The education of Toby Zinman

A pariah who bounced back: The education of Toby Zinman

American Theater Magazine recently named the Inquirer's Toby Zinman one of the nation's 12 most influential theater critics. How did she reach that lofty plateau? And how did a gentle academic develop a skin thick enough to survive a public assault on her character?

Nathan Skethway

Mar 05, 2013 · Articles · 8 minute read

Beckett's "Endgame' at the Arden (3rd review)

Beckett for a new century

Beckett's Endgame— an often baffling intellectual relic of the ‘50s— can be off-putting to a young theatergoer like me. The Arden production bridged the generation gap with brilliant performances and a mesmerizing set that created a genuine sense of sensory deprivation.

Becca Kaplan

Mar 05, 2013 · Articles · 3 minute read

Beckett's "Endgame' at the Arden (2nd review)

The man with his heart in his head

Edward Sobel's production strives to make Beckett's Endgame more user-friendly without sacrificing its values. A strong performance by Scott Greer goes a long way toward validating his approach.

Robert Zaller

Mar 05, 2013 · Articles · 7 minute read

"Laramie Project Cycle' in Brooklyn

The dark side of ‘Our Town'

The courageous Tectonic Theatre Project has dedicated more than a decade of its artistic life to a single tragedy: the brutal murder of a gay college student in Wyoming in 1998. It's a demonstration of theater at its best, but it's also a reminder of theater's limitations.

Carol Rocamora

Mar 03, 2013 · Articles · 6 minute read

Theatre Exile's 'The North Plan'

When paranoids are realists

Who are our “enemies”? Who gets to decide? You could listen to diatribes on MSNBC or Fox News about these issues, or you could see this seriously funny, serious show.

Pamela Riley

Feb 23, 2013 · Articles · 4 minute read

Mask & Wig Club's "Beautopia'

124 years old, and still silly

Mask and Wig Club's Beautopia is set in a 25th-Century dictatorship, where citizens are ranked by physical appearance. Does this plot line sound familiar?

Jim Rutter

Feb 19, 2013 · Articles · 3 minute read

MacMillan's "Lungs' at Luna Theater

The parenthood trap, or: Just do it

Duncan MacMillan's Lungs portrays a young couple who spend maybe a little too much time analyzing whether or not to have children.

Alaina Johns

Feb 19, 2013 · Articles · 4 minute read

Schulner's "Infinite Ache' at Theatre Horizon

It's later than you think

David Schulner's An Infinite Ache speeds us through the lives of a man and woman from their first date to their old age in 90 minutes.

Steve Cohen

Feb 09, 2013 · Articles · 2 minute read

"The Winter's Tale' at People's Light

A rare Shakespearean turkey

The Winter's Tale is surely one of Shakespeare's messiest and least satisfying scripts, notwithstanding People's Light's energetic efforts to distract our attention from its failings.

Steve Cohen

Feb 05, 2013 · Articles · 3 minute read

Oscar Wilde's "Ideal Husband' at the Walnut (2nd review)

Oscar Wilde makes his case

Some critics consider Oscar Wilde's An Ideal Husband a lightweight play. On the contrary, it's a deceptively eloquent plea for individual expression in the face of Victorian conformity. An Ideal Husband. By Oscar Wilde; Malcolm Black directed. Through March 3, 2013 at the Walnut Street Theatre, 825 Walnut St. (215) 574-3550 or www.walnutstreettheatre.org.

Steve Cohen

Feb 02, 2013 · Articles · 5 minute read