Results tagged “philadelphiatheatre”

Warning: This whole review is basically a spoiler. Despite its infamy, there are apparently people out there who are still surprised by the "twist" at the end of M. Butterfly, currently being produced by the Philadelphia Theatre Company. These are the same people who are confused by Ru Paul. Please proceed with caution.

Fun around town, for $10 or less:

Philadelphia Theatre Workshop, as its name might suggest, is a local production company dedicated to new works of theatre. As such, the plays presented by PTW might sometimes seem a bit underdeveloped and in need of further workshopping before they're ready for the neon lights of Broadway. That's certainly the case with 50 West 50, PTW's current production. The show's plot, in a nutshell, loosely resembles the lyrics to J. Geils Band's classic "Love Stinks":...

The big news this morning in both the Daily News and the Inquirer is that two more Philadelphia police officers were shot last night "as they attempted to serve a warrant in a narcotics investigation in the city's Frankford section." This morning, a 16-year-old male has been arrested in connection with the shooting. The Inquirer has a bit of a preview of the major policy report PennPraxis will be unveiling tonight about the development...

Let me just start off by saying that there is a lot of talent onstage during Being Alive. Let me follow that up by saying all the talent in the world can't save a bad show. It's not bad, I think, because Sondheim is some kind of holy, un-adaptable composer, whose music should never, never, ever be taken out of context, as some have suggested. In fact, more than a few revues have been built...

If you ever look at our weekly theatre listings (and we hope you do!), you may have noticed that one local company has been conspicuously absent from the mix: the Philadelphia Theatre Company. They're starting their season off a little late this year so that the finishing touches can be made to their new home: the Suzanne Roberts Theatre on Broad and Lombard Streets.

us to write two papers on our historical figure of choice. I wasn't cheating the system or anything.)

, the fourth wall is broken. A few scenes later, it's broken again. I'd been okay with the dream sequences up to that point, but breaking the fourth wall felt obtrusive and out of place, especially this late in the game. And that's where the play would have lost me, if the material outside of these scenes had been weaker. Fortunately, playwright Kathy Anderson created a cast of thoroughly likable characters and a plot inventive and entertaining enough that I was able to ignore, if not forgive, the two clumsy addresses to the audience. Besides, this is a world premiere: there's still the possibility of improvement.

Nothing about talking about AIDS is pleasant. It's a disease that still has an enormous stigma attached to it, based largely on decades-old misunderstandings of what it is and who gets it. To me, it always seemed like an abstract concept well beyond my level of comprehension, like quantum physics. I knew it was out there, and I knew it was important, but I didn't feel qualified to weigh in on those rare occasions during which it came up.

We love the Philadelphia Theatre Alliance, even if we did go to auditions and never got cast in anything. (Seriously, there were like a hundred people in that room. Someone had to like us. Right?) But what we like about the Theatre Alliance is all the cool stuff that they come up with, when they want to get people more involved in the local arts community. Like the Philadelphia New Play Festival, which will feature full-length productions by nine Philly theatre companies, and twenty-eight unique theatre events, ranging from fully-mounted plays to readings of new works sponsored by Philadelphia Young Playwrights.

. I’ll wait.

(Gila Sand) (Future performances).

. It's a show that we know quite well and we felt that we were in a good position to be tough critics if that's what was required of us.

I need to begin this review by apologizing, profusely, to the cast and crew of . I've been burning the candle at both ends, and I may have dozed off for a few minutes at the beginning of the show. This was by no means a reflection on your abilities, but rather a reflection on the fact that I need to get more sleep.

This week’s quote comes from the musical . The players on a baseball team are singing that they aren’t the greatest players, but at least they play with heart. Unfortunately, we can relate. Now, on with the listings!

stuck in our heads all week. The featured quote is from the gluttonous Little Red Riding Hood. Now, on with the listings!

This week’s quote comes from the play , by John Guare. The character Ouisa is relating that it’s hard to intentionally avoid thinking of a topic – just like when someone tells you not to think of elephants, and all you can think of is "elephants, elephants, elephants!" Now, on with the listings!

Just because it’s Thanksgiving weekend and you’re going to be overdosing on tryptophan for the next few weeks (all those leftovers!), it doesn’t mean you can’t partake of the great Philadelphia Theatre scene!

Because we just can’t get enough culture in our lives, we’re happy to bring you this week’s events – now in Technicolor!

Shark lust! Victory-obsessed little league coaches! Meta theatre! The meaning of life! See what Philly’s got cookin’ on stage this week…

Not many new shows this week, but plenty to see nonetheless!

Another exciting week in Philadelphia theatre! We’re ready – are you?

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 naked? Here’s hoping for a revival); the Arden won Outstanding Production of a Musical for the darkly comic Sweeney Todd. Terry Nolan also picked up best direction for Sweeney. Maria Mileaf had a surprising win over Jim Christy, director of Take Me Out, for her direction of The Story, a tale of race and journalism at PTC. Jim probably wasn’t too miffed, though – he picked up a lifetime achievement award.

Lots of plays opening over the next ten days or so, folks. How many can you see before you go broke?

Continue reading "Frugal in Philly - Im Cabaret, au Cabaret, to Cabaret"

We’ll be back in Philadelphia tomorrow (after an extended stay with the folks in Texas), and we’ve certainly picked a good theatre weekend to return for!

We’re still Deep in the Heart of Texas, as it were, but our love for performing arts in Philadelphia knows no bounds. Keep reading for exciting upcoming events!