‘Evita’ at the Academy of Music

Eva Perón upstaged

Evita concerns a struggle for power. This time around, the balance in that struggle is skewed against the leading lady.

Steve Cohen

Jun 30, 2014 · Articles · 4 minute read

Akhtar’s ‘The Who and the What’ in New York

Where angels fear to tread

Ayad Akhtar has already distinguished himself as a dramatist with the courage to tackle Islamic assimilation in Western society. In The Who and the What, he breaks new controversial ground, focusing on the intimate issues of Islamic women in contemporary America.

Carol Rocamora

Jun 30, 2014 · Articles · 4 minute read

Arden Theatre’s ‘The Cat in the Hat’

Dr. Seuss would have loved this

Dr. Seuss was an educational radical who sought to find ways to get kids excited about reading. The Arden’s recent stage adaptation went a step further: Here actions speak louder than words.

Dan Rottenberg

Jun 28, 2014 · Articles · 3 minute read

'Holler If Ya Hear Me' on Broadway

The mythologization of Tupac Shakur

Holler If Ya Hear Me brings together two types of Broadway musical: the jukebox musical and the poeticization of inner-city life.

Carol Rocamora

Jun 24, 2014 · Articles · 4 minute read

Colin Quinn’s ‘Unconstitutional’ at Suzanne Roberts

Two Founding Fathers walk into a bar . . .

Colin Quinn, who once hosted “Weekend Update” on Saturday Night Live, likens our America’s Founding Fathers to men on a drunken pub-crawl.

Steve Cohen

Jun 23, 2014 · Articles · 2 minute read

'How to Succeed in Business' at the Walnut Street Theatre (2nd review)

An American Everyman rising

I asked myself why I, who considers the much-touted “American dream” an illusion, would fall for the manipulative fairy tale of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.

Henrik Eger

Jun 20, 2014 · Articles · 5 minute read

Stoppard's 'The Real Thing' at the Wilma

An intellectual's foray into matters of the heart

The Real Thing is not just a showcase for Tom Stoppard's beautifully crafted language — it has a heart, even if it is well-concealed.

Jake Blumgart

Jun 19, 2014 · Articles · 4 minute read

‘Hitchcock’s 39 Steps’ in Norristown

What Broadway could learn from Norristown

Instead of patronizing its audience, Theatre Horizon’s production of Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps takes the 1935 film seriously — and even made me care about the outcome.

Steve Cohen

Jun 16, 2014 · Articles · 2 minute read

InterAct’s 'Ritu Comes Home'

How many offensive stereotypes can be squeezed into one play?

This is supposed to be a comedy, but if a writer has to get his laughs through cheap and easy stereotypes, well, it’s not a show of literary strength.

Gary L. Day

Jun 14, 2014 · Articles · 3 minute read

Lauren Weedman: Well I Think You're Beautiful, Philadelphia

A whirlwind tour of Philly

Lauren Weedman spends ten days in Philly and reintroduces us to the city we may have grown so accustomed to living in we can’t see it anymore. Along the way she has her own revelation about trust and surrender.

Naomi Orwin

Jun 12, 2014 · Articles · 3 minute read