Theater

2688 results
Page 222
Antaramian (left), Wilson: The Bard wanted darknesss. (Photo: Christopher Gabello.)

“Macbeth” at the Wilma (1st review)

A tyrant for all seasons

The Wilma Theater's new Macbeth is concerned more with the struggle of an oppressed people fighting to overthrow tyranny than it is with the title character and his wife. Shakespeare would approve.
Steve Cohen

Steve Cohen

Articles 3 minute read
Does art belong only to the privileged few?

Lee Hall's 'Pitmen Painters' on Broadway (1st review)

When miners become artists

Lee Hall's The Pitmen Painters, a play about English miners who learn to paint, contains enough ideas—political and aesthetic—and enough charm to please any crowd, although the second act becomes less charming and more preachy.
Toby Zinman

Toby Zinman

Articles 4 minute read
Bellwoar (left), Rees: Waiting, but for what?

Hollinger’s “Ghost-Writer” at the Arden (2nd review)

Three mysteries in one

Ghost-Writer concerns the mysterious process of literary creation. That's quite a monumental task, but Michael Hollinger handles it so well that the drama flows with energy and wit.
Steve Cohen

Steve Cohen

Articles 4 minute read
Northeast (left), Altman: Revolting but engrossing.

Collective's "The Duchess of Malfi'

A distant mirror

Four centuries after the English overthrew their absolute monarchy, this gripping portrayal of amorality and deceit among the governing classes begs the question of what we've gained by waiting our turn at the ballot box.
Jim Rutter

Jim Rutter

Articles 2 minute read

Sign up for our newsletter

All of the week's new articles, all in one place. Sign up for the free weekly BSR newsletters, and don't miss a conversation.

The more things change.... (Photo: David Cimetta.)

EgoPo's "Marat/ Sade' (4th review)

Crumbling walls, crumbling authority

Contrary to what you may have read elsewhere, the merits of using the Rotunda Sanctuary for Marat/ Sade outweighed its auditory problems: This decaying building proved marvelously effective as an incarnation of a 17th-Century institution and as metaphor for crumbling authority.
Steve Cohen

Steve Cohen

Articles 3 minute read
Brock: Memorable figure.

"Madwoman of Chaillot' (2nd review)

The wrong box for Giraudoux

Was The Madwoman of Chaillot a swipe at France's Nazi occupiers? Only in retrospect. Let's lay this myth to rest and consider the play's other virtues.
Steve Cohen

Steve Cohen

Articles 3 minute read
Whelan, Coon, Peter Schmitz, Lemenager: Wasted opportunities. (Photo: Mark Garvin.)

"Curtains' at the Walnut

Overlooked, and rightly so

Eschewing the sure-fire opportunities of Broadway hits classics is a brave and welcome change of pace by the Walnut. Unfortunately, Curtains is contrived and uninvolving— a weak example of its creators' talents.
Steve Cohen

Steve Cohen

Articles 2 minute read
Zielinski (left) and Saunders: More nuanced than the film.(Photo: Mark Garvin.)

"Cuckoo's Nest' at People's Light

Chief Bromden, front and center again

William Zielinski and Marcia Saunders make fine sparring partners as McMurphy and Nurse Ratched in the stage adaptation of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, the season opener at People's Light.

Bill Murphy

Articles 2 minute read
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