Pamela Gien’s ‘Syringa Tree’ in Norristown

Across the color line

Blacks and whites separated by apartheid in South Africa provide expressive performances by two fine actresses.

Steve Cohen

Nov 06, 2014 · Articles · 2 minute read

Revival of Lonergan's 'This Is Our Youth'

Coming of age in a confusing world

The coming-of-age genre has always been around, but with the alarming reports of disaffected youth committing acts of terrorism and violence the world over, we’re all struggling to understand what is bringing the new generation to the brink.

Carol Rocamora

Nov 04, 2014 · Articles · 4 minute read

‘Bad Jews’ and ‘Death of a Salesman’

Why can’t we all just get along?

Two plays currently running in Philadelphia are about dysfunctional families. Although Death of a Salesman was written at a time when Willy’s behavior as father and husband would have been a lot more acceptable than it is today, Bad Jews is clearly aware of the outrageous behavior of all of its participants. Both plays address a particular family dynamic while at the same time exploring a larger societal change.

Naomi Orwin

Nov 04, 2014 · Articles · 5 minute read

Berliner Ensemble’s ‘Shakespeare Sonnets’ and teamLab’s ‘Flowers and People’

Hold your applause

Considering why we applaud and how our applause transforms our experience through the lens of two very different artistic experiences: avant-garde theater and ultra-technological art.

Joanna Rotté

Oct 30, 2014 · Articles · 7 minute read

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