Bowers, a Black woman in a colorful sweater & eyepatch looks away as Gliko and Bellow argue behind her on a bare stage

The Wilma Theater and Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company present Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’s The Comeuppance

The reunion from hell
The Comeuppance at the Wilma considers every weighty topic under the sun as a quintet of unhappy Millennials gather for their 20th high-school reunion, but too often the stakes feel frustratingly low. Cameron Kelsall reviews.
Cameron Kelsall

Cameron Kelsall

Reviews 3 minute read
Gallery view of entrance, a large panel with an illustration of laughing people in glamorous 1920s costume party garb.

The Delaware Art Museum presents Jazz Age Illustration

Illustrators deserve to be on museum walls
In the first half of the 20th century, the music and culture of America’s Jazz Age drove major social change. Now, a new exhibition at Delaware Art Museum captures the era’s masterful illustrators. Gail Obenreder reviews.
Gail Obenreder

Gail Obenreder

Reviews 4 minute read
Portrait of Zakat. Several TVs with screens splashed with color cover his face. Wears a shirt that says Uses of The Ironic

Rashid Zakat and the Uses of the Ironic

How the spirit shows up
Multimedia artist Rashid Zakat’s exhibit at Asian Arts Initiative is a meditation on music, joy, and spiritual vitality. John Morrison profiles.
John Morrison

John Morrison

Profiles 3 minute read
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A smiling man helps a kindergarten-aged girl affix a little paper note to a wooden rack with many other notes.

The Please Touch Museum presents XOXO: An Exhibit About Love & Forgiveness

A chance for Philly youngsters to explore compassion
XOXO, a traveling installation now at the Please Touch Museum, welcomes youngsters for a variety of displays and activities exploring their feelings and compassion for others. Jill Brooke reviews.
Jill Brooke

Jill Brooke

Reviews 3 minute read
Various Esherick works, including sculpture, furniture, and prints, in a bright white-walled gallery with wooden floor.

Brandywine Museum of Art presents The Crafted World of Wharton Esherick

A rare gallery glimpse of iconic woodworks
Wood comes alive in The Crafted World of Wharton Esherick, now on view at the Brandywine Museum of Art. It’s a rare chance to see the interdisciplinary artist’s full oeuvre outside his historic home. Gail Obenreder reviews.
Gail Obenreder

Gail Obenreder

Reviews 5 minute read
A huge, bright rainbow against a luminous peachy sunset sky over South Philly rowhouses.

At BSR, our values do not change based on elections.

Justice is not a self-improvement project.
We offer a huge range of opinions here at BSR from journalists who know what they’re talking about. But this diversity of opinion is built on the value of respect for our shared humanity. We will keep that respect no matter what. Will you join us?
Alaina Johns

Alaina Johns

Editorials 5 minute read
Three male dancers in white pants strike the same balletic pose bending to the left behind a fourth sitting & beating a drum

Penn Live Arts presents Limón Dance Company, with works by José Limón, Doris Humphrey, and Kayla Farrish

Bridging the past and future of modern dance
New York’s José Limón Dance Company, an icon of modern dance founded in 1946, visited Philly’s Penn Live Arts for a mix of classic and new choreography. Camille Bacon-Smith reviews.
Camille Bacon-Smith

Camille Bacon-Smith

Reviews 4 minute read
Close-up on a large triptych work combining red text & imagery reminding us of the composer Handel’s links to slavery

The Center for Emerging Visual Artists presents Thesentür/The Thinker: Nina Simone and the Politics of Music

Lines of inquiry
A new solo exhibition by Philly conceptual artist and writer Theodore A. Harris, inspired by Nina Simone’s history with the Curtis Institute, questions the ways that art, artists, patrons, and money are bound together. Emily B. Schilling reviews.
Emily Schilling

Emily Schilling

Reviews 4 minute read
Four people on stage in casual wear stand together, looking at a white sheet of paper that looks like a bill

Theatre Ariel presents Maya Arad Yasur’s Amsterdam

Layered narratives
The first mainstage production in over a decade for Theatre Ariel fronts an historic bill with contemporary perspective. Josh Herren reviews.
Josh Herren

Josh Herren

Reviews 2 minute read
Gallery view with large fanciful portrait of 2 Black people on a peach field, one holding a chicken, the other a white flower

The African American Museum in Philadelphia presents Shared Vision: Portraits from The CCH Pounder-Koné Collection

Honoring Black women who look up and out
In an exhibition curated exclusively for AAMP, arts patron and prolific actor CCH Pounder opens up her significant and uplifting portrait collection for Philly audiences. An Nichols reviews.
An Nichols

An Nichols

Reviews 4 minute read
Brown, wearing black under a dramatic gold and purple Renaissance-style jacket, jubilantly spreads his arms.

