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Previews 1 minute read
10 Piffaro musicians, all wearing black, perform in a semicircle on a bright Christian chancel turned into a stage.

Piffaro, the Renaissance Band presents The Musical Legacy of Charles V
For the close of its 38th season and a major leadership transition, Piffaro’s tribute to the life of Charles V examines musical legacies then and now. Gail Obenreder reviews.
Gail Obenreder

Gail Obenreder

Reviews 4 minute read
Marcel the Shell, a tiny shell with one eye and sneakers, stands on a laptop keyboard. She fits on a single key.

The Philadelphia Film Society presents SpringFest 2022

Four films to watch out for
In one movie-packed weekend, PFS SpringFest screened 22 films at the Philadelphia Film Center, from a full-length treatment of a viral shell with shoes to the film Apple hopes will be the next CODA. Stephen Silver reviews.
Stephen Silver

Stephen Silver

Reviews 5 minute read
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Scene from the play. Eugene, wearing a cream knit sweater, argyle socks, & baseball hat, looks at his brother, who’s speaking

Delaware Theatre Company presents Neil Simon’s Brighton Beach Memoirs

Confessions of a teenage dramatist
Delaware Theatre Company’s production of Neil Simon’s Brighton Beach Memoirs provides nostalgia and some light laughs. Josh Herren reviews.
Josh Herren

Josh Herren

Reviews 4 minute read
Scene from Reverie. Bazemore & Mitchell, both Black men, in an apartment kitchen, both looking wistfully toward the audience

Azuka Theatre presents James Ijames’s Reverie

Death’s best gift
The new work by Philly’s own Pulitzer Prize winner, James Ijames, explores what gets left behind when a person dies without having authentically lived. Jill Ivey reviews.
Jillian Ashley Blair Ivey

Jillian Ashley Blair Ivey

Reviews 3 minute read
A headshot of Ijames, a Black man in his late 30s. He looks with gentle dignity at the camera & wears a white collared shirt.

A Pulitzer for Philly playwright James Ijames spotlights our arts funding crisis

Mayor Kenney’s plan for the arts
Another year, another attempt to gut city support for the arts in Philly. As one of our own artists wins a Pulitzer, a major budget cut seems like an especially bad plan. Alaina Johns considers.
Alaina Johns

Alaina Johns

Editorials 5 minute read
Two fencers in all white with fencing masks and fencer swords caught in mid-attack, with one hanging in mid-air.

The Weekly Roundup, May 18-25

Athena, Resonant Philly, ConsentFest!, and cinéSPEAK Under the Stars this week
The week features live music, movie screenings, sex education, accessibility through music, and …fencing? Kyle V. Hiller rounds up.
Kyle V. Hiller

Kyle V. Hiller

Previews 2 minute read
Floyd, a Black woman, sits on a river dock on a sunny day, holding a gold frame in front of her. She wears a long pale dress

Intercultural Journeys presents The Frances Suite

Walking out from the shadows
Intercultural Journeys presents The Frances Suite, a musical portrayal of 19th-century Philadelphia activist, speaker, and writer Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, by composer Ruth Naomi Floyd. Melissa Strong reviews.
Melissa Strong

Melissa Strong

Reviews 4 minute read
A scene from the play. The 3 actors sit on an apartment couch, each of them talking on the phone, not looking at each other

Theatre Exile presents Susan Soon He Stanton’s Today Is My Birthday

Twenty-first century ties

Theatre Exile’s production of Succession writer Susan Soon He Stanton’s charming play shows just how possible it is to feel alone, even when you spend your life talking to other people. Jill Ivey reviews.
Jillian Ashley Blair Ivey

Jillian Ashley Blair Ivey

Reviews 3 minute read
Two male dancers in long black skirts jump high in unison, and four women dancers stand in white leotards behind them.

The Philadelphia Ballet presents Hans van Manen’s Humankind

A full-circle performance
The Philadelphia Ballet says goodbye to longtime dancer Jermel Johnson in this program from choreographer Hans van Manen, who has his own retirement announcement. Camille Bacon-Smith reviews.
Camille Bacon-Smith

Camille Bacon-Smith

Reviews 4 minute read
The book cover. The title on an orange background, with slender images of mosaic, grass, cement, and dirt winding beneath.

