People’s Light presents Boo Killebrew’s Lettie

An awkward homecoming

Onstage at People’s Light, Boo Killebrew’s Lettie charts one woman’s bumpy road to re-entry after incarceration. Cameron Kelsall reviews.

Cameron Kelsall

Jun 22, 2023 · Reviews · 4 minute read

Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival presents Lin-Manuel Miranda’s In the Heights

A beautiful day in Little Dominican Republic

Lin-Manuel Miranda and Quiara Alegría Hudes’s In the Heights relies on the life of a neighborhood for its drama, and a smooth, sparkling production from Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival delivers. An Nichols reviews.

An Nichols

Jun 19, 2023 · Reviews · 4 minute read

Rhodessa Jones presents Once Upon a Time in a Place Called Now

Incarcerated women tell their story

The new show at Painted Bride offers a lens into a collection of stories women shared about their experiences being incarcerated, what common narratives all women share, and how they find their voice. David Block previews.

David Block

Jun 14, 2023 · Previews · 2 minute read

The Wilma Theater presents William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night

Really reimagined

The Wilma’s new Twelfth Night, from co-artistic director Yury Urnov, promises to “reimagine” Shakespeare (just like every theater company does). But this show has plenty to delight and surprise. Alaina Johns reviews.

Alaina Johns

Jun 12, 2023 · Reviews · 4 minute read

Tiny Dynamite presents Julia Izumi’s Meet Murasaki Shikibu Followed by Book Signing, and Other Things

Can one good book change the world?

Tiny Dynamite brings the legendary, yet little-known, 11th-century Japanese novelist Murasaki Shikibu to life, alongside a bookstore manager whose own work is closer to the author’s legacy than she knows. Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer reviews.

Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer

Jun 12, 2023 · Reviews · 4 minute read

InterAct Theatre Company presents Kareem Fahmy’s American Fast

Representing Ramadan

American Fast follows a women’s basketball player who struggles with representation, cultural traditions, legacy, and life in the public eye after announcing her Ramadan fast during the playoffs. Josh Herren reviews.

Josh Herren

Jun 12, 2023 · Reviews · 2 minute read

Two River Theater presents Nilo Cruz’s Two Sisters and a Piano

Out of tune

Playwright Nilo Cruz revisits Two Sisters and a Piano, a tale of passion and oppression in early-90s Havana, in a stagnant production at Two River Theater. Cameron Kelsall reviews.

Cameron Kelsall

Jun 12, 2023 · Reviews · 3 minute read

Ross Gay and Girard College present Be Holding

Poetry on breathing, basketball, and spectacle

Ross Gay’s libretto poem Be Holding connects an iconic basketball play from Dr. J with one of the most disturbing award-winning photographs in American history. Kyle V. Hiller reviews.

Kyle V. Hiller

Jun 06, 2023 · Reviews · 4 minute read

Kimmel Cultural Campus and the Schubert Organization present Beetlejuice

Not so strange and unusual

The national Broadway tour of Beetlejuice, the musical, stopping at the Academy of Music through Sunday, June 11, sands the dark edges off the original in favor of feel-good clichés. C.M. Crockford reviews.

C.M. Crockford

Jun 05, 2023 · Reviews · 3 minute read

Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival presents Henry IV, Part 2

The “Extreme Shakespeare” Henriad continues

Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival opens its 2023 season with Henry IV, Part 2, a joyous restaging that succeeds in ragtag style, despite a few dramatic missteps. Kiran Pandey reviews.

Kiran Pandey

Jun 05, 2023 · Reviews · 4 minute read