Reviews

709 results
Page 19
Sensitive head & shoulders quilt-like portrait of Tanisha, a Black woman, done in subdued purples, reds, and blues.

MUSE Gallery presents Seeking Freedom: Portraits of Mass Incarceration

Visibility can be a lifeline

Textile artist Carolyn Harper’s Seeking Freedom: Portraits of Mass Incarceration at MUSE Gallery brings us into the lives of the human beings caught in the US prison-industrial complex. Emily B. Schilling reviews.
Emily Schilling

Emily Schilling

Reviews 4 minute read
Tuomanen & Beschler mirror each other, leaning on the pillars of a pier in front of a rich, bright, night-blue backdrop

The Wilma Theater presents William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night

Really reimagined

The Wilma’s new Twelfth Night, from co-artistic director Yury Urnov, promises to “reimagine” Shakespeare (just like every theater company does). But this show has plenty to delight and surprise. Alaina Johns reviews.
Alaina Johns

Alaina Johns

Reviews 4 minute read
Lexi in a houndstooth vest and Muroya in a black satin kimono top, facing each other reverently, hands about to entwine.

Tiny Dynamite presents Julia Izumi’s Meet Murasaki Shikibu Followed by Book Signing, and Other Things

Can one good book change the world?

Tiny Dynamite brings the legendary, yet little-known, 11th-century Japanese novelist Murasaki Shikibu to life, alongside a bookstore manager whose own work is closer to the author’s legacy than she knows. Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer reviews.
Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer

Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer

Reviews 4 minute read
Khalil, in blue & orange basketball uniform, mimes dribbling the ball, a blurry wall projection of another player behind her

InterAct Theatre Company presents Kareem Fahmy’s American Fast

Representing Ramadan

American Fast follows a women’s basketball player who struggles with representation, cultural traditions, legacy, and life in the public eye after announcing her Ramadan fast during the playoffs. Josh Herren reviews.
Josh Herren

Josh Herren

Reviews 2 minute read
Olazabal & Espinosa, seen in profile facing each other, look intimate & melancholy. She touches his chin with one finger.

Two River Theater presents Nilo Cruz’s Two Sisters and a Piano

Out of tune

Playwright Nilo Cruz revisits Two Sisters and a Piano, a tale of passion and oppression in early-90s Havana, in a stagnant production at Two River Theater. Cameron Kelsall reviews.
Cameron Kelsall

Cameron Kelsall

Reviews 3 minute read
A wide shot revealing the whole Armory, lights on the court, dim everywhere else, all players on stage.

Ross Gay and Girard College present Be Holding

Poetry on breathing, basketball, and spectacle

Ross Gay’s libretto poem Be Holding connects an iconic basketball play from Dr. J with one of the most disturbing award-winning photographs in American history. Kyle V. Hiller reviews.
Kyle V. Hiller

Kyle V. Hiller

Reviews 4 minute read
Anderson, balanced one knee, leans back dramatically under Gray’s reach. They wear lush black, white & gray ballet costumes.

Chocolate Ballerina Company presents Black Swan: A Swan Lake Premiere

Not your Petipa Swan Lake

Chocolate Ballerina Company, a contemporary community-based dance organization for artists of color in the Philly region, offered an impressive new take on Swan Lake with an all-ages ensemble. Camille Bacon-Smith reviews.
Camille Bacon-Smith

Camille Bacon-Smith

Reviews 3 minute read
The Maitlands, Beetlejuice & Lydia appear in a fantastical, misty, purple & green lit house, Beetlejuice in his striped suit.

Kimmel Cultural Campus and the Schubert Organization present Beetlejuice

Not so strange and unusual

The national Broadway tour of Beetlejuice, the musical, stopping at the Academy of Music through Sunday, June 11, sands the dark edges off the original in favor of feel-good clichés. C.M. Crockford reviews.
C.M. Crockford

C.M. Crockford

Reviews 3 minute read
6 ensemble members in a motley range of costumes appear to be having a picnic on the black floor of the stage.

Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival presents Henry IV, Part 2

The “Extreme Shakespeare” Henriad continues

Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival opens its 2023 season with Henry IV, Part 2, a joyous restaging that succeeds in ragtag style, despite a few dramatic missteps. Kiran Pandey reviews.
Kiran Pandey

Kiran Pandey

Reviews 4 minute read
Capanna and VillaMil, two white women, lie fully dressed side by side on a sofa bed, a white blanket partially covering them.

South Camden Theatre Company and the Strides Collective present Diane Son’s Stop Kiss

A Pride month miss

South Camden Theatre Company partners with the Strides Collective to produce Diane Son’s 1998 Stop Kiss for Pride month. But why do we need this story in 2023? Josh Herren reviews.
Josh Herren

Josh Herren

Reviews 3 minute read