Reviews

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Book cover. Title in black text above, on a light brown field with 18th-century windows that have big human eyes in them

Declaration House: Reading Between the Lines of America’s Founding, edited by Anna Arabindan-Kesson, Paul M. Farber, and Yolanda Wisher

“How do we remember what powerful people have decided we should forget?”

In 2024, a video activation featuring the eyes of Monticello’s descendants took over Declaration House in Old City. Now a new book documents the project and the rediscovered histories that drove it. Pamela J. Forsythe reviews.

Pamela J. Forsythe

Reviews 6 minute read
Seven Black women, each styled differently and wearing a different color, pose together with serious expressions in a park.

Theatre in the X presents Ntozake Shange’s For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When The Rainbow Is Enuf

A soul-stirring production

For its annual production in Malcolm X Park, Theatre in the X mounts a soul-stirring interpretation of Ntozake Shange’s iconic choreopoem, For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When The Rainbow Is Enuf. An Nichols reviews.
An Nichols

An Nichols

Reviews 4 minute read
Colorful painting of a calm, sturdy woman with her brown hair in two buns, posting at a traditional wooden loom.

The Philadelphia Museum of Art presents Workshop of the World: Arts and Crafts in Philadelphia

When handmade confronted the machine age

For almost 200 years, Philly was the workshop of the world. A new exhibition at the PMA explores the response of 19th- and 20th-century artists who challenged the norms of this era. Pamela J. Forsythe reviews.

Pamela J. Forsythe

Reviews 6 minute read
Pourshariati stands at center as the other 8 ensemble members, all in white shirts, crowd and gesture around her.

Shakespeare in Clark Park presents Hamlet, adapted by Tai Verley and Cassandra Alexander

When everyone is Hamlet

For its 21st anniversary production, Shakespeare in Clark Park tackles Hamlet for the first time in a stirring and creative adaptation that turns Hamlet into a literal everyman. Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer reviews.
Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer

Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer

Reviews 5 minute read
The large Georgian-style red brick hospital building, with white façade elements, on a sunny day.

A new museum about medicine opens at Pennsylvania Hospital

Explore the foundations of modern medicine at a historic Philly hospital

The new Pennsylvania Hospital Museum, a permanent exhibition now open in the historic Pine Building of Pennsylvania Hospital, explores the history of modern medicine in Philly. Pamela J. Forsythe reviews.

Pamela J. Forsythe

Reviews 6 minute read
Kent, at center, with military characters holding him back, lunges aggressively at a rabble of commoners at stage left.

Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival presents Shakespeare’s Coriolanus

“Extreme Shakespeare” returns to Center Valley

Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival presents Coriolanus in its Extreme Shakespeare style, staging the rarely performed tragedy to occasionally thrilling effect. Kiran Pandey reviews.
Kiran Pandey

Kiran Pandey

Reviews 3 minute read
Seen in profile onstage in an atmospheric rain, Clark lifts Deslorieux up passionately while she touches his face.

Ensemble Arts Philly and the Shubert Organization present the national tour of The Notebook

We tell ourselves stories in order to live

The beloved romance of The Notebook makes an uneasy transition to the musical stage as the national tour stops at the Academy of Music through August 2, 2026. Cameron Kelsall reviews.
Cameron Kelsall

Cameron Kelsall

Reviews 4 minute read
A Black child in denim overalls and white sneakers swings high on a swing set, smiling impishly at the viewer.

Woodmere presents Arc of Promise

The American experience, through the eyes of Philly artists from 1790 to today

Woodmere celebrates 250 through its own mission for showcasing Philly artists, marking America’s big birthday with works from 1790 to the present that reflect honestly on our history. Pamela Forsythe reviews.

Pamela J. Forsythe

Reviews 5 minute read
Montepara, in fatigues and brown shirt, stands holding a propellor in front of stacked white boxes with yellow stars of light

BalletX presents Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s The Little Prince, adapted by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa

A royal return

A sumptuous Little Prince, adapted from the classic story by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry into a full-length ballet by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, returns better than ever in BalletX’s 2026 Summer Series. Melissa Strong reviews.
Melissa Strong

Melissa Strong

Reviews 4 minute read
The three actors sing together at center, wearing richly draped evening dresses under a trio of spotlights.

People’s Light and Arkansas Repertory Theatre present Fats Waller’s Ain’t Misbehavin’

The joint is jumpin’

A tribute to Fats Waller and his contemporaries, People’s Light’s Ain’t Misbehavin’ is a high-energy love letter to the Harlem Renaissance and Black joy. Mina Reinckens reviews.
Mina Reinckens

Mina Reinckens

Reviews 4 minute read