Ways of Walking, edited by Ann de Forest

Headed somewhere together
A new anthology by Philly writer Ann de Forest explores how we walk, and where, and
why that experience means such different things for different bodies. Anndee Hochman reviews.
Anndee Hochman

Anndee Hochman

Reviews 5 minute read
A collage-style piece in tan, orange, & blue, including brick buildings that have suitcase handles, and a wood table setting

The African American Museum in Philadelphia presents Derrick Adams: Sanctuary

Know before you go
Derrick Adams: Sanctuary, now on view at AAMP, is inspired by the Green Book travel guide that helped Black motorists plan their trips in the Jim Crow era. Pamela J. Forsythe reviews.

Pamela J. Forsythe

Reviews 4 minute read
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Two ballet dancers dance outdoors on a stage in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, an audience behind them

BalletX prevails with its 2022 Spring Series

An old favorite and two world premieres at the Mann
After having to cancel much of its run in April due to Covid-19, BalletX returns to the stage with works from Matthew Neenan, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, and Jennifer Archibald as part of its Spring Series. Camille Bacon-Smith previews.
Camille Bacon-Smith

Camille Bacon-Smith

Previews 2 minute read
A crochet pretzel sits in a hexagonal gold frame, with a bed of colorful threads underneath the frame

City of Love: Artists Inspired by Philadelphia lights up the Neon Museum

The many perspectives of love
The new multi-medium collection features the people, things, and places that make Philly a beloved city. Olivia J. B. Baxter previews.
Olivia J. B. Baxter

Olivia J. B. Baxter

Previews 3 minute read
Figaro and Count Almaviva in colonial-style clothing and robes, in mid-song on stage.

OperaDelaware presents The Marriage of Figaro

Get me to the church on time!
Gail Obenreder previews OperaDE's production of The Marriage of Figaro, continuing the tale of Figaro from this past winter's The Barber of Seville.
Gail Obenreder

Gail Obenreder

Previews 3 minute read
A photo exposed multiple times reveals a dancer in white in different poses mid-dance, on stage—looks like a series of ghosts

Earlie Bird Productions presents The Loneliness Project

A familiar feeling shared onstage
Through song, movement, and more, Earlie Bird Productions hopes to bring together audiences with The Loneliness Project. Dara McBride previews.

Dara McBride

Previews 3 minute read
Outside the museum, Kass leans against the Y letter of the structure, which is large, wide, and very tall

The Weekly Roundup, May 11-18

Many Lumens, UMA Shows Up, SpringFest, and the Weitzman reopens
The week features offerings from BlackStar, Urban Movement Arts, the Philadelphia Film Society, and the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History. Kyle V. Hiller rounds up.
Kyle V. Hiller

Kyle V. Hiller

Previews 3 minute read
A black and white photo of Bertucci performing on a dark stage, looking at a laptop with a misty spotlight on her.

Ars Nova Workshop presents Lea Bertucci’s Of Shadow and Substance

An explosion of music
With a world-premiere commission by composer and sound artist Lea Bertucci, Ars Nova Workshop presented a musical meditation on the 2019 Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery explosion. Aaron Pond reviews.
Aaron Pond

Aaron Pond

Reviews 3 minute read
Five dancers in all black look up at another dancer who stands in their circle. The lone dancer also looks up, hands out

SHARP Dance Company presents Haven

Dancing back home to South Philly with SHARP's spring series
The company brings its spring series back to its South Philly roots as the new artist in residence at Equilibrium Dance Academy. Camille Bacon-Smith previews.
Camille Bacon-Smith

Camille Bacon-Smith

Previews 2 minute read
Fields' arms are crossed, looking at Rodriguez, both expressing surprise with wide eyes and mouths

The Weekly Roundup, May 4-11

New exhibits at AAMP, Richard III, Group!, and more
The week features offerings from Intercultural Journeys, the African American Museum in Philadelphia, Theatre in the X, Passage Theatre Company, and more. Kyle V. Hiller rounds up.
Kyle V. Hiller

Kyle V. Hiller

Previews 2 minute read
A screenshot of Dern looking towards the camera, half her face cast in shadows, pitch black behind her

May 2022 movie repertory roundup

The return of Lynch's Inland Empire, John Waters in town, and 70s classics
Screenings in the Philadelphia area for the month. Stephen Silver rounds up.
Stephen Silver

Stephen Silver

Previews 5 minute read
A scene from the opera: a dynamic ensemble shot of 15 men in suits, with a range of avid expressions, on and around a couch.

Opera Philadelphia presents Rigoletto

A rapturous return
Rigoletto is Opera Philadelphia’s first full production at the Academy of Music since 2019, reminding us how we sustain, and are sustained by, great art. Gail Obenreder reviews.
Gail Obenreder

Gail Obenreder

Reviews 4 minute read