Daniel Heyman's Abu Ghraib prints (1st review)

Long after the onus of America’s illicit and ill-advised foray into Iraq has faded, these portraits will surmount the particular, becoming symbols of man’s potential for evil. The heartbreak now is when we realize that the perpetrators of torture were Americans.

Daniel Heyman: The Abu Ghraib Project. Through May 5, 2007, at The Print Center, 1614 Latimer St. Free. 215 735.6090 or www.printcenter.org.

Anne R. Fabbri

Mar 24, 2007 · Articles · 3 minute read

"Caroline, or Change' at the Arden (first revi

As he did with Angels in America, Tony Kushner creates something conceptually different from the musical. His work brings to life the sound and roiling fury of 1963 America, when the civil-rights movement changed the world and Camelot was lost in a moment in Dallas. The Arden production is blessed with a stellar cast, kinetic direction and outstanding stage design.

Caroline, or Change. Book and Lyrics by Tony Kushner; music by Jeanine Tesori; directed by Terrence J

Lewis Whittington

Mar 24, 2007 · Articles · 3 minute read

"Spamalot' at Academy of Music

Without grounding in Monty Python humor, Eric Idle’s musical isn’t funny. But gradually, it wins over the skeptics.

Spamalot. Through April 8, 2007 at Academy of Music, Broad and Locust St. 215-893-1999 or www.kimmelcenter.org.

Steve Cohen

Mar 23, 2007 · Articles · 1 minute read

AVA's "Jubilate!'

An unexpected bit of jubilation opens Jubilate!, the annual program of religious music presented by the Academy of Vocal Arts. But the finale raises questions. Can we listen to a contemporary song about the Second Coming in the same way we listen to a 19th-Century setting of the Latin Mass?

Jubilate!: Rossini’s Stabat Mater, other works. AVA Resident Artists soloists, New Jersey MasterChoir, David Anthony Lofton conductor. March 11, 2007 at Chu

Tom Purdom

Mar 22, 2007 · Articles · 5 minute read

Eschenbach's last hurrah

After a season marked by staid and timid programming, Christoph Eschenbach is going out in 2007-08 with a spectacular blend of tradition and novelty. With Charles Dutoit in the wings, apparently poised to take the Orchestra back to the musical equivalent of the Eisenhower administration, I fear next season may be the last Orchestra season like this for a long time.

Dan Coren

Mar 19, 2007 · Articles · 3 minute read

Ellen Levy's 'Public Secrets'

Ellen K. Levy’s fascinating and disturbing images of our increasingly threatened planet constitute not merely an indictment of technology run amok but a mirror in which we can see ourselves.

Ellen K. Levy’s Public Secrets. Feb. 15-March 17, 2007 at Michael Steinberg Gallery, 526 W. 26 S., New York. 212.924.5770 or www.michaelsteinbergfineart.com.

Robert Zaller

Mar 19, 2007 · Articles · 3 minute read

AVA's 'Vanessa'

As a great American opera, Vanessa deserves to be overshadowed by Porgy and Bess. But AVA’s production offered outstanding voices, direction and piano accompaniment.

Vanessa. By Samuel Barber and Gian Carlo Menotti. Presented February 23-27, 2007 by Academy of Vocal Arts at Helen Corning Warden Theater, 1920 Spruce St. (215) 735-1685 or www.avaopera.com.

Steve Cohen

Mar 18, 2007 · Articles · 4 minute read

EgoPo's 'Spring Awakening' (first review)

Frank Wedekind’s raw drama about adolescence was too hot to handle a century ago and is rarely performed today. Now it’s receiving not one but two revivals.

Spring Awakening. By Frank Wedekind; directed by Lane Savadove. Presented by EgoPo Productions through March 25, 2007 at Mainstage at the Adrienne, 2030 Sansom St. (215) 552-8773 or www.egopo.org.

Steve Cohen

Mar 18, 2007 · Articles · 3 minute read

Pennsylvania Ballet's 'Carmina Burana'

Matthew Neenan has scrapped all of the famous John Butler choreography that allegorically tapped into the social, sexual and civil unrest of the ‘60s and interpreted the medieval poems into a spacey journey for a menagerie of exotic dance creatures. But several chunks of the piece, particularly the transitional narrative content, have the feel of a middle draft.

Carmina Burana. Choreography by Matthew Neenan. Pennsylvania Ballet production through March 17, 2007 at A

Lewis Whittington

Mar 17, 2007 · Articles · 4 minute read

Orchestra 2001 and New Philadelphia Classical Symphony

Do these settings add anything to the poems? In this case, the answer is a definite yes. Luis Prado’s music has the same impact as a reading by a good actor.

Orchestra 2001: Kim, Three Poems in French; Prado, Two Poems of Joan Hutton Landis (Jodie Karin Applebaum. Soprano). Ligeti, Violin Concerto (Jennifer Koh, violin, James Freeman, conductor). February 25, 2007 AT Annenberg Center, 3680 Walnut St. (215) 922-2190 or

Tom Purdom

Mar 13, 2007 · Articles · 7 minute read