The best in Philadelphia and the world, 2015-2016.
View More Neal Zoren’s picks for the 2015/16 Helen and Morris World Theater Award
Author: Neal Zoren for NealsPaper
Neal of the Nealspaper is a fan of all forms of live entertainment, movies, and television. He is also a constant reader and a frequent traveler. He writes for NealsPaper.com, a place for people to come to read one authoritative voice in the dialogue, and find out what might be worthwhile — or not — as you plan your entertainment outings.
TOMMY & ME (Theatre Exile): Theatrical touchdown
A lovely and elegiac look at how a sportswriter developed his love for football and friendship with an Eagles quarterback.
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BOEING BOEING (Hedgerow): 60-second review
It’s difficult to tell which actor provides the most comic energy in Damon Bonetti’s lively and funny production of this farce
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LOVE’S LABOUR’S LOST (PA Shakes): 60-second review
Republished by kind permission from Neals Paper. Lightning, alas, did not strike two years in a row when it came to Pennsylvania Shakespeare’s grand experiment…
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BLITHE SPIRIT (PA Shakes): 60-second review
Nothing beats watching actors at the top of their game biting into crunchy material and whipping it into a tasty delight.
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THE TAMING OF THE SHREW (PA Shakes): Shrewd Shakespeare
A good production that benefits most when it puts farce aside and concentrates on two people using their will to create partnership and harmony
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THE COMEDY OF ERRORS (Del Shakes): 60-second review
The emphasis is on the physical comedy in David Stradley’s production
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13: The Musical (Media): 60-second review
Republished by kind permission from Neals Paper. Jesse Cline has a knack for bringing out the best in performers and is especially good at developing…
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JULIUS CAESAR (PA Shakespeare): A staging come to steal away your hearts
One must praise Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival’s CAESAR and do everything to keep it from being buried until the maximum number of people see Patrick Mulcahy’s intelligent, timely production.
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ALL THE DAYS (McCarter): An interesting failure
It takes a while for playwright Sharyn Rothstein to show you where she’s going in ALL THE DAYS. Rothstein writes sitcoms, and the formula shows.
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SEE WHAT I WANT TO SEE (11th Hour): 60-second review
Republished by kind permission from Neals Paper. SEE WHAT I WANT TO SEE receives a bravura production from Megan Nicole O’Brien and 11th Hour. But show…
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WHITE GUY ON THE BUS (Passage): 60-second review
Republished by kind permission from Neals Paper. Bruce Graham is having the most magnificent year of his playwriting career. His new works so far in…
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THE ELIXIR OF LOVE (Opera Philadelphia): Ever may the fruit be plucked
A uniformly wonderful cast provide bright, sunshiny fun in this lively, fast-moving, exuberant staging of Gaetano Donizetti’s romantic comedy.
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KRISSY FRAELICH (Arden Cabaret): 60-second review
Fraelich proves her mettle as a singer who can move as much as impress you.
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FOREVER PLAID (Montgomery): Always on song
Of all the variety pieces that have become ensemble favorites, Stuart Ross’s musical remains the most durable.
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ALWAYS … PATSY CLINE (Walnut): Crazy for this show
Ted Swindley’s blend of a heartwarming bonding of two good ole’ gals and more than two dozen songs associated with singer Patsy Cline.
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FLY (Crossroads): Fighting for the skies
From dancing to dogfights, FLY tells the story of the Tuskagee Airmen.
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AN OCTOROON (Wilma): A melodrama, a social commentary, an experience
Beyond being entertaining and thought-provoking, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’s AN OCTOROON is an experience
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BEAUTIFUL: THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL (National Tour, Academy of Music): A finely woven tapestry
Douglas McGrath tribute to Carole King goes beyond the formulaic jukebox musical to tell a story that stands on its own
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DOGFIGHT (Media): Love and war
Jesse Cline’s production is solid and holds dramatic intensity throughout, but ‘Victoria Mayo elevates a fine staging into one worth remembering.
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