Reviews

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Smiling and wearing a black jacket, Nezet-Seguin conducts, with the heads of a few musicians visible in the foreground.

The Philadelphia Orchestra presents Brahms’s German Requiem

Humanity’s spiritual journey
A sumptuous and complex program from the Philadelphia Orchestra paired a world premiere by Mason Bates with Luis Ernesto Peña Laguna’s Oraison for chorus and orchestra, and Brahms’s massive A German Requiem. Linda Holt reviews.
Linda Holt

Linda Holt

Reviews 4 minute read
Black & white outdoor photo of the black-hatted musicians playing, bending over keyboard, drums, and upright bass.

Philly jazz album double review: THE UNIVERSE IS WITHIN WHO by Spectral Forces, and The Lighthouse by Jamaaladeen Tacuma and Odean Pope

Heroic jazz legacies looking to the future
January boasted two adventurous new albums from Philly jazz groups: THE UNIVERSE IS WITHIN WHO by Spectral Forces and The Lighthouse by Jamaaladeen Tacuma and Odean Pope, offering contrasting views into jazz past and future. Thomas Hagen reviews.
Thomas Hagen

Thomas Hagen

Reviews 5 minute read
Beverly, an aged Black woman, lies in a hospital bed, talking to Finister beside her, who smiles & wears a blue cardigan.

Arden Theatre Company presents Lorene Cary’s Ladysitting

Hospice, history, and honesty
This triumphant premiere based on Lorene Cary’s 2019 memoir about caring for her 99-year-old Nana explores the burden and privilege of caretaking, interwoven with family stories that illustrate America’s history. Emily B. Schilling reviews.
Emily Schilling

Emily Schilling

Reviews 3 minute read
Profitt, in a modest pink dress with a high cowl neckline, smiles wistfully while resting her cheek on one hand.

Act II Playhouse presents Eric H. Weinberger and Elaine Bromka’s Tea for Three: Lady Bird, Pat, and Betty

Inside the First Lady’s office
Sabrina Proffit stars in this popular one-woman show exploring the real lives of Lady Bird Johnson, Pat Nixon, and Betty Ford at Act II Playhouse. Does it connect to presidential politics today? Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer reviews.
Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer

Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer

Reviews 3 minute read
6 dancers in roomy sheer white outfits form a zigzag in the air with their bodies, all leaping in the same angular pose.

Penn Live Arts presents BODYTRAFFIC, with works by Trey McIntyre and Matthew Neenan

A universal human language
LA-based dance troupe BODYTRAFFIC takes an inclusive perspective on contemporary dance featuring a world premiere by Matthew Neenan and a repertory work by Trey McIntyre. Melissa Strong reviews.
Melissa Strong

Melissa Strong

Reviews 5 minute read
Close-up high-contrast black & white photo of an Indian toddler with huge eyes and plaintive expression.

The Mütter Museum presents Unhoused: Personal Stories and Public Health

Facing homelessness
The Mütter Museum displays arresting visual projects by Leah den Bok and Willie Baronet that illuminate and humanize homelessness. Pamela J. Forsythe reviews.

Pamela J. Forsythe

Reviews 5 minute read
Against a black backdrop, a man wearing black plays the cello, in the middle of a large diagonal crinkled abstract sculpture.

Bowerbird and the Pig Iron School present Bartok’s Monster

Drowning out the music
The music of Béla Bartok speaks better than its pretentious interlocutors in Bartok’s Monster, a collaboration of Sebastienne Mundheim and the Pig Iron School, inspired by Penn lecturer Jay Kirk’s book. Cameron Kelsall reviews.
Cameron Kelsall

Cameron Kelsall

Reviews 3 minute read
On a living-room set with tall bookshelves and midcentury furniture, the four characters raise a toast to each other.

Walnut Street Theatre presents Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

The last word on the drawing-room play
The Walnut Street Theatre revives Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? to explosive effect, conjuring the delicate illusions of Albee’s most famous play. Kiran Pandey reviews.
Kiran Pandey

Kiran Pandey

Reviews 4 minute read
Montano, at right in an empty stable, kneels and clasps his hands at a low table, with a glass of liquor at his elbow.

People’s Light presents Robert Montano’s Small

Small tales
Actor and dancer Robert Montano, of Broadway’s Cats and many other stage and screen roles, reveals his early years as a racing jockey in this one-man show. Josh Herren reviews.
Josh Herren

Josh Herren

Reviews 2 minute read
The book cover: title above in black & white text, over a slow-shutter image of a Barnes gallery with a blurry walking figure

The Barnes Then and Now: Dialogues on Education, Installation, and Social Justice, edited by Martha Lucy

Putting the collection in context
A new book edited by the Barnes Foundation’s deputy director for research, interpretation, and education gathers perspectives on the famous (and famously polarizing) collection of Albert Barnes in its 21st-century home. Pamela J. Forsythe reviews.

Pamela J. Forsythe

Reviews 6 minute read