Philadelphia

Review: ‘When the Rain Stops Falling’ at The Wilma Theater in Philadelphia

The Wilma Theater’s production of When the Rain Stops Falling, directed by Blanka Zizka, begins in complete darkness. Then comes the deluge of a rainfall, and one is immediately whisked into the...

Review: ‘Mother Courage and Her Children’ at Quintessence Theatre

Janis Dardaris is a force to be reckoned with. As Mother Courage, standing firm with her hands on her hips and wearing a white, shapeless frock covered by a blue sweater, she is a tower of strength...

Review: ‘Disgraced’ at McCarter Theatre Center in Princeton, NJ

It is sometimes difficult to imagine what theater might be able to further contribute to an already contentious national conversation about tolerance and devisiveness in America. An unconventional...

Review: The Arden Cabaret Series: Michael Ogborn at The Arden Theatre Company, in Philadelphia

The Studio Theatre of the Arden Theatre Company’s Hamilton Family Arts Center was transformed into a nightclub/cabaret for Michael Ogborn’s Night at the Blue Parrot. Small round tables, covered with...

Review: ‘The Birds’ at Curio Theatre Company, in Philadelphia

When you think of The Birds, you probably think of Tippi Hedren running for her life through the streets of a California town – a town inexplicably under attack by every winged creature within miles....

Review: ‘The Emperor Jones’ at South Camden Theatre Company in Camden, New Jersey

Imagine the shock of the Provincetown Players of 1920 when they received the script for The Emperor Jones. The play contains a monumental role for a “negro” actor, and hundreds of roles for others...

‘The Other Place’ at Walnut Street Theatre Independence Studio on 3 in Philadelphia

The Other Place seems at first like a straightforward drama: Juliana, a brilliant and highly esteemed 59-year-old scientist, is beginning to suffer from memory loss. This brings her into conflict with...

Review: ‘Angel Street’ at Hedgerow Theatre in Rose Valley, PA

Hedgerow Theatre captivatingly brings Patrick Hamilton’s Angel Street, directed by Cara Blouin, across the pond, into the year 1924 in Philadelphia where Bella Manningham (Jennifer Summerfield) and...

Review: ‘A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline’ at Bristol Riverside Theatre in Bristol, PA

A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline marks the second time in two years that Bristol Riverside Theatre has staged a show about the life of Cline, one of country music’s greatest stars. (Always… Patsy Cline,...

Review: ‘Molly Sweeney’ at Irish Heritage Theatre

Filled with poetic language, engaging characters, and penetrating insights into the human condition, Brian Friel’s Molly Sweeney represents the tradition of Irish storytelling at its very best. Told...

Review: ‘Rizzo’ at The Philadelphia Theatre Company

A thunderbolt hit Philadelphia last night in the form of the play Rizzo. The quake was made memorable not only by the superb playwriting of Bruce Graham and the multi- megaton production by...

Review: ‘Turandot’ at Opera Philadelphia in Philadelphia, PA.

Danger and darkness lurk around every corner of Opera Philadelphia’s stunning new production of Turandot, a co-production with Minnesota Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, Utah Opera, and...

Review: ‘How I Got On’ at Azuka Theatre in Philadelphia, PA

“You breathe in joy, you blow out joy” are the words that truly represent the breath of fresh air that Azuka Theatre’s How We Got On brought to their audience during their opening night this past...

Review: ‘Vocalosity’ at Bucks County Playhouse in New Hope, PA

Resounding applause met the awe inspiring, all a capella group, Vocalosity at the newly renovated Bucks County Playhouse opening night for their North American Tour Launch. Ten ultra-talented young...

2016 Philadelphia Fringe Festival Review: ‘Macbeth’ at Third World Bunfight

I’ve long felt that if someone is going to cut down a Shakespeare text, they should take the responsibility of claiming co-authorship, since any editing becomes interpretation. This year’s Fringe...

Review: ‘Stupid Fucking Bird’ at the Arden Theatre in Philadelphia

It was just two and a half years ago that the Arden Theatre presented a version of Anton Chekhov’s Three Sisters that used a fresh, slangy translation. It took a musty classic and made it feel up to...

Review: ‘The War of the Roses’ at Delaware Theatre Company

Based on the iconic novel-turned-film of the same title, The War of the Roses follows the legendary Jonathan and Barbara Rose as their seemingly perfect marriage devolves into a deadly search and...

Review: ‘Bathing in Moonlight’ at McCarter Theatre Center in Princeton, NJ

Bathing in Moonlight opens subtly with the hum of gentle organ music, a stained glass window looming high above, and Father Monroe (Raúl Méndez) warmly greeting his congregation as he takes center...

