Stoppard’s genius is to permeate his play with deep philosophical contemplation while using the play to explore those same issues.
View More ARCADIA (Lantern): A great play is always timely
Author: Christopher Munden
Your faithful correspondent and publisher Christopher Munden has written and edited for many publications, websites, and cultural institutions. He was an editor/publisher of the Philly Fiction book series, collections of short stories written by local writers and set in Philadelphia. He's also a soccer coach, a pretty good skier, and an erstwhile songwriter.
A Day to Play: P&P’s 24-Hour Play Festival
The festival features plays created from scratch in just one day. It won’t be polished, but it should be fun.
View More A Day to Play: P&P’s 24-Hour Play Festival
Another round of A PLAY, A PIE, AND A PINT
It’s a great idea, imported from Britain: a happy-hour-long play, served with a slice of pizza and a beer.
View More Another round of A PLAY, A PIE, AND A PINT
New season of NICE AND FRESH brings dance, theater, and NYC comedy
SmokeyScout Productions’ Nice and Fresh performing arts series is like a mini Fringe Festival each month
View More New season of NICE AND FRESH brings dance, theater, and NYC comedy
The firstlings of their heart: MACBETH marks Revolution Shakespeare’s first full production
This fall sees Revolution Shakespeare’s first full production: a New Orleans-inspired MACBETH, from October 1-12.
View More The firstlings of their heart: MACBETH marks Revolution Shakespeare’s first full production
KING LEAR (Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre Company): In West Philadelphia, old and gray
Seeing a show at the Elizabethan-era replica theater The Globe is a thrilling experience for any Shakespeare fan: the arrangement of (fairly uncomfortable) seats, natural…
View More KING LEAR (Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre Company): In West Philadelphia, old and gray
FANDO Y LIS (Emily Schuman): Fringe Review 81
Fernando Arrabal’s FANDO Y LIS stands as an exemplar of mid-20th century modernism, alongside other practitioners of the Theater of the Absurd.
View More FANDO Y LIS (Emily Schuman): Fringe Review 81
100% PHILADELPHIA (Rimini Protokoll): Fringe Review 79
Statistics tell us about our city, but the story is fragmentary and incomplete. To fill out the picture, Rimini Protokoll recruited 105 real Philadelphians.
View More 100% PHILADELPHIA (Rimini Protokoll): Fringe Review 79
THE YELLOW WALLPAPER (Wild Plum Productions): Fringe Review 63
Wild Plum Productions’ abridged staging of THE YELLOW WALLPAPER succeeds in capturing the chills and insight of the original work.
View More THE YELLOW WALLPAPER (Wild Plum Productions): Fringe Review 63
2014 Rocky Awards – Winners!
Unlike other awards that have a panel of judges or votes by the public, each 2013 recipient has the honor of bestowing a 2014 Rocky to an individual they feel represents the best of Philadelphia dance in the previous season.
View More 2014 Rocky Awards – Winners!
THE WAITSTAFF SH*TS THE BED (The Waitstaff): 2014 Fringe Review 55
After years of milking their hit show The Real Housewives of South Philly until it jumped the shark, The Waitstaff return to the Fringe with another set of funnybone-tickling sketch comedy
View More THE WAITSTAFF SH*TS THE BED (The Waitstaff): 2014 Fringe Review 55
THE ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY, FORGET-ABOUT-IT, LAST NIGHT AT VON DAHM’S SPORTS BAR, WING HUT, AND KARAOKE PALACE (Actors International Theatre): Fringe Review 48
Some Fringe shows display great production values and artistic quality. VON DAHM’s isn’t one of those, but it’s still a joy.
View More THE ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY, FORGET-ABOUT-IT, LAST NIGHT AT VON DAHM’S SPORTS BAR, WING HUT, AND KARAOKE PALACE (Actors International Theatre): Fringe Review 48
SAFE SPACE (Apocalypse Club): 2014 Fringe Review 39
A collaboration between three inventive local playwrights, SAFE SPACE provides its audience a Fringe adventure: a choose your own adventure.
View More SAFE SPACE (Apocalypse Club): 2014 Fringe Review 39
THE FOUR SEASONS RESTAURANT (Societas Raffaello Sanzio): Fringe Review 36
Named after a Mark Rothko painting cycle, Castellucci’s piece is a sort of abstract impressionism on stage
View More THE FOUR SEASONS RESTAURANT (Societas Raffaello Sanzio): Fringe Review 36
SPEED DATING TONIGHT! (Poor Richard’s Opera): Fringe Review 34
“You don’t have to like classical music, but you have to like beer,” sings a lonely bassoon player in the charming SPEED DATING TONIGHT!
View More SPEED DATING TONIGHT! (Poor Richard’s Opera): Fringe Review 34
WHITE RABBIT, RED RABBIT (Nassim Soleimanpour, performed by Mary Lee Bednarek): Fringe Review 31
Each night, a new actor opens a manila envelope and reads the script for the first time. The spontaneity of the performance allows the author to engage with the audience from miles away and years ago.
View More WHITE RABBIT, RED RABBIT (Nassim Soleimanpour, performed by Mary Lee Bednarek): Fringe Review 31
V (Butter & Serve): Fringe Review 18
With simulated oral histories, storytelling through creative movement, and naturalistic scenes of the women’s interaction, Butter & Serve craft an engaging and intelligible account of military service from a female perspective.
View More V (Butter & Serve): Fringe Review 18
WHAT I LEARNED ABOUT OUTER SPACE (Pennsylvania Ballet, Curtis Institute of Music, FringeArts): Fringe Review 14
If dance is a language, it is spoken in a variety of accents. With WHAT I LEARNED ABOUT OUTER SPACE, FringeArts commissioning three contemporary choreographers—Zoe Scofield, Georg Reischl, and Itamar Serussi—to create pieces on PA Ballet dancers.
View More WHAT I LEARNED ABOUT OUTER SPACE (Pennsylvania Ballet, Curtis Institute of Music, FringeArts): Fringe Review 14
THEY CALL ME ARETHUSA (Colie McClellan & Mark Kennedy): Fringe Review 10
In THEY CALL ME ARETHUSA, Southern-tinged Greek myths tie together documentary theater-style interviews reminiscent of Anna Deavere Smith’s one-woman shows.
View More THEY CALL ME ARETHUSA (Colie McClellan & Mark Kennedy): Fringe Review 10
99 BREAKUPS (Pig Iron Theatre Company): Fringe review 8
Each Fringe, the Pig Iron Theatre Company show is one of the most highly anticipated. This year’s offering, 99 BREAKUPS, may be untidy and inconsistent but it’s already almost completely sold out.
View More 99 BREAKUPS (Pig Iron Theatre Company): Fringe review 8