The Brandywine River Museum of Art presents Wayne Thiebaud 100

California dreaming

After flooding forced the Brandywine River Museum of Art to close for several months, it reopens with a delicious retrospective marking Wayne Thiebaud’s 100th birthday. Gail Obenreder reviews.

Gail Obenreder

Feb 15, 2022 · Reviews · 4 minute read

Theatre Exile and the Brothers’ Network present Stephen Adly Guirgis’s The Motherf**ker with the Hat

Too far from Philly

Theatre Exile’s Motherf**cker with the Hat moves the setting of the hit play from New York to Philadelphia, with mixed results. Josh Herren reviews.

Josh Herren

Feb 14, 2022 · Reviews · 3 minute read

The Kimmel Cultural Campus presents the national tour of Hadestown

Hell of a show

The touring production of Hadestown, a wildly popular retelling of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth, arrives at the Academy of Music with energy and verve. Cameron Kelsall reviews.

Cameron Kelsall

Feb 11, 2022 · Reviews · 4 minute read

Dark History of Penn’s Woods by Jennifer L. Green

The folklore and the facts

In Dark History of Penn’s Woods, Jennifer L. Green shines a light on the little-known, real-life historical terrors of Chester and Delaware Counties, and how they inform our present. Josh Hitchens reviews.

Josh Hitchens

Feb 08, 2022 · Reviews · 3 minute read

InterAct Theatre Company presents Harrison David Rivers’s This Bitter Earth

A 21st-century love story

In This Bitter Earth, now onstage at InterAct, a Black playwright and a white activist see their relationship tested against police brutality and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement. Kirsten Bowen reviews.

Kirsten Bowen

Feb 07, 2022 · Reviews · 3 minute read

The Kimmel Cultural Campus presents Philadelphia Ballet’s New Work for a New World

Contemporary ballet at the Perelman

Philadelphia Ballet makes the Kimmel Cultural Campus’s Perelman Theater its new home for contemporary ballet performances, beginning with New Work for a New World. Camille Bacon-Smith reviews.

Camille Bacon-Smith

Feb 07, 2022 · Reviews · 4 minute read

Quintessence Theatre Group presents Seamus Heaney’s The Cure at Troy

Something that's Greek

Quintessence Theatre offers a modern, vibrant riff on Sophocles with Seamus Heaney’s The Cure at Troy. Cameron Kelsall reviews.

Cameron Kelsall

Feb 04, 2022 · Reviews · 4 minute read

True Crime Philadelphia: From America's First Bank Robbery to the Real-Life Killers Who Inspired Boardwalk Empire by Kathryn Canavan

Philly's not-so-proud pioneers

Kathryn Canavan’s latest book tackles the dark and grisly side of Philly’s true crime history, but it’s also a fascinating read about the ordinary folks who have been foiling criminals for centuries. Rob Laymon reviews.

Rob Laymon

Feb 01, 2022 · Reviews · 4 minute read

The Kimmel Cultural Campus presents Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

A triumphant and timely return

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater celebrates a decade with artistic director Robert Battle in the company’s 2022 tour, which kicked off last week at the Academy of Music. Melissa Strong reviews.

Melissa Strong

Jan 31, 2022 · Reviews · 5 minute read

The Philadelphia Orchestra presents Daniele Rustioni

Cold nights, warm music

Mussorgsky’s vivid Pictures at an Exhibition and a remarkable concerto by local composer Ke-Chia Chen enlivened the Philadelphia Orchestra’s most recent concerts, led by debuting conductor Daniele Rustioni. Cameron Kelsall reviews.

Cameron Kelsall

Jan 31, 2022 · Reviews · 3 minute read