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Based on Tennessee Williams and Bert Lahr: Conallen and Wallnau. (Photos by Mark Garvin)

Bruce Graham's 'Funnyman' at the Arden

Not just playing for laughs

Philadelphia favorite Bruce Graham's new play, Funnyman, provides some humor, and much more.
Mark Cofta

Mark Cofta

Articles 3 minute read
A handsome young man: Johannes Brahms

Johannes Brahms and John Wayne

Johnny Broom and Marion Morrison

Can a 19th-century music master and a 20th-century movie star have anything in common?
Tom Purdom

Tom Purdom

Articles 5 minute read
The media is complicit in Steven Avery’s ordeal. (© 2016 Netflix)

'Making a Murderer' on Netflix

When innocence isn't presumed

Making a Murderer is the compelling story of how our criminal justice system is broken; it describes a societal murder in which police, prosecutors, the media, and the public conspire to find “undesirables” guilty.
Armen Pandola

Armen Pandola

Articles 4 minute read
Happy VA Day: Celebrating with the Obergruppenführer.

'The Man in the High Castle' on Amazon

Baseball, apple pie, and swastikas

The Man in the High Castle is a revered masterpiece of the alternative history genre. Philip K. Dick’s original novel is mindbending; the Amazon series is considerably more grounded and dynamic than the novel, but no less compelling.
Mark Wolverton

Mark Wolverton

Articles 6 minute read
Competent but underwhelming: Sarah Hay. (Photo by Patrick Harbron - © 2015 Starz Entertainment, LLC)

'Flesh and Bone' on Starz

‘Black Swan’ Redux

Set in the cloistered world of professional ballet, Starz’s Flesh and Bone follows the journey of emotionally damaged dancer Claire Robbins. The series attempts to push the envelope with tabloid-worthy plot points but can’t transcend its balletic clichés and stale choreography to forge something original.
Erin Bomboy

Erin Bomboy

Articles 5 minute read
Nuanced performances: Jelks and Derricks. (Photo by T. Charles Erikson.)

August Wilson's 'Piano Lesson' at the McCarter

A future American classic

A major revival of August Wilson's 1990 Pulitzer Prize winner reminds us why Wilson should be considered an American master.
Mark Cofta

Mark Cofta

Articles 3 minute read
A 1904 Viennese ball with admirers thronging anti-Semitic Mayor Karl Lueger.

The Philadelphia Orchestra's Vienna Festival

A melting pot that periodically boiled over

On its surface, Vienna seems to be the epitome of romance and good times. Underneath lies a troubling past that is recognized by Yannick Nézet-Séguin in a multifaceted festival.
Steve Cohen

Steve Cohen

Articles 4 minute read
The mental and the physical: Gliko and Canales. (Photo by Alexander Iziliaev)

Tom Stoppard’s 'Hard Problem' at the Wilma

Do smart people really talk about smart topics?

Smart people don’t necessarily discuss difficult topics, but they do bring intelligence to whatever topic they approach. Stoppard’s new play, The Hard Problem, depicts smart people talking about smart topics, but it could use a bit more humanity to get us to care.
Naomi Orwin

Naomi Orwin

Articles 5 minute read

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A shockingly unconventional use of animation. (both photos © 2015 Paramount Pictures)

Charlie Kaufman's 'Anomalisa'

Missed connections

Though weighted with its fair share of flaws and failures, Anomalisa is a formally audacious and emotionally affecting film, and a worthy counterpart to Kaufman’s other cinematic work.

Peter Myers

Articles 4 minute read
A beacon of light for a surreal journey: "The Institute of Memory." (Photo by Lars Jan)

Under the Radar Festival at the Public Theater

Flying high Under the Radar

This year’s vibrant Under the Radar festival at the Public Theater offers deeply compelling personal stories, with several examining relationships with absent parents.

Carol Rocamora

Articles 4 minute read