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Kelly George is a doctoral candidate at Temple University’s program in Mass Media and Communication. She teaches courses in Public Speaking, Media & Society, and Communication & Pubic Life. Her current research examines controversies surrounding the emergence of disability history into the pubic consciousness.
More articles by Kelly George, newest first
| Bruce Graham’s ‘Outgoing Tide,’ by PTC (2nd comment) |
April 28 2012 |
Bruce Graham’s The Outgoing Tide buys into a widespread assumption: that people with Alzheimer’s disease are better off dead. How and where can a dissenting theatergoer voice her objection?
The Outgoing Tide. By Bruce Graham; James J. Christy directed. Philadelphia Theatre Company production closed April 22, 2012 at Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 S. Broad St. (at Lombard). (215) 985-0420 or philadelphiatheatrecompany.org.
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Tom Goodman was born in Baltimore, Md., in 1948. After graduating from Wesleyan University in 1969 with honors in art, he received an MFA from the University of New Mexico in 1974.
In 1975 he was hired by the University of Texas at San Antonio to develop the photography program. Three years later he moved to Philadelphia to teach at the University of the Arts (then the Philadelphia College of Art). He also taught history of Art at the Curtis Institute of Music and during this period he began Tom Goodman Inc., an agency representing photographers and digital illustrators for commercial assignments.
In 2007 Goodman began photographing again for the first time in nearly 25 years, and in 2009 dissolved his corporation to devote himself full-time to photography.
Visit his website at www.tomgoodman.com.
More articles by Tom Goodman, newest first
| Zoe Strauss photos at the Art Museum (2nd review) |
March 20 2012 |
When the media hype surrounding the Art Museum’s “Zoe Strauss: Ten Years” finally subsides, maybe someone will ask the relevant question: Just how important is this proletarian photographer's work artistically?
“Zoe Strauss: Ten Years.” Through April 22, 2012 at Philadelphia Museum of Art, Benj. Franklin Pkwy. and 26th St. (215) 763-8100 or www.philamuseum.org.
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V Chapman-Smith is regional liaison in the Office of the Chief Operations Officer, National Archives at Philadelphia, an operation within the National Archives’ nationwide network that includes regional archives and Presidential Libraries. Chapman-Smith has worked locally in support of efforts to document and expand the Philadelphia region’s knowledge and commemoration of the nation’s civil right heritage.
More articles by V Chapman Smith, newest first
| Henry Tanner’s civil rights roots |
January 28 2012 |
With his retrospective at the Pennsylvania Academy Henry Ossawa Tanner is belatedly receiving his due as an artist. But the forces that shaped him— a family that fought courageously for racial justice— deserve to be acknowledged as well.
“Henry Ossawa Tanner: Modern Spirit.” Through April 15, 2012 at Hamilton Hall, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, 128 N. Broad St. (at Cherry). (215) 972-7625 or www.pafa.org.
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Martin Beck Matuštík is Lincoln Professor of Ethics and Religion and co-director of Center for Critical Theory and Cultural Studies at Arizona State University. He joined Arizona State’s New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences in Fall 2008.
After earning his Ph. D. from Fordham University in 1991, he was on the faculty in the Department of Philosophy at Purdue University.
Matuštík has published six single-author books, edited two collections, and co-edited New Critical Theory, a series from Rowman and Littlefield Publishers. Among his publications are Postnational Identity: Critical Theory and Existential Philosophy in Habermas, Kierkegaard, and Havel (1993); Specters of Liberation: Great Refusals in the New World Order (1998); Jurgen Habermas: A Philosophical-Political Profile (2001); and Kierkegaard in Post/Modernity (1995), co-edited with Merold Westphal. His most recent book is Radical Evil and the Scarcity of Hope: Postsecular Meditations (2008).
More articles by Martin Beck Matustik, newest first
| Vaclav Havel's legacy (1st commentary) |
December 25 2011 |
Who was the late Czech playwright/politician Vaclav Havel, and what was he trying to tell us? His message is both singular and universal: We have our leaving, our coming, our being and dying; we are in part witnesses, actors, and dramaturges.
Leaving. By Vaclav Havel; directed by Jiri Zizka. Performed in June 2010 at Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St. (at Spruce). 215-546-7824 or www.WilmaTheater.org.
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Miriam Lewin worked for the Opera Company of Philadelphia in the 1980s, and now produces documentary television and radio programs in New York. Visit her website at www.lavinegroup.com.
Her most recent project is the “Song of America” radio series with Thomas Hampson. For more information, click here.
More articles by Miriam Lewin, newest first
| Julian Rodescu: A life in the arts |
November 01 2011 |
My late friend Julian Rodescu was a cellist who became an opera singer, a teacher who became an impresario, a Romanian who became an American, and a New Yorker who became a devoted Philadelphian. His talent opened doors for him, but so did his willingness to try new things and push new limits.
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Known as an extremely versatile musician, Karl Middleman is familiar to classical music audiences as a conductor of many orchestras and choirs. The Suddeutsche Zeitung in Munich acclaimed Karl Middleman’s conducting as “resolute and impressive.” “Energetic, vivid, and hugely satisfying,” praised the Turkish Times.
A career educator, he has served on the faculties of Arcadia University, Cabrini, Philadelphia and Montgomery County Community Colleges. Currently he teaches at Temple University.
Recently he served as Arts Advocate and Trainer for the ‘Classroom Arts Project’ of Partners in Distance Learning, as well as Scholar in Known as an extremely versatile musician, Karl Middleman is familiar to classical music audiences as a conductor of many orchestras and choirs. The Suddeutsche Zeitung in Munich acclaimed Karl Middleman’s conducting as “resolute and impressive.” “Energetic, vivid, and hugely satisfying,” praised the Turkish Times.
A career educator, he has served on the faculties of Arcadia University, Cabrini, Philadelphia and Montgomery County Community Colleges. Currently he teaches at Temple University. Recently he served as Arts Advocate and Trainer for the ‘Classroom Arts Project’ of Partners in Distance Learning, as well as Scholar in Residence for the South Jersey and Philadelphia Jewish Community Centers. Currently he is a Commonwealth Speaker for the Pennsylvania Humanities Council. His “Dvorak in America,” TV program for PHC will be broadcast on Pennsylvania Cable Network in December 2011.
He is a regular workshop leader for Pendle Hill Retreat Center, where he teaches courses on music and aesthetics.
In 1994 Middleman initiated a series of legendary concerts with the Philadelphia Classical Symphony, mixing scholarship with showmanship. Middleman’s thematic concerts with that ensemble are noted for their spirited intellectual inquiry and for the bold, revelatory ways they reframe the essential classical music experience for seasoned as well as novice listeners.
He is a recipient of many awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Pew Center for Arts and Heritage and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. His artistry has been recently cited in 19th-Century Music and Philadelphia Magazine, from which his work with the Classical Symphony was twice awarded “Best of Philly.”
More articles by Karl Middleman, newest first
| Lessons for Philadelphia from the Bard Music Festival |
September 13 2011 |
Thousands of visitors flock to Bard College every August for Bard’s famous summer music festival. What’s the big draw, and what lessons can Philadelphians learn from Bard’s success? The real attraction is the promise of intellectual discovery.
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George Wilhelm is a graduate of Temple University with a bachelor’s degree in geography and urban studies. Visit his blog at lowbuck.blogspot.com.
More articles by George Wilhelm, newest first
| Our debt to Frank Furness |
August 23 2011 |
Many of Frank Furness’s quirky Victorian buildings have vanished, like the Victorian age itself. But his benign influence persists in the life of great American cities, especially Philadelphia.
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Jake Blumgart is a reporter and researcher who lives in West Philadelphia. His work has been published by The Stranger, The American Prospect, Alternet, and the Philadelphia Inquirer. Follow him on Twitter.
More articles by Jake Blumgart, newest first
| Drew Goddard’s ‘Cabin in the Woods’ |
April 24 2012 |
At last: A horror film that asks its audience, “Why are you paying to see young people being butchered?”
The Cabin in the Woods. A film directed by Drew Goddard. For Philadelphia area show times, click here.
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| 'The Grey’: Man against nature |
February 14 2012 |
Stop searching for deeper meanings and just give yourself over to this surprisingly affecting film about seven oil grunts fist-fighting wolves for survival in the frozen north.
The Grey. A film directed by Joe Carnahan. For Philadelphia area show times, click here.
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| ‘Inventing Our Lives’ and the kibbutz movement |
February 07 2012 |
Israel’s struggling kibbutz movement, once a utopian communal ideal of the left, is struggling for survival today. But with a little imagination and flexibility, it could provide a potent counterweight to Israel’s increasingly violent right-wing settler movement.
Inventing Our Lives: The Kibbutz Experiment. A documentary film directed by Toby Perl Freilich. Screened January 30, 2012 at Philadelphia Jewish Film Festival, various locations in Philadelphia. (215) 545-4400 or www.gershmany.org/pjff.php.
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| ‘Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy’ (3rd review) |
January 10 2012 |
The misunderstood Tinker, Tailor is certainly a tale of a stagnant elite obsessed by its declining international prestige. But it’s also about the toll of a profession that we spy fans— and spies themselves— try to imbue with a glamour that quickly turns to dross in the sunlight.
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. A film directed by Tomas Alfredson, from the novel by John Le Carré. At the Ritz East, 125 S. Second Street, (215) 925-7900. For Philadelphia area show times, click here.
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| Lars von Trier’s ‘Melancholia’ (1st review) |
December 12 2011 |
Unlike most films about the end of the world, Lars von Trier’s haunting and disturbing Melancholia provides a much more oppressively vivid sense of what the apocalypse might actually feel like.
Melancholia. A film directed by Lars von Trier. For Philadelphia area show times, click here.
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| George Clooney’s ‘Ides of March’ (1st review) |
October 15 2011 |
Power corrupts? Politicians must compromise? Interns put out? What else is new? George Clooney’s purportedly very serious film about an American presidential election is in fact clueless about how politics really work.
The Ides of March. A film directed by George Clooney. At Ritz 5, 220 Walnut St. (215) 925-7901 and other Philadelphia area theaters. For Philadelphia area show times, click here.
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| ‘Drive’: Beyond casual violence |
September 20 2011 |
The hero of Nicholas Winding Refn’s Drive is a psychopath, but we don’t discover that until we’ve grown to empathize with him. That’s what sets it above the usual run of gangster/action films.
Drive. A film directed by Nicholas Winding Refn. At University City 6, 230 South 40th St. (215) 386-0869 or movies.eventful.com.
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| Rowan Joffé’s remake of ‘Brighton Rock’ |
September 10 2011 |
Graham Greene’s chilling 1938 novel, Brighton Rock, hinges on the passionate Catholicism of a cruelly violent teen gangster and his easily manipulated girlfriend. Without that powerful religious underpinning, the new film adaptation doesn’t make much sense.
Brighton Rock. A film by Rowan Joffé, from the novel by Graham Greene. Opens September 16, 2011 at Ritz Five, 214 Walnut St., (215) 925-7900 or www.facebook.com.
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| Michael McDonagh’s ‘The Guard’ |
August 16 2011 |
The Guard pumps new comic life into a worn-out genre: the buddy cop flick. Not the least of its joys is Brendan Gleeson’s turn as a shambling, shabby, happily corrupted bear of an Irish policeman who seems blissfully devoid of the Freudian hang-ups that plague most movie rogue cops.
The Guard. A film written and directed by John Michael McDonagh. At Ritz 5, 220 Walnut St. (215) 925-7900; also Ritz Center, 900 Haddonfield-Berlin Rd., Voorhees, N.J. (856) 783-2726. For show times, click here.
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I grew up in Detroit, was schooled in Vermont, and soon after arriving in Philadelphia (1972) co-founded the Bicycle Coalition. I’ve lived in the Republic of Powelton ever since, and am currently president of Save Our Sites (a preservation group). I recently restarted the White Dog Cafe’s Tuesday “table talks” programs.
More articles by John Dowlin, newest first
| Paul Hendrickson’s Hemingway |
November 29 2011 |
Paul Hendrickson has stalked Hemingway the way I once stalked e.e. commings. The lesson: Don’t be shy. If someone has written a poem or a book that means a lot to you, reach out.
Hemingway’s Boat; Everything He Loved in Life and Lost, 1934-1961. By Paul Hendrickson. Knopf, 2011. 544 pages; $30. www.amazon.com.
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| Eight questions about the Civil War |
August 14 2011 |
As we commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, some questions are seldom if ever asked. For example: Was the bloodiest war in U.S. history really necessary?
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Clarence Faulcon is the former chairman of the Music Department at Morgan State University. He was also assistant conductor of the Philadelphia Concert Orchestra in 1955-56. For many years he performed with his wife as a two-piano team and as accompanist to her soprano.
Resumé
B.S. and M.S. in Music Education, University of Pennsylvania
Mus.D in Musicology, Philadelphia Conservatory of Music (now The University of The Arts). Thesis: “A History of Musical Firsts in Pennsylvania Before 1850”
Former Chairperson of Music, Cazenovia College and Morgan State University.
Lecturer: “The World of Music.
Accompanist for soprano Dr. Jacqueline Faulcon for the International Biographical Centre Arts and Communications Congress
Held at Cambridge University and Oxford University, Europe, Australia, Singapore, Africa, and United States.
Consultant in the arts; helped the State Library System of Delaware win a Gates Foundation Grant.
Member of the Musical Fund Society
More articles by Clarence Faulcon, newest first
| Back to the future: Youth and the Orchestra |
May 05 2012 |
As the Philadelphia Orchestra’s audience dwindles, much has been written about the need to reach out to young audiences. But how exactly does this process work? Let me demonstrate the long-range effect of vigorous youth music programs on a single individual: me.
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| How to save the Philadelphia Orchestra |
November 29 2011 |
Just how many classical music lovers live in the Delaware Valley? Enough to make a difference for the survival of the genre, not to mention the Philadelphia Orchestra? Equally important, are the necessary tools available? I would answer yes on both counts— if only the Orchestra’s bean counters would get out of the way.
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| The Orchestra vs. the Phillies |
September 05 2011 |
The Philadelphia Orchestra is losing its audience while other orchestras— not to mention the Phillies— are growing their audiences. So why has the Philadelphia Orchestra board ignored or remained silent about a study that represents the best professional thinking for the future survival of American orchestras?
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| How today’s orchestras succeed |
July 19 2011 |
While the Philadelphia Orchestra struggles in bankruptcy, many major orchestras around the world are flourishing. These “21st-Century orchestras” have seized the marketing and PR possibilities of the Internet in imaginative ways that have so far eluded the timid Philadelphians.
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When, in 2005, my high school classmate Dan Rottenberg asked me to contribute to BSR, I had already enjoyed the honor of participating in Dan’s past enterprises, first as an occasional contributor to the Welcomat and later as the regular music columnist for the ill-fated Seven Arts magazine. I was delighted to again have the opportunity to express my views about music.
Because of my parents’ love for Beethoven, Mozart, and the like, I grew up surrounded by recordings and radio broadcasts of classical music. Foremost among the gods of my childhood were Franklin Roosevelt (even though he died when I was three), Duke Snider, and Arturo Toscanini. Although neither of my parents was a practicing musician, somehow I got the idea in my head very early on that I was supposed to be a conductor. I have vivid memories of standing on a little podium, using the New Yorker magazine as a score, and waving my arms around during a radio broadcast, egged on by the accolades of my grandparents.
I went on to major in music at Columbia College, and then to earn a Ph. D. in music history from the University of California at Berkeley. Along the way, I was accepted to the summer choral conducting program at the Tanglewood Music Festival. This meant that from time to time I got to conduct what was, for those eight short weeks, one of the world’s strongest choruses.
Although I knew that I did not have the goods to be a professional choral conductor, one afternoon near the end of the session I was allowed to conduct, in its entirety, the monumental fugue that ends the Gloria of Mozart’s Mass in C Minor. There I was, waving my arms around on a real podium using a real score, carried along by wave after wave of Mozart’s ecstatic music.
I went on to join the music faculty at Penn for seven years, but, even though I published my share of scholarly articles and even though I like to think that I was a very good classroom teacher, it soon became clear to my colleagues— well before I admitted it myself — that I was not suited for academic life. Instead of being the good little classical musicologist I been hired to be, I spent as much time as I could in Penn’s electronic music studio. There, I developed a course built around the Moog synthesizer that had been purchased the year before my arrival and had been sitting around unused ever since.
One of my students in this class, Harry Mendell, an undergraduate at the Moore School of Engineering, persuaded me to buy a state of the art PDP-8 computer — it had 8K of RAM! – and before long Harry and I had formed a company, Computer Music Incorporated, with the goal of selling a computer-based digital sampler and reverberation device to recording studios. CMI was not a commercial success, but Harry and I have since received recognition for the pioneering nature of our product, the Melodian.
Before long I found myself out of academia and starting a career as a software developer, one that I happily practiced until my retirement at the end of 2009. There is well-known connection between software development and musical aptitude an even though most of my career was devoted to writing programs having to do with the radar on the U.S. Navy’s Aegis cruisers and destroyers, creating computer code always remained an essentially musical activity for me. For my thoughts on the connection between computers and music in my career, you can read my interview with Seth Brown at his website, Evolution of Sound.
Despite whatever practical training I may have received as a musician and despite my academic credentials, I regard myself as an enthusiastic and highly opinionated amateur who has been lucky enough to have been given a public forum to express his views. I am currently on self-enforced leave from Broad Street Review so that I can devote my energies to my new Internet venture, a web site devoted to teaching music theory to music-lovers who have little or no formal training. It’s at dancoren.weebly.com.
More articles by Dan Coren, newest first
| Solzhenitsyn plays Mozart for non-purists (1st review) |
March 08 2011 |
Are Mozart’s scores sacrosanct as they are written? Or are they an invitation to play 18th-Century jazz? Ignat Solzhenitsyn, appearing as piano soloist and conductor laureate with the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, left no doubt about his answer.
Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia: Mozart, Piano Concerto No. 20 in D Minor, K. 466; Lutoslawski, Funeral Music; Haydn, “Drum Roll” Symphony No. 103 in E-flat Major. Ignat Solzhenitsyn, pianist and conductor. March 5, 2011 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. (215) 545-1739 or www.chamberorchestra.org.
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| St. Lawrence Quartet at the Perelman |
February 15 2011 |
The St. Lawrence Quartet played beautifully, albeit like a group of hyperactive teenagers. If there was a flaw in their performance of Mozart’s G Minor String Quartet, it was, ironically, their subtle lack of intensity.
St. Lawrence String Quartet: Music of Beethoven, Golijov, and Mozart. February 11, 2011 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. Presented by Philadelphia Chamber Music Society. (215) 569-8080 or www.pcmsconcerts.org.
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| The ‘Times’ picks the top classical composers |
January 29 2011 |
The New York Times music critic Anthony Tommasini spent the past month compiling his list of the greatest classical composers, with suggestions he drummed up from hundreds of Times readers. BSR’s critic Dan Coren disdains such gimmickry, of course. Except…
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| Noseda conducts Orchestra’s Dvořák |
January 16 2011 |
Gianandrea Noseda, pinch-hitting for Donald Runnicles, put his own stamp on a seemingly innocuous program. His aggressively dramatic interpretation of the Dvořák Eighth Symphony was unlike any I’ve heard before.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Bach, Concerto for Two Violins; Respighi, Suite For Strings; Dvořák, Eighth Symphony. David Kim and Juliette Kang, violins; Gianandrea Noseda, conductor. January 13-15, 2011 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-1999 or www.philorch.org.
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| Valentina Lisitsa: Who needs concert halls? |
January 04 2011 |
The Ukrainian-American pianist Valentina Lisitsa has been playing for years at a level worthy of comparison with the likes of Vladimir Horowitz and Sviatislav Richter. Yet she’s easier to find on YouTube than in concert halls.
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| Jazz pianist Trudy Pitts: an appreciation |
December 21 2010 |
What defines a musical treasure? For me, it was the pleasure that the jazz pianist and organist Trudy Pitts brought to many a weekend evening and Sunday brunch.
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| Whatever happened to symphonies? (A reply) |
December 07 2010 |
My BSR colleague Robert Zaller laments that the symphony as a musical form is vanishing after more than two centuries. Perhaps. But there really never was such a thing as “the Romantic version” of the Classical symphony, and certainly not in the sense that Zaller implies.
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| Yannick and the Orchestra (2nd review) |
October 31 2010 |
Yannick Nézet-Séguin’s childlike enthusiasm transformed his post-appointment debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra into one of the most joyous nights of music making I’ve ever seen or heard.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Haydn, Symphony No. 100 ("Military"); Mahler, Symphony No. 5. Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor. October 29-30, 2010 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-1955 or www.philorch.org.
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| The Met’s ‘Das Rheingold’ in HD-Live (1st review) |
October 16 2010 |
The Metropolitan Opera's recent HD-Live broadcast of Das Rheingold was a more successful realization of Wagner’s dramatic and musical intentions than I could have ever believed possible. The overall result was gripping psychological drama in which Wagner’s marvelous music operated subliminally beneath the action, just as Wagner intended.
Das Rheingold. Opera by Richard Wagner; James Levine conducted. Metropolitan Opera HD-Live performance October 9, 2010. www.metoperafamily.org.
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| Why piano students cry |
August 07 2010 |
Somewhere in the world, a student cries at a piano lesson every 21 seconds. Why all this anguish? I believe that the emotional power of the classical piano literature itself is a powerful contributing factor. I speak from agonizing personal experience.
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| Varèse festival in New York |
July 26 2010 |
Edgard Varèse’s music has no melodies and virtually no tonal implications; it’s all wild, intense blocks of sound filling up musical and physical space. New York audiences went wild over it, and so did I.
The Complete Works of Edgard Varèse. International Contemporary Ensemble and New York Philharmonic. July 19-20, 2010 at Alice Tully Hall and Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center, Broadway and 65th St., New York. new.lincolncenter.org/live/index.php/lcf-2010-varese.
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| Dutoit’s masterful Mahler Third |
June 15 2010 |
Dan Coren buys rush tickets to the Mahler’s Third and, too late, realizes what Charles Dutoit has meant to the Philadelphia Orchestra: “I hadn’t fully understood this aspect of the work until Dutoit’s calm, spacious, evenly paced reading of it revealed it to me at this concert.”
Philadelphia Orchestra: Mahler, Third Symphony. Mihoko Fujimura, mezzo-soprano; Charles Dutoit, conductor. June 10-12, 2010 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-1955 or www.philorch.org.
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| Utopia on earth: Choral singing |
May 31 2010 |
Does analytical thought add value to one’s enjoyment of music? Dan Coren examines his experience as a choral singer in his continuing attempt to answer this baffling question.
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| Listening to music: Aesthetics or psychology? |
April 27 2010 |
What constitutes beauty in music? How do the conscious and unconscious interact when we make aesthetic judgments? Is a Beethoven quartet in some way a more worthy experience than Steve Reich’s Music for 18 Musicians?
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| Reich, Glass and Bryars at Annenberg |
March 09 2010 |
The Zellerbach's dry acoustics and a battery of mirambas and xylophones almost swamped the Philadelphia Singers' delivery of Steve Reich's You Are. And I loved every minute of it.
Philadelphia Singers, Relâche and Orchestra 2001: Steve Reich, You Are; Philip Glass, Persephone; Gavin Bryars, Laude 22 & 23. David Hayes, conductor. March 6, 2010 at Zellerbach Theater, Annenberg Center, 3680 Walnut St. (215) 898-3900. or www.pennpresents.org.
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| Orchestra’s new season (good news) |
February 27 2010 |
The Philadelphia Orchestra's newly announced 2010-2011 season is the most attractive I have seen in years, a felicitous blend of standard repertory and new music.
Philadelphia Orchestra: 2010-11 season announcement. www.philorch.org.
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| The Orchestra’s inane marketing |
February 06 2010 |
Against his better judgment, Dan Coren reads a mailing from the Philadelphia Orchestra. Looking for something new? Don’t open this brochure!
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| Bruce Nauman’s ‘Notations’ at the Art Museum (2nd review) |
January 09 2010 |
Philadelphia’s art critics and Art Museum guards sneer at Bruce Nauman’s sound installations, but to Dan Coren they evoke the hip, modern sounds of beautiful music and cocktail conversation.
“Notations/Bruce Nauman.” Through April 4, 2010 at Philadelphia Museum of Art, 26th St. and Benjamin Franklin Pkwy. (215) 763-8100 or www.philamuseum.org.
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| Concerts to watch in 2009-10 |
September 08 2009 |
Dan Coren, liberated from his obligations to orchestral music for the first time in years, previews a sumptuous season of chamber music, jazz, and contemporary music.
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| Beethoven’s ‘Appassionata’ turning point |
August 15 2009 |
I used to sneer when that superficial crowd-pleaser Horowitz sat down to play Beethoven. But getting reacquainted with the “Appassionata” through Horowitz recordings lately made me think more about the circumstances that brought Beethoven’s groundbreaking sonata into being.
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| Composing vs. writing about music (a reply) |
July 21 2009 |
If I had Beeri Moalem’s talent and vision as a composer and player, I wouldn’t even bother to write about music. But when you're expressing ideas, you must accept a certain amount of responsibility for facts.
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| Composing music: A reply to Beeri Moalem |
July 13 2009 |
Dan Coren, responding to Beeri Moalem’s recent article, “So You Want To Compose Serious Music?”, finds it “a mishmash of half-baked ideas and some very odd perceptions of music history.”
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| Chamber Orchestra turns cautious |
May 24 2009 |
After two seasons of adventurous programming, the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia has reacted to hard economic times with a coming season that will offend nobody. Symphonic repertory in Philadelphia has become the musical equivalent of the menu at a high-end retirement community: pretty good, meal by meal, but deadly dull over the long run.
The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia. www.chamberorchestra.org.
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| Mitsuko Uchida at the Perelman |
May 02 2009 |
Mitsuko Uchida’s piano recital at the Perelman was, in some surprising ways, a deeply unsettling experience. But in the end, she demonstrated why she is a musical legend.
Mitsuko Uchida, pianist: Works by Mozart, Beethoven, Berg and Schumann. Presented by Philadelphia Chamber Music Society April 27, 2009 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center. (215) 569-8080 or www.philadelphiachambermusic.org.
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| Sonata form (Part 11): Recapitulation |
April 28 2009 |
Beethoven devoted most of his career to intensifying the inherent drama of sonata-form. Ultimately he drilled so deeply into its bedrock that the form itself became barely recognizable in his very last works. In this 11th installment in his series on sonata-form, Dan Coren moves on to the recapitulation section.
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| Curtis Opera’s ‘Wozzeck’ (1st review) |
March 19 2009 |
Here I am in my mid-60s, having devoted most of my life to the study of classical music, and I still haven’t come to terms with the music of Alban Berg. The Curtis Institute’s production of Wozzeck was superb, but listening to it was an appalling experience I have no desire to repeat.
Wozzeck. Opera by Alban Berg; directed by Emma Griffin; Corrado Rovaris, conductor. Curtis Opera Theatre production March 13-18, 2009 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center. (215) 893-7902 or www.curtis.edu.
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| Lucinda Williams at the Keswick |
March 10 2009 |
Dark though her subjects have been over the years, Lucinda Williams now gives the impression of being completely at ease with herself and her fellow musicians and reveling in 30 years of her own repertory.
Lucinda Williams. March 6, 2009 at Keswick Theatre, Glenside, Pa. www.keswicktheatre.com.
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| Astral Artists’ ‘Musical Tapestry’ |
February 26 2009 |
So you want challenging new music that’s nevertheless comprehensible and digestible? Astral Artists’ “Musical Tapestry” offered young musicians who are not only talented but also eager to recruit converts to their unusual repertory.
“A Musical Tapestry”: Doug O’Connor, saxophone; Susan Babini, cello; Spencer Myer, piano. Astral Artists presentation, February 22, 2009 at Trinity Center for Urban Life, 2212 Spruce St. (215) 735-6999 or www.astralartists.org.
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| Brahms German Requiem by Chamber Orchestra (1st review) |
February 17 2009 |
The Choral Arts Society’s performance of Brahms’s German Requiem was in many ways a cornucopia of musical riches. But the acoustics of the Perelman Theater made it as frustrating as it was satisfying.
Brahms German Requiem. Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia with Choral Arts Society. Susanna Phillips, soprano; Randall Scarlata, baritone; Ignat Solzhenitsyn, conductor. Feb 13 & 15, 2009 at Perelman Theater, Verizon Hall. (215) 545-5451 or www.chamberorchestra.org.
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| Sonata-form (Part 10): Mozart’s brilliant move |
February 07 2009 |
The development section of the finale of Mozart’s “Jupiter” Symphony ends with a move as brilliant as a Bobby Fischer chess combination. In the tenth installment of his series on sonata-form, Dan Coren contemplates this passage.
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| Do happy musicians play better? |
January 17 2009 |
Does it matter whether or not musicians– especially musicians in a classical orchestra– seem to be personally enjoying the music they’re playing? Given a certain level of musical excellence, it’s really a very simple question in the end.
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| Lucinda Williams and Bob Dylan |
December 14 2008 |
I can’t believe that the renowned perfectionist Lucinda Williams doesn’t know, in her heart of hearts, that her latest album, “Little Honey,” is a mess. Bob Dylan’s impact on our culture, on the other hand, continues to be as deep as Beethoven’s or Shakespeare’s.
Lucinda Williams will perform at the Keswick Theater in Glenside, Pa., on Friday, March 6th at 8 p.m. (215) 572-7650 or www.keswicktheatre.com.
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| A music critic’s guilty plea |
November 15 2008 |
To loyal BSR readers waiting anxiously to find out how those augmented sixths in Mozart’s Jupiter and Beethoven’s Fourth Symphony work out: It's all my computer's fault.
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| Glenn Gould vs. Roslyn Tureck |
November 08 2008 |
As a teenager, our critic Dan Coren fell so completely under the spell of the young Canadian pianist, Glenn Gould, that it took him more than 30 years to catch up with the great pianist whom Gould pushed off the stage: Roslyn Tureck.
A Romance on Three Legs: Glenn Gould’s Obsessive Quest for the Perfect Piano. By Katie Hafner. Bloomsbury, 2008. 272 pages; $24.00. www.amazon.com/Romance-Three-Legs-Obsessive-Perfect/dp/1596915242
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| Susan Babini cello recital (review) |
October 21 2008 |
The end of Susan Babini’s cello recital represented some of the most honestly self-revealing playing I’ve ever heard.
Susan Babini: Solo Cello Debut Concert. Presented by Astral Artists, October 19, 2008 at Trinity Center for Urban life, 2212 Spruce St. (215) 735-6699 or www.astralartists.org.
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| Susan Babini debut cello concert |
October 12 2008 |
Astral Artists protégé cellist Susan Babini will give her Philadelphia solo debut on Sunday Oct 19th at the Trinity Center for Urban Life. If Pablo Casals or Jacqueline DuPré had selected this program, the concert would have sold out months in advance.
Susan Babini: Solo Cello Debut Concert. Presented by Astral Artists October 19, 2008 at Trinity Center for Urban life, 2212 Spruce St. (215) 735-6699 or www.astralartists.org.
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| Baseball or Beethoven? |
September 30 2008 |
Our music critic confronted a painful choice: The concert hall or the ballpark? Then Jimmy Rollins solved the dilemma for him.
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| Sonata-form, Part 9: The augmented sixth |
September 27 2008 |
In Part 9 of his series on sonata-form, Dan Coren discusses one of the most sophisticated devices available in the toolkit of classical harmony: “For me, hearing a dominant seventh become an augmented sixth is one of the miracles of the natural world, something akin to seeing a chameleon change color.”
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| Simone Dinnerstein: A concert not to miss |
September 23 2008 |
The young pianist Simone Dinnerstein makes a practice of playing complicated works and making them look easy.
Simone Dinnerstein, pianist: Copland, Webern, Bach, Lasser, Beethoven. October 24, 2008 at Philadelphia Museum of Art, Parkway and 26th St. Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, (215) 569-8080 or http://www.pcmsconcerts.org.
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| Frank Zappa’s prophecy |
August 16 2008 |
An unexpected and much needed musical kick in the pants stimulates Dan Coren to revisit one of the great musical artifacts of the 1960s: Frank Zappa’s “Trouble Comin’ Every Day.”
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| Two books on music and the brain |
August 02 2008 |
I recently revisited two provocative books about music and the brain. On second reading, Daniel Levitin’s hyperactive This Is Your Brain On Music is actually sloppy and superficial. Oliver Sacks’s thoughtful Musicophilia remains a low-key delight.
This Is Your Brain On Music. By Daniel Levitin. Penguin, 2006. www.yourbrainonmusic.com
Mus
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| Development sections (Sonata-form, Part 8) |
July 12 2008 |
In sonata-form, development sections celebrate the inexhaustible complexities of Classical tonality. Do they, like expositions, have a common underlying floor-plan? Or are they downright unpredictable?
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| ‘Evolution of Sound,’ a unique website |
July 03 2008 |
Seth Brown’s website, “Evolution of Sound,” offers a perspective on the history of musical technology that you’ll find nowhere else. On this site, Brown has uncovered material that’s as much a part of my musical self as the essays I write for Broad Street Review.
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| ‘The Rest is Noise,’ by Alex Ross |
June 08 2008 |
Nobody writes more eloquently about music (especially contemporary music) than Alex Ross. He makes me feel that I’ve wasted the last 20 years obsessing about Mozart and Beethoven when I could have been listening to Morton Feldman and Steve Reich.
The Rest Is Noise: Listening to the 20th Century. By Alex Ross. 640 pages. Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2007. $30.00. Eschenbach’s mysterious failure |
May 20 2008 |
How did Christoph Eschenbach get such wonderful playing out of musicians who don’t like him very much? Call me a naïve idiot, but even after all the anecdotal evidence we’ve heard, Eschenbach’s failure in Philadelphia remains a mystery to me.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Schubert Eighth ("Unfinished") and Ninth ("Great") Symphonies. Christoph Eschenbach, conductor. May 15-17, 2008 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center. (215) 893-1900 or
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| Sonata-form No. 7: Role of repetition |
May 10 2008 |
Should sonata-form expositions be repeated? Do you care? To the Classical masters, the question was critical. Repetition of the exposition was an occasion for dramatizing the power of the tonic key and their attempts to escape its gravitational pull. (Seventh in a series of essays about sonata-form.)
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| Chamber Orchestra plays Mozart and Beethoven |
May 06 2008 |
I can’t think of a better antidote to the excesses of the Mahler Eighth than the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia’s performances of Mozart’s 21st Piano Concerto and Beethoven’s Sixth Symphony that I attended the following afternoon.
Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia: Mozart 21st Piano Concerto; Beethoven Sixth Symphony (Pastorale). Ignat Solzhenitsyn, conductor and piano solo. May 4-5, 2008 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center. (215) 545-5451 or
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| WPRB: My favorite radio station |
May 03 2008 |
A 20-year-old classical music DJ on Princeton’s WPRB epitomizes this remarkable radio station.
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| Three spring concerts to watch |
April 15 2008 |
Dan Coren recommends three imminent local concerts, one of which he will actually perform in.
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| Schubert vs. Beethoven |
April 05 2008 |
Dan Coren meditates on Schubert’s Eighth and Ninth Symphonies, which Christoph Eschenbach will conduct in mid-May, and on the paradoxical co-existence of Schubert and Beethoven in the Vienna of the 1820s. No other composer's death left such a gaping hole in a world that might have been.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Schubert Eighth (“Unfinished”) Symphony in B minor, Ninth (“Great”) Symphony in C major. Christoph Eschenbach, conductor. May 15-16-17, 2008 at
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| Sonata-form (part 6): Mozart the juggler |
March 04 2008 |
In the sixth in his series of essays on sonata-form, Dan Coren shows how Mozart, in the course of riding his own piano concertos to fame and fortune, adapted the sonata-form exposition to his own dramatic ends.
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| Orchestra’s 2008-09 season |
February 23 2008 |
Charles Dutoit announces a new Orchestra season that achieves levels of stodginess unheard of in Philadelphia since the reign of Eugene Ormandy. The Chamber Orchestra may offer better alternatives.
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| Gilbert conducts Philadelphia Orchestra (1st revie |
February 12 2008 |
The Philadelphia Orchestra's concert of Hillborg, Bartok, and Nielsen proved that these days you don't need the standard repertory to attract a large and enthusiastic audience. The Orchestra has become a much younger group since Christoph Eschenbach’s arrival, and they play as if they’re having a ball.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Hillborg Exquisite Corpse; Bartok Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion; Nielsen Second Symphony. Emanuel Ax and Yoko Nozaki, piano; Alan G
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| Israeli Jazz and Pierre Boulez |
January 29 2008 |
Jazz and Pierre Boulez— the perfect antidote for a classical musician’s malaise.
Anat Cohen Quintet. Israeli Jazz Festival 2008, January 24, 2008 at World Café Live, 3025 Walnut St. (215) 222-1400 or www.worldcafelive.com.
Orchestra 2001: Boulez, Le Marteau Sans Maitre. James Freeman, conductor. January 26, 2008 at Independence Seaport Museum, 211 S. Columbus Blvd.
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| Tunes in sonata-form (Part 5) |
January 22 2008 |
In the fifth in his series on sonata-form, Dan Coren corrects some common misconceptions about the role of tunes in a sonata-form. Along the way, he re-introduces Haydn at his wittiest and most sophisticated.
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| Critic’s alert: Catch these concerts |
January 19 2008 |
If you have a taste for the unusual – or for Mozart -- here are some concerts you won’t want to miss.
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| Orchestra’s program gobbledygook |
January 01 2008 |
How, Dan Coren wonders, could the Philadelphia Orchestra’s program notes mangle the definition of a simple term like “octave” so badly? And how could they be so misguided about the nature of Mozart’s music? And haven’t you always wondered what “diatonic” and “chromatic” really mean? Read on.
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| Stockhausen: The road not taken |
December 11 2007 |
At a critical point in his career, the composer Karlheinz Stockhausen took the wrong fork in the road. That’s a shame, because he inspired me to take the right fork.
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| Hélène Grimaud plays Beethoven |
December 11 2007 |
The pianist Hélène Grimaud plays as if she has thought deeply about every single note. It’s as if Grimaud is hearing Beethoven’s lyrics in her inner ear.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Beethoven’s Fifth Piano Concerto; Edgar Varèse’s Ameriques; Ravel’s La Valse. James Conlon, conductor; Hélène Grimaud, piano. December 7-8, 2007 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center. (215) 893-1900 or www.philorch.org.
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| Understanding tonality (Sonata-form, Part 4) |
December 04 2007 |
In his fourth article on sonata-form, Dan Coren invites readers to sing along as he explains not only tonality— the sense of being in a key— but the concept of modulation to the dominant, the glue that holds sonata-form together.
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| Chamber Orchestra plays Beethoven et al. |
October 30 2007 |
The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, under Ignat Solzhenitsyn, established a benchmark for the interpretation of Classical repertory that will be hard for anyone to beat, unless it’s Solzhenitsyn himself.
Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia: Schubert Fifth Symphony; Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 2 (Fabio Bidini, piano); Haydn Symphony No. 16 and 102. Ignat Solzhenitsyn conducting. October 28-29, 2007 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 545-5451 or www.chamberorchestra.org.
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| Those slow introductions to symphonies |
October 16 2007 |
In Dan Coren’s third essay on sonata-form, he examines the way symphonies begin. Using the slow introduction of Mozart's 36th Symphony as a point of departure, he builds the first elements of a road map of a full-scale sonata-form movement.
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| Orchestra’s ‘Rite of Spring’ |
September 25 2007 |
Christoph Eschenbach’s authoritative and ferocious reading of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring more than made up for my sitting inside on a perfect autumn day.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Tchaikovsky First Symphony, Stravinsky Rite of Spring. Christoph Eschenbach, conductor. Sept. 23, 2007 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center. www.philorch.org or (215) 893.1900.
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| Best of the 2007-08 season |
September 15 2007 |
If you’re a Philadelphian whose tastes are eclectic and adventurous, and if you have a special liking for the French avant-garde of the 20th Century, this is your year.
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| Classical music and golf |
September 11 2007 |
Golf, like Classical music, is based on a set of immutable rules and stylistic conventions. Haydn and Mozart regarded their procedural rules the same way Tiger Woods, the Beethoven of golf, follows the rules of golf— that is, almost as unconsciously as we regard oxygen.
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| Sonata-form made easy (Part 2) |
September 01 2007 |
An elegant little tune from a Haydn Symphony contains in embryonic form all the essential ideas of sonata-form. The trick is learning to hear the same ideas on a time scale ten times as long. Listen closely and you’ll appreciate how a slight shift can send a tune off in an entirely new direction.
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| You too can enjoy sonata-form (really) |
August 11 2007 |
Sonata-form is to me what the New Testament is to a born-again Christian. If I can sell you on the beauties and pleasures of examining how Classical music is put together, you’ll hear sounds of a magnificence you’ve never encountered before.
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| Mendelssohn’s real tragedy |
July 14 2007 |
What would the world have been like if the Fates had been just a little kinder and allowed Schubert and Mendelssohn to know each other’s music as contemporaries? Mendelssohn was, I believe, the most musically gifted of all his famous contemporaries: the only composer in music history smart enough to assimilate Mozart’s music successfully. Yet his music makes we want to scream.
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| The case for electronic music |
June 23 2007 |
Electronic music has become so accessible that a good deal of it is pretty primitive— the kind you might want your neighbor to turn down at 3 a.m. But this proliferation of new sounds strikes me a lot like 18th-Century musical Vienna must have seemed. All we lack is a new Joseph Haydn.
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| Fresh air from the Chamber Orchestra |
June 21 2007 |
The Chamber Orchestra will devote almost half its repertory in the coming season to works by daring experimental composers, past and present. If Ignat Solzhenitsyn keeps up this sort of programming, perhaps Charles Dutoit’s arrival at the Philadelphia Orchestra won’t stultify Philadelphia concert life as much as I’d feared.
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| Orchestra plays John Adams |
April 28 2007 |
I had the impression that the Orchestra had become a collective ecosystem, like a coral reef, teeming with the minute details of self-perpetuating organic processes. Has anyone at the Orchestra considered trying to hire Donald Runnicles? This guy is the real deal.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Works by John Adams, Bruch. Donald Runnicles conducting; Janine Jansen, violin solo. April 20-21, 2007 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center. 215. 893.1900 or Kronos Quartet plays ‘Sun Rings’ |
April 28 2007 |
Sun Rings is a meditation on the Voyager space probes of the 1970s, full of furious action, accompanied by non-stop visual projections. I loved it. The audience loved it. Then we read the Inquirer critic's review.
Sun Rings. Composed by Terry Riley. Kronos Quartet, April 19, 2007 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center. www.kronosquartet.org.
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| Lucinda Williams (Round Two) |
April 17 2007 |
Dan Coren responds to reader comments about his paean to Lucinda Williams: “Do you have Google alerts set for Lucinda Williams? Surely you haven’t been reading my classical pieces in the hope that one day I’d write about her music.”
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| Lucinda Williams discovered (belatedly) |
April 05 2007 |
Discovering the singer Lucinda Williams has exerted an Elvis-like impact on this classical critic’s musical taste. Although her latest album, West, is disappointing, Williams remains an extraordinary creative force: the thinking person’s country/rock star.
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| Eschenbach's last hurrah |
March 19 2007 |
After a season marked by staid and timid programming, Christoph Eschenbach is going out in 2007-08 with a spectacular blend of tradition and novelty. With Charles Dutoit in the wings, apparently poised to take the Orchestra back to the musical equivalent of the Eisenhower administration, I fear next season may be the last Orchestra season like this for a long time.
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| Penn Symphony plays Berlioz |
March 03 2007 |
I regard the Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique as a grisly accident on the highway of music history. It took guts for Penn’s student orchestra to perform it. Few other amateur orchestras could do as well with this hair-raising piece.
Penn Symphony Orchestra
February 24, 2007 at
Irvine Auditorium. 215-898-6244 or www.sas.upenn.edu
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| Contemporary concert alert |
February 13 2007 |
Mark your calendar for these adventures in contemporary music with the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Penn Orchestra and the Kronos Quartet.
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| Dianne Reeves, Jason Moran at Verizon Hall |
February 06 2007 |
Reeves treated her audience to an hour of lucid, swinging jazz in the grand classical style. Jason Moran’s relentless piano runs were less successful.
Dianne Reeves, vocalist, and pianist Jason Moran. February 2, 2007 at Verizon Hall, Broad and Spruce. (215) 893-1999 or www.kimmelcenter.org.
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| 1807 & Friends play Brahms and Mozart |
January 27 2007 |
Dan Coren's mania for chamber music was more than satisfied by the Mozart and Brahms performed by 1807 & Friends. Our critic also believes he may have found the secret behind the mysteriously unchanging demographics of Philadelphia's chamber music audiences.
1807 & Friends: Brahms C minor Piano Quartet, Op. 60, and Mozart E-flat major Piano Quartet, K. 493. January 22, 2007 at Academy of Vocal Arts, 1920 Spruce St. w
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| The Orchestra’s loopy substitution |
January 16 2007 |
The Philadelphia Orchestra is substituting Vivaldi’s inappropriately cheerful Four Seasons for Mahler’s neurotic Kindertotenlieder. What on earth were they thinking?
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| Why classical audiences don’t boo |
January 03 2007 |
Why are classical concert audiences so much more staid than their operatic counterparts? The answer may lie in the difference between a church service and a battle of gladiators at the Roman Coliseum.
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| What was Mozart thinking? |
December 19 2006 |
Throughout his life Mozart remained basically clueless when it came to understanding other people’s musical capabilities or perceptions. Beethoven’s struggles endowed him with empathy for the lesser musicians who performed his pieces. But was Mozart capable of intentionally writing an easy piece? I don’t think so.
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| Natalie Zhu plays Mussorgsky |
November 22 2006 |
Even in the thoroughbred world of concert pianists, very few have what it takes to play the piano version of "Pictures at an Exhibition" in concert. But Natalie Zhu took the piece beyond virtuosity to something approaching the mystical.
Natalie Zhu, piano recital. November 15, 2006, at Fleisher Art Memorial. Presented by Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, (215) 569-8080 or www.philadelphiachambermusic.org.
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| Dylan the Romantic |
November 08 2006 |
What is Romanticism, really? If you won’t listen to the song cycles of Schubert or Schumann, you can find the answer in the song cycles of Bob Dylan.
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| Orchestra's thin skin |
October 30 2006 |
Peter Dobrin, it appears, really does get under the skin of the Orchestra's management after all.
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| Survival in the digital age |
October 18 2006 |
Bob Dylan’s career arc— from records to movies to DVDs to books to the Internet— is a tribute to the power and versatility of modern media. Other modern composers like Luciano Berio— not to mention old stalwarts like Beethoven— weren’t so fortunate. But whose work will survive the next time the electric power grid fails?
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| Eschenbach pro and con |
September 26 2006 |
The Inquirer’s Peter Dobrin says Christoph Eschenbach should go because the Philadelphia Orchestra’s musicians don’t like him. Is Dobrin too young to remember legendary martinets like Fritz Reiner and George Szell?
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| Critic's choices for 2006-07 |
September 20 2006 |
Contrary to his earlier declaration, our music critic finds a way to attend the Philadelphia Orchestra’s concerts this year after all. Some of them, at least. Here's his concert schedule for 2006-07.
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| A feast from the Chamber Music Society |
September 11 2006 |
The Philadelphia Chamber Music Society reminds me of Southwest or Frontier Airlines competing against a legacy carrier: the Philadelphia Orchestra. The Orchestra can’t come close to meeting PCMS’s prices or to offering its richness of repertory. And not a single PCMS ticket is priced above $22.
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| Chamber music lovers' alert |
August 10 2006 |
If you’re looking for an opportunity to hear some of the greatest chamber music masterpieces— works that are much too rarely performed— here are two dates to circle on your calendar in 2007.
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| How Andrew Wyeth manipulated me |
July 20 2006 |
The Art Museum’s recent Wyeth exhibit moved my wife and me to tears. Only upon later reflection did we conclude that we’d been conned. From the audio tour to the paintings themselves, the enterprise was characterized above all by the art of calculation.
“Andrew Wyeth: Memory and Magic.” March 29- July 16, 2006 at Philadelphia Museum of Art Dorrance Galleries, Benjamin Franklin Parkway at 26th Street. www.philamuseum.org.<
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| Emanuel Ax plays the 'Emperor' Concerto |
July 03 2006 |
Beethoven’s “Emperor” Concerto, performed by Emanuel Ax with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Mann Center, June 21, 2006. www.philorch.org.
All this, plus the Yankees and the summer solstice, too.
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| Fresh insight into Eschenbach |
July 03 2006 |
In an old recording of Beethoven’s last piano sonata, our critic finds a link between Christoph Eschenbach and Thomas Mann’s fictitious stammering organ professor Wendell Kretschmar. And then he encounters Mitsuko Uchida.
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| Pay to play on the Kimmel's organ |
June 03 2006 |
Contrary to what you read in the Inquirer, the Kimmel's "Pay to Play" organ event was no mere public-relations exercise. It was a showcase for a serious but often disrespected constituency: organists and composers of organ music.
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| The Kimmel organ's debut |
May 29 2006 |
It was a pleasure to find a full and enthusiastic house at a Philadelphia Orchestra concert. But it took a novelty act to do it. The Kimmel organ’s debut concert itself was a sedate affair, notwithstanding the Gallic charm of Olivier Latry.
Philadelphia Orchestra. Christoph Eschenbach conducting, Olivier Latry, organist. May 11-13, 2006. at Kimmel Center. www.philorch.org.
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| Penn's student orchestra shines |
April 26 2006 |
Yet another surprising source of good symphonic music— this from students who don’t even attend a conservatory.
Penn Symphony Orchestra. Brad Smith, conductor. At Irvine Auditorium, April 23, 2006. www.sas.upenn.edu/music.
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| Why I canceled my Orchestra subscription |
April 26 2006 |
The Philadelphia Orchestra has never sounded better. Nevertheless, after scrutinizing our Friday “B” Orchestra series for 2006-07 and the competing Kimmel series schedule, we had to decide if the Orchestra was really worth more than $800 of our disposable income.
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| The music and the money |
March 31 2006 |
So much money and so much work to produce a great concert? At the Orchestra, yes. At Astral Artistic Services, no.
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| Eschenbach conducts Beethoven's Sixth: One small question |
February 28 2006 |
| One small esoteric question about Eschenbach's interpretation that's driving me nuts.
Beethoven's Sixth Symphbony. Philadelphia Orchestra, Christpoph Eschenbach conducting, at Verizon Hall, February 23-26, 2006.
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| A lesson from Simon Rattle |
February 24 2006 |
| If a conductor possesses complete mastery of the music and can make an emotional connection with the players, magical things can happen— a power apparently not enjoyed by local music critics.
Philadelphia Orchestra. Simon Rattle conducting. February 2006. www.philorch.org.
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| Jazz for the ages at the Kimmel |
February 02 2006 |
| These musicians go bravely where no man has gone before— even Mozart and Beethoven.
Mellon Jazz Fridays concert. Verizon Hall, Jan. 27, 2006. www.kimmelcenter.org
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| Learning to love Christoph Eschenbach |
January 01 2006 |
| His conducting may not stick with you, but his music does.
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| My debt to Birgit Nilsson |
January 16 2006 |
The great Wagnerian soprano died in December at age 87, unaware of her pivotal role in the writer's complicated relationship with Richard Wagner.
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I. REAL ESTATE AND RESIDENTIAL DESIGN
• President, Millett Design, 1991-2011: Fine arts and residential design consulting firm provides a wide range of services in the United States and the Caribbean. The firm also produces community based arts projects.
• Luce & Millett, GP, 2009-2011: Partner with Priscilla Luce, preservation developers of residential properties focusing on the Rittenhouse historic area of Philadelphia.
• President, Millett Enterprises, 1985-1992: A residential and commercial real estate development firm that owned and managed over 180 properties in Philadelphia – specializing in historic preservations and renovations. Millett owned, restored, and landscaped The Cloisters, a school church, and rectory in historic Powelton Village.
• Adjunct Professor, University of Pennsylvania, 1987-1989: Taught entrepreneurial real estate courses at the College of General Studies.
• Real Estate Developer, 1974-1984: Beginning with her own 3-unit home in Logan Circle, Washington, DC, with investment partners, Millett bought, renovated and sold over 75 residential and commercial properties in Washington, along with 20 townhouses in Baltimore, MD.
II. DIPLOMATIC SERVICE
U.S. Foreign Service Officer with Diplomatic Status from mid 1960’s to 1982,
Assignments Included:
• Advisor on the Arts, Department of State and U.S. Information Agency (USIA).
• Department of State Delegate, President’s Advisory Council on Historic Preservation.
• Executive Secretary of the Inter-Agency Committee on the Arts (including the National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities, Department of State, USIA, and the National Collection of Fine Arts).
• Coordinator, Venice and São Paulo Biennials, international arts exhibitions, including “Made in Chicago,” 1973, U.S. Contribution to Sao Paulo.
• Coordinator of Architectural Studies, USIA, prepared and distributed thematic programs for all official posts overseas, arranged a state department leader grant for Louis I Kahn to Europe.
• Film Director at USIA, produced news releases featuring Secretary of State Kissinger and other dignitaries, for overseas distribution.
• Cultural Attaché, Brasília, Brazil.
III. EDUCATOR
• Vice President, University of the Arts, 1984-1985: Millett supervised fine arts gallery, public relations, special events, and fundraising.
• Adjunct Professor, University of Pennsylvania, College of General Studies, 1992-2006 and in 1987-1989: She taught interior design courses and real estate entrepreneurial courses.
• Volunteer Teacher, Washington Public Schools, 1979-1980: Training program for disadvantaged teenagers.
• Director, U.S.-Brazilian Binational Colleges, 1969 – 1970: In São Paulo, Brasília and Goias, Brazil, Millett supervised colleges with a total of about 2,000 adult students.
• Director, Sao Paulo Alumni Association, 1967-1969, Created and directed a new American-Brazilian language and cultural studies center.
• Teacher and Counselor, California public high schools, 1964-1965: In Palo Alto and San Jose, California.
IV. AUTHOR
• Today’s Historic Interior’s, 2011, with E. Ashley Rooney, Schiffer Publishing Company.
• Broad Street Review; Cultural commentary, art, ad design critiques, 2008-2011.
• Columnist, Ranch and Cove; “Narrative style” home design features, 2004-2005.
• Re-designing Design; A comprehensive guide for personal environments, 2003.
V. UNIVERSITY EDUCATION
• Stanford University, M.A., 1963, in American cultural history; also completed Stanford School of Law, 1961-62; Graduate School of Education, 1964; Graduate School of Art and Design, 1965. Received California Certificate of Education in 1964.
• University of Wisconsin, B.A., 1961, in U.S. history and comparative literature.
• University of Edinburgh, Scotland, 1959-1960, one year of course studies in fine arts, architecture, and British colonial history.
VI. PHILADELPHIA COMMUNITY SERVICE
Currently Millett is working on two University City based projects. For the last three years, together with University of Pennsylvania Professor Michael Zuckerman and renowned artist Osvaldo Romberg, and several community organizations, Millett created Art Walk. She secured from SEPTA a donation of a stretch of land overlooking the rail-yards, river, and most of Center City, Philadelphia. For this purpose, the other project just begun with Drexel University support is the economic redevelopment of Lancaster Avenue, the oldest thoroughfare in America.
Over past years, she served as a trustee of the Preservation Coalition of Greater Philadelphia and as Trustee of the Wilma Theater. At Andalusia, in Bucks County, Millett sponsored special events with James Biddle, featuring his historic estate, where she lived for twelve years. She also worked with the West Philadelphia Coalition of Neighborhoods and Businesses, and has been an active member of the Print Center and board member of the Powelton Village Civic Association. The Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia has honored her for Most Outstanding Contribution to the interior design profession.
More articles by Caroline Dunlop Millett, newest first
| Cave dwellers, home design and the Penn Museum |
March 13 2012 |
How did prehistoric cave dwellers decorate their homes? What can they teach an interior designer like me? In my personal sanctuary, the awesome but underappreciated Penn Museum, I’ve found some answers.
"Beauty Through the Ages." Final program April 17, 2012 at University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archeology and Anthropology. 3260 South St. (215) 898-4000 or www.penn.museum.
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| ‘Out of Order’ at Chestnut Hill Gallery |
June 21 2011 |
Four well-known artists, with little in common beside their intensity and their mutual friendship, sit wondrously well together at this innovative exhibit.
“Out of Order”: Works by Ted Victoria, Harry Anderson, Chuck Connelly and Hal Hirshorn. Through July 9, 2011 at Chestnut Hill Gallery, 8117 Germantown Ave. (215) 248-2569 or www.chestnuthillgallery.com.
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| Ralph Lauren at Monticello (Part 2) |
August 07 2010 |
Ralph Lauren and Monticello’s curator now insist Lauren had nothing to do with revamping Thomas Jefferson’s dining room (aside from funding it). But somebody did indeed revamp it.
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| Ralph Lauren’s Monticello makeover |
July 27 2010 |
The designer Ralph Lauren sells fashion, not history. So why is this darling of America’s nouveau riche redesigning Thomas Jefferson’s dining room?
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| The home as art: practical advice |
November 19 2009 |
Home design is one of the few opportunities American adults have to express themselves with genuine creative freedom. The process really can be pleasurable— even exciting— if you develop the basic design skills and seek expert advice when it’s necessary.
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| Down with minimalist design! |
May 30 2009 |
In contemporary minimalist homes, the best imagery is usually the view out the window. How can enlightened homeowners infuse color, chaos and character into their rooms? It’s not difficult if you follow a few basic principles.
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| Pre-fab dwellings at MOMA in New York |
October 07 2008 |
Where I grew up, factory-made homes meant trailer trash or cookie-cutter suburban sprawl. But the creative pre-fab homes on display at MOMA provide us with intelligent solutions to many pressing environmental and economic issues.
“Home Delivery: Fabricating the Modern Dwelling.” Through October 20, 2008 (Part I) and October 26, 2008 (Part II), at Museum of Modern Art, 11 West 53 St., New York. (212) 708-9400 or www.moma.org.
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| Home design: My ideal kitchen |
August 16 2008 |
The kitchen has become the social center of the American home. But most designs fail to satisfy homeowners’ yearning for beauty, relaxation and personal identity. Why not take a lesson from those 17th-Century Dutch kitchens celebrated by Rembrandt and Vermeer?
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| Home design: The personal style |
April 29 2008 |
Not long ago, most people were satisfied if their homes were simply beautiful, functional and comfortable. Today every homeowner wants to make a personal statement too. But discovering the “real you” is no simple task. A few suggestions from a home designer.
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| The home as art |
March 08 2008 |
Americans spend fortunes on their homes. Why, then, do so many affluent homes look as if they were lifted from a magazine spread or a Ralph Lauren catalogue? Why not think of our homes as artistic expressions of ourselves?
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Margaret Chew Barringer is an American poet and filmmaker born in 1946. Her poems have appeared in journals and anthologies in America and Russia. In 1983, she founded the American Poetry Center, a statewide nonprofit organization that sponsored readings and symposia in Philadelphia and coordinated all literary events for the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, leading directly to the creation of National Poetry Month.
In 2005, the organization changed its name to American INSIGHT, and began featuring authors, scholars, artists, and civic leaders in a series of historical documentaries about Philadelphia. American INSIGHT’s first annual Free Speech Film Festival will culminate in an Awards Ceremony at the American Philosophical Society in May, 2012.
More articles by Margaret Chew Barringer, newest first
| What messages do today's women send? |
July 09 2011 |
Today’s media revolution has eliminated millennia of intergenerational knowledge about what it means to be a human being. And if we women don’t fully understand ourselves and the messages we’re sending, how can men?
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Natalie Davis is a professional free-lance writer based in Yakima, Wash. She has written more than 150 articles in various outlets, and is currently working on several books, both fiction and nonfiction. You can find her blog at ”Little Writer’s Notebook.” Her email is .
More articles by Natalie Davis, newest first
| Hitler’s ultimate irony |
June 28 2011 |
How did Hitler manage to hijack Wagner’s Aryan ideal when he wasn’t an ideal Aryan himself?
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Christopher Munden is a freelance writer and editor who has worked for many leading Philadelphia cultural institutions. He is an avid theatergoer and the editor/publisher of the Philly Fiction book series, collections of short stories written by local writers and set in Philadelphia.
Find more of his theater writing through his blog, or visit his music website.
More articles by Christopher Munden, newest first
| ‘Vigil’ and older audiences at the Lantern |
May 30 2011 |
The wicked humor of Morris Panych’s Vigil comes mostly at the expense of older audiences. That’s bad news for cutting-edge theater in Philadelphia.
Vigil. By Morris Panych; Peter DeLaurier directed. Lantern Theatre Company production through June 12, 2011 at St. Stephen’s Theater, 923 Ludlow St. (215) 829-0395 or www.lanterntheatre.org.
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Ledger has written, edited, photographed and, when captivated by brightly colored, shiny materials, she has made things. She writes most often now about biomedical research, but also likes to write about the visual arts. “It’s a way of better understanding those things that really give pleasure,” she says.
She is a former board member of the University City Arts League and a current board member of the Garden Court Community Association, through which she has brought some choral music to a local public school that has no music teacher.
She is a fancier of Bakelite jewelry, a perpetual student of the Spanish language, and a practitioner of tai chi. She used to dance Argentine tango obsessively, and she still loves the music of Pugliese and Piazzolla.
Ledger lives in West Philadelphia.
More articles by Martha Ledger, newest first
| ‘In Material: Fiber 2012’ at the Arthur Ross Gallery |
February 21 2012 |
What can you do or say with fiber, aside from wearing it? Just about anything, as the Ross Gallery’s breathtaking installation demonstrates.
“In Material: Fiber 2012.” Through March 25, 2012 at Arthur Ross Gallery, 220 South 34th Street. (215) 898-2083 or www.upenn.edu/ARG.
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| Zoe Strauss photos at the Art Museum (1st review) |
January 31 2012 |
Conceptual artist and photographer Zoe Strauss takes an unflinching look at hard lives in tough times. She documents the struggle, but wherever she looks, she also finds humor, ironies, and truths about being human.
“Zoe Strauss: Ten Years.” Through April 22, 2012 at Philadelphia Museum of Art, Benj. Franklin Pkwy. and 26th St. (215) 763-8100 or www.philamuseum.org.
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| Diane Burko’s photographs at Locks Gallery |
July 16 2011 |
The landscape painter Diane Burko applies her skills with color and form to photography, with good reason: No painter could possibly reproduce the multitude of rich and subtle detail in these camera images.
“Diane Burko: Photographs.” Through August 19, 2011 at Locks Gallery, 600 Washington Square South. (215) 629-1000 or www.locksgallery.com.
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| 'Roberto Capucci: Art into Fashion' at the Art Museum (2nd review) |
April 12 2011 |
No longer tied to fashion shows and market demands, Roberto Capucci works on his own terms. His fabric sculptures resemble haute couture, but they’re really works of art well worth celebrating.
“Roberto Capucci: Art into Fashion.” Through June 5, 2011 at Philadelphia Museum of Art, Ben Franklin Parkway and 26th St. (215) 763-8100 or www.philamuseum.org.
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Richard da Silva is a cataloguing technician and the amateur archivist of the volunteers’ archive at Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center, a collection of all documents related to the Kimmel. He also writes a column for the collection’s newsletter. He is currently working on a book.
More articles by Richard da Silva, newest first
| Orchestre National de France at Verizon Hall |
April 19 2011 |
Is spring really as violent as Stravinsky imagined? Whatever— 98 years after its premiere, his Rite of Spring provoked not a riot but a standing ovation.
Orchestre National de France: Debussy, La Mer; Ravel, Piano Concerto in G Major; Stravinsky, Rite of Spring. Daniele Gatti, conductor. April 1, 2011 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. www.kimmelcenter.org.
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| How Paris transformed T.S. Eliot |
March 19 2011 |
In 1910, Paris was the world’s intellectual and cultural center and T.S. Eliot was only 22. His year there served as life-long inspiration for his groundbreaking poetry, plays, and criticism.
T.S. Eliot’s Parisian Year. By Nancy Duvall Hargrove. University Press of Florida, 2010. 336 pages; $29.95 (paperback). www.amazon.com.
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Marshall Ledger is a warhorse of the in-house magazine world. He was founding editor of Trust, the magazine of The Pew Charitable Trusts, and Penn Medicine, the alumni magazine of the University of Pennsylvania’s medical school. He also served the Pennsylvania Gazette, Penn’s general alumni magazine, as staff writer, associate editor and interim editor. He has been recognized as an Invited Member of the Robert Sibley Society “of extraordinary institutional editors and their distinguished colleagues in American journalism” (Council for Advancement and Support of Education, or CASE).
Marshall originally thought he was going to be an English professor, and he taught at Penn, the University of New Hampshire and La Salle College until he was hired by Farm Journal to help create a centennial-celebrating keepsake publication. His later writing credits include The New York Times Magazine, Philadelphia Magazine, Boston Magazine and many periodicals that now are merely remembered, sometimes even fondly, such as the Philadelphia Inquirer Magazine.
Marshall and his wife, Martha, collaborated to write and produce Dear Old Penn in Postcards: The University of Pennsylvania, 1900-1923, which won three CASE awards. And he worked with David Y. Cooper III, M.D., on Innovation and Tradition at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine: An Anecdotal Journey (University of Pennsylvania Press).
Marshall earned a B.A. from Dartmouth College, an M.A. from Penn State, and a Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley. He lives in Philadelphia with Martha, who also writes. Their children are now far-flung: Daughter Kate is author of the 2009 novel Remedies, and son Gabriel is an emergency physician and creator of the short film, The Rest of My Life: Stories of Trauma Survivors. Marshall’s hobbies include cooking, Spanish language study, tai chi, Argentine tango, watercolor painting and drawing.
More articles by Marshall A. Ledger, newest first
| 1812 Productions does Mamet’s ‘Boston Marriage’ |
May 12 2012 |
David Mamet supposedly wrote Boston Marriage to prove he can write substantive roles for women. He still hasn’t.
Boston Marriage. By David Mamet; Jennifer Childs directed. 1812 Productions, through May 20, 2012 at Plays & Players Theatre, 1714 Delancey St. (215) 592-9560 or www.1812productions.org.
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| Bruce Graham’s ‘Outgoing Tide,’ by PTC (1st review) |
April 10 2012 |
Bruce Graham’s The Outgoing Tide confronts Alzheimer’s disease with wisecracks like, “Are you crazy?” The playwright’s immense talent, a first-rate cast of three, and innovative staging create a powerful theater experience nevertheless.
The Outgoing Tide. By Bruce Graham; James J. Christy directed. Philadelphia Theatre Company production through April 22, 2012 at Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 S. Broad St. (at Lombard). (215) 985-0420 or philadelphiatheatrecompany.org.
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| Lee Benson: The historian as activist |
March 24 2012 |
The late Penn historian Lee Benson contributed significantly to his field, but his shining moment may have occurred when he told his fellow historians to leave the sidelines and get involved.
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| ‘Cyrano’ at the Arden (1st review) |
March 17 2012 |
The polymath playwright Michael Hollinger has done it again. This time he takes a too-familiar century-old classic tragicomedy and infuses it with new allusions and linguistic flights of fancy suitable for the 21st Century.
Edmond Rostand’s Cyrano. Translated and adapted by Michael Hollinger; adapted and directed by Aaron Posner. Arden Theatre production through April 15, 2012 on the Arden’s F. Otto Haas Stage, 40 N. Second St. (215) 922-1122 or www.ardentheatre.org.
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| ‘Big River’ at the Arts Bank |
February 25 2012 |
Big River, an adaptation of Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn, paradoxically shows how Americans can be entertained while being completely humiliated by our nation’s history.
Big River. Music and lyrics by Roger Williams; book by William Hauptman; adapted from Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn; Frank Anzalone directed. University of the Arts production through February 25, 2012 at the Arts Bank, 601 S. Broad St. (at South St.). (800) 616-2787 or www.uarts.edu.
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| Anthony Lawton’s ‘The Great Divorce’ (2nd review) |
February 10 2012 |
Anthony Lawton reprises his one-man tour de force adaptation of C.S. Lewis’s The Great Divorce, which explains to a highly misguided world the right way to get to heaven.
The Great Divorce. Adapted and performed by Anthony Lawton, from the C.S. Lewis novella. Lantern Theater Company production through February 12, 2012 at St. Stephen’s Theater, 923 Ludlow St. (215) 829-9002 or www.lanterntheater.org.
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| Kander & Ebb’s ‘Scottsboro Boys’ by PTC (1st review) |
January 28 2012 |
This first-rate production of an ingenious musical appropriately recalls an American racial nightmare of the 1930s. Unfortunately, in its preoccupation with laughing at racism it overlooks or, worse, lampoons some of the real heroes of that Alabama tragedy.
The Scottsboro Boys. Music and lyrics by John Kander and Fred Ebb; book by David Thompson; Susan Stroman’s original direction and choreography recreated by Jeff Whiting. Philadelphia Theatre Company production through February 19, 2012 at Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 S. Broad St. (at Lombard). (215) 985-0420 or www.philadelphiatheatrecompany.org.
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| Coward’s ‘Private Lives’ at the Lantern (1st review) |
December 17 2011 |
Noël Coward worried endlessly whether his works would endure. The Lantern Theater’s current production of Private Lives suggests one answer: The only way to prove that an old play continues to breathe is to revive it as an unforgettable theater experience.
Private Lives. By Noel Coward; Kathryn MacMillan directed. Lantern Theater Co. production through January 8, 2012 at St. Stephen’s Theater, 923 Ludlow St. (215) 829-0395 or www.lanterntheater.org.
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| Fo’s ‘Accidental Death of an Anarchist’ at the Curio |
December 11 2011 |
Dario Fo’s efforts have always irritated the authorities and delighted the public with his farcical attacks on government corruption and social injustice. His work shares much in common with David Mamet's. So why is Mamet a darling of American theater, while Fo hasn't been performed in Philadelphia since 1997? Here's my theory.
Accidental Death of an Anarchist. By Dario Fo; translated by Gillian Hanna and adapted by Gavin Richards; M. Craig Getting directed. Curio Theatre Co. production through January 7, 2012 at Calvary Church, 4740 Baltimore Ave. (215) 525-1350 or www.curiotheatre.org.
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| America through a Spanish lens |
November 13 2011 |
For an American, there’s nothing like a sojourn in Spain to get a fresh perspective on our own current economic and political malaise. Both countries have made their share of mistakes since 1492. But the real problem is the reluctance to learn from those mistakes.
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| Lantern Theater’s ‘New Jerusalem’ (3rd review) |
November 05 2011 |
In David Ives’s play, Baruch Spinoza’s very abstract notions test a 17th-Century congregation’s tolerance for new ideas, not to mention age-old ideals. But the Lantern Theater production makes it clear that this 21st-Century audience is being tested as well.
New Jerusalem: The Interrogation of Baruch de Spinoza at Talmud Torah Congregation, Amsterdam, July 27, 1656. By David Ives; Charles McMahon directed. Lantern Theater Company production through November 12, 2011 at St. Stephen’s Theater, 923 Ludlow St. (215) 829-0395 or www.lanterntheater.org.
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| Pig Iron’s ‘Twelfth Night’ (2nd review) |
September 18 2011 |
I’ve never before heard a Twelfth Night audience so quickly drawn in emotionally as well as intellectually. Pig Iron had us in its grip and never let go, in the process demonstrating what makes a drama dramatic.
Twelfth Night. By William Shakespeare; Dan Rothenberg directed. Pig Iron Theatre Company production for the Philadelphia Fringe Festival through September 17, 2011 at Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 S. Broad St. (215) 425-1100 or www.pigiron.org.
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| ‘The Arsonists’ at the Fringe (1st review) |
September 03 2011 |
When arsonists arrive to burn down your house, should you invite them to dinner and try to dissuade them? Max Frisch’s The Arsonists (formerly called The Firebugs), written in 1953, speaks of moral responsibility and action in the face of personal threat. It doesn’t seem the least bit outdated in this Fringe Festival offering.
The Arsonists. By Max Frisch; translated by Alistair Beaton; Tina Brock directed. Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium production through September 18, 2011, at the Walnut Street Theatre Studio 5, 825 Walnut St. (215) 285-0472 or www.IdiopathicRidiculopathyConsortium.org or www.phillyfringe.org.
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| Conservatives, liberals and socialized booze |
July 23 2011 |
It’s that time of year again, when legislators wonder why the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is in the liquor business. As a free-lance writer for whom this subject has become something of a cash cow, I say: Hey, the system works for me.
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| ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ in Clark Park |
July 23 2011 |
Much Ado About Nothing triumphed over multiple distractions in its open-air West Philadelphia venue. But then, Shakespeare himself confronted similar challenges in the 16th Century.
Much Ado About Nothing. By William Shakespeare; Alex Torra directed. Shakespeare in Clark Park production though July 24, 2011, at Clark Park, Chester Ave. between 43rd and 45th St. In case of rain, Curio Theatre, 815 S. 48th St. (215) 462-2115 or www.shakespeareinclarkpark.org.
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| ‘Pirates of Penzance’ in Oregon |
July 05 2011 |
The Oregon Shakespeare Festival, in its 76th year, has discovered new territory: Gilbert and Sullivan. In The Pirates of Penzance, the Festival demonstrates that lampooning Victorian assumptions remains as relevant as ever.
The Pirates of Penzance. Music by Arthur Sullivan; libretto by W. S. Gilbert; directed by Bill Rauch. Through October 8, 2011 at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Ashland, Ore. (800) 219-8161 or www.osfashland.org.
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| Abbas Kiarostami’s ‘Certified Copy’ |
May 03 2011 |
Certified Copy (Copie conforme). A film directed by Abbas Kiarostami. For Philadelphia area show times, click here.
Is an exact copy of a great artwork just as good as the real thing? Well, yes, suggests Abbas Kiarostami’s Certified Copy— in much the same way that a film like this one is cleaner and more accessible than the messy complexity of real life.
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| Gregory Burke’s ‘Black Watch’ in Brooklyn |
April 26 2011 |
Black Watch is a darkly convincing portrayal of young men who enlist in the military and, sadly, find themselves out of their element. It put me in mind of my own dubious military experience a long time ago.
Black Watch. By Gregory Burke; John Tiffany directed. National Theatre of Scotland production through May 8, 2011 at St. Ann’s Warehouse, 38 Water St., Brooklyn, N.Y. (718) 254-8779 or www.stannswarehouse.org.
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| Tracy Letts’s ‘Superior Donuts’ at the Arden (1st review) |
March 07 2011 |
Making perfect donuts day after day might be an achievement, but it doesn’t quite add up to a life for Arthur, the proprietor of the Superior Donuts store in Uptown Chicago. But one day he hires an enthusiastic neighborhood kid, who manages to strip the glaze off everything.
Superior Donuts. By Tracy Letts; Edward Sobel directed. Through April 3, 2011 at the Arden Theatre, F. Otto Haas Stage, 40 N. Second St. (215) 922-1122 or www.ardentheatre.org.
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More articles by Maralyn Lois Polak, newest first
| Death and life of a friend |
April 01 2012 |
Let him die on a Sunday, she decides. And so she calls me, and I come.
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| Prostate cancer and radioactive love |
February 28 2012 |
Thanks to modern medical science, most men survive prostate cancer. But the doctors don’t tell you that sometimes the process can transform a macho man into a girly-girl, at least temporarily.
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| A belated Valentine to the body |
February 07 2012 |
Back in the day, we never thought of betrayals of the body— only betrayals of lovers. Now that the tide has turned, to whom should I send my Valentine?
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| Newt’s open marriage, and mine |
January 24 2012 |
Did the talk of Newt Gingrich's open marriage actually help him win the South Carolina primary? Maybe so. Many Americans cherish the same fantasy, as I can attest from personal experience.
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| A few not unkind words about Kim Jong-il |
December 20 2011 |
North Korea’s late leader was demonized in the West as a tyrant preoccupied with bombs and gulags. Yet away from his day job, this creative soul pursued other passions, as a prolific writer, filmmaker and critic.
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| Open letter to film producer Jeffrey Lurie |
March 05 2011 |
Producer Jeff Lurie is miffed because the director of his Oscar-winning film neglected to thank him at the awards ceremony. As a small-scale filmmaker looking to crash the big time, I will eagerly perform any requisite display of gratitude in exchange for your support.
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| ’Tis the season for ungifting |
January 02 2011 |
A challenge for the post-Christmas season: Do I really want the ratty Ralph Lauren bathrobe my grumpy ex-boyfriend gave me? Does anyone want it?
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Henrik Eger, Ph.D., professor of English and Communication, Delaware County (Pa.) Community College. Bilingual playwright. Martin Luther Kingís (German) Nobel Peace Prize mail translator. Contributor: Literary Exile in the Twentieth Century. Producer-writer: All About Jewish Theatre, The World’s Largest Secular Synagogue and Open University (YouTube). Philadelphia correspondent: AAJT. Producer-director: Multilingual International Shakespeare, London. Philadelphia judge: Barrymore Theatre Awards. Member: Board of Directors, Theatre Ariel. Visit his website at www.henrikeger.com.
More articles by Henrik Eger, newest first
| ‘Playing Leni,’ by Madhouse Theater |
June 12 2011 |
Playing Leni, a drama about a power-hungry filmmaker willing to walk over bodies, encourages the American audience to discover not only some of the inner workings of a Third Reich mind, but also our own.
Playing Leni. By David Robson and John Stanton; directed by Seth Reichgott. Madhouse Theater Company production closed June 11, 2011 at Adrienne Theater, 2030 Sansom St. (267) 571-9623 or www.madhousetheater.org.
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| Scrooge vs. Madoff: A distant mirror |
January 01 2011 |
The similarities between two notorious symbols of greed— Ebenezer Scrooge and Bernard Madoff— are obvious enough. But the Madoff story continues to unravel. Is it possible that Madoff may yet be redeemed with the help of a ghost, just like Scrooge?
A Dickens Christmas. Written, directed and performed by Jared Reed, from the works of Charles Dickens. Closed December 12, 2010 at Hedgerow Theatre, 64 Rose Valley Rd., Media, Pa. 610-565-4211 or www.hedgerowtheatre.org.
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Although erstwhile supermarket cashier Tashamaria Tromer currently makes her home in Center City Philadelphia, she’s a forever Jersey Girl at heart as well as a researcher, workshop leader, former freshman composition lecturer, cat-and-dog companion and Reiki channel.
More articles by Tashamaria Tromer, newest first
This contributor has not yet published any articles.
Composer Kile Smith is co-host of ”Discoveries from the Fleisher Collection,” host of the contemporary American music show, ”Now is the Time,” and a classical host on WRTI 90.1 FM in Philadelphia. He is the former Curator of the Fleisher Collection of Orchestral Music in the Free Library of Philadelphia,
His frequently performed music is praised by audiences and critics for its emotional power, direct appeal and strong voice. Gramophone Magazine hailed Kile’s Vespers —written for Piffaro, The Renaissance Band and the new-music choir The Crossing— as “spectacular.” The Philadelphia Inquirer found it “breathtaking” and “ecstatically beautiful,” The Buffalo News called it “gorgeous and haunting,” and Audiophile Audition said, “This work is a masterpiece of the deepest kind … Seldom do I come across a piece with such profoundly direct emotional appeal … easily one of the best releases of the year.”
Vespers is recorded on the Navona label, as is Where Flames a Word, on the poetry of Paul Celan.
Kile has written works for David Kim, concertmaster of the Philadelphia Orchestra, Jennifer Montone, principal Horn of the Philadelphia Orchestra, and for Anne Martindale Williams, principal cello of the Pittsburgh Symphony.Other recent works include The Waking Sun, on texts of Seneca, for The Crossing and Tempesta di Mare, and Plain Truths for baritone and string quartet, for the Newburyport Chamber Music Festival.
He lives in the Fox Chase section of Philadelphia. His website is kilesmith.com, where he writes about his music and musical activities, and (he promises) hardly anything else.
More articles by Kile Smith, newest first
| Bach, Christians and anti-Semitism: A reply |
April 24 2012 |
Bach wasn’t anti-Semitic, and neither is his St. John Passion. Neither was St. John himself. True Christians understand that Christianity is Jewish through and through.
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| View from the percussion section |
April 10 2012 |
So you think it’s easy to play percussion in an orchestra? That's what I thought, until I tried it.
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| Between Bach and ‘O-o-h Child’ |
March 20 2012 |
What does the drummer in “O-o-h Child” by the Five Stairsteps have in common with the cellist in a Bach Cantata? Well, try listening to either work without them.
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| Rock 'n roll: Doomed to disappoint |
March 03 2012 |
There’s no rock if there’s no backbeat. It’s the element that teases you into believing any direction is open, any option is possible. Which is a delusion, of course.
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| Recalling Etta James and ‘At Last’ |
December 31 2011 |
“At Last” had been covered by a handful of artists, but the song became immortal in 1961 because of Etta James, who died January 21; and because of her, it’s the icon of a poignant era in American music.
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| Samuel Hsu: A polymath’s giant shadow |
December 06 2011 |
The polymath Dr. Samuel Hsu, who died last week, was a pianist and musicologist who spoke eight languages and was conversant in linguistics, philosophy, science, theology, history, fine arts, archaeology, literature, ice hockey. He was a Presbyterian elder who was steeped in Buddhism and Judaism. He was elite but never elitist.
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| ‘What a Wonderful World': The drummer’s difference |
September 25 2011 |
Louis Armstrong draws us in with a voice that makes the sentimentality real. The drummer Grady Tate keeps us honest. That’s why “What a Wonderful World” is something other than just a pretty song. And that’s why it’s unsettling.
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| Sports and music: a common link |
September 13 2011 |
Long before I became a composer, I played soccer. In the process I learned a useful lesson: In sports as in music, the ultimate goal isn’t perfection; it’s humility and humanity.
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| My 15 minutes as Shakespeare |
August 14 2011 |
After years of devoted service as a Free Library petty bureaucrat, I got my mom
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| In search of a forgotten composer |
April 26 2011 |
Why on earth is Alexander Gretchaninoff buried in central New Jersey? Why on earth am I searching for his grave? In some strange way, this obscure and forgotten Russian composer speaks to my own struggle to compose.
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| How I learned to love Milton Babbitt |
February 08 2011 |
Audiences didn’t understand Milton Babbitt’s music. For a long time, I didn’t, either. But as he would say, who understands particle physics? For that matter, who understands James Joyce?
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| Are symphonies really dying? (A response) |
December 12 2010 |
BSR contributor Robert Zaller laments the demise of the symphony in our times. Out of curiosity, I conducted a census of symphonic composers from Haydn to the present. The surprising numbers and ratios I found suggest almost the opposite conclusion.
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Like many life-long Philadelphians, Madeline Schaefer grew up attending local Quaker schools, where she developed a deep love for language and learning. After graduating from Germantown Friends School in 2005, she took a break from the East Coast to study English at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota. There Madeline was heavily involved with Carleton’s student-run radio station, where she produced radio documentaries about art and culture around the campus.
The past year after graduation took Madeline around the world, but she never stopped writing. Now that she has returned home she is excited to work with Dan Rottenberg and learn about arts editing as well as the future of online magazine publishing. Madeline hopes to learn how to use the internet to foster vigorous and stimulating dialogue in order to create a thriving arts community.
She lives in Philadelphia’s Chestnut Hill section.
More articles by Madeline Schaefer, newest first
| ‘Look! on Lancaster Avenue’ |
October 04 2011 |
Forlorn and barely noticed, Powelton Village has been populated for decades by a vibrant, talented and insular group of artists. Now it’s trying to create public buzz, which could be the neighborhood’s undoing.
"LOOK! on Lancaster Avenue." Through November 30, 2011 at various locations on Lancaster Ave. between 34th and 41st Streets in West Philadelphia. www.lancasteravenuearts.com.
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| ‘Moneyball’ and male values |
September 30 2011 |
Moneyball is a new twist on a classic American movie plot: Here, a rugged, aggressive and somewhat misogynistic man learns the value of two things money can’t buy: patience and thought. If such a transformation can happen to a Brad Pitt character, is there hope for our macho country?
Moneyball. A film directed by Bennett Miller. For Philadelphia area show times, click here.
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| ‘Dan Rottenberg Is Thinking About Raping You’ |
June 28 2011 |
Cara Blouin’s satire of Dan Rottenberg’s views on sex abuse is witty fun. But she’s preaching to her own younger generation here. Our parents hold views that are sincere and well intended too. Who among my contemporaries will reach across the generation gap to converse with them?
Dan Rottenberg is Thinking About Raping You: An Educational Presentation. By Cara Blouin. Forearm Productions presentation June 25, 2011 at Plays & Players Theater, 1714 Delancey Place. (215) 735-0630 or www.playsandplayers.org.
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| Sex abuse: How to respond to Dan Rottenberg |
June 28 2011 |
To correct Dan Rottenberg and simply say that women are never responsible for male sexual aggression isn’t really addressing the very real male reactions to cleavage, legs, etc. And why are women still buying into male definitions of what is "sexy"?
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| Simon’s ‘Lost in Yonkers’ at Plays & Players |
June 06 2011 |
In an age that’s overrun with “coming of age” stories, Neil Simon’s Lost In Yonkers takes a different tack, examining the coming-of-age of an entire dysfunctional family. A superb production expertly navigates the journey.
Lost in Yonkers. By Neil Simon; Betty Chomentowski directed. Plays & Players production through June 19, 2011 at Plays & Players Theatre, 1714 Delancey Pl. (215) 735-0630 or www.playsandplayers.org.
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| 'Through the Skin' by Koresh Dance Company |
May 10 2011 |
Through the Skin, Koresh Dance Company's new performance, articulates with breathtaking beauty the modern relationship between body and mind and invites the audience to do likewise.
Koresh Dance Company: Through the Skin. Ronen Koresh, choreographer. May 5-8, 2011 at Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 S. Broad St. (at Lombard).
(215) 751-0990 or www.koreshdance.org.
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| ‘Slam Nation’s’ night of story telling |
May 03 2011 |
It's harder to tell a good story than you might think, especially without a script, as I discovered during a recent night of storytelling at the Kimmel.
Slam Nation. Produced by First Person Arts for Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts, April 26, 2011 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. www.firstpersonarts.org/slamnation.
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| BalletX and Wilma re-imagine Apollinaire (2nd review) |
April 19 2011 |
Apollinaire and the surrealists reveled in the absurd. But these performers aren’t surrealists— they’re modern-day artists performing an old piece of surrealist art. It’s a treat for the senses, but there’s not much here for the mind to chew on.
BalletX/Wilma Theater: Proliferation of the Imagination. Choreographed by Matthew Neenan, based on Guillaume Apollinaire’s Les mamelles de Tiresias; Walter Bilderback, director. Through April 24, 2011 at the Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St. (at Spruce). www.balletx.org.
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| Cary Fukunaga’s ‘Jane Eyre’ on film (1st review) |
April 04 2011 |
In a world where love is over-analyzed and over-articulated, there’s something incredibly refreshing about witnessing love portrayed as magic.
Jane Eyre. A film directed by Cary Fukunaga, based on the novel by Charlotte Brontë. For Philadelphia-area show times, click here.
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| Blue Man Group: An ‘80s relic |
January 04 2011 |
Blue Man Group was quite avant-garde in the ’80s. But this male trio can’t seem to accept that modern society has outgrown the group’s message and even its form. Flashing lights on stage screens just don't do it any more.
Blue Man Group. Closed January 2, 2011 at the Merriam Theatre, Broad St. above Spruce. www.kimmelcenter.org.
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Chris Braak is a playwright and novelist from Philadelphia. He writes regularly for Threat Quality Press, and on the blog for Iron Age Theatre’s Special Operations Executive.
You can find more from him at www.chrisbraak.com.
More articles by Chris Braak, newest first
| Should actors address the audience? |
October 29 2010 |
The New York Times theater critic Charles Isherwood recently decried the spread of “direct address”— in which actors speak directly to the audience rather than “naturally” to each other. So much for Euripides, Shakespeare, Beckett, Brecht and Thornton Wilder. Besides, is "natural" theater really natural?
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Perry Block is a writer, humorist, and human resources professional who lives in Havertown, Pa., just outside of Philadelphia.
In his humor website, Perry Block— Nouveau Old, Formerly Cute (www.nouveauold.com), Perry chronicles the world through the eyes of one Baby Boomer warily poised on the cusp of an age he thought was exclusively reserved for people’s parents.”
Many of his humor pieces have been featured in print and on-line publications. Perry’s comedic Twittersite is known as @PerryBlock, and you can reach him directly at .
More articles by Perry Block, newest first
| You too can appear on a postage stamp |
October 02 2011 |
The U. S. Postal Service recently announced that it will soon issue stamps featuring people who are still alive, which it hopes will appeal to collectors. But what happens if you’re stuck with an old roll of Eliot Spitzers?
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| Congressional sex scandals: Do it yourself |
August 06 2011 |
Another member of the U.S. House of Representatives has resigned his seat due to a sex scandal. And by now you can write the news story yourself.
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| Antidote for sex addicts: chocolate |
July 05 2011 |
Always another sex scandal in the news. And what’s the big deal about sex, anyway? Eating chocolate, on the other hand, produces pleasure that extends from your mouth and taste buds all the way down to your tummy.
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| A baby boomer looks at tattoos |
June 16 2011 |
Baby boomers like me connote tattoos with bikers and drunken sailors on shore leave. But these days it’s difficult to find an athlete or movie star who believes tabula rasa is an acceptable approach to one’s epidermis.
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| Secrets of Cecily Tynan, weather queen |
April 30 2011 |
What explains the success of TV weather lady Cecily Tynan? Better ask: Why does my barometric pressure rise whenever she smiles at me?
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| A man’s guide to aging gracefully |
March 12 2011 |
What is the cut-off age for admiring young girls? Plus other practical tips for men who don’t want to be perceived as old and dirty.
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| My Greco-Roman Christmas |
December 14 2010 |
Christmas is a tough time for Jews, as my ancestors and I can personally attest. But suppose that 2,000 years ago Christianity had flamed out and worship of Zeus had prevailed?
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| Apologies: Ginni Thomas vs. Anita Hill |
October 23 2010 |
Clarence Thomas’s wife recently phoned Anita Hill out of the blue to ask Hill to apologize for accusing Justice Thomas of sexual harassment 19 years ago. Recognizing that Ginni Thomas was on to something, I placed a few calls of my own.
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| Farewell to the ’50s |
August 17 2010 |
It’s high time I faced the facts: My beloved ’50s are indeed dead, and I need a new set of conversational reference points. But before I take my leave, allow me one last farewell to my faithful ’50s friends.
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Jonathan Pappas teaches in the Intellectual Heritage Department at Temple University. He writes fiction and lives in the East Falls section of Philadelphia. Follow his Twitter feed at @jonathanpappas.
More articles by Jonathan Pappas, newest first
| First Friday find: Excursion to Fishtown |
September 07 2010 |
Don’t overlook the forgotten child of Philadelphia “First Friday” arts events— Fishtown’s scruffy, eccentric version. It’s less polished but just possibly more fun. Less expensive, too.
Frankford Avenue First Fridays. First Friday evening of every month. www.Frankfordavearts.org.
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| On renaming my commuter train |
August 13 2010 |
Can you espy the connection between a nameless commuter train and a limbless Iraq war veteran?
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More articles by Candy Kean, newest first
| School budget cuts: A view from the front lines |
April 29 2011 |
Philadelphia's School District must slash its budget again. In abstract terms, that sounds onerous. But how does it actually affect children and teachers? As one of the latter, allow me to provide a firsthand illustration.
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| Test scores: A teacher’s tale |
July 08 2010 |
As the school year ended, I was summoned to see the principal. Our preliminary PSSA scores have come out, and my class did terribly, and so I am to blame. It doesn’t matter if your kids have learning issues or attendance issues. All that matters is their scores.
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Robert P. Levin was born and raised in Philadelphia but has lived in Toronto for nearly a quarter century now. He’s an editor at The Globe and Mail (Canada’s national newspaper). Previously he was executive editor of Maclean’s (Canada’s national newsmagazine) and a Newsweek writer in New York before that. He’s long been known as Bob Levin but has assumed the byline of Robert P. Levin to avoid confusion with another BSR contributor named Bob Levin, who’s a lawyer in Berkeley, California.
More articles by Robert P. Levin, newest first
| The Zen of getting canned |
August 19 2011 |
Surely surviving cancer, three different times, would throw everything else in life into perspective, I thought. Then I got fired.
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| What's cancer really like? |
June 28 2011 |
Take it from one who knows from experience: We do cancer patients a disservice if we see the fight but not the rage, the fear, the full storm of emotions that strikes mortals facing their own mortality.
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| Fear and integration in Wynnefield, c. 1970 |
June 26 2010 |
To a kid growing up there, Wynnefield was a far more interesting, vital neighborhood in the years after integration and before our parents’ panic ended that all too brief era.
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In the past 35 years I made art with conventional art materials as a sculptor, potter and painter. I taught myself to create art on the computer and in the last 13 years, the challenge has been to combine technology with artistry, a complex and difficult process.
My art was exhibited in 9 solo exhibitions and more than 60 juried and invitational shows. My digital work is permanently exhibited at the University of Pennsylvania, cited in 2 art textbooks and is listed on London’s Saatchi Gallery website by invitation. Currently I work in a Jewish Museum creating graphics and digital art with a Jewish theme.
My computer paintings are printed on paper, canvas or other materials in sizes ranging from letter to mural size. In addition to original computer paintings I make custom photo montages with personal materials supplied by clients.
More articles by Joan Myerson Shrager, newest first
| Why so many Jewish artists? |
August 28 2010 |
Why are there so many Jews in the visual arts? And why now? Is it just a coincidence? Or did the unique experience of the Holocaust engender an unequally unique psyche that looks powerfully inward for self-expression and for an outlet for hidden fears?
“Art and the Holocaust.” Illustrated lecture series by Rabbi Lance J. Sussman, Oct. 17, 24 and 31 at Congregation Keneseth Israel, 8339 Old York Rd., Elkins Park, Pa. (215) 887-8700 or www.kenesethisrael.org.
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| Germantown’s stained-glass miracle |
June 08 2010 |
In a remarkable stained-glass workshop in an old church in Germantown, streetwise teens developed a whole new way of looking at themselves and each other. And I found an inspiration I’d never experienced in my 40 years as a professional artist.
“Windows That Open Doors”: On display through July 31, 2010 at Fairmount Park Welcome Center, Love Park, J.F. Kennedy Blvd. and 16th St. (215) 683-0246 or www.fairmountpark.org.
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Rebecca Ritzel is a Washington, D.C.-based arts journalist who contributes to the Washington Post and other publications. She also teaches writing at the University of Maryland. She previously spent five years as the arts writer at the Lancaster (Pa.) Intelligencer Journal. She left that paper in 2005 to earn a master’s degree in arts journalism at Syracuse University.
Visit her website at www.rjritzel.com.
Photo: Mark Weinhold.
More articles by Rebecca J. Ritzel, newest first
| Philadelphia Orchestra’s Washington concert |
May 28 2010 |
If ever the Philadelphia Orchestra and its interim music leader Charles Dutoit need a quick morale boost, their best bet is to jump on the Acela and head south to Washington. Consider their recent all-Russian program and its frenzied reception.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Rachmaninoff, Piano Concerto No. 3; Stravinsky, Petrushka; Glinka, overture to Rusian and Lyudmila; Nikolai Lugansky, piano; Charles Dutoit, conductor.
May 26, 2010 at the Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, Md. (301) 581-5100 or www.strathmore.org.
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I am a freelance technical writer who splits his time between Philadelphia and New York. In my free time I like to see plays and movies in both cities. Maybe it’s because I write for a living, but I usually prefer to review plays in a bar after the show rather than write about them. But recently, at the urging of friends, I’ve published reviews in print and on the internet.
More articles by A.Q. Torby, newest first
| Brecht’s ‘Arturo Ui’ in Delaware (2nd review) |
May 15 2010 |
I never understood Hitler’s charismatic hold on the German people, but this adept ensemble performance provides a clue: It keeps us so astonished that we’re blinded and immobilized from calling his bluff.
The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, by Bertolt Brecht; directed by Heinz-Uwe Haus. Resident Ensemble Players production through May 16, 2010 at Thompson Theatre, Roselle Center for the Arts, University of Delaware, 110 Orchard St., Newark, Del. (302) 831-2204 or www.rep.udel.edu/Arturo.html.
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Norm Roessler is an assistant professor at Temple University and the editor of Communications, the Performance Journal of the International Brecht Society. He writes on German and American Theater and reviews plays along the Northeast Corridor as well as in Germany.
More articles by Norman Roessler, newest first
| Theatre Exile’s ‘Iron’ at the Fringe (1st review) |
September 13 2010 |
In Theatre Exile’s production of Rona Munro’s Iron, the stunning proximity of a converted South Philadelphia garage allows the audience to peer voyeuristically into the psychological dissection that occurs onstage.
Iron. By Rona Munro; directed By Deborah Block. Theatre Exile production through October 10, 2010 at Studio X, 1340 South 13th St. (215) 413.9006 or www.livearts-fringe.org.
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| EgoPo’s ‘Marat/Sade’ (1st review) |
September 13 2010 |
Taking up where it left off with last season’s Beckett Festival, EgoPo once again thumbs its nose at Philadelphia’s conservative theater scene with Marat / Sade. Crash-land this cruel concoction in the enormous Sanctuary space at the Rotunda Theater and you just might find the year’s most terribly satisfying theater pleasure.
The Persecution and Assassination of Jean Paul Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton under the Direction of the Marquis de Sade. By Peter Weiss; adapted by Geoffrey Skelton; directed by Brenna Geffers. EgoPo Theater production for the Philadelphia Fringe Festival through September 18, 2010 at the Sanctuary at the Rotunda, 4014 Walnut St. (215) 413.9006 or www.livearts-fringe.org/details.cfm?id=13580.
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| Temple Repertory Theater’s ‘Measure For Measure’ |
July 20 2010 |
It’s a wonder that anyone would take on such a complex and difficult work as Shakespeare’s Measure For Measure. Yet director Douglas C. Wager and his new Temple Repertory theater team have navigated this riddle of a play with two original (albeit flawed) features.
Measure for Measure. By William Shakespeare; directed by Douglas C. Wager. Temple Repertory Theater production through July 30, 2010 at Tomlinson Theater, 1301 W. Norris St. (215) 204-1334 or sct.temple.edu/blogs/repertory-theater.
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| John Waters and his ‘Role Models’ |
June 26 2010 |
The renegade filmmaker John Waters’s latest book is a paean to reading as a revolutionary act. His recent appearance at the Free Library was tame by comparison.
Role Models. By John Waters. Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 2010. Hard cover. 320 pp. $25. www.amazon.com/Role-Models.
Author Event: “A Conversation with John Waters.” June 1, 2010 at Free Library of Philadelphia, 1901 Vine St. libwww.freelibrary.org/authorevents.
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| Martha Nussbaum's ivory tower |
June 08 2010 |
Professor Martha Nussbaum deplores the decline of liberal arts education, which she sees as the engine of democracy. And she champions Socratic dialogue as the stimulant for the liberal arts. So why was her recent Free Library appearance more monologue than dialogue?
Martha C. Nussbaum. Not For Profit: Why Democracy Needs the Humanities. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2010. 178 pp.; $23. press.princeton.edu.
An Evening With Martha Nussbaum. May 24, 2010 at Free Library, Central Branch, 1901 Vine St. (215) 686-5322 or www.freelibrary.org.
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| Brecht’s 'Arturo Ui' in Delaware (1st review) |
May 08 2010 |
The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, Bertolt Brecht’s 1941 Hitler parable set within a fictionalized Chicago underworld, is easily resistible. But once we hear the all-American “Looney Tunes” soundtrack of our childhood, our defenses are disarmed.
The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, by Bertolt Brecht; directed by Heinz-Uwe Haus. Resident Ensemble Players production through May 16, 2010 at Thompson Theatre, Roselle Center for the Arts, University of Delaware, 110 Orchard St., Newark, Del. (302) 831-2204 or www.rep.udel.edu/Arturo.
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More articles by Neal Zoren, newest first
| Tracy Letts’s ‘August: Osage County’ on tour (1st review) |
May 01 2010 |
At a time when so many American plays build their plots around political and social issues, Tracy Letts’s family free-for-all, August: Osage County, is a refreshing change of pace. And this touring cast is more realistic and consequently even more devastating than the original 2007 Broadway ensemble.
August: Osage County. By Tracy Letts; directed by Anna D. Shapiro. Through May 2, 2010 at the Forrest Theatre, 1114 Walnut St. (215) 893-1999 or www.kimmelcenter.org.
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Wendy Rosenfield has written freelance features and theater criticism for the Philadelphia Inquirer since 2006. Her “Drama Queen” blog for ArtsJournal.com covers “drama, onstage and off.” She was also chief theater critic for the Philadelphia Weekly from 1995 to 2001. Currently an M.L.A. candidate at the University of Pennsylvania, she received a 2008 National Endowment for the Arts fellowship in Theater and Musical Theater, participated in the Bennington Writer’s Workshop, and holds a B.A. in English literature from Bennington College. She was the 2009 and 2010 Guest Critic for the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival’s Region II National Critics Institute and is the proud mother of two small but enthusiastic theater aficionados.
More articles by Wendy Rosenfield, newest first
| ‘American Idiot’ on Broadway |
April 27 2010 |
Is American Idiot just another punk rock jukebox musical fouling the Great White Way? Or is it an earnest and even passionate attempt to recapture a moment a few years ago when the concept of “coming of age” changed irretrievably?
American Idiot. Musical based on the album by Green Day; Michael Mayer directed. St. James Theatre, 244 West 46th St., New York. (800) 432-7250 or americanidiotonbroadway.com.
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More articles by Jane Biberman, newest first
| ‘The Big Bang’ at Kimmel’s Innovation Studio |
October 15 2011 |
This endearing musical about two theatrical producers in search of investors is original, funny, blissfully brief and blessed with the comic genius of two quick-change artists, Ben Dibble and Tony Braithwaite.
The Big Bang. Book and lyrics by Boyd Graham; score by Jed Feuer; Richard Parison Jr. directed. Through October 30, 2011 at Innovation Studio, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-199 or www.kimmelcenter.org.
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| Maira Kalman’s ‘Crazy World’ at the Jewish Museum in NY |
April 17 2011 |
Maira Kalman finds strange analogies and metaphors in everything from boxes to kitchen sinks. Of course, these somewhat childlike, naïve paintings and perceptions are actually highly sophisticated.
“Maira Kalman: Various Illuminations (of a Crazy World).” Through July 31, 2011 at The Jewish Museum, 1109 Fifth Ave. (at 92nd St.), New York. www.thejewishmuseum.org.
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| Hitchcock’s ’39 Steps’ at the Walnut (2nd review) |
April 12 2011 |
Alfred Hitchcock’s 1935 thriller, The 39 Steps, wasn’t his greatest film, but it’s a perfect vehicle for a spoof. Patrick Barlow’s adaptation is part vaudeville, part farce, and always hilarious.
Alfred Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps. Adapted by Patrick Barlow, from the novel by John Buchan; William Roudebush directed. Through May 1, 2011 at Walnut Street Theatre, 825 Walnut St. (215) 574-3550 or www.walnutstreettheatre.org.
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| Tracy Letts’s ‘Superior Donuts’ at the Arden (4th review) |
April 02 2011 |
What distinguishes this play is its humanity. I cared about the characters, and that’s all too rare in contemporary theater.
Superior Donuts. By Tracy Letts; Edward Sobel directed. Through April 3, 2011 at the Arden Theatre, F. Otto Haas Stage, 40 N. Second St. (215) 922-1122 or www.ardentheatre.org.
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| Sam Maitin’s prints at Woodmere Art Museum |
January 11 2011 |
The late Sam Maitin’s dedication to both art and social causes is legendary. The Woodmere Art Museum’s current show, recently expanded, offers a precious opportunity to revisit an artist whose signature colorful paintings, murals, sculptures and posters were integral to Philadelphia’s cultural life.
“Sam Maitin” Prints and Places.” Through March 6, 2011 at Woodmere Art Museum, 9201 Germantown Ave. (Chestnut Hill). (215) 247-0476 or woodmereartmuseum.org.
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| ‘Driving Miss Daisy’ in New York |
December 24 2010 |
Why spend money on seats that cost many times the price of the DVD? To see three of the finest actors of our times share a stage and work their own particular magic on Alfred Uhry’s classic.
Driving Miss Daisy. By Alfred Uhry; David Esbjornson directed. Through April 9, 2011 at John Golden Theater, 252 West 45th St., New York. www.telecharge.com.
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| ‘Black Swan’: a ballet/horror film (1st review) |
December 18 2010 |
Black Swan purports to be a film about ballet. Is ballet really this vulgar, violent and tasteless?
Black Swan. A film directed by Darren Aronofsky. For theaters and times in greater Philadelphia, click here.
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| Guy Glass’s ‘Last Castrato’ in New York |
November 23 2010 |
The Last Castrato sheds light on an important chapter of musical history, one that’s as fascinating as it is complex. Playwright Glass, a practicing psychiatrist by day, uses a reform moment in the Catholic Church, circa 1904, to examine the issues of art, music, gender and posterity.
The Last Castrato. By Guy Fredrick Glass; directed by John Henry Davis. Through December 4, 2010 at the Connelly Theater, 220 E. Fourth St., New York. www.lastcastrato.com.
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| Lantern Theatre’s ‘Uncle Vanya’ (3rd review) |
November 20 2010 |
When a play focuses on a family, great ensemble acting is required if the audience is to believe that the characters are related. This mishmash failed that test.
Uncle Vanya. By Anton Chekhov; directed by Kathryn MacMillan. Lantern Theater Company production through November 21, 2010 at St. Stephen’s Theatre, 923 Ludlow St. (215) 829-0395 or www.lanterntheater.org.
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| Beau Willimon’s ‘Spirit Control’ in New York |
November 02 2010 |
In Spirit Control, the high drama of an airport tower fades as a controller picks up the pieces years later. He's haunted by a tragedy; I was haunted by the aftermath.
Spirit Control. By Beau Willimon; directed by Henry Wishcamper. Through December 5, 2010 at Manhattan Theatre Club, New York City Center Stage I, 131 West 55th St., New York. www.nycitycenter.org.
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| Lee Hall’s ‘Pitmen Painters’ on Broadway (2nd review) |
October 30 2010 |
In Lee Hall’s The Pitmen Painters, paintings are the stars of the play, and seemingly pedantic dialogue about the meaning of art offers a window into men’s souls.
The Pitmen Painters. By Lee Hall; directed by Max Roberts. Live Theatre Newcastle/National Theatre of Great Britain co-production through December 12, 2010 at Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, 267 West 47 St., New York. www.broadwaybox.com.
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| Emma Rice’s ‘Brief Encounter’ in New York (1st review) |
October 19 2010 |
Emma Rice’s inspired adaptation of Noel Coward’s play and David Lean’s film has made the transition from off-Broadway to the Great White Way with all of its charm and intimacy intact.
Brief Encounter. Directed by Emma Rice, from Noel Coward’s Still Life. Roundabout Theatre Co. presentation through January 2, 2011 at Studio 54, 254 West 54th St., New York. (212) 719-1300 or www.roundabouttheatre.org/54.
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| Hollinger’s ‘Ghost-Writer’ at the Arden (1st review) |
September 14 2010 |
Michael Hollinger’s drama about a novelist, his typist and his wife creates characters with whom we can empathize, and whose fates we actually care about.
Ghost-Writer. By Michael Hollinger; directed by James J. Christy. Through November 7, 2010 at Arden Theatre Co.’s Arcadia Stage, 40 N. Second St. (215) 922-1122 or www.ardentheatre.org.
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| ‘Ellis Island Ghosts’ at Michener Art Museum |
August 31 2010 |
At a time when anti-immigrant feelings run high in America, two photographers of different generations remind us of the need to show compassion to newcomers.
“Ellis Island: Ghosts of Freedom”: Photographs by Stephen Wilkes and Lewis Hine. Through October 10, 2010 at James A. Michener Art Museum, 138 S. Pine St., Doylestown, Pa. (215) 340-9800 or www.michenermuseum.org.
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| ‘La Cage Aux Folles’ on Broadway |
July 31 2010 |
The current Broadway production of La Cage Aux Folles won the 2010 Tony for best revival of a musical. So why was I constantly checking my watch through two hours and 40 minutes of this heavy-handed extravaganza?
La Cage Aux Folles. Music and lyrics by Jerry Herman; book by Harvey Fierstein; adapted from the play by Jean Poiret; Terry Johnson directed. At the Longacre Theatre, 220 West 48th St., New York. (212) 239-6200 or www.lacage.com.
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| Cavalia: Man and horse in the Meadowlands |
June 15 2010 |
Who are the more talented performers— people or horses? This two-hour collaboration between highly skilled horses, riders, dancers, acrobats, aerialists, singers, musicians and sound and light designers will make you wonder.
Cavalia. Directed by Normand Latourelle Through June 27, 2010 under the White Big Top, The Meadowlands (next to Izod Center), E. Rutherford, N.J. (866) 999-8111 or www.cavalia.net.
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| ‘Sunday in the Park’ at the Arden (1st review) |
June 07 2010 |
The Arden’s production of Sondheim’s musical paean to Impressionism pulls out all the stops, with a 15-piece orchestra, sophisticated sound and light effects and a first-rate cast that steps in and out of Seurat’s painting while giving voice to Sondheim’s brilliant lyrics.
Sunday in the Park With George. Music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim; book by James Lapine; directed by Terrence J. Nolen. Through July 4, 2010 at Arden Theatre, 40 N. Second St. (215) 922-1122 or www.ardentheatre.org.
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| ‘Icons of Costume’ at Michener Museum |
June 01 2010 |
This crowd-pleasing show celebrates the sometimes-unsung heroes of the film industry: the costume designers. It’s the equivalent of light summer reading, fast-paced and fun.
“Icons of Costume: Hollywood’s Golden Era and Beyond.” Through September 5, 2010 at James A. Michener Art Museum, 138 Pine St., Doylestown, Pa. (215) 340- 9800 or www.michenermuseum.org.
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| Red Grooms paints artists, at Bryn Mawr |
May 07 2010 |
A new (and free) show at Bryn Mawr offers a chance to mingle intimately with Red Grooms’s playful images of his fellow 20th-Century artists, uncrowded with the legions that attend blockbuster events at big city museums.
“Old Masters and Modern Muses: Red Grooms’s Portraits of Artists, 1957-2009.” Through June 5, 2010 at Canaday Library, Bryn Mawr College, Bryn Mawr, Pa. (610) 526-5335 or news.brynmawr.edu.
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| ‘Travels With My Aunt’ at Walnut’s Studio 3 |
April 13 2010 |
Giles Havergal’s stage adaptation is faithful to Graham Greene’s mischievous comic novel about the travels of an amoral adventuress and her straitlaced nephew. But the real marvel however, is the cast— a perfectly synchronized quartet, each playing about 22 madcap roles with pitch-perfect precision.
Travels With My Aunt. By Giles Havergal, from the novel by Graham Greene; directed by John Peakes. Through April 18, 2010 at Independence Studio on 3, Walnut Street Theater, 825 Walnut St. (215) ) 574-3550 or www.walnutstreettheatre.org.
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Matthew Green is a painter who lives and works in South Jersey. After graduating Rowan University, Green began as a printmaker and mixed media artist. Eventually he moved into realist painting, with decaying, dilapidated buildings as his trademark subject matter. He looks for beauty not in the physical structure of his subjects but in the raw emotion brought upon by neglect and decay.
Green’s most recent project is a painting study of the mysteries and irony of the New Jersey Meadowlands called “Five Miles From Times Square.”
Visit his website at www.mgreenartist.com.
More articles by Matthew Green, newest first
| Canoeing through the Meadowlands |
May 28 2010 |
Searching for the ultimate battleground in the endless war between Man and Nature, an obsessed artist finds himself paddling in a canoe through the notorious New Jersey Meadowlands, whose ground is literally constructed of garbage.
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| The Meadowlands: Quest for dilapidation |
April 06 2010 |
According to popular belief, the New Jersey Meadowlands is a swamp where things go in and never come out. I went there in search of an idea for a grant proposal about the eternal struggle between Man and Nature. Couldn’t find that, either.
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Kristen Eaton’s work has appeared in the periodicals Seven Days and Stage Directions, as well as online at hostelz.com.
Kristen earned a degree in Character Studies (a self-designed major) at Cornell University, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude with her thesis: a novella entitled The Kelpie. She has trained with authors Helena Viramontes, Maureen McCoy and Robert Morgan.
Kristen has worked and traveled extensively in Ireland, Italy, Maine and Philadelphia, and now lives in Vermont. She is currently seeking an agent for her first full-length novel.
In her spare time, Kristen studies herbalism, storytelling and media culture. She practices yoga and contact juggling, and develops and maintains the websites VaguelyBohemian.com and TalkToStrangers.org.
For more information, please visit KristenEaton.com.
More articles by Kristen Eaton, newest first
| Pennsic’s medieval make-believe |
July 27 2010 |
Every year thousands of enthusiasts gather to turn a Pennsylvania campground into a medieval city. Then as now, it’s one way to escape the drudgery of the real world.
Pennsic War 39. July 30-August 15, 2010 at Cooper’s Lake Campground, Slippery Rock, Pa. www.pennsicwar.org.
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| Virtual goodbyes: Death and the Internet |
May 01 2010 |
Since the jeweler Dan Henley died unexpectedly last year at the age of 49, his life has assumed a dimension it never possessed before— on the Internet.
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| Artists, writers and taxes: Another Philadelphia story |
March 30 2010 |
Philadelphia makes struggling free-lance writers and artists purchase a Business Privilege License, just like Comcast. Am I the only creative soul who’s been driven from the city for this reason?
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Thom Nickels is a Philadelphia-based author of eight published books, including Philadelphia Architecture (2005), which won the Philadelphia AIA Lewis Mumford Architecture Journalism Award.
He is also author of the play, Lincoln in Louisville. In 1990, Mr. Nickels was nominated for a Lambda Literary Award and a Hugo Award for his book, Two Novellas.
He has written feature stories, celebrity interviews, and social commentary columns for the Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Daily News, Philadelphia Bulletin, City Paper, Philadelphia Weekly and Philadelphia Style magazine. Mr. Nickels is the architectural writer/critic for the Philadelphia Bulletin, the religion editor for Lambda Book Report, a contributing editor at the Weekly Press, a feature writer for ICON magazine, and a weekly columnist for Philadelphia’s STAR publications. Mr. Nickels’ new novel, Spore, will be released in June 2010.
More articles by Thom Nickels, newest first
| Discovering myself in Lapland |
February 06 2011 |
When winter comes, some Philadelphians head for Florida. I headed instead for Finland and the Arctic Circle. The price was right— and in any case I think I got the better deal.
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| Changing habits: What I learned about nuns |
December 04 2010 |
As a suburban Catholic grade school student, my meager education in the mysteries of the opposite sex came by watching— and fantasizing about— nuns.
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| Sugarhouse Casino: Color me convinced |
October 23 2010 |
Concerned Philadelphians say the new Sugarhouse Casino will ruin its surrounding neighborhood. But if you lived in that decaying neighborhood, as I do, you’d feel differently. You might just perceive it as our best hope for the future.
Sugarhouse Casino. 1001 N. Delaware Ave. www.sugarhousecasino.com.
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| Can positive thoughts make you rich? |
August 10 2010 |
My wealthy friend tells me I won’t make big money until I cast off my “poverty mentality.” To get rich, she and others in her class insist, you must think rich. Why do I remain unpersuaded?
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| A Caribbean cruise from hell |
July 16 2010 |
I’d never taken a cruise before. In fact I'd always derided cruises as an artificial form of travel. Then I took a ten-day cruise to the Caribbean and discovered I’d been right all along.
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| Fighting Steve Wynn: A civics lesson |
April 17 2010 |
Philadelphians were shocked recently when the Las Vegas casino mogul Steve Wynn abruptly withdrew from his deal to develop the Foxwoods casino. But some of us— who successfully fought Wynn’s attempt to hijack the Maxfield Parrish Dream Garden mural in 1998— knew better. There’s a lesson here for timid Philadelphians: The supposed movers and shakers aren’t always as tough or resourceful as you think.
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| Priestly sex abuse: Who’s to blame? |
March 27 2010 |
Who is to blame for the Catholic Church’s sexual abuse scandal? The vast majority of cases coming to light today occurred 20, 30 and 40 years ago— the post-Vatican II years, when liberalizing experimentation within the Church was at its height, and sexual norms were tottering throughout society.
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Welcomat alumna Jennifer Baldino Bonett lives and writes in South Philadelphia. You can find her writing in the Philadelphia Inquirer and on her children’s homework.
More articles by Jennifer Baldino Bonett, newest first
| Mighty Ryan has struck out |
October 26 2010 |
Depressed because the Phillies failed to win their third consecutive National League pennant? Broad Street Review’s sports therapist will see you now.
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| My pool, my summer, my community |
September 07 2010 |
Despite the recession and Philadelphia’s budget crisis, this summer Mayor Nutter opened all 70 of the city’s public pools for six weeks. Was this public expense wise? Consider my firsthand experience.
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| Laura Bennett’s ‘Didn’t I Feed You Yesterday?’ |
July 07 2010 |
In Didn’t I Feed You Yesterday, Laura Bennett sends a sassy, irreverent look at motherhood down the runway. If that sounds familiar, it should: Most of her material is recycled from somewhere else.
Didn’t I Feed You Yesterday? A Mother’s Guide to Sanity in Stilettos. By Laura Bennett. Ballantine Books, 2010. 224 pages; $24. www.amazon.com.
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| ‘Sex and the City 2’ |
June 01 2010 |
This movie-going mom thinks critics should stop whining about Sex and the City 2. I got my mojo boost from seeing four of modern America’s sexiest women falling into the patterns of matrimony and parenthood— my patterns.
Sex and the City 2. A film written and directed by Michael Patrick King. At the Roxy Theatre, 2023 Sansom St. (215) 923-6699.
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| ‘Annie’ shows her age |
March 02 2010 |
Annie’s recent return to the Merriam provided an inadvertent reminder: The Great Depression has become ancient history, especially when we have a pretty good depression right here and now.
Annie. Music by Charles Strouse; lyrics by Martin Charnin; book by Thomas Meehan. 30th anniversary tour, February 26-28, 2010 at Merriam Theatre, 250 S. Broad St. (above Spruce). (215) 732-5997 or
www.kimmelcenter.org.
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Peter Burwasser has been the classical music critic for the Philadelphia City Paper since 1981. He was also an editor and contributor for Philadelphia Music Makers, and he reviews recordings and videos for Fanfare Magazine. His other freelance writing activities have included CD program notes for the Music and Arts label, articles for the WRTI Radio Guide, articles for the annual report of the Philadelphia Music Project, and concert reviews for the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Peter serves on the board of directors of the Musical Fund Society of Philadelphia and the Presser Foundation, as well as the Wagner Free Institute of Science. He lives in Bella Vista, Philadelphia with his wife and two children.
More articles by Peter Burwasser, newest first
| Mendelssohn Club sings Clearfield and Fauré |
May 05 2012 |
Andrea Clearfield’s ambitiously sprawling Tse Go La is the latest fruit of the composer’s musical field trips to Tibet and by far the most substantial: a fantastic amalgam of cross-cultural influences.
Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia: Clearfield, Tse Go La; Fauré: Requiem. Alan Harler, conductor. Sunday, April 29, 2012 at Church of the Holy Trinity, W. Rittenhouse Square. (215) 735-9922 or mcchorus.org.
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| Curtis Orchestra plays Higdon, Bartók and Brahms |
April 30 2012 |
Jennifer Higdon, as much as any composer of her generation, has solidified the permanent significance of the American populist school, once led by Aaron Copland. Even from this youthful ensemble, her blue cathedral was rich and satisfying.
Curtis Symphony Orchestra: Higdon, blue cathedral, Brahms, Double Concerto; Bartók, Concerto for Orchestra. Juliette Kang, violin; Efe Baltacigil, cello; Robert Spano and Kensho Watanabe, conductors. April 23, 2012 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-7902 or www.curtis.edu.
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| New York Philharmonic with Joyce DiDonato (2nd review) |
February 28 2012 |
Joyce DiDonato, with her pitch-perfect, carefully modulated voice, sounded like one of the instruments— a haunting effect that would not have been possible without the wonderful chemistry between soloist and orchestra.
New York Philharmonic: Stucky, Son et lumière, Berlioz, Les nuits d’été; Mussorgsky-Ravel, Pictures at an Exhibition. Joyce DiDonato, mezzo-soprano; Alan Gilbert conductor. February 24, 2012 at Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-7902 or kimmelcenter.org.
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| Curtis 20/21’s All-Stravinsky concert |
January 28 2012 |
Stravinsky throws an extraordinarily diverse range of influences— from early jazz to church hymns to folk music— into a breathtakingly concise package. I can’t recall hearing it performed with as much pungent clarity and disciplined vigor as this.
Curtis 20/21. All Stravinsky: Eight Instrumental Miniatures, Concertino for Twelve Instruments, L’Histoire du soldat. John De Lancie, narrator; David Effron, conductor; Bronwen MacArthur, choreographer. January 24, 2012 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 569-8080 or pcmsconcerts.org.
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| Orchestre Révolutionnaire at Verizon Hall (1st review) |
November 19 2011 |
When this orchestra plays, the needle is always in the danger zone, lending a bracing, edgy quality to the performances that enhances the truly revolutionary spirit of Beethoven’s music.
Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique: Beethoven, Overture to “Egmont”; Symphony No. 3; Symphony No. 5. Sir John Eliot Gardiner, conductor. November 15, 2011 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-1955 or www.kimmelcenter.org.
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| Dutoit and the Orchestra: Breathing easy |
November 05 2011 |
A conductor’s pacing works best when the audience notices it least. Charles Dutoit’s beat created a pace that’s akin to breathing, as opposed to the unvarying tick-tock of a metronome.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Elgar, “Enigma” Variations; Strauss, Le Bourgeois Gentillehomme; Schumann, Cello Concerto. October 28, 2011 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce St. (215) 893-1999 or www.philorch.org.
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| Henze's 'Phaedra' by the Opera Company (1st review) |
June 06 2011 |
Hans Werner Henze's Phaedra demonstrates convincingly that contemporary opera can deliver the wow factor. The Opera Company of Philadelphia took a huge chance in staging this new production, and it paid off.
Phaedra. Music by Hans Werner Henze; directed by Robert Driver; Corrado Rovaris conducted. Opera Company of Philadelphia production through June 12, 2011 at the Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 732-8400 or www.operaphila.org.
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| Orchestra-Ballet’s ‘Pulcinella’ collaboration (1st review) |
April 11 2011 |
In a concert ballyhooed as an historic co-production of a ballet company and an orchestra, Falla’s Three-Cornered Hat was performed complete, but without the dancing. Which begs just one question: Why?
Philadelphia Orchestra: Falla, The Three-Cornered Hat. Pennsylvania Ballet: Stravinsky, Pulcinella. Jorma Elo, choreographer; Rossen Milanov, conductor. April 7, 2011 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 546-7432 or www.pifa.org.
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| Jeremy Gill works at Settlement (1st review) |
March 01 2011 |
Jeremy Gill’s music is particularly concerned with sound qualities, to the extent that he’ll move his performers to different parts of the hall during the course of a work. It seems to be a signature for this promising young composer.
Music of Gill, Reich, Britten, Messiaen. ToniMarie Marchioni, oboe; Feifei Zhang, piano; Jeremy Gill, piano; Mari Yoshinaga, percussion; Gabriel Globus-Hoenich, percussion. February 24., 2011 at Settlement Music School, 416 Queen Street. www.jeremytgill.com.
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| Pianist Mitsuko Uchida at the Perelman |
January 22 2011 |
When the bruisingly intense pianist Mitsuko Uchida sits down at her instrument, you sense that not only will the audience hear the music in some new way, but also Uchida herself will make discoveries along the way. It’s a brave and exciting way to make music, and fraught with risk.
Mitsuko Uchida, piano. Beethoven, Piano Sonata in e minor, Op. 90; Schumann, Davidsbündlertänze; Chopin, Prelude in c-sharp minor, Op. 45, Piano Sonata No. 3 in b minor, Op. 58. Philadelphia Chamber Music Society program January 18, 2011 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce St. (215) 569-8080 or pcmsconcerts.org.
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| Khaner/Abramovic concert at Settlement |
December 18 2010 |
Flutist Jeffrey Khaner and pianist Charles Abramovic demonstrated what two superb musicians can do with music intended merely for gifted amateurs.
