Arsenic and Old Lace — Walnut Street Theatre
Plays are often funniest when characters have no idea that anything they say or do is the least bit comic. In Joseph Kesselring’s “Arsenic and Old Lace,” eccentricity in on … Continue reading
Quarterly Report — Philadelphia Theater Critic’s Awards for 2014
Every January, I confer my personal honors to the theaters, actors, and directors who have worked so creatively to entertain me and, I hope, thousands of others during a year. … Continue reading
The Phantom of the Opera — National Tour — Academy of Music
Lucky, lucky Andrew Lloyd Webber. He sets a Grand Guignol classic, Gaston Leroux’s “The Phantom of the Opera” to music that is lush with romance, witty in both parody and … Continue reading
Laughter on the 23rd Floor — Bristol Riverside Theatre
Timing is the essence of comedy, and timing, coupled with characterization, makes Keith Baker’s production of Neil Simon’s “Laughter on the 23rd Floor” at Bristol Riverside Theatre a congenial success … Continue reading
Rocky — Winter Garden Theatre, New York
What the Broadway musical rendition of “Rocky” captures best is the heart of the 1976 movie that catapulted Sylvester Stallone and Philadelphia’s Art Museum steps to lasting, indelible fame. Andy … Continue reading
Treasures from Korea: Art and Culture of the Joseon Dynasty — Philadelphia Museum of Art
“Treasures from Korea,” the current featured exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, can be appreciated on so many levels, it’s difficult to decide which to emphasize. The blend of … Continue reading
Accomplice — Isis Productions at Walnut 5
Nothing can quite be taken at face value in “Accomplice,” Rupert Holmes’s 1990 comedy thriller Isis Productions is playing at the Walnut 5. You can believe what you see, but … Continue reading
Side Show — 11th Hour Theatre Company
The 11th Hour Theatre Company production of “Side Show,” concert version though it was, satisfied a great curiosity. I saw the original production of Henry Krieger and Bill Russell’s … Continue reading
News from the Avenue — Be On the Lookout!
Ambition is most certainly on the hoof. Interesting things are cooking at some of the Philadelphia area’s smaller theaters, rarely done Schiller and O’Neill classics for example. Meanwhile, plans … Continue reading
Cirkopolis and Odds and Ends — 1812, Dance Celebration, Macbeth, and Porgy and Bess
“Cirkopolis” is unique among shows that bring circus skills to the theater. The piece, produced by Cirque Éloize and directed by Dave St. Pierre and Jeannot Painchaud, has an actual … Continue reading
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