Name: Cotter Interactive
Price range: $

On an orange-lit set with neon bars & a Philly skyline backdrop, four actors in orange jumpsuits pose outlandishly on chairs.

1812 Productions presents This Is the Week That Is

Satire wanted

A Philly tradition since 2006, This Is the Week That Is attempts to wring mirth from the news, but this year’s iteration ranges from offensive to baffling. Emily Schilling reviews.

Emily Schilling

Dec 04, 2023 Reviews 3 minute read

In the foreground, Thomas sings passionately into a mic, with the others behind him on a porch awash in purple light.

The Wilma Theater presents James Ijames’s Fat Ham

High on the hog

Fat Ham comes home in this new production at the Wilma, onstage as it was meant to be, after the company debuted a filmed version in 2021. Everyone is welcome to the cookout. Hanae Mason reviews.

Hanae Mason

Dec 04, 2023 Reviews 6 minute read

Close-up on Cicchetti, a young woman with dark glossy curls, putting her hands to her face and looking up as she sings.

Quintessence Theatre Group presents The Fantasticks

In Quintessence Theatre Group’s December production of The Fantasticks, complex poetries meet deceptively simple story and design, honoring both youthful sparks and older gratitude. C.M. Crockford reviews.

C.M. Crockford

Dec 04, 2023 Reviews 3 minute read

Robinson poses dramatically at center in a plaid dress; Hall & Debose, seen from behind with their hair in buns, look on.

The Lantern Theater presents Lynn Nottage’s Crumbs from the Table of Joy

Feasting on Crumbs

Crumbs from the Table of Joy, a lesser-known early work by Lynn Nottage, one of America’s most popular playwrights, still feels relevant in this Lantern Theater production. Krista Mar reviews.

Krista Mar

Nov 20, 2023 Reviews 3 minute read

Williams, a Black woman with short blond hair, holds up a banner that says happy, with a doubtful, reticent expression.

Inis Nua Theatre Company presents Rosa Hesmondhalgh’s Madame Ovary

Comedy equals cancer plus time

Based on the lived experience of playwright Rosa Hesmondhalgh’s cancer diagnosis, Inis Nua’s Madame Ovary is equal parts funny and tragic. Jill Ivey reviews.

Jillian Ashley Blair Ivey

Nov 13, 2023 Reviews 2 minute read

Gotch and Ernst, white men in police uniforms, appear to be questioning Tibbs, a Black man in a gray suit sitting at a table.

Resident Ensemble Players presents John Ball’s In the Heat of the Night

A cracking good detective story

Resident Ensemble Players at the University of Delaware continues its season with In the Heat of the Night, a world-class whodunit that doesn’t shy away from its story’s disturbing roots in 1962 Alabama. Gail Obenreder reviews.

Gail Obenreder

Nov 07, 2023 Reviews 5 minute read

In a dressing room, Shetty grins excitedly and clutches a red fabric costume to her chest. She wears a black satin jacket

Azuka Theatre presents Priyanka Shetty’s The Elephant in the Room

A story as unique as the immigrant experience

Priyanka Shetty’s The Elephant in the Room, a solo autobiographical show about an Indian software engineer turned theater artist,
is proving the creator’s performance chops in its Philly debut at Azuka Theatre. Krista Mar reviews.

Krista Mar

Nov 07, 2023 Reviews 2 minute read

White, a Black woman with long, dark hair, grips the microphone and sings passionately.

Philadelphia Theatre Company presents Whitney White’s Macbeth in Stride

A fun but flawed feminist take on the Scottish play

Macbeth in Stride, a new adaptation of the Shakespeare classic now onstage at Philadelphia Theatre Company, rocks but doesn’t dig its daggers deep enough. C.M. Crockford reviews.

C.M. Crockford

Nov 06, 2023 Reviews 3 minute read

Howard and Kuerzi, in white collared shirts, sit next to each other smiling on a low wooden platform.

Theatre Exile presents Bess Wohl’s Camp Siegfried

Tomorrow belongs to them

Then and now, fascism feels like an easy fix for any psychic fissure. With Camp Seigfried, Theatre Exile takes us to a Nazi summer camp in 1938 New York. Wendy Rosenfield reviews.

Wendy Rosenfield