"Light in the Piazza' by PTC (1st review)

Hope vs. fear in Florence

The Philadelphia Theatre Company's version of The Light in the Piazza is a unique accomplishment, adapting the look of New York's spacious Lincoln Center production to a smaller stage. It's a great re-interpretation of a gentle musical about fragile people.

Steve Cohen

Nov 22, 2009 · Articles · 4 minute read

"Oliver' at the Walnut

Oliver and Broadway's underdog ennoblement schtick

What is it that attracts Broadway musicals to urban poverty? Great performances can cover a multitude of sins. But with merely competent performances, like those in this production of Oliver, you begin to notice cracks in the show's underlying structure.

Dan Rottenberg

Nov 20, 2009 · Articles · 5 minute read

"Memphis' on Broadway

Love, sex, race and the birth of rock & roll

In the ingenious and lively Memphis, a white radio DJ falls in love with the music of his soul, and with the African-American woman singing it. These two rich characters from the ‘50s and their equally rich music crystallize the role played by rock n' roll in the downfall of racial segregation.

Julie Morcate

Nov 17, 2009 · Articles · 4 minute read

Beckett's "Endgame' by EgoPo (3rd review)

Beckett's vision, expanded

Purists object to setting a European work like Endgame in a cluttered South Jersey basement. But EgoPo's idiosyncratic interpretation brings a fresh vision to Beckett's classic: It's no longer about post-nuclear holocaust but foremost a personal play of family relationships gone to rot but still clinging.

Julius Ferraro

Nov 17, 2009 · Articles · 5 minute read

Beckett's "Endgame' by EgoPo (2nd review)

Beckett in South Jersey

EgoPo's latest Beckett production, Endgame, succeeds despite itself, largely due to Ed Swidey's stylized but finely judged performance as Hamm, the play's principal. Director Lane Savadove has given the play an incongruous South Jersey setting, but the text, thank goodness, speaks for itself, and Swidey makes sure that its poetry gets through.

Robert Zaller

Nov 14, 2009 · Articles · 4 minute read

Sport, theater and Lauren Feldman's "Grace'

Climb every mountain

Can't mix sport and theater? The Greeks did it, and so does Lauren Feldman's compelling Grace, in which a troubled young woman literally mountain-climbs her way out of depression before our eyes.

Jim Rutter

Nov 10, 2009 · Articles · 4 minute read

Beckett's "Endgame' by EgoPo (1st review)

Not quite the end

Samuel Beckett's Endgame is an enduring play that's been turned on end in a new production by EgoPo. Director Lane Savadove's innovations add new dimensions to a classic work. They also subtract.

Nov 10, 2009 · Articles · 4 minute read

"Rabbit Hole' at the Arden

Grief lessons

In David Lindsay-Abaire's Rabbit Hole, a decent husband and wife face the indecent horror of the loss of a child and try to deal with a grief that has left them in separate and opposed universes. Jim Christy's thoughtful production respects the play's bleak integrity and its message of chastened hope.

Robert Zaller

Nov 10, 2009 · Articles · 4 minute read

Rebeck's "The Understudy' in New York

Actors without audiences

As its title suggests, Theresa Rebeck's pointy comedy The Understudy concerns unappreciated people. Rarely is a comedy this entertaining also so human.

Toby Zinman

Nov 07, 2009 · Articles · 3 minute read

Fugard's "Coming Home' at the Wilma

Oupa's gift (and the Wilma's, too)

As her dreams collapse around her, a high-spirited South African woman discovers an unexpected silver lining. In this riveting and lyrical production, the Wilma Theater continues its long-standing role as an incubator for Athol Fugard's continuing growth in the post-apartheid era.

Dan Rottenberg

Nov 06, 2009 · Articles · 4 minute read