All-female 'Henry IV' directed by Phyllida Lloyd

Same-sex Shakespeare

An all-female Henry IV features stellar performances and agile ensemble work, but what insight does it provide into the play itself?

Carol Rocamora

Dec 07, 2015 · Articles · 4 minute read

Philadelphia Theatre Company’s ‘Baskerville’ (second review)

A tasty holiday trifle

Instead of the usual December fare (A Christmas Carol, The Nutcracker), Philadelphia Theatre Company presents a Sherlock Holmes spoof this month. It will put you in the holiday spirit.

Gary L. Day

Dec 05, 2015 · Articles · 2 minute read

Kenneth Branagh in 'The Winter's Tale'

Is this some kind of Shakespearean prank?

Kenneth Branagh launches a new theater company with one of Shakespeare’s most flawed plays, in a production that will air on local movie screens in HD.

Steve Cohen

Dec 05, 2015 · Articles · 4 minute read

Philadelphia Theatre Company’s ‘Baskerville’

Sherlock in Wonderland

In Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories, reason always triumphs over fakery. In this delightfully inventive production of Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville, stagecraft trumps everything.

Dan Rottenberg

Dec 03, 2015 · Articles · 3 minute read

Theatre Horizon's 'Black Nativity'

Celebrating the season

Theatre Horizon makes up for a dearth of black theater in the area with a rousing production of Langston Hughes's Black Nativity.

Mark Cofta

Dec 01, 2015 · Articles · 2 minute read

'The Three Musketeers': People's Light's annual pantomime

All for one and one for all

People's Light has created an enduring tradition with its holiday pantos, as The Three Musketeers (The Later Years) ably shows.

Mark Coftaand Illustration by Mike Jackson

Nov 24, 2015 · Articles · 4 minute read

'A Christmas Story, the Musical' at Walnut Street Theatre

A happy family holiday with a BB gun

The classic movie A Christmas Story has been turned into a happy holiday musical about a boy and his desire for a BB gun. While the show is fun and cheerful, I kept wondering about the underlying message about what it means to grow up and become a man.

Naomi Orwin

Nov 24, 2015 · Articles · 3 minute read

'Becoming Dr. Ruth' at the Walnut Street Theatre

Healing the world with sex

Celebrities hold our hopes and our dreams, but we rarely peek behind the curtain and learn what makes them who they are. The woman we know as Dr. Ruth, who says outrageous things on television, has a history that surprises us with its challenges and her resilience.

Naomi Orwin

Nov 23, 2015 · Articles · 3 minute read

'Matilda the Musical' at the Academy of Music

Comedy and cruelty

There’s often an element of cruelty associated with children’s stories. Do the writers of these tales really hate children, or are they warning would-be parents to think twice before bringing the little monsters into the world?

Naomi Orwin

Nov 21, 2015 · Articles · 3 minute read

'Watership Down' by Simpatico and Drexel

Rabbits Run!

Watership Down out-star wars Star Wars and hops past The Walking Dead with a gripping survival story about rabbits in the English countryside.

Mark Cofta

Nov 21, 2015 · Articles · 2 minute read