a Savannah!

"Indiana is clearly a state with a lot of political excitement."

New York Times columnist Gail Collins takes on Indiana's residency flap today.

As she writes, "Of all the issues you can raise in a political campaign, the dumbest is whether a member of Congress has moved his/her family to Washington."

She continues, "The issue of voting addresses is particularly sensitive in Indiana, where the secretary of state, Charlie White, was recently tossed out of office after being convicted of registering to vote at his former wife’s address while he actually lived with his fiancée. White, who once worked as a family law attorney, said his private life was 'complicated', which I’m sure we’re all prepared to believe."

And, she concludes: "These residency flaps are generally bogus. If we want a Congress that looks at least minimally like the country at large — including women, men with working wives, and parents of young children — we can’t carp if they want to keep their families within commuting distance."

Read it all here: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/18/opinion/collins-anywhere-i-hang-my-hat.html

Zahn to Depart Indy Downtown Inc.

"Tamara Zahn, the first and only president of Indianapolis Downtown Inc., announced today her plan to step down from her position once a successor has been named and the transition is in place. The target date for the transition is June."

Indianapolis Downtown, Inc. Takes Over Georgia Street

File this one under "gee, you gave me a lot of notice, guys!"
Yes, I received the notice this morning -- and the meeting is in like 5 minutes.

A meeting of Georgia Street stakeholders and businesses will be held at 3 p.m. TODAY in Bankers Life Fieldhouse to discuss the operations and maintenance, sidewalk cafe applications and event applications.

Discussion of the documentary “Invisible Children”

(Thanks to Provocate.org for this item:)

In the spring of 2003, three young filmmakers traveled to Africa in search of a story. What started out as a filmmaking adventure became much more when Jason, Laren, and Bobby stumbled upon Africa’s longest-running war–a conflict where children were both the weapons and the victims.

The result was Invisible Children, a film that launched a campaign by high school and college students across the US to address the issue of child soldiers.

Join the discussion at noon, 27 February, in room MS B26, Van Nuys Medical Science Building, Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis (map and more).

This lunch time discussion is sponsored by the Global Health Student Interest Group and is free and open to all.

The Global Health SIG was founded by medical students at Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis and aims to facilitate opportunities for global health service, encourage study abroad in medicine, and increase awareness of global health care needs. The organization currently includes undergraduate, graduate, and medical students from a variety of backgrounds, including biology, pre-med, philanthropy, social work, health law, nursing, public health, and many others.

Peyton's Brother's Team Won

This Indianapolis Observer thinks Indy's the true winner of the Super Bowl. As Cory Schouten notes on IBJ.com, discussing sales, "the top seller by a mile, outselling the Super Bowl teams combined: Indianapolis-specific gear, sold primarily to Hoosiers. MainGate's sales at shops at Greenwood Park and Castleton Square malls were more than 100 percent ahead of expectations, outperforming even downtown outposts."