Reviews

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Book cover. Title above in large, aged-looking letters above an evocative photo of the trace of a demolished house’s stairway

Building Ghosts: Past Lives and Lost Places in a Changing City, by Molly Lester and Michael Bixler

Revealing Philadelphia’s almost-invisible past

Building Ghosts, an absorbing new book from Temple University Press, grasps a history that we barely know with essays and photos capturing the remnants of Philly’s lost and demolished buildings. Pamela J. Forsythe reviews.

Pamela J. Forsythe

Reviews 5 minute read
Book cover: Title in white letters on blue down the right side, next to a black & white photo of a newscaster with a mustache

The Big Story: The Oral History of Philadelphia TV News, by David Grzybowski

A new book takes you inside the TV coverage of Philly’s biggest stories

From Papal visits to sports championships to a blizzard that never was, a new book takes us inside 50 juicy, surprising years of Philly TV news in the words of Jim Garder, Larry Kane, and lots more. Stephen Silver reviews.
Stephen Silver

Stephen Silver

Reviews 4 minute read
Book cover. Author in white & title in yellow appear above an illustration of a red-headed woman facing away from you.

Final Cut, by Charles Burns

A Philadelphia graphic novelist at the top of his game

Charles Burns, the cult-favorite Philly-based cartoonist behind Black Hole, is back with the graphic novel Final Cut, a new work the artist seems born to create. Kiran Pandey reviews.
Kiran Pandey

Kiran Pandey

Reviews 3 minute read
Book cover. Title in large letters on a white field. Letters appear as cutouts with Barnes collection paintings behind them.

The House of Barnes: The Man, the Collection, the Controversy, by Neil L. Rudenstine

Still braving Barnes bias

As a trustee emeritus of the Barnes Foundation, author Neil L. Rudenstine is clearly biased, but his book offers interesting details about the collection of Albert Barnes, and how his fraught legacy was slowly dismantled. Emily B. Schilling reviews.
Emily Schilling

Emily Schilling

Reviews 4 minute read
Davis, in white tee & tights, sits at right cradling a nutcracker. A chair sits at center by the shadow of a Christmas tree

Chris Davis presents One-Man Nutcracker 2024

Still working on his pirouettes

Prolific Philly solo artist (and budding mid-life ballerino) Chris Davis is back with One-Man-Nutcracker, a deeply personal glimpse at the famous ballet as well as the yearning to dance that can strike at any age. Camille Bacon-Smith reviews.
Camille Bacon-Smith

Camille Bacon-Smith

Reviews 2 minute read
The musicians, all in formal wear, stand in a line on the venue’s chancel. They are smiling and holding their instruments.

Dolce Suono presents Great Arrangements

Variations beyond Bach

Great Arrangements by Dolce Suono made for a compelling afternoon of chamber music, featuring arrangements of well-known and less-well-known works that differed from the composer’s original vision. Gail Obenreder reviews.
Gail Obenreder

Gail Obenreder

Reviews 4 minute read
About a dozen dancers in fishnets, prints, fringe, fur, leather & sunglasses strike the same pose with arms joyfully aloft

PHILADANCO! presents Our Voices, Our Choices…This is Us!

Another emotionally powerful performance

PHILADANCO! honored director Lee Daniels, an alum of the company’s classes, at a program showcasing four Black women choreographers, including company favorites as well as rising star Martha Nichols. Camille Bacon-Smith reviews.
Camille Bacon-Smith

Camille Bacon-Smith

Reviews 4 minute read
Black, wearing a shtreimel, with a Black boy in Orthodox Jewish attire, leans over another Orthodox man writing on a scroll.

The Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History presents Humans of Judaism

The popular online platform honoring the diversity of modern Jewish life comes to museum walls

The Weitzman on Independence Mall honors the diversity of the modern Jewish experience with a new exhibition based on the popular social-media platform Humans of Judaism. Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer reviews.
Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer

Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer

Reviews 5 minute read
O’Hare and Ramirez sit on the stage in simple but fanciful costumes, looking joyfully upward as Ramirez points to the sky.

Arden Children’s Theatre presents Douglas Irvine’s adaptation of J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan

Welcoming thrills for young audiences

The Arden’s stage adaptation of Peter Pan, featuring some of Philly’s favorite actors under award-winning director Whit MacLaughlin, holds youngsters rapt. Jill Brooke reviews.
Jill Brooke

Jill Brooke

Reviews 4 minute read
Cherin and Eisenhower, in luxurious costumes, bow to each other with a huge flourish in a scene set backstage.

Quintessence Theatre Group presents Cole Porter and Sam and Bella Spewack’s Kiss Me, Kate

Kate is still great

Quintessence Theatre Group scores a hit with a new production of the Golden Age musical Kiss Me, Kate. Cameron Kelsall reviews.
Cameron Kelsall

Cameron Kelsall

Reviews 3 minute read