'Peter Pan' at the Walnut

Peter Pan is largely irrelevant today, when adults have more fun than kids. And the Walnut Street Theatre’s revival of the 1954 musical adaptation makes no effort to pretend otherwise. Consequently there’s just one element missing from this otherwise enjoyable production: drama.

Peter Pan. Music by Mark Charlap; lyrics by Carolyn Leish; based on the play by James M. Barrie. Through January 6, 2008 at Walnut Street Theatre, 825 Walnut St., (215) 574-3550

Dan Rottenberg

Nov 17, 2007 · Articles · 2 minute read

"Mother Courage' at Villanova (1st review)

Bertolt Brecht’s Mother Courage is the right play at the right time as we face our own incipient Thirty Years’ War in the Middle East, and Villanova’s production gives a credible account of the play’s astringent honesty as well as its epic power.

Mother Courage and Her Children. By Bertolt Brecht; directed by Shawn Kairschner. Villanova Theatre production November 13-18 and November 27-December 2, 2007 at Vasey Theatre, Villanova U. (

Robert Zaller

Nov 17, 2007 · Articles · 5 minute read

"Mother Courage' at Villanova (2nd review)

Brecht may have been the 20th Century’s most influential and original playwright. But in the 21st his relevance has largely faded, especially for American audiences. Of course war is a bad thing. But what else is new?

Mother Courage and Her Children. By Bertolt Brecht; directed by Shawn Kairschner. Villanova Theatre production November 13-18 and November 27-December 2, 2007 at Vasey Theatre, Villanova U. (610) 519-7474 or

Jim Rutter

Nov 17, 2007 · Articles · 3 minute read

"Molly Sweeney' at Amaryllis (2nd review)

Amaryllis Theatre’s production presents a stellar cast whose near-mesmerizing performances never falter. But sadly, Brian Friel’s play reduces the extraordinary struggle of a formerly blind woman to the common fear experienced by every kindergarten student who resists leaving home for his first day of school.

Molly Sweeney. Drama by Brian Friel; directed by Tom Reing. Amaryllis Theatre Co. production through Nov. 18, 2007 at the Playground at the Adrienne, 2030

Jim Rutter

Nov 13, 2007 · Articles · 6 minute read

"Being Alive' at PTC (1st review)

Billy Porter has created a serious amalgam of Shakespearean text, Sondheim songs and soul ambience, chronicling a man’s journey from birth to death. It is a major theatrical achievement, although not without some flaws.

Being Alive. Musical conceived and directed by Billy Porter; music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Philadelphia Theatre Co. production through December 2, 2007 at Suzanne Roberts Theatre, Broad and Lombard Sts. (215) 985-1400 or

Steve Cohen

Nov 03, 2007 · Articles · 4 minute read

'Being Alive' at PTC (2nd review)

As a thesis for a master’s degree in theater arts, Being Alive is downright brilliant. But as an evening of theater it’s excruciating to sit through.

Being Alive. Musical conceived and directed by Billy Porter; music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Philadelphia Theatre Co. production through December 2, 2007 at Suzanne Roberts Theatre, Broad and Lombard Sts. (215) 985-1400 or www.philad

Dan Rottenberg

Nov 03, 2007 · Articles · 2 minute read

"Molly Sweeney' by Amaryllis Theatre (1st revi

So why should anybody want to go see a play about a blind woman who gains her sight and loses her mind? Because it’s by that wonderful Irish playwright Brian Friel and includes three of his most delightful creations.

Molly Sweeney. Drama by Brian Friel; directed by Tom Reing. Amaryllis Theatre Co. production through Nov. 18, 2007 at the Playground at the Adrienne, 2030 Sansom St. 215-564-2431 or www

Armen Pandola

Nov 03, 2007 · Articles · 6 minute read

InterAct Theatre's "Last of the Boys'

Two Vietnam veterans meet each summer to review their messed up lives. But the war itself seems to have nothing to do with their respective psychological messes. InterAct Theatre’s capable production can’t redeem this fatal flaw in Steven Dietz’s script.

Last of the Boys. Drama by Steven Dietz; directed by Paul Meshejian. Through November 18, 2007 at InterAct Theatre Co., 2030 Sansom St. (215) 568-8077 or

Jim Rutter

Oct 30, 2007 · Articles · 4 minute read

"An Empty Plate' at the Arden (2nd review)

This feast of a script deserves a more cohesive production than it receives from the Arden. Such a colorful smorgasbord requires a quiet, unifying presentation.

An Empty Plate in the Café du Grand Boeuf. By Michael Hollinger; directed by Whit MacLaughlin. Through December 9, 2007 at Arden Theater, 40 N. Second St. (212) 922-1122 or www.ardentheatre.org.

Steve Cohen

Oct 22, 2007 · Articles · 2 minute read

"A Night in the Old Marketplace' at the Prince

This Russian-Jewish klezmer musical is an endeavor that I’d love to love. Preserving the literature of an earlier age is a worthy project; so is teaching cultural history to a new generation. But the finished product and muddled plot frustrated me.

A Night in the Old Marketplace. Book & lyrics by Glen Berger, based on I.L. Peretz's 1906 Yiddish drama Bay Nakht Oyfn Altn Mark; music by Frank London. Conceived and directed by Alexandra Aron. Sept. 28-Oct. 21

Steve Cohen

Oct 22, 2007 · Articles · 3 minute read