The BSR Weekly Arts and Culture Roundup, October 17-23, 2024
Halloween laughs, WEIRDO Fest, Undue Burden, and NICHOS this week
PHILADANCO!’s new show, Crossroads Comedy Theater gets hilariously spooky, a new accessible workshop series at Painted Bride, and Esperanza Arts Center opens its new show NICHOS. Kyle V. Hiller rounds up.
Previews
4 minute read
Philadelphia Theatre Company and Edgewood Entertainment present Erlina Ortiz’s La Egoísta
Who gets to be selfish?
In Erlina Ortiz’s La
Egoísta, now getting its Philly
premiere at PTC, two very different sisters (one an irreverent comedian and the
other a devoutly Christian bank employee) navigate the demands of career and
caretaking. Krista Mar reviews.
Reviews
3 minute read
Angel Corella opens up about his new Le Corsaire and 10 years at the helm of Philadelphia Ballet
“A star of his generation in dance”
Ten years ago, when Angel Corella became artistic director of Philadelphia Ballet, the company needed new ideas. As the premiere of his revamped Le Corsaire approaches, he speaks with Camille Bacon-Smith about what he brings to the company, and what’s next.
Features
6 minute read
BSR Classical Interludes, October 17-31, 2024
More classical music in the Philly area
Offerings from Pyxis Piano Trio, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Jasper String Quartet, and more round out the rest of the month. Gail Obenreder previews.
Previews
3 minute read
Hedgerow Theatre presents Dave Droxler’s Robin & Me: My Little Spark of Madness
A marvelous madcap journey in time
This solo show from Delco native Dave Droxler mixes his real-life childhood in the Philly burbs with his love for a slew of comedians, especially his imaginary friend and real idol Robin Williams. Erin Dohony reviews.
Reviews
3 minute read
Philly artists get out the vote with To the Polls 2024, now on view in Love Park
“If you are voting, you are hoping for the future.”
Prolific curator and Streets Dept blog founder Conrad Benner is back with To the Polls 2024, a bi-annual nonpartisan project from Mural Arts urging Philadelphians—who may decide this Presidential election—to vote. Alaina Johns visits.
Features
4 minute read
Theatre Horizon presents Jonathan Larson's tick, tick…BOOM!
In Norristown, Larson lives
Jonathan Larson’s early 90s one-man show continues to find new life in light of his legacy with a production by Theatre Horizon. Stephen Silver previews.
Reviews
3 minute read
The Strides Collective presents Matt Shvyrkov’s Confabulation
Having a lot of character
The Strides Collective presents Matt Shvyrkov’s Confabulation, a frequently engaging portrait of misfits that seems at odds with its overly ambiguous structure. Kiran Pandey reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read
1812 Productions presents This Is the Week That Is 2024
Outdated election-year satire
1812’s popular political satire revue This Is the Week That Is returns to Plays & Players to take on the 2024 election in its 19th edition. But out-of-touch sketches offer mostly limp laughs. Josh Herren reviews.
Reviews
2 minute read
The Public Theater presents James Ijames’s Good Bones
No place like home
James Ijames takes on the weighty topic of gentrification in Good Bones with this production at New York’s Public Theater, but the play itself is still in need of renovation. Cameron Kelsall reviews.
Reviews
3 minute read
Quintessence Theatre Group presents Edmond Rostand’s Cyrano de Bergerac, adapted by Martin Crimp
A classic tale with contemporary flair
Quintessence kicks off its 15th anniversary season with a bold adaptation of Cyrano, casting the charismatic yet insecure hero as a defiant poet fighting against mediocrity and bourgeois conformity. Josh Herren reviews.
Reviews
2 minute read
Resident Ensemble Players presents The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) [Revised] [Again]
Massaging and massacring the Bard
Delaware’s Resident Ensemble Players opens its season with The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) [Revised] [Again], mixing sketch and farce for a dizzy and hilarious presentation of the beloved tribute. Gail Obenreder reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read
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Also on BSR
The BSR Podcast: Season 9, Episode 2: Widener U and Lone Brick Theatre Company's Frankenstein
Hear all about a limited engagement of an imaginative new take on Mary Shelley
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Podcast
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The BSR Podcast: Season 9, Episode 1: Erlina Ortiz on the Philly premiere of her La Egoista
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Podcast
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The BSR Weekly Arts and Culture Roundup, October 10-16, 2024
OURfest, Indigenous Peoples Day, Confabulation, and more
Celebrating Indigenous Peoples Day in Philly all weekend, Confabulation by Strides Collective, and block parties for the vote. Kyle V. Hiller rounds up.
Previews
4 minute read
Philadelphia Artists’ Collective presents August Strindberg’s The [Happy Hour] Dance of Death
Back to PAC’s creative roots
Philadelphia Artists’ Collective continues its history of inventive productions by staging August Strindberg’s Dance of Death at the Franklin Inn Club, with a chance for the audience to mingle with the actors in character. Cameron Kelsall previews.
Previews
3 minute read
Fever Dream Repertory presents Steve Yockey’s Mercury
A queer, occult delight
Fever Dream Repertory, a new local company, lands at Plays & Players for the Philly premiere of Mercury, a pitch-black horror comedy that evokes Hitchcock’s comedy and a queer and bloody Twilight Zone. C.M. Crockford reviews.
Reviews
3 minute read
The Philadelphia Orchestra presents Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducting Mahler’s Third Symphony
A lengthy thrill
Mahler’s Third, the longest symphony in the standard repertoire, got an exciting, multifaceted performance from Yannick Nézet-Séguin and the Philadelphia Orchestra, alongside soloist Joyce DiDonato and three choirs. Linda Holt reviews.
Reviews
3 minute read
BSR Classical Interludes, October 2024
Opening the musical 2024-25 season in the Philly area
A new season of music opens with Chamber Orchestra, the Crossing, Variant Six, and more. Gail Obenreder previews.
Previews
4 minute read
The BSR October 2024 repertory movie roundup
Sean Baker, John Malkovich, and lots of Halloween horror
Horror flicks for October, a Sean Baker retrospective, and many more screenings highlight the month. Stephen Silver previews.
Previews
5 minute read
The BSR Weekly Arts and Culture Roundup, October 3-9, 2024
Cookbooks & Convos, Joy to the Polls, and Unhoused & Unseen
New exhibitions and performances open this week as we slip into fall. Kyle V. Hiller rounds up.
Previews
3 minute read
Delaware Theatre Company presents Harvey Fierstein and Cindy Lauper’s Kinky Boots
The most beautiful thing in the world dazzles in Wilmington
Delaware Theatre Company marks 45 years on Wilmington’s waterfront with an all-out, thigh-high production of Kinky Boots. Gail Obenreder reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read