Jeffrey Khaner, flute; Charles Abramovic, piano: Krzywicki, Five Lyrics for Flute and Piano; Adam Wernick, Dream/Play; Cacioppo, Philadelphia Diaries; Arauco, Vistas. Presented December 9, 2010 by Philadelphia Chamber Music Society at Settlement Music School, 416 Queen St. (215) 569-8080 or pcmsconcerts.org.
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| ‘South Pacific’ revival on tour (2nd comment) |
November 30 2010 |
Has opera been replaced by the Broadway musical? If so, is that good or bad? The recent revival of South Pacific demonstrated the pros as well as the cons of this brave new musical world.
South Pacific. Music by Richard Rodgers; book by Joshua Logan and Oscar Hammerstein II; lyrics by Hammerstein; Bartlett Sher directed; Lawrence Goldberg, conductor. November 23-28, 2010 at Academy of Music, Broad and Locust Sts. November 30-December 5, 2010 at Hershey Theatre, Hershey, Pa. www.hersheytheatre.com.
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| Network for New Music’s ‘Trade Winds From Tibet’ |
November 26 2010 |
Four young American composers based their pieces on recent fieldwork conducted in Tibet by Philadelphia composer Andrea Clearfield. This self-consciously styled genre is too often laden with clichés— happily not the case in this concert.
Network for New Music Ensemble: “Trade Winds form Tibet.” Solitro, Passages; Moe, Spirit Mountain; Clearfield, Kawa Ma Gyur, Lung-ta. Djupstrom, Three Months; Jan Krzywicki, conductor. November 21, 2010 at Ethical Society, 1906 S. Rittenhouse Square. (215) 848-7647 or www.networkfornewmusic.org.
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| Dresden Staatskapelle’s ‘Brahms Requiem’ |
November 05 2010 |
Guest conductor Daniel Harding led a massive ensemble with firm control, but he sounded overly reverential and insufficiently emotive.
Dresden Staatskapelle: Brahms, German Requiem. November 2, 2010 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-1955 or www.kimmelcenter.org.
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| Yannick and the Orchestra: So far, so good (1st review) |
October 30 2010 |
In his first test since his appointment, music director-designate Yannick Nézet-Séguin’s rhythmic freedom and steady pulse gave the Philadelphia Orchestra the confidence to bloom a bit more than usual.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Haydn, Symphony No. 100 ("Military"); Mahler, Symphony No. 5. Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor. October 29-30, 2010 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-1955 or www.philorch.org.
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| Yo-Yo Ma at the Kimmel (1st review) |
October 19 2010 |
Yo-Yo Ma delivered beautiful tone but neither bite nor flashes of anger in his confusingly bland Brahms. Brahms wants his Sonata No. 1 to both shout and whisper; Ma chose to sit comfortably somewhere in between.
Yo-Yo Ma, cello. Kathryn Stott, piano. Morricone, Gabriel’s Oboe, from The Mission; Gershwin, Prelude No. 2; Mariano, Cristal; Brahms, Sonata No. 1 in e minor for Cello and Piano; Fitkin, L.; Rachmaninoff, Sonata in g minor for Cello and Piano. October 17, 2010 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce St. (215) 893-1955 or www.kimmelcenter.org.
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| PRISM’s five pieces for saxophones |
June 08 2010 |
You will almost always hear some jazzy, syncopated rhythms in a PRISM saxophone concert, and that was the case in a number of the pieces in this season closer, featuring five world premieres and one local one, all by composers named Dave.
PRISM Quartet: Little, Raw Power; Ludwig, Density 15.1; Lang, Revolutionary Etudes; Laganella, Leafless Trees; Rainero-de-Haan, As of this Moment: Beidenbender, You’ve Been Talking in your Sleep. Timothy McAllister, soprano sax; Zachary Shemon, alto; Matthew Levy, tenor; Taimur Sullivan, baritone. June 5, 2010 at Settlement Music School, 416 Queen St. (215) 438-5282, or prismquartet.com.
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| Variations on Beethoven’s Variations, by Network For New Music |
May 07 2010 |
Inspired by Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations, Network For New Music called for 25 new variations from 25 present-day composers. The result certainly didn’t sound like a single, cohesive work, yet it captured a range of drama, emotion and texture that honored Beethoven’s model.
Network for New Music: New variations on Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations, by 25 modern composers. Jan Krzywicki, conductor; Edward Schulz, flute/piccolo; Arne Running, clarinet; Jason Calloway, cello; Charles Abramovic, piano. May 2, 2010 at Settlement Music School, 416 Queen Street. (215) 848-7647 or networkfornewmusic.org.
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| New music and so-called music 'lovers' |
April 27 2010 |
Is it really true that most music lovers dislike "new music"? As a critic for the past 25 years, I can attest that new music is becoming more accessible, and its audiences are expanding. This is an encouraging development. It means that music lovers are opening their minds to the creative voices of our time.
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| Network For New Music plays Michael Hersch (1st review) |
April 13 2010 |
Michael Hersch’s A Forest of Attics is complex, ferocious and disturbingly dark— in short, very refreshing at a time when ebullient tonality is all the rage. Hersch writes with an emotional honesty that leaves him naked.
Network for New Music: Caltabiano, Lines from Poetry; Jaffe, Light Dances; Hersch, A Forest of Attics. April 9, 2010 at Ethical Society, 1906 S. Rittenhouse Sq. (215) 848-7647 or networkfornewmusic.org.
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| Marcantonio Barone piano recital |
March 09 2010 |
Barone’s exceptionally vivid and smart playing pulled a diverse program together, with music that sprang to life as if the composers were all vivacious and engaging guests at a really good party (even if one or two of them might have had too much to drink).
Marcantonio Barone, Piano: Haydn, Piano Sonata in E, Hob. XVI/22; Maneval, Lines from a Poem– Ten Bagatelles for Piano, Op. 39; Finko, Piano Sonata No. 2; Mussorgsky, Pictures At An Exhibition. March 3, 2010 at Benjamin Franklin Hall, 427 Chestnut St. (215) 569-8080 or pcmsconcerts.org.
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| Network for New Music tackles Darwin (1st review) |
February 23 2010 |
Take an exhibit of Darwin material at a small, erudite museum, mix with young poets and musicians, add an excellent new music ensemble, and you get some illumination about the complex nature of the theory of evolution.
Network for New Music: Nelson, Megathere, Multiplexing; Shapiro, The Monogamous Man; Litts, Transmutation; Carpenter, The Monogamous Man; Munro, Megathere, Multiplexing; Wright, Darwiniana. Jeremy Gill, conductor; Randall Scarlata, baritone. February 19 and 21, 2010 at Benjamin Franklin Hall, 427 Chestnut St. (215) 848-7647 or www.networkfornewmusic.org.
“Dialogues With Darwin.” Through October 17, 2010 at American Philosophical Society, 104 S. Fifth St. (215) 440.3442 or www.pachs.net/dialogues-with-darwin.
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| Richard Goode/Jonathan Biss piano recital (2nd review) |
February 19 2010 |
Yes, Richard Goode and Jonathan Biss conveyed the requisite precision. But it was the differences between them as artists that raised their recent duo piano recital to a higher level.
Richard Goode and Jonathan Biss: Piano recital. Works by Debussy, Schumann, Beethoven, Stravinsky and Schubert. Presented by Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, February 4, 2010 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce St. (215) 569-8080 or pcmsconcerts.org.
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Judith E. Stein is an art writer and independent curator, a recipient of a Pew Foundation Fellowship in the Arts, in literary non-fiction, for her writings on art (1994). Her publications in Art in America include a review of Judy Chicago’s first East Coast show (1973); features on Fred Wilson’s “Mining the Museum” (1993); Maya Lin (1994); the collaboration between John Ashbery and Jane Hammond (1995); Zoe Leonard (2001); and interviews with Jo Baer (2003), and Alfred Leslie (2009).
An art history major at Barnard College (1965), Judith Stein earned her M.A. (1967) and Ph. D. (1981) in art history at the University of Pennsylvania. She has taught at the Tyler School of Art, Temple University and the Maryland Institute College of Art. As curator of 20th Century art at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, (1983-95), she organized 90 regional shows and national touring exhibitions, including “Red Grooms: A Retrospective, 1956-1984” (1985); “Figurative Fifties: New York Figurative Expressionism” (1988); and “I Tell My Heart: The Art of Horace Pippi"n (1994), which traveled to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This latter received the 1995 Award for Best Catalogue from the International Art Critics Association, American Section.
For New York’s New Museum of Art, she co-curated “Picturing the Modern Amazon: The Hypermuscular Woman” (2000), co-edited its catalogue and wrote on women’s bodybuilding and performance art in the ‘80s. She curated “Jules Olitski, An Inside View: A Survey of Prints, 1954-2007” (2008), a traveling show; and “Cool Man in a Golden Age: Alfred Leslie’s Films, Books, and Installations, 1957-2009” for the Slought Foundation, Philadelphia, in 2009.
The postwar New York art world is an abiding interest. In 2008, her biography-in-progress of the New York art dealer Richard Bellamy (1927-1998) received a major Warhol Foundation/Creative Capital Arts Writers Book Grant. Her related articles include “Art’s Wager: Richard Artschwager and the New York Art World of the ‘60s,” The Reading Room (2002); “A Bond of Steel: di Suvero and Bellamy,” Art in America (2005); and “Richard Tuttle on Richard Bellamy and the ‘60s,” Sienese Shredder (2006). Related lectures include “Richard Bellamy and his Circle of Friends,” Gerrit Rietveld Academy, Amsterdam (2001); “Stepping into History: Richard Bellamy and the Sculpture of the Sixties,” Seattle Art Museum, (2003); “The Dealer as Co-Conspirator: Selections from the Richard Bellamy Papers at MoMA,” The New School, (2008).
Among her honors are writing fellowships from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, and writing residencies at the Rockefeller Foundation Study and Conference Center, Bellagio, Italy, (1999); the Vermont Studio Center (2002); Blue Mountain Center for the Arts, (2005, 2008); the Millay Colony for the Arts, (2007); Ragdale (2009). She is represented by William Kingsland, Kuhn Projects, New York.
Visit her website at judithestein.com.
More articles by Judith Stein, newest first
| ‘Late Renoir’ at the Art Museum (3rd review) |
August 10 2010 |
The older Renoir became, it seems, the more voluptuous and freely painted were his women. It wasn’t only the subject matter of a naked woman that telegraphed unbridled sensuality; the loosely stroked way Renoir applied paint also connoted licentiousness and unacceptable pleasures. The Art Museum’s current show is a tribute to an aging man’s vigor, and also to the perspicacity of Renoir’s biggest fan: Albert Barnes.
“Late Renoir”: Through September 6, 2010 at Philadelphia Museum of Art, 26th St. and Benj. Franklin Pkwy. (215) 763-8100 or www.philamuseum.org.
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| Diane Burko’s ‘Politics of Snow’ at Locks Gallery |
February 16 2010 |
In “The Politics of Snow,” Diane Burko’s painted sequences of the same vista incrementally pace us through the accelerating changes created by rising temperatures, as she charts the gradual disappearance of ice and snow in the face of global warming.
“The Politics of Snow”: Paintings by Diane Burko. Through March 13, 2010 at Locks Gallery,
600 South Washington Square. (215) 629-1000 or www.locksgallery.com.
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Alaina Mabaso () is a freelance writer who lives outside of Philadelphia. She holds a B.A. in Theater from Arcadia University, and has worked on the theater scene as a writer and reviewer for the last several years. She also contributes to many more outlets, including Grid Magazine and WHYY’s “Newsworks.”
You can follow me on Twitter @AlainaMabaso, and feel free to check out my blog. The only tagline there is “Fiction Need Not Apply”. As a professional writer, I’m on the hook for a lot of editors’ ideas. The blog is whatever I’ve got that’s left over at the end of the day, so enter at your own risk. Some of my friends labor on plays and novels. I admire them, but my blog is about things that actually happened (or, in some cases, my opinions, but I think these qualify as truth). The world is so strange and funny that you don’t need to make anything up.
More articles by Alaina Mabaso, newest first
| A few words about ladies’ restrooms |
March 24 2012 |
It’s time for somebody to say publicly what Philadelphia women have been muttering to each other in the line for years: The ladies’ rooms at many Philadelphia theaters are deplorable. Join me for a guided tour.
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| Lantern’s 'Romeo and Juliet' (1st review) |
March 10 2012 |
In the Lantern’s first production of Romeo and Juliet, director Charles McMahon presents Shakespeare’s story exactly as it ought to be: as the meeting, wooing and untimely death of two impulsive teenagers.
Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Charles McMahon directed. Lantern Theater production through April 8, 2012 at St. Stephen’s Theater, 923 Ludlow St. (215) 829-0395 or www.lanterntheater.org.
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| ‘Clybourne Park’ at the Arden (2nd review) |
February 07 2012 |
Clybourne Park deals with changing racial attitudes in a Chicago neighborhood. Unfortunately, playwright Bruce Norris opts for easy wit over genuine substance— and his wit isn’t all that witty.
Clybourne Park. By Bruce Norris; Edward Sobel directed. Through March 25, 2012 on the Arcadia stage, Arden Theatre, 40 N. Second St. (215) 922-8900 or www.ardentheatre.org.
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| Panel discussion: The Orchestra’s future |
December 05 2011 |
Why haven’t my 20-something peers and I been to the Philadelphia Orchestra, especially when it so desperately needs a new generation of patrons? Broad Street Review brought seven panelists together last week to attempt some answers. They might better have asked: Why don’t we read newspapers?
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| Sarah Treem’s ‘The How and the Why’ by InterAct |
November 08 2011 |
In The How and the Why, Sarah Treem rapidly unpacks a world of interpersonal aspersions, thwarted love, feminist struggle and scientific theory. Although her play is dense with themes and ideas, it’s a crackling two hours, thanks to Seth Rozin’s fast-paced direction and two character-driven actresses.
The How and the Why. By Sarah Treem; Seth Rozin directed. InterAct Theatre production through November 13, 2011 at the Adrienne mainstage, 2030 Sansom St. (215) 568-8079 or www.interacttheater.org.
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| ‘Paranormal Activity 3’: What ghosts really want |
October 29 2011 |
You know the old adage, “A watched pot never boils”? In Paranormal Activity 3, the opposite holds true: A mysterious household spirit seems to respond to an audience pretty much the way Bob Hope did.
Paranormal Activity 3. A film directed by Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost. For Philadelphia-area show times, click here.
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| Art Anti-Gallery at the Fringe Festival |
September 20 2011 |
In a zany spoof, Homeskooled Gallery did to conventional art exhibits what should be done to conventional art exhibits. It was the most fun I had at the Fringe Festival, even if it failed to answer its own questions: Who owns art? And how should we interact with it?
The Art Anti-Gallery. Homeskooled Gallery production for Philadelphia Fringe Festival, September 15-16, 2011 at Philadelphia mausoleum of Contemporary Art, 531 North 12th St. (267) 519-9651 or www.homeskooledgallery.com.
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| Cathy Quigley’s ‘Female Trouble’ at the Fringe Festival |
September 17 2011 |
Who on earth would want to attend a performance about endometriosis? Let us now praise Cathy Quigley, who brought this painful condition to the stage with a combination of courage, aplomb and ingenuity.
Female Trouble. Written, directed and choreographed by Cathy Quigley. Philadelphia Fringe Festival production September 10-11, 2011 at Painted Bride Art Center, 230 Vine St. (215) 413-1318 or www.femaletrouble.org.
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| Luna Theater’s ‘How to Disappear Completely’ (2nd review) |
September 06 2011 |
The British playwright Fin Kennedy’s How To Disappear Completely and Never Be Found is not so much a primer on vanishing as a meditation on the cruel impossibility of oblivion, especially in a virtual Internet world where things and people live forever.
How to Disappear Completely and Never Be Found. By Fin Kennedy; Gregory Scott Campbell directed. Luna Theater Company production as part of the 2011 Philadelphia Live Arts-Fringe Festival through September 18, 2011 at Playground at the Adrienne, 2030 Sansom St. (215) 704-0033 or www.lunatheater.org.
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| Pig Iron’s ‘Twelfth Night’ at Suzanne Roberts (1st review) |
September 06 2011 |
This rollicking production of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, an unusually mainstream choice for the customarily avant-garde Pig Iron, got a deservedly wild reception at this week’s opening, from the pickled herring to the boisterous final dance.
Twelfth Night. By William Shakespeare; Dan Rothenberg directed. Pig Iron Theatre Co. production for Philadelphia Fringe Festival through September 17, 2011 at Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 S. Broad St. (at Lombard). (215) 413-1318 or ticketing.theatrealliance.org.
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| Eric Singel’s ‘The Wedding Consultant’ at Walnut Studio 3 |
September 06 2011 |
Writer/performer Eric Singel rounds up every warmed-over wedding joke known to Western society to prove that weddings are indeed universally similar affairs– even gay weddings.
The Wedding Consultant. Written and performed by Eric Singel; José Aviles directed. Philadelphia Fringe Festival production through September 18, 2011 at Walnut Street Theatre’s Independence Studio 3, 825 Walnut St. (215) 413-1318 or ticketing.theatrealliance.org.
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| ‘The Help’: Racism, or just plain meanness? (1st review) |
September 03 2011 |
Does The Help resurrect shameful stereotypes or provide worthy human and historical perspective in its portrayal of black maids in 1960s Mississippi? Tate Taylor makes it too easy to detach ourselves from the real problem.
The Help. A film written and directed by Tate Taylor, from the novel by Kathryn Stockett. For Philadelphia area showtimes, click here.
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| Cary Fukunaga’s ‘Jane Eyre’ on film (2nd review) |
April 16 2011 |
The new Jane Eyre revels in the heroine’s physical world like no other: Candles flicker, the wind howls and mysterious drafts stir the curtains. But how you respond is largely a matter of gender. My husband, happy to say, passed the test.
Jane Eyre. A film directed by Cary Fukunaga, based on the novel by Charlotte Brontë. For Philadelphia-area show times, click here.
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| ‘Battle: Los Angeles’: War without complexity |
April 02 2011 |
At their heart, movies like Battle: Los Angeles aren’t allegories of patriotism. They’re fantasies on war without complexity.
Battle: Los Angeles. A film directed by Jonathan Liebesman. www.battlela.com.
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| Lantern Theater’s ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream’ (2nd review) |
March 26 2011 |
Forget the drabness of the costumes and set. The Lantern’s Midsummer places the emphasis where it belongs— on the magic of Shakespeare’s luscious language. When you have a talented cast, who needs fancy props?
A Midsummer Night’s Dream. By William Shakespeare; Charles McMahon directed. Lantern Theater production through April 17, 2011 at St. Stephen’s Theater, 923 Ludlow St. (215) 829.0395 or www.lanterntheater.org.
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| ‘Art of the American Soldier’ at Constitution Center |
February 01 2011 |
Since World War I, U.S. soldiers have recorded life in the armed forces through some 15,000 paintings. In military art, as in all art, the painter sees what the camera misses. The main difference is that the subject is more painful.
“Art of the American Soldier.” Through March 31, 2011 at National Constitution Center, 525 Arch St. (215) 409-6600 or www.constitutioncenter.org.
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| ‘Moon for the Misbegotten’ at the Arden (2nd review) |
January 22 2011 |
Grace Gonglewski brings a grounded, split-second nuance to O’Neill’s Irish Amazon Josie Hogan. But O’Neill’s theme— that people aren’t who they seem to be— is hardly a stunning insight in the age of Facebook.
A Moon for the Misbegotten. By Eugene O’Neill; Matt Pfeiffer directed. Through February 27, 2011 the Arden Theatre, 40 N. Second St. (215) 922-1122 or www.ardentheatre.org.
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| Public transit, Johannesburg-style |
January 11 2011 |
Unhappy with American mass transit? Try getting around in South Africa, as I did recently. Johannesburg’s 15-seat taxi vans are a throwback to the stagecoaches of America’s Old West, and more disorganized. There are no websites, no signs, and no officious authority figures. Yet for all the chaos and uncertainty, commuters and drivers alike manage to get from one place to another. And there’s no extra charge for the priceless daily adventure.
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| Tribe of Fools’ ‘Dracula’ at the Fringe |
September 20 2010 |
For all their bragging about bringing the ultimate scare-fest to the stage, Tribe of Fools’ Dracula was mostly a marketing gimmick. It did, however, force me to think about the times in my life when I’ve been truly terrified in a theater— like finding myself empathizing with a pedophile, or being urged to go onstage.
Dracula. Directed by Jay Wojnarowski. Tribe of Fools production for Philadelphia Fringe Festival, September 2-11, 2010 at Lantern Theater, 923 Ludlow St. www.livearts-fringe.org/details.cfm?id=13649.
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| Straight talk about ‘Romeo and Juliet’ (2nd review) |
March 16 2010 |
I wish I could tear up over Romeo and Juliet like everyone else. And I have— when I was 14. But a more adult perspective on partnership has squelched my enjoyment. Why have we enshrined the fickle, maudlin, airheaded young Romeo as the ultimate synonym for “lover”?
Romeo and Juliet. By William Shakespeare; directed by Matt Pfeiffer. Through April 11, 2010 at Arden Theatre, 40 N. Second St. (215) 922-1122 or www.ardentheatre.org.
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| In defense of Jane Austen’s prose |
February 06 2010 |
Some folks rejoice at the current spate of Jane Austen film adaptations because they find her novels impenetrable. But if Austen’s books are such a slog, why have they remained in print continuously for almost 200 years?
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Josette Bonafino is the founder and director of Culture Quest Tours (www.cqtours.com), an educational tour company that specializes in custom-tailored travel programs. She is also the co-founder and executive director of MYX: Multicultural Youth eXchange (www.myxworld.org), a nonprofit organization that uses the arts to help youth explore cultural diversity and social issues relevant to all people.
A native Philadelphian and a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Josette is currently pursuing a Teaching Artists Certificate at the University of the Arts. She has previously been published in Language Magazine, Teach and Travel, Student Group Tour Magazine and Womensradio.com.
More articles by Josette Bonafino, newest first
| Iceland’s lesson for Americans |
January 30 2010 |
The global recession hit Iceland much harder than it hit America. And it's colder and darker there to begin with. So why do Icelanders seem so much happier than we are?
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Robert Murphy is a medical writer, guitarist and singer who has written and recorded two CDs. He contributed theater and pop music reviews to The News of Delaware County from 1985 to 1990 and to The Main Line Times from 1990 to 1996.
More articles by Robert J. Murphy, newest first
| Jane Austen novels on DVD |
January 30 2010 |
Jane Austen’s impenetrable prose is difficult to slog through— but her novels translate marvelously to the screen, as two DVD adaptations remind us. This is no accident. Long before the invention of cinema, Austen understood— as, say, Dostoyevsky or Proust or Mailer did not— the power of visual imagery.
Pride and Prejudice. A film directed by Joe Wright; screenplay by Deborah Moggach (2005). On DVD at www.amazon.com.
Sense and Sensibility. A film directed by Ang Lee; screenplay by Emma Thompson (1995). On DVD at www.amazon.com.
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J.F. Pirro, a nationally-recognized journalism and English teacher at Emmaus (Pa.) High School, is a widely-published and regarded writer. For the last 25 years, he’s written in nearly every journalistic genre, and has been published in 75-plus national and regional magazines as well as dozens of daily and weekly alternative city newspapers. He’s particularly interested in profiles, social trends, religion, historic preservation and 18th-Century America, agrarian culture, canine curiosities and sports and recreation topics.
Pirro, born in 1965, earned his bachelor of arts in English from Ursinus College in Collegeville, Pa. and his master of science degree in print journalism from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism in Evanston, Ill. A Journalism Education Association Certified Journalism Educator (CJE), he’s also been on the summer-session faculty of Northwestern’s National High School Journalism Institute as well as the faculty of Penn State University’s Summer Journalism Workshop.
He has painstakingly restored a 1780 log and stone farmhouse and property in Quakertown, the heart of historic Upper Bucks County, Pennsylvania. There, he lives with two German Shorthaired Pointers, Braxton Brag Underwood (B.B.) and Miss Maudie Atkinson, as well as the saintly spirit of an English Chocolate Labrador, Dolphus Raymond. Each hound has been named after a character in To Kill a Mockingbird, the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Harper Lee that Pirro has taught throughout his career. He also raises Olde English Babydolls, descendant lambs of the original southdowns in Colonial America, and deals in baseball memorabilia, antiquarian books and early rustic, country antiques and furniture from his homestead and farm.
More articles by J.F. Pirro, newest first
| Wharton Esherick: American original |
December 25 2010 |
Wharton Esherick, the dean of American craftsman, was a renaissance man who defied pigeonholing in an age of narrow specialists. His continuing coming-out party has been remarkable for those who don’t know his work, and plain gratifying for those who do.
“Wharton Esherick and the Birth of the American Modern.”
Through February 13, 2011 at Kamin Gallery, Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center, 3420 Walnut St.; and Kroiz Gallery of the Architectural Archives, Fisher Fine Arts Library, 220 South 34th St. (215) 746-5828 or www.library.upenn.edu/exhibits/esherick.html.
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| The Who across the generations |
January 23 2010 |
For more than 30 years the legendary British band The Who has guided me through the vicissitudes of adolescence and adulthood. Now The Who is preparing to play the Super Bowl. Can I share my personal heroes with the rest of the world?
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J.T. Barbarese’s most recent book of poems is the The Black Beach (UNT, 2005). His poetry, translations and literary journalism have appeared widely. He teaches poetry and fiction in the MFA Program at Rutgers University’s Campus at Camden and is the editor of Story Quarterly. His web page is available at crab.rutgers.edu/~barbares.
More articles by J.T. Barbarese, newest first
| Lessons of a back yard |
January 03 2012 |
In the tiny South Philadelphia back yard where I grew up, something very important was transpiring. Only nobody realized it, least of all me.
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| The trouble with government arts grants |
December 01 2009 |
So you think the new Pew Fellowships procedures are flawed? Try negotiating the political thicket of government arts councils. For one thing, taste is never objective. For another, great artists aren’t necessarily good citizens or even nice people. Small wonder that most art contests are implicitly fixed in the first place.
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| Help me make it through the night |
November 24 2009 |
When you’re a blue-collar guy living paycheck-to-paycheck, without a sophisticated worldview or even a car or credit cards, how do you respond to impending natural disaster or nuclear holocaust? For that matter, what do you do when the military sends you to fight overseas?
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Anne Hamilton is the founder of Hamilton Dramaturgy, now located in Bucks County, Pa., and has worked in professional theater in New York, across the nation and the world since 1991. She is a Columbia University graduate and has worked with Lynn Nottage, Kathleen Chalfant, Andrei Serban, Michael Mayer, Leslie Lee and Classic Stage Company. She may be reached through www.hamiltonlit.com.
More articles by Anne Hamilton, newest first
This contributor has not yet published any articles.
I have worked on newspapers and literary journals for the past five years, both as a contributing writer and as an editor. In high school I wrote for the Bucks County Courier Times as a panelist for the teen section, “Reality,” and since my freshman year at Rider I have served as a writer and copy editor for the Rider News. I co-created and now head Rider’s first feminist literary journal, HerStory. My published work ranges from poetry to features articles, from opinion editorials to scholarly essays.
More articles by Julie Morcate, newest first
| ‘Memphis’ on Broadway |
November 17 2009 |
In the ingenious and lively Memphis, a white radio DJ falls in love with the music of his soul, and with the African-American woman singing it. These two rich characters from the ‘50s and their equally rich music crystallize the role played by rock n’ roll in the downfall of racial segregation.
Memphis. Book by Joe DiPetro; music by David Bryan; directed by Christopher Ashley. At Sam S. Shubert Theatre, 225 West 44th St., New York. (212) 239-6200 or www.memphisthemusical.com/news.html.
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Amy Small-McKinney’s second chapbook, Clear Moon, Frost, was published, in 2009, by Finishing Line Press.
In 2004, her chapbook, Body of Surrender (Finishing Line Press), was showcased at Poet’s House in New York. She was nominated for a Pushcart Prize in 2004 and again in 2006.
Her work has appeared in a number of journals, including The Cortland Review, The Pedestal Magazine, ForPoetry, Elixir Press, Mad Poets Review, upstreet, Rio Grande Review, and Wild River Review.
Small-McKinney was guest editor for the June 2006 issue of The Pedestal Magazine and interviewed Pulitzer Prize nominee poet, Bruce Smith, for its April 2006 issue.
More articles by Amy Small-McKinney, newest first
| My father’s clothes |
November 04 2010 |
I’m sure this gesture has been repeated a million times by a million women in mourning: a father’s coats and shirts and ties and hats, handed over to an uncle or a brother.
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| Aftermath of an accident |
November 10 2009 |
At first I thought myself lucky to survive a horrendous auto accident. My scars and broken bones have healed with the passage of time. But the memory loss, the rage, the inability to articulate my feelings— those have lingered much longer.
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Marilyn MacGregor is an artist, art historian, teacher, and writer who has lived and worked on both coasts and in Europe. She writes about art, culture and travel for local and national publications and on her award-winning blog ArtSmartTalk, teaches in Drexel University’s Pennoni Honors College, and exhibits her art widely.
She also speaks about art and art history and leads tours, and offers online learning with Postcard Art History. Her lifelong love of drawing is the basis for her own work, which includes works on paper and artist books, as well as commercial illustration. As a relative newcomer to Philadelphia, she’s excited by the city’s vibrant contemporary art scene and by Philadelphia’s great museums.
Visit her website at www.marilynmacgregor.com.
Contact Marilyn at .
More articles by Marilyn MacGregor, newest first
| The new Barnes: Worth the wait (1st review) |
May 19 2012 |
In its new lodgings on the Parkway, the Barnes Collection looks reassuringly the same but wonderfully refreshed, and the art is as amazing as ever.
Barnes Foundation. 2025 Benjamin Franklin Parkway. (215) 278-7000 or www.barnesfoundation.org.
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| ‘Narrative Thread’ at Wexler Gallery |
April 13 2012 |
Five artists who happen to be women tell intriguing stories using time-honored methods and materials once reserved for “women’s work.”
“Narrative Thread.” Work by Dem Chau, Orly Cogan, Erin Endicott, Flore Gardner and Donna Rosenthal. Through April 28, 2012 at Wexler Gallery 210 N. Third St. ((215) 923-7030 or www.wexlergallery.com.
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| The new Barnes: a sneak preview |
April 06 2012 |
The Barnes Foundation’s new home on the Parkway, set to open on May 19, barely resembles its previous Beaux Arts building in Merion. My sneak-preview tour last week convinced me that’s not a bad thing.
Barnes Foundation. Opening May 19, 2012 at 2025 Benjamin Franklin Parkway. (215) 640-0171 or www.barnesfoundation.org.
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| Cindy Sherman retrospective at MOMA in New York |
March 31 2012 |
MOMA’s Cindy Sherman retrospective is a tribute to one of the most intriguing stars of contemporary art. In her iconic photographs, Sherman casts herself as a character in the stories of our obsessions.
Cindy Sherman Retrospective. Through June 11, 2012 at Museum of Modern Art, 11 West 53rd St., New York. (212) 708-9400 or www.moma.org.
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| Orit Hofshi’s ‘Pharos’ at Locks Gallery |
March 06 2012 |
Orit Hofshi is a printmaker on a grand scale, with a freedom of vision and execution that’s exhilarating to witness.
Orit Hofshi: “Pharos.” Through April 13, 2012 at Locks Gallery, 600 Washington Square South. (215) 629-1000 or www.locksgallery.com.
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| 'After Tanner' at Pennsylvania Academy (1st review) |
February 18 2012 |
Pennsylvania Academy's Henry O. Tanner retrospective is a rich experience, made richer with the accompanying exhibit of African-American Artists since 1940. Together they provide a timeline of struggle, complexity, inspiration and accomplishment.
“After Tanner: African-American Artists since 1940.” Through April 15, 2012 at Hamilton Bldg., Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, 128 N. Broad St. (at Cherry). (215) 972-7625 or www.pafa.org.
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| ‘Here and Now’ at the Art Museum (1st review) |
September 25 2011 |
Philadelphia’s Art Museum does a better job of showcasing local young artists than most major museums. Not surprising, with so many top-class art schools within walking distance.
“Here and Now: Prints, Drawings, and Photographs by Ten Philadelphia Artists.” Through December 4, 2011 at Philadelphia Museum of Art, Benj. Franklin Pkwy. & 26th St. (215) 763-8100 or www.philamuseum.org.
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| 'Of Elephants and Roses' at the Philosophical Society (2nd review) |
July 16 2011 |
This exhibit from the early 19th Century evokes a time when science was still a guessing game and nature’s puzzling wonders were discovered almost daily.
“Of Elephants and Roses.” Through December 31, 2011 at Museum of the American Philosophical Society, 104 S. Fifth St. (215) 440-3440 or www.apsmuseum.org.
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| Cy Twombly’s fresh vision of antiquity |
July 16 2011 |
Cy Twombly, the great contemporary master of line and space who died July 5, drew deeply on the ancient foundations of Western culture, yet his wide-ranging freedom represents a complete break with all precedents in handling Classical subjects.
“Fifty Days at Iliam”: Works by Cy Twombly (1928-2011). Permanent exhibition at Philadelphia Museum of Art, 26th St. and Benjamin Franklin Parkway. (215) 763-8100 or www.philamuseum.org.
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| Ron Isaacs at Snyderman-Works Gallery |
April 26 2011 |
The trompe l’oeil magician Ron Isaacs is a master of his craft, but he’s also a storyteller, creating finely detailed works that use vintage clothing to tell tales of past lives.
“Nature Morte Transfigured: Sculptural Still Life by Ron Isaacs.” Through May 14, 2011 at Snyderman-Works Gallery, 303 Cherry St. (215) 238-9576 or www.snyderman-works.com.
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| Roberto Capucci's 'Art Into Fashion' at the Art Museum (1st review) |
April 09 2011 |
Roberto Capucci’s extravagant fashion designs— an astonishing feast of color, form and imagination—have turned dresses into sculpture and clothing into art. Would you want to wear them? That’s another question.
“Roberto Capucci: Art into Fashion.” Through June 5, 2011 at Philadelphia Museum of Art, Benj. Franklin Pkwy. and 26th St. (215) 763-8100 or www.philamuseum.org.
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| Picasso’s Guitars at MOMA in New York |
February 26 2011 |
In a small and intimate exhibit in New York, Picasso’s flimsy and ephemeral guitar inventions make a powerful statement about his constant search for new and lasting forms and ideas.
“Picasso: Guitars, 1912-1914.” Through June 6, 2011 at Museum of Modern Art, 11 West 53rd St., New York. (212) 708-9400 or
www.moma.org.
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| ‘Leonardo Da Vinci’s Workshop’ at Franklin Institute |
February 19 2011 |
Leonardo da Vinci’s incomparably intriguing mind and all its wonders are on display at the Franklin Institute, with models, drawings, and interactive technology. Leonardo himself would have loved it.
"Leonardo da Vinci's Workshop." Through May 22, 2011 at the Franklin Institute, 222 N. 20th St. (215) 448-1200 or www.fi.edu.
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| Sampling Google’s new Art Project |
February 19 2011 |
Google’s new Art Project, offering interactive tours of 17 participating museums (so far), can be great fun: Thanks to the zoom function, we can see paintings at closer range than even the artists did. But it’s a site run by tech wizards, not art scholars.
Google Art Project. www.googleartproject.com.
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| ‘Matisse: 1913-1917’ at MOMA in New York |
August 03 2010 |
Returning to Paris from his inspiring visit to Morocco in 1913, Matisse had to confront the new challenges of Cubism as well as the impending dangers of a terrible war. In so doing he created some of his most compelling, most beautiful, and most defining works.
“Matisse: Radical Invention, 1913-1917.” Through October 11, 2010 at Museum of Modern Art, 11 West 53rd St., New York. (212) 708-9400 or www.moma.org.
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| First Friday’s ‘Fringe Festival’ |
June 07 2010 |
At First Friday in Old City, galleries give you a first look at their new shows, and the party atmosphere makes it a lot of fun. But watch where you step: there’s a whole lot of art underfoot on the sidewalk, some of it by talented artists who may be famous a few years from now.
First Friday. Gallery open houses in Old City, Philadelphia, first Friday of each month after 5 p.m. (215) 625-9200 or www.oldcityarts.org.
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| Children’s book illustrations at Brandywine |
May 01 2010 |
Children’s book illustrations are the portal to worlds of wonder, full of bright color, rich imagination and intricate visual storytelling. Some of the best of the past 73 years are on display at the Brandywine River Museum.
“Drawing from a Story: Illustrations from Selected Caldecott Winners.” Through May 23, 2010 at Brandywine River Museum, U.S. 1, Chadds Ford, Pa. 610-388-2700 or www.brandywinemuseum.org.
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| Contemporary ceramics invasion |
April 10 2010 |
Ceramics is one of the most exciting areas in contemporary art. In the wake of a recent national convention, some of the best recent work is on display at multiple Philadelphia venues right here right now.
National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA): 44th annual conference. March 31-April 3, 2010 at Pennsylvania Convention Center. nceca.net/static/conference_home.php.
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| Gabriel Orozco at MOMA in New York |
March 02 2010 |
You must be patient with conceptual art. Gabriel Orozco, for example, is an intriguing conceptual artist who wanders inner and outer worlds, freely exploring ideas, creating puzzles, and making connections between nature and human activity.
Gabriel Orozco. Closed March 1, 2010 at Museum of Modern Art, 11 West 53rd St., New York. (212) 767-1050 or www.moma.org.
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| ‘Picasso and the Paris Avant-Garde’ at the Art Museum (2nd review) |
February 23 2010 |
The Art Museum’s Picasso show provides a fresh reminder that there’s always something more to learn about 20th Century art, and especially Picasso. Must we either love or hate everything about this complicated man?
“Picasso and the Avant-Garde in Paris.” Through May 2, 2010 at Philadelphia Museum of Art, Benjamin Franklin Parkway at 26th St. (215) 763-8100 or www.philamuseum.org.
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| Supersized drawings at Gallery Joe |
January 12 2010 |
So you think of drawings as small, quiet and intimate? In this show they speak in a big, bold contemporary voice.
“Very, Very Large Drawings.” Through January 30, 2010 at Gallery Joe, 302 Arch St. (215) 592-7752 or www.galleryjoe.com.
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| ‘Watteau to Degas’ at the Frick in New York |
December 29 2009 |
The Frick Museum’s current exhibit of French drawing speaks quietly but clearly of the evolution of art from the academic 18th Century to the brink of Modernism in the 19th Century.
“Watteau to Degas: French Drawings from the Frits Lugt Collection.” Through January 10, 2010 at the Frick Collection, 1 East 70th St. (at Fifth Ave.), New York. (212) 288-0700 or www.frick.org.
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| Art Museum’s Craft Show |
November 14 2009 |
The Art Museum’s annual Craft Show, in its 33rd year, is the gold standard for fine crafts. Artists from all over the U.S., as well as this year from Korea, knocked out my eyes and expectations with an extraordinary wealth of skill and imagination.
Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show. November 11-15, 2009 at Pennsylvania Convention Center. www.pmacraftshow.org.
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| Gorky retrospective at Art Museum (2nd review) |
October 25 2009 |
Arshile Gorky made significant contributions to modern art, but he's less well known than many other artists. This is a wide, deep, rich retrospective that combines recognized masterpieces with many exciting surprises.
Arshile Gorky: A Retrospective. Through January 10, 2010 at Philadelphia Museum of Art, Benjamin Franklin Parkway at 26th Street. (215) 763-8100 or www.philamuseum.org.
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Julius graduated with a bachelor’s in English and a minor in theater from Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, New York, where he was fortunate enough to preside over the student theater group and experience the excitement of collaborative arts. He currently lives in exile in Bucks County and peers towards Philly for his next step forward.
Visit his blog at francesandjune.blogspot.com.
More articles by Julius Ferraro, newest first
| ‘Sweeney Todd’ in Wilmington |
December 19 2009 |
Is Sweeney Todd growing too familiar? Michael Gray’s new conception of Stephen Sondheim’s horror musical focuses on its cast of desperate and volatile characters rather than its time and place. It’s like seeing the show for the first time.
Sweeney Todd. Book by Hugh Wheeler; music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim; directed by Michael Gray. City Theater Company production through December 19, 2009 at Opera Delaware Studios, 4 S. Poplar St., Wilmington, Del. (302) 220-8285 or www.city-theater.org.
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| ‘boom’ by Flashpoint Theatre |
November 28 2009 |
Biology nerd meets nihilist, comet meets planet, and there’s a middle-aged woman pulling the levers. Peter Sinn Nachtrieb’s boom is often very funny, but the credit belongs to the actors, not his pretentious script.
boom. By Peter Sinn Nachtrieb; directed by Noah Herman. Flashpoint Theater Co. production October 28-November 21, 2009 at Adrienne Theatre, 2030 Sansom St. (215) 665-9720 or www.flashpointtheatre.org.
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| Beckett’s ‘Endgame’ by EgoPo (3rd review) |
November 17 2009 |
Purists object to setting a European work like Endgame in a cluttered South Jersey basement. But EgoPo’s idiosyncratic interpretation brings a fresh vision to Beckett’s classic: It’s no longer about post-nuclear holocaust but foremost a personal play of family relationships gone to rot but still clinging.
Endgame. By Samuel Beckett; directed by Lane Savadove. EgoPo Productions presentation through November 15, 2009 at St. Stephen’s Theater, 923 Ludlow St. (215) 552-8773 or www.egopo.org.
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| Fringe/LiveArts Festival post-mortem |
October 06 2009 |
For one invigorating month, the Fringe/Live Arts Festival nudged commercial and community theaters out of the spotlight to remind Philadelphians of the awesome possibilities of experimental theater and dance. Still, in such a diverse set of artists, the works I saw tended to follow three trends, for better or for worse.
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Adam Lippe is a film critic as well as editor and publisher of the website “A Regrettable Moment of Sincerity.” He lives in the Germantown section of Philadelphia.
More articles by Adam Lippe, newest first
More articles by Franklin Roberts, newest first
| A Philadelphia Eagles morality play |
December 21 2010 |
A coach plagued with two wayward sons finds redemption by embracing a reformed sinner of a quarterback. Is this merely a game, or is this a morality play unfolding before us?
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| Society Hill’s revival: A memoir |
July 24 2010 |
In 1960 I took one look at Spike Stapleford’s decrepit block in Society Hill and realized: This street seemed to possess the potential for all the elements of the neighborhood I’d grown up in. And so it did.
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| On saving the U.S.S. 'Olympia' |
June 15 2010 |
The U.S. Olympia, Admiral Dewey’s flagship and long a prime Philadelphia attraction, seems headed for the scrap heap. But it was saved from that heap at least once before, as I can attest from firsthand experience.
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| Teen ‘flash mobs’: The brighter side |
March 23 2010 |
Another “flash mob” outing on South Street, another setback to civilized society? Not necessarily. For one thing, these rampages prove that teenage literacy and technical proficiency are in better shape then we’d thought.
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| How to save the Mummers Parade |
December 01 2009 |
So Philadelphia may have lost the Dad Vail Regatta to Rumson, N.J. The beloved but dwindling Mummers Parade could be next. How can it be saved? By turning the parade around.
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| Behind the Bicentennial, Part 3: Keep it simple |
October 26 2009 |
As 1976 approached, the National Park Service wanted a Bicentennial program that would appeal to visitors in all 50 states. I found the answer in one of Ben Franklin’s letters. And unlike my competitors, I kept things simple enough to please the most important audience: the Park Service staff in the field.
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| The spy who snatched Baryshnikov |
October 26 2009 |
Who was that distinguished gentleman who shared our hotel terrace overlooking the Pacific at Zihuatanejo? And what was a middle-class theatrical producer from Society Hill like me doing sharing a drink with him?
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| Behind the Bicentennial, Part 2: The Germans |
August 29 2009 |
If the Park Service and Bell of Pennsylvania perceived the PR benefits of getting into the 1976 Bicentennial act, I told myself, perhaps foreign democracies could be enticed to join this democracy birthday party as well. Which is how I wound up lunching with the striking blonde cultural minister of the Federal Republic of Germany.
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| Behind the Bicentennial: A memoir (Part 1) |
August 25 2009 |
Washington wanted to cross the Delaware. Max Bialystock wanted to climb back on top of Broadway. In the early '70s an unwieldy committee of Philadelphia’s usual suspects faced a more daunting challenge: winning approval from the Paris-based Bureau of International Expositions for a Grade 1 international exposition.
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John L. Erlich is emeritus professor of social work at California State University, Sacramento, as well as adjunct professor at Smith College School for Social Work. He played freshman and varsity basketball for Columbia University from 1955 to 1959, and has coached basketball “very part-time” at a settlement house and a children’s institution..
His past credits include:
Assistant director, program director, and executive director of urban renewal projects, New York City (1961-65).
Assistant/associate professor, University of Michigan School of Social Work (1965-73).
Professor, Division of Social Work, California State Universit, Sacramento (1973-2008).
Adjunct Professor, Smith School for Social Work (2005—present).
Co-author/author/editor of 18 social work books and numerous articles and essays, with an emphasis on community work, diversity and social change.
More articles by John L. Erlich, newest first
| ‘War Horse’: Animals as friends |
January 17 2012 |
In northern California, where I live, War Horse touched a special chord. Many of our families depended on horses not so long ago, and we learned to respect them.
War Horse. A film directed by Steven Spielberg. For Philadelphia area show times, click here.
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| Beyond the Penn State scandal |
December 10 2011 |
Much has been written lately about children and athletes victimized by sex-abusing coaches at big-time sports programs like Penn State’s. But what about the innocent Penn State athletes whose reputations will now be sullied by their association with a scandalized program?
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| Tucson’s other victims |
January 14 2011 |
Last week’s mass murder spree in Tucson was a catastrophe for the victims, their families and friends and, in the case of two public servants, for the nation. But the stiffest psychological price of all may be paid by the killer’s family.
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| ‘Matterhorn,’ a Vietnam novel by Karl Marlantes |
August 13 2010 |
For those of us who lived through the Vietnam War, this powerful and compelling novel triggers haunting memories.
Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War. By Karl Marlantes. El Leon Literary Arts, 2009. 690 pages; $39.95 (paperback, $19.95). www.amazon.com.
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| The charm of minor league baseball |
August 07 2010 |
The minor league baseball game I attended produced no big moments but plenty of nice little ones. I’d forgotten how enjoyable a ball game can be when the owners, players and fans haven’t staked their lives and fortunes on the outcome.
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| Frank Loesser’s enduring power |
July 06 2010 |
As a pre-teen and young teen in the late 1940s and early ’50s, I often found myself singing two old songs to myself. I had no idea how they got there. Then one day my mother told me.
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| Coach John Wooden: A remembrance |
June 08 2010 |
UCLA’s legendary basketball coach John Wooden won ten championships and hundreds of games. But one of his lowly substitutes remembers Wooden for a small gesture of acknowledgment.
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| Salinger’s ‘Catcher,’ then and now |
January 30 2010 |
J.D. Salinger’s fundamental resistance to adult delusions spoke powerfully to a high school freshman like me. But his message didn’t resonate with everyone, even my age.
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| The winning basket (a memoir) |
October 31 2009 |
When I scored the winning the basket, the sense of power was briefly overwhelming— which taught me something about athletes today.
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| The playground basketball cure |
September 06 2009 |
It’s been half a century since I first cured the twitch in my shoulder with a few good games of city playground basketball. It still works for me today, too.
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| One August day in the park |
September 01 2009 |
It’s almost 100 degrees and too hot for outdoor basketball— or anything else for a senior citizen like me. But on the court I find a kid who might have been me, once upon a time.
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| Why Ted Kennedy was special |
August 29 2009 |
Unlike his brothers, Ted Kennedy was deeply flawed. But those flaws enabled him to identify with the rest of us, and we with him.
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| In Woodstock’s wake: a 1970 memoir |
August 25 2009 |
A year after Woodstock, I took my 12-year-old daughter to “Michigan’s Woodstock”— the ultimate generation-gap test for a young assistant professor trying very hard to be “with it.”
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| Basketball: The real thing |
August 11 2009 |
These guys playing pickup basketball are no professionals. Why, then, do I find them so much more fun to watch?
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Mitchell Gordon is a free-lance writer and futurist who lives in Philadelphia. He is also vice president of the Philadelphia Area Space Alliance, which is the local chapter of the National Space Society.
More articles by Mitchell Gordon, newest first
| James Herrick’s ‘Scientific Mythologies’ |
August 04 2009 |
James Herrick, a Christian apologist at a fundamentalist college, sees pop culture and science fiction supplanting traditional religious myths as the cutting force of spirituality today. Not to worry, professor: Steven Spielberg, Carl Sagan and the makers of Star Wars and Star Trek are mostly pouring old wine into new bottles.
Scientific Mythologies: How Science and Science Fiction Forge New Religious Beliefs. By James A Herrick. InterVarsity Press. 288 pages; $23. www.ivpress.com/cgi-ivpress/book.pl/code=2588
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After a false start in academia (Ph.D. in the sociology of religion from Drew University) and a detour through the rare book business, Judy ended up in magazine publishing. She worked for many years as an editor and creator of word puzzles (everything from crosswords to logic problems) and continues to test-solve the cryptic crosswords that run in Games and World of Puzzles.
She is currently writing, editing, and doing social media—including handling the Broad Street Review accounts on Twitter (twitter.com/broadstreview) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/BroadStreetReview)—on a freelance basis while she looks for her next full-time opportunity.
Her interests include world music, dance, and the visual arts.
For more, visit judyweightman.wordpress.com. Or you can follow her on Twitter at @JudyWEdu.
More articles by Judy Weightman, newest first
| ‘Martha Marcy’ and the truth about cults |
May 01 2012 |
As a movie, Martha Marcy May Marlene is an extremely scary thriller. As an examination of the cult phenomenon, it’s simplistic propaganda the likes of which I— an authority on cults— haven’t seen in 30 years.
Martha Marcy May Marlene. A film written and directed by Sean Durkin. Available on DVD and via download. www.foxsearchlight.com/marthamarcymaymarlene.
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| ‘Fela!’ at Academy of Music (2nd review) |
March 27 2012 |
Pity the Kimmel season subscribers who arrived at Fela! without advance preparation. This is a political musical with some very discomfiting edges— and that’s to its credit.
Fela! Music by Fela Kuti; directed and choreographed by Bill T. Jones. Through March 25, 2012 at Academy of Music, Broad and Locust Sts. (215) 893-1999 or www.kimmelcenter.org/broadway.
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| ‘Take Shelter’ (2nd review) |
February 25 2012 |
Take Shelter is a movie well worth experiencing for yourself before reading any commentary— including this one.
Take Shelter. A film directed and written by Jeff Nichols. www.sonyclassics.com/takeshelter.
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| Alfredson’s ‘Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy’ (1st review) |
December 31 2011 |
Am I unreasonable to expect a movie to make sense without significant advance preparation on my part?
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. A film directed by Tomas Alfredson, from the novel by John Le Carré. At the Ritz East, 125 S. Second Street, (215) 925-7900. For Philadelphia area show times, click here.
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| Chunky Move’s ‘Connected’ at Annenberg |
November 22 2011 |
A collaboration between a choreographer and a sculptor sounds exciting in theory. In practice, it raises more questions than it answers about the nature of artistic connections.
Chunky Move: Connected. November 17-19, 2011 at Zellerbach Theater, Annenberg Center, 3680 Walnut St. (215) 898-3900 or www.AnnenbergCenter.org.
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| Andrew Bird in Wilmington |
October 25 2011 |
Has technology changed the nature of musical performance? If a concert involves recordings, in what sense should it be considered a “live” performance?
Andrew Bird with Martin Dosh. October 22, 2011 at the Grand Opera House, 818 N. Market St., Wilmington, Del. (302) 652-5577 or thegrandwilmington.org.
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| George Clooney’s ‘Ides of March’ (2nd review) |
October 15 2011 |
The Ides of March is a thriller without guns or foreign spies; its drama concerns the intimate actions and reactions of individuals making choices in the high-stakes milieu of presidential politics.
The Ides of March. A film directed by George Clooney. At Ritz Five, 220 Walnut St. (215) 925-7901 and other Philadelphia area theaters. For Philadelphia area show times, click here.
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| Aszure Barton’s ‘Blue Soup’ and ‘Busk' at Annenberg |
May 10 2011 |
The Baryshnikov protégé Aszure Barton uses— and subverts— our expectations about how dancers move and how meaning is communicated in dance.
Aszure Barton & Artists: Blue Soup and Busk. May 5-7, 2011 at Zellerbach Theater, Annenberg Center, 3680 Walnut St. (215) 898-3900 or www.AnnenbergCenter.org.
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| Parsons Dance at Annenberg |
December 14 2010 |
David Parsons doesn’t use dance to explore ideas. With Parsons, an evening of dance is just an evening of dance— and very enjoyable nevertheless.
Parsons Dance: Caught and Remember Me. December 2-4, 2010 at Dance Celebration at the Annenberg Center, 3680 Walnut St. (215) 898-3900 or www.AnnenbergCenter.org.
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| Mark Garvey’s ‘Stylized’: Admiration or adoration? |
November 30 2010 |
How many grammarians can dance on the head of a pin? The number pales beside the admirers and detractors of The Elements of Style, Strunk and White’s classic guide to basic writing principles. And don’t get me started about the proper usage of hopefully.
Stylized: A Slightly Obsessive History of Strunk & White’s The Elements of Style. By Mark Garvey. Touchstone (Simon and Schuster), 2009. 208 pages; $22.99.
books.simonandschuster.com.
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| Guitarist John McLaughlin at the Keswick |
November 16 2010 |
John McLaughlin is one of the best guitarists playing today. But technical proficiency isn’t easy to translate into passion.
John McLaughlin and the Fourth Dimension. November 12, 2010, at the Keswick Theatre, 291 N. Keswick Ave., Glenside, Pa. (215) 572-7650 or www.keswicktheatre.com.
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| Paul Taylor at Annenberg (1st review) |
October 26 2010 |
Paul Taylor has been choreographing for more than half a century— long enough to gently tweak the pretensions of modern dance even as he seriously examines the interplay between the spiritual and the carnal.
Paul Taylor Dance Company: Phantasmagoria, Arden Court, Cloven Kingdom. Presented by Dance Celebration October 21-23, 2010 at the Annenberg Center, 3680 Walnut St.
(215) 898.3900 or www.pennpresents.org/tickets.
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| ‘Cleopatra’ at the Franklin Institute |
October 16 2010 |
Few artifacts survive from Cleopatra’s reign, but a show at the Franklin Institute makes the most of what little remains.
“Cleopatra: The Search for the Last Queen of Egypt.” Through January 2, 2011 at the Franklin Institute, 222 N. 20th St. (215) 448-1200 or www.fi.edu/cleopatra.
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| ‘Saturday Night Fever,’ revisited |
August 31 2010 |
Saturday Night Fever evokes a brief moment in pop culture history: the sexual freedom between the dawn of the Pill and the advent of AIDS. To those of us born to that particular slice of the Baby Boom, this gritty 1977 movie and its buoyant songs often strike a contradictory note.
Saturday Night Fever (1977). A film directed by John Badham, based on an article by Nik Cohn.
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| Laurie Anderson at World Café Live |
July 20 2010 |
Laurie Anderson brings her quirky take on life in America to Philly, raising a question: How should an audience respond to an artist who has made a career of defying any categorization?
Laurie Anderson: “Another Day in America.” July 11-12, 2010 at World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St. (215) 222-1400 or www.worldcafelive.com.
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| ‘Musical of Musicals’ at Walnut Studio 3 (2nd review) |
June 29 2010 |
Unlike satire, which comes out of anger, pastiche comes out of love. The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!) is definitely the latter.
The Musical of Musicals, the Musical. Music by Eric Rockwell; lyrics by Joanne Bogart, book by Rockwell and Bogart; Craig Fols directed. Through June 27, 2010 at Walnut Street Theatre, Independence Studio on 3, 825 Walnut St. (215) 574-3550 or www.walnutstreettheatre.org.
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| Fleck, Meyer and Hussain at the Keswick |
June 01 2010 |
At the Keswick, the astonishing musicianship of Bela Fleck, Edgar Meyer and Zakir Hussain transformed the unlikely combination of banjo, tabla, and bass into an exploration of musical possibilities.
Bela Fleck, Edgar Meyer and Zakir Hussain. May 27, 2010 at Keswick Theatre, 291 N. Keswick Ave., Glenside, Pa. (215) 572-7650 or www.keswicktheatre.com.
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| BalletX’s Spring Series (1st review) |
April 24 2010 |
Classical ballet has become a closed and rigid system. BalletX offers an antidote, opening up ballet to new movements and new forms of expressiveness.
BalletX: Spring Series 2010. Carry Me, by Myra Bazell;
One Word Play, by Thang Dao;
Hide, by Lauren Putty;
X or Y, by Christine Cox. April 14-18, 2010 at Wilma Theater, 265 S., Broad St. (at Spruce). (215) 917-1513 or www.balletx.org.
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| 'Crazy Heart' vs. 'The Wrestler' |
March 13 2010 |
Crazy Heart is yet another “performer on the skids” story, but one with a killer soundtrack and masterful acting by Jeff Bridges. But the film lacks the gut-level truthfulness the less accomplished Mickey Rourke brought to every frame of The Wrestler.
Crazy Heart. A film directed by Scott Cooper, based on a novel by Thomas Cobb. At Ritz at the Bourse, Fourth and Ludlow Sts. (215) 925-7900 or www.landmarktheatres.com,
Also Bryn Mawr Film Institute, Ambler Theater, and local chains.
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| Elizabeth Streb’s ‘Brave’ at Annenberg (3rd review) |
February 09 2010 |
Elizabeth Streb, the eponymous “action architect and choreographer” of STREB, received a “genius grant” from the MacArthur Foundation in 1997. But is Brave a work of genius, or a very ambitious workout?
Brave. Choreographed by Elizabeth Streb. February 5-6, 2010 at Annenberg Center, 3680 Walnut St.
(215) 898.3900 or www.pennpresents.org/tickets.
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| Guitarists Kaukonen and Bromberg at the Keswick |
January 26 2010 |
Two great guitarists revisit their musical roots in an evening of virtuoso finger-picking.
David Bromberg and Jorma Kaukonen: An Evening of Duets. January 23, 2010 at The Keswick Theater, 291 N. Keswick Ave., Glenside, Pa. (215) 572-7650 or www.keswicktheatre.com.
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| ‘Avatar’ vs. ‘The Imaginarium’ |
January 16 2010 |
James Cameron’s Avatar dazzles us with expensive high-tech special effects. But Terry Gilliam’s Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus dazzles us with the more substantive power of human imagination.
Avatar. A film directed by James Cameron. At area theaters. www.avatarmovie.com.
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. A film directed by Terry Gilliam. At the Ritz at the Bourse, Fourth and Ludlow Sts. (215) 925-7900 or www.landmarktheatres.com.
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| Jason Reitman’s ‘Up In the Air’ (1st review) |
December 04 2009 |
Up in the Air is that rare find nowadays, a movie for grown-ups—specifically, grown-ups who are dealing with real economic hardship in the year 2009.
Up In the Air. A film directed by Jason Reitman, from the novel by Walter Kirn. At the Ritz Five, 214 Walnut St. (215) 925-7900. www.landmarktheatres.com.
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| ‘Birth of the Cool’: Barkley Hendricks at Pennsylvania Academy |
December 01 2009 |
Barkley Hendricks was born in North Philly, trained at PAFA and Yale, and traveled in Italy and North Africa. The results of this unique combination of influences are on display in his retrospective, “Birth of the Cool.”
Barkley L. Hendricks: “Birth of the Cool.” Through January 3, 2010 at Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Hamilton Bldg., Broad and Cherry Sts. (215) 972-7600 or www.pafa.org.
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| ‘Fraulein Maria’ by Doug Elkins (3rd review) |
November 17 2009 |
With Fräulein Maria, choreographer Doug Elkins purports to radically deconstruct The Sound of Music. But how radical is it, really?
Fraulein Maria. Choreography by Doug Elkins. Through November 14, 2009 at Zellerbach Theatre, Annenberg Center, 3680 Walnut St. (215) 898-3900 or www.pennpresents.org.
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| Reif Larsen’s ‘Selected Works of T.S. Spivet’ |
October 19 2009 |
You can tell when you pick up Reif Larsen’s The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet that it's not just another novel. The physical book, slightly larger than the standard octavo, is sized to accommodate the extensive marginalia interwoven with the story.
The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet. Novel by Reif Larsen. Penguin Press, 2009. 400 pages; $27.95. www.tsspivet.com.
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| ‘Thank You, Gregory’ at Annenberg (1st review) |
October 12 2009 |
Thank You, Gregory successfully reaches both knowledgeable tap dance aficionados and novices who just want to be entertained. But why rely on video when there’s so much live talent in the wings?
Thank You, Gregory: A Tribute to the Legends of Tap. Directed by Anne Marie de Angelo; written by Tony Waag. Dance Affiliates Production October 6-10, 2009 at Annenberg Center, 3680 Walnut St. (215) 898-3900 or www.annenbergcenter.org/tickets/?id=65.
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| Rittenhouse Square’s fall art show |
September 22 2009 |
The Rittenhouse Square Fine Art Show simultaneously satisfies three constituencies: Folks shopping for something to hang over the sofa, seekers of genuine art, and people-watchers.
Rittenhouse Square Fine Art Show. September 18-20, 2009 in Rittenhouse Square. www.rittenhousesquarefineartshow.org.
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| Sharon White’s ‘Vanished Gardens’ |
August 25 2009 |
In Vanished Gardens, Sharon White takes readers on an impressionistic tour de force through Philadelphia’s green spaces, past and present. She’s a stylish writer, but fitting all the pieces of her broad mosaic together is no easy task.
Vanished Gardens: Finding Nature in Philadelphia. By Sharon White. University of Georgia Press, 2008. 240 pages; $28.95. www.ugapress.uga.edu/0820331562.html.
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| Martin Provost’s 'Séraphine' at the Ritz Five |
August 02 2009 |
Martin Provost’s Séraphine is a beautiful film based on the real-life relationship of an art critic and a self-taught artist on the eve of World War I. Provost intriguingly focuses not on the financial and artistic success that this partnership generated but on failures of communication between the artist and the wordsmith.
Séraphine. A film directed by Martin Provost. In French with English subtitles. At the Ritz 5, 214 Walnut St., (215) 925-7900 or www.landmarktheatres.com. Also the Bryn Mawr Film Institute, 824 Lancaster Ave., Bryn Mawr, Pa. (610-527-1319 or www.brynmawrfilm.org) and County Theater, 20 E. State St., Doylestown, Pa. (215-345-6789 or www.countytheater.org).
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Matthew Jakubowski’s literary criticism appears regularly in the Philadelphia City Paper and the online magazine QuarterlyConversation.com. He has written reviews, essays and articles for The Brooklyn Rail, Grid magazine and Name Calling. He is an active member of the National Book Critics Circle and recently completed his second novel. He lives in West Philadelphia.
More articles by Matthew Jakubowski, newest first
| Berlin’s lesson in peaceful revolution |
November 10 2009 |
As the world marks the fall of the Berlin Wall, let’s not forget the real heroes of that revolutionary moment– neither Reagan nor Gorbachev, but East Berliners themselves, who left their weapons home to confront one of the world’s most heavily-guarded borders.
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| Solnit’s ‘Paradise Built in Hell’ |
September 15 2009 |
Do natural disasters bring out the best or the worst in people? Rebecca Solnit argues that such communal calamities trigger a “civic temperament” in human nature that leads people to shine rather than go for each other’s throats— which scares the hell out of political leaders.
A Paradise Built in Hell: The Extraordinary Communities That Arise in Disaster. By Rebecca Solnit.
Viking, 368 pages, $27.95. www.amazon.com.
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| Yale and those Muhammad cartoons |
August 21 2009 |
To avoid potential violence, Yale University Press has announced that the controversial 2005 Danish newspaper cartoons satirizing the prophet Muhammad (like the one at left) will be omitted from a forthcoming book about the global riots provoked by those cartoons. Is this a case of responsible behavior or intellectual cowardice?
The Cartoons That Shook the World. By Jytte Klausen. To be published in November 2009 at Yale University Press. For Yale’s statement, visit yalepress.yale.edu/yupbooks/KlausenStatement.asp
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| The Mann experience: A newcomer's perspective |
August 02 2009 |
Thursday’s showcase for pianists Herbie Hancock and Lang Lang with the Philadelphia Orchestra left many patrons swooning with delight. But it raised a few questions in the mind of a first-time visitor to the Mann who sat in the cheap seats.
Philadelphia Orchestra, with pianists Herbie Hancock and Lang Lang. July 30, 2009 at Mann Center for the Performing Arts. www.manncenter.org.
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Jeanne Wrobleski is an attorney who practices complex, commercial litigation. In addition to a law degree, she holds a master of arts degree. She has taught, lectured and been a president and a director and trustee of several civic and non-profit performing arts organizations, including The Wilma Theater and The Charlotte Cushman Foundation. Her full biography appears in Who’s Who in American Women, Who’s Who in American Lawyers and the Martindale-Hubbell Legal Directory. She lives and practices in Center City Philadelphia.
More articles by Jeanne Wrobleski, newest first
| Sidney Goodman at Pennsylvania Academy |
July 07 2009 |
Like Munch and Goya before him, Sidney Goodman brilliantly combines a dark artistic vision with a masterful use of technique. In Goodman's work, ambiguity evokes as strong an emotional response as the obvious.
“Sidney Goodman: Man in the Mirror.” Through September 20, 2009 at Hamilton Building, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Broad and Cherry St. (215) 972-7600 or www.pafa.org/Museum/Exhibitions/35/.
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More articles by Richard Carreño, newest first
| Discovered: La Salle’s unsung art museum |
November 14 2011 |
An obscure museum in a North Philadelphia basement houses world-class treasures by masters like Tintoretto, Edouard Vuillard, Rembrandt Peale, Georges Rouault and Joseph Epstein. Most remarkable of all, admission is free.
La Salle University Art Museum. Olney Hall, 1900 W. Olney Ave., lower level. (215) 951-1000 or www.lasalle.edu/museum.
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| Matisse and Barnes: A tale of two museums |
October 04 2011 |
Henri Matisse was one of the three great revolutionary artists (with Picaso and Duchamp) of the early 20th Century; Albert Barnes was a brilliant collector of revolutionary art. They made a great team until Barnes’s insufferable personality drove Matisse away, with consequences that still reverberate today.
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| ‘Picasso and the Paris Avant-Garde’ at the Art Museum (3rd review) |
February 23 2010 |
Curator Michael Taylor has unveiled, for the first time in recent memory, the astonishing range, depth, and quality of the Art Museum’s Picasso holdings. But his show falls a few bricks short of an Anne d'Harnoncourt blockbuster.
“Picasso and the Avant-Garde in Paris.” Through May 2, 2010 at Philadelphia Museum of Art, Benjamin Franklin Parkway at 26th St. (215) 763-8100 or www.philamuseum.org.
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| Antiquity, looters and the Penn Museum |
November 10 2009 |
Who are the best stewards of ancient artifacts— enlightened Western curators whose museums stole the loot long ago, or dictators of Third World lands where the treasures were originally found? James Cuno of the Chicago Art Institute (who believes the former) confronts the Penn Museum (which favors the latter).
"Iraq’s Ancient Past: Rediscovering Ur’s Royal Cemetery." Through Spring 2010 at University of Pennsylvania Museum, 3260 South St. (215) 898-4000 or www.penn.museum/sites/iraq.
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| ‘American Stories' at the Met in New York |
October 18 2009 |
“American Stories,” currently at the Met in New York, reveals an indebtedness to Philadelphia's artistic patrimony. Almost the whole show could have been assembled from Philadelphia holdings or works by Philadelphia artists. So why is the Art Museum so modest about its contributions?
“American Stories: Paintings of Everyday Life, 1765-1915.” Through January 24, 2009 at Metropolitan Museum of Art, Fifth Avenue and 82nd St., New York. 212-535-7710 or www.metmuseum.org.
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| Art Museum’s admission hike |
June 29 2009 |
The Art Museum recently raised its admission fees, a fund-raising model that is strictly 20th-Century. Then it hired as its new director Timothy Rub, a successful advocate of the 21st-Century model: free admission. Does the Art Museum’s left hand know what its right hand is doing?
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| Venice: Nice place to visit, but…. |
March 31 2009 |
There’s no place like Venice to jump-start your romantic gene. But before you move there, remember: The plumbing stinks. And try schlepping groceries, or hauling a suitcase, or finding a doctor or a decent restaurant or a neighbor who’s under 50.
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| Newspapers and the Internet |
March 03 2009 |
In the Internet age, what will happen to fact-based journalism as daily newspapers fold? Contrary to what you hear from print journalists, the quality of coverage could improve. Which would you prefer: The Inquirer, or a Philadelphia edition of the New York Times?
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| Vidocq: Philadelphia's Sherlock Holmes |
December 20 2008 |
Sherlock Holmes, Charlie Chan and Sam Spade are all legendary but fictitious private eyes. But Edgar Allan Poe and Victor Hugo were inspired by a real Philadelphia gumshoe of literary dimensions, as I discovered behind the door of the Vidocq Society in Center City.
The Black Tower. By Louis Bayard. William Morrow, 352 pages; $24.95. www.louisbayard.com
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| Sarah Palin and the ‘C’ word |
September 13 2008 |
Thanks to Sarah Palin, the 800-pound gorilla is out of the cage. The 'C' word— class— is the one word in the American lexicon that's even better hidden in polite public discourse than race. And it has little to do with money.
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| Alfred J. Munnings at Brandywine Museum |
July 29 2008 |
A remarkable new show at the Brandywine River museum is a tribute to the great sporting artist Alfred J. Munnings and also to the private collectors of Chester County who’ve accumulated his works without fanfare.
“Alfred J. Munnings From Regional Collections.” Through Sept. 1, 2008 at Brandywine River Museum, off U.S. 1, Chadds Ford, Pa. (610) 388-2700 or www.brandywinemuseum.org.
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| The horror of globalization |
February 16 2008 |
What is a German discount food chain doing in Philadelphia, pampering its customers and employees alike and otherwise violating cherished local customs? Don’t these foreigners know what we Americans did to the Hessians the last time we got really angry?
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| George Stubbs paintings at Penn |
April 17 2007 |
The English painter George Stubbs is largely forgotten outside racing stables, geezer men’s clubs and faux clubby steakhouses. But he transformed the way artists depicted horses and sporting scenes.
Equus Unbound: Fairman Rogers and the Age of the Horse. Through June 15, 2007, at Kamen Gallery, U. of Pennsylvania’s Van-Pelt-Dietrich Library Center, 3420 Walnut St., first floor. Free and open to the public; photo ID required. (800) 390-1829 or
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| Christie’s and ‘The Gross Clinic’ |
January 03 2007 |
As a leading art auction house, Christie’s well understands the role of a dummy bidder in jacking up the price of a work. In Jefferson University's recent sale of The Gross Clinic, Christie’s consultants apparently found an unwitting dummy in the Wal-Mart heiress Alice Walton. Has Philadelphia’s art community learned anything from this $68 million lesson?
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| What price admission to the Barnes? |
August 12 2006 |
Hefty admisssion increases are the new order of the day at New York's Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum. Derek Gillman, new chief of the Barnes Foundation, may be tempted to follow suit. Here's one hard-nosed reason why he shouldn't.
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Victor L. Schermer is a contributing editor to the the ”All About Jazz” website, a practicing psychologist in Philadelphia, and a free-lance writer on music, psychology, and other subjects. He lives in Center City.
More articles by Victor L. Schermer, newest first
| Rattle, the Orchestra and death |
April 28 2012 |
In its latter stages, Austro-German Romanticism mostly concerned the beauty of death. Simon Rattle demonstrated that he’s learned something in Berlin about the subtle German approach to emotion.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Brahms, Symphony No. 3 in F Major, Op. 90; Webern, Six Pieces for Orchestra, Op. 6; Schumann: Symphony No. 3 in E-flat Major, Op. 97. Simon Rattle, conductor. April 26-29, 2012 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce St. (215) 893-1999 or www.philorch.org.
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| Orchestra plays Bartok and Stravinsky |
April 17 2012 |
Two milestone works by Bartok and Stravinsky are rarely performed together because of the massively difficult effort involved. The Orchestra provided a rare chance to compare two great modern composers who changed the face of 20th Century music.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Mendelssohn, Hebrides Overture (“Fingal’s Cave”), Op. 26; Bartok, Piano Concerto No. 2; Stravinsky, Petrushka (1947 Version). Yefim Bronfman, piano; Gilbert Varga, conductor. April 13, 2012 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-1999 or www.philorch.org.
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| ‘Van Gogh Up Close’ at the Art Museum (2nd review) |
January 31 2012 |
“Van Gogh Up Close” reveals a brilliant artist who used every means at his disposal to stretch the limits of art in ways that anticipated future developments. More so than his contemporaries, Van Gogh recognized that we see (and artists paint) with everything that constitutes our experience in the world.
“Van Gogh Up Close. ” Through May 6, 2012 at Philadelphia Museum of Art, Ben. Franklin Parkway and 26th St. (215) 763-8100 or www.philamuseum.org.
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| Blomstedt conducts Beethoven |
January 24 2012 |
Should Beethoven be performed in the grand Romantic style or in the tighter manner of Beethoven’s own times? Herbert Blomstedt managed to straddle both sides of that fence.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Beethoven, Piano Concerto No. 3; Symphony No. 3 (Eroica). Leif Ove Andsnes, piano; Herbert Blomstedt, conductor. January 19-21, 2012 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-1999 or www.philorch.org.
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| Orchestra’s heavyweight Brahms Requiem |
November 08 2011 |
Brahms’s stirring German Requiem was performed with astonishing power by the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Westminster Choir and two outstanding soloists director-designate Yannick Nézét-Séguin. Yet it raised questions of just how this work should be interpreted and performed.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Brahms, Ein Deutsches Requiem. Matthias Goerne, baritone; Dorothea Röschmann, soprano; Westminster Choir (Joe Miller, director); Yannick Nézét-Séguin, conductor. November 3-5, 2011 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-1999 or www.philorch.org.
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| Mysteries of conducting, with Sean Newhouse |
October 09 2011 |
What does an orchestra conductor really accomplish when he waves his baton? The Boston Symphony’s young assistant Sean Newhouse, rushed into the spotlight this year to replace the ailing maestro James Levine, reflects on aspects of his job that most audiences take for granted.
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| The Marlboro mystique: Pros and cons |
August 22 2011 |
After 50 years, the Marlboro festival remains a remarkable incubator where promising young musicians form disciplined ensembles. But it’s also a pressure-cooker that can squelch an individual musician’s personal expression.
Marlboro Music 2011: Public Concert X. Works by Haydn, Mendelssohn, Brahms. August 12, 2011 at Marlboro College, Marlboro, Vt. www.marlboromusic.org.
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| Boston Symphony at Tanglewood: A Romantic mixed bag |
August 22 2011 |
Romanticism in music has had its ups and downs. A recent weekend of Boston Symphony Orchestra concerts at Tanglewood suggests that much of its success depends on the nature of the performance.
Boston Symphony Orchestra: Works by Beethoven, Rachmaninoff, Johann Strauss, Jalbert, Mendelssohn, Smetana, Mozart, Tchaikovsky. Raphael Frühbeck de Burgos, Sean Newhouse, Lionel Bringuier conducting; Yuja Wang, piano; Emanuel Ax, piano; Sarah Chang, violin. August 5-7, 2011, at Tanglewood Music Center, Lenox, Mass. www.bso.org/bso.
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| Lenape Chamber Ensemble’s 25th anniversary concerts |
July 12 2011 |
For its 25th anniversary concerts, the Lenape Chamber Ensemble offers a quick lesson in modern sensibility: The line from Haydn to Dvorak to Shostakovich defines the ascent of individuality, self-consciousness and inner conflict in Western thought.
Lenape Chamber Ensemble 25th Anniversary concerts: Haydn, Piano Trio in E Flat; Shostakovich, String Quartet No. 7; Dvorak, Piano Quartet in D Major, Op. 23. Kathryn Eberle, Stephanie Jeong, violins; Arash Amini, cello; Marcantonio Barone, piano; Catherine Beeson, viola. July 9, 16 and 23, 2011 at Delaware Valley College, Route 202, Doylestown, Pa. (610) 294-9361 or www.lenapechamberensemble.org.
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| Jurowski conducts the Philadelphia Orchestra |
February 21 2011 |
This stellar Philadelphia Orchestra concert, conducted by Vladimir Jurowski and including a stunning rendition of the Beethoven Violin Concerto by Lisa Batiashvili, ennobled the Classical repertoire as few concerts do.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Wagner, Prelude to Parsifal; Beethoven, Violin Concerto in D Minor, Op. 61; Prokofiev: Symphony No. 6 in E-flat minor, Op. 11. Lisa Batiashvili, violin; Vladimir Jurowski, conductor. February 17-19, 2011 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center. (215) 893-1999 or www.philorch.org.
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| Yannick and the Orchestra: Mozart’s ‘Requiem’ (2nd review) |
January 11 2011 |
The Philadelphia Orchestra’s stellar performance of Mozart’s Requiem reminded this listener that great music isn’t merely the work of a few giants. Consider the forgotten Franz Xaver Süssmayr, who selflessly finished Mozart’s work while others around the master engaged in a post-mortem feeding-frenzy.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Debussy, Nocturnes; Mozart, Requiem. With Philadelphia Singers. Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor. January 6-9, 2011, at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-1900 or www.philorch.org.
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| Yannick and the Orchestra (3rd review) |
November 02 2010 |
Yannick Nézet-Séguin’s choice of Mahler for his introductory concert with the Philadelphia Orchestra was no accident: The two musicians share a great deal in common. In the process, Nézet-Séguin demonstrated why the sometimes-scorned Mahler deserves a place among the great symphonic composers.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Haydn, Symphony No. 100 ("Military"); Mahler, Symphony No. 5. Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor. October 29-30, 2010 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-1955 or www.philorch.org.
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| Dolce Suono’s Barber celebration (2nd review) |
January 22 2010 |
With a little help from three of Samuel Barber’s protégés, Dolce Suono afforded a glimpse into the confluence of traditional and modern idioms that was Barber’s hallmark.
Dolce Suono: “Samuel Barber at 100: The Composer and his World.” Barber, Summer Music; Higdon, Autumn Music; Rorem, Trio for flute, cello, and piano; Ludwig, Haiku Catharsis; Barber, Capricorn Concerto. Mimi Stillman, flute; Geoffrey Deemer, oboe and English horn; Samuel Caviezel and Paul R. Demers, clarinets; Michelle Rosen, bassoon; Shelley Showers, horn; Hirono Oka, Mu Na, violins; Burchard Tang, viola; Yumi Kendall, cello; Robert Kesselman, double bass; Gabe Globus-Hoenich, percussion; Charles Abramovic, piano. January 17, 2010 at Field Concert Hall, Curtis Institute of Music. (215) 893-7902 or www.mimistillman.org/dolcesuono/index.html.
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| Handel’s ‘Messiah’ by Philadelphia Singers and Philadelphia Orchestra |
December 15 2009 |
Handel’s Messiah, often watered down to a benevolent Christmas carol, got the all-out passionate Baroque interpretation this magnificent oratorio deserves. Credit conductor Paul Goodwin, a stickler for historical intent.
Philadelphia Singers Chorale and Philadelphia Orchestra: Handel, The Messiah. Celena Shafer, soprano; Kelley O'Connor, mezzo-soprano; Anthony Dean Griffey, tenor; Andrew Foster-Williams, bass-baritone; Paul Goodwin, conductor. December 13, 2009 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Board and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-1999 or www.philorch.org.
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| Andre Watts Plays Schubert and Liszt |
November 03 2009 |
On an otherwise dreary Sunday afternoon, Andre Watts lit up the musical world with stellar performances of piano works by two stylistically different composers. Among other achievements, Watts brought out a depth in Liszt that few performers have accomplished.
Andre Watts: piano recital. Works by Schubert and Liszt. November 1, 2009 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center. (215) 893-1999 or www.kimmelcenter.org.
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| Lenape Chamber Ensemble |
July 28 2009 |
Is a “pure” rendering of the composer’s intent indeed ever possible? A mid-summer concert of Beethoven, Faure and Prokofiev by the Lenape Chamber Ensemble conjured thoughts about each composer’s circumstances at the moment of creation.
Lenape Chamber Ensemble: Beethoven, Piano Trio, Op.1, no.1; Faure, Sonata for Violin and Piano in A Major; Prokofiev: String Quartet No. 2. Ayano Ninomiya, Arnaud Sussmann, violins;
Arash Amini, cello; Marcantonio Barone, piano; Catherine Beeson, viola. July 11, 2009 at Delaware Valley College, Doylestown. (610) 294-9361 or www.lenapechamberensemble.org.
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| Dolce Suono’s ‘Rouge, blanc et bleu’ (2nd review) |
May 12 2009 |
The long and complex relationship between the U.S. and France is reflected in their music, but with distinct differences in style and approach. Dolce Suono contemplated the musical and historical connections in a concert of three French composers plus a new French-influenced work by Philadelphia composer Andrea Clearfield.
Dolce Suono: "Rouge, blanc, et bleu: American-French Connections." Mimi Stillman, flute and director; Coline-Marie Orliac, harp; Paul Arnold, violin; Burchard Tang, viola; Yumi Kendall, cello. May 8, 2009 at First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St. (267) 252-1803 or www.mimistillman.org/dolcesuono.
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A.J. Sabatini is Arthur J. Sabatini. For decades I wrote and worked in the arts in Philadelphia. I taught at Drexel University and The University of the Arts, worked with Relâche and The Yellow Springs Institute, wrote for the Inquirer and a bunch of publications that are no longer around.
I live in both in Philadelphia and Arizona and am associate professor of performance studies in interdisciplinary arts and performance at Arizona State University. Most of my writing is academic and focuses on the avant-garde and experimental artists. I also perform, have written a play and keep working on other projects. Nearly everything I know can be traced to some conversation in or related to Philadelphia. More at: www.public.asu.edu/~ieajs/Welcome.html
More articles by AJ Sabatini, newest first
| Carlos Fuentes as I remember him |
May 19 2012 |
The magical but realistic novels of Carlos Fuentes are compendiums of pulsating narratives and capacious realms of knowledge. He wrote in a genre that raises questions at a time when all forms of story are suspect and knowledge is represented as what anyone can locate on the Internet.
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| Joseph Cedar’s ‘Footnote’ (1st review) |
April 24 2012 |
Writing, books and acts of reading and arguing about books and publications and words and ideas are to Joseph Cedar’s Footnote what martial arts are to Jackie Chan movies. And I’ve got the footnotes to prove it.
Footnote. A film directed by Joseph Cedar. At the Ritz Five, 220 Walnut St. and other Philadelphia venues. For show times, click here.
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| Another Titanic night to remember |
April 13 2012 |
If you still can’t comprehend why the rich refused to associate with the poor aboard the Titanic, you might consider inviting my wife and me to your next party.
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| Our dreams, our movies, and ‘Inception’ |
July 25 2010 |
Films with dreams, like dreams themselves, continue to fascinate us, mainly because dreams, like language, are at once common, immediate and identifiable, yet ultimately unexplainable. They seem to be meaningful. But are they?
Inception. A film directed by Christopher Nolan.
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| Opera Company’s ‘Orphée et Eurydice’ (1st review) |
June 19 2010 |
The Opera Company of Philadelphia’s Orphée et Eurydice, with its orchestra and 26-member chorus, along with dance by choreographer Amanda Miller, is a tightly-wound and satisfying production, albeit with a few strings attached.
Orphée et Eurydice. Opera by Christof Willibald Gluck (Hector Berlioz adaptation) directed by Robert B. Driver; Corrado Rovaris, conductor. In French with English supertitles. Opera Company of Philadelphia production through June 25, 2010 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 732-8400 or www.operaphila.org.
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| Mithen’s ‘Singing Neanderthals' |
June 12 2010 |
Archaeologist Stephen Mithen opened up a music-filled box of speculation about the ways humans think, dance, sing and speak. He says we owe it all to our much-maligned Neanderthal ancestors.
The Singing Neanderthals: The Origins of Music, Language, Mind and Body. By Stephen Mithen. Harvard University Press, 2007. 384 pages; $18.00. www.amazon.com.
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| The meaning of Havel’s ‘Leaving’ (4th review) |
June 01 2010 |
Some critics have attacked Vaclav Havel’s Leaving for ridiculing his own heroic political career. On the contrary, Havel is deeply concerned about what it means to be human in a globalized world. Leaving is his critique of uncritical language and careless thinking that allow scoundrels to leap into the void.
Leaving. By Václav Havel; translated by Paul Wilson; directed by Jiri Zizka. Through June 20, 2010 at Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St. (at Spruce). 215-546-7824 or www.WilmaTheater.org.
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| Hidden City Philadelphia (2nd review) |
June 29 2009 |
The recent Hidden Cities Arts Festival is an art experience that’s about much more than the effect of individual work. It also exemplifies the sort of current socially immersed art that’s too often hidden in favor of showier work.
Hidden City Philadelphia. Through June 2009 at various locations in Philadelphia. www.hiddencityphila.org. Sonambulo (1998-2009), by Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle, at Shiloh Baptist Church, 2040 Christian St. inigomanglano-ovalle.com. Running True, by John Phillips and Carolyn Healy, at Disston Saw Works, 6795 State Rd. terragizmo.net/Healy&Phillips/H&P-Installations.html
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| Bruce Nauman at the Venice Biennale (1st review) |
June 14 2009 |
The in-your-face multi-media artist Bruce Nauman has been much feted since his Venice Biennale entry won the Golden Lion Prize for best national pavilion early this month. Would it be churlish to ask what his work means?
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Jackie Atkins is a bi-state resident who spends her weekdays (Tuesday through Friday) in Philadelphia and her weekends (Friday night through Monday) in Cape May, New Jersey.
She has been the art critic for The Key to Philadelphia. Currently she writes for Seven Mile Island Publications and is a regular contributor to the Sea Isle Times and the Seven Miles News.
More articles by Jackie Atkins, newest first
| Mauckingbird’s ‘The Temperamentals’ |
April 17 2012 |
Where were you at the dawn of the gay liberation movement? Jon Marans’s lyrical look back at the ’50s made me ask that question for the first time.
The Temperamentals. By Jon Marans. Mauckingbird Theatre Company production through April 29, 2012 at The Skybox at the Adrienne Theater, 2030 Samson St. (215) 923-8909 or www.mauckingbird.org.
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| Doubts about Shanley’s ‘Doubt’ at Walnut’s Studio 3 |
April 06 2012 |
Deep down, even a hard-assed nun is a woman, right? Which means she's a sexual creature. And if a charismatic priest doesn’t pay attention to her, well….
Doubt. By John Patrick Shanley; John Peakes directed. Through April 15, 2012 at Walnut Street Theatre’s Independence Studio 3, 825 Walnut St. (215) 574-3550 or www.WalnutStreetTheatre.org.
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| Lantern’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’ (3rd review) |
March 13 2012 |
The Lantern’s straightforward production of Romeo and Juliet got me thinking: What would become of these young lovers today, when instead of turning to a priest they could seek out Dr. Phil?
Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Charles McMahon directed. Lantern Theater production through April 8, 2012 at St. Stephen’s Theater, 923 Ludlow St. (215) 829-0395 or www.lanterntheater.org.
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| ‘Ethel’ at Walnut’s Independence Studio |
February 28 2012 |
There’s a hostile element in Terry Burrell’s representation of Ethel Waters that doesn’t quite ring true to the beatific soul I remember.
Ethel. By Terry Burrell; Kenneth L. Roberson directed. Through March 11, 2012 at Walnut Street Theatre Independence Studio, 825 Walnut St. (215) 574-3550 or www.WalnutStreetTheatre.org.
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| Anthony Lawton’s ‘The Great Divorce’ (1st review) |
February 10 2012 |
In Anthony Lawton’s vision, heaven welcomes even murderers as long as they display good manners at the pearly gates. Is this really what C.S. Lewis had in mind?
The Great Divorce. Adapted and performed by Anthony Lawton, from the C.S. Lewis novella. Lantern Theater Company production through February 12, 2012 at St. Stephen’s Theater, 923 Ludlow St. (215) 829-9002 or www.lanterntheater.org.
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| Kander & Ebb’s ‘Scottsboro Boys’ by PTC (2nd review) |
January 28 2012 |
What’s that you say? You can’t get into snappy tap dances and rousing cakewalks about racism and lynching? Hey, where’s your sense of humor?
The Scottsboro Boys. Music and lyrics by John Kander and Fred Ebb; book by David Thompson; Susan Stroman’s original direction and choreography recreated by Jeff Whiting. Philadelphia Theatre Company production through February 19, 2012 at Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 S. Broad St. (at Lombard). (215) 985-0420 or www.philadelphiatheatrecompany.org.
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| Annie Baker’s ‘Body Awareness’ at the Wilma (2nd review) |
January 14 2012 |
Mimi Lien’s set for Body Awareness permits us to observe the public, domestic and private lives of a family. The snow falling in the background through the windows suggests a cocoon insulated from all foreign forces. It’s an effective allusion for Annie Baker’s tenderhearted and enjoyable comedy.
Body Awareness. By Annie Baker; Anne Kauffman directed. Through February 5, 2012 at the Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad Street. (215) 546-7824 or www.wilmatheater.org.
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| Coward’s ‘Private Lives’ at the Lantern (2nd review) |
December 17 2011 |
Unlike Edward Albee, who heaped pity and abuse on two dysfunctional married couples, Noël Coward’s Private Lives pokes fun at them— and at us for judging them.
Private Lives. By Noël Coward; Kathryn MacMillan directed. Lantern Theater Co. production through January 8, 2012 at St. Stephen’s Theater, 923 Ludlow St. (215) 829-0395 or www.lanterntheater.org.
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| ‘Noël and Gertie’ at the Walnut’s Independence Studio 3 (1st review) |
December 06 2011 |
Noël Coward was a celebrated English wit and dramatist. Gertrude Lawrence was a legendary star of the musical stage. By most accounts, neither of them ever bored anybody. Until now.
Noël and Gertie. By Sheridan Morley; Will Stutts directed. Through December 31, 2011 at the Walnut Street Theatre Independence Studio 3, 825 Walnut St. (215) 574-3550 or www.walnutstreettheatre.org.
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| The Inquirer’s new home |
November 21 2011 |
After 86 years in an ivory tower on North Broad Street, the Inquirer is moving to modest third-floor quarters in a former department store. Farewell, elitist pomposity; hello humility.
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| ‘The Whipping Man’ at the Arden |
November 06 2011 |
The Whipping Man concerns the tribulations of a former Confederate soldier trying to run a proper Jewish household with two of his ex-slaves. Playwright Matthew Lopez apparently hopes you’ll be too busy gasping at his ironies to notice the holes in his plot.
The Whipping Man. by Matthew Lopez, Matt Pfeiffer directed. Through December 18, 2011 at the Arden Theatre, 40 N. Second St., (215) 922-1122 or ardentheatre.org.
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| Philadelphia’s aging theater audience |
October 01 2011 |
As a frequent theatergoer, I find it amusing and vaguely annoying when the only young people in a theater can be found on the stage. But it’s no joke: This age disparity is responsible for the current dearth of cutting-edge productions in Philadelphia theaters.
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| Those Civil War re-enactments |
August 14 2011 |
When Santayana said that those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it, he must have had today’s Civil War re-enactors in mind. These weekend warriors repeat actions that no one has any way of remembering or repeating. How authentic can you be if you don’t have to dodge real bullets and cannon fire?
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| Braly’s ‘Life in a Marital Institution’ |
July 10 2011 |
“Would you be married to this woman?” James Braly moans about his wife in this monologue on marriage. Better you should ask: Would anyone be married to him?
Life in a Marital Institution. Written and performed by James Braly; directed by Hal Brooks. Through July 16, 2011 at the Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St. (at Spruce). (215) 546-7824 or www.wilmatheater.org.
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| Rebeck’s ‘The Understudy’ in Cape May |
July 02 2011 |
Theater people gobble up the razor-sharp backstage backstabbing of Theresa Rebeck’s The Understudy. But in Cape May her best lines fell flat.
The Understudy. By Theresa Rebeck; directed by Roy Steinberg. Through July 30, 2011 at Cape May Stage, Robert Shackleton Playhouse, Bank and Lafayette Streets, Cape May, N.J. (609) 884-1341 or www.capemaystage.com.
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| Black domestics on stage |
June 16 2011 |
Hattie McDaniel said she’d rather make $700 a week playing a maid than $7 a week being one. Today actresses like Opal Alladin enjoy the luxury of portraying maids with genuine character.
My Wonderful Day. By Alan Ayckbourn; Richard Hamburger directed. Through June 19, 2011 at Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St. (at Spruce). (215) 546-7824 or www.wilmatheater.org.
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| Directors vs. critics: BSR’s debate (1st comment) |
May 30 2011 |
At Broad Street Review’s debate on theater criticism, three Philadelphia directors largely ignored the panel’s Internet-based critics and mostly complained instead about the Inquirer. Earth to directors: Hip theatergoers no longer care about, much less read, the Inquirer.
“Theater People vs. Theater Critics.” Debate sponsored by Broad Street Review. Bernard Havard, Charles McMahon, Seth Rozin, Gresham Riley, Robert Zaller, Jim Rutter; Dan Rottenberg, moderator. May 26, 2011 at Franklin Inn Club, 205 S. Camac St.
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| ‘My Way’: Sinatra tribute at Walnut’s Studio 3 |
May 14 2011 |
My Way is as much of a tribute to Frank Sinatra’s crowd and its ambience as it is to Old Blue Eyes himself. If you relish those folks and those times, here’s a chance to renew old acquaintances.
My Way: A Musical Tribute To Frank Sinatra. Directed by Fran Prisco; choreography by Ellie Mooney. Through July 3, 2011 at Walnut Street Theatre’s Independence Studio 3, 825 Walnut St. (215) 574-3550 or www.walnutStreetTheatre.org.
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| ‘Saturn Returns,” by Theatre Exile (2nd review) |
May 06 2011 |
Noah Haidle’s masterpiece about growing old without growing up comes together gracefully under the deft tutelage of director Brenna Geffers and dramaturg David White, insuring a three-dimensional drama in a single act.
Saturn Returns. By Noah Haidle; Brenna Geffers directed. Theatre Exile production through May 22 at Christ Church Neighborhood House, 20 N. American St. (above Market between Second and Third). (215) 218-4022 or www.theatreexile.org.
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| 'Atlas Shrugged' on film |
April 30 2011 |
Even my date, a confirmed Ayn Rand acolyte, was disappointed by Atlas Shrugged, which looks even sillier on film than it reads on paper.
Atlas Shrugged, Part I. A film directed by Paul Johansson; screenplay by Brian Patrick O'Toole and John Aglialoro, from the novel by Ayn Rand. For Philadelphia area showtimes, click here.
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| ‘Wanamaker’s Pursuit’ at the Arden |
April 10 2011 |
Different strokes for different folks: In Paris of 1911, an American commercial family eager to make deals crosses paths with another American commercial family eager to embrace the new avant-garde culture. Playwright Rogelio Martinez has an intriguing idea here, but it’s still a work in progress.
Wanamaker’s Pursuit. By Rogelio Martinez; Terrence J. Nolen directed. Through May 22, 2011 at Arden Theatre, 40 N. Second St. (215) 922-8900 or www.ardentheatre.org.
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| ‘Speaking in Tongues’ at Walnut’s Studio 3 |
April 05 2011 |
Andrew Bovell’s Speaking in Tongues is based on the dubious premise that marital infidelity is the end of the world. And from where I was sitting, I got a stiff neck, to boot.
Speaking in Tongues. By Andrew Bovell; John Peakes directed. Through April 17, 2011 at Independence Studio 3, Walnut Street Theatre, 825 Walnut St. (215) 574-3550 or www.walnutstreettheatre.org.
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| Hitchcock’s ’39 Steps’ at the Walnut (1st review) |
March 29 2011 |
In The 39 Steps, as in most Walnut Street Theatre productions, art never strays too far from public taste— for which let us be grateful.
Alfred Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps. Adapted by Patrick Barlow, from the novel by John Buchan; William Roudebush directed. Through May 1, 2011 at Walnut Street Theatre, 825 Walnut St. (215) 574-3550 or www.walnutstreettheatre.org.
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| Lantern Theater’s ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream’ (1st review) |
March 22 2011 |
A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare’s take on love mistaken for infatuation and vice versa, is as endlessly inane and amusing as any episode of "Seinfeld.”
A Midsummer Night’s Dream. By William Shakespeare; Charles McMahon directed. Lantern Theater production through April 17, 2011 at St. Stephen’s Theater, 923 Ludlow St. (215) 829.0395 or www.lanterntheater.org.
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| Tracy Letts’s ‘Superior Donuts’ at the Arden (3rd review) |
March 19 2011 |
Not by happenstance has Tracy Letts placed this story in Chicago’s gritty Uptown section. It would be hard to place such a tale in any setting other than the Windy City.
Superior Donuts. By Tracy Letts; Edward Sobel directed. Through April 3, 2011 at the Arden Theatre, F. Otto Haas Stage, 40 N. Second St. (215) 922-1122 or www.ardentheatre.org.
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| Sarah Ruhl’s ‘In the Next Room’ at the Wilma (2nd review) |
March 12 2011 |
In the Next Room is Sarah Ruhl’s amusingly nostalgic look at a repressed society seemingly liberated by Thomas Edison’s newfangled electrical power-driven gadgets. And the Wilma Theater’s production is surely a beautiful affair. But is it faithful to the playwright’s vision?
In the Next Room, or The Vibrator Play. By Sarah Ruhl; Blanka Zizka directed. Through April 3, 2011 at Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St. (at Spruce). (215) 546-7824 or www.wilmatheater.org.
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| ‘The Ugly One’ at Walnut’s Studio 3 |
February 26 2011 |
Is beauty merely in the eye of the beholder? This 90-minute play by the German dramatist Marius Von Mayenburg is part Beckett and part Benny Hill. Depending on your taste, you’ll either love it or find it mildly annoying.
The Ugly One. By Marius Von Mayenburg, translated by Maja Zade; Debi Marucci directed. Through March 13, 2011 at Independence Studio 3, Walnut Street Theatre, 825 Walnut St. (215) 574-3550 or www.walnutstreettheatre.org.
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| ‘Moon for the Misbegotten’ at the Arden (3rd review) |
February 15 2011 |
In O’Neill’s dramas, like those of Tennessee Williams, each character’s mental state teeters on the brink of psychosis; poverty isn’t necessarily financial; and the playwright’s poetic language abets their condition.
A Moon for the Misbegotten. By Eugene O’Neill; Matt Pfeiffer directed. Through February 27, 2011 the Arden Theatre, 40 N. Second St. (215) 922-1122 or www.ardentheatre.org.
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| Starving for art? Give me a break. |
February 12 2011 |
Suffering for your art is as romantic as it is nihilistic. But continuing on this path as you get older is downright masochistic.
The Understudy. By Theresa Rebeck; David Kennedy directed. Closed January 30, 2011 at the Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St. (at Spruce). (215) 546-7824 or www.wilmatheater.org.
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| David Mamet’s ‘Race’ by Philadelphia Theatre Company (2nd review) |
January 29 2011 |
When neither the facts nor the law are on your side, goes an old lawyer joke, shout loudly and bang on the table. Sounds like David Mamet’s kind of law firm.
Race. By David Mamet; Scott Zigler directed. Philadelphia Theatre Company production through February 20, 2011 at Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 S. Broad St. (at Lombard). (215) 985-0420 or www.philadelphiatheatrecompany.org.
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| Countdown to Armageddon |
January 08 2011 |
Both the Mayan calendar and the radio prophet Harold Camping say the world will end next year. So why not take a few sensible precautions?
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| My job interview with Glenn Beck |
December 18 2010 |
All I wanted was a more stimulating job. How was I to know that the humorless manic-depressive who interviewed me would soon be acclaimed by millions of Americans as a modern messiah?
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| The day I wore a veil |
September 07 2010 |
Until 2001, a scarf was an accepted fashion statement among Western women. Veils and shawls have played important roles in both Judaism and Christianity for thousands of years. Only after 9/11 did wearing them become an exclusively Muslim practice.
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| Confessions of an illegal immigrant |
August 07 2010 |
Many Americans are applauding Arizona’s tough new immigration law. So I think it’s time I came clean: For three years I was an “illegal” in Rome. Italy benefited from my presence, just as Americans benefit today from our new arrivals, legal or not.
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| Aunt Millie’s legacy |
December 14 2009 |
While her younger sisters climbed the financial and social ladders of money and respectability, my Aunt Millie was content with her little row home and her job as an accountant. She managed to leave something of value nevertheless.
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| The Gosselins: An American travesty |
September 22 2009 |
Sometimes I wonder why I ever gave up country life for the big impersonal city. Then I think about the Gosselins of TV’s reality show, “Jon & Kate Plus Eight,” and I remember. I never met the Gosselins, but I know them all too well.
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| Urban oasis: The Lombard Swim Club |
May 19 2009 |
Summers in the city can be tough on the soul. But on a hot evening at the Lombard Swim Club, with the carnival lights flickering and Jimmy Buffet crooning, it’s easy to believe you are not in Center City at all, but on a cruise ship.
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Dr. Carol Rocamora is an educator, playwright, translator and critic. Her three volumes of his complete translated dramatic works of Anton Chekhov have been published by Smith & Kraus.
Her new play, I take your hand in mine...., based on the correspondence of Chekhov and Olga Knipper, premiered in September 2001 at the Almeida Theatre in London, starring Paul Scofield and Irene Worth, and opened in Paris in October 2003 at Peter Brook’s Theatre des Bouffes du Nord, under his direction, starring Michel Piccoli and Natasha Parry.
Now in her 15th year of teaching at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, Dr. Rocamora has been the recipient of the David Payne Carter Award for Teaching Excellence. She also lectures on theater at the Juilliard School, the Yale School of Drama and Columbia University.
Formerly, she was the founder and artistic director of the Philadelphia Festival Plays at the Annenberg Center. Dr. Rocamora’s biography, Acts of Courage: Vaclav Havel’s Life in the Theatre, was published in 2005.
She has written about theater for The Nation and The New York Times, and currently contributes to The Guardian and American Theatre. She has recently completed Rubles, a collection of original plays inspired by Chekhov’s short stories. She is currently working on a biography entitled Chekhov: Portraits.
More articles by Carol Rocamora, newest first
| Pinter and Chekhov in Brooklyn |
May 12 2012 |
Hopelessness seems be a recurrent theme at the Brooklyn Academy of Music this spring. Witness Pinter’s unforgiving The Caretaker, and Chekhov’s Three Sisters, taken to an expressionistic level that’s just not Chekhovian
The Caretaker. By Harold Pinter; directed by Christopher Morahan. Theatre Royal Bath/Liverpool and Everyman and Playhouse production through June 17, 2012 at Brooklyn Academy of Music, Harvey Theatre, 651 Fulton St., Brooklyn, N.Y. www.bam.org.
The Three Sisters. By Anton Chekhov; directed by Lev Dodin. Maly Drama Theatre of St. Petersburg (Russia) production, April 18-28, 2012 at Brooklyn Academy of Music, Harvey Theatre, 651 Fulton St., Brooklyn, N.Y. www.bam.org.
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| ‘One Man, Two Guvnors’ on Broadway |
April 28 2012 |
Richard Bean, a standup comic, has reached into the oldest traditions of theater to deliver a hybrid farce of the highest order. Just don’t sit too close to the stage.
One Man, Two Guvnors. Adapted by Richard Bean from Goldoni; Nicholas Hytner directed. At Music Box Theatre, 239 West 45th St., New York. www.onemantwoguvnors.com. HD National Theatre Live screening June 17, 2012 at Ambler Theater, 108 E. Butler Ave., Ambler, Pa. (215) 345-7855 or www.amblertheater.org.
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| ‘Tribes’ and ‘4000 Miles’ in New York |
April 21 2012 |
A rare spring season of compelling new work brings two gems to the New York stage, both revealing something new about what it really means to hear and to listen.
Tribes. By Nina Raine; David Cromer directed. At Barrow Street Theatre, 27 Barrow St., New York. www.barrowstreettheatre.com.
4000 Miles. By Amy Herzog; Daniel Aukin directed. Through June 17, 2012 at Mitzi Newhouse Theatre, Lincoln Center, Broadway and 65th St., New York.
www.lincolncenter.org.
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| ‘Evita’ and ‘End of the Rainbow’ on Broadway |
April 17 2012 |
Without Patti LuPone’s complexity, Evita sinks to the level of caricature. By contrast, the flesh and blood Judy Garland breaks your heart.
Evita. Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber; lyrics by Tim Rice; Michael Grandage directed. Open-ended run at Marquis Theatre, 46th St. between Broadway and Eighth Ave., New York. www.Evitaonbroadway.com.
End of the Rainbow. By Peter Quilter; Terry Johnson directed. Open-ended run at Belasco Theatre, 111 West 44th St., New York. www.EndOfTheRainbowBroadway.com.
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| ‘Death of a Salesman’ on Broadway |
March 27 2012 |
Mike Nichols’s loving production, historically meticulous in every detail, plays curiously more like a museum piece than a fresh, dynamic new exploration of Arthur Miller’s 1949 masterwork. It performs a valuable service nevertheless.
Death of a Salesman. By Arthur Miller; Mike Nichols directed. Through May 27, 2012 at the Barrymore Theatre, 243 West 47th St. New York. www.deathofasalesmanbroadway.com.
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| Stalin meets George III in London |
March 24 2012 |
Two plays in London about Stalin, who died nearly 60 years ago? Maybe it’s taken that long to appreciate the full measure of Uncle Joe’s tyranny — over Russians in general and artists in particular.
Collaborators. By John Hodge, directed by Nicholas Hytner, now running in repertory at the Royal National Theatre, London. www.nationaltheatre.org.uk.
The Master and Margarita. Adapted by Complicité from Mikhail Bulgakov’s novel, directed by Simon McBurney. Through April 7, 2012 at the Barbican Center, Beech St., London. www.barbican.org.uk.
The Madness of George III. By Alan Bennett; directed by Christopher Luscombe. At the Apollo Theatre, 31 Shaftesbury Ave., London. www.apollotheatrelondon.co.uk.
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| Albee’s ‘Lady From Dubuque’ on Broadway |
March 10 2012 |
Amid the slings and arrows of callous critics, Edward Albee has persevered at his craft for 52 years. Now Jane Alexander has lifted his difficult play about the angel of death into the land of surreal, provocative black comedy.
The Lady From Dubuque. By Edward Albee; David Esbjornson directed. Through April 15, 2012 at Pershing Square Signature Center, 480 West 42nd St., New York. www.signaturetheatre.org.
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| Fugard's 'Blood Knot' in New York |
February 19 2012 |
After Athol Fugard’s racial drama Blood Knot was first performed in South Africa in 1961, he was arrested and his play was banned. To revisit this seminal work today, 18 years after the end of apartheid, is a doubly moving and meaningful experience.
Blood Knot. By Athol Fugard; directed by Fugard with Colman Domingo and Scott Shepherd. Through March 11, 2012 at Pershing Square Signature Center, 480 West 42nd St., New York. www.signaturetheatre.org.
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| Margaret Edson’s ‘Wit’ on Broadway |
January 31 2012 |
When a professor of metaphysical poetry encounters the ultimate metaphysical challenge, the result is a dazzling and unforgettably heroic struggle.
Wit. By Margaret Edson; Lynn Meadow directed. Manhattan Theatre Club production through March 11, 2012 at Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, 261 West 47th St., New York. www.witonbroadway.com.
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| Kevin Spacey’s ‘Richard III’ in Brooklyn |
January 28 2012 |
Anyone who complains about Kevin Spacey’s larger-than-life, over-the-top performance as Richard III is just plain jealous. What makes Spacey’s Richard so fascinating is the way he seduces the audience along with his amorous conquests onstage.
Richard III. By William Shakespeare; Sam Mendes directed. Bridge Project Production through March 4, 2012 at Brooklyn Academy of Music, Harvey Theatre, 651 Fulton St., Brooklyn, N.Y. www.bam.org.
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| ‘Porgy and Bess’ on Broadway |
January 21 2012 |
Can you improve on a classic like Porgy and Bess, let alone Shakespeare or Chekhov? Diane Paulus thought she could make Gershwin’s classic more relevant to modern audiences. The result is a merely entertaining show, bereft of the passion and grandeur of the 1935 original.
The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess. Music by George Gershwin; book and lyrics by DuBose and Dorothy Heyward and Ira Gershwin; adapted by Suzan-Lori Parks and Diedre L. Murray; Diane Paulus directed. Through June 24, 2012 at Richard Rodgers Theater, 226 W. 46th St., New York. www.porgyandbessonbroadway.com.
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| ‘Alexis’: Political theater in New York |
January 17 2012 |
How can political theater bring audiences to their feet and change the course of history? Why does it happen in Europe and not here? Motus, a daring new Italian theater company, has provided a vivid model for Americans.
Alexis. A Greek Tragedy. By Motus; directed by Enrico Casagrande and Daniela Nicolo, in collaboration with Michalis Traitsis and Giorgina Pilozzi. January 4-16, 2012 at Public Theatre’s Under The Radar Festival, at La MaMa, 66 and 74A E. Fourth Street, New York. (212) 475-7710 or lamama.org.
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| Vaclav Havel’s legacy (2nd commentary) |
December 27 2011 |
As a human rights activist who helped overthrow Communism, Vaclav Havel’s political legacy seems assured. But the question remains: What is this playwright’s dramatic legacy?
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| ‘Titus’ in New York, ‘Carnage’ on screen |
December 20 2011 |
Five centuries apart, Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus and Yazmina Reza’s Carnage wallow in violence that’s so outrageous it’s actually entertaining. If you think you’ve never contemplated eating the entrails of yours sons, these and similar works will cure you of your illusions.
Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus. Directed by Michael Sexton. Closed December 18, 2011 at the Public Theatre, 425 Lafayette Street, New York. www.publictheater.org.
Carnage. A film directed by Roman Polanski, from the play by Yazmina Reza. At Lincoln Plaza Cinema, Broadway and 63rd Street, New York. www.lincolnplazacinema.com. Opens January 13, 2011 at Ritz Theaters, Philadelphia. www.landmarktheatres.com.
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| ‘Krapp’s Last Tape’ in Brooklyn |
December 13 2011 |
In 55 fleeting minutes, Samuel Beckett and John Hurt give us an icy blast of raging age with the same ferocity and velocity that Shakespeare provides in his full-length play King Lear— with one critical difference.
Krapp’s Last Tape. By Samuel Beckett; Michael Colgan directed. Through December 18, 2011 at Harvey Theatre, Brooklyn Academy of Music, 651 Fulton St., Brooklyn, N.Y. (718) 636-4100 or
www.bam.org.
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| ‘Blood and Gifts’: Afghanistan’s tragedy at Lincoln Center |
November 22 2011 |
J.T. Rogers wants to teach us how the U.S. got bogged down in Afghanistan. His heart’s in the right place, and if you stick with Blood and Gifts to the end, your patience will be rewarded. But it’s a struggle.
Blood and Gifts. By J. T. Rogers; directed by Bartlett Sher. Through January 1, 2012 at Lincoln Center’s Mitzi Newhouse Theatre, Broadway and 65th St., New York. www.lct.org.
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| The fury of today’s stage heroines |
November 15 2011 |
Today’s revived stage heroines like Medea, Lady Macbeth, Desdemona and Hedda Gabler will clearly do anything– even the unspeakable, including infanticide and suicide— to preserve their dignity. Apparently the image of a powerless woman is one that we simply can’t tolerate today.
Desdemona. Script by Toni Morrison; music by Rokia Traore; directed by Peter Sellars. Though November 19, 2011 at Billy Rose Theatre, 59th Street and Columbus Circle, New York. www.whitelightfestival.org.
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| The human Dr. King: Katori Hall’s ‘The Mountaintop’ |
October 23 2011 |
This startling, unconventional and inspiring play by a young African-American playwright takes us to the mountaintop (Martin Luther King’s metaphor) of American dreams and expectations by way of an unexpected, uplifting route.
The Mountaintop. By Katori Hall, directed by Kenny Leon, with Samuel L. Jackson and Angela Bassett. Now playing on Broadway at the Bernard R. Jacobs Theatre, 242 West 45th St., New York. (212) 239-6200 or www.themountaintopplay.com.
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| ‘Threepenny Opera’ at Brooklyn Academy of Music |
October 11 2011 |
Robert Wilson's gorgeous and ghoulish innovative production of Brecht’s Threepenny Opera generated standing ovations but left me chilled and puzzled as to what I was supposed to think or feel, beyond being numbed by the production’s brute force.
The Threepenny Opera. Book and lyrics by Bertolt Brecht; music by Kurt Weill; directed by Robert Wilson; music direction by Hans-Jorn Brandenburg and Stefan Rager. Berliner Ensemble production October 4-8, 2011 at Brooklyn Academy of Music Opera House, 30 Lafayette Ave., Brooklyn, N.Y. (718) 636-4100 or www.bam.org.
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| ‘Traces’: Dazzling spectacle from 7 Fingers |
September 13 2011 |
The brilliant dancer/acrobats of 7 Fingers seek a new form of performing art. Their Traces— part circus act, part dance theater, part cabaret— is a dizzying, dazzling spectacle that defies definition.
Traces. Directed and choreography by Gypsy Snider and Shana Carroll. 7 Fingers production for Fringe Festival, September 15-18,2011 at Merriam Theatre, 250 South Broad St. (above Spruce). (215) 413-1318 or www.livearts-fringe.org. Thereafter at Union Square Theatre, 100 E. 17th St., New York. www.newyorkcitytheatre.com.
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| Jez Butterworth’s ‘Jerusalem’ on Broadway |
August 06 2011 |
Jez Butterworth’s pulsating, profane Jerusalem will shock Anglophiles who, like me, cling to a vision of England as a quintessentially gracious land. Even before last weekend's rampant riots and looting in London and Birmingham, Butterworth astutely perceived a darker Britain, peopled by the descendants of primitive Celts and Normans who persist today on the margins of English society.
Jerusalem. By Jez Butterworth; directed by Ian Rickson. Through August 21, 2011 at Music Box Theatre, 239 West 45th St., New York. www.jerusalembroadway.com.
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| ‘Spider-Man’ on Broadway (1st review) |
July 02 2011 |
The musical score may be forgettable, the book may be pedestrian, and the atmosphere in the theater is a hybrid between a circus and Disneyworld. But oh, those flying Spider-Men….
Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark. Music and lyrics by Bono and the Edge; book by Julie Taymor, Glen Berger and Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa; original direction by Taymor. At Foxwoods Theatre, 213 West 42nd St., New York. (877) 250-2929 or spidermanonbroadway.marvel.com.
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| Finding the 'new' in Shakespeare |
June 20 2011 |
The Royal Shakespeare Company is finding the “new” in Shakespeare in a variety of compelling, captivating ways. If you think you’ve seen it all when it comes to The Bard, you’ll have many surprises in store.
Cardenio, Shakespeare’s ‘Lost Play’ Reimagined. Adapted and directed by Gregory Doran. Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, directed by Michael Boyd. Through October 6, 2011 at the Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford Upon Avon, United Kingdom. www.rsc.org.uk.
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| Taking liberties with Chekhov |
June 06 2011 |
Why would the Royal National Theatre mount a “version” of The Cherry Orchard laced with lines Chekhov never would have written, rather than a faithful translation? What is meant by a “version,” anyway? As a Chekhov translator, I wonder: Who would hang a "version" of Monet?
The Cherry Orchard. By Anton Chekhov; adapted by Andrew Upton; directed by Howard Davies. At Royal National Theatre, London. www.nationaltheatre.org.uk. Also in HD broadcasts in movie theaters around the U.S. on June 30, 2011; at Ambler Theatre, July 10; at Bryn Mawr Film institute, July 17 and 20. www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/ntlive.
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| Derek Jacobi as ‘King Lear’ in Brooklyn |
May 21 2011 |
No dramatic work rails against the injustice of aging like Shakespeare’s King Lear. So imagine the surprise of visiting the Brooklyn Academy of Music this month to find, in Derek Jacobi, a robust and defiant King Lear not at the nadir but at the height of his powers, with an audience laughing and cheering him on.
King Lear. By William Shakespeare; Michael Grandage directed. Donmar Warehouse production through June 5, 2011 at Brooklyn Academy of Music, Harvey Theatre, 651 Fulton St., Brooklyn, N.Y. (718) 636-4100 or www.bam.org.
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| A wordless ‘Macbeth’ in New York |
May 14 2011 |
Sleep No More, the bizarre “immersive theater” experience, has emerged as this season’s most popular Macbeth. Yet it’s performed without any text. What does that say about how to reach audiences today with the classics?
Sleep No More. Punchdrunk production through June 25, 2011 at McKittrick Hotel, 530 West 27th St., New York. playing now through June 25, www.sleepnomorenyc.com.
Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Directed by Arin Arbus. Theatre For a New Audience production closed April 22, 2011 at The Duke on 42nd Street, 220 West 42nd St., New York. www.tfana.org.
Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Directed by Declan Donnellan. Cheek by Jowl production April 5-16, 2011 at Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Harvey Theater, 651 Fulton St., Brooklyn. www.bam.org.
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| ‘Born Yesterday’ and ‘House of Blue Leaves’ on Broadway |
May 03 2011 |
Nothing revives Broadway glamor like the dazzling moment when a new star is born.
That's happening right now in the current revival of Born Yesterday. Meanwhile, a star-studded revival of John Guare’s 1971 black comedy, The House of Blue Leaves, reminds us of its influence on subsequent American comedy.
Born Yesterday. By Garson Kanin; Doug Hughes directed. At Cort Theatre, 138 West 48th St., New York. ppc.broadway.com/shows/born-yesterday.
The House of Blue Leaves. By John Guare, David Cromer directed. At Walter Kerr Theatre, 219 West 48th St., New York. www.HouseOfBlueLeaves.com.
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| ‘Bengal Tiger At the Baghdad Zoo’ in New York |
April 12 2011 |
The hyperactive Robin Williams as a philosophical tiger seeking moral truth in Baghdad— what tragicomedy could be more imaginative, thought-provoking and haunting?
Bengal Tiger At the Baghdad Zoo. By Rajiv Joseph; Moises Kaufman directed. At Richard Rodgers Theatre, 226 West 46th St., New York. www.bengaltigeronbroadway.com.
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| ‘War Horse’ at Lincoln Center in New York |
April 11 2011 |
World War I as seen through the eyes of a horse? Yes, and thanks to a remarkable team of puppet makers, puppeteers and actors, it’s more magical than a show with live animals would have been.
War Horse. Adapted by Nick Stafford, from the novel by Michael Murpurgo; directed by Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris. National Theatre of Great Britain/ Handspring Puppet Company production through June 26, 2011 at Vivian Beaumont Theatre, 150 West 65th St., New York. www.warhorseonbroadway.com.
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| ‘Comedy of Errors’ in Brooklyn |
March 28 2011 |
What Shakespeare did to Plautus in The Comedy of Errors, Edward Hall’s production now does to Shakespeare, in this wild, inspired version set in an all-inclusive holiday package resort somewhere in South America in the 1980s.
The Comedy of Errors. By William Shakespeare; adapted by Edward Hall and Roger Warren; directed by Hall. Propeller production closed March 27, 20111 at Harvey Theatre, Brooklyn Academy of Music, 651 Fulton St., Brooklyn, N.Y. www.bam.org.
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| Rinne Groff’s ‘Compulsion’ in New York |
March 01 2011 |
Rinne Groff’s haunting play springs from her long fascination with the writer Meyer Levin, whose own obsession with Anne Frank provides a compelling coda to the Holocaust.
Compulsion. By Rinne Groff; Oskar Eustis directed. Through March 13, 2011 at The Public Theater, 425 Lafayette St. (at Astor Pl.), New York. (212) 967-7555 or www.publictheater.org.
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| ‘Diary of a Madman’ in Brooklyn |
February 22 2011 |
Geoffrey Rush, who seems to have cornered the market on inspired lunacy, has done it again. This time he’s Aksenty Poprishchin, Gogol’s immortal definitive urban "little man," driven mad by an uncaring world. Rush and director Neil Armfield have turned the story into a tragic vaudeville, both hilarious and harrowing, acted out with spectacular theatricality.
The Diary of a Madman. By Nikolai Gogol; directed by Neil Armfield; adapted by David Holman, with Armfield and Rush. Through March 12, 2011 at Harvey Theatre, Brooklyn Academy of Music, 651 Fulton St., Brooklyn, N.Y. (718) 636-4100 or www.bam.org.
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| Jews and slavery: ‘The Whipping Man’ in New York |
February 08 2011 |
How could Jews, of all people, have owned slaves in the antebellum South? Matthew Lopez’s inspiring new play, The Whipping Man, uses one such family as a parable of faith, family, freedom and the brotherhood of man.
The Whipping Man. By Matthew Lopez; Doug Hughes directed. Manhattan Theatre Club production through April 10, 2011 at City Center, Stage 1, 131 West 55th St., New York. (212) 581.1212 or www.nycitycenter.org.
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| Three ‘divas’ do Ibsen and Wilde in New York |
January 22 2011 |
When would you ever expect to read about Oscar Wilde and Henrik Ibsen in the same review? Better you should ask: Why are you reading this review when you could be hopping on a train to New York to catch three lionesses of the English-speaking stage, one of them a man?
John Gabriel Borkman. By Henrik Ibsen, James MacDonald directed. Abbey Theatre production, through February 6, 2011 at Brooklyn Academy of Music, Harvey Theatre, 651 Fulton St., Brooklyn, N.Y. (718) 636.4100 or www.bam.org.
The Importance of Being Earnest. By Oscar Wilde; Brian Bedford directed. Roundabout Theatre Company production through March 6, 2011 at American Airlines Theatre, 227 West 42nd St., New York. (212) 719-1300 or www.roundabouttheatre.org.
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| Belarus Free Theatre’s ‘Being Harold Pinter’ |
January 15 2011 |
So you think standing on line for tickets is an act of perseverance? Meet the Belarus Free Theatre, a company whose members are literally prepared to die for their work and for free expression.
Being Harold Pinter. Adapted and directed by Vladimir Scherban; performed by the Belarus Free Theatre, January 7-16, 2011, at LaMama Experimental Theatre Club, 74 East Fourth St., New York. (212) 475-7710 or lamama.org/first-floor-theatre/being-harold-pinter.
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| ‘The Great Game: Afghanistan’ in New York |
December 21 2010 |
In 12 short plays lasting more than seven hours, this unique “total immersion” production provides a vividly dramatic and crucial context for understanding Afghanistan.
The Great Game: Afghanistan. Twelve plays by Richard Bean, Lee Blessing, David Edgar, David Greig, Amit Bupta, Ron Hutchinson, Stephen Jeffreys, Abi Morgan, Ben Ockrent, Simon Stephens, Colin Teevan and Joy Wilkinson; directed by Nicolas Kent and Inhu Rubasingham. Tricycle Theatre production, presented December 1-19, 2010 by the Public Theatre at New York University’s Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, Washington Square South, New York. www.tricycle.co.uk.
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| Kneehigh’s ‘Brief Encounter’ and ‘Red Shoes’ in N.Y. (2nd review) |
December 10 2010 |
From its studio barn in remote Cornwall, Kneehigh Theatre is finding unique new ways to remind us how the primitive power of storytelling can enchant and transport us.
Brief Encounter. Directed by Emma Rice, from Noel Coward’s Still Life. Kneehigh Theatre production through January 2, 2011 at Studio 54, 254 West 54th St., New York. (212) 719-1300 or www.roundabouttheatre.org/54.
The Red Shoes. Adapted and directed by Emma Rice. Kneehigh Theatre production through December 12, 2010 at St Ann’s Warehouse, 38 Water St., Brooklyn, N.Y. (718) 254-8779 or www.kneehigh.co.uk.
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| F. Scott Fitzgerald’s ‘Gatz’ in New York |
November 07 2010 |
The entire Great Gatsby, read word for word on stage aloud, in the course of seven hours plus a dinner break? Yes— and it’s one of the most valiant coups de théâtre I’ve ever seen: a stunning theatrical feat of virtuosity and sheer audacity.
Gatz. Adapted from F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel, The Great Gatsby; John Collins directed. Elevator Repair Service Theatre Company production through November 28, 2010 at the Public Theatre, 425 Lafayette Street, New York. (212) 539-8500 or www.publictheater.org.
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| Shakespeare, Shylock, anti-Semitism— and Al Pacino (1st comment) |
July 11 2010 |
At least since the Holocaust, Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice has been widely reviled as an anti-Semitic screed. But Al Pacino’s majestic portrayal of Shylock in New York suggests an entirely different interpretation: of Jews (and Israel too) surrounded by a hostile world.
