Interview with British actor Zainab Jah, who takes on the role of HAMLET at the Wilma Theater.
View More Physical, Naked Honesty On Stage: Interview with Zainab Jah, female Hamlet at the Wilma TheaterTag: Wilma Theater
THE BODY OF AN AMERICAN (Wilma): War lives in all of us
Did anyone anywhere actually believe that being photographed would take away the soul, or is that the kind of ethnocentric nonsense we need good foreign journalism to counter?
View More THE BODY OF AN AMERICAN (Wilma): War lives in all of us2013/14 Critics’ Awards: The best in Philadelphia theater
For the second year, Phindie asked local theater writers to vote on the best theatrical work produced in or near the city in the 2013/14 theater season.
View More 2013/14 Critics’ Awards: The best in Philadelphia theaterANDY: A POPERA (The Bearded Ladies Cabaret): The Enigma of Warhol
A post-modern fusion of Pop art with opera, ANDY: A POPERA, a work-in-progress by the Bearded Ladies Cabaret, explores the enormous fame and legacy of Andy Warhol, with elements of both tragic opera and opera buffa. The synthesis reflects in part the ambiance of Warhol’s Factory in the Sixties.
View More ANDY: A POPERA (The Bearded Ladies Cabaret): The Enigma of Warhol15 Questions in 15 Minutes with John Jarboe
The Bearded Ladies extend their proverbial 15 minutes of fame this week with the opening of their cabaret residency of ANDY: A POPERA in the…
View More 15 Questions in 15 Minutes with John JarboeTHE REAL THING (The Wilma): Exquisite dialogue shines through spotty production
Tom’s Stoppard’s dramedy THE REAL THING is set on a constantly evolving stage transforming into different locations in the UK during the early 1980s. Sky-high walls disappear, doors emerge out of nowhere, and scenes fluidly fold into the next with the help of nimble cast and crewmembers. First off, a man sits building a house of cards in a perfectly done up living room, while awaiting his wife’s return. The card house collapses with her sudden entrance, as does their marriage when he confronts her with the passport she left behind – on her trip out of the country. The whole scene feels rather put on, and the fake English accents don’t help.
View More THE REAL THING (The Wilma): Exquisite dialogue shines through spotty productionIs there money in theater? Where does it come from? Who gets it?
Phindie looks at tax returns for local theaters to see how much they brought in from what sources. We also look at who the best paid employee was for each “non-profit”.
View More Is there money in theater? Where does it come from? Who gets it?DON JUAN COMES HOME FROM IRAQ (Wilma): A Disparate Jigsaw
Call it Don Juan or Don Giovanni, the Don Juan story, handed down through time, is pre-loaded with a mix of serious and comic elements and a supernatural dimension. DON JUAN COMES HOME FROM IRAQ, from theater luminaries Paula Vogel (playwright) and Banka Zizka (director), has the gravitas down and doesn’t lose sight of humor, but extra pieces lodge within this puzzle’s slippery treatment of time and reality.
View More DON JUAN COMES HOME FROM IRAQ (Wilma): A Disparate JigsawWilma Theater’s CHEROKEE impresses, in a way
John, a baby boomer, patriarch, and oil exec who has spent his life gaining, has lost quite a lot in a short period of time:…
View More Wilma Theater’s CHEROKEE impresses, in a wayAnd the winners are….
The Barrymore Awards are on hiatus this year, returning in all their splendor for the 2013/14 season, but on November 4, 2013, Theatre Philadelphia gave out several awards recognizing local theaters and artists.
View More And the winners are….THE CONVERT (Wilma/Woolly Mammoth): Shining a light on colonialism
Colonialism is Pygmalian writ large: one culture trying to civilize another. In Danai Gurira’s melodramatic THE CONVERT, a priggish preacher (Irungu Mutu) in 1895 Rhodesia (present-day…
View More THE CONVERT (Wilma/Woolly Mammoth): Shining a light on colonialism[49] LIFE AND TIMES: EPISODE 2 (Nature Theater of Oklahoma): Fringe review
Published by The Dance Journal. Republished with kind permission. LIFE AND TIMES chronicles a life from childhood to adulthood, in painful, embarrassing, mind numbing detail. Episode two (of…
View More [49] LIFE AND TIMES: EPISODE 2 (Nature Theater of Oklahoma): Fringe review[2.2] AJAX, THE MADNESS (Attis Theatre): Fringe review
To call this play My Big Fat Greek Endurance Test would be flippant, but it wouldn’t be far off the mark. Certainly AJAX, THE MADNESS…
View More [2.2] AJAX, THE MADNESS (Attis Theatre): Fringe review[2.1] AJAX, THE MADNESS (Attis Theatre): Fringe review
Men are made into animals. Animals turn into men, and then are murdered. Bloody, bloody Ajax. His story settles in on you, in the way…
View More [2.1] AJAX, THE MADNESS (Attis Theatre): Fringe reviewBOOTYCANDY (Wilma): Bringing genitalia to the stage
There is a certain brand of comedy that bases its entire aesthetic on the idea that genitalia, in and of itself, is hilarious. A lot…
View More BOOTYCANDY (Wilma): Bringing genitalia to the stageTax time. Is there any money in theater?
Like the rest of us, theater companies have to file taxes. This tax day, we look at some information from the most recent publicly available tax returns (generally 2012) for some major and independent Philadelphia companies.
View More Tax time. Is there any money in theater?UNDER THE WHALEBACK (Wilma): Grumpy Professor Review
UNDER THE WHALEBACK, a tale of the sea taking place on a fishing ship, will upset audiences at the Wilma Theater until April 7. As…
View More UNDER THE WHALEBACK (Wilma): Grumpy Professor ReviewASSISTANCE (Wilma): 60-second review
Cutting close to the bone, Lesley Headland’s ASSISTANCE is a protest, as provocative as Sophie Treadwell’s Machinal (1928), exposing the Darwinian-exploitative nature of the 2013…
View More ASSISTANCE (Wilma): 60-second reviewBest of Philadelphia Theater, 2011-12
Here are my annual picks for the best of Philadelphia theater: Best Play: August: Osage County (Arden) Honorable mention: The Island (Lantern) Best Actor, Male: Frank…
View More Best of Philadelphia Theater, 2011-12Angels in America: two parts, two seasons
Philadelphia’s Wilma Theater, one of the city’s leading playhouses, is concluding its 2011/12 season with Angels in America, Part One: Millennium Approaches. The first part of Tony Kushner‘s acclaimed two-part…
View More Angels in America: two parts, two seasons