Coward's "Private Lives' at the Lantern (2nd review)

Who's afraid of Noël Coward?

Unlike Edward Albee, who heaped pity and abuse on two dysfunctional married couples, Noël Coward's Private Lives pokes fun at them— and at us for judging them.

Jackie Schifalacqua

Dec 17, 2011 · Articles · 3 minute read

Coward's "Private Lives' at the Lantern (1st review)

How to revive Noël Coward

Noël Coward worried endlessly whether his works would endure. The Lantern Theater's current production of Private Lives suggests one answer: The only way to prove that an old play continues to breathe is to revive it as an unforgettable theater experience.

Marshall A. Ledger

Dec 17, 2011 · Articles · 4 minute read

"Krapp's Last Tape' in Brooklyn

Beckett without bitterness

In 55 fleeting minutes, Samuel Beckett and John Hurt give us an icy blast of raging age with the same ferocity and velocity that Shakespeare provides in his full-length play King Lear— with one critical difference.

Carol Rocamora

Dec 13, 2011 · Articles · 3 minute read

"Bonnie & Clyde' on Broadway

Haves vs. have-nots

Unlike the original film version, the new musical Bonnie & Clyde refuses to glamorize its bank-robbing lovers. Instead it focuses on the gritty realities of the Great depression, with hummable music that evokes the 1930s.

Steve Cohen

Dec 13, 2011 · Articles · 3 minute read

Fo's "Accidental Death of an Anarchist' at the Curio

The anarchist's alternative

Dario Fo's efforts have always irritated the authorities and delighted the public with his farcical attacks on government corruption and social injustice. His work shares much in common with David Mamet's. So why is Mamet a darling of American theater, while Fo hasn't been performed in Philadelphia since 1997? Here's my theory.

Marshall A. Ledger

Dec 12, 2011 · Articles · 5 minute read

"Noël and Gertie' at the Walnut's Independence Studio 3 (2nd review)

The anguish behind the wit

Noël and Gertie is a series of reminiscences and songs by Coward and Gertrude Lawrence, for whom Coward wrote some of his best-remembered pieces. Theirs was an unequal relationship, and Sheridan Morley's script has its pluses and minuses.

Steve Cohen

Dec 06, 2011 · Articles · 3 minute read

"Noël and Gertie' at the Walnut's Independence Studio 3 (1st review)

A case of misery loving company

Noël Coward was a celebrated English wit and dramatist. Gertrude Lawrence was a legendary star of the musical stage. By most accounts, neither of them ever bored anybody. Until now.

Jackie Schifalacqua

Dec 06, 2011 · Articles · 3 minute read

"Maroons' by Iron Age Theatre

When football players wore leather helmets

The Pottsville Maroons joined the National Football League in 1926 and achieved the best won-lost record for that season but were stripped of the league championship on a technicality. Playwright Ray Saraceni has turned that technicality into a dramatic climax, aided by a cast of players who seem more like real coal miners than thespians.

Steve Cohen

Nov 26, 2011 · Articles · 4 minute read

"Blood and Gifts': Afghanistan's tragedy at Lincoln Center

More than you ever wanted to know about Afghanistan

J.T. Rogers wants to teach us how the U.S. got bogged down in Afghanistan. His heart's in the right place, and if you stick with Blood and Gifts to the end, your patience will be rewarded. But it's a struggle.

Carol Rocamora

Nov 22, 2011 · Articles · 5 minute read

"Gruesome Playground Injuries' by Theatre Exile

Is this what Nietzsche had in mind?

Gruesome Playground Injuries is a small play with a large theme: Nietzsche's notion that “Whatever doesn't kill me makes me stronger.” It's an edgy and ambitious two-person play that ultimately fails to live up to Theatre Exile's high production values.

Gresham Riley

Nov 19, 2011 · Articles · 5 minute read