The Merchant of Venice. By William Shakespeare; Daniel Sullivan directed. Through August 1, 2010 at Delacorte Theater, Central Park (near 80th St.), New York. shakespeareinthepark.org.
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| Early O’Neill and Williams, together in London |
June 12 2010 |
The British director Laurie Sampson had the brilliant idea of pairing the earliest full-length efforts of Eugene O’Neill and Tennessee Williams, and directing, cross-casting and producing them in repertory with a unifying set. The effort reveals many intriguing common characteristics– as well as the debt that Williams clearly owed to O’Neill.
Beyond the Horizon, by Eugene O’Neill, and Spring Storm, by Tennessee Williams. Both directed by Laurie Sampson. At Royal National Theatre, South Bank, Belvedere Road, London, U.K. www.nationaltheatre.org.uk.
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| Stage adaptations: a British foursome |
June 04 2010 |
How do you revitalize the plays of the past, when the author is no longer around to protest? British theater is addressing this issue in four provocative productions this spring.
Women Beware Women. By Thomas Middleton; directed by Marianne Elliott. At the Royal National Theatre, London. www.nationaltheatre.org.uk.
Romeo and Juliet. By William Shakespeare; directed by Rupert Goold. Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-on-Avon,U.K.. www.rsc.org.uk.
The White Guard. Adapted by Andrew Upton from the novel and play by Mikhail Bulgakov; directed by Howard Davies. At the National Theatre, London. www.nationaltheatre.org.uk.
Homer’s Odyssey. By Mary Zimmerman; directed by Rafaella Marcus. At the Oxford Playhouse, Oxford, U.K.. www.oxfordplayhouse.com.
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| Liv Ullmann’s ‘Streetcar Named Desire’ |
December 27 2009 |
In her interpretation of Blanche DuBois, Cate Blanchett appears to be channeling the spirit not only of Blanche but also of Tennessee Williams himself. In her happy first-time collaboration with director Liv Ullmann, it’s clear that it takes a great actress to direct a great actress.
A Streetcar Named Desire. By Tennessee Williams; directed by Liv Ullmann. Sydney Theatre Company production through closed December 20, 2009 at Brooklyn Academy of Music, 30 Lafayette Ave., Brooklyn, N.Y. (718) 636.4100 or www.bam.org.
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| Jude Law as ‘Hamlet’ on Broadway |
November 24 2009 |
Jude Law, the latest in a seemingly endless line of Hamlets, is a deeply emotional Hamlet who wears his heart on his sleeve, holding nothing back. In the process he brings out all the colors and complexities of what it means to be a man today, or any day.
Jude Law in Hamlet. By William Shakespeare; directed by Michael Grandage. Donmar Warehouse production through December 6, 2009 at Broadhurst Theatre, 235 West 44th St., New York. www.broadway.com/shows/hamlet-jude-law.
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| The storm over Caryl Churchill’s ‘Seven Jewish Children’ |
May 16 2009 |
Seven Jewish Children, Caryl Churchill’s eight-minute play about January’s Israel-Gaza war, has been attacked as a dishonest anti-Israeli rant. But the reactions and counter-reactions may matter more than the play itself. In triggering a global dialogue, Churchill has dramatized the power of theater to respond rapidly to political issues.
Seven Jewish Children. A play by Caryl Churchill. To read the complete script or view a video, click here.
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Marge Murray is a Philadelphia-based writer who is working on a book about Karin Larsson, the mother of modern Swedish design and the wife of Sweden’s most beloved painter, Carl.In the past she has specialized in scientific writing and editing, research, education and workshops, as well as academic writing for non-native speakers who wish to publisher their findings in English speaking journals.
More articles by Marge Murray, newest first
| Julia Roberts and ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ |
August 31 2010 |
Eat Pray Love is a forgettable work of escapist fantasy. But its star, Julia Roberts, is evolving in the opposite direction: from bimbo to mature woman with real brains and real-life problems.
Eat Pray Love. A film directed by Ryan Murphy, from the novel by Elizabeth Gilbert.
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| Stieg Larsson’s Swedish feminist heroine (1st comment) |
May 25 2010 |
What Ingmar Bergman did for Swedish private life— that is, expose its dark side— Larsson did for Swedish public life. His novels expose corruption and sexism in high places and provide a uniquely believable but heroic female figure to combat them.
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest. By Stieg Larsson. Alfred Knopf. 576 pages; $27.95. www.amazon.com.
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| The Phillies and my father: A memoir |
October 31 2009 |
My father rarely missed a Phillies game, even during spring training. Year after year, they broke his heart. When I imagine how happy he’d be with this year’s team, I miss him more than ever.
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| Gay men and their diva role models |
August 04 2009 |
Many gay men lack male role models as they grow up, so they often turn to women for the pluck to survive in a hostile world. In My Diva, 65 exceptional gay men write paeans to the exceptional women who inspired them to forge ahead. Unlike much gay literature, this anthology should appeal to anyone (gay or straight) whose dreams have been squelched for fear of parental or communal condemnation.
My Diva: 65 Gay Men and the Women Who Inspire Them. Edited by Michael Montlack. University of Wisconsin Press. 160 pages; $24.95. uwpress.wisc.edu/books/4584.htm
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| ‘Wallander’: Swedish noir on PBS |
May 14 2009 |
Kurt Wallander— complex, intuitive, sad and self-loathing— is the Swedish detective, created by Henning Mankell, whose saga is being presented by PBS in a three-piece series starring Kenneth Branagh. He’s also a walking personification of the discontents of modern industrial democracies— Sweden’s as well as our own.
Wallander. A PBS special series presented by “Masterpiece Mystery!”, starring Kenneth Branagh. May 10, 19 and 31, 2009, at 9 p.m. on WHYY Channel 12. www.pbs.org.
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I started out as a political aide, working as a legislative assistant to Senator Mark Hatfield, moved on as special assistant to Nancy Hanks, who was then chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. Married a college professor, worked on my own Ph.D., which remains uncompleted, because we kept moving. My topic, which I still hope will be a book, is a ballet analysis of Degas’s work.
In Los Angeles someone read a small dance item I’d written. The Los Angeles Herald Examiner called and asked if I wanted to review for them, and I said yes. I found reviewing had the same immediacy as political work. You see something, you think about it, you write about it and move on, building a mental bank to draw on.
That led to the Santa Monica Evening Outlook, Long Beach Press Telegram, and, when we moved East, to the Philadelphia Inquirer (Weekend section), Philadelphia Daily News (dance critic) and on to PBS Applause, Seven Arts Magazine and Philadelphia City Paper .
My husband is a professor of folklore. We live a couple blocks out of Chestnut Hill in Laverock. .
More articles by Janet Anderson, newest first
| Pennsylvania Ballet’s ‘Peter Pan’ (2nd review) |
May 19 2012 |
Pennsylvania Ballet’s Peter Pan was sumptuous and entertaining. But unlike The Nutcracker, it probably left most kids clueless about its original enchanting characters and story.
Pennsylvania Ballet: Peter Pan. Choreography by Trey McIntyre; music by Edward Elgar (arranged by Niel DePonte). Through May 13, 2012, at Academy of Music, Broad and Locust St. (215) 551-7000 or www.paballet.org.
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| Pennsylvania Ballet’s ‘Messiah’ (1st review) |
March 10 2012 |
Robert Weiss’s Messiah may be a Bible-based ballet, but it offers the physical strength and highly charged interactions of real theater.
Pennsylvania Ballet: Messiah. Choreography by Robert Weiss; music by George Frideric Handel. Through March 17, 2012 at Academy of Music, Broad and Locust Sts. (215) 551-7000 or www.paballet.org.
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| Pennsylvania Ballet’s ‘Nutcracker’ (1st review) |
December 20 2011 |
Once again, Pennsylvania Ballet trotted out a new corps of sugar plum fairies and little angels in what’s become a Christmas tradition for the whole Philadelphia metropolitan region.
Pennsylvania Ballet: The Nutcracker. Music by Peter I. Tchaikovsky; choreography by George Balanchine. Through December 31, 2011 at Academy of Music, Broad and Locust St. 215-551-7000 or www.paballet.org.
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| Kùlú Mèlé’s ‘Sacred Journeys’ at the Painted Bride |
November 29 2011 |
Kùlú Mèlé is no mere group of well-meaning ethnics performing to amuse themselves and their audience; it invites us into the infectious beauty, mystery and glamour of the true African aesthetic— which is a long way from tap dancing and shuffling.
Kùlú Mèlé: “Sacred Journeys.” November 26-27, 2011 at Painted Bride Art Center, 230 Vine St. (215) 844-3409 or kulumele.org.
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| BalletX’s Fall Series |
November 22 2011 |
BalletX founders Matthew Neenan and Christine Cox started with a dream of pursuing the new and the different in movement. Their extraordinary Fall Series demonstrated that they’re not only changing dance, but also changing people’s lives in the process.
BalletX: Fall Series. Neenan, Jackson Sounds; Landon, Two Ears One Mouth; Ketley, Silt. November 16-20 at Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St. (at Spruce). (215) 917-1513 or www.balletx.org.
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| ‘Two Hands’ at Annenberg |
October 18 2011 |
Two Far East expatriates now based in Philadelphia— the Chinese puppeteer Hua Hua Zhang and the Indonesian choreographer Kun-Yang Lin— joined forces for a program that was enthralling from beginning to end.
Two Hands. Joint presentation of Visual Expressions (Hua Hua Zhang, puppet artist) and Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers, October 14-15, 2011 at Harold Prince Theatre, Annenberg Center, 3680 Walnut St. (215) 898-3900 or www.annenbergcenter.org.
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| BalletX Summer Series (1st review) |
July 26 2011 |
BalletX’s summer program demonstrated just how accomplished this spunky company has become in a short time. Whether they’re creating their own work or bringing in intriguing experimenters from around the world, the BalletXers rarely produce anything that isn't totally professional and excitingly new.
BalletX Summer Series: Works by Roger C. Jeffrey, Amy Seiwert and Annabelle Lopez Ochoa. July 20-24, 2011 at Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St. (at Spruce). (215) 546-7824 or www.balletx.org.
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| Pennsylvania Ballet’s ‘Swan Lake’ (1st review) |
March 08 2011 |
Roy Kaiser says he wanted a Swan Lake that was an original production. He couldn't have known how well Christopher Wheeldon’s poetic original interpretation of a long established classic would suit his company and his audience.
Pennsylvania Ballet: Swan Lake. Music by Pyotr Tchaikovsky; choreography by Christopher Wheeldon. Through March 12, 2011 at Academy of Music, Broad and Locust Sts. 215-551-7000 or www.paballet.org.
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| ‘Black Swan’ (2nd review) |
January 04 2011 |
What sets Black Swan apart from other ballet movies is that it's a psychological thriller with genuine ballet roots. In the overheated work of learning the dual Swan Queen role, the heroine begins losing her ability to sort out what's real and what's imaginary.
Black Swan. A film directed by Darren Aronofsky. For theaters and times in greater Philadelphia, click here.
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| Paul Taylor at Annenberg (2nd review) |
October 29 2010 |
The great modern dance pioneer Paul Taylor is 80 years old and dripping with honors. But Phantasmagoria, his newest piece, couldn't be weirder or less like the work that has made him a legend.
Paul Taylor Dance Company: Phantasmagoria, Arden Court, Cloven Kingdom. Presented by Dance Celebration October 21-23, 2010 at the Annenberg Center, 3680 Walnut St.
(215) 898.3900 or www.pennpresents.org/tickets.
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| Fringe festival wrapup |
September 26 2010 |
You can still find still quirky little outfits putting together odd bits and pieces and calling it theater or dance or performance art. But on the whole, the level of accomplishment at the 2010 Live Arts/Fringe Festival greatly exceeded those of the past.
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| BalletX Summer program at the Wilma (1st review) |
July 26 2010 |
BalletX celebrated its fifth anniversary with a program demonstrating just how sophisticated this small troupe of ten has become within a short time period. It was especially good to see Matthew Neenan back to being his movement funky self again.
BalletX Summer Series: Prescott, Journey of the Day; Hougland, Risk of Flight; Neenan, The Last Glass. July 21-25, 2010 at the Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St. (at Spruce). (215) 546-7824 or www.balletx.org.
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| Pennsylvania Ballet’s ‘Program IV’ |
May 07 2010 |
“We Can Do Anything” should have been Pennsylvania Ballet’s title for its May performance. In a well-balanced program the company performed works as wildly different and separated by time and choreographic sensibilities as can be imagined.
Pennsylvania Ballet: Program IV. Balanchine, Square Dance; Robbins, Afternoon of a Faun; Ochoa, Requiem For a Rose; Forsythe, In The Middle, Somewhat Elevated. May 5-9, 2010 at Merriam Theatre, Broad St. above Spruce. (215) 551-7000 or www.paballet.org.
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| Grofe’s lost ‘Café Society’ rediscovered |
May 04 2010 |
A missing piece of Philadelphia arts history was retrieved and revived when Philadelphia Sinfonia, a youth orchestra led by musical director and conductor Gary White, performed Ferde Grofe’s long-forgotten Café Society.
Philadelphia Sinfonia: Schubert’s Rosamunde Overture; Borodin, Polovetsian Dances from Prince Igor; Grofe, Café Society. Gary White, conductor. May 2, 2010 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 351-0363 or www.philadelphiasinfonia.com.
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| BalletX’s Spring Series (2nd review) |
April 24 2010 |
Feisty BalletX’s Spring Series was sophisticated and polished, offering four new ballets, each from (mostly) new choreographers.
BalletX: Spring Series 2010. Carry Me, by Myra Bazell;
One Word Play, by Thang Dao;
Hide, by Lauren Putty;
X or Y, by Christine Cox. April 14-18, 2010 at Wilma Theater, 265 S., Broad St. (at Spruce). (215) 917-1513 or www.balletx.org.
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| Pennsylvania Ballet’s Chopin Celebration |
March 20 2010 |
Choreographers Matthew Neenan and Jerome Robbins both heard something in Chopin’s work that suggested movements far removed from gentle early 19th-Century dances. Combine the three of them, as Pennsylvania Ballet’s Roy Kaiser did, and you have an exciting program combination.
Pennsylvania Ballet, Program III: Chopin Celebration. The Crossed Line, choreography by Matthew Neenan; In the Night and The Concert, choreography by Jerome Robbins; March 13-14, 2010 at Academy of Music, Broad and Locust Sts. (215) 551-7000 or www.paballet.org.
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| Elizabeth Streb’s ‘Brave’ at Annenberg (2nd review) |
February 09 2010 |
Streb is a dance company that’s more about physicality than dance. The choreography aspect simply means the movements have been staged so no one gets hurt. The drama lies in the chance that someone might.
Brave. Choreographed by Elizabeth Streb. February 5-6, 2010 at Annenberg Center, 3680 Walnut St.
(215) 898.3900 or www.pennpresents.org/tickets.
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| Pennsylvania Ballet’s ‘The Nutcracker’ |
December 14 2009 |
Anyone can stage a Nutcracker performance. But only the Pennsylvania Ballet and two other companies are authorized to perform the Balanchine version. It’s still the ideal antidote for the darkest weeks of the year.
Pennsylvania Ballet: The Nutcracker. Music by Tchaikovsky; choreography by George Balanchine. Through December 31, 2009 at Academy of Music, Broad and Locust Sts. (215) 551-7000 or www.paballet.org.
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| ‘Fraulein Maria’ by Doug Elkins (2nd review) |
November 17 2009 |
Fraulein Maria is more than a terrific dance presentation; it’s great theater as well. Choreographer Doug Elkins has achieved something truly unique by combining an iconic old musical with today’s street movement and pure sass.
Fraulein Maria. Choreography by Doug Elkins. Through November 14, 2009 at Zellerbach Theatre, Annenberg Center, 3680 Walnut St. (215) 898-3900 or www.pennpresents.org.
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| ‘Thank You, Gregory’ at Annenberg (2nd review) |
October 13 2009 |
Tap is a uniquely American dance form with black, Irish and street improvisation roots. But if you think tap dancing is a quaint relic from the past, think again. Thank You, Gregory, a fine piece of theater as well as an homage to tap dancing, literally wowed its audience.
Thank You, Gregory: A Tribute to the Legends of Tap. Directed by Anne Marie de Angelo; written by Tony Waag. Dance Affiliates Production October 6-10, 2009 at Annenberg Center, 3680 Walnut St. (215) 898-3900 or www.annenbergcenter.org/tickets/?id=65.
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| On the fringe of the Fringe Festival |
September 21 2009 |
Philadelphia’s Fringe Festival increasingly sends performers and audiences to remote neighborhoods they’d never visit otherwise. This sense of geographical discovery adds to the adventure. But sometimes you get too much adventure, as happened to me this year.
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| Merce Cunningham’s final challenge |
August 11 2009 |
The late Merce Cunningham was ferocious about protecting his dry, acerbic, difficult, complicated and often downright incomprehensible work. Now his greatest challenge lies ahead— namely, can a choreographer preserve his vision from the grave?
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| BalletX ‘Hot Summer Series’ (2nd review) |
July 28 2009 |
BalletX has segued from an intriguing experiment into a mature local institution with a viewpoint and edge all its own, as this spunky little troupe demonstrated in its second summer program as the Wilma Theater’s resident dance company.
BalletX “Hot Summer Series”: Scenes View 2, choreographed by Jorma Elo; Broke Apart, by Matthew Neenan, and Le Baiser Inevitable, by Jodie Gates. Through July 26, 2009 at the Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St. (at Spruce). (215) 546-7824 or www.balletx.org.
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| National Dance Company of Spain 2 at Annenberg (1st review) |
May 19 2009 |
National Dance Company of Spain is one of Europe’s most innovative troupes. However, it was the company’s second-tier troupe that visited this time. No matter: This jayvee ensemble deserved its applause.
National Dance Company of Spain 2: Duende, Without Words, Gnawa. Choreography by Nacho Duato. May 14-16, 2009 at Annenberg Center, 3680 Walnut Street. (215) 898-3900 or www.pennpresents.org.
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| Pennsylvania Ballet’s ‘Tango With Style’ (2nd review) |
May 12 2009 |
Not long ago the Pennsylvania Ballet was struggling. Today it’s a model artistic institution. Credit artistic director Roy Kaiser, who brings a dancer’s instincts, institutional memory and personal commitment to the job.
Pennsylvania Ballet: “Tango With Style.” Robert Weiss, Octet For Strings; Matthew Neenan, Keep; Hans van Manen, Five Tangos. May 6-10, 2009 at Merriam Theatre, 250 S. Broad St. (215) 551-7000 or www.paballet.org.
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Bob Levin is an attorney and writer. His most recent book, Most Outrageous: The Trials and Trespasses of Dwaine Tinsley and Chster the Molester, was called “the most criminally neglected book of 2008” by Robot 6. He lives in Berkeley, California.
His feature story on the battle over the estate of the East Stroudsburg-based fantasy illustrator Frank Frazetta can be read here.
(Photo by Budd Shenkin.)
More articles by Bob Levin, newest first
| My heart attack, Part 6: Coming out of surgery |
May 19 2012 |
“Only one-third of all patients improve,” the surgeon told us after the operation. No one had dropped that statistic on us beforehand.
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| Heart attack, Part 5: Surgery approaches |
April 10 2012 |
"You’re such an interesting case," my cardiologist said as I headed for surgery— precisely the words I had been advised to hope I never heard from a physician. I clutched at the belief that I would emerge healthier than ever, physically rejuvenated and a deeper, wiser person.
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| Heart attack, Part 4: The prospect of surgery |
March 11 2012 |
After my second heart attack, my cardiologist was upbeat and I thought I was gradually recovering. But the surgeon had other ideas, and I was in no position to argue with him. Part 4 of Bob Levin's continuing saga of his travails as a heart patient.
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| Heart attack, Part 3: A survivor’s tale |
February 12 2012 |
I had survived one heart attack. I had followed post-operative instructions faithfully. Yet here I was, the victim of a second heart attack, and my doctor telling me, "You must stay positive.”
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| In defense of Janet Malcolm (Part i) |
January 10 2012 |
Janet Malcolm refuses to buy into journalists’ illusions of objectivity. That posture has earned her many critics. Count me among her admirers.
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| My passion for boxing, R.I.P. |
December 17 2011 |
In boxing, I believed as a kid, the best man won— no bad bounce of a baseball or football to undo him, no teammates to weigh him down. You came out nobly with your shield or borne upon it. One night at a police station cured me of my youthful illusions.
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| When a mother vanishes |
December 06 2011 |
For nearly 70 years my mother was in my corner. In her 90s she could barely communicate. But who could imagine life without her?
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| Kate Atkinson: crime fiction for grownups |
August 14 2011 |
Kate Atkinson— a former literary novelist and playwright— isn’t your ordinary mystery writer. She bends expectations, breaks conventions, plays with time and constructs grisly crimes that aren’t always neatly solved. She astutely perceives that our fates aren’t as easily foretold as tomorrow’s weather.
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| Heart attack, Part 2: Anatomy of a procedure |
August 09 2011 |
Inserting the stent wouldn’t take more than an hour, I was told. Two hours later, sedated but still awake, I gleaned troubled conversations among the doctor, the nurse and the technicians. If these professionals were worried, what was an amateur like me supposed to think?
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| My heart attack, Part 1: a first-person account |
March 07 2011 |
I was one of those last guys you’d think it would happen to. But when the emergency room did an echocardiogram, everyone’s expression froze.
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| ‘For Colored Girls’ goes Hollywood |
December 07 2010 |
Listening to the poems of Ntozake Shange 35 years ago was a revelation. Seeing her words visualized on screen was a letdown.
For Colored Girls. A film written and directed by Tyler Perry, based on the poems of Ntozake Shange. For Philadelphia-area theaters and show times, click here.
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| What’s in a nickname? |
April 20 2010 |
As I’ve moved through life, I’ve also moved through a succession of nicknames. “Robert” lingers only on the lips of my 98-year-old mother and one or two ossified cousins. So what will my classmates call me next month when I show up at my 50th high school reunion?
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| Dylan at the White House |
February 16 2010 |
At the recent White House concert honoring the music of the Civil Rights movement, Bob Dylan again provoked controversy by refusing to hop on any political bandwagon. That’s the mark of great artists: They enlarge themselves and enrich their audiences by savoring the world’s ambiguities.
"In Performance at the White House: A Celebration of Music from the Civil Rights Movement." February 9, 2010. www.cnn.com.
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| Bar mitzvah boy (a memoir) |
January 23 2010 |
My father took pride in the way he’d assimilated in a hostile society. But he was ambivalent about having a Jewish son in a gentile school. In his mind, my bar mitzvah was non-negotiable.
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| You’ve got mail, 1961 (Memoir) |
January 02 2010 |
As a substitute summer mailman, I relished the fresh air and the freedom to set my own pace. I also learned how to game my employer, the federal government.
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| Peggy Maley: Hollywood castoff |
November 07 2009 |
In The Wild One, Peggy Maley delivered one of the most famous set-up lines in film history. Then she vanished, apparently forgotten forever by everyone, except me.
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| Memory, loss, and the '50 Phillies |
November 02 2009 |
A year after the Phillies lost the 1950 World Series, my younger sister died of leukemia. My parents did their limited best to cope with their loss, and so did the Phillies.
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| ’50s films that stoked the ‘60s |
October 26 2009 |
At movies in the ‘50s, nice middle-class Jewish kids like me learned patriotism and foreign policy from John Wayne. But the lessons that stuck with us into the ‘60s were the ones we learned from rebels like Marlon Brando and James Dean.
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| Two novels that changed my life |
October 13 2009 |
To an alienated teenager growing up in the conformist ‘50s, Warren Miller’s The Cool World and The Hustler by Walter Tevis were Bibles of hope that I clung to for survival. In retrospect, these novels served me better than they served their authors, who were far more troubled than I was.
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| Puddles: A Philadelphia memoir (c. 1950) |
September 15 2009 |
My childhood dog Puddles had a mind of his own, but he faithfully followed my disjointed relatives on their upwardly mobile climb from South Philly to West Philly to Overbrook Park. Did we do right by him?
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| The dawn of rock ’n’ roll (a memoir) |
September 01 2009 |
When my adolescent buddies and I embraced rock ‘n’ roll in the mid-‘50s, our parents assumed it would fade with other teenage fads. But we knew instinctively that we were on the winning side of a revolution.
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| Becoming a writer, c. 1964 (Part 4) |
August 15 2009 |
Unlucky in love, I relished my emerging hoodlum persona. Trouble is, I wasn’t writing. And my relatives (and the draft) were pressuring me to go to law school. Was I master of my fate, or its victim?
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| How I became a writer, c. 1962 (Part 3) |
August 09 2009 |
At Brandeis I was not very good with girls. And my grades as a politics major seemed likely to jeopardize my chances for law school. I seemed to lack the self-confidence to succeed at anything. But then I took a couple of risks and things started to fall into place.
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| How I became a writer, c. 1961 (Part 2) |
July 21 2009 |
No one in my extended family wrote or painted, sculpted or composed. My relatives were doctors or lawyers or schoolteachers. But a rebel stream had run through the 1950s sea of repression and conformity in which I’d grown up.
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| How the world works (Philadelphia, 1961) |
July 07 2009 |
After three decades of work for Philadelphia’s Democratic City Committee, my Dad prided himself on his ability to get things done. But now I was on trial before a cranky Republican magistrate. What to do?
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| How I became a writer: a 1960 memoir (Part 1) |
May 30 2009 |
“These papers are abominably bad,” said my freshman English instructor. “But one of you shows promise.” Now, who could that be?
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| A summer construction job, 1959 |
May 24 2009 |
The summer of ’59, when I was 17, I got a construction job putting up Hawthorne Square, a housing project at 12th and Fitzwater. It did me no visible good. I never worked that hard again. But the memory lingers on.
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| Hanging out in the ’50s |
May 09 2009 |
The thrill of hanging out in the ’50s lay primarily in that word “out.” “Out” meant away from the family. It meant away from the confining, conformist, predominant 1950s cultural attitude that scorned all non-grade-bettering, non-money-earning, devil-courting idleness.
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| Growing up at the Palestra, 1958 |
May 05 2009 |
In the days of Montgomery bus boycotts and Little Rock desegregation, Temple University fielded more black basketball players than Philadelphia's other city schools combined. It also had the Jews. As a 15-year-old fan who rooted out of his own discomforts and hurts and shortcomings, my allegiance was cemented.
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| Steak sandwiches B.C. (before cheese) |
April 25 2009 |
Enough, already, about the venerable Philadelphia cheese steak. Is there no one else still living who recalls, as I do, a time when Philadelphians relished steak sandwiches without cheese?
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Bob Ingram is a writer/journalist/editor whose work has appeared in Philadelphia Magazine, Atlantic City Magazine, South Jersey Magazine, the Philadelphia Daily News, Philadelphia Weekly, Atlantic City Weekly, Philly Arts, the South Philadelphia Review, the Cape May County Herald, the Wildwood Sun By-the-Sea, the Drummer, the Plain Dealer, the Philadelphia Free Press, the South Street Star, Food Trade News, Food World, Supermarket Business, Progressive Grocer, and Frozen Food Age, among others.
He received the Philadelphia Bar Association’s “Scales of Justice” Award for a story on Juvenile Court, and an award from Sigma Delta Chi, the national journalism fraternity, for a story on Vietnamese refugees.
He has also co-written, co-produced and narrated a documentary film about the Boardwalk in Wildwood, NJ, called Boardwalk: Greetings from Wildwood By-The-Sea.
He was managing editor of Chilton Company’s Marine Products Magazine, publisher of the Temple/Philadelphia Free Press, twice editor of The Drummer/Thursday’s Drummer/Distant Drummer, founder and editor of the South Street Star in Philadelphia, editor of Food Trade News, and senior editor at Supermarket Business and Progressive Grocer magazines.
He currently lives and writes in Burleigh, New Jersey.
More articles by Bob Ingram, newest first
| The kid’s first challenge: A boxing memoir |
January 14 2012 |
The kid impressed everyone at the boxing club with his moves and his mouth. But after all, this was only Wildwood, and he was only 19.
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| ‘Boss’: Politics as usual |
November 21 2011 |
“Boss” offers a dark, detailed, unsparing look at how a big city— in this case, Chicago— actually works.
“Boss.” A Starz orginal TV series. www.starz.com/originals/Boss.
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| Joe Paterno and Penn State's scandal |
November 08 2011 |
Sportswriters who promoted the cult of Penn State coach Joe Paterno now profess themselves shocked that one of his former assistants is an alleged serial child molester. Anyone who understands the business of Division I collegiate football programs should have noticed the contrary evidence long ago.
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| The Madoff creep show |
November 01 2011 |
What’s worse than a money manager who swindles his clients, friends and relatives of $20 billion? How about a son of the swindler who tries to capitalize on his father’s crime by writing a book about it?
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| September Surf Song |
September 25 2011 |
Hemingway fought his big fish; I still fight the surf. Especially when the sea lets me forget that my body's growing older.
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| Miracle on the Boardwalk |
July 16 2011 |
Just when the banalities of our pop culture had all but destroyed my faith in my fellow Americans, an epiphany restored my faith. It occurred, of all places, on the Boardwalk by the Jersey shore.
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| Love song of an aging hippie |
June 08 2011 |
That aging hippie selling tie-dyed tank tops on the Wildwood boardwalk shared a lot in common with me— including a refusal to turn our backs on the Age of Aquarius.
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| Patti Smith, ‘Just Kids’ and the ’60s |
April 19 2011 |
When Patti Smith and Just Kids get rolling, it’s absorbing as both a double rags-to-riches tale and the documenting of a seminal time in American life and culture, told by a woman who was in the thick of much of it and who has been blessed with the sensibility and literary talent to bring it to high-definition life.
Just Kids. By Patti Smith. HarperCollins Publishers, 2010. 304 pages; $27. www.amazon.com.
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| Underground newspapers: The first blogs |
February 05 2011 |
When I worked for underground papers in the ’70s, we counter-culture journalists didn’t seem to know what we were doing. Yet it’s hard to imagine journalism today without the innovations pioneered by our scruffy band of radicals.
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| ‘Life,’ by Keith Richards |
January 29 2011 |
The Rolling Stones’ infamous guitarist/songwriter Keith Richards may have been a junkie, but I’ve never been so completely taken by a person through his writing.
Life. By Keith Richards with James Fox. Little, Brown and Company, 2010. 564 pages; $29.99. www.amazon.com.
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| ‘Worth Dying For’: The appeal of Jack Reacher |
January 15 2011 |
When you’re a twice-divorced 73-year-old, living in a trailer and feeling helpless to save the world from going to hell, an invincible fictitious hero like Lee Child’s Jack Reacher makes an inspiring companion, even if he is a closet fascist.
Worth Dying For. By Lee Child. Delacorte Press, 2010. 400 pages; $28. www.leechild.com/WDF.php.
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| Punch-drunk in Hollywood: 'The Fighter' |
January 08 2011 |
What’s worse than having your brains punched out in the ring? How about having your courage and integrity watered down into a Hollywood cliché?
The Fighter. A film directed by David O. Russell. For theaters and times in the Philadelphia area, click here.
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| ‘At the Fights’: Writers on boxing |
December 19 2010 |
At the Fights is more than a collection of great boxing prose, from Jack London to David Remnick; it also offers, perhaps inadvertently, a study in the evolution of the prose of American sports journalism.
At the Fights: American Writers on Boxing. Edited by George Kimball and John Schulian. Library of America, 2011. 517 pages; $35. www.amazon.com.
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| Outsider heroes: Lisbeth Salander and Jack Reacher |
November 15 2010 |
Why do the action novels of Stieg Larsson and Lee Child sell millions of copies worldwide? Maybe because their fantasy heroes are individuals in the age of modern technology— unlike most of the rest of us, who’ve been enslaved by it.
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| Cybill Shepherd, Otto Preminger and me |
October 02 2010 |
Back in the ‘70s, when Hollywood celebrities went on actual tours to promote their films to actual journalists, I was in Philadelphia to receive them— poised, eager, and usually as stoned as they were.
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| Dennis Tafoya’s ‘Wolves of Fairmount Park’ |
August 20 2010 |
Philadelphian Dennis Tafoya’s second crime novel is a twisting journey into the gray, gritty urban demimonde of dope.
The Wolves of Fairmount Park. By Dennis Tafoya. Minotaur Books, 2010. 352 pages; $25.99. www.amazon.com.
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| My evening with Miles Davis (memoir) |
July 31 2010 |
When Miles Davis walked into our San Francisco jazz club, I was operating the food concession. Unfortunately for me, food was the last thing the great jazz trumpeter wanted that night.
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| High Diver: A Wildwood memory, 1954 |
May 25 2010 |
High Diver had been a water bug all of his relatively short life. Then at age 15 he joined the Aqua Follies at Wildwood and was introduced, for the first time, to the highest of high dives.
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| Another take on priestly abuse |
March 13 2010 |
Why do priestly sex abusers prefer boys to girls? What role has alcohol played in the Church’s growing sex scandal? And why did I close my own eyes, years ago, to what I knew was going on?
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| James Ellroy’s ‘Blood’s A Rover’ |
January 30 2010 |
James Ellroy’s American dream is a high-definition nightmare of total political depravity that infects every character in his fiction, from presidents to bellhops. It is totally fascinating, perhaps because there is the sting of truth at its basis.
Blood’s A Rover. By James Ellroy. Knopf, 2009. 656 pages; $28.95. www.amazon.com.
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| Patti Smith's punk purity |
January 02 2010 |
The Public TV documentary, Patti Smith: Dream of Life, reveals the punk icon as above all a woman of consummate purity. There’s not a dram of pretense or drama in this woman; it’s as if she lives each moment for the sake of exploration.
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| A GI Christmas carol (memoir) |
December 19 2009 |
I was a lonely GI in Seoul on Christmas Day. Then I met a beautiful woman who introduced me to beautiful music. That's all it took.
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| Why I despise the Eagles |
November 21 2009 |
I watch every Philadelphia Eagles game religiously, hoping in my inner heart that they will lose. From their yuppie owner to their corporate coach to their passionless quarterback, is this a team you really want to root for?
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| Mischief Night follies: A memoir |
October 25 2009 |
We were typical ’50 suburban kids whose Halloween hijinks were more a product of tradition than any kind of malicious intent. Nevertheless, on Mischief Night we learned more than we cared to about adults.
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| My grandfather’s long voyage home |
September 15 2009 |
After his wife died, the old man spent eight months recreating the two-masted Newfoundland fishing schooner of his youth. Then he sailed off, secure in the serene knowledge that his legacy was intact.
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| Death and the boxer |
August 21 2009 |
Three more boxers died in July. To be sure, death does occur in a sport of avoiding and taking hard punches. But boxing can also be a sport of purity and beauty, and boxers are willing to take the ultimate risks to approach those levels.
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| My personal Bad Cop Film Festival |
July 21 2009 |
Movies about good cops gone bad are so fascinating that I’ve often wished some cable channel would assemble a Bad Cop Film Festival. They haven’t, so I’m doing it here. Is it a coincidence that most of my choices are set in Los Angeles?
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| James Toback’s ‘Tyson’ |
June 15 2009 |
Tyson, James Toback’s celebrated documentary, explores a life that the boxer himself called “a Greek tragedy.” The former “baddest man on the planet” obviously trusted Toback to the point that he acquiesced in Toback’s brilliant cinematic strategy of using Tyson himself as the sole interviewee and narrator of the film.
Tyson. A film by James Toback.
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| Roberto Bolaño's '2666' |
May 09 2009 |
Roberto Bolaño's novel 2666 ranges across time and space to present a stately, soaring series of tales that plumb the human heart in all its grandeur and darkness. It’s a lesson for this new and aching century.
2666. By Robert Bolaño; translated from the Spanish by Natasha Swimmer. Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2008. 912 pages; $30. www.amazon.com.
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| Pro athletes: Warriors, or jerks? |
April 24 2009 |
Somewhere along the line, sports in general and pro basketball in particular blurred the distinction between athletes and entertainers. Today’s phony “warrior culture” is a part of that fuzzy showbiz landscape.
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Pamela Riley is a retired theater director and professor of literature and drama. Most recently she taught at Colorado College and the University of Pennsylvania. She lives in Old City, Philadelphia.
More articles by Pamela Riley, newest first
| ‘Saturn Returns’ by Theatre Exile (1st review) |
May 06 2011 |
Noah Haidle’s play portrays a selfish man at three stages of his life. Alas, he fails to grow or mellow with age. That’s bad news for him, for his women, and ultimately for the audience.
Saturn Returns. By Noah Haidle; Brenna Geffers directed. Theatre Exile production through May 22 at Christ Church Neighborhood House, 20 N. American St. (above Market between Second and Third). (215) 218-4022 or www.theatreexile.org.
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| McDonagh’s ‘The Lieutenant of Inishmore’ (1st review) |
February 26 2011 |
Martin McDonagh’s The Lieutenant of Inishmore concerns what happens when a disagreement mushrooms into mindless violence beyond anyone’s control. And it asks the audience an uncomfortable question: Why are we laughing?
The Lieutenant of Inishmore. By Martin McDonagh; Matt Pfeiffer directed. Theatre Exile production through March 13, 2011 at Plays and Players, 1714 Delancey Pl. (215) 218-4022 or www.theatreexile.org.
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| ‘That Pretty Pretty: Or, the Rape Play,’ by Theatre Exile |
November 20 2010 |
That Pretty Pretty isn’t a play; it’s a play about writing a play. Playwright Sheila Callaghan introduced numerous big post-modernist ideas but fails to develop any of them into a coherent narrative.
That Pretty Pretty: Or, the Rape Play. By Sheila Callaghan; Joe Canuso directed. Theatre Exile production through December 5, 2010 at Christ Church Neighborhood House, 20 N. American St. (between Second and Third Sts. and Market and Arch). (215) 218-4022 or www.theatreexile.org.
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| Theatre Exile’s ‘Iron’ at the Fringe (2nd review) |
September 14 2010 |
Rona Munro’s drama about a series of visits between an imprisoned mother and her grown daughter is deeply nuanced, gradually revealing more about each woman while the audience sits in judgment, like a jury.
Iron. By Rona Munro; directed By Deborah Block. Theatre Exile production through October 10, 2010 at Studio X, 1340 South 13th St. (215) 413.9006 or www.livearts-fringe.org.
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| McPherson’s ‘Shining City’ by Theatre Exile (1st review) |
April 10 2010 |
Conor McPherson’s haunting Shining City is a small, intensely involving, disquieting and thought provoking story about two lonely men trying to pull themselves together.
Shining City. By Conor McPherson; directed by Matt Pfeiffer. Theatre Exile production through April 25, 2010 at Plays and Players Theatre, 1724 Delancey Pl. (215) 218-4022 or www.theatreexile.org.
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| Beckett’s ‘Happy Days’ by the Lantern (3rd review) |
October 08 2009 |
A play should offer us more than what we see. The longer the two of us have spent talking about Happy Days— arguing about it, thinking about it— the richer it has become. That’s what distinguishes Beckett’s work from Lorenzo Pisoni’s Humor Abuse.
Happy Days. By Samuel Beckett; directed by David O’Connor. Lantern Theater Co. production through October 18, 2009 at St. Stephen’s Theatre, 923 Ludlow St. (215) 829-0395 or www.lanterntheater.org.
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| ‘American Buffalo’s ‘short-con’ (3rd review) |
April 18 2009 |
Like innocent tourists at a sidewalk shell game, several critics have missed the “pea” in Theatre Exile’s production of David Mamet’s American Buffalo. If you look and listen closely, that “pea” is friendship and community.
American Buffalo. By David Mamet; directed by Matt Pfeiffer. Theater Exile production through May 3, 2009 at Plays & Players, 1714 Delancey St. (215) 218-4022 or www.theatreexile.org.
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Mark Wolverton is a free-lance science writer and playwright who has also published fiction.IHe is the author of three books, most recently A Life in Twilight: The Final Years of J. Robert Oppenheimer. He has also worked in independent film, TV and radio. He lives in Bryn Mawr, Pa.
For more about Mark Wolverton, visit his website at www.markwolverton.com.
More articles by Mark Wolverton, newest first
| Zombies and Lindsey Buckingham at the Keswick |
September 30 2011 |
The Zombies and the Fleetwood Mac guitarist/songwriter Lindsey Buckingham provided reassurance for us aging baby-boomers that, at least sometimes, nostalgia pays.
The Zombies, September 17, 2011; Lindsey Buckingham, September 22, 2011. Both at the Keswick Theatre, 291 Keswick Ave., Glenside, Pa. (215) 572-7650 or www.keswicktheatre.com.
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| Natalie Merchant on tour at the Merriam |
July 27 2010 |
In her latest song cycle, singer-songwriter Natalie Merchant interprets the words of others through a dizzyingly diverse collection of musical influences, ranging from traditional folk and bluegrass to klezmer, Celtic, classical, jazz and, even a little rock ’n roll.
Natalie Merchant: Leave Your Sleep. July 20, 2010 at Merriam Theatre, Broad St. above Spruce. www.nataliemerchant.com.
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| Chris Isaak at the Keswick |
July 20 2010 |
Chris Isaak has made his reputation as a tormented rockabilly troubadour, but his live performances reveal another side: A singer who refuses to take himself as seriously as he takes his music.
Chris Isaak in concert. July 14, 2010 at the Keswick Theatre, 291 N. Keswick Ave., Glenside, Pa. (215) 572-7650 or www.keswicktheatre.com.
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| Soderbergh’s ‘The Informant!’ |
October 18 2009 |
Steven Soderbergh’s The Informant! seems to be a standard whistleblower saga at first, but turns out to be something quite different. It’s an unsettling reminder that, in movies as well as real life, things aren’t always what they seem.
The Informant! A film directed by Steven Soderbergh. At the Ritz Five, 214 Walnut St. (215) 925-7900 or www.landmarktheatres.com.
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| Michael Mann’s ‘Public Enemies’ |
July 14 2009 |
In Michael Mann’s crime films, the lines between good and bad are never clear. In his ambiguously titled Public Enemies, Mann suggests that the exuberant if bloody bank robber John Dillinger and the straitlaced G-men who pursued him were in many respects brothers under the skin.
Public Enemies. A film directed by Michael Mann.
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| Something different: Ambient/space music |
July 11 2009 |
Beethoven was inspired by Napoleon; now meet ambient/space music composer Jóhann Jóhannsson, who's inspired by Henry Ford. His genre is hard to define, but it can be challenging, inspiring, soothing, sometimes disturbing and often beautiful. And Philadelphia has become a center for this misunderstood innovative form of music.
The Gatherings concert series. St Mary’s Hamilton Village Church, 3916 Locust Walk. www.thegatherings.org
“Star’s End.” Saturday nights from 1 a.m. to 6 am. on n WXPN, 88.5 FM. www.starsend.org.
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| ‘Frost/Nixon’ on DVD |
June 14 2009 |
Ron Howard's Frost/Nixon, now available on DVD, works as a tale about two ambitious men confronting each other in search of redemption, absolution, worldly success and ultimate closure.
Frost/Nixon. A film by Ron Howard. www.imdb.com/title/tt0870111.
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| Theatrical readings, and where to find them |
March 31 2009 |
Theatrical readings are getting a bad rap in Broad Street Review. But as a playwright, I can attest that they’re a necessary element in bringing a play from a writer’s mind onto the stage. The audience (and even critics) benefit too. And in Philadelphia, there are many opportunities to participate.
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| Guitarist John Williams at Perelman Theater |
March 28 2009 |
Some virtuosos are all about showing you how good they are. John Williams is just the opposite: He actually makes you forget just how good he is, because he never allows his technical virtuosity to overshadow the essential musicality of whatever he’s playing.
John Williams, guitarist. Presented by Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, March 24, 2009 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center. (215) 569-8587 or pcmsconcerts.org.
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| Oppenheimer and the 'guilt-ridden scientist' myth |
March 17 2009 |
J. Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb, always rejected popular depictions of himself as a guilt-ridden scientist agonizing over the doomsday weapon he unleashed. How, then, did Oppenheimer wind up as the poster boy for scientific guilt and soul-searching? The answer probably explains more about us than about him.
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Lynn Denton has been an artist, filmmaker and educator in Philadelphia for 37 years.
Her site-specific installations have been seen in solo exhibitions at the Morris Gallery of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and Nexus Gallery in Philadelphia, and in exhibitions at the Institute of Contemporary Art as well as other East Coast venues. She has been awarded two residencies by the Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation, an Independence Foundation Fellowship, and in 2004 she was invited for a residency in Mojacar, Spain, by the Fundacion Valparaiso, which included painting and also filming the mosaics of Andalucia. Lynn has also been awarded her second grant from the Pollock-Krasner Foundation, founded by painter Lee Krasner, which suppports the work of artists in the U.S. and abroad.
As a filmmaker Lynn has created five experimental and narrative fiction films that have been seen in festivals in recent years. City Taxi, a hand painted Super-8 film, which screened at the Festival of Independents, is currently being shown in MIND TV’s 2009 “Philadelphia Stories” series. Her 16 mm. film Scumbling, a 35-minute dramatic narrative about a young woman who wants to become an artist, is scheduled to be shown on WHYY-TV in the program, “The Shape of Identity: Four Films by Women,” which she originally organized as a screening in Philadelphia. Her films have received funding from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and the Philadelphia Independent Film and Video Association. She served on the PIFVA Board of Directors for four years and is currently completing an original feature-length screenplay that she is developing as an independent film feature.
In recent years Lynn Denton has initiated collaborations with untrained artists and children to transform city environments. In 2001 she worked with recovering addicts and neighborhood children in a North Philadelphia neighborhood to create their designs in a huge wall-sized mosaic and sculpture garden at 20th and Norris Streets.
She has orchestrated 12 additional large-scale tile/mosaic collaborative projects in public places in Philadelphia, including the Susquehanna/Dauphin Subway Station, Edward Heston School, Potter-Thomas School, and Fell School. The Heston School Project, under the auspices of the Mural Arts Program, is the largest mosaic community collaboration ever completed in Philadelphia.
Currently Lynn teaches “Introduction to Community Art” at Moore College of Art and Design, and she serves as an artist/teacher in the MFA Program of Vermont College. She dances Argentine tango, swing, salsa and Zydeco, and shares her life with her partner in Center City, where she is an advocate for maintaining a human-scale environment and rich quality of life.
More articles by Lynn Denton, newest first
| Proposal: A pavilion for the Parkway |
April 04 2009 |
Museums are all well and good, but how can we pump more diverse cultural life onto the Parkway? What about an open-air pavilion for dance, theater and film, at a fraction of the cost of you-know-what?
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More articles by Linda Bantel, newest first
| Libby Newman’s ‘Holocaust and Revival’ |
March 17 2009 |
Here's one way to beat the recession: To demonstrate the role of art in the home, interior designer Caroline Millett has effectively transformed her house into a salon with her exhibit of Libby Newman’s “Holocaust and Revival.”
“Holocaust and Revival”: Works by Libby Newman. Through April 30, 2009 at 317 North 33rd St. By appointment: (215) 222-1207 or info@millettdesign.com.
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Michael Woods is a former newspaper reporter and magazine editor who lives in the Mount Airy section of Philadelphia. Today he is an investment manager with Mount Airy Investment Partners, Inc.
More articles by Michael Woods, newest first
| ‘The Gross Clinic’ restored (2nd review) |
December 21 2010 |
I feel the greatest respect for the dedication and effort that went into the Art Museum’s restoration of The Gross Clinic. But the fact remains: We still don’t have Thomas Eakins’s painting here.
“Seeing The Gross Clinic Anew.” Through January 9, 2011 at the Perelman Building, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Ben Franklin Parkway and 26th St. (215) 763-8100 or www.philamuseum.org. After January 9, 2011 at Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Broad and Cherry Sts. www.pafa.org.
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| Jurowski conducts the Orchestra (2nd review) |
March 23 2010 |
Vladimir Jurowski is a figure right out of the pages of Dostoevsky. What if he were leading the Philadelphia Orchestra regularly, instead of just once a year? The patrons would be lined up at the Kimmel's doors.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Beethoven, Third Symphony (“Eroica”); Schumann, Piano Concerto; Brahms, Tragic Overture. Vladimir Jurowski, conductor; Benedetto Lupo, piano. March 18-20, 2010 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. Free pre-concert conversation 7 p.m. (215) 893-1999 or www.philorch.org.
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| Schumann Trio’s debut |
December 15 2009 |
In its much-anticipated Philadelphia debut, the Schumann Trio demonstrated why three diverse and busy musicians have chosen to join forces.
Schumann Trio: Works by Mozart, Schumann, Bruch, Brahms. Presented by Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, December 13, 2009 at American Philosophical Society, 105 S. Fifth St.. (215) 569-8080 or www.philadelphiachambermusic.org.
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| Nézet-Séguin conducts the Orchestra (3rd review) |
December 11 2009 |
Claude Vivier’s Orion took me on a sprightly 13-minute tour of Paris. In the process, it managed to make Brahms seem tedious by comparison.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Vivier, Orion; Brahms First Piano Concerto; Franck, Symphony in D minor. December 3-5, 2009 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-1999 or www.philorch.org.
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| Pianist Anna Polonsky at Fleisher |
November 28 2009 |
The pianist Polonsky brings a determined personality to the keyboard, and her attack is so concentrated, and so vivid, that at one point the rocking of her body brought a flashback of the New Wave band Devo to mind.
Anna Polonsky: Piano recital. Presented by Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, November 22, 2009 at Fleisher Art Memorial, 709 Catherine St. (215) 569-8080 or www.philadelphiachambermusic.org.
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| Psychology and the stock market |
August 29 2009 |
Stock market gurus may be passé, but Ralph Elliott was on to something: He perceived that, regardless of the business cycle, human nature moves in repetitive emotional progressions, from fear to optimism to greed and back again. Care to guess what “Elliot Wave Theory” says about the stock market’s current recovery?
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| George Romney's living portraits |
June 30 2009 |
Even after 200 years, George Romney’s portraits exude a freshness that has outlasted his more celebrated contemporaries. So many of his women are impeccably dressed and eminently respectable, yet their femininity seems ready to explode off the canvas at any moment.
Paintings by George Romney (1734-1802). On permanent display at Philadelphia Museum of Art, Gallery 278, second floor, 26th St. and Ben Franklin Parkway. (215) 763-8100 or www.philamuseum.org.
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| Two pianists: Polonsky and Podgurski |
March 17 2009 |
Pounding, pedaling and darting like quicksilver, the slender young pianist Anna Polonsky stole the show at her duet recital with cellist Peter Wiley. At the Art Museum, by contrast, the jazz pianist Neil Podgurski showed a different, quieter side with a new band.
Peter Wiley, cello, Anna Polonsky, piano: Works by Barber, Beethoven, Schubert, Saint-Saëns, Mendelssohn. Presented by Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, March 15, 2009 at American Philosophical Society, 427 Chestnut St. (215) 569-8080 or www.philadelphiachambermusic.org
Art After 5: Neil Podgurski, piano. March 13, 2009 at Philadelphia Museum of Art, Benjamin Franklin Parkway and 26th St. (215) 763-8100 or www.philamuseum.org.
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Bill Murphy is an arts and entertainment journalist. He was previously entertainment editor of the Main Line Times and editor of its arts supplement, Main Line Ticket. He lives in Havertown, Pa.
More articles by Bill Murphy, newest first
| ‘Shipwrecked!’ at People’s Light |
March 27 2012 |
In this entertaining true tale of a man who was either the greatest adventurer or greatest hoaxer of his time, Donald Margulies has fashioned a stimulating piece of children’s theater that will appeal to adults as well.
Shipwrecked! An Entertainment— The Amazing Adventures of Louis de Rougemont (As Told By Himself). By Donald Margulies; Jackson Phippin directed. Through April 15, 2012 at People’s Light & Theatre Company (Steinbright Stage), 39 Conestoga Rd., Malvern, Pa. (610) 644-3500 or www.peopleslight.org.
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| ‘Of Mice and Men’ at People’s Light |
February 21 2012 |
In this excellent revival, Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men reminds us again that there are worse things than poverty— loneliness, for example.
Of Mice and Men. By John Steinbeck; David Bradley directed. Through March 25, 2012 at People’s Light & Theatre Company’s Main Stage, 39 Conestoga Rd., Malvern, Pa. (610) 644-3500 or www.peopleslight.org.
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| Graham’s ‘Philly Fan’ at People’s Light |
November 01 2011 |
Bruce Graham’s ranting Philly Fan, updated to reflect his city’s latest sports tragedies, is sort of like a sports event where the home team always wins.
The Philly Fan. By Bruce Graham; Joe Canuso directed. Through November 20, 20111 at People’s Light & Theatre Company, 39 Conestoga Rd., Malvern, Pa. (610) 644-3500 or peopleslight.org.
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| ‘Don Quixote Rides Again’ at People’s Light |
September 27 2011 |
Don Quixote and Sancho Panza hit the road again in this pleasant but decidedly minor rehash of the familiar Cervantes themes. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern it isn’t.
The Return of Don Quixote. By Kira Obolensky, from the novel by Cervantes; Ken Marini directed. Through October 16, 2011 at People’s Light & Theatre Company, 39 Conestoga Rd., Malvern, Pa. (610) 644-3500 or www.peopleslight.org.
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| Foote’s ‘Dividing the Estate’ at People’s Light |
May 16 2011 |
Horton Foote, a master at capturing the feel of people, place and time— in this case, rural Texas in 1987— is well served in this realistic People’s Light production.
Dividing the Estate. By Horton Foote; Abigail Adams directed. Through June 5, 2011 at People’s Light & Theatre Co., 39 Conestoga Rd., Malvern, Pa. (610) 644-3500 or www.peopleslight.org.
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| ‘Kidnapped’ at People’s Light |
January 18 2011 |
This stage adaptation of Kidnapped is a pared-down but generally effective version of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic adventure novel, which is more than you can say for its six film versions.
Kidnapped. By Ernie Joselovitz, from the novel by Robert Louis Stevenson; Samantha Bellomo directed. Through February 6, 2011 at People’s Light & Theatre Company, 39 Conestoga Rd., Malvern, Pa. (610) 644-3500 or www.peopleslight.org.
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| ‘Legacy of Light’ at People’s Light |
October 19 2010 |
Legacy of Light follows two brilliant woman scientists living 260 years apart. As a play of ideas, it’s not quite up to Shaw or Stoppard, but it’s a respectable addition to the genre.
Legacy of Light. By Karen Zacarias; Abigail Adams directed. Through November 7, 2010 at People’s Light & Theatre Company, 39 Conestoga Rd., Malvern, Pa. (610) 644-3500 or www.peopleslight.org.
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| ‘Cuckoo’s Nest’ at People's Light |
September 21 2010 |
William Zielinski and Marcia Saunders make fine sparring partners as McMurphy and Nurse Ratched in the stage adaptation of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, the season opener at People’s Light.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. By Dale Wasserman, from the novel by Ken Kesey; Jackson Gay directed. Through October 16, 2010 at People’s Light & Theatre Company, 39 Conestoga Rd., Malvern, Pa. (610) 644-3500 or www.peopleslight.org.
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| ‘The Secret of Sherlock Holmes’ at People’s Light (1st review) |
July 12 2010 |
The Secret of Sherlock Holmes focuses not on a single mystery but on the evolving relationship between Holmes and Dr. Watson. It’s an ideal summer diversion: not too heavy but just substantial enough to give the viewer something to chew on afterward.
The Secret of Sherlock Holmes. By Jeremy Paul; Stephen Novelli directed. Through August 8, 2010 at People’s Light & Theatre Company, 39 Conestoga Road, Malvern. (610) 644-3500 or www.peopleslight.org.
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| Wendy Hammond's 'Absence' at People's Light |
October 19 2009 |
Wendy Hammond’s Absence, currently receiving its world premiere at People’s Light, incisively explores the impact that a career in the CIA has on a marriage over time. I’ve never seen stage actors age more effectively than Greg Wood and Judith Lightfoot Clarke.
Absence. By Wendy Hammond; directed by Ken Marini. Through November 8, 2009 at People’s Light & Theatre Company, 39 Conestoga Rd., Malvern. (610) 644-3500 or www.peopleslight.org.
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| ‘Nathan the Wise’ at People’s Light (1st review) |
September 26 2009 |
A modern translation of Gotthold Lessing’s Nathan the Wise, an 18th-Century German fable about religious tolerance, receives a charming production at People’s Light, with the noted stage and screen actor David Strathairn in the title role.
Nathan the Wise. By Gotthold Lessing; translation by Edward Kemp; directed by Abigail Adams. Through October 11, 2009 at People’s Light & Theatre Company, 39 Conestoga Road, Malvern, Pa. (610) 644-3500 or www.peopleslight.org.
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| Shanley's 'Doubt’ at People’s Light |
June 13 2009 |
John Patrick Shanley’s Doubt was inspired by the Catholic Church’s sex scandals, but it’s not a didactic work. People’s Light offers a production that respects the play’s subtleties and ambiguities.
Doubt. By John Patrick Shanley; directed by David Bradley. Through June 28, 2009 at People’s Light & Theatre Company, 39 Conestoga Rd., Malvern, Pa. (610) 644-3500 or www.peopleslight.org.
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| ‘Eggs’ at People’s Light |
April 28 2009 |
Eggs is children’s theater with substance: a touching, compelling adaptation of Jerry Spinelli’s novel about a friendship between two lonely misfit children.
Eggs. By Y York, from the novel by Jerry Spinelli; directed by Mark Lutwak. Through May 24, 2009 at People’s Light & Theatre Company, Steinbright Stage, 39 Conestoga Road, Malvern. (610) 644-3500 or www.peopleslight.org.
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| ‘Cabaret’ at Villanova |
March 28 2009 |
Villanova Theatre, which seems to enjoy a special flair for musicals, scores once again with a lively and enthusiastic revival of the Kander and Ebb perennial Cabaret.
Cabaret. Music by John Kander; lyrics by Fred Ebb; libretto by Joe Masteroff; directed by Valerie Joyce. Villanova Theatre production through April 5, then April 14-19 at Vasey Theatre, Ithan and Lancaster Aves., Villanova, Pa. (610) 519-7474 or www.villanova.edu/artsci/theatre.
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| ‘Tale of Two Cities’ at People’s Light |
March 17 2009 |
A Tale of Two Cities at People’s Light is a modest but effective dramatization that skillfully strips the Dickens novel to its essentials. A capable cast brings dozens of Dickens characters vividly to life, aided by imaginative direction and set design.
A Tale of Two Cities. Adapted from the Dickens novel by Dwayne Hartford; directed by Ken Marini. Through May 3, 2009 at People’s Light & Theatre Company, 39 Conestoga Rd., Malvern, Pa. (610) 644-3500 or www.peopleslight.org.
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Merilyn Jackson, a dance critic for the Philadelphia Inquirer, Pointe and Dance Magazine, also writes about food and Eastern European literature. She was awarded an NEA Critics Fellowship in 2005 and a Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Fellowship for her novel-in-progress, O Solitary Host, in 1999. Her paper on dance criticism has been accepted for presentation at the Fourth International Conference on the Arts in Society, which will be held parallel to the Venice Biennale in July 2009. She says her interests will blend when she writes a novel about an anorexic Polish ballerina who gives up the stage to write a cookbook. She lives in South Philadelphia.
More articles by Merilyn Jackson, newest first
| Confessions of an ex-go-go dancer |
May 05 2012 |
As the sweat pours down my fishnet stockings, these guys think they're gonna take me home and score, while I'm wondering if I can throw in a load of laundry before I heat up the leftover lasagna.
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| ‘Chimera’: DNA anomalies at Swarthmore |
May 01 2012 |
Is a little knowledge about DNA a dangerous thing? Chimera is a dizzyingly smart, awfully witty yet ultimately tragic play about a new medical phenomenon.
Chimera. By Suli Holum and Deborah Stein. April 14, 2012 at Lang Performing Arts Center, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, Pa. Swarthmore College. (888) 495-8358 or www.swarthmore.edu.
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| Gombrowicz’s ‘Ivona’ at Swarthmore |
April 13 2012 |
Witold Gombrowicz wrote with a sneering savagery, most of it directed at aristocrats and their sense of entitlement but also at the middle and lower classes who envied them. Swarthmore’s production of Ivona wholeheartedly abandoned itself to his frenetic sense of absurdity.
Ivona, Princess of Burgundia. By Witold Gombrowicz; K. Elizabeth Stevens directed. March 23-25, 2012 at Pearson-Hall Theatre, Lang Performing Arts center, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, Pa. www.swarthmore.edu.
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| Max Raabe’s Weimar cabaret at the Merriam |
March 17 2012 |
Max Raabe’s burnished baritone voice, pomaded hair, white satin bow tie, tails and patent leather shoes all speak of a gentler time in Germany, before the unspeakable crimes committed in World War II.
Max Raabe and the Palast Orchester. March 2, 2012 at Merriam Theatre, Broad St. above Spruce.
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| Arizona: The new global ballet crossroads |
March 10 2012 |
To retired Americans with creaky joints, Arizona beckons with its warm temperatures and dry air. To up-and-coming dancers from places like Poland, Albania and Taiwan, increasingly, Arizona has become a magnet for cutting-edge ballet. Who knew?
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| ‘Charlotte’s Web’ at the Arden (1st review) |
January 13 2012 |
My seven-year-old grandson had plenty of opportunities to interact with the Arden’s marvelous cast of actors as animals. The grownups had a good time too.
Charlotte’s Web. By Joseph Robinette, from the book by E.B. White; Whit MacLaughlin directed. Through February 12, 2012 at Arden Theatre, Haas Stage, 40 N. Second St. (215) 922-1122 or www.ardentheatre.org.
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| 2011 highlights: Critic’s choice |
January 08 2012 |
Even a dance critic can’t help stumbling into the theater now and then— especially since so many plays these days seem to be about dance. Here are a few of my serendipitous highlights of the past year.
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| Critic’s choice: Dance highlights of 2011 |
January 08 2012 |
Even with a six-month toothache, I took in countless wonderful dance performances in 2011. The programs I mention here especially stand out for the way they caught me by surprise and often left me flustered and panting for more.
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| Poles, Jews and ‘Our Class’ (3rd comment) |
November 07 2011 |
Our Class, which concerns a World War II atrocity committed by Polish Catholics against their Jewish neighbors, is currently raising questions all over Poland, as well it should. But the Polish church has ignored it— and so, apparently, have my fellow Polish-American Philadelphians.
Our Class. By Tadeusz Slobodzianek; English version by Ryan Craig; Blanka Zizka directed. Through November 13, 2011 at the Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St. (at Spruce). (215) 546-7824 or www.wilmatheater.org.
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| Headlong Dance Theater’s ‘Red Rovers’ |
September 08 2011 |
In Red Rovers, Headlong Dance Theater once again comes up with a clever setup that leads nowhere. And would it kill them to do a little more dancing?
Red Rovers. Headlong Dance Theater production for Philadelphia Live Arts Festival through September 10, 2011 at Live Arts Studio, 919 N. Fifth St. (at Poplar). (215) 413-1318 or www.livearts-fringe.org.
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| Priestly sex abuse: Blaming the hippies |
May 21 2011 |
A report on priestly sex abuse prepared for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops pins the blame not on celibacy but on the sexual revolution that began in the ’60s. Take it from one who was victimized by a priest even before that era began: The 1960s were the best thing that ever happened to victims of clerical sex abuse.
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| Thaddeus Phillips’s ’17 Border Crossings’ (2nd review) |
April 11 2011 |
Thaddeus Phillips transcends the kind of one-man water-sipping show that the late raconteur Spalding Gray created. Phillips ramps his performances up with physical, acting, authentic-sounding accents in any language, and ingenious stagecraft that includes lighting, the latest high-tech gadgetry and the oldest low-tech slight-of-hand.
17 Border Crossings. Conceived and performed by Thaddeus Phillips. April 1-2, 2011 at Painted Bride Arts Center, 203 Vine St. www.17borders.tumblr.com or www.paintedbride.org.
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| Kun-Yang Lin’s quest: Connecting body to soul |
September 04 2010 |
The innovative choreographer Kun-Yang Lin has launched a daring dance workshop that seeks to transcend mere movement by getting inside dancers’ souls as well. It’s a fresh approach with the potential to galvanize today’s sometimes forgettable world of dance.
Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers: Body and soul workshops. Through December 5, 2010 at Chi Movement Arts Center, 1316 S. Ninth St. (267) 687-3739 or www.kunyanglin.org.
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| The dance season: Nine highlights |
June 26 2010 |
Whether because of the economy or burnout, Philadelphia’s 2010 dance season was thinner and weaker than in past years, in terms of intelligent dancers opening themselves to the choreographer’s vision and then channeling it to us. Merilyn Jackson finds nine encouraging exceptions.
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| Priestly abuse: It happened to me |
March 30 2010 |
Believe me, no one wants to go public with admissions that they were abused by a priest. That is why so many of us have kept silent for 40 or 50 year and more. Now I am so seriously nauseated by the Church’s apologists that I am moved to describe here what it’s like to be molested by a priest.
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| Elizabeth Streb’s ‘Brave’ at Annenberg (1st review) |
February 06 2010 |
Elizabeth Streb's take on dance and space has added danger, experimentation and a fascination with things mechanical that can propel the body beyond what it can achieve on its own, but not much in the way of dance moves.
Brave. Choreographed by Elizabeth Streb. February 5-6, 2010 at Annenberg Center, 3680 Walnut St.
(215) 898.3900 or www.pennpresents.org/tickets.
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| Philadanco’s 40th anniversary |
November 24 2009 |
Philadanco’s 40th anniversary show made for a night of happy heinies– one of creation’s cutest assets. Three of the four works on the program featured swaying, vibrating and bumpin’ butts. Even the company’s 77-year-old matriarch, Joan Myers Brown, gave her shapely rear a shake.
Philadanco: Danny Ezralow, Pulse; Christopher l. Huggins, Bolero Too;
Jawole Willa Jo Zollar: The Walkin', Talkin', Signifying Blue Hips, Lowdown Throwdown (Batty Moves); George Faison, Suite Otis. November 12-15, 2009 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 387-8200 or www.philadanco.org.
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| ‘Fraulein Maria’ by Doug Elkins (1st review) |
November 14 2009 |
When is a parody better than the original? When it’s choreographer Doug Elkins spoofing The Sound of Music. His Fraulein Maria lets the movements of his gay, Asian and male Marias speak for itself.
Fraulein Maria. Choreography by Doug Elkins. Through November 14, 2009 at Zellerbach Theatre, Annenberg Center, 3680 Walnut St. (215) 898-3900 or www.pennpresents.org.
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| ‘Mortal Engine’ by Chunky Move at Live Arts Festival |
September 18 2009 |
Rarely have we seen such a full integration between body and technology as the Australian choreographer Gideon Obarzanek’s Mortal Engine achieved at the Wilma.
Mortal Engine. Performed by Chunky Move; choreography by Gideon Obarzanek. Live Arts Festival production through September 19, 2009 at Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St. (at Spruce). (215) 413-1318 or www.livearts-fringe.org/details.cfm?id=6845.
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| Gombrowicz’s ‘Operetta’ at Live Arts Festival (1st review) |
September 13 2009 |
The Polish émigré satirist Witold Gombrowicz never lived to see the gleeful mayhem of his Operetta onstage. This is a fresh production with some priceless performances, although American audiences may not know what to make of much of it.
Operetta. By Witold Gombrowicz; directed by Michal Zadara. Production by Teatre Muzyczny Capitol of Wroclaw/ Live Arts Festival, September 10-13, 2009 at Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St. (at Spruce). 215.413.1318 or www.livearts-fringe.org/details.cfm?id=6891.
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| A shipboard casino for Philadelphia |
August 25 2009 |
Is casino gambling in Philadelphia an either-or proposition? Not necessarily, if in the process a dazzling ocean liner can be rescued from the scrap heap. All it takes is a little imagination— and less money than the developers plan to spend on their ugly black-box facilities.
S.S. United States: Lady in Waiting. Documentary film will be screened on August 26, 2009 at 7 p.m. at the Independence Seaport Museum, 211 S. Columbus Blvd. Free admission. (215) 925-5439 or ssunitedstatesconservancy.org.
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| 90 years of Merce Cunningham |
August 02 2009 |
People I know who don’t quite respond to Merce Cunningham’s dance often complain that it looks too mechanical. Well, if it does, that’s what I always loved about it.
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| Pina Bausch: a personal memory |
July 04 2009 |
Pina Bausch, who died June 30, changed our perception of ballet, modern dance and theater. Wherever she went, she soaked up the essences of a community and then held what she absorbed back up to it like a mirror— as I discovered firsthand when she visited Arizona.
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| ‘Remembering Daniel Nagrin’ at Susan Hess Modern Dance |
June 01 2009 |
No other dancer commanded all the characteristics of the soloist Daniel Nagrin, who died last December at 91. But two of his protégés, Shane O’Hara and Donald Laney, gave an astonishing little concert in tribute to their incomparable mentor.
“Remembering Daniel Nagrin.” Shane O’Hara and Donald Laney. May 30, 2009 at Susan Hess Modern Dance Studio, 2030 Sansom St. www.hessdance.org. June 8, 2009 at St. Mark’s Church-in-the-Bowery, 131 E. Tenth St., New York. (212) 674-8112 or www.danspaceproject.org.
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| In search of great bread |
April 04 2009 |
Vie de France is gone from the local scene, leaving Philadelphians no French bread quite so sublime. Whole Foods’ version of a baton is primitive— a poor bread on any level. If anyone can give us an authentic French loaf, it ought to be the folks at Metropolitan, and I wonder why they don’t. But a few others come close.
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| Death of a restaurateur: René Blaschke, 1997 |
February 21 2009 |
Each year around this time my thoughts inevitably turn to René Blaschke, an early Philadelphia restaurant pioneer who was literally destroyed by a disastrous Valentine’s Day— and, to be sure, by his own mercurial personality. This year I found the antidote at Marc Vetri's Osteria.
Osteria. 640 N. Broad St. (215) 763-0920 or www.osteriaphilly.com.
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Brett S. Harrison is a free-lance writer and aspiring screenwriter who lives in University City. He also makes a mean mushroom cheese omelette and feeds two (sometimes three) adorable, feisty stray cats who are pretty much his outside pets.
My main goal is to become a working screenwriter, though that has yet to happen. So far the highlight of my screenwriting career occurred in 2006, when I reached the finals of Philly Pitch, an annual event sponsored by the Philadelphia Film Commission, at which aspiring screenwriters pitch their ideas to a panel of industry pros in front of a packed room. It was a lot of fun and did yield me a request to send my script to one of the panelists. Nothing came of it. But “Hope is the thing with feathers,” as the Belle of Amherst once wrote.
When I’m not tilting at windmills, I write a weekly film review column for the South Philadelphia Review. This June it will have been eight years. I also write a monthly movie review for www.phatguru.com, a fashion site for “hip” young New Yorkers. I am neither hip, from New York, nor particularly young. But work is work. My work has also appeared in such disparate publications as Skope Magazine, The Chestnut Hill Local, The Spirit News and others.
I am grateful to Dan Rottenberg for giving me yet another forum for my ideas. He is to be applauded. Not that he would hear you, since you’re at your computer. But you get my meaning.
More articles by Brett S. Harrison, newest first
| The ultimate rejection: Failing to make a minyan |
February 14 2012 |
The stranger explained that I was needed for a minyan— the ten-person minimum necessary to conduct a Jewish religious service. But when the assembled worshippers beheld my scruffy countenance, they decided I wasn’t necessary after all.
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| Majidi’s ‘Song of Sparrows’ |
August 02 2009 |
To a film buff who’s unfamiliar with Iranian neo-realist cinema, Majid Majidi's Song of Sparrows is a revelation: a film so believable that I thought I was watching a documentary.
Song of Sparrows. A film written and directed by Majid Majidi. Available on DVD. www.thesongofsparrowsmovie.com.
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| The trouble with ‘Saturday Night Live’ |
February 17 2009 |
Some observers contend that Tina Fey’s impression of Sarah Palin breathed new life into “Saturday Night Live.” Well, maybe for a few minutes. This show seems to have forgotten what political humor— or any humor, for that matter— is all about.
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Broad Street Review welcomes letters from readers, since dialogue is central to what we do. Our goal is to revive Benjamin Franklin’s old tradition of public letter-writing in digital form. This isn’t a blog: All letters are subject to editing by the editor, who functions as gatekeeper. But we have more space for and interest in letters than you’re likely to find in, say, the New Yorker or the New York Times. To submit a response to any article, click the response link at the bottom of the article, or simply click .
More articles by Our readers, newest first
| May Letters: Bissinger's generalization.... |
May 20 2012 |
Readers respond about Buzz Bissinger and sweeping generalizatons, Mamet's Boston Marriage, "Confessions of an ex-go-go dancer," Cabin In the Woods, historical injustices, a sculptor's complaint, The Ghost-Writer, Poe on ecstasy, ethnic slurs, cults, L'Elisir d'Amore, Simon Rattle, Bach and anti-Semitism, Footnote, Pulitzer Prizes, "Treasures from the Uffizi" and the unsung pianist Valentina Lisitsa.
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| April Letters: 'Van Gogh Up Close'... |
April 21 2012 |
Readers respond about 'Van Gogh Up Close,' Foss and Sylvster at L.G. Tripp Gallery, the new Barnes Museum, the percussion section, Shipwrecked, Trayvon Martin shooting, Dan Rottenberg's Titanic fantasy, "Death of a friend," William de Pasquale, ladies' restrooms, DanceBrazil, Cindy Sherman, West Side Story and Death of a Salesman.
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| March Letters: Zoe Strauss... |
April 06 2012 |
Readers respond about Zoe Strauss, Curse of the Starving Class, education and The Wild Bunch, Ellsworth Kelly at the new Barnes, Pelléas et Melisande, cave dwellers and interior design, the Jerusalem Quartet, 'Beyond Ordinary Still Life,' Schubert vs. Beethoven, Clybourne Park, Bob Levin's heart attack, Valentina Lisitsa, Rick Santorum, China's success story, conceptual art, Beethoven's Eroica, Pennsylvania Ballet's Messiah, rock 'n roll, Jeremy Lin, radioactive love, Take Shelter, campaign spending, 'The Clinton Years' and Samuel Hsu.
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| February Letters: Whitney Houston's addiction... |
February 29 2012 |
Readers respond about Whitney Houston's addiction, struggling artists, Götterdämmerung, Abduction From the Seraglio, music critics, heart attack survival, The Great Divorce, failing a minyan, adventures in poetry, Charlotte's Web, a disappointing Orchestra concert, Clybourne Park, the case against Mother Nature, Maralyn Polak's Valentine to her body, Dolce Suono's Lucy Shelton, the Inquirer for sale, The Scottsboro Boys, Henry O. Tanner and 'After Tanner,', 'Van Gogh Up Close,' Orchestra 2001, 'The Kid's First Challenge,' Damien Hirst, Gertrude Stein and the death of a restaurateur.
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| January Letters: Economic Genius.... |
January 31 2012 |
Readers respond about economic genius, Mahler's Sixth, why Stokowski left the Philadelphia Orchestra, Damien Hirst, dance competitions, Townie, when Jews ruled basketball, 'The kid's first challenge,' Steve Jobs's legacy, Body Awareness, Washington's Crossing, presidential candidates, 'At Last,' Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, a South Philly back yard, Christmas letters, a four-year-old's Nutcracker, Vaclav Havel's legacy, Kim Jong-il and WHYY.
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| December Letters: Lost passion for boxing.... |
January 10 2012 |
Readers respond about boxing, the Orchestra's "Sound of Christmas," Krapp's Last Tape, Christmas carols for nonbelievers, DownBeat at 75, Swan Lake, George Steinbrenner, worshipping Steve Jobs, New Yorker critic David Denby, suburbanites and the Philadelphia Orchestra, Margin Call and Picasso, Christopher Hitchens, Florida A & M's band hazing scandal, Joe Paterno's moment of truth, saving the Philadelphia Orchestra, choreographer talkbacks, a mother's death, Samuel Hsu's legacy, Scot Borofsky, Robert Zaller on Beethoven's 'Eroica,' feminist heroines, Maroons, Penn State's scandal, and medieval make-believe.
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| November Letters: 'The Book of Mormon'.... |
November 28 2011 |
Readers respond about The Book of Mormon, AVA's Tales of Hoffman, the Inquirer's new home, theater for grownups, America through a Spanish lens, LaSalle's unsung art museum, the Philadelphia Orchestra's crisis, Lesa Chittenden Lim, Joe Paterno and Penn State, Our Class, Yannick's Brahms Requiem, hiring local actors, Julian Rodescu, the "Madoff creep show," The Ides of March, healing and history, John Logan's Red, and Our Class.
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| October Letters: Who was Spinoza?.... |
October 23 2011 |
Readers respond about the real Spinoza, Two Hands, Time Inc. under Henry Luce, conductors, the Arden's August: Osage County, opera at Curtis, hiring local actors, aging theater audiences, Matisse and Barnes, Aspects of Love, Moneyball, "Look! on Lancaster Avenue," Trudy Pitts, two-state solutions, September surfing, Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World," Harry Bertoia at Rosemont, Frank Furness, Steve Poses and Telemann vs. Bach.
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| August Letters: Inquirer obituaries.... |
September 08 2011 |
Readers reply about the Inquirer's obituaries, the Marlboro mystique, Romantic composers, Bob Levin's heart procedure, the Civil War, Poet Laureate Philip Levine, the Philadelphia Orchestra on the brink, 15 minutes as Shakespeare, rape and Slutwalk, the blogging schoolteacher, Rick Santorum, survival on the fringe, Rembrandt and Jesus, messages women send, Hooters, Michelle Bachmann's migraines, the pianist Valentina Lisistsa, and Dan Rottenberg's apology about sex abuse.
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| July Letters: How orchestras succeed.... |
July 26 2011 |
Readers respond about how orchestras succeed, feminism across generations, the Women's World Cup, Diane Burko's photos, Margaret Barringer on messages women send, Jim Rutter on Raphael Xavier, Dan Rottenberg's apology about sex abuse; also about artificial amplification in theaters, Midnight in Paris, Spider-Man, The Pirates of Penzance, the romancing of cancer, and about composers Kile Smith and Andrew Rudin.
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| June Letters II: Black domestics on stage... |
June 30 2011 |
Readers respond about black domestics on stage, Gertrude Stein, Anthony Weiner's resignation, to Dan Rottenberg about sex abuse and female naiveté, to Robert Zaller about the Barnes Foundation's financial projections, to Bob Ingram about aging hippies, and about Neil Simon's Lost in Yonkers.
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| June Letters I: Critics vs. producers.... |
June 06 2011 |
Readers respond about BSR's theater critics symposium, violence against women, priestly sex abuse, the Philadelphia Orchestra's vanishing audience, Charles Dutoit's long goodbye, Mumia and In a Daughter's Eyes, Vigil at the Lantern Theater, Dance Affiliates' A.W.A.R.D. Show, and the Inquirer's review of Miss Saigon.
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| May letters: Symbols'...... |
May 24 2011 |
Readers respond about symbols, doing good through dance, Capucci's 'Art Into Fashion,' Kushner's Intelligent Homosexual's Guide, school budget cuts, the Museum of American Jewish History, Dublin By Lamplight, Saturn Returns, the Philadelphia Orchestra's bankruptcy, the Met's Die Walkure and WHYY.
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| April Letters: Patti Smith and the '60s.... |
April 23 2011 |
Readers respond about Patti Smith and the '60s, Lydia and Hispanic-Americans, Maira Kalman, Antioch College, Paris in Philadelphia, 'Hopper and His Times,' Laughter On the 23rd Floor, Milton Babbitt, Lyric Fest, Pastor Jones and the Koran, Theater of War, The Pride of Parnell Street, Alaina Mabaso's blog, Elizabeth Taylor, Let Me Down Easy, The Barnes endowment, The 39 Steps, Mark Garvey's Stylized, and conceptual art.
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| March Letters: 'Let Me Down Easy'.... |
March 29 2011 |
Readers respond about Let Me Down Easy, Japan's disasters, coal baron Ted Leisenring, Houdini, reviewing previews, John Haines, a man's guide to aging, Bob Levin's heart attack, Meyer Levin's Anne Frank obsession, Superior Donuts, Solzhenitsyn and the Chamber Orchestra, In the Next Room, The Empire Builders, optimism and the Middle East, The Lieutenant of Inishmore, Compulsion, and Pennsylvania Ballet's Swan Lake competition.
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| February Letters: 'Nixon in China'.... |
February 26 2011 |
Readers respond about Nixon in China, opera marriages, Jurowski and the Orchestra, Tina Brown, The King's Spech, the Chamber Orchestra, A Skull in Connemara, Menotti's Centenary, The Empire Builders, Martha Nussbaum, Milton Babbitt, Jews and slavery, Marian Locks, underground journalism, Louis Sullivan, Lapland, Vox Amadeus, when museums sell art, The Milk Train, Top Ten composers, Keith Richards's Life, the "season for ungiftng," the power of visual images, David Mamet's Race, The Glass Menagerie, SaraKay Smullens's "Open letter to Mayor Nutter," Dolce Suono, and growing up at the Palestra.
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| January Letters: 'Tiger' parenting... |
January 29 2011 |
Readers respond about 'Tiger' parenting, Ibsen and Wilde, Tucson's lessons, the Inquirer's memory, the Orchestra's Mozart Requiem, mass transit in Johannesburg, The Fighter, Blue Man Group, Valentina Litistsa, Black Swan, the Far East economy, Antonio Mancini, WikiLeaks and secrecy, Verizon Hall's conductor's circle, China's success story, The Nutcracker, True Grit, Valley Forge, Maralyn Polak and The Merchant of Venice.
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| November Letters: Brahms Festival... |
November 29 2010 |
Readers respond about the Astral Artists Brahms Festival, Yumi Kendall, outsider heroes, critics and criticism, the Wilma's Macbeth, InterAct's Silverhill, today's composers, Far East economics, the Pennsylvania Ballet's Carmen, Chekhov, why boxers risk death, the Met's Boris Godunov, Yannick's debut, Yo-Yo Ma, listening to music, apologies, "My Father's Clothes" and "Narcissus in the Studio."
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| October Letters: Blaming the critics.... |
October 31 2010 |
Readers respond about the Philadelphia Harp Festival, Yo-Yo Ma, blaming critics, Michael Vick, American anger, Justice On Trial, Week Between the Holidays, Cybill Shepherd and Otto Preminger, Verdi's Otello, Tempesta di Mare's Dresden concert, Lee Friedlander's "America By Car," and Ferd Grofe's Café Society.
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| September Letters: Lucinda Childs's 'Dance'.... |
September 28 2010 |
Readers respond about Lucinda Childs's Dance, Philadelphia women artists and the Sketch Club, Marat/ Sade, Mumia Abu-Jamal, Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Reverend Jones, Ghost-Writer, culture in Estonia, wearing a veil, the "Ground Zero mosque," Portmanteau, the U.S.S. Olympia, Dr. Laura, why piano students cry, and Jewish artists.
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| August Letters: Gay marriage.... |
August 28 2010 |
Readers respond about gay marriage, flight attendant Steven Slater, the U.S.S. Olympia, the Fifties, professional soccer, Renoir and the Barnes, black classical audiences, Wolves of Fairmount Park, coach John Wooden, minor league baseball, All About Eve, an antidote for cheating, Ralph Lauren's Thomas Jefferson makeover, Reading Woody Allen, Miles Davis, La Cage Aux Folles, Mum Puppettheatre, The Merchant of Venice, Edgard Varèse, medieval mania, Schubert vs. Beethoven, George Steinbrenner, and the Met's high-definition Carmen.
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| July Letters: Canada's Shaw Festival.... |
July 27 2010 |
Readers comment on Canada's Shaw Festival, the Pennsylvania Academy's revival, Shakespeare's anti-Semitism, the recent dance season, the Art Museum's "Late Renoir," Timothy Rub, integration in Wynnefield, fear of e-readers, and Elaine Mack's Black Classical Musicians.
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| June Letters: Pitying Palestinians... |
July 04 2010 |
Readers respond about not pitying Palestinians, Dutoit's Mahler, 'Late Renoir,' If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, UCLA coach John Wooden, Germantown's stained-glass miracle, painter Tracy Stuckey, choral singing, the William Barnes case, Philadelphia's 'Golden Age', Marian Locks, Love Jerry and the Barnes Foundation.
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| May Letters: Lena Horne....... |
May 28 2010 |
Readers respond to Dan Rottenberg on Lena Horne, corporate speech and Woody Allen, to Anne R. Fabbri on Marian Locks, to Robert Zaller on MOVE victims and Utagawa Kuniyoshi, to Anne Fabbri on the Joan of Arc statue, to Matthew Green on the Meadowlands, to Dan Rottenberg on La Traviata and Protestant justices, to Tom Purdom's "Fear of Kindle," to Patrick Hazard on Conversation and Frank Lloyd Wright, to Robert Zaller on the vanishing Philadelphia Orchestra, Robin Roberts and Condoleeza Rice, to Tom Purdom on the John Adams concert, to Jane Biberman on Red Grooms, Vincent Rinella on jazz concerts at the Art Museum, to Gerald Weales on a soccer team's fight song, to Janet Anderson on Café Society, Peter Burwasser on new music and to Rottenberg on Italian passion.
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| April Letters: Fighting a casino mogul... |
April 27 2010 |
Readers respond to Thom Nickels on fighting Steve Wynn, to Dan Rottenberg on free association, to Bob Levin on nicknames, to Andrew Mangravite on Soviet posters, Tom Purdom on "new music," Dan Rottenberg on artists, collectors and Albert Barnes, Maria Corley on jumpy musicians, Patrick Hazard on Frank Lloyd Wright, Thom Nickels and Merilyn Jackson about about priestly sex abuse. Also: Sick, When We Go Upon the Sea, Travels With My Aunt, The Book of Grace, Shining City, Michael Tilson Thomas, black Classical musicians, the life of a bugout, Andrew Wyeth's manipulations and George Tooker's retrospective at Pennsylvania Academy.
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| March Letters: Teen 'flash mobs'... |
April 03 2010 |
Readers discuss teen flash mobs, Molly Ivins, sex abuse and the Catholic Church, minimalist music, Man Ray, Romeo reconsidered, religion and existence, The Hurt Locker, "Barnes day" at the Inquirer, Mary Martello's Happily Ever After, Marcantonio Barone, Jane Austen's prose, dancers and critics, left and right in Chile, the Barnes Foundation's architects, 'A Governor's Romance,' the Philadelphia Orchestra's marketing, 'Picasso and the Paris Avant-Garde,' vanishing art postcards, Bruce Graham's Any Given Monday, Tan Dun's opera Tea, and Lynn Hoffman's poems, Jig For My Father and Poets Drunk.
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| February Letters: Dylan at the White House... |
February 23 2010 |
Readers respond about Dylan at the White House, Philagrafika, "Picasso and the avant-garde," Any Given Monday, McNally's Golden Age, the Orchestra's marketing, dance critics, Mary Daly, black classical composers, the Pew and The Art of the Steal, 'Ragas and Rajas,' Jane Austen on DVD, Carmen on screen, Obama vs. FDR, the decline of English majors, the Orchestra's quandary, J.D. Salinger, "The making of an activist," Toby Ziman's Peru getaway, and human services bureaucracies.
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| November Letters: Playing Helen Keller... |
December 15 2009 |
Readers respond about blind and deaf actors, the Pew Fellowships, the Eagles, Religion good or bad, Memphis, the home as art, Hunter Gatherers, who owns antiquity, Philadelphia Orchestra programming, Fugard's Coming Home, great-grandmother's portrait, aftermath of an auto accident, Arshile Gorky at the Art Museum, the old Phillies, "The Winning Basket," sport vs. theater, Liszt and Beethoven, Horowitz and Beethoven, Barnes relocation as a done deal, Michael Moore's Capitalism, the Gorky and Kandinsky shows, films of the '50s, and Telemann vs. Bach.
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| October Letters: Obama's Nobel Prize.... |
October 27 2009 |
Readers respond about Obama's Nobel Prize, the Barnes debate, Pina Bausch, the Barnes Foundation's design, buying art in Philadelphia, Humor Abuse, the fringe/Live Arts Festival, The Art of the Steal, Roald Dahl for adults, and Obama's basketball coolness.
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| September letters: Fringe of the Fringe... |
September 26 2009 |
Readers respond about security at the Fringe Festival, Jon and Kate Gosselin, Christopher Callahan and the Barnes legacy, George Crumb, bankers, Congressional insults, Headlong's more, Nuda Veritas, Bill Sommerfield as George Washington, Bob Ingram's grandfather, James Ensor at MoMA, concerts to watch in 2009-10, Jim Rutter's grammar, electronic publishing, The Gonzales Cantata, Roberto Bolaño’s 2666, rock 'n roll, art museum admission fees, 'Of death and the boxer,' and 'Waiting for café culture.'
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| August Letters: Muhammad cartoons.... |
August 29 2009 |
Readers respond to Matthew Jakubowski on Muhammad cartoons, Robert Zaller on Francis Bacon, Bob Levin on "Becoming a Writer," Dan Rottenberg's "Police racial scandal" and "What Sotomayor should have said," and to Matt Jakobowski on "The Mann experience."
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| July Letters: Romney's portraits.... |
July 28 2009 |
Readers respond about George Romney's portraits, Tom Hunter's war photographs, Pina Bausch, Philip Roth's Indignation, young composers vs. old, Michael Mann's films, the Barnes Foundation's Parkway quotes, a Bach myth, Anna Moffo, Taylor Hicks in Grease, ambient/space music, Michael Jackson, The Rape of Lucretia, Doubt, the Hidden Cities Arts Festival and Grey Gardens.
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| June Letters: Daniel Nagrin... |
June 20 2009 |
Readers respond to Merilyn Jackson on Daniel Nagrin, to A.J. Sabatini on Bruce Nauman, to Bob Levin on steak sandwiches, to Reed Stevens on peace and quiet, to Dan Coren on happy and cautious classical musicians, to Dan Rottenberg's review of Forbidden Broadway, to Tom Purdom on the Harp Music Festival, to Robert Zaller on The Seafarer, and to "Wallander" on PBS.
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| April Letters (3rd batch): 'American Buffalo'... |
April 28 2009 |
Readers debate Theatre Exile's American Buffalo, Philadelphia before cheese steaks, the pianist Sandro Russo, Dan Rottenberg's "Leadership, Papadakis-style," Lantern Theater's Hamlet, "March Madness," and Arden Theatre's A Year With Frog and Toad.
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| April Letters (2nd batch): Pavilion on the Parkway.... |
April 28 2009 |
Readers discuss a pavilion on the Parkway, finding good bread in Philadelphia, the "guilt-ridden" J. Robert Oppenheimer, Venice, "Saturday Night Live," today's young artists, Albee's At Home At the Zoo, Casinos and the Barnes, shooting Three Mile Island, BSR's first video interview, and "Where art meets science."
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| April Letters (1st batch): Arts in crisis... |
April 07 2009 |
Readers respond about "the Arts in Crisis," Wozzeck, the demise of newspapers and critics' reviews of theater readings.
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| March letters: Critics and playwrights...... |
March 24 2009 |
Readers respond about critics and playwrights, women artists, Jurowski and the Orchestra, Scorched, 33 Variations, Eugene O'Neill, a world without the Inquirer, Vita Nuova, dance coverage, Milk and gay reality, cultural diplomacy, a restaurateur's death, Public TV and the Crash of '08, "Cézanne and Beyond," Beethoven's trios, Honor and the River, Schubert trios, and the Vienna Philharmonic.
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| February letters: 'Saturday Night Live,' 'Sizwe Bansi'... ... |
February 21 2009 |
Readers reply to Brett Harrison on Saturday Night Live, to Jim Rutter on Sizwe Bansi, to critics of Blackbird, to Anne Fabbri on George Tooker, to Robert Zaller on the Cleveland Orchestra, to Steve Antinoff on Kelly Garfield, to Jim Rutter and Dan Rottenberg on critics, theatrical readings and Sizwe Bansi Is Dead, to Steve Cohen on opera in movie theaters, to Nathan Sivin on the Orchestra, to Tom Purdom on adventurous programming, to Robert Zaller on Eschenbach's return, to Beeri Moalem on Obama's inauguration.
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More articles by Nathan Sivin, newest first
| Orchestra’s biggest problem: Its board |
January 17 2009 |
Why is the Philadelphia Orchestra stuck in its rut? One spoiler has been obvious over 30 years: a board that cares more about its sovereignty than about what will make the Orchestra the best in its field.
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Alan Richman is the longtime food and wine critic for GQ magazine and a native Philadelphian. A collection of his columns, Fork It Over: The Intrepid Adventures of a Professional Eater, is now available in paperback (Harper Perennial, 2005). He is a Philadelphia native and formerly worked for the New York Times, Boston Globe, Montreal Star, Philadelphia Bulletin and People magazine. On two occasions, at the Daily Pennsylvanian and the Portland (Ind.) Commercial-Review, Dan Rottenberg was his boss. And now, with this submission to Broad Street Review, it happens again.
More articles by Alan Richman, newest first
Journalist Dan Rottenberg has been the chief editor of seven publications, most recently broadstreetreview.com, a cultural arts website he launched in January 2006 with the support of the University of the Arts. He is also the author of ten books, most recently Death of a Gunfighter, published in October 2008 by Westholme Publlshing.
His previous books include Finding Our Fathers, a guide to tracing Jewish ancestors (1977); Fight On, Pennsylvania, a college football history (1985); Wolf, Block, Schorr and Solis-Cohen, the history of a Philadelphia law firm (1988); Main Line Wasp, the memoirs of Philadelphia civic leader W. Thacher Longstreth (1990); Revolution on Wall Street, a chronicle of the securities industry (1993); Middletown Jews, an oral history of the Jews of Muncie, Indiana (1997); The Inheritor’s Handbook (1998); The Man Who Made Wall Street, a biography of Anthony Drexel (2001) and In the Kingdom of Coal, a narrative history of the U.S. coal industry as seen through the eyes of two families (Routledge, 2003).
From 2000 to 2004 he was editor of Family Business, an international quarterly magazine dealing with family-owned companies, where he remains senior editor. From 1996 to 1998 he was editor of the Philadelphia Forum, a weekly Philadelphia opinion paper which he founded in 1996. In 1993 he created Seven Arts, a monthly magazine based in Philadelphia. From 1981 to 1993 he edited the Welcomat, a unique Philadelphia-based weekly opinion forum, now known as Philadelphia Weekly.
He wrote an editorial-page column for the Philadelphia Inquirer from 1978 to 1997. He has written more than 300 articles for such magazines as Town & Country, Reader’s Digest, The New York Times Magazine, Forbes, Civilization, American Benefactor, TV Guide, Playboy, Rolling Stone, Chicago and many others. He served as a consultant in 1981 when Forbes launched its annual "Forbes 400" list of wealthiest Americans. His syndicated film commentaries appeared in monthly city magazines around the U.S. from 1971 to 1983.
Earlier in his career he was executive editor of Philadelphia Magazine, managing editor of Chicago Journalism Review, a Wall Street Journal reporter, and editor of the Commercial-Review, a daily newspaper in Portland, Indiana.
Dan Rottenberg is a native of New York City and a 1964 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife, a piano teacher. Their two grown daughters live and work in New York City.
For more information, visit Dan Rottenberg’s personal website at www.danrottenberg.com.
E-mail address:
More articles by Dan Rottenberg, newest first
| The angst of Buzz Bissinger |
May 15 2012 |
With his new introspective book, Father’s Day, Buzz Bissinger has entered the Janet Malcolm sweepstakes for sweeping generalizations. But why should he have all the fun?
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| How to deal with historical injustice |
May 08 2012 |
If someone takes credit that you deserve, how should you respond? With help from a few obscure historical heroes, let me offer some suggestions.
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| Of Jets, Sharks, Jews and ‘Niggers’ |
May 01 2012 |
The use of word “Niggers” in the original Show Boat was deemed so harsh that it had to be softened. Ditto now for “Jews” in Bach’s St. John Passion. Yet sometimes a slap in the face makes you sit up and pay attention.
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| The Pulitzer Prize, and other delusions |
April 24 2012 |
Authors and publishers are distraught because the Pulitzer board declined to bestow an award for “Best Fiction” in 2011. It’s bad for their business, surely. But how, exactly, does winning a prize improve anyone’s creativity?
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| Titanic: Death of a fantasy |
April 03 2012 |
Of all my ridiculous fantasies from the ‘50s, the most ludicrous was this: that the sunken hull of the Titanic still harbored a living passenger, and that some day I would meet him.
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| 'Curse of the Starving Class' at the Wilma (1st review) |
March 15 2012 |
Eastern urbanites may scratch their heads over the terminally dysfunctional rural family portrayed in Curse of the Starving Class. But Sam Shepard’s caricature offers a profound allegory of the unintended consequences of the opening of the American West, more than a century after there was no more West left to open.
Curse of the Starving Class. By Sam Shepard; Richard Hamburger directed. Through April 8, 2012 at Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St. (at Spruce). (215) 546-7824 or www.wilmatheater.org.
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| Edghill v. Philadelphia Magazine, revisited |
March 13 2012 |
When publisher Herb Lipson settled a libel suit for millions and issued a retraction in 1989, he thought he was ending a personal nightmare. But he seems to have been paying a price ever since— not legal or financial, but psychological.
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| The larger meaning of Jeremy Lin |
February 28 2012 |
Jeremy Lin emerged seemingly out of nowhere this past month to lead basketball’s lowly New York Knicks to eight victories in nine games. As with Joan of Arc, Lin reminded us of the limitless possibilities of human achievement, especially when a determined individual functions in the context of a team.
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| ‘Charlotte’s Web’ at the Arden (2nd review) |
February 14 2012 |
Children’s theater has become the tail that wags the dog for some astute theater companies, like the Arden. Worse things could happen.
Charlotte’s Web. By Joseph Robinette, from the book by E.B. White; Whit MacLaughlin directed. Through February 12, 2012 at Arden Theatre, Haas Stage, 40 N. Second St. (215) 922-1122 or www.ardentheatre.org.
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| The case against Mother Nature |
February 07 2012 |
Are we humans really worse stewards of our planet than Mother Nature herself, left to her own devices? And are clergy really better guides to a worthwhile life than economists?
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| Kander & Ebb’s ‘Scottsboro Boys’ by PTC (4th review) |
January 31 2012 |
What do the Scottsboro boys have in common with Sacco, Vanzetti, Alfred Dreyfus and Neil Ferber? All were innocent victims of the justice system— and none of them was nearly as interesting as the heroes and villains of their respective cases.
The Scottsboro Boys. Music and lyrics by John Kander and Fred Ebb; book by David Thompson; Susan Stroman’s original direction and choreography recreated by Jeff Whiting. Philadelphia Theatre Company production through February 19, 2012 at Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 S. Broad St. (at Lombard). (215) 985-0420 or www.philadelphiatheatrecompany.org.
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| Inside Janet Malcolm's mind |
January 24 2012 |
The veteran New Yorker staff writer Janet Malcolm and I have a great deal in common. Why, then, did I dismiss her recently as “incurably ditzy”? For my money, Malcolm’s oeuvre too often represents a triumph of style over substance, and of the clutter of overwhelming research over simple clarity.
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| The Inquirer (again) and Steve Jobs (again) |
January 17 2012 |
Institutional Alzheimer’s strikes again at the Inquirer. An academic Luddite strikes again at the New York Review of Books.
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| Annie Baker’s ‘Body Awareness’ at the Wilma (3rd review) |
January 15 2012 |
Body Awareness plunks us into a snowbound Vermont household whose inhabitants seem as trapped by their dysfunctional relationships as they are by the frost and darkness outside. Yet by disrupting each other’s cherished assumptions, each acts as a positive catalyst on the others. The potential implications for the planet are huge.
Body Awareness. By Annie Baker; Anne Kauffman directed. Through February 5, 2012 at the Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad Street. (215) 546-7824 or www.wilmatheater.org.
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| A four-year-old’s ‘Nutcracker’ (2nd comment) |
December 27 2011 |
Our granddaughter was not quite three when we introduced her to The Nutcracker. Last week we brought her back for a second helping. Anyone interested in early childhood development may well ask: What was different this time around?
Pennsylvania Ballet: The Nutcracker. Music by Peter I. Tchaikovsky; choreography by George Balanchine. Through December 31, 2011 at Academy of Music, Broad and Locust St. 215-551-7000 or www.paballet.org.
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| Steve Jobs vs. Robert Zaller |
December 27 2011 |
Has Robert Zaller’s rejection of iPods, iPads and iPhones made him a better writer or person? Let me answer the question this way: Here’s one contemporary thinker who brings new meaning to the term “engraved in stone.”
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| Christmas carols for nonbelievers |
December 20 2011 |
At Christmas my thoughts naturally turn to the less fortunate in our midst— specifically, those unfortunates who feel excluded from the festivities. How can we help these people get into the spirit of the season? Here‘s my modest solution.
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| The verdict on Joe Paterno |
December 06 2011 |
When the recently fired Penn State coach Joe Paterno meets his maker, how will he be judged? I say: The true test of character is not how you behave throughout a lifetime of everyday situations, but how you respond to a crisis. Some otherwise great men and women have flunked this test— and some otherwise obscure people have passed it.
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| Feminist heroines for all time |
November 29 2011 |
From Lady Macbeth to Lisbeth Salander, today’s heroines seem just as bloody and violent as men. This is a shame, because women qua women bring something unique to the table. Are there no better role models for female behavior? Let me suggest five— two real, three fictitious.
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| My Mormon problem, and yours |
November 22 2011 |
Why is The Book of Mormon sold out for the next two years? For the same reason, I suspect, that Americans have spent two centuries wondering whether Mormons are harmless children or a threat to democratic principles.
The Book of Mormon. Book, music and lyrics by Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone; directed by Parker and Casey Nicholaw. At Eugene O’Neill Theatre, 230 West 49 St. (between Broadway and Eighth Ave.), New York. www.bookofmormonbroadway.com.
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| Allison Vulgamore’s quandary |
November 01 2011 |
Allison Vulgamore, chief executive of the financially plagued Philadelphia Orchestra, has been likened to a thoroughbred horse that's been chained to a plow. Maybe so. But how many people can you think of who took a job that didn’t turn out to be exactly what they expected?
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| John Logan’s ‘Red’ at Suzanne Roberts (1st review) |
October 23 2011 |
What’s a brilliant Abstract Expressionist like Mark Rothko to do in an art world overrun by Philistines and pop culture? John Logan’s Red, for all its dramatic shortcomings, provides rich and ample food for thought about the role of the artist in society.
Red. By John Logan; Anders Cato directed. Philadelphia Theatre Co. production through November 13, 2011 at Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 S. Broad St. (at Lombard). (215) 985-0420 or www.Philadelphiatheatrecompany.org.
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| Another book award scandal |
October 18 2011 |
An author has been asked to withdraw from the shortlist for the National Book Awards, five days after she was mistakenly named a finalist by the National Book Foundation. Which leaves just one question: Why do people take awards so seriously?
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| The folly of a Middle East ‘two-state solution’ |
September 27 2011 |
Politicians, pundits and diplomats agree that a two-state solution is essential to peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians alike. Which leaves just one question: Can anyone recall a two-state solution that wasn’t an unmitigated disaster?
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| Standardized testing, reconsidered |
September 20 2011 |
Standardized tests may pressure schools and teachers to emphasize reading and writing, but what then?
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| Does sport build character? |
September 06 2011 |
Precisely what is it about sports that builds character? Take it from one who has been there and done that: It isn’t sports per se that build character. It’s defeat.
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| Imagine America without Texas |
August 29 2011 |
America without Texas? Are you serious? Can you imagine America without Ike Eisenhower, Van Cliburn, Dr. Denton Cooley or Tex-Mex cuisine?
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| A fate worse than death: The Inquirer’s obituaries |
August 23 2011 |
Death comes to everyone. But must everyone also be subjected to the cutesy irrelevance of an Inquirer obituary? This month, serious figures like Elkins Wetherill, Creed Black and Jerome Shestack became the latest victims of Philadelphia’s newspaper of record.
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| Was the Civil War necessary? |
August 16 2011 |
Was America’s bloody Civil War really necessary? Should John Brown, who forced the issue, be pardoned? Or did the South force the issue by firing the first shot on Fort Sumter? These three intriguing questions are actually interconnected.
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| The case of the blogging schoolteacher |
August 09 2011 |
Is Bucks County’s blogging schoolteacher providing valuable insight into an educator’s mind? Or is she violating the confidence of her youthful charges during their vulnerable formative years?
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| The world’s most useless job? |
July 26 2011 |
Who in his right mind would patronize a sexist, high-cholesterol, beer-swilling roadhouse like Hooters? Funny you should ask.
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| Women’s liberation, then and now |
July 19 2011 |
Call me an old reactionary if it suits your purposes. But it was my generation, beginning in the late 1960s, that did the real heavy lifting of the women’s liberation movement, against much stiffer odds than feminists face today.
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| Woody Allen’s ‘Midnight in Paris’ |
July 11 2011 |
What’s so romantic about Paris? Don’t look for answers in Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris. What Gertrude Stein said about Oakland also holds true for Woody Allen’s lost Paris of the 1920s: There’s no there there.
Midnight in Paris. A film written and directed by Woody Allen. For Philadelphia area showtimes, click here.
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| An editor’s mea culpa |
July 05 2011 |
Let me face up to what’s been keeping me awake nights these past weeks: My advice to women about how to deal with predatory males was ignorant, insensitive and hurtful, not to mention useless.
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| About my column on sex abuse |
June 28 2011 |
My recent column on female responses to male sexual abuse unleashed a firestorm of angry mail and demands for my dismissal and worse. Since my role at BSR is to provoke discussion and educate myself, you may well ask: What have I learned from this experience?
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| Male sex abuse and female naiveté |
June 06 2011 |
This is the controversial column on female responses to male sex abuse, for which I later apologized.
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| ‘In A Daughter’s Eyes,’ by InterAct (1st review) |
June 02 2011 |
What if Officer Daniel Faulkner’s widow and Mumia Abu-Jamal’s wife had to hang out together in a setting that required them to acknowledge their common humanity? That’s the intriguing premise of this new play, which unfortunately suffers from superficial execution.
In a Daughter’s Eyes. By A. Zell Williams; Rebecca Wright directed. InterAct Theatre production through June 19, 2011 at Adrienne mainstage, 2030 Sansom St. (215) 568-8077 or www.interacttheatre.org.
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| Producers vs. critics: Two questions |
May 31 2011 |
Two questions I didn’t have time to ask the theater producers at Broad Street Review’s symposium on theater critics really boil down to one: Why, ultimately, do you do what you do?
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| Ayckbourn’s ‘My Wonderful Day’ at the Wilma |
May 26 2011 |
In My Wonderful Day, Ayckbourn has pulled off a rare feat: an adult comedy about adult childishness, abetted by the superb Wilma Theater production. It’s the ideal tonic for an age that routinely confers responsibility on overgrown adolescents like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Dominique Strauss-Kahn.
My Wonderful Day. By Alan Ayckbourn; Richard Hamburger directed. Through June 19, 2011 at Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St. (at Spruce). (215) 546-7824 or www.wilmatheater.org.
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| The Orchestra’s vanishing audience |
May 24 2011 |
The Philadelphia Orchestra has lost 40% of its audience since Riccardo Muti departed. That statistic begs a fundamental question: What’s the point of balancing your books if you can’t sell your product?
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| Doing good through dance: My father’s story |
May 17 2011 |
Rebecca Davis and Ashley Fargnoli, two 20-something dance activists from Philadelphia, head for the world’s hot spots armed with choreography. My dad did something similar nearly half a century ago, when he quit the rat race to start a dance company, for his benefit and the world’s.
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| Symbols and the Orchestra: Three examples from the ‘90s |
May 10 2011 |
Before you dismiss the value of symbols, consider their use at three institutions: the Philadelphia Police Department, the Philadelphia School District and the Philadelphia Orchestra.
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| Gentiles and the new American Jewish History Museum |
May 03 2011 |
What is a museum of American Jewish history doing on Independence Mall, when there’s no museum there for Brits, Irish, Germans or African-Americans? There’s actually a good answer to that question.
National Museum of American Jewish History. 101 S. Independence Mall East (Fifth and Market Sts.). (215) 923-3811 or www.nmajh.org.
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| ‘Our Show of Shows’ by 1812 Productions |
April 28 2011 |
In comedy, who’s more essential— the writers, or the performers? Our Show of Shows leaves little doubt as to the answer.
Our Show of Shows. Created and directed by Jennifer Childs. Presented by 1812 Productions through May 15, 2011 at Plays and Plays Theatre, 1724 Delancey Pl. (215) 592-9560 or
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| The Orchestra’s bankruptcy and the Pew connection |
April 25 2011 |
What’s more dismaying— a Philadelphia Orchestra board that abdicates its responsibility to its creditors, or a major arts funder that shrinks from making artistic judgments?
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| ‘Strangled’ by government regulation |
March 28 2011 |
The Philadelphia entrepreneur Joan Carter, recently inducted as the first woman president of the Union League, is a remarkable business success story. But she insists that she and her husband are “choking” on government regulation. Where have I heard this complaint before?
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| Anna Deavere Smith’s ‘Let Me Down Easy’ (1st review) |
March 24 2011 |
The multi-talented actor/playwright/journalist Anna Deavere Smith understands how to find obscure dramatic subjects, how to listen to them, and how to perform their stories onstage. The result in this case is an extraordinary meditation on health care, equal parts emotion and intellect, notwithstanding some flaws in her method.
Let Me Down Easy. Written and performed by Anna Deavere Smith; Leonard Foglia directed. Philadelphia Theatre Co. production through April 10, 2011 at Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 S. Broad St. (at Lombard). (215) 985-0420 or philadelphiatheatrecompany.org.
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| The coal baron who wouldn't sell out |
March 22 2011 |
Most coal barons sell out after a generation or so and retire to Fifth Avenue or Palm Beach, where they’ll never have to think about coal again. Ted Leisenring, who died this month, refused to quit. Instead he spent half a century manning the front lines of a titanic human struggle to extract coal from the ground and deliver it to a relentlessly capricious and ungrateful market.
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| The theatergoer who reviewed a ‘preview’ |
March 14 2011 |
Marshall Ledger was a great editor for many years. But this month he pushed the envelope too far— forcing Philadelphia’s no-nonsense theater community to take prompt and decisive action.
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| Sarah Ruhl’s ‘In the Next Room’ at the Wilma (1st review) |
March 10 2011 |
Sarah Ruhl’s exploration of late Victorian sexuality is engaging and provocative on several fronts, and it benefits from a subtle and creative production by the Wilma. But Ruhl’s intellectual curiosity is undermined by an intellectual crime: judging a past culture by modern standards.
In the Next Room, or The Vibrator Play. By Sarah Ruhl; Blanka Zizka directed. Through April 3, 2011 at Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St. (at Spruce). (215) 546-7824 or www.wilmatheater.org.
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| Orchestra’s two flute concertos |
March 08 2011 |
With Charles Dutoit sidelined, the Orchestra’s principal flutist, Jeffrey Khaner, provided the necessary star power by performing premieres of two flute concertos, one of them nearly 400 years old.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Ravel, Pavane pour une infante défunte; Vivaldi, Flute Concerto in D Minor (“Il Gran Mogol”); Leshnoff, Flute Concerto; Richard Strauss, Ein Heldenleben. Jeffrey Khaner, flute; Robert Spano, conductor. March 4-8, 2011 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 993-1999 or www.philorch.org.
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| Meyer Levin’s Anne Frank obsession |
March 07 2011 |
Meyer Levin’s long struggle to stage his own idiosyncratic vision of The Diary of Anne Frank is often portrayed as a fanatical obsession. But to my mind the aggrieved party is not merely Levin but anyone who's curious to sample his take on the Holocaust heroine.
Compulsion. By Rinne Groff; Oskar Eustis directed. Through March 13, 2011 at The Public Theater, 425 Lafayette St. (at Astor Pl.), New York. (212) 967-7555 or www.publictheater.org.
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| Optimists of the world, unite! |
February 28 2011 |
At the very least, the events of the past month in the Middle East remind us of a lesson we too often forget: that the past need not dictate the future.
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| Tina Brown, pro and con |
February 22 2011 |
Tina Brown, who recently took charge of the moribund Newsweek magazine, has been acclaimed as one of the world’s most successful magazine editors. But that depends on how you define success.
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| David Mamet’s ‘Race’ by Philadelphia Theatre Company (1st review) |
January 27 2011 |
Americans are overwhelmed by misunderstandings between blacks and whites, not to mention men and women. To soothe this national trauma, we need the healing power of…. criminal defense lawyers?
Race. By David Mamet; Scott Zigler directed. Philadelphia Theatre Company production through February 20, 2011 at Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 S. Broad St. (at Lombard). (215) 985-0420 or www.philadelphiatheatrecompany.org.
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| The 'Inquirer' contemplates Rendell’s TV tantrum |
January 11 2011 |
What would old-timers who remember Mayor Dick Dilworth— both of us— make of the Inquirer’s coverage of Ed Rendell’s TV temper tantrum? And who at the Inquirer remembers the greatest moment in Philadelphia sports history?
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| ‘The Understudy’ at the Wilma (1st review) |
January 06 2011 |
This production about the frustrations of three actors is first-rate in every respect except the one that matters most: originality. Why do playwrights persist in confining themselves to their own narrow theatrical world?
The Understudy. By Theresa Rebeck; David Kennedy directed. Through January 30, 2011 at the Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St. (at Spruce). (215) 546-7824 or www.wilmatheater.org.
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| WikiLeaks, secrets and a distant memory |
December 28 2010 |
To Hilary Clinton, the recent WikiLeaks release of confidential diplomatic cables constituted “an attack on the international community.” But if, like me, you’ve ever practiced journalism or government in a small town, you’re likely to shrug and ask, “What else is new?”
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| Pennsylvania Ballet’s ‘Nutcracker’: Three generations |
December 26 2010 |
At what age should you introduce a child to The Nutcracker? And do you take her for her benefit, or yours?
Pennsylvania Ballet: The Nutcracker. Ballet by George Balanchine; music by Tchaikovsky; Roy Kaiser, artistic director. Through December 31, 2010 at Academy of Music, Broad and Locust Sts. (215) 551-7000 or www.paballet.org.
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| Penn Museum’s '40 Winks With the Sphinx' |
November 30 2010 |
Just when you thought museums had lost their mojo, marketing geniuses have come up with an inspired idea: a real-life “Night at the Museum.” For a six-year-old to have the run of a huge and famous museum for hours on end is a truly unique and memorable experience, even if you don’t get much sleep.
“Forty Winks With the Sphinx.” Select Friday nights through the year at University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, 3260 South St. Ages six to 12. (215) 898-4000 or www.penn.museum.
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| Criticism: Compliment or insult? |
November 16 2010 |
The free-lance drama critic Wendy Rosenfield recently took me to task for publicly excoriating one of my own contributors. She seems to see criticism as an insult. I see it as a compliment.
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| Yo-Yo Ma at the Kimmel (2nd review) |
October 18 2010 |
What force could nearly fill Verizon Hall to hear a cellist, even a great cellist, especially on a night when the Phillies were fighting for survival in the National League championship series?
Yo-Yo Ma, cello. With Kathryn Stott, piano. Works by Morricone, Gershwin, Mariano, Brahms, Fitkin and Rachmaninoff. October 17, 2010 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-1999 or www.kimmelcenter.org.
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| Directors vs. critics vs. the audience |
October 18 2010 |
The theater director Jesse Cline and his apparent antagonist, BSR contributor Jim Rutter, are two peas in a pod: Both work in communications but seemingly want to prevent other people from communicating.
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| Jen Childs in ‘Why I’m Scared of Dance’ |
October 14 2010 |
In this original and often charming one-woman autobiographical tour, the multi-talented comedienne Jen Childs reflects on her life as an aspiring dancer who’s a tad too short and clunky for the Kirov or A Chorus Line.
Why I’m Scared of Dance. Written and performed by Jen Childs; Harriet Power directed. Presented by 1812 productions through October 31, 2010 art Plays & Players, 1724 Delancey Pl. (215) 592-9560 or www.1812productions.org.
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| How anger made me a star |
October 12 2010 |
In my haste to condemn anger in a previous column, I neglected to examine the critical role that anger has played in advancing my own career. Come to think of it, I owe my most significant achievement to anger, and only to anger.
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| Opera Company’s ‘Otello’ (1st review) |
October 04 2010 |
If you see this very capable production of one of the greatest works in the operatic repertoire, I hope you will reflect, as I found myself doing at Sunday’s matinee of Otello, on the unsung heroine of this particular tragedy.
Otello. Opera by Giuseppe Verdi; libretto by Arrigo Boito, from Shakespeare; Robert Driver directed; Corrado Rovaris, conductor. Opera Company of Philadelphia production through October 15, 2010 at Academy of Music, Broad and Locust Sts. (215) 893-1018 or www.operaphila.org.
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| The anger trap |
September 28 2010 |
Robert Zaller says Americans have good reason to be angry. If I could just find my pitchfork….
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| The Druid case against the Ground Zero mosque |
September 06 2010 |
To me, as an observant Druid, all the arguments against the “Ground Zero mosque” have really hit home. How do you think my people feel whenever we must pass that humongous Catholic cathedral on Ben Franklin Parkway? And why now, when memories of the Spanish Inquisition are so raw?
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| Ethnic humor: Tips for Dr. Laura |
August 31 2010 |
As someone who has practiced journalism, comedy writing and speechwriting for a living, let me attempt to set Dr. Laura Schlessinger straight about the rules of rhetoric, which also happen to be the rules of common sense.
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| What hath Steven Slater wrought? |
August 24 2010 |
Are you as inspired as I am by the dramatic resignation of JetBlue flight attendant Steven Slater? Let’s consider how other frustrated service workers might follow his example.
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| The ‘right’ to gay marriage, reconsidered |
August 17 2010 |
When a California judge ruled that gay people have the right to get married, he made the right decision for the wrong reason. Marriage is no mere private contract; it’s a lifelong commitment that two spouses make not only to each other but also to their community. That's not a right; it's a heavy responsibility.
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| The trouble with ‘All About Eve’ |
August 10 2010 |
All About Eve won the 1950 Academy Award for Best Picture, and ever since it has been justly acclaimed for its incisive portrait of Broadway backstage backstabbing. But something about this classic always bothered me, specially when it’s contrasted to Budd Schulberg’s Hollywood novel, What Makes Sammy Run?
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| My words, echoed by Woody Allen |
July 31 2010 |
Once in a blue moon a critic finds his thoughts and words echoed by the very object of his criticism. This deliriously serendipitous experience recently happened to me. My object, of all people, was Woody Allen.
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| George Steinbrenner in peace and war |
July 26 2010 |
George Steinbrenner, the imperious and fiercely competitive boss of the New York Yankees who died on July 13, made a fetish of modeling himself after military figures. Unlike his heroes, he seems not to have understood the critical differences between sport and warfare.
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| On not pitying Palestinians: A reply |
June 15 2010 |
For the sake of argument, let’s suppose that all Palestinians are violent and self-destructive. Do they therefore forfeit any claim to our sympathy? For the answer, turn to Victor Hugo.
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| ‘If You Give a Mouse a Cookie’ at the Arden |
June 12 2010 |
Arden Theatre’s adaptation of Jody Davidson’s tale about a boy who attempts to appease an incorrigible mouse is a non-stop delight for all ages, laced with gags inspired by the Marx Brothers, Martin and Lewis and Good Dog Carl.
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. Adapted by Jody Davidson from the story by Laura Numeroff; directed by Whit MacLaughlin. Through Jun 27, 2010 at Arden Theatre’s Arcadia Stage, 40 N. Second St. (215) 922-1122 or www.ardentheatre.org.
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| Philadelphia writers, seen from the future |
June 01 2010 |
It was the dawn of a Golden Age: the Age of Fried and Bissinger, of Platt and Scottoline— yes, of Yoo and Santorum and countless other literary luminaries whose destinies converged on the bustling sidewalks of Nutter’s Philadelphia.
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| ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’ by PTC |
May 27 2010 |
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom uses a blues band’s 1927 recording session to illuminate the self-destructive black rage engendered by centuries of white oppression. This compelling revival by Philadelphia Theatre Company demonstrates that, like all works of art, August Wilson’s modern classic succeeds at several other levels as well.
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. By August Wilson; directed by Irene Lewis. Philadelphia Theatre Co. production through June 13, 2010 at Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 S. Broad St. (at Lombard). (215) 885-1400 or www.philadelphiatheatrecompany.org.
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| My neighbor, Lena Horne |
May 24 2010 |
Lena Horne was a beautiful and talented woman, justly embittered by the labels American society pasted on her. As her neighbor in New York in the ‘50s and ‘60s, I witnessed some of that bitterness firsthand.
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| LA Philharmonic visits Verizon Hall (1st review) |
May 21 2010 |
The LA Philharmonic’s sexy young music director, Gustavo Dudamel, invariably prompted comparisons with Philadelphia’s leaderless orchestra. But those comparisons weren’t all favorable.
Los Angeles Philharmonic: Adams, City Noir; Tchaikovsky, Sixth Symphony (“Pathétique”). Gustavo Dudamel, conductor. May 19, 2010 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (212) 790-5800 or www.kimmelcenter.org.
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| Free speech for corporations? Yes |
May 18 2010 |
Is free speech for corporations a threat to democracy? Most leading liberal voices presume that it is. As an editor who has spent much of his career fighting for free speech for everyone, I would argue the contrary: Free speech for corporations actually benefits democracy.
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| Opera Company's flapper 'Traviata' (1st review) |
May 10 2010 |
The Opera Company of Philadelphia’s latest production of La Traviata is set not in the repressed 1840s but in the Roaring 1920s. It’s a first-rate production with two ideally cast new faces. But the anachronistic setting undermines the opera’s timeless message about the individual’s place in society.
La Traviata. Opera by Giuseppe Verdi; Robert B. Driver directed; Corrado Rovaris, conductor. Opera Company of Philadelphia production through May 16, 2010 at Academy of Music, Broad and Locust St. (215) 732-8400 or www.operaphila.org.
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| 1812's ‘Evening Without Woody Allen’ |
May 06 2010 |
Woody Allen’s published stories from the 1970s can make you laugh out loud. So why shouldn’t acting them out before an audience produce the same effect? For several good reasons, actually.
An Evening Without Woody Allen. Stories and essays by Woody Allen, adapted and directed by Jennifer Childs. Presented by 1812 Productions through May 16, 2010 at Plays and Players, 1724 Delancey Pl. (215) 592-9560 or www.1812productions.org.
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| A Supreme Court without Protestants |
May 04 2010 |
When Justice John Paul Stevens retires this summer, he will leave the Supreme Court without any Protestant justice at all for the first time in history. Protestants are being dislodged from other sectors of society as well. Is God trying to tell us something?
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| Pianist Yuja Wang at Verizon Hall |
May 03 2010 |
Pianist Yuja Wang is an old soul in a young body, a native of 20th-Century China who at the age of 23 has somehow channeled the emotions of 19th-Century European masters.
Yuja Wang: Piano recital. April 29, 2010 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce St. (215) 893-1999 or www.kimmelcenter.org.
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| ‘Vincere’ and the pitfalls of passion |
April 27 2010 |
How could a society nurtured by Dante, Michelangelo, Verdi and Puccini fall in love with a tacky bully like Benito Mussolini? Marco Bellochio’s remarkable Vincere goes a long way toward supplying the answer.
Vincere. A film by Marco Bellocchio. In Italian with English subtitles. At the Ritz 5, 214 Walnut St. (215) 925-7900 or www.landmarktheatres.com.
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| The perils of free association |
April 20 2010 |
The Christian Legal Society, an evangelical student group, appears to have run into a problem that neither law nor religion can solve: Non-Christians keep joining it and passing non-Christian resolutions. If faith can’t solve this conundrum, surely human ingenuity can.
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| Collectors, artists and Albert Barnes |
April 13 2010 |
Set aside the legal issues surrounding the Barnes Foundation’s coming move. The more fascinating question isn’t legal but philosophical: Ultimately, whose vision should take precedence— the artist’s, or the collector’s?
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| The pointless search for Barnes villains |
April 06 2010 |
The Barnes Foundation’s move from Merion to the Parkway may be an artistic tragedy, but the relentless search for villains is a misguided distraction. If there’s any villain in this saga, it’s Albert Barnes himself, who imposed so many restrictions on his Barnes Foundation that no sane philanthropist would help rescue the place until his trust was broken.
