Patrick J. Kennedy's 'A Common Struggle'

Code of silence, circle of shame

By speaking out and speaking up about mental illness and alcoholism in families, Patrick J. Kennedy is helping those of us who still feel shame, yet live with the fear of what these conditions will do to future generations if we keep silent.

Marge Murray

Oct 25, 2015 · Articles · 5 minute read

Bruce Graham’s ‘Rizzo’ by Theatre Exile (second review)

Sound and fury, signifying . . . what?

Some people worshipped Frank Rizzo, Philadelphia’s combative mayor in the 1970s. Some people detested him. What else is new?

Dan Rottenberg

Oct 23, 2015 · Articles · 6 minute read

Bruce Graham's 'Rizzo' at Theatre Exile

Rizzo Redux

Theatre Exile and playwright Bruce Graham bring a controversial Philadelphia figure back to pulsating life.

Carol Rocamora

Oct 22, 2015 · Articles · 4 minute read

An artist considers Instagram

Wandering through the #Instamuseum

Instagram, where 300 million active users post 70 million new photos daily, is actively creating a virtual museum.

Treacy Ziegler

Oct 20, 2015 · Articles · 5 minute read

Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre's 'Taming of the Shrew'

A shrew not tamed, but understood

Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre's Taming of the Shrew shows a keen understanding of the play's intentions — and is a lot of fun, too.

Mark Cofta

Oct 20, 2015 · Articles · 4 minute read

Spielberg's 'Bridge of Spies' (second review)

Crashing stories

In spite of its problems — clunky plotting, two-dimensional characters — go see Bridge of Spies. Tom Hanks is just so good at playing these kinds of roles that you shouldn’t miss it.

Armen Pandola

Oct 20, 2015 · Articles · 4 minute read

'Romeo and Juliet' and 'The Mandrake' at Quintessence

When the sum is greater than the parts

Together, Romeo and Juliet and The Mandrake are a treatise on desire: how it shapes our lives, how it brings out the best and worst in us, and how social appearance and responsibility can confound our hearts.

Mark Cofta

Oct 20, 2015 · Articles · 3 minute read

Spielberg's 'Bridge of Spies'

Men of principle

Bridge of Spies isn't a spy story; it's a "based on true events" story about a lawyer and his dedication to a higher set of principles than Cold War expediency and political convenience.

Mark Wolverton

Oct 20, 2015 · Articles · 5 minute read

George & Co.'s 'Holden' at FringeArts

Holden holds on, provides no answers

In Holden, a theater piece devised by George & Co., the staging is expert, but portrays a condition more than a story.

Mark Cofta

Oct 19, 2015 · Articles · 2 minute read

'Auctioning the Ainsleys' at People's Light

A silly comedy

Like The Glass Menagerie, Auctioning the Ainsleys is about a dysfunctional family, but Laura Schellhardt’s play about memory presents these grown children in a comic light.

Frank Burd

Oct 19, 2015 · Articles · 3 minute read