Lantern Theater Company presents Keith Hamilton Cobb’s American Moor

A fresh take on Othello and the racial politics of American theater
Keith Hamilton Cobb’s American Moor, which follows a Black actor reluctantly auditioning for an Othello helmed by a white director, gets its Philly premiere at the Lantern. An Nichol reviews.
An Nichols

An Nichols

Reviews 4 minute read
Book cover with 'You Gotta Eat' in bold, black letters with illustrations of various foods

A new take on cooking with Margaret Eby's You Gotta Eat

Fluctuating energy culinary skills
Food writer and editor Margaret Eby's new cookbook lays out creative plans for when your energy may be running low. Anndee Hochman previews.
Anndee Hochman

Anndee Hochman

Previews 3 minute read
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Also on BSR

Portrait of Ijames, a Black man, wearing black-rimmed glasses, yellow beanie, and maroon sweater, his hand under his chin

The BSR Weekly Arts and Culture Roundup, November 21-27, 2024

Holiday cheer, VinylCon, Sip & Paint, and more
Holiday-themed events from NextFab, Ensemble Arts, and Hedgerow Theatre, a vinyl and recorded media event takes over the weekend, and a wellness workshop to get ready for the season. Kyle V. Hiller previews.
Kyle V. Hiller

Kyle V. Hiller

Previews 4 minute read
Grant, a Black man with long locs, lounges on a bench with Jimeniz, a worried-looking Latino man wearing a red shirt.

BSR Podcast, Season 9 Episode 5: Directors Seth Rozin and J Paul Nicholas on InterAct's Moreno
BSR Podcast host Darnelle Radford sits down with Seth Rozin and J Paul Nicholas, co-directors of the American premiere of Pravin Wilkins's Moreno.
Darnelle Radford

Darnelle Radford

Podcast 1 minute read
Several dancers stand behind Forcella, bowed at the waist, and all you can see are their arms spreading like a peacock tail

BalletX presents it 2024 Fall Series with Matthew Neenan, Takehiro Ueyama, and Marguerite Donlon

A Fall Series for the future
BalletX kicks off its 19th season with more dancers, a new venue, and works by Marguerite Donlon, Matthew Neenan, and Takehiro Ueyama. The works showcase the quality and range of the company but lack programmatic cohesion. Melissa Strong reviews.
Melissa Strong

Melissa Strong

Reviews 4 minute read
Silk, rayon, glass, and pheasant feathers on a stripped black and ivory evening gown

The Academy of Natural Sciences presents The Ecology of Fashion

Getting thrifty with it
The new exhibition at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University explores how fashion impacts our environment and our everyday lives. An Nichols previews.
An Nichols

An Nichols

Previews 2 minute read
A woman in a black dress that resembles a trash bag runs on a treadmill in front of a large dumpster on a dimly lit stage

Brian Sanders’ JUNK presents Urban Scuba

A renewed dive
Brian Sanders’ JUNK presents a limited-run showcase of Urban Scuba featuring a new musical score. Melissa Strong previews.
Melissa Strong

Melissa Strong

Previews 3 minute read
Ciabatti centered at a concert hall stage, several players to his left and right in black formal wear

BSR Classical Interludes, more music in November 2024

From Italy to Delaware, the legend of Fairmount String Quartet, and more
LyricFest, Delaware Symphony, the Fairmount String Quartet and others close out November with classical offerings in the Philly area. Gail Obenreder previews.
Gail Obenreder

Gail Obenreder

Previews 4 minute read
Four people in casual clothing look out a window in a white brick room. Bright light pours in from the window.

The BSR Weekly Arts and Culture Roundup, November 14-20, 2024

The Coronation, Amsterdam, Making Strange, and more
Preserving art with Afromation Avenue, Theatre Ariel’s premiere of Amsterdam, PAFA opens Making Strange, and more. Kyle V. Hiller rounds up.
Kyle V. Hiller

Kyle V. Hiller

Previews 3 minute read
Show logo: Title at top in gold, and drag kings in gold jackets posing on the right side against a black background

The BSR Podcast: season 9, episode 4: Simone Lawrence on The Coronation: An All-Black Drag King Show and Art Exhibition

Fine art, Black excellence, and the diversity of Philly's own Black drag kings
Podcast host Darnelle Radford sits down with Philly drag king Simone Lawrence about a Saturday, November 16, event at Prism Arts Philadelphia featuring fine art, drag, and the community we need.
Darnelle Radford

Darnelle Radford

Podcast 1 minute read
At center, Matarrese, in a tux, bends to kiss Heflin’s outstretched hand. She wears a black ball gown and looks worried.

Resident Ensemble Players presents Tom Stoppard’s Rough Crossing

Choppy seas for a rare farce
Resident Ensemble Players at the University of Delaware takes on Tom Stoppard’s rarely produced Rough Crossing, but it’s choppy seas, despite a cast that is well-known for excellent farce. Gail Obenreder reviews.
Gail Obenreder

Gail Obenreder

Reviews 4 minute read
The browsing area, with wooden record displays in a bright white space and a vintage “budget disc o tape” sign on the wall

Media veteran Gabriel Coan’s next venture is a new record shop in Fairmount

A space for discovery and connection through music
Gabriel Coan has spent almost 30 years in the media business from coast to coast. Now he calls his new record shop in Fairmount, Records Forever, the best job he’s ever had. Emma Riverso visits.
Emma Riverso

Emma Riverso

Features 3 minute read