Light the Lights: This Week in Philadelphia Theatre

Even while on vacation in Texas, we’re still keeping track of what’s going on in Philadelphia’s Theatre Scene. Read on!

The Marriage Play - The Triangle Theater brings you a very limited run of this Edward Albee play before it continues on to the Deertrees Theatre in Maine. Performances will be August 17-20 at 8 PM. Tickets are $20, or $15 for seniors and students with valid IDs, and can be purchased over the phone at 215.463.0110 or reserved by e-mailing tickets@triangletheater.com. The Triangle Theater is located at 1220 N. Lawrence Street in Philadelphia.

Grease - For those of you who’ve never seen the play or the movie, we’d like to quickly summarize Grease for you: it’s a heartwarming story of a bad boy who falls in love with a good girl who is willing to become a bad girl to keep the heart of the bad boy. Songs include the perennial karaoke favorites “Summer Lovin’” and “You’re the One That I Want.” The show runs at the Lenape Regional Performing Arts Center, August 20-September 11. For more information or for a show schedule, check out the Lenape website.

The Laramie Project - In October of 1998, Matthew Shepard was found tied to a fence in Laramie, Wyoming. He was badly beaten and left for dead. After Shepard’s death, it became obvious that he was the victim of a hate crime; his accused killers claim that Shepard had hit on them in a har on the night of his attack. Moises Kaufman and the members of the Tectonic Theatre Project spent two years performing interviews in Laramie after the 1998 incident, and The Laramie Project resulted. Theatre Horizon will be presenting this play at Upper Merion High School August 11, 12, and 13 at 7:30 PM. Tickets are $10. For more information, see the Theatre Horizon website or call them at 610.209.1897.

Stop Kiss - The non-linear narrative of Diana Son’s play makes the consequences of a simple action all the more shocking. The Simpatico Theatre Project, which is producing Stop Kiss is one of the new kids in the Philadelphia Theatre scene, and they bring you this play as part of their effort to promote positive social change. The play will run at the Playground at the Adrienne Theatre, 2030 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, August 11, 12, 18, 19, 24, 25 and 26 at 8 PM and August 13, 20 at 3 PM. Tickets are $10. For more information or to reserve tickets, call 215-423-0254 or email tickets@simpaticotheatre.org.

Jack and the Beanstalk - The Mum Puppettheatre’s shadow puppet presentation of the well-known tale is recommended for kids of all ages. August 13, 20, 27 at noon, August 14, 21, 28 at 2 PM and 4 PM. Tickets are $15. For more information, visit the Mum’s website, or call 215.925.8686. The Mum Puppettheatre is located at Front and Arch Streets in Old City.

Broadway Showstoppers II - For those of you who love good old-fashioned showtunes, look no further than the Bristol River Theatre. The show closes this weekend. For ticket information and showtime, see their website.

Twelfth Night - Twelfth Night is a romantic comedy in drag. If you've seen the end of Shakespeare in Love, you're already familiar with the beginning of this. Tickets are free and available one hour before the show on a first come, first served basis. Show runs through August 14. The Philadelphia Shakespeare Festival is located at 2111 Sansom Street in Philadelphia.

Move Over Mrs. Markam - A British bedroom farce by Ray Cooney. And really, who doesn’t like bedrooms? Or farces? The run has just been extended to August 28 for those of you who didn’t catch it the first time around. For more information, or for performance dates and times, see the production website at or call 610.565.411. The Hedgerow Theatre is located in Media, at 64 Rose Valley Road.

Menopause: The Musical - The name says it all, doesn’t it? Shows at the Society Hill Playhouse, Tuesday through Saturday at 8 PM, Saturday and Sunday at 2 PM, and 5:30 PM on Sunday. Tickets are $45. Call 215.923.0210 for reservations. The Society Hill Playhouse is located at 507 South 8th Street in Philadelphia.

Tony and Tina’s Wedding - Think My Big Fat Greek Wedding, only they’re Italian and you’re invited. Tickets include wedding buffet and post-show dancing. July 29, August 12, 14, 19, 20, 21, 26, 28, on board the Spirit of Philadelphia at Penn’s Landing. $79 plus handling fee. For information, visit them on the web.

If you’ve got a theater listing in the Philadelphia area, let us know! Also feel absolutely free to post other listings on the comments page!