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Hodge, Riopelle: Quick-change artists. (Photo: Mark Garvin.)

Hitchcock's '39 Steps' at the Walnut (2nd review)

Teaching Hitchcock a thing or two

Alfred Hitchcock's 1935 thriller, The 39 Steps, wasn't his greatest film, but it's a perfect vehicle for a spoof. Patrick Barlow's adaptation is part vaudeville, part farce, and always hilarious.

Jane Biberman

Apr 12, 2011 Articles 2 minute read

Thaddeus Phillips's '17 Border Crossings' (2nd review)

Who needs borders, anyway?

Thaddeus Phillips transcends the kind of one-man water-sipping show that the late raconteur Spalding Gray created. Phillips ramps his performances up with physical, acting, authentic-sounding accents in any language, and ingenious stagecraft that includes lighting, the latest high-tech gadgetry and the oldest low-tech slight-of-hand.

Merilyn Jackson

Apr 12, 2011 Articles 5 minute read

A puppet that's better than the real thing.

"War Horse' at Lincoln Center in New York

Four-legged victims of war

World War I as seen through the eyes of a horse? Yes, and thanks to a remarkable team of puppet makers, puppeteers and actors, it's more magical than a show with live animals would have been.

Carol Rocamora

Apr 11, 2011 Articles 5 minute read

Perrier (left), Hooper: Art and commerce.

"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.

Jackie Schifalacqua

Apr 10, 2011 Articles 3 minute read

Pat Tillman: A distant mirror for Sophocles.

"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.

Robert Zaller

Apr 09, 2011 Articles 5 minute read

Karen and Ian Peakes: Never tell your mate.

"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.

Jackie Schifalacqua

Apr 05, 2011 Articles 3 minute read

O'Neill, Whalen: Stunted lives and wasted sweetness.

"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.

Robert Zaller

Apr 05, 2011 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.