Piffaro presents Festa di Natale!

A welcome, layered, and moving musical experience

Piffaro’s much-anticipated holiday concert invites us to Christmas in Renaissance Italy this year, and will be available to stream as a recording for those celebrating at home. Gail Obenreder reviews.

Gail Obenreder

Dec 13, 2022 · Reviews · 5 minute read

National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene presents Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish

The balm of the mamaloshen

Since Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer first reviewed Fiddler on the Roof in 2018, antisemitism has continued to rise, and this new production from the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene strikes just the right note for our historic moment.

Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer

Dec 13, 2022 · Reviews · 7 minute read

The Institute of Contemporary Art presents Sissel Tolaas: RE_____

Follow your nose

An enigmatic exhibition at Penn’s ICA showcases an ever-present but often underappreciated perception: our sense of smell. Pamela J. Forsythe reviews.

Pamela J. Forsythe

Dec 12, 2022 · Reviews · 5 minute read

The Book of I.P., by Chris Courtney Martin

Poetry against the machine

In The Book of I.P., a poetry-and-essay chapbook collection, Philly native Chris Courtney Martin breaks from the strictures of Hollywood to craft a blazing manifesto of art on its own terms. Kiran Pandey reviews.

Kiran Pandey

Dec 06, 2022 · Reviews · 4 minute read

Quintessence Theatre Group presents Mary Poppins

A jolly holiday

A Mary Poppins for the stage at Quintessence, based on the original stories by P. L. Travers and the 1964 film, marries a book by Julian Fellowes with the original Sherman Brothers music (plus some new songs). Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer reviews.

Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer

Dec 06, 2022 · Reviews · 4 minute read

Adhyâropa Records presents soma schema from Joshua Stamper and color as time

Schemes for sleepiness

Philly composer/guitarist Joshua Stamper’s new album, soma schema, with his color as time sextet, presents an hour of orchestral easy-listening-meets-jazz-fusion, perfect for cleaning your house to. Aaron Pond reviews.

Aaron Pond

Dec 05, 2022 · Reviews · 3 minute read

BalletX presents its 2022 Fall Series

Ballet for the future

BalletX returns to the Wilma with world premieres by Darrell Grand Moultrie and former BalletX dancer Caili Quan, along with the Philadelphia premiere of Become a Mountain by Justin Peck. Melissa Strong reviews.

Melissa Strong

Dec 05, 2022 · Reviews · 5 minute read

AAMP presents Vision & Spirit: African American Art

Quintessential American stories on loan from Bank of America

A spectacular collection of work is on display at AAMP, including Gordon Parks, Faith Ringgold, and Carrie Mae Weems, thanks to an exhibition loan from Bank of America. Hanae Mason reviews.

Hanae Mason

Dec 05, 2022 · Reviews · 5 minute read

PAFA presents Making American Artists: Stories from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts 1776-1976

Then and now, a center for contemporary art

What makes art American? PAFA explores this question in a major exhibition that spans 200 of our artistic years, debuting at home before a national tour. Gail Obenreder reviews.

Gail Obenreder

Nov 28, 2022 · Reviews · 5 minute read

Art Alliance at UArts presents New Typologies

Our convulsive moment

This interdisciplinary mosaic of work by David Hartt, James Hoff, and Kahlil Robert Irving challenges, interrogates, and transforms visitors at the Art Alliance galleries at UArts. Pamela J. Forsythe reviews.

Pamela J. Forsythe

Nov 28, 2022 · Reviews · 5 minute read