This is not the admiring smirk or a contemptuous Ha-ha!, but fall-off-your-chair, eye-mopping hilarity.
View More THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG (1812): Fall-off-your-chair hilarityAuthor: Toby Zinman
DON GIOVANNI (AVA): A dilettante at large review
Mozart’s Don Giovanni is the greatest opera ever written. Don’t take my word for it—what do I know, I’m a dilettante—but that was the opinion…
View More DON GIOVANNI (AVA): A dilettante at large review[NYC] PRIMA FACIE (John Golden Theater): Ordeal by theater
Take the trigger warnings seriously: This is ordeal by theater.
View More [NYC] PRIMA FACIE (John Golden Theater): Ordeal by theaterPLUM BUN (EgoPo): Passing on history
This remarkable adaptation of a century-old novel concludes EgoPo’s Harlem Renaissance season
View More PLUM BUN (EgoPo): Passing on history[NYC] CAMELOT (Lincoln Center): Back to the round table
Sometimes cynical, ultra-cool critical disdain—much in evidence these days— just won’t do. I loved this show; it’s filled with wonderful songs and wonderful singers, an…
View More [NYC] CAMELOT (Lincoln Center): Back to the round tableLADY DAY AT EMERSON’S BAR & GRILL (PTC): A living portrait and an evening of wonderful songs
At 15th & Bainbridge—only a few blocks from Philadelphia Theatre Company’s stage at Broad & Lombard—there stood a legendary dive bar called Emerson’s. Jazz greats—John…
View More LADY DAY AT EMERSON’S BAR & GRILL (PTC): A living portrait and an evening of wonderful songsESCAPE TO MARGARITAVILLE (Walnut Street): A wackadoodle of a show
What a wackadoodle of a show! Part party, part pop musical, the Walnut Street Theatre’s production of Jimmy Buffett’s hit is an enjoyable evening, but…
View More ESCAPE TO MARGARITAVILLE (Walnut Street): A wackadoodle of a show[NYC] SWEENEY TODD (Lunt-Fontanne): How to review a show that is just about perfect?
I should have such a problem all the time: how to review a show that is just about perfect.
View More [NYC] SWEENEY TODD (Lunt-Fontanne): How to review a show that is just about perfect?SIX (National Tour): The merry wives of Henry VIII
And now, “live in consort,” the six wives of Henry VIII: “divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived.”
View More SIX (National Tour): The merry wives of Henry VIII[NYC] PARADE (Bernard R. Jacobs Theatre): An all too familiar morality lesson
Well, of course I know they were clapping for the cast and not the characters, but there was something creepy about hundreds of people—some of…
View More [NYC] PARADE (Bernard R. Jacobs Theatre): An all too familiar morality lessonTHE PHILADELPHIA FLOWER SHOW: A dilettante at large review
You’ll find much beauty in the vast halls of Convention Center.
View More THE PHILADELPHIA FLOWER SHOW: A dilettante at large reviewMEET ME AT DAWN (Inis Nua): Mysteries and satisfaction
Leave it to Inis Nua, the theater company whose name means “New Island” and is dedicated to producing plays from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.…
View More MEET ME AT DAWN (Inis Nua): Mysteries and satisfactionNew York Theater Report: Reviews of PICTURES FROM HOME, ENDGAME, and CORNELIA STREET
Toby Zinman looks at three plays now New York stages.
View More New York Theater Report: Reviews of PICTURES FROM HOME, ENDGAME, and CORNELIA STREETDON PASQUALE (AVA): A Dilettante at Large review
Our dilettante at large reviews Academy of Vocal Arts’ South Philly themed production of Donizetti’s comic opera
View More DON PASQUALE (AVA): A Dilettante at Large reviewTHE LIFESPAN OF A FACT (Lantern): Conveying a larger truth
In the political news in the past few years, the concern has been not with the lifespan of facts, but the lifespan of lies
View More THE LIFESPAN OF A FACT (Lantern): Conveying a larger truthCarmina Burana + Credo (Opera Philly): A dilettante at large review
The Dilettante at Large is at large again, writing about the culture as an enjoyer rather than an expert. Her latest pleasure was Opera Philly’s…
View More Carmina Burana + Credo (Opera Philly): A dilettante at large reviewCLYDE’S (Arden): All the ingredients are here
Terrific actors playing lovable characters, important issues, snappy dialogue, and plenty of comedy
View More CLYDE’S (Arden): All the ingredients are hereKISS (Wilma): What does it mean when someone else is representing you?
A play is about acting as well as the political act of making theater as well as about getting it wrong through cultural appropriation
View More KISS (Wilma): What does it mean when someone else is representing you?BROADS (1812 Productions): A tip of the hat to the grand old dames of comedy
Take it from this old broad, Broads, 1812 Productions’ new show, is an entertaining 75 minutes—if you like funny songs and dirty jokes.
View More BROADS (1812 Productions): A tip of the hat to the grand old dames of comedyBEOWULF (Benjamin Bagby): A rare theatrical experience
Benjamin Bagby takes on the role of the scop, the storyteller
View More BEOWULF (Benjamin Bagby): A rare theatrical experience