Quickies! And For Once, Success!
ALWAYS…PATSY CLINE, Media Theatre, State and Monroe, Media, Pa. through April 1 — Vocally, Jenny Lee Stern channels Patsy Cline. The clean, heartfelt sounds register. Physically, I kept seeing Judy … Continue reading
Quick Impressions — Beautiful, Dogfight, Affair at Styles
Several of these reviews will be expanded in coming days, but here are some fast takes on shows running, or recently closed, in the Philadelphia region. BEAUTIFUL: The Carole … Continue reading
Four Fast Takes — As You Like It, The Mousetrap, Nureyev’s Eyes, Sound of Music
AS YOU LIKE IT, Lantern Theater, 10th and Ludlow Streets, Philadelphia, through Sunday, April 17 —Ultimately entertaining, Charles McMahon’s production of Shakespeare’s wise comedy is a hodge-podge that not only … Continue reading
Beauty and the Beast — National Tour — Academy of Music
“Who’d have guessed? Who’d have guessed? That this show’d be so depressed. On a scale of one to five, it would come in at seventh best!” Enough drollery! With a … Continue reading
Quickies: The Bald Soprano, Baskerville, Book of Mormon, McCarter Carol, Volunteers…
Oops! I’m behind for a change. Too much attention to creative writing is the culprit, but it’s time to catch up with what’s happening in local theater. “Quickies” will begin to appear … Continue reading
Bullets Over Broadway — National Tour — Academy of Music
Much in the touring production of Woody Allen’s “Bullets Over Broadway” is directly from the musical’s unwarrantedly short 2014 Broadway run. Susan Stroman’s gravity-defying dances, re-created for the road by … Continue reading
Kinky Boots — National Tour — Forrest Theatre
Few tours maintain the Broadway quality of a show as much as “Kinky Boots,” the national company of which is camped at Philadelphia’s magnificent and criminally underused Forrest Theatre through … Continue reading
Cinderella — National Tour — Academy of Music
A waltz makes the difference in the touring production of “Cinderella.” All goes along ably but without much excitement until, dressed in simple white and looking demure among other women … Continue reading
The Book of Mormon — National Tour — Forrest Theatre
The prevailing impression might be that “The Book of Mormon,” the 2011 Tony-winning musical by “South Park” scamps Trey Parker and Matt Stone, is savagely irreverent and pierces religion and … Continue reading
Rain — National Tour — Academy of Music
“Rain” is an honest show. The Beatles tribute that arrives perennially with the regularity of precipitation is a straightforward concert featuring the music of John Lennon and Paul McCartney and … Continue reading
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