Tim’s Picks: The Minute You Walked in the Joint edition
Your guide to five choice picks for your Greater Lafayette week.
Support for this edition of Based in Lafayette comes from the Art Museum of Greater Lafayette, presenting the Heart of Art on April 25. Don’t miss Heart of Art 2025 — where philanthropy meets fun! Enjoy a multi-course meal, fine wine and exclusive auction items generously donated by Greater Lafayette businesses, including exciting bundles, unique group activities and one-of-a-kind art pieces. Best of all, proceeds support 30% of the annual budget, keeping the Art Museum free and open to all. Can’t attend in person? Join the online auction featuring amazing local items — though big-ticket items are exclusive to the event. Check here for tickets and more information.
And now for five ideas for your Greater Lafayette week, here’s …
By Tim Brouk / For Based in Lafayette
“Chicago,” 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 3, Elliott Hall of Music, Purdue University — Popular Broadway musical “Chicago” returns to Purdue tonight. Since its 1996 revival, the massive Bob Fosse feast for the eyes and ears has played Purdue a few times over the years, and why not? It’s the second most successful Broadway show in history, after “Phantom of the Opera.” The music, the costumes, the true crime roots of the show all add up to toe-tapping fun. Almost 30 years since its debut, “Chicago” will still give you jazz hands in the seats and have you doing patented Fosse side-shuffles in the aisles. $39-$79. Tickets.
New gallery exhibitions reception, 6-8 p.m. Friday, April 4, The Arts Federation, 638 North St., Lafayette — You can’t talk local ceramics without those 13 letters: “F-r-a-n-k-e-n-b-e-r-g-e-r.” Scott Frankenberger, whose various vessels have graced many, many local art exhibitions, galleries and fairs, will celebrate a half-century as a professional artist with “Scott’s Pots: 50 Years of Clay.” The show will go decade by decade to document the artist’s progress over the years as well as his experimentation not only with form but various glazes and firing techniques. But this is no retirement, just a pause to celebrate a milestone in his artistic career: “I’m not done yet, but this is a look back while I briefly take a breath,” Frankenberger said. Also opening will be an emotional show from Sara Poer, who used art to process grief. Lastly, Jinan Kim will display new design works featuring the artist’s mastery over geometry.
“Mac Beth,” 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, April 4 and 5, and 2:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, April 5 and 6, Civic Theatre of Greater Lafayette, 313 N. Fifth St., Lafayette — There are scores of interesting, modernized takes on Shakespeare’s works out there. The Bard’s beautiful verse can stand on its own either in a classic interpretation or in a modern one like Civic Youth Theatre’s daring take on “Mac Beth.” Directed by Benji Braswell, the show consists of an all-girl cast, most in their teens. This adaptation by Erica Schmidt features seven girls playing the main characters MacBeth (Ash Durnham), Banquo (Mary Stuckey), Lady MacBeth (Katie Pitoukkas), MacDuff (Luna Puetz), and those three wicked, troublesome witches (Reese Smith, Quinn Findlay and Ellie Boszor). The premise has the girls meeting up in an abandoned parking lot, and they end up performing the show with only their backpacks as props, their school uniforms for costumes, the forgotten junk around the parking lot as set pieces and their imaginations to whisk them — and the audience — to Shakespearean times. The show works as an outlet and commentary for challenges today’s teen girls often face. $14. Tickets.
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Tennessee Whiskey: Tribute to Chris Stapleton with Ultimate Eric Church Tribute, 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 4, Long Center for the Performing Arts, 111 N. Sixth St., Lafayette — It may seem a little strange to see two country music artists still in their prime getting the tribute treatment, but two of country’s current best will have their music performed and celebrated this weekend in downtown Lafayette. Tennessee Whiskey is named after Chris Stapleton’s popular take on a George Jones song of the same name. The band consists of Chicago country musicians that present the closest thing to seeing Stapleton live. Opening the show will be the Ultimate Eric Church Tribute. Tim Gleason portrays Church, a superstar singer with an astounding 29 Academy of Country Music nominations since 2011. Both tribute acts tend to perform together around the Midwest, so expect a tight show of some of today’s better country music. $16-$47.25. Tickets.
Tony Zamora Scholarship Competition, 3 p.m. Sunday, April 6, The Arts Federation, 638 North St., Lafayette — The Jazz Club of Lafayette will present its 11th annual Tony Zamora Scholarship competition in a live format this weekend. Local high school jazz cats and kittens will perform with hopes of earning funds for college. The award is named after the late, great Tony Zamora, a local jazz legend who was the nucleus of Lafayette-West Lafayette jazz for decades — often performing at the Knickerbocker Saloon in downtown Lafayette. Before he died in 2020, Zamora, his family and The Jazz Club orchestrated funds to help young, aspiring musicians pursue their craft beyond their high school’s jazz bands. Zamora was a force both on-stage and in education. It’s so great that the Zamora name and legacy continues through the talents the young folks performing this weekend and beyond.
Tim Brouk is a longtime arts and entertainment reporter. He writes here (almost) weekly, tracking things to do for Based in Lafayette.
Support for this edition of Based in Lafayette comes from the Art Museum of Greater Lafayette, presenting the Heart of Art on April 25. Check here for tickets and more information.
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Tips, story ideas? I’m at davebangert1@gmail.com.
The wonderful Tony Zamora photo was taken by Phil Prien for the “Local Color” marketing campaign we created for Lafayette Printing Company back in the day. —Angie