Four look left with open arms, smiling, congratulating. Another in drag is at a mic on the right of the stage

The BSR Weekly Arts and Culture Roundup, January 11-17, 2024

MLK Day, Love Notes 3, beLONGING, and Cannonball Crash this week
A variety of MLK Day events, beLONGING opens at InLiquid, and picking up Love Notes on Passyunk Ave. Kyle V. Hiller rounds up.
Kyle V. Hiller

Kyle V. Hiller

Previews 4 minute read
In front of a black & white backdrop of cheering fans, the 5 singers pose in dark blue velour jackets with black lapels.

The Kimmel Cultural Campus and the Shubert Organization present Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations

A jukebox musical worthy of a standing ovation

Ain’t Too Proud, on its first national tour and getting its Philly premiere, follows the lives, loves, and moves of the Motown-hitmaking supergroup the Temptations, but questions about gender representation linger. An Nichols reviews.

An Nichols

An Nichols

Reviews 6 minute read
Black & white close-up photo on a laptop keyboard with a magnifying glass held closely over it.

I’m an editor, but I want 2024 to be the year we stop harping on typos

Everyone makes mistakes. Why are we so anxious to point them out?
One drawback of working in the media is that your smallest mistakes are extremely visible to the public. Everyone loves to point out typos and errors, but only some of us are helping. Alaina Johns wonders why it matters so much.
Alaina Johns

Alaina Johns

Editorials 5 minute read
Near the US Capitol, a crowd, many wearing yarmulkes & tallits, hold a giant Torah-style scroll saying Rabbis for Ceasefire.

Thirteen ways of looking at a war zone: Poetry as vital pause

“I feel allergic to the show of taking sides. I want to be on the side of a just peace.”
Anndee Hochman was at an artists’ retreat on October 7, 2023, making things with words. She remembers how poetry works, even as atrocities rage.
Anndee Hochman

Anndee Hochman

Essays 6 minute read
Cann, a Black woman, poses with one hand on her hip, wearing a flowing black and floral-printed wrap shirt.

The Philadelphia Chamber Music Society presents BalletX with pianist Michelle Cann

A welcome collaboration
For its second collaboration with BalletX, PCMS welcomed choreography by Matthew Neenan and Jamar Roberts alongside pianist Michelle Cann. Camille Bacon-Smith reviews.
Camille Bacon-Smith

Camille Bacon-Smith

Reviews 4 minute read
On a city rooftop, Shaham, a white man with gray hair, smiles and holds his violin, the blurry gray cityscape behind him.

The Philadelphia Orchestra presents All Mozart with Gil Shaham

A leading soloist
Top American violinist Gil Shaham joined the Philadelphia Orchestra for two Mozart violin concertos, plus two rarely performed short works, combining technical wizardry with personal grace and good humor. Linda Holt reviews.
Linda Holt

Linda Holt

Reviews 3 minute read
In the show, Scammell, on stilts with a large fake head, plays a giant holding Money’s hand. She looks up at him in wonder.

Arden Children’s Theatre presents The BFG

Puppets and people
The Arden presents The BFG, an adaptation of the Roald Dahl classic, in a production fit for both kids and the young at heart. Jill Ivey reviews.
Jillian Ashley Blair Ivey

Jillian Ashley Blair Ivey

Reviews 4 minute read
Book cover: gold and orange split on a rough halfway diagonal, over an ancient fresco of a winged man holding a gold helmet

Homer’s The Iliad, translated by Emily Wilson

The Odyssey’s bloodier cousin
Philadelphia-based translator and UmPenn professor Emily Wilson follows her acclaimed English translation of The Odyssey with a similarly lucid and lean new Iliad. Kiran Pandey reviews.
Kiran Pandey

Kiran Pandey

Reviews 5 minute read
Movie still of Strangelove, in a suit, tinted glasses, a cigarette, head tilted w/ a smile, people out of focus behind him

The BSR January 2024 repertory movie roundup

Revisiting New Hollywood, music with movies, Dr. Strangelove, and more
The dark side of the New Hollywood, a 1960s classic, and movies with musical accompaniment open up the new year. Stephen Silver previews.
Stephen Silver

Stephen Silver

Previews 5 minute read
In the foreground, Thomas sings passionately into a mic, with the others behind him on a porch awash in purple light.

The Wilma Theater presents James Ijames’s Fat Ham

High on the hog
Fat Ham comes home in this new production at the Wilma, onstage as it was meant to be, after the company debuted a filmed version in 2021. Everyone is welcome to the cookout. Hanae Mason reviews.
Hanae Mason

Hanae Mason

Reviews 6 minute read
In a nighttime gallery room next to a large window, an airy, dramatically lit large sculpture of white bamboo strips.

The Museum for Art in Wood presents FLOE: A Climate of Risk

Cold, hard fiction
If we won’t engage with the bare facts of climate change, is there another way in? Interdisciplinary artist Stephen Talasnik wonders in his FLOE: A Climate of Risk, which imagines the aftermath of an icebound shipwreck. Pamela J. Forsythe reviews.