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| ‘Red Hot Patriot’: Kathleen Turner as Molly Ivins (1st review) |
March 25 2010 |
The late spunky Texas journalist Molly Ivins makes an inspired and inspiring subject for a one-woman stage play. The problem with Red Hot Patriot lies in the two-dimensional nature of journalism, as opposed to drama or literature.
Red Hot Patriot: The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins. By Margaret Engel and Allison Engel; directed by David Esbjornson. Philadelphia Theatre Co. world premiere through April 25, 2010 at Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 S. Broad St. (at Lombard). (215) 985-0420 or www.philadelphiatheatrecompany.org.
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| Priestly sex abuse: Why Catholicism? |
March 15 2010 |
Given the onerous requirements of the priestly vocation, the remarkable thing about Roman Catholic priests is not that so many of them are sexual abusers, but that so many of them aren’t.
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| Mary Martello’s ‘Happily Ever After’ |
March 11 2010 |
The charming Mary Martello’s cute idea— what happens to fairy-tale heroines after they find their charming princes?— is undermined by a weak script that’s too often repetitive and obvious.
Happily Ever After. Written and performed by Mary Martello; Jennifer Childs directed. Produced by 1812 Productions through March 28, 2010 at Adrienne Theatre, 2030 Sansom St. (215) 592-9560 or www.1812productions.org.
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| ‘Annie’ without the Depression |
March 08 2010 |
Annie wasn’t much of a show to begin with. Now its original target audience is dying out. Does that mean its setting— the Great Depression of the ’30s— should be scrapped?
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| A Governor’s Romance (song) |
March 01 2010 |
When a governor is caught with his pants down, who will defend him? Where is the Bellini or Verdi who can do justice to such tragedy? BSR’s gonzo lyricist Dan Rottenberg rushes in where others fear to tread.
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| Graham’s ‘Any Given Monday’ by Theatre Exile (1st review) |
February 12 2010 |
Bruce Graham purports to create an edgy satire of modern mores, in which an idealistic teacher benefits from the murder of his romantic rival. But Graham is just too soft around the edges. Instead of pushing the envelope of comedy, he stays carefully within its existing borders.
Any Given Monday. By Bruce Graham; directed by Harriet Power (world premiere). Co-production of Theater Exile and Act II Playhouse through February 28, 2010 at Plays and Players, 1726 Delancey Pl. (215) 218-4022 or www.theatreexile.org.
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| J.D. Salinger and the cult of the recluse |
February 01 2010 |
Why are we so indulgent toward our society’s gifted hermits? If Salinger or Glenn Gould suddenly decides to stop doing what he’s doing, why do we let them off the hook? Didn’t these allegedly great minds ever read John Donne, or St. Luke?
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| McNally’s ‘Golden Age’ by PTC (1st review) |
January 29 2010 |
In the backstage bickering of singers and composer during the opening night of Bellini’s I Puritani, Terrence McNally has the raw materials for an intriguing drama. Unfortunately, McNally’s Golden Age consists of more than three interminable hours of operatic name-dropping and hackneyed expository dialogue.
Golden Age. By Terrence McNally; directed by Austin Pendleton. Philadelphia Theatre Co., production through February 14, 2010 at Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 S. Broad St. (at Lombard). (215) 985-0420 or www.philadelphiatheatrecompany.org.
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| Pianist Robert Levin with the Orchestra |
January 25 2010 |
Last weekend’s unexpected treat was the pianist Robert Levin, a Harvard humanities professor endowed with the mind of a composer as well as a very entertaining teacher, who took the Philadelphia Orchestra’s audience on an exuberant journey inside Mozart’s mind.
Philadelphia Orchestra: All Mozart Program. Incidental Music from Thamos, King of Egypt; Piano Concerto #18 in B-flat major, K. 456; Symphony No. 40 in G. minor, K. 550. Nicholas McGegan, conductor; Robert Levin, piano. (215) 893-1999 or www.philorch.org.
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| ‘Peter Pan’ at the Arden |
January 18 2010 |
Douglas Irvine has apparently heard the Peter Pan story so often that he sees no need to dramatize the contrast between Edwardian London and the mythical Neverland. And without that conflict, the story loses its point.
Peter Pan. Adapted by Douglas Irvine from the J.M. Barrie books; David O’Connor directed. Through January 31, 2010 at Arden Theatre, 40 N. Second St. (215) 922-1122 or www.ardentheatre.org.
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| ‘Becky Shaw’ at the Wilma (1st review) |
January 08 2010 |
This remarkably intelligent and moving play can’t easily be pigeonholed as either a wicked comedy or a devastating psychodrama. Gina Gionfriddo’s concern is the process by which human relationships change people for better or worse. Whether that makes you laugh or cry depends on your individual circumstances at a given moment.
Becky Shaw. By Gina Gionfriddo; directed by Anne Kauffman. Through February 7, 2010 at Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St. (at Spruce). (215) 546-7824 or www.wilmatheater.org.
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| China: Threatening, or threatened? |
January 05 2010 |
Americans may hate or fear China’s rising economic power. But most of us have bought into the notion that China’s leaders really know what they’re doing. China’s leaders themselves, I suspect, know otherwise.
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| Peggy Amsterdam: A '60s woman |
December 29 2009 |
Peggy Amsterdam galvanized Philadelphia’s organized arts community in the first decade of our century, as her obituaries duly noted. But where did this remarkable woman come from? That is the most interesting question of all.
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| Up (too) close to Eagles heroes |
December 14 2009 |
Our contributor Bob Ingram recently attacked the current corporatized Philadelphia Eagles management, expressing his preference for the flesh-and-blood blue-collar owners and coaches of yesteryear. But has Ingram actually met any of his heroes? I have, and therein lies a lesson.
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| ‘This Is the Week That Is’ by 1812 Productions (1st review) |
December 11 2009 |
Why does a sophisticated comedy troupe like 1812 Productions persist in sophomoric political satire like This Is the Week That Is?
This Is the Week That Is: The New Administration. Conceived and directed by Jennifer Childs; head writer Don Montrey. Presented through January 3, 2010 by 1812 Productions at Plays and Players Theatre, 1724 Delancey Pl. (215) 592-9560 or www.1812productions.org.
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| ‘Harold and the Purple Crayon’ at the Prince |
December 07 2009 |
Crockett Johnson’s 50-year-old paean to the childish imagination is well served here. Every kid’s attention was focused raptly on the stage, thanks to a remarkable non-stop combination of music, dance, animation and puppetry.
The Adventures of Harold and the Purple Crayon. Music by Charles Gilbert; directed and choreographed by Leslie Reidel; adapted by Jennifer Blatchley Smith, Landis Smith and Reidel from the books by Crockett Johnson. Enchantment Theatre Co. production through January 3, 2009 at Prince Music Theater, 1412 Chestnut St. (215) 881-9899 or www.enchantmenttheatre.org/shows/harold.html.
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| ‘Light in the Piazza’ by PTC (2nd review) |
November 22 2009 |
This first-rate adaptation of Elizabeth Spencer’s novella combines elements that are more original, sensitive, personal, even courageous than we’re accustomed to find in musical theater. But The Light in the Piazza suffers from two serious flaws.
The Light in the Piazza. Book by Craig Lucas; music and lyrics by Adam Guettel; directed by Joe Calarco. Philadelphia Theatre Co. production through December 13, 2009 at Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 S. Broad St. (at Lombard). (215) 985-0420 or www.philadelphiatheatrecompany.org.
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| ‘Oliver’ at the Walnut |
November 19 2009 |
What is it that attracts Broadway musicals to urban poverty? Great performances can cover a multitude of sins. But with merely competent performances, like those in this production of Oliver, you begin to notice cracks in the show’s underlying structure.
Oliver. Book, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart; directed by Mark Clements. Through January 10, 2010 at Walnut Street Theatre, 825 Walnut St. (212) 574-3550 or www.walnutstreettheatre.org.
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| Religion: Good or evil? |
November 16 2009 |
Is religion a force for good or evil in the world? Maybe that’s the wrong question. In a constantly evolving world, yesterday's force for good often becomes today's obstacle to progress.
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| Fugard’s ‘Coming Home’ at the Wilma |
November 06 2009 |
As her dreams collapse around her, a high-spirited South African woman discovers an unexpected silver lining. In this riveting and lyrical production, the Wilma Theater continues its long-standing role as an incubator for Athol Fugard’s continuing growth in the post-apartheid era.
Coming Home. By Athol Fugard; directed by Blanka Zizka. Through November 15, 2009 at Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St. (at Spruce). (15) 546-7824 or www.wilmatheater.org.
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| Sport and theater: Vive la difference |
November 03 2009 |
Jim Rutter suggests that theater companies could boost their audiences as well as their relevance by integrating sport and drama. As Samuel Goldwyn famously put it, include me out.
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| InterAct’s ‘Chad Deity’ |
October 29 2009 |
Like the best professional wrestlers, the six male actors in Chad Deity are engaging fellows who understand how to beat each other up and make it look it real. But once that novelty wears off off, Chad Deity reverts to that old InterAct standby: didactic preaching to the audience.
The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity. By Kristoffer Diaz; directed by Seth Rozin. InterAct Theatre Co. production through November 22, 2009 at Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre, 2111 Sansom St. (215) 568-8079 or www.interacttheatre.org.
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| Obama’s Nobel |
October 19 2009 |
Did Obama deserve his Nobel Prize? The more germane question, it seems to me, is: Why do we place such value on prizes, which after all are only popularity contests? Especially when something genuinely revolutionary is taking place in supposedly “decadent” Europe.
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| Modern dance: The agony and the agony |
October 08 2009 |
Miscellaneous ruminations about the angst of modern dancers, the coyness of Inquirer film critic Carrie Rickey, and the convolutions of architecture critic Ada Louise Huxtable.
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| ‘First Day of School’ by 1812 Productions |
October 08 2009 |
What do parents do when they’ve packed the kids off to school? They fool around, yes, but Billy Aronson’s sophisticated sex farce never loses its grasp on reality, and a first-rate cast of comic actors expertly builds a sense of cumulative ridiculousness.
The First Day of School. By Billy Aronson; Pete Pryor directed. Produced by 1812 Productions through October 25, 2009 at Plays and Players, 1724 Delancey Pl. (215) 592-9560 or www.1812productions.org.
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| Beckett’s ‘Happy Days’ by Lantern Theater (1st review) |
October 02 2009 |
In Lantern’s production of Beckett’s Happy Days, the remarkable Mary Elizabeth Scallen somehow manages to demonstrate simultaneously both the importance and the irrelevance of words. But what words!
Happy Days. By Samuel Beckett; directed by David O’Connor. Lantern Theater Co. production through October 18, 2009 at St. Stephen’s Theatre, 923 Ludlow St. (215) 829-0395 or www.lanterntheater.org.
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| Pisoni’s ‘Humor Abuse’ at PTC (1st review) |
October 01 2009 |
To win the love of his clown father— as well as the audience— Lorenzo Pisoni drives his body through every pratfall in the standard clowning handbook. The result is exhausting.
Humor Abuse. Created by Lorenzo Pisoni; directed by Erica Schmidt. Philadelphia Theatre Company production through October 25, 2009 at Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 S. Broad St. (at Lombard). (215) 985-0420 or www.philadelphiatheatrecompany.org.
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| ‘Dirty Rotten Scoundrels’ at the Walnut (1st review) |
September 18 2009 |
This musical comedy about a pair of con men on the Riviera is plagued by a fatal flaw that no amount of sprightly performances, witty lyrics, energetic music and lavish sets can camouflage: Its characters lack character. There is simply no one to root for or empathize with here.
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. Book by Jeffrey Lane; music and lyrics by David Yazbek; directed and choreographed by Richard Stafford. Through October 25, 2009 at Walnut Street Theatre. 825 Walnut St. (215) 574-3550 or www.walnutstreettheatre.org.
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| Bill Sommerfield: Washington’s alter ego |
September 15 2009 |
The impresarios Bill and Pam Sommerfield developed a new theatrical niche: Their performers weren’t merely historical actors; they were self-taught scholars who researched their characters so thoroughly that they became those characters. In the process they inspired future generations of Americans to pay more attention to the past, if only for the sheer fun of it.
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| ‘Napoléon’ at the National Constitution Center |
August 13 2009 |
Was Napoleón a great figure of history, a power-hungry tyrant, or just a model of pointless hyperactivity? The National Constitution Center facilitates the debate with some 300 artifacts, skillfully woven together to trace the rise and fall of an enigmatic figure whose contradictory qualities continue to both inspire and repulse us.
“Napoléon.” Through September 7, 2009 at National Constitution Center, 525 Arch St. (215) 409-6600 or www.constitutioncenter.org/Napoleon.
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| Yet another police racial scandal |
August 09 2009 |
If an esteemed black Harvard professor like Henry Louis Gates Jr. can be arrested for breaking into his own home, is any black American safe from police abuse? Apparently not, as a newly uncovered racial outrage in Washington, D.C., amply demonstrates.
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| What Sotomayor should have said |
July 25 2009 |
The New York Times and many liberals wish Sonia Sotomayor had spoken out more forcefully at the Senate hearings on her nomination to the Supreme Court. But how does a nominee speak out forthrightly without jeopardizing her nomination? Perhaps I can offer some guidance.
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| When writers collide |
July 14 2009 |
If my purpose in editing BSR is to educate myself, why am I turning for my musical education to a 20-something whippersnapper like Beeri Moalem when I could surround myself exclusively with elder sages who possess multiple degrees and years of life experience to boot?
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| PTC’s ‘Grey Gardens’ (1st review) |
May 28 2009 |
In a decaying 28-room Easthampton mansion, surrounded by ghosts of their glittering past, a reclusive 80-year-old woman and her equally withdrawn 56-year-old daughter pass their days in bitter mutual recriminations. Everything about this production of Grey Gardens is first-rate, except for the one thing that really matters.
Grey Gardens. Book by Doug Wright; music by Scott Frankel; lyrics by Michael Korie; directed By Lisa Peterson. Philadelphia Theatre Co. production through June 28, 2009 at Suzanne Roberts Theatre, Broad and Lombard Sts. (215) 985-0420 or philadelphiatheatrecompany.org.
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| ‘The Producers’ at the Walnut |
May 22 2009 |
In The Producers, Mel Brooks does to Nazi Germany what the Marx brothers did to Il Trovatore in A Night at the Opera. But Brooks violates the conventional rules of comedy with such glee that you can’t help laughing in spite of yourself. The opening number of the Walnut’s lavish current production is worth the price of admission alone.
The Producers. Music and lyrics by Mel Brooks; book by Brooks and Thomas Meehan; directed and choreographed by Marc Robin. Through July 19, 2009 at Walnut Street Theatre, 825 Walnut St. (215) 574-3550 or www.walnutstreettheatre.org.
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| The 'Inquirer' and John Yoo |
May 19 2009 |
The Inquirer says it needed to add a right-wing columnist “to counter criticism that our editorials and columns always lean left.” Benito Mussolini wasn't available. So whom else to hire but John Yoo, author of the Bush administration’s torture memos?
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| ‘Forbidden Broadway’ at the Walnut’s Studio 3 |
May 19 2009 |
Forbidden Broadway’s Greatest Hits is a musical revue that abounds in faux-witty critiques of Broadway hit shows. The critiques hit their targets often; they’re just not very funny or entertaining. And the targets are so easy to hit.
Forbidden Broadway’s Greatest Hits. By Gerard Alessandrini; directed by Bruce Lumpkin. Through June 28, 2009 at Walnut Street Theatre’s Independence Studio on 3, 825 Walnut St. (215) 574-3550 or www.walnutstreettheatre.org.
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| Campaign slogans for Arlen Specter |
May 09 2009 |
In the evening of his life, Arlen Specter has boldly cut himself adrift from his moorings. Is this not a parable worthy of Hemingway or Shakespeare? Who will provide Specter with the rhetorical ballast he’ll surely need when he seeks re-election next year? I volunteer.
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| Further thoughts on ‘American Buffalo’ |
April 21 2009 |
Some critics contend that David Mamet's American Buffalo is above all a play about friendship and community. But what sort of community, exactly, are we talking about?
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| InterAct’s ‘Jihad Jones’ |
April 16 2009 |
A serious Arab actor gets a shot at fame and fortune; all he must do is perpetuate the worst possible Muslim terrorist stereotype. Yussef El Guindi has a fine idea for a 15-minute comedy skit, but its humor soon wears thin, especially given the play’s flimsy underlying premise.
Jihad Jones and the Kalashnikov Babes. By Yussef El Guindi; directed by Seth Rozin. InterAct Theatre production through May 10, 2009 at The Adrienne, 2030 Sansom St. (215) 568-8079 or www.interacttheatre.org.
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| Theatre Exile’s ‘American Buffalo’ (2nd review) |
April 15 2009 |
David Mamet is a master at capturing the euphemisms and rhetorical devices through which men rationalize and evade the cruelty of their words and deeds. But other writers handle this subject matter even better.
American Buffalo. By David Mamet; directed by Matt Pfeiffer. Theater Exile production through May 3, 2009 at Plays & Players, 1714 Delancey St. (215) 218-4022 or www.theatreexile.org.
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| Leadership, Papadakis-style |
April 13 2009 |
Drexel University’s late president Constantine Papadakis was walking evidence that a single determined individual can still make a big difference— as I discovered during my very first meeting with him.
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| Arden’s ‘A Year With Frog and Toad’ |
April 13 2009 |
After more than ten years’ absence from the Arden, it took a children’s show to get me there at last and make a believer out of me. What impressed me above all about A Year With Frog and Toad was the enthusiastic attention that the Arden crew paid to even the tiniest detail.
A Year With Frog and Toad. Book and lyrics by Willie Reale; music by Robert Reale; directed by Whit MacLaughlin. Through April 19, 2009 at Arden Children’s Theatre, 40 N. Second St. (between Market and Arch). (215) 922-1122 or www.ardentheatre.org.
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| PTC’s ‘At Home At the Zoo’ |
March 27 2009 |
Fifty years ago Edward Albee’s The Zoo Story exposed the fragility of the defenses that so-called “civilized” postwar Americans thought they had constructed. In At Home at the Zoo, Albee offers a prequel that shines some new light on his characters but also raises more questions than it answers. In effect, Albee is guilty of superimposing a 21st-Century sensibility on a ’50s character.
At Home at the Zoo (Home Life and Zoo Story). By Edward Albee; directed by Mary B. Robinson. Philadelphia Theatre Co. production through April 19, 2009 at Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 S. Broad St. (at Lombard). (215) 985-0420 or www.philadelphiatheatrecompany.org.
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| Itamar Moses on Dan Rottenberg's smokescreens |
March 24 2009 |
In the latest round of BSR’s Hundred Years’ War between playwrights and critics, editor Dan Rottenberg engages in an e-mail colloquy with playwright Itamar Moses, who charges him with hiding behind rhetorical smokescreens.
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| ‘Born Yesterday’ at the Walnut |
March 23 2009 |
Billie Dawn, the heroine of Garson Kanin’s 1946 comedy Born Yesterday, is a “smart stupid person” whose faults are easily remedied by education. Today we face a tougher problem: “stupid smart people” who turn their millions over to avuncular swindlers like Bernie Madoff. Oh, for the good old days of transparent villains.
Born Yesterday. By Garson Kanin; directed by Mark Clements. Through April 26, 2009 at Walnut Street Theatre, 825 Walnut St. (215) 574-3550 or walnutstreettheatre.org.
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| When a communicator blames his audience |
March 14 2009 |
Not many playwrights have the guts to declare, as Itamar Moses recently did, that critics are “fragile and infantile.” Unfortunately, in the process Moses also violated one of the first laws of professional communicators: “Never blame your audience.”
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| A colloquy: Playwrights and their critics |
March 07 2009 |
In an exchange of e-mails, director/designer David O’Connor chastises Dan Rottenberg for heavy-handed editing and for his critics’ “unprofessional and inappropriate” behavior. Dan Rottenberg responds: Why should theater people monopolize the right to free expression and the right to be different?
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| ‘Scorched’ at the Wilma |
March 05 2009 |
In its best moments, Wajdi Mouawad’s often-brilliant meditation on the seemingly endless cycle of ethnic and civil warfare is a prime example of the Wilma Theater doing what the Wilma Theater does best. But Scorched is a work that appeals to the intellect rather than the emotions.
Scorched. By Wajdi Mouawad; translated from the French by Linda Gaboriau; directed by Blanka Zizka. Through March 29, 2009 at Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St. (215) 546-7824 or www.wilmatheater.org.
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| ‘Honor and the River’ at Walnut Studio 3 |
March 01 2009 |
There is still something to be said for a play about a teenager who’s strong enough to acknowledge his weaknesses and doesn’t give a fig about peer pressure. But Honor and the River takes much too long to develop, and its dramatic turning points struck me as contrived or silly.
Honor and the River. By Anton Dudley; directed by Tom Reing. Through March 15, 2009 at Walnut Street Theatre Independence Studio 3, 825 Walnut St., 3rd floor. (215) 574-3550 or www.walnutstreettheatre.org.
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| ‘Blackbird’ by Theatre Exile (1st review) |
February 13 2009 |
We’ve barely scratched the surface of sexual exploitation of the young by their elders. All the more reason, then, to be grateful for the remarkable intelligence and sensitivity of David Harrower’s intense and unsettling Blackbird, which examines the aftermath of such an affair with superb performances by Pearce Bunting and Julianna Zinkel.
Blackbird. By David Harrower; directed by Joe Canuso. Theatre Exile production through March 1, 2009 at Plays & Players, 1724 Delancey St. (215) 218-4022 or www.theatreexile.org.
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| Lantern Theater’s ‘Sizwe Bansi is Dead’ (1st review) |
February 05 2009 |
The stories of two black men in apartheid South Africa, circa 1974, make for theater at its best, albeit in fragments. It’s sort of like watching the first act of two different plays— very good plays, to be sure.
Sizwe Bansi is Dead. By Athol Fugard, John Kani and Wintson Ntshona; directed by Peter DeLaurier. Lantern Theater Co. production through March 1, 2009 at St. Stephen’s Theater, Tenth and Ludlow Sts. (215) 829-0395 or www.lanterntheater.org.
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| PTC’s ‘Resurrection’ (1st review) |
January 30 2009 |
Daniel Beaty’s Resurrection rests on an original device: It seeks to examine the black male psyche through the stories of six individuals spaced at ten-year-intervals, from age 60 down to age ten. Unfortunately, all this talent and insight is wasted on a script that lacks any dramatic arc; it’s not so much a play as a succession of monologues.
Resurrection. By Daniel Beaty; directed by Oz Scott. Philadelphia Theatre Co. production through February 22, 2009 at Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 S. Broad St. (at Lombard). (215) 985-0420 or www.philadelphiatheatrecompany.org.
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| ‘The Rant’ at InterAct Theatre (1st review) |
January 29 2009 |
The Rant is a first-rate production of an engrossing urban drama that never flags for 90 minutes. Unfortunately, it falls short of its purported goal: to offer a sophisticated portrayal of how the truth-and-justice system works in big cities.
The Rant. By Andrew Case; directed by Seth Rozin. Interact Theatre Co. production through February 22, 2009 at Adrienne Theatre, 2030 Sansom St. (21) 568-8079 or www.interacttheatre.org.
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| ‘O Captain, My Captain,’ at Walnut Studio 3 |
January 23 2009 |
Walt Whitman made a shrewd career move when he hitched his poetic wagon to Abraham Lincoln’s star. In O Captain, My Captain, Bill Van Horn hitches his wagon to both Lincoln and Whitman. It’s a gimmick, but we’re the better for it.
O Captain, My Captain: Whitman’s Lincoln. Written and performed by Bill Van Horn; directed by Bruce Lumpkin. Through February 8, 2009 at Walnut Street Theatre Independence Studio on 3, 825 Walnut St. (215) 574-3555 or www.walnutstreettheatre.org.
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| Walnut’s ‘Streetcar Named Desire’ (1st review) |
January 23 2009 |
Blanche DuBois and Stanley Kowalski have been going at it for more than 60 years now— and for good reason, as the Walnut’s riveting revival of A Streetcar Named Desire reminded me: Given the human capacity for self-delusion, few of us are likely to recognize ourselves in Blanche and Stanley— but we’ll surely recognize others we know.
A Streetcar Named Desire. By Tennessee Williams; directed by Malcolm Black. Through March 1, 2009 at Walnut Street Theatre, 825 Walnut St. (215) 574-3555 or www.walnutstreettheatre.org.
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| Are theatrical readings necessary? |
January 20 2009 |
Behind BSR’s recent controversy over critics who review theater readings lurks a more fundamental question: Why do theater companies hold readings and previews of unfinished works in the first place? And why haven’t other artists— like, say, Beethoven and Picasso— followed suit?
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| Free speech vs. creativity at the Wilma |
January 13 2009 |
At the request of the Wilma Theater, Broad Street Review withdrew Jim Rutter’s commentary about the reading of a work-in-progress. Did we do the right thing? Does a theater’s need to control its creative product trump an audience’s right to free expression? The full three-way correspondence file, reprinted here, may shed some light on these issues.
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| Philadelphia Orchestra: The old vs. the new |
January 13 2009 |
Was the old Ormandy Orchestra of blessed memory superior to today’s? The question is really irrelevant. I’ve found sublime experiences in both. Consider, for example, the contrast between William de Pasquale (old) and Yumi Kendall (new).
Philadelphia Orchestra: Beethoven, Violin Concerto in D Major; Brahms, Symphony No. 4 in E Major; Webern, Im Sommerwind. Donald Runnicles, conductor; Christian Tetzlaff, violin. January 8-11, 2009 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center. (215) 893-1900 or www.philorch.org.
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| Blinking at Malcolm Gladwell’s tipping point |
January 03 2009 |
What do Jesus, Lenin, Osama bin Laden and Martin Van Buren have in common? All somehow escaped the notice of the facile pop sociologist Malcolm Gladwell.
Outliers: The Story of Success. By Malcolm Gladwell. Little, Brown & Co. 320 pages, $27.00. www.amazon.com.
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| Momentous local events since 1908 |
December 30 2008 |
Philadelphia Magazine celebrated its 100th birthday in December by picking the region’s 100 most momentous events since 1908. Who could argue with the magazine’s #1 choice: the invention of the cheese steak sandwich in 1930 (three places ahead of Penn’s invention of the computer in 1946)? But grouches may quibble with some other selections. Browse the magazine’s full list and then consult my list of crucial moments Philadelphia overlooked.
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| Chris Satullo at WHYY: Solution or problem? |
December 23 2008 |
After 11 years at the helm of WHYY, Bill Marrazzo has finally hired someone to oversee the public broadcaster’s radio, TV and Internet news operations. Now for the bad news: The new position will be filled by the Inquirer’s former editorial page editor and columnist, Chris Satullo. What do Marrazzo and Satullo have in common? Both men think like social workers instead of broadcasters.
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| Postmodern art, postmodern finance? |
December 14 2008 |
The New Yorker’s John Lanchester recently equated financial derivatives with postmodern art and literature. In today’s financial markets, Lanchester argued, “value” is as difficult to understand as “meaning” in literary deconstruction. It’s an intriguing analogy, but also a very shallow one.
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| Bill Marrazzo’s WHYY pay package |
November 18 2008 |
Bill Marrazzo’s compensation as president of WHYY has been assailed by the Inquirer and Philadelphia Magazine alike. They say he makes more than anyone in public broadcasting while delivering much less. These quantitative comparisons, while valid, strike me as beside the point. It’s not Marrazzo’s compensation per se that alarms me, but his board’s fuzzy rhetorical contortions (as well as Marrazzo’s) in response to the furor.
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| Obama limericks |
November 11 2008 |
Can a humorist spoof a black president's race without sounding racist? Let me take a crack at it.
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| McNally’s ‘Unusual Acts of Devotion’ (2nd review) |
November 04 2008 |
Did Terrence McNally deliberately set out to write a play about shallow people? Or did he just write a shallow play? Either way, Unusual Acts of Devotion provides ample food for thought, even for someone like me who found it annoying as hell to sit through.
Unusual Acts of Devotion. By Terrence McNally; directed by Leonard Foglia. Philadelphia Theatre Co. production through November 23, 2008 at Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 S. Broad St. (at Lombard). 215-985-0420 or www.philadelphiatheatrecompany.org.
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| Derivatives and the World Series |
October 28 2008 |
What do Wall Street and the World Series have in common? Both require widespread suspension of disbelief in order to function effectively. And both collapsed this fall, raising several awkward questions, such as: Did the two teams playing in this year’s World Series really deserve to be there?
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| 'This is the Week That is' by 1812 |
October 19 2008 |
This is the Week That Is hits its political targets often, but they’re such easy targets. Or do you still get your jollies from jokes about McCain’s age, Obama’s slickness or Palin’s vapidity?
This Is the Week That Is. Conceived and directed by Jennifer Childs. Presented by 1812 Productions through November 2, 2008 at Plays and Players Theatre, 1724 Delancey Pl. (215) 592-9560 or www.1812productions.org.
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| Obama and the first debate |
September 28 2008 |
McCain may have flunked a big test at the first debate, but Obama didn’t pass with flying colors either. The debate offered him an opportunity to demonstrate thoughtful and persuasive leadership, and to my mind he failed to seize it.
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| A few kind words for Gorbachev |
September 16 2008 |
In a world of insecure and repressive dictators, Gorbachev was the remarkable exception: a man uncorrupted by power and seemingly unthreatened by truth or by the prospect of change.
Liberty Medal Award presentation. September 18, 2008 at National Constitution Center, 525 Arch St. (215) 409-6600 or constitutioncenter.org/libertymedal.
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| Anger, Obama and Frank Zappa |
August 23 2008 |
Is Frank Zappa a prophet? Is Barack Obama a disappointment? Is anger a useful tool? I have my doubts.
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| Beautiful women and natural law |
August 12 2008 |
Will no man stand up to a beautiful woman? Do gorgeous women never suffer for their beauty? I’m happy to report from personal experience that the natural laws of compensation are alive and kicking.
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| China’s ‘culture of humiliation’ |
August 05 2008 |
The key to China’s hypersensitivity, argues the Asia scholar Orville Schell, lies in “the legacy of the country's ‘humiliation’ at the hands of foreigners.” But why are some peoples so much more obsessed with their humiliation than others who’ve suffered just as grievously?
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| 'Shane' in the computer age |
July 05 2008 |
The age of instant portable knowledge is clearly upon us. The implications for human conflict resolution are profound, especially in the arts. For example, how would the Western gunfighter Shane have dealt with adversity if he’d been armed with an iPhone?
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| Anne d’Harnoncourt’s secret |
June 03 2008 |
Anne d’Harnoncourt moved comfortably between the glitzy world of arts patrons and the grungy world of working artists for one simple reason: She genuinely cared about art. And this artistic royal personage stayed in Philadelphia because she perceived something that others in the art business missed.
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| Orchestras and their 'comfort level' |
May 27 2008 |
Today’s orchestras seek a comfort level between conductor and musicians. They could learn a lesson from Philadelphia Magazine’s late editor Alan Halpern, who ran a dysfunctional office that produced inspired writing.
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| ‘Les Miserables’ at the Walnut (1st review) |
May 25 2008 |
I cringed at the notion of seeing Victor Hugo’s idealistic saga strained through a Broadway musical meat grinder. To my surprise, Hugo’s vision comes across almost as powerfully on stage as it does in his novel. Maybe even more.
Les Miserables. Music by Claude-Michel Schönberg; book by Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel; lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer; directed by Mark Clements; based on Victor Hugo’s novel. Through August 3, 2008 at Walnut Street Theatre,
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| Hillary's final pitch to Pennsylvania |
April 22 2008 |
When Hillary Clinton’s father quit his blue-collar roots in Scranton for the suburbs of Chicago, he left his heart in Pennsylvania— a risky decision, medically speaking. And you wondered why she's so obsessed with health care?
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| ‘Suburban Love Songs’ by 1812 productions |
April 15 2008 |
Karen Getz’s small gem of a pantomime dance-comedy tunes into a brilliant perception: Behind the political upheaval of the ‘60s lay a vast contingent of suburban singles bypassed by the sexual revolution.
Suburban Love Songs. Created, choreographed and directed by Karen Getz. 1812 Productions presentation through April 27, 2008 at Plays and Players, 1724 Delancey St. (215) 592-9560 or 1812productions.org
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| Arts funding: Where I stand |
March 29 2008 |
The critical test in public funding for the arts must be: Where is the money going? And if it’s going to me, I’m all for it.
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| Bill Buckley reconsidered |
March 04 2008 |
The conservative icon Bill Buckley’s oeuvre was enormous, and also shallow. At each opportunity for personal growth in his life, Buckley instinctively opted for style over substance, for celebrity over scholarship, for brilliance over wisdom, and for rhetoric over philosophy.
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| Is cooking an art form? |
February 23 2008 |
The food and wine writer Lynn Hoffman takes me to task for failing to grant his chosen field the same level of respect that Broad Street Review accords to the performing and visual arts. Who is this goofball gourmet to question my judgment?
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| ‘The Price’ at the Walnut (2nd review) |
February 02 2008 |
In the first act of The Price I found myself impatiently fidgeting and even dozing off at Miller’s familiar script devices. So why, then, did I find myself riveted and even choking back tears in the second act? The answer is surely personal, which is the essence of great theater.
The Price. Drama by Arthur Miller; directed by Michael Carleton. Through March 2, 2008 at Walnut Street Theatre, 825 Walnut St. (215) 574-3550 or PTC’s ‘M. Butterfly’ |
January 29 2008 |
In many respects this production of M. Butterfly is a feast for eye, ear and mind alike. But maybe it’s a little too much of a feast. All those visual and aural goodies tend to conceal the shortage of intellectual protein at its center.
M. Butterfly. Drama by David Henry Hwang; directed by Joe Calarco. Philadelphia Theatre Co. production through February 24, 2008 at Suzanne Roberts Theatre, Broad and Lombard Sts. (215) 985-0420 or Freeloading critics |
January 01 2008 |
Are critics freeloaders who cause actors to starve by displacing paying customers? That question begs a larger one: Why do people become performers or critics in the first place?
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| Cultural aptitude test |
December 22 2007 |
Just in time for the holidays, here’s my present: an up-to-date cultural aptitude quiz that should delight true sophisticates while simultaneously weeding out the imposters who persist in visiting our website even though it’s obviously over their heads.
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| Wilma’s ‘Age of Arousal’ (3rd review) |
December 15 2007 |
Only in an age when feminists feel secure can one safely kid around about feminism without seeming to be sexist or chauvinist. Linda Griffiths is fortunate to live in an age that offers such an opportunity, and so is her audience.
Age of Arousal. By Linda Griffiths; directed by Blanka Zizka. Through January 6, 2008 at Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St. (215) 546-7824 or www.wilmatheater.org.
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| Is 'Bush hatred' irrational? |
November 27 2007 |
Liberals’ irrational hatred of George W. Bush, complains a conservative professor, has “made rational discussion of politics in Washington all but impossible.” He’s right, of course, but he overlooks the critical question.
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| 'Peter Pan' at the Walnut |
November 17 2007 |
Peter Pan is largely irrelevant today, when adults have more fun than kids. And the Walnut Street Theatre’s revival of the 1954 musical adaptation makes no effort to pretend otherwise. Consequently there’s just one element missing from this otherwise enjoyable production: drama.
Peter Pan. Music by Mark Charlap; lyrics by Carolyn Leish; based on the play by James M. Barrie. Through January 6, 2008 at Walnut Street Theatre, 825 Walnut St., (215) 574-3550
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| 'Being Alive' at PTC (2nd review) |
November 03 2007 |
As a thesis for a master’s degree in theater arts, Being Alive is downright brilliant. But as an evening of theater it’s excruciating to sit through.
Being Alive. Musical conceived and directed by Billy Porter; music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Philadelphia Theatre Co. production through December 2, 2007 at Suzanne Roberts Theatre, Broad and Lombard Sts. (215) 985-1400 or www.philad
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| An unintended benefit of 'Atlas Shrugged' |
October 30 2007 |
Ayn Rand’s novel Atlas Shrugged has inspired two generations of business executives, not to mention Alan Greenspan and Hugh Hefner, with its message that “Greed is good.” But its greatest value may be unintentional: It inadvertently provides a vivid demonstration of the mind of the true believer— of left or right.
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| Barrymore Awards reconsidered |
October 09 2007 |
Philadelphia’s Barrymore Awards, like all awards, are not works of art or substance. They’re a combination of popularity contest and promotional gimmick. Why is it the business of journalists or critics or the theaters’ paying customers to assist in this effort to manipulate us?
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| TV cameras at Verizon |
October 02 2007 |
Two large screens hovering over the stage, providing close-up views of the performers, were unveiled at this fall’s Orchestra opening. That means no more watching the back of Eschenbach’s head! Just a few problems….
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| ‘Amadeus’ at the Wilma |
October 01 2007 |
The Wilma’s Amadeus is a compelling production of a stimulating work, one that provokes the mind while delighting the eye, the ear and the soul. But why does Peter Shaffer persist in tinkering with the script? In his place, what would Mozart do?
Amadeus. By Peter Shaffer; directed by Jiri Zizka. Through October 27, 2007 at Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St. (at Spruce). (215) 546-7824 or www.wilmatheater.org.
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| The 'Inquirer's' killer bee |
September 25 2007 |
The Inquirer’s CEO wants to place a giant inflatable bee on the newspaper's landmark building. What will this marketing wizard think of next? Consider the possibilities.
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| Dartmouth College trustee fight |
September 18 2007 |
Dartmouth College alumni are up in arms because the college has diluted their power to elect the school’s trustees. But where is it written that a school is best managed by its alumni, as opposed to, say, educators?
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| Pavarotti and the magic of crowds |
September 08 2007 |
Pavarotti was often derided as a rock star, as an athlete rather than an artist, as the man who brought mass culture to opera and vice versa. I remember him as a man who made a miracle. I witnessed it myself.
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| The media’s manufactured controversies |
September 04 2007 |
A football upset, a restaurant's petty lawsuit against a dining critic— what do these contrived dramas share in common?
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| Eschenbach in limbo |
August 28 2007 |
The Philadelphia Orchestra this year confronts the mother of all marketing challenges: How do you whip up enthusiasm for a music director who has already indicated he’d rather not be here?
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| The Orchestra’s conductor search process |
August 07 2007 |
Some people may wonder if the Philadelphia Orchestra’s cold-blooded corporate search process can work. I’m happy to report that such a process has indeed worked superbly in at least one situation with which I’m intimately familiar.
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| The real Edith Piaf and ‘La Vie en Rose’ |
July 31 2007 |
The new film about Edith Piaf movingly captures the French singer’s personal traumas. But it’s silent about her response to her country’s national trauma: the German occupation during World War II. Did Piaf pass or fail this ultimate human test?
La Vie en Rose. Film directed by Olivier Dahan, with Marion Cotillard. At the Ritz Five, 214 Walnut St. (215) 925-7900 or www.ritztheaters.com.
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| ‘It’s a done deal!’ |
July 03 2007 |
Why debate moving the Barnes Foundation? It’s a done deal! But so were slavery, segregation and the Soviet Union, once upon a time.
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| ‘Carousel’ at the Walnut (2nd review) |
May 26 2007 |
The most relevant aspect of Carousel seems to have been deliberately removed from this production. It makes you wonder whether the folks at the Walnut understand what this show is all about.
Carousel. Music by Richard Rodgers; book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. Directed by Bruce Lumpkin; musical direction by Douglass Lutz. Through July 15, 2007 at Walnut Street Theatre, 825 Walnut St. (215) 574-3550 or www.wstonline.org.
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| A few words about critics |
May 19 2007 |
Contrary to what some readers believe, I pay our music critics to tell me what they think of concerts and musicians, not what everybody else thinks. And please don’t worry about scaring off Eschenbach: He’s a big boy who’s been through a lot worse than bad reviews.
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| A few words about critics |
May 19 2007 |
Contrary to what some readers believe, I pay our music critics to tell me what they think of concerts and musicians, not what everybody else thinks. If they merely reflect the general consensus, what value do they bring to the table (other than that of a mirror)? And please don’t worry about scaring off Eschenbach: He’s a big boy who’s been through a lot worse than bad reviews.
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| ‘Orson’s Shadow’ at PTC (second review) |
May 12 2007 |
The fate of the planet— or even the characters’ careers or their personal lives— doesn’t exactly hang in the balance in Orson’s Shadow. But Austin Pendleton’s worshipful script refuses to confront this inconvenient truth as he plunges us yet again into another exercise in actors acting as actors obsessed with acting.
Orson’s Shadow. By Austin Pendleton; James J. Christy directed. Philadelphia Theatre Co. production th
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| The 'Gayborhood,' past and present |
May 05 2007 |
Philadelphia's City Council recently designated a 12-block piece of Center City as Philadelphia's "Gayborhood." As someone whose own people enjoyed a similar experience some time ago in Central Europe, I can assure the Gayborhood's residents that, starting now, they are in for exciting and stimulating times.
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| Sponsored news at the ‘Inquirer’ |
April 28 2007 |
The Inquirer's new publisher, Brian Tierney, recently implemented a couple of innovations that struck him as fresh and creative but were actually discarded by news organizations back in the Stone Age of journalism, for reasons that (let us hope) will soon become apparent to Tierney.
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| ‘The Dishwashers’ at Walnut Street Theatre |
April 21 2007 |
Up to the intermission, The Dishwashers works on two levels: as a comedy about life in the nether regions of a fancy restaurant, and as an allegory about growing up and growing old. The play’s problems develop in its overlong and repetitious second act.
The Dishwashers. By Morris Panych; directed by Bill Van Horn. Through May 6, 2007 at Walnut Street Theatre’s Studio 3, 825 Walnut St. (215) 574-3550 or InterAct's 'When Something Wonderful Ends' |
April 12 2007 |
Playwright Sherry Kramer wants to dramatize the dangers of Americans’ addiction to Middle Eastern oil. But this is not a drama; it’s a one-woman lecture, and not a very sophisticated one at that.
When Something Wonderful Ends. By Sherry Kramer; directed by Tom Moore. Presented by InterAct Theatre Co. through May 6, 2007 at Adrienne Theater, 2030 Sansom, St. (215) 568-8079 or What to do about Don Imus |
April 10 2007 |
I’ve never listened to the offensive talk-radio host Don Imus. I have no plans to listen to him. But what right does anyone have to tell me I can’t listen to him?
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| Five key questions for mayoral candidates |
April 03 2007 |
Philadelphia’s mayoral primaries will soon be upon us, and you know what that means: “Citizens’ Voices,” a quadrennial feature on the Inquirer’s op-ed page in which ordinary Philadelphians pose questions to the candidates. But if real Philadelphians didn’t have earnest Inquirer editorial writers peering over their shoulders, what questions would they really ask?
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| To save our precious cultural heritage |
March 10 2007 |
Philadelphians saved The Gross Clinic, only to lose The Cello Player in the bargain. So how will we rescue The Cello Player? A glimpse into the future.
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| Gershwin’s unrealized potential |
February 27 2007 |
The Opera Company’s recent uncut production of the original Porgy and Bess reminds us that George Gershwin’s death was a far greater tragedy than we realize.
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| ‘Enemies’ at the Wilma (first review) |
February 17 2007 |
Singer’s novel offered a rare glimpse into the psyches of Holocaust survivors he knew in New York. From his book, Schulman has produced an intelligent and compelling script that creates original and engaging characters without sentimentalizing them.
Enemies, A Love Story. By Sarah Schulman, from the novel by Isaac Bashevis Singer; directed by Jiri Zizka. Through March 11, 2007 at Wilma Theater, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-9345 or Lantern Theater’s ‘La Ronde’ |
February 12 2007 |
Director McMahon and the Lantern Theater crew deserve much credit for re-examining Schnitzler’s Viennese sexual daisy chain, and for taking his work as seriously as they do. But ultimately their experiment fails. La Ronde probably worked better as a concept you can think about than as a play you must actually watch.
La Ronde. By Arthur Schnitzler; directed and translated by Charles McMahon. Presented by Lantern Theater Company through February 25, 2007 at St.
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| How to spend $68 million |
February 03 2007 |
What would an artist do with $68 million? Well, what would a banker do with immortality?
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| ‘Nerds’ at PTC (first review) |
February 03 2007 |
Boil this material down to ten minutes and you have a cute skit for Saturday Night Live. Stretch it out to two hours and you have torture worthy of Abu Ghraib.
Nerds: A Musical Software Satire. Book and lyrics by Jordan Allen-Dutton; Music by Hal Goldberg. Directed by Philip William McKinley; choreographed by Joey McKneely. Philadelphia Theatre Co. production through February 25, 2007 at Plays & Players, 1714 Delancey St. (215) 985-0420 or
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| Walnut’s ‘Of Mice and Men’ (1st review) |
January 28 2007 |
Is this 1937 work still relevant for affluent audiences that never lived through the Depression, if they’ve even heard of it? Oh my, yes.
Of Mice and Men. By John Steinbeck; Mark Clements directed. Through March 4, 2007 at Walnut Street Theatre, 825 Walnut St. (215) 574-3550 or www.wstonline.org.
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| A few more words about booing |
January 16 2007 |
If classical audiences were more demonstrative, maybe the performers would be too, and other thoughts about booing and cheering at concerts. Plus: What the New York Philharmonic can teach Philadelphia (maybe) about filling seats.
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| Lantern’s ‘The Great Divorce’ |
December 29 2008 |
Anthony Lawton’s one-man, one-act adaptation of C.S. Lewis’s vision of the afterlife is as intelligent and provoking an evening as I’ve spent at the theater in a long time; it’s often devastatingly funny as well.
The Great Divorce. By Anthony Lawton, adapted from the novel by C.S. Lewis. Lantern Theater Co. production through January 4, 2009 at St. Stephen’s Theater, Tenth and Ludlow Sts. (215) 829-9002 or 'Chicago' at the Merriam |
December 29 2006 |
Chicago the musical is very much like Chicago the city: From the start, it grabs you by the throat. But after ten minutes or so, you might as well be watching a gymnastics class with a sound track.
Chicago. Book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse; music by John Kander; Lyrics by Ebb; directed by Walter Bobbie. Through December 31, 2006 at Merriam Theater, 250 S. Broad St. www.broadwayacrossamerica.com/Philadelphia
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| Wilma's 'My Children! My Africa!' |
December 17 2006 |
Fans of Athol Fugard will find themselves on familiar ground here— a bit too familiar, for my taste. The problem with My Children! My Africa! lies not with the actors, who are uniformly excellent, but with Fugard’s script, which tends to get in their way and ultimately retraces old ground.
My Children! My Africa! By Athol Fugard; directed by Blanka Zizka. Through January 7, 2007 at Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St. (at Spruce). (215) 546-7824 or Dissent about the Lantern’s ‘QED’ |
November 27 2006 |
Our critic Jim Rutter notwithstanding, Peter Parnell’s QED is indeed dramatic, even if the drama takes place entirely within the protagonist’s head. Transferring that drama from paper to stage is no mean feat.
QED. By Peter Parnell, directed by Kathryn Nocero. Lantern Theater Co. production through December 3, 2006, at St. Stephen’s Theater, Tenth and Ludlow Sts. (215) 829-9002 or www.lanterntheater.org.
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| ‘42nd Street’ at the Walnut (1st review) |
November 16 2006 |
42nd Street at the Walnut is a marriage made in heaven: a rare case of a large theater company choosing a compatible vehicle and lavishing its huge resources wisely. You don’t laugh out loud too often, but it’s a stubborn curmudgeon indeed who won’t have a smile on his face throughout this production.
42nd Street. Music by Harry Warren; lyrics by Al Dubin; book by Michael Stewart and Mark Bramble. Directed by Charles Abbott; choreographed by
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| Opera Company's 'Cinderella' (1st review) |
November 14 2006 |
The Opera Company has updated Rossini’s 1817 farce to the 1950s, with multi-screen pop-art images that should appeal to all those 21st-Century multi-taskers in the audience. The problem is that most of the farcical elements are pointless. The production is redeemed not by its gimmicks but by the sonorous tenor voice of Lawrence Brownlee as Prince Ramiro.
Cinderella. Opera by Gioacchino Rossini. Directed by Davide Livermore; conductor Corrado Rovaris. Opera Comp
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| OCP's 'La Bohème' |
October 29 2006 |
OCP has settled into a groove of predictably pleasant productions: If they don’t blow you away, neither do they go up in flames. And what could be more realistic than an opera about sruggling artists performed by struggling artists?
La Bohème. By Giacomo Puccini; directed by Robert Driver. Opera Company of Philadelphia production through Nov. 11, 2006 at Academy of Music, Broad and Locust Sts. (215) 893-3600 or www.operaphi
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| InterAct’s ‘Kiss of the Spider Woman’ |
October 26 2006 |
After a generation of multi-media treatment, Puig’s two revolutionary cellmates are no longer all that revolutionary. Which means that what was once the inspiring experience of sharing their enlightened company has now become stale and hackneyed.
Kiss of the Spider Woman. By Manuel Puig, with a translation by Allan Baker; directed by Seth Rozin. InterAct Theatre Co. production through November 19, 2006 at Adrienne Theatre,, 2030 Sansom St. (215) 568-8079 or Wilma’s ‘The Pillowman’ (second review) |
October 20 2006 |
Martin McDonagh’s macabre comedy-drama is no predictably Kafkaesque tale of a repressive state destroying an innocent individual. It’s more of an inquiry into the creative and destructive power of words. There’s ample food for thought in this provocative work, and McDonagh’s genius here lies in his ability make profound and heavy issues entertaining and even funny.
The Pillowman. By Martin McDonagh; directed by Jiri Zizka. Through November 5, 2006,&n
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| Lantern's 'Master Harold...' |
September 21 2006 |
South African apartheid is dead, but this indictment of racial repression is as relevant and involving as ever in Lantern's powerful, in-your-face production.
"Master Harold"…and the boys. By Athol Fugard; Lantern Theater Co. production directed by David O’Connor. Through Oct. 15, 2006, at St. Stephen’s Theater, Ninth and Ludlow. (215) 829-9002 or www.lanterntheater.org.
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| PTC’s 'Murderers’ |
October 12 2006 |
On paper, Jeffrey Hatcher’s notion of unlikely killers in a gated senior community sounds like fine material for a relevant social comedy. But Murderers is all talk and no action; it’s a series of three separate monologues whose characters and stories never intersect.
Murderers. By Jeffrey Hatcher; directed by Michael Bush for Philadelphia Theatre Co. Through Nov. 5, 2006, at Plays & Players, 1714 Delancey St. (215) 985-0420 or Walnut Street Theatre's 'Windy City' |
September 15 2006 |
Why revive The Front Page as a musical in 2006? Good question. The result is a formulaic show that offers the trappings of a blockbuster Broadway musical without the necessary central core of a dramatic story or involving characters
Windy City. Book and lyrics by Dick Vosburgh; music by Tony Macaulay; directed and choreographed by Marc Robin. Through Oct. 22, 2006 at Walnut Street Theatre, 825 Walnut St. (215) 574-3550 or www.wsto
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| Julia Child, Ben Franklin and us |
August 28 2006 |
French culture is above all about savoring the roses; American culture is above all about growth and productivity. But it wasn’t always that way, nor must it continue that way.
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| Melissa Hayden's real name; chain restaurants |
August 12 2006 |
The late ballerina Melissa Hayden’s career didn’t take off until she discarded her dowdy birth name. What is the lesson here? Also, what can Center City do about the plague of chain restaurants inundating our performing arts district?
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| The Inquirer's new owner and his opinions |
August 07 2006 |
Bruce Toll, the Inquirer's new chairman, says he'll exercise his owner's prerogative to express his opinions on the editorial page. But the critical question, which Toll ignores, is: Why would he want to undermine his property’s most valuable asset?
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| My problem with Denyce Graves |
August 01 2006 |
The celebrated mezzo-soprano lacks the magnetic star quality that seizes an audience by the throat, as she demonstrated yet again in a guest appearance with the Philadelphia Orchestra at the Mann Music Center.
Denyce Graves with the Philadelphia Orchestra. At Mann Music Center, July 19, 2006. www.philorch.org.
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| 'Best of Philly' at the Constitution Center |
July 27 2006 |
What was the National Constitution Center thinking when it hosted a panel discussion (July 26) on “Behind the Scenes at ‘Best of Philly’ ”?
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| The trouble with gay theater |
July 13 2006 |
Thanks in part to a profusion of brilliant gay playwrights, the straight world’s Age of Ignorance about the gays and lesbians among us is rapidly drawing to a close. That’s good news for civilized society but bad news for gay playwrights themselves, since gay-on-gay relationships are inherently less dramatic than the eternally mysterious dance between men and women.
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| The new Inquirer demonstrates its independence |
July 05 2006 |
Now that the Inquirer is owned by Philadelphia’s establishment, how will it convince skeptics of its independence from Philadelphia’s establishment? Nine story ideas that should silence cynics once and for all.
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| The Inquirer's new owners |
May 29 2006 |
The Inquirer and Daily News have been acquired by a syndicate of local business executives and civic boosters. Is this really cause for celebration, as the two newspapers and their new owners would have us believe? Does anyone recall the Inquirer’s disgrace under its last local civic booster owner, and its triumph under out-of-towners?
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| McNally's 'Some Men' at PTC |
May 18 2006 |
Almost everything about this exuberant/poignant salute to the gay survivors of the repressed old closeted days is first-rate, and Terrence McNally’s script is by turns entertaining, funny and incisive as far as it goes. Unfortunately it does not go very far, because McNally is mostly preaching to the choir here.
Some Men. By Terrence McNally; directed by Philip Himberg. World premiere presented through June 11, 2006 by Philadelphia Theatre Co. at Plays & Players,&
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| Rocky on the Parkway, again |
May 15 2006 |
Sylvester Stallone wants a statue of himself near the Art Museum, even though it isn't art. The city, caving in to an apparent populist groundswell, has granted his wish. Next question: Can you donate a statue of yourself, too?
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| Walnut's 'Natural History' |
April 28 2006 |
Jennifer Camp’s script provides a few very funny moments and a few poignant ones, and three actors demonstrate their versatility, but much of the territory here seems like familiar ground.
Natural History. By Jennifer Camp; directed by Thom Sesma. Through May 7, 2006, at Walnut Street Theatre’s Studio 3, 825 Walnut St., (215) 574-3550 or www.wstonline.org.
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| InterAct's 'Reinventing Eden' |
April 27 2006 |
Despite some flaws, Seth Rozin’s nuanced and even-handed look at the ethical conflicts of a driven geneticist succeeds at dramatizing abstract intellectual issues, compelling his audience to confront the miracle of existence and the ambiguities of tampering with our genetic structure.
Reinventing Eden. By Seth Rozin, directed by Harriet Power. Presented by InterAct Theatre Co. through May 7, 2006, at Adrienne Theatre, 2030 Sansom St. (215) 568-8077 or Culture, the suburbs and the Orchestra |
April 18 2006 |
Dan Rottenberg replies briefly to (a) Patrick Hazard's take on top-down culture, (b) a suburbanite's lament about traveling to the Ritz, and (c) Dan Coren's concern about the high cost of the Philadelphia Orchestra.
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| Andrea Mitchell re-invents her past |
April 17 2006 |
NBC's Andrea Mitchell is one of the toughest reporters in TV news. But her recent memoir provides a textbook example of why TV journalists shouldn't write books. Most disturbing, she overlooks two intriguing chapters of her early career in Philadelphia, perhaps because they conflict with her current status as the glamorous wife of the ultimate Washington power icon.
Talking Back…To Presidents, Dictators and Assorted Scoundrels. By Andrea Mitchell. Viking. 414 pages.
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| On beating up Victorians |
May 08 2006 |
It's fun to spoof hypocritical Victorians, as Caryl Churchill does in Cloud 9. But where would she be without them?
Plus: Follow-up about Andrea Mitchell's Talking Back.
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| PTC's 'Intimate Apparel' |
March 23 2006 |
This compelling but also wrenching drama introduces us to people who’ve been rendered largely anonymous by history, enabling us to empathize with the bad choices that people make when they feel desperate.
Intimate Apparel. By Lynn Nottage; Philadelphia Theatre Co. production directed by Tim Vasen. Through April 16 at Plays & Players, 1714 Delancey St., (215) 569-9700 or www.phillytheatreco.com.
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| Ingenuity worthy of Franklin |
March 22 2006 |
The ultimate Franklin exhibit lets you experience the not-so-good old days of the 18th Century, and even provides some hints as to how we can improve on the 21st.
"Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World." Exhibit through April 30, 2006 at the National Constitution Center, 525 Arch St., 215-6600 or www.constitutioncenter.org.
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| Anna Moffo's unique appeal |
March 18 2006 |
The soprano Anna Moffo, who died March 10 at the age of 73, was no dynamo on an opera stage. But that was precisely the secret of her appeal.
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| The Complete Works of Shakespeare |
March 09 2006 |
| This energetic, sophomoric slapstick parody of Shakespeare offers a few inspired moments within its succession of heavy-handed gags. High school students who’ve been force-fed the Bard will probably love this show, and may even learn something from it.
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged). By Adam Long, Daniel Singer and Jess Winfield; directed by Domenick Scudera. Through May 19 at Philadelphia Shakespeare Festival, 2111 Sansom St., 215-496-8001 or A plague of one-man shows |
February 24 2006 |
Let us not kid ourselves. A one-man play is a convenient vehicle for control freaks. And it's a godsend for producers who want to hold their costs down. But it's no substitute for genuine drama.
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| Jonathan Biss at the Perelman |
March 01 2006 |
| Nature may have endowed Jonathan Biss with huge hands and good looks, but what came across above all was his genuine feeling for the music.
Jonathan Biss, pianist: Works by Beethoven, Spratlan, Schoenberg and Schumann. Presented by Philadelphia Chamber Music Society at Perelman Theater, Verizon Hall, Feb. 28, 2006. www.pcmsconcerts.org.
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| Lantern's Novecento |
February 02 2006 |
| Dramatic script, dramatic performance— but is it a drama?
Novecento. One-man dramatic monologue by Alessandro Baricco, directed by Dugald MacArthur. Presented through Feb. 26, 2006 by Lantern Theater at St. Stephen’s Theater, Tenth and Ludlow Sts., (215) 829-9002 or www.lanterntheater.org.
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| Searching for Joe Kluger's successor |
February 06 2006 |
| The Orchestra's next president must seize the public's imagination, not to mention his own musicians'. Plus four other pieces of unconventional wisdom about the state of orchestras and their boards.
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| The Pew Foundation's quandary |
March 01 2004 |
| Can a giant bureaucracy help the arts?
This column originally appeared in Philadelphia Style magazine, March 2004.
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| The Devil and Albert Barnes |
January 01 2003 |
| Who could possibly object to moving this awesome collection downtown? Just one slight problem....
This column originally appeared in Philadelphia Style magazine, January 2003.
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| Guide to Philadelphia theater troupes |
November 01 2004 |
| A quick, subjective guide to Philadelphia's leading theater companies.
This column originally appeared in Philadelphia Style magazine, November 2004.
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| InterAct's American Sublime |
February 01 2006 |
| In a 19th-Century painting, Patricia Lynch finds clues to America's war on terror.
American Sublime. By Patricia Lynch; directed by Seth Rozin for InterAct Theatre Co. through Feb. 19. Adrienne Theatre, 2030 Sansom, St., (215) 568-8077. www.InterActTheatre.org.
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| 'The West Wing's' final season |
January 24 2006 |
| Our exclusive preview of the farewell episodes of America's favorite surrogate Presidential TV program.
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| In search of Robert Driver's voice |
May 01 2003 |
Can the Opera Company’s boss attract the same loyalty from critics that he already receives from singers and paying customers?
(This column originally appeared in Philadelphia Style magazine, May 2003).
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| Bookstore revolution |
November 01 2003 |
How a battle royal among two big chains and a little neighborhood shop revived Center City’s nighttime street life.
This column originally appeared in Philadelphia Style magazine, November 2003.
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| PTC's After Ashley |
February 15 2006 |
| A compelling, original and often very funny work about personal tragedy, mass media exploitation, and the large consequences of minor acts.
After Ashley. By Gina Gionfriddo, directed by Pam McKinnon. Philadelphia Theatre Co. production through through March 5, 2006, at Plays & Players, 1714 Delancey St., 215-985-0420. www.phillytheatreco.com.
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| Wilma's Nine Parts of Desire |
February 15 2006 |
| The diversity of Iraqis and their mutual anger are captured in portrayals of nine women by a single talented actress in an evening that would make George W. Bush uncomfortable, not to mention this reviewer.
Nine Parts of Desire. By Heather Raffo; directed by Kate Saxon; with Jacqueline Antaramian. Through March 12, 2006, at Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad (at Spruce), 215-546-7824. www.wilmatheater.org.
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| Alan Halpern: Stealth revolutionary |
January 09 2006 |
Alan Halpern, editor of Philadelphia Magazine from 1951 to 1980 and father of the modern city magazine, died December 13th at age 79.
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| Munich: Good idea, bad film |
January 09 2006 |
Munich. A film directed by Stephen Spielberg. Screenplay by Tony Kushner and Eric Roth. At the Ritz Five.
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| Why this new website? Why in Philadelphia? Why |
January 05 2006 |
| A few words from the editor about the birth of Broad Street Review
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| Nancy Leach Sweeten's unique journey |
December 19 2005 |
She never achieved tenure at Penn, yet she exemplified what a great university is about.
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| Bob Scott's greatest contribution |
December 19 2005 |
One man with courage makes a majority— especially if he understands his community.
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| A Masked Ball, or a march of singing penguins |
January 01 2006 |
A Masked Ball, by Giuseppe Verdi, directed by Robert Driver. Opera Company of Philadelphia production at Academy of Music, Oct. 23-Nov. 6.
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| PTC's Franklin Unplugged |
January 12 2006 |
In a profound and funny tour de force, a neurotic Jewish standup comic discovers his “inner Franklin.”
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| Macao: Spice without food |
January 01 2006 |
| Film noir has been dead for 50 years. Why spoof it now?
Adrift in Macao. Book and lyrics by Christopher Durang; music by Peter Melnick; directed by Sheryl Kaller. World premiere through Nov. 20, 2005, at Philadelphia Theatre Co., Plays & Players, 1714 Delancey. 215-985-0420 or www.phillytheatreco.com.
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| Guide to free arts attractions |
July 01 2003 |
A quick guide to culture that doesn’t cost a cent.
This column originally appeared in Philadelphia Style magazine, July 2002.
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Dave Allen is a writer and musician who specializes in classical and contemporary music. He lives in Philadelphia and blogs at hotbedofintrigue.blogspot.com. He has written reviews and articles for the Courier-Post, the Bulletin, Phawker.com and the web-magazine NewMusicBox.com.
He has a background as a performer (trombone, tuba, choral singing with the Choral Arts Society of Philadelphia), but “my love of music really comes from my concert-going experience: starting with punk shows in clubs in D.C. and in barns and grange halls in rural Maryland, and slowing morphing into orchestra, choir and chamber music concerts. I love classical music, but I tend to prefer newer, off-the-wall stuff to the standard classical repertoire.” He lives in Philadelphia.
I
More articles by Dave Allen, newest first
| The Crossing at Chestnut Hill Presbyterian |
January 06 2009 |
In its fourth year, The Crossing conveys a depth of vision and a commitment to innovative programming that many older, more-established choral ensembles would envy.
The Crossing: Works by Bo Holten, Erhard Karkoschka, David Shapiro, Paul Spicer and John Kennedy. Donald Nally, conductor. January 4, 2009 at Chestnut Hill Presbyterian Church. www.crossingchoir.com.
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| Two concerts in art galleries |
December 20 2008 |
Holding a concert in an art gallery is a risky business. The very different sensations of aural and visual stimuli compete for attention, often to the detriment of one and occasionally of both. Two recent concerts took this risk, yielding results that mostly honored their roots.
Network For New Music: “Sound/Art/Space.” November 21, 2008 at Crane Arts Building, 1400 N. American St. (215) 848-7647 or www.networkfornewmusic.org.
Jason Moran and the Bandwagon. “Art After 5 program, December 12, 2008 at Philadelphia Museum of Art, 26th St. and Ben Franklin Pkwy. (215) 763-8100 or Philamuseum.org.
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More articles by Ivan Levison, newest first
| An ad man makes his case |
November 26 2008 |
Many people, filled with smug self-satisfaction, claim to be above it all. They tell us that they're just not influenced by ads or commercials. This is self-delusion.
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Gerald Weales is a drama specialist, a sometimes reviewer of theater (retired from Commonweal after 25 years), author or editor of a great many books, most of which are now out of print (last chance to buy Canned Goods as Caviar, which the University of Chicago Press is letting go out of print). He currently doing a yearly theater roundup for The Georgia Review. He graduated (A.B., M.A., Ph.D.) from Columbia so long ago that the trolleys were still running on upper Broadway when he began there. He lives in University City.
More articles by Gerald Weales, newest first
| My pal, Rick Santorum |
August 06 2011 |
I’ve been receiving “Dear Gerald” messages lately from Rick Santorum. Although we’ve never met and I’m 30 years his senior, the former Senator seems to think we’re old buddies.
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| On selling Viagra |
August 13 2010 |
These days, when I can barely get out of my chair, my junk-mail warehouse is awash with offers of oral sex aids. My TV promises visual metaphors of sex on beaches and in bathtubs. And then there’s my priapic role model, Hugh Hefner.
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| A new soccer team’s fight song |
May 01 2010 |
Woody Guthrie’s “Union Maid,” the unofficial anthem of the American labor movement, has now been appropriated by Philadelphia’s new professional soccer franchise. Of course, it could have been worse: They could have chosen "La Marseillaise."
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| Financial ingenuity in hard times |
September 22 2009 |
In these economically trying times, ingenious bankers have found a new opportunity: life settlement insurance policies. If Al Capone were here, he could suggest a way to maximize their return on investment.
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| Life imitates Hollywood |
November 18 2008 |
A preposterous incident in the 1939 Howard Hawks film Only Angels Have Wings actually occurred this month. What, if any, are the implications for America’s incoming administration?
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More articles by Vincent Rinella, newest first
| A few suggestions for the Orchestra |
April 19 2011 |
Balancing the books is a pointless exercise if the Philadelphia Orchestra’s audience is eroding. Here are a few other questions and suggestions that might be more helpful.
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| Art Museum's crowd control problem |
May 01 2010 |
The Art Museum’s free “After 5 on Fridays” concert series has become a popular way to start the weekend. So popular, in fact, that my wife and I left for fear of being trampled.
Wayne Shorter. April 23, 2010 at Philadelphia Museum of Art, Ben Franklin Parkway at 26th St. (215) 763-8100 or www.philamuseum.org.
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| Philadelphia Park’s new casino |
September 04 2007 |
Where are all the pathological degenerate gamblers of yesteryear? The new casino at Philadelphia Park left me feeling downright wholesome. In that case, do we really need the Barnes or Verizon Hall?
Philadelphia Park Casino and Racetrack. 3001 Street Road, Philadelphia. (215) 639-9000 or www.philadelphiapark.com
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| Thomas Chimes: A poet chimes in |
April 24 2007 |
You’ve read the reviews of the Thomas Chimes exhibit at the Art Museum. Now read a poet’s response.
“Thomas Chimes: Adventures in Pataphysics.” Through May 6, 2007 at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Ben Franklin Parkway and 267th St. (215) 763-8100 or www.philamuseum.org.
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Victoria Skelly has written/thought extensively on the crafting of environments that inspire creative endeavor. Her work experience includes organizational consulting for the research and development
division of a pharmaceutical company. She is a graduate of the Russell Ackoff-inspired “Organizational Dynamics” program at the University of Pennsylvania, which encourages a holistic rather than quanitative approach to solving leadership and organizational problems.
Victoria, who grew up in a family of artists, has indulged her lifelong love of art and literature by traveling to exhibits worldwide and reading extensively about what others have to say about it. She has participated in the art education program, “Art Goes to School,” and the docent programs at both the Barnes Foundation and the Woodmere Museum.
Victoria’s musings on the world of art in Philadelphia and beyond can be viewed at www.phillyartmuse.blogspot.com.
More articles by Victoria Skelly, newest first
| Jan Baltzell at Schmidt-Dean Gallery |
May 01 2012 |
Jan Baltzell’s luminous abstractions lack descriptive titles, and rightly so. Instead of trying to figure out her meaning, just let yourself be carried off by her looped and tangled lines, smooth textures and juicy colors.
Jan Baltzell: New Work. Through May 19, 2012 at Schmidt-Dean Gallery, 1719 Chestnut St. (215) 569-9433 or www.schmidtdean.com.
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| On renewing my Art Museum membership |
April 24 2012 |
America’s major art museums, strapped for funding, are revamping themselves into popular entertainment venues, and jacking up their membership fees in the process. What’s a serious art lover to do? Let me suggest a few stimulating and affordable alternatives.
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| Mia Rosenthal’s Landscapes at Gallery Joe |
April 03 2012 |
Mia Rosenthal steps inside the familiar landscapes of the Hudson River School to insert her own whimsical takes on the region’s flora and fauna. The result is an aesthetic pleasure as well as a science lesson.
“Mia Rosenthal: American Landscapes.” Through April 14, 2012 at Gallery Joe, 302 Arch St. (215) 592-7752 or www.galleryjoe.com.
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| Adventures with 'Megawords' at the Art Museum |
March 17 2012 |
Megawords, now at the Art Museum, calls itself an “experimental media project” designed to “ask questions about the way things are done.” Sounds like the kind of work I used to do as a management consultant.
“Megawords”: A component of “Zoe Strauss: Ten Years.” Through April 22, 2012 at Philadelphia Museum of Art, Benj. Franklin Pkwy. and 26th St. (215) 763-8100 or www.philamuseum.org. Megawords will sponsor a panel discussion, "What Belongs in a City?" on April 1, 2012 at the Perelman Media Room in the Museum's Perelman Building. Tickets are sold out.
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| The struggles of Tanner and Van Gogh, reconsidered |
February 19 2012 |
Was Van Gogh really depressed? Was Henry O. Tanner really hampered by racism? Better ask: Why do we cling so tenaciously to our romantic vision of the artist as a tormented soul struggling against all odds to create?
“Henry Ossawa Tanner: Modern Spirit.” Through April 15, 2012 at Hamilton Hall, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, 128 N. Broad St. (at Cherry). (215) 972-7625 or www.pafa.org.
“Van Gogh Up Close. ” Through May 6, 2012 at Philadelphia Museum of Art, Ben. Franklin Parkway and 26th St. (215) 763-8100 or www.philamuseum.org.
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| A better way to destroy Damien Hirst |
January 21 2012 |
Damien Hirst, AKA Britain’s bad boy of art, sees contemporary art as a con game and the super-rich as his marks. But the rest of us can play this game too. After all, there are 99 of us for every one of them.
Damien Hirst’s spot paintings: The Gagosian challenge. www.gagosian.com/spotchallenge
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| Suburbanites and the Orchestra |
December 13 2011 |
BSR readers have heard from a music professor and a 20-something about how to save the Philadelphia Orchestra. Let me speak for another underserved and potentially huge Orchestra constituency: suburbanites.
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| Of AIDS and the Philadelphia Orchestra |
December 04 2011 |
What do scientists at big drug companies have in common with musicians at big orchestras? They’re essential— and taken for granted. And what does that say about the rest of us?
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| Caravaggio in Fort Worth: All that light |
November 08 2011 |
Louis Kahn designed the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth to provide “perfect, subtly fluctuating illumination for works of art.” Those light and airy spaces may be well suited for contemporary art, but they dilute the vivid drama and power of the gritty Baroque Italian milieu in which a master like Caravaggio worked.
“Caravaggio and His Followers in Rome.” Through January 8, 2012 at the Kimbell Art Museum, 3333 Camp Bowie Blvd., Fort Worth, Texas. (817) 332-8451 or www.kimbellart.org.
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| ‘Ragas and Rajas’ at the Art Museum |
January 29 2010 |
As a new exhibit from India persuasively demonstrates, nothing enhances visual art like appropriate music, and vice versa. The courts of the rajas specialized in this kind of musical imagery for more than two centuries.
"Ragas and Rajas: Musical Imagery of Courtly India." Through February 28, 2010 at Philadelphia Museum of Art, Benj. Franklin Parkway at 26th St. (215) 763-8100 or www.philamuseum.org.
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| The ‘death’ of conceptual art |
January 12 2010 |
Far from dying, conceptual art has become mainstream in the art world. And that’s the problem: We’ve become inured to art that intends to shock. Thank goodness the once "academic" concerns of craftsmanship are again in vogue.
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| The Barnes: A protester's story |
November 17 2009 |
I never thought much of protest demonstrations during their heyday in the '60s. But if you care passionately about keeping the Barnes Foundation in its original home, what other option do you have these days?
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| Stifling debate about the Barnes |
October 18 2009 |
Having attended the Philadelphia Art Commission's official unveiling of the plans for the Barnes Foundation on Benjamin Franklin Parkway, I am still in a state of amazed anger over this situation, which is coming to resemble something out of a Kafka novel.
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| On buying art in Philadelphia |
October 04 2009 |
Philadelphia Magazine’s annual home issue is chock-full of ideas for decorating your house with art— everything, in fact, except the one thing you need most of all.
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| Christopher Callahan and the Barnes legacy |
September 22 2009 |
Strange to tell, some art students at the Barnes Foundation are actually painters. Having marinated in the Barnes milieu for years, Christopher Callahan produces work that’s just plain gorgeous to look at, in the best Barnes tradition.
Christopher Callahan’s “Ascension.” Through October 30, 2009 at Knapp Gallery, 162 N. Third St. (267) 455-0279 or www.knappgallery.com.
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| Vincent Desiderio’s ‘Pantocrator’ at PAFA |
July 21 2009 |
Who is Vincent Desiderio, and why haven’t we heard more about him? A single Desiderio masterpiece of wonder and curiosity, sandwiched among works of other Pennsylvania Academy, deserves more than just a casual encounter.
Pantocrator, by Vincent Desiderio. In “Legacies: Works by Twelve Former Students of Elizabeth Osborne and Sidney Goodman.” Through September 20, 2009 at Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Hamilton Building, Broad and Cherry Sts. 215-972-7600 or www.pafa.org/Museum/Exhibitions/35/.
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| Timothy Rub’s challenge |
July 14 2009 |
In a museum world that’s preoccupied with entertainment aimed at mass audiences and schoolchildren, the Art Museum’s new director Timothy Rub is a rare bird: an “object” man who delights in the act of seeing a work of art. He could conceivably teach the museum world how to regain the respect of mature art lovers and serious scholars. But he’ll be swimming against the tide.
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| Ephemerality and the art of earthworks |
July 14 2009 |
Why would an artist create a work that nature is certain to destroy— if not tomorrow, surely in a few months? Because an ephemeral work reminds us that nothing, not even art, can possibly last forever.
“Summer Palace.” Earthwork sculpture by Patrick Dougherty. Until it crumbles, at the Morris Arboretum, 100 E. Northwestern Ave. (215) 247-5777 or click here.
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| Bruce Nauman at the Venice Biennale (2nd review) |
July 04 2009 |
In which our critic appropriates Bruce Nauman’s style to assess the multi-media artist’s Golden Lion Awarding-winning pavilion at the Venice Biennale.
“Bruce Nauman: Topological Gardens.” Curated by the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Through November 22, 2009 at U.S. Pavilion, Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy. www.pewtrusts.org/events_detail.aspx?id=51676
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| The arts in crisis: Whose fault? |
March 23 2009 |
The president of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts recently predicted that the recession could kill off at least 10,000 arts organizations this year. Many of them might have avoided this doomsday scenario had they developed different working cultures. In my experience, not-for-profit enterprises are simply more resistant to self-scrutiny.
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| 'Cézanne and Beyond' at the Art Museum (3rd review) |
March 01 2009 |
By juxtaposing various art works, “Cézanne and Beyond” purports to demonstrate this painter’s revolutionary influence on later artists. But history— artistic or otherwise— just doesn’t proceed that way. Cézanne was merely one of multiple influences upon artists who followed a variety of muses, including their own individual inspiration.
“Cézanne and Beyond.” Through May 31, 2009 at Philadelphia Museum of Art, Benjamin Franklin Parkway at 26th St. (215) 763-8100 or www.philamuseum.org.
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| George Tooker retrospective at Pennsylvania Academy (2nd review) |
February 17 2009 |
George Tooker’s paintings work big themes often left to the realm of literature. Yet these works don’t tell stories per se but rather evoke feelings. Ultimately, life painted according to George Tooker is one that offers hope.
George Tooker: A Retrospective. Through April 5, 2009 at Hamilton Building, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Broad and Cherry Sts. (215) 972-7600 or www.pafa.org.
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| ‘Matisse and Modern Art’ at the Art Museum |
February 03 2009 |
Matisse and his contemporaries did some of their best work on the sun-drenched Riviera. The sublime pleasure of experiencing these works in the sun-drenched rooms of the Perelman Gallery may explain why.
“Matisse and Modern Art on the French Riviera.” Through November 1, 2009 at Perelman Gallery, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Benj. Franklin Parkway & 26th St. (215) 763-8100 or www.philamuseum.org.
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| PAFA’s annual Student Exhibition |
May 27 2008 |
It’s been years since I’ve felt some excitement at PAFA’s annual student exhibition. This year I was jolted into all manner of amazement at what I first saw there.
107TH Annual Student Exhibition. Through June 1, 2008 at Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Hamilton Building, 118-128 N. Broad St. (215) 972-7600 or www.pafa.org.
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| The Barnes move: A fait accompli? |
May 25 2008 |
The Barnes Foundation’s ill-advised proposed move from Merion to the Parkway is now being promoted as a fait accompli. That may explain the tepid response to Judge Ott’s latest refusal to reconsider the case. Which raises a question: What would the Romans do?
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| The ‘Barnes method’ reconsidered |
April 15 2008 |
Albert Barnes may have gone too far in applying objective analysis to paintings, but today we’ve leaned too far in the other direction. Isn’t it possible that a scientific approach to art— not to mention music, literature, and film—could enhance our understanding and appreciation of beauty?
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| Chelsea on the cheap |
February 26 2008 |
Eager to sample New York’s Chelsea art gallery scene? Why not take a tour? You may not learn much about art, but you will learn a great deal about what sort of work grabs gallery space in Manhattan.
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| Montebello: The Met’s savvy elitist |
January 15 2008 |
In this era of declining funding from corporate and governmental sources, Philippe de Montebello steadfastly resisted the temptation to “dumb down” content in order to reach a mass audience. On the contrary, in 30 years at the Metropolitan Museum of Art he has demonstrated the confidence that visitors will reach up to what he and his highly trained staff have sensitively offered.
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| Hopper and Turner at National Gallery |
November 20 2007 |
Hopper loathed the compromised freedom of working for others; Turner embraced “the institution to which I owe everything.” Yet two new exhibitions at the National Gallery demonstrate a common bond between them: a fascination with light.
“J.M.W. Turner.” Through January 6, 2008. "Edward Hopper." Through January 21, 2008 at National Gallery of Art, Fourth St. and Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. (202) 737-4215 or www.nga.gov.
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| Violette de Mazia’s malign mystique |
November 06 2007 |
Albert Barnes envisioned his Foundation as an open place, yeasty with ideas and discussion. His acolyte Violette de Mazia was the high priestess of prescribed, rigid methods, dedicated above all to promoting the cult of its founder. No wonder the Foundation’s current caretakers are tempted to scrap it all and start anew.
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| Renoir: Art Museum vs. Barnes (2nd review) |
October 06 2007 |
The visitor to the Art Museum’s glorious exhibition of Renoir landscapes may wish to make a trip to the Barnes Foundation. The public is hungry for more information, presented in such a way that it doesn’t interfere with the viewing or insult the viewer’s intelligence.
Renoir Landscapes: 1865-1883. Through January 6, 2008 at Philadelphia Museum of Art. (215) 235-7469 or www.philamuseum.org.
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| Could the Barnes Foundation be improved? |
September 21 2007 |
Can there be a dividing or a moving of the Barnes collection that elevates it from its practically perfect present state? As a “dogmatized” Barnes Foundation alumna, I have ventured from outright abhorrence of the idea to a position of, well, cool skepticism that it is humanly possible to pull it off. What might it be like?
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Tom Purdom is a science fiction writer and general freelance writer who has been writing about music ever since the opening of the 1988-89 season, when he became the classical music critic for a unique Center City weekly called the Welcomat. His musings on the Philadelphia culture scene have been circulated by several local publications and two online services.
Purdom has written non-fiction about subjects as varied as arms control and interior decorating for magazines such as Kiwanis and American Education and institutional clients such as the University of Pennsylvania and the United States Air Force. His science fiction credits include five novels, a 50-year string of highly praised shorter works, and translations into German, Chinese, Burmese, Russian, Czech and other widely spoken tongues.
Nowadays he usually writes novelettes (stories of around 10-15,000 words) which mostly appear in Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine. Reprints of his science fiction can be found in anthologies such as the 25th edition of Gardner Dozois’s Year’s Best Science Fiction. Electronic reprints can be purchased from Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and Fictionwise.
His literary memoir, When I Was Writing, has attracted thousands of readers to his website. It can still be read for free on the Web, and it’s also available on the Kindle and the Nook, for those who prefer the convenience of an e-reader. An account of his metamorphosis into a music critic can be perused in the fourth installment, ”Through Time and Space with Giacomo Casanova.”
More articles by Tom Purdom, newest first
| Tempesta di Mare’s tenth birthday festival |
May 15 2012 |
For its tenth anniversary, Tempesta di Mare demonstrated that the Baroque repertoire is so rich and varied that you can assemble two meaty concerts even when you limit your selections with a gimmicky rule invented for a special occasion.
Tempesta di Mare: Opus 10 Chamber. Works by Couperin, Leclair, Telemann, Haydn, dall’Abaco, Vivaldi, Frescobaldi, Weiss, Mancini. Emlyn Ngai, concertmaster. Gwyn Roberts and Richard Stone, artistic directors. May 12-13, 2012 at Arch Street Friends Meeting, Fourth and Arch Sts. (215) 755-8776 or www.tempestadimare.org.
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| Vox Ama Deus plays Beethoven |
May 15 2012 |
Why would a small ensemble like Vox Ama Deus take on two pieces normally reserved for major orchestras? For a very good reason, it turns out.
Vox Ama Deus: Beethoven, Concerto for Violin in D, Symphony No. 9 in D Minor. Thomas DiSarlo, solo violin; Megan Monaghan, soprano; Jody Kidwell, mezzo-soprano; Timothy Bentch, tenor; Ed Bara, bass; Valentin Radu, conductor. May 12, 2012 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (610) 688-2800 or www.VoxAmaDeus.org.
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| Chestnut Street Singers and the ‘Midnight Sun’ |
May 08 2012 |
Philadelphia’s newest volunteer chorus consists of 14 voices without a leader, a payroll or any accompaniment. This month they demonstrated that they’re up to the challenge.
Chestnut Street Singers: "Songs to the Midnight Sun." Rautavaara, Lahto; Ahlen, Sommarpsalm; Chydenius, I am the great sun; Tallis, O nata lux; Lauridsen, O nata lux; Wood, Hail, gladdening light; Willbye, Draw on sweet night; Runarsdottir, Syngur sumarregn; Whitacre, With a Lily in Your Hand (arr. Hyokki), On suuri rantas’ autius; Tormis, Sugismastikud; Elgar, My Love Dwelt in a Northern Land. May 6, 2012 at First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St. www.chestnutstreetsingers.org.
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| Lyric Fest: Three operas for children |
May 01 2012 |
Lyric Fest, run by three mothers, opted for a riskier format for its annual children’s concert, introducing its young audience to three famous but abridged operas.
Lyric Fest: “Once Upon a Time.” Excerpts from Rossini, The Barber of Seville; Mozart, The Magic Flute; Humperdinck, Hansel and Gretel. Abla Hamza, Maggie Moliterno, Randi Marrazzo, Sheryl Woods, sopranos; Katherine Pracht, Suzanne DuPlantis, mezzo-sopranos; Jeffrey Halili, tenor; Markus Beam, Daniel Pantano, baritones; Laura Ward, piano; Jake Miller, actor/narrator. Suzanne DuPlantis, Randi Marrazzo, Laura Ward, artistic directors. April 29, 2012 at Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill, 8555 Germantown Ave. (215) 438-1702 or www.lyricfest.org.
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| Orchestra 2001 considers Bali (1st review) |
April 24 2012 |
Orchestra 2001 spotlighted the relationship between Western music and Bali, in a concert that resembles a journey through exotic, sometimes rough terrain.
Orchestra 2001: Boulez, Derive 1; Levinson, Black Magic/White Magic; Lotring, Tabuh Solo, Rejang Dewa; Suadin, Bangau Raja; Whitman, Inside/Outside. James Freeman conductor; Freda Herseth, mezzo-soprano; Indonesian Cultural Club Dancers; Gamelan Semara Santi of Swarthmore College, Thomas Whitman, co-director. April 21, 2012 at Philadelphia Ethical Society, 1906 Rittenhouse Square. (267) 687-6243 or www.orchestra2001.org.
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| Dolce Suono’s ‘Russian Roots’ |
April 17 2012 |
Shulamit Ran, ending her composer-in-residence stint with Dolce Suono, seems to have uncovered heavenly aspects of the flute and viola previously hidden from other inquiring theologians.
Dolce Suono: “Russian Roots.” Firsova, String Quartet #11, Purgatorio; Ran, East Wind for Solo Flute, Perfect Storm for Viola Solo; Gubaidulina, The Garden of Joy and Sorrow; Prokofiev, Sonata for Flute and Piano in D Major; Kagel, Pan for Piccolo and String Quartet. Mimi Stillman, flute; Sarah Fuller, harp; Marc Rovetti, Lisa-Beth Lambert, violins; Kerri Ryan, viola; Charles Abramovic, piano. April 13, 2012 at Trinity Center, 2212 Spruce St. (267) 252-1803 or www.dolcesuono.com.
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| Verdi’s ‘Requiem’ by Vox Ama Deus |
April 10 2012 |
Valentin Radu once again expanded the range of Vox Ama Deus, taking on the passion and flamboyance of a 19th-Century masterpiece that’s generally performed by large modern orchestras.
Vox Ama Deus: Verdi, Requiem. Julie-Ann Green, soprano; Jody Kidwell, mezzo-soprano; Timothy Bentch, tenor; Ed Bara, bass. Valentin Radu, artistic director and conductor. April 6, 2012 at the Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (610) 688-2800 or www.VoxAmaDeus.org.
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| Piffaro's 'West Becomes East' |
April 03 2012 |
The Spanish Conquistadores brought Renaissance and Baroque music to South America’s native cultures. But as Piffaro’s latest program demonstrated, the natives put their own stamp on everything from Psalms to Christmas.
Piffaro, “West Becomes East: Renaissance and Baroque Music from the New World.” Nell Snaidas, soprano; Danny Mallon, percussion; Charles Weaver, guitar; the Rose Ensemble, chorus; Jordan Sramek, director. Joan Kimball and Robert Wiemken, Piffaro artistic directors. March 30, 2012 at the Episcopal Cathedral, 38th and Chestnut Sts. (215) 235-8469 or www.piffaro.com.
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| Lyric Fest’s salute to 1912 |
March 27 2012 |
Lyric Fest’s celebration of the music of 1912 provided a reminder of the cultural richness of La Belle Epoque, just before it died in the slaughter of the First World War.
Lyric Fest: “Happy Birthday to 1912.” Songs, arias, opera excerpts by Puccini, Herbert, Schoenberg, Massenet, Cage, Respighi, Korngold, Elgar, Rachmaninoff, Berlin, Strauss, others. Meagan Miller, Randi Marrazzo, sopranos; Suzanne DuPlantis, mezzo-soprano; Zach Borichevsky, tenor; Randall Scarlata, baritone; Chamber Singers of Bryn Mawr and Haverford Colleges, chorus. Thomas Lloyd, director; Laura Ward, piano. March 25, 2012 at Academy of Vocal Arts, 1920 Spruce St. (215) 438-1702 or www.lyricfest.org.
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| Pennsylvania Ballet’s ‘Messiah’ (2nd review) |
March 20 2012 |
If you’re a Baroque music purist who’s trying to be open-minded, the Pennsylvania Ballet’s Messiah will evoke cheers in its best parts and raised eyebrows in others.
Pennsylvania Ballet: Messiah. Choreography by Robert Weiss; music by George Frederic Handel. Through March 17, 2012 at Academy of Music, Broad and Locust Sts. (215) 551-7000 or www.paballet.org.
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| Solzhenitsyn returns with the Chamber Orchestra |
March 06 2012 |
Ignat Solzhenitsyn demonstrated that he’s the ideal conductor for a symphony that’s supposed to be a “grand and inspiring essay.”
Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia: Beethoven, Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major (“Eroica”). Ignat Solzhenitsyn, piano and conductor. March 4, 2012 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 545-1739 or www.chamberorchestra.org.
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| Mendelssohn Club’s ‘Philadelphia Voices’ |
February 28 2012 |
In the process of showcasing works by five Philadelphia composers, the Mendelssohn Club and the Network for New Music also introduced a memorable way for choral groups to conclude their concerts.
Mendelssohn Club and Network For New Music: “Philadelphia Voices.” Folio, Music Box; Higdon, Three Songs and Four Songs; Whitman, At War’s End; Krzywicki, Lute Music; Primosch, Ariel Songs; St. Pierre, Morning Has Broken. Alan Harler and Jan Krzywicki, conductors. February 26, 2012 at Independence Seaport Museum, Penn’s Landing. (215) 569-8080 or www.pcmsconcerts.org.
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| Buxtehude Consort plays Telemann and Handel |
February 21 2012 |
For us commoners whose living standards are slipping farther behind those of the super-rich, the Buxtehude Consort offered a rare chance to live like an 18th-Century aristocrat.
Buxtehude Consort: Telemann, Concerto a 6 in F Major (Gwyn Roberts, recorder; Ann Marsh, Baroque bassoon); Handel, Apollo e Dafne (Clara Rottsolk, soprano; John Fowler, baritone). John Fowler, Artistic Director. February 17, 2012 at St. Peter’s Church, Third and Pine Sts. www.buxtehudeconsort.org.
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| Brentano Quartet’s three tough pieces |
February 21 2012 |
The Brentano Quartet programmed three challenging pieces, in the process reminding the audience that artists deal with their inner conflicts not by resolving them, but by portraying them.
Brentano Quartet: Haydn, String Quartet in D Minor; Ginastera, Piano Quintet; Beethoven, String Quartet in B-flat Major. Mark Steinberg, Serena Canin, violins; Misha Amory, viola; Nina Lee, cello; Ignat Solzhenitsyn, piano. February 19, 2012 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 569-8080 or www.pcmsconcerts.org.
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| Chamber Orchestra spotlights McGill and Mackey |
February 14 2012 |
The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia paired the rising young clarinetist Anthony McGill with a world premiere by Steven Mackey, whose career straddles the worlds of rock and the Big Five orchestras.
Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia: Mozart, Overture to Don Giovanni, Clarinet Concerto in A Major; Mackey, Tonic. Anthony McGill, clarinet; Dirk Brossé, conductor. February 12, 2012 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 545-1739 or www.chamberorchestra.org.
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| Dolce Suono: Mahler and Schoenberg |
February 07 2012 |
Mahler the traditionalist and Schoenberg the atonal apostate actually liked and respected each other. But at this concert, Shulamit Ran’s Moon Songs spoke to me above all.
Dolce Suono: “Mahler 100/Schoenberg 60.” Mahler, Piano Quartet in A Minor; Ran, Moon Songs; Schoenberg, Pierrot lunaire. Lucy Shelton, soprano; Mimi Stillman, artistic director. February 5, 2012 at Trinity Center for Urban Life, 22nd and Spruce Sts. (267) 252-1803 or www.dolcesuono.com.
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| Tempesta di Mare’s ‘Italians in Vienna’ |
February 07 2012 |
Tempesta di Mare’s “Italians in Vienna” raises an interesting question: Who was greater— Vivaldi, or the Hapsburg Emperor Leopold I?
Tempesta di Mare: “Italians in Vienna.” Vivaldi, Concerto for Two Flutes in C, and Perche son molli; Caldara, Concerto for Cello in D Minor; Parsile, Le sofferte; Jommelli, Trio No. 6 for Two Flutes and Cello in D; Fux, Trio Sonata in A; Badia, La Fenice. Michael Maniaci, soprano; Emlyn Ngai, concertmaster. February 4, 2012 at Arch Street Meeting House, 320 Arch St. (215) 755-8776 or www.tempestadimare.org.
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| The true nature of economic growth |
February 07 2012 |
There’s more to economic growth than the mindless production of more and more material goods. As people get richer and smarter, other life forms benefit too. And so does the planet.
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| Leila Josefowicz at the Perelman |
January 31 2012 |
From de Falla to John Adams, the violinist Leila Josefowicz explored the world beyond the standard repertoire. I ended up getting my biggest satisfactions from the three pieces I had least looked forward to.
Leila Josefowicz, violin recital: De Falla, Suite populaire espagnole; Shostakovich, Violin Sonata; Messiaen, Theme et variations; Adams, Road Movies; Schumann, Violin Sonata in A Minor. John Novacek, piano. January 29, 2012 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 569-8080 or www.pcmsconcerts.org.
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| Orchestra 2001 at Trinity Center |
January 31 2012 |
Orchestra 2001 ranged across the spectrum of modern musical styles, with the usual hits and misses, depending on your personal biases.
Orchestra 2001: Andriessen, Letter from Cathy; Boulez, Anthemes 2; Crumb, Voices from the Heartland, American Songbook VII. Ann Crumb, soprano; Patrick Mason, baritone; Gloria Justen, violin; Peter Price, live electronics; James Freeman, conductor. January 28, 2012 at Trinity Center for Urban Life, 22nd and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-1999 or www.orchestra2001.org.
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| Sylvia Nasar’s ‘Grand Pursuit’ |
January 24 2012 |
Why are we so much better off materially than our ancestors? The author of A Beautiful Mind tells the story of the economists who wrestled with the process that liberated humankind from “the nightmare of the past.”
Grand Pursuit: The Story of Economic Genius. By Sylvia Nasar. Simon and Schuster, 2011. 576 pages; $35. www.amazon.com.
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| ‘Townie,’ by Andre Dubus III |
January 17 2012 |
How could such a sensitive writer have been such an insensitive father? In Townie, the son wrestles with that puzzle.
Townie. By Andre Dubus III. W.W. Norton, 2011. 400 pages; $26.06. www.amazon.com.
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| Orchestra plays Beethoven’s Fifth |
January 10 2012 |
A typical Philadelphia Orchestra subscriber will encounter Beethoven’s Fifth only about 30 or 40 times in a lifetime. We watch our favorite movies more frequently.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Torke, Ash; Walton, Viola Concerto; Beethoven, Symphony No. 5 in C Minor. Choong-Jin Chang, viola; David Zinman, conductor. January 6, 2012 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-1900 or www.philorch.org.
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| Kile Smith’s ‘Vespers’ by Piffaro |
January 10 2012 |
Piffaro’s repeat performance of Kile Smith’s Vespers demonstrated that Smith has produced a work that could have staying power.
Piffaro: Smith, Vespers. The Crossing chorus and vocal solos, Piffaro Renaissance instruments. Donald Nally, conductor. January 6, 2012 at Old St. Joseph’s Church, 321 Willings Alley. (215) 235-8469 or www.piffaro.com.
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| Who needs Christmas letters? |
December 27 2011 |
In the age of e-mail and Facebook, an annual Christmas letter seems a superfluous way to play catch-up with your friends. On the contrary, this fading institution provides a valuable assertion that real life persists beneath today’s floating world of mass culture.
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| Philadelphia Orchestra’s ‘Sound of Christmas’ |
December 20 2011 |
The Philadelphia Orchestra’s Christmas program missed some golden opportunities to peddle the Orchestra’s wares to people who don’t normally attend Orchestra concerts.
Philadelphia Orchestra: “The Glorious Sound of Christmas.” Works by Mendelssohn, Bach, Vivaldi, Tchaikovsky/Ellington, Bonnet/Shaw, Bass, Puccini, Fry, Holcombe, Gruber, Handel. Anastasia Agapova, Rebecca Anderson, Maja Cabeza, Ji-Won Song, violins; Elizabeth Zharoff, soprano; Zach Borichevsky, tenor, Pat Ciarrocchi, narrator; Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia, chorus; Rossen Milanov, conductor. December 15, 2011 at Verizon Hall. (215) 893-1900 or www.philorch.org.
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| Dolce Suono’s Holocaust concert |
November 15 2011 |
Dolce Suono’s Holocaust concert passed the ultimate test for a concert devoted to an emotionally charged historic event.
Dolce Suono: “A Place and a Name; Remembering the Holocaust.” Ullmann, Herbst; Previn, A Love Song from Two Remembrances; Smit, Sonata for Flute and Piano; Weber, Wiegala, Und der Regen rinnt, Wiegenlied; Avni, Da R. M. Rilke; Avni, Cantata from Se questo a un uomo; Klein, Trio for Violin, Viola, and Cello; Ran, O the Chimneys. Lucy Shelton, soprano; Mimi Stillman, flute; Paul Demers, clarinet; Noah Geller, violin; Burchard Tang, viola; Yumi Kendall, cello; Charles Abramovic, piano; Gabriel Globus-Hoenich, percussion. November 13, 2011 at Field Concert Hall, Curtis Institute, 18th and Locust Sts. (267) 252-1803 or www.dolcesuono.com.
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| Network For New Music at World Café Live |
November 08 2011 |
The Network for New Music presented its first concert at the World Café, surrounded the music with a touch of the era of lung cancer and lengthy tirades against the restraints of middle class society.
Network for New Music: “The Poetry of Solo.” Arauco, Violiloquy; Running, Snippets; Karchin, Ricercare; Hallman, After the Burial; Kraines, Meditation and Toccata; Schultz, Autumn Squalls; Rudin, Portentum for Solo Percussion. Burchard Tang, viola; Hirono Oka, violin; Arne Running, clarinet; Elizabeth Starr Masoudnia, English horn; Thomas Kraines, cello; Edward Schultz, flute; Anthony Orlando, percussion; Lamont “Napalm” Dixon, Jeanne Minahan, guest readers; Linda Reichert, artistic director. November 6, 2011 at World Café Live, 3025 Walnut St. (215) 848-7647 or www.networkfornewmusic.org.
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| Philadelphia Singers discover Mendelssohn's sister |
November 01 2011 |
As composers go, Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel may have been as talented as her brother Felix. The Philadelphia Singers reminded us that she deserves our attention.
Philadelphia Singers: Mendelssohn, Magnificat in D; Christe, du Lamm Gottes; Jesu, meine Freude; Mendelssohn-Hensel, Hiob; Bach, Magnificat in D. Carole Latimer, Margaret Leone, Leslie Johnson, sopranos; Nancy Trauger, Maren Montalbano, Alyson Harvey, mezzo-sopranos; Steve Williamson, Wilson Jeffreys, Kenneth Garner, tenors; Franklin Phillips, baritone; Frank Mitchell, bass; David Hayes, conductor. October 29, 2011 at Church of the Holy Trinity, Rittenhouse Square. (215) 751-9494 or www.philadelphiasingers.org.
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| Classical Symphony’s ‘likeable music’ |
October 25 2011 |
Karl Middleman presented five pieces, including a world premiere, that prove the music of the last 70 years can be just as likeable as any divertimento penned by Mozart and Haydn.
Philadelphia Classical Symphony: Rautavaara, Divertimento for String Orchestra; Berio, Chemins IV for Soprano Saxophone and 11 Strings; Krzywicki, Concertino bucolico; Boutry, Divertimento for Saxophone and String Orchestra; Strauss, Duet Concertino. Ricardo Morales, clarinet; Daniel Matsukawa, bassoon; Jonathan Hulting-Cohen, saxophone; Karl Middleman, conductor; Jan Krzywicki, guest conductor. October 23, 2011 at Church of the Holy Trinity, Rittenhouse Square. www.classicalsymphony.org.
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| Mendelssohn Club with Orchestra 2001 |
October 25 2011 |
The Mendelssohn Club and Orchestra 2001 presented a joint concert that spanned a broad range of modern musical styles.
Mendelssohn Club/Orchestra 2001: Gorecki, Totus Tuus; Adams, Shaker Loops; Boulez, Messagesquisse; Part, Adam's Lament. Lori Barnet, solo cello; Alan Harler, James Freeman, conductors. October 23, 2011 at Church of the Holy Trinity, Rittenhouse Square. Mendelssohn Club: (215) 735-9922 or www.mcchorus.org. Orchestra 2001: (267) 687-6243 or www.orchestra2001.org.
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| Ama Deus Ensemble at the Perelman |
October 18 2011 |
Valentin Radu opened an ambitious series of concerts at the Perelman Theater with a program that includes his own uninhibited half-sitting, half-standing approach to playing and conducting Mozart’s 23rd Piano Cconcerto.
Ama Deus Ensemble: Mozart: Concerto for Flute No. 2 in D); Concerto for Piano No. 23 in A; Requiem. Valentin Radu, piano; Edward Schultz, flute; Andrea Lauren Brown, soprano; Jody Kidwell, mezzo-soprano; Kenneth Garner, tenor; Ed Bara, bass; Valentin Radu conducted. October 14, 2011 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (610) 688-2800 or www.VoxAmaDeus.org.
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| Tempesta di Mare’s tenth birthday bash |
October 18 2011 |
Tempesta di Mare celebrated its tenth anniversary with pieces saluting a royal birthday, a military victory and the sheer joy of making music.
Tempesta di Mare: C.P.E. Bach, March for the Ark; Fasch, Overture in D, Concerto in F (“Konzertsatz”); Boyce, “Birthday” Symphony in A; Vivaldi, Concerto for Four Violins in B Minor; Rameau, Suite from Les Fêtes de Polymnie. Emlyn Ngai, Karina Fox, Fran Berge, Rebecca Harris, violins; Gwyn Roberts and Richard Stone, artistic directors. October 15-16, 2011 at Arch Street Friends Meeting, 320 Arch St., and Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill, 8555 Germantown Ave. (215) 755-8776 or www.tempestadimare.org.
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| 1807 & Friends: Forgotten woman composer |
October 11 2011 |
1807 & Friends opened its 31st season with a rare work by an 18th-Century woman composer, a masterpiece for the oboe, and one of the best loved works in the string quartet repertoire.
1807 & Friends: Lombardini-Syrmen, String Quartet in No. 2 in B-flat Major; Bliss, Oboe Quintet; Dvořák, String Quartet in F Major (“American”). Richard Woodhams, oboe. The Wister Quartet: Nancy Bean, violin; Davyd Booth, violin; Pamela Fay, viola; Lloyd Smith, cello. October 10, 2011 at Academy of Vocal Arts, 1920 Spruce St. (215) 438-4027 or www.1807friends.org.
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| Piffaro’s ‘Spanish Pipers in the New World’ |
October 04 2011 |
Piffaro explored a historical subject— the spread of European music to the Spanish conquests in the New World— without any of the extras the group usually likes to apply to historical themes.
“East Meets West: Spanish Pipers in the New World.” Music of Fernandes, Cabezon, Ortiz and other Spanish Renaissance composers. Piffaro Renaissance Band, Joan Kimball and Bob Wiemken, artistic directors. September 30, 2001 at Episcopal Cathedral, 38th and Chestnut Sts. (215) 235-8469 or www.piffaro.com.
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| Lyric Fest’s ‘Bawdy Bard’ |
September 27 2011 |
Lyric Fest joined forces with an early music expert to delve into celebrations of sex, nature and carousing from the era of Chaucer, Shakespeare and the medieval troubadours.
Lyric Fest: “The Bawdy Bard.” Songs by Dowland, Purcell, Rimple, de Dia et al. Leslie Johnson, soprano; Maren Montalbano, mezzo-soprano; Steven Bradshaw, tenor; Colin Dill, bass; Gwyn Roberts, recorder; Mark Rimple, lute; Rachel Cama, viola da gamba. Choral Arts Philadelphia, chorus; Matthew Glandorf, conductor. September 25, 2011 at Academy of Vocal Arts, 1920 Spruce St. (215) 438-1702 or www.lyricfest.org.
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| Chamber Orchestra at the Perelman |
September 20 2011 |
Disparate works by Mendelssohn and Dirk Brossé beg a question: Should we insist that the music must stand by itself, without any reference to the subject matter?
Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia: Mendelssohn, The Hebrides (Fingal’s Cave); Hummel, Trumpet Concerto in E-Flat major; Brossé, Elegy for Strings; Schubert, Symphony No. 4 in D major. Alison Balsom, trumpet; Dirk Brossé, conductor. September 18, 2011 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 545-1739 or www.chamberorchestra.org.
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| Vox Renaissance Consort‘s ‘Angelus’ |
September 20 2011 |
Valentin Radu exercised his talent for pace and variety, astutely adapting Renaissance church music to the demands of a modern concert format.
“Angelus”: Renaissance religious music by Tallis, Byrd, Dufay, Monteverdi et al. Vox Renaissance Consort; Valentin Radu, conductor. September 16, 2011 at Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul, 18th and Benjamin Franklin Parkway. (610) 688-2800 or www.voxamadeus.org.
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| Poor Richard’s ‘Opera a Day’ at the Fringe (1st review) |
September 06 2011 |
Poor Richard’s stripped-down productions of seven one-act operas present a good opportunity to sample an odd corner of the opera repertoire for $15 a ticket, if you can understand the words.
Poor Richard’s “Opera a Day”: Mozart, The Impresario (Katy Gentry, director); Vaughan Williams, Riders to the Sea (MarLee MacArthur, director). Poor Richard’s Opera Company productions through September 10, 2011 at Trinity Center for Urban Life, 2212 Spruce St. (215) 413-1318 or www.livearts-fringe.org or poorrichardsopera.wordpress.com.
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| David Goldblatt’s history of soccer |
August 27 2011 |
How did we arrive at a world in which half of mankind watches the World Cup final? And most Americans wonder why they bother?
The Ball is Round: A Global History of Soccer. By David Goldbatt. Penguin Group, 2008. 967 pages. Paperback $26; e-book $18.99. www.amazon.com.
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| Allen Krantz revives Wencelas Matiegka |
August 09 2011 |
Beethoven’s contemporary Wencelas Matiegka wrote 11 solos for guitar that were forgotten after his death. Now, thanks to the Internet and the guitarist/arranger Allen Krantz, they’ve been resuscitated.
Concerts by Candlelight: Handel, Sonata in E Minor; Burgmuller, Three Nocturnes; Matiegka, Sonata in G Major for Solo Guitar; Debussy, Reveries (arr. Allen Krantz); La Catedral for solo guitar; Saint-Saëns, Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso (arr. Krantz). Allen Krantz, guitar and commentary; Shannon Lee, violin. August 7, 2011 at Laurel Hill Mansion, Fairmount Park. (215) 643-7923 or mysite.verizon.net/vzeqfkn7/id14.html.
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| Surviving on the fringe: Tips for arts groups |
August 02 2011 |
How can the high arts survive economically in today’s mass pop culture? Simple: Stop wringing your hands and start reveling in the joys of life on society’s fringe. That approach worked for Bach and BMW, and for me too. Here are six simple suggestions for putting this notion into practice.
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| Wister Quartet’s ‘Summer Bits and Pieces’ |
July 26 2011 |
The Wister Quartet, reduced to a trio, responded by showcasing the overlooked talents of its three remaining members.
Concerts by Candlelight: Wister Quartet, “Summer Bits and Pieces.” Kroll, Polka; Giordani, Duetto No. 1; Leclair, Sonate; Mozart, Playful Duet; Tchaikovsky, Chanson Triste; Tartini, Presto in G Minor; Hummel, Romance; Reger, Introduction and Phantasie; Schubert, Ballet Music from Rosamunde; Martini, Gavotte; Mozart, Allegro from Divertimento in E-flat; de Falla, Danse Espagnole. Nancy Bean, violin and viola; Davyd Booth, violin; Lloyd Smith, cello. July 24, 2011 at Laurel Hill Mansion, Fairmount Park. (215) 643-7923 or mysite.verizon.net/vzeqfkn7/id14.html.
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| A lesson from the Women’s World Cup |
July 19 2011 |
Soccer is the national sport in every major country except the U.S. How, then, could a team of American women reach the finals of the World Cup? The answer provides a lesson for any society that hopes to advance itself— on or off a soccer field.
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| Dolce Suono at Laurel Hill |
July 12 2011 |
The Dolce Suono Trio manages a successful hop between 20th Century America and 18th Century Europe.
Concerts by Candlelight: Bach, Sonata in E Major; Handel, Sonata in A Minor; Vivaldi, Sonata in G Minor; C.P.E. Bach, Hamburg Sonata in G Major. Dolce Suono Trio: Mimi Stillman, flute; Priscilla Lee, cello; Charles Abramovic, harpsichord. July 10, 2011 at Laurel Hill Mansion, Fairmount Park. (215) 643-7923 or mysite.verizon.net/vzeqfkn7/id14.html.
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| Andrew Rudin’s 40-year retrospective |
July 02 2011 |
The new music composer Andrew Rudin has accumulated an impressive body of work for more than 40 years— not by imitating old masters, but achieving the same impact in his own way.
“Celebrations: Music by Andrew Rudin.” Rudin, Celebrations; Ephemera, Pages from a Sketchbook; Sonata for Violoncello and Piano; Overture/Rondo; Museum Pieces; Sonata for Violin and Piano. Stephanie and Saar, Beth Levin, Steven Beck, piano; Anthony Orlando percussion; Nell Rynston, clarinet; Eugene Moye, cello; Miranda Cuckson, violin. June 16, 2011 at Caplan Recital Hall, University of the Arts, 211 South Broad St.
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| The Crossing’s ’Month of Moderns’ |
June 28 2011 |
Kile Smith may be more comfortable with Christian texts, but his foray into Stoic philosophy displays all the inventive expressiveness that marks his Christian works.
“Month of Moderns, Concert Two.” Smith, The Waking Sun; Ince, Thyestes; Jackson, Not no faceless angel. The Crossing, chorus; Tempesta di Mare, orchestra; Eve Miller, cello; Mimi Stillman, flute; Donald Nally, conductor. June 18, 2011 at Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill, 8855 Germantown Ave. www.crossingchoir.com.
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| Chestnut Street Singers: American songs |
June 20 2011 |
A new chamber chorus satisfies the four basic requirements of good a cappella choral music: Strong voices, good harmony, close coordination, and astute selections.
Chestnut Street Singers: “I Hear America Singing,” a cappella choral works by Billings, Copland, Tippet, Whitacre, Betinis, Hedges et al. June 12, 2011 at First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St. www.chestnutstreetsingers.org.
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| Philadelphia’s Bach Festival |
June 08 2011 |
Modern arrangements of Baroque musicians require scholar-musicians steeped in a tradition that died 200 years ago and blessed with creativity and taste. Philadelphia’s Bach Festival provided an ample supply in a single packed weekend.
Bach Festival of Philadelphia: Cantatas, Suites, Trio Sonatas, and Masses by Johann Sebastian Bach. Julianne Baird, Jessica Beebe, Clara Rottsolk, sopranos; Jennifer L. Smith, mezzo-soprano; Aaron Sheehan, tenor; Matthew Knickman, Jean Bernard Cerin, baritones; Bryan DeSilva, counter-tenor. Philadelphia Bach Collegium, orchestra; Choral Arts Philadelphia, chorus; Matthew Glandorf, conductor. Tempesta di Mare Chamber Players, Gwyn Roberts and Richard Stone, directors. June 3-5, 2011 at St. Mark’s Episcopal, Church, 1625 Locust St. (215) 247.2224 or www.bach-fest.org.
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| Savoy Company’s ‘Iolanthe’ |
May 31 2011 |
At its 108th annual production, the theoretically amateur Savoy Company demonstrated once again that the enduring appeal of Gilbert and Sullivan is based on qualities that transcend nostalgia.
Savoy Company: Gilbert and Sullivan’s Iolanthe. Roberta Morrell, artistic director; Dan Rothermel, music director. May 26-27, 2011 at the Academy of Music, Broad and Locust Sts. Also June 10-11, 2011 at Longwood Gardes, Kennett Square, Pa. (215) 735-7161 or www.savoy.org.
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| Orchestra’s ‘Damnation of Faust’ (1st review) |
May 31 2011 |
Charles Dutoit ended his penultimate year as chief conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra with a grand finale worthy of his long (albeit sometimes shabby) relationship with the Philadelphians.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Berlioz, The Damnation of Faust. Paul Groves, tenor; Susan Graham, mezzo-soprano; David Wilson Johnson and Lucas Harbour, baritones; Philadelphia Singers Chorale, David Hayes, music director; American Boychoir, Fernando Malvar-Ruiz, music director. Charles Dutoit, conductor. May 28, 2011 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-1900 or www.philorch.org.
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| Tempesta di Mare restores Telemann, Fasch and Janitsch |
May 24 2011 |
By scouring the Red Army archives, Tempesta di Mare resuscitated a few baroque gems, not to mention some quirky valveless horns.
Tempesta di Mare: Fasch, Concerto for Orchestra; Janitsch, Ouverture Grosso in G; Telemann, Ino, cantata for soprano and orchestra (Laura Heimes, soprano). Emlyn Ngai, concertmaster; Gwyn Roberts and Richard Stone, artistic directors. May 20, 2011 at Friends Arch Street Meeting House, 320 Arch St. (215) 755-8776 or www.tempestadimare.org.
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| Orchestra plays Beethoven and Stravinsky (2nd review) |
May 24 2011 |
Charles Dutoit’s Ninth didn’t quite make it into the circle inhabited by Sawallisch and Milanov. But it came close, even if the soloists didn’t quite measure up to the occasion.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Stravinsky, Symphony of Psalms; Beethoven, Symphony No. 9 in D Minor. Melanie Diener, soprano; Mary Phillips, mezzo-soprano; Joseph Kaiser, tenor; Nathan Berg, bass-baritone. The Philadelphia Singers Chorale, chorus. Charles Dutoit, conductor. May 19-21, 2011 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-1900 or www.philorch.org.
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| Camerata Ama Deus’s all-Handel concert |
May 17 2011 |
Like all musical organizations, Valentin Radu’s Ama Deus mini-empire has its strengths and weaknesses. But you can be certain you’ll get your money’s worth when Radu leads his Camerata chamber orchestra through a Baroque period instrument concert.
Camerata Ama Deus: Handel, Suite in G Minor; Concerto Grosso in D Minor; Violin Concerto in B Flat; Suite in F Major; Trumpet Suite in D Major. Valentin Radu, conductor. May 13-15, 2011 at Old St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, 321 Willings Alley (also St. John Vlanney Church in Gladwyne, Pa, and Daylesford Abbey in Paoli, Pa.). (610) 688-2800 or www.voxamadeus.org.
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| Dolce Suono’s Mahler/Schoenberg festival |
May 17 2011 |
Dolce Suono’s live-wire leader, Mimi Stillman, combined a new music mini-festival with memorable performances of two established works while demonstrating, once again, that her talent for creating fascinating programs rivals her abilities as a flutist.
Dolce Suono Ensemble: “Mahler 100/Schoenberg 60.” Ludwig, Ewigkeit (Eternity); Minakakis, Nepenthe; Schoenberg, Six Little Piano Pieces; Mahler/Schoenberg, Songs of a Wayfarer; Fang, Song of Sorrow; Mackey, Herr Gutmann; Stuckey, From Youthful Times. Eric Owens, bass-baritone; Mimi Stillman, artistic director. May 11, 2011 at Trinity Center for Urban Life, 2212 Spruce St. (267) 252-1803 or www.dolcesuono.com.
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| Piffaro’s Heinrich Isaacs concert |
May 10 2011 |
In 25 years, Piffaro has evolved from musical brawls to more refined Renaissance repertoire. Are all of us mellowing as we age along with Piffaro’s musicians? Or is our appreciation of Renaissance music growing more sophisticated?
Piffaro: “The Musical Travels of Heinrich Isaac.” Songs, motets, instrumental works by Heinrich Isaac et al. Capilla Flamenca, vocalists (Dirk Snellings, bass; Lieven Termont, baritone; Tore Denys, tenor; Marnix De Cat, countertenor); Piffaro Renaissance Band, instrumentalists; Joan Kimball, Robert Wiemken, artistic co-directors. May 6, 2011 at Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill, 8855 Germantown Ave. (215) 235-8469 or www.piffaro.com.
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| Curtis Opera’s ‘Idomeneo’ |
May 09 2011 |
Idomeneo isn’t Mozart’s greatest musical creation, but it’s the opera he produced just before the ultimate flowering of his talent.
Idomeneo. Opera by W. A. Mozart; George Manahan, conductor; Chas Rader-Shieber, stage director. Curtis Opera Theater production May 5, 2011 at Prince Music Theater, Broad and Chestnut Sts. (215) 893-7902 or www.curtis.edu.
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| New works by Maneval, Levinson and DuBois |
May 03 2011 |
Three new works by Philadelphia composers added depth and zest to concerts that placed them shoulder-to-shoulder with music that has survived decades of scrutiny.
Philadelphia Chamber Music Society: Debussy, Cello Sonata in D Minor; Maneval, Piano Trio No. 2; Ravel, Piano Trio in A Minor. Daniel Phillips, violin; Marcy Rosen, cello; Cynthia Raim, piano. April 29, 2011 at Independence Seaport Museum, Penn’s Landing. (215) 569-8080 or www.pcmsconcerts.org.
Orchestra 2001: Stravinsky, Concerto in D for Strings; Levinson, Now Your Colors Sing; Debussy, Danses Sacrée et Profàne (Madeline Blood, harp); DuBois, Harmonic Divertimento; Dutilleux, Mystère de l’Instant. May 1, 2011 at Lang Concert Hall, Swarthmore College. (215) 893-1999 or www.orchestra2001.org.
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| Network For New Music: Debussy meets Japan |
April 26 2011 |
Network for New Music contributed to the Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts with a program that mingled music and visuals, Eastern and Western musical traditions, and novel instrumental combinations.
Network for New Music: Debussy, Sonata for Flute, Viola, and Harp; Takemitsu, Toward the Sea III; Fujikura, Okeanos, Halcyon. David Cramer, flute; Hirono Oka, violin; Rachel Ku, Burchard Tang, violas; Sarah Fuller, harp; Jennifer Kuhns, oboe; Benjamin Fingland, clarinet; Thomas Kraines, cello; Naoko Kikuchi, koto; Naomi Sato, sho. Jan Krzywicki, conductor; Gene Coleman, video. April 15, 2011 at International House, 3701 Chestnut St. (215) 848-7647 or www.networkfornewmusic.org.
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| Dolce Suono’s French evening |
April 26 2011 |
Dolce Suono probed the music that underlies the French legend celebrated in the Philadelphia International Festival for the Arts. It also inadvertently provided a new slant on a Debussy sonata.
Dolce Suono Ensemble: Ravel/Salzedo, Sonatine en Trio for flute, viola, and harp; Clearfield, Rhapsodie for Flute, Harp and String Trio; Debussy, Sonata for Flute, Viola and Harp; Jolivet, Chant de Linos for Flute, Violin, Viola, Cello and Harp. Mimi Stillman, flute; Coline-Marie Orliac, harp; Noah Geller, violin; Burchard Tang, viola; Yumi Kendall, cello. April 13, 2011 at First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St. (267) 252-1803 or www.dolcesuono.com.
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| Chamber Orchestra’s ‘Histoire du Soldat’ |
April 19 2011 |
The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia presented Philadelphia’s first full-dress version of L’Histoire du Soldat in 20 years— and the first to attract a decent audience.
Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia: Stravinsky, L’Histoire du Soldat (The Story of a Soldier). Dirk Brossé, conductor; Robert Smythe, stage director. April 11, 2011 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 545-1739 or www.chamberorchestra.org.
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| Lyric Fest’s Paris Festival |
April 12 2011 |
The Lyric Fest art song series made its contribution to the Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts with a program it could stage at any time.
Lyric Fest: Songs by Debussy, Poulenc, Stravinsky, Delage, Ravel, Satie, Weil, Porter, Gershwin et al. Manon Strauss Evrard, Randi Marrazzo, sopranos; Clara O’Brien, mezzo-soprano; Randall Scarlata, baritone. Lois Herbine, flute; Lynne Beiler, cello; Laura Ward, piano. Developed and produced by Suzanne DuPlantis, Randi Marrazzo, and Laura Ward. April 10, 2011 at First Presbyterian Church, 21st and Walnut Sts. (215) 438-1702 or www.lyricfest.org.
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| Choral Arts Society’s Gesualdo program (2nd review) |
April 12 2011 |
Matthew Glandorf placed Renaissance Lenten music in context by juxtaposing it with modern artists like T.S. Eliot, Igor Stravinsky, Benjamin Britten, and Dame Edith Sitwell.
Choral Arts Society, ”Tenebrae: Shadows of Gesualdo”: Stravinsky, Pater Noster; Gesualdo, Tenebrae Responsoria de Sabbato Sancto; Britten, “Canticles”: Abraham and Isaac, Still Falls the Rain, The Journey of the Magi; Allegri, Miserere Mei (Psalm 51). Matthew C. Glandorf, conductor. April 8, 2011 at St. Mark’s Church, 1625 Locust St. (215) 240-6417 or www.choralarts.com.
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| Trio Camille and Buxtehude Consort |
April 05 2011 |
Two musical go-getters, pianist Matt Bengtson and baritone John Fowler, enhance Philadelphia’s musical life while creating opportunities for themselves and their colleagues.
Trio Camille: Haydn, Piano Trio No. 39 in G Major; Tchaikovsky, Piano Trio in A minor. Min-Young Kim, violin; Michal Schmidt, cello; Matt Bengtson, piano. March 24, 2011 at Harnwell House, University of Pennsylvania. www.mattbengtson.com.
Buxtehude Consort: Buxtehude, Fuerwahr, er trug unsere Krankheit; J.C. Bach, Lamento; Provenzale, Dialogo a cinque voci con violini per la Passione; Pergolesi, Stabat Mater. Molly Quinn, soprano; Jenifer L. Smith, mezzo-soprano; Ian Howell, countertenor; Steve Bradshaw, tenor; John L. Fowler, baritone; Daniel Elyar, Daniela Giulia Pierson, violins; Donna Fournier, Heather Miller Lardin, Amy Dominguez, viols; Katie Rietman, violoncello; Kevin Payne, theorbo; Zach Hemenway, organ. John L. Fowler, artistic director. April 2, 2011 at St. Clement’s Church, 20th and Appletree Sts. www.buxtehudeconsort.org.
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| Contemporary music: Two concerts |
April 05 2011 |
Philip Glass and George Rochberg may have revolutionized new music, but their work seems almost mannered next to two younger composers who took advantage of their rebellion.
Penn Contemporary Music: Moravec, Three Pieces for Violin and Piano; Reise, The Flight of the Red Sea Swallow, Ballad for Violin and Piano; Glass, Sonata No. 1 for Violin and Piano; Rochberg, Sonata for Violin and Piano. Maria Bachmann, violin; Jon Klibonoff, piano. March 29, 2011 at Amado Recital Hall, Irvine Auditorium, University of Pennsylvania. (215) 898-7544 or www.sas.upenn.edu/music.
Philadelphia Orchestra Chamber Music Series: Ludwig, Piccola musica notturna. Elizabeth Starr Masoudnia, English horn; Elizabeth Hainen, harp; Lisa-Beth Lambert and Yumi Ninomiya Scott, violins; Burchard Tang, viola; Yumi Kendall, cello; Joseph Conyers, double bass. April 3, 2011 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-1900 or www.philorch.org.
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| Tempesta di Mare’s ‘Characters of the Dance’ |
March 29 2011 |
Tempesta di Mare combined a first-class Bach performance with a lesson in Baroque dance forms, not to mention a mysterious connection to Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky.
Tempest di Mare: “Characters of the Dance.” Fasch, Orchestra Suite in A Minor, Sinfonia in G Minor, Fugue in B-flat; Rebel, Les Caracteres de la Danse; Bach, Orchestra Suite No. 1 in C. Emlyn Ngai, concertmaster; Gwyn Roberts and Richard Stone, artistic directors. March 27, 2011 at Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill, 8855 Germantown Ave. (215) 755-8776 or www.tempestadimare.org.
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| Astral Artists showcases Aaron Jay Kernis |
March 22 2011 |
Aaron Jay Kernis finished his two-year stint as Astral Artists’ first composer in residence with two spectacular pieces that starred a spectacular soprano.
Astral Artists: Holtz, Terzetto for Flute, Violin and Viola; Kernis, Simple Songs and da l’Arte del Danssar; Harrison, Suite for Cello and Harp; Dohnanyi, Serenade for String Trio in C Major. Benjamin Bellman, violin; Teng Li, viola; Susan Babini, cello; Bridget Kibbey, harp; Jasmine Choi, flute; Don Liuzzi, percussion; Disella Larusdottir, soprano; Debra Scurto-Davis, piano. March 20, 2011 at Trinity Center, 2212 Spruce St. (215) 735-6999 or www.AstralArtists.org.
