Just in time for the the 200th birthday of the Walnut Street Theatre, the Walnut's Producing Artistic Director Bernard Havard and Managing Director Mark D. Sylvester have released a photo-history book in the popular Images of America series. The pair will be answering questions and signing copies of Walnut Street Theatre tonight at the Avenue of the Arts Borders location, beginning at 7PM. The event is free, and no reservations will be required.......

I have to be honest here for a minute: I was pretty pessimistic about The Walnut's production of Les Miserables, more or less from the second it was announced as the season closer. It wasn't lack of faith in The Walnut that led to my lack of optimism. Rather, it was a familiarity: nothing about Les Mis—not the music, not the costumes, not the set*—is easy, and bad productions are far too common. Not......

So, you got out there and voted. The results have come in and, although you may or may not be happy with the outcome, that's no reason to stay at home and pout. So here are a few things to consider doing after your workplace gab-fest regarding those results has concluded. SILK CITY PRESENTS: PAPAYERA GUAYAVERA CON JUAN(DERFUL) THE ONE We don't know what it means, either. But we know that it's supposed to......

Let's just get this out on the table: producing Neil Simon's The Odd Couple is playing it safe. It's not that I don't love the play—I do—but so does everybody else. (Except for, I don't know, maybe August Strindberg, but he's dead and he doesn't count. On the other hand, Neil Simon might quite enjoy Strindberg and Helium.) And so just putting the play up on your marquee or season brochure is more or less......

The Price is a play by Arthur Miller, which pretty much means it's about half an hour too long and a little dated, especially when you get to talking money (which, let's face it, most of his characters outside of The Crucible do). That being said, when you can embrace the fact that this is what you get from Arthur Miller, you have to admit that he's a helluva writer. There's a reason that his......

Back in Middle School, I was all about competing in speech tournaments. One of my favorite events? Readers' Theatre. One of the scripts that my middle school used for Readers' Theatre? Greater Tuna. Not in its entirety, of course. Readers' Theatre, according to the rules we went by at least, could only be ten minutes long. Also, it probably wouldn't do for a bunch of twelve-year-olds to talk about cross-dressing, animal poisoning, and philanderers. What......

What is there to say about Peter Pan that hasn't been said already? It's a fifty-three-year-old musical with a storied past (Veronica Lake even cut off her signature locks for the chance to play the title character) and familiar and memorable songs. The show is always staged the same way (in fairness, it kind of has to be), and so any differences from production-to-production occur in the set and the cast. The former, designed for......

"Well," my companion said to me as we left the Walnut on Friday night, "I don't think those women were domesticated." "No. No, they were not," I agreed. "In fact, I think they were positively feral." My companion didn't mean this as a bad thing, however. Domesticated, tamed women are boring. Which the women in Straw Flower Productions' The Domestication of Women definitely are not. Instead, the play (written by Straw Flower's Co-Artistic Director, Jackie......

Before you read this review, go read the plot summary for Valhalla. I’ll wait. Done? Good. Confused? Yeah, I figured you would be. I certainly was, too. But because I loved the last Philadelphia Theatre Workshop play I saw, and because as a child I was fascinated by King Ludwig II of Bavaria (and particularly enamored of Neuschwanstein, the inspiration for the Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland), and because, hell, I’m from Texas, I couldn’t......

Philadelphia does love its centennial celebrations. Here we are, still in the throes of the Franklin tricentennial madness, and we've decided to commemorate a bicentennial birthday, too! The 200th birthday in question in this case belongs to Edwin Forrest, famous Philadelphia actor and namesake of the Forrest Theatre. To mark this milestone anniversary of his birth, Mayor Street has declared today "Edwin Forrest Day." Forrest was sort of the Will Ferrel of the mid-19th century;......

This week’s quote comes from Shakespeare’s Richard III, act five, scene four. In this scene, the king’s horse has been killed in battle, and he’s so desperate to stop fighting on foot that he offers his kingdom for a horse. Full quote: “A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!” Why did we choose it? Because Shakespeare starts us of this week. Now, on with the listings! Love’s Fire - We at Phillyist are......

