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Don't miss our May 29 webinar and our June 6 publishing panel
Join us on Zoom for two exciting BSR events: our latest webinar about review-writing on May 29, and a Philly publishing panel with some of our region's top writers and editors on June 6.
Previews
3 minute read
Mural Arts and First Person Arts present Embracing the Light
Philly storytellers tackle suicide stigma
Mural Arts and First Person Arts teamed up for a show tackling stigma around mental illness and suicide—unusual topics for public storytelling. In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, Alaina Johns reviews.
Editorials
7 minute read
Bristol Riverside Theatre presents The Second City: Comedian Rhapsody
Chicago improv in the Philly burbs
Famous Chicago improv troupe Second City didn’t have a good showing at its 2023 stop in Philly, but a better cast and a retooled setlist make for a worthy ticket at Bristol Riverside Theatre. An Nichols reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read
OperaDelaware presents Puccini’s Turandot
A new ending for a grand opera
Puccini’s
legendary Turandot (unfinished when he died) is typically a rare treat
for opera lovers, but OperaDelaware joins many companies marking the centennial
of the composer’s death. This impressive production features a new ending by Derrick
Wang. Gail Obenreder reviews.
Reviews
6 minute read
DanceVisions presents Meredith Rainey’s BUILDING
Dance goes meta
Meredith Rainey’s BUILDING takes a metatheatrical approach to his work as the Performance Garage’s DanceVisions 2023-2024 Resident Artist. Melissa Strong reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read
The BSR Podcast, Season 8, Episode 6: Meet pro bono arts lawyers at the 2024 PVLA Arts Affair!
Great food, great networking, and great art at PVLA's annual gala
BSR Podcast host Darnelle Radford sits down with Gabrielle Sellei, Shekhinah B., and Chuck Schultz to find out all about the Arts Affair, and what makes this party special on the annual gala scene.
Podcast
1 minute read
Philly’s AAPI playwrights are ready for the stage with PWYC readings in May and June
Meet Philly’s first dedicated cohort of AAPI playwrights
None of Philly’s regional theaters have ever staged a full production of a non-solo show by a local AAPI playwright. Philadelphia Asian Performing Artists's new playwriting cohort wants to change that. Krista Mar visits.
Features
6 minute read
Philadelphia is spending summer 2024 with Mary Cassatt
Meet the iconic Impressionist with a new exhibition and public virtual class
Philadelphia will celebrate hometown artist Mary Cassatt this summer, kicking off with a major new exhibition that was years in the making at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Camille Bacon-Smith looks closer.
Features
6 minute read
The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia presents Dinnerstein Plays Mozart
Music director Dirk Brossé ends his tenure among friends
The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia’s season-ending concert welcomed star pianist Simone Dinnerstein and saw the end of Dirk Brossé’s tenure as music director. Cameron Kelsall reviews.
Reviews
3 minute read
Woodmere Art Museum presents Through Her Eyes
Marking the 50th anniversary of a historic celebration of women artists
“Why have there been no great women artists?” An art critic posed the question in 1971 and Philly responded in 1974 with FOCUS, a citywide festival of women artists. Now, a new Woodmere show marks its 50th anniversary. Pamela J. Forsythe reviews.
Reviews
5 minute read
Piffaro presents The Glory of the Wind Band: Music of Portugal and Spain
A musical tour of Renaissance Iberia
For its season closer, Piffaro brought its trademark virtuosity to a tour of Renaissance Portugal and Spain, featuring dozens of period instruments and a rich program of sacred and secular music. Gail Obenreder reviews.
Reviews
5 minute read
InLiquid Gallery presents The Naked Show
What does nakedness show us? What does it hide?
A new ensemble exhibit featuring 15 InLiquid Gallery members poses plenty of worthwhile
questions along with its nudes, but something is missing from the show’s promise to honor humanity’s infinite variations. Anndee Hochman reviews.
questions along with its nudes, but something is missing from the show’s promise to honor humanity’s infinite variations. Anndee Hochman reviews.
Reviews
5 minute read
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Also on BSR
The BSR Weekly Arts and Culture Roundup, May 16-22, 2024
Neighborhood strolls, My Life in Recipes, Live OUT Loud, and more
Food for life at the Weitzman, Once on this Island at the Arden, the return of The Elephant in the Room, and a lively performance by Philadelphia Gay Men’s Chorus. Kyle V. Hiller rounds up.
Previews
4 minute read
BSR Classical Interludes May 17-June 2, 2024
Music from Variant Six, Filament, and a tribute from Dolce Suono
Rounding up May's music offerings, including a capella from Variant Six, an album from Filament, a program featuring the baryton, and a tribute to the late Tom Purdom by Dolce Suono. Gail Obenreder rounds up.
Previews
3 minute read
The BSR Podcast, season 8, episode 5: Theatre Exile's PHILLY GRIT with Alaina Johns and Josh Herren
Three solo shows get two critics for the price of one
Editor-in-chief Alaina Johns joins forces with contributing critic Josh Herren for a conversation about Theatre Exile's PHILLY GRIT, an exciting trio of solo shows by Philly women artists.
Podcast
1 minute read
The popular new Broadway Cabaret at Rittenhouse Grill will return for the 2024-25 season
Cabaret is alive and well in Philly
A longtime Philly artistic director and Rittenhouse restaurant owner launched a new cabaret that has drawn Broadway stars and sold-out crowds since it debuted last December. They promise a return next season. SaraKay Smullens visits.
Features
5 minute read
The Philadelphia Ballet presents The Dream and Prodigal Son
Choreography and character
The Philadelphia Ballet closed its season with Frederick Ashton’s crowd-pleasing Dream and George Balanchine’s strange and wonderful Prodigal Son with revelatory dancing by Zecheng Liang. Camille Bacon-Smith reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read
The BSR Weekly Arts and Culture Roundup, May 9-15, 2024
Philly Grit, Dear Philadelphia, and John Jarboe: The Rose Garden
New exhibits from Da Vinci Art Alliance, TILT, and Fabric Workshop; and laughs from Bristol and Theatre Exile. Kyle V. Hiller rounds up the week.
Previews
3 minute read
1812 Productions presents Harvey Fierstein’s Torch Song
Keeping the flame lit
The new version of Harvey Fierstein’s classic comedy, revised from the original into a shorter two-act production, gets its regional premiere at 1812 in a show that aptly emphasizes the writer’s historical era. Josh Herren reviews.
Reviews
3 minute read
People’s Light presents Madeleine George’s Hurricane Diane
Dionysus has a new agenda in New Jersey
Dionysus is back, but this time, he’s not out for destruction. In Hurricane Diane, now getting its regional premiere at People’s Light, he tries to enlist four Jersey housewives for a new, eco-friendly regime. David Block reviews.
Reviews
3 minute read
Azuka Theatre and Simpatico Theatre present R. Eric Thomas's An Army of Lovers
Queer revolutionaries in the digital age
With a multifaceted script and powerhouse lead performance, Azuka Theatre and Simpatico Theatre's An Army of Lovers invites audiences into a world of complex queer politics,
surveillance, and the thorny issue of legacy. Natalie Layne reviews.
surveillance, and the thorny issue of legacy. Natalie Layne reviews.
Reviews
3 minute read
Philadelphia Artists’ Collective presents Maxim Gorky’s Children of the Sun
The Russian Revolution resonates in the US today
This rattling and thrilling new production of Maxim Gorky’s Children of the Sun, set in 1862 and written in a St. Petersburg prison in 1905, has devastating resonance for Americans in 2024. C.M. Crockford reviews.
Reviews
3 minute read