Jez Butterworth's "Jerusalem' on Broadway

Goodbye, ‘Masterpiece Theatre': Genteel Britain confronts its dark side

Jez Butterworth's pulsating, profane Jerusalem will shock Anglophiles who, like me, cling to a vision of England as a quintessentially gracious land. Even before last weekend's rampant riots and looting in London and Birmingham, Butterworth astutely perceived a darker Britain, peopled by the descendants of primitive Celts and Normans who persist today on the margins of English society.

Carol Rocamora

Aug 06, 2011 · Articles · 6 minute read

"Much Ado About Nothing' in Clark Park

Shakespeare 1, Mister Softee 0

Much Ado About Nothing triumphed over multiple distractions in its open-air West Philadelphia venue. But then, Shakespeare himself confronted similar challenges in the 16th Century.

Marshall A. Ledger

Jul 23, 2011 · Articles · 4 minute read

"Gibraltar': James Joyce on stage

Bloom's turn in the spotlight

If you can't quite push yourself to read Ulysses, Patrick Fitzgerald's Gibraltar lets us savor James Joyce's many alliterations and flights of wordplay. And they wield extra impact when we hear them aloud.

Steve Cohen

Jul 12, 2011 · Articles · 4 minute read

Braly's "Life in a Marital Institution'

Take his marriage, please

“Would you be married to this woman?” James Braly moans about his wife in this monologue on marriage. Better you should ask: Would anyone be married to him?

Jackie Schifalacqua

Jul 10, 2011 · Articles · 3 minute read

Sondheim's "Company' in HD-live

Company finds its medium

When Company opened in 1970, Stephen Sondheim couldn't have foretold the advent of high-definition video on huge screens. Yet that's the ideal medium for a Broadway musical that essentially takes place inside people's minds.

Steve Cohen

Jul 05, 2011 · Articles · 5 minute read

"Spider-Man' on Broadway (2nd review)

Not just another action hero

Those spectacular flying scenes aren't all there is to Spider-Man. The musical offers a vulnerable human hero as well.

Steve Cohen

Jul 02, 2011 · Articles · 4 minute read

"Spider-Man' on Broadway (1st review)

When producers fly

The musical score may be forgettable, the book may be pedestrian, and the atmosphere in the theater is a hybrid between a circus and Disneyworld. But oh, those flying Spider-Men”¦.

Carol Rocamora

Jul 02, 2011 · Articles · 5 minute read

Rebeck's "The Understudy' in Cape May

Rebeck plays Peoria

Theater people gobble up the razor-sharp backstage backstabbing of Theresa Rebeck's The Understudy. But in Cape May her best lines fell flat. The Understudy. By Theresa Rebeck; directed by Roy Steinberg. Through July 30, 2011 at Cape May Stage, Robert Shackleton Playhouse, Bank and Lafayette Streets, Cape May, N.J. (609) 884-1341 or www.capemaystage.com.

Jackie Schifalacqua

Jul 02, 2011 · Articles · 1 minute read

"Great American Trailer Park Musical'

Scratch and sniff

This energetic show exploits the lifestyle of trashy, low-class denizens of a trailer park in a way that elicits laughs from urban audiences. Still, the enterprise hovers between uncomfortable glorification and superciliousness.

Steve Cohen

Jun 28, 2011 · Articles · 2 minute read

"Dan Rottenberg Is Thinking About Raping You'

A political affair

Cara Blouin's satire of Dan Rottenberg's views on sex abuse is witty fun. But she's preaching to her own younger generation here. Our parents hold views that are sincere and well intended too. Who among my contemporaries will reach across the generation gap to converse with them?

Madeline Schaefer

Jun 28, 2011 · Articles · 7 minute read