Theater
2712 results
Page 215
"Wanamaker's Pursuit' at the Arden
Gertrude Stein confronts the Wanamakers
Different strokes for different folks: In Paris of 1911, an American commercial family eager to make deals crosses paths with another American commercial family eager to embrace the new avant-garde culture. Playwright Rogelio Martinez has an intriguing idea here, but it's still a work in progress.
Articles
3 minute read
"Theater of War' at the Penn Museum
Theater, or propaganda?
In the performance event Theater of War, a staged reading of scenes from Sophocles' Trojan War drama Ajax was followed by a panel of soldiers and others directly impacted by our current wars, with discussion afterward. But politics was declared off limits by the show's creator, Bryan Doerries, which left the event uncomfortably close to propaganda.
Theater of War. Created by Bryan Doerries; directed by Abigail Adams; produced by Phyllis Kaufman. April 2, 2011 at the University of Pennsylvania Museum, 33rd and South Sts. www.outsidethewirellc.com.
Articles
5 minute read
"Speaking in Tongues' at Walnut's Studio 3
Let's talk about marital guilt. On second thought, let's not
Andrew Bovell's Speaking in Tongues is based on the dubious premise that marital infidelity is the end of the world. And from where I was sitting, I got a stiff neck, to boot.
Articles
3 minute read
"Pride of Parnell Street' in Ambler
Scenes from a disintegrating marriage
Sebastian Barry is the finest Irish playwright of his generation, and in The Pride of Parnell Street he recreates the Dublin of the 1990s with the most economical of means: two characters, one set, and a single, 90-minute act. The act of violence that lies at its core is never shown, but its trauma reverberates throughout the text.
Articles
6 minute read
Thaddeus Phillips's '17 Border Crossings' (1st review)
Bordering on anxiety
With 17 Border Crossings, the multi-talented Thaddeus Phillips renders his own international travel in the last two decades as the subject of this new work. By framing his sequential monologues on the anxieties of border crossings, he assembles a mix of experiences from which he can draw humor as well as make his political critiques.
17 Border Crossings. Conceived and performed by Thaddeus Phillips. April 1-2, 2011 at Painted Bride Arts Center, 203 Vine St. www.17borders.tumblr.com or www.paintedbride.org.
Articles
3 minute read
Tracy Letts's "Superior Donuts' at the Arden (4th review)
The secret ingredient is heart
What distinguishes this play is its humanity. I cared about the characters, and that's all too rare in contemporary theater.
Articles
1 minute read
Hitchcock's '39 Steps' at the Walnut (1st review)
You take the lowbrow and I'll take the highbrow, or: 28 reasons for 39 Steps
In The 39 Steps, as in most Walnut Street Theatre productions, art never strays too far from public taste— for which let us be grateful.
Articles
3 minute read
"Comedy of Errors' in Brooklyn
Shakespeare gets the kitchen sink
What Shakespeare did to Plautus in The Comedy of Errors, Edward Hall's production now does to Shakespeare, in this wild, inspired version set in an all-inclusive holiday package resort somewhere in South America in the 1980s.
Articles
5 minute read
Anna Deavere Smith's "Let Me Down Easy' (2nd review)
It happens to all of us
When I learned that my friend was dying at age 59, I sought comfort from my doctor, my rabbi and my therapist. None of them conveyed as much calming effect as the sense of human commonality in Let Me Down Easy.
Articles
3 minute read
Ibsen’s “Master Builder” at People’s Light (1st review)
Ibsen's confession (or is it?)
With its layers of ambiguity, Ibsen's The Master Builder can be confusing, and the lead characters could seem cartoonish. But the People's Light cast is superb, and the tone established by director Ken Marini is perfect.
Articles
4 minute read