Alexander Hamilton: A Favorite Before It Was Fashionable
Lin-Manuel Miranda did Alexander Hamilton, and students of American history, a gratifying favor. Reading Ron Chernow’s excellent biography of Hamilton earlier in this decade, Miranda saw a life of drama … Continue reading
Nominees — Helen and Morris Zoren World Theater Award 2018-2019
Two awards are issued a year. At the beginning of each year, the Philadelphia Theater Critic’s Award is bestowed to productions and performers appearing between New Brunswick, N.J. and Wilmington, … Continue reading
Nixon in China — Princeton Festival at McCarter Theatre (Matthews)
The Princeton Festival production of “Nixon in China” exhilarates because it succeed on both artistic and intellectual levels. Alice Goodman’s libretto is unafraid to delve into complexities of history, diplomacy, … Continue reading
Romeo and Juliet — Wilma Theater
Forget the bold but unnecessary opening that has a stomping group of chanters pulsating through a mostly alphabetized litany of key words and themes from “Romeo and Juliet,” punctuating every … Continue reading
The Niceties — McCarter Theatre
Oooh, those asterisks. They sneak in everywhere these days. Heck, they’re practically de rigueur. The first asterisk I disliked was the one I felt minimized Roger Maris’s slugging achievement because … Continue reading
2018 Philadelphia Theater Critic’s Awards — The Recipients
Excellence, bred from assurance, has become a constant in Philadelphia theater. Gone, in particular, is the self-consciousness that plagued the early years when Philadelphia morphed from a touring town to … Continue reading
2018 Philadelphia Theater Critic’s Awards — The Nominees
2018 was chocked with good productions and fine performances. Choosing nominees, let alone recipients, required a battery of combinations and permutations until the lists were set. Here, in each of … Continue reading
2018 Philadelphia Theater Critic’s Awards — The Qualifiers
Yes, I’m alive. And going to the theater. But less. Taking on a new career and working 70 hours a week besides writing, while working on some creative material, including … Continue reading
April Catch-Up I — Ella: First Lady of Song and Bullets Over Broadway
ELLA: FIRST LADY OF SONG — Delaware Theatre Company, 200 Water Street, Wilmington, Del. Through Sunday, May 13 — Freda Payne does some lovely singing in “Ella: First Lady of … Continue reading
A Bard Birthday Present — Julius Caesar –Quintessence Theatre at Sedgwick
Alexander Burns is a scholarly lad, and with the right kind of audacity. Summoning his acquired knowledge of classic and contemporary literature, he enlisted 20th century poet John Masefield (He … Continue reading
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