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The undeniably winsome Mary Elizabeth Bowden. (Photo via summitrecords.com)

Mary Elizabeth Bowden; David Crumb; Barbara Westphal & Christian Ruvolo

Celebrating Philadelphia composers

Three recent CDs highlight the music of composers with Philadelphia connections, from Samuel Barber to Andrea Clearfield.

Jun 13, 2015 Articles 5 minute read

What, and leave showbiz? (Photo by Mark Garvin)

'Forbidden Broadway' at Act II Playhouse

Rejection, depression ... attention!

For Tony Braithwaite’s 21st birthday, his parents hosted a party at the family’s home in Bala Cynwyd and performed skits they called "Forbidden Braithwaite" (based, of course, on Forbidden Broadway). His Dad imitated Tevye and sang "What will take Tony from Bala to Broadway? Ambition! In the mean time what do I have to pay? Tuition!" Now here is Tony, 21 years later, doing similar material.

Steve Cohen

Jun 13, 2015 Articles 2 minute read

Tempesta di Mare closes their season

Baroque theaters and modern cathedrals

The music season ended with Tempesta di Mare’s latest visit to Baroque France and an unexpected bonus from Lyric Fest’s artistic directors.

Tom Purdom

Jun 12, 2015 Articles 3 minute read

A recognizably ordinary family: Novelli and Wood. (Photo by Mark Garvin)

'How to Write a New Book for the Bible' at People's Light

Family ties

How to Write a New Book for the Bible is a fine piece of personal theater and one of the most unusual new works to grace our stages in some time.

Bill Murphy

Jun 12, 2015 Articles 2 minute read

Dancers declaring authority over their own bodies. (Photo by Hallie Martenson)

'Mash Up Body' at FringeArts

Order Interrupted

A wildly provocative examination of the female body and a journey toward exploring the feminist persona, Mash Up Body is campy, honest, stimulating, and bizarre.

Gregory King

Jun 12, 2015 Articles 2 minute read

Charlie’s first wife (Chrystal E. Williams) sings about Charlie (Lawrence Brownlee) abandoning her and their son. (Photo by Dominic M. Mercier)

Opera Philadelphia's 'Yardbird' (first review)

A contradictory enterprise

Yardbird composer Daniel Schnyder went well beyond 1930s popular music (the legacy that Parker and cohorts unabashedly used as a foil to create the new bebop jazz) to create a unique synthesis of many other musical ingredients and flavors.

Victor L. Schermer

Jun 09, 2015 Articles 5 minute read

Liverman and Brownlee sing “Bebop’s Gonna Change the World.” (Photo by Dominic M. Mercier)

Opera Philadelphia's 'Yardbird' (second review)

Bird Lives!

Yardbird is a profoundly moving and extraordinary musical experience that works on every level imaginable.

Bruce Klauber

Jun 09, 2015 Articles 2 minute read

Bird (Lawrence Brownlee) in Birdland. (Photo by Dominic M. Mercier.)

Opera Philadelphia's 'Yardbird' (third review)

Ill-conceived hagiography

It’s possible to love jazz and classical music; I’ve done so for most of my life, as has Yardbird's composer. He created an intriguing combination of the two genres, but it has problems of another sort.

Steve Cohen

Jun 09, 2015 Articles 3 minute read

Torturing and clinging: Eisenberg and Nayyar. (Photo by Monique Carboni)

'The Spoils' by Jesse Eisenberg

Oh, those millennials

You may think Woody Allen has written the final word on contemporary neurosis and malaise, but wait till you see Jesse Eisenberg’s new play, The Spoils.

Carol Rocamora

Jun 09, 2015 Articles 3 minute read

Hoofin’ and sangin’ goin’ on. (Photo by Mark Garvin)

'Memphis' at the Walnut Street Theatre (second review)

Memphis gives an excellent look into pre-civil rights era, showing us that we have come a long way, even though we have a long way to go.

Rhonda Davis

Jun 09, 2015 Articles 3 minute read