Two white women actors lean heads tenderly together, inside a glittery curtain. They wear a mix of leather, velour, & satin

Philly Fringe 2021: Alter Ego Chamber Opera presents Alcina REVAMPED

Handel, with care
Alcina REVAMPED, a cheeky, queer spin on Handel from the up-and-coming Alter Ego Chamber Opera, embraces hybridity in form and delivery this Fringe Festival. Cameron Kelsall reviews.
Cameron Kelsall

Cameron Kelsall

Reviews 3 minute read
Actor Kirsten Quinn, a white woman in an olive-green blouse, is seen in profile looking thoughtfully at an old photo.

Philly Fringe 2021: Irish Heritage Theatre presents Dermot Bolger’s The Holy Ground

Ordinary life, extraordinary play
In telling the story of a small life that nonetheless contains big emotions, Fringe Festival entry The Holy Ground captures what Irish Heritage Theatre does best. Cameron Kelsall reviews.
Cameron Kelsall

Cameron Kelsall

Reviews 3 minute read
A white man wearing a black suitcoat smiles joyfully behind a white table, his arms splayed excitedly, waving a smartphone.

Philly Fringe 2021: Brian Feldman Projects presents #txtshow (on the internet)

What is theater?
Brian Feldman’s 2021 Fringe entry gathers the audience in a digital space, like many other Covid-era productions, but leaves us with big questions about the nature of the art form. Alaina Johns reviews.
Alaina Johns

Alaina Johns

Reviews 3 minute read
Three violin players seem to be running and playing through a small crowd in what looks like a brightly lit museum space

The Weekly Roundup, September 22-28

YallaPunk and Arab.AMP’s JAM3A, Penn Live Arts, 'Black Panther,' and the Delaware Korean Festival
A collaborative music festival from YallaPunk, Penn Live Arts opens its new season, Black Panther screens with an orchestra, and more this week. Kyle V. Hiller rounds up.
Kyle V. Hiller

Kyle V. Hiller

Previews 3 minute read
An action shot of QvK, with two actors, a Black woman and white man, leaping high in the air while swinging fencing swords.

Philly Fringe 2021: Philadelphia Artists’ Collective presents QvK

The monologue matchup
For its contribution to the 2021 Fringe Festival, Philadelphia Artists’ Collective presents a straightforward monologue battle . . . or is it? Jill Ivey reviews.
Jillian Ashley Blair Ivey

Jillian Ashley Blair Ivey

Reviews 2 minute read
A wall with decorative artifacts and framed b&w illustrations of various insects populate a wall with its own grass frame.

Philly Fringe 2021: It Gets Worse But Then... Theatre Company presents FOUND

Fairies hidden in plain sight
A scavenger hunt of sorts, FOUND encourages you to wander down Philadelphia side streets—or navigate an interactive Google map from home—to discover a world of the fae. Jill Ivey reviews.
Jillian Ashley Blair Ivey

Jillian Ashley Blair Ivey

Reviews 3 minute read
Mae West poses on a platform, their legs pointed in the air with glittery heels, a stripper pole behind them.

Philly Fringe 2021: $7 Girl, Motel Montana, and Dr. Livingston Presents RUB HARDER

Let's dance about sex
Josh Herren reviews three movement-based works that explore sexual connection in this year's Fringe Festival.
Josh Herren

Josh Herren

Reviews 4 minute read
Three dancers in a rehearsal space. Solomons has a walker. Lin has his hands behind his back. Chakravorty steps with arms out

Stepping through time and space with Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers' Where is my B-O-D-Y

Reclaiming creativity through dance
KYL/D's performance of Where is my B-O-D-Y explores how to move through spaces in new ways in the face of adversity and changing bodies. Camille Bacon-Smith previews.
Camille Bacon-Smith

Camille Bacon-Smith

Previews 3 minute read
On a black background, a woman at a table lifts a glass, and appears to sit beside another person in a projected image nearby

Philly Fringe 2021: Nichole Canuso Dance Company presents Being/With

Alone, but together, too
Performed for an audience of two, on opposite ends of the city, Nichole Canuso’s Being/With is less of a performance and more of an experience. Jill Ivey reviews.
Jillian Ashley Blair Ivey

Jillian Ashley Blair Ivey

Reviews 3 minute read
Actor Lawrence Stallings wears a shirt, pants, and suspenders on a smoky, red-lit stage with a wooden floor and backdrop

Lantern Theater presents Steve H. Broadnax III and Charles Dumas’s Me and the Devil

The tallest tale of American music
Lantern Theater’s Me and the Devil riffs on the classic Faustian bargain but adds little new insight. Cameron Kelsall reviews.
Cameron Kelsall

Cameron Kelsall

Reviews 4 minute read
A living acrobatic sculpture of three men, two on the floor and one aloft with his feet and knees anchored on the others

Philly Fringe 2021: The Cannonball Festival presents Galumpha

The art of human architecture
A performance from Galumpha combined acrobatics, choreography, and physical theater for a special one-day stint at the Cannonball Festival. Melissa Strong reviews.
Melissa Strong

Melissa Strong

Reviews 3 minute read
A blurry photo close-up of a young white woman’s face. An orange banner at the bottom has black text: “Cannonball Festival”

Philly Fringe 2021: the Cannonball Festival presents Corinna Burns’s Bind

Welcome to the dungeon
Writer/performer Corinna Burns presents Bind, her memoir about surviving Philly in the 90s as a dominatrix, part of the Philly Fringe’s new Cannonball Festival. Corey Qureshi reviews.
Corey Qureshi

Corey Qureshi

Reviews 3 minute read
A barefoot white man with gray hair, wearing a blue suit, stands with his hands folded at a lectern on a nighttime beach.

