Breezing Impressions — Catching Up with a Vengeance
Frankly, my dears, I needed a break. My life is spent at a keyboard, and while I have enjoyed writing and adding my deux centimes since childhood, I had a … Continue reading
Quickies Again — Rumors (Bristol), Saint Joan (Quintessence)
RUMORS, Bristol Riverside Theatre, 120 Radcliffe Street, Bristol, Pa., through Sunday, April 17 — Neil Simon knows how to structure a play and give characters tics and neuroses that individualize … Continue reading
Biloxi Blues — People’s Light & Theatre Company
Finding the difference between stereotype and human behavior and reactions that fit a familiar mold catapults Samantha Bellomo’s production of Neil Simon’s “Biloxi Blues” from being an amiable service comedy … Continue reading
Lost in Yonkers — Bristol Riverside Theatre
In a true yarn that becomes a family joke, one grandson tells another his uncle’s story about how a horse fell on Grandma Kurnitz seventy years ago causing nagging lifelong pain, … Continue reading
Chapter Two — Bucks County Playhouse
Summoned by the actors she directed in “Chapter Two,” Marsha Mason approached the stage applauding and in tears. Those tears were of delight and gratitude, as the Bucks County Playhouse … Continue reading
They’re Playing Our Song — Center City Theatre Works at the Adrienne Skybox
Watching the Center City Theatre Works production of “They’re Playing Our Song,” a musical, you wonder where the music is. Marvin Hamlisch and Carol Bayer Sager provided several memorably hummable … 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
Hotel Suite — Act II Playhouse
Brilliant as Neil Simon is at scene structure and at crafting jokes, he depends on actors to keep his plays on a human scale as opposed to morphing into a … Continue reading
Gentleman’s Guide, Natasha and Pierre, Odds and Ends
Although I’d heard oodles of favorable comments about “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder” and knew Jefferson Mays played numerous roles in it, I hadn’t read much about the … Continue reading
News from the Avenue — Update on Casting
GONGLEWSKI IS MASHA FOR PHILADELPHIA THEATRE COMPANY Grace Gonglewski, a leading lady on local stages for more than 25 years, is cast as the movie star, Masha, who comes … Continue reading
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