Arden Theatre Company presents The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

Not a winner

At the Arden, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee lingers on cheap jokes at the expense of adolescent self-discovery. Cameron Kelsall reviews.

Cameron Kelsall

Jun 02, 2023 · Reviews · 3 minute read

Act II Playhouse presents Michael Stewart and Jerry Herman’s Hello, Dolly!

A smaller Dolly

Act II Playhouse produces the brassy Hello, Dolly! with top-notch local talent, but does the big show suit a small venue? Josh Herren reviews.

Josh Herren

May 30, 2023 · Reviews · 2 minute read

Lantern Theater Company presents Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night

Present mirth and present laughter

Lantern Theater Company offers a delightfully comic and effortlessly romantic new production of Twelfth Night to close its season. Cameron Kelsall reviews.

Cameron Kelsall

May 26, 2023 · Reviews · 4 minute read

Hedgerow Theatre presents Juliette Dunn’s The Puzzle

Portraying the lives of non-speaking people

Hedgerow marks its 100th season with the world premiere of Juliette Dunn’s The Puzzle, which reveals complex inner worlds for all of us, whether or not we communicate by speaking. Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer reviews.

Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer

May 23, 2023 · Reviews · 5 minute read

Bristol Riverside Theatre presents Douglas Lyons’s Chicken & Biscuits

Nothing new at the family funeral

Chicken & Biscuits at Bristol Riverside Theatre gathers common tropes of the family funeral genre, but its performances and design meld comedy and drama for a fun family night. An Nichols reviews.

An Nichols

May 22, 2023 · Reviews · 3 minute read

McCarter Theatre presents Pearl Cleage’s Blues for an Alabama Sky

What do we lose, when our folks “escape?"

Josephine Baker presides in spirit over McCarter’s new production of Blues for an Alabama Sky, in which friends in a 1930s Harlem tenement ask what we gain and lose when we stay or leave. Jeannine Cook reviews.

Jeannine A. Cook

May 16, 2023 · Reviews · 3 minute read

Philadelphia Artists’ Collective presents Jane Eyre

Revealing Jane’s inner life

Jane Eyre gets a new stage treatment in this ambitious adaptation of Charlotte Brontë’s classic novel, which showcases the inner life of the passionate and principled governess. Alaina Johns reviews.

Alaina Johns

May 15, 2023 · Reviews · 4 minute read

Theatre Horizon presents Charly Evon Simpson’s sandblasted

The truth about Black women’s lives

In the regional premiere of sandblasted at Theatre Horizon, Black women in a desert landscape are trying to survive in a world that is literally making their bodies fall apart. Krista Mar reviews.

Krista Mar

May 15, 2023 · Reviews · 3 minute read

Quintessence Theatre Group and New Classics Collective present Written by Phillis

Bringing Wheatley’s words to life

Quintessence marks new ground with a world-premiere production in collaboration with Chicago’s New Classics Collective, examining the life of Phillis Wheatley, an enslaved poet who gained worldwide fame in the 18th century. Josh Herren reviews.

Josh Herren

May 15, 2023 · Reviews · 3 minute read

Azuka Theatre presents Christine Evans’s Galilee

Walking on water

Azuka Theatre presents the world premiere of Christine Evans’s Galilee, which brings a personal dimension to the threat of climate change. Cameron Kelsall reviews.

Cameron Kelsall

May 08, 2023 · Reviews · 3 minute read