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| Orchestra 2001 plays Hindemith |
March 22 2011 |
Hindemith and folk songs? It’s an odd juxtaposition, but the two halves created a thoroughly enjoyable Saturday night outing.
Orchestra 2001: Hindemith, Kammermusic No. 3, Kammermusic No. 2; Sierra, Cancionero Sefardi; Berio, Folk Songs. Lori Barnet, cello; Marcantonio Barone, piano; Julianne Baird, soprano; Mark Loria and James Freeman, conductors. March 19, 2011, at Trinity Center, 2212 Spruce St. (215) 893-1999 or www.orchestra2001.org.
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| Piffaro at the court of Ferrara |
March 15 2011 |
Philadelphia’s own Renaissance wind band joins forces with a traveling violin band to recreate the first outbursts of the modern multi-section orchestra.
Piffaro: Music from the court of Ferrara. Works by de Rore, Agostini, Luzzaschi, Gesualdo et al. Ellen Hargis, soprano; Kings Noyse, violins (David Douglass, director); Joan Kimball and Bob Wiemken, artistic co-directors. March 12, 2011 at St. Mark’s Church, 1625 Locust St. (215) 235-8469 or www.piffaro.com.
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| Chamber Orchestra: Solzhenitsyn returns (2nd review) |
March 08 2011 |
Ignat Solzhenitsyn returned to his old stomping ground to lead the Chamber Orchestra through two well-balanced classics and a moving mid-century experiment with 12-tone music.
Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia: Mozart, Piano Concerto No. 20 in D Minor, K. 466; Lutoslawski, Funeral Music; Haydn, “Drum Roll” Symphony No. 103 in E-flat Major. Ignat Solzhenitsyn, pianist and conductor. March 5, 2011 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. (215) 545-1739 or www.chamberorchestra.org.
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| Jeremy Gill works at Settlement (2nd review) |
March 01 2011 |
Composer Jeremy Gill placed two of his own works side by side with pieces by two of the 20th Century’s greatest composers and tapped into the deeper currents of the classical tradition.
Music of Gill, Reich, Britten, Messiaen. ToniMarie Marchioni, oboe; Feifei Zhang, piano; Jeremy Gill, piano; Mari Yoshinaga, percussion; Gabriel Globus-Hoenich, percussion. February 24., 2011 at Settlement Music School, 416 Queen Street. www.jeremytgill.com.
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| Higdon, Hahn and Curtis (2nd review) |
February 22 2011 |
What makes Curtis Institute one of the world’s great music schools? Jennifer Higdon’s Violin Concerto, written for her former Curtis student Hilary Hahn, is a touching portrait of the relationship between a powerful talent and the unique institution that nurtured her.
Curtis Symphony Orchestra: Higdon, Violin Concerto; Hindemith, Concert Music for Strings and Brass, Op. 50; Shostakovich Fifth Symphony. Hilary Hahn, violin; Juanjo Mena, conductor. February 14, 2011 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-7902 or www.curtis.edu.
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| Chamber Orchestra plays Faure, Mendelssohn and Beethoven |
February 15 2011 |
The Chamber Orchestra’s new leader programmed three widely varied pieces, introduced an electric young soloist, and led a post-concert discussion that was almost as interesting as the music itself.
Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia: Faure, Pavane; Mendelssohn, Violin Concerto No. 2 in E Minor (Elena Urioste, violin); Beethoven, Symphony No. 1 in C Major. Dirk Brossé, conductor. February 13, 2011 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 545-1739 or www.chamberorchestra.org. (Repeated February 15, at Temple University Performing Arts Center, 1837 N. Broad St. www.thebaptisttemple.org.)
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| Vox Amadeus: all-Vivaldi concert |
February 08 2011 |
The Four Seasons is a nice piece, but I’ve heard it too often recently. Vivaldi’s enormous output includes dozens of entries that are just as inventive and charming.
Vox Amadeus: Vivaldi, Concerto for Recorder in C; Concerto for Two Violins and Cello in D Minor; Concerto for Trumpet in D Minor; The Four Seasons. Rainer Beckmann, recorder; Thomas DiSarlo, Thomas Jackson, violins; Vivian Barton Dozor, cello; Elin Frazier, trumpet. Camerata Amadeus Baroque Instrument Orchestra, Valentin Radu, conductor. February 4, 2011 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (610) 688-2800 or www.voxamadeus.org.
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| Tempesta di Mare’s Roman holiday |
February 01 2011 |
Tempesta di Mare recreates the musical pleasures of Baroque Roman drawing rooms in a promising new venue: the Arch Street Meeting House.
Tempesta di Mare: Alessandro Scarlatti, Sonata in C, Bella, s’io t’amo il sai, Bella dama di nome Santa; Handel, Alpestre Monte, Concerto No. 3, Trio Sonata in G Minor. Clara Rottsolk, soprano; Gwyn Roberts, recorder and flute; Emlyn Ngai, Karina Fox, violins; Eve Miller, cello; Richard Stone, theorbo and archlute; Adam Pearl, harpsichord. January 29, 2011 at Friends Arch Street Meeting House, 320 Arch St. (215) 755-8776 or www.tempestadimare.org.
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| Concert Operetta’s ‘Remembering Romberg’ (1st review) |
February 01 2011 |
Concert Operetta’s recent Sigmund Romberg program provided an enjoyable afternoon, with two caveats. Even a hopeless Romberg addict like me learned a few things I never knew before.
Concert Operetta Theater: “Remembering Romberg.” Romberg, songs from The Desert Song, The Student Prince, New Moon, My Maryland, et al. Catharine Layton, Zulimar Lopez-Fernandez, sopranos; Patrick Layton, tenor; John-Andrew Fernandez, baritone; Michael Presser, narrator; Donald Yonker, writer. Daniel Pantano, artistic director. January 30, 2011 at Helen Corning Warden Theater, Academy of Vocal Arts, 1920 Spruce St. (215) 389-0648 or www.concertoperetta.com.
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| Dolce Suono’s new collaborators |
January 25 2011 |
Dolce Suono Ensemble collaborates with an organist who understands the difference between art and megalomania, and a young soprano selected by a colleague with impeccable credentials.
Dolce Suono Ensemble: Works by Handel, Bach, Alain, Bloch, Dupré, Mozart. Jegyung Yang, soprano; Alan Morrison, organ; Mimi Stillman, flute; Yumi Kendall, cello. January 23, 2011 at First Baptist Church, 17th and Sansom Sts. (267) 252-1803 or www.dolcesuono.com.
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| Alan Gilbert conducts the Philadelphia Orchestra |
January 25 2011 |
Alan Gilbert’s guest appearance with the Philadelphia Orchestra combined two Philadelphia premieres with one of the all-time champions of the orchestral repertoire. Like Yannick Nézet-Séguin, he seems to understand how to reach today’s music audience.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Lindberg, Expo; Rouse, Oboe Concerto (Richard Woodhams, oboe); Beethoven, Symphony No. 6 in F Major (“Pastoral”). Alan Gilbert, conductor. January 22, 2011 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-1900 or www.philorch.org.
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| Natalie Zhu with Ricardo Morales |
January 18 2011 |
Without musicians like these three, conductors would just be well-dressed exhibitionists waving their arms. Oh, and keep your eye on the pianist Natalie Zhu.
Philadelphia Chamber Music Society: Brahms, Clarinet Sonata in E-Flat Major; Saint-Saëns, Clarinet Sonata in E-Flat Major; Bassi, Concert Fantasia for Clarinet and Piano on Themes from Verdi’s Rigoletto; Brahms, Clarinet Trio in A Minor. Ricardo Morales, clarinet; Natalie Zhu, piano; Efe Baltacigil, cello. January 10, 2011 at Benjamin Franklin Hall, American Philosophical Society, 427 Chestnut St. (215) 569-8080 or www.pcmsconcerts.org.
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| On sitting in Verizon's ‘conductor’s circle’ |
December 28 2010 |
The conductor’s circle at Verizon Hall may not be the best place to hear violin concertos and subtle nuances. But sitting so close to the musicians should appeal to anyone who appreciates intensity and passion.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Smetana, Hakon Jarl; Prokofiev, Piano Concerto No. 5 in G Minor (Garrick Ohlsson, piano); Respighi, The Fountains of Rome, Roman Festival. Gianandrea Noseda, conductor. December 3, 2010 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-1900 or www.philorch.org.
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| Piffaro’s Renaissance Christmas |
December 21 2010 |
On a single Christmas program, Piffaro managed to combine our mix of pagan rite, Christian holy day and All-American party-time.
Piffaro: “Drive the Cold Winter Away.” Carols, ballads and dances from 15th- and 16th-Century English texts. Laura Heimes, guest soprano; Robert Wiemken and Joan Kimball, co-directors. December 17, 2010 at First Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill. (215) 235-8469 or www.piffaro.com.
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| Tempesta di Mare channels Couperin and Louis XIV |
December 14 2010 |
Some people spend Sunday reading the New York Times. Louis XIV summoned Francois Couperin and his court chamber players, who keenly understood audience psychology.
Tempesta di Mare: Couperin, Les Baricades Mysterieuses, La Francoise, Sonade, La Francoise Suite, Les Sylvains, La Sultane; Pièces de Violes; Concert “dans le gout théâtral.” Adam Pearl, harpsichord; Richard Stone, theorbo; Sarah Cunningham, viola da gamba; Gwyn Roberts and Richard Stone, co-directors; Emlyn Ngai, concertmaster. December 11, 2010 at Old St. Joseph’s Church, 320 Willings Alley. (215) 755-8776 or www.tempestadimare.org.
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| Monteverdi Vespers by Choral Arts and Piffaro (1st review) |
December 07 2010 |
There’s no right way to perform the Monteverdi Vespers, because the composer didn’t specify which instruments played which passages. But Choral Arts and Piffaro collaborated on a performance that offered all the emotional pleasures we think of when we hear Monteverdi’s name.
Monteverdi, Vespers of 1610. Choral Arts Philadelphia, chorus; Matthew Glandorf, music director. Piffaro Renaissance Wind Band; Joan Kimball and Robert Weimken, co-directors. December 5, 2010 at First Baptist Church, 17th and Sansom Sts. Choral Arts: www.choralarts.com. Piffaro: (215) 235-8469 or www.piffaro.org.
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| Dirk Brossé’s Chamber Orchestra debuts |
November 30 2010 |
Can nice guys create art? Beneath his amiable surface, the Chamber Orchestra’s new conductor reveals himself as a deadly serious musician.
Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia: Barber, Adagio for Strings; Vaughan Williams, Concerto in A Minor for Oboe and Strings (Geoffrey Deemer, oboe); Puccini, Crisantemi; Tchaikovsky, Variations on a Rococo Theme (Hai-Ye Ni, cello). Dirk Brossé, conductor. November 14, 2010 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 545-1739 or www.chamberorchestra.org.
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| Garwood’s ‘Scarlet Letter,’ by AVA (1st review) |
November 23 2010 |
Margaret Garwood’s new opera may not contain any soaring arias, but its final moment is a monument to the immorality of overbearing morality.
The Scarlet Letter. Music and libretto by Margaret Garwood, from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel. Richard A. Raub, conductor; Dorothy Danner, director. Academy of Vocal Arts world premiere November 19-21, 2010 at Merriam Theater, 250 S. Broad St. (above Spruce). (215) 735-1685 or www.avaopera.org.
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| Astral Artists’ Brahms Festival |
November 16 2010 |
Astral showcased its young performers in an attention-getting event that crammed three concerts into a single day. It may be a stunt, but it’s a high-class stunt with a serious purpose.
Philadelphia Brahms Festival (three concerts): Works by Brahms, Strauss, Paganini, Lutoslawski and Schumann. Saeka Matsuyama and Kristin Lee, violin; Susan Babini, cello, Jennifer Montone, horn; Andrea Lam, Cynthia Raim, Natalie Zhu, Spencer Myer, Sara Daneshpour and Alexandre Moutouzkine, piano; Roberto Diaz, (Jennifer Stumm, viola; Jonathan Beyer and Randall Scarlata, baritones; Barbara Shirvis, soprano; Suzanne DuPlantis, mezzo-soprano. November 13, 2010 at Church of the Holy Trinity, Rittenhouse Square. (215) 735-6999 or www.AstralArtists.org.
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| Orchestra 2001: From China to Scotland |
November 09 2010 |
Orchestra 2001 presented a globetrotting program that bridged the divide between entertainment and art while it linked the Eastern and Western musical traditions.
Orchestra 2001, "Chinese Visions": Barker, Naibh Beags (Nyvaigs) (Jennifer Margaret Barker, narrator); Dun, Concerto for String Quartet and Pipa and Circle with Four Trios, Conductor and Audience; Chen, Transformation in Purple; Reise, Lunahuana. Wu Man, pipa soloist; Noel Archambeault, soprano; James Freeman, conductor. November 6, 2010 at Trinity Center for Urban Life, 22nd and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-1999 or www.orchestra2001.org.
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| Dolce Suono plays Danielpour’s trio |
October 30 2010 |
Dolce Suono premieres a new trio by Richard Danielpour that successfully navigates the rocky territory where art meets politics.
Dolce Suono: Gaubert, Three Watercolors; Ravel, Chansons Madecasses, La flute enchantée; Danielpour, Four Baritone Arias from Margaret Garner, and Remembering Neda: Trio for Flute, Cello, and Piano. Mimi Stillman, flute; Yumi Kendall, cello; Charles Abramovic, piano; Randall Scarlata, baritone. October 22, 2010 at Trinity Center for Urban Life, 22nd and Spruce Sts. www.dolcesuono.com.
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| Piffaro’s 1616 baptism and ballet |
October 26 2010 |
Piffaro’s historical productions can’t create a full reproduction of the events they’re based on. But this simulation of a 17th-Century royal baptism provided some sense of the way their music felt when it was part of the day-to-day life of the court and the street.
Piffaro: “The Royals’ Baptism and Ballet.” Music by Lechner, Daser, Aichinger, et al. Parthenia (viol consort); Blue Heron (chorus); Piffaro (Renaissance winds); Laura Heimes, soprano; New York Historical Dance Company. October 23, 2010 at Church of the Holy Trinity, Rittenhouse Square, and Trinity Center, 22nd and Spruce Sts. (215) 235-8469 or www.piffaro.org.
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| Philadelphia Harp Music Festival |
October 19 2010 |
The Philadelphia HarpMusicFest presents able musicians playing attractive programs. All it needs is an audience.
Philadelphia HarpMusicFest. Music by Salzedo, Debussy, Cherubini, Handel, et al. Harpists Erica Goodman, Saul Davis Zlatkovski, True North Harp Duo (Lynne Aspnes and John Wickey), Harps Afire Harp Duo (Virginia Flanagan and Alison Simpson). Lois Herbine, flute; Susan Arnold, viola; Susan Whitelack, Tracey Chebra, sopranos; Linda Mindlin, mezzo-soprano. Saul Davis Zlatkovski, director. October 7-12, 2010 at Church of St. Luke and the Epiphany, 330 South 13th St. www.harpmusicfest.com.
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| Philadelphia Singers’ all-American concert |
October 19 2010 |
The Philadelphia Singers’ new emphasis on American choral music wisely exploits conductor David Hayes’s conviction and understanding.
Philadelphia Singers: Betinis, Bar Xizam; Bryars, On Photography; Shapiro, Metamorphoses; Thompson, The Peaceable Kingdom. Luke Housner, piano; Bryan Anderson, organ; David Hayes, conductor. October 17, 2010 at Church of the Holy Trinity, W. Rittenhouse Square. (215) 751-9494 or www.philadelphiasingers.org.
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| Choral Arts Society’s Salzburg Vespers |
October 12 2010 |
Matthew Glandorf embedded Mozart’s Salzburg Vespers in the musical elements of an actual church service. In the process he offered a new look at an old favorite.
Choral Arts Philadelphia: Mozart, Solemn Vespers of a Confessor; Ave Verum Corpus; Regina Coeli; Sonata in C for two violins, trumpets and organ; Sonata in C Major for two violins, continuo and organ. Julianne Baird, soprano; Leon Schelhase, organ. Bach Collegium of Philadelphia, orchestra. Matthew Glandorf, conductor. October 9, 2010 at Saint Mark’s Church, 1625 Locust St. (215) 240-6417 or www.choralarts.com.
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| Tempesta di Mare revisits Dresden |
October 05 2010 |
Tempesta di Mare created a glimpse of an 18th-Century cultural center through music that has survived the defeats of the Seven Years’ War and the bombings of the Second World War.
Tempesta di Mare: Fasch, Concerto in D; Hasse, Sinfonia to Lucia Papirio; Weiss, Concerto à cinque in C (Richard Stone, lute); Fasch, Concerto in D; Zelenka, Hypochondria; Vivaldi, Concerto in D Minor. Gwyn Roberts and Richard Stone, artistic directors; Emlyn Ngai, concertmaster. October 3, 2010 at Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill, 8855 Germantown Ave. (215) 755-8776 or www.tempestadimare.org.
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| A composer’s intentions (Krantz’s ‘Trio’) |
September 28 2010 |
How much do we need to know when we listen to music that presents a portrait of a family? I posed that nagging question to Lynn Henson, who commissioned Allen Krantz’s Trio after a Harrowing ordeal.
1807 & Friends: Krantz, Trio (Nancy Bean, violin; Lloyd Smith, cello; Allen Krantz, guitar). April 12, 2010 at the Academy of Vocal Arts, 1920 Spruce St. (215) 438-4027 or www.1807friends.org.
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| Marina Sirtis with Orchestra 2001 |
September 28 2010 |
For its season opener, Orchestra 2001 delivered the kind of near miss that an innovative organization has to produce now and then. The main event of the evening was a performance by a guest star who didn’t sing a note.
Orchestra 2001: Golijov, Last Round, Lullaby and Doina (James Freeman, conductor); Strauss, Enoch Arden (Marina Sirtis, narrator; James Freeman, piano). September 24, 2010 at Trinity Center for Urban Life, 22nd and Spruce. (267) 687-6243 or www.orchestra2001.org.
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| Clint Eastwood’s ‘Invictus’ (2nd review) |
September 19 2010 |
The blurbs for Invictus give you the impression that South Africa’s victory in the rugby World Cup merely boosted the country’s morale during a difficult time. The movie actually concerns something more complicated.
Invictus. A film directed by Clint Eastwood. With Morgan Freeman (as Nelson Mandela), Matt Damon (as Francois Pienaar). Available on DVD.
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| ‘Late Renoir’ at the Art Museum (4th review) |
August 28 2010 |
Renoir grasped the poetry inherent in scenes of everyday life. In that case, what would he paint if he were alive today? Where is the artist who can bridge the chasm between technology and art?
“Late Renoir”: Through September 6, 2010 at Philadelphia Museum of Art, 26th St. and Benj. Franklin Pkwy. (215) 763-8100 or www.philamuseum.org.
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| The case for professional soccer |
August 16 2010 |
With its low-scoring games and British roots, soccer may never be America’s game. But for connoisseurs, it’s the ideal niche sport in an age of niche markets.
Major League Soccer: Philadelphia Union vs. Real Salt Lake. August 11, 2010 at PPL Park, Chester, Pa. (610) 497-1657 or www.philadelphiaunion.com.
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| Electronic books vs. ink on paper |
July 31 2010 |
Can a plastic rectangle produce the same habit-forming bliss as several hundred pages bound between two hard covers? My first experiment with e-books suggests that what really matters is The Word, not how it’s conveyed.
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| Orchestra's Chamber series: Maurice Wright |
July 20 2010 |
The once-underappreciated composer Maurice Wright rounds out a winning season with a romp from his past.
Philadelphia Orchestra Chamber Music series: Wright, Movement in Time, for two percussionists and tape. Don S. Liuzzi and Anthony Orlando, percussion. June 20, 2010 at the Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-1955 or www.philorch.org.
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| Stieg Larsson’s not-so-radical thrillers (2nd comment) |
July 03 2010 |
The novelist Stieg Larsson may have been a radical journalist, but his view of Swedish society doesn’t look that radical to a reader familiar with the thriller genre.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. By Stieg Larsson. Vintage, 2008. 608 pages; $14.95. www.amazon.com.
The Girl Who Played with Fire. By Stieg Larsson. Vintage, 2009. 630 pages; $15.95. www.amazon.com.
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest. By Stieg Larsson. Alfred Knopf, 2010. 576 pages; $27.95. www.amazon.com.
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| Philadelphia Orchestra’s lightweight Mann season |
June 26 2010 |
In the past, the Philadelphia Orchestra’s opening night at the Mann initiated a group of programs that resembled the concerts it presents during its regular subscription season. Those days seem to be over.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Mahler, Third Symphony. Mihoko Fujimura, mezzo-soprano; Charles Dutoit, conductor. June 10, 2010 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-1955 or www.philorch.org.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Tchaikovsky, Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor (Haochen Zang, piano). Beethoven, Symphony No. 9 in D minor (Heidi Melton, soprano; Katherine Lerner, mezzo-soprano; Kevin Ray, tenor; Jonathan Beyer, baritone; The Philadelphia Singers Chorale). Rossen Milanov, conductor. June 15, 2009 at the Mann Center, Fairmount Park. (215) 878-0400 or www.manncenter.org.
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| Dolce Suono: Lessons from two old masters |
June 08 2010 |
Dolce Suono’s final concert of the season opened with a masterpiece, closed with a surprise and sparked some reflections on aesthetic theories that over-emphasize just one aspect of an art.
Dolce Suono: Debussy, Sonata for Flute, Viola and Harp; Takemitsu, And Then I Knew ‘Twas Wind; Fang, Larkspur for Flute, Viola, and Harp; Rochberg, Slow Fires of Autumn (Ukiyo-e II); Ravel. Sonatine en Trio (arr. Carlos Salzedo). Mimi Stillman, flute; Burchard Tang, viola; Coline-Marie Orliac, harp. May 19, 2010 at First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St. (267) 252-1803 or www.dolcesuono.com.
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| Orchestra 2001 plays Barber and Maggio |
May 25 2010 |
Laura Heimes and Orchestra 2001 gave Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915 a reading that was more dramatic than the other performances I’ve heard. Then Robert Maggio’s Summer: 2 A.M. provided an intriguing counterpart from a parent’s perspective.
Orchestra 2001: Rudin, Concerto for Piano and Small Orchestra (Marcantonio Barone, piano); Barber, Knoxville: Summer of 1915 (Laura Heimes, soprano); Maggio, Summer: 2 A.M. (Laura Heimes, soprano); Moravec, Violin Concerto (Maria Bachmann, violin). James Freeman, conductor. May 23, 2010 at Lang Concert Hall, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, Pa. (267) 687-6243 or www.orchestra2001.org.
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| Philadelphia Classical Symphony at Holy Trinity |
May 25 2010 |
Mark O’Connor’s Strings and Threads is an enjoyable collection of Irish folk pieces. But the complexity of Maurice Wright’s Wissahickon Scenes makes it a far more powerful and musically interesting work.
Philadelphia Classical Symphony: O’Connor, Appalachia Waltz and Strings and Threads; Wright, Wissahickon Scenes; Peter, String Quintet in D Major, Finale, arranged by Karl Middleman; Diamond, Rounds for String Orchestra. Hirono Oka, Jason DePue, violin; Janet Witman, harp; Karl Middleman, conductor. May 21, 2010 at Church of the Holy Trinity, Rittenhouse Square. (215) 228-2224 or www.classicalsymphony.org.
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| Historical venues for Chamber Orchestra and Vox Ama Deus |
May 18 2010 |
Temple’s renovated Lew Klein Hall and Old City’s Old St. Joseph’s Church are great places to hear Vivaldi and Rossini, underscored by an added touch of Philadelphia history.
Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia: Rossini, Overture to The Italian Girl in Algiers; Brossé, I Loved You (Kirsten MacKinnon, soprano); Beethoven, Symphony No. 8 in F Major. Dirk Brossé, conductor. May 10, 2010 at Lew Klein Hall, Baptist Temple at Temple University, Broad and Berks St. (215) 545-5451 or www.chamberorchestra.org.
Vox Amadeus: Vivaldi, Concerto for Violin in C Minor; Concerto for Lute in D Major; Concerto for Viola and Lute in D Minor; Concerto for Cello in C Minor; Concerto for Oboe in D Minor; Concerto for Two Violins in C Minor; Sinfonia No. 1. Thomas DiSarlo and Thomas Jackson, violins; Daniel Boring, lute; Patricio Diaz viola; Anthony Pirollo, cello; Sarah Davol, oboe; Camera Ama Deus Baroque Instrument Orchestra, Valentin Radu, conductor. May 14, 2010 at Old St. Joseph’s Church, 321 Willings Alley. (610) 688-2800 or www.VoxAmaDeus.org.
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| From Schubert to John Adams, in three days |
May 11 2010 |
Two concerts from the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society hop from the tried and true to the new and noisy. I enjoyed both.
Philadelphia Chamber Music Society: Musicians from Marlboro III. Boccherini, String Quintet in F Major; Stravinsky, Three Pieces for String Quartet; Schubert, String Quintet in C Major. David Bowlin, violin; Hiroko Yajima, violin; Rebecca Albers, viola; Amir Eldan, cello; Marcy Rosen, cello. May 5, 2010 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce St. (215) 569-8080 or pcmsconcerts.org.
Philadelphia Chamber Music Society: Ensemble ACJW. Adams, Son of Chamber Symphony; Stravinsky, Concerto for Piano and Winds; Andriessen, De Staat. John Adams, conductor. May 9, 2010 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce St. (215) 569-8080 or pcmsconcerts.org.
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| Philadelphia Singers and Bach Festival |
May 04 2010 |
The Philadelphia Singers apply their talents to a Rachmaninoff work that combines creative genius with one of the world’s most appealing liturgical traditions.
Philadelphia Singers: Rachmaninoff, Vespers (All Night Vigil). Philadelphia Singers, David Hayes conductor. May 1, 2010 at Church of the Holy Trinity, Rittenhouse Square. (215) 751-9494 or www.philadelphiasingers.org.
Bach Festival of Philadelphia: Bach, Easter and Ascension Oratorios. Clara Rottsolk, soprano; Jenifer L. Smith, mezzo-soprano; Steven Bradshaw, tenor; Sumner Thompson, baritone. Choral Arts Society of Philadelphia, Matthew Glandorf, conductor. May 2, 2010 at St. Paul’s Church, 22 E. Chestnut Hill Ave., Chestnut Hill. (215) 240-6417 or www.choralarts.com.
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| Roberto Diaz, master of the viola |
May 04 2010 |
At his recent recital, the violist Diaz made no effort to woo the audience with flashy movements. His demeanor provided appropriate visual backup nevertheless.
Philadelphia Chamber Music Society: Paganini, Quartet No. 15 in A Minor for Guitar, Violin, Viola, and Cello; Hindemith, Sonata for Solo Viola; Shostakovich, Viola Sonata. Roberto Diaz, viola; Allen Krantz, guitar; Rebecca Anderson, violin; Summer Hu, cello; Meng-Chieh Liu, piano. April 30, 2010 at American Philosophical Society, 427 Chestnut St. (215) 569-8080 or pcmsconcerts.org.
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| Violinists Matsuyama and Kim |
May 01 2010 |
Saeka Matsuyama and Soovin Kim: two violinists with impressive range.
Astral Artists: Bruch, Scottish Fantasy in E-flat Major. Saeka Matsuyama, violin; Symphony in C, Rossen Milanov, conductor. April 7, 2010 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 735-6999 or www.astralartists.org.
Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia: Brahms, Violin Concerto in D Major. Soovin Kim, violin; Ignat Solzhenitsyn, conductor. March 28, 2010 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 545-5451 or www.chamberorchestra.org.
Philadelphia Chamber Music Society: Weil, Concerto for Violin and Winds. Curtis Chamber Orchestra, Soovin Kim, violin; Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor. April 21, 2010 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 569-8080 or pcmsconcerts.org.
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| Piffaro’s ‘Music From 17th-Century Spain’ |
April 20 2010 |
Piffaro mounts a song and dance variety show and places 17th Century Spanish music in a well-researched context.
Piffaro, the Renaissance Band: Music from 17th-Century Spain by Briceno, de Murcia, Guerrero, Velasco et al. Ellen Hargis, soprano; Drew Minter, countertenor; Julie Andrijeski, violin; Pat O’Brien, Daniel Swenberg, Charles Weaver, lute and guitar. Joan Kimball, Robert Wiemken, co-directors. April 16, 2010 at St. Mark’s Church, 1625 Locust St. (215) 235-8469 or www.piffaro.org.
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| New music: Three concerts |
April 13 2010 |
The new music played at Philadelphia concerts may or may not be the music of the future. But it can be pretty satisfying in the present, as its growing audiences attest.
Astral Artists: Kernis, Colored Field (Susan Babini, cello), Symphony in C (Rossen Milanov, conductor). April 7 2010 at Perelman Theater. (215) 735-6999 or www.astralartists.org.
Network for New Music: Caltabiano, Lines from Poetry (Hirono Oka, violin); Jaffe, Light Dances; Hersch, A Forest of Attics. Network for New Music Ensemble, Jan Krzywicki, conductor. April 9 2010 at Ethical Society, 1906 S. Rittenhouse Square. (215) 848-7647 or www.networkfornewmusic.org.
Boyle-Gill: Gill, Helian; Schumann, Spanische Liebeslieder; Boyle, Le Passage de Rèves. Maren Montalbano, mezzo-soprano; Jeremy Gill, Benjamin C.S. Boyle, pianos. March 20, 2010 at St. Mark’s Church, 1625 Locust St. www.jeremytgill.com or www.benjamincsboyle.com.
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| Tempesta di Mare’s ‘Lamentations of Jeremiah’ |
March 30 2010 |
In the hands of Tempesta di Mare, an 18th-Century Holy Week lament becomes a warm and sensual Saturday night serenade.
Tempesta di Mare: Zelenka, The Lamentations of Jeremiah; Six Cantatas for Holy Week. Lori Gratis, alto; Aaron Sheehan, tenor; David Newman, bass. Tempest di Mare Baroque Orchestra, Gwyn Roberts and Richard Stone, artistic directors. March 27, 2010 at Old St. Joseph’s Church, 321 Willings Alley. (215) 755-8776 or www.tempestadimare.org.
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| Jurowski conducts the Orchestra (3rd review) |
March 23 2010 |
Vladimir Jurowski’s intensity made three of the most popular works in the repertoire sound fresh and immediate. His seating arrangements may seem like a minor matter, but they tell us something important about his attitude toward his craft.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Beethoven, Third Symphony (“Eroica”); Schumann, Piano Concerto; Brahms, Tragic Overture. Vladimir Jurowski, conductor; Benedetto Lupo, piano. March 18-20, 2010 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. Free pre-concert conversation 7 p.m. (215) 893-1999 or www.philorch.org.
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| Chamber Ensemble’s instrument mix |
March 23 2010 |
The Philadelphia Chamber Ensemble specializes in pieces that employ an unusual mix of instruments, but its musicians outdid themselves at their latest concert, with music that ranges from Mozart to ballets for dancing mummies and tangoing kitchenware.
Philadelphia Chamber Ensemble: Mozart, Trio in E-flat major; Pierne, Voyage au “Pays du Tendre”; Villa-Lobos, Jet Whistle; Hindemith, Three Pieces; Martinu, La Revue de Cuisine. David Cramer, flute; Donald Montanaro, clarinet; Mark Gigliotti, bassoon; David Bilger, trumpet; Noah Geller, violin; Burchard Tang, viola; John Koen, cello; Margarita Csonka Montanaro, harp; Kiyoko Takeuti, piano. March 21, 2010 at Old Pine Church, 412 Pine St., Philadelphia. (215) 542-5890 or www.pce.libertynet.org.
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| Choral Arts Society sings Castaldo’s ‘Ancient Liturgy’ |
March 16 2010 |
Can the rituals of an obsolete religion teach us anything about the relationship between music and the classic Western religious texts?
Choral Arts Society: Harvey, Come Holy Ghost; Castaldo, Ancient Liturgy (Nicholas Muni, narrator); Part, Te Deum; Whitacre, Cloudburst. Matthew Glandorf, conductor. March 14, 2010 at Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral, 38th and Chestnut. (215) 240-6417 or www.choralarts.com.
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| Solzhenitsyn in a chamber trio |
March 16 2010 |
Playing piano in a trio (instead of conducting an orchestra), Ignat Solzhenitsyn’s big revelation was the sensitivity and control he brings to chamber music.
Philadelphia Chamber Music Society: Beethoven, Horn Sonata in F Major; Schubert, Piano Sonata in C Minor, “Relique”; Brahms, Trio for Violin, Piano and Horn in E-flat Minor. Jennifer Montone, horn; Ida Levin, violin; Ignat Solzhenitsyn, piano. March 12, 2010 at Independence Seaport Museum, 211 S., Columbus Blvd. (Penn’s Landing). (215) 569-8080 or pcmsconcerts.org.
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| Jasmine Choi flute recital |
March 09 2010 |
The impressive young flutist Jasmine Choi explores the border between East and West and invades the empire of the Great Romantics.
Jasmine Choi in Recital: Bach, Sonata in E Minor; Franck/Choi, Sonata for Violin and Piano in A Minor; Yun, Garak; Schoenfield, Four Souvenirs; Taffanel, Fantasie on Themes from Der Freischutz. Jasmine Choi, flute; William Hong-Chun Youn, piano. Presented by Astral Artists on March 7, 2010 at Trinity Center, 22nd and Spruce. (215) 735-6999 or www.astralartists.org.
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| Lyric Fest’s ‘Tchaikovsky: A Biography in Music’ |
March 02 2010 |
Lyric Fest again combines words and music to create a well-designed portrait of Tchaikovsky the man: a hard-working, troubled and not terribly likeable composer.
Lyric Fest: “Tchaikovsky, A Biography in Music.” Jessica Julin, soprano; Tatyana Rashkovsky, mezzo-soprano; Michael Fabiano, tenor; Anton Belov, baritone; Ghenady Meirson, piano. Suzanne DuPlantis, Randi Marrazzo and Laura Ward, music directors. February 28, 2010 at First Presbyterian Church, 21st and Walnut Streets, Philadelphia. (215) 438-1702 or www.lyricfest.org.
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| Dolce Suono honors Barber, again |
February 27 2010 |
Dolce Suono offers a reminder that Samuel Barber isn’t a one-piece composer, along with a performance that proves That Piece is still worth listening to.
Dolce Suono: “Samuel Barber at 100, the Composer and His World.” Barber, Three Songs, Canzone for Flute and Piano, Souvenirs, Song for a New House, String Quartet in B Minor, Dover Beach; Boyle, Sonata-Cantilena for Flute and Piano. Mimi Stillman, flute; Hirono Oka and Igor Szwec violins; Burchard Tang, viola; Yumi Kendall, cello; Charles Abramovic and Charles Wadsworth, piano. February 17, 2010 at First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St. (267) 252-1803 or www.dolcesuono.com.
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| Network for New Music tackles Darwin (2nd review) |
February 23 2010 |
A museum exhibit inspires five successful settings and a major work worthy of a major subject: Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution through natural selection.
Network for New Music: Nelson, Megathere, Multiplexing; Shapiro, The Monogamous Man; Litts, Transmutation; Carpenter, The Monogamous Man; Munro, Megathere, Multiplexing; Wright, Darwiniana. Jeremy Gill, conductor; Randall Scarlata, baritone. February 19 and 21, 2010 at Benjamin Franklin Hall, 427 Chestnut St. (215) 848-7647 or www.networkfornewmusic.org.
“Dialogues With Darwin.” Through October 17, 2010 at American Philosophical Society, 104 S. Fifth St. (215) 440.3442 or www.pachs.net/dialogues-with-darwin.
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| Premieres from Orion Quartet and Dolce Suono |
February 16 2010 |
The Orion Quartet and Dolce Suono present two new works that span the gamut from musical farce to starry nights and gentle funeral songs-- just like Haydn did.
Orion Quartet: Haydn, String Quartet in B-flat Major; Dzubay, String Quartet No. 1 (Astral). David Phillips and Todd Phillips, violins; Steven Tenenbom, viola; Timothy Eddy, cello. Philadelphia Chamber Music Society concert February 12, 2010 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 569-8080 or pcmsconcerts.org.
Dolce Suono Trio: Haydn, Piano Trio in G Major; Abramovic, Laus D. Mimi Stillman, flute; Yumi Kendall, cello; Charles Abramovic, piano. Philadelphia Chamber Music Society concert January 31, 2010 at American Philosophical Society, 427 Chestnut St. (215) 569-8080 or pcmsconcerts.org.
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| Bachfest by Vox Ama Deus at the Perelman |
February 09 2010 |
Valentin Radu’s idiosyncratic personal vision shapes a winter Bachfest at “Castle Perelman.”
Vox Ama Deus Bachfest. Bach, Second and Fourth Brandenburg Concertos; Orchestra Suite No. 1 in C; Orchestral Suite No. 4 in D. Camerata Ama Deus Baroque Instrument Orchestra; Valentin Radu, conductor. Elin Frazier, trumpet; Colin St. Martin and Steven Zohn, flutes; Sarah Davol, oboe; Thomas DiSarlo, violin. February 5, 2010 at the Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts.(610) 688.2800 or www.VoxAmaDeus.org.
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| Chamber groups and the Orchestra |
January 26 2010 |
Two of our local chamber music groups present programs that serve as relevant reminders of our city’s debt to the Philadelphia Orchestra.
Philadelphia Chamber Ensemble: Menotti, Cantilena and Scherzo for harp and string quartet; Brahms, Trio in A minor for clarinet, cello and piano; Mendelssohn, Quintet No. 2 in B-flat major for 2 violin, 2 violas and cello. Noah Geller, Yumi Ninomiya Scott, violins; Burchard Tang, Che-Hung Chen, violas; John Koen, cello; Donald Montanaro, clarinet; Margarita Csonka Montanaro, harp; Kiyoko Takeuti, piano. January 24, 2010 at Old Pine Church, Fourth and Pine Sts. (215) 542-4890.
1807 & Friends: Smith, String Quartet No. 2; Barber, String Quartet in B Minor; Dohnanyi, Piano Quintet in C Minor. Nancy Bean, Davyd Booth, violins; Pamela Fay, viola; Lloyd Smith, cello; Marcantonio Barone, piano. January 25, 2010 at Academy of Vocal Arts, 1920 Spruce St. (215) 438-4027 or www.1807friends.org.
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| Dolce Suono’s Barber celebration (1st review) |
January 19 2010 |
Dolce Suono and the Curtis Institute celebrated the 100th birthday of an odd kind of iconoclast—- an individualist who refused to enlist in the avant-garde.
Dolce Suono: “Samuel Barber at 100: The Composer and his World.” Barber, Summer Music; Higdon, Autumn Music ; Rorem, Trio for flute, cello, and piano; Ludwig, Haiku Catharsis ; Barber, Capricorn Concerto. Mimi Stillman, flute; Geoffrey Deemer, oboe and English horn; Samuel Caviezel and Paul R. Demers, clarinets; Michelle Rosen, bassoon; Shelley Showers, horn; Hirono Oka, Mu Na, violins; Burchard Tang, viola; Yumi Kendall, cello; Robert Kesselman, double bass; Gabe Globus-Hoenich, percussion; Charles Abramovic, piano. January 17, 2010 at Field Concert Hall, Curtis Institute of Music. (215) 893-7902 or www.mimistillman.org/dolcesuono/index.html.
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| Chamber Music Society’s all-Schubert program |
January 16 2010 |
For its all-Schubert program, the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society had to replace two of its scheduled soloists. No problem, because that’s pretty much the way Schubert himself got started.
Philadelphia Chamber Music Society all-Schubert program: Notturno in E-Flat Major for violin, cello, and piano; Drei Klavierstucke for solo piano; “Trout Quintet.” Soovin Kim, violin; Burchard Tang, viola; Peter Wiley, cello; Harold Robinson, double bass; Cynthia Raim, piano. January 11, 2010 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 569-8080 or pcmsconcerts.org.
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| David Owen’s ‘Green Metropolis’ |
January 05 2010 |
A Connecticut suburbanite extols the environmental virtues of dense big cities.
Green Metropolis: Why Living Smaller, Living Closer, and Driving Less are the Keys to Sustainability. By David Owen. Riverhead Books, 2009. 357 pages; $25.95. www.amazon.com.
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| Tempesta di Mare plays Bach |
December 22 2009 |
Tempesta di Mare, in one of its best concerts, surrounded Bach’s Fifth Brandenburg Concerto with four well-chosen pieces by his contemporaries and forerunners.
Tempesta di Mare: Telemann, Concerto No. 2 in D; Pachelbel, Partita a 4 in G; Bach, Brandenburg Concerto No. 5; Fasch, Concerto No. 5 in D; Graupner, Suite in F. Gwyn Roberts, flute and recorder; Emlyn Ngai, violin; Edmund Chan, violin; Karina Fox, viola; Eva Miller, cello; Andrew Arceci, bass; Richard Stone, lute; Adam Pearl, harpsichord. December 20, 2009, at Old St. Joseph’s Church, 321 Willings Alley (Fourth and Walnut). (215) 755-8776 or www.tempestadimare.org.
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| Roundup: Orchestra's Wagner, Dolce Suono's Tango, Trio Cavatina |
December 15 2009 |
The Philadelphia Orchestra and the Dolce Suono chamber players presented two contemporary additions to the grand tradition of instrumental suites taken from opera and ballet music.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Walker, Violin Concerto; Wagner/de Vlieger, The Ring: An Orchestral Adventure. Gregory Walker, violin; Neeme Järvi, conductor. December 10, 2009 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-1900 or www.philorch.org.
Dolce Suono: Piazzola/Ribchester, Suite from Maria de Buenos Aires. Mimi Stillman, flute; Burchard Tang, viola; Allen Krantz, guitar; Ranaan Mayer, double bass; Tim Ribchester, piano; Gerardo Razumney, Ronni L. Gordon, David Stillman, narrators. December 9, 2009 at First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut Street. (267) 252-1803 or www.mimistillman.org/dolcesuono.
Trio Cavatina: Schumann, Piano Trio in G Minor; Martino, Piano Trio; Brahms, Piano Trio No. 2 in C Major. Harumi Rhodes, violin; Priscilla Lee, cello; Leva Jokubaviciute, piano. December 11, 2009 at Fleisher Art Memorial, 719 Catharine St. Philadelphia Chamber Music Society: (215) 569-8080 or www.pcmsconcerts.org.
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| Chamber concerts: 1807 and Amerita |
December 08 2009 |
In two local chamber concerts, the retired Philadelphia Orchestra cellist Lloyd Smith teamed up with his young successor, Yumi Kendall.
1807 and Friends: Boccherini, Quintet in C Major; Schubert, Quintet in C Major. Nancy Bean and Davyd Booth violins; Pamela Fay, viola; Lloyd Smith and Yumi Kendall (guest), cello. December 7, 2009 at Academy of Vocal Arts, 1920 Spruce St. (215) 438-4027.
Amerita Chamber Players: Vivaldi, Concerto in G minor for Two Violoncelli, Strings and Basso Continuo; Boccherini, Quintet in C Major; other works by Conti, Marcello, Somis, Tartini. Boccherini, musicians as above; Vivaldi, Yumi Kendall, Lloyd Smith, cellos; Nancy Bean, Barbara Govatos, violins; Pamela Fay, viola; Michael Shahan, bass; Davyd Booth, harpsichord December 2, 2009 at Temple Beth Zion, 18th and Spruce Sts. (215) 735-3250 or www.aisphila.org.
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| Orchestra plays Mozart and Bruckner (2nd review) |
December 01 2009 |
Guest conductor Jaap van Zweden proved he could jump from the small-scale grace of Mozart to the somber massiveness of Bruckner.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Mozart, Piano Concerto No. 19 in F Major; Bruckner, Symphony No. 9 in D Minor. Horacio Gutierrez, piano; Jaap van Zweden, conductor. November 29 2009 at Verizon Hall. (215) 893-1999 or www.philorch.org.
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| Dolce Suono: From Clearfield to Mozart |
November 17 2009 |
Dolce Suono presents a program that ranges from Mozart to Clearfield and glows from start to finish.
Dolce Suono: Roussel, Serenade for Flute, Violin, Viola, Cello and Harp; Clearfield, Rhapsodie for Flute, Harp, and String Trio; Debussy, Sonata for Flute, Viola, and Harp; Mozart, Quartet in D Minor for Flute, Violin, Viola, and Cello. Mimi Stillman, flute; Coline-Marie Orliac, harp; Paul Arnold, violin; Burchard Tang, viola; Yumi Kendall, cello. November 15, 2009 at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. (267) 25201803 or www.dolcesuono.com.
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| Piffaro’s ‘Portuguese Vespers’ |
November 17 2009 |
Piffaro presents a historically accurate Vesper service that combines good-humored Portuguese nationalism with a tribute to the Virgin Mary.
Piffaro, “A Portuguese Advent Vespers”: Hymns, Psalms, Motets, Magnificats, Villancicos and other works by Fernandez, Mendes, Rebelo, Sao Jao, de Brito, Salaverde, Pinheiro, de Cruz, Martins, Coelho, Lesbio, and Melgas. Choral Arts Society members, choir. Matthew Glandorf, conductor. November 14, 2009 at St. Mark’s Church, 1625 Locust St. (215) 235-8469 or www.piffaro.org.
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| Classical Symphony’s 19th-Century musicale |
November 17 2009 |
Karl Middleman presents a 21st- Century version of a 19th-Century event that acquired a history without actually taking place.
Philadelphia Classical Symphony: Hexameron and the Clash of Piano Titans. Schubert, Du Bist di Ruh; Liszt, Sextet for Piano and Strings, Malediction Concerto; Mendelssohn/Middleman, Octet for Strings (string orchestra arrangement); Mendelssohn, Fantasia on a Favorite Irish Melody for piano solo; Liszt, Thalberg, Herz, Czerny, Chopin, Pixis, Hexameron for Piano and Orchestra; Bellini, Suoni la Tromba from I Puritani. Michael Riley, bass-baritone; Kenneth Hamilton, piano; Karl Middleman, conductor. November 13, 2009 at Arch Street Presbyterian Church, 18th and Arch Sts. (215) 228-2224 or www.classicalsymphony.org.
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| Philadelphia Singers: A lesson in economy |
November 10 2009 |
The Philadelphia Singers have largely abandoned the Baroque and classic choral repertoire to focus on more modern scores. Their first concert this season produced a triumph for the new approach, as well as a four-part lesson in the relationship between music and words.
Philadelphia Singers: Stanford, Beati quorum via; Martin, Mass for Double Chorus: Ginastera, Lamentaciones de Jeremias Propheta; Bach, Jesu, meine Freude. David Hayes, conductor. November 8, 2009 at Holy Trinity Church, Rittenhouse Square. (215) 751-9494 or www.philadelphiasingers.org.
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| Critic’s Notebook: Five concerts |
November 03 2009 |
Eight days, five concerts. If a music critic like me blogged or twittered, here’s what I’d say.
Lyric Fest: Works by Bach, Mozart, Kile Smith, Ned Rorem, Bernstein, etc. al. Randi Marrazzo, Lorraine Hinds, sopranos; Suzanne DuPlantis, Jennifer Hsiung, mezzos; Timothyjavascript:void(0); Bentch, tenor; Steven LaBrie, baritone; Michael Locati, violin and viola; Laura Ward, piano. With Motet Choir of the Pennsylvania Girlchoir, Mark Anderson, conductor. November 1, 2009 at First Presbyterian Church, 21st and Walnut. (215) 438-1702 or www.lyricfest.org.
Curtis Orchestra: Strauss, Don Juan; Ranjbaran, Violin Concerto; Rimsky-Korsakov, Sheherazade. Elissa Lee Koljonen, violin; Joann Falletta, conductor. October 27, 2009 at Verizon Hall. (215) 893-7902 or www.curtis.edu.
“Music from the Houses.” Min-Young Kim, violin and piano; Michal Schmidt, cello and piano; Matthew Bengtson, piano. October 29, 2009 at Harnwell College House Rooftop Lounge, University of Pennsylvania. www.sas.upenn.edu/music/performance/collegehouse/index.html.
Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia: Nielsen, Little Suite; Sibelius, Romance in C Major; Wiren, Serenade; Hanson, Pastorale; Grief, Suite From Holberg’s Time. Dirk Brosse, conductor. October 25, 2009 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center. (215) 545-5451 or www.chamberorchestra.org.
Philadelphia Chamber Ensemble. Beethoven, Serenade in D Major; Garfield, Brief Interludes; Schmitt, Suite en rocaille; Berwald, Grand Septet in B-flat major. Che-Hung Chen, viola; Angela Cordell, horn; David Cramer, flute; Mark Gigliotti, bassoon; Jennifer Haas, violin; John Koen, cello; Donald Montanaro, clarinet; Margaret Montanaro, harp; Michael Shahan, bass. October 30, 2009 at Old Pine Church, 412 Pine St. (215) 542-4890.
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| Mendelssohn Club: ‘Battle Hymns' |
October 20 2009 |
The Mendelssohn Club offers a second look at David Lang’s new Battle Hymns. Four other Philadelphia music organizations collectively demonstrated the range and variety of Philadelphia’s music season.
Mendelssohn Club: Ives, They are There!; Lang, Battle Hymns; Thompson, Frostiana, Seven Country Songs; Sierra, Offertorium (excerpt) from Missa Latina (Pro Pace); Ives, Serenity, Circus Band. Donald St. Pierre, David Pasbrig, pianos; Daniel Schwartz, military drum and percussion; Alan Harler, conductor. October 17, 2009 at Church of the Holy Trinity, Rittenhouse Square. (215) 735-9922 or www.mcchorus.org.
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| How newspapers will survive |
October 13 2009 |
Are major local newspapers doomed in the age of electronic publishing? The futurist Tom Purdom recently argued that publishers always manage to make money off new developments. Here he offers five concrete thoughts on how they may do it. And if Tom can think of five, surely Rupert Murdoch can think of 50.
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| Lyric Fest: Brahms and American comedy |
October 10 2009 |
In another gutsy program, Lyric Fest combined Brahms’s appealing waltz songs with a pair of American comedy turns.
Lyric Fest: “Four Hands, Warm Hearts.” Bernstein, Selections from Arias and Barcarolles; Brahms, Liebeslieder Waltzes; Lieberman, Appalachian Liebeslieder; Brahms, Neue Liebeslieder; Greer, Selections from Liebesleid-Lieder. Elizabeth Weigle, Randi Marrazzo, sopranos; Suzanne DuPlantis, mezzo-soprano; Thomas Lloyd, Benjamin Sosland, tenors; Randall Scarlata, baritone. Laura Ward, Harold Evans, piano (four hands). October 4 2009 at First Presbyterian Church, 21st and Walnut. (215) 438-1702 or www.lyricfest.org.
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| Philadelphia Orchestra’s season kickoff |
October 06 2009 |
The Philadelphia Orchestra kicked off its season with the kind of big, spectacular music that requires a major orchestra with an organ at its disposal.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Berlioz, Resurrexit and Te Deum; Saint-Saëns. Third Symphony (“Organ”). John Tessier, tenor; Michael Stairs, organ; Philadelphia Singers Chorale. Charles Dutoit, conductor. September 29, 2009 at Verizon Hall. (215) 893-1900 or www.philorch.org.
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| Chamber Orchestra’s Haydn concert |
September 26 2009 |
The Chamber Orchestra opens its season with a program that provokes ruminations: Who was Hubert Schoemaker? Why do we tend to equate fame with importance? And would you rather be an elephant or an antelope?
Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia: Haydn Symphony No. 16 in B-flat Major; Cello Concerto in D Major (Wendy Warner, cello); Symphony No. 49 in F Minor. Ignat Solzhenitsyn, conductor. September 20, 2009 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center. (215) 545-5451 or www.chamberorchestra.org.
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| George Crumb turns 80 |
September 21 2009 |
The composer George Crumb, now approaching 80, is a true American individualist who created his own style during the years when American composers mostly seemed to be writing for the approval of their academic promotion committees.
Orchestra 2001: Crumb, selections from American Songbooks. Ann Crumb, Jamie Van Eyck, Barbara Ann Martin, vocal soloists; James Freeman, conductor. September 25, 2009 at Volumes I, II, III: Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center. Volumes IV, V, VI: September 27, 2009 at Lang Concert Hall, Swarthmore College.
267-687-6243 or www.orchestra2001.org.
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| Writers and publishers in the electronic age |
September 06 2009 |
In an age when people can read Proust and Zola on a portable handheld electronic device, is commercial publishing doomed? If so, how will writers make a living? Not to worry, says a veteran author. Publishers will find a strategy that works. They always have.
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| Bartusiak’s ‘The Day We Found the Universe’ |
August 25 2009 |
A talented science writer tells the story of one of history’s great intellectual sagas: how a group of semi-rational primates on an obscure planet discovered the true size and scope of the universe.
The Day We Found the Universe. By Marcia Bartusiak. Pantheon Books, 2009. 337 pages; $27.95. www.amazon.com.
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| The Orchestra’s final Mann week |
August 04 2009 |
The Orchestra’s summer series at the Mann may be strapped for cash, but the last three concerts introduced a conductor who deserves an unqualified rave, showcased a rising young soprano, and added another chapter to Lang Lang’s artistic development.
Philadelphia Orchestra Tchaikovsky program: Capriccio Italien, Violin Concerto in D Major, Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture, 1812 Overture. Juanjo Mena, conductor; Juliette Kang, violin (July 29, 2009).
Vaughan Williams, Concerto in C Major for Two Pianos and Orchestra; Ravel, Mother Goose Suite for two pianos; Gershwin, Rhapsody in Blue for two pianos and orchestra. Herbie Hancock, Lang Lang, pianos, John Axelrod, conductor (July 30, 2009).
Verdi: “Ritorna vincitor” from Aida; “Tu che le vanita,” from Don Carlo. Angela Brown, soprano; Rossen Milanov, conductor (July 28, 2009). At Mann Music Center. (215) 893-1900 or www.philorch.org.
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| Buxtehude Consort’s religious cantatas |
July 14 2009 |
In the last few years Philadelphia’s music season has grown steadily shorter— until this year. Half a dozen music groups extended their seasons into June, and the Buxtehude Consort made its debut in a perfect setting. Good news for tourists and musicians alike.
Buxtehude Consort: Buxtehude: Praeludium in D Minor, five religious cantatas for various combinations. Molly Quinn, soprano; Jennifer L. Smith, mezzo-soprano; John L. Fowler, baritone; Daniel Elyar, Daniela Giulia Pierson, violins; Katie Rietman, violoncello; Joshua Stafford, organ. June 24, 2009 at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 17th and Locust. www.buxtehudeconsort.org.
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| Philadelphia Orchestra with Curtis soloists |
July 07 2009 |
Instead of big-name soloists at the Mann, last week the Philadelphia Orchestra spotlighted students from Curtis Institute. The collaboration must have looked like an attractive way to save money, but the product was by no means inferior.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Beethoven, Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major; Kyu Yeon Kim, piano. Vivaldi, The Four Seasons; Yu-Chien Tseng, violin; Lio Kuokman, conductor and harpsichord. Mozart, Concerto in E-flat major for two pianos; Lutoslawski, Variations on a Theme by Paganini; Saint-Saëns, Carnival of the Animals; Christina and Michelle Naughton, pianos. Theofanidis, Rainbow Body. Rossen Milanov, conductor (except for Vivaldi). June 29, 30, July 1, 2009 at Mann Music Center, Fairmount Park. (215) 893-1900 or www.philorch.org.
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| Dolce Suono’s ‘New Voices’ |
June 30 2009 |
Dolce Suono and the American Composers Forum present seven world premieres for an unconventional foursome— a good showcase for the variety and sheer likeability of the work that young composers are turning out.
Dolce Suono: New Voices. Dougherty, Karlsplatz; Djupstrom, Sejdefu majka budase; Thomas, Whim; Hallman, Lullaby; Ceurvost, The Exchange; Clark, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock; Smith, Changing Elevations. Mimi Stillman flute; Allen Krantz, guitar; Burchard Tang, viola; Emilio Gravagno, double bass. June 27 2009 at First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St. 267-252-1805 or www.dolcesuono.com.
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| Opera Company’s ‘Rape of Lucretia’ (2nd review) |
June 25 2009 |
The Rape of Lucretia is the only musical creation I know of that places both the Judeo-Christian and the Greco-Roman traditions on the same stage.
The Rape of Lucretia. Opera by Benjamin Britten; directed by William Kerley. Opera Company of Philadelphia production June 5-14, 2009 at the Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center. (215) 893-1018 or www.operaphila.org.
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| ‘Battle Hymns’ at Hidden City Philadelphia (1st review) |
June 19 2009 |
The Hidden City Arts Festival presents a remarkable choral and dance response to war that merits comparison with the works of writers like Hemingway and George Orwell.
Battle Hymns. David Lang, composer; Leah Stein choreographer; Heidi Barr, costumer. Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia, Leah Stein Dance Company. Toshi Makihara, percussion; Don St. Pierre, keyboard; Daniel Schwartz, drum; Alan Harler, conductor. June 13 and 20, 2009, at Armory of the First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry, 22 South 23rd St. (267) 597-3808 or www.hiddencityphila.org.
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| The Crossing's unique niche |
June 13 2009 |
Donald Nally’s choir, The Crossing, occupies a unique niche in the musical ecosystem: Its singers perform new and unfamiliar music for a small chamber choir. It presents novel, beautiful, complex music that requires precise coordination and first-class voices.
The Crossing chamber choir: McCabe, Scenes in America Deserta; Fowler, Potter’s Clay; Moore, I saw him standing; Smith, Where flames a word; Holten, Rain and Rush and Rosebush; Part, I am the true vine; Hill, Voices of Autumn. Donald Nally, conductor. June 5, 2009 at Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill, 8855 Germantown Ave. www.crossingchoir.com.
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| 1807 & Friends season finale |
June 12 2009 |
Three of the city’s most active chamber musicians transmit a chronic infection to their audience.
1807 & Friends: Dvorak, Sonatina in G Major; Rachmaninoff, Cello Sonata in G Minor; Beethoven, Piano Trio in B flat Major (“Archduke”). Nancy Bean, violin; Lloyd Smith, cello; Marcantonio Barone, piano. June 1, 2009 at Academy of Vocal Arts, 1920 Chestnut St. astro.temple.edu/~rgreene/1807/index.html.
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| Harp Music Festival’s third edition |
May 30 2009 |
Harpist Saul Davis Zlatkovski mounted the third edition of his welcome addition to the fading days of the Philadelphia music season. Zlatkovski has put some impressive organizational work into this project, but he can use help with the administrative details.
Harp Music Festival of Philadelphia: Works for flute and harp by Debussy, Persichetti, Still et al. Adria Sternstein Foster, flute; Susan Robinson, harp.
Music for harp duo and harp quartet by Bizet, Rameau, de Falla et al. Jude Mollenhauer, Yan Ni, Virginia Flanagan, Alison Simpson, harpists. Phyllis Rubin-Arnold, mezzo-soprano. May 23 & 25, 2009, Church of St. Luke and the Epiphany, 13th and Pine. (215) 563-4848 or www.harpmusicfest.com.
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| Orchestra 2001: Three composers, four soloists |
May 26 2009 |
Orchestra 2001 ended its season with a program guaranteed to please most audiences: four attractive concertos featuring four first-class soloists.
Orchestra 2001: Finko, Moses; Finko, Concerto for Piccolo and Orchestra; Rudin, Concerto for Viola, Strings, Harp, Piano and Percussion; Corigliano, Suite from The Red Violin. Marcantonio Barone, piano; Mimi Stillman, piccolo; Brent Deubner, viola; Elizabeth Pitcairn, violin; James Freeman, conductor. May 23, 2009 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center. (267) 687-6243 or www.orchestra2001.org.
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| Four Mother’s Weekend concerts (1st review) |
May 12 2009 |
With masterpieces by Bach, Beethoven and Debussy, and a historical range that covered 1496 to 2009, these four Mother’s Weekend concerts should have satisfied any reasonably cultured mother’s tastes.
Dolce Suono: Casadesus, Quintet for Flute, Violin, Viola, Cello and Harp; Debussy, Sonata for Flute, Viola, and Harp; Clearfield, Rhapsody for Flute, Harp and String Trio; Jolivet, Chant de Linos for Flute, Violin, Viola, Cello and Harp. Mimi Stillman, flute and director; Coline-Marie Orliac, harp; Paul Arnold, violin; Burchard Tang, viola; Yumi Kendall, cello. May 8, 2009 at First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St. (267) 252-1803 or www.mimistillman.org/dolcesuono/.
Choral Arts Society: Bach, Mass in B Minor. Julianne Baird, Laura Heimes, sopranos; Ian Howell, countertenor; Tony Boutte, tenor; Sumner Thompson, baritone. Matthew Glandorf, conductor. May 9, 2009 at First Baptist Church, 17th and Sansom St. (215) 240-6417 or www.choralarts.com.
Piffaro: “The Harmony of the Spheres.” Created by Grant Herreid. Ellen Hargis, soprano; Grant Herreid, Greg Ingles, Joan Kimball, Christa Patton, Priscilla Smith, Robert Wiemken, Tom Zajac, instrumentalists. May 9, 2009 at Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill, 8855 Germantown Rd. (215) 235-8469 or www.piffaro.org.
Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia: Beethoven, Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major; Beethoven, Symphony No. 8 in F Major. Ignat Solzhenitsyn, piano and conductor. (215) 545-5451 or www.chamberorchestra.org.
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| Orchestra’s ‘Damnation of Faust’ |
May 02 2009 |
The Damnation of Faust is the kind of work that throws the literary half of my personality into a state of head-shaking bemusement. The musical half, on the other hand, revels in every bar. And this time I had no complaints with Simon Rattle.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Berlioz, The Damnation of Faust. Magdalena Kozena, mezzo-soprano; Gregory Kunde, tenor; Eric Owens and Thomas Quasthoff, bass-baritones; Philadelphia Singers Chorale, chorus; Simon Rattle, conductor. April 29, 2009 at Verizon Hall. (215) 893-1900 or www.philorch.org.
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| The Baroque revival: Three concerts |
April 25 2009 |
For musicians, today’s Baroque revival has created new opportunities and challenges. For those of us who sit in the audience, it has broadened our experience and added new names to the musical firmament that were once long forgotten.
American Society of Ancient Instruments: Music by Scarlatti, Byrd, Telemann et al. Rainer Beckman, recorder; Heather Gardner, soprano; Paul Miller, viola d’amore; Vivian Barton Dozor, director. April 19, 2009 at Old First Reformed Church, Fourth and Race St. (610) 935-4579 or www.baroque-asai.org.
Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia: Handel, Concerto Grosso in A Major; Bach, Violin Concerto No. 1 in A Minor; Bloch, Concerto Grosso No. 1; Telemann, Don Quichote Suite. Scott Yoo, conductor and violin. April 20, 2009 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center. (215) 545-5451 or www.chamberorchestra.org.
Dolce Suono: Trio sonatas by Corelli, Purcell, Couperin, Handel, C.P.E. Bach, Vivaldi. Hyun Ju Lee, violin; Mimi Stillman, flute; Yumi Kendall, cello; Charles Abramovic, harpsichord. April 22, 2009 at First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St. (267) 252-1805 or www.dolcesuono.com.
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| Masur conducts the Philadelphia Orchestra |
April 21 2009 |
By opening with a symphony, the popular guest conductor Kurt Masur challenged the established order of things at the Philadelphia Orchestra. In his closing piece he demonstrated a dash of audience savvy as well.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Brahms, Symphony No. 2 in D Major; Shostakovich, Violin Concerto in A Minor; Strauss, Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks. Kurt Masur, conductor; Sergey Khachatryan, violin. April 18, 2009 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center. (215) 893-1900 or www.philorch.org.
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| Time-hopping with Ancient Instruments |
April 14 2009 |
America’s oldest active period instrument organization presented one of the most educational interludes I’ve experienced at a concert. The moment the big emotional voice of Vivian Barton Dozor’s cello filled Old First Reformed, I understood why the Romantic movement had captivated Europe and swept away most of the music that preceded it.
American Society of Ancient Instruments: Hugard, Suite No. 2; Le Roux, Suite in G Minor; Bach, Cello Suite 6 in D Major (transcribed); Burgmuller, Three Nocturnes; Paganini, Quartet No. 1 in D Major. April 12, 2009 at Old First Reformed Church, Fourth and Race. (610) 935-4579 or www.baroque-asai.org.
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| Network For New Music: Composing for painting |
April 07 2009 |
The Network for New Music asked three composers to create works based on paintings— and these composers actually did what they were asked to do.
Network for New Music: Harbison, Six American Painters; Laganella, Unattainable Spaces; Brodhead, Concerto in Light and Shadow, Echoes of Four American Artists. Jan Krzywicki, conductor. April 3, 2009 at Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, 118 N. Broad St. (at Cherry). (215) 972-7600 or www.networkfornewmusic.org.
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| ‘The Loathly Lady’ at Penn |
April 07 2009 |
What do women want? The Penn Humanities Forum recruits a world-class early music team for the world premiere of a musical comedy about an endlessly fascinating quest. It’s a stimulating evening, albeit one skewed against men.
The Loathly Lady. Music by Paul Richards; libretto by Wendy Steiner; from a story by Geoffrey Chaucer. Gary Thor Wedow, conductor. Penn Humanities Forum production April 3, 2009 at Irvine Auditorium, 34th and Spruce St. (215) 573-8280 or www.phf.upenn.edu.
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| Classical Symphony’s ‘Americans in Paris’ |
March 28 2009 |
The Classical Symphony’s music director, Karl Middleman, spotlights a fruitful combination: Paris and jazz.
Philadelphia Classical Symphony: “Americans in Paris.” Stravinsky, Ragtime; Antheil, Concerto for Chamber Orchestra/Octet for Winds; Milhaud, La Création du Monde; Piston, Divertimento for Nine Instruments; Gershwin, Rhapsody in Blue. Jonathan Hulting-Cohen, saxophone; Hugh Sung, piano; Karl Middleman, conductor. March 20, 2009 at First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St. (610) 664-8481 or www.classicalsymphony.org.
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| Tempesta di Mare recreates Madame Levy’s Salon |
March 24 2009 |
Tempesta di Mare visits the salon of a musically sophisticated Berlin lady who helped revive Bach and launch the career of her grandnephew, Felix Mendelssohn.
Tempesta di Mare: Janitsch, Sonata di Camera in C; J.S. Bach, Sonata sopr’il Soggetto Reale in C Minor; W.F. Bach, Sonata in B-flat; C.P.E. Bach, Quartet in D Major; Quantz, Quartet in E Minor. Gwyn Roberts, flute; Emlyn Ngai, violin; Karina Fox, violin and viola; Eve Miller, cello; Richard Stone, lute; Adam Pearl, harpsichord. March 22, 2009 at Old St. Joseph’s Church, 321 Willings Alley. (215) 755-8776 or www.tempestadimare.org.
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| Lyric Fest’s ‘Voices of the Sea’ |
March 17 2009 |
Lyric Fest made its debut on the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society schedule with a program that could have used more of its customary narrative drive.
Lyric Fest: “Voices of the Sea.” Songs by Elgar, Berlioz, Schumann, Schubert, Brahms, Britten, Mendelssohn, Porter, et al. David Adams, tenor; Jennifer Casey Cabot, Randi J. Marrazzo and Leslie Johnson, sopranos; Suzanne DuPlantis, mezzo-soprano; Randall Scarlata, baritone; Laura Ward piano. March 12, 2009 at American Philosophical Society, 427 Chestnut St. (215) 438-1702 or www.lyricfest.org
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| Dolce Suono’s search for the ancient Greeks |
March 03 2009 |
What did ancient Greek music sound like? We’ll never know. But Dolce Suono took us on a worthy quest to provide an answer.
Dolce Suono: Haydn, Trio in G Major; Ravel, Chanson Madecasses; Ravel, La flute enchantée; Gill, Ode: A Dramatic Cantata. Mimi Stillman, flute; Yumi Kendall, cello; Charles Abramovic, piano; Donna Morein, mezzo-soprano. February 27, 2009 at First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St. (267) 252-1805 or www.dolcesuono.com.
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| Curtis grads play Schubert trios |
February 24 2009 |
Three of Curtis Institute’s most successful graduates of the past 20 years took on two of Schubert’s best-loved trios in a concert that explained, among other things, why chamber music audiences tend to be older than Olympic swimmers.
Philadelphia Chamber Music Society: Schubert, Piano Trio in B-Flat Major; Piano Trio in E-Flat Major. Soovin Kim, violin; Sophie Shao, cello; Ignat Solzhenitsyn, piano. February 22, 2008 at American Philosophical Society, Benjamin Franklin Hall, 427 Chestnut St. (215) 569-8080 or pcmsconcerts.org.
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| Brahms German Requiem by Chamber Orchestra (2nd review) |
February 17 2009 |
Ignat Solzhenitsyn leads a moving performance of a work that ventures into the deepest emotional areas of human life.
Brahms German Requiem. Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia with Choral Arts Society. Susanna Phillips, soprano; Randall Scarlata, baritone; Ignat Solzhenitsyn, conductor. Feb 13 & 15, 2009 at Perelman Theater, Verizon Hall. (215) 545-5451 or www.chamberorchestra.org.
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| Lyric Fest’s ‘Music in the White House’ |
February 10 2009 |
Lyric Fest sampled the tastes of U.S. presidents, whose musical interests could be surprisingly sophisticated. In the process, “Music in the White House” inadvertently reflected another important aspect of American culture: our inherent cosmopolitanism.
Lyric Fest: “Music in the White House.” Emily A. Bullock and Suzanne DuPlantis, mezzo-sopranos; Takesha Meshe Kizart, Sally Wolf and Randi J. Marrazzo, sopranos; Kevin Langan, bass; John Packard, baritone; Laura Ward, piano. With Tracey Matisak, narrator. and The Chamber Singers of Haverford and Bryn Mawr Colleges (Thomas Lloyd, director). February 8, 2009 at First Presbyterian Church, 21st and Walnut Sts. (215) 438-1702 or www.lyricfest.org.
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| ‘A Scandal in Bohemia,’ by Orchestra 2001 |
February 10 2009 |
This new opera about Sherlock Holmes creates a true Holmesian atmosphere, obviously written by someone who understands the Holmes legend. Thomas Whitman’s music ranges from workmanlike to inspired.
A Scandal in Bohemia. Opera based on a story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Thomas Whitman score, Nathalie Anderson libretto. Julian Rodescu (The “Reader”/King/Minister), David Kravitz (D. John Watson/Mr. Godfrey Norton), Laura Heimes (Irene Adler), Markus Beam (Sherlock Holmes); James Freeman, conductor. Orchestra 2001 performance February 6, 2009 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center. (610) 544-6610 or www.orchestra2001.org.
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| Astral’s Saeka Matsuyama violin recital |
February 07 2009 |
A young violinist traverses 200 years of musical styles with the skill of a talented actor hopping through a series of costume changes and radically different characters.
Saeka Matsuyama in violin recital. Novacek, Moto Perpetuo; Lutoslawski, Subito; Brahms, Sonata No. 2 in G Major; Bach, Solo Sonata No. 2 in A minor; Saint-Saens, Violin Sonata No. 1 in D Minor. With Charles Abramovic, piano. Astral Artists presentation February 1, 2009 at Trinity Center for Urban Life, 22nd and Spruce Sts. (215) 735-6999 or www.astralartists.org.
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| A few words about adventurous programming |
January 27 2009 |
BSR contributor Beeri Moalem has issued a plea for more performances of new music. But the Western art music repertoire is essentially a huge library containing more than six centuries of music that no one can explore all of in a single lifetime. Two recent concerts offer cases in point.
Cynthia Raim: All-Schubert piano recital. Presented by Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, January 21, 2009 at American Philosophical Society, 427 Chestnut St. (215) 569-8080 www.pcmsconcerts.org.
Philadelphia Orchestra Chamber Music Series: Glinka, Grand Sextet: Elina Kalendareva, Paul Arnold, violins; Judy Geist, viola; Kathryn Picht Read, cello; Robert Kesselman, bass; Sonya Ovrutsky, piano. Schumann, Andante and Variations: Natalie Zhu, Kiyoko Takeuti, pianos; Hai-Ye Ni, Kathryn Picht Reid, cellos; Jeffrey Lang, horn. January 18, 2009 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center. (215) 893-1900 or www.philorch.org.
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| ‘Sextet Spectacular’ by 1807 & Friends |
January 17 2009 |
The latest 1807 & Friends program did everything a good chamber music session is supposed to do. So what else can you say?
1807 and Friends: Sextet Spectacular. Dvorak, String Sextet in A Major; Tchaikovsky, Souvenir de Florence. Nancy Bean, David Booth, violins; Pamela Fay, Kerri Ryan, violas; Lloyd Smith, Yumi Kendall, cellos. January 12, 2009 at Academy of Vocal Arts. (215) 438-4027 or www.1807andfriends.org.
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| ‘Freeway Philharmonic’: California’s freelance musicians |
January 13 2009 |
In 55 well-edited minutes, an insightful documentary captures the challenging life style of California’s freelance classical musicians. Philadelphia freelancers— who constitute the backbone of a dozen local musical groups— will find here a reflection of their own unpredictable lives.
Freeway Philharmonic. DVD documentary produced and directed by Tal Skloot. 55 minutes; $25. Shira Records. (Aired on WHYY-TV, January 7, 2009.) www.freewayphil.com.
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| Unsung musical heroes: The entrepreneurs |
December 30 2008 |
Performers and music lovers alike owe a debt to the unsung heroes of Philadelphia’s cultural scene. This New Year, let’s pause to toast the small but growing band of visionaries who create and maintain our musical organizations.
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| Orchestra 2001 plays Messiaen |
December 16 2008 |
Orchestra 2001 marks the 100th birthday of Olivier Messiaen with two pieces that capture the cosmic and deeply personal feelings behind his work.
Orchestra 2001: Messiaen, Fantasie for Violin and Piano (Barbara Govatos, violin; Marcantonio Barone, piano); Levinson, Morning Star; Messiaen, Visions de L’Amen for Two Pianos (Barone and James Freeman, piano). December 10, 2008 at Lang Concert Hall, Swarthmore College. (610) 544-6610 or www.orchestra2001.org.
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| Philadelphia Science Fiction Conference |
December 14 2008 |
I've been defending science fiction against various onslaughts ever since I started reading it. For me, it’s a literary response to the knowledge that the future will be different from the present-- probably very different.
The Philadelphia Science Fiction Conference, Philcon 2008. November 21-23, 2008 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Cherry Hill, N.J. www.philcon.org.
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| Ricardo Morales plus |
December 14 2008 |
Novel programming adds extra spice to a recital that features clarinetist Ricardo Morales and two other local stars.
Philadelphia Chamber Music Society: Debussy, Premier Rhapsodie; Dunhill, Phantasy Suite; Bernstein, Clarinet Sonata; Zemlinsky, Trio for Clarinet, Cello and Piano in D Minor. Ricardo Morales, clarinet; Natalie Zhu, piano; Efe Baltacigil, cello. December 1, 2008 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center. (215) 569-8080 or pcmsconcerts.org.
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| Orchestra 2001 plays Carter and Copland |
November 18 2008 |
Orchestra 2001 looks at four pieces, each built around a distinctive framework, including two written by the durable Elliot Carter in his 90s.
Orchestra 2001: Piston, Divertimento for Nine Instruments; Carter, Asko Concerto; Carter, Dialogues (Emmanuel Arciuli, piano); Copland, Appalachian Spring. James Freeman, conductor. November 15, 2008 at Independence Seaport Museum. (610) 544-6610 or www.orchestra2001.org.
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| Conductors and ‘the vision thing’ |
November 15 2008 |
If they have the right vision, lesser known regional conductors can outperform stars as lustrous as Riccardo Muti. Both Karl Middleman and Mischa Santora have lately demonstrated visions of their own.
Philadelphia Classical Symphony: Saint-George, Symphonie Concertante in G Major for Two Violins and String Orchestra; Mozart, Sinfonia Concertante for Violin, Viola, and Orchestra in E Flat Major. Hirono Oka, violin; C.J. Chang, violin and viola; Karl Middleman, conductor. October 31, 2008 at First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St. (215) 228-2224 or www.classicalsymphony.org.
Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia: Rossini, Overture to L’Italiana in Algieri; Mozart, Piano Concerto No. 9 in E-flat Major. Shai Wosner, piano. Haydn, Symphony No. 86 in D Major. Mischa Santora, conductor. November 9, 2008. At Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce. (215) 545-5451 or www.chamberorchestra.org.
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| Lyric Fest’s ‘World of Friends’ |
November 11 2008 |
Lyric Fest offered children an international song and dance extravaganza with the quality and sophistication that kids should be exposed to when they make their first acquaintance with the arts.
Lyric Fest: “A World of Friends.” Songs by Mozart, Ravel, Poulenc, Brahms, Barber, Shostakovich, et al. Suzanne DuPlantis, Jennifer Hsiung, mezzos; Cara Latham, Randi J. Marrazzo, Maggie Moliterno, sopranos; Mark Moliterno, baritone; Richard Troxell, tenor. Motet Choir of the Pennsylvania Girlchoir, Mark A. Anderson, conductor; Caroline Foley and the Voloshky Ukrainian Dance Ensemble; Lisa Lovelace and Her Dancing Friends; Jake Miller and Wilder Troxell, actors. November 9, 2008 at Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill, 8855 Germantown Ave. (215) 438-1702 or www.lyricfest.org.
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| Piffaro’s Catherine de’ Medici concert |
October 28 2008 |
Catherine de’ Medici encountered her problems as queen of France. But Piffaro reminds us that she got to listen to some great music while she was dealing with them.
Piffaro: “Italy and France, A Florentine Patroness at the Parisian Court.” Verdelot, Pisano, Certon, other Italian and French composers. Shari Alise Wilson, soprano; Grant Herreid, Greg Ingles, Joan Kimball, Christa Patton, Priscilla Smith, Robert Wiemken, Tom Zajac, musicians. Joan Kimball and Robert Wiemken, co-directors. October 25, 2008 at Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill, 8855 Germantown Ave. (215) 235-8469 or www.piffaro.com.
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| Choral Arts Society’s Eric Whitacre concert |
October 28 2008 |
The Choral Arts Society bet its season opener on a single popular young choral composer— Eric Whitacre, who’s not yet 40. Call it another example of the Society’s intelligent adventurousness under conductor Matthew Glandorf.
Choral Arts Society: Whitacre, i thank You God for most this amazing day, Five Hebrew Love Songs, This Marriage, Leonardo Dreams of His Flying Machine, When David Heard, Water Night, Cloudburst. Joshua Stafford, piano; Patricia Franchescy and Gabriel Globus-Honic, percussion; Matthew Glandorf, conductor. October 26, 2008 at Philadelphia Cathedral, 3723 Chestnut St. (215) 240-6417 or www.choralarts.com.
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| Philadelphia Orchestra’s concerto feast |
October 14 2008 |
Charles Dutoit may have emphasized Berlioz in his pre-season remarks, but the Philadelphia Orchestra’s first three concerts indicated he’s prepared a more balanced menu. The big winners in all three events were the concertos.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Haydn Sinfonia concertante in B-flat major. Juliette Kang, violin; Daniel Matsukawa, bassoon; Hai-Ye Ni, cello; Richard Woodhams, oboe; Rossen Milanov, conductor.
Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 1 in D-flat major; Shostakovich Piano Concerto No. 1 in C-minor. Martha Argerich, piano; David Bilger trumpet; Charles Dutoit, conductor.
Penderecki Concerto Grosso No. 1 for three cellos and orchestra. Han-Na Chang, Daniel Miller-Schott, Arto Noras, cello; Charles Dutoit, conductor.
September 30, October 2 and 11, 2008 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center. (215) 893-1900 or www.philorch.org.
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| Crumb’s American classics, by Orchestra 2001 |
October 07 2008 |
George Crumb is one of the most outlandish living American composers and one of the most accessible, because you know he always has a reason for the things he does. At 80, he applied his inventiveness to ten American classics.
Orchestra 2001. Crumb, Voices from the Morning of the Earth; Vigue, Tides; Schwantner, Distant Runes and Incantations. Ann Crumb, soprano; Randall Scarlata, baritone; Marcantonio Barone, piano; William Kerrigan, Susan Jones, David Nelson, Angela Nelson, percussion. James Freeman, conductor. October 3, 2008 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center. (610) 544-6610 or www.orchestra2001.org.
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| Tempesta di Mare’s Hamburg concert |
October 07 2008 |
The Tempesta di Mare Baroque Orchestra artfully showcased the musical culture of an 18th-Century city governed by businessmen.
Orchestra Music from Hamburg: Tempesta di Mare Philadelphia Baroque Orchestra. Emlyn Ngai, concertmaster; Gwyn Roberts, flute. October 4, 2008 at Chestnut Hill Presbyterian Church. (215) 755-8776 or www.tempestadimare.org.
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| Lyric Fest’s ‘Mahler Resurrected’ |
October 04 2008 |
The Lyric Fest song series opened its season with a portrait of Gustav Mahler, consisting of letters, music and songs assembled by performers who’ve spent a significant portion of their careers mastering his work.
Lyric Fest: Mahler Resurrected. Kendra Colton and Randi Marrazzo, sopranos; Marquita Raley and Suzanne DuPlantis, mezzo sopranos; Christopher Bolduc, baritone; Laura Ward, piano; Ellen Tobie and Jim Bergwall, narration and readings. September 28, 2008 at First Presbyterian Church, 21st and Walnut. (215) 438.1702 or http://www.lyricfest.org.
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| Critic's music picks for 2008-09 |
September 16 2008 |
A few highly personal selections from a coming musical season that encompasses six hundred years of styles and passions.
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| ‘4x4’ at Fringe Festival |
September 09 2008 |
Todd Holtsberry’s tour de force marches audiences through the back rooms of the Plays and Players Theater, where four different plays by four different Philadelphia playwrights are in progress. It’s a good example of the intriguing, generally inexpensive evenings the Fringe Festival adds to the Philadelphia season.
“4X4”: Crumbled Worlds, By Robin Rodriguez; The Last Dance, by Sam Toll; The Opposite of Moths, by Brian Grace
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| Olympic (and artistic) geeks |
August 19 2008 |
Once every four years, table tennis sharks and air rifle sharpshooters emerge from obscurity and become the standard bearers of mighty nations, just as great writers emerge from obscurity every four years or so with a new book. The true spirit of the Olympics is the force that has shaped much of the modern world: the relentless drive of the obsessive-compulsive personality.
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| Philadelphia Orchestra’s Mann roundup |
July 26 2008 |
The "other" soloists on the Orchestra’s summer schedule failed to draw the crowds that Yo Yo Ma attracted. But their Fairmount Park audiences heard some first-class music making.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Mozart Piano Concerto No. 22 in E-flat Major: Leon McCawley, piano; Rossen Milanov, conductor. Rachmaninoff Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini: Kirill Gerstein, piano; Thomas Wilkins, conductor. Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor: Jon K
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| Concert Operetta Theater’s ‘Naughty Marietta� |
July 03 2008 |
Some people get all warm inside when they hear a snatch of Frank Sinatra or the rock group that happened to be leading the charts when they first started dating. I have a weakness for Sigmund Romberg's "Wanting You" and "The Riff Song." That should be everyone’s worst vice.
Naughty Marietta. Music by Victor Herbert; lyrics by Rida Johnson Young; Jose Melendez, music director and piano. Concert Operetta Theater production through June 21, 2008
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| Philadelphia Harp Festival |
June 17 2008 |
Harpist Saul Zlatkovsky joins the hardy band of part-time impresarios who keep Philadelphia lively.
Harp Music Festival of Philadelphia: Music by Loeillet, Rodrigo, J.C. Bach, Ravel, Malecki, others. Joan Holland, Helen Gerhold, Jude Mollenhauer, Virginia Flanagan, Alison Simpson, harp; Bruce Zhang, Grace Kim, Chi Park, Claudia Pellegrini, violin. Susan Arnold, viola; Samuel Soltoff, Steven Duckworth, cello; Marja Kaisla, piano. June 14-15, 2008, at Church of
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| Pretensions of ‘Bigger, Stronger, Faster’ |
May 25 2008 |
Bodybuilding may indeed be an interesting phenomenon, as Chris Bell contends in Bigger, Stronger, Faster. But please— spare us the half-baked sociological punditry.
Bigger, Stronger, Faster. Documentary film directed by Chris Bell. Beginning May 30, 2008 at Ritz at the Bourse, Fourth and Ludlow Sts. . (215) 925-7900.or www.biggerstrongerfastermovie.com.
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| Chamber Music Society with Mitsuko Uchida |
May 17 2008 |
The great pianist Mitsuko Uchida and five younger colleagues end the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society season with a military recruiting piece and an apocalyptic response to World War II.
Philadelphia Chamber Music Society: Bartok, Contrasts (Soovin Kim, violin; Martin Frost, clarinet; Llyr Williams, piano); Messiaen, Quartet for the End of Time (Mitsuko Uchida, piano; Martin Frost, clarinet; Soovin Kim, violin; Christian Poltera, piano). May 15, 2008
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| Classical Symphony plays Bernstein et al |
May 17 2008 |
Karl Middleman, one of Philadelphia’s embattled conductor/organizers, demonstrates the individualistic variety he and his fellows add to our music season. If only they were as good at fund-raising as they are at programming.
Classical Symphony: Canning, Fantasy on a Hymn by Justin Morgan; Tate, Shakamaxon; Bernstein, Serenade After Plato’s Symposium. Hirono Oka, solo violin; Karl Middleman, conductor. May 9, 2008 at Trin
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| Orchestra’s ‘Symphony of a Thousand’ (2nd re |
May 10 2008 |
Mahler experimented with the big orchestra in the same way George Crumb experiments with prepared pianos. The Symphony of a Thousand may not be his most successful experiment, but it’s a beautiful, unique experience.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Mahler Symphony of a Thousand (Eighth Symphony in E-Flat major). May 1-3 2008 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center. (215) 893-1900 or www.philorch.org.
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| Society of Ancient Instruments |
May 06 2008 |
Elin Frazier, a notably musical Baroque trumpeter, shows her stuff in perfect balance with the Society’s viol and harpsichord ensemble.
American Society of Ancient Instruments: Cazzati Sonata a 5, La Bianchina; Baldassare Sonata in F. No. 2; Vivaldi Concerto in B Flat Minor; other works by various composers for viols and harpsichord. May 4, 2008 at Old First Reformed Church, Fourth and Race Sts. (610) 935-4579 or Network for New Music |
May 03 2008 |
The Network for New Music ends its season with a program that combines the attractions of pure music with the profundities of music that communicates strong personal feelings.
Network for New Music: Ran, Song and Dance; Tsontakis, Gymnopedies; Currier, Static. April 27, 2008 at Ethical Society, 1906 S. Rittenhouse Square. (215) 848-7647 or http://www.networkfornewmusic.org
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| Chamber Orchestra plays Mahler (1st review) |
April 19 2008 |
The conductor and the soloists at the latest Chamber Orchestra concert all did their jobs, but the gang sitting behind them deserves some special attention.
Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia: Mahler, Das Lied von der Erde (arranged Arnold Schoenberg, completed Rainer Riehn). Mary Ann McCormick, mezzo-soprano; Jason Collins, tenor; Gloria Justen, Robert Martin, violins; Alexandra Leem, viola; James J. Cooper III, cello; Miles B. Davis, bass; Edward Schultz flute, Geoff
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| Lyric Fest: Philadelphia composers |
April 19 2008 |
One of the two most consistently enjoyable series in the city produces another wide-ranging spectacular. A program devoted to music by composers who spent part of their lives in Philadelphia provided a long list of surprises.
Lyric Fest: Songs by Bernstein, Barber, Rochberg, Rorem, Crumb, Menotti, Higdon, Garwood, et al. Jennifer Aylmer, Randi J. Marrazzo, Sally Wolf, sopranos; Markus Beam, baritone; Timothy Bentch, tenor; Megan Dey-Toth, Suzanne DuPlantis, mezzos; Tr
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| Orchestra 2001, French style |
April 15 2008 |
Orchestra 2001 presents two works its conductor considers 20th Century masterpieces and provides the evidence to support his opinion.
Orchestra 2001: Milhaud, La Creation du Monde. Reise, The River Within. Maria Bachmann, violin; Honegger, Symphony No. 2. James Freeman, conductor. April 12, 2008 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center. (215) 922-2190 or www.orchestra2001.org.
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| Philadelphia Singers: Haydn and Mozart |
April 12 2008 |
The Philadelphia Singers celebrated their 35th birthday-- and a more secure future-- with two of their all-time favorites.
Philadelphia Singers: Haydn, Missa in Angustiis (“Nelson Mass”) in D minor: Rachel Levine, soprano; Sandra Carney, mezzo-soprano; Kenneth Garner, tenor; James Stieber, bass. Mozart, Vesperae Solennes di Confessore: Heidi Kurtz, soprano; Alyson Harvey, mezzo-soprano; Steven Bradshaw, tenor; Franklin Phillips, baritone. Ch
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| Astral’s ‘Zlabys and Friends’ |
April 05 2008 |
Astral Artistic Services demonstrates that an organization devoted to helping young performers can showcase young composers, too.
Andrius Zlabys and Friends: Levkovich, Piano Trio; Mahler, Piano Quartet; Prado, Suite de Baile piano quintet. Sharlat, piano quartet. Pavel Ilyashov, Yayra Matyakubova, Anton Jivaev, violins; Wendy Warner, cello; Andrius Zlabys, piano. Presented by Astral Artistic Services, March 30, 2008 at Trinity Center, 22
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| Orchestra’s ‘Popul vuh’ |
April 01 2008 |
Ginastera’s Popul vuh lends the Mayan creation myth a musical evocation worthy of its imagery.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Ginastera, Popul vuh, the Creation of the Mayan World. Leonard Slatkin, conductor. March 27-29, 2008 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center. (215) 893-1900 or www.philorch.org.
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| Bach Festival’s Brandenburg Concertos |
March 29 2008 |
Bach may have thought of the Brandenburg Concertos as ensemble pieces, but they pack more oomph when they’re played like concertos. In conductor Jonathan Sternberg’s version, the soloist was just another member of the orchestra.
Bach Festival of Philadelphia: Bach Brandenburg Concertos Nos. 6, 1, 3, 2, 4, 5. Mimi Stillman, flute; Hirono Oka, violin; Geoffrey Deemer, oboe; Rachel Serber, trumpet; Charles Abramovic, harpsichord. Musicians from the Chamber Orchestra
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| Vox Ama Deus Mass in B Minor |
March 25 2008 |
Should a conductor interrupt a secular performance of a religious work with a statement that clearly reflects his own religious views? How do we define the limits of appropriate behavior in a multi-religious society?
Vox Ama Deus: Bach Mass in B Minor. Bonnie Hoke, soprano; Jody Kidwell, alto; Timothy Bentch, tenor; Ed Bara, bass. Valentin Radu, conductor. March 21, 2008 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center. (610) 688-2800 or Rhorer conducts Chamber Orchestra |
March 15 2008 |
The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia introduces another winner from the Solzhenitsyn Generation: the 35-year-old French conductor Jeremie Rhorer.
Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia: Rameau, Suite from Hippolyte et Aricie; Boieldieu, Harp Concerto in C Major; Debussy, Danses sacrées et profane (Elizabeth Hainen, harp); Rameau, Suite from Les Indes galantes. Jeremie Rhorer, conductor. March 9, 2008 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel C
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| Tempesta di Mare with puppets |
March 11 2008 |
Tempesta di Mare presents a half-successful attempt to create the spectacle of Baroque opera with puppets.
Tempesta di Mare Baroque Orchestra: Monteverdi, Il Combattimento di Tancredi e di Clorinda. Handel, Tra la Flamme; Marguerite Krull, soprano; Aaron Sheehan, tenor, David Allan Newman, baritone. Richard Stone, music director. Mock Turtle Marionette Theater: Doug Roysdon, stage director and master puppeteer. March 7-9, 2008 at Plays and Players Theat
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| Orchestra’s ‘Eirene’ and ‘Carmina Burana |
March 08 2008 |
Music isn’t limited to the simple expression of feelings. And peace is just as dynamic as war— and much more complex. Willi’s Eirene, like Orff’s Carmina Burana, lets us see old subjects in a new light.
Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia: Tomasi, Fanfares Liturgiques. Ignat Solzhenitsyn, conductor. February 24, 2008 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center. (215) 545-5451 or Chestnut Brass turns 30 |
February 26 2008 |
The globetrotting Grammy winner that resurrected the special sound of 19th-Century brass instruments returns to the city of its origin for a 30th anniversary celebration.
Chestnut Brass Company: Works by Praetorius, Weber, Morton, Rossini, Clark, Conner, Foster, Gershwin, Berlin, Vierk, Schickele, Krzywicki, Higdon. Bruce Barrie and John Charles Thomas, trumpets; Marian Hesse, horn; Larry Zimmerman, trombone; Jay Krush, tuba. February 18, 2008 at Ethical Society, 1906 S. Ritte
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| The tango and young musicians |
February 26 2008 |
Can a pair of tangos tell us something about the direction of our culture? You don’t need Rudolf Valentino when musicians play the tango the way Mimi Stillman and Astral’s young artists play it.
Dolce Suono: Piazzolla, Canto un Tango. Mimi Stillman, flute; Allan Krantz, guitar. February 13, 2008 at First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St. (267) 252-1803 or www.dolcesuono.org.
As
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| Opera Company’s ‘Cyrano’ (4th review) |
February 19 2008 |
David DiChiera’s Cyrano succeeds if you’re satisfied with an opera that uses music to tell a story. But it sacrifices the quixotic character who first stirred my adolescent soul.
Cyrano. Opera by David DiChiera (music) and Bernard Uzan (libretto). Opera Company of Philadelphia production through February 17, 2008 at Academy of Music, Broad and Locust Sts. (215) 732-8400 or www.operaphilly.com.
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| Gilbert leads the Orchestra (3rd review) |
February 16 2008 |
Ten years ago, when he was a student, I concluded that Alan Gilbert possesses the basic qualities a conductor should posses. With one qualification, I stand by that assessment.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Hillborg Exquisite Corpse; Bartok Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion; Nielsen Second Symphony. Emanuel Ax and Yoko Nozaki, piano; Alan Gilbert, conductor. February 7-9, 2008 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center. (215) 893-1900 or Chamber Orchestra’s two Randalls |
February 03 2008 |
In the wrong hands, this could have been a so-so concert, since none of the pieces on the program could be considered major attractions. Two Randalls— Scarlata and Fleischer— turned it into one of the most enjoyable Chamber Orchestra concerts I’ve attended.
Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia: Mozart, Symphony No. 28 in C Major; Ravel, Trois Poèmes de Stéphane Mallarmé; Stravinsky, Deux Poèmes de Paul Verlaine (Randall Sc
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| Tempesta di Mare revives Janitsch |
February 02 2008 |
Five pieces by one of Frederick the Great’s court composers received their first performances in two centuries and warmed the hearts of 21st-Century Philadelphians. You couldn’t hear these pieces without visualizing the private, cultivated setting they were written for.
Tempesta di Mare: Janitsch Sonata die Chiesa in A Minor, Sonata da Camera in C, Sonata da Camera in E-flat, Sonata da Camera in G Minor, Quadro in G. Gwyn Roberts, flute and recorder; Geoff
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| Jennifer Higdon Festival (third review) |
January 27 2008 |
Both Jennifer Higdon works premiered at the Philadelphia Orchestra’s Leonard Bernstein Festival were seriously flawed. Her song sequence Bentley Roses, on the other hand, was a pure delight.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Higdon, The Singing Rooms. Jennifer Koh, violin; Philadelphia Singers Chorale; Christoph Eschenbach, conductor. January 17 and 23, 2008 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center. (215) 893-1900 Music or performers? (Critic’s reply) |
January 22 2008 |
Corbin Abernathy, of Voces Novae et Antiquae, complains in a letter that my recent review of For So The Children Come focused solely on the poet and the composer, to the neglect of the performers. He’s right, and he deserves a response.
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| Voces Novae’s ‘For So The Children Come’ |
January 13 2008 |
Sophia Lyon Fahs knew what she was talking about when she said fathers and mothers “feel glory in the sight of a new life beginning.” Elizabeth Alexander’s musical adaptation was the most personally moving piece I encountered this past Christmas season.
Voces Novae et Antiquae: Alexander, For So the Children Come. Jody Applebaum, soprano; Jodi Nieman, alto; Peter de Mets, tenor. Robert A.M. Ross, conductor. Through January 6, 2008 at Fleisher Art Memorial,
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| New City’s ‘Extremities’ |
January 13 2008 |
Extremities is a strong play with a powerful central idea: What do you do when the law can’t— or won’t— protect you? The New City production is believably acted and efficiently and unobtrusively directed.
Extremities. Drama by William Mantrosimone; directed by William Roudebush. Presented by New City Stage Company through January 20, 2008 at Mumpuppetheater, 115 Arch St. (215) 563-7500 or Piffaro’s ‘Vespers’ |
January 13 2008 |
Piffaro, Philadelphia’s Renaissance band, gambled a major program on a single work by one Philadelphia composer. Kile Smith gave them one of the major events of the music season.
Piffaro: Smith’s Vespers. The Crossing chorus and vocal solos, with Piffaro Renaissance instruments. Donald Nally, conductor. January 5, 2008 at Lutheran Church of the Holy Communion, 2110 Chestnut St. 215-235-8469 or www.piffaro.com.
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| Dolce Suono: Triumph of the winds |
December 11 2007 |
After 19-plus seasons as a reviewer, our critic admits he’s undervalued a major musical form. In appropriate hands, the wind quintet can produce an interplay of tone colors and well-defined instrumental voices that puts it in a class by itself.
Dolce Suono: Ibert’s Trois Pieces Breves, Reicha Quintet #20 in D minor, Ravel’s Le Tombeau de Couperin (arr. Mason Jones), Barber’s Summer Music (Mimi Stillman, flute; Geoffrey Deemer,
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| Orchestra’s ‘Das Paradies und die Peri’ (1st |
December 01 2007 |
Sir Simon Rattle’s devotees may have come mostly to see him bounce around the podium, but they got to hear some beautiful music, too.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Schumann, Das Paradies und die Peri. Simon Rattle, conductor; Heidi Grant Murphy, soprano; Christine Brandes, soprano, Bernarda Fink, mezzo-soprano; Mark Padmore, tenor; Joseph Kaiser, tenor; Luca Pisaroni, bass-baritone; The Philadelphia Singers Chorale. November 29, 2007 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center. (215) 89
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| Miró Quartet’s ‘Necronomicon’ |
November 24 2007 |
With John Zorn’s fantastic and magical Necronomicon Quartet, the pulp horror writer H.P. Lovecraft has once again risen from his grave and triumphed over his critics. Or has he?
Miró Quartet: Zorn, Necronomicon (Daniel Ching, Sandy Yamamoto, violins; John Largess, viola; Joshua Gindele, cello). Program also includes Mozart String Quartet in D Major K. 499, Brahms String Quartet
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| ‘Last Songs’ by Lyric Fest |
November 13 2007 |
The Lyric Fest art song series devoted its latest program to the last songs of European and American composers. This was a great idea for a program, with one slight problem: A composer’s final melody isn’t necessarily his best one.
Lyric Fest: Last Songs. Songs by Beethoven, Purcell, Bernstein, Britten, Brahms, etc. David Adams, Suzanne DuPlantis, Randi Marrazzo, Stephen Powell, Katherine Pracht, Julian Rodescu, Barbara Shirvis, vocalists; Laura Ward, Harold
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| Orchestra's postlude concert |
November 13 2007 |
I’ve never understood why many people think spontaneous outbursts are more artistically fulfilling than music played from carefully thought out scores. Does anybody think an actor could have come up with “To be or not to be” on the spur of the moment?
Network for New Music, Philadelphia Orchestra postlude: Mandat, Folk Songs (Paul Demers, clarinet); Sierra, Bongo-0 (Anthony Orlando, bongos). November 8, 2007 at Verizon Hall. (215) 848-
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| Orchestra 2001, Phila. Classical Symphony |
November 06 2007 |
Mozart comes in second to the flutist Valerie Coleman at an Orchestra 2001 concert. And how would Handel and Scarlatti react to high fives by performers?
Orchestra 2001: Bazza, Scherzo; Ravel, Le Tombeau de Couperin; Franck, Scherzo; Mozart, Divertimento in B-flat Major; Coleman, Concerto Afro-Cuban for Wind Quintet and Orchestra. James Freeman, conductor. November 3, 2007 at Port of History Museum, Penn’s Landing. (215) 92
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| French music: Three concerts |
October 27 2007 |
Three musical organizations explore French music and French influence on American music from the Baroque to the present. How many American cities could team a fully professional chorus with a violist like Roberto Diaz and a percussionist like Don Liuzzi?
Philadelphia Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra: Ravel Mother Goose Suite; De Malaret Chants D’Auvergne (Leslie Johnson, soprano); Debussy Petite Suite; Ravel Bolero. Daniel Spalding,
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| Orchestra’s ‘Discovery’ concert |
October 13 2007 |
How to reach a younger audience? The Orchestra is currently trying a policy that puts unfamiliar music in front of people who actually want to give it a try. At this concert, the crowd was definitely coffeehouse age.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Rihm, Verwandlung 2; Reinecke, Flute Concerto in D Major (Jeffrey Khaner, flute); Stravinsky, The Rite of Spring. Christoph Eschenbach, conductor. September 27, 2007 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center. (215) 893-1900 or
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| Dolce Suono: Trios by four composers |
October 13 2007 |
Dolce Suono spotlights the creativity of four Philadelphia composers and the potential of an unfamiliar form: the trio for flute, cello and piano. Are we living in a second Baroque period without realizing it?
Dolce Suono: Rorem Trio for Flute, Violoncello, and Piano; Cacioppo Snake Dance Trio (Soyohim Kachina); Abramovic Beasts; Crumb Vox Balaenae (Voice of the Whales). Mimi Stillman, flute; Yumi Kendall, cello; Charles Abramovic, pia
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| Lyric Fest’s ‘Shakespeare: A Biography in Music |
September 25 2007 |
Lyric Fest presents a crowded profile of an internationally successful songwriter and librettist.
Lyric Fest: “William Shakespeare, a Biography in Music.” Lyrics by William Shakespeare, music by various. Markus Beam, Kiera Duffy, Suzanne DuPlantis, Bryan Hymel, Jody Kidwell, Randi Marrazzo, Jaquita Mitchell, Mark Moliterno, vocalists; Laura Ward, piano. Jim Bergwall, actor. September 23, 2007 at First Presbyterian Church, 21st and Walnut. (215
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| Purdom’s picks for 2007-08 |
September 25 2007 |
A reviewer with oscillating tastes lists his higher hopes for the new season.
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| Orchestra 2001 plays Crumb |
September 18 2007 |
George Crumb plays around with doctored pianos and odd effects, but he uses novel means to achieve classic ends. His techniques may look outré, but he’s doing the same thing that good accompanists do when they create scenes and moods as they play a standard piano accompaniment.
Orchestra 2001, James Freeman, conductor. Crumb’s Otherworldly Resonances (Marcantonio Barone and James Freeman, amplified piano); Tchaikovsky Concert Piece for Flute and Str
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| Alan Gilbert: The conductor as leader |
August 28 2007 |
Conductors must possess three critical personal qualities. Alan Gilbert, the new music director of the New York Philharmonic, displayed two of them the first time I saw him conduct at Curtis. And that was before I heard him conduct a major symphony.
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| Those who can, should |
August 28 2007 |
After I’d spent 50 years as a check-depositing writer, it took a chance remark by Yumi Kendall, the Philadelphia Orchestra’s young assistant principal cellist, to convince me once and for all that I hadn’t wasted my life.
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| ‘Peter and the Wolf” at the Mann |
July 31 2007 |
If you feel children can’t achieve full adulthood without learning that an oboe can imitate a duck, you’d probably find this animated film version of Peter and the Wolf is less successful than a traditional narrated performance. But the kids on hand learned that a trip to the orchestra can be fun.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Britten Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Purcell, Prokofiev Peter and the Wolf, Shostakovich Violin Concerto No. 1 in A Min
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| Orchestra's second ‘East Meets West’ program |
July 24 2007 |
The Philadelphia Orchestra’s second “East Meets West” program at the Mann explored more aspects of the musical interchange. But the Mann’s cavernous space requires a bigger tone than Midori produced on this occasion.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Ravel Suite from Mother Goose; Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto in D Major; Tan Dun Overture: Dragon and Phoenix from Heaven Earth Mankind; Debussy La Mer. Rossen Milanov, conduct
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| Lang Lang at the Mann |
July 24 2007 |
Yellow River is that rare item, a successful piece of democratic art. But Lang Lang’s histrionics are no substitute for the passion he should communicate through his piano.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Mozart Overture to The Marriage of Figaro, Piano Concerto No. 17 in G Major; Various China Air Suite, Yellow River, concerto for piano and orchestra. Lang Lang, piano; Long Yu, conductor. July 18, 2007 at Mann Music Center. (215) 893-1900 or
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| Eschenbach vs. Milanov |
July 07 2007 |
When Milanov conducted the Shostakovich, I realized it was a perfect expression of the feelings I associate with the quiet, sober veterans I met immediately after World War II. I didn’t hear any of that in Eschenbach’s performance.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Higdon Concerto for Orchestra, Beethoven Symphony Number Nine. Arianna Zukerman, soprano; Jennifer Hines, mezzo-soprano; Stephen Tharp, tenor; Stephen Powell, baritone; Philadelphia Singers Chorale; Ro
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| Milanov vs. Eschenbach |
July 07 2007 |
When Milanov conducted the Shostakovich, I realized it was a perfect expression of the feelings I associate with the quiet, sober veterans I met immediately after World War II. I didn’t hear any of that in Eschenbach’s performance.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Higdon Concerto for Orchestra, Beethoven Symphony Number Nine. Arianna Zukerman, soprano; Jennifer Hines, mezzo-soprano; Stephen Tharp, tenor; Stephen Powell, baritone; Philadelphia Singers Chorale; Ro
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| Orchestra’s ‘Best Of…’ concerts |
June 26 2007 |
The Philadelphia Orchestra’s “Best of...” concerts were obviously designed to attract people who aren’t familiar with the Orchestra’s wares. Rossen Milanov gave them useful guides when he talked, and the real unadulterated stuff when he conducted. And yes, he did indeed crowd a portrait of Beethoven’s development into a single evening.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Best of Mozart, Best of Beethoven, Best of Tchaikovsky. Excerpts from works b
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| Center City Opera’s ‘Dorian Gray’ (2nd review) |
June 19 2007 |
The Picture of Dorian Gray is over a century old, but it’s a story that speaks to modern audiences. It will probably seem even more relevant as life spans continue to lengthen and medical progress continues to reduce the effects of aging.
Lowell Liebermann’s The Picture of Dorian Gray. Jorge Garza (Dorian Gray), Jason Switzer (Lord Henry), Megan Marie Hart (Sibyl Vane), Richard Ziebarth (Basil Hallward), Joseph Specter (James Vane). An
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| Lyric Fest’s ‘Once Upon a Time’ |
May 22 2007 |
There’s nothing like the sound of a classically trained, unamplified voice singing at full power at the end of your pew, a few feet from your ear. It’s something every child of the Stereo Age should experience at least once.
“Once Upon a Time.” Lyric Fest, with Youngjo An, Amerew Cummings, Suzanne DuPlantis, Mega Day-Toth, Jeffrey Halili, Randi Marrazzo, Sheryl Woods, vocalists; Laura Ward, piano; Jake Miller and Yes!…And Studio, The Motet
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| Music Group’s ‘Winging Wildly’ |
May 22 2007 |
Second hearings are actually rarer than premieres. Most music organizations are happy to schedule a premiere now and then. Repeat performances are less glamorous.
“Winging Wildly: Music for Chamber Chorus.” Mechem’s Winging Wildly, Convery’s Israfel; Copland’s In the Beginning. Music Group of Philadelphia; Sean Deibler conducting; Janice Fiore, soprano; Terence Belzer, oboe. May 18, 2007 at Trinity Center for Urban
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| A trio of violin concerts |
April 28 2007 |
The Philadelphia Orchestra, Orchestra 2001 and the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia inadvertently present an unplanned three-concert violin festival, covering the Western tradition of violin music from 1733 to sometime around ten p.m. EDT on April 14, 2007.
Orchestra 2001: Clearfield Romanza for Violin and Orchestra with Gloria Justin; James Freeman conducting. April 14 2007 at Trinity Center for Urban Life, 22nd and Spruce Sts. 215-922-2190 or Lyric Fest's 'American Poets in Song' |
April 24 2007 |
The Lyric Fest song series surveys the huge library of songs based on American poetry created by American composers. Every selection met my primary test for song settings: The music always added something extra to the words.
Lyric Fest: American Poets in Song. Timothy Bentch, Suzanne DuPlantis, Leslie Johnson, Randi Marrazzo, Randall Scarlata, Elizabeth Weigle, Paul Sperry, vocalists; Laura Ward, piano. April 15, 2007 at First Presbyterian Church, 21st and Walnut.
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| Vox Ama Deus performs Verdi’s ‘Requiem’ |
April 21 2007 |
Verdi’s Requiem was a good choice for a Good Friday tribute to the fallen of Iraq and Afghanistan, but it’s also a piece that moved Vox Ama Deus out of its normal range of the Renaissance, Baroque and Classical periods.
Verdi Requiem. Vox Ama Deus: Tatyana Galitskaya, soprano; Tatyana Rashkovsky, mezzo-soprano; Kenneth Garner, tenor; Ed Bara, bass; Valentin Radu, conductor. April 6, 2007, at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center. (610) 688-2800 o
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| Philomel and Piffaro do the Hapsburgs and Louis XI |
April 10 2007 |
Most history texts will tell you the Hapsburgs married their way to the top. But how many historians could play the music composed for one of those marriages?
Philomel: “The Princess and the Flea: A New Look at Music and Manners in the Court of Louis XIV.” March 23, 2007 at Christ Church, Second and Market Sts. (215) 487-2344 or www.philomel.org.
Piffaro and Parthena: Music by Or
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| Beaux Arts Trio plays Schubert and Shostakovich |
April 10 2007 |
The opening of Schubert’s Notturno did everything it’s supposed to; the opening of Shostakovich’s Second Piano Trio didn’t. You can’t play Shostakovich’s music if you can’t work your way into the tensions that harry a creative artist trapped in a society dominated by the tragedies of war and the whims of a capricious tyrant.
Beaux Arts Trio: Schubert Notturno, Shostakovich Piano Trio No. 2 in E Minor, Turnage A Slow Pav
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| Abramovic and Stillman at Bach Festival |
March 31 2007 |
Charles Abramovic soothed most of my biases in favor of historical instruments when he accompanied flutist Mimi Stillman during the Bach festival. I don’t make a fuss about the instrumentation when music of this quality is played by musicians of this caliber, with a full understanding of the issues raised by modern instruments.
Bach Works for Flute. Mimi Stillman, flute; Charles Abramovic, piano. March 17, 2007 at First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut Street.
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| AVA’s ‘Jubilate!’ |
March 22 2007 |
An unexpected bit of jubilation opens Jubilate!, the annual program of religious music presented by the Academy of Vocal Arts. But the finale raises questions. Can we listen to a contemporary song about the Second Coming in the same way we listen to a 19th-Century setting of the Latin Mass?
Jubilate!: Rossini’s Stabat Mater, other works. AVA Resident Artists soloists, New Jersey MasterChoir, David Anthony Lofton conductor. March 11, 2007 at Chu
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| Orchestra 2001 and New Philadelphia Classical Symphony |
March 13 2007 |
Do these settings add anything to the poems? In this case, the answer is a definite yes. Luis Prado’s music has the same impact as a reading by a good actor.
Orchestra 2001: Kim, Three Poems in French; Prado, Two Poems of Joan Hutton Landis (Jodie Karin Applebaum. Soprano). Ligeti, Violin Concerto (Jennifer Koh, violin, James Freeman, conductor). February 25, 2007 AT Annenberg Center, 3680 Walnut St. (215) 922-2190 or Guide to Philadelphia music groups |
March 11 2007 |
These days Philadelphia abounds in serious music groups. How is a music lover of limited time and budget supposed to sort them out? Our highly opinionated critic, Tom Purdom, takes a stab at that challenge in the guide that follows. Bookmark this guide, or print it out and stick it on your refrigerator for quick reference, and your musical life is likely to become infinitely richer.
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| A cornucopia of “new” classical music |
February 17 2007 |
Contrary to popular belief, we classical music lovers don’t spend our evenings listening to Beethoven’s Fifth over and over again, night after night. Consider the banquet of “old” musical novelties I consumed this past month.
Dolce Suono: Schulhoff Concertino for Flute, Viola, and Double Bass with Mimi Stillman, Burchard Tang, Emilio Gravagno. January 24, 2007 at Rosenwald Gallery, Van Pelt Dietrich Library, University of Pennsylvania. 215-898-7088 or
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| Kim and Denk play Charles Ives |
January 27 2007 |
Soovin Kim and Jeremy Denk have never sung hymns in church or attended a Protestant revival. Yet they played the sonatas with the understanding of people who carried 19th Century New England in their genes. Perhaps we American have more of a common culture than we sometimes think.
Philadelphia Chamber Music Society: Four violin sonatas by Charles Ives. Soovin Kim, violin; Jeremy Denk, piano. January 18, 2007 at Fleisher Art Memorial, 719 Catherine St. 215-569-8080 or
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| The Orchestra plays ‘Lady Macbeth’ |
January 20 2007 |
Have you ever heard the Shostakovich opera Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District? Neither have I. But James Conlon’s performance of his suite from that work was one of the events of the season.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Mozart Overture to The Impresario; Mozart Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major with Jonathan Bliss; Shostakovich/Conlon Suite from Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District. James Conlon conducting. January 11, 2007 at Verizon Hal
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| Conductors Marin Alsop and JoAnn Falletta |
January 20 2007 |
Instead of scouring the globe for a music director with a big reputation, the Philadelphia Orchestra might do well to look at promising young talent closer to home. Two such prospects recently passed this reviewer’s test with flying colors— both of them women.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Wagner Prelude to Act 1 of Tristan and Isolde; Harbison Concerto for Bass Viol and Orchestra with Harold Robinson; Copland Symphony No. 3. Marin Alsop conducting. January 9, 2
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| Maneval improves on Brahms |
January 05 2007 |
The Philadelphia Chamber Music Society’s first public performance of Philip Maneval’s variation on a Brahms trio was one of the big moments in my decades of concertgoing. If you like the Brahms, you will like the Maneval because it exudes the same poetry and passion, plus something more: Unlike Brahms, Maneval makes the horn an equal partner.
Trio for Piano, Violin and French Horn,
by Philip Maneval. Thomas Sauer,
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Toby Zinman is professor of English at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, where she was awarded the prize for Distinguished Teaching. She lectures internationally on contemporary drama, including a semester as Fulbright professor in Israel and another as a visiting lecturer in China. She is the recipient of five grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Her third book, Edward Albee, was published by University of Michigan Press in 2008, and her newest, on Arthur Miller, has just been published by Methuen Press in London. That’s her day job.
Her night job is theater critic for the Philadelphia Inquirer, as well as reviewing New York theater for BSR; she is also the regional reviewer for Variety, the show business newspaper.
Her third career, as an adventure travel writer, has taken her all over the world, doing ridiculous things like dogsledding in the Yukon, ziplining the rainforest in Belize, walking coast-to-coast across England, and rounding up cattle on horseback in the Australian Outback. Several of her travel articles can be found in BSR’s “Cross Cultural” section. (See the list of her articles below.)
More articles by Toby Zinman, newest first
| London theater roundup— II |
June 20 2011 |
This is a summer of revivals in London; it’s also odd how many of these productions require American accents. But some rare birds— from Odets to Mamet— brighten this revival flock even if they demonstrate clearly why they’re rarely revived.
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| Two ‘Much Ados’ in London |
June 13 2011 |
Two delicious and hilarious productions of Much Ado About Nothing are currently playing in London: one at the Globe, where “original practices” rule, and one on the West End, where high profiles, schlock and schtick are the order of the day.
Much Ado About Nothing. By William Shakespeare; Jeremy Herrin directed. Through October 1, 2011 at Globe Theatre, 21 New Globe Walk, London, U.K. www.shakespearesglobe.com.
Much Ado About Nothing. By William Shakespeare; Josie Rourke directed. Through September 3, 2011 at Wyndham’s Theatre, London, U.K. www.londontheatre.co.uk.
All’s Well That Ends Well. By William Shakespeare; directed by John Dove. Through August 21, 2011 at Globe Theatre, 21 New Globe Walk, London, U.K. www.shakespearesglobe.com.
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| Kushner’s ‘Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide’ in NY |
May 06 2011 |
Tony (Angels in America) Kushner has done it again with a rich, nourishing stew that clocks in at just less than four hours. Unlike other family dramas, Kushner’s revolves around serious, intensely held positions on the political theories and socioeconomics that shaped the 20th Century.
The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures. By Tony Kushner; Michael Greif directed. Through June 12, 2011 at Public Theater, 425 Lafayette St., New York. (212) 539-8500 or www.publictheater.org.
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| Sharr White’s ‘The Other Place’ in New York |
April 12 2011 |
Sharr White’s The Other Place is a terrifying play, illuminated by an astonishing performance by Laurie Metcalf as a middle-aged scientist struggling with dementia.
The Other Place. By Sharr White; Joe Mantello directed. Through May 1, 2011 at MCC Theatre at the Lucille Lortel Theatre, 121 Christopher St., New York. (212) 279-4200 or www.mcctheater.org.
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| ‘The Motherf**ker With The Hat’ on Broadway |
April 12 2011 |
Stephen Adly Guirgis knows street talk and can write dialogue of astonishingly funny mad-dog ferocity. But somebody has to speak that dialogue onstage, and Chris Rock, the crass standup comedy star, isn’t the actor to do it.
The Motherf**ker With The Hat. By Stephen Adly Guirgis; Anna D. Shapiro directed. Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, 236 West 45th St., New York. www.Telecharge.com.
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| Adam Rapp’s ‘Hallway Trilogy’ in New York |
February 26 2011 |
A Lower East Side hallway set in the past, present and future is the site of three plays by the allegedly daring Adam Rapp. The net result is five hours of sloppy, empty playwriting and schlock shock tactics, signifying nothing.
The Hallway Trilogy. By Adam Rapp; directed by Rapp, Daniel Aukin and Tripp Cullman. Through March 20, 2011 at Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre, 224 Waverly Pl., New York. ( 212) 627-2556 or www.rattlestick.org.
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| ‘The Milk Train’ in New York |
February 01 2011 |
The Milk Train may not be a great play or even a good one. But for Tennessee Williams fans, it has to be seen. And with the astonishing Olympia Dukakis in the central role, this is the production to see.
The Milk Train Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore. By Tennessee Williams; Michael Wilson directed. Roundabout Theatre production through April 3, 2011 at Laura Pels Theatre, Steinberg Center, 111 West 46th St., New York. (212) 719-1300 or www.roundabouttheatre.org/pels.
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| Neil LaBute’s ‘Break of Noon’ in New York |
November 28 2010 |
The protagonist of The Break of Noon is another in Neil LaBute’s self-absorbed fraternity of creeps. In this new drama, the creep finds God. And if God can forgive him, why can’t we?
The Break of Noon. By Neil LaBute; directed by Jo Bonney. Through December 22, 2010 at MCC Theater at Lucille Lortel Theatre, 121 Christopher St., New York. (212) 279-4200 or www.mcctheater.org.
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| ‘The Scottsboro Boys’ on Broadway (2nd review) |
November 23 2010 |
This dazzling musical treatment of an American racial injustice— full of wild singing and dancing, passion and outrage and history— is a revelation on several levels.
The Scottsboro Boys. Book by David Thompson; music and lyrics by John Kander and Fred Ebb; Susan Stroman directed and choreographed. Closed December 12, 2010 at Lyceum Theater, 149 West 45th St. (between Broadway and Sixth Ave.), New York. (212) 239-6200 or scottsboromusical.com.
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| Enda Walsh’s ‘Penelope’ in Brooklyn |
November 02 2010 |
In this existential tragic burlesque, the powerhouse young Irish playwright Enda Walsh redefines the unnamed suitors of Homer’s Odyssey. Here they emerge as minor, vile characters— men we never even thought about until now.
Penelope. By Enda Walsh; directed by Mikel Murfi. Druid Theatre production through November 14, 2010 at St. Ann’s Warehouse, 38 Water St., Brooklyn, N.Y. (718) 254—8779 or www.stannswarehouse.org.
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| Mamet’s ‘A Life in the Theatre’ on Broadway |
October 19 2010 |
David Mamet’s play about an older actor and his protégé-rival is full of snippets and in-jokes celebrating life on the stage but bereft of Mamet’s signature ferocity and danger.
A Life in the Theatre. By David Mamet; Neil Pepe directed. Through January 2, 2011 at Gerald Schoenfeld Theater, 236 West 45th St., New York. (800) 432-7250 or www.broadwaysbestshows.com.
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| David Hirson’s ‘La Bête’ on Broadway |
October 19 2010 |
La Bête is a wild Molière parody/homage, nearly two hours of rhyming couplets delivered at breakneck speed. The effect is jawdroppingly amazing— and very, very funny.
La Bête. By David Hirson; Matthew Warchus directed. Through February 13, 2011. At Music Box Theater, 239 West 45th St., New York. (212) 239-6200 or (800) 432-7250 or www.labetetheplay.com.
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| Lee Hall's 'Pitmen Painters’ on Broadway (1st review) |
October 02 2010 |
Lee Hall’s The Pitmen Painters, a play about English miners who learn to paint, contains enough ideas—political and aesthetic—and enough charm to please any crowd, although the second act becomes less charming and more preachy.
The Pitmen Painters. By Lee Hall; directed by Max Roberts. Live Theatre Newcastle/National Theatre of Great Britain co-production through december 12, 2010 at Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, 267 West 47 St., New York. www.broadwaybox.com.
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| Word feast at Canada’s Shaw Festival |
July 20 2010 |
The treat of Canada’s Shaw Festival, held annually in the charming, flower-filled town of Niagara-on-the-Lake, is that it offers productions of plays you rarely get to see— not only by George Bernard Shaw, but by his contemporaries like Chekhov, Wilde and Barrie.
Shaw Festival. Through October 31, 2010 at Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada. 800-511-SHAW or www.shawfest.com.
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| August Wilson’s ‘Fences’ in New York |
May 01 2010 |
When a big movie star like Denzel Washington plays an often-unlikable character, the audience is determined to love the character regardless. So blame the audience for degrading August Wilson’s complex Fences into a sit-com.
Fences. By August Wilson, directed by Kenny Leon. Through July 11, 2010 at Cort Theatre, 138 West 48th St., New York. (800) 432-7250 or www.Telecharge.com.
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| ‘The Addams Family’ in New York |
April 08 2010 |
The macabre incisiveness of The New Yorker’s legendary cartoonist Charles Addams is betrayed in this middle-of-the-road, feel-good musical that merely tips its hat to weirdness.
The Addams Family. Lyrics and music by Andrew Lippa; book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice; directed and designed by Phelim McDermott and Julian Crouch. At the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, 205 West 46th St., New York. (212) 307-4100 or (800) 755-4000 or www.ticketmaster.com.
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| ‘When the Rain Stops Falling’ in New York |
April 03 2010 |
Andrew Bovell, an Australian playwright, and director David Cromer combine with a luminous cast to provide a searing and extraordinary theatrical experience.
When the Rain Stops Falling. By Andrew Bovell; directed by David Cromer. Through April 18, 2010 at Mitzi Newhouse Theater at Lincoln Center, 150 West. 65th St., New York. (212) 239-6200 or www.lct.org/showMain.htm?id=191.
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| John Logan’s ‘Red’: Mark Rothko on Broadway |
April 03 2010 |
Red, based on two years in the life of the Abstract Expressionist painter Mark Rothko, is a daring play about making art. In 90 minutes it shows us what a monster of self-absorption and narcissistic contempt our art-god can be.
Red. By John Logan; directed by Michael Grandage. Through June 27, 2010 at John Golden Theater, 252 West 45th St., New York. (212) 239-6200 or (800) 432-7250 or www.newyorkcitytheatre.com.
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| ‘The Book of Grace’ in New York |
March 20 2010 |
Suzan-Lori Parks's new play, The Book of Grace, is determined to bludgeon every shred of hope, optimism and cheerfulness out of us until we succumb to her grim view of human beings, event outcomes and life generally.
