Verdi's 'Otello' at the Metropolitan Opera

Is blackface necessary?

The ill-considered decision to use a white Otello in the Met's current production of Otello stole attention that should have been focused on the musical performance led by Yannick Nézet-Séguin.

Steve Cohen

Oct 13, 2015 · Articles · 4 minute read

'Shipwrecked! An Entertainment' by Donald Margulies

The lies we tell

Must everything be truth, or are we prepared to indulge fantastical stories just because they entertain? Or does believing fantasies sometimes have consequences?

Naomi Orwin

Oct 13, 2015 · Articles · 3 minute read

EgoPo's 'Children's Hour' by Lillian Hellman

A lie that is partially true

The issues at the heart of Lillian Hellman’s Children’s Hour still resonate today, 80 years after the play was first produced. But what matters more — the hint of illicit love, or the choice to live on one’s own terms instead of settling for marriage?

Naomi Orwin

Oct 13, 2015 · Articles · 4 minute read

Tom Lawton's 'Man Ray Jazz Suite'

Where the ear meets the eye

Tom Lawton's Man Ray Jazz Suite, performed in the main hall of the Art Museum, was a stunning musical evening that combined the intimate, spontaneous experience of a jazz club with the seriousness of a classical concert.

Victor L. Schermer

Oct 13, 2015 · Articles · 5 minute read

Inis Nua's 'Hooked!' at Fergie's Pub

We're hooked on Hooked!

Inis Nua's 12th season begins with Hooked!, a charming site-specific comedy at Fergie's Pub.

Mark Cofta

Oct 12, 2015 · Articles · 2 minute read

Mary Zimmerman's 'Metamorphoses' at the Arden (second review)

Lessons about love from long ago, and a swimming pool

Myths entertain us and teach us lessons about life and love. Setting them in and around a pool of water emphasizes their relationship to the subconscious and challenges us to look for deeper meanings. But why do so many plays use water on stage?

Naomi Orwin

Oct 12, 2015 · Articles · 4 minute read

Mary Zimmerman's 'Metamorphoses' at the Arden (first review)

Transforming Ovid into a fascinating night of theater

I thought I had an inkling of what Metamorphoses was about. Wasn’t that the title of a book by Kafka about a man who wakes up one morning to discover he’s transformed into an insect? Well, that is not this show.

Frank Burd

Oct 12, 2015 · Articles · 3 minute read

The Philadelphia Orchestra plays Grieg, Bartók, and Sibelius

Dazzling Bartók, burnished Sibelius

The Philadelphia Orchestra is going from the sublime to the kitschy this year, with Mahler on the one hand and John Williams on the other, and few concerts that veer far off the beaten track. This week, the season’s second, offered two substantial works with a lollipop.

Robert Zaller

Oct 12, 2015 · Articles · 4 minute read

Zhang Yimou’s 'Coming Home'

Family breakdown, Chinese-style

Zhang Yimou’s Coming Home moves like a strong poem — slowly and delicately, yet with power.

Richard da Silva

Oct 11, 2015 · Articles · 4 minute read

Light Particularly: Alice Steer Wilson’s Cape May

Recording the Cape May renaissance

Alice Steer Wilson opened eyes to the charm of Victorian trimmings, but her view extended beyond whimsical architecture to the natural world: soft dune grasses, lush gardens, darkening seas, and the unusual light that washes over everything at the tip of New Jersey, transforming color by the instant.

Pamela J. Forsythe

Oct 11, 2015 · Articles · 4 minute read