The BSR Weekly Arts and Culture Roundup, May 9-15, 2024
Philly Grit, Dear Philadelphia, and John Jarboe: The Rose Garden
New exhibits from Da Vinci Art Alliance, TILT, and Fabric Workshop; and laughs from Bristol and Theatre Exile. Kyle V. Hiller rounds up the week.
Previews
3 minute read
Philly’s AAPI playwrights are ready for the stage with PWYC readings in May and June
Meet Philly’s first dedicated cohort of AAPI playwrights
None of Philly’s regional theaters have ever staged a full production of a non-solo show by a local AAPI playwright. Philadelphia Asian Performing Artists' new playwriting cohort wants to change that. Krista Mar visits.
Features
6 minute read
Philadelphia Artists’ Collective presents Maxim Gorky’s Children of the Sun
The Russian Revolution resonates in the US today
This rattling and thrilling new production of Maxim Gorky’s Children of the Sun, set in 1862 and written in a St. Petersburg prison in 1905, has devastating resonance for Americans in 2024. C.M. Crockford reviews.
Reviews
3 minute read
Azuka Theatre and Simpatico Theatre present R. Eric Thomas's An Army of Lovers
Queer revolutionaries in the digital age
With a multifaceted
script and powerhouse lead performance, Azuka Theatre and Simpatico Theatre's An
Army of Lovers invites audiences into a world of complex queer politics,
surveillance, and the thorny issue of legacy. Natalie Layne reviews.
Reviews
3 minute read
1812 Productions presents Harvey Fierstein’s Torch Song
Keeping the flame lit
The new version of Harvey Fierstein’s classic comedy, revised from the original into a shorter two-act production, gets its regional premiere at 1812 in a show that aptly emphasizes the writer’s historical era. Josh Herren reviews.
Reviews
3 minute read
People’s Light presents Madeleine George’s Hurricane Diane
Dionysus has a new agenda in New Jersey
Dionysus is back, but this time, he’s not out for destruction. In Hurricane Diane, now getting its regional premiere at People’s Light, he tries to enlist four Jersey housewives for a new, eco-friendly regime. David Block reviews.
Reviews
3 minute read
InLiquid Gallery presents The Naked Show
What does nakedness show us? What does it hide?
A new
ensemble exhibit featuring 15 InLiquid Gallery members poses plenty of worthwhile
questions along with its nudes, but something is missing from the show’s
promise to honor humanity’s infinite variations. Anndee Hochman reviews.
Reviews
5 minute read
Six tips for news and social media sanity in the 2024 election cycle (you won’t believe #6)
The news is stressful. Here’s how to stay engaged while keeping your cool.
Our democracy, our climate, our rights, our health, our wars and protests—it’s hard to look at any news at all without feeling like the world is ending. Spend seven minutes with Alaina Johns now and get six tips to help you navigate today’s media.
Editorials
7 minute read
BSR Classical Interludes, May 1-15, 2024
Singing in the spring
Three operas, an operetta, and new vocal work decorate the first half of a very vocal May. Gail Obenreder previews.
Previews
4 minute read
Curio Theatre Company presents Hannah Moscovitch’s Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story
Our ancestors were immigrants, too
This thrilling music/theater hybrid is inspired by the true story of two Jewish Romanian refugees, broken by the inhumanities of war, who find love after arriving on the shores of Canada in 1908. SaraKay Smullens reviews.
Reviews
3 minute read
The BSR May 2024 repertory movie roundup
Fosse, Fosse, Fosse!
Celebrating Bob Fosse, Grey Gardens, and more looks back to the ‘70s. Stephen Silver rounds up area film screenings.
Previews
4 minute read
Arden Children's Theatre presents Greg Banks’s Pinocchio
The kids are part of the magic
A new production of Pinocchio from Arden Children’s Theatre turns kids into active participants, capturing imaginations and pulling back the curtain on the magic of theater. Natalie Layne reviews.
Reviews
3 minute read
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Also on BSR
The BSR Weekly Arts and Culture Roundup, May 1-8, 2024
An Army of Lovers, Machine de Cirque, and Dual Heritage Month
A new exhibit opens at Fuller Rosen Gallery, a new play from R. Eric Thomas, revisiting (re)FOCUS, and celebrating Jewish American and Pacific American heritage at the Weitzman. Kyle V. Hiller rounds up.
Previews
2 minute read
Koresh Dance Company presents Hollow Apple
Expansive themes in dance
The world premiere of Koresh’s Hollow Apple tackles a timely subject in its 2024 Spring Home Season performance. Melissa Strong reviews.
Reviews
3 minute read
Opera Philadelphia presents Puccini’s Madame Butterfly
A radiant metamorphosis
Opera is grappling with the iconic creations of
Giacomo Puccini: can we reverse harmful depictions of marginalized people while
honoring the work’s integrity? Opera Philadelphia finds a way with its new
Madame Butterfly. Linda Holt reviews.
Reviews
5 minute read
Big Telly and Tiny Dynamite present The Worst Café in the World
An undercooked dramatic menu
Big Telly and Tiny Dynamite present The Worst Cafe in the World, a conceit that offers theater as dinner but never amounts to a complete meal. Kiran Pandey reviews.
Reviews
3 minute read
BalletX presents its 2024 Spring Festival
Great ballet meets live music at the Mann
BalletX’s spring 2024 performance combined otherworldliness with riveting historical narrative, all alongside captivating live music at the Mann. Camille Bacon-Smith reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read
Contemporary West Dance Theater presents Fall in Love Tour
Company founder Bernard Gaddis brings love home to Philly
The new performance by "Phillyboy" Bernard H. Gaddis comes to the Fringe Bar. Camille Bacon-Smith previews.
Previews
3 minute read
Inviting improvisation for everyone, every week at the Rotunda
Medicinal, positive anarchy
Every Wednesday, Philadelphia residents convene at the Rotunda for two hours of musical improvisation, free and open to all, with no leader, no instructions, and no repeating. Thomas Hagen previews.
Previews
3 minute read
The BSR Weekly Arts and Culture Roundup, April 25-May 1, 2024
Hollow Apple, The Naked Show, West Chester Film Fest, BalletX, and more
Festivals from PAFA, BalletX, and East Passyunk, and a variety of performances from Hedgerow Theater, Curio, and Koresh Dance Company highlight the final weekend of April. Kyle V. Hiller rounds up.
Previews
4 minute read
1812 Productions and Delaware Theatre Company present Bruce Graham’s The Flatlanders
Grounded in the Poconos
This world-premiere production of Bruce Graham’s The Flatlanders debuted at 1812 earlier this year, and now the show continues at Delaware Theatre Company. But this script still can’t get off the ground. Gail Obenreder reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read
Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers presents Breath into Air
Life, breath, and cherry blossoms
Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers shines in the world premiere of Breath into Air alongside Mandala Project and works by Weiwei Ma and Evalina Carbonell. Melissa Strong reviews.
Reviews
5 minute read