Reviews

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Page 57
Scene from the play. Richardson & Wyatt, two Black actors, face each other tenderly with hands joined, sitting on a small bed

Quintessence Theatre Group presents Alexandre Dumas fils’s Camille

A wilted tragedy

Despite a stylish physical production, Quintessence Theatre’s Camille lacks the passion of traditional melodrama and the perspective needed for a contemporary reinvention. Cameron Kelsall reviews.
Cameron Kelsall

Cameron Kelsall

Reviews 3 minute read
Scene from the play: Bey, in a pink dress, sits on an exam table, with Ford next to her, wearing a white coat & stethoscope

Lantern Theater Company presents Lynn Nottage’s Fabulation, or the Re-Education of Undine

How much can we handle?

Lynn Nottage’s modern classic is a funny, fourth-wall-breaking work of art under the direction of Amina Robinson for Lantern Theater Company. Jill Ivey reviews.
Jillian Ashley Blair Ivey

Jillian Ashley Blair Ivey

Reviews 3 minute read
In the center of a circle of about 12 dancers moving hand to hand, Greer stands on a box & sings. They wear modern clothes

Arden Theatre Company presents Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s Into the Woods

An enchanting season finale

The Arden takes another trip Into the Woods, with delightful and poignant results. Cameron Kelsall reviews.
Cameron Kelsall

Cameron Kelsall

Reviews 4 minute read
A view from above of the full DSO playing on a wooden stage, with the pianist out front.

The Delaware Symphony Orchestra presents Gershwin and Rachmaninoff

A smashing conclusion

A program of iconic works by Gershwin and Rachmaninoff, originally intended as the Delaware Symphony Orchestra’s season opener, made a smashing conclusion instead. Gail Obenreder reviews.
Gail Obenreder

Gail Obenreder

Reviews 5 minute read
Full orchestra performs in Verizon Hall with Nézet-Séguin conducting, and choir of about 60, plus 4 soloists, in the balcony

The Philadelphia Orchestra and the Philadelphia Symphonic Choir present Beethoven’s Ninth

Finding joy in troubled times

An energetic rendition of Beethoven’s Ninth opened with a new commission by Philadelphia Orchestra composer-in-residence Gabriela Lena Frank, a short but dramatic work of rich orchestral color. Linda Holt reviews.
Linda Holt

Linda Holt

Reviews 3 minute read
On a stage glowing with smoky white and yellow spotlights, 3 dancers in black boots throw their arms and right leg back.

Koresh Dance Company presents Muse

Reflections of Rector

Muse, Koresh Dance Company’s latest premiere, celebrated longtime dancer and assistant artistic director Melissa Rector, but its themes might leave the audience reflecting on their own relationship to hard times and hope. Camille Bacon-Smith reviews.
Camille Bacon-Smith

Camille Bacon-Smith

Reviews 4 minute read
Scene from the play. Finister & Owens stand at a table, Finister preparing food and Owens talking & drinking a glass of wine

The Wilma Theater presents Jackie Sibblies Drury’s Fairview

Never alone

Jackie Sibblies Drury’s Fairview, closing out the Wilma’s season, delves deep into themes of community and identity, and the power of live theater has never felt more immediate. Wendy Rosenfield reviews.
Wendy Rosenfield

Wendy Rosenfield

Reviews 3 minute read
A scene from the play. Two female fencers in white protective uniforms lunge at each other on a blue-lit stage.

Theatre Horizon presents Gracie Gardner’s Athena

Goddesses of war

Fencing and friendship are equally dangerous sports in Athena, a razor-sharp coming-of-age comedy at Theatre Horizon. Cameron Kelsall reviews.
Cameron Kelsall

Cameron Kelsall

Reviews 3 minute read
On an ornate, unnerving yellow wallpaper design of looping lines hang 6 pairs of black & white 1880s portrait photos of women

The Library Company of Philadelphia presents Hearing Voices: Memoirs from the Margins of Mental Health

The age of the asylum

The latest exhibition at the Library Company plumbs the real-life narratives of 19th-century insane asylums, but these institutions never disappeared—they were only reinvented. Alaina Johns reviews.
Alaina Johns

Alaina Johns

Reviews 5 minute read
The book cover, with the English title in white, superimposed over red Chinese characters, & a black-and-white historic photo

Beethoven in Beijing, by Jennifer Lin

The Philadelphians in China

Lavishly illustrated and full of anecdotes and surprising tidbits about people and places, Beethoven in Beijing deserves a place in the home of every music-lover and every student of the ever-changing tide of East-West relations. Linda Holt reviews.
Linda Holt

Linda Holt

Reviews 3 minute read