Articles
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Mauckingbird stages Harvey's 'Beautiful Thing'
A love story told without heart
The director does more than tell the actors where to stand; he or she is also responsible for bringing out the emotional truth of the production. The importance of this is especially clear when the material needs help.
Articles
4 minute read
Hudes's 'Water by the Spoonful' at the Arden
The dissonance of family connections
This is the second part of a trilogy about Philadelphia's Puerto Rican community by Philly native Quiara Alegría Hudes. Elliot, A Soldier’s Fugue, presented last year on the Independence Stage above the Walnut Street Theatre, was the first part of the trilogy; the third, The Happiest Song Plays Last , will be produced in New York on February 11.
Articles
5 minute read
Stephen Frears’s ‘Philomena’ (2nd comment)
When the Church did something right: A social worker’s story
Philomena deservedly paints the Catholic Church in its most deceptive and manipulative light. But my experience with the U.S. Church in the 1960s was a very different story.
Articles
3 minute read
What makes a composer great?
What Beethoven knew (and Muti and Charles de Gaulle, too)
Musicologists have long known that certain combinations of notes move our emotions in certain ways. So what, exactly, did Beethoven and Mozart bring to the table that, say, the purveyors of Muzak didn’t?
Articles
4 minute read
'Beautiful' and 'A Night with Janis Joplin' on Broadway
A winning formula for jukebox musicals
Why has “formulaic” become a damning word in the theater? Formulas work – especially when it comes to Broadway musicals.
Articles
5 minute read
Martin Luther King at Riverside Church
When MLK broke with LBJ
Tavis Smiley’s two-part program on the Riverside Church speech in which Martin Luther King denounced the Vietnam War was a welcome exception to the annual ritual that diminishes King’s actual legacy.
Articles
5 minute read
Philadelphia Singers perform Randall Thompson's 'Requiem'
A great requiem has its day
A difficult, neglected masterpiece by American composer Randall Thompson is brought to life in a magnificent performance. From the swirling, anguished tones of the opening "Lamentations," the music is utterly hypnotic, especially so when rendered with the focused passion of this wonderful band of choristers.
Articles
3 minute read
Oscars you can bet on
How I spent my snow days and learned to love them
If you haven't finalized your picks in this year's Oscar pool, here's one man's take.
Articles
5 minute read
'We Will Rock You' at the Kimmel Center
Survival skills for the modern theatergoer
When you’re greeted by a sign that warns about the use of strobe lights and ushers carry pockets full of foam earplugs, you know you’re in for a challenging theatrical experience. When did going to the theater become an extreme sport?
Articles
6 minute read
Orchestra 2001's Martin Luther King concert
New music for an old struggle
Orchestra 2001 observes our youngest national holiday with a new music program packed with unspoken statements.
Articles
4 minute read