"The Fantasticks' at the Kimmel

There must be a reason why The Fantasticks set records as the longest-running Broadway or Off-Broadway show of all time. Director Tony Braithwaite and his cast of relative newcomers try hard, but the material lets them down.

The Fantasticks. Music by Harvey Schmidt; book and lyrics by Tom Jones; directed by Tony Braithwaite. Through February 24, 2008 at the Innovation Studio at the Kimmel Center. (215) 731-3333 or

Steve Cohen

Jan 15, 2008 · Articles · 2 minute read

Orchestra plays Higdon 'Concerto 4-3'

Could the great Leonard Bernstein possibly be upstaged at the opening night of the Philadelphia Orchestra’s “Bernstein Festival”? Such was the case with Philadelphia composer Jennifer Higdon’s Concerto 4-3, which electrified the almost-sold-out audience at Verizon Hall.

Philadelphia Orchestra. Opening program of the Bernstein Festival: Higdon Concerto 4-3; Tchaikovsky Romeo and Juliet overture; Bernstein West Side Story Dances

Lewis Whittington

Jan 13, 2008 · Articles · 3 minute read

Voces Novae's "For So The Children Come'

Sophia Lyon Fahs knew what she was talking about when she said fathers and mothers “feel glory in the sight of a new life beginning.” Elizabeth Alexander’s musical adaptation was the most personally moving piece I encountered this past Christmas season.

Voces Novae et Antiquae: Alexander, For So the Children Come. Jody Applebaum, soprano; Jodi Nieman, alto; Peter de Mets, tenor. Robert A.M. Ross, conductor. Through January 6, 2008 at Fleisher Art Memorial,

Tom Purdom

Jan 13, 2008 · Articles · 4 minute read

Piffaro's "Vespers'

Piffaro, Philadelphia’s Renaissance band, gambled a major program on a single work by one Philadelphia composer. Kile Smith gave them one of the major events of the music season.

Piffaro: Smith’s Vespers. The Crossing chorus and vocal solos, with Piffaro Renaissance instruments. Donald Nally, conductor. January 5, 2008 at Lutheran Church of the Holy Communion, 2110 Chestnut St. 215-235-8469 or www.piffaro.com.

Tom Purdom

Jan 13, 2008 · Articles · 4 minute read

New City's "Extremities'

Extremities is a strong play with a powerful central idea: What do you do when the law can’t— or won’t— protect you? The New City production is believably acted and efficiently and unobtrusively directed.

Extremities. Drama by William Mantrosimone; directed by William Roudebush. Presented by New City Stage Company through January 20, 2008 at Mumpuppetheater, 115 Arch St. (215) 563-7500 or

Tom Purdom

Jan 13, 2008 · Articles · 2 minute read

Antonio Mancini at Art Museum (2nd review)

Antonio Mancini was one of those poor fools touched by the gods, then left to stew. He and his fellow minors—minor painters, minor poets, minor composers—may not define an age, but they add richness and flavor to that age.

“Antonio Mancini: 19th-Century Italian Master.” Through Jan. 20, 2008 at Philadelphia Museum of Art, Galleries 153 & 155, Benj. Franklin Pkwy. & 26th St. (215) 684-7500 or www.philamuseum.org.

Andrew Mangravite

Jan 07, 2008 · Articles · 3 minute read

Renoir landscapes at Art Museum (3rd review)

To paint a landscape is to ape God in the process of creation. But Renoir was content to reproduce what he saw. He was a tourist, albeit a happy one.

Renoir Landscapes: 1865-1883. Through January 6, 2008 at Philadelphia Museum of Art. (215) 235-7469 or www.philamuseum.org.

Andrew Mangravite

Jan 07, 2008 · Articles · 3 minute read

American Drawings in New York

Two shows of American drawings: a solo exhibition of Stuart Davis’s sketchbooks tracing more than 50 years of his art, and a joint show of Philip Guston and Jasper Johns that turns out to be a mismatch between a tiger and a zebra.

Dynamic Impulse: The Drawings of Stuart Davis. Through Jan. 21, 2008 at Hollis Taggart Galleries, 958 Madison Ave., New York. (212) 628-4000 or

Robert Zaller

Jan 05, 2008 · Articles · 3 minute read

Raping Europa— and the Barnes

The Rape of Europa is the moving story of the loss and preservation of art during World War II. On an even deeper level, it’s about the creation and destruction that defines civilization— the value that we place on our own humanity. It’s a reminder, too, of the threat to our heritage represented by the attempt to pillage the Barnes Foundation today.

The Rape of Europa. A film written and directed by Richard Berge, Bonni Cohen, and Nicole Newnham.

Robert Zaller

Jan 05, 2008 · Articles · 5 minute read

Orchestra's program gobbledygook

How, Dan Coren wonders, could the Philadelphia Orchestra’s program notes mangle the definition of a simple term like “octave” so badly? And how could they be so misguided about the nature of Mozart’s music? And haven’t you always wondered what “diatonic” and “chromatic” really mean? Read on.

Dan Coren

Jan 01, 2008 · Articles · 6 minute read