Tomfoolery — ACT II Playhouse
TOMFOOLERY, Act II Playhouse, 56 E. Butler Avenue, in Ambler, Pa., through Sunday, April 2 — Tom Lehrer is the smartest, most devilish, most perceptive, and most funny of the … Continue reading
Electile Dysfunction — Act II Playhouse
Smart is different from sharp. “Electile Dysfunction,” the satirical revue Tony Braithwaite concocted with Will Dennis and Tracie Higgins for Act II Playhouse, is not the most incisive in … Continue reading
Closer Than Ever — Mazeppa Productions at Christ Church Neighborhood House
The proof that David Shire writes catchy tunes is my total inability, or desire, to get several of them out of my head since I heard them almost a week … Continue reading
I Love a Piano — Walnut Independence Theatre on 3
In my sophomore year of high school, when all classes were mixed in one giant gym class, I was brought out to the blacktop with juniors, seniors, and my 10th … Continue reading
Plaid Tidings — Bucks County Playhouse
“The Godfather, Part 2” and the last entries in the Harry Potter series aside, my long-standing opinion is sequels are generally not as sharp as originals for one of two … Continue reading
Ain’t Misbehavin’ — Bucks County Playhouse
Zest and gaiety are so engrained in Fats Waller’s tunes, a show like “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” that features a collection of Waller composition, automatically comes packed with lively jazz and sassy … Continue reading
The Calamari Sisters — Born on a Sofa on Fire Island
This is a reprint of an interview I did with Dan Lavender, one of the three “fathers” of “The Calamari Sisters,” that I wrote in 2012 when it appeared in … Continue reading
Ain’t Misbehavin’ — Delaware Theatre Company
“Ain’t Misbehavin’” began an era of shows built around one songwriter, singer, or artist by taking a man’s music, Fats Waller’s, and using it as the basis for a smart, … Continue reading