Reviews

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Full orchestra performs in Verizon Hall with Nézet-Séguin conducting, and choir of about 60, plus 4 soloists, in the balcony

The Philadelphia Orchestra and the Philadelphia Symphonic Choir present Beethoven’s Ninth

Finding joy in troubled times
An energetic rendition of Beethoven’s Ninth opened with a new commission by Philadelphia Orchestra composer-in-residence Gabriela Lena Frank, a short but dramatic work of rich orchestral color. Linda Holt reviews.
Linda Holt

Linda Holt

Reviews 3 minute read
On a stage glowing with smoky white and yellow spotlights, 3 dancers in black boots throw their arms and right leg back.

Koresh Dance Company presents Muse

Reflections of Rector
Muse, Koresh Dance Company’s latest premiere, celebrated longtime dancer and assistant artistic director Melissa Rector, but its themes might leave the audience reflecting on their own relationship to hard times and hope. Camille Bacon-Smith reviews.
Camille Bacon-Smith

Camille Bacon-Smith

Reviews 4 minute read
Scene from the play. Finister & Owens stand at a table, Finister preparing food and Owens talking & drinking a glass of wine

The Wilma Theater presents Jackie Sibblies Drury’s Fairview

Never alone
Jackie Sibblies Drury’s Fairview, closing out the Wilma’s season, delves deep into themes of community and identity, and the power of live theater has never felt more immediate. Wendy Rosenfield reviews.
Wendy Rosenfield

Wendy Rosenfield

Reviews 3 minute read
A scene from the play. Two female fencers in white protective uniforms lunge at each other on a blue-lit stage.

Theatre Horizon presents Gracie Gardner’s Athena

Goddesses of war
Fencing and friendship are equally dangerous sports in Athena, a razor-sharp coming-of-age comedy at Theatre Horizon. Cameron Kelsall reviews.
Cameron Kelsall

Cameron Kelsall

Reviews 3 minute read
On an ornate, unnerving yellow wallpaper design of looping lines hang 6 pairs of black & white 1880s portrait photos of women

The Library Company of Philadelphia presents Hearing Voices: Memoirs from the Margins of Mental Health

The age of the asylum
The latest exhibition at the Library Company plumbs the real-life narratives of 19th-century insane asylums, but these institutions never disappeared—they were only reinvented. Alaina Johns reviews.
Alaina Johns

Alaina Johns

Reviews 5 minute read
The book cover, with the English title in white, superimposed over red Chinese characters, & a black-and-white historic photo

Beethoven in Beijing, by Jennifer Lin

The Philadelphians in China
Lavishly illustrated and full of anecdotes and surprising tidbits about people and places, Beethoven in Beijing deserves a place in the home of every music-lover and every student of the ever-changing tide of East-West relations. Linda Holt reviews.
Linda Holt

Linda Holt

Reviews 3 minute read
A view of the show: abstract paintings up to about 6 feet long on white walls, and a dark, shiny wooden floor below.

Woodmere Art Museum presents Hearing the Brush: The Painting and Poetry of Warren and Jane Rohrer

Painting with words
Warren Rohrer began to paint in his early 20s; his wife Jane didn’t publish her poetry until her 40s. But a new exhibition at Woodmere approaches the couple’s work as a lifetime of collaboration. Pamela Forsythe reviews.

Pamela J. Forsythe

Reviews 5 minute read
10 Piffaro musicians, all wearing black, perform in a semicircle on a bright Christian chancel turned into a stage.

Piffaro, the Renaissance Band presents The Musical Legacy of Charles V

The life and travels of a king—and of Piffaro
For the close of its 38th season and a major leadership transition, Piffaro’s tribute to the life of Charles V examines musical legacies then and now. Gail Obenreder reviews.
Gail Obenreder

Gail Obenreder

Reviews 4 minute read
Marcel the Shell, a tiny shell with one eye and sneakers, stands on a laptop keyboard. She fits on a single key.

The Philadelphia Film Society presents SpringFest 2022

Four films to watch out for
In one movie-packed weekend, PFS SpringFest screened 22 films at the Philadelphia Film Center, from a full-length treatment of a viral shell with shoes to the film Apple hopes will be the next CODA. Stephen Silver reviews.
Stephen Silver

Stephen Silver

Reviews 5 minute read
Scene from the play. Eugene, wearing a cream knit sweater, argyle socks, & baseball hat, looks at his brother, who’s speaking

Delaware Theatre Company presents Neil Simon’s Brighton Beach Memoirs

Confessions of a teenage dramatist
Delaware Theatre Company’s production of Neil Simon’s Brighton Beach Memoirs provides nostalgia and some light laughs. Josh Herren reviews.
Josh Herren

Josh Herren

Reviews 4 minute read