Goodbye, Lil Bub
The Hoosier Kitty Everyone Could Cheer For
When you’re an IU alum watching nationally televised basketball games, like Tuesday’s against North Carolina, it’s fun knowing the rest of the nation is exposed to little things so familiar to Hoosiers. But it’s even cooler when something you have a close personal connection to gets time in the limelight.
Jeffrey Hatcher has adapted several plays, refashioning Tuesdays with Morrie and The Turn of the Screw, both of which have been performed at the Indiana Repertory Theatre. His latest show there, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, was originally commissioned for the Arizona Theatre Company and received a 2009 Edgar Award nomination for Best Play. I caught up with the playwright at his show’s opening night reception at the IRT, and we talked about his vision for it and the novel choice to make Hyde a four-person role.
It seems as though my high school taught me well—when you went to the Indiana Repertory Theatre for a field trip, you dressed nice. And sure enough, a night out at the theater still seems to be quite the occasion here in Indy, with much of the crowd attending Friday’s opening night of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, the first show of the 2012-13 season, decked out in blazers, button-ups, and cocktail dresses. (See photos from the show’s opening night soirees at the IRT here.)
In the end, it was the Real American Hero who took home the gold medal, as it were, in the Children’s Museum’s interactive project, “Top 100 Toys (& their Stories) that Define Our Childhood.” Voters cast more than 24,000 nods online, and G.I. Joe was named the No. 1 favorite toy of the past 100 years. It seems children of the 1980s rocked the vote in full force, as Transformers landed in the No. 2 slot, followed by LEGO sets in third place. The iconic Cabbage Patch Kids proved to be underdogs, snagging the seventh spot, and Indiana native Raggedy Ann finished just outside the Top 10 at No. 11. Here’s the full Top 20 roster.
When I was a high school freshman, my dream was to be the star of the stage. I performed in two plays that year, but after failing to make the musical cast the following fall, I joined the speech team and found my true calling in public speaking. These days, I’ve dropped out of the drama world completely, but whenever I see a play, I wonder what it would be like to return to the stage.
Barbie, G.I. Joe, crayons, and Silly Putty are among the top 20 toys selected in the Children Museum’s current interactive project, Top 100 Toys (& their Stories) that Define Our Childhood. More than 20,000 votes were cast to determine these “best” toys out of the 100 curator selections. Toy lovers now have until Sept. 7 to vote on what toys take home Olympics-inspired gold, silver, and bronze awards. (See IM staffers’ own favorites here.)