This week's quote comes from novelist Douglas Adams, in conjunction with the impending production of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galxay (see below). The quote continues: “At any rate, you live.” Now, on with the listings! Mission to Mercury - We have this friend who’s written two books of poetry dedicated to British rock band Queen. That’s how we learned that Queen was a big part of artsy culture and not just the band that......

This week's quote comes from something Stella Adler once said about theatre: “The word theatre comes from the Greeks. It means the seeing place. It is the place people come to see the truth about life and the social situation.” We don't think that needs much more explanation. Now, on with the listings! Prayers of Sherkin - We all know why the Shakers all but died out (Wikipedia tells us there are some left in......

The answer, of course, is applause. This week's quote comes from the musical Applause, a musical adaptation of All About Eve. In this scene, a group of gypsies relate how difficult their lives are, but say the payoff is in the applause. We're sure the actors in the productions below would agree. Now, on with the listings! The Boys - One more world premiere for Philadelphia theatre – this one a family drama. January 28-February......

We’ve had Into the Woods stuck in our heads all week. The featured quote is from the gluttonous Little Red Riding Hood. Now, on with the listings! Psychopathia Sexualis - Fetishes and analysts and egos, oh my! At the Allens Lane Art Center, January 20-February 4. Reservations can be made online. American Sublime - Things in America aren’t always as they seem. Especially in families affected by 9/11. January 20-February 19. For more information, call......

This week’s quote comes from the play Six Degrees of Separation, 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! Ben Franklin: Unplugged - The city is going crazy because it’s Ben Franklin’s tercentennial, but we guarantee this will......

Here it is, a week late, a lyric from the actual song “White Christmas.” (We never did get our shopping done, though. This year we’re celebrating Chanukah, for convenience.) Now, on with the listings! Gentlemen Volunteers - World War I seems an unlikely play setting, but when has Pig Iron ever said no to a challenging topic? The play is being produced at the Drexel Armory, January 4-22. Tickets are available through Smarttix. Collected Stories......

Because we just can’t get enough culture in our lives, we’re happy to bring you this week’s events – now in Technicolor! Shakespeare in Hollywood - You’ve seen Shakespeare adapted for Hollywood. But what about Shakespeare adapted for Hollywood adapted for the stage – with a twist? At the Wilma, November 23-December 31. Tickets available online. Seussical - Feeling nostalgic? Howsabout a little Dr. Seuss – set to music – to make you feel like......

Shark lust! Victory-obsessed little league coaches! Meta theatre! The meaning of life! See what Philly’s got cookin’ on stage this week… Moon Over Buffalo - Nothing we like better in a play than a play within a play. Meta is the new black, you know. Playing at the Bristol Riverside Theatre November 15-December 4. Ticket information is available on the production website. Alarms & Excursions - Answers to life’s big questions by the author of......

A new month means plenty of new theatre in the area. See below for the great shows going up this week! Coyote on a Fence - Capital punishment is a hot topic these days. Everyone’s got an opinion. This play, by local playwright Bruce Graham, concerns two death row inmates, will be presented by The Stagecrafters from November 11-26. For tickets and information, see the production website. Disney’s Beauty and the Beast - These days,......

Phillyist will be talking a lot about the Philadelphia Live Arts and Philadelphia Fringe Festivals over the next coming weeks, and if we tried to give each of those plays an individual listing, you’d be reading this until one week from next Tuesday. Instead, we just want to tell you about some of the other great theatrical goings-on around the city. Stay tuned for Fringe coverage starting tomorrow. The Belle of Amherst - If you’re......

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! Macbeth - We all read it in high school, and we probably remember it at least a little, so we’ll spare you the trouble of reading our summary and just let you check out the Curio Theatre Company’s production of “The Scottish Play.” The play opens this weekend and......

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! Hairspray - Those of us who are fans of the Fox summer hit So You Think You Can Dance have heard the producers say on more than one occasion that they’d like to be able to say that big girls can dance. Hairspray proves that at least......

It’s a quiet week in Philly Theater, as local companies wind down their seasons in preparation for the 2005/2006 seasons set to begin, for the most part, in September. Here’s what Phillyist could find: West Side Story - The Bernstein/Sondheim/Laurents vehicle that’s been bringing audiences to tears since 1958 is coming to the close of its run at the Walnut Street Theatre. It’s Romeo and Juliet with singing and dancing; a perennial favorite. July 6,......