Philly Fringe 2021: New Paradise Laboratories presents Whit MacLaughlin’s 707 Hazardous Moves

A masterful return to the stage
New Paradise Laboratories founder Whit MacLaughlin is back onstage for the first time since 1996, exploring the poem that might be his salvation in 707 Hazardous Moves. Merilyn Jackson reviews.
Merilyn Jackson

Merilyn Jackson

Reviews 3 minute read

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In black and white, three women, one girl, and a man, presumably Asian American, look down at the camera wearing sunglasses.

The Weekly Roundup, September 15-21

The return of the Women’s Film Festival, ‘Nanay,’ WEIRDO, and more
The Women’s Film Festival is back with in-person screenings, a Fringe show inspired by Filipino migrant stories, a poetic conversation at Blue Stoop, and WEIRDO returns to East Kensington. Kyle V. Hiller rounds up.
Kyle V. Hiller

Kyle V. Hiller

Previews 5 minute read
'The Ever Present by R. Eric Thomas' at the image's top. A hot air balloon carries a b&w building over a partly cloudy sky.

The Weekly Roundup, September 8-14

West Craft Fest, Sunny War and David Sickmen come to town, and ‘The Ever Present’ premieres
A crafter's delight hits West Philly, Theatre Exile hosts R. Eric Thomas's new play, and a doubleheader jams out at People's Light. Kyle V. Hiller rounds up.
Kyle V. Hiller

Kyle V. Hiller

Previews 3 minute read
Martinez, an Afro-Cuban man, sits before congas, cymbals, and microphones, with his arms out, his mouth wide as he's sings.

The Weekly Roundup, September 1-7

Tadaima 2021, Pedrito Martinez, Andrea Walls, 'POOL,' and 'A Saturday Jawn'
A festival celebrating Japanese Americans, a new exhibit from Fairmount Water Works, and Vinyl Tap returns to Amalgam. Kyle V. Hiller rounds up the week.
Kyle V. Hiller

Kyle V. Hiller

Previews 5 minute read
A young man, woman, and someone in a rabbit suit with a creepy bunny mask sit at an empty movie theater together.

The September 2021 repertory movie roundup

An assortment of classics, contemporary gems, and film seminars for the movie lovers
From recognizable classics like 'Casablanca' to notable anti-classics like 'Evil Brain from Outer Space,' a variety of films are screening in the Philadelphia area this month. Stephen Silver rounds up.
Stephen Silver

Stephen Silver

Previews 5 minute read
Michael Spyres and Lawrence Brownlee stand next to and face each other, slight laughing smiles, wearing suits.

The Weekly Roundup, August 26-September 1

An operatic Verzuz, plays for West Philly and Germantown, and Street Movies all over town
Philly shows up for itself with offerings in theater, opera, and film in various neighborhoods in the city. Kyle V. Hiller rounds up the week.
Kyle V. Hiller

Kyle V. Hiller

Previews 4 minute read
Four Wolfthicket dancers sit playing in a circle on the floor. On the sides, two standing dancers move with arms outstretched

Lily Kind presents Wolfthicket

Fun and games at the club
Choreographer Lily Kind presents an evening of club dancing, contemporary dance, and child’s play with Wolfthicket, a real pre-Fringe find. Camille Bacon-Smith reviews.
Camille Bacon-Smith

Camille Bacon-Smith

Reviews 3 minute read
A colorful mixed-media collage of illustrating photographs of salsa dancers.

The Weekly Roundup, August 18-24, 2021

Summer flamenco Tablao, Streets Dept parade, A Thousand Fibers, and Salsa Shines Through
Artsi and Pasión y Arte bring back Tablao, Streets Dept parades for vaccinations, A Thousand Fibers honors a Philly resident, and a new Mural Arts project fuses salsa with self-expression. Kyle V. Hiller rounds up the week.
Kyle V. Hiller

Kyle V. Hiller

Previews 4 minute read
Three people in vaguely Elizabethan costumes stare curiously into space. Behind them is an aerialist in a sparkling leotard

Shakespeare in Clark Park presents Pericles, Prince of Tyre

Did I just enjoy Pericles?
For its 15th production, Shakespeare in Clark Park takes one of the Bard’s weaker plays to the circus. Jill Ivey reviews.
Jillian Ashley Blair Ivey

Jillian Ashley Blair Ivey

Reviews 3 minute read
A still from 'Beans.' Two young Mohawk girls are in a wooded area, appearing to be yelling out of fear, concern

The Weekly Roundup, July 28-August 4

Picks for the tenth annual BlackStar Film Festival
A selection of films to check out for this year's BlackStar Film Festival. Kyle V. Hiller rounds up.
Kyle V. Hiller

Kyle V. Hiller

Previews 4 minute read
Three men dressed in black suits look towards someone or something off camera, in a densely wood-furnished room.

The August 2021 repertory movie roundup

'Black Panther', the reborn Lightbox, and the return of 'The Room'
A highlight reel of film screenings in the Greater Philadelphia area in August. Stephen Silver rounds up.
Stephen Silver

Stephen Silver

Previews 4 minute read