“Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” at the Walnut (2nd review)

Those misunderstood scoundrels

Dan Rottenberg's complaints notwithstanding, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is above all a rejection of serious theater and a spoof of old Broadway musicals. On that admittedly lightweight level, it succeeds amply.

Steve Cohen

Sep 22, 2009 · Articles · 2 minute read

"Little Shop of Horrors' in Norristown

Something new in a cult classic

The hero of Little Shop of Horrors always thought of his man-eating plant as female. So why has it taken 49 years for a theater company to cast a woman as the plant?

Steve Cohen

Sep 21, 2009 · Articles · 2 minute read

"Dirty Rotten Scoundrels' at the Walnut (1st review)

No country for old (con) men

This musical comedy about a pair of con men on the Riviera is plagued by a fatal flaw that no amount of sprightly performances, witty lyrics, energetic music and lavish sets can camouflage: Its characters lack character. There is simply no one to root for or empathize with here.

Dan Rottenberg

Sep 18, 2009 · Articles · 4 minute read

"Nuda Veritas' at Fringe Festival

When women just don't get it

Four women pose all the right questions in their quest to explain women's inexplicable behavior. But thanks to their obfuscations, I actually knew less about women when I left the theater than when I entered. Playwright Melissa James Gibson could learn a thing or two from Tennessee Williams, not to mention evolutionary psychology.

Jim Rutter

Sep 13, 2009 · Articles · 4 minute read

Gombrowicz's "Operetta' at Live Arts Festival (1st review)

Satirist without a country, in search of an audience

The Polish émigré satirist Witold Gombrowicz never lived to see the gleeful mayhem of his Operetta onstage. This is a fresh production with some priceless performances, although American audiences may not know what to make of much of it.

Merilyn Jackson

Sep 13, 2009 · Articles · 4 minute read

Berczynski's "Life Is a Dream'

The depths of narcissism

In her latest one-woman exploration of narcissism, the gorgeous exhibitionist Aleksandra Berczynski engages in less complaining and more pondering about the unfortunate aspects of her existence.

Jim Rutter

Sep 13, 2009 · Articles · 4 minute read

"Edgar Allan Poe Comes Alive' at Fringe Festival

Poe as Rip Van Winkle

This year marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Edgar Allan Poe, and Scott Craig Jones is Poe reincarnated. Too bad he chose to bring Poe into the present, instead of taking the audience back into Poe's past.

Steve Cohen

Sep 08, 2009 · Articles · 2 minute read

Pig Iron's "Welcome to Yuba City!' At Live Arts Festival (2nd review)

Shooting fish in a barrel

Dexterous characterizations and vivid costumes make Welcome to Yuba City! the funniest show in this year's Live Arts/Fringe Festival. But most of its humor derives from poking derisive fun at exaggerated stereotypes.

Jim Rutter

Sep 08, 2009 · Articles · 4 minute read

Whit MacLaughlin's "Fatebook' at Live Arts Festival (1st review)

Actions and consequences in cyberspace

Whit MacLaughlin's Fatebook asks rhetorically: What actually happens in cyberspace? The answer eludes him, but in the process his 15-person troupe provides one of the most unique and immersive theatrical productions I've ever experienced.

Jim Rutter

Sep 08, 2009 · Articles · 4 minute read

Pig Iron's "Welcome to Yuba City!' at Live Arts Festival (1st review)

Way out West: A finely tuned ridiculousness

Pig Iron's Welcome to Yuba City! lampoons the absurdity of America's Western mythic culture while simultaneously displaying respect and affectionate empathy for its values— no easy feat in comic theater of this sort.

Jonathan M. Stein

Sep 08, 2009 · Articles · 4 minute read