All of BSR's 2026 Fringe reviews at a glance
Check out the full list of our writers' 2026 Fringe reviews, updated throughout the festival
We're reviewing dozens of shows in this year's Fringe festival. Find them all at a glance here.
Reviews
1 minute read
Philly Fringe 2026: FringeArts presents Daniel Fish’s Kramer/Fauci
A bureaucrat and a firebrand walk into C-SPAN
This year’s curated Fringe includes Kramer/Fauci, director Daniel Fish’s vision of a trenchant 1993 interview between public health official Dr. Anthony Fauci and activist Larry Kramer. Josh Herren reviews.
Reviews
3 minute read
Philly Fringe 2026: Cannonball Festival presents Joel De Jesus-Pacheco’s Amor/Libertad Part 1
Imagining the future of an independent Puerto Rico
Fringe entry Amor/Libertad Part 1 is a heartfelt drama exploring the tensions of political oppression in relationships, set in Puerto Rico between the present day and an imagined future. Vicky Diaz-Camacho reviews.
Reviews
3 minute read
Philly Fringe 2026: Yellow Bicycle Collective presents Joshua Crone’s Waiting for Westy
A promising but bloated Vietnam war drama
Joshua Crone’s Waiting for Westy, a promising but overlong drama tackling the legacy of the Vietnam War and its echoes today, appears in this year’s Philly Fringe. Josh Herren reviews.
Reviews
3 minute read
Philly Fringe 2026: Cannonball presents Justin Jain’s BAD CLAY
Ceramic choreography on the American experiment
BAD CLAY, Justin Jain’s 2026 Fringe entry combines sculpture, live pottery, and physical performance to reflect on our American moment. Evan Schares reviews.
Reviews
2 minute read
The editor’s guide to the 2026 Philly Fringe
Check here for curated listings and mini-reviews throughout the festival
See where editor Alaina Johns is heading in this year’s Fringe and get her recommendations with mini-reviews that will be updated right here throughout the festival. Check back often!
Previews
16 minute read
Philly Fringe 2026: Cannonball presents Julia Baccellieri’s Strange Root, or the murder of PT Barnum By Joice Heth
The return of Strange Root
Multidisciplinary dance and circus artist Julia Baccellieri, a Chicago native, returns to the Philly Fringe with an updated iteration of their 2025 Strange Root performance. An Nichols reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read
Philly Fringe 2026: Cannonball presents Ben Grinberg’s Plausible Deniability v. 0.1
Immersively thirsty
A new work-in-progress from Ben Grinberg and Almanac Projects combined gravity-defying acrobatics with an immersive steam-room setting. Evan Schares reviews.
Reviews
2 minute read
It’s easier to demonize immigrants than it is to recognize we’re all in danger.
Empathy takes more than kindness. It takes courage.
Right-wing pundits talk about empathy as if it’s incompatible with justice. But justice does need empathy, and empathy takes courage that anti-immigrant “patriots” just don’t have. Alaina Johns considers.
Editorials
7 minute read
The Resident Ensemble Players present August Wilson’s How I Learned What I Learned
Inside the artistic journey of an American theater icon
REP opens its new season with an impressive production of August Wilson’s How I Learned What I Learned, exploring the great American playwright’s own journey. Gail Obenreder reviews.
Reviews
3 minute read
Your (non-Fringe) guide to September 2026 Philly theater
Bob Dylan, Lindsay Smiling, Conor McPherson, August Wilson, and more
The September calendar teems with Fringe offerings, but there are several notable regional theater productions happening this month, including a Bob Dylan musical, another Wilma world premiere, and more. Cameron Kelsall rounds up.
Previews
4 minute read
Your September 2026 guide to Philly cultural events
Discover food, photography, flowers, the First Amendment, and more this month
Our September 2026 guide spotlights non-theater cultural events throughout the city, including the Southeast Asian Market, photography happenings, free neighborhood festivals, and lots more. Gauri Mangala rounds up.
Previews
4 minute read
People’s Light presents Hershey Felder’s Rachmaninoff and the Tsar
The man and his music
Playwright and pianist Hershey Felder tackles Rachmaninoff and Russian Romanticism in his latest musical drama at People’s Light. Cameron Kelsall reviews.
Reviews
3 minute read
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Also on BSR
Your guide to Classics-inspired shows in the 2026 Philly Fringe
It’s all Greek to me
Some Fringe artists bring wild new creations, and some look into the past, reinventing touchstones of the Western canon in innovative and accessible ways. Gauri Mangala highlights reimagined Classics in this year’s festival.
Previews
4 minute read
Dumb Hub gatekeeper Sarah Knittel's guide to the 2026 Philly Fringe
What to see with your mom, a date, two drinks, or your own fear
Sarah Knittel (Fringe performer, curator, and producer extraordinaire) is back in the pages of BSR with her guide to the 2026 Philadelphia Fringe Festival. Strap in.
Previews
7 minute read
Your September 2026 guide to Philly-area classical music
Classical interludes with Mozart, Grant Youngblood, Rene Orth, and more
The 2026-27 classical music scene in Philly kicks off with events including Mozart’s first opera, appearances from baritone Grant Youngblood and violinist Eugene Drucker, and a world premiere from composer Rene Orth. Gail Obenreder rounds up.
Previews
5 minute read
Your September guide to 250th Anniversary events in the Philadelphia area
Museum highlights, walking tours, a young Ben Franklin, and lots more
Summer is ending, but Philly’s 250 celebrations are still raging, with notable Firstivals, tours, stories, discussions, museum highlights, and even a party for George Washington. Walt Maguire rounds up.
Previews
7 minute read
The month in Philly dance: Top dance picks for the 2026 Philly Fringe
A mother snail, vampires, a ballet after-party, drumming brides, and lots more in this year’s fest
This year’s Philly Fringe features 77 shows that include some element of movement or dance. Dance critic Camille Bacon-Smith is here to help with her top picks.
Previews
5 minute read
The BSR September 2026 repertory film roundup
Blue Velvet, Star Trek, A League of Their Own, and lots more
It’s time to make your September calendar, and Philly is packed with screenings, from early Star Trek to A League of Their Own, The Silence of the Lambs, Young Frankenstein, Mean Girls, and tons more.
Previews
5 minute read
Declaration House: Reading Between the Lines of America’s Founding, edited by Anna Arabindan-Kesson, Paul M. Farber, and Yolanda Wisher
“How do we remember what powerful people have decided we should forget?”
In 2024, a video activation featuring the eyes of Monticello’s descendants took over Declaration House in Old City. Now a new book documents the project and the rediscovered histories that drove it. Pamela J. Forsythe reviews.
Reviews
5 minute read
Theatre in the X presents Ntozake Shange’s For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf
A soul-stirring production
For its annual production at Malcolm X Park, Theatre in the X mounts a soul-stirring interpretation of Ntozake Shange’s iconic choreopoem, For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf. An Nichols reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read
BalletX dancer Ashley Simpson finds challenge and acceptance in Philadelphia
“This is the only body you will ever have.”
Florida native Ashley Simpson danced in Chicago, New York, and Memphis before joining BalletX. She sits down with Melissa Strong to talk about her path and her unique experience in Philly.
Profiles
4 minute read
The BSR Weekly Arts and Culture Roundup, August 20-26, 2026
National Treasure Weekend, Clark Park Bizarre, a Ukrainian folk fest, and lots more this week
There’s plenty happening this week in Philly for late-summer fun-seekers, including a free dance performance, an Old City ode to the movie National Treasure, Theatre in the X’s summer production in the park, and more. Walt Maguire rounds up.
Previews
6 minute read