The BSR Weekly Arts and Culture Roundup, November 7-13, 2024
The Time Is Always Now, Philadelphia Asian American Film Fest, and more
A new exhibit at PMA, PAAFF returns with a fully-hybrid format, and crafty events decorate the weekend. Kyle V. Hiller rounds up.
Previews
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
Arden Theatre Company Presents Lynn Nottage's Intimate Apparel
A woman worthy of the words
In a new production of Lynn Nottage's celebrated Intimate Apparel at the Arden (already extended through December 8, 2024), compelling performances are the highlight of an uneven whole. nat čermák reviews.
Reviews
2 minute read
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Woodmere Art Museum presents In the Moment: The Art & Photography of Harvey Finkle
Picturing the people’s power
For half a century, Harvey Finkle has trained his camera on those fighting for the rights of homeless, displaced, disabled, or undocumented people on the front lines of American protest. An exhibition at Woodmere looks back on his legacy. Pamela J. Forsythe reviews.
Reviews
5 minute read
Theatre Exile presents John Logan’s Red
Paint by numbers
The struggle to make art takes center stage in John Logan’s Red, now revived by Theatre Exile. Cameron Kelsall reviews.
Reviews
3 minute read
The Clay Studio presents The Future of Clay
What’s next for the enduring art of ceramics?
To close out its 50th anniversary year, The Clay Studio fittingly looks forward with The Future of Clay, which assembles eight artists for a streamlined show full of intriguing juxtapositions. Crystal Sparrow reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read
Ensemble Arts Philly and the Shubert Organization present Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton
The stage where it happens is still a worthwhile ticket
Just in time for the week of the 2024 election, Hamilton is back in town, running at the Academy of Music through November 24. The current production boasts a great cast and sometimes differs a little from previous iterations. An Nichols reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read
BSR's popular PR webinar for artists is happening again on November 21, 2024
Learn the basics of arts and culture PR with experienced editors and publicists
Everyone deserves a chance to learn the basics of good PR, especially artists and other independent creators and administrators. Join our November 21 HELP US HELP YOU webinar for tons of tips and a Q&A with PR experts.
Previews
2 minute read
Curio Theatre Company presents Larissa FastHorse’s The Thanksgiving Play
Roasting turkeys
Larissa FastHorse’s satire The Thanksgiving Play, one of the most-produced plays in the country, gets its Philly premiere with Curio in a mostly hilarious production. C.M. Crockford reviews.
Reviews
3 minute read
The Barnes Foundation presents Mickalene Thomas: All About Love
A sparkling philosophy of love
A new multi-media exhibition at the Barnes featuring New Jersey native Mickalene Thomas celebrates queer existence and the female gaze with mixed-media painting, collage, photography, video, and more. K.A. McFadden reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read
Delaware Theatre Company presents Duncan Macmillan’s Every Brilliant Thing
Embracing the audience
Delaware
Theatre Company teams with Charlie DelMarcelle to present the popular one-man
show Every Brilliant Thing, a gentle comedy that embraces the audience
in its exploration of depression and healing. Gail Obenreder reviews.
Reviews
3 minute read
The BSR November 2024 repertory movie roundup
Paul Thomas Anderson films, Whit Stillman, a noir film festival, and more
A Paul Thomas Anderson retrospective, Whit Stillman back in town, a noir festival, and the return of the Lightbox Film Center. Stephen Silver previews.
Previews
5 minute read
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Also on BSR
The Suzanne Roberts Theatre hosts Eli Bauman’s 44 - THE unOFFICIAL, unSANCTIONED OBAMA MUSICAL
Red, blue, or in between: go see this show
Just in time for Philly theatergoers stressed about the 2024 election to find a little relief, Eli Bauman’s crowd-pleasing 44 - THE unOFFICIAL, unSANCTIONED OBAMA MUSICAL arrives for a limited run at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre. An Nichols reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read
BSR Classical Interludes, November 2024
Tea with Mimi, Grant Youngblood and Marvin Mills, and one more from Astral Artists
Getting tea with Mimi Stillman, seeing the future with Philadelphia Youth Orchestra, and saying goodbye to Astral Artists. Gail Obenreder previews.
Previews
4 minute read
The BSR Weekly Arts and Culture Roundup, October 31-November 6, 2024
False Tongues, Moreno, and sound rituals for the mind and body
A new performance from Britt Fishel and Artists, InterAct Theatre Company; a new exhibition opens in a Chestnut Hill gallery, and acoustic explorations are happening with FringeArts and Fire Museum. Kyle V. Hiller rounds up.
Previews
3 minute read
Discussing Philadelphia’s Hollywood legend Lionel Barrymore with biographer Kathleen Spaltro
The man behind Mr. Potter, Dr. Gillespie, and Scrooge
Rachel Bellwoar holds an interview with Lionel Barrymore biographer Kathleen Spaltro following the release of her new book, Lionel Barrymore: Character and Endurance in Hollywood’s Golden Age.
Profiles
5 minute read
OperaDelaware and Opera Baltimore present Puccini’s La bohème
Puccini’s genius lives on
La bohème is one of the opera canon’s all-time favorites. In a co-production with Opera Baltimore, OperaDelaware offered a lively, beautifully staged production that showcased Puccini’s musical genius. Gail Obenreder reviews.
Reviews
5 minute read
Arcadia University’s Spruance Gallery presents Perpetual Inventory: A Ruminative Installation by Scott Kip
Unmoored and uncanny
Visitors to Scott Kip’s Perpetual Inventory can decide if they want to look at an inventory or gallery notes before entering—but it might be worthwhile to wait, for an impressionistic, mysterious encounter. Pamela J. Forsythe reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read
The BSR Weekly Arts and Culture Roundup, October 24-30, 2024
RED, Intimate Apparel, Día de los Muertos, and more
New performances at the Wilma, Arden, and Theatre Exile, a soundscape journey at Asian Arts Initiative, and Penn Museum’s annual Día de los Muertos celebration. Kyle V. Hiller rounds up.
Previews
5 minute read
EgoPo Classic Theater and Abrahamse & Meyer Productions present Tennessee Williams’s The Knightly Quest
Reviving a modern queer fable
To kick off the “B-Side” series of its current Queer Revolutions season, EgoPo welcomes longtime collaborators Abrahamse & Meyer Productions with The Knightly Quest, a relatively little-known piece by Tennessee Williams. Melissa Strong reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read
The Institute for Contemporary Art presents Where I Learned To Look: Art from the Yard
Art without walls
A new exhibition at Philly’s ICA explores what artists express in work made for the outdoors, from shrines to found objects to decorated cars, and a mirrored orb by Jeff Koons. Pamela J. Forsythe reviews.
Reviews
5 minute read
Teatro Esperanza presents Tanaquil Márquez’s Nichos
Capturing Philly’s Mexican American experience
An ambitious, sold-out world premiere at North Philly’s Esperanza Arts Center combines real-life stories from Mexican American locals and their families with rich, fantastical cultural elements. An Nichols reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read