Theater

2680 results
Page 172
"A Clockwork Orange" seems demure by comparison. (Photo credit: Shinsuke Suginou)

Kuro Taniro's 'The Room Nobody Knows'

An avant-garde dream from Japan

With a work like The Room Nobody Knows, you need to have both an open mind and an adventurous attitude, or you just might lose yourself in the confusion.
Gary L. Day

Gary L. Day

Articles 3 minute read
Battling heirs to a family feud: Debra Messing and Brían O'Byrne in "Outside Mullingar"

'The Night Alive' and 'Outside Mullingar'

Two dramatic views of Ireland

The Night Alive and Outside Mullingar have a lot in common. Both are set in today’s Ireland, both take place in domestic sitting-rooms, and both feature small casts of poor, struggling Irish souls. But what a difference there is in the way these two writers (one Irish-born, one of Irish descent) view the world.

Carol Rocamora

Articles 5 minute read
Keeping secrets: Peakes and Toumanen. (Photo by Mark Garvin)

Ibsen's 'Ghosts' at People's Light

A surprisingly modern take on family secrets

Ibsen's classic drama from 1881 is relevant to today’s world. The People's Light production features naturalistic acting and a translation into contemporary American language that increase its impact.
Steve Cohen

Steve Cohen

Articles 3 minute read
The 'Tribes' cast: Between hearing and listening.

Nina Raine’s ‘Tribes’ by PTC (1st review)

The sounds of silence

Are deaf people handicapped or blessed? Not the least of the charms of this ambitious and provocative work about language is its refusal to paint its deaf protagonist as either a saint or a victim.
Dan Rottenberg

Dan Rottenberg

Articles 4 minute read
Kevin Murray as Ste and Griffin Back as Jamie in Mauckingbird Theatre Company's production of "Beautiful Thing." Promotional image by Jill McCorkel.

Mauckingbird stages Harvey's 'Beautiful Thing'

A love story told without heart

The director does more than tell the actors where to stand; he or she is also responsible for bringing out the emotional truth of the production. The importance of this is especially clear when the material needs help.
Gary L. Day

Gary L. Day

Articles 4 minute read
Armando Batista as Elliot Ortiz and Maia DeSanti as Yazmin Ortiz in Arden Theatre Company's production of 'Water by the Spoonful.' Photo by Mark Garvin.

Hudes's 'Water by the Spoonful' at the Arden

The dissonance of family connections

This is the second part of a trilogy about Philadelphia's Puerto Rican community by Philly native Quiara Alegría Hudes. Elliot, A Soldier’s Fugue, presented last year on the Independence Stage above the Walnut Street Theatre, was the first part of the trilogy; the third, The Happiest Song Plays Last , will be produced in New York on February 11.
Steve Cohen

Steve Cohen

Articles 5 minute read
Jessie Mueller as Carole King in 'Beautiful: The Carole King Musical'

'Beautiful' and 'A Night with Janis Joplin' on Broadway

A winning formula for jukebox musicals

Why has “formulaic” become a damning word in the theater? Formulas work – especially when it comes to Broadway musicals.

Carol Rocamora

Articles 5 minute read

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We will rock you. And blind you. And deafen you. (Photo by Paul Kolnik)

'We Will Rock You' at the Kimmel Center

Survival skills for the modern theatergoer

When you’re greeted by a sign that warns about the use of strobe lights and ushers carry pockets full of foam earplugs, you know you’re in for a challenging theatrical experience. When did going to the theater become an extreme sport?
Naomi Orwin

Naomi Orwin

Articles 6 minute read
Hiddleston as Coriolanus: The perils of revenge.

Shakespeare's three kings, in London

London productions of three plays by the Bard offer lessons for contemporary leaders who are willing to listen.

Carol Rocamora

Articles 5 minute read
David Ingram, Kevin Jackson, Ashley Everage, Marcia Saunders: talking at, not to, each other. (Photo by Alexander Iziliaev)

Lisa D'Amour's 'Cherokee' at the Wilma

Going back to nature to find one's true self

Cherokee doesn’t provide easy answers. Loyalties to one another, to oneself, to one’s tribe are challenged. Do you go where you’re happy? Do you do what’s expected of you?
Naomi Orwin

Naomi Orwin

Articles 3 minute read