Theater

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Page 168
Collette, Hall, Letts: What's the point of talking?

Will Eno’s ‘The Realistic Joneses’ in New York

The playwright who cloned Edward Albee

Nothing much happens in Will Eno’s engaging but enigmatic The Realistic Joneses. So what, then, is this new young playwright trying to say? Maybe something about use — or nonuse — of language.

Carol Rocamora

Articles 5 minute read
Friendly cop Stanley (Brian Cowden) tries to defuse the tensions caused by Nicky's (William Zielinski) anti-immigrant actions.

InterAct’s 'Down Past Passyunk' at the Adrienne

Local flavor

The local story of the Geno's "English only" controversy gets sold short in this uninspired fictionalization.
Gary L. Day

Gary L. Day

Articles 3 minute read
Sophisticated and at times masterful performances. (Photo by John Donges)

Quince Productions’ 'Three Days of Rain'

Theater loves its dysfunctional families, but I don’t

I had the rare experience of enjoying a remarkable rendering of a play I’d otherwise dismiss scornfully.
Gary L. Day

Gary L. Day

Articles 3 minute read

The future of professional theater criticism: An international view

Journalist critics grab their bullhorns and take theater to the streets. What will be the effect on theater when all that shouting dwindles to a whisper?
Wendy Rosenfield

Wendy Rosenfield

Articles 5 minute read
Adrian Lester in 'Red Velvet': little-known theatrical history. (Photo by Tristram Kenton)

'Red Velvet' and 'Raisin in the Sun'

Black in a white world

From a London theater in the 1830s to a Chicago tenement in the 1950s, a black man’s struggle in a white man’s world is being eloquently portrayed on the New York stages this season.

Carol Rocamora

Articles 6 minute read
"Romeo and Juliet" with a happy ending.

'The Light in the Piazza' at Villanova Theatre

The return of the musical?

The American musical has become a revival show, but the Villanova Theatre’s production of the 2005 Broadway succès d’estime, The Light in the Piazza, tries valiantly to make a case for it as forging a new direction. I’ll still take "Mack the Knife."
Robert Zaller

Robert Zaller

Articles 3 minute read
This picture is the work of 90 amateur artists, each of whom was given a section of the original to copy. (photo © Deirdre O'Neill; Creative Commons)

Why Shakespeare? Why now?

Shakespeare-lovers are enjoying a plethora of productions in honor of the Bard's 450th birthday.

Carol Rocamora

Articles 5 minute read
"Three Sisters": Olga (Sarah Sanford), Irina (Mary Tuomanen), and Masha (Katharine Powell) long for better lives. (Photo by Mark Garvin)

'Three Sisters' at the Arden (2nd review)

A leisurely entry into a leisurely world

This is the real thing, as opposed to the Durang comedy that trades on Chekovian names. It’s a realistic and compelling look at the Russia of 1900, despite — or because of? — some changes in staging and text.
Steve Cohen

Steve Cohen

Articles 3 minute read

Durang's 'Vanya and Sonia' by PTC (2nd review)

Relying on outsiders

An homage of sorts to Chekhov is on stage at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre while the real Chekhov is across town at the Arden. The resemblances are slight.
Steve Cohen

Steve Cohen

Articles 3 minute read
Actress Rebecca Gibel joined both the audience and the cast outside the Arden Theatre when the fire alarm went off. (Photo by Naomi Orwin)

'Three Sisters' at the Arden

Taking it to the streets

We’re so used to immersive theater experiences that when the fire on stage sets off a real fire alarm, we think it’s just part of the performance. The audience for Three Sisters at the Arden Theatre had a hard time detaching themselves from the show, accepting that they had been driven out into a cold Russian night.
Naomi Orwin

Naomi Orwin

Articles 4 minute read