
Can the Eagles’ 2025 Super Bowl game make Philly feel like home for all of us?
The narratives Philly loves—and the ones we escape
Kyle V. Hiller's relationship with sports has always colored his relationship with Philly. We're a city of contradictions, always fighting that not-good-enough narrative. What can we learn about our city in the Eagles' latest shot at the Super Bowl?

Editorials
6 minute read

The BSR Weekly Arts and Culture Roundup, February 6-12, 2025
New exhibitions throughout the city and more Black History Month events
Screenings at the Weitzman and Asian Arts Initiative, new exhibits at the Schuylkill Center, Penn Museum, and FRIEDA, and Black History Month at AAMP and Chestnut Hill. Kyle V. Hiller rounds up.

Previews
4 minute read

Dive into Philly's winter theater scene with interviews featuring the Wilma's Suli Holum and BRT's Phyllis Johnson
Go behind-the-scenes on The Half-God of Rainfall and Fires in the Mirror
On these podcast episodes, Darnelle takes you inside two exciting regional productions: the Wilma's Half-God of Rainfall (by Inua Ellams) and BRT's Fires in the Mirror (by Anna Deavere Smith).

Podcast
2 minute read

EgoPo presents Mae West’s The Drag, adapted by Thomas Choinacky and AZ Espinoza
A deconstructed drag
EgoPo Classic Theater’s Queer Revolutions season opens with a reworking of Mae West’s The Drag that often feels condescending toward its source material. Cameron Kelsall reviews.
Reviews
3 minute read

BSR Classical Interludes, February 2025
It takes an ensemble to tango
Classical music performances in the greater Philadelphia area this February, with hints of Argentine tango and classics both contemporary and centuries old. Gail Obenreder previews.

Previews
3 minute read

Remembering Carrie Gorn, Philly theater publicist extraordinaire
The woman who powered Philly theater from behind the scenes
For more than 10 years, theater critic Cameron Kelsall heard from publicist Carrie Gorn each week, tirelessly pitching clients’ work with her distinctive joy for the art form. Here at BSR, it’s painful to imagine our job without her.
Essays
4 minute read

Six reasons my friends aren’t calling Congress, DEBUNKED
If you hate picking up the phone, these tips are for you
This is no time to wring your hands. If you care about US democracy and its role in our cultural sector, it’s time to act. For some people, that means calling Congress for the first time. Alaina Johns has tips.

Editorials
5 minute read

Drexel’s Pearlstein Gallery presents A Certain Slant of Light
Illuminating nature
A new Pearlstein Gallery show featuring three former Drexel professors spans sculpture, photography, and painting to explore our relationship with nature as part of a larger whole. Pamela J. Forsythe reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read

Wilma Theater presents Inua Ellams’s The Half-God of Rainfall
The mythos of a slam dunk
The Wilma Theater presents The Half-God of Rainfall, a contemporary epic poem that blends oral storytelling, Yoruba and Greek mythology, and basketball. Kiran Pandey previews.

Previews
2 minute read

Philadelphia City Council prepares for the “lived nightmares” of the new Trump administration
Will Philly stand as a Sanctuary City in the MAGA era?
Two days after Trump was inaugurated again, City Council held a hearing on how Philly can protect vulnerable residents from the new administration, drawing testimony from civil-rights advocates. Alaina Johns tuned in.

Editorials
6 minute read

Arden Theatre Company presents Michael Hollinger’s Holy Grail of Memphis
The past is not through with us
Philly playwright Michael Hollinger’s Holy Grail of Memphis, premiering at the Arden, follows the white owner of a historic Memphis music studio where the lost recordings of a Black blues legend are hiding. C.M. Crockford reviews.

Reviews
3 minute read

Urban Movement Arts' WORKINONIT! opens new creative avenues for adult dance students
Opening up the dance floor
Urban Movement Arts is making space for dancers of all stages. Katherine Desimine profiles WORKINONIT!
Profiles
3 minute read
Partner Content
Phillyfunguide
Operated by the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance…your source for discount access to arts and cultural events.
Sign up for our newsletter
All of the week's new articles, all in one place. Sign up for the free weekly BSR newsletters, and don't miss a conversation.
Also on BSR

Opera Philadelphia and Boston Lyric Opera present Joseph Bologne’s The Anonymous Lover
The genius of the Chevalier de Saint-Georges
Opera Philadelphia, selling out the season after offering $11 tickets to all, delighted a packed house with a faultless production of the only surviving opera by an 18th-century genius, the Chevalier de Saint-Georges. Gail Obenreder reviews.

Reviews
5 minute read

Penn Live Arts presents Benjamin Bagby’s Gregorius – The Holy Sinner
Loving a long-ago language
Veteran musician, performer, and scholar Benjamin Bagby returns to Philly alongside French Medieval music ensemble Sequentia for a thrilling performance of Gregorius, The Holy Sinner. Gail Obenreder reviews.

Reviews
5 minute read

Bristol Riverside Theatre presents Anna Deavere Smith’s Fires in the Mirror
Divide by fire
With a new production of Anna Deavere Smith’s one-woman show, Bristol Riverside Theatre reopens with a new facility and commitment to diverse perspectives onstage. nat čermák previews.
Previews
2 minute read

The BSR February 2025 repertory movie roundup
Honoring David Lynch, Valentine's Day flicks, and more
Fire Walk With Me, When Harry Met Sally, Parasite, a “Girls and Guns Double Feature” and more screen this month. Stephen Silver previews.

Previews
5 minute read

Getting behind the scenes with the Hammer and Nails Conference
Encouraging young women of color
This new conference, hosted by Camden Rep, looks to cultivate and educate young girls of color interested in careers in film and theater. Dara McBride previews.
Previews
2 minute read

The BSR Weekly Arts and Culture Roundup, January 30-February 5, 2025
Walk Around Philadelphia, The Drag, and kicking off Black History Month
Opening spaces for Black History in February, exploring the city with Walk Around Philadelphia, and EgoPo’s production of a roaring 20s censored classic. Kyle V. Hiller rounds up.

Previews
4 minute read

Remembering beloved WRTI jazz announcer Bob Perkins
The coolest cat in the world
Composer Kile Smith worked with Bob Perkins in the studio at WRTI. He remembers the legendary Philly jazz announcer as an unwitting mentor who imparted the knowledge and the feeling of great music for 25 years at the mic.

Essays
5 minute read

The Institute of Contemporary Art presents Carl Cheng: Nature Never Loses
Designed to destruct
The Institute of Contemporary Art hosts the first major museum survey of innovative interdisciplinary artist Carl Cheng, who has challenged ideas of art, science, culture, and nature for 60 years. Pamela J. Forsythe reviews.
Reviews
6 minute read

Penn Live Arts presents Agora de la danse’s Koros
Contemporary dance in virtual reality
Montreal’s Agora de la danse, a venue and incubator for contemporary dance, brought its virtual-reality experience, Koros, to Philly for the first time with a weekend of showings at the Annenberg Center. Melissa Strong reviews.

Reviews
4 minute read

Tectonic Theater Project presents Moisés Kaufman and Amanda Gronich’s Here There Are Blueberries
A picture’s worth
Here There Are Blueberries, a touring production of Moisés Kaufman’s Tectonic Theater Project now onstage at McCarter Theatre Center, grapples with how to present the history of the Holocaust. Cameron Kelsall reviews.
Reviews
3 minute read