Reviews
1196 results
Page 1
Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival presents August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson
A perfect staging of a play America needs
James Ijames helms a new production of August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson at Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, and the show is worth the trip to Center Valley for anyone in the Philly area. An Nichols reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read
The Barnes Foundation presents Freedom Dreams
“What kind of world do we want to struggle for?”
In honor of the 250th, the Barnes presents Freedom Dreams, showcasing intriguing and often-hopeful video installations that examine and celebrate Black American culture. An Nichols reviews.
Reviews
5 minute read
Arden Theatre Company presents Dear Evan Hansen
Watching through a window
The Arden’s regional premiere of Dear Evan Hansen flattens the musical’s complicated story. Cameron Kelsall reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read
Ensemble Arts Philly and the Shubert Organization present the national tour of The Outsiders
Greaser is the word
A musical adaptation of The Outsiders proves iconic as its source material, as the national tour lands in Philly through June 7, 2026. Cameron Kelsall reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read
The Wilma Theater presents Suzan-Lori Parks’s The America Play
A rare work by an American master
Lindsay Smiling marks the announcement of his role as the Wilma’s sole artistic director with a wonderfully realized production of The America Play, a rarely seen yet prescient 1994 work by Suzan-Lori Parks. Josh Herren reviews.
Reviews
3 minute read
Piffaro presents Eagle & Empire: Music of Colonial Mexico
Exploring the music of Renaissance-era Mexico, where European and Indigenous cultures mixed
A deeply researched program from Piffaro proves that the mixing of European and Indigenous cultures in 16th and 17th-century Mexico created works that rival their more famous European peers. Gail Obenreder reviews.
Reviews
5 minute read
The Fabric Workshop and Museum presents Jesse Krimes: Elegy Quilts
Creativity breaks out
A new installation of Jesse Krimes quilts at the Fabric Workshop and Museum explores the humanity of incarcerated people and questions the American justice system. One of the quilts is now a new Philly mural. Pamela J. Forsythe reviews.
Reviews
5 minute read
If the Owl Calls, by Sharon White
Building a mystery
Sharon White’s debut novel is a mystery set to the backdrop of 1979 Norway during a time of environmental resistance that asks big questions around culture and tradition. Chhaya Nayyar reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read
The Grief Shop and Other Stories from a Broken World, by Alex DiFrancesco
Laughing through the aftermath
Alex DiFrancesco’s forthcoming speculative short story collection offers a timely and cathartic escape. Cass Lewis reviews.
Reviews
5 minute read
A Century of Music Under the Stars: A History of the Mann Center of the Performing Arts and Robin Hood Dell, by Jack McCarthy
A comprehensive history of one of Philly’s best music venues
The Robin Hood Dell, opened in 1930, was the start of the institution we know today as the Highmark Mann Center for the Performing Arts. A new book by Jack McCarthy charts the notable Philly venue’s history. Stephen Silver reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read