The Book of Grace. By Suzan-Lori Parks; directed by James MacDonald. Through April 4, 2010 at The Public Theater, 425 Lafayette St., New York. (212) 967-7555 or www.publictheater.org.
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| Bill Cain’s ‘Equivocation,’ Off-Broadway |
March 09 2010 |
No equivocating about Equivocation: This superb Off-Broadway production of Bill Cain’s smart, complex play, directed by the brilliant Garry Hynes, satisfies on every level— emotional, intellectual, theatrical. It’s funny, too.
Equivocation. By Bill Cain; directed by Garry Hynes. At Manhattan Theatre Club, New York City Center, 131 West 55th St., New York. (212) 581-1212 or www.nycitycenter.org.
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| ‘A Behanding in Spokane’ on Broadway |
March 06 2010 |
A Behanding in Spokane is less provocative and less political than Martin McDonagh’s previous brand of Irish lunacy. But with the wildly unsettling presence of Christopher Walken, it’s a great show.
A Behanding in Spokane. By Martin McDonagh; directed by John Crowley. Through June 6, 2010 at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, 236 West 45th St, New York. (212) 239-6200 or (800) 432-7250 or www.behandinginspokane.com.
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| Campbell’s ‘The Pride,’ off-Broadway |
February 16 2010 |
Alexi Kaye Campbell's The Pride is a deeply engrossing play contrasting the closeted gay world of 1958 to the wide-open scene of today. It’s enlivened by four fine actors but marred by excessive speechifying.
The Pride. By Alexi Kaye Campbell; directed by Joe Mantello. Open run at the Lucille Lortel Theatre, 121 Christopher St. (Greenwich Village), New York. (212) 279-4200 or www.ticketcentral.com.
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| ‘Time Stands Still’ in New York |
January 29 2010 |
The playwright Donald Margulies likes to flirt with serious social issues. His trouble is, as Time Stands Still reminds us, that he isn’t serious about any of it.
Time Stands Still. By Donald Margulies; directed by Daniel Sullivan. Manhattan Theatre Club production through March 21, 2010 at Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, 261 West 47th St., New York. (800) 432-7250 or www.Telecharge.com.
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| Sam Shepard’s ‘Ages of the Moon’ in New York |
January 29 2010 |
Ages of the Moon finds Sam Shepard in a meditative mood, ruminating on life, hilariously and painfully. His reunion of two aging Western geezers is classic American dramatic metaphor— a long day’s journey into night if ever was one.
Ages of the Moon. By Sam Shepard; directed by Jimmy Fay. Abbey Theatre of Dublin production through March 7, 2010 at the Atlantic Theater, 336 West 20th St. (between Eighth and Ninth Aves.), New York. (212) 279-4200 or www.atlantictheater.org.
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| Winter getaway: Peru |
January 23 2010 |
Peru, I discovered, is a place where Conquistador palaces coexist with thatched-roof huts, Catholic churches are built over Incan temples, and a physician practices alongside a half-naked tribal shaman. And in what other airport terminal can you purchase shots of oxygen alongside cell phones?
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| ‘A Little Night Music’ revived in New York |
December 15 2009 |
A Sondheim musical is always a balancing act between the big commercial demands of the Broadway stage and the intimate, understated demands of the author’s subtlety. This splendid revival achieves both.
A Little Night Music. By Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler; directed by Trevor Nunn. At the Walter Kerr Theatre, 219 West 48th St., New York. (800) 432-7250 or www.broadwayticketscenter.com.
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| David Mamet’s ‘Race’ on Broadway |
December 15 2009 |
David Mamet’s new play about sex and race, currently receiving a vigorous Broadway premiere under the author’s direction, reprises a familiar Mamet theme: betrayal, especially by women.
Race. Written and directed by David Mamet. At Ethel Barrymore Theatre, 243 West 47th St., New York. (212) 239-6200 or www.broadwaysbestshows.com.
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| Rebeck’s ‘The Understudy’ in New York |
November 06 2009 |
As its title suggests, Theresa Rebeck’s pointy comedy The Understudy concerns unappreciated people. Rarely is a comedy this entertaining also so human.
The Understudy. By Theresa Rebeck; directed by Scott Ellis. Through January 3, 2010 at the Laura Pels Theatre Steinberg Center for Theatre, 111 West 46th St., New York. (212) 719-1300 or www.roundabouttheater.org.
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| ‘Finian’s Rainbow’ on Broadway |
November 02 2009 |
Finian’s Rainbow, now in gorgeous revival on Broadway, possesses all the old-fashioned charm that can make musical theater such a pleasure.
Finian’s Rainbow. Music by Burton Lane; lyrics by E.Y. Harburg; book by Harburg and Fred Saidy; directed by Warren Carlyle. Through January 17, 2010 at the St. James Theater, 246 West 44th St., New York. (212) 239-6200 or www.FiniansOnBroadway.com.
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| Mamet’s ‘Oleanna’ revived in New York |
October 13 2009 |
Still aggravating, still shocking, still engrossing after all these years, David Mamet’s Oleanna is receiving a fierce and fine revival on Broadway starring Bill Pullman and Julia Stiles.
Oleanna. By David Mamet; directed by Doug Hughes. At John Golden Theatre, 252 West 45th St., New York. (212) 239-6200 or www.playbill.com.
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| ‘Two Unrelated Plays By Mamet’ in New York |
October 02 2009 |
Four plays by David Mamet open in New York this fall, three of them new. Of the first two, School is a lame skit about recycling, and Keep Your Pantheon offers dismaying evidence that the great Mamet isn’t above recycling old material himself.
Two Unrelated Plays By David Mamet. Directed by Neil Pepe. Through November 1, 2009 at the Atlantic Theatre, 20th St. between Eighth and Ninth Ave., New York. (212) 279-4200 or www.centertheatregroup.org/tickets/productiondetail.aspx?id=520.
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| Canada theater festival roundup |
August 18 2009 |
In two charming Ontario towns through early November, you’ll find theater as good as New York’s or London’s. At the Shaw and Stratford Shakespeare Festivals, I managed to squash eight plays and a hippy-dippy folk concert into five days. Here’s what I saw.
Stratford Shakespeare Festival. Through November 1, 2009 at five locations in Stratford, Ontario. www.stratfordfestival.ca.
Shaw Festival Theatre. Through October 31, 2009 at two venues in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. www.shawfest.com.
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| The Czech Republic on foot |
August 02 2009 |
I’ve been a traveler on foot for many years. My latest long-distance walk took me from Vienna to Prague. It’s amazing what surprises you can stumble across when you forsake planes, trains and cars.
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| ‘Coraline’ off-Broadway |
June 19 2009 |
Coraline, based on the young adult novel by Neil Gaiman, is musical proof positive that you don’t have to be cynical to be sophisticated.
Coraline. Book by David Greenspan; music and lyrics by Stephin Merritt; based on the novel by Neil Gaiman; directed by Leigh Silverman. Through July 5, 2009 at Lucille Lortel Theatre, 121 Christopher St., New York. (212) 279-4200 or www.lortel.org.
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| Ayckbourn’s ‘The Norman Conquests’ on Broadway |
May 11 2009 |
Alan Ayckbourn’s very British 1973 trilogy, The Norman Conquests, is still funny after all these years. But there’s less to this eight-hour marathon (plus meal breaks) than meets the eye.
The Norman Conquests. By Alan Ayckbourn; directed by Matthew Warcus. At Circle in the Square, 235 W. 50 St., New York. (212) 239-6200 or normanconquestsonbroadway.com.
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| Lynn Nottage’s ‘Ruined’ on Broadway |
May 04 2009 |
Lynn Nottage’s Ruined is an intense and searing play about the endless civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo, whose primary victims are not soldiers but women. It’s filled with robust, individualized characters who— despite their scars, their limps, their deformities— reveal their stamina and their humanity.
Ruined. By Lynn Nottage; directed by Kate Whoriskey. Through June 28, 2009 at Manhattan Theatre Club, 131 W. 55th St., New York. (212) 581-1212) or www.nycitycenter.org.
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| ‘Waiting For Godot’ on Broadway |
May 02 2009 |
The new Broadway production (the first in more than half a century) of Waiting for Godot, under Anthony Page’s rollicky direction and with its surprising casting, works by driving home Samuel Beckett’s existential truths with laughter as well as pain.
Waiting for Godot. By Samuel Beckett; directed by Anthony Page. Through July 5, 2009 at Studio 54, 254 West 54th St., New York. (212) 719-1300 or www.roundabouttheatre.org.
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| Schiller’s ‘Mary Stuart’ on Broadway |
April 23 2009 |
The acclaimed London production of Mary Stuart arrived on Broadway with its two acclaimed English stars, Janet McTeer and Harriet Walter, supported by an able American cast. But the actors, dwarfed by the huge stage and vast distances between them, make the audience feel removed from these monumental events.
Mary Stuart. By Friedrich Schiller, in a new version by Peter Oswald; directed by Phyllida Lloyd. Through August 16, 2009 at Broadhurst Theatre, 235 W. 44th St., New York. (212) 239-6200 or www.telecharge.com.
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| ‘Joe Turner’s Come and Gone’ in New York |
April 21 2009 |
With Lincoln Center’s magnificent production of Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, August Wilson has tapped us on the shoulder. In director Bartlett Sher’s hands, Wilson’s evocation of a bygone world filled with operatic longings and grudges mingles with the pots and pans of realism and provides an extraordinary theatrical experience.
Joe Turner’s Come and Gone. By August Wilson; directed by Bartlett Sher. Lincoln Center production at the Belasco Theatre, 111 West 44th St., New York. (212) 239-6200 or www.telecharge.com.
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| ‘Impressionism’ on Broadway |
March 28 2009 |
Michael Jacobs’s soggy play isn’t drama; it’s chick lit, an inspirational sitcom masquerading as a highbrow play about Art. If Oprah had a theater club, Impressionism would be her pick.
Impressionism. By Michael Jacobs; directed by Jack O’Brien. At Schoenfeld Theatre, 236 West 45th St., New York. (212) 239-6200 or www.Telecharge.com.
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| Reza’s ‘God of Carnage’ on Broadway |
March 23 2009 |
Yasmina Reza’s venomous play about two modern couples, billed as “a comedy of manners without the manners,” gives us the kind of laughter that’s about five seconds from just totally losing it. The Lord of Misrule is in fine form here, as is a cast that nails every line, every look, every gesture.
God of Carnage. By Yasmina Reza; translated from the French by Christopher Hampton; directed by Matthew Warchus. At the Jacobs Theatre, 242 West 45th St., New York. (212) 239-6200 or www.godofcarnage.com.
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| Kaufman’s ’33 Variations’ on Broadway |
March 10 2009 |
Moisés Kaufman’s 33 Variations is about obsessions: Beethoven’s with the little waltz Diabelli wrote and Kaufman’s with Beethoven’s “Diabelli” Variations, which are generally considered Beethoven’s supreme contribution to the piano repertoire. Unfortunately, Kaufman’s characters feel underdeveloped, existing more as vehicles for the play’s themes than as interesting, complex people.
33 Variations. Written and directed by Moisés Kaufman. Presented by Tectonic Theatre Project at Eugene O’Neill Theatre, 230 West 49th St., New York. (212) 239-6200 or www.telecharge.com.
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| ‘Guys and Dolls’ revived on Broadway |
March 03 2009 |
Guys and Dolls, that beloved musical fable of Broadway, is back on Broadway again— enjoyable but oddly disappointing: kind of flat, kind of oomph-deficient. Under director Des McAnuff, this is a very busy, gaudy production, without a human center.
Guys and Dolls. Music and lyrics by Frank Loesser, book by Abe Burrows and Jo Swerling; directed by Des McAnuff. At the Nederlander Theatre, 208 West 41st St., New York. (212) 307-4100 or www.Ticketmaster.com.
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| Letter from Beijing |
April 12 2008 |
Like everything else in China these days, the art market is booming. Artists fresh out of school demand $25,000 US per painting. And who knew there was radical cool in China?
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Theodora W. “Teddy” Ashmead brings nearly 20 years of non-profit cultural arts management, fund-raising and marketing experience to Broad Street Review.
She has raised funds for International House of Philadelphia, the Wilma Theater and currently Lantern Theater Company. She has also worked with such historic and environmental non-profit organizations as Bartram’s Garden, Lower Merion Conservancy and the Historic Grange. As an art history graduate student in New York, she worked for the Frick Art Reference Library, Bob Jones University Art Museum and founded her own corporate art consulting company, Ashmead and Rigney, whose clients included the HBO television network and Mitsui Bank.
Teddy Ashmead was raised in an academic family of professors, university administrators and authors. She was born in Taipei, Taiwan, grew up at Haverford College and has lived in India and Paris (through Fulbright and Guggenheim grants). She received her B.A. in archaeology from Bryn Mawr College and her M.A. in art history from the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University. She is a member of the Cosmopolitan Club of Philadelphia and the Franklin Inn Club, a Philadelphia club for writers and arts connoisseurs.
More articles by Theodora Ashmead, newest first
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More articles by Ted K. Hechtman, newest first
| Philip Roth’s ‘Indignation’ |
November 08 2008 |
Each of Philip Roth’s books, in some way, shape or form, explains me to me. Is Indignation a great book? I don’t know yet. But it has changed me.
Indignation. A novel by Philip Roth. 256 pages; $26.00. Houghton Mifflin. www.amazon.com/Indignation-Philip-Roth/dp/054705484X
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| Levi Stubbs and the Four Tops |
October 19 2008 |
Levi Stubbs of the Four Tops had a voice that was smooth and pleading and as full of gravel as a quarry all at the same time. For a white suburban Jewish kid in the ’60s, that meant the world.
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| Where Don Imus went wrong |
May 26 2007 |
The recent downfall of radio shock jock Don Imus was a tragedy of poetic dimensions. BSR contributor and playwright Ted Hechtman rises to the challenge.
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Steve Cohen () studied music, theater and communications at Temple University and became a writer and producer for public radio and TV. Many of his programs aired locally on WHYY, including two that won the national Armstrong Award for excellence in FM broadcasting. Fifteen years ago he was asked to write a column about the arts for the Jewish Voice, which led to further print assignments for the Philadelphia Forum, Philadelphia City Paper, Jewish Exponent and Inside Magazine. Steve also is a regular contributor to TotalTheater and to the website theoperacritic.com.
More articles by Steve Cohen, newest first
| The new bittersweet Barnes (2nd review) |
May 19 2012 |
If you set aside the history of the Barnes Foundation, perhaps the new building and its contents can be viewed objectively. But how can anyone disregard history when we’re talking about a museum— which is, after all, a place for preservation of the history of art?
The Barnes Foundation, 2025 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia; (215) 278-7000 or barnesfoundation.org.
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| ‘Behanding in Spokane’ by Theatre Exile |
May 12 2012 |
A Behanding in Spokane combines Martin McDonagh’s trademark violence and humor. It’s a 90-minute play that requires great performances to succeed. Fortunately, Theatre Exile provided them.
A Behanding in Spokane. By Martin McDonagh; directed by Joe Canuso. Theatre Exile production through May 13, 2012 at Christ Church Neighborhood House, 20 N. American St. (between Front and Second). (215) 218-4022 or www.theatreexile.org.
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| Opera Company’s ‘Manon Lescaut’ |
May 05 2012 |
The title role of Puccini’s Manon Lescaut taxes even seasoned professionals. With just three weeks’ rehearsal, the student Michelle Johnson carried it off with aplomb. Sumptuous costumes helped, too.
Manon Lescaut. Opera by Giacomo Puccini; Corrado Rovaris, conductor. Opera Company of Philadelphia production closed April 29, 2012, at Academy of Music, Broad and Locust Sts. (215) 732-8400 or www.operaphila.org.
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| Donizetti's ‘L’Elisir d’Amore’ by AVA |
May 01 2012 |
Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’Amore is a melodramatic comedy about love. Nic Muni’s current production sets the story in Mussolini’s Fascist Italy, where the stakes are life and death, not to mention damnation.
L’Elisir d’Amore. Opera by Gaetano Donizetti; Christofer Macatsoris, music director; Nic Muni, director. Academy of Vocal Arts production through May 3, 2012 at Helen Corning Warden Theater, 1920 Spruce St., Also May 5, 2012 at Central Bucks South High School, 1100 Folly Road, Warrington, Pa.; May 8 & 10, 2012 at Centennial Hall, Haverford School, 450 Lancaster Ave., Haverford, Pa.; and May 13, 2012 at Walter K. Gordon Theater, Rutgers/Camden, Third and Pearl Sts., Camden, N.J. (215) 735-1685 or www.avaopera.org.
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| Orchestra 2001 considers Bali (2nd review) |
May 01 2012 |
Orchestra 2001's recent Balinese music and dance program combined flash with substance, and crowd appeal with enlightenment— a rare achievement.
Orchestra 2001: Boulez, Derive 1; Levinson, Black Magic/White Magic; Lotring, Tabuh Solo, Rejang Dewa; Suadin, Bangau Raja; Whitman, Inside/Outside. James Freeman conductor; Freda Herseth, mezzo-soprano; Indonesian Cultural Club Dancers; Gamelan Semara Santi of Swarthmore College, Thomas Whitman, co-director. April 21, 2012 at Philadelphia Ethical Society, 1906 Rittenhouse Square. (267) 687-6243 or www.orchestra2001.org.
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| Bruce Graham’s ‘Outgoing Tide,’ by PTC (3rd review) |
May 01 2012 |
To judge from The Outgoing Tide, Bruce Graham has mastered the basic elements of drama and comedy but not the subject of his play: Alzheimer’s disease.
The Outgoing Tide. By Bruce Graham; James J. Christy directed. Philadelphia Theatre Company production closed April 22, 2012 at Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 S. Broad St. (at Lombard). (215) 985-0420 or philadelphiatheatrecompany.org.
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| Met’s ‘Traviata’ in HD Live |
April 28 2012 |
Willi Decker’s radical production isn’t the only way to do Verdi’s La Traviata, but it’s a convincing alternative, especially with the inimitably vulnerable Natalie Dessay in the title role.
La Traviata. Opera by Giuseppe Verdi; Willi Decker directed; Fabio Luisi, conductor. Metropolitan Opera, Lincoln Center, Broadway and 65th St., New York. Cinema encore May 2, 2012. www.metoperafamily.org.
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| Joshua Bell at Verizon Hall |
April 21 2012 |
At 44, the violinist Joshua Bell is no longer a child prodigy, but he’s still a matinee idol. His latest concert served notice that he's been taking himself seriously as a major classical musician all along as well.
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields: Mozart, Symphony No. 25 in G minor; Bruch, Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor; Beethoven, Symphony No. 4 in B-flat major. Joshua Bell, violin and conductor. April 16, 2012 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-1999 or www.kimmelcenter.org.
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| I remember Dick Clark |
April 21 2012 |
A couple of lucky breaks brought Dick Clark to “Bandstand” and then national acclaim as big brother figure to America’s teenagers. But Clark knew how to make the most of his opportunities, as I witnessed firsthand early in his career.
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| Bach Festival’s ‘St. John Passion’ and anti-Semitism |
April 17 2012 |
Why did Bach immortalize the anti-Jewish Gospel of St. John? The question is worth considering during times of racial and religious intolerance, such as the present.
Bach Festival of Philadelphia: The Musical Offering, Eighteen Chorale Preludes, The Passion According to St. John. Choral Arts, Bach Collegium and soloists. Matthew Glandorf, conductor. March 30-April 1, 2012 at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 1625 Locust St. (215) 240-6417 or Choralarts.com/bachfestival.
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| Massenet’s ‘Manon’ at the Met |
April 17 2012 |
When Anna Netrebko as the shameless Manon seduces Des Grieux the priest, the chemistry is hotter than Carmen’s seduction of Don José. She was in terrific voice too, even though the action made it hard to focus on the singing.
Manon. Opera by Jules Massenet; Laurent Pelly directed; Gary Halvorsen directed for TV; Fabio Luisi, conductor. Metropolitan Opera, Lincoln Center, Broadway and 65th St., New York. Cinema encore April 25, 2012. www.metoperafamily.org.
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| EgoPo’s ‘The Golem’ |
March 31 2012 |
EgoPo previously made its reputation by reviving classic theatrical works; here its ensemble has created a new play, albeit one based on old legends, amalgamating the cultural, spiritual and artistic history of Jewish life in Europe.
The Golem. EgoPo Classic Theater ensemble creation; directed by Brenna Geffers. Through April 15, 2012 at Prince Theater, 1412 Chestnut St. (267) 273-1414 or www.egopo.org.
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| ‘West Side Story’ at Academy of Music |
March 31 2012 |
West Side Story revolutionized musical theater in the ‘50s by virtue of being set in the here and now. That’s no longer the case, but the current revival is a revelation in other respects.
West Side Story. Conception and choreography by Jerome Robbins; reproduced by Joey McNeely; book by Arthur Laurents; music by Leonard Bernstein; lyrics by Stephen Sondheim directed by Arthur Laurents and David Saint. Through April 8, 2012 at Academy of Music, Broad and Locust Sts. (215) 731-3333 or www.kimmelcenter.org.
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| Henze’s ‘Elegy For Young Lovers’ |
March 24 2012 |
In a well-sung and well-played production, Hans Werner Henze’s 1961 composition, Elegy For Young Lovers, lived up to its advance hype. The drama, alas, did not.
Elegy For Young Lovers. Opera by Hans Werner Henze; libretto by W. H. Auden and Chester Kallman; conducted by George Manahan; directed by Chas Rader-Schieber. Joint production of Opera Company of Philadelphia and Curtis Institute, March 14-18, 2012 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-1999 or www.kimmelcenter.org.
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| ‘Fela!’ at Academy of Music (1st review) |
March 24 2012 |
Fela Anikulapo Kuti became famous first for his catchy music, then as an advocate for human rights in Nigeria. This manipulative if entertaining tribute strips the real Fela of his flaws and contradictions, leaving us with a show bereft of any real drama.
Fela! Music by Fela Kuti; directed and choreographed by Bill T. Jones. Through March 25, 2012 at Academy of Music, Broad and Locust Sts. (215) 893-1999 or www.kimmelcenter.org/broadway.
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| ‘Curse of the Starving Class’ at the Wilma (2nd review) |
March 17 2012 |
Sam Shepard’s Curse of the Starving Class is a fascinating juxtaposition of realism and surrealism. His characters aren’t the type I’d hang out with, and their actions are off-putting to the extreme. Yet there’s something mesmerizing about their struggles.
Curse of the Starving Class. By Sam Shepard; Richard Hamburger directed. Through April 8, 2012 at Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St. (at Spruce). (215) 546-7824 or www.wilmatheater.org.
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| Shepard’s ‘Fool For Love’ in Norristown |
March 06 2012 |
Sam Shepard’s unhappy and self-absorbed couple in Fool For Love grated on my nerves until the denouement, when I discovered the method lurking behind Shepard’s misery.
Fool For Love. By Sam Shepard; direction and design by Randall Wise and John Doyle. Iron Age Theatre production through March 25, 2012 at Centre Theatre, 208 DeKalb St., Norristown, Pa. (610) 279-1013 or www.ironagetheatre.org.
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| Bass-baritone Eric Owens in recital |
March 03 2012 |
Eric Owens, so persuasive as an opera villain, demonstrated in an intimate recital that he can be Romantic and even downright comic.
Eric Owens, bass-baritone, in recital. Hugo Wolf, Four songs based on Michelangelo; Schumann, Four songs; Schubert, Three songs; Debussy, Four songs; Duparc, Two songs; Ravel, Don Quichotte a Dulcinee; Wagner, Les deux grenadiers. Warren Jones, pianist February 28, 2012 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 569-8080 or www.pcmsconcerts.org.
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| The Met's ‘Ernani’ in HD-Live |
March 03 2012 |
Anyone who thinks opera today suffers from a dearth of great Verdi singers needs to hear Angela Meade and her fellow soloists in the Met’s telecast Ernani.
Ernani. Opera by Giuseppe Verdi; Marco Armiliato conducted; Barbara Willis Sweete directed for TV. Metropolitan Opera, Lincoln Center, 65th St. and Broadway, New York. Cinema encore, March 14, 2012. PBS telecast, June 17, 2012. www.metoperafamily.org or www.fathomevents.com.
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| AVA’s ‘Pelléas et Mélisande’ (1st review) |
February 28 2012 |
At last— a production of Pelléas et Mélisande that brings out all of the opera’s subtlety and intimacy.
Pelléas et Mélisande. Opera by Claude Debussy; Luke Housner, music director; K. James McDowell, director. Academy of Vocal Arts production through Saturday, March 3, 2012 at Helen Corning Warden Theater, 1920 Spruce St. (215) 735-1685 or www.avaopera.org.
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| New York Philharmonic with Joyce DiDonato (1st review) |
February 25 2012 |
What’s the difference between the New York Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Orchestra? One has more women, the other has more black and brown faces, as well as a lusher string sound.
New York Philharmonic. Stucky, Son et lumière, Berlioz, Les nuits d'été; Mussorgsky-Ravel, Pictures at an Exhibition. Joyce DiDonato, mezzo-soprano; Alan Gilbert conductor. February 24, 2012 at Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-7902 or kimmelcenter.org.
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| ‘Time Stands Still’ in Ambler |
February 25 2012 |
What’s a journalist’s first duty— to report the atrocities she witnesses, or to try to prevent them? At a time when journalists are dying in Syria, it’s a timely question. It’s also relevant even for theater critics.
Time Stands Still. By Donald Margulies; Bud Martin directed. Delaware Theater Company production through March 11, 2012 at Act II Playhouse, 56 E. Butler St., Ambler, Pa. (215) 654-0200 or www.act2.org.
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| Opera Company’s ‘Abduction From the Seraglio’ |
February 21 2012 |
Mozart’s Abduction From the Seraglio resonated at time when Europeans were obsessed with Middle East harems and slave traders. Robert Driver’s attempt to set the opera in post-World War I Turkey is only partly successful.
The Abduction From the Seraglio. Opera by Mozart; Robert B. Driver directed; Corrado Rovaris, conductor. Opera Company of Philadelphia production through February 26, 2012 at Academy of Music, Broad and Locust St. (215) 732-8400 or www.operaphila.org.
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| Wagner’s ‘Götterdämmerung’ at the Met |
February 14 2012 |
What’s the meaning of Wagner’s Ring cycle— the destruction of civilization or the birth of a new world? Robert Lepage’s tepid Götterdämmerung suggests a third possiblity: nothing much, really.
Götterdämmerung. Opera by Richard Wagner; Robert Lepage directed; Fabio Luisi conducted. Through April 24, 2012 at Metropolitan Opera, Lincoln Center, 65th St. and Broadway, New York. www.metoperafamily.org.
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| ‘Rain’: Beatles tribute at Academy of Music |
February 05 2012 |
When I first saw this tribute to the Beatles in 2008 I was bothered by its inconsistencies. Now I see that being many things to different people is what Rain is all about.
Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles. Through February 5, 2012 at Academy of Music, Broad and Locust Sts. www.kimmelcenter.org.
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| Verdi’s ‘Oberto’ by AVA |
February 05 2012 |
Verdi demonstrated amazing talent in this first effort, staged when he was 26 years old. Credit AVA’s Christofer Macatsoris for beating Muti and Levine to the punch.
Oberto. Opera by Giuseppe Verdi; Christofer Macatsoris, conductor. Academy of Vocal Arts production January 26-31, 2012, at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center; Grand Opera House, Wilmington; and Centennial Hall, Haverford School, Haverford, Pa. (215) 735-1685 or www.avaopera.org.
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| ‘Clybourne Park’ at the Arden (1st review) |
February 04 2012 |
Bruce Norris’s Clybourne Park is in some respects a sequel to A Raisin in the Sun, set in the same Chicago neighborhood 50 years later. But you don’t need knowledge of that play to appreciate this excellent drama about how racial attitudes have changed over the past 50 years, and how they haven’t.
Clybourne Park. By Bruce Norris; Edward Sobel directed. Through March 25, 2012 on the Arcadia stage, Arden Theatre, 40 N. Second St. (215) 922-8900 or www.ardentheatre.org.
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| Kander & Ebb’s ‘Scottsboro Boys’ by PTC (3rd review) |
January 30 2012 |
The Scottsboro Boys, a reminder of not so distant racial attitudes, deserves more exposure than it received on Broadway in 2010. In its focus on miscarriages of justice, it resembles Kander and Ebb’s hit Chicago. But Scottsboro packs more substance.
The Scottsboro Boys. Music and lyrics by John Kander and Fred Ebb; book by David Thompson; Susan Stroman’s original direction and choreography recreated by Jeff Whiting. Philadelphia Theatre Company production through February 19, 2012 at Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 S. Broad St. (at Lombard). (215) 985-0420 or www.philadelphiatheatrecompany.org.
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| Nézet-Séguin contemplates Mahler (1st review) |
January 28 2012 |
Yannick Nézet-Séguin sees next year’s Philadelphia orchestra season as a homage to Stokowski’s centennial here. But Yannick may be even gutsier than Stokowski in some respects. Consider his exuberant embrace of a Mahler work that Stokie avoided.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Bach, Brandenburg Concerto No. 5; Mahler, Symphony No. 6. Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor. January 26-27, 2012 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-1999 or www.philorch.org.
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| Met’s ‘Enchanted Island’ in HD-Live |
January 24 2012 |
Big screen opera can be wonderful when its close-ups convey subtle gestures and notes. But as Enchanted Island demonstrates, the same proximity can make you gag when the characters are hamming it up to excess.
Enchanted Island. By Jeremy Sams, inspired by William Shakespeare's The Tempest and A Midsummer Night's Dream; Phelim McDermott directed. Music by George Frederic Handel and other 18th-Century composers. Metropolitan Opera, Lincoln Center, Broadway and 65th St., New York. HD cinema encore showing February 8, 2012, at movie theaters nationwide. www.metoperafamily.org and www.fathomevents.com.
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| Gingrich: The wrong question |
January 21 2012 |
Freshman journalism students are taught never to begin an interview with a question that can be answered with a “yes” or a “no.” The allegedly seasoned professional John King of CNN committed precisely that faux pas with Newt Gingrich.
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| ‘Memphis’ and the real dawn of rock ’n’ roll |
January 21 2012 |
As rock ’n’ roll musicals go, Memphis seems unnecessary. The subject of racial integration among music lovers was well covered ten years ago in Hairspray. A far more intriguing tale— how Bob Horn’s “Bandstand” brought black music to white Philadelphia audiences in the early ’50s— has yet to be celebrated on stage.
Memphis: The Musical. Through January 22, 2012 at the Academy of Music, Broad and Locust Sts. (215) 731-3333 or www.kimmelcenter.org or www.memphismusical.vividseats.com.
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| ‘Ludwig Live’ at Kimmel’s Innovation Studio |
January 17 2012 |
Where did Beethoven go wrong? For one thing, he lacked catchy lyrics. For another, he lacked a vivacious sidekick adept at baton twirling and tap dancing. Now he has both.
Ludwig Live! Written and directed by Nancy Holson. Presented by Howard Perloff and the Center for the Performing Arts of Bucks County through January 29, 2012 at Innovation Studio, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 731-3333 or www.kimmelcenter.org.
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| Why Stokowski left the Orchestra |
January 17 2012 |
The great conductor Leopold Stokowski arrived in Philadelphia 100 years ago. But when exactly did he leave, and why? The facts are complicated, but they tell us something about the eternal dance between temperamental artists and nervous orchestra boards.
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| Ticciati conducts Beethoven and Sibelius (1st review) |
January 14 2012 |
It’s refreshing to see a conductor breaking with tradition. But did Robin Ticciati’s renderings make Beethoven and Sibelius sound better? Not this time.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Beethoven, Violin Concerto; Sibelius, Symphony No. 2. Arabella Steinbacher, violin; Robin Ticciati, conductor. January 12-14, 2012 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-1999 or www.philorch.org.
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| When Jews ruled basketball |
January 14 2012 |
The all-Jewish Philadelphia Sphas, the outstanding basketball team from the 1920s to the end of World War II, attracted Jews and anti-Semites alike by flaunting the idea of a minority group battling “against the world.”
The SPHAS: The Life and Times of Basketball's Greatest Jewish Team. By Douglas Stark. Temple University Press, 2011. 344 pages; $29.50. www.amazon.com.
The Mogul. By Rich Westcott. Temple University Press, 2008. 320 pages; $39.00. www.amazon.com.
Jewball. By Neal Pollack. Published as an electronic book by Amazon.com. 258 pages; $10.07. www.amazon.com.
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| ‘Hair’ revival at Academy of Music |
January 08 2012 |
Hair, that ’60s celebration of all things hippie, is closing its revival tour just when the Occupy movement threatens to make it relevant all over again.
Hair. Book and lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni; music by Galt McDermot; directed by Diane Paulus. Through January 8, 2012 at Academy of Music, Broad and Locust St. (215) 893-1999 or www.kimmelcenter.org.
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| Handel’s ‘Rodelinda’ at the Met |
January 03 2012 |
At last the Baroque operas of Handel and his contemporaries have found a proper medium. It’s not on the stage of any opera house, but on the cinema screens where the singers don’t need to push and their subtle gestures are readily accessible.
Rodelinda. Opera by Georg Frederic Handel; directed by Stephen Wadsworth; conducted by Henry Bicket. Metropolitan Opera, Lincoln Center, Broadway and 65th St., New York. HD cinema encore showing at movie theaters Wednesday, January 4, 2012; Canadian encore January 28, 2012. www.metoperafamily.org or www.ncm.com/fathom.
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| La Scala’s ‘Don Giovanni’: second helping |
December 31 2011 |
I was highly critical the first time I saw director Robert Carsen’s admiring characterization of the title character in La Scala’s new Don Giovanni. On second viewing, I saw new cause for concern in the miscasting of Anna Netrebko.
Don Giovanni. Opera by Wolfgang Mozart and Lorenzo Da Ponte. Choir and Orchestra of La Scala in Milan, Daniel Barenboim, conductor; Robert Carsen, director. December 7, 2011 through January 14, 2012 at La Scala, Milan. High-Definition TV version shown December 7 and 27, 2011 at Bryn Mawr Film Institute, 824 W. Lancaster Ave., Bryn Mawr, Pa. www.teatroallascala.org.
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| 1812’s ‘This Is the Week That Is” |
December 31 2011 |
Just when presidential politics are turning ridiculous, Philadelphia’s resident satirical troupe turns soft and fuzzy.
This Is the Week That Is. Conceived and directed by Jennifer Childs; head writer Don Montrey. Presented by 1812 Productions through December 31, 2011 at Plays and Players Theatre, 1724 Delancey Pl. (215) 592-9560 or www.1812productions.org.
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| Theatre Horizon’s ‘Voices of Christmas’ |
December 20 2011 |
Unlike most story-driven musicals of this season, Voices of Christmas is a casual cabaret evening of songs and personal stories: low-key, introspective, nostalgic, reminiscent. Inevitably I found my thoughts turning to bygone people and things that once gave me great personal pleasure.
Voices of Christmas. Directed by Matthew Decker. Theatre Horizon production through December 31, 2011 at 208 DeKalb St., Norristown, Pa. (610) 283-2230 or theatrehorizon.org.
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| ‘Jersey Boys’ at the Forrest |
December 20 2011 |
Jersey Boys, based on the career of the Four Seasons, has succeeded where other so-called jukebox musicals have failed. Let’s consider why.
Jersey Boys. Book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice; music by Bob Gaudio; lyrics by Bob Crewe; Des McAnuff directed. Through January 14, 2012 at the Forrest Theatre, 1114 Walnut Street. (800) 447-7400 or www.forrest-theatre.com.
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| The Met’s new ‘Faust’ |
December 17 2011 |
I’m all for tinkering with Faust, Gounod’s beautiful but unwieldy relic of 19th-Century French grand opera. But it’s a bit of a stretch to suggest that America’s atomic scientists were cutting a deal with the devil. That honor belonged more appropriately to Hitler’s scientists.
Faust. Opera by Charles Gounod; directed by Des McAnuff; conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Through January 19, 2012 at the Metropolitan Opera, Lincoln Center, Broadway and 65th St., New York. HD cinema encore showing at area movie theaters Wednesday, January 11, 2012. www.metoperafamily.org.
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| AVA’s ‘Evening of Russian Romances’ |
December 17 2011 |
Russian opera singers like Anna Netrebko and Marina Poplavskaya have entered the mainstream. But Russian arias get little exposure. That’s our loss, as AVA’s recent sparkling Russian concert demonstrated.
“An Evening of Russian Romances.” Ghenady Meirson, music director and piano accompanist. December 13 & 15, 2011. at Helen Corning Warden Theater, Academy of Vocal Arts, 1920 Spruce St. (215) 735-1685 or www.avaopera.org.
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| La Scala's ‘Don Giovanni’ in HD-TV (1st review) |
December 13 2011 |
Director Robert Carsen is so besotted with Don Giovanni's protagonist that he overlooks the opera’s other fascinating characters. There’s much more to Mozart’s opera than one man's energetic sex life.
Don Giovanni. Opera by Wolfgang Mozart and Lorenzo Da Ponte. Choir and Orchestra of La Scala in Milan, Daniel Barenboim, conductor; Robert Carsen, director. December 7, 2011 through January 14, 2012 at La Scala, Milan. High-Definition TV version shown December 7 and 27, 2011 at Bryn Mawr Film Institute, 824 W. Lancaster Ave., Bryn Mawr, Pa. www.teatroallascala.org.
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| ‘Bonnie & Clyde’ on Broadway |
December 13 2011 |
Unlike the original film version, the new musical Bonnie & Clyde refuses to glamorize its bank-robbing lovers. Instead it focuses on the gritty realities of the Great depression, with hummable music that evokes the 1930s.
Bonnie & Clyde. Book by Ivan Menchell; lyrics by Don Black; music by Frank Wildhorn; directed and choreographed by Jeff Calhoun. Through December 30, 2011 at Gerald Schoenfeld Theater, 236 West 45th St., New York. (212) 239-6200 or telecharge.com.
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| Yannick conducts Higdon and Yuja Wang |
December 10 2011 |
Energy was the operative word at this weekend’s Philadelphia Orchestra concerts, in more ways than one: The wunderkind Yannick Nézet-Séguin was conducting in two cities almost simultaneously.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Higdon, Concerto for Orchestra; Rachmaninoff, Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini; Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 2 (“Little Russian”). Yuja Wang, piano; Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor. December 8-11, 2011 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce St. (215) 893-1999 or www.philorch.org.
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| ‘Noël and Gertie’ at the Walnut’s Independence Studio 3 (2nd review) |
December 06 2011 |
Noël and Gertie is a series of reminiscences and songs by Coward and Gertrude Lawrence, for whom Coward wrote some of his best-remembered pieces. Theirs was an unequal relationship, and Sheridan Morley’s script has its pluses and minuses.
Noel and Gertie. By Sheridan Morley; Will Stutts directed. Through December 31, 2011 at the Walnut Street Theatre Independence Studio 3, 825 Walnut St. (215) 574-3550 or www.walnutstreettheatre.org.
For a video excerpt, click here.
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| Marin Alsop’s elegant simplicity |
December 06 2011 |
Marin Alsop conducts the classics much the way she dresses: unfussy, simple and elegant.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Barber, Toccata for Organ and Orchestra; Copland, Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra; Dvořák, Symphony No. 9 (“From the New World”). December 1-3, 2011 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. ( 215) 893-1999 or www.philorch.org.
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| Philip Glass’s 'Satyagraha’ at the Met |
November 27 2011 |
Mohandas Gandhi understood how to mobilize the oppressed masses against the elites of his day. Philip Glass’s Satyagraha, for all its ethereal music and purported veneration of Gandhi, seems designed to alienate the masses while deliberately appealing to an elite niche audience.
Satyagraha. Music by Philip Glass; libretto by Glass and Constance DeJong; production by Phelim McDermott; Dante Anzolini, conductor. November 26 and December 1, 2011 at Lincoln Center, Broadway and 65th St., New York. HD cinema encore showings December 7 in the U.S., December 17-18 in Europe and the Far East, January 16, 2012 in Canada. www.metoperafamily.org.
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| ‘Maroons’ by Iron Age Theatre |
November 25 2011 |
The Pottsville Maroons joined the National Football League in 1926 and achieved the best won-lost record for that season but were stripped of the league championship on a technicality. Playwright Ray Saraceni has turned that technicality into a dramatic climax, aided by a cast of players who seem more like real coal miners than thespians.
Maroons: The Anthracite Gridiron. By Ray Saraceni; directed and designed by John Doyle and Randall Wise. Iron Age Theatre production through November 27, 2011 at the Centre Theater, 208 DeKalb Street, Norristown, Pa. (610) 279-1013 or www.ironagetheatre.org.
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| AVA’s ‘Tales of Hoffman’ |
November 15 2011 |
The new and more authentic version of Offenbach’s Tales of Hoffman resulted in a dramatically improved story as well as melodious music to replace those old bogus tunes that musicologists have expunged.
The Tales of Hoffman. Opera by Jacques Offenbach; David Gately, director; Christofer Macatsoris, conductor. Academy of Vocal Arts production through November 22, 2011 at Helen Warden Theater, 1920 Spruce St., and two other locations. (215) 735-1685 or www.avaopera.org.
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| Met’s ‘Siegfried’ in HD-TV Live |
November 13 2011 |
In Siegfried, Robert Lepage and the Metropolitan Opera have at last come up with a spectacular Ring production that realizes the potential we expected from that director and that company.
Siegfried. Opera by Richard Wagner; directed by Robert Lepage; Fabio Luisi, conductor. April 21 and 30 and May 12, 2012 at the Metropolitan Opera, Lincoln Center, 65th St. and Broadway, New York. (212) 362-2000 or www.metoperafamily.org.
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| Met’s new ‘Don Giovanni’ in HD Live |
November 01 2011 |
In this age of complaints about “class warfare” and widening gaps between the “top one percent” and the rest of us, Don Giovanni takes on new meaning. But only two singers the Met’s production seemed perturbed about the Don’s debaucheries.
Don Giovanni. Music by Wolfgang Mozart; libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte; directed by Michael Grandage; Fabio Luisi conducted. Metropolitan Opera production live in movie theaters November 16, 2011 at 6:30 p.m.www.metoperafamily.org.
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| ‘Our Class’ at the Wilma (1st review) |
October 25 2011 |
In the devastating Our Class, the Polish Catholic playwright Tadeusz Slobodzianek plumbs a monstrous (and true) subject: The lives of ten members of a school class in a Polish town whose Jews were incinerated en masse by their Catholic neighbors.
Our Class. By Tadeusz Slobodzianek; English version by Ryan Craig; Blanka Zizka directed. Through November 13, 2011 at the Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St. (at Spruce). (215) 546-7824 or www.wilmatheater.org.
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| John Logan’s ‘Red’ at Suzanne Roberts (2nd review) |
October 23 2011 |
John Logan’s Red dramatizes the ageless tension between art and commerce. Yet not every artist was as angry and even paranoiac as Mark Rothko.
Red. By John Logan; Anders Cato directed. Philadelphia Theatre Co. production through November 13, 2011 at Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 S. Broad St. (at Lombard). (215) 985-0420 or www.Philadelphiatheatrecompany.org.
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| EgoPo’s ‘Diary of Anne Frank’ |
October 23 2011 |
This adaptation of The Diary of Anne Frank is different from— and better than— the 1955 version you grew up with. Among other things, it’s less squeamish about Anne’s adolescent awkwardness and her family’s Jewishness.
The Diary of Anne Frank. By Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett; adapted by Wendy Kesselman; Lane Savadove directed. EgoPo Classic Theater production through November 6, 2011 at Prince Music Theater, 1412 Chestnut St. (800) 595-4TIX or www.egopo.org.
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| Lantern Theater’s ‘New Jerusalem’ (2nd review) |
October 18 2011 |
As created by David Ives and portrayed by Sam Henderson, Baruch de Spinoza provides warm and witty company for 21st-Century audiences, even if he bears little resemblance to the real headstrong 17th-Century philosopher.
New Jerusalem: The Interrogation of Baruch de Spinoza at Talmud Torah Congregation, Amsterdam, July 27, 1656. By David Ives; Charles McMahon directed. Lantern Theater Company production through November 12, 2011 at St. Stephen’s Theater, 923 Ludlow St. (215) 829-0395 or www.lanterntheater.org.
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| ‘Christie in Love’ at Eastern State Penitentiary |
October 15 2011 |
Howard Brenton’s drama about a gory yet meek serial killer has been chilling audiences for more than 40 years, but never with such haunting effect as last month, when it was performed at Eastern State Penitentiary.
Christie in Love. By Howard Brenton; John Doyle directed. Iron Age Theater Company production for Philadelphia Fringe Festival, September 3-17, 2011 at Eastern State Penitentiary, 2027 Fairmount Ave.; also at Centre Theater, 208 DeKalb St., Norristown, Pa. www.ironagetheatre.org.
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| Handel and Davies operas at Curtis |
October 09 2011 |
Curtis paired two short operas that deal with unrequited love but otherwise have little in common, aside from their ingenious staging by Chas Rader-Shieber. Soprano Anna Davidson’s bravura turn as a jilted bride was well worth watching and hearing, notwithstanding the painful atonal score she was dealt.
Apollo e Dafne: Opera by George Frederic Handel (in Italian). Miss Donnithorne’s Maggot, by Peter Maxwell Davies (in English). Staged by Chas Rader-Shieber; Vinay Parameswaran conducted. Curtis Opera production through October 9, 2011 at Curtis Institute of Music, 1726 Locust St. (215) 893-5252 or www.curtis.edu/performances.
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| ‘August: Osage County’ at the Arden |
October 09 2011 |
Unlike its earlier productions, here the harsh words of August: Osage County derive less from anger than desperation; the worst of the characters come across as victims, not monsters. The Arden’s thrust stage brings the cast closer to the audience, again increasing our involvement and consequently our compassion.
August: Osage County. By Tracy Letts; Terrence Nolen directed. Through October 30, 2011 at the Arden Theatre, 40 N. Second St. (215) 922-1122 or www.ardentheatre.org.
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| Opera Company’s ‘Carmen’ (1st review) |
October 04 2011 |
Bizet would have liked this production of his overexposed Carmen. Its format is less operatic and more realistic, filling in plot details while it fills out the characters— an approach that heightens audience involvement in the story.
Carmen. Opera by Georges Bizet. Directed by David Gately; Corrado Rovaris, conductor. Opera Company of Philadelphia production through October 14, 2011 at Academy of Music, Broad and Locust St. (215) 893-1999 or www.operaphila.org.
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| Poor Richard’s ‘Opera a Day’ (2nd review) |
September 25 2011 |
Most one-act operas can’t stand on their own. The Poor Richard’s company performed a service by presenting five that pass the test, including two I saw.
Poor Richard’s “Opera a Day”: Menotti: The Old Maid and the Thief. Bernstein: Trouble in Tahiti. Poor Richard’s Opera Company, September 5-10, 2011 at Trinity Center for Urban Life, 2212 Spruce St. (215) 413-1318 or poorrichardsopera.wordpress.com.
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| ‘Carthaginians’ by Frank McGuinness |
September 25 2011 |
Tired of bitter Irishmen who drown their sorrows in drink, expletives and violence? Meet the higher-toned (but equally bitter) Irish of Frank McGuinness, who resolve their resentments in quiet intellectual contemplation.
Carthaginians. By Frank McGuinness; directed by Rosey Hay. REV Theatre Company production for Fringe Festival, September 2-17, 2011, at Gloria Dei (Old Swedes’) Church, 916 S. Swanson St., and Laurel Hill Cemetery, 3822 Ridge Ave., Philadelphia. (215) 413-1318 or www.revtheatrecompany.org.
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| ‘Kimberly Akimbo’ at Theatre Horizon |
September 25 2011 |
Kimberly Akimbo, by the esteemed David Lindsay-Abaire, is a challenging black comedy punctuated with heartbreak and dangerous plot twists. Director Matthew Decker and his cast performed it splendidly. But where’s the emotion?
Kimberly Akimbo. By David Lindsay-Abaire; Matthew Decker directed. Through October 2, 2011 at Theatre Horizon, Centre Theatre, 208 DeKalb St., Norristown, Pa. (610) 283-2230 or www.theatrehorizon.org.
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| ‘Lady M’ at Live Arts Festival |
September 18 2011 |
What made Lady Macbeth such a murderous bitch? Shakespeare never told us, but this ingenious interpretation ties her hunger for power to the insecurity of medieval women.
Lady M. Conceived by Adrienne Mackey and Catharine K. Slusar, from Shakespeare’s Macbeth; Mackey directed. Swim Pony Performing Arts production for Live Arts Festival, September 1-9, 2011 at Arts Bank, 601 S. Broad St. (215) 413-1318 or ticketing.theatrealliance.org.
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| ‘The Oresteia Project’ at the Fringe Festival |
September 17 2011 |
Some theatergoers think of Greek tragedy as simplistic and heavy-handed. What we saw here was subtle and nuanced. In this 2,500-year-old trilogy, Aeschylus tried to show how equitable, intelligent government could overcome generations of vengeful slaughter.
The Oresteia Project. Adapted by Brenna Geffers, from Aeschylus. Philadelphia Artists’ Collective/Fringe Festival production through September 19, 2011 at Broad Street Ministry, 315 S. Broad St. (215) 413-1318 or philartistscollective.weebly.com.
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| ‘Aspects of Love’ at the Walnut |
September 17 2011 |
Aspects of Love is a musical about love among the incurably immature. It’s impossible to take it seriously, as Andrew Lloyd Webber intended. But it almost works as a Gallic sex farce.
Aspects of Love. Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber; lyrics by Don Black and Charles Hart, from a novel by David Garnett; Bruce Lumpkin directed; Douglass Lutz, conductor. Through October 23, 2011 at Walnut Street Theatre, 825 Walnut St. (215) 574-3550 or www.walnutStreetTheatre.org.
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| ‘Wars & Whores’ at the Fringe Festival |
September 17 2011 |
Wars and Whores is an unpretentious musical version of Shakespeare’s Henry IV, with the story performed straight and the songs composed in a hootenanny style, that nevertheless manages to remain true to Shakespeare’s play.
Wars & Whores: The Henry IV Musical. Adaptation from Shakespeare by Sarah Ollove; words and music by Jeff Barg; Benjamin Kamine directed. Underground Shakespeare Company production for Philadelphia Fringe Festival, September 9-11, 2011 at the Rotunda, 4014 Walnut St. (215) 413-1318 or www.undergroundshakespeare.com.
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| Menotti’s ‘The Consul’ at Princeton |
August 06 2011 |
I had begun to believe that Menotti’s The Consul was an unworthy relic of an outdated era. In Princeton last month, to my astonishment, it demonstrated both dramatic and musical strength.
The Consul. Music and libretto by Gian Carlo Menotti; conducted by Joel Revzen; Michael Unger directed. Opera New Jersey production July 16 and 24, 2011 at McCarter Theatre Center, Princeton, N.J. (609) 258-2787 or www.opera-nj.org/performances/consul.html.
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| ‘Gibraltar': James Joyce on stage |
July 12 2011 |
If you can’t quite push yourself to read Ulysses, Patrick Fitzgerald’s Gibraltar lets us savor James Joyce’s many alliterations and flights of wordplay. And they wield extra impact when we hear them aloud.
Gibraltar. Adapted from James Joyce's Ulysses by Patrick Fitzgerald. June 15-18, 2011 at Plays and Players Theater, 1714 Delancey Pl. 2011. (215) 735-0630 or www.playsandplayers.org.
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| Sondheim’s ‘Company’ in HD-live |
July 05 2011 |
When Company opened in 1970, Stephen Sondheim couldn’t have foretold the advent of high-definition video on huge screens. Yet that’s the ideal medium for a Broadway musical that essentially takes place inside people’s minds.
Company. Music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by George Furth. The New York Philharmonic, Paul Gemignani conducting. In HD at select movie theaters nationwide June 16 and19, 2011, with encore July 10 at Bryn Mawr Film Institute, 824 Lancaster Ave., Bryn Mawr. (610) 527-9898 or www.brynmawrfilm.org/films/?id=340. Also at King of Prussia, Neshaminy and Oaks. www.fathomevents.com/performingarts/series/sondheim.aspx.
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| ‘Spider-Man’ on Broadway (2nd review) |
July 02 2011 |
Those spectacular flying scenes aren’t all there is to Spider-Man. The musical offers a vulnerable human hero as well.
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| ‘Great American Trailer Park Musical’ |
June 28 2011 |
This energetic show exploits the lifestyle of trashy, low-class denizens of a trailer park in a way that elicits laughs from urban audiences. Still, the enterprise hovers between uncomfortable glorification and superciliousness.
The Great American Trailer Park Musical. By Betsy Kelso and David Nehls. Montgomery Theater’s co-production with the 11th Hour Theatre Company, June 3-19, 2011 at Arden Theatre 40 N. Second St. www.11thhourtheatrecompany.org.
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| Henze’s ‘Phaedra’ by the Opera Company (3rd review) |
June 12 2011 |
I would go back to see and hear Phaedra again in a heartbeat. But dozens of Opera Company subscribers, unjustly afraid of 12-tone music, let their seats go vacant.
Phaedra. Music by Hans Werner Henze; directed by Robert Driver; Corrado Rovaris conducted. Opera Company of Philadelphia production through June 12, 2011 at the Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 732-8400 or www.operaphila.org.
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| ‘Don Giovanni,’ reconsidered |
June 04 2011 |
If Don Giovanni is a “perfect” opera, why did Mozart cut and replace major arias? And why do many conductors (like Christofer Macatsoris) reinstate the original version?
Don Giovanni. Opera by W.A. Mozart; Christofer Macatsoris, conductor; Tito Capobianco directed. Academy of Vocal Arts production, April 30-May 15, 2011, at four Philadelphia locations. www.avaopera.com.
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| Orchestra’s ‘Damnation of Faust’ (2nd review) |
June 04 2011 |
After ignoring Berlioz’s masterpiece for a century, the Philadelphia Orchestra has now performed The Damnation of Faust twice within two years. I’m glad the orchestra’s management indulged Charles Dutoit, even if he taxed the audience’s endurance.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Berlioz, The Damnation of Faust. Paul Groves, tenor; Susan Graham, mezzo-soprano; David Wilson Johnson and Lucas Harbour, baritones; Philadelphia Singers Chorale, David Hayes, music director; American Boychoir, Fernando Malvar-Ruiz, music director. Charles Dutoit, conductor. May 28, 2011 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-1900 or www.philorch.org.
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| ‘Coffee Cantata’ by Philadelphia Bach Collegium (1st review) |
June 04 2011 |
Bach’s Coffee Cantata, about a soprano who’s hooked on caffeine, offers proof that the great Johann Sebastian had a sense of humor.
Bach: Schweigt stille, plaudert nicht (Be still, stop chattering, also known as The Coffee Cantata); Weichet nur (The Wedding Cantata); Orchestral Suite No. 2. Julianne Baird, soprano, Aaron Sheehan tenor, Matthew Knickman baritone. Philadelphia Bach Collegium, Matthew Glandorf conducting. June 3, 2011 at St. Mark’s Church, 17th and Locust Sts. www.instantencore.com.
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| What the pros can learn from ‘The Cappies’ |
May 30 2011 |
The Cappies, an international project for high school theater and journalism students, is an awards show without commercials or long-winded acceptance speeches. And it’s refreshing to see kids cheering for something other than sports.
“The Cappies”: Critics and Awards Program for High School Theater and Journalism. Greater Philadelphia 2011 ceremony May 15, 2011 at Upper Darby Performing Arts Center, 601 N. Lansdowne Ave., Drexel Hill, Pa.www.cappies.com.
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| ‘Miss Saigon’ at the Walnut |
May 30 2011 |
The Walnut's new production of Miss Saigon reaffirms the quality of its authors’ work when they were at their short-lived peak. This play is more compact and focused than Les Miz, and more nuanced than Madam Butterfly, the play and opera on which Miss Saigon is based.
Miss Saigon. Music by Claude-Michel Schönberg;
lyrics by Richard Maltby Jr. and Alain Boublil; Bruce Lumpkin directed. Through July 17 at Walnut Street Theatre, 825 Walnut St. (215) 574-3550 or www.WalnutStreetTheatre.org.
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| Met’s ‘Die Walküre’ in HD-Live Cinema |
May 21 2011 |
On stage, Wagner’s Die Walküre too often comes across as an overwrought spectacle. Thanks to the close-ups provided by video cameras, we can see Walküre for what it really is: an intimate story of personal relationships.
Die Walküre. Opera by Richard Wagner; James Levine, conductor; production designed by Robert Lepage; directed for Live Cinema by Gary Halvorson. Metropolitan Opera, Lincoln Center, New York. HD Live Encore June 1, 2011 (U.S.), June 8 and July 11, 2011 (Canada). (212) 362-6000 or metopera.org.
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| ‘The Merry Widow’ in Wilmington |
May 14 2011 |
After a century, how does Lehár’s The Merry Widow hold up? This Wilmington production recalled Broadway’s post-World War II golden age, propelled by broad humor, energetic dancing and a blissful absence of mechanical amplification.
The Merry Widow. Music by Franz Lehár; Marciem Bazell directed; Steven Mosteller, conductor. OperaDelaware production closed May 7, 2011 at The Grand, 818 N. Market St., Wilmington, Del. www.operade.org.
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| French songs at Academy of Vocal Arts |
April 26 2011 |
To recapture the spirit of French song in the age of Picasso, the Academy of Vocal Arts utilized paintings, film, live animals and genuinely idiomatic singers. One question: Why doesn’t the AVA stage more French operas?
“Artistes, Auteurs, et Autres Animaux (Artists, authors and other animals): An Evening of French Chanson.” April 12-13, 2011, at Helen Corning Warden Theater, Academy of Vocal Arts, 1920 Spruce St. www.avaopera.org.
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| ‘Wonderland’ on Broadway |
April 23 2011 |
Like Wicked, Wonderland is a spectacular Broadway musical based on a classic children’s story. But it’s certainly friendlier to adults than the bevy of child-oriented DreamWorks and Disney shows now inundating live theaters.
Wonderland. Music by Frank Wildhorn; lyrics by Jack Murphy; book by Gregory Boyd and Jack Murphy; Gregory Boyd directed. Marquis Theatre, Broadway and 46th St., New York. Wonderlandonbroadway.com.
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| Seth Rozin’s ‘Two Jews Walk Into a War’ |
April 23 2011 |
Seth Rozin’s Two Jews Walk Into a War is cleverly titled, signaling that it’s a comedy. But make no mistake, he has written a thoughtful examination of faith and a yearning for tradition in a changing world.
Two Jews Walk Into a War. By Seth Rozin; James Glossman directed. InterAct Theatre Company production through May 8, 2011 at the Adrienne, 2030 Sansom St. (215) 568-8079 or www.interacttheatre.org.
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| Choral Arts Society’s Gesualdo program (1st review) |
April 09 2011 |
The Choral Arts Society’s program based on the music of Carlo Gesualdo was daring, and not just because the composer was a triple murderer.
Choral Arts Society, "Tenebrae: Shadows of Gesualdo”: Stravinsky, Pater Noster; Gesualdo, Tenebrae Responsoria de Sabbato Sancto; Britten, “Canticles”: Abraham and Isaac, Still falls the rain, The Journey of the Magi; Allegri, Miserere Mei (Psalm 51). Matthew C. Glandorf, conductor. April 8, 2011 at St. Mark’s Church, 1625 Locust St. (215) 240-6417 or www.choralarts.com.
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| Concert Operetta’s ‘Carp’ and ‘Galatea’ |
April 04 2011 |
Who introduced the waltz to 19th-Century European romantic theater? Guess again— it wasn’t Johann Strauss.
Concert Operetta Theater: The Carp, music by Quade Winter, and The Lovely Galatea, music by Franz von Suppé. Daniel Pantano, artistic director. March 26-27, 2011 at Helen Corning Warden Theater, Academy of Vocal Arts, 1920 Spruce St. (215) 389-0648 or www.concertoperetta.com.
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| Curtis Opera’s 'Cunning Little Vixen’ |
April 03 2011 |
Janácek’s The Cunning Little Vixen is so brimful with melodies and lush orchestration that it ought to be part of the standard operatic repertoire. Since that won’t happen— philosophical allegories lack mass appeal—Curtis deserves our gratitude for reviving it.
The Cunning Little Vixen. Opera by Leoš Janácek; Emma Griffin directed; Corrado Rovaris, conductor. Curtis Opera Theatre production March 16-20 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. www.curtis.edu.
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| Anna Deavere Smith’s ‘Let Me Down Easy’ (2nd review) |
March 28 2011 |
When I learned that my friend was dying at age 59, I sought comfort from my doctor, my rabbi and my therapist. None of them conveyed as much calming effect as the sense of human commonality in Let Me Down Easy.
Let Me Down Easy. Written and performed by Anna Deavere Smith; Leonard Foglia directed. Philadelphia Theatre Co. production through April 10, 2011 at Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 S. Broad St. (at Lombard). (215) 985-0420 or philadelphiatheatrecompany.org.
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| Ibsen’s ‘Master Builder’ at People’s Light (1st review) |
March 27 2011 |
With its layers of ambiguity, Ibsen’s The Master Builder can be confusing, and the lead characters could seem cartoonish. But the People’s Light cast is superb, and the tone established by director Ken Marini is perfect.
The Master Builder. By Henrik Ibsen; translation by Paul Walsh; Ken Marini directed. Through April 17, 2011 at Peoples Light & Theatre, 39 Conestoga Rd., Malvern, Pa. (610) 644-3500 or peopleslight.org.
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| Tracy Letts’s ‘Superior Donuts’ at the Arden (2nd review) |
March 12 2011 |
The Arden’s new production of Superior Donuts differs vastly from the Broadway presentation I saw in December 2009. The Arden’s more intimate house enables greater subtlety, endowing Tracy Letts’s parable of urban community with a stronger dramatic arc.
Superior Donuts. By Tracy Letts; Edward Sobel directed. Through April 3, 2011 at the Arden Theatre, F. Otto Haas Stage, 40 N. Second St. (215) 922-1122 or www.ardentheatre.org.
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| My personal stake in ‘Boris Godunov’ |
March 08 2011 |
To you, Boris Godunov is a convoluted opera about a power struggle among Russian madmen a long time ago. To me, it holds a possible key to my family’s history.
Boris Godunov. Opera with music and libretto by Modest Mussorgsky. March 12 and 17, 2011 at Metropolitan Opera, Lincoln Center, New York. www.metoperafamily.org.
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| Pianist Andreas Haefliger at the Perelman |
March 05 2011 |
The young German pianist Andreas Haefliger didn’t seem fully engaged when he played Mozart and Liszt. Only when he got to Wagner did he seem to catch fire.
Andreas Haefliger, pianist: Works by Mozart, Liszt and Wagner. Philadelphia Chamber Music Society presentation March 3, 2011 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 569-8080 or www.pcmsconcerts.org.
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| McDonagh’s ‘The Lieutenant of Inishmore’ (2nd review) |
February 27 2011 |
Martin McDonagh’s gruesome and very funny comedy concerns the stupidity of the culture of revenge— especially the hypocrisy of people who’ll cry over a dead cat but won’t hesitate to kill their political enemies.
The Lieutenant of Inishmore. By Martin McDonagh; Matt Pfeiffer directed. Theatre Exile production through March 13, 2011 at Plays and Players, 1714 Delancey Pl. (215) 218-4022 or www.theatreexile.org.
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| EgoPo’s ‘Artaud Unbound’ |
February 26 2011 |
The mission of theater, said the French actor/playwright Antonin Artaud, is to create unforgettable moments of truth. He wound up in a straitjacket, and forgotten to boot. EgoPo’s four playlets help rescue a brilliant theatrical figure from obscurity.
Artaud Unbound. Four plays by Antonin Artaud, directed by Lane Savadove, Brenna Geffers, Matt Wright and Michael Alltop. EgoPo Theater production ended February 20, 2011 at the Latvian Society, 531 N. Seventh St. (800) 595-4849 or www.egopo.org.
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| Strauss’s ‘Arabella’ at AVA |
February 22 2011 |
Richard Strauss wrote operas for big orchestras, but this intimate production on a tiny stage, with just a piano for accompaniment, enabled some of Arabella’s long overlooked qualities to emerge.
Arabella. Opera by Richard Strauss; Luke Housner, music director; David Gately, director. Academy of Vocal Arts production through March 1, 2011 at Helen Corning Warden Theatre, 1920 Spruce St. (215) 735-1685 or www.avaopera.org.
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| ‘The Last Five Years’ at Media Theatre. |
February 19 2011 |
The Last Five Years is a two-character musical about a couple's romance, based on its creator’s own wrecked marriage. It’s a triumph of style over substance, thanks especially to excellent performances by Jennie Eisenhower and Marcus Stevens.
The Last Five Years. Music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown; directed by Jesse Cline. Through February 27, 2011 at Media Theatre, 104 E. State St., Media, Pa. (610) 891-0100 or mediatheatre.org.
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| OCP’s ‘Roméo et Juliette’ (2nd review) |
February 19 2011 |
Is the Opera Company’s fashionista version of Roméo et Juliette a travesty or a breath of fresh air? That’s a matter of personal taste— and among teenagers, the response was surprisingly positive.
Roméo et Juliette. Opera by Charles Gounod; Manfred Schweigkofler directed; Jacques Lacombe conducted. Opera Company of Philadelphia production through February 20, 2011 at Academy of Music, Broad and Locust Sts. (215) 732-8400 or www.operaphila.org.
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| ‘Nixon in China’ at the Met |
February 18 2011 |
The Met’s debut production of Nixon in China contains mesmerizing tunes and excellent musical craftsmanship. Its libretto, however, lacks human drama and emotion. It’s more of a documentary than an opera.
Nixon in China. Opera by John Adams; libretto by Alice Goodman; directed by Peter Sellars; choreography by Mark Morris. Through February 19, 2011 at Metropolitan Opera House, Lincoln Center, New York. Seen February 12. HD transmission to movie theaters on March 2, 2011. www.metoperafamily.org.
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| Chris Braak’s ‘Red Emma’ by Iron Age |
February 12 2011 |
The Philadelphia playwright Chris Braak packs loads of information about the fiery anarchist Emma Goldman into little more than an hour, and Mary Tuonamen in the title role is suitably youthful and passionate. Left unanswered is this question: What made Emma tick?
Red Emma. By Chris Braak; John Doyle directed. Iron Age Theatre production February 3-6, 2011 at Centre Theater, 208 DeKalb St., Norristown, Pa. To be performed again in Spring 2011 at an unannounced theater. (610) 279-1013 or ironagetheatre.org.
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| ‘Amadeus’ at the Walnut |
February 12 2011 |
Mozart’s music has survived for more than two centuries. After just 32 years, Peter Shaffer’s Amadeus may have worn out its welcome.
Amadeus. By Peter Shaffer; directed by Malcolm Black. Through March 6, 2011 at Walnut Street Theatre, 825 Walnut St. 800-982-2787 or www.walnutstreettheatre.org.
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| Menotti Centenary concert at Curtis |
February 08 2011 |
The late composer Gian-Carlo Menotti was so prolific, gregarious and commercial that serious music critics often dismissed his work. But the “best of Menotti” excerpts assembled for his Centenary concert sounded better than the original operas. What he needed, apparently, was a good curator.
Curtis Celebrates the Centenary of Gian Carlo Menotti. Danielle Orlando, curator and piano accompanist. February 4, 2011 at Field Hall, Curtis Institute, 1726 Locust St. (215) 893-5252 or www.curtis.edu.
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| Concert Operetta’s ‘Remembering Romberg’ (2nd review) |
February 07 2011 |
Some critics find Sigmund Romberg’s exotic operettas schmaltzy and outdated. I disagree, and the recent production of Romberg highlights by the Concert Operetta Theater reinforced my feeling.
Concert Operetta Theater: “Remembering Romberg.” Music by Sigmund Romberg with words by Oscar Hammerstein II, Dorothy Donnelly, Otto Harbach, et al. Catharine Layton, Zulimar Lopez-Fernandez, sopranos; Patrick Layton, tenor; John-Andrew Fernandez, baritone; Michael Presser, narrator; Donald Yonker, writer; Daniel Pantano, artistic director. January 30, 2011 at Helen Corning Warden Theater, Academy of Vocal Arts, 1920 Spruce St. (215) 389-0648 or www.concertoperetta.com.
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| Finn’s ‘A New Brain’ at Plays and Players |
February 05 2011 |
A musical comedy about undergoing brain surgery? Yes, and it works, too.
A New Brain. Music and lyrics by William Finn; book by Finn and James Lapine; Daniel Student directed. January 13-29, 2011 at Plays and Players Theatre, 1714 Delancey Pl. (215) 735-0630 or www.playsandplayers.org.
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| ‘Suor Angelica’ and 'Il Tabarro’ by AVA |
January 25 2011 |
Puccini’s music, often taken for granted, is best displayed when his operas are performed with the instrumentalists on stage, as the Academy of Vocal Arts did in this double bill.
Suor Angelica and Il Tabarro. Operas by Giacomo Puccini; Christofer Macatsoris, conductor. Academy of Vocal Arts production January 21-22 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts.; January 26, 2011 at Centennial Hall, Haverford School, Haverford, Pa. (215) 735-1685 or www.avaopera.com.
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| Philadelphia Orchestra’s ‘Inca Trail’ concert |
January 25 2011 |
For one magical evening, the varied music of South America’s Inca Trail spilled out of Verizon Hall and into the Kimmel’s usually vacant lobby. Is his the long-awaited formula for breathing life into Philadelphia’s underachieving cultural center?
Philadelphia Orchestra: “The Inca Trail.” Miguel Harth-Bedoya, conductor. January 14, 2011 at Kimmel Center, Broad & Spruce Sts. (215) 893-1999 or www.philorch.org.
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| ‘In the Heights’ on tour |
January 22 2011 |
In the Heights is an innovative show based in the traditions of musical theater— sort of case of pouring new Hispanic wine into old Jewish, Italian or Irish bottles. Once poor immigrants try to improve their lives in New York City, with an upbeat end.
In the Heights. Music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda; book by Quiara Alegria Hudes. Through January 17-23, 2011 at the Academy of Music, Broad and Locust Sts. (215) 731-3333 or www.kimmelcenter.org.
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| ‘Les Misérables’ on tour |
January 08 2011 |
The new 25th anniversary production of Les Misérables is actually better than the 1985 London original, which came to Broadway in 1987. In an era when return engagements usually are stripped-down reductions, this re-mounting by the original producer Cameron Mackintosh is bigger and more imaginative.
Les Misérables. Music by Claude-Michel Schönberg; lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer, from the original French text by Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel; additional material by James Fenton; directed by Laurence Connor and James Powell. Through January 15, 2010 at Academy of Music, Broad and Locust St. (215) 731-3333 or www.kimmelcenter.org.
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| Yannick and the Orchestra: Mozart’s ‘Requiem’ (1st review) |
January 08 2011 |
Yannick Nézet-Séguin cut his teeth as a choral director but has bent over backwards to avoid being typecast as an opera maestro in Philadelphia. But his dazzling Mozart/Debussy concert displayed his love of vocal music, and the likelihood that Philadelphians can expect much more.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Debussy, Nocturnes; Mozart, Requiem. Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor. Through January 9, 2011, at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-1900 or www.philorch.org.
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| ‘Tannhäuser’: Blasphemy or piety? |
January 01 2011 |
Is Tannhäuser a religious opera, or sacrilegious? Put the blame on Wagner, a composer who insisted on his right to partake of both worlds.
Tannhäuser. Opera by Richard Wagner. December 11, 2010-January 2, 2011 by The Royal Opera, Covent Garden, London. Available on www.bbc.co.uk/radio/programmes.
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| ‘Phillies’: The ultimate coffee-table book |
December 28 2010 |
Marcel Proust bit into a Madeleine to unleash a flood of childhood memories. Phillies offers old posters, baseball cards and ticket stubs that you can touch and caress. Top that, Kindle!
Phillies: An Extraordinary Tradition. Scott Gummer, editor. Insight Editions, 2010. 244 pages; $50.00. www.amazon.com.
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| Valley Forge reconsidered |
December 25 2010 |
I’ve been to Valley Forge National Park many times for jogging, bicycling and picnics. But a new tour program enabled me to see it through the eyes of Washington’s soldiers who camped there during the brutal winter of 1777-78.
Valley Forge National Historic Park. Open year-round from dawn to dusk at Route 23 and North Gulph Road, Valley Forge, Pa. Visitor Center and other park buildings open 9 a.m.-5p.m. daily. 90-minute guided trolley tours are available during the Christmas-to-New Years week, and again in the spring. (610) 783-1077 or www.nps.gov/vafo.
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| Theatre Horizon’s ‘Very Merry Xmas Carol’ |
December 21 2010 |
We often hear about plays intended for audiences of all ages, but this broad satire of A Christmas Carol is a rare one that really works across a wide spectrum.
The Very Merry Xmas Carol Holiday Adventure Show. By Tim Sawicki, Justin Jayne, Dave Johnson and Bradley Wrenn; directed by Alex Torra. Presented by Theatre Horizon and the Berserker Residents through December 31, 2010 at Centre Theatre, 208 DeKalb St., Norristown, Pa. (610) 283-2230 or www.TheatreHorizon.org.
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| The Met’s ‘Don Carlo’: The high-def screen version |
December 14 2010 |
What’s the difference between a live opera performance and a high-definition screen transmission? Like night and day, to judge from the Met’s Don Carlo. On screen, for one thing, singers can whisper. For another, you can notice whose portrait is in a jewel box.
Don Carlo. Opera by Giuseppe Verdi; directed by Nicholas Hytner directed; Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor. Through December 18, 2010 at Metropolitan Opera, Lincoln Center, Broadway and 65th St., New York. Live high-definition transmissions to movie theaters December 11, 2010, with U.S. encore January 5, 2011 and Canadian encores January 22 and February 14, 2011. www.metoperafamily.org.
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| Monteverdi Vespers by Choral Arts and Piffaro (3rd review) |
December 14 2010 |
To appreciate Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610, it helps to understand the age and the place in which it was composed. In effect this operatic pioneer was following in Michelangelo’s artistic footsteps.
Monteverdi, Vespers of 1610. Choral Arts Philadelphia, chorus; Matthew Glandorf, music director. Piffaro Renaissance Wind Band; Joan Kimball and Robert Weimken, co-directors. December 5, 2010 at First Baptist Church, 17th and Sansom Sts. Choral Arts: www.choralarts.com. Piffaro: (215) 235-8469 or www.piffaro.org.
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| La Scala’s ‘Walkure’ on the high-def big screen |
December 12 2010 |
The good news: The miracle of high-definition TV saved me the hassle of a plane trip to La Scala’s opening night. The bad news: This new production of Wagner’s Die Walkure was the dullest in my memory, and La Scala made no concessions to the demands of large-screen cinema.
Die Walkure. Opera by Richard Wagner; directed by Guy Cassier; Daniel Barenboim, conductor. New production for the opening night of the La Scala Opera, Milan, Italy. HD telecast December 7, 2010 at Bryn Mawr Film Institute, 824 W. Lancaster Avenue, Bryn Mawr, Pa. (610) 527-9898 or brynmawrfilm.org.
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| John Smitherman’s ‘All Aboard… And Then Some!’ (2nd review) |
December 07 2010 |
New theater companies are most welcome when they bring an individual approach. Keep your eye on Laugh Out Loud’s unique approach to comedy.
All Aboard…And Then Some! Written and directed by John Smitherman. Laugh Out Loud Theatre Company production through December 5, 2010 at the Adrienne Theatre, 2030 Sansom St. (941) 544-0164 or jdsentertainments.com.
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| Verdi’s ‘Don Carlo’ at the Met (live) |
December 04 2010 |
The main flaw in the Met’s outstanding new production of Don Carlo lies in the international nature of its cast. The use of a French-Canadian conductor, a half-French tenor and various Russian, British and American soloists may seem like welcome egalitarianism, but non-Italians have a rough time capturing the flavor of Verdi, that quintessential Italian nationalist.
Don Carlo. Opera by Giuseppe Verdi; directed by Nicholas Hytner directed; Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor. Through December 18, 2010 at Metropolitan Opera, Lincoln Center, Broadway and 65th St., New York. Live high-definition transmissions to movie theaters December 11, 2010, with U.S. encore January 5, 2011 and Canadian encores January 22 and February 14, 2011. (212) 362-6000 or Metoperafamily.org.
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| Garwood’s ‘Scarlet Letter,’ by AVA (2nd review) |
November 30 2010 |
Margaret Garwood has found in The Scarlet Letter a strong piece of musical theater. In some places she has actually improved Hawthorne’s story telling. Whether the music will survive is another question.
The Scarlet Letter. Music and libretto by Margaret Garwood, from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel. Richard A. Raub, conductor; Dorothy Danner, director. Academy of Vocal Arts world premiere November 19-21, 2010 at Merriam Theater, 250 S. Broad St. (above Spruce). (215) 735-1685 or www.avaopera.org.
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| ‘South Pacific’ revival on tour (1st review) |
November 28 2010 |
When I was a teenager I thought that South Pacific was mostly about finding love at first sight on “Some Enchanted Evening.” Now I see that it's mostly about the ways in which our human prejudices isolate us from each other.
South Pacific. Music by Richard Rodgers; book by Joshua Logan and Oscar Hammerstein II; lyrics by Hammerstein; Bartlett Sher directed; Lawrence Goldberg, conductor. November 23-28, 2010 at Academy of Music, Broad and Locust Sts. November 30-December 5, 2010 at Hershey Theatre, Hershey, Pa. www.hersheytheatre.com.
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| ‘Molumby’s Million’ by Iron Age Theatre |
November 28 2010 |
Molumby’s Million, in its world premiere, recreates the true story of a misbegotten attempt to stage a Jack Dempsey boxing match in a remote Montana town. It has the virtue of presenting all of its flawed characters sympathetically.
Molumby's Million. By DW Gregory; John Doyle directed. Iron Age Theatre production through November 28, 2010 at Centre Theater, 208 DeKalb St., Norristown, Pa. (610) 279-1013 or www.ironagetheatre.org.
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| 'Irving Berlin’s White Christmas’ at the Walnut |
November 28 2010 |
You’ve heard about shows where you come out of the theater humming the songs? Well, with Irving Berlin's White Christmas you walk into the theater humming them. The show is superficial, corny and old-fashioned, but it sure is fun.
Irving Berlin’s White Christmas. Music and lyrics by Irving Berlin; book by David Ives and Paul Blake; Marc Robin directed and choreographed. Through January 9, 2011 at Walnut Street Theatre, 825 Walnut St. (215) 574-3550 or www.walnutstreettheatre.org.
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| ‘25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee’ by PTC |
November 20 2010 |
Two secrets explain the success of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. This production adds some fresh ingredients to the mix.
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Music and lyrics by William Finn; book by Rachel Sheinkin; Marc Bruni directed. Philadelphia Theatre Company production through December 12, 210 at Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 S. Broad St. (at Lombard). (215) 985-0420 or www.philadelphiatheatrecompany.org.
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| ‘The Scottsboro Boys’ on Broadway (1st review) |
November 14 2010 |
Those Broadway pickets who object to the minstrel format of The Scottsboro Boys miss the point. This musical tells a disturbing story of racism through a device that’s racially charged, and also very entertaining.
The Scottsboro Boys. Book by David Thompson; music and lyrics by John Kander and Fred Ebb; Susan Stroman directed and choreographed. Closed December 12, 2010 at Lyceum Theater, 149 West 45th St. (between Broadway and Sixth Ave.), New York. (212) 239-6200 or scottsboromusical.com.
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| Yannick and the Orchestra (5th review) |
November 05 2010 |
Under Yannick Nézet-Séguin’s baton, the Philadelphians delivered more presence and more color to Mahler’s Fifth than Simon Rattle’s Berliners did. Nézet-Séguin makes his intentions clear to the musicians, perhaps because he, like most of his players, is a North American.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Haydn, Symphony No. 100 (“Military”) in G; Mahler, Fifth Symphony in C-sharp minor. Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor. October 29-31, 2010 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-1999 or www.philorch.org.
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| Lantern Theater’s ‘Uncle Vanya’ (1st review) |
November 02 2010 |
Lantern Theater’s production of Uncle Vanya is unusually intimate, shining more focus than usual on the unheralded characters in Chekhov’s tragicomedy of dissolute gentry. The cast rises to the challenge.
Uncle Vanya. By Anton Chekhov; directed by Kathryn MacMillan. Lantern Theater Company production through November 21, 2010 at St. Stephen’s Theatre, 923 Ludlow St. (215) 829-0395 or www.lanterntheater.org.
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| ‘Threepenny Opera’ at the Arden |
October 26 2010 |
Although virtually all cultured people are familiar with The Threepenny Opera, the play remains elusive. Contrary to conventional belief, it’s not about the plight of the poor. It’s about the plight of the poor performers.
The Threepenny Opera. Music by Kurt Weill; adaptation and lyrics by Bertolt Brecht, from the play by John Gay; Terrence J. Nolen directed. Through November 7, 2010 at Arden Theatre, 40 N. Second St. (215) 922-1122 or www.ardentheatre.org.
To view a video excerpt, click here.
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| Met’s ‘Boris Godunov’ and its critics |
October 23 2010 |
The Met’s new production of Boris Godunov has been criticized because it’s so long. Nonsense. At last we have a restoration of this epic of Russian history as Pushkin put it in words and as Mussorgsky transcribed it into music theater.
Boris Godunov. Opera by Modest Mussorgsky; directed by Stephen Wadsworth; Valery Gergiev, conductor. Through March 17, 2011 at Metropolitan Opera, Lincoln Center, Broadway and 66th St., New York. High-Definition transmissions to movie theaters October 25 and November 1, 20100. (212) 362-6000 or www.metoperafamily.org.
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| The Met’s ‘Das Rheingold’ in HD-Live (2nd review) |
October 23 2010 |
Das Rheingold scored only a middling success when I saw its live transmission in High Definition. The staging looked expensive but failed to achieve the magic of Lepage’s earlier productions.
Das Rheingold. Opera by Richard Wagner; James Levine conducted; Robert Lepage directed. Metropolitan Opera HD-Live performance October 9, 2010; encore October 27, 2010. www.metoperafamily.org.
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| ‘Macbeth’ at the Wilma (1st review) |
October 10 2010 |
The Wilma Theater’s new Macbeth is concerned more with the struggle of an oppressed people fighting to overthrow tyranny than it is with the title character and his wife. Shakespeare would approve.
Macbeth. By William Shakespeare; Blanka Zizka directed. Through Nov. 13, 2010 at Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St. (at Spruce). (215) 546-7824 or www.wilmatheater.org.
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| Opera Company’s ‘Otello’ (3rd review) |
October 10 2010 |
The Opera Company of Philadelphia’s production of Verdi’s Otello was beautifully sung, staged and orchestrated. What it lacked was violence.
Otello. Opera by Giuseppe Verdi; libretto by Arrigo Boito, from Shakespeare; Robert Driver directed; Corrado Rovaris, conductor. Opera Company of Philadelphia production through October 15, 2010 at Academy of Music, Broad and Locust Sts. (215) 893-1018 or www.operaphila.org.
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| Hollinger’s ‘Ghost-Writer’ at the Arden (2nd review) |
September 28 2010 |
Ghost-Writer concerns the mysterious process of literary creation. That’s quite a monumental task, but Michael Hollinger handles it so well that the drama flows with energy and wit.
Ghost-Writer. By Michael Hollinger; directed by James J. Christy. Through November 7, 2010 at Arden Theatre Co.’s Arcadia Stage, 40 N. Second St. (215) 922-1122 or www.ardentheatre.org.
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| EgoPo’s ‘Marat/ Sade’ (4th review) |
September 27 2010 |
Contrary to what you may have read elsewhere, the merits of using the Rotunda Sanctuary for Marat/ Sade outweighed its auditory problems: This decaying building proved marvelously effective as an incarnation of a 17th-Century institution and as metaphor for crumbling authority.
The Persecution and Assassination of Jean Paul Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton under the Direction of the Marquis de Sade. By Peter Weiss; adapted by Geoffrey Skelton; directed by Brenna Geffers. EgoPo Theater production for the Philadelphia Fringe Festival through September 18, 2010 at the Sanctuary at the Rotunda, 4014 Walnut St. (215) 413.9006 or www.livearts-fringe.org.
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| ‘Madwoman of Chaillot’ (2nd review) |
September 26 2010 |
Was The Madwoman of Chaillot a swipe at France’s Nazi occupiers? Only in retrospect. Let’s lay this myth to rest and consider the play’s other virtues.
The Madwoman of Chaillot. By Jean Giraudoux; directed by Tina Brock. Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium/Philadelphia Fringe Festival production through September 18, 2010 at Walnut Street Theatre Studio 5, 825 Walnut St. www.livearts-fringe.org.
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| ‘Curtains’ at the Walnut |
September 26 2010 |
Eschewing the sure-fire opportunities of Broadway hits classics is a brave and welcome change of pace by the Walnut. Unfortunately, Curtains is contrived and uninvolving— a weak example of its creators’ talents.
Curtains. Book by Rupert Holmes; music by John Kander; lyrics by Fred Ebb; original book by Peter Stone; Richard Stafford directed and choreographed. Through October 24, 2010 at Walnut Street Theatre, 825 Walnut St. (215) 574-3550 or www.walnutstreettheatre.org.
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| Thaddeus Phillips’s ‘¡El Conquistador!’ at the Fringe (2nd review) |
September 21 2010 |
¡El Conquistador! was a triumphant comic thriller, the most effective work yet from Thaddeus Phillips and his creative company.
¡El Conquistador! By Tatiana Mallarino and Thaddeus Phillips in collaboration with Victor Mallarino; Phillips directed. Lucidity Suitcase production for Fringe Festival, September 8-11, 2010 at Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 S. Broad St. (at Lombard). www.livearts-fringe.org/details.cfm?id=12723.
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| ‘Putnam County Spelling Bee’ in Norristown |
September 21 2010 |
This engaging musical comedy explores childhood and adolescence through the sweet and funny prism of school spelling competitions. In some respects the new Theatre Horizon production is the best version yet.
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Music and lyrics by William Finn;’ book by Rachel Sheinkin; Matthew Decker directed. Theatre Horizon production through October 3, 2010 at Centre Theater, 208 DeKalb St., Norristown. (610) 283-2230 or www.theatrehorizon.org.
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| Nichole Canuso’s ‘Takes’ at the Fringe (1st review) |
September 20 2010 |
This inventive portrayal of a couple’s relationship, as seen from several perspectives, is less important than the expression of feelings and the visceral movement of bodies. Dito van Reigersberg and Nichole Canuso are so convincing as a couple that we’re rarely aware of them as performers.
Takes. Choreography y Nichole Canuso; directed by Canuso and Lars Jan. Through September 18, 2010 at Theater West at the HUB, 626 N. Fifth St. Philadelphia Live Arts Festival. www.nicholecanusodance.com/productions/takes or www.livearts-fringe.org/details.cfm?id=12748.
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| ‘The Gross Clinic’ restored (1st review) |
July 26 2010 |
At last The Gross Clinic, Thomas Eakins’s 1875 masterpiece of art as well as medical science, can be seen as Eakins envisioned it, revealing details that have been distorted since its aggressive brightening of the 1920s. Now we can see the artist's original point: Before electricity, surgeons operated largely in the dark— literally as well as figuratively.
“Seeing The Gross Clinic Anew.” Through January 9, 2011 at the Pearlman Building, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Ben Franklin Parkway and 26th St. (215) 763-8100 or www.philamuseum.org. After January 9, 2011 at Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Broad and Cherry Sts. www.pafa.org.
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| Second City’s 50th anniversary tour (1st review) |
July 20 2010 |
After 50 years, Chicago’s Second City still displays a distinct style of satirical humor that transcends its competitors. Its forte is spontaneous improvisation, but its real distinction is an indescribable weird, dark quality.
Second City 50th Anniversary Tour. Directed by Bill Bungeroth. Through July 25, 2010 at Suzanne Roberts Theatre, Broad and Lombard St. 215-985-0420 or www.philadelphiatheatrecompany.org.
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| ‘The Secret of Sherlock Holmes’ at People’s Light (2nd review) |
July 17 2010 |
The Secret of Sherlock Holmes challenges conventional detective stereotypes, presenting a Sherlock Holmes with noticeable flaws and a Dr. Watson of intellect and humor.
The Secret of Sherlock Holmes. By Jeremy Paul; Stephen Novelli directed. Through August 8, 2010 at People’s Light & Theatre Company, 39 Conestoga Road, Malvern. (610) 644-3500 or www.peopleslight.org.
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| ‘Musical of Musicals’ at Walnut Studio 3 (1st review) |
June 26 2010 |
This complex 2003 parody of Broadway musicals keeps revealing new subtleties, and we can appreciate this superb cast even more when we see them up close in an intimate space like the Walnut’s upstairs independence Studio 3.
The Musical of Musicals, the Musical. Music by Eric Rockwell; lyrics by Joanne Bogart, book by Rockwell and Bogart; Craig Fols directed. Through June 27, 2010 at Walnut Street Theatre, Independence Studio on 3, 825 Walnut St. (215) 574-3550 or www.walnutstreettheatre.org.
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| A new twist on ‘Avenue Q’ |
June 19 2010 |
The Broadway musical Avenue Q finds its raison d’être in contrasting what kids learned from “Sesame Street” with what they experience when they go out in the real world. The untimely death of the troubled former child actor Gary Coleman makes you wonder: Is this really a laughing matter?
Avenue Q. Music and lyrics by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx; book by Jeff Witty. Through June 20, 2010 at Academy of Music, Broad and Locust Sts. (215) 893-1999 or www.kimmelcenter.org.
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| Opera Company’s ‘Orphée et Eurydice’ (3rd review) |
June 19 2010 |
Unlike the Met’s elaborately complicated staging of Gluck’s Orphée et Eurydice, Robert Driver’s Philadelphia version strives for simplicity. In many respects it’s the more endearing of the two.
Orphée et Eurydice. Opera by Christof Willibald Gluck (Hector Berlioz adaptation) directed by Robert B. Driver; Corrado Rovaris, conductor. In French with English supertitles. Opera Company of Philadelphia production through June 25, 2010 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 732-8400 or www.operaphila.org.
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| Straus’s ‘The Merry Niebelungs’ by Concert Operetta Theater |
June 15 2010 |
Whether you love Wagner or loathe him, you’ll probably enjoy Oscar Straus’s 1904 parody, especially in its new American translation.
The Merry Niebelungs. Operetta by Oscar Straus; translation by Michael Ashby, Daniel Pantano and Stephan Stoeckl; José Meléndez, music director. Concert Operetta Theater production, June 12-13, 2010 at Academy of Vocal Arts, 1920 Spruce St. (215) 389-0648 or www.concertoperetta.com.
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| ‘Sunday in the Park’ at the Arden (2nd review) |
June 07 2010 |
The two acts of Sondheim’s Sunday in the Park With George have never been as perfectly balanced as they are in Terrence Nolen’s new production. Because this is a show about an artist’s quest for balance, that’s the ultimate compliment.
Sunday in the Park With George. Music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim; book by James Lapine; directed by Terrence J. Nolen. Through July 4, 2010 at Arden Theatre, 40 N. Second St. (215) 922-1122 or www.ardentheatre.org.
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| ‘Fiddler On the Roof’ at the Walnut |
May 31 2010 |
The Walnut Street Theater’s production of Fiddler on the Roof is better than any I’ve seen, aside from the original Broadway staging that ran from 1964 to 1972.
Fiddler On the Roof. Book by Joseph Stein; music by Jerry Bock; lyrics by Sheldon Harnick; Bruce Lumpkin directed. Through July 18, 2010 at Walnut Street Theatre, Ninth and Walnut St. (215) 574-3550 or www.walnutstreettheatre.org.
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| Vaclav Havel’s ‘Leaving’ at the Wilma (1st review) |
May 28 2010 |
Here’s a play about what happens when a statesman leaves office by a statesman who did leave office. But for all the insights he might have offered in Leaving, Vaclav Havel shoots for farce rather than drama.
Leaving. By Vaclav Havel; directed by Jiri Zizka. Through June 20, 2010 at Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St. (at Spruce). 215-546-7824 or www.WilmaTheater.org.
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| LA Philharmonic visits Verizon Hall (2nd review) |
May 22 2010 |
With his East Coast premiere of John Adams’s City Noir and his surprisingly intense interpretation of Tchaikovsky’s Sixth Symphony, the LA Philharmonic’s young conductor Gustavo Dudamel demonstrated that he’s more than just another pretty face.
Los Angeles Philharmonic: Adams, City Noir; Tchaikovsky, Sixth Symphony (“Pathétique”). Gustavo Dudamel, conductor. May 19, 2010 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (212) 790-5800 or www.kimmelcenter.org.
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| The Met’s ‘Armida’ in HD transmission |
May 18 2010 |
In the Met’s production of Rossini’s Armida, wonderful scenes and the stunning performance of Renée Fleming alternate with long patches of lesser interest.
Armida. Opera by Gioacchino Rossini. Directed by Mary Zimmerman; Riccardo Frizza, conductor. Metropolitan Opera high-definition screen production May 19, 2010 in movie theaters throughout the U.S. (May 22 in Canada.) www.metoperafamily.org.
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| Opera Company’s ‘La Traviata’ (2nd review) |
May 15 2010 |
The Opera Company’s stunning production of La Traviata, updated to the Roaring ‘20s, shouldn’t be discarded just because it’s anachronistic. But how can we see the Violetta-Alfredo relationship as more upsetting in a sexually liberated age? Let me suggest a solution.
La Traviata. Opera by Giuseppe Verdi; Robert B. Driver directed; Corrado Rovaris, conductor. Opera Company of Philadelphia production through May 16, 2010 at Academy of Music, Broad and Locust St. (215) 732-8400 or www.operaphila.org.
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| ‘Xanadu’ in Wilmington |
May 11 2010 |
Xanadu, a knockoff of a 1980 movie about a goddess who helps a bunch of California kids open a disco, lacks a discernible point, other than a chance to hear some good disco music once again. That point alone may suffice.
Xanadu. Book by Douglas Carter Beane; music by John Farrar and Jeff Lynne. May 4-9, 2010 at DuPont Theatre, Hotel DuPont, 1007 N. Market St., Wilmington, Del.
302-594-3154 or 800-338-3404 or xanaduonbroadway.com.
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| AVA’s ‘La Bohème’ |
May 11 2010 |
Everyone in the cast of AVA’s La Bohème displayed youthful fervor and sang at a level equal to or better than what one sees in professional opera houses. Watch especially for soprano Na Li Youm, whose large yet intimate voice will take her far (even if she’s too healthy-looking to play the consumptive Mimi).
La Bohème. Opera by Giacomo Puccini; directed by Dorothy Danner; Christofer Macatsoris, conductor. Academy of Vocal Arts production May 11, 13, 2010 at Centennial Hall, Haverford School
450 Lancaster Avenue, Haverford; also May 15, 2010 at Walter K. Gordon Theater, Rutgers/Camden, Third and Pearl Sts., Camden, N.J. (215) 735-1685 or www.avaopera.com.
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| Tracy Letts’s ‘August: Osage County’ on tour (2nd review) |
May 04 2010 |
The traveling cast played August: Osage County mostly as a comedy. But on Broadway, the cast expressed strong emotions when confronting suicide, addictions, infidelity, child molestation and incest. Wouldn’t you, if this were your family?
August: Osage County. By Tracy Letts; directed by Anna D. Shapiro. Through May 2, 2010 at the Forrest Theatre, 1114 Walnut St. (215) 893-1999 or www.kimmelcenter.org.
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| Lantern Theater’s ‘Henry IV, Part I’ (2nd review) |
May 01 2010 |
Lantern’s Henry IV, Part I is well acted, but the most impressive thing about this production is the immediacy and the royalty of the set in such a small and intimate space.
Henry IV, Part I. By William Shakespeare; Charles McMahon directed. Lantern Theater production through May 9, 2010 at St. Stephen’s Theater, 923 Ludlow St (215) 829-0935 or www.lanterntheater.org.
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| ‘Romeo and Juliet’ at Annenberg |
April 27 2010 |
The co-producers of this touring Romeo and Juliet have targeted communities across America and, in particular, young audiences. But something got lost in the transition.
Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Directed by Penny Metropulos. Co-production by The Acting Company (New York) and The Guthrie Theater (Minneapolis), April 20-24, 2010 at Annenberg Center, 3680 Walnut St. (215) 898-3900 or www.pennpresents.org.
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| Verdi’s ‘La Traviata’ at the Met |
April 17 2010 |
The Metropolitan Opera will soon retire Franco Zeffirelli’s lavish production of La Traviata. The compensation is this spring’s debut of the dashing tenor James Valenti. The opera world hasn’t seen this combination of voice and stature since Franco Corelli.
La Traviata. Opera by Giuseppe Verdi. Through April 24, 2010 at Metropolitan Opera, Lincoln Center, Broadway and 65th St., New York. www.metoperafamily.org.
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| Neil LaBute’s ‘Fat Pig’ by Theatre Horizon |
April 17 2010 |
Neil LaBute’s Fat Pig— a commentary about prejudice against those who are different, especially the overweight— is a daring choice for a small suburban company. Its callous characters are difficult to watch but also difficult to turn away from.
Fat Pig. By Neil LaBute; directed by Matthew Decker. Theatre Horizon production through May 1, 2010 at Centre Theater, 208 DeKalb St., Norristown, Pa. (610) 283-2230 or www.theatrehorizon.org.
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| ‘The 39 Steps’ in Wilmington |
April 13 2010 |
Patrick Barlow’s The 39 Steps is an entertaining spoof of the Hitchcock genre, using a series of clever slapstick stunts in place of the master’s subtle wit.
The 39 Steps. By Patrick Barlow, from a book by John Buchan; directed by Maria Aitkin. April 6-11, 2010 at DuPont Theatre, 1007 N. Market Street, Wilmington, Del.. (800) 338-0881 or www.duponttheatre.com.
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| Joys of spring training |
April 03 2010 |
Charlie Manuel, the Phillies’ manager couldn’t wait to finish spring training. But for me and many others, Florida baseball in March is a much more intimate experience than anything you’ll find up North during the regular season.
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| ‘The Lion King’ gets the tour treatment |
March 27 2010 |
In its touring production, The Lion King looks as fresh and gorgeous as ever. But it has undermined its original tone as a human drama.
The Lion King. Songs by composer Elton John and Tim Rice, score by Hans Zimmer; directed by Julie Taymor. Through Saturday, April 24, 2010 at Academy of Music, Broad and Locust Sts. (215) 731-3333 or www.kimmelcenter.org.
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| Thomas’s ‘Hamlet’ at the Met |
March 27 2010 |
Hamlet, the seldom-performed opera by the 19th-Century French composer Ambrose Thomas, departs significantly from Shakespeare. Yet it works as a drama.
Hamlet. Opera by Ambrose Thomas. Through April 9, 2010 at Metropolitan Opera, Lincoln Center, Broadway and 65th St., New York. High-definition simulcast at selected movie theaters, Wednesday, April 14, 2010. (212) 362-6000 or www.metoperafamily.org.
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| Lessons from Tilson Thomas (2nd review) |
March 27 2010 |
The recent orchestral triumphs of Vladimir Jurowski and Michael Tilson Thomas offer further proof that orchestral excellence by itself doesn’t suffice; audiences yearn as well for a conductor with personality.
San Francisco Symphony: Mahler Second Symphony. Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor; Katarina Karneus, mezzo-soprano; Laura Claycomb, soprano; Westminster Choir, Joe Miller, director. March 22, 2010 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 790-5800 or www.kimmelcenter.org.
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| Muti conducts Verdi’s ‘Attila’ at the Met |
March 20 2010 |
Riccardo Muti is pumping new excitement into Attila, one of Verdi’s weakest operas— which, like Muti himself, hasn’t previously appeared at the Met.
Attila. Opera by Giuseppe Verdi. Riccardo Muti, conductor; Pierre Audi, director. Through March 27, 2010 at Metropolitan Opera, Broadway and 65th St., New York. (212) 362-6000 or www.metoperafamily.org/metopera.
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| Jurowski ignites the Orchestra (1st review) |
March 20 2010 |
Maestro Vladimir Jurowski attracted a full house to the Philadelphia Orchestra and generated wild enthusiasm by the end. This charismatic young conductor could hold the key to the struggling Orchestra’s future.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Beethoven, Third Symphony (“Eroica”); Schumann, Piano Concerto; Brahms, Tragic Overture. Vladimir Jurowski, conductor; Benedetto Lupo, piano. March 18-20, 2010 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. Free pre-concert conversation 7 p.m. (215) 893-1999 or www.philorch.org
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| Chile: Left wing and right, together |
March 06 2010 |
Chile is in the news this week due to that disastrous earthquake, and North Americans are realizing how little we know about that country. That’s a shame, because Chile today offers us a useful lesson in peaceful coexistence between laissez-faire capitalism and nanny-state socialism.
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| Tan Dun’s ‘Tea’ by the Opera Company (2nd review) |
February 27 2010 |
I wouldn’t go out of my way to see Tan Dun’s Tea: A Mirror of the Soul for its story. But its music is tantalizing and provocative.
Tea: A Mirror of Soul. Opera composed and conducted by Tan Dun; libretto by Tan Dun and Xu Ying; translation by Diana Liao; directed by Amon Miyamoto. Opera Company of Philadelphia production through February 28. 2010 at Academy of Music, Broad and Locust Sts. (215) 732-8400 or www.operaphilly.com.
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| Met’s ‘Simon Boccanegra’ on simulcast |
February 13 2010 |
The Met’s new production of Verdi’s unjustly ignored masterpiece, Simon Boccanegra, had even more impact on a big screen than in the opera house. Imagine Domingo and Morris, in close-up and in the fullness of their maturity, singing beautifully about the end of life.
Simon Boccanegra. Opera by Giuseppe Verdi; James Levine, conductor. Live performance from the Metropolitan Opera simulcast in theaters nationwide on February 6, 2010 and February 24, 2010 (6:30 p.m. local time). Canada Encore: March 20, 2010, 1 p.m. www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/broadcast.
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| McNally’s ‘Golden Age’ by PTC (2nd review) |
February 02 2010 |
Golden Age may be set in 1835, but it’s actually Terrence McNally’s latest paean to the obsession of his life, Maria Callas. Music lovers will relish hearing about vocal techniques, public tastes, jealousies and gossip about other singers and composers, but it goes on too long.
Golden Age. By Terrence McNally; directed by Austin Pendleton. Philadelphia Theatre Co., production through February 14, 2010 at Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 S. Broad St. (at Lombard). (215) 985-0420 or www.philadelphiatheatrecompany.org.
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| AVA’s ‘Norma’ and ‘Trovatore’ in concert |
February 02 2010 |
The recent Academy of Vocal Arts concert offered beautiful, professional-level singing with strong accompaniment by the AVA orchestra, conducted by the school’s musical director, Christofer Macatsoris. It also provided inadvertent insight into the difference between Bellini and Verdi.
Norma and Il Trovatore. Opera excerpts by Bellini and Verdi, respectively, in concert; Christofer Macatsoris, conductor. Academy of Vocal Arts production January 29-30 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, and February 2, 2010 at Centennial Hall, Haverford College, 450 Lancaster Ave., Haverford. (215) 735-1685 or www.avaopera.com.
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| How we misjudged Obama |
January 26 2010 |
A year ago, many observers (including me) thought Obama was the second coming of Franklin D. Roosevelt. In retrospect, FDR and Obama have more differences than similarities. But FDR was changed for the better by a personal crisis, and Obama might do the same.
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| Met’s ‘Carmen’ — the HD theatrical version |
January 22 2010 |
My reservations about the Metropolitan Opera’s new production of Carmen were swept away when I saw the luscious Latvian mezzo Elina Garanca on a big movie screen.
Carmen. Opera by Georges Bizet; directed by Richard Eyre; Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor. Live high-definition theatrical version February 3, 2010 at 6:30 p.m. at selected movie theaters; PBS telecast, May 16, 2010. This production will be seen again in theaters Wednesday, February 3, at 6:30 p.m. Eventually available as a DVD. www.metoperafamily.org.
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| Metropolitan Opera’s new ‘Carmen’ |
January 16 2010 |
The Metropolitan Opera’s new production of Carmen, set in fascist Spain of the 1930s, contains three outstanding elements: its Carmen, its Don José and its conductor. Their relative importance may well be in reverse order.
Carmen. Opera by Georges Bizet; directed by Richard Eyre; Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor. Through May 1, 2010 at Metropolitan Opera, Lincoln Center, New York. (212) 362-6000 or www.metoperafamily.org.
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| ‘Tales of Hoffman’ at the Met |
January 09 2010 |
Nit-picking critics have jumped on the Metropolitan Opera’s new production of Tales of Hoffman for using a “discredited” version of the Offenbach score. A more valid criticism is the treatment of the opera’s central character, which is key to our understanding of the composer himself.
The Tales of Hoffman. Opera by Jacques Offenbach; directed by Bartlett Sher; James Levine conducted. Metropolitan Opera production ended January 3, 2010 at Lincoln Center, New York. 212-362-6000 or www.metoperafamily.org/metopera.
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| ‘Ragtime’ on Broadway, reconsidered (2nd review) |
December 29 2009 |
Thanks to the Lincoln Center Library’s collection of theater videotape recordings, I discovered a few things I’d overlooked in my original review of Ragtime. So why can’t Philadelphia find foundation funding for a similar theater video repository?
Ragtime. Script by Terrence McNally; lyrics by Lynn Ahrens; music by Stephen Flaherty; directed by Lynn Dodge Milgrom. Through January 10, 2010 at the Neil Simon Theatre, 250 West 52nd St., New York. (212) 757-8646 or www.neilsimontheatre.com.
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| ‘Superior Donuts’ on Broadway |
December 22 2009 |
Superior Donuts is a gem of a comedy, notable for its warm comic interplay among genuinely recognizable characters. Too bad its Broadway run is closing soon.
Superior Donuts. By Tracy Letts; directed by Tina Landau. Through January 3, 2009 at the Music Box Theatre, 239 W. 45th St. (between Broadway and Eighth Ave.), New York. (212) 239-6200 or www.donutsonbroadway.com.
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| ‘Holiday Show With the Swing Club Band’ |
December 19 2009 |
Instead of pretending to tell a story, this highly entertaining production authentically recreates a nightclub as it would have appeared on the last night of 1949— the last New Year’s Eve of a triumphant America at peace.
Holiday Show With the Swing Club Band. Script by Mike Reilly; directed by Matthew Decker. Through January 3, 2010 at Theatre Horizon, 208 Dekalb St., Norristown, Pa. (610) 283-2230 or www.theatrehorizon.org.
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| Philadelphia Orchestra plays Wagner (1st review) |
December 12 2009 |
The Philadelphia Orchestra demonstrated that Wagner without drama can be beautiful. It can also put you to sleep.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Wagner’s The Ring (arranged by de Vlieger); Walker, Violin Concerto. Neeme Järvi, conductor; Gregory Walker, violin. December 10-12, 2009 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. 215.893.1999 or www.philorch.org.
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| ‘This Is the Week That Is’ by 1812 Productions (2nd review) |
December 12 2009 |
The latest edition of This Is the Week That Is improves on its predecessors because it does more than attack the unpopular Bush administration. The writers clearly hold conflicted views about Obama’s behavior as president, and their uncertainty leads to a more nuanced show than in the past.
This Is the Week That Is: The New Administration. Conceived and directed by Jennifer Childs; head writer Don Montrey. Presented through January 3, 2010 by 1812 Productions at Plays and Players Theatre, 1724 Delancey Pl. (215) 592-9560 or www.1812productions.org.
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| Nézet-Séguin conducts the Orchestra (2nd review) |
December 11 2009 |
Poor César Franck— even the Philadelphia Orchestra’s program annotator chides his symphony for being repetitive. But in an age before cell phones, TV and recordings, concerts provided leisurely immersion in beautiful sounds.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Vivier, Orion; Brahms First Piano Concerto; Franck, Symphony in D minor. December 3-5, 2009 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. 215.893.1999 or www.philorch.org.
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| ‘Legally Blonde’ in Wilmington |
December 07 2009 |
Legally Blonde– the Musical doesn’t aim to be serious or exploratory, so sophisticated theatergoers might pass it by. If you do, it’s your loss.
Legally Blonde. Book by Heather Hach; music and lyrics by Laurence O'Keefe and Nell Benjamin; directed and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell. December 1-6, 2009 at DuPont Theatre, 1007 Market St. Wilmington, Del. (800) 338-0881 or tour.legallyblondethemusical.com.
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| The Academy's acoustics: A forgotten treasure |
December 01 2009 |
Conventional wisdom holds that the Philadelphia Orchestra “has never had a hall worthy of its sound.” Not so. From the Orchestra’s founding in 1900, the Academy of Music’s acoustics drew nationwide raves from musicians, conductors, audiences and architects alike— until the Academy's stewards began tampering with it in 1960.
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| ‘Ragtime’ revived in New York (1st review) |
November 28 2009 |
The new budget-minded revival of Ragtime is apt and, in some scenes, provides more clarity than the 1998 original. But one particular economy disturbs me.
Ragtime. Script by Terrence McNally; lyrics by Lynn Ahrens; music by Stephen Flaherty; directed by Lynn Dodge Milgrom. At the Neil Simon Theatre, 250 West 52nd St., New York. (212) 757-8646 or www.neilsimontheatre.com.
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| ‘Light in the Piazza’ by PTC (1st review) |
November 21 2009 |
The Philadelphia Theatre Company’s version of The Light in the Piazza is a unique accomplishment, adapting the look of New York’s spacious Lincoln Center production to a smaller stage. It’s a great re-interpretation of a gentle musical about fragile people.
The Light in the Piazza. Book by Craig Lucas; music and lyrics by Adam Guettel; directed by Joe Calarco. Philadelphia Theatre Co. production through December 13, 2009 at Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 S. Broad St. (at Lombard). (215) 985-0420 or www.philadelphiatheatrecompany.org.
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| Verdi’s ‘Falstaff’ by the Academy of Vocal Arts |
November 21 2009 |
Can a mere 17 voices (and no chorus) do justice to Falstaff? As the Academy of Vocal Arts demonstrates, Verdi’s last masterpiece is an opera that benefits from intimacy.
Falstaff. Opera by Giuseppe Verdi; directed by Tito Capobianco; Christofer Macatsoris, conductor. Academy of Vocal Arts productions November 13, 17, 19 at Warden Theater, 1920 Spruce St.; November 21, 2009 at central Buck South high School, Warrington, Pa.; November 23, 2009 at Centennial Hall, Haverford School, Haverford, Pa. (215) 735-1685 or www.avaopera.com.
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| Jurowski awakens the Orchestra |
November 06 2009 |
The combination of Vladimir Jurowski’s inspired Slavic programming and the exciting young Armenian violinist Sergey Khachatryan generated the sort of intermission buzz that hasn’t been heard at Philadelphia Orchestra concerts for a good while.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Stravinsky, Scherzo fantastique; Tchaikovsky, Violin Concerto; Prokofiev, Symphony No. 4. Vladimir Jurowski, conductor; Sergey Khachatryan, violin. October 29-31, 2009 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center. (215) 893-1955 or www.philorch.org.
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| The Orchestra’s strange new ‘Collections’ |
November 06 2009 |
As the result of a survey three years ago, the Philadelphia Orchestra now offers subscribers four “collections” of concerts. But the guidelines for each “collection” seem arbitrary, if not amorphous.
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| Opera Company’s ‘Madame Butterfly’ (2nd review) |
October 26 2009 |
This Butterfly was perhaps the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. Virtually everything about it suits the legend and never intrudes on the story. I have only two quibbles.
Madame Butterfly. Opera by Giacomo Puccini; directed by Cynthia Stokes. Opera Company of Philadelphia production through October 18, 2009 at Academy of Music, Broad and Locust St. (215) 732-8400 or operaphila.org.
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| ‘Alegria’ vs. ‘Humor Abuse’ |
October 18 2009 |
If you want to enjoy Lorenzo Pisoni’s Humor Abuse, I suggest you see Cirque du Soleil’s Alegria the day before, as I did. Alegria’s clowns demonstrate far less dexterity, originality and humor than Pisoni does. And he’s a more engaging fellow, too.
Alegria: Cirque du Soleil. October 13-19, 2009 at Liacouras Center, Temple University. www.cirquedusoleil.com.
Humor Abuse. Created by Lorenzo Pisoni; directed by Erica Schmidt. Philadelphia Theatre Company production through October 25, 2009 at Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 S. Broad St. (at Lombard). (215) 985-0420 or www.philadelphiatheatrecompany.org.
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| Philadelphia Orchestra’s quandary (and Yuja Wang) |
October 15 2009 |
Last weekend’s Philadelphia Orchestra program seemed aimed at the ghosts of Eugene Ormandy’s old crowd. Charles Dutoit isn’t giving us the type of innovative programming he provided in his young conducting days in Montreal.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Barber, Adagio For Strings; Berlioz, Symphonie Fantastique; Prokofiev, Piano Concerto No. 2. Yuja Wang, piano; Charles Dutoit, conductor. October 8-10, 2009 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center. (215) 893-1955 or www.philorch.org.
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| ‘The History Boys’ at the Arden (2nd review) |
October 13 2009 |
Alan Bennett’s The History Boys is a witty play about the value of education and a paean to the joys of language. But for all the choreographic staging and careful attention to accents in the Arden’s current production, the actors’ words themselves are often inaudible.
The History Boys. By Alan Bennett; Terrence J. Nolen directed. Through Nov. 1, 2009 at the Arden Theatre, 40 N. Second St. (215) 922-1122 or www.ardentheatre.org.
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| 'Nathan the Wise’ at People’s Light (2nd review) |
October 10 2009 |
Gotthold Lessing’s Nathan the Wise is an 18th-Century brotherhood plea that flunks most standard tests of drama and betrays little realistic knowledge of Jews, Muslims and even Christians. Its author’s utopian idealism renders it fascinating nevertheless.
Nathan the Wise. By Gotthold Lessing; translation by Edward Kemp; directed by Abigail Adams. Through October 11, 2009 at People’s Light & Theatre Company, 39 Conestoga Road, Malvern, Pa. (610) 644-3500 or www.peopleslight.org.
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| ‘Dirty Rotten Scoundrels’ at the Walnut (2nd review) |
September 22 2009 |
Dan Rottenberg’s complaints notwithstanding, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is above all a rejection of serious theater and a spoof of old Broadway musicals. On that admittedly lightweight level, it succeeds amply.
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. Book by Jeffrey Lane; music and lyrics by David Yazbek; directed and choreographed by Richard Stafford. Through October 25, 2009 at Walnut Street Theatre. 825 Walnut St. (215) 574-3550 or www.walnutstreettheatre.org.
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| ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ in Norristown |
September 21 2009 |
The hero of Little Shop of Horrors always thought of his man-eating plant as female. So why has it taken 49 years for a theater company to cast a woman as the plant?
Little Shop of Horrors. Music by Alan Menken; libretto by Howard Ashman; directed by Megan Nicole O'Brien. 11th Hour Theater Company and Theatre Horizon production through October 4, 2009 at Centre Theater, 208 DeKalb St., Norristown, Pa. (610) 283-2230 or www.theatrehorizon.org.
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| Center City Opera’s ‘ConNextions’ |
September 13 2009 |
Two new operas are impressively played and sung in a double-bill by Center City Opera Theater. But The Always Present Present is plagued by awkward vocal writing, and Darkling suffers from a static story.
"ConNextions: The Next Generation of Opera." Center City Opera Theater/Philadelphia Fringe Festival production through September 13, 2009 at Lantern Theater, Tenth and Ludlow St. 215.413.1318 or www.livearts-fringe.org/details.cfm?id=9083.
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| ‘Edgar Allan Poe Comes Alive’ at Fringe Festival |
September 08 2009 |
This year marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Edgar Allan Poe, and Scott Craig Jones is Poe reincarnated. Too bad he chose to bring Poe into the present, instead of taking the audience back into Poe’s past.
Edgar Allan Poe Comes Alive! Traveling Jones Theater/Fringe Festival production through September 19, 2009 at Studio 1831, 1831 Brandywine St. 215.413.1318 or www.livearts-fringe.org/details.cfm?id=8943.
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| Wagner’s ‘Ring’ cycle (Part 6: ‘Götterdämmerung’) |
August 02 2009 |
Götterdämmerung, the last of Wagner’s four-part Ring operas, ends with Valhalla in flames, the destruction of the gods, and Wotan a disillusioned pessimist, much like Wagner himself. Is this the death of religion? The triumph of science or nature? Wagner lets us take our pick.
Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Niebelungs). Opera by Richard Wagner.
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| World Team Tennis: Antidote for sports violence |
July 28 2009 |
Must professional sports bring out the worst in their fans? Consider one exception: World Team Tennis, where even the abrasive John McEnroe behaves like a teddy bear.
Philadelphia Freedoms: World Team Tennis. Home matches at Freedoms Stadium, in front of The Court of King of Prussia, Rte. 202. Season finale July 29, 2009. www.philadelphiafreedoms.com.
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| Concert Operetta’s ‘A Waltz Dream’ |
July 07 2009 |
Philadelphia’s Concert Operetta Theater has evolved to the point where its offerings can be counted on for excellent singing and emotionally satisfying performances. This is quite an accomplishment for a genre once thought to have died with the monarchies of middle Europe.
A Waltz Dream. Operetta by Oscar Straus; directed by Daniel Pantano; Michele Scanlon, music director. Concert Operetta Theater production June 20-21, 2009 at Warden Theater, Academy of Vocal Arts, 1920 Spruce St. www.concertoperetta.com.
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| Opera Company’s ‘Rape of Lucretia’ (3rd review) |
July 04 2009 |
The Opera Company’s production of The Rape of Lucretia demonstrated how much can be done on a small stage with a modest budget. But the opera suffers from the insertion of religious Christian doctrine into a story that predated Christ by five centuries.
The Rape of Lucretia. Opera by Benjamin Britten; libretto by Ronald Duncan; directed by William Kerley. Opera Company of Philadelphia production June 5-14, 2009 at the Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center. (215) 893-1018 or www.operaphila.org.
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| Robert Lepage’s ‘The Andersen Project’ |
July 04 2009 |
Unlike most of Robert Lepage’s high-tech spectacles, The Andersen Project depends mostly on the spoken word and the audience’s imagination. This was fine with me, but some audience members seemed surprised and disappointed.
The Andersen Project. Written and directed by Robert Lepage. June 11-13, 2009 at Merriam Theater, 250 S. Broad St. (above Spruce). www.merriam-theater.com.
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| ‘Spring Awakening’ at the Academy of Music (1st review) |
June 29 2009 |
The Broadway musical Spring Awakening arrived trailing a slew of awards (including the Tony for Best New Musical of 2007). But this staging amounts to a cartoon version of Frank Wedekind’s landmark play about the repressed adolescence in 1890s Germany.
Spring Awakening. Book and lyrics by Stephen Sater, based on the play by Frank Wedekind; music by Duncan Sheik; directed by Michael Mayer. June 23-28, 2009 at Academy of Music, Broad and Locust Sts. www.kimmelcenter.org/news/item.php?item=2009-03-18
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| PTC’s ‘Grey Gardens’ (2nd review) |
May 30 2009 |
In Philadelphia Theatre Company’s production of Grey Gardens, Joy Franz as the mother and Hollis Resnik as the daughter preen in such an exaggerated style that they lose our empathy. Theater is a different medium from the cult film on which this musical is based. They should show us, not tell us what we need to know.
Grey Gardens. Book by Doug Wright; music by Scott Frankel; lyrics by Michael Korie; directed By Lisa Peterson. Philadelphia Theatre Co. production through June 28, 2009 at Suzanne Roberts Theatre, Broad and Lombard Sts. (215) 985-0420 or philadelphiatheatrecompany.org.
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| Wagner’s ‘Ring’ cycle (Part 5: ‘Siegfried’) |
May 24 2009 |
Wagner’s Siegfried is a dumb, muscular bully– a hard fellow to like. But 19th-Century Americans had no such problem: Wagner deliberately created an aggressive modern man who defies all the rules of the past, just like the Americans who were boldly opening the West by pushing aside everything that stood in their way.
Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Niebelungs). Through May 9, 2009 at the Metropolitan Opera, Lincoln Center, New York. (212) 362-6000 or www.metoperafamily.org.
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| Ringling Brothers Circus at the Spectrum |
May 24 2009 |
The sight of ten elephants standing on their hind legs and spinning around brings a smile to my face, and to my son’s and virtually everyone else’s at the Ringling brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus. If a lawsuit alleging cruelty to these animals succeeds, this may be our last opportunity to watch this stunt.
Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus. Through May 25, 2009 at the Wachovia Spectrum. (800) 298-4200 or www.ticketsnow.com/Venue/Wachovia-Spectrum.
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| EgoPo’s ‘Bluebird’ (2nd review) |
May 14 2009 |
Who else but EgoPo would tackle a play like Maurice Maeterlinck’s Bluebird? And what other company could lavish so much time on learning and rehearsing such a daunting work, whose language and style are alien to most audiences and to almost all of today’s actors?
Bluebird. By Maurice Maeterlinck, adapted by Molly Rice; directed by Lane Savadove; music by Orchestra 2001. EgoPo production through May 10, 2009 at Mandell Theatre, 33rd and Chestnut St. (800) 595-4849 or www.egopo.org.
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| Wagner’s ‘Ring’ cycle (Part 4: 'Die Walküre’) |
May 12 2009 |
Wagner really was at the top of his game when he wrote Die Walküre. Perhaps he was energized by the chance to glamorize incest and throw it in the face of conventional society. But his greatest inspiration was the difficult father-daughter relationship between Wotan and Brünnhilde.
Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Niebelungs). By Richard Wagner; James Levine, conductor. Through May 9, 2009 at the Metropolitan Opera, Lincoln Center, New York. (212) 362-6000 or www.metoperafamily.org.
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| Wagner’s ‘Ring’ cycle (Part 3: ‘Das Rheingold’) |
May 04 2009 |
Wagner’s Das Rheingold introduced a new form of opera, far removed from the tradition of Rossini, Donizetti and Verdi, and even different from Wagner’s own earlier romantic operas like Lohengrin and Tannhauser. The orchestra states the themes, sets the mood and remains pre-eminent throughout.
Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Niebelungs). By Richard Wagner; James Levine, conductor. Through May 9, 2009 at the Metropolitan Opera, Lincoln Center, New York. (212) 362-6000 or www.metoperafamily.org.
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| Opera Company’s Ravel/Puccini double bill |
May 02 2009 |
Ravel’s opera L'enfant et les sortilèges runs only 45 minutes, and Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi barely 55, but in tandem they make a full and satisfying evening, thanks especially to clever staging and excellent performances.
L'enfant et les sortilèges and Gianni Schicchi. Operas by Joseph-Maurice Ravel and Giacomo Puccini, respectively. Opera Company of Philadelphia production through May 3, 2009 at Academy of Music, Broad and Locust St. (215) 893-1018 or www.operaphila.org.
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| Wagner’s ‘Ring’ cycle (Part 2) |
April 28 2009 |
For the past half-century, producers of Wagner’s Ring have focused on the characters’ psychology, much more than on the telling of a story. Instead of celebrating German forests, castles and genius, they tapped into themes like fear of death and loss of control. All well and good. But must the original version disappear altogether?
Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Niebelungs). Through May 9, 2009 at the Metropolitan Opera, Lincoln Center, New York. (212) 362-6000 or www.metoperafamily.org.
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| Arden’s ‘Something Intangible’ (2nd review) |
April 25 2009 |
By hewing too closely to the true story of Hollywood’s Disney brothers, Bruce Graham distracts the audience from an otherwise generally entertaining play. Graham would do better to take his details from his own imagination rather than the historical record.
Something Intangible. By Bruce Graham; directed by Terrence J. Nolen. Through June 7, 2009 at the Arden Theatre, 40 N. Second St. (between Market and Arch). (215) 922.1122 or www.ardentheatre.org.
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| FDR’s Hundred Days: Two books |
April 24 2009 |
As we near the completion of President Obama’s first hundred days in office, I’ve just read two books about Franklin D. Roosevelt’s famous hundred. Of the many volumes written about FDR, only these two focus on those first days. One is worth reading; the other is infuriating.
The Defining Moment: FDR’s Hundred Days and the Triumph of Hope. By Jonathan Alter. 432 pages; $29.95. Simon & Schuster, 2006. www.amazon.com.
The Forgotten Man: A New History of the Great Depression. By Amity Shlaes. 480 pages; $26.95. HarperCollins, 2007. www.amityshlaes.com.
