Articles

6207 results
Page 604
316 schwartzstephen

'Pippin' at the Forrest (2nd review)

Pippin is ferociously anti-war and condemns the leaders who invoke God as they send young men off to die. It’s as timely today as it was during the Vietnam-war era when it was written. I’d like to see a production that’s more realistic, but director Gabriel Barre emphasizes the circus and the surreal.

Pippin. Words and music by Stephen Schwartz; directed by Gabriel Barre; choreography by Mark Dendy. Presented by Broadway at the Academy through Jan
Steve Cohen

Steve Cohen

Articles 2 minute read
315 Mahler

The Orchestra's loopy substitution

The Philadelphia Orchestra is substituting Vivaldi’s inappropriately cheerful Four Seasons for Mahler’s neurotic Kindertotenlieder. What on earth were they thinking?
Dan Coren

Dan Coren

Articles 1 minute read
314 Pippin Parks

"Pippin' at the Forrest (1st review)

The legendary director/choreographer Bob Fosse had a knack for saving even the diceyest productions with the sheer charisma of his aura. Without him, this revival is dead on arrival.

Pippin. Words and music by Stephen Schwartz; directed by Gabriel Barre; choreography by Mark Dendy. Presented by Broadway at the Academy through January 15, 2007 at Forrest Theater, 1114 Walnut St. 215-731-3333 or www.kimmelcenter.org/broadway

Lewis Whittington

Articles 4 minute read

Arden's 'BFG' (Big Friendly Giant)

Some kids in the audience may have missed key plot points in Roald Dahl’s creepy fantasy. But that didn’t prevent them from being completely captivated when Meatdripper, Gizzardgulper, Bloodbottler, Fleshlumpeater or Bonecruncher came on stage.

The BFG (Big Friendly Giant). By Roald Dahl; directed by Whit MacLaughlin. Through January 28, 2007, at The Arden Children’s Theatre, 40 North Second St. 215-922-8900 or

Lewis Whittington

Articles 2 minute read

Chita Rivera at the Merriam

The singer-dancer Chita Rivera is one of the great figures of musical theater. But at 73, the star of West Side Story and Chicago demonstrates little of the fire that made her famous.

Chita Rivera: A Dancer’s Life. By Terrence McNally. Through January 14, 2007, at Merriam Theater, 260 S. Broad St. (at Spruce). (215) 732-5997 or www.merriamtheater.org.
Steve Cohen

Steve Cohen

Articles 2 minute read

Peter Gelb: Fresh Air At The Met

Peter Gelb, the Metropolitan Opera’s new general manager, is bound and determined to reach new audiences. Which explains how I wound up, on a recent Saturday afternoon, watching a live telecast of a Met performance of The Magic Flute at a movie theater in Neshaminy Mall. On the basis of this evidence, Gelb is off to an impressive start.

Diana Burgwyn

Articles 9 minute read

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Maneval improves on Brahms

The Philadelphia Chamber Music Society’s first public performance of Philip Maneval’s variation on a Brahms trio was one of the big moments in my decades of concertgoing. If you like the Brahms, you will like the Maneval because it exudes the same poetry and passion, plus something more: Unlike Brahms, Maneval makes the horn an equal partner.

Trio for Piano, Violin and French Horn,
by Philip Maneval. Thomas Sauer,
Tom Purdom

Tom Purdom

Articles 4 minute read

Why classical audiences don't boo

Why are classical concert audiences so much more staid than their operatic counterparts? The answer may lie in the difference between a church service and a battle of gladiators at the Roman Coliseum.
Dan Coren

Dan Coren

Articles 3 minute read
289 Nutcracker Aldridge

Pennsylvania Ballet's 'Nutcracker'

Balanchine’s technical requirement for every level of dancer comes into play here. The Pennsylvania Ballet’s production more than covers its bases on this score, even though technically this pageant usually ranges all over the place, and that was certainly true in the performance I saw.

The Nutcracker. Ballet by George Balanchine; music by Tchaikovsky. Pennsylvania Ballet production through December 31, 2006 at Academy of Music, Broad and Spruce Sts. 215.551.7000

Lewis Whittington

Articles 4 minute read

Charles Saatchi's on-line art gallery

Starving painters in frozen garrets? Not in Charles Saatchi’s brave new cyberspace world, where every art student can find fame, fortune and fellowship, regardless of talent.
Patrick D. Hazard

Patrick D. Hazard

Articles 3 minute read