Oscar Wilde once wrote to a friend that his two books of fairy tales were intended “partly for children and partly for those who have…
View More WILDE TALES (Quintessence): Where the WILDE things are
Author: Kathryn Osenlund
Kathryn Osenlund, Theater aficionado. Reviewer for Phindie.com. ATCA member (American Theater Critics Assn.) Professor Emeritus Communications and Theater, Holy Family University. Instructor Philadelphia Police Academy: Police role plays and public speaking. Visiting Lecturer Oxford University. Instructor in Warsaw, Poland. NEA Fellow: Arts Journalism. Barrymore Award Nominator. National Critics Institute, Eugene O’Neill Theater Center. Education: Villanova, PhD in Media; Temple University, MA in Theater; UArts, BFA in Film.
[NYC] HEISENBERG and VIETGONE (Manhattan Theatre Club): A weekend report
Thoughts on two shows, HEISENBERG and VIETGONE, under the auspices of the Manhattan Theatre Club.
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GILBERT AND SULLIVAN’S SWITCHED! OR THE INSIDER AND THE OUTSIDER (Tavern Productions and PAFA Performs): 2016 Fringe review 72
“It’s this topsy-turvydom that people are drawn to,” lyricist Kevin Stackhouse said when we talked before the show. “People like to feel smart, and what…
View More GILBERT AND SULLIVAN’S SWITCHED! OR THE INSIDER AND THE OUTSIDER (Tavern Productions and PAFA Performs): 2016 Fringe review 72
ONE-MAN APOCALYPSE NOW (Chris Davis): 2016 Fringe review 38
Who but Chris Davis would even think of a ONE-MAN APOCALYPSE NOW?
View More ONE-MAN APOCALYPSE NOW (Chris Davis): 2016 Fringe review 38
A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (Deep Blue Theatre Collective): 2016 Fringe review 20.1
Deep Blue goes for the jugular with a serious staging of STREETCAR, Tennessee Williams’s beloved, hard, and overheated play
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NOTES OF A NATIVE SONG (Stew and Heidi Rodewald): 2016 Fringe review 9
“Won’t you follow me down to Baldwin Country? This ain’t your mama’s Baldwin Country.” The show opens with offhand remarks by Stew, a large black…
View More NOTES OF A NATIVE SONG (Stew and Heidi Rodewald): 2016 Fringe review 9
JAMAICA (New Freedom): A great big musical full of vibrant colors, delectable lyrics, high spirits, and island vibes
New Freedom Theatre in North Philadelphia is dedicated to presenting productions that illuminate the multifaceted African American experience. Their current production, JAMAICA, is based on…
View More JAMAICA (New Freedom): A great big musical full of vibrant colors, delectable lyrics, high spirits, and island vibes
[NYC] THE TOTAL BENT (Public Theater): In world premiere in NYC, a messy rocking musical has Philadelphia connections
The action transpires at the nexus of tradition, belief, protest, crass commercialism, and rock ‘n’ roll, shedding light on differing views of the budding Civil…
View More [NYC] THE TOTAL BENT (Public Theater): In world premiere in NYC, a messy rocking musical has Philadelphia connections
THE INVISIBLE HAND (Theatre Exile): A gripping, thinking person’s play about the wages of self-interest
To call THE INVISIBLE HAND dramatic would be an understatement.
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THE CRIPPLE OF INISHMAAN (Curio): A light surface has a dark pull
Something funny across the surface with dark issues riding just under it.
View More THE CRIPPLE OF INISHMAAN (Curio): A light surface has a dark pull
DOCTOR FAUSTUS (Quintessence): If you want to know everything, go to hell
A remarkably original and gloriously entertaining version of the Marlowe play.
View More DOCTOR FAUSTUS (Quintessence): If you want to know everything, go to hell
THE WOMEN (EgoPo): An engaging show turns a trifle into a treatise
Clare Boothe Luce saw her 1936 play as a critique of certain malicious denizens of Park Avenue. Director Lane Savadove sees more in it.
View More THE WOMEN (EgoPo): An engaging show turns a trifle into a treatise
TWELFTH NIGHT (Filter Theatre in association with the Royal Shakespeare Company): A rousing Shakespearean travesty
The Filter ensemble shows the audience a good time with lots of music, noise, and laughs within a Shakespeare play environment.
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THE SISTERHOOD (MAUCKINGBIRD): A delightful hi-brow comedy skewers hi-brow pretensions
While some plays are heavy three course meals, THE SISTERHOOD is definitely dessert.
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OSCAR WILDE: FROM THE DEPTHS (Lantern): A love that dared not speak its mind
With his brilliant work and tragic arc, Oscar Wilde remains a fascinating figure.
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EQUIVOCATION (Arden): They made him an offer he can’t refuse
In the wake of the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, Shakespeare is summoned to take on a play commission for the Crown.
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RIZZO (Theatre Exile): A romp through the Rizzo years
Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear when Frank Rizzo strode the city like he owned it.
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ALIAS ELLIS MACKENZIE (Lucidity Suitcase Intercontinental and CINEtica): 2015 Fringe review 50
Eleven skilled performers play crew or actors on the set of a Colombian TV show about 1980s American drug pilot and adventurer Barry Seal.
View More ALIAS ELLIS MACKENZIE (Lucidity Suitcase Intercontinental and CINEtica): 2015 Fringe review 50
A GREAT WAR (Iron Age): 2015 Fringe review 40
This tense, evocative play explores the eternal verities of war, sacrifice, and deceit.
View More A GREAT WAR (Iron Age): 2015 Fringe review 40
NOISES OFF (Curio): Utter nonsense, superbly structured and out of control
Michael Frayn’s enormously popular 1980s play is a zany farce about doors and sardines, relationships, and mistakes.
View More NOISES OFF (Curio): Utter nonsense, superbly structured and out of control