Pamela J. Forsythe

Reviews 4 minute read
A frightened-looking white man in a raglan tee sits in the dark with his knees up, leaning against a rough wall.

At the darkest time of year, horror movies bring me unexpected healing

Falling for the darkness
Melissa Strong used to leave the lights on after watching The X-Files, and hated doing anything risky or scary. But when she pushed herself to begin watching horror movies, she experienced a surprising change.
Melissa Strong

Melissa Strong

Essays 5 minute read
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A black and white photo of David Bowie performing on stage, dancing. The background is dark, a mic stands in front of him

The BSR Weekly Arts and Culture Roundup, January 4-10, 2024

The Gardens After Dark, Bowie, and Diá de Reyes
Welcoming the new year with movies, glowing gardens, and David Bowie. Kyle V. Hiller rounds up.
Kyle V. Hiller

Kyle V. Hiller

Previews 2 minute read
Book cover: title above a sepia photo of a worn sculpture of a hand holding another pair of clasped hands.

Frume Halpern’s Blessed Hands, translated by Yermiyahu Ahron Taub

An American writer, in English for the first time
Blessed Hands: Stories, a collection of 20th-century writer Frume Halpern translated into English for the first time, is a treat for Yiddish literary scholars, but leaves a general reader still hungry. Helen Walsh reviews.
Helen Walsh

Helen Walsh

Reviews 4 minute read
An adult man and young woman-presenting character outside at a balcony, wearing dark grays and browns, look at each other

The 2023 BSR end-of-the-year recommendations

Picks from the staff
A selection of books, TV shows, movies, and podcasts from the staff here at Broad Street Review that got us through the year.
Kyle V. Hiller Alaina Johns Neil Bardhan Zara Waters Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer

Kyle V. Hiller, Alaina Johns, Neil Bardhan, Zara Waters, and Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer

Previews 9 minute read
A group of performers, seemingly all adults, dressed in unique takes on festive Christmas costumes—elves, Santa, etc.

Flair Dance Company presents Cracked Nuts

Santa meets the Heat Miser
Flair Dance Company’s Cracked Nuts celebrates the holidays with a modern, comic twist on The Nutcracker. Melissa Strong previews.
Melissa Strong

Melissa Strong

Previews 3 minute read
Baca, with arms spread, supports Dolan’s body as she swoops in a downward curve, a knee around his waist. They wear white.

How do three popular Philly versions of The Nutcracker compare?

Beyond Balanchine
In December, the Philly dance calendar seems to become nothing but Nutcrackers. Dance writer Camille Bacon-Smith heads to three different productions, to see how this enduring ballet looks in 2023.
Camille Bacon-Smith

Camille Bacon-Smith

Reviews 6 minute read
Impressionistic colored pen & ink drawing of people clustered in a living room, with various words & phrases written in black

A look back at Philly's 2023 cultural scene through the eyes of local artist Chuck Schultz

Capturing Philly performances in original drawings
Philly artist Chuck Schultz has been in the audience at concerts, plays, and dance performances throughout 2023. Now, he shares the performances through his own eyes in this one-of-a-kind BSR gallery.
Alaina Johns Chuck Schultz

Alaina Johnsand Chuck Schultz

Essays 4 minute read
Davis, with short, gingery hair & beard, wearing a white tee, holds a wooden nutcracker doll and has a thoughtful expression.

Chris Davis presents One-Man Nutcracker

A magical reimagining, back for 2023
Chris Davis has been bringing his fresh and
funny one-man take on The Nutcracker to Philly theaters since 2019. This year, the still-delightful show lands at the Drake. An Nichols reviews.
An Nichols

An Nichols

Reviews 2 minute read
A woman sits at a table in a cafe wearing headphones, coat, and scarf. She arranges coffee beans spread out on the table

The BSR Weekly Arts and Culture Roundup, December 14-20, 2023

A Mr. T Christmas, One Moment Now, holidays at Lemon Hill, and a South Philly book crawl
The week features a screening of a rare Christmas special, an audio experience all the way from Dublin, holiday festivities at a historic mansion, and more. Kyle V. Hiller rounds up.
Kyle V. Hiller

Kyle V. Hiller

Previews 3 minute read
An illustration with animals around a campfire, Philthfest 2023 titled at the top

Philth Media and 4333 Collective present Philthfest 2023

Celebrating independent music in Philadelphia
A one-day independent music festival featuring bands of many genres that benefits organizations advocating for LGBTQ+ rights. Natalie Layne previews.

Natalie Layne

Previews 2 minute read
Close-up portrait shot of Mobley, a Black man with a full beard, dark with some light gray, looks on towards left of frame

BSR Classical Interludes, December 2023, part 2

Tuba Christmas, baroque tunes for the new year, and more
The final Classical Interludes of the year features offerings from The Crossing, Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, Lyric Fest, Choral Arts, and a performance with over 100 tuba players. Gail Obenreder previews.
Gail Obenreder

Gail Obenreder

Previews 3 minute read