Dear BSR Subscriber,

Some of this week's reviews are all about handling our expectations from the audience.

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I had the chance to see the national tour of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma! with longtime BSR critic Gail Obenreder last week, and I didn't envy her the job of writing about the show. I do know that I have rarely been more unsettled when leaving the theater, partly because of the production, and partly because of the response from some audience members who clearly expected an Oklahoma! from another time. The show is running at the Forrest through March 20. Have you seen it? What do you think of our review?

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A truer portrait of our national psyche: Sasha Hutchings, Sean Grandillo, and Christopher Bannow in the national tour of ‘Rodgers & Hammerstein's Oklahoma!’ (Photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade.)

A whole new darkness

Gail Obenreder

The promoters of this revival of Oklahoma! promise it's like nothing you've ever seen, and they're right. Gail Obenreder reviews.

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Holly Trostle Brigham’s 2021 watercolor ‘Elizabeth Siddal as Mariana.’ (Image courtesy of the artist; © Holly T. Brigham.)

Recovering the oeuvre of women forgotten

Gail Obenreder

Fans of Philadelphia artist Holly Trostle Brigham, whose work elevates often-forgotten women, have a double opportunity to see her work: a show at the Delaware Museum of Art, and at Breck's Mill’s Somerville Manning Gallery. Gail Obenreder reviews.

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It sounds like these dual exhibitions in Delaware are a great way to mark Women's History Month.

Alaina Johns, Editor-In-Chief

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An organic, believable family: (from left) Bi Jean Ngo, Melanye Finister, Joseph Ahmed, and Danielle Leneé in the Arden’s ‘Backing Track.’ (Photo by Wide Eyed Studios.)

Family play

Cameron Kelsall

In Backing Track, a world premiere at the Arden, R. Eric Thomas offers a warm, witty portrait of a multigenerational Black queer family. Cameron Kelsall reviews.

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Writer and beloved humorist R. Eric Thomas is back on the Philly theater scene with his newest play, which critic Cameron Kelsall says brings just the right amount of heart with the laughs.

Alaina Johns, Editor-In-Chief

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Preserving the original Will: Jabari Banks in ‘Bel-Air.’ (Image courtesy of Peacock.)

The Fresh Prince, reinvented

Blair Krassen

Starring UArts alum Jabari Banks, Peacock’s Bel-Air is a dramatic reimagining of the popular 90s sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Blair Krassen reviews.

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Some fans of the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air weren't happy to hear that the show was getting a reboot as a drama series. TV writer Blair Krassen weighs in.

Alaina Johns, Editor-In-Chief

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