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Class, colonialism, and mysticism enfold the lives of those living and vacationing in Madagascar’s Naratrany in Andrea Lee’s novel ‘Red Island House.’ (Image courtesy of Scribner.)

‘Red Island House’ by Andrea Lea

The country that claims you

Andrea Lee’s latest novel follows a family over 20 years as they visit their vacation home in Madagascar and witness and participate in the luxury, intrigue, and exploitation of the island and its residents. Kirsten Bowen reviews.

Kirsten Bowen

Apr 26, 2021 Reviews 3 minute read

An enveloping emotional connection: Weiwei Ma in Kun-Yang Lin’s ‘Inside.’ (Photo by Rob Li.)

The Annenberg Center presents Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers

Community in solitude

Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers explores loss, solitude, and hope in five reimagined excerpts from Lin’s longer works and a world premiere danced by the choreographer himself. Camille Bacon-Smith reviews.

Camille Bacon-Smith

Apr 26, 2021 Reviews 5 minute read

Is this really my fantasy? (Image courtesy of Lightning Rod Special.)

Lightning Rod Special presents Lee Minora and Scott Sheppard’s ‘Nosejob’

A feminist fantasy?

Lightning Rod Special launches a new series of audio works with ‘Nosejob,’ a story that connects a 9th-century nunnery to modern college kids, asking what really makes up our fantasies. Alaina Johns reviews.

Alaina Johns

Apr 20, 2021 Reviews 3 minute read

Academia is still full of professors who won't see their own fallacies. (Image courtesy of InterAct.)

InterAct Theatre Company presents Eleanor Burgess’s ‘The Niceties’

Nothing nice about it

InterAct’s virtual presentation of ‘The Niceties’ hits close to home for college students of color. Kyle V. Hiller reviews.

Kyle V. Hiller

Apr 20, 2021 Reviews 3 minute read

In their latest poetry collection, Kayleb Rae Candrili explores the joyful possibilities of trans embodiment. (Image courtesy of Copper Canyon Press.)

‘Water I Won’t Touch’ by Kayleb Rae Candrilli

Liberation in the trans experience

Kayleb Rae Candrilli’s newest poetry collection, ‘Water I Won’t Touch,’ explores what it means to live amidst crisis—ecological crisis, addiction crisis, and the crisis of endemic transphobia. Matthew John Phillips reviews.

Matthew John Phillips

Apr 19, 2021 Reviews 5 minute read

A visceral portrait of a woman in conflict: soprano Ariadne Greif in ‘We Need to Talk.’ (Image courtesy of Opera Philadelphia.)

Opera Philadelphia presents Caroline Shaw and Anne Carson’s ‘We Need to Talk’

Opera as performance art

Opera Philadelphia concludes its 2021 digital series with ‘We Need to Talk,’ an exciting collaboration between composer Caroline Shaw and poet Anne Carson. Gail Obenreder reviews.

Gail Obenreder

Apr 19, 2021 Reviews 3 minute read

More than a geographic journey: Alice Yorke in ‘How to Be Brave.’ (Photo by Wide Eyed Studios.)

Inis Nua presents Siân Owen’s ‘How to Be Brave’

Bravery in simpler times

Inis Nua’s virtual presentation of ‘How to be Brave’ reminds us of the power of a small story well told. Joshua Herren reviews.

Josh Herren

Apr 18, 2021 Reviews 3 minute read

The Philadelphia Orchestra seats Stravinsky, Gershwin, and Ellington together. (Images via Wikimedia Commons.)

The Philadelphia Orchestra presents Ellington, Gershwin, and Stravinsky

Broad Street meets Tin Pan Alley

George Gershwin and Duke Ellington take their place beside Stravinsky in the latest digital offering from the Philadelphia Orchestra. Cameron Kelsall reviews.

Cameron Kelsall

Apr 16, 2021 Reviews 3 minute read

At the one and only rehearsal during its first tour in China, Philadelphia Orchestra conductor Eugene Ormandy and pianist Yin Chengzong (right) review the score of the Yellow River Concerto with an unidentified translator. (Photo courtesy of The Philadelphia Orchestra Association Archives.)

PBS presents ‘Great Performances: Beethoven in Beijing’

Philadelphians in China

‘Beethoven in Beijing’ follows the Philadelphia musicians who helped open doors between the US and China in the 1970s and beyond, and the artists and leaders of China’s thriving cultural scene today. Linda Holt reviews.

Linda Holt

Apr 12, 2021 Reviews 4 minute read

Calling ‘Derek DelGaudio’s In & Of Itself’ a one-man show would be an understatement. (Photo by Matthew Murphy.)

Hulu presents ‘Derek DelGaudio’s In & Of Itself’

More than magic

‘Derek DelGaudio’s In & Of Itself’ is a film adaptation of a theater production that combines storytelling, magic, and audience participation to explore the complexities and contradictions of identity, for an astonishing and moving experience. Kelly Conrad reviews.

Kelly Conrad