Lisa D’Amour’s ‘Detroit’ by PTC (second review)

Playing house

Detroit has been criticized for being too shallow — it could have gone into a deeper, less superficial exploration of Real Issues, like class and economic despair. After all, nothing much happens. However, the play’s genius is in its refusal to go there. It keeps us, like its characters, comfortable in what we see, wholly entertained, but not quite satisfied.

Samantha Maldonado

Oct 28, 2014 · Articles · 4 minute read

'You Can’t Take It with You' on Broadway

An all-star cast in a classic comedy

If you think your family is eccentric, wait till you meet the Sycamores, the stars of the show and the nuttiest family ever to inhabit an American living room — let alone a stage.

Carol Rocamora

Oct 24, 2014 · Articles · 3 minute read

'Row After Row' at People's Light

Past and present collide in 'Row After Row'

Jessica Dickey's Row After Row, currently playing on People's Light & Theatre Company's Steinbright Stage, probes the lives of Civil War reenactors. Do they need to get a life, or is borrowing someone else's good enough?

Bill Murphy

Oct 21, 2014 · Articles · 2 minute read

'Rapture, Blister, Burn' at the Wilma

Feminism on the rocks

My feminism is visceral. I learned it on the job, so to speak. Perhaps I should have taken more notes while I was fighting for equal pay for equal work so that I could better have understood the consequences of the choices I made, but I’m living the life I wanted, even if this Rapture, Blister, Burn hints that perhaps I should have made other choices.

Naomi Orwin

Oct 21, 2014 · Articles · 5 minute read

'The Curious Incident' and 'The Valley of Astonishment'

Making the invisible visible

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and The Valley of Astonishment make the inner workings of the human mind visible to the audience’s eye.

Carol Rocamora

Oct 17, 2014 · Articles · 5 minute read

Lisa D’Amour’s ‘Detroit’ by PTC

Rainbow’s end

In Detroit, Lisa D’Amour’s provocative suburban allegory, the American Dream remains very much alive. In fact, dreaming is the primary activity.

Dan Rottenberg

Oct 16, 2014 · Articles · 4 minute read

Tom Stoppard's 'Arcadia' at Lantern Theater Company

Romantic poetry and the second law of thermodynamics

Sir Tom Stoppard doesn’t let the characters become puppets of his wit and intellect: Arcadia is a delightful, engaging, and engrossing escapade.

Jake Blumgart

Oct 14, 2014 · Articles · 3 minute read

'Can-Can' at Paper Mill Playhouse

I Love Paris

This revival of Cole Porter's seldom-staged Can-Can is the production the show deserves.

Steve Cohen

Oct 14, 2014 · Articles · 4 minute read

Dolly Parton’s ‘9 to 5’ at the Walnut (second review)

The funny side of feminism

Is feminism more palatable when it’s set to a catchy tune? 9 to 5 makes us laugh at some serious issues, but is it still relevant today?

Naomi Orwin

Oct 13, 2014 · Articles · 4 minute read

Fringe Festival: 100% Philadelphia

Do any of these 105 Philadelphians represent you?

The premise of 100% Philadelphia is that we can reflect our city and ourselves by revealing the roots, experiences, and opinions of our fellow citizens, but in reality, its participants raise questions as quickly as they answer them.

Alaina Johns

Oct 11, 2014 · Articles · 5 minute read