Articles
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Theatre Exile's "American Buffalo' (2nd review)
Delusions of urban males
David Mamet is a master at capturing the euphemisms and rhetorical devices through which men rationalize and evade the cruelty of their words and deeds. But other writers handle this subject matter even better.
Articles
4 minute read
Time-hopping with Ancient Instruments
Swept away by a Romantic sound
America's oldest active period instrument organization presented one of the most educational interludes I've experienced at a concert. The moment the big emotional voice of Vivian Barton Dozor's cello filled Old First Reformed, I understood why the Romantic movement had captivated Europe and swept away most of the music that preceded it.
Articles
4 minute read
Lantern Theater's hyperactive "Hamlet' (1st review)
What's Shakespeare's real point? That is the question
The question in Hamlet may be less why the play's hero fails to avenge his father's murder than why he fails to claim his crown. The Lantern Theater's fast-paced production of the play treats it as an action drama but misses its darker drives and subtler shades of meaning.
Articles
7 minute read
Arden's "A Year With Frog and Toad'
The Arden reconsidered: How a frog and a toad made me a believer
After more than ten years' absence from the Arden, it took a children's show to get me there at last and make a believer out of me. What impressed me above all about A Year With Frog and Toad was the enthusiastic attention that the Arden crew paid to even the tiniest detail.
Articles
4 minute read
Luna Theater's "Hot 'n' Throbbing'
When women enable violent men
Are women turned on by abusive men? Anyone seriously disturbed by that possibility should avoid seeing Luna's intense and surprisingly funny production of Paula Vogel's Hot 'n' Throbbing.
Articles
4 minute read
"Jihad Jones' and Arab stereotypes
Bombers, billionaires and belly dancers: What's worse than an Arab stereotype?
In Yussef El-Guindi's comedy Jihad Jones and the Kalashnikov Babes, an Arab-American actor refuses to play stereotypical Arab bomb-throwing roles. And maybe he should. But let's not throw the baby out with the stereotypical bathwater. With a video interview.
Articles
4 minute read
Network For New Music: Composing for painting
If Thomas Eakins could carry a tune…
The Network for New Music asked three composers to create works based on paintings— and these composers actually did what they were asked to do.
Articles
4 minute read
YsaÓ¿e Quartet at Perelman Theater
Three composers face the final curtain
The YsaÓ¿e Quartet, named for the Belgian violinist Eugene YsaÓ¿e, plays with exquisite refinement and sensitivity. Unlike the steak-and-eggs mishmash offered by so many concert programs, the YsaÓ¿e's combination of late and last works by Fauré, Bartok and Franck was thoughtful and suggestive.
Articles
4 minute read
Gregory Prestegord's Philadelphia paintings at F.A.N. Gallery
A shriek from Philadelphia's heart
Gregory Prestegord's Philadelphia is a town where the vacant lots outnumber the factories. Is he a despairing artist, or an artist who celebrates a despairing city?
Articles
1 minute read
"The Loathly Lady' at Penn
Freud's riddle as musical comedy
What do women want? The Penn Humanities Forum recruits a world-class early music team for the world premiere of a musical comedy about an endlessly fascinating quest. It's a stimulating evening, albeit one skewed against men.
Articles
3 minute read