Once in a while, you'll hear the Philadelphia Theatre Company criticized for "playing it safe"—choosing plays or casting actors that will fill seats, and sacrificing quality in the process. I will neither agree nor disagree with that statement, but I will pose this question: if PTC always plays it safe, how can you explain The Happiness Lecture? The show, now in its final two weeks, can only be described as performance art. It's not laughable......

Waiting to hear award show results? They might not be the Oscars, but the Barrymore Awards, Philadelphia theatre’s answer to the Tonys, were announced last Monday. Both Philadelphia Theatre Company and the Arden did remarkably well this year, each scooping an Outstanding Production award. PTC won Outstanding Production of a Play for their touching rendition of Take Me Out, the Broadway smash about a gay baseball player’s coming out (and did we mention everyone gets......