2016 Philadelphia Fringe Festival Review: ‘Omeletto: Like Hamlet, Only Scrambled’ at Ombelico Mask Ensemble

Commedia dell’arte meets Shakespeare in Ombelico Mask Ensemble’s original deconstruction of Hamlet. Omeletto: Like Hamlet, Only Scrambled synthesizes all of Shakespeare’s dramatic characters with the...

Review: ‘Mrs. Warren’s Profession’ at Lantern Theater Company

A wordy drama from the 19th century about capitalism, duplicity, and women’s role in English society. Sounds like it might be rather tough to get through, doesn’t it? Well, don’t be fooled. George...

Review: ‘South Pacific’ at Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia, PA

The hunger for optimism is never in short supply these days. Walnut Street Theatre brings life to an American classic in their current production of South Pacific under the direction of Charles...

2016 Philadelphia Fringe Festival Interview: ‘Revisiting Current Remounts of Past Hits with Terry Brennan, Tina Brock, and Greg Kennedy’

Three annual Fringe favorites have chosen to remount a past hit for this year’s festival, giving audiences a chance to see the acclaimed works they missed, or to revisit the shows they loved. I had...

Review: ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’ at Hedgerow Theatre Company in Rose Valley, PA

Spooky moors, haunting noises in the night, one or two mysterious deaths, and a fabled homicidal hound make for a cozy evening of suspense in the The Hound of the Baskervilles. Adapted by Brock D....

Review: ‘Electile Dysfunction’ at Act II Playhouse in Ambler, PA

Electile Dysfunction is a very funny show. Act II Playhouse is performing quite a community service, since the current election news ranges from ridiculous to terrifying. Laughter is certainly called...

2016 Philadelphia Fringe Festival Review: ‘Eugène Ionesco’s The Chairs’ at Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium

Emptiness. Isolation. Boredom. Expectation. Emptiness. The Old Man and Old Woman over-react to the petty nuisance of mosquitoes flying around them, then yammer incessant inanities to fill up the void...

Here are the 2016 Barrymore Award Nominations-Purchase Tickets Here

At a 10 AM press conference this morning, the nominations for the Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theatre for the 2015-16 season were announced by Theatre Philadelphia. A total of 25 companies were...

‘Take A Bow’ Part 3 in Philadelphia: Staff of DCMetroTheaterArts’ Favorite Spring/Summer 2016 Performances

Here is Part 3 of the Philadelphia staff of DCMetroTheaterArts’ favorite performances in Spring and Summer of 2016. To all our honorees – TAKE A BOW! _____ Ensemble (Adrienne Hertler, Emily R....

Here are the 2016 Barrymore Award Nominations

At a 10 AM press conference this morning, the nominations for the Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theatre for the 2015-16 season were announced by Theatre Philadelphia. A total of 25 companies were...

‘Take A Bow’ Part 1 in Philadelphia: Staff of DCMetroTheaterArts’ Favorite Spring/Summer 2016 Performances

Here is Part 1 of the Philadelphia staff of DCMetroTheaterArts’ favorite performances in Spring and Summer of 2016. To all our honorees – TAKE A BOW! _____ J Hernandez as Ricardo Lopez in The Best of...

Review: ‘Tommy and Me’ at Theatre Exile in Philadelphia

About halfway through Ray Didinger’s new play Tommy and Me, one of the characters mentions Joe Kuharich. On the night I attended the play, the audience responded with a round of derisive laughter. So,...

Review: ‘Fool for Love’ at Princeton Summer Theater in Princeton, NJ

Fool for Love is a pretty short play, and its plot isn’t especially complex: A couple of longtime lovers with a volatile history meet to battle again in a seedy motel room in the Mojave Desert. They...

Review: ‘On the Road Again’ at Act II Playhouse in Ambler, PA

“Why, oh, why do the wrong people travel When the right people stay at home.” From Sail Away by Noel Coward This opening lyric sets the tone for On the Road Again, a cabaret show written and performed...

Review: ‘Charles Busch’s The Divine Sister’ at Bucks County Playhouse in New Hope, PA

Life is a banquet, and most poor suckers haven’t even said grace. So says the Mother Superior of St. Veronica’s Convent School, the lead character in the new play at the Bucks County Playhouse. But...

Taking Flight With The Cast of ‘Boeing Boeing’ at Hedgerow Theatre

Boeing Boeing, a 1960’s French farce by Marc Camoletti, translated into English by Beverley Cross, features Bernard, a self-styled Parisian Lothario who has Italian, German, and American fiancées—all...

