Theater

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Page 155

Michael Whistler's 'Mickle Street'

When Oscar Wilde came to Camden

What is our fascination with Oscar Wilde? In 1882, he stopped in Philadelphia to give a talk on aestheticism, and it seems he never left. Now he has taken the town by storm once again, appearing in the opera, the theater, and the library.
Naomi Orwin

Naomi Orwin

Articles 4 minute read
Never friends: Pinkins and Wiest (Photo credit: Monique Carboni)

'Rasheeda Speaking' at the New Group

“You need to be careful”

Actress Cynthia Nixon makes her directorial debut with impressive skill and control. The threat of violence hangs on the air from the moment the play begins, and Nixon keeps her foot on the pedal as the conflict escalates to a shocking, unbearably painful final scene.

Carol Rocamora

Articles 4 minute read
Clinging to the past: Mary McDonnell and David Strathairn. (Photo: Mark Garvin)

'The Cherry Orchard' at People's Light

The times they are a-changin'

Oscar-nominated actors Mary McDonnell and David Strathairn join the People's Light & Theatre Company ensemble in a fine production of Chekhov's Cherry Orchard.

Bill Murphy

Articles 3 minute read
Dueting princes: Ben Michael and Alex Bechtel. (photo courtesy of Theatre Horizon)

'Into the Woods' at Theatre Horizon

A gathering around a campfire

Into the Woods is Stephen Sondheim’s most complicated musical — so intricate that major theater companies have trouble fitting the parts together. So it’s amazing to see the small Theatre Horizon pull it off successfully with an innovative approach that’s more imaginative than any I've seen.
Steve Cohen

Steve Cohen

Articles 2 minute read
When Tennessee was Tom

Tennessee Williams's 'Stairs to the Roof' (second review)

Is drama meant to be taken seriously?

What happens when you treat a dramatic play as farce? Lane Savadove’s production of an early Tennessee Williams play makes you wonder how other great playwrights would fare under his whimsical direction.
Naomi Orwin

Naomi Orwin

Articles 4 minute read
O'Brien (center) and coworkers: Power to the little people.

Tennessee Williams’s ‘Stairs to the Roof’

Before Williams was Williams

Stairs to the Roof is early Tennessee Williams as you’ve never seen him — a wacky, surrealistic farce. Director Lane Savadove’s stylized physical movements manage to transform a simplistic script into sparkling entertainment.
Steve Cohen

Steve Cohen

Articles 2 minute read
Does the modern gay family include a child? (Photo by Peter "Hopper" Stone - © 2014 American Broadcasting Companies, Inc.)

Terrence McNally’s ‘Mothers and Sons’ at PTC (second review)

Fathers Know Best?

While the predictable, albeit slow, ascendancy of the mother’s acceptance of the situation seems to be the main thrust of the play, we also get a cinemascope review of the entire LGBT movement. For the straight person who doesn’t know much about gay history, this 101 overview might serve as the perfect seminar.
Thom Nickels

Thom Nickels

Articles 5 minute read
Learned: A convenient target.

Terrence McNally’s ‘Mothers and Sons’ at PTC (first review)

Elephants in the room

Terrence McNally’s noble attempt to recognize the forgotten victims of the 1980s AIDS crisis is undermined by a shallow dramatic conflict.
Dan Rottenberg

Dan Rottenberg

Articles 5 minute read
What does Tobias want? Lithgow, Close, and Duncan (Photo by Brigitte Lacombe)

Albee's 'A Delicate Balance' in New York

Dwelling in “the dark sadness”

No matter how dark an Albee play gets, there’s always the hope — however faint — that love will save the day, if only we are capable of it.

Carol Rocamora

Articles 5 minute read
Swapping body fluids: Eisen-Martin and Zinkel. (Photo by Mark Garvin)

'Under the Skin' at the Arden

What do we owe each other?

Which organ is more important, the kidney that cleanses our bodies of toxins or the heart, considered symbolically as the organ that connects us emotionally to each other? And would we really give up a part of ourselves to keep someone else alive?
Naomi Orwin

Naomi Orwin

Articles 4 minute read