By LARRY ADAMS
A Seat on the Aisle
“You can’t judge a carnie based on their poorly chosen tattoos.”
Managing expectations. I can tell you it’s an important skill in the practice of medicine, customer service, relationships and probably even life in general, but most certainly in the niche world of theater reviewing. I critique shows a little differently depending on whether they’re dramas or comedies, old dependables versus fresh takes, or professional productions versus amateur efforts, so I always like to have at least some idea what to expect going into each show I review.
I truly had NO idea what to expect as I took a seat in the Phoenix Theatre Cultural Centre in downtown Indy to watch the premiere performance of The Magnificent Fall, JoJo TomBilBen Theatricals’ first production, last night. There’s not much information to be found out there yet concerning this locally written historical comedy. The website essentially just says it’s the true tale of the first person to survive the plunge over Niagara Falls, “as told by her cat” – which sounds potentially either mysteriously intriguing or eye-rollingly cringey. The rest of the interwebs weren’t much help; Siri at first simply parroted back the website blurb word for word, so I asked her to dive deeper; after a few seconds of digital hemming and hawing, she rather unconvincingly claimed to be late for her hair appointment and would I please close the tab on my way out. I was on my own.
Well, after a 90-minute performance and a few subsequent hours to gather my thoughts and decipher a few hastily scrawled notes, I can now definitively tell YOU what to expect:
- A light but endlessly creative and imaginative comedy performed in an intimate setting.
- An inspiring tale of derring-do and the human spirit, based on a true story that’s been mostly relegated to a footnote in the annals of history.
- A good show.
- No, I mean it. Like, a REALLY good show.
Not kidding on that last one. I’ve seen a lot of shows around town over the past few decades – have even been in one or two – and halfway through 2025 I can confidently put this one in the top five, 10 at the least. It’s a show I’d like to see again. A show I’d like to direct. A show I’d like to be in. That makes this review both easy and difficult to write; as most theaters around town would probably attest – much to their chagrin, I suspect – I can usually find a few things to nitpick in my reviews, but I’m truly at a loss here. Every facet of The Magnificent Fall delivers, and delivers in spades.
Let’s start with the writing. Local playwright Tom Horan’s work here is pure magic. His prop-heavy script is unflaggingly witty, occasionally silly (it’s narrated by a talking cat after all), filled with puns and both sight and sound gags, as well as audience participation and a pinch of improv; it nevertheless manages to balance the humor with some truly poignant moments and a clear respect for its real-life inspiration, Ms. Annie Edson Taylor.
John M. Goodson with Jolene Mentink Moffatt. (Photo provided by Phoenix Theatre Culture Centre)
None of this would matter, of course, without actors up to the material. Thankfully, The Magnificent Fall has got ‘em in the threesome of Jolene Mentink Moffatt, John M. Goodson, and Ben Asaykwee. This group of friends has worked together in productions past, and it shows in the easy manner and the smooth flow of their repartee.
Moffatt gives us an appropriately idealistic and brave heroine in her portrayal of Annie, turn-of-the-century teacher turned daredevil. Though certainly adept at the humor, it’s Moffatt’s more affecting moments on stage that really sell this piece in the end.
Asaykwee deftly portrays a number of characters through the course of the hour-and-a-half runtime, including a hilarious preshow crowd warmup routine that hinted of my favorite part of Sea World, the insulting mime.
As the cat (named Niagara), Goodson flawlessly delivers the bulk of the great zingers in the script and perfectly exudes the attitude one would expect from someone of the feline persuasion. If they could talk, that is. And do crossword puzzles.
Credit here also goes to Director Bill Simmons, who keeps the action going yet reins in his actors when needed, allowing the emotional beats to resonate and keeping the often-borderline campy and melodramatic humor from descending into pure absurdity.
Lighting and Sound Design, by Michael Moffatt and Tom Horan (yeah, the same guy who wrote the thing), respectively, are each exceptional and contribute greatly and often directly to both the comedic and tender moments; but I have to give special props to Prop and Puppet Designer Emily Solt McGee for her creativity, as well as her sheer volume of work. Costumes by Allison Jones complement the show’s humor and aesthetic nicely, without being distracting.
In the end, the cast and crew of The Magnificent Fall succeed by knowing EXACTLY what they have here. It’s not Les Miz or Hamilton, and it’s not Shakespeare. It’s not Nunsense or Steel Magnolias (thank God), nor any of the other done-to-death standards. Instead, it’s fresh, it’s light, and funny – but also, on some level, true and poignant and sad and tragic and uplifting and inspiring. It doesn’t pretend to be anything more than it is, and it delivers exactly what it promises.
I’m not particularly prone to emotional displays and, in fact, can be pretty darn poker-faced when in Critic Mode; but I’ll admit I wore a smile throughout the entire evening while watching this show – whether in response to a particular quip or in anticipation of the next one, or simply in recognition of the authentic “feels” of the human condition that somehow were worked into this piece. “Isn’t life awful,” one character proclaims, “And wonderful.” Yes. Yes, it is, and The Magnificent Fall will convince you of both.
Expect it.
Performance dates are through July 20 at the Phoenix Theatre Cultural Centre. Tickets are available for purchase at phoenixtheatre.org.
Read more great play reviews from A Seat on the Aisle at asota.wordpress.com.