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| Wagner’s 'Ring' cycle (Part 1) |
May 07 2009 |
The Metropolitan Opera’s current Ring cycle may be the last ever produced in the traditional four-night, 15-hour style envisioned by Richard Wagner. I’ve attended Wagner’s operas for decades. Now I must persuade my neophyte wife to appreciate this brilliant (albeit obnoxious) composer before it’s too late.
Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Niebelungs). Through May 9, 2009 at the Metropolitan Opera, Lincoln Center, New York. (212) 362-6000 or www.metoperafamily.org.
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| Lantern Theater’s ‘Hamlet’ (2nd review) |
April 18 2009 |
In his review of Lantern Theater’s Hamlet, Robert Zaller raises an interesting point: Why didn’t the prince succeed to the throne of Denmark immediately upon his father’s death? I have an answer.
Hamlet. By William Shakespeare; directed by Charles McMahon. Lantern Theater production through May 17, 2009 at St. Stephen’s Theater, Tenth and Ludlow St. (215) 829-0395 or www.lanterntheater.org.
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| Simpatico’s ‘Long Day’s Journey Into Night’ (2nd review) |
March 28 2009 |
Simpatico reminds us that Long Day’s Journey is an intimate play with a small cast, set in one living room. Very appropriate, then, to see it close up on a small stage, even if the actors look better than they sound.
Long Day’s Journey Into Night. By Eugene O’Neill; directed by Carol Laratonda. Simpatico Theatre Project production through March 29, 2009 at Adrienne Second Stage, 2030 Sansom St. (215) 423-0254 or simpaticotheatre.org.
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| Curtis Opera’s ‘Wozzeck’ (3rd review) |
March 23 2009 |
Alban Berg’s opera, Wozzeck, gets a bad rap as being atonal, unmelodic and, therefore, inaccessible to most of the public. In fact Berg’s passionate music matches the story perfectly.
Wozzeck. Opera by Alban Berg; directed by Emma Griffin; Corrado Rovaris, conductor. Curtis Opera Theatre production March 13-18, 2009 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center. (215) 893-7902 or www.curtis.edu.
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| O’Neill Festival in Chicago |
March 10 2009 |
Chicago’s Goodman Theatre is nearing the end of a two-month, eight-play festival that concentrates on O’Neill’s early works– the oeuvre that made his reputation as America’s leading playwright. Philadelphia and New York should be so lucky.
“A Global Exploration: Eugene O'Neill in the 21st Century.” Eight plays, including Desire Under the Elms and The Hairy Ape. January 17-February 22 at the Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St., Chicago, Ill. (312) 443-3800 or www.goodmantheatre.org.
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| Vienna Philharmonic at Verizon Hall (2nd review) |
March 01 2009 |
The extremely well balanced Vienna Philharmonic is accustomed to shouldering a huge and diverse workload. But last week it assumed what struck me as a dispiriting assignment: playing second fiddle to the histrionics of piano virtuoso Lang Lang.
Vienna Philharmonic. Zubin Mehta, conductor; Lang Lang, piano. February 24, 2009 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center. (215) 790-5800 or www.kimmelcenter.org.
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| Opera Company’s ‘Turandot’ |
February 24 2009 |
The Opera Company’s Turandot boasts a pleasant tenor in Francesco Hong, an innovative director in Renaud Doucet and a colorful set borrowed from the Dallas Opera. Why, then, was the stage in near-darkness for much of the opera?
Turandot. Opera by Giacomo Puccini. Directed by Reanud Doucet; Maurizio Barbacini, conductor. Opera Company of Philadelphia production through March 6, 2009 at Academy of Music, Broad and Locust Sts. (215) 893-1018 or www.operaphila.org.
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| ‘Rent’ at Academy of Music |
February 07 2009 |
In today’s tough economic times, a play about people who can’t afford the rent is more relevant than ever. That’s why a new DVD and a live tour of Rent are especially welcome.
Rent. Music, book and lyrics by Jonathan Larson; directed by Michael Greif. National Touring company at Academy of Music, Broad and Locust St., February 3-8, 2009. (215) 893-1999 or www.kimmelcenter.org. Feb. 10-15, 2009 at New Jersey Performing Arts Center, 1 Center St., Newark. (888) GO-NJPAC or www.njpac.org.
Rent: The Final Week. DVD version by Sony Pictures. www.rent.thehotticket.net.
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| Live opera vs. high-definition screenings |
February 03 2009 |
Which is better: Live opera at the Met in New York, or a high-definition transmission at your local movie theater? Maybe that’s the wrong question. Why not get the best of both worlds, as I do?
Lucia di Lammermoor. By Gaetano Donizetti; directed by Mary Zimmerman, with Anna Netrebko and Piotr Beczala. High-definition screening at selected theaters, February 7, 2009 at 1 p.m. www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/broadcast/hd_events_next.aspx
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| AVA’s ‘La Fiamma’ (2nd review) |
February 03 2009 |
The Academy of Vocal Arts presented three performances of Respighi’s 1934 opera, La fiamma, that were a treat. Whether this rarely heard opera deserves to be added to the standard repertoire is another question.
La fiamma. Opera by Ottorino Respighi; Christofer Macatsoris, conductor. Academy of Vocal Arts production January 23-24, 2009 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, January 27, 2009 at Centennial Hall, Haverford College. (215) 735.168 or www.avaopera.com.
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| PTC’s ‘Resurrection’ (2nd review) |
February 03 2009 |
Daniel Beaty’s Resurrection contains lovely prose poetry about the pressures and futility of black male life in the ghetto. It speaks of hope, yes, but it’s an almost-miraculous old-fashioned hope— not the real, pragmatic hope symbolized by Barack Obama election.
Resurrection. By Daniel Beaty; directed by Oz Scott. Philadelphia Theatre Co. production through February 22, 2009 at Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 S. Broad St. (at Lombard). (215) 985-0420 or www.philadelphiatheatrecompany.org.
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| ‘My Name is Asher Lev’ at the Arden |
January 27 2009 |
My Name Is Asher Lev is a gratifying play about father-son conflict. In this concentrated form, the play actually turns out to be more intense than the Chaim Potok novel on which it’s based.
My Name Is Asher Lev. By Aaron Posner, from the novel by Chaim Potok. Posner directed. Through March 15, 2009 at Arcadia Stage, Arden Theatre, 40 N. Second St. (215) 922-1122 or www.ardentheatre.org.
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| ‘Compleat Shakespeare’ in Norristown |
January 27 2009 |
A play called The Compleat Works of Wllm Shkspr (Abridged) may sound pedantic or trivial. But neither is the case in this sparkling comedy, which respects the Bard but finds fun within his works.
The Compleat Works of Wllm Shkspr (Abridged). Created by The Reduced Shakespeare Company. Through February 15, 2009 at Theatre Horizon, 208 DeKalb St., Norristown, Pa. (610) 283-2230 or theatrehorizon.org.
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| Walnut’s ‘Streetcar Named Desire’ (3rd review) |
January 24 2009 |
Streetcar remains a magical piece of theater. But it needs a vulnerable heroine with whom we can empathize. Susan Riley Stevens as Blanche was so robust that she had the audience rooting against her.
A Streetcar Named Desire. By Tennessee Williams; directed by Malcolm Black. Through March 1, 2009 at Walnut Street Theatre, 825 Walnut St. (215) 574-3555 or www.walnutstreettheatre.org.
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| Peggy Lee and ‘Fever’ at the Prince |
January 24 2009 |
Fever is a smart pairing of a tribute to the late Peggy Lee and a career retrospective for the 82-year-old jazz pianist/singer Buddy Greco. Other shows trade in nostalgia, but this one possesses a rare authenticity. Not only are all the songs from an earlier era, but so are Greco’s arrangements.
Fever! The Music of Miss Peggy Lee. January 15-18, 2009 at Prince Music Theater, 1412 Chestnut St. (215) 569-9700 or www.fevertribute.com.
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| Foggy media memories |
January 24 2009 |
Considering all the common points between politics and show biz, there’s no excuse when misinformation about music is fed by officials and regurgitated by uncritical media, as happened often during Obama’s inauguration festivities.
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| ‘Damnation of Faust’ at the Met |
December 14 2008 |
Berlioz wrote The Damnation of Faust in 1846 as a concert opera. The Met’s new production is a multi-media extravaganza marked by striking imagery.
The Damnation of Faust. Music by Hector Berlioz; directed by Robert Lepage; James Levine, conductor. November 7-December 4, 2008 at Metropolitan Opera, Lincoln Center, New York. www.metoperafamily.org.
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| ‘It’s a Wonderful Life,’ at the Prince |
December 14 2008 |
It’s a Wonderful Life, an exercise in postwar nostalgia set in a radio station, is a pleasant holiday diversion. It could have been more, even without Jimmy Stewart.
It’s a Wonderful Life. By Joe Landry; directed by Barry McNabb. Through December 21, 2008 at Prince Music Theater, 1412 Chestnut St. (215) 569-9700 or www.princemusictheater.org.
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| ‘Dr. Atomic’ on video |
November 11 2008 |
I have just seen the telecast of the Metropolitan Opera’s Doctor Atomic, which gives the opera a different perspective than what I saw in an earlier live performance at the Met. I now feel greater admiration for the opera’s high spots but also greater annoyance with its shortcomings.
Doctor Atomic. Opera by John Adams; libretto by Peter Sellars. Alan Gilbert, conductor. Metropolitan Opera production through November 13, 2008 at Lincoln Center, New York. Film version shown November 8, 2008. www.metropolitanopera.org.
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| Obama: The guilt-by-association ploy |
November 08 2008 |
Campaign attempts to link Obama to William Ayers, Jeremiah Wright and Zbigniew Brzezinski beg a larger question: So what? Why should we worry if a candidate "pals around with" former terrorists or critics of Israel?
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| James Conlon conducts Philadelphia Orchestra |
November 02 2008 |
James Conlon has long championed the forgotten generation of composers who were silenced by the Nazis, most of them because they were Jewish. His podium manner Friday was colloquial, comprehensive and not at all intimidating. Why isn’t he being considered for the Philadelphia Orchestra’s music director?
Philadelphia Orchestra: Beethoven Schreker, Zemlinsky. James Conlon, conductor; Mary Dunleavy, soprano; Rodrick Dixon, tenor. October 30-31, 2008 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center. (215) 893.1900 or www.philadelphiaorchestra.org.
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| ‘Unusual Acts of Devotion’ at PTC |
November 02 2008 |
Terrence McNally’s newest play about five residents of a Greenwich Village apartment building is often engrossing and moving but fails to meet McNally’s usual high standards. His characters' monologues and dialogues are spoken, too often, in the voice of McNally himself.
Unusual Acts of Devotion. By Terrence McNally; directed by Leonard Foglia. Philadelphia Theatre Co. production through November 23, 2008 at Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 S. Broad St. (at Lombard). 215-985-0420 or www.philadelphiatheatrecompany.org.
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| Metropolitan Opera’s ‘Doctor Atomic’ |
October 25 2008 |
Doctor Atomic, the new opera at the Met, is as accurate a documentary about the invention of the atomic bomb as Oliver Stone’s film JFK is about the Kennedy assassination. Which is to say, it is not, as I can attest from conversations with the scientists themselves.
Doctor Atomic. Opera by John Adams; libretto by Peter Sellars. Alan Gilbert, conductor. Metropolitan Opera production through November 13, 2008 at Lincoln Center, New York. Live version shown November 8, 2008 at AMC Plymouth Meeting Mall, UA King of Prussia Stadium 16, Ritz Center (Voorhees, N.J.) and AMC Neshaminy 24 (Bensalem). www.metropolitanopera.org.
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| Orchestra’s ‘Roméo et Juliette’ |
October 19 2008 |
Charles Dutoit, beginning his tenure as the Philadelphia Orchestra’s chief conductor, says he wants to survey Berlioz’s orchestral and vocal music during the next few years. Roméo et Juliette proved a good place to start.
Roméo et Juliette. By Hector Berlioz. Philadelphia Orchestra, Charles Dutoit, conductor. October 16-21, 2008 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center. (215) 893-1900 or www.philorch.org/performance/5478/2008/10/21.
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| Opera Company’s ‘Fidelio’ (2nd review) |
October 14 2008 |
Beethoven’s Fidelio, like his Ninth Symphony, is a triumphal ode to freedom and love. This production does the piece proud.
Fidelio. By Ludwig van Beethoven; directed by Robert Driver. Opera Company of Philadelphia production through October 24, 2008 at Academy of Music, Broad and Locust Sts. (215) 732-8400 or www.operaphilly.com.
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| Jonathan Larson and ‘Rent’ |
October 05 2008 |
Jonathan Larson’s Rent— a musical based on Puccini’s La Bohème and set in New York’s East Village— has finished its Broadway run but continues to tour. But what of its creator, who died before Rent took off?
Rent continues to tour and will visit Philadelphia’s Academy of Music, February 3 through 8, 2009. (215) 893-1999 or www.kimmelcenter.org.
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| New York Philharmonic at Verizon |
October 05 2008 |
Lorin Maazel’s tenure at the New York Philharmonic may be winding down, but Friday’s all-Tchaikovsky program displayed his expressiveness and emotionalism as well as his cultivation of beautiful sound.
New York Philharmonic: All-Tchaikovsky program. Lorin Maazel, conductor. October 3, 2008 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center. (215) 893-1999 or www.kimmelcenter.org.
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| The vice presidential debate (2nd review) |
October 05 2008 |
Sarah Palin’s debate strategy and her execution of it were quite sophisticated and carefully orchestrated. That “Can I call you Joe?” greeting, for example, was a mater stroke of manipulation.
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| Center City Opera’s ‘ConNEXTions’ (2nd review) |
September 21 2008 |
Center City Opera Theatre performed parts of three new operas at the recent Philadelphia Fringe Festival. It’s an estimable service, but I wonder whether these works stand a chance for future performances.
“ConNEXTions.” The Golden Gate: music by Conrad Cummings. Fade: music by Stefan Weisman, libretto by David Cote. The Hunger Art: music by Jeff Myers, libretto by Royce Vavrek. Center City Opera Theater production through September 14, 2008 at Ethical Society, 1906 S. Rittenhouse Square.
http://www.livearts-fringe.org/2008/details.cfm?id=5345
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| ‘Candide’ at the Arden |
September 21 2008 |
In this latest version of Leonard Bernstein’s 52-year-old musical, Terrence Nolen has surpassed himself, bringing cogency and resonant tone to a very difficult play. It’s the most convincing Candide I’ve ever seen.
Candide. Royal National Theatre version.
Music by Leonard Bernstein;
book adapted from Voltaire by Hugh Wheeler
; new version by John Caird;
directed by Terrence J. Nolen
. Through October 19, 2008 at Arden Theater, 40 N. Second St. (215) 922-1122 or www.ardentheatre.org.
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| ‘Melting Bridge’ by Thaddeus Phillips |
September 16 2008 |
Thaddeus Phillips’s broad worldview is again on display in The Melting Bridge. But this play lacks his feel for American life that was such a strong presence in last year’s Flamingo/Winnebago.
The Melting Bridge. By Thaddeus Phillips. World premiere by Lucidity Suitcase Intercontinental, September 10-13, 2008 at Plays & Players, 1710 Delancey Pl. www.pafringe.com/details.
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| EgoPo’s ‘Woyzeck’ |
September 13 2008 |
Georg Büchner’s Woyzeck is a forerunner of the Expressionist movement that stressed emotion above exposition. EgoPo’s intensely sexual and violent production goes far beyond mere historical re-examination and leaves a lasting, disturbing impression.
Woyzeck. Drama by Georg Büchner; translated by Nicholas Rudall; directed by Brenna Geffers. Presented by EgoPo through September 26, 2008 at German Society of Pennsylvania, 611 Spring Garden St. (
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| Sarah Palin as the new Nixon |
September 09 2008 |
So far, Sarah Palin's vice presidential candidacy reminds me of Richard Nixon's in 1952. And she could be even more electorally potent.
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| Fringe Festival: ‘Widow’s Blind Date’ (2nd r |
September 09 2008 |
Two working-class Boston buddies are contacted by an old female schoolmate who married well. What does she want with these lugs? Her agenda is obvious, and so are the mechanics of Israel Horovitz’s play.
The Widow’s Blind Date. By Israel Horovitz; produced by Green Light Productions. Through Sept. 13 at Walnut Street Theatre Independence Studio on 3, 825 Walnut St. (215) 413-1318 or Nichole Canuso’s ‘Wandering Alice’ |
September 02 2008 |
Normally, I dislike performances that ask the audience to join in. With Wandering Alice, we never feel manipulated or imposed-upon. Rather, we feel liberated.
Wandering Alice. Written, directed and choreographed by Nichole Canuso with Suli Holum. Nichole Canuso Dance Company presentation through September 13, 2008 at Christ Church Neighborhood House, 20 N. American St. (215) 413-1318 or www.livearts-fringe.org
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| Fringe’s New Deal walking tour |
September 02 2008 |
The Fringe Festival claims to be about openness to new ideas that erase the artificial lines that separate art, theater, dance and community. I took a chance and was rewarded with an enlightening tour of Depression-era Queen Village and Bella Vista.
ActivisTour. Through September 9, 2008, conducted by Design For Social Impact, 525 S. Fourth St. (215) 413-1318 or www.livearts-fringe
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| Theatre Horizon’s ‘Working’ |
August 31 2008 |
Working is a problematic musical that lacks the power of the original Studs Terkel book. Theatre Horizon has updated it with material from Philadelphia's current-day suburbs, which helps, but not enough.
Working. Music by Stephen Schwartz; directed by Matthew Decker; based on the book by Studs Terkel. Theatre Horizon production July 2-27, 2008 at Upper Merion Middle School Auditorium, King of Prussia. (610) 283-2230 or ‘Spamalot’ at Academy of Music |
August 31 2008 |
Spamalot is an unabashed rip-off of the Monty Python film. And this touring show seems more routine than the road show Philadelphians saw in this same house last season.
Monty Python’s Spamalot. Book by Eric Idle; directed by Mike Nichols. Through August 31, 2008 at Academy of Music. (215) 731-3333 or www.kimmelcenter.org/broadway.
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| ‘Parenting 101’ at Kimmel’s Innovation Studi |
August 31 2008 |
I have nothing against silly humor, but the musical Parenting 101 is not up to the standard of say, Urinetown.
Parenting 101. Conceived by Nancy Holson and Susan Holson; directed and choreographed by Jay Falzone. Through November 30, 2008 at Innovation Studio at the Kimmel Center. (215) 731-3333 or www.kimmelcenter.org/broadway.
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| InterAct’s ‘House Divided’ (3rd review) |
June 10 2008 |
House Divided is a well-crafted play about a Jewish-American family that has broken apart over religion, politics and the Jewish state. This is a rich area for exploration. I just wish it flowed more naturally.
House Divided. By Larry Loebell; directed by Seth Rozin. InterAct Theatre Company production through June 22, 2008 at the Adrienne, mainstage, 2030 Sansom St. (215) 568-8079 or www.InterActTheatre.org
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| PTC’s ‘The Happiness lecture’ (2nd review) |
June 10 2008 |
Bill Irwin’s The Happiness Lecture is an exhilarating experience— simultaneously a showcase for the comic actor’s extraordinary craft and a celebration of clowning with some excellent Philadelphia talent.
The Happiness Lecture. Conceived and performed by Bill Irwin; world premiere by Philadelphia Theater Company Through June 22, 2008 at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 230 S. Broad St. (215) 895-0420 or ‘Les Miserables’ at the Walnut (2nd review) |
June 03 2008 |
This Walnut production takes Les Miz seriously. Director Mark Clements relishes its emotional scenes, and his actors dig into them with commitment.
Les Miserables. Music by Claude-Michel Schönberg; book by Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel; lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer; directed by Mark Clements; based on Victor Hugo’s novel. Through August 3, 2008 at Walnut Street Theatre, 825 Walnut St., (215) 574-3550 or
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| ‘Our Town’ at the Arden (4th review) |
May 31 2008 |
Our Town in Old City – the title used in the Arden Theatre’s advertising– is a celebration of community. It’s also a memorable theatrical experience, even more for its presentation than for the script itself.
Our Town. By Thornton Wilder; directed by Terrence J. Nolen. Through June 22, 2008 at the Arden Theatre, 40 N. Second Street. (215) 922-1122 or ardentheatre.org.
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| ‘Pericles’ and ‘Romeo and Juliet’ (2nd rev |
May 10 2008 |
By unearthing the neglected Pericles, the Philadelphia Shakespeare Festival has scored two notable achievements. The much more familiar Romeo and Juliet features an appealing pair of impetuous and excitable lovers.
Pericles and Romeo and Juliet. By William Shakespeare; directed by Carmen Khan. In repertory through May 18, 2008, at Philadelphia Shakespeare Festival, 2111 Sansom St. (215) 496-8001 or ‘Eurydice’ at the Wilma (1st review) |
May 10 2008 |
In a spectacular production, the inventive playwright Sarah Ruhl transports her mythical characters across the River Styx into the land of the dead. She’s a dazzling sleight-of-hand magician, but her wacky suspensions of logic take some getting used to.
Eurydice. By Sarah Ruhl; directed by Blanka Zizka. Through June 1, 2008 at Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St. (at Spruce). 215.546.7824 or www.wilmatheater.org.
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| Orchestra’s ‘Symphony of a Thousand’ (1st review) |
May 03 2008 |
It’s time for someone to point out that the emperor has no clothes. Mahler’s massive and much-hyped Symphony of a Thousand is no masterpiece. There's a difference between magnitude and beauty.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Mahler, Symphony of a Thousand (Eighth Symphony in E-Flat major). May 1-3, 2008 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center. (215) 893-1900 or www.philorch.org.
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| Theatre Exile’s ‘Bug’ |
May 03 2008 |
Grace Gonglewski— as an agitated victim, for a change—and Matt Saunders are spectacular in this effective rendition of a play meant to scare the pants off us.
Bug. By Tracy Letts; directed by Matt Pfeiffer. Theatre Exile production through May 18, 2008 at Christ Church Neighborhood House, 20 N. American St. (near Second and Market). (215) 922-4462 or www.theatreexile.org.
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| Opera Company’s ‘Norma’ (1st review) |
April 05 2008 |
It’s been a long time since any singer so dominated the stage at the Academy of Music. Even at this early stage in her development of the role of Norma, Christine Goerke compares favorably with the all-time greats.
Norma. Opera by Vincenzo Bellini. Opera Co. of Philadelphia production conducted by Corrado Rovaris, directed by Kay Walker Castaldo. Through April 18, 2008 at Academy of Music, Broad and Locust Sts. (215) 732-8400 or PTC’s ‘Third’ (2nd review) |
March 29 2008 |
Facing death at 55, Wendy Wasserstein reconsidered some of her old certainties. Third, her last play, isn’t her best memorial. But it does contain its share of provocative and original creations.
Third. By Wendy Wasserstein; directed by Mary B. Robinson. Philadelphia Theatre Co. production through April 20, 2008 at Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 S. Broad (at Lombard). (215) 985-0420 or Angela Meade’s Met debut |
March 25 2008 |
It is 18 minutes after eight on Friday, March 21, and an audience of 3,500 sits in the Met awaiting one of the most difficult of all soprano arias. About to sing it is Angela Meade, a substitute artist making her Met debut with one day’s notice.
Ernani. Opera by Giuseppe Verdi. Roberto Abbado, conuctor. March 21, 26, 29 at Metropolitan Opera, Lincoln Center, New York. (212) 362-6000 or www.metoperafamily.o
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| AVA’s ‘Kát'a Kabanová’ |
March 17 2008 |
The AVA’s production of Leos Janacek’s Kát'a Kabanová was a significant achievement, especially when you consider the obstacles.
Kát'a Kabanová. Opera by Leos Janacek; directed by Blanka Zizka. Academy of Vocal Arts
production Feb. 22-March 1, 2008 at Helen Corning Warden Theater, 1920 Spruce St. (215) 735-1685 or www.avaopera.com.
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| Curtis Opera’s 'Ainadamar' |
March 15 2008 |
Ainadamar, "the fountain of tears," is a beautiful piece of music. But you must come equipped with some prior knowledge of the life and times of the poet Federico Garcia Lorca and the Spanish Civil War.
Ainadamar. Opera by Osvaldo Golijov; libretto (in Spanish) by David Henry Hwang; directed by Chas Rader-Shieber; Corrado Rovaris, conductor. Curtis Opera Theatre production March 14-16, 2008 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center. (215) 893-1999 or
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| Curtis Opera’s 'Ainadamar' |
March 15 2008 |
Ainadamar, "the fountain of tears," is a beautiful piece of music. But you must come equipped with some prior knowledge of the life and times of the poet Federico Garcia Lorca and the Spanish Civil War.
Ainadamar. Opera by Osvaldo Golijov; libretto by David Henry Hwang; directed by Chas Rader-Shieber; Corrado Rovaris, conductor. Curtis Opera Theatre production March 14-16, 2008 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center. (215) 893-1999 or EgoPo’s ‘Something Cloudy’ (2nd review) |
March 04 2008 |
Something Cloudy, Something Clear is a dream-like memory play that was experimental for its time. Critics savaged it in 1981 and again during this revival. But pay attention. Williams still has something to tell us.
Something Cloudy, Something Clear. By Tennessee Williams; directed by Brenna Geffers. EgoPo production through March 22, 2008 at the Adrienne, 2030 Sansom St. (215) 552-8773 or Opera Company’s ‘Cyrano’ (3rd review) |
February 16 2008 |
David DiChiera’s Cyrano is a charming opera, with music that’s pleasantly melodic but not immediately memorable. Don’t expect a masterpiece and you’ll have a good time.
Cyrano. Opera by David DiChiera (music) and Bernard Uzan (libretto). Opera Company of Philadelphia production through February 17, 2008 at Academy of Music, Broad and Locust Sts. (215) 732-8400 or www.operaphilly.com.
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| InterAct Theatre’s ‘Black Gold’ |
February 16 2008 |
Seth Rozin’s political satire about a black Detroit homeowner who strikes oil in his back yard is less polemical and more playful than, say, the work of Bertolt Brecht. Rozin uses comedy to make serious points.
Black Gold. Written and directed by Seth Rozin. InterAct Theatre Company production through February 24, 2008 at Adrienne Theatre, 2030 Sansom St. (215) 568-8079 or www.interacttheatre.org.
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| ‘Whistle Down the Wind’ at Merriam |
February 09 2008 |
There may be some merit in the idea of an escaped convict who is mistaken for Jesus Christ by a grief-stricken teenager who has just lost her mother. But not enough to carry a two-act musical.
Whistle Down the Wind. Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber; book by Patricia Knop, Gale Edwards and Webber; lyrics by Jim Steinman. Through February 10, 2008 at Merriam Theatre, 250 S. Broad above Spruce St. (215) 336-1234 or www.thewhist
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| ‘Avenue Q’ at the Forrest |
February 05 2008 |
Avenue Q may be the most over-hyped show on Broadway and on the touring circuit. And if you never spent much time watching "Sesame Street," you’ll miss the point of many of the songs.
Avenue Q. Music and lyrics by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx; book by Jeff Witty. Through February 10, 2008 at the Forrest Theatre, 1114 Walnut St. (800) 432-7250 or www.forrest-theatre.com.
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| ‘Wittenberg’ at the Arden (3rd review) |
February 03 2008 |
In Wittenberg, playwright David Davalos serves up heaping portions of wit and cleverness but misses the chance to offer a serious drama about opposing forces.
Wittenberg. By David Davalos; directed by J. R. Sullivan. Through March 16, 2008 at Arden Theatre, 40 N. Second St. (212) 922-1122 or www.ardentheatre.org.
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| Higdon, Bernstein and the Orchestra (2nd review) |
January 22 2008 |
What was Jennifer Higdon thinking when she wrote The Singing Rooms? For that matter, what was Leonard Bernstein thinking when he wrote Jeremiah?
Philadelphia Orchestra: Bernstein Jeremiah Symphony, Schumann Second Symphony, Higdon The Singing Rooms. Christoph Eschenbach, conductor. January 17-19, 2008 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215.) 893-1900 or www.philorch.org.
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| ‘Rain: The Beatles Experience’ (2nd review) |
January 19 2008 |
The late lamented Beatles were introspective (or stoned) and fearful of crowds. These Beatles imitators are extroverted and determined to please the audience, which they certainly do. But what we have here is the louder sound that the public has become accustomed to since the Beatles disbanded.
Rain: The Beatles Experience. Through January 20, 2008 at the Academy of Music, Broad and Locust Sts. (215) 893-1999 or www.kimmelcenter.org.
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| ‘The Fantasticks’ at the Kimmel |
January 15 2008 |
There must be a reason why The Fantasticks set records as the longest-running Broadway or Off-Broadway show of all time. Director Tony Braithwaite and his cast of relative newcomers try hard, but the material lets them down.
The Fantasticks. Music by Harvey Schmidt; book and lyrics by Tom Jones; directed by Tony Braithwaite. Through February 24, 2008 at the Innovation Studio at the Kimmel Center. (215) 731-3333 or Back to the '40s in Norristown (1st review) |
December 18 2007 |
In a nightclub on December 31, 1943, an emcee gathers musicians and singers for one last show before they head off to war. This is a re-creation of what a live show was like on a New Year’s Eve in wartime, with a terrific cast and spectacular tap dancing and jitterbugging.
Holiday Show at the Swing Club. Directed by Matt Decker. Through December 31, 2007 at the Centre Theatre, 208 DeKalb St., Norristown, Pa. (610) 283-2230 or Wilma’s ‘Age of Arousal’ (1st review) |
December 15 2007 |
Like Tom Stoppard, playwright Linda Griffiths tells her story through the highly verbal interaction of individuals whose lives intersect the great issues of their time. The subject of Age of Arousal is sexuality, to be sure. Blanka Zizka’s staging and an excellent cast transcend what’s called for in the script.
Age of Arousal. By Linda Griffiths; directed by Blanka Zizka. Through January 6, 2008 at Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St. (215) 546-7824 or
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| EgoPo's 'Vieux Carré' |
December 08 2007 |
In his revival of Tennessee Williams’s forgotten sequel to The Glass Menagerie, director Lane Savadove stresses physicality and intense emotion. That’s what makes this 30-year-old play jump out at us.
Vieux Carré. Drama by Tennessee Williams; directed by Lane Savadove; musical director Daniel T. Peterson. EgoPo production through December 22, 2007 at Christ Church Neighborhood House, 20 N. American St. (215) 552-8773 or Frank Guarrera remembered |
December 01 2007 |
Frank Guarrera, the baritone who died November 23 at the age of 83, spent 29 years with the Met. But he remained a loyal South Philadelphian.
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| ‘Drowsy Chaperone’ at Academy |
December 01 2007 |
The Drowsy Chaperone is more than just another Broadway Roaring ‘20s song-and-dance show. It’s original and clever in its own right.
The Drowsy Chaperone. Music and lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison; directed and choreographed by Casey Nicholaw. November 27-December 2, 2007 at Academy of Music, Broad and Locust Sts. groups.telecharge.com.
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| AVA’s ‘Cosi fan tutte’ |
December 01 2007 |
Singing Fiordiligi in the new AVA production of Cosi fan tutte, Angela Meade exhibits plenty of spunk and much more. Hers is a great interpretation of Mozart’s most challenging role. And here an implausible story makes sense for the first time.
Cosi fan tutte
. Opera by W.A. Mozart. Christofer Macatsoris, conductor; Damon Nestor Ploumis, director. Academy of Vocal Arts production through December 1, 2007 at three venues. (215) 735-1685 or
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| Orchestra’s 'Das Paradies und die Peri' (2nd rev |
December 01 2007 |
The much-heralded Philadelphia premiere of Robert Schumann’s oratorio Paradise and the Peri is more than a curiosity but less than a masterpiece. It’s corny, but at least it’s tasty corn, with a stronger vocal cast than the Philadelphia Orchestra usually provides.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Schumann, Das Paradies und die Peri. Simon Rattle, conductor; Heidi Grant Murphy, soprano; Christine Brandes, soprano, Bernarda Fink, mezzo-soprano; Mark Padmore,
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| Jewish basketball nostalgia |
November 17 2007 |
There was a time when short, angry Jewish players dominated basketball. They came from South Philadelphia, and they were determined to make anti-Semites respect them.
The First Basket. Film by David Vyorst. November 19, 2007 at Gershman YMHA, 401 S. Broad St. (215) 446-3033 or www.pjff.org. Also available on video.
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| ‘Being Alive’ at PTC (1st review) |
November 03 2007 |
Billy Porter has created a serious amalgam of Shakespearean text, Sondheim songs and soul ambience, chronicling a man’s journey from birth to death. It is a major theatrical achievement, although not without some flaws.
Being Alive. Musical conceived and directed by Billy Porter; music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Philadelphia Theatre Co. production through December 2, 2007 at Suzanne Roberts Theatre, Broad and Lombard Sts. (215) 985-1400 or ‘An Empty Plate’ at the Arden (2nd review) |
October 22 2007 |
This feast of a script deserves a more cohesive production than it receives from the Arden. Such a colorful smorgasbord requires a quiet, unifying presentation.
An Empty Plate in the Café du Grand Boeuf. By Michael Hollinger; directed by Whit MacLaughlin. Through December 9, 2007 at Arden Theater, 40 N. Second St. (212) 922-1122 or www.ardentheatre.org.
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| ‘A Night in the Old Marketplace’ at the Prince |
October 22 2007 |
This Russian-Jewish klezmer musical is an endeavor that I’d love to love. Preserving the literature of an earlier age is a worthy project; so is teaching cultural history to a new generation. But the finished product and muddled plot frustrated me.
A Night in the Old Marketplace. Book & lyrics by Glen Berger, based on I.L. Peretz's 1906 Yiddish drama Bay Nakht Oyfn Altn Mark; music by Frank London. Conceived and directed by Alexandra Aron. Sept. 28-Oct. 21
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| Opera Company’s ‘Rigoletto’ (2nd review) |
October 16 2007 |
The Metropolitan Opera tenor Matthew Polenzani is the biggest name the Opera Company of Philadelphia has cast recently. But his interpretation of the Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto is totally wrong for the character.
Rigoletto. Music by Giuseppe Verdi; directed by Robert Driver. Opera Company of Philadelphia through Oct. 17, 2007 at Academy of Music, Broad and Locust Sts. (215) 732-8400 or www.operaphilly.com
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| ‘Countess Maritza’ by Concert Operetta Theater |
October 13 2007 |
An unknown tenor and a forgotten operetta combined for a performance that knocked me out. Keep your eyes open for Cody Austin in the future.
Countess Maritza, Operetta in three acts by Emmerich Kálmán.
Original book and lyrics by Julius Brammer and Alfred Grünwald;
English version by Nigel Douglas. James Batt, music director and piano. Concert Operetta Theater production October 6 -7, 2007 at Helen Warden Theater, 1920 Spruce St. (215) 389-0
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| ‘Countess Maritza’ by Concert Operetta Theater |
October 13 2007 |
An unknown tenor and a forgotten operetta combined for a performance that knocked me out. Keep your eyes open for Cody Austin in the future.
Countess Maritza, Operetta in three acts by Emmerich Kálmán.
Original book and lyrics by Julius Brammer and Alfred Grünwald;
English version by Nigel Douglas. James Batt, music director and piano. Concert Operetta Theater production October 6 -7, 2007 at Helen Warden Theater, 1920 Spruce St. (215) 389-0
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| Barrymore Awards problems |
October 06 2007 |
The annual Barrymore Awards program is the Philadelphia theater community’s showcase to the world. So why was it held in a dining room where the drinkers at the bar drowned out the presenters on stage?
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| Barrymore Awards problems |
October 06 2007 |
The annual Barrymore Awards program is the Philadelphia theater community’s to the world. So why was it held in a dining room where the drinkers at the bar drowned out the presenters on stage?
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| Pig Iron’s ‘Isabella’ (2nd review) |
September 29 2007 |
Pig Iron Theatre’s Isabella is a gripping theatrical event, one of the most exciting plays of the past few years. Most critics have missed its ingenious faithfulness to Measure For Measure. Shakespeare’s dark comedy was set in Vienna; Isabella is set in a morgue; but ultimately their subjects— lust, death and the abuse of authority— are the same.
Isabella. Pig Iron Theatre Company production through September 15, 2007 at Ic
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| ‘Wandering Alice’ at Fringe Festival. |
September 25 2007 |
This fantasy trip with dance and music, based on Alice in Wonderland, received a single tryout performance at the 2007 Fringe Festival. It’s imaginative, superbly executed and blissfully illogical.
Wandering Alice. Choreographer and director: Nichole Canuso. Writer/Co-Director: Suli Holum. Sound Design/Music Composition: James Sugg and Mike Kiley. Nichole Canuso Dance Company production, Septem
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| ‘Flamingo/Winnebago’ at Fringe Festival |
September 25 2007 |
A gas station owner and a hitchhiker head for Las Vegas in a quest to discover America. It’s an ambitious creation by playwright/director Thaddeus Phillips, but the drama doesn’t really start until they reach their destination. Judicious pruning would help this otherwise compelling production.
Flamingo/Winnebago. Written and directed by Thaddeus Phillips. Lucidity Suitcase production August 30-September 8, 2007 at The Painted Bride, 230 Vine St., Philadelphia, a
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| ‘Assassins’ at the Arden |
September 21 2007 |
Sondheim’s musical about presidential assassins is a tough sell to theater audiences. But Terrence Nolen’s production at the Arden achieves the near impossible: a good balance between spookiness, humor and a serious look at the American Dream.
Assassins. Music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim; book by John Weidman. Directed by Terrence J. Nolen; music directed by Eric Ebbenga. Through October 21, 2007 at Arden Theatre, 40 N. Second St. (215) 922-1122 or Fringe Festival 2007 |
September 21 2007 |
A year ago I wrote a negative critique of the Philly Fringe Festival. I do not take back a word of that article. But this year, unlike last, some of the 1,500 participating artists were talented and serious professionals investing enough effort in their work to succeed in the marketplace.
Live/Arts/Philadelphia Fringe Festival. Sept. 1-18, 2007.
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| 'Wicked’ at the Academy of Music |
August 07 2007 |
Visually, this Wicked far outclasses what one normally sees outside of Manhattan. For a road production, it displays a rare look of luxury and permanence, and the lead roles are sung and played by two excellent performers, Victoria Matlock and Christina DeCicco, who even surpass the original cast in some ways.
Wicked. Words and music by Stephen Schwartz; book by Winnie Holzman. Through September 9, 2007 at Academy of Music, Broad and Locust Sts. (215) 893-1999 or
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| Gay Theatre Festival’s ‘Heart and Music’ |
June 30 2007 |
The composer lyricist William Finn has broken fresh ground on both gay and Jewish themes. Why, then, has he been embraced by gay audiences but not by Jewish theatergoers?
Heart and Music. Philadelphia Gay and Lesbian Theatre Festival production through June 29, 2007 at the Arden Theater, 40 N. Second St. 215-922-1122 or www.philagaylesbiantheatrefest.org.
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| InterAct’s ‘Skin in Flames’ (2nd review) |
June 26 2007 |
Which is worse: Graphic nudity and sex acts on stage, or squeamishness about graphic nudity and sex acts on stage? InterAct’s Skin in Flames tried to have it both ways.
Skin in Flames. By Guillem Clua; directed Seth Rozin. Through June 24, 2007 at InterAct Theatre, 2030 Sansom St. (215) 568-8079 or www.interactheatre.org.
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| ‘Camelot’ at the Merriam |
June 20 2007 |
The new touring production of Camelot is a half-hour shorter than the original and offers a revised book by Alan Jay Lerner’s son. It also boasts some fine performances, including one by an understudy. Whether it’s an improvement on the original— or whether the original was that good to begin with— is another question.
Camelot. Music by Frederick Loewe; libretto by Alan Jay Lerner. Touring production closed June 10, 2007 at the Merriam Theatr
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| ‘Jamaica’ revived at the Prince |
July 03 2008 |
The 1957 Harold Arlen-Yip Harburg musical Jamaica was a potentially rich broth spoiled by two many meddlesome cooks. The Prince Music Theatre has nobly attempted to capture the creators’ original vision. But maybe Jamaica was fatally flawed to begin with.
Jamaica. Music by Harold Arlen; lyrics by Yip Harburg. Through June 22, 2008 at Prince Music Theater, 1412 Chestnut St. (215) 569-9700 or Center City Opera’s ‘Dorian Gray’ (1st review) |
June 11 2007 |
Lowell Liebermann’s opera based on Oscar Wilde’s story gets much needed traction in this chamber orchestra version. Liebermann’s music is audience-friendly; his instrumentation is modern but the tonality is conservative, which is a logical choice for a story set in Victorian times.
The Picture of Dorian Gray. Opera by Lowell Liebermann; directed by Leland Kimball. Presented through June 12, 2007 by Center City Opera Theater at the Perelman Theater, Kimmel
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| ‘Hair’ at the Prince |
June 06 2007 |
It’s hard to recapture the anti-war feelings of the 1960s, but the Prince Music Theater’s 40th enthusiastic anniversary revival of Hair helps show today’s younger generation what the fuss was all about.
Hair. Book and lyrics by Gerome Ragni and James Rado;
music by Galt MacDermot; directed by Tom O’Horgan. Through June 17, 2007 at Prince Music Theater, 1412 Chestnut St. (215) 569-9700 or
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| ‘The Four of Us’ by 1812 Productions |
June 05 2007 |
This two-character comedy about how jealousy can poison an imperfect friendship is leaner than previous works by Tamar Moses but often dazzling nevertheless.
The Four of Us. By Itamar Moses; directed by Pete Pryor. Presented by 1812 Productions through June 17, 2007 at St. Stephen’s Theatre, Tenth and Ludlow Sts. (215) 592-9560 or www.1812productions.org.
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| ‘Carousel’ at Walnut (1st review) |
May 26 2007 |
The Walnut Street Theatre’s new production of the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic is an excellent one, with even more solid casting and conducting than the last two presentations I saw in New York.
Carousel. Music by Richard Rodgers; book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. Directed by Bruce Lumpkin; musical direction by Douglass Lutz. Through July 15, 2007 at Walnut Street Theatre, 825 Walnut St. (215) 574-3550 or www.
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| ‘Doubt’ at the Merriam |
May 19 2007 |
The great Cherry Jones is at the top of her game. But she overwhelms the rest of the cast, and John Patrick Shanley’s contrived, manipulative drama of priests and nuns in 1964 deceptively equates the questioning of orthodoxy with child abuse.
Doubt. By John Patrick Shanley. National touring production through May 20, 2007 at the Merriam Theatre, 250 S. Broad St. (215) 732-5446 or merriamtheater.org.
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| AVA's 'Manon' |
May 15 2007 |
Massenet’s Manon is a tough assignment and consequently rarely performed. But the good work on stage and in the pit changed my negative feelings about this opera.
Manon. Opera by Jules Massenet; Christofer Macatsoris conducting. Academy of Vocal Arts production April 27-May 12, 2007, at three locations. (215) 735-1685 or www.avaopera.com.
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| ‘Orson’s Shadow’ at PTC (third review) |
May 12 2007 |
As entertainment, Orson’s Shadow provides a fun evening for people with an interest in theater history and backstage gossip. But as drama, it falls short.
Orson’s Shadow. By Austin Pendleton; James J. Christy directed. Philadelphia Theatre Co. production through June 3, 2007 at Plays & Players, 1714 Delancey Street. (215) 985-0420 or www.phillytheatreco.com.
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| Opera Company’s ‘Falstaff’ |
May 05 2007 |
The least outstanding performance in this otherwise enjoyable production is that by the title character. Roberto de Candia's high, lean baritone and weak portrayal notwithstanding, Verdi’s opera is a masterpiece and this production a joy.
Falstaff. By Giuseppe Verdi. Robert Driver, director; Corrado Rovaris, conductor. Opera Company of Philadelphia production through May 13, 2007 at Academy of Music, Broad and Locust Sts. (215) 893-3600 or ‘Caroline, or Change’ at the Arden (second review) |
March 31 2007 |
Tony Kushner’s Caroline, or Change may well be an even finer achievement than his Angels in America. Angels dazzled with its panoramic sweep; Caroline impresses with its intimacy and understatement, its balanced presentation of differing sides in a social revolution, and its depiction of everyday life in a single small household.
Caroline, or Change. Book and Lyrics by Tony Kushner; music by Jeanine Tesori; directed by Terrence
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| ‘Spamalot’ at Academy of Music |
March 23 2007 |
Without grounding in Monty Python humor, Eric Idle’s musical isn’t funny. But gradually, it wins over the skeptics.
Spamalot. Through April 8, 2007 at Academy of Music, Broad and Locust St. 215-893-1999 or www.kimmelcenter.org.
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| AVA’s ’Vanessa’ |
March 18 2007 |
As a great American opera, Vanessa deserves to be overshadowed by Porgy and Bess. But AVA’s production offered outstanding voices, direction and piano accompaniment.
Vanessa. By Samuel Barber and Gian Carlo Menotti. Presented February 23-27, 2007 by Academy of Vocal Arts at Helen Corning Warden Theater, 1920 Spruce St. (215) 735-1685 or www.avaopera.com.
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| EgoPo’s 'Spring Awakening' (first review) |
March 18 2007 |
Frank Wedekind’s raw drama about adolescence was too hot to handle a century ago and is rarely performed today. Now it’s receiving not one but two revivals.
Spring Awakening. By Frank Wedekind; directed by Lane Savadove. Presented by EgoPo Productions through March 25, 2007 at Mainstage at the Adrienne, 2030 Sansom St. (215) 552-8773 or www.egopo.org.
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| OCP’s ‘Porgy and Bess’ (second review) |
February 24 2007 |
I was excited to attend an uncut production of Porgy and Bess, until I attended it. George Gershwin himself would have cut this version— and in fact he attempted to do so before his untimely death.
Porgy and Bess. Music by George Gershwin; libretto by DuBose Heyward and Ira Gershwin; directed by Walter Dallas. Presented by Opera Company of Philadelphia through February 24, 2007 at Academy of Music, Broad & Locust Sts. (215) 893-3600 or Orchestra chooses Dutoit |
February 24 2007 |
Charles Dutoit, the Philadelphia Orchestra’s choice as interim leader, may have antagonized his musicians and impulsively quit two conducting posts. But as I learned in the course of tangling with him, he’s also a dependable professional who’s capable of eliciting great performances. In short: The right man for an interim job.
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| Orchestra chooses Dutoit |
February 24 2007 |
Charles Dutoit, the Philadelphia Orchestra’s choice as interim leader, may have antagonized his musicians and impulsively quit two conducting posts. But as I learned in the course of tangling with him, he’s also a dependable professional who’s capable of eliciting great performances. In short: The right man for an interim job.
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| ‘Stormy Weather’ at the Prince |
February 24 2007 |
Lena Horne’s saga is much more than a rags-to-riches success story. Add to this a hit parade of songs associated with Horne’s career and you have an evening that’s pleasurable and satisfying, except for the frustration of seeing Leslie Uggams on stage with few songs to sing.
Stormy Weather: Imagining Lena Horne. By Sharleen Cohen Cooper; directed by Michael Bush. Through March 4, 2007 at Prince Music Theater, 1412 Chestnut St., (215) 569-9700 or
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| ‘Nerds’ at PTC (second review) |
February 17 2007 |
By sticking close to the truth, the playwrights have fashioned a bright satire about the rise of Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. The musical is full of snappy dialogue and only runs out of gas near the end.
Nerds: A Musical Software Satire. Book and lyrics by Jordan Allen-Dutton; music by Hal Goldberg. Directed by Philip William McKinley; choreographed by Joey McKneely. Philadelphia Theatre Co. production through February 25, 2007 at Plays & Players, 1714 Delancey St.
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| Jurowski conducts the Orchestra |
February 17 2007 |
Vladimir Jurowski emerged as an attractive candidate to succeed Christoph Eschenbach as the Philadelphia Orchestra's music director. We don’t know enough yet about his range. Still, everything I’ve heard from Jurowski sounds assured and attractive.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Vladimir Jurowski conducting Rachmaninoff, Bruch and Stravinsky. David Kim, violin solo. February 2-9, 2007 at Verizon Hall, Broad and Spruce Sts. 215. 893.1900 or 'Pippin' at the Forrest (2nd review) |
January 16 2007 |
Pippin is ferociously anti-war and condemns the leaders who invoke God as they send young men off to die. It’s as timely today as it was during the Vietnam-war era when it was written. I’d like to see a production that’s more realistic, but director Gabriel Barre emphasizes the circus and the surreal.
Pippin. Words and music by Stephen Schwartz; directed by Gabriel Barre; choreography by Mark Dendy. Presented by Broadway at the Academy through Jan
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| Chita Rivera at the Merriam |
January 12 2007 |
The singer-dancer Chita Rivera is one of the great figures of musical theater. But at 73, the star of West Side Story and Chicago demonstrates little of the fire that made her famous.
Chita Rivera: A Dancer’s Life. By Terrence McNally. Through January 14, 2007, at Merriam Theater, 260 S. Broad St. (at Spruce). (215) 732-5997 or www.merriamtheater.org.
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| Prince Theater’s ‘Annie Get Your Gun’ |
December 23 2006 |
As a theater historian, I’m glad to see Irving Berlin’s original 1946 show virtually uncut, political correctness be damned. But for most attendees, some trimming would be welcome. Andrea McArdle and Jeff Coon are effective with the comic scenes but could put more tenderness into their ballads.
Annie Get Your Gun. Music and lyrics by Irving Berlin; directed by Richard Parison Jr. Through Dec. 31, 2006 at Prince Music Theater, 1412 Chestnut St. 215-569-9700 or
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| OCP's 'Cinderella' (2nd review) |
December 02 2006 |
Close your eyes and you’ll love the sound of this production. Open your eyes and you may not. Mostly, I liked it. The cast is one of the most even, most competent the OCP has presented in recent years.
La Cenerentola (Cinderella). Opera by Gioacchino Rossini. Directed by Davide Livermore; conductor Corrado Rovaris. Opera Company of Philadelphia production through November 19, 2006, at Academy of Music, Broad and Locust Sts. 215-893-3600 or OCP's 'Cinderella' (2nd review) |
December 02 2006 |
Close your eyes and you’ll love the sound of this production. Open your eyes and you may not. Mostly, I liked it. The cast is one of the most even, most competent the OCP has presented in recent years.
La Cenerentola (Cinderella). Opera by Gioacchino Rossini. Directed by Davide Livermore; conductor Corrado Rovaris. Opera Company of Philadelphia production through November 19, 2006, at Academy of Music, Broad and Locust Sts. 215-893-3600 or AVA’s ‘Barber of Seville’ |
December 02 2006 |
Some fine voices revive the ancient craft of vibrato. But does The Barber of Seville need a complicated exposition through unorthodox staging? Or does that clutter matters unnecessarily?
Il Barbieri di Seviglia (The Barber of Seville). Opera by Gioacchino Rossini; directed by Kay Walker Castaldo. Academy of Vocal Arts production through December 2, 2006 at Centennial Hall (Haverford College) and Commerce Bank Arts Centre. 215 735-1685 or Barrymore Awards: A bush-league show |
October 26 2006 |
The Barrymore Awards ostensibly honor the best of Philadelphia theater. But this year's Barrymore ceremony was an embarrassment. Countless spokesmen spent three and a half hours telling us that the Philly theater community is great. Won't they please shut up and show us what’s great?
Barrymore Awards. October 23, 2006 at the Merriam Theatre, Broad above Spruce St.
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| Eschenbach bows out |
October 23 2006 |
Christoph Eschenbach’s departure from the Philadelphia Orchestra, just five years after he arrived, reflects a planning deficiency reminiscent of the war in Iraq. It leaves the Orchestra’s board with the sort of succession headache it hasn’t suffered since 1912. The good news is: That crisis turned out very well indeed.
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| How to fix the Fringe Festival |
September 28 2006 |
The Philadelphia Fringe Festival is growing, but many intelligent theater-lovers are puzzled and even intimidated by it— which is funny, when you consider that the festival was originally aimed at people who are intimidated by established theater.
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| Who can save Freedom Theatre? |
February 01 2006 |
| It's one of America's most illustrious African-American theater troupes. It's also a leading example of a creative arts organization that can't get its financial act together.
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More articles by Steve Antinoff, newest first
| ‘Milk Traces' by Shinichi Iova-Koga |
March 03 2009 |
Shinichi Iova-Koga's Milk Traces reflects the atmosphere of the East. Yet it also reflects hints of Genesis, Kafka, Hegel and Martin Buber— specifically, the human obsession since Adam and Eve with concealing our nakedness and/or our lack of perfection.
Milk Traces. Performed by Ink Boat; choreography by Shinichi Momo Iova-Koga. Performed February 27-28, 2009 at Conwell Theater, Temple University. www.inkboat.com.
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| Keely Garfield’s ‘Limerence’ |
February 10 2009 |
Keely Garfield’s Limerence could be the Cliff Notes to poet Gary Snyder’s line: “The pointless wars of the heart.” It draws blood. And if you’re like me, it takes a night of fitful sleep before you realize how badly you’ve been cut.
Limerence. Choreography by Keely Garfield. Philadelphia Dance Projects performance February 6-7, 2009 at
The Performance Garage, 1515 Brandywine St.
www.KeelyGarfield.org.
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| Edgar Allan Poe: Ecstasy junkie |
January 18 2009 |
Poe was a man who, having known the ecstasy of intimate love (not to mention drugs and alcohol), couldn’t tolerate its loss. That’s his real-life horror tale.
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| Twyla Tharp’s ‘Noir’ by UArts |
December 16 2008 |
Twyla Tharp’s Noir allows the audience to view the world she creates on stage with the eyes of Eternity and Death. It’s the world as Freud described it: civilized and polite on the surface but ruled, in fact, by erotic desire and aggression unto the death.
Noir. Choreography by Twyla Tharp; music by Bela Bartok; staged by Shawn Stephens, with Jennifer Binford Johnson. University of the Arts School of Dance recital presented December 5-6, 2008 at Merriam Theater, Broad and Spruce St. www.twylatharp.org.
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| An ‘unresponsive’ critic’s response |
October 21 2008 |
Choreographer Myra Bazell argues that her peer dancers make better critics than outsiders who “shark around desperately.” As one such shark, allow me to bite back.
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| ‘Factor T’ at Fringe Festival |
September 13 2008 |
When a dancer asserts an idea in the program notes, and that idea is executed beautifully in performance, but the idea is not quite true, or even false –– has that artist succeeded or failed? That’s my question for Factor T, as performed by Poland’s Dada von Bzdülöw Theatre.
Factor T. Dada von Bzdülöw Theatre of Poland. Directed by Laszek Bzdyl; music by Mikolaj Trzaska. Through September 7, 2008 at Christ Church Neighbor
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| Erica Saben’s ‘Inside’ at Fringe Festival |
September 08 2008 |
How can a body seem alive without moving? Through the demonic negation in her eyes, Erica Saben discloses her “Inside,” the title of her piece. This interiority has a voltage; it is charged, in her case, with psychic danger.
InFlux. Works in Progress by Mascher Space Cooperative, including “Inside,” by Erica Saben. August 29-31, 20087 at Arts Bank, 601 S. Broad St. www
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| ‘The Shape of Things’ at Plays and Players |
August 12 2008 |
In Neil LaBute’s play, The Shape of Things, a gorgeous art student seduces an unattractive, unsuspecting young man as her thesis project. Is she corrupted by her acts? Or do some beautiful and vital beings live exempt from consequences?
The Shape of Things. By Neil LaBute; directed by Carol Laratonda. Plays and Players production August 6-10, 2008 at Plays and Players Theater, 1710 Delancey St. www.plays
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Saul Davis Zlatkovsky, a professional harpist and composer, studied ballet with Nina Stroganova and Vladimir Dokoudovsky. He has published articles on dance in Dance magazine, NY Perspectives and elsewhere. His website is on view at www.sauldavis.com, and includes a bio and photos of Stroganova and Dokoudovsky. He has also published in the New Yorker. He recently received an ASCAP award for his music and a collaborative ASTA award for his writing. He contributes regularly to String Notes, American String Teacher and American Harp Journal. He performs in recital, recently for the American Harp Society in Philadelphia, his music has been performed at the Curtis Institute, and he is planning a concert festival of harp music for 2007. He lives in Center City Philadelphia.
More articles by Saul Davis Zlatkovsky, newest first
| Return of Les Ballets Russes |
February 24 2006 |
| A compelling new documentary film calls to life a lost ballet spectacle that sprang from the mind of Serge Diaghilev and captivated the world for two generations.
Ballets Russes. A film by Dayna Goldfine and Dan Geller. Opens March 3, 2006, at Ritz at the Bourse, Fourth & Ranstead Sts., (215)440-1181 or www.ritzfilmbill.com.
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SaraKay Smullens (www.sarakaysmullens.com) is a licensed diplomate in clinical social work and and a trained family therapist and educator. She has been certified as a group psychotherapist by American Group Psychotherapy Association and as a certified family life educator by the National Council onFamily Relations.
A recipient of a lifetime achievement award by the Pennsylvania chapter of the National Association of Social Work, SaraKay is a best-selling author of Whoever Said Life is Fair? and Setting YourSelf Free: Breaking the Cycle of Emotional Abuse in Family, Friendship, Love and Work.
Her paper, "Achieving An Emotional Sense of Direction," can be found on her website. This model is described in greater detail in a paper accepted by the peer reviewed International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, scheduled for publication in January, 2010.
SaraKay’s public social work papers, which document a professional lifetime of community organization, advocacy and activism, are now at the archives of the University of Pennsylvania.
More articles by SaraKay Smullens, newest first
| Child abuse and bureaucracy: Another Philadelphia story |
May 15 2012 |
Another helpless child has died due to neglect by Philadelphia’s overwhelmed human service agencies. The real tragedy is that they needn’t be overwhelmed— if they’ll accept help from outside professionals.
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| Rape and SlutWalk: A therapist’s view |
August 06 2011 |
I was trained as a therapist at a time when women were easily blamed for “castrating” their men. For three decades I’ve counseled rape victims who believed their misfortune was their own fault. The SlutWalk protesters who challenge this notion may be young, but who else is willing to take the risks necessary to change the world?
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| Male sex abuse and the silence of women |
May 30 2011 |
The alleged sexual predations of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Dominique Strauss-Kahn make the headlines but are only the tip of the iceberg. As a family therapist, I can testify firsthand that sexual abuse is prevalent in all cultures, the privileged as well as the poor.
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| Elizabeth Taylor’s ultimate lesson |
March 29 2011 |
In her prime, whatever Elizabeth Taylor wanted, she took. Only later, when the roles and the men no longer came so easily, did this enormous talent channel her passions into saving and changing the lives of others. That’s when she won her deepest respect.
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| An open letter to Mayor Nutter |
January 21 2011 |
As a family therapist, I know that some children in a city as complex as Philadelphia will suffer illness and poor care, and some will die as a result. But Lynne Abraham, as district attorney, at least tried to break the cycle of neglect, abuse and violence. We need more of that mixture of imagination and concern.
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| ‘Shining City’ post-mortem (4th review) |
May 04 2010 |
Conor McPherson’s Shining City portrays a world of souls in torment. Why then the upbeat title? SaraKay Smullens, a family therapist, finds a message of hope in McPherson’s desperation.
Shining City. By Conor McPherson; directed by Matt Pfeiffer. Theatre Exile production through April 25, 2010 at Plays and Players Theatre, 1724 Delancey Pl. (215) 218-4022 or www.theatreexile.org.
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| Peggy Amsterdam’s halo effect |
December 28 2009 |
When Peggy asked politicians and public officials, “What were you thinking?!” even the thoughtless were humbled. With every fiber of her being, she understood and taught and lived a basic truth: The arts are the world’s one consistent pathway to insight, humanity and yes, survival.
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| Harrower's ‘Blackbird’ revisited |
July 07 2009 |
The playwright David Harrower refuses to discuss the meaning of Blackbird, his riveting drama about the long-term consequences of sexual abuse. Instead, since Blackbird’s Philadelphia run in February, he has left that discussion to the rest of us. As a family therapist, I see dramatic parallels between my understanding what a client is trying to tell me and our attempts to grasp this playwright’s clues to what his play is really about.
Blackbird. By David Harrower; directed by Joe Canuso. Theatre Exile production closed March 1, 2009 at Plays & Players, 1724 Delancey St. (215) 218-4022 or www.theatreexile.org.
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| A therapist in the theater |
November 18 2008 |
In all my years as a family therapist, I’ve never seen a psychiatric diagnosis that explained the life longings and direction of one of my clients as well as a good play or movie. To be sure, as a theatergoer I’ve also encountered many actors who I believe have misunderstood their characters. Can art and therapy coexist? I’m about to find out.
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| The vice presidential debate (1st review) |
October 05 2008 |
Senator Joe Biden offered a substantive presidential contrast to Sarah Palin but failed to penetrate her gee-whiz persona and sly evasions. Katie Couric, on the other hand, unleashed the truth genie.
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| First debate: McCain’s body language |
September 27 2008 |
The first presidential debate seemed to confirm that the business of war, rather than the art of diplomacy, is John McCain’s true essence.
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| John McCain: A therapist’s view |
September 16 2008 |
McCain struggled throughout young adulthood in the shadow of two revered admirals. His five years’ imprisonment in Vietnam released him from that family pressure. But his subsequent journey of personal liberation has been unmarked by concern for those he encountered along the way.
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| Up against the Human Services bureaucracy |
August 09 2008 |
A grand jury recently documented the horrific life and death of 14-year-old Danieal Kelly, a cerebral palsy victim who starved to death while under the “care” of Philadelphia’s Department of Human Services. It wasn’t always this way, and it doesn’t have to be, as I can attest from personal experience.
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More articles by Robert Zaller, newest first
| Lost Soviet classic: Klimov’s ‘Agony’ |
May 15 2012 |
Agony, Elem Klimov’s 1975 masterwork about Nichols II and Rasputin, was banned in Brezhnev’s Russia, which isn’t surprising. That is it was made at all, and on an epic scale that clearly required substantial state resources, is the real mystery.
Agony. A film directed by Elem Klimov (1975). Screened May 12, 2012 at International House, 3701 Chestnut St. ihousephilly.org/arts-programs/film.
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| Joseph Cedar’s ‘Footnote’ (2nd review) |
May 05 2012 |
Joseph Cedar’s Footnote is a savagely brilliant comedy of ideas that humanizes as prickly a set of personalities— Israel academics at the summit of Talmudic studies— as one could hope (or fear) to meet. It also raises significant issues of honor, authority and truth.
Footnote. A film directed by Joseph Cedar. At the Ritz Five, 220 Walnut St. and other Philadelphia venues. For show times, click here.
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| Shakespeare Theatre's ‘Titus Andronicus’ |
April 28 2012 |
Titus Andronicus is early Shakespeare, more gore than glory, but still well worth seeing in Aaron Cromie’s canny and inventive staging.
Titus Andronicus. By William Shakespeare; Aaron Cromie directed. Through May 19, 2012 (alternating with Twelfth Night) at Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre, 2111 Sansom St. (215) 496-8001 or www.phillyshakespeare.org.
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| J. M. Ledgard’s ‘Submergence’ |
April 21 2012 |
Part international thriller, part philosophical romance, J. M. Ledgard’s Submergence is that rare postmodern fiction, a work whose disparate parts cohere finally into an unexpected whole. It also suggests that our hyperintelligent species may be too clever to survive.
Submergence. By J.M. Ledgard. Jonathan Cape, 2011. 191 pages. www.amazon.com.
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| Agnieszka Holland’s ‘In Darkness’ |
April 17 2012 |
Agnieszka Holland’s In Darkness, based on the true story of a Polish Gentile who kept a dozen Jews alive in the sewers of Lvov, is as close as anyone has come to depicting the most infernal event of human history without trivializing it— a moral accomplishment no less than an artistic one.
In Darkness. A film directed by Agnieszka Holland.
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| ‘Van Gogh Up Close’ at the Art Museum (3rd review) |
April 10 2012 |
“Van Gogh Up Close” is a nuanced if misnomered exhibition, for what we see is not Van Gogh himself but nature studied and depicted with a passionate fidelity. This is not, for the most part, the Vincent we think we know, but a poet-scientist whose keen exploration of the world must have been a source of joy and wonder for him, as it is for us.
“Van Gogh Up Close. ” Through May 6, 2012 at Philadelphia Museum of Art, Ben. Franklin Parkway and 26th St. (215) 763-8100 or www.philamuseum.org.
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| ‘Cyrano’ at the Arden (2nd review) |
April 10 2012 |
Cyrano de Bergerac is the only French play between the 17th and 20th Centuries to hold its place on the international stage. Michael Hollinger’s pungent adaptation gets about as much of Edmond Rostand’s epic conception as a modern audience can probably digest.
Edmond Rostand’s Cyrano. Translated and adapted by Michael Hollinger; adapted and directed by Aaron Posner. Arden Theatre production through April 15, 2012 on the Arden’s F. Otto Haas Stage, 40 N. Second St. (215) 922-1122 or www.ardentheatre.org.
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| Henry O. Tanner at Pennsylvania Academy (3rd review) |
April 03 2012 |
Henry Ossawa Tanner’s retrospective at Pennsylvania Academy shows a distinctive artist who went his own way, painting Biblical scenes after they’d gone out of fashion but adapting the currents of early 20th-Century art to his own vision.
“Henry Ossawa Tanner: Modern Spirit.” Through April 15, 2012 at Hamilton Hall, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, 128 N. Broad St. (at Cherry). (215) 972-7625 or www.pafa.org.
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| Trayvon Martin: Rush to judgment? (2nd comment) |
April 01 2012 |
The Trayvon Martin case has drawn national attention, and properly so. Justice must be done, especially in a case with so many racial overtones. What we’ve had so far, though, looks more like a circus.
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| Lanna Joffrey’s ‘Valiant,’ by InterAct |
March 31 2012 |
Lanna Joffrey’s Valiant relates the suffering of 13 women in conditions of war and exile, as if war is an exclusively male activity. The cumulative effect of their recitations is more stultifying than enlightening.
Valiant. Adapted by Lanna Joffrey; directed by Tamilla Woodward. InterAct Theatre production March 27-29 at Adrienne Theater, 2030 Sansom St. (215) 568-8079 or www.InterActTheatre.org.
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| Rich man, beggar man— and Albert Barnes |
March 27 2012 |
Albert Barnes intended his art collection to serve the common person: He famously refused to admit the rich to his premises in Merion. Now, for the sake of the collection’s new home on the Parkway, it’s the poor and hungry who are being turned away.
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| ‘Curse of the Starving Class’ at the Wilma (3rd review) |
March 27 2012 |
The Wilma’s revival of Sam Shepard’s Curse of the Starving Class is strikingly relevant to our present Age of Foreclosure, yet dated in its Pinteresque violence. It also suggests the limits of Shepard’s notion of the imploding nuclear family as a metaphor for America.
Curse of the Starving Class. By Sam Shepard; Richard Hamburger directed. Through April 8, 2012 at Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St. (at Spruce). (215) 546-7824 or www.wilmatheater.org.
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| Claude Lanzmann at the Free Library |
March 24 2012 |
In Philadelphia to promote his autobiography, the formidable Claude Lanzmann touched on his personal Jewish heritage, his experience as a wartime resistance fighter, his relationship with Jean-Paul Sartre, and the making of his classic Holocaust documentary, Shoah.
Claude Lanzmann: March 19, 2012 at the Free Library of Philadelphia, 1901 Vine St. ( 215) 567.4341 or www.freelibrary.org.
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| Mussorgsky’s ‘Khovanshchina ’ at the Met |
March 20 2012 |
The Metropolitan Opera’s revival of Mussorgsky’s Khovanshchina, rarely performed outside Russia, is a primer in the history of that country’s unexampled suffering, and, for all its flaws, a testament to our common humanity.
Khovanshchina. Opera by Modest Mussorgsky; production by August Everding; stage director, Peter McCormick; Kirill Petrenko, conductor. Metropolitan Opera production ended March 17, 2012, Lincoln Center, Broadway and 65th St., New York. (212) 362- 6000 or www.metopera.org.
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| Jerusalem Quartet plays Shostakovich |
March 17 2012 |
The Jerusalem Quartet’s traversal of three mid-period Shostakovich quartets took stamina of every variety, but its musicians met the challenge, and brought out something other groups haven’t: Shostakovich’s deep affinity with Jewish music.
Jerusalem Quartet: Shostakovich String Quartets No. 4, Op. 83; No.10, Op. 118; No. 9, Op. 117. March 14, 2012 at Independence Seaport Museum, Penn’s Landing. (215) 569-8080 or www.pcmsconcerts.org.
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| Lantern’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’ (2nd review) |
March 13 2012 |
The Lantern’s Romeo and Juliet is an American production in the best sense of the word: fresh, brisk and inventive, with insightful direction by Charles McMahon and an able and energetic cast.
Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Charles McMahon directed. Lantern Theater production through April 8, 2012 at St. Stephen’s Theater, 923 Ludlow St. (215) 829-0395 or www.lanterntheater.org.
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| Ellsworth Kelly: Shame on the Parkway |
March 10 2012 |
The new Ellsworth Kelly sculpture announced for the Parkway Barnes puts the stamp of a major artist on an act of desecration and commercial greed.
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| AVA’s ‘Pelléas et Mélisande’ (2nd review) |
March 06 2012 |
The Academy of Vocal Arts’ production of Debussy’s seldom-performed Pelléas et Mélisande made the most of its slender means in projecting the work’s richness. This Wagnerian riposte to Wagner’s assertion of the primacy of human passion is only partly realized dramatically, but superbly garbed musically.
Pelléas et Mélisande. Opera by Claude Debussy; Luke Housner, music director; K. James McDowell, director. Academy of Vocal Arts production through Saturday, March 3, 2012 at Helen Corning Warden Theater, 1920 Spruce St. (215) 735-1685 or www.avaopera.org.
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| ‘The Clinton Years’ on Public TV |
February 28 2012 |
The Clintons are back with a PBS documentary, but did they ever go away? Was Bill Clinton a political genius or just a born seducer? In four hours, this quasi-hagiographical biopic manages to say remarkably little of substance about the first two-term Democratic presidency since FDR’s.
The Clinton Years. Produced and directed by Barak Goodman for “American Experience.” www.pbs.org.
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| Philadelphia Orchestra’s Vienna week |
February 25 2012 |
Spanish maestro Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos returned to conduct two eminent Austrians with the Philadelphia Orchestra: Mozart in a familiar serenade and the less-often played 25th Piano Concerto, and Brahms in his First Symphony, a work that both looks back to Beethoven and forward to modernism.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Mozart: Serenade #6 in D major, K. 239 (Serenata notturna) and Piano Concerto #25 in C, K. 503; Brahms, Symphony #1 in C minor, Op. 68. Emanuel Ax, piano; Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, conductor. February 23-25, 2012 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-1999 or www.philorch.org.
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| Curtis Orchestra plays Bernstein and Prokofiev |
February 18 2012 |
The 1940s were the climactic period of the modern symphony, a fact not unrelated to the programmatic needs of World War II. Prokofiev’s Fifth celebrated the end of the war, while Leonard Bernstein’s Second explored postwar Angst. Both were vigorously performed by the Curtis Orchestra in its midwinter concert.
Curtis Symphony Orchestra: Danielpour, Toward the Splendid City, (Vinay Parameswaran, conductor); Bernstein, Symphony #2 (The Age of Anxiety); Prokofiev, Symphony #5 in B-Flat, Op. 100 (Miguel Harth-Bedoya, conductor). February 12, 2012 at Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-7902 or www.curtis.edu.
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| Tina Howe’s ‘Museum’ at Villanova |
February 11 2012 |
Tina Howe’s Museum, her first play, still has legs in Villanova’s revival, smartly and effectively staged by Joanna Rotté. If anything, this witty satire is even more relevant to America’s commercialized art culture today, especially in Philadelphia.
Museum. By Tina Howe; Joanne Rotté directed. Through February 19, 2012 at the Villanova Theatre, Vasey Hall, Villanova University. (610) 519-7474 or www.villanovatheatre.org.
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| Nicola Luisotti leads the Orchestra |
February 04 2012 |
Guest conductor Nicola Luisotti opened his debut performance with the Philadelphia Orchestra with the hokiest of Stokowski’s Bach transcriptions. More substance emerged in the Shostakovich Violin Concerto and Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade, but Luisotti’s podium antics didn’t enhance his otherwise straightforward readings.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Bach, Chaconne, from the Partita #2 in D Minor (arranged by Stokowski); Shostakovich, Violin Concerto in A Minor, Op. 77; Rimsky-Korsakov, Scheherazade, Op. 35. Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, violin; Nicola Luisotti, conductor. February 2-4, 2012 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Ss. (215) 893-1999; or www.philorch.org.
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| Phyllida Lloyd’s ‘The Iron Lady’ |
January 31 2012 |
Like Clint Eastwood’s recent J. Edgar, Phyllida Lloyd’s biopic of Margaret Thatcher tries to humanize a polarizing figure seen by many as a villain. This reviewer, who remembers admiring Thatcher’s panache while hating her politics, remained unpersuaded despite Meryl Streep’s finely crafted performance.
The Iron Lady. A film directed by Phyllida Lloyd. For Philadelphia area show times, click here.
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| Peter Serkin at Curtis |
January 31 2012 |
Beethoven’s sublime Diabelli Variations, one of the summits of Western art, capped Peter Serkin’s benefit recital at the Curtis Institute, his alma mater. With family members both in attendance and on the program, it was in every sense a successful homecoming.
Peter Serkin, piano recital: Wolpe, Toccata; Wuorinen, Adagio; Ludwig, Five Bagatelles; Beethoven, Thirty-three Variations on a Waltz by Anton Diabelli, Op. 120. January 29, 2012 at Field Concert Hall, Curtis Institute, 1726 Locust St. (215) 893-7902 or www.curtis.edu.
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| Nézet-Séguin conducts Mahler (2nd review) |
January 28 2012 |
Yannick Nézet-Séguin returned to his new Orchestra on a flying visit but with a weighty load: Mahler’s titanic Sixth Symphony, which shared the program with Bach’s Fifth Brandenburg Concerto. The lightly scored Bach was a bit swamped in Verizon Hall’s cavernous spaces, but Mahler’s mightiest score amply filled it in a disciplined and expressive reading.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Bach, Brandenburg Concerto No. 5; Mahler, Symphony No. 6. Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor. January 26-27, 2012 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-1999 or www.philorch.org.
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| Roman Polanski’s ‘Carnage’ (2nd review) |
January 24 2012 |
Roman Polanski’s Carnage is, for him, a minor chamber piece, but focused with his usual unerring eye for human weakness and absurdity. It’s also a reminder of the judicial farce that has barred the celebrated director from America for more than 30 years.
Carnage. A film directed by Roman Polanski, from the play by Yasmina Reza. At the Ritz at the Bourse, 400 Ranstead St. For Philadelphia area show times, click here.
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| Ticciati conducts Beethoven and Sibelius (2nd review) |
January 17 2012 |
In his debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra, conductor Robin Ticciati made a strong impression with the Sibelius Second Symphony. The Orchestra can play this work in its sleep, but it was wide-awake for this occasion.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Beethoven, Violin Concerto in D; Sibelius, Symphony No. 2. Arabella Steinbacher, violin; Robin Ticciati, conductor. January 12-14, 2012 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-1999 or www.philorch.org.
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| Annie Baker’s ‘Body Awareness’ at the Wilma (1st review) |
January 14 2012 |
Annie Baker’s comedy, Body Awareness, pounces eagerly on its too-predictable targets, and the laughs come a bit cheaply despite good ensemble work by its cast. Theater should ask, and deliver, more.
Body Awareness. By Annie Baker; Anne Kauffman directed. Through February 5, 2012 at the Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad Street. (215) 546-7824 or www.wilmatheater.org.
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| Denver’s new Clyfford Still Museum |
January 10 2012 |
The new Clyfford Still Museum in Denver is now the permanent home of more than nine-tenths of the work of one of the great masters of American Abstract Expressionism. Though its first weeks have been marred by a shocking act of vandalism, the museum’s opening is the past year’s pre-eminent art event.
Clyfford Still Museum. 1250 Bannock St., Denver, Colo. (720) 354-4880 or www.clyffordstillmuseum.org.
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| Lars von Trier’s ‘Melancholia’ (2nd review) |
January 03 2012 |
In Lars Von Trier’s quasi-operatic Melancholia, a wedding party by way of Bergman and Woody Allen gives way to a meditation on the end of the world, courtesy of an approaching rogue planet. As a disaster film, it’s unclassifiable, but it does invite us to ponder our destructive social and psychological mores.
Melancholia. A film directed by Lars von Trier. At the Ritz at the Bourse, Fourth and Ludlow St. (215) 915-7900. For Philadelphia area show times, click here.
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| Joan Mitchell and Matta in New York |
December 24 2011 |
Joan Mitchell’s expatriate career in France married her Abstract Expressionist style with French landscape tradition to produce a uniquely vibrant and attractive fusion. Matta, a Chilean artist of outsized ambition in every sense of the word, never quite recaptured the magnetic power and authority of his earliest work, but remained an interesting figure to the end.
“Joan Mitchell: The Last Paintings.” Through January 4, 2012 at Cheim & Read, 531 W. 25th St., New York. (212) 242-7727 or www.cheimread.com.
“Matta: A Centennial Celebration.” Through January 28, 2012 at the Pace Gallery, 534 W. 25th St., New York. ,
(212) 242.7727 or www.thepacegallery.com.
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| Christopher Hitchens, right or wrong |
December 17 2011 |
My old friend Christopher Hitchens had an omnivorous mind and an insatiable need to speak it. He possessed tremendous courage as well. But inexplicably, he and I wound up on opposite sides of an implacable political divide.
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| On worshipping Steve Jobs |
December 13 2011 |
The late high-tech innovator Steve Jobs created products that no one had previously realized they couldn’t live without, and that transformed millions of people into plugged-in zombies who seem to have lost all consciousness of inhabiting a common public space.
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| J. C. Chandor’s ‘Margin Call’ |
December 13 2011 |
J. C. Chandor’s Margin Call depicts the financial meltdown of 2008 from inside the executive suites of a company that resembles Lehman Brothers but, unlike its prototype, aims to survive. Chandor's film is that rare serious attempt to put a human face on an economic crisis. But its characters, however vivid, are far less appealing than the Corleones of The Godfather, and also far more dangerous.
Margin Call. A film directed by J. C. Chandor. For Philadelphia-area show times, click here.
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| Alexander Payne’s ‘The Descendants’ |
December 10 2011 |
Alexander Payne is the best satirist of the current American film generation, and The Descendants is his most ambitious film yet. But his mordant wit too often exposes a vein of sentiment. He needs to decide where his art wants to go.
The Descendants. A film directed by Alexander Payne. For Philadelphia area show times, click here.
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| Louvre treasures at the Morgan Library |
December 10 2011 |
“David, Delacroix, and Revolutionary France” is a feast of drawings from the Louvre, loosely tied to the politically volcanic period between 1789 and 1848. The historical references are mostly oblique if present at all, but the art needs no excuse.
“David, Delacroix, and Revolutionary France: Drawings From the Louvre.” Through December 31, 2011 at the Morgan Library, 225 Madison Ave. (at 36th St.), New York. (212) 685-0008 or www.themorgan.org.
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| Picasso’s early drawings, at the Frick in NY |
December 06 2011 |
Line— a relatively neglected aspect of his oeuvre— was always more important to Picasso than anything else. From his earliest academic exercises to the breakthrough of Cubism to the monumental neoclassic works of 1920-21 with which the show concludes, this is an artist who never ceases to surprise.
“Picasso’s Drawings, 1890-1921: Reinventing Tradition.” Through January 8, 2012 at the Frick Collection, 1 East 70th St., New York. (212) 288-0700 or www.frick.org.
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| Clint Eastwood’s ‘J. Edgar’ |
November 29 2011 |
Clint Eastwood’s J. Edgar Hoover is less the fearsome FBI director who created the template for the modern security state than a closet homosexual whose prurience about others’ private lives masked his concealment of his own— above all from himself.
J. Edgar. A film directed by Clint Eastwood. For Philadelphia-area show times, click here.
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| Gardiner and Jurowski: Two period pieces (2nd review) |
November 25 2011 |
Sir John Eliot Gardiner led his Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique in an all-Beethoven program on period instruments, followed two days later by Vladimir Jurowski’s magisterial reading of Shostakovich’s Seventh Symphony. That performance, too, had a period feel, but for quite different reasons.
Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique: Beethoven, Overture to Egmont; Symphony No. 3; Symphony No. 5 ("Eroica"). Sir John Eliot Gardiner, conductor. November 15, 2011 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-1955 or www.kimmelcenter.org.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Shostakovich, Symphony No. 7. November 16-18, 2011 at the Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce St. ( 215) 893-1999 or www.philorch.org .
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| Braque: The painter’s painter, in New York |
November 22 2011 |
Georges Braque, Cubism’s co-founder with Pablo Picasso, has long played Joe Frazier to Picasso’s Muhammad Ali. But he’s a master in his own right, as his first exhibition in New York since 1988 makes clear.
“Georges Braque: Pioneer of Modernism.” Through November 30, 2011 at Acquavella Gallery, 18 East 79th St., New York. (212) 734-6300 or www.acquavellagalleries.com.
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| ‘Watt’ at Annenberg: Barry McGovern performs Beckett |
November 13 2011 |
Virtually everything Samuel Beckett wrote, in whatever form, is dramatic, but reducing the richness of a novel like Watt to the demands of an hour-long monologue necessarily involves tradeoffs. Nevertheless, Barry McGovern is an exceptional actor for whom Beckett comes as naturally as his own brogue, and the result is like standing under a rare and wonderful waterfall for an hour.
Watt. Adapted and performed by Barry McGovern from a novel by Samuel Beckett. Dublin Gate Theater production November 9-12, 2011 at Annenberg Center, 3680 Walnut St. (215) 898-3900 or annenbergcenter.org.
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| ‘Take Shelter': Prophecy vs. lunacy (1st review) |
November 08 2011 |
In Take Shelter, a young worker and husband in central Ohio can’t decide whether the apocalyptic visions that torment him are the mark of a prophet or a madman. Director Jeff Nichols provides no easy answers, but he does make us think hard about where all of us are at this moment.
Take Shelter. A film directed by Jeff Nichols. For Philadelphia area theaters and show times, click here.
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| Ying Quartet at the Perelman |
November 06 2011 |
The Ying Quartet’s recital offered a late work of the Tsarist era and a late one of the Soviet period. Plenty of history intervened between them, as the scores made clear, but Dvorák’s Piano Quintet in A, Op. 81, which rounded out the program, made for a rousing conclusion, with pianist Menahem Pressler adding his special touch to the youthful ensemble.
Ying Quartet: Arensky, A Minor Quartet; Shostakovich, Twelfth Quartet; Dvorák, Piano Quintet in A. Menahem Pressler, piano. October 28, 2011 at Perelman Theater, Broad and Spruce St. (215) 569-8080 or www.pcmsconcerts.org.
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| ‘Our Class’ at the Wilma (2nd review) |
November 01 2011 |
Tadeusz Slobodzaniek’s Our Class recounts the 1941 massacre of the Jews of Jedwabne by their Polish neighbors, and the subsequent cover-up that blamed it on the Nazis. That the Nazis had willing collaborators in their extermination of the Jews isn’t news; more interesting than the moral disintegration that led to the massacre is the subsequent history of rationalization and denial, which continues to the present day.
Our Class. By Tadeusz Slobodzianek; English version by Ryan Craig; Blanka Zizka directed. Through November 13, 2011 at the Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St. (at Spruce). (215) 546-7824 or www.wilmatheater.org.
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| Hamptons Abstract Expressionists in New York |
October 25 2011 |
David Findlay Jr. has opened its new digs on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue with a double exhibition. “East End: Artists of the Hamptons” shows nine painters, sculptors, and graphic artists from the heyday of Abstract Expressionism, while “Walter Kuhlman: Images from the West” offers a suite of splendidly executed monotypes whose dim figures suggest a Dantesque progress.
“East End: Artists of the Hamptons” and “Walter Kuhlman: Images from the West.” Closed October 22, 2011 at David Findlay Jr. Gallery, 724 Fifth Ave., New York. (212) 486-7660 or www.davidfindlayjr.com.
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| The end of the Orchestra? |
October 25 2011 |
The Philadelphia Orchestra under Charles Dutoit featured Lang Lang’s mannered performance of the Liszt First Piano Concerto between Faure’s wistful Pavane and Shostakovich’s epic Tenth Symphony. The Orchestra was in good form, but the looming question remains: for how long?
Philadelphia Orchestra: Faure, Pavane; Liszt, First Piano Concerto; Shostakovich, Tenth Symphony. Lang Lang, piano; Charles Dutoit, conductor. October 20-22, 2011 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-1999 or www.philorch.org.
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| Opera Company’s ‘Carmen’ (2nd review) |
October 18 2011 |
The Opera Company of Philadelphia’s production of Bizet’s Carmen was a split decision: competent but not probing as a traditional staging of a Romantic classic, with the female leads coming off decidedly better than the males.
Carmen. Opera by Georges Bizet. Directed by David Gately; Corrado Rovaris, conductor. Opera Company of Philadelphia production closed October 14, 2011 at Academy of Music, Broad and Locust St. (215) 893-1999 or www.operaphila.org.
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| Lantern Theater’s ‘New Jerusalem’ (1st review) |
October 15 2011 |
How much freedom is too much? For the great Baruch Spinoza, there could be no limit; but for the community that judged him, there had to be. The Lantern Theater’s production does full justice to David Ives’s challenging play of ideas.
New Jerusalem: The Interrogation of Baruch de Spinoza at Talmud Torah Congregation, Amsterdam, July 27, 1656. By David Ives; Charles McMahon directed. Lantern Theater Company production through November 12, 2011 at St. Stephen’s Theater, 923 Ludlow St. (215) 829-0395 or www.lanterntheater.org.
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| ‘Rembrandt and Jesus’ at the Art Museum (3rd review) |
October 11 2011 |
In attempting to humanize the image of Jesus while at the same time conveying the Christian sense of a divine presence in his features, Rembrandt tried to square the ultimate representational circle. At the same time, he acknowledged the Jewishness of Jesus, something no previous artist had done. The results represent the ultimate triumph of his own deep humanism.
“Rembrandt and the Face of Jesus.” Through October 30, 2011 at Philadelphia Museum of Art, 26th St. and Benamin. Franklin Parkway. (215) 763-8100 or www.philamuseum.org.
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| Richard Burgin’s ‘Shadow Traffic’ |
October 04 2011 |
Richard Burgin’s new story collection, Shadow Traffic, confirms his standing as one of America’s masters of short fiction. With a voice uniquely his own, he creates a world of urban anomie and dread that Kafka would recognize.
Shadow Traffic. Stories by Richard Burgin. Johns Hopkins University Press, 2011. 267 pages, $30. www.amazon.com.
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| Steven Soderbergh’s ‘Contagion’ |
October 01 2011 |
Steven Soderbergh’s Contagion, a film about a super-deadly virus on the loose, is a transparent parable of the War on Terror in which only dedicated scientists and stern-jawed military types can save the nation and the world. Really, with heroes like these, can’t we just bring back the Terminator?
Contagion. A film directed by Steven Soderbergh. For Philadelphia area show times, click here.
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| Capital punishment as an oxymoron |
September 27 2011 |
Troy Davis was probably wrongly convicted of murder. Lawrence Brewer was almost surely guilty of an egregious racial killing. But both executions demonstrated why capital punishment is wrong in itself.
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| Harry Bertoia at Rosemont College |
September 25 2011 |
Harry Bertoia, an artist primarily known for his sculpture and design, created a significant body of graphic work that, if not ultimately of the very first rank, nonetheless deserves an honored place in mid-20th Century American art. The small but choice show of his drawings at the Lawrence Gallery of Rosemont College was one of the pleasures of the late summer season.
“Harry Bertoia: Four Decades of Drawings.” Closed September 20, 2011 at Rosemont College, 1400 Montgomery Ave., Rosemont, Pa. (610) 526.2697 or www.rosemont.edu.
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| John Madden’s ‘The Debt’ (2nd review) |
September 13 2011 |
In John Madden’s The Debt, an Israeli commando team decides to fudge the botched kidnapping of a notorious Nazi war criminal as a killing. “What price truth?” is the question posed. But, beneath the surface of an action thriller lurk even darker and more existential issues.
The Debt. A film directed by John Madden. For Philadelphia area showtimes, click here.
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| ‘What Alice Knew’: The hunt for Jack the Ripper |
September 10 2011 |
The James siblings— Henry, William, Alice— pursue Jack the Ripper through late Victorian London in a witty intellectual thriller that offers some uncomfortable truths about sex, violence and the city along the way.
What Alice Knew: A Most Curious Tale of Henry James and Jack the Ripper. By Paula Marantz Cohen. Sourcebooks, 2010. 341 pages; paperback, $14.95. www.amazon.com.
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| The 9/11 Anniversary: Enough already |
September 10 2011 |
I was as angry at 9/11 as anyone else, and as gung-ho about going after Al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden. That moment passed when I saw that what we were doing to ourselves and others far exceeded the harm that had been done to us, and with far more lasting consequences.
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| The King Memorial fiasco |
August 28 2011 |
Martin Luther King spoke of going up the mountain. He didn’t speak of becoming one. The new memorial to him on the National Mall is both a moral and aesthetic disaster. The blame lies not in the inadequacy of King’s vision, but of ours.
Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial. National Mall, 1964 Independence Ave, SW, Washington, D.C. www.mlkmemorial.org.
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| How to respond to tyrants? |
August 27 2011 |
America’s deeply inconsistent response to uprisings against three Middle East tyrants— Mubarak in Egypt, Qaddafi in Libya and Assad in Syria— suggests the confusion, inconsistency and (in Libya’s case) the cynicism of U.S. policy in the Middle East.
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| 'Myth and coinage’ in Athens |
August 22 2011 |
A fine show of ancient coins, hidden in the midst of this summer’s Greek financial crisis, reminds us of the time when the drachma, not the euro, dominated the Eurasian world.
“Myth and Coinage.” Through November 27, 2011 at National Archaeological Museum, 44 Patission, Athens, Greece. www.namuseum.gr.
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| Philadelphia Orchestra on the brink |
August 14 2011 |
Add trumpeter David Bilger to the growing roster of Philadelphia Orchestra musicians leaving for more secure if not greener pastures. But the executive and board leadership should walk the plank instead.
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| Obama’s unproclaimed war |
August 09 2011 |
As I kicked back on a sunny Aegean island, I was startled by the roar of NATO fighter jets returning from Libya. I could see that getting away from Obama this summer was going to be more difficult than I thought. Our president has been a puzzle to many: so prompt to confront a foreign dictator, so easily intimidated by any Republican.
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| Capitalism’s rolling crisis |
July 30 2011 |
The recently announced Greek bailout is a stopgap measure that won’t solve the country’s financial crisis but does confirm its loss of economic sovereignty. In a world where banks rule— not only in Athens but in Washington— the eclipse of the state by global capital is a profound systemic event with consequences for all.
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| Greece’s fiscal crisis— and ours |
July 05 2011 |
The key question in Greece’s current fiscal crisis goes something like this: When you already have a democracy that won't respond to its citizens, what do you revolt against then?
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| Cuba’s ‘Revolutionary Project’ at the Getty in LA |
July 02 2011 |
“A Revolutionary Project” displays Cuban history from three vantage points: colonial exploitation, revolutionary euphoria and a depleted present, in which the country waits for its new Wall Street conquistadors. The photographic record is extraordinary, and the historical prospect tragic.
“A Revolutionary Project: Cuba from Walker Evans to the Present.” Through October 2, 2011 at the Getty Center, 1200 Getty Center Drive, Los Angeles. www.getty.edu.
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| Malick’s ‘The Tree of Life’ |
June 28 2011 |
The Tree of Life, though flawed and at times exasperating, is Terrence Malick’s most beautiful and humanly realized film since Days of Heaven, and a work that will be studied for many years to come. But it shows too the limits of a filmmaker whose vision, though deeply and rewardingly poetic, is stuck in adolescence and the rituals of male bonding and conflict.
The Tree of Life. A film written and directed by Terrence Malick. At the Ritz East, 125 S. Second St. (15) 925-7900; and the Bryn Mawr Film Institute, 824 W. Lancaster Ave., Bryn Mawr, Pa. (610) 527-9898. For times at both theaters, click here.
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| Why did Anthony Weiner resign? |
June 21 2011 |
Everybody agreed that Congressman Anthony Weiner had to resign for sharing his ego and his privates online. But he broke no laws and no rules of the House. He didn’t prostitute himself politically, at least any more than his self-righteous colleagues. Liberated by ostracism to speak his mind, he could have done a great deal of public good.
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| Henze’s ‘Phaedra’ by the Opera Company (2nd review) |
June 06 2011 |
Hans Werner Henze is the major composer of German opera since Richard Strauss, but productions of his work on this side of the Atlantic are infrequent at best. His 14th and latest opera, Phaedra, is static despite the dramatic legend on which it’s based, but the music is fresh and inventive, and Tamara Mumford outstanding in the title role.
Phaedra. Music by Hans Werner Henze; directed by Robert Driver; Corrado Rovaris conducted. Opera Company of Philadelphia production through June 12, 2011 at the Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 732-8400 or www.operaphila.org.
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| Why the Parkway Barnes will fail |
June 06 2011 |
The Barnes Foundation’s priceless art collection, we’re told repeatedly, must move to Philadelphia because it can’t make a go of it in Merion. But a close examination of the numbers leads to the opposite conclusion: The Barnes can survive only in Merion, whereas a Parkway Barnes is bound for financial disaster.
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| ‘In a Daughter’s Eyes,’ by InterAct (2nd review) |
June 04 2011 |
The shadows of Mumia and MOVE haunt the stage of InterAct Theatre’s world premiere production of A. Zell Williams’ In a Daughter’s Eyes, as they do Philadelphia itself. The play sheds more heat than light, though, as its two characters grope in a world of pain in which neither can truly find the other.
In a Daughter’s Eyes. By A. Zell Williams; Rebecca Wright directed. InterAct Theatre production through June 19, 2011 at Adrienne mainstage, 2030 Sansom St. (215) 568-8077 or www.interacttheatre.org.
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| ‘Gauguin: Maker of Myth’ at National Gallery |
May 30 2011 |
The current exhibit of Paul Gauguin at the National Gallery of Art casts interesting light on his self-construction as an artist in quest both of personal identity and cultural renewal. But if there’s no truth without ego— the Romantic assumption— that truth is necessarily limited and partial.
“Gauguin: Maker of Myth.” Through June 5, 2011 at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. (202) 737-4215 or www.nga.gov.
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| Orchestra plays Beethoven and Stravinsky (1st review) |
May 24 2011 |
If Beethoven’s Ninth is the great choral symphony of the 19th Century, Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms is in many ways a 20th Century riposte. In pairing them, Charles Dutoit bridged two eras; in playing them, the results were uneven though the effort worthwhile.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Beethoven, Ninth Symphony; Stravinsky, Symphony of Psalms. May 19-21, 2011 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce St. (215) 893-1999 or www.philorch.org.
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| Paris Picassos at Virginia Museum of Fine Arts |
May 21 2011 |
What Beethoven did for music and James Joyce did for language, Picasso did for art: that is, he brought dissonance into the realm of art.
“Picasso: Masterpieces from the Musée National Picasso, Paris.” Closed May 15, 2011 at Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, 200 North Blvd., Richmond, Va. www.vmfa.museum.
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| Redford’s ‘The Conspirator’ |
May 17 2011 |
Robert Redford’s The Conspirator focuses on the trial of Mary Surratt for conspiracy in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Its real focus, though, is the contemporary War on Terror, and the question that perennially divides us— whether we are to be a society of laws or of men.
The Conspirator. A film directed by Robert Redford. For Philadelphia area show times, click here.
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| The Orchestra, the Barnes and the courts |
May 14 2011 |
The Philadelphia Orchestra has bankrupt leadership, a problem that won’t be solved in court. The decision to move the Barnes Foundation was fraudulently obtained, and needs to go back to court. A great deal is riding on the proper resolution of both these issues, including perhaps the economic and cultural future of Philadelphia itself.
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| Orchestra plays Shostakovich and Tchaikovsky |
May 10 2011 |
The Philadelphia Orchestra’s Russian Spring continued with performances of the Shostakovich First and the Tchaikovsky Sixth symphonies under guest conductor Kurt Masur. Barely 30 years separate these works, but it seems more like a century.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Shostakovich, Symphony No. 1 in f minor, Op. 10; Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 6 in b minor, Op. 74 (Pathétique). May 6-7, 2011 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-1999 or www.philorch.org.
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| Bin Laden and Petraeus: Two birds with one stone |
May 09 2011 |
Barack Obama neutralized his two great enemies in one week, the elusive Osama bin Laden and the excessively visible General David Petraeus. Each operation depended on the other; both succeeded. But what is the moral cost of a targeted assassination?
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| Opera Company’s ‘Tosca’ |
May 03 2011 |
The Opera Company of Philadelphia’s Tosca is well sung and for the most part well mounted. If you don’t look too closely at plot or character, the gorgeous arias will work their usual magic.
Tosca. Music by Giacomo Puccini; directed by Jonathan Eaton. Opera Company of Philadelphia production through May 8, 2011 at the Academy of Music, Broad and Locust St. (215) 732-8400 or www.operaphila.org.
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| Philadelphia Orchestra’s Stravinsky concert |
April 30 2011 |
Charles Dutoit reprised two strikingly paired and vividly contrasting Stravinsky masterpieces, in a program both intellectually and musically satisfying. Meanwhile, the Orchestra lost a key performer in clarinetist Ricardo Morales.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Stravinsky, Apollon musagète and Oedipus Rex. Charles Dutoit, conductor; Soloists, Peter Groves, Petra Lang, Robert Gierlach, David Wilson-Johnson, Matthew Plenk; narrator, David Howey; Philadelphia Singers Chorale, David Hayes, conductor. April 28-30, 2011 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center. (215) 893-1999 or www.philorch.org.
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| ‘Malevich and his American Legacy’ in NY |
April 24 2011 |
“Malevich and the American Legacy,” one of the most elegant and sheerly beautiful art shows of the season, traces the influence of the Russian Suprematist Kazimir Malevich on American art of the past half century, and makes a persuasive case for him as a seminal figure.
“Malevich and the American Legacy.” Through April 30, 2010 at Gagosian Gallery, 980 Madison Ave. (between 76th and 77th Sts.), New York. (212) 744-2313 or www.gagosian.com.
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| Stravinsky and Shostakovich at the Perelman |
April 23 2011 |
Pianist Ignat Solzhenitsyn brought his fellow Russians Igor Stravinsky and Dmitri Shostakovich together for a rare conversation in a Chamber Music Society concert that also featured violinist Jennifer Frautschi and cellist Efe Baltacigil. They should speak more often, especially when given voice by musicians of this caliber.
Stravinsky, Suite Italienne; Duo Concertant; Shostakovich, Piano Sonata No. 1; Piano Trio No. 1 in C Minor. Ignat Solzhenitsyn, piano; Jennifer Frautschi, violin; Efe Baltacigil, cello. Philadelphia Chamber Music Society concert April 20, 2011 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 569-8080 or pcmsconcerts.org.
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| Naoto Nakagawa’s 'Earth Wave' in New York |
April 19 2011 |
“Earth Wave,” the latest cycle of painting by the Japanese-American artist Naoto Nakagawa, arrives just in time to confront the disaster that has overwhelmed his native country, and also to challenge our headlong collision with the natural world.
“Earth Wave”: Paintings by Naoto Nakagawa. Through May 15, 2011 at Feature, Inc., 131 Allen St., New York. (212) 675-7772 or www.featureinc.com.
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| Orchestra confronts Berg, Mahler— and bankruptcy |
April 19 2011 |
Bankruptcy, once a moral disgrace, has become just another way of doing business. Or perhaps you thought the Philadelphia Orchestra was more than a business. This strategy may work in today’s de-unionized business world; it works less well when the affected employees are not tool and die workers but world-class musicians openly coveted by other orchestras.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Berg, Suite from Lulu; Mahler, Symphony No. 4. Jennifer Welch-Babidge, soprano; David Zinman, conductor. April 14-16, 2011 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-1999 or www.philorch.org.
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| ‘Hopper and His Times’ at the Whitney in NY |
April 16 2011 |
Edward Hopper’s haunting canvases appear to inhabit a world of their own, perhaps because the world they reach for is indescribable. His sense is that nature is finally insufficient, and that reality can’t be represented as such.
“Modern Life: Edwin Hopper and His Times.” Closed April 10, 2011 at the Whitney Museum of Art, 945 Madison Ave. (at 75th St.), New York. (212) 570-3600 or www.whitney.org.
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| Paris, Philadelphia and the Barnes |
April 16 2011 |
First Philadelphia’s philistines created a faux Barnes museum on the Parkway. Now, with their current Festival, they’ve put up a phony Eiffel Tower, too. Is this the mark of a great cultural center?
Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts 2011. Through May 1, 2011 at various venues, centered at the Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 546-7432 or www.pifa.org.
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| ‘Theater of War’ at the Penn Museum |
April 09 2011 |
In the performance event Theater of War, a staged reading of scenes from Sophocles’ Trojan War drama Ajax was followed by a panel of soldiers and others directly impacted by our current wars, with discussion afterward. But politics was declared off limits by the show’s creator, Bryan Doerries, which left the event uncomfortably close to propaganda.
Theater of War. Created by Bryan Doerries; directed by Abigail Adams; produced by Phyllis Kaufman. April 2, 2011 at the University of Pennsylvania Museum, 33rd and South Sts. www.outsidethewirellc.com.
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| Pastor Jones, the Koran, and the rest of us |
April 05 2011 |
The Reverend Terry Jones, whose burning of the Koran provoked four days of rioting and 22 deaths in Afghanistan, may well be a bigot and a moron. Can any good come from his public displays of idiocy? As a matter of fact, yes.
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| ‘Pride of Parnell Street’ in Ambler |
April 05 2011 |
Sebastian Barry is the finest Irish playwright of his generation, and in The Pride of Parnell Street he recreates the Dublin of the 1990s with the most economical of means: two characters, one set, and a single, 90-minute act. The act of violence that lies at its core is never shown, but its trauma reverberates throughout the text.
The Pride of Parnell Street. By Sebastian Barry; Harriet Power directed. Through April 17, 2011 at Act II Playhouse, 56 E. Butler Ave., Ambler, Pa. (215) 654-2000 or www.act2.org.
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| Kasper Collection at the Morgan Library in N.Y. |
April 03 2011 |
The Herbert Kasper collection of drawings and photographs, ranging from 16th Century masters to the present, reflects a brilliant and astringent taste, and an informed sense of the evolution of the graphic arts.
“Mannerism and Modernism: The Kasper Collection of Drawings and Photographs” Through May 1, 2011 at the Morgan Library and Museum, 225 Madison Ave., New York. (212) 685-0008 or www.themorgan.org.
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| Three centuries of diaries at the Morgan in New York |
March 29 2011 |
Diaries are mostly meant to be private, and an exhibition of them might seem almost a contradiction in terms. Still, if it’s a guilty pleasure, it’s an irresistible one too. Diaries are the most personal and direct way we have of bringing ourselves to the world, and vice versa.
“The Diary: Three Centuries of Private Lives.” Through May 22, 2011 at the Morgan Library and Museum, 225 Madison Ave., New York. (212) 685-0008 or www.themorgan.org.
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| Houdini at the Jewish Museum in New York |
March 22 2011 |
Harry Houdini was the first Jew since Jesus who got people to care about his miraculous survival, and to witness his self-resurrection year after year. What’s more, he got them to pay good money to see it.
“Houdini: Art and Magic.” Through March 27, 2011 at the Jewish Museum, 1109 Fifth Ave. (at 92nd St.), New York. (212) 423-9200 or www.thejewishmuseum.org.
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| In Memoriam: The poet John Haines |
March 19 2011 |
For John Haines, poetry performed a double function: as the vessel of personal integrity, and as an encounter with the world.
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| Sarah Ruhl’s ‘In the Next Room’ at the Wilma (3rd review) |
March 15 2011 |
Sarah Ruhl’s new play links the dawn of the electric age with that of the sexual revolution. It’s an intriguing idea, and Ruhl makes her points wittily, although they’re undermined by a gay subtext and a very campy ending.
In the Next Room, or The Vibrator Play. By Sarah Ruhl; Blanka Zizka directed. Through April 3, 2011 at Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St. (at Spruce). (215) 546-7824 or www.wilmatheater.org.
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| The war on education |
March 12 2011 |
Many recent state budgets take a battle-axe to public education. A full-bore assault on teacher unions may come next, jeopardizing the tenure protections that defend not just teacher rights but also public literacy.
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| Boris Vian’s ‘Empire Builders’ at Walnut Studio 5 (2nd review) |
March 01 2011 |
Boris Vian’s absurdist classic, The Empire Builders, received a timely revival by the Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium. Its protagonists, the Duponts, are being dispensed with— much like today’s middle and working classes.
The Empire Builders. By Boris Vian; Tina Brock directed. Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium production through February 27, 2011 at Walnut Street Theatre Studio 5, 825 Walnut St. (215) 285-0472 or www.idiopathicridiculopathyconsortium.com.
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| McDonagh’s ‘Lieutenant of Inishmore’ (3rd review) |
March 01 2011 |
If you like your stage bloody and your humor stuck in the fifth grade, Martin McDonagh’s The Lieutenant of Inishmore is the play for you. Theatre Exile is to be congratulated on every aspect of this production, except for its choice of a play.
The Lieutenant of Inishmore. By Martin McDonagh; Matt Pfeiffer directed. Theatre Exile production through March 13, 2011 at Plays and Players, 1714 Delancey Pl. (215) 218-4022 or www.theatreexile.org.
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| London Symphony plays Mahler’s Seventh |
February 26 2011 |
Mahler’s Seventh Symphony is one of the most rarely performed of his scores, in part because it lacks (or eschews) the overall dynamic structure of his more popular works. But it’s a satisfying work in the right interpretive hands, and Valery Gergiev was at least intermittently successful in it with the London Symphony Orchestra.
London Symphony Orchestra: Mahler, Seventh Symphony. Valery Gergiev, conductor. February 22, 2011 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Locust Sts. (215) 893-1999 or www.kimmelcenter.org.
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| Curtis Orchestra: Modern and post-modern (1st review) |
February 18 2011 |
The Curtis Orchestra’s midwinter concert under Juanjo Mena, with soloist Hilary Hahn, featured a fine new Violin Concerto by Jennifer Higdon, flanked by the rarely heard Hindemith Concert Music for Strings and Brass, and the Shostakovich Fifth Symphony. Hahn was superb, and the strings of the Curtis particularly distinguished themselves.
Curtis Symphony Orchestra: Higdon, Violin Concerto; Hindemith, Concert Music for Strings and Brass, Op. 50; Shostakovich Fifth Symphony. Hilary Hahn, violin; Juanjo Mena, conductor. February 14, 2011 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-7902 or www.curtis.edu.
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| McDonagh’s ‘Skull in Connemara,’ by the Lantern (2nd review) |
February 15 2011 |
A dedicated production and a hard-working cast unfortunately couldn’t raise Martin McDonagh’s 1997 play about a sinister Irish gravedigger from the dead. Pinter did it all better.
A Skull in Connemara. By Martin McDonagh; M. Craig Getting and Kathryn MacMillan directed. Lantern Theater Co. production through February 13, 2011 at St. Stephen’s Theatre, 923 Ludlow St. (215) 829-0395 or www.lanterntheater.org.
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| OCP’s high-fashion ‘Roméo et Juliette’ (1st review) |
February 15 2011 |
Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette, generally well sung in a noisy production originating in Italy, works best when the principals themselves hold the stage. Unfortunately, its visual elements too often pre-empt the music.
Roméo et Juliette. Opera by Charles Gounod; Manfred Schweigkofler directed. Opera Company of Philadelphia production through February 20, 2011 at Academy of Music, Broad and Locust Sts. (215) 732-8400 or www.operaphila.org.
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| ‘The Cherry Orchard’ at Villanova |
February 15 2011 |
In Harriet Power’s fresh staging, Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard reveals itself as a startlingly modernist text that is in many ways the matrix of 20th-Century theater.
The Cherry Orchard. By Anon Chekhov; Harriet Power directed. Villanova Theatre production through February 20, 2011 at Vasey Hall, Villanova University, Villanova, Pa. (610) 519-7474 or www.theatre.villanova.edu.
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| Argentina’s Tango Fire at the Merriam |
February 05 2011 |
Like no other art form I know, the tango shows us who we are. But Tango Fire’s brief but intense visit to the Merriam raised an implicit question: Like jazz, where is the tango headed?
"Tango Inferno— The Fire Within." Tango Fire Dance Company, choreographed by Yanina Fajar. January 30, 2011 at the Merriam Theater, Broad St. above Spruce. (215) 731-3333 or www.kimmelcenter.org.
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| ‘Casino Jack’: Downfall of a lobbyist |
January 29 2011 |
Casino Jack portrays the legendary lobbyist Jack Abramoff as a Horatio Alger gone sour, working the system until it turns on him. But the film already wears a period air in our post-crash era, where crooks don’t merely steal millions but evaporate trillions and get away with it.
Casino Jack. A film directed by George Hickenlooper. casinojack-movie.com.
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| Lipkin plays Beethoven at Curtis |
January 25 2011 |
Pianist Seymour Lipkin’s technique is not what it once was, but there was still much to be culled from an artist who has devoted a lifetime’s study to Beethoven’s keyboard literature.
Seymour Lipkin, piano recital: All-Beethoven program. January 16, 2011 at Field Concert Hall, Curtis Institute, 1726 Locust St. (215) 893-7902 or www.curtis.edu.
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| What Obama’s Tucson speech overlooked |
January 22 2011 |
President Obama to the contrary, Americans aren’t being killed in random bunches because politicians aren’t more polite. They’re being killed because Americans refuse to regulate guns.
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| ‘Moon For the Misbegotten’ at the Arden (1st review) |
January 18 2011 |
A Moon for the Misbegotten was Eugene O’Neill’s last play, and it touches the core of his compassion. Grace Gonglewski and Eric Hissom play finely against each other under Matt Pfeiffer’s direction.
A Moon for the Misbegotten. By Eugene O’Neill; Matt Pfeiffer directed. Through February 27, 2011 the Arden Theatre, 40 N. Second St. (215) 922-1122 or www.ardentheatre.org.
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| Rendell’s casino’s addiction |
January 14 2011 |
Is there any hope for the poor and ignorant who seem incurably addicted to casinos? Better ask: Is there hope for a governor who seems incurably addicted to casinos?
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| ‘Black Swan’ (3rd review) |
January 11 2011 |
Darren Aronofsky’s much-hyped Black Swan is a high-concept slasher film whose director wreaks his fantasies on the world of ballet. Ostensibly a film about ambition and intrigue, it’s a phantasmagoric exercise in misogyny.
Black Swan. A film directed by Darren Aronofsky. For theaters and times in greater Philadelphia, click here.
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| ‘Secret Life of Drawings’ at the Getty in LA |
January 04 2011 |
An unusual show at the Getty Museum lifts the veil from the backroom trade secrets of the museum world, at least in part. Art is far more regularly spruced up than most casual viewers would suspect, and conservators form a kind of secret guild within the museum world.
“The Secret Life of Drawings.” Through February 13, 2011 at the Getty Museum, 1200 Getty Center Drive, Los Angeles. (310) 440-7300 or getty.edu/art/exhibitions/secret_life_drawings.
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| Degas and Lichtenstein at the Morgan in N.Y. |
December 21 2010 |
Degas was a great and punitively fastidious voyeur. The gleefully rebellious Roy Lichtenstein, by contrast, hides his own eroticism behind the deadpan humor of a Jack Paar.
“Degas: Drawings and Sketches,” through January 23, 2011; "Roy Lichtenstein: The Black-and-White Drawings, 1961-1968," through January 2, 2011, at The Morgan Library, 225 Madison Ave., New York. (212) 685-0008 or www.themorgan.org.
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| Kiefer’s ‘Next Year in Jerusalem’ in New York |
December 14 2010 |
Anselm Kiefer’s huge installation on the theme of Jewish history and suffering is remarkable no less as a moral than an aesthetic event. Kiefer confronts his own past as a German as no other Gentile artist— or philosopher— has done, in the very Jewish spirit of tikkun, world-repair.
Anselm Kiefer: “Next Year in Jerusalem. Through December 18, 2010 at Gagosian Gallery, 555 West 24th St., New York. (212) 741-1111 or www.gagosian.com.
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| A Christmas Village at City Hall? |
December 11 2010 |
A Christmas Village was a clever marketing idea in 15th-Century Deutschland. But what is a medieval German shopping mall doing on the property of 21st-Century American taxpayers?
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| Monteverdi Vespers by Choral Arts and Piffaro (2nd review) |
December 07 2010 |
Choral Arts Philadelphia and the Piffaro Renaissance band combined forces to produce a richly satisfying performance of Monteverdi’s great Vespers for the Blessed Virgin to mark the quadricentennial anniversary of one of the seminal works of the Western art music tradition.
Monteverdi, Vespers of 1610. Choral Arts Philadelphia, chorus; Matthew Glandorf, music director. Piffaro Renaissance Wind Band; Joan Kimball and Robert Weimken, co-directors. December 5, 2010 at First Baptist Church, 17th and Sansom Sts. Choral Arts: www.choralarts.com. Piffaro: (215) 235-8469 or www.piffaro.com.
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| Whatever happened to symphonies? (1st comment) |
December 04 2010 |
The symphony— for more than 200 years the defining form of Western music— has all but vanished in the past 40. Concert audiences remain as addicted as ever to their Beethoven and Brahms, not to mention their Sibelius and Shostakovich. So why don’t contemporary composers try to oblige them?
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| Hans Hartung rediscovered in New York |
November 29 2010 |
Hans Hartung, a modern German master, disappeared from view in America for three and a half decades after being savaged in a review by Hilton Kramer. His reappearance, in a small but powerful show of work from the last year of his life, is a major event of the New York art season.
“Hans Hartung: The Last Paintings, 1989.” Through December 30, 2010 at Cheim & Read Gallery, 547 West 25th St., New York. (212) 242-7727 or www.cheimread.com.
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| ‘Coronation of Poppea’ by Juilliard Opera |
November 28 2010 |
In Monteverdi’s The Coronation of Poppea, the sheer force of erotic passion subverts all moral categories. Such wisdom renders this nearly-400-year-old opera more than modern today. The Juilliard Opera Theater’s production, led by Harry Bicket, gave a fine account of the work.
The Coronation of Poppea. Opera by Claudio Monteverdi; Harry Bicket conducted; Edward Berkeley directed. November 17-21, 2010 at Peter Jay Sharp Theatre, Juilliard School of Music, 60 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York. (212) 799-500, ext. 514 or www.juilliard.edu.
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| Tony Goldwyn’s ‘Conviction’ and the death penalty |
November 20 2010 |
Tony Goldwyn’s Conviction tells one of the 254 stories of DNA exoneration through Barry Scheck’s Innocence Project, most of them grim parables of judicial incompetence, bias, or worse. The film’s subject spent 18 years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit— luckily for him, in Massachusetts, a state with no death penalty.
Conviction. A film directed by Tony Goldwyn. www.innocenceproject.org/know/conviction.
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| InterAct Theatre’s ‘Silverhill’ |
November 16 2010 |
The InterAct’s premiere of Silverhill, a canny drama about a 19th-Century utopian community, freshly poses perennial questions about who defines social justice and how much of it we really want. Christopher Coucill heads a fine ensemble cast, and Seth Rozin’s direction is trenchant.
Silverhill. By Thomas Gibbons; Seth Rozin directed. InterAct Theatre production closed November 14, 2010 at the Adrienne, 2030 Sansom St. (215) 568-8079 or www.InteractTheatre.org.
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| Lantern Theater’s ‘Uncle Vanya’ (2nd review) |
November 09 2010 |
Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya is, like his other works on turn-of-the-20th-Century Russia, a comedy that breaks the heart. It’s well served in the Lantern Theater’s current production.
Uncle Vanya. By Anton Chekhov; directed by Kathryn MacMillan. Lantern Theater Company production through November 21, 2010 at St. Stephen’s Theatre, 923 Ludlow St. (215) 829-0395 or www.lanterntheater.org.
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| Bourgeois morality tales: ‘Traviata’ vs. 'Lulu' (3rd review) |
November 07 2010 |
Verdi’s La Traviata and Berg’s Lulu seem worlds apart sonically and dramatically, but they share a vision of the bourgeois world in which an untrammeled female temptress is sacrificed, in one case on the altar of respectability and on the other to Jack the Ripper’s knife. Now, where is the composer who’ll do justice to the Age of Madoff?
La Traviata. Opera by Giuseppe Verdi; directed by Robert B. Driver; Corrado Rovaris conducted. Opera Company of Philadelphia production May 7-16, 2010 at the Academy of Music, Broad and Locust Sts. (215) 732-8400 or www.operaphila.org.
Lulu. Opera by Alban Berg; directed by Gregory Keller; Fabio Luisi conducted. May 8-15, 2010 at Metropolitan Opera, Lincoln Center, Broadway and 64th St., New York. (212) 362-6000 or metopera.org.
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| Yannick and the Orchestra: a dissent (4th review) |
November 05 2010 |
Yannick Nézet-Séguin can wow a crowd, but can he keep them? Haydn seemed closer to his own sunny disposition in his debut performances, but it’s far too early for judgment yet. In the meantime, the Philadelphia Orchestra’s Dutoit semi-era continues.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Haydn, Symphony No. 100 (“Military”) in G; Mahler, Fifth Symphony in C-sharp minor. Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor. October 29-31, 2010 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-1999 or www.philorch.org.
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| Clint Eastwood’s 'Hereafter' |
November 02 2010 |
Clint Eastwood’s Hereafter speculates about what may— or may not— lie in the Great Beyond. A brilliant opening sequence is worth the price of admission, but Eastwood, himself a professed skeptic, loads his dice too easily, and brings his plot lines together too patly at the end.
Hereafter. A film directed by Clint Eastwood.
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| Stormy Weather: Jon Schueler in New York |
October 23 2010 |
Jon Schueler arrived on the art scene only as Abstract Expressionism was beginning to yield ground to Pop Art, and his achievement has been obscured. It’s well worth discovering. This small but sharply focused exhibition shows Schueler at a moment of crucial transition.
“Jon Schueler: The Castelli Years, 1955-1959.” Through October 28, 2010 at David Findlay Jr. Fine Art, 41 East 57th St., New York. (212) 486-7660 or www.davidfindlayjr.com.
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| ‘Macbeth at the Wilma (2nd review) |
October 12 2010 |
I’m all for aggressive staging of Shakespeare, and certainly Blanka Zizka’s has its virtues. But staging should serve rather than distract from the text, which in Macbeth particularly is crucial to establishing atmosphere.
Macbeth. By William Shakespeare; Blanka Zizka directed. Through Nov. 13, 2010 at Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St. (at Spruce). (215) 546-7824 or www.wilmatheater.org.
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| The case for anger |
October 11 2010 |
Dan Rottenberg to the contrary, righteous anger can indeed be constructive if it is focused on a good cause. Consider, for example, the constructive anger of Jesus, Gandhi and Martin Luther King.
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| Opera Company’s ‘Otello’ (2nd review) |
October 05 2010 |
The show went on without a serious hitch as the Opera Company of Philadelphia’s Iago, Mark Delavan, sang from a wheelchair, serendipitously adding a new dimension to his otherwise invulnerable character. Verdi’s Otello, unlike Shakespeare’s Othello, is more archetype than flesh and blood; nonetheless he is an imposing figure in this, Verdi’s finest opera.
Otello. Opera by Giuseppe Verdi; libretto by Arrigo Boito, from Shakespeare; Robert Driver directed; Corrado Rovaris, conductor. Opera Company of Philadelphia production through October 15, 2010 at Academy of Music, Broad and Locust Sts. (215) 893-1018 or www.operaphila.org.
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| Dutoit conducts Grieg and Shostakovich |
October 05 2010 |
Grieg and Shostakovich make strange bedfellows, but both the former’s Piano Concerto and the latter’s Fourth Symphony were well performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra. Andre Watts was the admirable soloist, and the Orchestra’s departing music director Charles Dutoit seems intent on leaving his own legacy.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Grieg, Piano Concerto in A Minor; Shostakovich, Fourth Symphony. Andre Watts, piano; Charles Dutoit, conductor. September 30-October 5, 2010 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-1999 or www.philorch.org.
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| Charles Burchfield in New York (2nd review) |
October 02 2010 |
Charles Burchfield, the less-esteemed peer of Hartley, Hopper, and O’Keeffe, ranks with them as a master of American landscape. Two New York shows, one recently concluded and the other still in progress, make the case for him as an artist of the first rank.
“Charles Burchfield: Fifty Years as a Painter.” Ended September 25, 2010 at D. C. Moore Gallery, 724 Fifth Ave., New York. (212) 247-2111 or www.dcmooregallery.com.
“Heat Waves in a Swamp: Paintings of Charles Burchfield.” Through October 17, 2010 at Whiney Museum of American Art, 945 Madison Ave. (at 75th St.), New York. (212) 570-3600 or www.whitney.org.
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| Friedlander’s ‘America by Car’ at the Whitney in N.Y. |
October 02 2010 |
Lee Friedlander’s “America by Car” is a tour of the U.S. and a tour de force of the photographer’s art. Each of the 192 black-and-white images in the suite is framed by the interior of the car Friedlander is driving, which makes it a co-participant in the journey and raises subtle questions about the nature of our vision— human and mechanical— and its relation to landscape.
“America By Car”: photographs by Lee Friedlander. Through November 28, 2010 at the Whitney Museum of Art, 945 Madison Avenue (at 75th St.), New York. (212) 570-3600; or www.whitney.org.
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| Why an anti-Muslim backlash now? |
September 27 2010 |
The growing anti-Muslim backlash in the U.S. raises a question: Why now? There’s no simple answer to the question, but I can suggest a place to start: A black president caught in a perfect storm of Muslim terrorism, relentless unemployment and a politically manipulated nativist movement.
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| Mumia again: ‘Justice On Trial’ |
September 26 2010 |
Justice on Trial, one of two documentaries about Mumia Abu-Jamal, puts Philadelphia’s criminal justice system in the dock, showing how the dubious circumstances that made Abu-Jamal’s trial and conviction in the 1981 slaying of Officer Daniel Faulkner were typical rather than exceptional— then and now.
Justice On Trial. A film by Johanna Fernandez and Kouross Esmaeli.
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| Aaron Schneider’s ‘Get Low’ |
September 21 2010 |
Robert Duvall delivers a career performance in Get Low, a modest but penetrating film about the secrets of the heart by first-time director Aaron Schneider. Amid the summer’s usual trash, it’s a small gem.
Get Low. A film directed by Aaron Schneider. At Ritz East, 125 S. Second St. (on Sansom). (215) 925-7900 or www.sonyclassics.com/getlow
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| In defense of the Reverend Jones |
September 13 2010 |
Burning a book for any reason is a bad idea. But preventing the Reverend Terry Jones from burning the Kuran is even worse. If he’s not free to express his views however he sees fit, the rest of us will lose that freedom as well.
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| Richard Burgin’s ‘Rivers Last Longer’ |
September 07 2010 |
Evil, Richard Burgin suggests in his new novel, is a radical form of schizophrenia, and the Devil has an address in a Pennsylvania exurb. Burgin writes knowledgeably about the literary scene in New York and Philadelphia and hair-raisingly about sexual predation in his continuing exploration of the underside of American life.
Rivers Last Longer. By Richard Burgin. Texas Review Press, 2010. 224 pages, $18.95. www.amazon.com.
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| ‘Late Renoir’ at the Art Museum (5th review) |
September 04 2010 |
In a conventional and somewhat lazy show, the Art Museum has thrown in a dozen-odd pieces to illustrate Renoir’s influence. The elephant in the room is the collector Albert Barnes, whose valuation of Renoir as a seminal figure in modern art has been co-opted with scant acknowledgment.
“Late Renoir”: Through September 6, 2010 at Philadelphia Museum of Art, 26th St. and Benj. Franklin Pkwy. (215) 763-8100 or www.philamuseum.org.
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| The imam, the mosque and Ground Zero |
August 28 2010 |
The controversy about whether to build a huge Muslim study and worship center two blocks from Ground Zero in lower Manhattan isn’t about freedom of religion or constitutional rights. It’s about a decent respect for the dead.
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| Gérôme revival at the Getty in Los Angeles |
August 17 2010 |
Jean-Léon Gérôme, once perhaps the world’s most famous artist, plummeted into obscurity in the 20th Century, his work largely relegated to the domain of kitsch. The Getty Museum’s revival show hides no faults but reveals a painter of exceptional talent who produced some historically significant paintings amid the dross, and who never merely pandered to his public.
