Chamber Orchestra plays Beethoven et al.

The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, under Ignat Solzhenitsyn, established a benchmark for the interpretation of Classical repertory that will be hard for anyone to beat, unless it’s Solzhenitsyn himself.

Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia: Schubert Fifth Symphony; Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 2 (Fabio Bidini, piano); Haydn Symphony No. 16 and 102. Ignat Solzhenitsyn conducting. October 28-29, 2007 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 545-5451 or www.chamberorchestra.org.

Dan Coren

Oct 30, 2007 · Articles · 3 minute read

InterAct Theatre's "Last of the Boys'

Two Vietnam veterans meet each summer to review their messed up lives. But the war itself seems to have nothing to do with their respective psychological messes. InterAct Theatre’s capable production can’t redeem this fatal flaw in Steven Dietz’s script.

Last of the Boys. Drama by Steven Dietz; directed by Paul Meshejian. Through November 18, 2007 at InterAct Theatre Co., 2030 Sansom St. (215) 568-8077 or

Jim Rutter

Oct 30, 2007 · Articles · 4 minute read

Juilliard Quartet at the Perelman

The Juilliard Quartet has known better days. Its first of two Chamber Music Society concerts at the Perelman Theater this year, while serviceable enough in Haydn, fell short of the scope and intensity needed for Shostakovich’s Thirteenth Quartet and Beethoven’s First Rasumovsky.

Juilliard Quartet: Haydn E-Flat Quarter; Beethoven First Rasumovsky Quartet; Shostakovich Thirteenth Quartet. October 24, 2007 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Cen

Robert Zaller

Oct 27, 2007 · Articles · 3 minute read

French music: Three concerts

Three musical organizations explore French music and French influence on American music from the Baroque to the present. How many American cities could team a fully professional chorus with a violist like Roberto Diaz and a percussionist like Don Liuzzi?

Philadelphia Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra: Ravel Mother Goose Suite; De Malaret Chants D’Auvergne (Leslie Johnson, soprano); Debussy Petite Suite; Ravel Bolero. Daniel Spalding,

Tom Purdom

Oct 27, 2007 · Articles · 5 minute read

Antonio Mancini at Art Museum (1st review)

The feverish Neapolitan Antonio Mancini (1852-1930) painted everyone from street kids to portraits of society patrons and ascetic art dealers in works that seem to burst from the canvas. John Singer Sargent called him the greatest living artist. Thanks to this current exhibition, Mancini’s star could soar again.

“Antonio Mancini: 19th-Century Italian Master.” Through Jan. 20, 2008 at Philadelphia Museum of Art, Galleries 153 & 155, Benj. Franklin Pkwy. & 2

Anne R. Fabbri

Oct 23, 2007 · Articles · 6 minute read

"An Empty Plate' at the Arden (2nd review)

This feast of a script deserves a more cohesive production than it receives from the Arden. Such a colorful smorgasbord requires a quiet, unifying presentation.

An Empty Plate in the Café du Grand Boeuf. By Michael Hollinger; directed by Whit MacLaughlin. Through December 9, 2007 at Arden Theater, 40 N. Second St. (212) 922-1122 or www.ardentheatre.org.

Steve Cohen

Oct 22, 2007 · Articles · 2 minute read

"A Night in the Old Marketplace' at the Prince

This Russian-Jewish klezmer musical is an endeavor that I’d love to love. Preserving the literature of an earlier age is a worthy project; so is teaching cultural history to a new generation. But the finished product and muddled plot frustrated me.

A Night in the Old Marketplace. Book & lyrics by Glen Berger, based on I.L. Peretz's 1906 Yiddish drama Bay Nakht Oyfn Altn Mark; music by Frank London. Conceived and directed by Alexandra Aron. Sept. 28-Oct. 21

Steve Cohen

Oct 22, 2007 · Articles · 3 minute read

'An Empty Plate' at the Arden (1st review)

Michael Hollinger’s An Empty Plate in the Café du Grand Boeuf, in its excellent revival at the Arden, remains half a serving of well-crafted theater that’s still missing the real meal it might have served.

An Empty Plate in the Café du Grand Boeuf. By Michael Hollinger; directed by Whit MacLaughlin. Through December 9, 2007 at Arden Theater, 40 N. Second St. (212) 922-1122 or www.ardent

Robert Zaller

Oct 20, 2007 · Articles · 4 minute read

"Death and the Maiden' and Duke U. lacrosse

Ariel Dorfman’s Death and the Maiden takes an even-handed look at the question of due process vs. cathartic revenge. But his premature support for action against Duke University’s lacrosse players suggests where his sympathies lie.

Death and the Maiden. By Ariel Dorfman. Through October 27, 2007 at Curio Theatre, 815 South 48 St. (215) 525-1350 or www.curiotheatre.org.

Jim Rutter

Oct 20, 2007 · Articles · 5 minute read

Opera Company's "Rigoletto' (2nd review)

The Metropolitan Opera tenor Matthew Polenzani is the biggest name the Opera Company of Philadelphia has cast recently. But his interpretation of the Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto is totally wrong for the character.

Rigoletto. Music by Giuseppe Verdi; directed by Robert Driver. Opera Company of Philadelphia through Oct. 17, 2007 at Academy of Music, Broad and Locust Sts. (215) 732-8400 or www.operaphilly.com

Steve Cohen

Oct 16, 2007 · Articles · 3 minute read