Review: "Stinky Flowers and the Bad Banana"

Konrad.Marshall

August 24, 2008 by Konrad.Marshall | Staff

0 votes

Taking much-needed leave from the Sunday sun, Croft Vaughn cooled off under a tent on Massachusetts Avenue, and thought about his roots.

The Greencastle native left Indiana almost a decade ago for New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, where he learned experimental theatre, moved on to off-Broadway shows, and finally to performances on such grand stages as the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

But the 27-year-old is back in Indianapolis this week -- back to where his love of fairytales and performing began.

Vaughn is in town doing his one-man IndyFringe show "Stinky Flowers and the Bad Banana," on the very stage that was home to his theatrical debut: the Phoenix Theatre, where he performed in a show that he said marked his coming out both theatrically and personally.

Sweating through his clothes in the mid-afternoon heat Sunday, Vaughn reflected that he has been working so hard on so many things for so long that the last time the Brooklyn resident's family saw him perform was six years ago.

"What's weird is I just joined Facebook, and all these people contacted me and came to the show," Vaughn said. "It was great to see everyone all grown up. It was sort of like a preview to the high school reunion."

The production is somewhat of a throwback to the material Vaughn performed in Greencastle as a teenager, but a master class in clowning at NYU has since helped solidify the act. The character Vaughn plays -- a little boy named Sinclair -- is a modification of unused material written by Vaughn over the years. He is essentially a 9-year-old, third-grader ripe with child-like wonder and mischief, but also heart.

Vaughn's outfit -- blue jeans rolled up ever-so-slightly, white tennis shoes and a red-striped T-shirt -- when combined with his slight frame and boyish features, lends itself perfectly to the routine.

"We're kind of stealing from Calvin and Hobbes," Vaughn said. "I love that that comic strip. I kind of see Sinclair as a cousin to Calvin."

When Sinclair steps out on stage, he tells the stories he has learned from form his grandfather, or observations made in his own little life. He stops to spell out big words, or to poke holes in his own tall stories, all the while sharing fairytales about wizards, kings, monkeys and bewitched flora. And there is some sadness too, to the point that a handful of audience members could be heard hearing weeping Sunday.

The show charmingly incorporates some multimedia, and Vaughn's own drawings displayed on a screen for the audience. And it is kid-friendly, but also appeals to adults, particularly those who are still kids at heart. Vaughn said he hopes and suspects his family falls into that category.

"This is the first show that I've done that I've taken to this kind of level of production," he said. "I'm really proud of it and excited that they're going to see it."

Stinky Flowers and the Bad Banana

What: A one-man show featuring a journey through the fairytales taught to a 9-year-old boy, Stinky Flowers is funny yet touchingly sad, and also uplifting.

Where: Phoenix Theatre, 749 N. Park Ave., Indianapolis

Schedule: Wednesday, Aug. 27 at 9 p.m.; Thursday, Aug. 28 at 6 p.m.; and Friday, Aug. 29 at 7:30 p.m.

Also: Croft Vaughn will be conducting a storytelling workshop on Saturday, Aug. 30, from noon to 4 p.m. at the future headquarters of IndyFringe, 719 E. St. Clair St., Indianapolis (near the corner of Mass Ave). The cost is $40, and interested parties need to email Vaughn at croftv@hotmail.com to find out what materials and ideas to bring.

Posted in groups: IndyFringe

Forum: Talk

Tags: 

Fringe Festival, indy theatre, indianapolis art scene, indy culture, indianapolis culture, indianapolis theatre

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2 comments

TyCStover
TyCStover, August 25
0 votes

Croft is a contender for the best "talking head" show of the year. His biggest competition is Phil Van Hest of PHIL THE VOID and THE STAND UP MONKEY POET (who arrives today I believe). What Croft has going for him over the other 2 is that he is G rated. Funny, heart warming and tugging, and SMART, this piece is more of what we need to see at Fringe. You can just see how talented this young man is. I hope he comes back home year after year and presents us with more sweet smelling bouquets like these STINKY FLOWERS.

More on Croft.... www.wtetheater.org More on Phil.... www.philvanhest.com More on Monky Poet...www.monkeypoet.co.uk More on Fringe... www.indyfringe.org

FringeFan
FringeFan, August 28
0 votes

The show is real. The show is funny. The show is real funny. Vaughn's performance is well executed and reminds you of the storytelling you may have heard as a child by your grandparent's. A unique combination of the art of clowning, humor, storytelling, acting, and moral lessons. A true fairy tale performance. Just to give you an idea of the popularity, the person standing in line in front of me was seeing the show for the third time....

Another one I wouldn't miss. I get it now when people say you have to see multiple shows at the Fringe to get the full affect. Stinky Flowers is no stinker.....

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