Theater

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Phillips: Real-life soap opera.

Thaddeus Phillips's "¡El Conquistador!' at the Fringe (2nd review)

How do you say klutz in Spansh?

¡El Conquistador! was a triumphant comic thriller, the most effective work yet from Thaddeus Phillips and his creative company.
Steve Cohen

Steve Cohen

Articles 2 minute read
Pacek (at microphone) and (from left) Keiper, Nix, Morton and Doherty: Geeks under pressure.

"Putnam County Spelling Bee' in Norristown

The insecurity Olympics

This engaging musical comedy explores childhood and adolescence through the sweet and funny prism of school spelling competitions. In some respects the new Theatre Horizon production is the best version yet.
Steve Cohen

Steve Cohen

Articles 4 minute read
Fearful, or familiar?

Tribe of Fools' "Dracula' at the Fringe

I alone (and everyone else) survived: The true terror of the Fringe Festival

For all their bragging about bringing the ultimate scare-fest to the stage, Tribe of Fools' Dracula was mostly a marketing gimmick. It did, however, force me to think about the times in my life when I've been truly terrified in a theater— like finding myself empathizing with a pedophile, or being urged to go onstage.
Alaina Johns

Alaina Johns

Articles 7 minute read
Phillips: Doorman's delight.

Thaddeus Phillips's "¡El Conquistador!' at the Fringe (1st review)

Charlie Chaplin reinvented

The wildly crafty Thaddeus Philips continues his quest to mine the eccentricities of international culture, this time as a Bogota doorman fantasizing a career as a telenovela star. Rarely has political humor been hitched to theatrical imagination so effectively. ¡El Conquistador! By Tatiana Mallarino and Thaddeus Phillips in collaboration with Victor Mallarino; Phillips directed. Lucidity Suitcase production for Fringe Festival, September 8-11, 2010 at Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 S. Broad St. (at Lombard). www.livearts-fringe.org/details.cfm?id=12723.
Jonathan M. Stein

Jonathan M. Stein

Articles 3 minute read
Pucklis, Mark Knight, Mike Harrah: BP's business plan?

"Madwoman of Chaillot' (1st review) and "Marat/Sade' (3rd review) at

Blessings of adversity

Many Philadelphia theater companies suffer from budget constraints. But two of them consistently turn these conditions to their advantage, as these two Fringe festival productions amply demonstrate.
Jim Rutter

Jim Rutter

Articles 5 minute read
Rees, Bellwoar: Every word counts. (Photo: Mark Garvin.)

Hollinger's "Ghost-Writer' at the Arden (1st review)

The music of the typewriter

Michael Hollinger's drama about a novelist, his typist and his wife creates characters with whom we can empathize, and whose fates we actually care about.

Jane Biberman

Articles 3 minute read
Munro: Questions without answers.

Theatre Exile's "Iron' at the Fringe (2nd review)

Like watching real people

Rona Munro's drama about a series of visits between an imprisoned mother and her grown daughter is deeply nuanced, gradually revealing more about each woman while the audience sits in judgment, like a jury.

Pamela Riley

Articles 3 minute read
Slusar: Prison story, feminized.

Theatre Exile's "Iron' at the Fringe (1st review)

No place to hide

In Theatre Exile's production of Rona Munro's Iron, the stunning proximity of a converted South Philadelphia garage allows the audience to peer voyeuristically into the psychological dissection that occurs onstage.

Norman Roessler

Articles 2 minute read
Beth Nixon and Alex Torra in 'Cankerblossom': Sartre said it all.

"Cankerblossom' and "Sanctuary' at the Fringe

Coasting on laurels

In their current Cankerblossom and Sanctuary, respectively, neither the highly regarded Pig Iron Theatre Co. nor Brian Sanders's Junk achieved anything worthy of anyone's time or money.
Jim Rutter

Jim Rutter

Articles 4 minute read

EgoPo's "Marat/Sade' (2nd review)

A setting that could drive you crazy

I've always dreamed of seeing Peter Weiss's Marat/Sade performed live, on stage. Why, then, did I leave at the intermission?

Articles 3 minute read