“The Spectacular Art of Jean-Léon Gérôme.” Through September 12, 2010 at the Getty Museum, 1200 Getty Center Drive, Los Angeles. (310) 440-7330 or www.getty.edu/museum.
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| Michael Douglas as the 'Solitary Man’ |
July 03 2010 |
Sometimes it takes a bad film to draw out an extraordinary performance. So it is when Michael Douglas plays Ben Kalmen in Solitary Man, another in his gallery of self-destructive heroes. Kirk should be proud of Michael’s work here.
Solitary Man. A film directed by David Levien. At the Ritz East, Clearview’s Bala Theatre, the Hiway Theatre and the Bryn Mawr Film Institute.
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| Opera Company’s ‘Orphée et Eurydice’ (2nd review) |
June 19 2010 |
The Opera Company of Philadelphia’s Orphée et Eurydice offers a rare staging of Gluck’s opera, a work of great historical significance that has retained its freshness and loveliness after two and a half centuries. Robert B. Driver’s production has good singing and pacing to commend it, and fine scenic design. This version of the Orpheus legend has a happy ending, but not before going through its tragic paces too.
Orphée et Eurydice. Opera by Christof Willibald Gluck (Hector Berlioz adaptation) directed by Robert B. Driver; Corrado Rovaris, conductor. In French with English supertitles. Opera Company of Philadelphia production through June 25, 2010 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 732-8400 or www.operaphila.org.
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| SEPTA: The tragedy and the prevarication |
June 15 2010 |
SEPTA had a tragedy when a woman was killed on the tracks at the Bryn Mawr station. It compounded it by leaving stranded passengers to fend for themselves, and then lying about the mess it left them in.
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| Early Diebenkorn, Late Monet in New York |
June 15 2010 |
Richard Diebenkorn’s refinement of Matisse and other masters makes him a significant figure in 20th-Century art, and a show of his early work shows him working out a distinctive vocabulary that synthesizes both abstraction and representation. Claude Monet’s late paintings from Giverny show a similar process at work, and they rank among the glories of modern art.
“Richard Diebenkorn: Paintings & Drawings 1949-1955.” Through June 25, 2010 at Greenberg Van Doren Gallery, 730 Fifth Avenue (at 57th St.), New York. (212) 445-0444 or www.gvdgallery.com.
“Claude Monet: Late Paintings.” Through June 26, 2010 at Gagosian Gallery, 522 West 21st St., New York. (212) 741-1717 or www.gagosian.com.
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| On not pitying Palestinians |
June 12 2010 |
Nothing on earth seems more politically correct than pitying Palestinians. I have done my own share of it, but no more. Among stateless or secessionist peoples, they are the least deserving of sympathy, and if we actually want to do them good, we should tell them so.
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| Vaclav Havel’s ‘Leaving’ at the Wilma (2nd review) |
May 31 2010 |
Vaclav Havel’s Leaving, the first play in 20 years by the playwright-president, is well served by a cast led by David Strathairn, and well produced under Jiri Zizka’s energetic direction. But its importance lies less in its at-best fitful theatrical interest than as a testament of its author’s profound disillusionment with his career—and with that of capitalist modernity in general.
Leaving. By Vaclav Havel; translated by Paul Wilson; directed by Jiri Zizka. Through June 20, 2010 at Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St. (at Spruce). 215-546-7824 or www.WilmaTheater.org.
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| Double jeopardy: A Philadelphia scandal |
May 28 2010 |
The recent double jeopardy prosecution of William J. Barnes for a crime he’d already served his sentence for shows that the vengeful spirit of Lynne Abraham is still alive and well in the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office. Although Barnes was acquitted this time, the story, alas, doesn’t end there.
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| Utagawa Kuniyoshi works in New York |
May 15 2010 |
Utagawa Kuniyoshi is less well known in the West than his fellow artists of Japan’s “floating world,” Hokusai and Hiroshige, but the splendid exhibit currently on display at the Japan Society, culled from the Arthur R. Miller collection, should do much to remedy that. Few artists anywhere in the 19th Century had Kuniyoshi’s range of imagination and invention, and he touches our own modernity in fascinating and even startling ways.
“Graphic Heroes, Magic Monsters: Japanese Prints by Utagawa Kuniyoshi from the Arthur R. Miller Collection.” Through June 13, 2010 at the Japan Society, 333 East 47th St., New York. (212) 832-1155 or www.japansociety.org.
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| The forgotten MOVE victims |
May 15 2010 |
Twenty-five years after the Osage Avenue bombing and more than 30 years after the Powelton shootout, Philadelphia’s bizarre MOVE math remains clear: One police officer killed, nine life sentences; 11 men, women, and children killed, no indictment ever issued.
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| Robin Roberts: Gentle warrior |
May 07 2010 |
This was the great lesson I learned from Robin Roberts: Whether you’re mowing the lawn or writing a book, you finish what you start. On the field and off he remained the same unique symbol of baseball’s bygone integrity.
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| The vanishing Philadelphia Orchestra |
May 07 2010 |
Other orchestras go on tour, but few vanish for a month at a time as regularly as Philadelphia’s. You have to wonder if our great orchestra is considering a relocation to Tokyo.
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| Unindicted war criminal to play at Mann Center |
May 01 2010 |
No one seriously pretends that Condoleeza Rice is qualified to play the piano in public, much less with an orchestra that has played with Rubinstein and Horowitz. Her notoriety alone, as the Bush administration’s prime enabler, has attracted the Mann’s programmers.
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| McPherson’s ‘Shining City’ by Theatre Exile (3rd review) |
April 24 2010 |
Conor McPherson’s Shining City might more fittingly be titled Island of Lost Souls. Excellent performances, particularly by Scott Greer, can’t quite lift the play out of its existential funk, nor can a surprise ending that left the audience gasping.
Shining City. By Conor McPherson; directed by Matt Pfeiffer. Theatre Exile production through April 25, 2010 at Plays and Players Theatre, 1724 Delancey Pl. (215) 218-4022 or www.theatreexile.org.
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| Otto Dix at Neue Galerie in New York |
April 24 2010 |
Otto Dix (1891-1969), a pivotal figure in the revival of 20th-Century German art, receives the first American show dedicated solely to a major sampling of his work at New York’s Neue Galerie. It isn’t a full-blown retrospective, but it does focus undistracted attention on a man who created some of his century’s most iconic— and disturbing— images.
Otto Dix. Through August 30, 2010 at Neue Galerie New York, 1048 Fifth Avenue (at 86th St.), New York. (212) 288-0665 or www.neuegalerie.org.
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| Papadakis memorial concert at Drexel |
April 24 2010 |
Konstantinos Papadakis eulogizing Constantine Papadakis? That’s precisely what happened when the local Greek pianist performed a memorial recital in honor of Drexel’s late president and his own namesake. The program consisted of works by Chopin and Barber, and was finely performed by a musician of outstanding sensitivity and intelligence.
Papadakis Memorial Concert: Works by Chopin and Barber. Konstantinos Papadakis, pianist. April 9, 2010 at Rensselaer Hall, 3320 Powelton St., Drexel University. www.drexel.edu.
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| Lee Blessing’s ‘When We Go Upon the Sea’ |
April 17 2010 |
Lee Blessing’s new play, When We Go Upon the Sea, imagines George W. Bush in a place liberals would love to see him: awaiting trial as a war criminal in The Hague. Blessing has plenty of fun with “George,” as he calls him, but he points a darker finger at the rest of us, Americans and Europeans alike.
When We Go Upon the Sea. By Lee Blessing; directed by Paul Meshejian. InterAct Theatre Company production through May 9, 2010 at the Adrienne, 2030 Sansom St. (215) 568-8077 or www.InterActTheatre.org.
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| Bronzino drawings at the Met in New York |
April 13 2010 |
The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s show of all 60 of the extant drawings by the Florentine master Agnolo Bronzino (plus several by his teacher, Pontormo) is a treat for the scholar, the connoisseur, and the lay museum-goer alike. They contain some of the most splendid examples of the draughtsman’s art you’ll ever see.
“The Drawings of Agnolo Bronzino,” Through April 18, 2010 at Metropolitan Museum of Art, Fifth Avenue and 82nd Street, New York. (212) 535-7710 or www.metmuseum.org.
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| Lantern Theater’s ‘Henry IV, Part I’ (1st review) |
April 10 2010 |
Shakespeare’s Henriad— the history plays that span the reigns of Henry IV and Henry VI— are hard to stage and rarely performed. They’re especially challenging in the confines of the Lantern Theater’s cramped space, with multiple roles being played by all cast members save one. Charles McMahon’s production brings off the first of these plays with kaleidoscopic vigor and intensity, abetted by brilliant staging.
Henry IV, Part I. By William Shakespeare; Charles McMahon directed. Lantern Theater production through May 9, 2010 at St. Stephen’s Theater, 923 Ludlow St (215) 829-0935 or www.lanterntheater.org.
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| Atom Egoyan’s ‘Chloe’ |
April 06 2010 |
Veteran filmmaker Atom Egoyan’s latest, Chloe, features a lethal sex triangle in which the victims are hard to tell from the victimizers— or is there a difference at all?
Chloe. A film directed by Atom Egoyan. At Clearview Bala Theatre, 157 Bala Ave., Bala Cynwyd, Pa. 610) 668-4695. Also Ritz Sixteen, 900 Berlin-Haddonfield Rd.,
Voorhees, N.J. (856) 770-0600. www.moviefone.com.
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| ‘Red Hot Patriot’: Kathleen Turner as Molly Ivins (3rd review) |
April 03 2010 |
Kathleen Turner does a star turn in Red Hot Patriot, a one-woman show about the maverick journalist and political iconoclast Molly Ivins. A more focused script would have served Molly better, but she’s welcome back.
Red Hot Patriot: The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins. By Margaret Engel and Allison Engel; directed by David Esbjornson. Philadelphia Theatre Co. world premiere through April 25, 2010 at Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 S. Broad St. (at Lombard). (215) 985-0420 or www.philadelphiatheatrecompany.org.
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| Felix Vallotton’s working-class women in New York |
April 03 2010 |
Nine female portrait studies by the Franco-Swiss artist Felix Vallotton make for a small jewel of a show in Manhattan. Like Seurat’s Les Poseuses, Vallotton searches for the eternal feminine in working-class women, and rings his own variations on the theme.
“Paintings of Felix Vallotton.” Through April 10, 2010 at Michael Werner Gallery, 4 East 77 St., New York. (212) 988-1623 or www.michaelwerner.com.
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| Debating the Barnes move (sort of) |
March 27 2010 |
The Art of the Steal, still playing downtown, has also gone to the Bryn Mawr Film Institute, which is staging five panels dealing with the film and the move of the Barnes Foundation. It’s the first sustained public discussion of the biggest cultural issue in Philadelphia’s recent history.
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| San Francisco Symphony plays Mahler’s Second (1st review) |
March 27 2010 |
Michael Tilson Thomas, visiting Philadelphia for the first time in six years with his San Francisco Symphony, performed a Mahler Second Symphony thoughtfully conceived and transparently executed. With Mahler, attention to pacing and detail is what pays off. It did here, in one of the season's most satisfying performances.
San Francisco Symphony: Mahler Second Symphony. Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor; Katarina Karneus, mezzo-soprano; Laura Claycomb, soprano; Westminster Choir, Joe Miller, director. March 22, 2010 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 790-5800 or www.kimmelcenter.org.
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| ‘Language Rooms’ at the Wilma (2nd review) |
March 23 2010 |
Language Rooms takes place in the hermetic world of a private contractor whose job is to interrogate terrorist suspects, but which might be next door. The play invites us to ask Theater of the Absurd questions about ourselves but undercuts its own mise en scène with a drama-within-the-drama about immigrant acculturation that clearly belongs somewhere else.
Language Rooms. By Yussef El Guindi; directed by Blanka Zizka (world premiere). Through April 4, 2010 at Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St. (at Spruce). (215) 546-7824 or www.wilmatheater.org.
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| ‘The Ghost Writer’: Polanski’s revenge |
March 23 2010 |
Roman Polanski’s The Ghost Writer takes a swipe at imperial America and its far-reaching tentacles. Polanski, who still faces extradition to the U.S. on a decades-old rape charge, has an axe to grind, but he also holds up a mirror that reflects the way much of the world sees us.
The Ghost Writer. A film by Roman Polanski. At area theaters.
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| Barber’s ‘Antony and Cleopatra’ by Curtis |
March 20 2010 |
The Curtis Opera has revived the Edsel of American operas, Samuel Barber’s ill-fated Antony and Cleopatra. It’s a welcome opportunity to reconsider a work that, despite abiding flaws, has too much musical value to ignore.
Antony and Cleopatra. Opera by Samuel Barber; directed by Chas Rader-Schieber; conducted by George Manahan. Through March 21, 2010 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-7902 or www.curtis.edu.
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| Shostakovich’s ‘The Nose’ at the Met |
March 16 2010 |
After 80 years, Dmitri Shostakovich’s early satirical opera, The Nose, is at last getting its premiere at the Metropolitan Opera. The cast and orchestra perform with élan, but William Kentridge’s overbearing production threatens to hijack the proceedings.
The Nose. Opera by Dmitri Shostakovich; directed by William Kentridge; Valery Gergiev, conductor. Through March 25, 2010 at Metropolitan Opera, Lincoln Center, Broadway and 65th St., New York. (212) 362-6000 or www.metopera.org.
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| Man Ray: The undefined artist (in New York) |
March 16 2010 |
Philadelphia-born Man Ray was the Zelig of 20th-Century art, a man who knew everyone and did everything except define himself.
“Man Ray: The Art of Reinvention.” Ended March 14, 2010 at the Jewish Museum, 1109 Fifth Ave., New York. (212) 423-3200 or www.thejewishmuseum.org.
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| Three Finns and Liszt, by the Orchestra |
March 13 2010 |
The Sibelius Second Symphony is almost the Philadelphia Orchestra’s signature piece, but visiting conductor Osmo Vänskä brought a refreshing perspective. The program also included the local premiere of Kalevi Aho’s busy Minea, and a fine-tooled performance of the Liszt Second Piano Concerto by young French soloist Jean-Frédéric Neuburger.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Sibelius Second Symphony; Aho, Minea; Liszt, Second Piano Concerto. Jean-Frédéric Neuburger, piano; Osmo Vänskä, conductor. March 11-16, 2010 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-1955 or www.philorch.org.
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| Barnes Day in the ‘Inquirer’ |
March 09 2010 |
With no less than four articles and columns last Sunday, the Inquirer finally got around to acknowledging the fracas over the Barnes Foundation’s proposed move. But Barnes chairman Bernard Watson’s op-ed defense of the move is replete with evasions and distortions.
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| ‘The Hurt Locker’ and the endless war |
March 09 2010 |
For its realistic portrait of a bomb squad in Iraq, The Hurt Locker won six Academy Awards, including “Best Picture.” Yet the small truths within this film implicitly condone the larger lies that took us into that war in the first place.
The Hurt Locker. A film directed by Kathryn Bigelow. At the Ritz at the Bourse, Fourth and Ludlow Sts. (215) 925-7900 or www.landmarktheatres.com.
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| Orchestra’s odd couple: Brahms and Shostakovich |
March 02 2010 |
There’s nothing wrong with hearing the Brahms Violin Concerto and Shostakovich’s 11th Symphony, as in last week’s Orchestra performances. They just don’t inhabit the same musical universe.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Brahms Violin Concerto; Shostakovich 11th Symphony. Janine Jansen, violin; Charles Dutoit, conductor. February 25-28, 2009 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-1999 or www.philorch.org.
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| The Barnes architects make their case |
February 23 2010 |
Three architects appeared at Penn recently to talk up their design for the Barnes Foundation’s new museum on the Parkway. The event, overlooked by the media, took special care to ignore the 800-pound gorilla in the room. It also raised a new question: Why abandon a building designed by Paul Cret for a project by Tod Williams, Billie Tsien and Laurie Olin?
The Art of the Steal, a documentary film about the Barnes Foundation directed by Don Argott, opens February 26, 2010 at the Ritz Five, 214 Walnut St. (215) 925-7900 or www.landmarktheatres.com.
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| Jason Reitman’s ‘Up in the Air’ (2nd review) |
February 22 2010 |
Jason Reitman’s Up in the Air is this year’s Hollywood morality tale. It’s a throwback to Preston Sturges and Howard Hawks— in short, a Depression-era film for our depressed times.
Up In the Air. A film directed by Jason Reitman, from the novel by Walter Kirn. At the Ritz Five, 214 Walnut St. (215) 925-7900 or www.landmarktheatres.com.
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| Villanova Theatre’s modernized ‘Medea’ |
February 09 2010 |
You wouldn’t want Medea for a nanny, but she’s always welcome on the boards if you know how to treat her. But the current Villanova production never does find a coherent way to project Euripides’s most famous drama onto a modern stage, and the result is an Oprahfied heroine with a knife in her waistband.
Medea. By Euripides; translation by Robin Robertson; directed by Shawn Kairschner. Villanova Theatre production through February 14, 2010 at Vasey Hall, Villanova University. (610) 519-7474 or www.theatre.villanova.edu.
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| The Pew confronts ‘The Art of the Steal’ |
February 02 2010 |
The Pew foundation has consistently ignored criticism of its de facto takeover of the Barnes Foundation. Now, confronted by a muckraking documentary, the Pew has deigned to post answers to “frequently asked questions” about its relationship to the Barnes. It’s a disingenuous exercise. Let us count the ways.
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| Egon Schiele exhibit in New York |
January 25 2010 |
Egon Schiele obsessively depicted the human form in the more than 3,000 works he produced in his all-too-brief 28 years. No one since Rembrandt captured its truth with greater honesty and penetration.
“Egon Schiele as Printmaker.” Closed January 23, 2010 at Galerie St. Etienne, 24 West 57th St., New York. (212) 245-6734 or www.gseart.com.
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| Orchestra tackles Mahler and Strauss |
January 19 2010 |
Replacement conductor Juanjo Maena performed the scheduled Adagio of Mahler’s great but incomplete Tenth Symphony and Richard Strauss’s Four Last Songs, but substituted mid-period Beethoven for mid-period Martinu. The results were mixed, with Strauss faring best but sluggish tempos marring the Mahler and Beethoven.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Mahler, Adagio from Tenth Symphony; Strauss, Four Last Songs; Beethoven “Pastoral.” Juanjo Maena, conductor. January 14-16, 2010 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center at Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-1999 or www.philorch.org.
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| Mark McGwire’s steroid confession |
January 14 2010 |
The disgraced ex-slugger Mark McGwire has confessed to taking steroids but still expects us to believe that a broken-down player in his 30s could achieve naturally not only what he couldn’t in his 20s, but things no player had ever achieved before him. And he’s hardly alone in his delusions.
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| New Acropolis Museum in Athens |
January 05 2010 |
The new Acropolis Museum in Athens now houses, in addition to the artifacts of the old one, the marbles and statuary removed from the Parthenon to save them from the city’s pollution. Unfortunately, the whole museum is a dud, and the tendentious display of the marbles only caps the fiasco.
Acropolis Museum. Athens, Greece. www.theacropolismuseum.gr.
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| Clint Eastwood’s 'Invictus' (1st review) |
December 19 2009 |
Like the recent Precious, Clint Eastwood’s Invictus is a feel-good film about race that asks for a willing suspension of disbelief. Morgan Freeman is worthily dull as Nelson Mandela, but he’ll probably win an Oscar anyway. Eastwood owes us more, though.
Invictus. A film directed by Clint Eastwood. At area theaters.
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| Peter Serkin piano recital at Perelman |
December 15 2009 |
Peter Serkin’s recital at the Perelman Theater was a tutorial in the Western classical tradition, anchored in two seminal works of Arnold Schoenberg that began and ended the program. Chopin and Debussy were on hand too, but the evening’s highlight was a mesmerizing performance of Charles Wuorinen’s ferocious Scherzo, a work written for Serkin that few other pianists in the world could have played.
Peter Serkin: Piano recital. Works by Schoenberg, Chopin, Debussy, Kurtag, Wuorinen. Philadelphia Chamber Music Society presentation December 4, 2009 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 569-8080 or pcmsconcerts.org.
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| Nézet-Séguin conducts the Orchestra (1st review) |
December 08 2009 |
Let the auditions continue: Yannick Nézet-Séguin, the young music director of the Rotterdam Philharmonic and principal guest conductor of the London Philharmonic, made a return appearance with the Philadelphia Orchestra and brought fresh energy to two Romantics and a modern.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Vivier, Orion; Brahms First Piano Concerto; Franck, Symphony in D minor. December 3-5, 2009 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. 215.893.1999 or www.philorch.org.
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| Gorky retrospective at Art Museum (4th review) |
December 08 2009 |
The Art Museum’s fall blockbuster gives Arshile Gorky the full masterpiece treatment, in the process obscuring rather than illuminating Gorky’s genuine value as a painter. It also illustrates the fate worse than death being planned for the Barnes collection in its coffin on the Parkway.
Arshile Gorky: A Retrospective. Through January 10, 2010 at Philadelphia Museum of Art, Benjamin Franklin Parkway at 26th Street. (215) 763-8100 or www.philamuseum.org.
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| Mendelssohn Quartet’s farewell concert |
December 07 2009 |
The Mendelssohn String Quartet, disbanding after 30 years, played a program of early Mendelssohn, early middle Bartok, and late Beethoven to a capacity house. Whatever the reasons for the Quartet’s separation, they were in full communion for this finale. Their intimacy and feel for inner balances will be missed.
Mendelssohn String Quartet: Mendelssohn, Bartok, Beethoven. Presented by Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, December 2, 2009 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 569-8080 or www.pcmsconcerts.org.
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| Orchestra plays Mozart and Bruckner (1st review) |
December 01 2009 |
The Dutch-born conductor Jaap van Zweden performed Mozart’s 19th Piano Concerto and Bruckner’s Ninth Symphony in his debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra, with soloist Horacio Gutierrez giving a fine account of the Mozart. Van Zweden knows what he wants and mostly got it from the Orchestra, though the last, dying notes of the Bruckner were almost predictably fluffed in the horns.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Mozart Piano Concerto in F, Bruckner Ninth Symphony. Horacio Gutierrez, piano; Jaap van Zweden, conductor. November 27-29, 2009 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center. (215) 893-1999 or www.philorch.org.
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| Guston miniatures, in New York |
November 28 2009 |
The McKee gallery’s latest show of the late work of Philip Guston displays a different but striking aspect of this American master’s genius: small oils that distill the remarkable imagery of his final decade in work of great power and originality. They are as well a portrait of the Nixon period, speaking truth to power in an era of lies.
“Philip Guston: Small Oils on Panel 1969-1973." Through December 31, 2009 at the McKee Gallery, 745 Fifth Ave., New York. (212) 688-5951 or www.mckeegallery.com.
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| Irving Penn’s 'Small Trades' at the Getty Museum |
November 24 2009 |
Irving Penn’s "Small Trades," an elegiac look at the independent contractors of yore by the famous Vogue fashion photographer, is no mere exercise in social slumming, but a catalogue of professions rendered obsolete by an economy that, increasingly now, no longer creates but rather devours work.
Irving Penn: “Small Trades.” Through January 10, 2010 at the Getty Museum, 1200 Getty Center Drive, Los Angeles. (310) 440-7330 or www.getty.edu.
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| ‘Precious’: Ghetto fantasy film |
November 23 2009 |
Combining Horatio Alger and The Blackboard Jungle with a dash of Oprah, Precious examines the life of a desperately damaged black teenager in the Harlem of the 1980s. The message of moral uplift is as predictable as it is unconvincing.
Precious. A film directed by Lee Daniels. At UA Riverview Stadium 17, 1400 S. Columbus Blvd. (800) 326-3264, x. 650; The Bridge, 230 South 40th St. (215) 386-7971; Bryn Mawr Film Institute, 824 W. Lancaster Avenue, Bryn Mawr, Pa. (610) 527-9898.
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| Eschenbach conducts Mahler’s Seventh |
November 21 2009 |
Gustav Mahler’s seldom-performed Seventh Symphony lacks— or deliberately eschews— the narrative drive that makes his symphonies popular, but its appearance in Christoph Eschenbach’s assured performance was all the more welcome for its rarity. Make of it what you will, the music is glorious and the invention unflagging.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Mahler Seventh Symphony. Christoph Eschenbach, conductor. November 18, 20 & 21, 2009 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-1999 or www.philorch.org.
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| French landscapes at the Getty |
November 17 2009 |
“Capturing Nature’s Beauty,” a small but scintillating show, misled only in its title, for it was not so much about nature as man’s relation to it. In its Italian and French landscapes lay a tale, not of French subservience to Italian taste but of subtler forms of the imperial assertions that marked early modern France before Napoleon.
“Capturing Nature’s Beauty: Three Centuries of French Landscapes.” July 28-November 1, 2009 at the Getty Museum, Los Angeles. (310) 440-7330 or www.getty.edu.
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| Another Barnes groundbreaking |
November 16 2009 |
A year ago the Barnes Foundation’s movers and shakers staged an elaborate groundbreaking ceremony for their proposed new home on Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Last Friday they broke the same ground all over again. Methinks the bigwigs doth break ground too much.
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| Beckett’s ‘Endgame’ by EgoPo (2nd review) |
November 14 2009 |
EgoPo’s latest Beckett production, Endgame, succeeds despite itself, largely due to Ed Swidey’s stylized but finely judged performance as Hamm, the play’s principal. Director Lane Savadove has given the play an incongruous South Jersey setting, but the text, thank goodness, speaks for itself, and Swidey makes sure that its poetry gets through.
Endgame. By Samuel Beckett; directed by Lane Savadove. EgoPo Productions presentation through November 15, 2009 at St. Stephen’s Theater, 923 Ludlow St. (215) 552-8773 or www.egopo.org.
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| ‘Rabbit Hole’ at the Arden |
November 10 2009 |
In David Lindsay-Abaire’s Rabbit Hole, a decent husband and wife face the indecent horror of the loss of a child and try to deal with a grief that has left them in separate and opposed universes. Jim Christy’s thoughtful production respects the play’s bleak integrity and its message of chastened hope.
Rabbit Hole. By David Lindsay-Abaire; directed by Jim Christy. Through December 20, 2009 at the Arden Theatre, 40 N. Second St. (215) 922-1122 or www.ardentheatre.org.
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| Martha Clarke’s ‘Garden of Earthly Delights’ |
October 25 2009 |
Last winter's revival of Martha Clarke’s dance theater masterwork, Garden of Earthly Delights, freely adapted from Hieronymus Bosch’s Renaissance triptych, was a work of astonishing beauty and rare erotic candor in its revival production, the first in more than 20 years.
Garden of Earthly Delights. Choreography by Martha Clarke. November 2008-January 2009 at Minetta Lane Theatre, 18 Minetta Lane, New York. (212) 307-4100 or gardenofearthlydelightsnyc.com.
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| Michael Moore’s ‘Capitalism’ (2nd review) |
October 25 2009 |
Michael Moore’s latest film screed takes on the ultimate evildoer, capitalism itself. Slogging from scene to scene of the crime in his working-class version of The Tramp, Moore looks for a little truth and decency in all the mess. Good luck to him, and to all of us. But is the theology really so simple?
Capitalism: A Love Story. A film by Michael Moore. At the Ritz Five, 214 Walnut St. (215) 440-1184 or delaware.metromix.com.
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| ‘Krapp’s Last Tape’ by the Lantern |
October 15 2009 |
The Lantern’s mini-festival of Samuel Beckett, set against its mainstage production of Happy Days, featured Frank X in two performances of Krapp’s Last Tape, a tour de force for a male performer and, like all of Beckett’s work, a meditation on identity and time.
Krapp’s Last Tape. By Samuel Beckett. Lantern Theater production October 12, 2009 at St. Stephen’s Theatre, 923 Ludlow St. 829-0395 or www.lanterntheater.org
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| Opera Company’s ‘Madame Butterfly’ (1st review) |
October 12 2009 |
Director Cynthia Stokes evokes mythic resonances in the Opera Company’s Madame Butterfly, and soprano Ermonela Jaho gives a vocally and dramatically commanding performance in the title role. The striking set and lighting design complete this fresh and impressively conceived view of one of opera’s perennial classics.
Madame Butterfly. Opera by Giacomo Puccini; directed by Cynthia Stokes. Opera Company of Philadelphia production through October 18, 2009 at Academy of Music, Broad and Locust St. (215) 732 – 8400 or operaphila.org.
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| The Barnes unveils its design |
October 10 2009 |
The newly unveiled design for what would be (contrary to Albert Barnes’s express instruction) a “Barnes museum” is dreary, insipid, and banal— yet another reason to keep the Barnes Foundation exactly where it is in Merion.
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| Philadelphia Orchestra: Brahms and Bartok |
October 06 2009 |
The Philadelphia Orchestra offered a seasoned warhorse, the Brahms Second Piano Concerto, freshly realized by soloist Yefim Bronfman, and a rare performance of the entire score of Bartok’s ballet-pantomime, The Miraculous Mandarin. The specter of Wagner hung over both works, each of which rejected it in its own way.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Brahms Second Piano Concerto; Bartok, The Miraculous Mandarin. Yefim Bronfman, piano; Charles Dutoit, conductor. October 1- 3, 2009 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center. (215) 893.1999 or www.philorch.org.
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| Beckett’s ‘Happy Days’ by the Lantern (2nd review) |
October 03 2009 |
The Lantern Theater’s season is off to a good start with David O’Connor’s production of Beckett’s Happy Days, featuring Mary Elizabeth Scallen as Winnie. This inexhaustible role can never be fully realized in any performance, but Scallen projects her battered dignity and, in the play’s second act, creates a memorable picture of human consciousness at the end of its tether.
Happy Days. By Samuel Beckett; directed by David O’Connor. Lantern Theater Co. production through October 18, 2009 at St. Stephen’s Theatre, 923 Ludlow St. (215) 829-0395 or www.lanterntheater.org.
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| ‘The Art of the Steal’: The Barnes on film |
September 29 2009 |
The Art of the Steal is an ambitious attempt to relate the saga of the Barnes Foundation from its founding in Merion to its impending move to Center City Philadelphia. Don Argott has wisely chosen to tell it in terms of its principal personalities. It belongs on a short list of documentaries that have spoken truth to power.
The Art of the Steal. A film by Don Argott.
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| Albee’s ‘Zoo Story’ at Villanova |
September 26 2009 |
Edward Albee’s The Zoo Story may be historically important as the moment when American theater began to come out of the closet, but the play itself is dated, and difficult to perform convincingly unless played against the grain. In Joanna Rotté’s spacious direction, it reveals some forgotten strengths, but also exposes inherent weaknesses.
The Zoo Story. By Edward Albee; directed by Joanna Rotté. Villanova Theatre production through October 4, 2009 at Vasey Hall, Villanova University. (610) 519.7474 or www.theatre.villanova.edu.
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| James Ensor at Museum of Modern Art (2nd review) |
September 22 2009 |
The uncanny art of the proto-modernist James Ensor, in MoMA’s first substantial exhibition of his work since 1951, reveals a prophetic artist who anticipated many of the 20th Century’s horrors and who still speaks to the wired-up anomie of our present day.
“James Ensor.” Ended September 21, 2009 at the Museum of Modern Art, 11 West 53rd St., New York. (212) 708-9400 or
www.moma.org.
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| Richard Long: Walking as an art form |
September 01 2009 |
The British artist Richard Long has made his country’s pastime, walking, into an art form for nearly half a century, and the Tate Britain’s retrospective of his work— graphic and photographic, textual and sculptural— is the record of a singular life’s journey.
“Richard Long: Heaven and Earth.” Through September 6, 2009 at the Tate Britain, north bank of Thames River at Millbank, London. www.tate.org.uk/britain.
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| Francis Bacon at the Met |
August 15 2009 |
Francis Bacon, Britain’s greatest modern painter, took the difficulty of modern perception as his subject, while heroically refusing to abandon the human image, as Abstract Expressionism had done. The result is, typically, an embattled figure on an ambiguous ground.
“Francis Bacon: A Centenary Retrospective.” Through August 16, 2009 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Fifth Avenue at 82nd Street, New York. (212) 535-7710 or www.metmuseum.org.
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| Greek travesty: Euripides’s 'Helen' in London |
August 09 2009 |
The rarely performed Helen by Euripides is late Attic tragedy with a comic twist, as the beauty queen of ancient Greece is reunited with her husband Menelaus after the Trojan War. Deborah Bruce’s production misconceives its material, and the result, despite Penny Downie’s doughty performance in the title role, is neither comedy nor tragedy but travesty instead.
Helen. By Euripides; directed by Deborah Bruce. Through August 23, 2009 at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, 21 Bankside, London, United Kingdom. www.shakespeares-globe.org.
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| Brett Weston photos at Santa Barbara Museum |
July 07 2009 |
“Brett Weston: Out of the Shadow” is a superb retrospective of the man who may have been, even more than his more famous father Edward, America’s great photographer. The 146 images on display, taken as a whole, suggest a reconciliation between natural occurrence and human aspiration— that is, that we may have a place in the world after all.
“Brett Weston: Out of the Shadow.” Through August 16, 2009 at Santa Barbara Museum of Art, 1130 State St., Santa Barbara, Calif. (805) 964-4364 or www.sbma.net.
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| Orchestra’s season finale |
June 18 2009 |
The Philadelphia Orchestra ended its season with a program that unprofitably yoked Debussy’s meandering composite, Images, with the Shostakovich Fifth Symphony. The latter, though unevenly played, sent the musicians home with a standing ovation that, one hopes, will leave them with a final good memory of what has been a difficult year.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Debussy, Images; Shostakovich Fifth Symphony. Charles Dutoit, conductor. June 12, 13, 16, 2009 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center. (215) 893-1999 or www.philorch.org.
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| Opera Company’s ‘Rape of Lucretia’ (1st review) |
June 15 2009 |
The Opera Company of Philadelphia’s deft staging of Benjamin Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia is both a welcome revival of a pioneering work of chamber opera and, in the midst of our own current wars, a timely reminder of man’s inhumanity to man.
The Rape of Lucretia. Opera by Benjamin Britten; directed by William Kerley. June 5-14, 2009 at the Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center. (215) 893-1018 or www.operaphila.org.
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| ‘Cézanne and Beyond’ post-mortem (4th review) |
June 11 2009 |
“Cézanne and Beyond,” the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s major show of the year, was its best in some time, but could have been a great deal richer for collaboration with the Barnes Foundation and its matchless trove of the great French master. VIP guests got to take the 15-minute ride to Merion, but for the masses the PMA and its corporate masters still pretend that the Barnes is somewhere west of Cleveland.
“Cézanne and Beyond.” Through May 31, 2009 at Philadelphia Museum of Art, Benjamin Franklin Parkway at 26th St. (215) 763-8100 or www.philamuseum.org.
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| Philadelphia Orchestra’s eclectic program |
May 26 2009 |
Guest conductor David Robertson, in an eclectic Philadelphia Orchestra program, offered three works of a century ago, and one of our own moment: the Philadelphia premiere of Thomas Ades’s impressive new Violin Concerto, with Leila Josefowicz.
Philadelphia Orchestra: by Vaughan Williams, Sibelius, Scriabin and Ades. Leila Josefowicz, violin; David Robertson, conductor. May 22-23, 2009 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center. (215) 893-1999 or www.philorch.org.
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| McPherson’s ‘Seafarer’ at the Arden (1st review) |
May 22 2009 |
In Conor McPherson’s new play, The Seafarer, Humanity’s Oldest Friend visits four bibulous Dubliners on a Christmas Eve to collect an old debt from one of them. Though the play is flawed, the ensemble work of the all-male cast is as good as anything seen on local stages this season.
The Seafarer. By Conor McPherson; directed by David O’Connor. Through June 14, 2009 at the Arden Theatre, 40 N. Second St. (215) 922-1122 or ardentheatre.org.
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| Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio at the Perelman |
May 16 2009 |
A late cancellation turned what promised to be an unusual and intriguing program of trios— with clarinet, horn, and piano joining the strings— into more ordinary fare. But the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio, with guest Ricardo Morales, performed with the aplomb of a fine veteran group in works by Beethoven, Mendelssohn, and Tchaikovsky.
Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio: Beethoven, Mendelssohn and Tchaikovsky. Joseph Kalichstein, piano; Jaime Laredo, violin; Sharon Robinson, cello; Ricardo Morales, clarinet. Philadelphia Chamber Music Society presentation May 12, 2009 at the Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, May 12, 2009. (215) 569-8080 or pcmsconcerts.org.
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| Simon Rattle conducts Bruckner’s Eighth |
May 11 2009 |
Is Sir Simon Rattle still the One Who Got Away? In the second of his recent concerts with the Philadelphia Orchestra, the flamboyant conductor offered a spacious and compelling reading of Bruckner’s sprawling Eighth Symphony that drew marvelous playing, especially from the strings.
Philadelphia Orchestra; Bruckner Symphony No. 8; Mozart Piano Concerto No. 25. Simon Rattle, conductor; Imogen Cooper, piano. May 7-9, 2009 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center. (215) 893-1999 or www.philorch.org.
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| Pennsylvania Ballet’s ‘Tango With Style’ (1st review) |
May 09 2009 |
The Pennsylvania Ballet’s penultimate performance of the season was a pleasing mixture of one of the company’s repertory works, Robert Weiss’s Octet for Strings; Keep, a world premiere by its resident choreographer, Matthew Neenan; and Hans van Manen’s Five Tangos, a company premiere of a work that’s achieved international status. The corps was in good form, though the live musical accompaniment was often ragged in tone.
Pennsylvania Ballet: “Tango With Style.” Robert Weiss, Octet For Strings; Matthew Neenan, Keep; Hans van Manen, Five Tangos. May 6-10, 2009 at Merriam Theatre, 250 S. Broad St. (215) 551-7000 or www.paballet.org.
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| Picasso’s last years, in New York |
May 05 2009 |
The late work of Pablo Picasso has received short shrift, but it’s the magnificent culmination of the greatest artistic career since Goya— or Rembrandt and Velazquez, the 17th-Century masters whose persona Picasso adopted for his own. Curated by John Richardson, who knows more about Picasso than any man living, the current show at the Gagosian Gallery in Chelsea is a triumph in every respect.
"Picasso: Mosqueteros." Through June 6, 2009 at the Gagosian Gallery, 522 West 21 St., New York. (212) 741-1717 or www.gagosian.com.
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| Curtis Orchestra plays Russian masterworks |
May 02 2009 |
Curtis Orchestra’s final concert of the season featured second thoughts on Russian masterworks by Prokofiev and Stravinsky. I’m not sure why Philadelphia couldn’t hear some of Valery Gergeiev’s recent traversal of the Prokofiev symphonies (which went to Washington), but the Curtis performances were at least a consolation prize. The caliber of this student orchestra, despite the annual changeovers of its graduation cycle, easily stands comparison with most professional groups anywhere.
Curtis Symphony Orchestra: Prokofiev, Suites from Romeo and Juliet; Prokofiev, Sinfonia Concertante; Stravinsky, Petrushka. Michael Stern, conductor; Carter Brey, cello. April 27, 2009 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center. (215) 893-7902 or www.curtis.edu.
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| Drawings in New York: Thaw and Bonna Collections |
April 23 2009 |
Drawing fanciers have had two exceptional shows to savor in New York: The Thaw collection at the Morgan Library and the Bonna hoard at the Met. Both will close soon, and shouldn’t be missed by anyone who savors the unique truth that lies in the perfectly executed line.
“The Thaw Collection of Master Drawings: Acquisitions since 2002.” Through May 9, 2009 at the Morgan Library, 225 Madison Ave., New York. (212) 685-0008) or www.themorgan.org/exhibitions.
“From Raphael to Renoir: Drawings from the Collection of Jean Bonna.” Through April 26, 2009 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Fifth Avenue at 82nd St., New York. (212) 535-7710 or metmuseum.org.
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| Arden’s ‘Something Intangible’ (1st review) |
April 18 2009 |
Bruce Graham brings a Hollywood insider’s knowledge and a flair for dialogue to Something Intangible, now in its premiere production at the Arden. You can’t treat Tinseltown without a touch of schmaltz— a trap Graham doesn’t escape. But this play about Walt Disney and the making of Fantasia, though overwrought for its theme, provides a diverting two hours. Cast and production are excellent.
Something Intangible. By Bruce Graham; directed by Terrence J. Nolen. Through June 7, 2009 at the Arden Theatre, 40 N. Second St. (between Market and Arch). (215) 922.1122 or www.ardentheatre.org.
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| Theatre Exile’s ‘American Buffalo’ (1st review) |
April 16 2009 |
Theatre Exile’s revival of David Mamet’s breakthrough play, American Buffalo, is driven by Pete Pryor’s brilliant performance as the testosterone-laced Teach. But while Teach’s bullying behavior might have been considered borderline psychotic a generation ago, it’s a reflection of daily life today.
American Buffalo. By David Mamet; directed by Matt Pfeiffer. Theater Exile production through May 3, 2009 at Plays & Players, 1714 Delancey St. (215) 218-4022 or www.theatreexile.org.
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| Lantern Theater's hyperactive ‘Hamlet’ (1st review) |
April 14 2009 |
The question in Hamlet may be less why the play’s hero fails to avenge his father’s murder than why he fails to claim his crown. The Lantern Theater’s fast-paced production of the play treats it as an action drama but misses its darker drives and subtler shades of meaning.
Hamlet. By William Shakespeare; directed by Charles McMahon. Lantern Theater production through May 17, 2009 at St. Stephen’s Theater, Tenth and Ludlow St. (215) 829-0395 or www.lanterntheater.org.
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| Ysaÿe Quartet at Perelman Theater |
April 07 2009 |
The Ysaÿe Quartet, named for the Belgian violinist Eugene Ysaÿe, plays with exquisite refinement and sensitivity. Unlike the steak-and-eggs mishmash offered by so many concert programs, the Ysaÿe’s combination of late and last works by Fauré, Bartok and Franck was thoughtful and suggestive.
Ysaÿe Quartet: Works by Fauré, Bartok and Franck. Presented by Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, April 3, 2009, at the Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center. (215) 569-8080 or pcmsconcerts.org.
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| Art meets science: Ellen K. Levy at Rider U. |
April 04 2009 |
The maze and the void join in Ellen K. Levy’s challenging and complex paintings, which interrogate the juncture between science, art and a human imagination. Levy loves machines, but not the uses to which freebooting capitalism and the military-industrial complex threaten to put them.
“Ellen K. Levy: Decoding Metaphors for the 21st Century.” Through April 19, 2009 at Rider University Art Gallery, Luedeke Center, Top Floor,
2083 Lawrenceville Rd.,
Lawrenceville, N.J. 609) 895-5588 or www.rider.edu/888_1371.htm.
"Ellen K. Levy: Stealing Attention." Through April 18, 2009 at the Michael Steinberg Gallery, 526 West 26th St., Suite 215, New York. (212) 924-5770 or www.michaelsteinbergfineart.com.
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| Casinos and the Barnes: Perfect together |
March 31 2009 |
Philadelphia is about to get something it doesn’t want or need: a giant push toward municipal failure in the form of casino gambling and slots parlors. This heavy-handed movement shares much in common with another potential disaster: the effort to move the Barnes Foundation from Lower Merion to the Parkway.
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| ‘Women Forward’ at Williamsburg Art Center |
March 23 2009 |
Women Forward I, the first of a two-part show of women artists at the Williamsburg Art and Historical Center in Brooklyn, poses the question of whether there is such a thing as women’s art apart from the work of individuals who happen to be women. The answer, I think, is yes: and vive la difference.
Women Forward I: Through April 25, 2009; Women Forward II (artists after 1950): April 12-May 31, 2009, at Williamsburg Art and Historical Center, 135 Broadway, Brooklyn, N.Y. (718) 486.6012 or www.wahcenter.net.
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| Curtis Opera’s ‘Wozzeck’ (2nd review) |
March 21 2009 |
The Curtis Opera production of Alban Berg’s Wozzeck, the signature opera of German Expressionism, made the most of the cramped facilities of the Perelman Theater, with lead singers Shuler Henley and Karen Jesse in good voice and Mark Barton’s lighting particularly accenting the brooding and anguished score. Georg Buchner’s timeless story of a maddened soldier who kills the one thing he loves remains as relevant as ever.
Wozzeck. Opera by Alban Berg; directed by Emma Griffin; Corrado Rovaris, conductor. Curtis Opera Theatre production March 13-18, 2009 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center. (215) 893-7902 or www.curtis.edu.
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| ‘Iron Kisses’ at Act II Playhouse |
March 17 2009 |
James Still’s Iron Kisses— the kind that come with locked lips— details a small-town family’s reaction to an only son’s homosexuality. Well acted, with its two actors taking multiple roles, and skillfully directed by Harriet Power, this play transcends its well-worn genre and offers an affecting evening of theater.
Iron Kisses. By James Still; directed by Harriet Power. Through April 5, 2009 at Act II Playhouse, 56 E. Butler Ave., Ambler, Pa. (215) 654- 0200 or www.act2.org.
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| Matt Phillips monotypes at Drexel |
March 14 2009 |
Along with Jasper Johns and Richard Diebenkorn, Matt Phillips is one of America’s finest masters of that most difficult of all graphic art forms, the monotype. Even the most casual viewer will take pleasure in its light-drenched evocations of the Mediterranean and the fluency of its color and line.
“Monotypes by Matt Phillips.” Through March 20, 2009 at Rincliffe Gallery, Drexel University, Main Building at 32nd and Chestnut St., Third Floor. (215) 762-4114 or www.drexelcollection.edu.
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| Jurowski's latest Orchestra 'audition' |
March 13 2009 |
In a well-conceived and generally well-executed program of Berg and Mahler, Vladimir Jurowski once more dropped his card into the Philadelphia Orchestra’s conductor sweepstakes. The performance of Mahler’s rarely heard choral masterwork, Das klagende lied, should be remembered as one of the season’s highlights. But please can the condescending pre-concert talks.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Berg, Three Pieces for Orchestra, Op. 6; Mahler, Das klagende lied. Vladimir Jurowski, conductor; with the Philadelphia Singers Chorale under David Hayes. Twyla Robinson, soprano; Iris Vermilion, mezzo-soprano; Michael Hendrick, tenor; Stephen Powell, baritone. March 10, 2009 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center. (215) 893-1999 or www.philorch.org.
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| ‘Vita Nuova’ at Alice Tully Hall (New York) |
March 03 2009 |
New York’s renovated and reopened Alice Tully Hall is buxom and Botoxed, and there’s padding too in one of its featured premieres, Vladimir Martynov’s oratorio-cum-opera Vita Nuova, though some payoff in the end.
Vita Nuova. Opera by Vladimir Martynov. London Philharmonic Orchestra; Vladimir Jurowski, conductor. February 28, 2009 at Alice Tully Hall, Broadway and 65th St., New York. new.lincolncenter.org.
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| Vienna Philharmonic at Verizon Hall (1st review) |
March 01 2009 |
The Vienna Philharmonic, in its first Philadelphia appearance in six years, showed again why it’s in a class by itself among the world’s orchestras in a program of Wagner, Chopin, and Schubert. Soloist Lang Lang, alternately brilliant and frustrating by turns, left a more mixed impression.
Vienna Philharmonic. Zubin Mehta, conductor; Lang Lang, piano. February 24, 2009 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center. (215) 790-5800 or www.kimmelcenter.org.
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| Vertigo String Quartet at Curtis Institute |
February 23 2009 |
The youthful Vertigo String Quartet, all Curtis graduates in their mid-20s, returned to give an alumni recital in Field Concert Hall with one of their teachers, Steven Tenenbom, in a program of late Brahms and Shostakovich, followed by compositions by two of their own members. Already accomplished, this group should, happily, be with us for some time to come.
Vertigo Quartet. February 22, 2009 at Curtis Institute of Music, (215) 893-7902 or www.curtis.edu.
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| 'Philip Guston: The '50s,' in New York |
February 21 2009 |
“Philip Guston: 1954-1958” occupies the ground floor of New York’s L & M gallery, and there is no more beautiful art space on display in that city. These Abstract Expressionist masterpieces reflect the haunting pressure of withheld images, but the sheer gorgeousness of their color and texture gives them a luminous splendor.
“Philip Guston: 1954-1958.” Through February 28, 2009 at L & M Arts, 45 East 78th St., New York. (212) 8610200 or www.lmgallery.com.
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| Public TV explains the Crash of ‘08 |
February 20 2009 |
Is a global economic meltdown about to consume the planet? Not to worry: Public TV is on the case, with cameras panning the glass canyons of Wall Street in between stints from talking heads and shots of an increasingly beleaguered-looking Henry Paulson.
“Inside the Meltdown”: Frontline documentary aired on PBS stations February 17, 2009. www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/meltdown.
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| ‘Blackbird’ by Theatre Exile (3rd review) |
February 17 2009 |
Scottish playwright David Harrower’s narrowly constructed Blackbird puts two former lovers in a tight place from which neither can escape. The truth, as he suggests, doesn’t always set one free, but sometimes only leaves people more hopelessly apart.
Blackbird. By David Harrower; directed by Joe Canuso. Theatre Exile production through March 1, 2009 at Plays & Players, 1724 Delancey St. (215) 218-4022 or www.theatreexile.org.
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| Cleveland Orchestra plays Mozart and Shostakovich |
February 10 2009 |
With the Philadelphia Orchestra AWOL for the month of February, the visiting Cleveland Orchestra came to the Kimmel Center to pick up some of the slack. Conductor Franz Welser-Most has a habit of rushing fast passages and clipping end-phrases, but his reading of the Shostakovich Leningrad Symphony proved a crowd-pleaser.
Cleveland Orchestra: Mozart 25th Symphony, Shostakovich Seventh Symphony. Franz Welser-Most, conductor. February 8, 2009 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center. (215) 893-1999 or www.kimmelcenter.org.
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| Isherwood dying, drawn by Don Bachardy |
February 10 2009 |
The writer Christopher Isherwood (1904-1986) arranged for his lover of more than 30 years, the artist Don Bachardy, to record his final months while dying of cancer in a sequence of candid drawings. The result was a very modern ars moriendi, and a very moving one.
“Christopher Isherwood: Last Drawings,” by Don Bachardy. January 6-February 7, 2009 at Cheim & Read gallery, 547 West 25th St., New York. (212) 242-7727 or www.cheimread.com.
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| AVA’s ‘La fiamma’ (1st review) |
January 27 2009 |
Ottorino Respighi as an opera composer? Yes, he wrote ten of them, and La fiamma, in a 75th-anniversary concert revival by the Academy of Vocal Arts, showed itself worthy of a place on the international stage.
La fiamma. Opera by Ottorino Respighi; Christofer Macatsoris, conductor. Academy of Vocal Arts production January 23-24, 2009 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, January 27, 2009 at Centennial Hall, Haverford College. (215) 735.168 or www.avaopera.com.
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| Christoph Eschenbach returns |
January 24 2009 |
Christoph Eschenbach, the former and (by some) lamented music director of the Philadelphia Orchestra, returned to take over the city’s symphonic January in concerts with the Orchestra and the Curtis Symphony. If he was trying to suggest what Philadelphia has lost with his departure, he mostly made his case.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Bartok Second Violin Concerto; Bruckner Sixth Symphony. Christoph Eschenbach, conductor; Leonidas Kavakos, violin. January 22-23, 2009 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center. (215) 893-1900 or www.philorch.org.
Curtis Symphony Orchestra: Dutilleux, Métaboles;
Barber, Piano Concerto;
Berlioz, Symphonie fantastique. Christoph Eschenbach, conductor; Meng-Chieh Liu, piano. January 20, 2009 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center. (215) 893-7902 or www.curtis.edu.
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| Clint Eastwood: Mellowing archetype |
January 19 2009 |
Clint Eastwood, the nihilist gunslinger of Sergio Leone’s spaghetti Westerns and the cop run nearly amok of the Dirty Harry series, has reversed gears in the last 20 years and— as his current Gran Torino shows— found ways to raise dark questions about American manhood and American nationhood while persuading us we’re still being entertained.
Gran Torino. A film directed by Clint Eastwood. www.imdb.com/title/tt1205489
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| ‘Baroque Painting in Bologna’ at the Getty |
January 06 2009 |
Renaissance art made its last stand in late 16th- and 17th-Century Bologna, a backwater transformed by the talent of a single family, the Carracci, and the school of painting it produced. The Getty Museum’s current exhibit is welcome despite its misleading title: The Baroque influence is actually quite muted here.
"Captured Emotions: Baroque Painting in Bologna, 1575-1725." Through May 3, 2009 at the J. Paul Getty Museum, 1200 Getty Center Drive, Los Angeles. (310) 440-7300 or www.getty.edu.
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| Joan Mitchell’s Sunflowers in Chelsea |
December 30 2008 |
The Abstract Expressionist Joan Mitchell returned periodically to the subject of sunflowers over the last quarter-century of her life, finding in them much the same moral that Van Gogh did, and the same capacity to serve as a filter for emotion.
Joan Mitchell: Sunflowers: November 4-December 20, 2008 at Cheim & Read Gallery, 547 West 25th St., New York. (212) 242-7727 or gallery@cheimread.com.
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| Miro’s radical decade, at MOMA in New York |
December 20 2008 |
In 1927, Joan Miro set out to reinvent art, reducing it to its simplest elements and exploring its most radical possibilities. In the process he reinvented himself, and produced in the next decade the finest art of a long career.
“Joan Miro: Painting and Anti-Painting, 1927-1937.” Through January 12, 2009 at the Museum of Modern Art, 11 West 53rd St., New York. (212) 708-9400 or www.moma.org.
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| 'Frost/Nixon' at the Ritz 5. |
December 16 2008 |
Ron Howard’s Frost/Nixon, adapted from the London stage play, pits a ferrety David Frost (Michael Sheen) against a hulking Richard Nixon (Frank Langella) in the modern media’s version of Gunfight at the OK Corral. Both men won and both men lost; but Langella’s Nixon, a tour de force, is the real reason to see the film.
Frost/Nixon. A film directed by Ron Howard, from the play by Peter Morgan. At the Ritz 5, 214 Walnut St. (215) 925-7900 or www.landmarktheatres.com.
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| Daniel Barenboim’s all-Liszt piano recital |
December 14 2008 |
Daniel Barenboim’s all-Liszt recital of Italian-themed works combined scholarship, musicianship and technical brilliance in equal measure to make a forceful case for the problematic Hungarian master. I still can’t tell you how Barenboim does it, but his performance was astonishing, and, for me, revelatory.
Daniel Barenboim, pianist. Master Musicians recital Series, December 8, 2008 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center. (215) 893-1999 or www.kimmelcenter.org.
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| Lantern’s ‘The Government Inspector’ |
December 14 2008 |
Nikolai Gogol’s 1836 farce, The Government Inspector, was the first satire of modern bureaucracy— a precursor of Kafka and Beckett. David O’Connor’s edgy production, with a fine cast headed by a rather astonishing Luigi Sottile, keeps the laughter coming while chills tug at the spine too.
The Government Inspector. Comedy by Nikolai Gogol; directed by David O’Connor. Lantern Theater production through December 28, 2008 at St. Stephen’s Theater, Tenth and Ludlow St. (215) 829-0395 or www.lanterntheater.org.
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| Oliver Stone’s ‘W’ |
November 26 2008 |
Oliver Stone is no Shakespeare but an amusing cartoonist who paints in broad strokes and loves a good villain. That leaves him at a loss in dealing with George W. Bush, who seems to have wrought far more evil than he was intellectually capable of.
W. A film directed by Oliver Stone. www.wthefilm.com/
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| Tilson Thomas conducts Mahler’s Fifth |
November 10 2008 |
Visiting conductor Michael Tilson Thomas gave full measure with a concert consisting of Copland’s robust early Symphony for Organ and Orchestra, and Mahler’s Fifth. The latter is one of the signal works of the 20th Century, although its rich detail is not served by Verizon Hall’s acoustics, and its musical material was too often distended by Tilson Thomas’s erratically stretched tempos.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Mahler Fifth Symphony; Copland Symphony for Organ and Orchestra. Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor; Paul Jacobs, organ. November 6-9, 2008 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center. (215) 893-1900 or www.philorch.org.
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| Bush: The final days |
November 04 2008 |
Most Americans have forgotten George W. Bush as his administration winds down. Yet the pace of its destructiveness has accelerated as January 20th approaches. The case for impeachment still needs to be made, if only for America’s self-protection between now and the inauguration.
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| Adras Schiff plays Beethoven at Perelman |
November 02 2008 |
Four out of five isn’t bad usually, even in a piano recital, but when it’s the Appassionata you miss, that’s a problem. An exemplary performance of the Les Adieux sonata did make substantial amends in the second half of Andras Schiff’s all-Beethoven recital, but the major work on his program suffered from a studied underplaying that robbed it of its force, and even made parts of it sound dull.
Andras Schiff: All-Beethoven piano recital. Presented by Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, October 31, 2008 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center. 215) 569-8080 or www.pcmsconcerts.org.
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| Kirchner’s Berlin street scenes at MOMA in New York |
October 28 2008 |
The Berlin Street Scene series of Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, assembled for the first time in New York and presented with a generous selection of early work and sketches, is one of the great achievements of German art, and a prophecy no less relevant to our time than to its own.
“Kirchner and the Berlin Street.” Through November 10, 2008 at Museum of Modern Art, Fifth Avenue and 53rd St., New York. (212) 708) 9400 or www.moma.org.
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| The New Barnes: Our Potemkin Village (2nd comment) |
October 21 2008 |
Last week’s “groundbreaking” notwithstanding, there’s still no plan, and no money up-front, for the Barnes Foundation’s proposed new home on the Parkway. At this rate, Michelangelo would yet be painting the Sistine Chapel.
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| Jon Schueler paintings in New York |
October 14 2008 |
"Jon Schueler: Paintings from the 1950s and ’60s" displays work from the prime years of a neglected master of second-generation Abstract Expressionism who must be reckoned with in any accounting of what remains the most significant movement in modern American art.
Jon Schueler: Paintings from the 1950s and ’60s. Through October 25, 2008, at David Findlay Jr. Fine Art, 41 East 57th St., New York. (212) 486-7660 or www.davidfindlayjr.com.
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| ‘The Persians’ at People’s Light (2nd review) |
October 07 2008 |
Ellen McLaughlin’s version of Aeschylus’s The Persians is both timely and dated (it foretold our current quagmire in Iraq). Excellent staging sets this production apart, but the text partly weakens the original play, and the performers, while adequate, aren’t up to the tragic standard.
The Persians. By Ellen McLaughlin; directed by Jade King Carroll. Through October 19, 2008 at People's Light and Theatre Company, 39 Conestoga Rd, Malvern, Pa. (610) 644-3500 or www.peopleslight.org.
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| ‘Long Day’s Journey’ at Villanova |
October 07 2008 |
Villanova has opened its 50th drama season with a new production of Eugene O’Neill’s masterpiece, Long Day’s Journey into Night. The play opened the Vasey Hall stage forty years ago under Robert Hedley’s direction, and Hedley returned to bring it richly to life again.
Long Day’s Journey Into Night. By Eugene O’Neill; directed by Robert Hedley. Villanova Theatre production September 23-October 5, 2008 at Vasey Hall, Dougherty Drive, Villanova U. (610) 519-7474 or www.theatre.villanova.edu.
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| Turner and Morandi at the Met in N.Y. |
September 21 2008 |
Two deeply contrasting shows of work by the 19th-Century English master J. M. W. Turner and the 20-Century Italian Giorgio Morandi pose in different ways the modern problem of the sublime, and with it our own understanding of— and existence in-— the natural world.
“J. M. W. Turner,” through September 21, 2008. “Giorgio Morandi (1890-1964),” through December 14, 2008 at Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Avenue at 82nd St., New York. (212) 535.7710 or http://www.metmuseum.org.
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| Pinter’s ‘Hothouse’ at Lantern Theater |
September 21 2008 |
An early Harold Pinter play reveals a flawed but prophetic work that, unlike most revivals, has as much to say about our times as its own.
The Hothouse. By Harold Pinter. Lantern Theater production through October 12, 2008 at St. Stephen’s Theater, 10th and Ludlow Streets, through October 12. (215) 829-0395 or http://www.lanterntheater.org.
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| Gorbachev wins the Liberty Medal |
September 13 2008 |
Mikhail Gorbachev, winner of this year’s Liberty Medal, is indeed an overachiever. He lost his country. He lost a superpower. He lost the greatest land empire ever seen. And he did it all on his own.
Liberty Medal Award presentation. September 18, 2008 at National Constitution Center, 525 Arch St. (215) 409-6600 or constitutioncenter.org/libertymedal.
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| Woody Allen’s ‘Vicky Cristina Barcelona’ |
August 26 2008 |
Woody Allen returns to top form in Vicky Cristina Barcelona, a wry comedy (or anti-comedy) that freshly explores his perennial theme, the anarchic consequences of love.
Vicky Cristina Barcelona. A film by Woody Allen. At the Ritz Five, 214 Walnut St. (215) 925-7900 or www.landmarktheatres.com.
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| Prokofiev festival at Bard College |
August 23 2008 |
Searching for classical music in the summertime? Philadelphia is a certifiable wasteland, but challenging repertory can be found in the hinterlands of New York and New England, as Leon Botstein’s ten-concert series at Bard College, “Prokofiev and His World,” recently demonstrated.
“Sergei Prokofiev and His World.” Weekends through October 25, 2008 at Bard Music Festival, Sosnoff Theater, Richard B. Fisher Center, Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, N.Y.
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| Yumiko Izu’s flowers in Woodstock, N.Y. |
August 19 2008 |
Yumiko Izu’s exhibit of floral photography, Secret Garden, reveals the deep interaction between the flower world and the human one in images that focus us afresh on a well-worn but inexhaustible subject.
“Secret Garden”: Floral photography by Yumiko Izu. Through September 8, 2008 at Galerie BMG, Woodstock, N.Y. (845) 679-0027 or www.galeriebmg.com.
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| Herzog's 'Encounters at the End of the World' |
August 16 2008 |
Werner Herzog’s new film explores the bleakly beautiful landscape of Antarctica and its inhabitants, none stranger than its human ones. In the process Herzog raises philosophical issues rarely touched upon in recent cinema.
Encounters at the End of the World. A film by Werner Herzog. encountersfilm.com.
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| A watershed election (not) |
August 12 2008 |
This year’s election should be the left’s opportunity, but the conventional liberal alternative is timid and palsied. And Barack Obama’s performance is increasingly disappointing, not to say alarming.
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| Philip Guston at Morgan Library |
June 17 2008 |
“Philip Guston: Works on Paper” is a comprehensive show of 100 drawings by the modern American master Philip Guston that shows his graphic oeuvre as not merely a complement to his paintings but as a distinct and independent achievement.
“Philip Guston: Works on Paper.” Through August 30, 2008 at Morgan Library and Museum, 225 Madison Ave, (at 36th St.), New York. (212) 685-0008 or www.themorgan.o
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| ‘Bodies, Inc.’ |
June 17 2008 |
So you thought dead bodies are useless? Bodies….the Exhibition has attracted throngs of spectators in a wildly successful nationwide tour. Where do these bodies come from? Funny you should ask….
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| The Barnes Foundation rulings (Part 2) |
June 10 2008 |
Having approved the controversial move of the Barnes Foundation in 2004, Judge Stanley Ott has now denied standing to those who would offer new evidence against the move. He has also refused to examine such evidence himself.
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| Richard Diebenkorn monotypes in N.Y. |
June 08 2008 |
This fine show, mostly in the demanding medium of the monotype, displays the richness and technical mastery of the distinguished West Coast artist Richard Diebenkorn, who explored virtually every possibility of print and graphic art.
“Richard Diebenkorn: Ocean Park Monotypes and Drawings.” Through June 27, 2008 at Greenberg Van Doren Gallery, 730 Fifth Ave. (at 57th St.), New York. 212-445-0444 or gvdgallery.com.
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| Latest ruling on the Barnes move (Part 1) |
June 01 2008 |
Montgomery Orphans’ Court Judge Stanley R. Ott, the Great Enabler of the Barnes heist, has once again refused to hear proposals from the county that would, at no cost to the taxpayer, have made the Barnes solvent in Merion and thus obviated the alleged necessity to move it to Philadelphia.
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| ‘Our Town’ at the Arden (1st review) |
May 31 2008 |
Thornton Wilder’s Our Town, a play meant to challenge nostalgic illusions about American small-town life, is made instead into a celebration of them in the Arden Theatre’s wrap-up of its 20th anniversary season. Linking Grover’s Corners to Philadelphia itself only makes the city look provincial.
Our Town. By Thornton Wilder; directed by Terrence J. Nolen. Through June 22, 2008 at the Arden Theatre, 40 N. Second Street. (215) 922-1122
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| The orchestra prima donna syndrome |
May 25 2008 |
Arguments about the ugliness and fragmentation of the Kimmel Center's interior beg the real question: Why is one of the world's great orchestras going to be led by a second-tier conductor in a third-rate hall?
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| ‘Eurydice’ at the Wilma (4th review) |
May 25 2008 |
The play’s not really the thing in the Wilma’s final season production, but Blanka Zizka’s staging— a brilliant ensemble of music, dance, and drama— renders it more than worth the price of admission.
Eurydice. By Sarah Ruhl; directed by Blanka Zizka. Through June 1, 2008 at Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St. (at Spruce). (215) 546-7824 or www.wilmatheater.org.
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| Barbara Rosin’s Umbria landscapes |
May 20 2008 |
An old style and an old subject— yet Barbara Rosin’s responses are fresh and vivid, her brushwork is fluid and supple, and her imaginative engagement creates a crepuscular world where landscape trembles on the verge of vision.
Barbara Rosin: "Remembering Umbria: New Landscape Paintings." Through June 26, 2008 at Cosmopolitan Club, 1616 Latimer St. (215) 735-1057 or www.cosclub.org.
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| Chamber Orchestra: Mahler and Schoenberg (2nd review) |
May 10 2008 |
The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia performed Schoenberg’s highly forgettable foray into tonality, the Suite in G for Strings, but then acquitted itself with a radiant account of Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde in the Schoenberg-Riehn version— an hour of music-making to rank with the finest heard in the city this year.
Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia: Mahler, Das Lied von der Erde; Schoenberg, Suite in G. for Strings. Dirk Br
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| Curtis Orchestra with Leon Fleisher |
May 03 2008 |
Hindemith’s long-lost Klaviermusik mit Orchester was the centerpiece of a program that showed off the Curtis Symphony Orchestra to fine effect. Octogenarian soloist Leon Fleisher, himself long limited to the left hand repertory, made robust music with musicians a quarter his age.
Curtis Symphony Orchestra: Hindemith, Schuller, Dvorak. April 27, 2008 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center. Leon Fleisher, piano; Christoph Eschenbach, conductor. (215) 893-7902 or Orchestra plays Sibelius and Bruckner |
April 29 2008 |
Christoph Eschenbach moved closer to the end of his abbreviated stay with the Philadelphia Orchestra in a program of Sibelius and Bruckner that demonstrated, particularly in the Bruckner, why he should be staying instead of leaving.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Sibelius Violin Concerto, Bruckner Sixth Symphony. Vadim Repin, violin; Christoph Eschenbach, conductor. April 24-26, 2008 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center. (215) 893-1900 or
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| Lee Miller photos at Art Museum (3rd review) |
April 26 2008 |
Lee Miller was a regal beauty and fashion queen, a Surrealist muse and photographer, and a correspondent who captured some of the most striking images of World War II— including herself in Hitler’s bathtub. A woman for all seasons, who led one of the most adventurous lives of the 20th Century.
“The Art of Lee Miller.” Through April 27, 2008 at Philadelphia Museum of Art, Benjamin Franklin Parkway and 26th St. (215) 763-8100 or Corneille’s ‘The Illusion’ at Villanova |
April 22 2008 |
Tony Kushner’s free rendering of Pierre Corneille’s Baroque fantasy, The Illusion, captures the spirit if not the diction of the original in Harriet Power’s fine staging, with a few mordant modern touches thrown in. It’s a reminder that some of our best regional theater can be found on university stages.
The Illusion. By Pierre Corneille, adapted by Tony Kushner; directed by Harriet Power. Villanova Theatre production through April 27
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| ‘My Father’s Game,’ by Rick Wilber |
April 19 2008 |
Rick Wilber’s perceptive memoir of his father, his family and himself is also a book about the mythology of baseball. Del Wilber never lost the aura of entitlement that America accords a big league ballplayer, however modestly gifted.
My Father’s Game: Life, Death, Baseball. By Rick Wilber. McFarland & Co., 2008. 214 pages. $29.95. www.amazon.com.
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| Yuja Wang with St. Martin-in-the-Fields |
April 11 2008 |
Every now and then a concert comes along that reminds one why music-making is man’s most joyous activity. It would be nice to see our own resident orchestra loosened up and having such fun. As for Yuja Wang, we are going to hear much more of her.
Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields: Mozart, Mendelssohn, Haydn. Yuja Wang, piano; Neville Mariner, conductor. April 9, 2008 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center. (215) 893-1999 or www.k
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| Lantern Theater’s ‘Othello’ |
April 05 2008 |
Frank X builds to an incandescent climax in the title role of this well-staged Othello. But an understated Iago prevents the production from capturing the play’s full power.
Othello. By William Shakespeare; directed by Charles McMahon. Lantern Theater production through May 4, 2008 at St. Stephen’s Theater, Tenth and Ludlow St. (215) 829.0395 or www.lanterntheater.org.
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| ‘Drawings from the Uffizi’ in New York |
March 29 2008 |
“Drawings from the Uffizi,” is a superb sample from one of the world’s great collections that celebrates one of the West’s peak moments: the rise of Florence.
“Michelangelo, Vasari, and Their Contemporaries: Drawings from the Uffizi.” Through April 20, 2008 at the Morgan Library, Madison Ave. at 36th St., New York. (212) 685-0008 or www.themorgan.org.
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| ‘Jasper Johns: Gray” at the Met in N.Y. |
March 29 2008 |
In “Jasper Johns: Gray,” the Metropolitan Museum of Art has mounted a retrospective of perhaps the most signal American artist of the past half century, viewed through the prism of the single color that most aptly defines him. This intelligent show of a most elusively intelligent mind points up both the undoubted strengths and ultimate limitations of Johns’s riddling art.
“Jasper Johns: Gray.” Through May 4, 2008 at Metropolitan Museu
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| PTC’s ‘Third’ (1st review) |
March 29 2008 |
Third, Wendy Wasserstein’s last play, sends up tenured feminists and Wasserstein’s own liberal politics, but it arrives too late for satire and contains too little for drama. Plus, you have to listen to voice-overs from George W. Bush.
Third. By Wendy Wasserstein; directed by Mary B. Robinson. Philadelphia Theatre Co. production through April 20, 2008 at Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 S. Broad (at Lombard). (215) 985-0420 or Fumo and the Barnes move |
March 15 2008 |
The departing power broker Vincent Fumo claimed to have delivered $8 billion in funding to Philadelphia in 30 years as a state senator. But his biggest allocation of all is one he refuses to take credit for— a secret fund to facilitate the move of the Barnes Foundation to Philadelphia.
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| Tokyo String Quartet at Convention Center |
March 15 2008 |
The excellent Tokyo Quartet, like most brand-name chamber groups, has retooled itself over the years. Its two newcomers are actually the best musicians in the group, especially first violinist Martin Beaver.
Tokyo String Quartet: Haydn, Beethoven Shostakovich. With Lydia Artymiw, piano. Presented by Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, March 11, 2008 at Pennsylvania Convention Center, 13th and Cherry St. (215) 569-8080 or EgoPo’s ‘Something Cloudy, Something Clear’ |
March 04 2008 |
Even the usually resourceful EgoPo stage company can’t rescue Tennessee Williams’s last, lugubrious play from its defects: wooden characters, a sluggish plot and— worst of all for one of the theater’s great modern poets— pedestrian dialogue.
Something Cloudy, Something Clear. By Tennessee Williams; directed by Brenna Geffers. EgoPo production through March 22, 2008 at the Adrienne, 2030 Sansom St. (215) 552-8773 or
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| Chamber Orchestra plays the Moderns |
February 26 2008 |
The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia offered two works for brass by relative unknowns in its latest concert, and two for strings by recognized masters of the 20th Century. Both sections of the orchestra played their respective works with feeling and panache.
Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia: Gross,
Watchman, tell us of the night; Tomasi, Fanfares liturgiques; Berg, Lyric Suite: 3 Pieces; Bartók, Divertimento. Ignat Solzhenitsyn, co
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| Lantern Theater’s ‘Skylight’ (1st review) |
February 09 2008 |
Can an old flame be reignited in the midst of a dreary London winter? David Hare’s Skylight asks us to buy into a plot that strains credulity while rehashing the political storms of yesteryear.
Skylight. By David Hare; directed by Dan Kern. Lantern Theater Co. production through March 2, 2008 at St. Stephen’s Theater, 10th and Ludlow Streets. (215) 829-0395 or www.lanterntheater.org.
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| Decline of Philadelphia architecture |
February 09 2008 |
Philadelphia is still, in parts, a noble city, but it is tearing down its beautiful old buildings while putting up some very ugly new ones.
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| Beckett’s ‘Happy Days’ in Brooklyn |
January 27 2008 |
The London production of Samuel Beckett’s Happy Days is soundingly heroic in Irish actress Fiona Shaw’s performance, but misses some of the play’s subtler notes of despair.
Happy Days. By Samuel Beckett; directed by Deborah Warner. National Theater of Great Britain production through February 2, 2008 at Harvey Theater, Brooklyn Academy of Music, 30 Lafayette Ave., Brooklyn. (718) 636.4100 or www.bam.or
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| ‘Wittenberg’ at the Arden (1st review) |
January 27 2008 |
Stir Martin Luther, Marlowe’s Faustus, and Shakespeare’s Hamlet together, and will a play come out of it? Not quite, in David Davalos’s Wittenberg, but there’s intermittent fun along the way, and also the larger question--not quite engaged--of our contemporary culture wars.
Wittenberg. By David Davalos; directed by J. R. Sullivan. Through March 16, 2008 at Arden Theatre, 40 N. Second St. (212) 922-1122 or What small galleries can do |
January 22 2008 |
Blockbuster art begets mediocrity, of which the Metropolitan Museum’s mammoth exhibition of Dutch art is a prime example. Many of the best-curated shows in New York are in the more intimate space of its galleries, as a swing along current offerings on Madison Avenue reveals.
“The Complexity of the Simple”: Through January 31, 2008 at L&M Arts, 45 East 78 St., New York. (212) 861-0020 or www.lmgallery.com
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| Orchestra plays Bernstein and Higdon (1st review) |
January 19 2008 |
As the Philadelphia Orchestra’s Bernstein festival proceeds, his youthful Jeremiah Symphony, and Schumann’s Second, framed the world premiere of Jennifer Higdon’s The Singing Rooms. It’s one of the few works I’ve heard in recent years that deserves not only the occasional performance but also a place in the permanent repertory.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Bernstein Jeremiah Symphony, Schumann Second Symphony, Higdon The Singing
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| Raping Europa— and the Barnes |
January 05 2008 |
The Rape of Europa is the moving story of the loss and preservation of art during World War II. On an even deeper level, it’s about the creation and destruction that defines civilization— the value that we place on our own humanity. It’s a reminder, too, of the threat to our heritage represented by the attempt to pillage the Barnes Foundation today.
The Rape of Europa. A film written and directed by Richard Berge, Bonni Cohen, and Nicole Newnham.
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| American Drawings in New York |
January 05 2008 |
Two shows of American drawings: a solo exhibition of Stuart Davis’s sketchbooks tracing more than 50 years of his art, and a joint show of Philip Guston and Jasper Johns that turns out to be a mismatch between a tiger and a zebra.
Dynamic Impulse: The Drawings of Stuart Davis. Through Jan. 21, 2008 at Hollis Taggart Galleries, 958 Madison Ave., New York. (212) 628-4000 or Solzhenitsyn plays Brahms |
December 18 2007 |
We don’t usually think of Brahms as a composer for the piano. So can an all-Brahms piano program work? Ignat Solzhenitsyn gave the answer in his Curtis Institute recital, and it was, resoundingly, yes.
Ignat Solzhenitsyn: Four piano works by Brahms. December 16, 2007 at Curtis Institute, 1726 Locust St. (215) 893-5252 or www.curtis.edu.
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| ‘Passports to Paris’ at Harrisburg |
December 04 2007 |
The novelist Baudelaire asked French artists of the 19th Century to render what he called “the heroism of modern life.” As this exhibition attests, by and large they responded— though in art’s oblique fashion.
“Passports to Paris: Nineteenth-Century French Prints from the Georgia Museum of Art.” Through December 30, 2007 at Susquehanna Art Museum, 301 Market St., Harrisburg. Pa. (717) 233-8668 or Orchestra’s ‘Das Paradies und die Peri’ (3rd |
December 04 2007 |
The Philadelphia Orchestra’s premiere performance of Das Paradies und die Peri under Sir Simon Rattle revealed buried treasure: an hour and a half of top-drawer Schumann that Wolfgang Sawallisch overlooked.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Schumann, Das Paradies und die Peri. Simon Rattle, conductor; Heidi Grant Murphy, soprano; Christine Brandes, soprano, Bernarda Fink, mezzo-soprano; Mark Padmore, tenor; Joseph Kaiser, tenor; Luca Pisaroni, bass-
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| Three new neo-noir films |
November 27 2007 |
Three stylish neo-noir films set in the recent American past reflect our current predicament in Iraq, partly by looking back.
American Gangster. Film directed by Ridley Scott.
Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead. Film directed by Sidney Lume
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| ‘Mother Courage’ at Villanova (1st review) |
November 17 2007 |
Bertolt Brecht’s Mother Courage is the right play at the right time as we face our own incipient Thirty Years’ War in the Middle East, and Villanova’s production gives a credible account of the play’s astringent honesty as well as its epic power.
Mother Courage and Her Children. By Bertolt Brecht; directed by Shawn Kairschner. Villanova Theatre production November 13-18 and November 27-December 2, 2007 at Vasey Theatre, Villanova U. (
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| Seurat drawings at MOMA |
November 13 2007 |
If Van Gogh offered us a new way of seeing, Seurat concentrated his formidable talent on the act of seeing itself. As great a painter as Seurat is, he is arguably an even greater draftsman, and the current exhibit of his drawings at the Museum of Modern Art is an event not to be missed.
“Georges Seurat: The Drawings.” Through January 7, 2008 at Museum of Modern Art, 11 West 53 St., New York. (212) 708-9400 or Van Gogh letters at Morgan Library |
November 10 2007 |
A show of Van Gogh’s art and correspondence with Emile Bernard at the Morgan Library in New York offers an engaging portrait of one of modern art’s founders, while in the neighboring gallery four contemporary draftsmen construct their own dialogue with Old Masters.
“Painted with Words: Vincent Van Gogh’s Letters to Émile Bernard” and “Drawing Connections.” Through January 6, 2008 at the Morgan Library, (212) 685-0008 or
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| ‘Graphic Modernism’ at N.Y. Public Library |
November 10 2007 |
At the New York Public Library, an exhibit of interwar East European graphic art poignantly recreates the aspirations of a vanished age.
“Graphic Modernism: From the Baltic to the Balkans, 1910-1935.” Through January 27, 2008 at New York Public Library, Fifth Avenue and 41st St., New York. (212) 869-8089 or www.nypl.org.
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| Juilliard Quartet at the Perelman |
October 27 2007 |
The Juilliard Quartet has known better days. Its first of two Chamber Music Society concerts at the Perelman Theater this year, while serviceable enough in Haydn, fell short of the scope and intensity needed for Shostakovich’s Thirteenth Quartet and Beethoven’s First Rasumovsky.
Juilliard Quartet: Haydn E-Flat Quarter; Beethoven First Rasumovsky Quartet; Shostakovich Thirteenth Quartet. October 24, 2007 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Cen
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| 'An Empty Plate’ at the Arden (1st review) |
October 20 2007 |
Michael Hollinger’s An Empty Plate in the Café du Grand Boeuf, in its excellent revival at the Arden, remains half a serving of well-crafted theater that’s still missing the real meal it might have served.
An Empty Plate in the Café du Grand Boeuf. By Michael Hollinger; directed by Whit MacLaughlin. Through December 9, 2007 at Arden Theater, 40 N. Second St. (212) 922-1122 or www.ardent
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| Chamber Orchestra plays Berg |
October 02 2007 |
The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia’s second concert of the season was brilliantly conceived and executed, with Alban Berg’s exacting and rarely performed masterwork, the Concerto for Piano and Violin with Thirteen Wind Instruments, as the centerpiece. The result, for the happy few on hand, was what is likely to be one of the most memorable evenings of the season.
Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia: Berg, Harbison, Stravinsky, Persichetti. September 28-30, 2007
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| Kirchner and Pousette-Dart in New York |
September 18 2007 |
An eclectic show at New York’s Neue Galerie, built around one of Ernst Ludwig Kirchner’s Berlin street scene paintings, is quietly stolen by several Kandinskys, while Kandinsky’s chief American heir, Richard Pousette-Dart, offers a show nearby at the scaffolded Guggenheim that should not be missed.
“Ernst Ludwig Kirchner: Berlin Street Scene.” Through September 17, 2007, at Neue Galerie, 1048 Fifth Ave. (at 86th St), New York. (212) 628-6200
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| A Tale of Two Philadelphias |
September 01 2007 |
The misnamed Youth Study Center is, frankly, a poor endorsement for the Museum Mile and its tony new high-rises. Here, on the pretext of making the Barnes Foundation’s art more accessible to the masses, was a perfect opportunity to raise another bulwark between the two cities, and to remove an uncomfortable reminder of those mean streets and playgrounds where Philadelphians actually live.
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| Michael Moore’s ‘Sicko’ |
August 18 2007 |
Michael Moore is quite deliberately deficient in neutrality, balance and objectivity. But in a country where satire has become almost the only means to tell the truth, his voice is invaluable.
Sicko. A film by Michael Moore.
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| 'Martin Creed: Feelings' at Bard College |
August 21 2007 |
“Martin Creed: Feelings” offers a cunning pastiche of retro styles and genres that conceals a troubling commentary on the state of contemporary art under its surface geniality and wit.
“Martin Creed: Feelings.” Through Sept. 16, 2007, at the Center for Curatorial Studies, Hessel Museum, Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. (845) 758-7598 or www.bard.edu/ccs.
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| Three New York gallery shows |
July 03 2007 |
Thank heaven for New Jersey Transit: Three brilliant gallery shows cap off the New York season, and show why the small to medium exhibition, thoughtfully mounted, is still the happiest experience of art.
“Claude Monet,” through June 15, 2007 at Pace Wildenstein Gallery, 32 East 57thh St., New York. (212) 421-3292 or www.pacewildenstein.com.
“Sublime Convergences, through July 2
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| What did Albert Barnes really want? |
June 11 2007 |
In his proposal for the Barnes Foundation, Gresham Riley has misconstrued Albert Barnes's intent. Never at any time did Barnes regard his curriculum as suitable for schoolchildren. His was a program of adult education addressed to a general but fully mature public.
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| Georges Rouault in New York |
June 06 2007 |
A modest but impressive show of Georges Rouault offers at least a partial opportunity to re-evaluate an important but neglected modern master. It also poses the question of whether this deeply Christian painter can still speak to a secular age.
“Georges Rouault: Judges, Clowns and Whores.” Through June 9, 2007 at Mitchell-Innes & Nash, 1018 Madison Ave., (at 78th St.), New York. (212-) 744-7400 or
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| InterAct’s ’Skin in Flames’ |
June 05 2007 |
Catalan playwright Guillem Clua’s Skin in Flames seeks to explore personal guilt, political repression, and sexual brutality in an unnamed and generic Third World state. In leaving nothing to the imagination, however, it fails at any point to evoke it.
Skin in Flames. By Guillem Clua; directed Seth Rozin. Through June 24, 2007 at InterAct Theatre, 2030 Sansom St. (215) 568-8079 or www.interactheatre.
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| ‘Lookingglass Alice’ at Arden |
May 19 2007 |
Lookingglass Alice stages Lewis Carroll as a kind of metaphysical circus for adults. Despite a gifted and wonderfully athletic troupe, however, this ultimately reductive production falls between two stools.
Lookingglass Alice. Directed and adapted by David Catlin in association with the Actors Gymnasium. Through June 10, 2007 at the Arden Theatre, 40 N. Second St. (215) 922-1122 or www.ardentheatre.
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| ‘Orson’s Shadow’ at PTC (first review) |
May 12 2007 |
Orson’s Shadow, the Philadelphia Theatre Company’s final production at Plays & Players, is an intriguing if uneven study in theatrical genius, with a splendidly realized Sir Laurence Olivier dominating the play.
Orson’s Shadow. By Austin Pendleton; James J. Christy directed. Philadelphia Theatre Co. production through June 3, 2007 at Plays & Players, 1714 Delancey Street. (215) 985-0420 or Philadelphia Orchestra plays Mahler’s Second |
May 08 2007 |
How does a modern hero get to heaven? Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony is perhaps our closest approach to the Dantesque sublime, and Christoph Eschenbach mounted a convincing performance in the Orchestra’s penultimate performance of his penultimate season.
Mahler Second Symphony (Resurrection). Philadelphia Orchestra, Christoph Eschenbach conducting. May 3-5, 2007 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center; May 8, 2007 at Carnegie Hall, New York. (215) 893.190
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| Heyman’s Abu Ghraib prints (2nd review) |
May 05 2007 |
Daniel Heyman’s Abu Ghraib Detainee Interview Project combines image and text in portraits of former Abu Ghraib prisoners that are all the more devastating an indictment for their understatement. The victims retain their humanity and reassert their dignity, but what of us?
Daniel Heyman: The Abu Ghraib Project. Through May 5, 2007, at The Print Center, 1614 Latimer St. Free. 215-735-6090 or www.printcenter.org.
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| American String Quartet with Lydia Artymiw |
May 05 2007 |
The American String Quartet and pianist Lydia Artymiw dug into Haydn, Shostakovich and Dohnanyi with obvious relish, and paid tribute to Mstislav Rostropovich in a moving encore.
American String Quartet, with Lydia Artymiw, pianist. May 2, 2007 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center. Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, (215) 569-8080 or Wilma’s ‘Life of Galileo’ |
April 21 2007 |
Brecht (like Shaw) needs to be heard out at full length, and Blanka Zizka’s capable production has properly served him. To offer a work that takes not merely the play but the passion of ideas seriously, and to bring it off well, is daring enough these days.
The Life of Galileo. By Bertolt Brecht; translated from the German by David Edgar; directed by Blanka Zizka. Through May 13, 2007, at Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St. (at Spruce). (215
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| ‘70s revisited: 'Hoax' and 'Zodiac' |
April 17 2007 |
Just when you thought it was safe to come out of the ‘70s revival, two new films have arrived to immerse us anew in the bad hair, bad faith and low-grade paranoia of the period.
The Hoax. A film by Lasse Hallström. www.lassehallstrom.com.
Zodiac. A film by David Fincher. zodiacfilm.blogspot.com.
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| Boreyko conducts the Philadelphia Orchestra |
April 17 2007 |
The Russian conductor Andrey Boreyko brought an interestingly offbeat program to town, as well as a somewhat wayward beat of his own. Boreyko’s gyrations were so distracting that I had to avert my eyes in the end to hear the music.
Philadelphia Orchestra. Andrey Boreyko, conductor; Piotr Anderszewski, piano. April 12-14, 2007 at Verizon Hall, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-1900 or www.philorch.org.
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| EgoPo’s ‘Spring Awakening’ (second review) |
March 28 2007 |
Frank Wedekind’s Spring Awakening, fresh and spirited in its production by Philadelphia’s newest company, makes yesterday’s avant-garde more exciting than most anything on today’s constipated stage.
Spring Awakening. By Frank Wedekind; directed by Lane Savadove. Presented by EgoPo Productions through March 25, 2007 at Mainstage at the Adrienne, 2030 Sansom St.
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| Naoto Nakagawa paintings in New York |
March 26 2007 |
Two New York shows, one of early paintings and one of recent ones, comprise a partial retrospective one of the most important and provocative Japanese-American painters of the past half century. Naoto Nakagawa offers the viewer much, but his violent, disturbing, and hallucinatory vision demands no less of us.
Naoto Nakagawa, Early and Recent. Through Match 31, 2007 at White Box, 525 W 26th St., Manhattan, (212) 714-2347 or ww
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| Ellen Levy's 'Public Secrets' |
March 19 2007 |
Ellen K. Levy’s fascinating and disturbing images of our increasingly threatened planet constitute not merely an indictment of technology run amok but a mirror in which we can see ourselves.
Ellen K. Levy’s Public Secrets. Feb. 15-March 17, 2007 at Michael Steinberg Gallery, 526 W. 26 S., New York. 212.924.5770 or www.michaelsteinbergfineart.com.
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| Orchestra plays Shostakovich and Mozart |
March 13 2007 |
Ingo Metzmacher’s eclectic program with the Philadelphia Orchestra included a radiant performance of Mozart’s Fifth Violin Concerto with Gil Shaham, and a welcome if not fully idiomatic reading of Shostakovich’s long-suppressed Fourth Symphony.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Weber Overture to Der Freischütz; Mozart Violin Concerto No. 5; Shostakovich Symphony No. 4. Ingo Metzmacher, conductor; Gil Shaham, violin. March 8-10, 2007 at Verizon Hall
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| Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra |
March 06 2007 |
Riccardo Chailly and his Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra were in fine form in a program that juxtaposed sunny early Schumann and conflicted mid-period Mahler. Chailly represents the sterner European ethic, which asks performers and listeners alike to put in their time, and so we got a gracious plenty.
Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra performs Schumann and Mahler. Riccardo Chailly conducting. March 4, 2007 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center
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| Wilma’s ‘Enemies, A Love Story’ (second revi |
February 27 2007 |
Sarah Schulman’s theatrical adaptation of Isaac Bashevis Singer’s novel is a misbegotten venture that mixes bad humor and worse philosophy in a travesty about Holocaust survivors in postwar New York. This is the perfect Seinfeld prequel, with angst by Adolf and body tattoos from Josef Mengele.
Enemies, A Love Story. By Sarah Schulman, from the novel by Isaac Bashevis Singer; directed by Jiri Zizka. Through March 11, 2007 at Wilma Theater, Broad and Spruce
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| Nader Redux: ‘An Unreasonable Man’ |
February 13 2007 |
Ralph Nader is an American original, but An Unreasonable Man seems to subliminally exploit an issue that’s deeply troubling in his record. The film is the flawed story of a flawed man who is nonetheless as close to a public hero as we have.
An Unreasonable Man. Film directed by Henriette Mantel and Steve Skovran. At the Bala Theatre, 157 Bala Avenue,
Bala Cynwyd, PA
610-222-FILM or Solzhenitsyn in recital |
February 10 2007 |
The Russian-born pianist is more Teutonic than Russian in temperament, and the Hindemith Third Sonata was well suited to him. Solzhenitsyn is not a natural Schubertian, but he played the A major with a becoming gravity and many graceful touches.
Ignat Solzhenitsyn. Piano recital presented February 7, 2007 by Philadelphia Chamber Music Society at American Philosophical Society, 105 S. Fifth St. (215) 569-8080 or www.pc
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| ‘Tut and the Golden Age’ at Franklin Institute |
February 06 2007 |
In his latest encore, the ancient Egyptian ruler, who returned to life in the 20th Century to create the modern museum blockbuster, demonstrates that he’s still the boss.
Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs. Through September 30, 2007 at Franklin Institute, 20th St. and Benj. Franklin Pkwy. (215) 448-1200 or www2.fi.edu.
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| InterAct’s ‘House With No Walls’ |
January 27 2007 |
As a play of ideas and a rumination on the use and abuse of cultural memory, Thomas Gibbons’s new black-themed play about the Liberty Bell Center controversy and the struggle for cultural memory in America hits its marks deftly if with no great subtlety. What it foregoes, perhaps inevitably, is any real penetration of character.
A House With No Walls. By Thomas Gibbons; directed by Seth Rozin. InterAct Theatre production through February 18, 2007 at Adrienne Th
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| Eschenbach conducts Vivaldi and Bruckner |
January 20 2007 |
Vivaldi and Bruckner don’t jibe at all; they represent not only different styles but different sonic universes. This is why programming is best left to music directors. But if the Bruckner Ninth is the standard by which Eschenbach’s successors are measured, their work is cut out for them.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, Bruckner’s Ninth Symphony. Christoph Eschenbach conducting. Jan. 17-20 at Verizon Hall. (215) 893-
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| Goya's 'Caprichos' at Penn (2nd review) |
December 23 2006 |
Goya’s grotesque vision is deeply rooted in Spanish sensibility and culture, and particularly the moment at which Enlightenment ideals clashed with a still-feudal and still-clerical society. The frankly naked witches, demons and warlocks who populate the series reveal a truth that wears its own guise— namely that of the hideous.
“Francisco Goya y Lucientes: ‘Los Caprichos’.” Through January 7, 2007 at the Arthur Ross Gallery. 220 South 34th Street
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| Philip Guston drawings in New York |
December 23 2006 |
If Goya’s world appears to totter on the point of savage regression, Guston’s seems to have experienced that regression in full: the two world wars of his own lifetime.
Philip Guston: Drawings. Through January 10, 2007 at McKee Gallery, 745 Fifth Ave., New York. (212) 688-9591 or mckeegallery.com/current.html.
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| Peter Serkin at Perelman |
December 16 2006 |
Peter Serkin isn't a pianist for all seasons or tastes. But he gives a master class on musical style through the centuries, with Beethoven’s mightiest sonata as both pivot and climax.
Peter Serkin: Piano recital. December 12 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center. Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, (215) 569-8080 or www.philadelphiachambermusic.org.
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| Orchestra's Shostakovich/Mahler bill |
December 02 2006 |
Conductor Christoph Eschenbach and soloist Alisa Wellerstein were looking over their shoulders in Verizon Hall the other night— and so were Mahler and Shostakovich.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Shostakovich First Cello Concerto with Alisa Wallerstein; Mahler Fourth Symphony; Christoph Eschenbach conducting. November 24, 2006 at Verizon Hall. Broad and Spruce Sts. 215-893-1900 or www.philorch.org.
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| Achin’ for Eakins? Count me out |
December 02 2006 |
The Wal-Mart heiress Alice Walton is breaking Philadelphia’s heart just as she brokeNew York's. But in light of Philadelphia’s impending theft of the Barnes Foundation from Lower Merion, Philadelphia deserves to lose The Gross Clinic. It deserves to feel what it’s like to be on the other end of grand larceny.
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| Constable Landscapes at National Gallery |
November 15 2006 |
The National Gallery’s revelatory exhibit of John Constable places his large landscapes beside their equally large preparatory oil sketches, and shows us the dark and visionary genius behind some of the most familiar and best-loved paintings of the 19th Century.
“Constable's Great Landscapes: The Six-Foot Paintings.” Through December 31, 2006, at National Gallery of Art, East Building, Upper Level and Mezzanine, National Mall between 3rd and 7th Streets at Constit
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| Shostakovich in New York |
November 07 2006 |
Valery Gergiev wraps up his Shostakovich symphony cycle in New York, and reveals a composer on whom the 20th Century set its seal as on no other.
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| ‘Zoo Story’ at Society Hill Playhouse |
November 07 2006 |
A good cast can’t rescue a dated play or mask the misogyny at the heart of Edward Albee’s work.
The Zoo Story. By Edward Albee; directed by Steven Wright. Through November 18, 2006 at Society Hill Playhouse, 507 South Eighth St. www.societyhillplayhouse.org.
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| Robert Richenburg at Mishkin Gallery (NY) |
October 24 2006 |
Robert Richenburg’s black paintings constitute one of the summits of American Abstract Expressionism, and his recent passing makes the small but elegant retrospective of his work at Baruch’s Sidney Mishkin Gallery an historic as well as an aesthetic event in the new art season.
Robert Richenburg. Through October 27, 2006, at Sidney Mishkin Gallery, 135 East 22 Street, New York. (212) 802-2690 or www.baruch.cuny.edu/mis
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| Eminent Domain and the Barnes |
October 17 2006 |
Last year the Supreme Court ruled that government can seize private property for private interests. In the case of the Barnes Foundation’s move, a Pennsylvania court has taken that questionable notion one step further: In effect it let private interests do the seizing.
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| 'Waiting for Godot' at Annenberg |
October 16 2006 |
The Gate Theatre’s Waiting for Godot is a worthy production by a company with Beckett in its bones— not all one could wish for, but as good as we are likely to see for a while.
Waiting For Godot. By Samuel Beckett, directed by Walter D. Ausmus. Gate Theatre production through October 15, 2006 at Zellerbach Theatre, Annenberg Center, 215-898-3900 or www.pennpresents.org.
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| Lantern's 'Master Harold' (second review) |
September 26 2006 |
Athol Fugard's mid-period play "Master Harold"... and the Boys gets a good production at the Lantern Theater and a sterling performance from Frank X, but its flawed premise-- the relationship between a young white boy and a middle-aged black servant in apartheid-era South Africa-- vitiates its final impact.
"Master Harold"…and the Boys. By Athol Fugard; Lantern Theater Co. production directed by David O’Connor. Through Oct. 15, 2006,
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| Laurent Cantet's 'Heading South' |
August 24 2006 |
Here’s a plot with no hope but a tawdry ending: Three ladies of a certain age go shopping for sex in late-‘70s Haiti and get both more— and less— than they bargained for. Audiences get less.
Heading South (Vers Le Sud). A film directed by Laurent Cantet. Playing at the Ritz at the Bourse, Fourth and Ludlow Sts. (215) 925-7900.
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| The great Barnes shell game |
July 20 2006 |
If the Barnes Foundation failed to make a go of it on the Parkway, it could drag down the Art Museum, whose attendance revenues already lag. So why do the key players in the Barnes move seem unconcerned by the daunting financial projections? Is it possible that the Barnes’s fund-raising campaign itself is a shell game created to mask the real intent of the players: to capture the permanent gallery collection for the Art Museum itself?
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| Pig Iron's 'Love Unpunished' |
September 14 2006 |
Love Unpunished. Directed by Dan Rothenberg, choreographed by David Brick. Presented by Pig Iron Theatre Company, through Sept. 17, 2006 at Cinema at Penn, 3925 Walnut St. (215) 413-1318 or Philadelphia Live Arts Festival and Philly Fringe.
This starkly minimalist 55-minute allegory of 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina may be the most interesting work staged in Philadel
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| Wilma's 'A Number' |
May 16 2006 |
As a play of ideas, Caryl Churchill’s A Number raises significant issues about our human future. As drama, however, it’s largely mired in naturalistic convention.
A Number. By Caryl Churchill; directed by Jiri Zizka. Through June 4, 2006 at Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St., 215-546-7824 or www.wilmatheater.org.
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| Villanova's Irish Festival |
May 01 2006 |
In just 35 minutes, Sebastian Barry’s Fred and Jane provides a lifetime of experience, such as only theater can give in the hands of a master. Conor McPherson’s The Good Thief, at twice the length of Fred and Jane, is also twice the length it needs be.
Fred and Jane, By Sebastian Barry, and The Good Thief, by Conor McPherson. Irish Festival April 24- 30, 2006, at Villanova Theatre. 610-519-7474 or Shakespeare Festival's 'Tempest' |
April 28 2006 |
A mixed bag whose virtues— including at least one performance worthy of a Barrymore Award— outweigh its flaws and justify the admission price.
The Tempest. By William Shakespeare. Directed by Carmen Khan. Through May 21, 2006 (in repertory with Much Ado About Nothing and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare) at the Philadelphia Shakespeare Festival, 2111 Sansom Street. www.phillyshakespear
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| Wilma's 'Cloud Nine' |
May 01 2006 |
This sendup of Victorian sexual repression and post-‘60s sexual confusion vaulted Caryl Churchill into prominence a generation ago. But from the perspective of the early 2000s, it is all rather shooting fish in a barrel, despite director Blanka Zizka’s brisk pacing and a lavish production.
Cloud Nine. By Caryl Churchill; directed by Blanka Zizka. Through May 28, 2006 at The Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St. (215) 893-9456 or Pig Iron's 'Hell Meets Henry Halfway' |
April 27 2006 |
An allegory about Europe’s doomed bourgeoisie exhausts its slender material early but redeems itself by the finale, with help from a uniformly capable cast.
Hell Meets Henry Halfway. Adapted by Adriano Shaplin from the novel by Witold Gombrowicz. Directed by Dan Rothenberg, presented April 11-16, 2006, by Pig Iron Theatre Company at
Mandell Theater, Drexel University. www.pigiron.org/home.html.
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| Shostakovich rediscovered (except in Philadelphia) |
April 24 2006 |
He speaks to us now as the representative artist of his time, a composer whose work uniquely documents both the vast tragedy of his century’s suffering and his own private anguish. Yet his centennial year has passed with little notice in Philadelphia, where Shostakovich was once uniquely welcomed.
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| An artist with Alzheimer's |
April 12 2006 |
In a unique and remarkable exhibit, an artist with Alzheimer’s seeks to document his condition: trying to the last to communicate in the language he still shared with us, or what remained of it.
“The Later Works of William C. Utermohlen.” Through April 30 at College of Physicians of Philadelphia. Admission free. 215-563-3737 or www.collphyphil.org/pdfs/utermohlen.pdf.
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| Lantern's 'Richard III' |
April 01 2006 |
Charles McMahon’s direction keeps the play moving briskly--a shade too much so, since the results sometimes teeter on confusion. But there's method in the occasional madness.
Richard III. By William Shakespeare, directed by Charles McMahon. Presented by Lantern Theater Co. through April 30, 2006, at St. Stephen’s Theater, 923 Ludlow St. (215) 829-9002 or www.lanterntheater.org.
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| Why the Barnes is important |
March 28 2006 |
Why shouldn’t the Barnes Foundation be relocated? Because, unlike museums or even other private collections, the Barnes was designed as a complete aesthetic experience,
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| Is the Barnes really in trouble? |
February 24 2006 |
Does a $1 million problem really require a $150 million solution? The Pew Charitable Trusts could fix this whole mess with what is for them the equivalent of chump change. But that thrifty solution wouldn’t let Rebecca Rimel play queen of the ball. Second article in a series.
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| Villanova's Prayers of Sherkin |
February 14 2006 |
| Barry is a genuine poet of the theater, and James Christy’s final production at Villanova ought not to be missed.
Prayers of Sherkin. By Sebastian Barry, directed by James J. Christy. Through Feb. 19, 2006, at Villanova University Theatre, Vasey Hall. www.theatre.villanova.edu
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| The New World: Poisoning Paradise |
February 03 2006 |
| Terrence Malick’s take on the Pocahontas legend portrays America as an empire but not a community.
The New World. A film by Terence Malick. At the Ritz East, Front and Sansom, 215-925-9700.
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| Walnut's Lettice & Lovage |
January 31 2006 |
| Capable actors and just enough pathos to sustain this tale of an overheated tour guide.
Lettice & Lovage, by Peter Shaffer, directed by Neill Hartley. Through Feb. 5 at Walnut Street Theater?s Studio 5, 826 Walnut St., (215) 574-3550. www.wstonline.org
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| Arden's Opus |
February 15 2006 |
| The sheer heaven and sheer hell of musical collaboration, captured on stage.
Opus, by Michael Hollinger; directed by Terrence J.. Nolen. Through March 12 at Arden Theatre, 40 N. Second St., 215-922-8900. www.ardentheatre.org.
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| Twain as disillusioned patriot |
January 05 2006 |
Mark Twain Tonight! Hal Holbrook’s one-man show, at the Merriam Theater, December.
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| Lantern's 'Lady From the Sea' |
January 01 2006 |
The Lady From The Sea, by Henrik Ibsen, directed by Kathryn C. Nocero for Lantern Theater, October 2005.
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| Barnescam: Or, How to Steal $20 Billion |
January 01 2006 |
| The plan to move the Barnes Foundation will produce nothing but victims
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More articles by Rob Laymon, newest first
| The life of a bugout |
April 05 2008 |
I left my last full-time job ten years ago. I make little money and rarely buy anything. And here’s the scary part for you: I’m happy, and I’m not alone.
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Like my fellow Broad Street Review contributor Dan Coren, I am a high school classmate of Dan Rottenberg, and was, again like Coren, also a frequent contributor to Dan’s old weekly magazine, the Welcomat. After completing psychoanalytic training at NYU’s Postdoctoral Program In Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy in 1984, I moved from Manhattan to San Francisco a year later. My practice is both in San Francisco and Marin County.
So I am a psychologist-psychoanalyst by profession, but a critic and basketball coach by nature, and am very pleased that Dan re-affirmed his commitment to cronyism and invited me to become a contributor to Broad Street Review.
Over the past decade, my writing has been more experimental and less focused than it was when I wrote essays for the Welcomat. I am currently engaged both in trying to compile a group of my poems, stories, and essays into book form, and working on a long memoir revolving around my own relationship to my son’s just-completed high school basketball career.
Although I stopped playing organized basketball after my freshman year at Columbia, (where Dan Coren was again my classmate), I have played and coached in a broad variety of contexts over the succeeding four and a half decades, and continue to love the game, when it is played well, on all levels.
Basketball has always been the prism through which I filter my reflections and insights into the wider surround, although I often question which is really wider for me. In any case, the sport has become my storehouse for metaphors and analogies at every turn, and, however jaded commercialized sports are these days, the advent of a LeBron James is capable of appealing to my aesthetic sense in like fashion to great art of all sorts.
It is not for this reason alone that I urged Rottenberg, years ago, to expand his focus in Seven Arts magazine to eight and include basketball. Had he listened to me, environmentalists of all stripes would bemoan the needless waste of precious paper that Dan has saved us by adopting the Internet as his new medium. I am proud to be part of his exciting new endeavor.
More articles by Robert Liss, newest first
| Basketball: Reflections on the Final Four |
April 10 2011 |
What is college basketball these days, this way station between high school basketball and the bizarre circus of player movement and high finance that has become the National Basketball Association?
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| LeBron James makes his decision |
July 17 2010 |
No one outside Miami seems happy that the basketball superstar LeBron James has contracted to play for the Miami Heat. Yet a look at his decision suggests that this brilliant athlete and marketing engine made a decision based on personal values that celebrate the spirit of a game whose future development may rest in his enormous hands.
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| NCAA basketball returns to its essence |
April 10 2010 |
White kids are back, team play is back— at this year’s NCAA tournament, college basketball seemed to return to its simpler roots, even in a 71,000-seat stadium.
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| ‘Book of Basketball’ by Bill Simmons |
December 04 2009 |
In a book of grand scope, Bill Simmons purports to resolve most of basketball’s historic armchair controversies. As one who personally witnessed pro basketball’s earliest days, I wish this young cub had paid closer attention to detail before claiming the mantle of ultimate authority.
The Book of Basketball: The NBA According to the Sports Guy. By Bill Simmons. ESPN. 736 pages; $30.00. www.amazon.com.
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| Obama’s basketball coolness |
October 04 2009 |
Above all, Obama’s style is just cool— even by Marshall McLuhan’s definitive conception— and it’s clear that he developed a great deal of it on the basketball court. Which may explain how his health care address to Congress seduced an ordinarily apolitical basketball/jazz guy like me.
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| Searching for meaning in ‘March Madness’ |
April 11 2009 |
College basketball has changed exponentially since the 1990s, thanks to increased speed, athleticism and three-point shooting. Many fans today think the game began in 1979, when Magic Johnson matched up against Larry Bird. Amid such flux, who can define tradition, if not a TV commentator?
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| Florida’s NCAA basketball victory |
April 10 2007 |
As this year’s NCAA championship game wore on, it became clear that Florida was a basketball team, whereas Ohio State was merely an arsenal of impressive individuals.
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| Bob Knight: Coaching or abusing? |
December 02 2006 |
The response of basketball coaches and sports commentators to coach Bobby Knight’s latest abuse demonstrates their implicit contempt for rules, language, and ordinary meaning, which have now become subordinate to fame and revenue-generating potential.
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| Beware Greeks bearing basketballs |
September 09 2006 |
Americans invented basketball, but the Greeks invented passion. At this year’s World Championship games, even diehard American fans found themselves cheering for the children of Sophocles against our own arrogant superstars. Oh, and guess who won?
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I’m a licensed attorney doing a small town practice. I graduated from The Hill School, Class of 1984. I had a major in philosophy with a concentration in aesthetics at Bucknell University, Class of 1988. In my aesthetics studies, we talked a great deal of the Barnes Foundation and other great pieces and collections. Currently, I’m an art enthusiast and sometimes curator of a program seen a lot less frequently than even the Barnes Foundation program.
More articles by Richard R. Feudale, newest first
| For art’s sake, move the Barnes |
August 26 2008 |
In all the arguments about whether to move the Barnes Foundation, has anyone asked: What is best for art? That cause would be enhanced if the Barnes and the Art Museum shared the same campus and allowed their works to be shown together. The key issue isn't about preserving one brilliant collector’s institution. It’s about building on his legacy to expand the love and understanding of art.
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More articles by Rick Soisson, newest first
| ‘You lie!’ and the art of insult |
September 14 2009 |
South Carolina’s Congressman Joe Wilson has drawn both condemnation and praise for shouting, “You lie!” during President Obama’s recent speech about health care. But Wilson is an amateur next to members of Britain’s Parliament.
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| On being a Twit |
June 25 2009 |
In barely three years, Twitter has attracted 30 million users. And why not? Who wouldn’t embrace a remarkable new technology that allows you to make a fool of yourself on a public stage, just like Shaquille O'Neal and Terrell Owens?
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| Romero, baseball and the ‘unnatural’ |
January 10 2009 |
Phillies pitcher J.C. Romero has been suspended for talking a legal over-the-counter weight-training drug. Major League Baseball explains that it wants to keep the game and its players “natural.” But is there anything more unnatural than a game of baseball?
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| Satirizing a black president |
November 11 2008 |
With Obama’s election, satirists must grapple with the unique problem of walking the tightrope between humor and racism. We all need some practice— not in recognizing satire, but in sorting it out from racism in satire’s clothing.
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| Nicole Atkins on the cusp |
August 16 2008 |
Nicole Atkins writes her own material, and her best compositions are ambitious and demanding in terms of range. But given the absurdly fragmented, modern music scene, she’s in danger of being lost in the shuffle.
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| Obama as a literary figure |
August 05 2008 |
In the New York Times, Maureen Dowd recently equated Barack Obama with Jane Austen’s prideful Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice. A careful parsing of Dowd’s column suggests that the Democratic candidate is damned if he does and damned if he doesn’t.
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| Jim Thompson’s ‘Golden Gizmo’ |
August 02 2008 |
The pulp novelist Jim Thompson is largely forgotten for two reasons: He’s a genre writer, and he really never wrote about anybody whom anyone would want to know personally. But he always manages the transformation from cliché to human being in a surprising way.
The Golden Gizmo. By Jim Thompson. 192 pages, 1954. Vintage edition, 1998.
www.amazon.com.
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| Political satire and the New Yorker's cover |
July 20 2008 |
What’s the real meaning of that satirical New Yorker cover depicting Barack and Michelle Obama as closet Muslim terrorists? Here’s a better question: What hope is there for satire in a post-literate society?
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| New York’s baseball/money conundrum |
July 12 2008 |
Oh, for the sporting life in New York. When the going gets tough there, the toughest baseball executives….. find excuses.
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More articles by Richard Chaitt, newest first
| ‘Charlie Wilson’s War’ |
December 25 2007 |
Can people with conflicting agendas and personalities ever work together for a common goal? Charlie Wilson’s War leaves you hopeful that they can.
Charlie Wilson’s War. A film by Mike Nichols; screenplay by Aaron Sorkin. Based on the book by George Crile. www.imdb.com/title/tt0472062/fullcredits
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| Jason Reitman’s ‘Juno’ |
December 04 2007 |
Director Jason Reitman, who gave us Thank You For Smoking, is at it again, with a quirky comedy about a pregnant teenager that refuses to follow predictable paths.
Juno. A film directed by Jason Reitman. Opens December 14, 2007 at Ritz at the Bourse, Fourth and Ludlow Sts., and Showcsae at the Ritz, New Jersey. www.ritzfilmbill.com.
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| My digital camera, myself |
August 18 2007 |
Hallelujah! No longer must I wonder if I’m in focus, if anyone blinked or whether my exposure was correct. And I can make my own prints, to my own idiosyncratic taste, without losing anything in the translation to some middleman.
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| ‘La Vie en Rose’ (second review) |
August 04 2007 |
The greatest thing about Edith Piaf was her music, which gets short shrift in this film.
La Vie en Rose. Film directed by Olivier Dahan, with Marion Cotillard. At the Ritz Five, 214 Walnut St. (215) 925-7900 or www.ritztheaters.com.
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Call me a rolling stone—I’m an East Coaster the wind blew to Santa Fe and again to northern California. But I have deep Philadelphia roots. My father was born there and his parents and my long-gone aunt, the painter Edith Stevens, are buried in Laurel Hill Cemetery.
Roots? I put them down for ten wonderful years at 2104 Brandywine Street in Spring Garden. Little did I know when I drove out of the city in 1988 that a Santa Fe stockbroker would tell me, in 1997, that she was the next to last owner of that exact same Brandywine house!
So, you can’t really take the gal outta Philly, where I got a good boost to my freelance career and confidence ranting about anything and everything in the old Welcomat. NOT true it was a birdcage liner! Dan was a steady hand at the tiller even back then.
I learned to broadcast as a volunteer at the Radio Information Center for the Blind in Philadelphia and from there went to WHYY News to sound off as a local commentator. You gotta love those microphones.
Hunting for a bigger whack at glory, I wrote and produced a quirky one-hour radio drama on a Pennsylvania Humanities grant. Hired a good scriptwriter and paid the cast Equity wages, too. Because of that Equity credit, my star went on to the understudy role in Amadeus on Broadway, no less.
(Do I know where he is now? Well, the thing about rolling stones is you lose your marbles.)
Then, thanks to the strong Philadelphia culture, National Public Radio Theater bought that play, The Story of Crazy Nora, and aired it nationally. With my mellifluous voice introducing it, no less. What a hoot that was. Crazy Nora was a real, live 19th-Century street character whose portrait hangs in the Pennsylvania Historical Society. Thanks to Charlie Blockson, the well-known black bibliophile who gave his extraordinary collection to Temple University, for that lead.
Having established my fame and glory in the Northeast, I followed my cowboy heart west where I saved a wonderful old adobe on the Santa Fe River and published my first book, Treasure of Taos (1993), out of print but available second-hand at amazon.com.
“How do you make a small fortune in Santa Fe?” people ask.
“Start with a big one.”
Alas, true. After the house and the horses, the cowboys and Indians, which I describe in my second book, Santa Fe Dreamhouse (2009), money got very tight, so I sold real estate. That’s in the book, too.
Partner (now lassoed into being Husband) Jim Tirjan, Lehigh ‘63, grabbed a job opportunity in Silicon Valley. It took me a good year to stop pronouncing it “silicone” valley, although some of the women out here in California..
Yeah, I am very East Coast. Now I flog Dreamhouse and rant for Dan in BSR. Rant even more on my blog: reedstevens.blogspot.com. If you just have to have more Reed on your screen, take a look at that.
Who knows, maybe I’ll figure out how to make some groovy vids on my new Mac. Boy, that scares the hell out me now, as I compose on Windows.
This old rolling stone has probably settled down now in Campbell, California. But that’s not so far from Philadelphia these days, is it?
I’d love to hear from you!
More articles by Reed Stevens, newest first
| Roger Ebert’s ‘Life Itself’ |
November 19 2011 |
Roger Ebert’s memoir reveals the film critic as a lovable fellow who never had to apply for a job, fight for a promotion, sleep with an editor or fret about money. No wonder his book made me grumpy.
Life Itself: A Memoir. By Roger Ebert. Grand Central Publishing, 2011. 448 pages; $27.99. www.amazon.com.
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| ‘The Help’ and ‘The Debt’: Jessica Chastain’s moment |
September 10 2011 |
Jessica Chastain has miles to go to match the force of Helen Mirren’s mature persona. Until then, here’s an actress beginning to stretch herself in two good movies aimed at very different audiences.
The Help. A film written and directed by Tate Taylor, from the novel by Kathryn Stockett. For Philadelphia area showtimes, click here.
The Debt. A film directed by John Madden. For Philadelphia area showtimes, click here.
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| ‘Seeing Gertrude Stein’ in San Francisco |
June 21 2011 |
Gertrude Stein wrote unreadable prose, admired Hitler, had little use for women, betrayed her fellow Jews and was unspeakably mean to her longtime companion. Yet for one reason, I forgive her everything.
"Seeing Gertrude Stein: Five Stories.” Through September 6, 2011 at Contemporary Jewish Museum, 736 Mission St. San Francisco, Calif. www.thecjm.org/index.php.
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| ‘True Grit’ gets a remake |
December 28 2010 |
The arch, awkward, faux-Victorian language almost worked in the original True Grit. But if you were born in 1995 and watching the Coen brothers’ sendup of the 1969 sendup, you’d have to ask: What country, what planet spawned these people?
True Grit. A film written and directed by Ethan Coen and Joel Coen. For theaters and times in Greater Philadelphia, click here.
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| My Christmas shopping list |
December 18 2010 |
It’s amazing, the things I never knew I needed until the December Hammacher Schlemmer catalogue arrived in my mail. Now I’m ready to give Santa my Christmas wish list. For good girls only, of course.
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| The making of an activist, 1960 (memoir) |
January 30 2010 |
After I joined a “Ban the Bomb” protest in college, first my parents and then my fiancé scolded me for questioning the government. I had to choose between my independence and my survival. But in the half-century since, I’ve learned that I don’t have to sacrifice one for the other.
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| Airport security nightmare |
January 09 2010 |
After a 12-hour flight from Brazil, my husband was exhausted. Next thing he knew, he was in a windowless room, being told, “Do not look down, do not speak or we will take you down.”
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| A cell phone adventure |
November 28 2009 |
My cell phone was a source of constant irritation, mainly because it constantly reminded me how old and technically challenged I am. But it did open up a new world to me, although not the way you might think.
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| My health care Catch-22 |
November 14 2009 |
Like a Good Wife I worried that I might have inherited my poor mother’s Alzheimer’s. So I went to see a neurologist, who gave me a clean bill of health. Big mistake.
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| My great-grandmother grows younger |
November 07 2009 |
When I was a child, my pioneer great-grandmother seemed very old and insufferably proper. Now that I’m older than she was, she looks positively youthful, and I can imagine the two of us having a nice sit-down on the sofa.
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| A writer and her audience |
August 15 2009 |
Everyone has a story to tell, and everyone could be a writer. The problem, says recent author Reed Stevens, is that most would-be writers don’t understand that writing is a two-way process.
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| One woman’s quest for peace and quiet |
May 30 2009 |
In Philadelphia I once heard a mockingbird sing outside my house on Brandywine Street. But only once. As my cross-country peregrinations have proven, peace and quiet are hard to find no matter where you live.
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| Our not-so-golden years |
April 25 2009 |
My husband has decided that this medical procedure is the perfect time to quit the stress of working and start enjoying life. But what about the stress on me, not to mention the ozone layer?
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| Shooting Three Mile Island |
March 30 2009 |
The ominous towers appeared on the horizon emitting deadly-looking steam. All the traffic was heading in the opposite direction. I felt noble and brave. Should I perish in an atomic inferno, my name would be immortalized as the gutsiest free-lance photographer in history.
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| ‘Milk’ and gay reality |
February 24 2009 |
Oscars or not, Milk is not a perfect film because it depicts gay men’s lives in those Stonewall days as more about reckless sex than loneliness and terror. Back in the day, I learned firsthand how lonely and alienating the gay life was and still is, for many.
Milk. A film directed by Gus Van Sant. www.filminfocus.com/focusfeatures/film/milk.
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| ‘You’ll never be a writer’ |
January 31 2009 |
Many people say they want to be writers. What’s the difference between wanting to do it and doing it? Here’s my story.
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| A few questions for Bristol Palin |
September 02 2008 |
I want to know about the kid. The Baby you have started. What’s her life going to be like growing up in a family where the parents married at the end of a shotgun or the back of a Bible? Say, Bristol, you ready to put away your dancing shoes and warm up the bottle?
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| China’s ‘humiliation,’ reconsidered |
August 09 2008 |
Forget the Chinese obsession with their national “humiliation.” We are just beginning to feel the power of this vast and brilliant people as they gather themselves, and us, along with the rest of the world.
The Man Who Loved China: The Fantastic Story of the Eccentric Scientist Who Unlocked the Mysteries of the Middle Kingdom. By Simon Winchester. HarperCollins, 2008. 336 pages; $27.95.
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| To Shelby Steele, about Obama |
February 02 2008 |
Obama’s candidacy felt like such a relief from being a racist pig. Damn, I’m 66 and I’m ready to put that burden down. Now I wonder if I’m drinking too much Kool-Aid.
A Bound Man: Why We Are Excited About Obama and Why He Can't Win By Shelby Steele. 160 pages. Free Press, $22.00. www.amazon.com.
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Entrepreneur and choreographer, Rebecca Davis is committed to developing rising talent and transforming young dancers into performing artists. In founding The Rebecca Davis Dance Company, she has pioneered a unique pre-professional dance-theater training program that imparts literary works, historical events, and social issues to students and adult audiences alike. The Rebecca Davis Dance Company fills the market gap between training and professional employment for young dancers in the Philadelphia community.
Rebecca draws more than 13 years of professional dance training in Canada, Russia, and the U.S. She choreographed 15 works in Vancouver and implemented a creative dance program for under-served children in Toronto. Rebecca was classically trained in the Russian Vaganova method of ballet while studying under Tatiana Petrovna in Moscow and Valery Tereshkin in Siberia. She has received a degree in choreography from The Saint Petersburg Conservatory under the tutelage of Artistic Director Nikolai Boyarchikov.
Ms. Davis is more than just a dance aficionado; she is a natural entrepreneur. Rebecca came to Philadelphia in 2002 to contribute to the array of cultural delicacies that the city has to offer. Immersing herself in Philadelphia life has given birth to her vision of making this city a center of dance training on par with New York and Moscow.
Rebecca has captured this vision in her award-winning business plan recognized as the most viable small business by The 2004 Annual Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition. She is a summa cum laude graduate of the Fox School of Business, where she was an official nominee for both the Rhodes and Marshall scholarships, and was granted a Fulbright Scholarship. Rebecca is also the recipient of the Garfield Weston Scholarship, Canadian Merit Scholarship and is a two-time winner of the League for Entrepreneurial Women’s Essay Competition.
Ms. Davis is partnering with the community to position The Rebecca Davis Dance Company as a catalyst for improving the integration of the humanities with the physical discipline of dance. Her first two full-length modern ballets were Antigone (Kimmel Center, 2006) and Helen Keller (Prince Music Theatre, 2007). This year she choreographed Darfur (Arden Theater, 2008).
More articles by Rebecca Davis, newest first
| Russian and African dancers: A common thread |
June 14 2011 |
Russia and the West African nation of Guinea are two countries with little in common. Yet as I learned first-hand, their mutual passion for dance, and their approach to training dancers, share remarkable similarities.
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| Dancing across barriers in the Balkans |
May 16 2011 |
Can dancers accomplish what diplomats can’t— namely, erase the barriers of fear and suspicion stemming from the brutal Bosnian war of the mid-1990s? Ashley Fargnoli, a 27-year-old self-style “dance activist,” demonstrated what can be done just this year.
Three Notes. A dance project choreographed by Ashley Fargnoli. www.ashleyfargnoli.com.
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| Dancing for his life in Rwanda |
January 05 2010 |
Eighteen months ago I had the rare privilege of teaching dance to a unique group of orphans victimized by the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. When I returned last month I discovered that the sponsoring group has folded, the safe house is gone, and these kids are back on the streets of Kigali. The solution to their problem is costly by African standards— and piddling by ours.
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| In Bosnia: Dance conquers fear |
August 11 2009 |
When I arrived in Bosnia-Herzegovina in June for a two-month humanitarian stint as a volunteer dance teacher, the challenge seemed daunting: In this tragic country, torn apart in the ‘90s by ethnic cleansing, could Muslim Bosniaks, Orthodox Serbs and Catholic Croats possibly dance together, much less live peacefully together? Within a few weeks I got my answer.
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| The dancing orphans of Rwanda |
July 20 2008 |
The contemporary Philadelphia choreographer Rebecca Davis recently spent four weeks teaching dance steps to street orphans in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, a suffering land known mostly for its 1994 genocide. To her surprise, she discovered a passion for dance that transcends anything found among American teenagers. “These kids taught me that dance has the power to change lives even in the most difficult of circumstances,” she contends.
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