Reviews

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Page 66
A black and white photo of Bertucci performing on a dark stage, looking at a laptop with a misty spotlight on her.

Ars Nova Workshop presents Lea Bertucci’s Of Shadow and Substance

An explosion of music
With a world-premiere commission by composer and sound artist Lea Bertucci, Ars Nova Workshop presented a musical meditation on the 2019 Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery explosion. Aaron Pond reviews.
Aaron Pond

Aaron Pond

Reviews 3 minute read
Floyd, a Black woman, sits on a river dock on a sunny day, holding a gold frame in front of her. She wears a long pale dress

Intercultural Journeys presents The Frances Suite

Walking out from the shadows
Intercultural Journeys presents The Frances Suite, a musical portrayal of 19th-century Philadelphia activist, speaker, and writer Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, by composer Ruth Naomi Floyd. Melissa Strong reviews.
Melissa Strong

Melissa Strong

Reviews 4 minute read
A scene from the play. The 3 actors sit on an apartment couch, each of them talking on the phone, not looking at each other

Theatre Exile presents Susan Soon He Stanton’s Today Is My Birthday

Twenty-first century ties
Theatre Exile’s production of Succession writer Susan Soon He Stanton’s charming play shows just how possible it is to feel alone, even when you spend your life talking to other people. Jill Ivey reviews.
Jillian Ashley Blair Ivey

Jillian Ashley Blair Ivey

Reviews 3 minute read
A scene from the opera: a dynamic ensemble shot of 15 men in suits, with a range of avid expressions, on and around a couch.

Opera Philadelphia presents Rigoletto

A rapturous return
Rigoletto is Opera Philadelphia’s first full production at the Academy of Music since 2019, reminding us how we sustain, and are sustained by, great art. Gail Obenreder reviews.
Gail Obenreder

Gail Obenreder

Reviews 4 minute read
The book cover. The upper half shows the classical façade of the school; the lower a crowded city protest for school funding.

The Roots of Educational Inequality: Philadelphia’s Germantown High School, 1907-2014, by Erika M. Kitzmiller

A century in Germantown
We know how the story of Germantown High School ended, but how did it begin? A new book explains, and highlights the fault lines that remain in our schools today. Anndee Hochman reviews.
Anndee Hochman

Anndee Hochman

Reviews 5 minute read
The PRISM Quartet. Four white men in suits each hold a gold-colored saxophone of a different type and size.

PCMS presents the Musical Fund Society of Philadelphia’s 200th Anniversary Concert

Still vibrant at 202 (and counting)
The Musical Fund Society of Philadelphia marked its bicentennial in 2020, and was finally able to celebrate with four commissioned Philly-inspired premieres by world-class contemporary composers. Margaret Darby reviews.
Margaret Darby

Margaret Darby

Reviews 4 minute read
Shaham, 51-year-old white man, stands in front of autumn trees holding his violin and smiling warmly.

The Philadelphia Orchestra presents Gil Shaham playing Vivaldi's Four Seasons

Seasons of love
The Philadelphia Orchestra’s string players took the spotlight in a performance anchored by Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, with guest soloist Gil Shaham. Cameron Kelsall reviews.
Cameron Kelsall

Cameron Kelsall

Reviews 3 minute read
A collage-style piece in tan, orange, & blue, including brick buildings that have suitcase handles, and a wood table setting

The African American Museum in Philadelphia presents Derrick Adams: Sanctuary

Know before you go
Derrick Adams: Sanctuary, now on view at AAMP, is inspired by the Green Book travel guide that helped Black motorists plan their trips in the Jim Crow era. Pamela J. Forsythe reviews.

Pamela J. Forsythe

Reviews 4 minute read
Four cast members sit, looking worried, around a table with red and white flowers in vases. The light is misty and dramatic.

The Wilma Theater presents Dmitry Krymov’s adaption of Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard

The sign of a good show
The Wilma gives Chekhov’s classic a chaotic, colorful modern update—complete with a sentient train station departure sign. Jill Ivey reviews.
Jillian Ashley Blair Ivey

Jillian Ashley Blair Ivey

Reviews 3 minute read
9 actors stand in line onstage, in motley range of clothing styles including stripes, paisley, leather, gold, black, & denim

Resident Ensemble Players presents Theresa Rebeck’s Yeah Baby

Paging Pirandello
Expectation and reality collide in Theresa Rebeck’s Yeah Baby, an absurdist comedy that is the playwright’s fourth Resident Ensemble Players premiere. Gail Obenreder reviews.
Gail Obenreder

Gail Obenreder

Reviews 4 minute read