Reviews

931 results
Page 73
A candle burns, wax dripping down the candle taper. Behind it, an angel appears through blue and white smoke.

People's Light and Hedgerow Theatre present their takes on A Christmas Carol

Two carols are better than one
People's Light and Hedgerow Theatre perform A Christmas Carol, but in two very different ways. Gail Obenreder reviews the two productions.
Gail Obenreder

Gail Obenreder

Reviews 6 minute read
A historic illustration that appears to show Black people in a covered wagon aiming pistols at white men with rifles.

Slavery and Abolition in Pennsylvania, by Beverly C. Tomek

The truth about slavery in the Keystone State
Pennsylvania’s abolitionist Quakers ended slavery in the commonwealth long before any other state, right? A new book from Temple University Press explains that there’s a lot more to the story. Pamela J. Forsythe reviews.

Pamela J. Forsythe

Reviews 5 minute read
Ngozi Anyanwu and Steven Rishard in Garbologists. Costumed as sanitation workers, they talk inside the cab of a trash truck.

Philadelphia Theatre Company presents Lindsay Joelle’s The Garbologists

Trash talkers
The Garbologists, a world premiere from Philadelphia Theatre Company, searches for deep meaning in a dirty job but offers a fairly thin character study instead. Cameron Kelsall reviews.
Cameron Kelsall

Cameron Kelsall

Reviews 3 minute read
A snapshot of a sheet of music with the text: "Carissimi, Dialogo del gigante Golia", lists the instruments in Italian.

Choral Arts and Philadelphia Bach Collegium present The Lost Oratorios of Giacomo Carissimi

On the ark of discovery
Choral Arts Philadelphia and Philadelphia Bach Collegium present a performance of two unpublished oratorios by Giacomo Carissimi. Gail Obenreder reviews.
Gail Obenreder

Gail Obenreder

Reviews 4 minute read
Davis stands in front of Quiñones, his hands on the sides of her face, their heads leaning against each others in a dark room

SHARP Dance Company presents The Other Side

Dancing to make up for lost time
The SHARP Dance Company presents its fall home series The Other Side with a collection of videos and live contemporary and modern dances with a touch of hip-hop flair. Camille Bacon-Smith reviews.
Camille Bacon-Smith

Camille Bacon-Smith

Reviews 4 minute read
Ngo and Kim, two Chinese American actors, on stage. Ngo is dressed in a silk robe, both looking towards the audience.

InterAct Theatre Company presents The Chinese Lady

An inconvenient history
Taking from Nancy E. Davis’s meticulously researched book of the same name, Lloyd Suh’s The Chinese Lady introduces audiences to the first Chinese woman to arrive in America for a story that’s still relevant in 2021. Jill Ivey reviews.
Jillian Ashley Blair Ivey

Jillian Ashley Blair Ivey

Reviews 4 minute read
Rafael Payare energetically conducts the orchestra around him, with clarinetist Ricardo Morales playing right in front of him

The Philadelphia Orchestra presents Rafael Payare

Rafael and Ricardo
Fast-rising conductor Rafael Payare made his Philadelphia Orchestra debut with a program featuring a world-premiere Clarinet Concerto that highlighted the virtuosity of Ricardo Morales. Cameron Kelsall reviews.
Cameron Kelsall

Cameron Kelsall

Reviews 3 minute read
Winter in Bellapalma cover. Title & author are in black script, with a painting of the ocean and a wineglass on a table

Winter in Bellapalma and Ere the Cock Crows by Jens Bjørneboe; translated by Esther Greenleaf Mürer

Two Norwegian novels get new life in Philly
Philly poet and author Esther Greenleaf Mürer translates two novels by noted Norwegian author Jens Bjørneboe, who is less well-known here. Both Winter in Bellapalma and Ere the Cock Crows leave the reader at loose ends. Helen Walsh reviews.
Helen Walsh

Helen Walsh

Reviews 5 minute read
The book cover. Over a photo of brick Philly rowhouses, a diagonal orange banner with white text has the title.

The Bourgeois Anarchist by Sam Gridley

Waiting for the revolution
In Sam Gridley’s new Philly-set novella, a now-privileged teacher grapples with her anarchist past as she continues to join leftwing activists. Walter Bilderback reviews.
Walter Bilderback

Walter Bilderback

Reviews 4 minute read
A view from the back of the Perelman Theater: Dinnerstein and the orchestra members take a bow to a standing ovation.

The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia presents Simone Dinnerstein

The keyboard, from Bach to Glass
The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia spans the centuries with keyboard mastery from Bach to Philip Glass, featuring pianist Simone Dinnerstein. Gail Obenreder reviews.
Gail Obenreder

Gail Obenreder

Reviews 4 minute read