Review: ‘Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead’ at Princeton Summer Theater in Princeton, NJ

Spoiler Alert: The two main characters in this play die. Well, you probably figured that out, given that the play they’re in is called Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. Or maybe you figured it...

A Divine Chat with Mother Superior: Mary Martello of Walnut Street Theatre’s ‘Sister Act’

“I live my life as a flawed character” Mary Martello started performing at the age of seven and “has continued through four kids and fifty years.” She began in Michigan (where she trained at BoarsHead...

Review: `Boeing Boeing’ at Hedgerow Theatre in Rose Valley, PA

Hedgerow Theatre revives Marc Camoletti’s farce Boeing Boeing, leaving its audience aloft with laughter! Set in Paris, circa the mod `60’s, Bernard (Andrew Parcell), a swinging archictect has built...

Review: ‘The Summer Club’ at the Arden Theatre Company in Philadelphia

Until now, The Summer Club has been a swinging, snappy treat enjoyed almost exclusively by Cape May and other Jersey Shore towns. After two summers of hot nights on the beach, The Summer Club and it’s...

Review: ‘God of Carnage’ at Princeton Summer Theater in Princeton, New Jersey

As Yasmina Reza’s God of Carnage opens, two couples meet for a civilized discussion. Their sons have just had a violent playground encounter that cost one of the boys a couple teeth, and the two sets...

Review: ‘The Bacchae: A Ritual Blood Sacrifice’ at The Phenomenal Animals in Philadelphia

With its production of Euripides’ The Bacchae: A Ritual Blood Sacrifice, The Phenomenal Animals presents a feminist spin on one of the classic works of Greek theatre. Seven of the cast’s eight...

Review: ‘Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story’ at Bucks County Playhouse in New Hope, PA

As the world still mourns ‘The Day the Music Died,’ Bucks County Playhouse resurrects the amazing talent lost too soon. With book by Alan James and iconic songs by Buddy Holly such as, “That’ll Be the...

‘Happy Days’ by Samuel Beckett: An Interview with E. Ashley Izard Who is Playing Winnie at Quintessence Theatre Group Through this Sunday

The much talked about Quintessence Theatre Group, one of the few ensemble theaters in Philadelphia, under the direction of Alexander Burns, is featuring two of its actors—E. Ashley Izard as Winnie and...

An Interview with Jeff Coon: Part 2: Raising His Two Children in His Own Special Secret Garden

In this two-part interview, we look into some corners of the secret garden in the life of the much talked about Jeff Coon at a time me when American family structures are changing and expanding. Jeff...

An Interview With Jeff Coon On The Arden’s ‘Secret Garden: Part 1: An Outstanding Father On and Off the Stage

In this two-part interview, we look into some corners of the secret garden in the life of actor Jeff Coon at a time when American family structures are changing and expanding. Jeff talks about his...

Review: ‘The Servant of Two Masters’ at Hedgerow Theatre in Rose Valley, PA

It was in the opening moments of The Servant of Two Masters, as one of the performers stood in front of the curtain to introduce the show, that I realized this wasn’t your standard 18th century...

Review: ‘Assassins’ at Princeton Summer Theater

Assassins is about people who lived out their dream – but it’s not the dream we ordinarily think of as “The American Dream.” This audacious musical by Stephen Sondheim (music and lyrics) and John...

Review: The Arden Cabaret Series with Tony Braithwaite at Arden Theatre Company in Philadelphia

At one point on opening night of his latest show, Tony Braithwaite asked if any of his fellow Georgetown University graduates were in the audience. One woman sitting up front announced that she went...

Review: ‘The Harassment of Iris Malloy’ at People’s Light in Malvern, PA

Feed the Beast! Money, power, fame! It’s all here, along with a touch of sleazy sex in the world premiere of The Harassment of Iris Malloy. Who exactly is being harassed becomes the mystery as the...

Review: ‘Happy Days’ at Quintessence Theatre Group in Philadelphia

All dolled up in her fanciest dress, she’s smiling and chipper. It’s a sunny day, and Winnie is not going to let a little thing like the gigantic mound of dirt she’s buried in up to her waist bring...

‘Pushing the Envelope to Attract Contemporary Audiences: Goldoni at the Hedgerow Theatre: Part 2 of An Interview with Director Aaron Cromie

Here is the second of two interviews with Aaron Cromie, one of Philadelphia’s most beloved directors, mask makers, writers, and interdisciplinary theater artists. Henrik: Carlo Goldoni (1707-1793)...