Handmade sign waving outside City Hall has painted illustration of Philly’s Chinatown arch and “say no the arena” on it

Ten questions for everyone at this week’s Sixers arena press conference

BSR has questions for City Council, our reigning billionaires, and YOU

After more than two years of painful controversy over a proposed arena on the edge of Philly’s Chinatown and a massive legislative package, the Philadelphia 76ers joined hands with Comcast and walked away. We have questions.
Alaina Johns Kyle V. Hiller

Alaina Johnsand Kyle V. Hiller

Editorials 3 minute read
A large dance ensemble surrounding him, Markus strikes a signature pose, one leg extended with white shirt fluttering behind

Ensemble Arts Philly and the Shubert Organization present MJ the Musical

A Dangerous look back

MJ the Musical, celebrating Michael Jackson’s music in a story about preparations for his Dangerous World Tour in the early 1990s, opts for a polished, estate-approved narrative that leaves Jackson’s life unexplored. Josh Herren reviews.
Josh Herren

Josh Herren

Reviews 2 minute read
Illustration. Two fish are linked by a chain, another chain trails off one's tail. Blue, white watery strokes the backdrop

Morton Contemporary presents We Are All Doing Time

Illustrating America’s mass incarceration crisis

Morton Contemporary’s new exhibition provides a glimpse into the criminal justice system through the art of six local artists who have experienced it. Kimberly Haas previews.

Kimberly Haas

Previews 4 minute read
Photo taken over the audience in the pews shows the singers performing on the well-lit chancel.

Variant 6 presents RE/IMAGINE

A rare of night secular music for voice and organ

Philly vocal ensemble Variant 6 explored the classic combination of voice and organ, though with a rare focus on secular music, including a world premiere by Benjamin C.S. Boyle, who was in attendance. Gail Obenreder reviews.
Gail Obenreder

Gail Obenreder

Reviews 5 minute read
Vintage sleeveless pink dress with the artwork title written on it in large black block lettering.

The Fabric Workshop and Museum presents Soft/Cover

Celebrating 50 years of FWM artists-in-residence

The Fabric Workshop and Museum marks 50 years of its artists-in-residence program with this survey of intriguing multi-media works from the 1970s to the present. Pamela J. Forsythe reviews.

Pamela J. Forsythe

Reviews 5 minute read
Gay and Landau, seen from behind, standing in front of a large crowd visiting the show in a gilded hallway of City Hall

Councilmember Rue Landau and Creative Philadelphia present Transcending Uncertainty: Art Endures at Home in Philadelphia

Honoring the UArts community with a new exhibition at City Hall

City Councilmember Rue Landau and Creative Philadelphia teamed up to honor the UArts community with a special exhibition, free to view at City Hall through January 25, 2025. An Nichols visits.
An Nichols

An Nichols

Reviews 8 minute read
About 30 small white wooden figurines of fantastical yet familiar people on tiny pedestals, on a black background

The Museum for Art in Wood presents La Famiglia

Family trees

With this exhibition at the Museum for Art in Wood, turned-wood figures by artist Mark Sfirri explore likeness and difference, ancestry and environment, asking how family takes root. Anndee Hochman reviews.
Anndee Hochman

Anndee Hochman

Reviews 4 minute read
An illustration over gray with a stenciling of a woman looking over her shoulder; beige sketch splits the middle of the image

The BSR Weekly Arts and Culture Roundup, January 9-15, 2025

Apple Picking with Eve, Love Notes 4 Philly, and Chevalier

Bringing in the new year with more laughs from Lady Laughs, a collage workshop at the PMA, multimedia film screenings, and more. Kyle V. Hiller rounds up.
Kyle V. Hiller

Kyle V. Hiller

Previews 3 minute read
Two large black bookshelves packed with hundreds of books in a living room with a hardwood floor.

Looking for that next great book to read? Here are the editor's 2024 favorites.

Build your reading list with help from BSR.

Alaina Johns is not going to rate her favorite 2024 reads, but she will offer you some micro-reviews, so you can figure out if you’d like to read them, too! Everyone is different, and books are individuals, too.
Alaina Johns

Alaina Johns

Editorials 13 minute read
Book cover. Title in scrolls above & below a dramatic vintage illustration of a man rescuing a woman from a fire

Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia, by Peter Schmitz

Exploring the rich past, present, and future of Philly theater

Peter Schmitz is a leading expert on the history of our theater scene, and his new book, Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia, takes us from the US premiere of Hamlet to the TLA and beyond. Cameron Kelsall takes the tour.
Cameron Kelsall

Cameron Kelsall

Features 4 minute read
Black, wearing a shtreimel, with a Black boy in Orthodox Jewish attire, leans over another Orthodox man writing on a scroll.

The Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History presents Humans of Judaism

The popular online platform honoring the diversity of modern Jewish life comes to museum walls

The Weitzman on Independence Mall honors the diversity of the modern Jewish experience with a new exhibition based on the popular social-media platform Humans of Judaism. Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer reviews.
Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer

Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer

Reviews 5 minute read
Book cover: Title in white letters on blue down the right side, next to a black & white photo of a newscaster with a mustache

The Big Story: The Oral History of Philadelphia TV News, by David Grzybowski

A new book takes you inside the TV coverage of Philly’s biggest stories

From Papal visits to sports championships to a blizzard that never was, a new book takes us inside 50 juicy, surprising years of Philly TV news in the words of Jim Gardner, Larry Kane, and lots more. Stephen Silver reviews.
Stephen Silver

Stephen Silver

Reviews 4 minute read
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Diorio in drag singing at a standing mic on a stage, wearing a sparkling gold body suit, belt, and boots

BSR Classical Interludes, January 2025

Concerts to start off the year

Music from East Passyunk Opera Project, Ama Deus Chamber Orchestra, Symphony in C, and more to open the new year in the Philly area. Gail Obenreder previews.
Gail Obenreder

Gail Obenreder

Previews 3 minute read
Two people look on, one smiles, the other looks unapproving or disgusted at something. They’re inside, a door behind them

The BSR January 2025 repertory film roundup

Dinner in America, Glen or Glenda, and more

Kicking off the new year with punk rockers, Glen or Glenda, and a classic documentary about war criminals in costume. Stephen Silver rounds up.
Stephen Silver

Stephen Silver

Previews 4 minute read
Collage of headshots of the five BSR team members

The 2024 BSR Year-End Recommend: books, films, TV, music, and more

Build your 2025 lists with personal tips from the BSR team

The BSR Year-End Recommend is back for 2024! Our team shares their favorite movies, books, TV shows, podcasts, newsletters, music, and more.
Alaina Johns

Alaina Johns

Features 8 minute read
Gann and Bell on stage, in casual top and jeans. Dumbledore wears a wizard's hat.

The BSR Weekly Arts and Culture Roundup, December 19-31, 2024

Winter solstice, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and more

The final roundup of the year is here, with events to close out the rest of December. Kyle V. Hiller previews.
Kyle V. Hiller

Kyle V. Hiller

Previews 3 minute read
A group of Jim Henson’s Muppets in Christmas gear in a snowy backdrop, Michael Caine as Scrooge stands with them

The Philadelphia Orchestra presents The Muppet Christmas Carol

A frog, a pig, and Constantine Kitsopoulos

The Philadelphia Orchestra scores the 1992 film live this week, and it has us wondering: what Muppet do you relate to the most? Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer previews.
Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer

Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer

Previews 3 minute read
Book cover. Title above in large, aged-looking letters above an evocative photo of the trace of a demolished house’s stairway

Building Ghosts: Past Lives and Lost Places in a Changing City, by Molly Lester and Michael Bixler

Revealing Philadelphia’s almost-invisible past

Building Ghosts, an absorbing new book from Temple University Press, grasps a history that we barely know with essays and photos capturing the remnants of Philly’s lost and demolished buildings. Pamela J. Forsythe reviews.

Pamela J. Forsythe

Reviews 5 minute read
Book cover. Author in white & title in yellow appear above an illustration of a red-headed woman facing away from you.

Final Cut, by Charles Burns

A Philadelphia graphic novelist at the top of his game

Charles Burns, the cult-favorite Philly-based cartoonist behind Black Hole, is back with the graphic novel Final Cut, a new work the artist seems born to create. Kiran Pandey reviews.
Kiran Pandey

Kiran Pandey

Reviews 3 minute read
Book cover. Title in large letters on a white field. Letters appear as cutouts with Barnes collection paintings behind them.

The House of Barnes: The Man, the Collection, the Controversy, by Neil L. Rudenstine

Still braving Barnes bias

As a trustee emeritus of the Barnes Foundation, author Neil L. Rudenstine is clearly biased, but his book offers interesting details about the collection of Albert Barnes and how his fraught legacy was slowly dismantled. Emily B. Schilling reviews.
Emily Schilling

Emily Schilling

Reviews 4 minute read
Davis, in white tee & tights, sits at right cradling a nutcracker. A chair sits at center by the shadow of a Christmas tree

Chris Davis presents One-Man Nutcracker 2024

Still working on his pirouettes

Prolific Philly solo artist (and budding mid-life ballerino) Chris Davis is back with One-Man-Nutcracker, a deeply personal glimpse at the famous ballet as well as the yearning to dance that can strike at any age. Camille Bacon-Smith reviews.
Camille Bacon-Smith

Camille Bacon-Smith

Reviews 2 minute read
The show flyer. Schoonover, in a silver sequined dress, holds a TV remote and a bottle of eggnog, yelling joyfully

The BSR Podcast, season 9, episode 7: the world premiere of The Complete Works of Christmas (Abridged)

Shakespeare in Clark Park tackles Christmas

Podcast host Darnelle Radford sits down with Shakespeare in Clark Park artistic director Shamus to hear all about a new Christmas-themed show at the Drake starring Amanda Schoonover.
Darnelle Radford

Darnelle Radford

Podcast 1 minute read