“The greatness of . . . people lies in how they got from their squalor—real or perceived—and became artists.”
View More [book review] FOLLIES OF GOD (James Grissom): Validating Tennessee Williams
Category: Reviews
BLACK SWAN (Dance Iquail): Tutus as Afros just aren’t enough!
Dance Iquail used the tutu, which is an iconic costume in classical ballet, placed it atop the heads of the dancers and shifted its representation from a symbol of white ballet to a symbol of black pride.
View More BLACK SWAN (Dance Iquail): Tutus as Afros just aren’t enough!
MICKLE STREET (Walnut): There is more to life than theatrics
Philadelphia playwright Michael Whistler’s latest play, Mickle Street, shows Oscar Wilde, 27, searching for an identity and seeking out advice from older poet Walt Whitman.
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A MURDER HAS BEEN ARRANGED (Hedgerow): There’s something spooky backstage
A MURDER HAS BEEN ARRANGED may contain all the usual elements of a typical who-dunnit, but it’s spirit lies elsewhere
View More A MURDER HAS BEEN ARRANGED (Hedgerow): There’s something spooky backstage
OTHELLO (Curio): A different approach to an iconic tragedy
This original take on OTHELLO has more the feel of a farcical comedy than an ironic tragedy
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WINTER SERIES 2015 (BalletX): Sizzling Despite the Snow
BalletX is on fire. Their winter series provides Philadelphia with the perfect antidote to the cold-weather blues.
View More WINTER SERIES 2015 (BalletX): Sizzling Despite the Snow
MICKLE STREET (Walnut): Whitman and Wilde meet and then they talk
Life imitates art far more than art imitates art.
View More MICKLE STREET (Walnut): Whitman and Wilde meet and then they talk
HOLD THESE TRUTHS (Plays & Players): When the hero loses, we all lose
The lesser-known story of Gordon Hirabayashi, who ought to be publicly regarded as one of America’s outlying forces of justice, is told fearlessly by Makoto Hirano in Jeanne Sakata’s HOLD THESE TRUTHS.
View More HOLD THESE TRUTHS (Plays & Players): When the hero loses, we all lose
THE VULGAR EARLY WORKS (Chelsea & Magda): Sex, society, slapstick
Chelsea & Magda speak directly from their vaginas. If you’re not into that kind of thing, don’t see THE VULGAR EARLY WORKS.
View More THE VULGAR EARLY WORKS (Chelsea & Magda): Sex, society, slapstick
MILK LIKE SUGAR (Simpatico): Dreams and reality
Everyone wants to feel special. This longing to be acknowledged is at the core of Kirsten Greenidge’s MILK LIKE SUGAR.
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THE CHERRY ORCHARD (People’s Light): Capturing the comedy, insight, and pathos of Chekhov
Completed in 1904, THE CHERRY ORCHARD, Anton Chekhov’s final dramatic work, is the most often staged of all Russian plays worldwide, and its production at…
View More THE CHERRY ORCHARD (People’s Light): Capturing the comedy, insight, and pathos of Chekhov
STAIRS TO THE ROOF (EgoPo and Rowan): An absurdist take on a fledgling work by Tennessee Williams
This is Tennessee Williams as you’ve never seen him, filled with youthful ardor, idealism, and scorn, and well suited for showcasing a young ensemble of emerging talents.
View More STAIRS TO THE ROOF (EgoPo and Rowan): An absurdist take on a fledgling work by Tennessee Williams
THE WHALE (Theatre Exile): Intelligence and transformation moving under the surface
Not many plays have this kind of unmistakable resonance. When you encounter such a play, you know it. With works of consequence you can feel the pull of intelligence and transformation moving under the surface.
View More THE WHALE (Theatre Exile): Intelligence and transformation moving under the surface
MOTHERS AND SONS (PTC): Closure, revenge, and life after AIDS
Katherine and Cal seem uncomfortable together, and we soon learn why: they are forever connected by the death of Andre.
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MICHAEL & EDIE (Villanova Theater): 60-second review
It’s more than the classic boy meets girl, boy likes girl, girl is cold to boy tale:. Rachel Bonds’s MICHAEL & EDIE is a whirlwind of realization, emotion, and introspection.
View More MICHAEL & EDIE (Villanova Theater): 60-second review
INTO THE WOODS (Theatre Horizon): Agony is ecstasy
Theatre Horizon tackles Steven Sondheim’s alternative take on fairy tales.
View More INTO THE WOODS (Theatre Horizon): Agony is ecstasy
OSCAR (Opera Philadelphia): High notes and low in the life of Oscar Wilde
We see the tragedy of Oscar Wilde’s life played out creatively and movingly in OSCAR, a thoughtfully crafted opera by Theodore Morrison and John Cox,
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THE METAMORPHOSIS (Quintessence): Leave the bug spray at home
A sensational production of Franz Kafka’s story, utilizing sound, movement, color, and light to transport the audience into the eerie world of salesman-turned-cockroach Gregor Samsa .
View More THE METAMORPHOSIS (Quintessence): Leave the bug spray at home
NORA (DTC): A riveting production of a feminist classic
Ingmar Bergman’s 1981 stage adaptation of Ibsen’s A Doll’s House is pared-down, focused, and intense. By reducing Ibsen’s original lengthy script by nearly half, Bergman endows the 19th-century feminist milestone with a post-modern clarity and import.qD
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LONG LIVE THE LITTLE KNIFE (Inis Nua): A delightfully duplicitous foray into the art(s) of deception
What do art forgers and the theater have in common? Both try to convince you that something is real when it’s not, and both do…
View More LONG LIVE THE LITTLE KNIFE (Inis Nua): A delightfully duplicitous foray into the art(s) of deception