When the playwright gets into the act

In search of reality: When playwrights become actors

Every so often in the theater, playwrights wants to get into the act, too— that is, perform in their own plays. A playwright's presence can't help but change your perception of his work in intriguing ways. Sometimes it changes the playwright's perceptions, too.

Carol Rocamora

Jun 25, 2013 · Articles · 6 minute read

Is explicit sex a theatrical disease?

Sex without fear (and right in the middle of Broad Street, too)

You can barely set foot in a theater these days without observing a simulated sex act. Is this phenomenon a bold reflection on an age in which virtual relationships trump real ones? Or is theater itself losing its grasp on reality?

Naomi Orwin

Jun 25, 2013 · Articles · 5 minute read

Zal Batmanglij's "The East'

Those evil corporations again

Evil corporations get their comeuppance in The East, but Zal Batmanglij's mess of a film is almost a primer in how not to do political paranoia. Next reel, please.

Robert Zaller

Jun 24, 2013 · Articles · 4 minute read

Terrence McNally's "Ragtime' in Norristown

Revolution from below

You might assume that a panoramic historical-sociological musical like Ragtime is beyond the competence of a small company in Norristown. In fact, the Centre Theatre assembled a huge cast that created several touching moments.

Steve Cohen

Jun 23, 2013 · Articles · 3 minute read

Concert Operetta's "Gypsy Princess' (2nd review)

A worldly Hungarian

Johann Strauss may be the father of operetta, but Emmerich Kálmán's music is more varied and exciting, just like his life.

Steve Cohen

Jun 23, 2013 · Articles · 4 minute read

Kathleen Weber and Leigh Gustafson

Landscapes, urban and rural

Leigh Gustafson and Kathleen Weber offer an interesting contrast of style and perhaps intent. One tries to gently lure you in, the other pushes you off.

Andrew Mangravite

Jun 22, 2013 · Articles · 2 minute read

My son as "The Graduate'

Where have you gone, Dustin Hoffman? Or: In my house, it's 1967 all over again

If you think life doesn't imitate art, visit my home, where things have taken a strange turn now that my son Brandon has graduated from high school.

Perry Block

Jun 20, 2013 · Articles · 3 minute read

Alie Vidich's "Invisible River'

Just when you thought you'd seen everything

Alie Vidich is a 28-year-old movement artist who dreams impossible dreams. In her latest open-air spectacle, she and a fellow dancer pay homage to the Schuylkill River and Mother Nature by performing an aerial dance off the Strawberry Mansion Bridge in Fairmount Park.

Jonathan M. Stein

Jun 20, 2013 · Articles · 3 minute read

Concert Operetta's "Gypsy Princess' (1st review)

Why princes marry showgirls

Concert Operetta Theater proved once again that there's life in the Viennese operetta tradition.

Tom Purdom

Jun 18, 2013 · Articles · 4 minute read

Noah Baumbach's "Frances Ha'

To be young, rootless and struggling— but oh, the possibilities!

In Noah Baumbach's latest film, 27-year-old Frances is caught somewhere between who she is and whom she wants to be— a world not yet defined and unexpectedly magical.

Maxine Krenzel

Jun 18, 2013 · Articles · 3 minute read