Bold Lips Entertainment, an entrepreneurial production company out of Northwest Indiana, presents Mindy’s Bachelorette Party: An Interactive Play. As an original comedy written by a local playwright, Mindy’s offers a unique alternative for Lake County residents looking for new entertainment options. “The show feels more like a fun night out with friends than a traditional theater experience,” the director and playwright, Cari Labok of Highland, commented. Marilyn Catinella, Labok’s business partner and assistant director of Mindy’s, notes, “One of our goals was to bring theater to the masses, so Mindy’s is great for anyone whether you are a regular theatergoer or not.”
The show centers around Mindy Morrison (Kristin Duncan of Merrillville), a people pleasing bride-to-be trying to hold it all together as her separate worlds collide. When all of the big personalities in her life are all brought together under one roof, hilarity ensues. Her childhood best friend and maid of honor Liza (Brizeida Bueno of Hammond) is the ultimate diva who clashes with Mindy’s other bridesmaids- Mindy’s co-worker Denise, a nerdy granola girl (split role played by Jill Ritchie of Chesterton and Joy Scott of South Haven) and Mindy’s anti-establishment, snarky artist sister Margo (Myanne Zachary of Munster). Mindy’s mom Jodi (Marilyn Catinella of Munster), a wild party girl, and Mindy’s holier-than-Thou future mother-in-law Helen (Laura Mazzuca Toops) also butt heads due to their drastically different approaches to motherhood and views on their children’s upcoming nuptials.
Add a few unexpected guests and more than a few secrets revealed, and you have a night that won’t soon be forgotten by Mindy or the audience. James Rhoten of Highland, King David Lane of Lake Station, Ray Huntington of Robertsdale, and Michael Depriest Reed of Robbins round out this hilarious ensemble cast.
A unique feature of the show is the interactive nature. Before the first scripted line is spoken, actors come out into the audience and talk with the guests in character. “The cast treats the audience like old friends of the bride-to-be,” Labok says. “Mindy could be your neighbor, cousin, co-worker, childhood playmate, former roommate, etc. The possibilities are endless.” Catinella added, “All of the guests are eating and drinking during the show like they would at a real bachelorette party, which also adds to the immersion.”
“As a modern take on a traditional dinner theater, Mindy’s marries a conventional scripted comedy with the spontaneity and fun of improv,” Catinella explained. “Short form improv games are baked into the script, audience suggestions are used to add to the drama, and so the show is slightly different every time you see it,” Labok added.
Cari Labok and Marilyn Catinella are co-owners of Bold Lips Entertainment. “We are a women owned small business,” Catinella said. “We are focused on amplifying female voices in the arts by creating immersive theater experiences written by local or lesser known playwrights and centered around dynamic female characters.” Both women have a passion for better representation in arts, particularly with shows that pass the Bechdel test.
Labok discussed that one of her inspirations for writing Mindy’s came when she attended another dinner theater production and noted how all of the female characters were written in service to the male characters and their arcs. “They were the wife of, girlfriend of, or mother of the more prominent characters. So I thought wouldn’t it be nice to see female characters with more meaty storylines and focus on the relationships between the women.”
That idea eventually became fleshed out into Mindy’s Bachelorette Party. At the time, Labok had just finished training at Second City for improv and was a member of an improv team in Orland Park called “No Limit Laughs,” which strongly influenced her desire to incorporate improv games into the show. But unlike a standard improv set in which the host breaks the fourth wall between games, all of the audience suggestions are placed organically into the script and the characters’ personalities motivate them throughout the improv scenes.
Mindy’s was first produced in 2016 for a successful limited run at Hackney’s Irish Pub in Palos Park. Labok recruited her improv friends to round out the cast, and even performed as the maid of honor character Liza. The show was well received at the time, with guests emailing her afterwards asking when the next show would be. Proud of what she and her friends accomplished, but exhausted from wearing all of the hats at once and balancing life as a new mom of a baby girl, Labok chose to not continue at that time. But a part of her always longed to direct and produce Mindy’s Bachelorette Party again.
Labok continued to perform in local community theater productions, and in 2022, she was cast in Beatniks on Conkey’s “Done to Death” with Catinella, her now business partner. The two women became fast friends, bonding over their mutual love of theater, writing, pop culture trivia, and pondering life’s big questions over a good drink. Labok told Catinella about Mindy’s Bachelorette Party and Catinella loved the idea of creating art that put a spotlight on female voices. Several coffee house brainstorming sessions later, Bold Lips Entertainment was born.
“When I first read the script, I thought it was very funny and I saw a lot of potential there,” Catinella said. Labok and Catinella wanted to find their talent pool from a variety of sources to diversify the cast. For months, they attended stage plays, improv shows, open mic nights and other theatrical productions, to find the unique mix of actors and improvisers necessary to pull off this one of a kind show. “I am so proud of this cast, and how they were able to bring my vision to life,” Labok said.
Unlike traditional theater productions, Mindy’s is performed at three different locations at local restaurants: Bullpen Luxury Bar & Grill on Sept 9th at 3pm, White Rhino Bar & Grill on Sept 14th at 7pm, and Malt Brothers Brewing on Sept 30th at 7pm. For tickets and information, visit BoldLipsEntertainment.com.
Susie Young Baxter, CEO, has published PanoramaNOW Magazine for 31 years. Her hobbies are Camping, Boating, Hiking, Nature, Gardening and Outdoor Activities. She is an Artist, Graphic Designer, an Avid Seamstress, Dabbles in Homemade Crafts and Landscaping. Since her Father was a Health Teacher, she also likes homeopathic Health Solutions. Since blogging started over 10 years ago, PanoramaNow has been added to Newsbreak – a national news affiliate.
