The BSR Weekly Arts and Culture Roundup, April 18-24, 2024
Sketching Splendor, WANDERING, printPHILLY, and World Circus Day
A week full of curiosity, courtesy of American Philosophical Society, Studio 34, Philly School of Circus Arts and more. Kyle V. Hiller rounds up.
Previews
3 minute read
Quintessence director Alex Burns addresses community concerns about his “all-male” Shakespeare productions
“When does the community get to abort someone else’s creative impulse?”
When Quintessence artistic director Alex Burns announced plans for his latest all-male Shakespeare production, he struck a nerve with the local theater community. He talks with Alaina Johns in defense of his vision.
Editorials
9 minute read
PHILADANCO! presents Roots and Reflections
A vivid history of late 20th-century Black choreography
With its spring program, Roots and Reflections, PHILADANCO! drew on popular works from past decades to prove that the vivid history of Black choreography still speaks to us today. Camille Bacon-Smith reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read
BSR Classical Interludes, April 19-May 3, 2024
Music for the Earth, Madame Butterfly, and a heavenly harp
More music for April and early May, including performances by Delaware Symphony, Opera Philadelphia, Mendelssohn Chorus, and more. Gail Obenreder previews.
Previews
4 minute read
SpringFest 2024 presents In a Violent Nature, The Idea of You, and I Saw the TV Glow
Honoring the cinematic legacy of the 1990s
The Philadelphia Film Society’s annual Springfest brings popular films from Sundance and other festivals to town. This year, three prominent films paid homage to the cinematic legacy of the 1990s. Stephen Silver reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read
The Museum for Art in Wood presents To Understand a Tree
Our arboreal family
A new exhibition by woodworker and interdisciplinary artist Gina Siepel at the Museum for Art in Wood asks what happens when we regard trees as “you” rather than “it”. Anndee Hochman reviews.
Reviews
5 minute read
Resident Ensemble Players presents Ira Levin’s Deathtrap
Well-deserved screams for the stage
Both movie and live theater audiences love thrillers, so why are frightening plays relatively rare? The University of Delaware’s Resident Ensemble Players delivers with a scary new production of Ira Levin’s Deathtrap. Gail Obenreder reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read
Delaware Art Museum presents There is a Woman in Every Color: Black Women in Art
A better picture of Black women in American history
Current representations of Black women in American history are improving, and a traveling exhibition now at Delaware Art Museum is a welcome addition to the trend. An Nichols reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read
Vox Populi Gallery presents Victor Vieira-Branco’s World Again
Curating surprise with improvised music
In 2023, Victor Vieira-Branco began presenting World Again, a monthly series for improvised music in the black box at Vox Populi Gallery. The music sounds a bit like jazz, a bit classical, but with more surprises. Thomas Hagen profiles.
Profiles
3 minute read
Delaware Art Museum presents In Focus
Where women photographers wield intimate power
In a small gallery away from its usual bustle, Delaware Art Museum presents In Focus, a gathering of powerful works by women photographers featured from the museum collection. Gail Obenreder reviews.
Reviews
3 minute read
InterAct Theatre Company presents Deborah Zoe Laufer’s The Last Yiddish Speaker
Imagining life for Jews after a successful insurrection
Deborah Zoe Laufer’s The Last Yiddish Speaker, getting its world premiere at InterAct, offers a striking glimpse into the specificity of Jewish generational trauma, but it needs something more. Josh Herren reviews.
Reviews
3 minute read
Plays and Players presents Edward Albee’s The Zoo Story
Paper tiger
Plays and Players presents Edward Albee’s The Zoo Story, in a flat restaging that fails to capture the play’s primal power. Kiran Pandey reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read
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The BSR Podcast, Season 8, episode 4: Talking Philly Theatre Week 2024 with Sabriaya Shipley
Celebrating seven years of Philly's spring theater festival
Podcast host Darnelle Radford sits down with Theatre Philadelphia executive director Sabriaya Shipley to talk all things Philly Theatre Week 2024, and the issues facing our modern arts scene.
Podcast
1 minute read
The BSR Weekly Arts and Culture Roundup, April 11-17, 2024
Spring Fest, Difficult Grace, and the annual Freedom Seder
Philadelphia Film Society hosts a selection of Philly premieres, Piffaro’s Recorder Fest returns, an evening of cabaret at Rittenhouse, and Freedom Seder invites everyone to dinner. Kyle V. Hiller rounds up.
Previews
3 minute read
Marie Curie's Radiant Ball at the Mütter Museum
Fancy, jazzy science
The Mütter Museum is inviting Philladelphians to put on their best scientific chic to celebrate Marie Curie’s legacy. Crystal Sparrow previews.
Previews
2 minute read
The Wilma Theater presents Bertolt Brecht's The Good Person of Setzuan
Reversing Orientalist tropes
Kindhearted Shen Te invents a ruthless businessman alter-ego when her generosity overtakes her wallet in The Good Person of Setzuan, presented in this “radically reclaimed” production at the Wilma centering Asian artists. Mina Reinckens reviews.
Reviews
3 minute read
Gary W. Jeter II presents Filaments
A Philly dancer becomes a choreographer of note
Philadelphia dancer and choreographer Gary W. Jeter II presents Filaments, a work exploring connections between humans and the structure of the universe. Melissa Strong reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read
The BSR Weekly Arts and Culture Roundup, April 4-10, 2024
Picks for Philly Theatre Week 2024
The seventh annual Philly Theatre Week is back, and here’s what’s on our radar. Kyle V. Hiller rounds up.
Previews
3 minute read
E.J. Simpson presents Jesus Christ Superstar
Rising through tradition
An 18 year tradition rises differently this time around, as local musician E.J. Simpson prepares to perform their solo rendition of Jesus Christ Superstar. David Block previews.
Previews
3 minute read
BSR Classical Interludes, April 6-14, 2024
Rarefied Airs, (In)Mortality, music of Steve Reich, and more
Gail Obenreder rounds up the first part of April’s classical music events happening in and around the city.
Previews
3 minute read
Philadelphia Orchestra presents Orchestra After 5: Haydn and Mozart
A Haydn happy hour
The Philadelphia Orchestra experiments with a new, casual concert format in its Orchestra After 5 series. Cameron Kelsall previews their latest event.
Previews
3 minute read
Roger Lee Dance Company presents Galaxy
Turning outer space into a family affair
Roger Lee Dance Company presents Galaxy, a timely new family-friendly performance inspired by the Milky Way. Melissa Strong reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read