Theater

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Smiling, a Black man wearing a 19th-century suit and top hat, sings and stretches out his arms in a bluish spotlight.

The Wilma Theater presents Suzan-Lori Parks’s The America Play

A rare work by an American master
Lindsay Smiling marks the announcement of his role as the Wilma’s sole artistic director with a wonderfully realized production of The America Play, a rarely seen yet prescient 1994 work by Suzan-Lori Parks. Josh Herren reviews.
Josh Herren

Josh Herren

Reviews 3 minute read
Closeup on X and Johnson facing each other as if they’re arguing, wearing opulent satin 18th-century costumes.

Lantern Theater Company presents Lloyd Suh’s Franklinland

A founding father’s flawed family
The Lantern celebrates 250 with the Philly premiere of Lloyd Suh’s Franklinland, about the fraught relationship between the famous founding father and his son William. Josh Herren reviews.
Josh Herren

Josh Herren

Reviews 3 minute read
In deeply emotional posture, Schoonover leans over Espinoza lying on the ground, touching his shoulder. He touches her face

Azuka Theatre and Simpatico Theatre present Chaz T. Martin’s Class C

A timely world premiere about the loss of civil rights
A culture of distrust, fear, and dehumanization reaches a boiling point in this timely world premiere production of Chaz T. Martin’s Class C. nat čermák reviews.

nat čermák

Reviews 3 minute read
Finister & Holum, in late 19th-century professional garb, smile and clasp hands at the top of a staircase on the set.

People’s Light presents Suli Holum’s The Woman Question

A “docu-fantasy” celebrating historic real-life med students in Philadelphia
A new show at People’s Light mixes the imagination of playwright Suli Holum with a documentary history of the world’s first medical school for women in 1890s Philadelphia. Emily Schilling reviews.
Emily Schilling

Emily Schilling

Reviews 4 minute read
Seven cast members, in funeral black, stand somberly in the line with their hands joined on a stage designed like a chancel.

South Camden Theatre Company presents Douglas Lyons’s Chicken and Biscuits

Last rites and first blows
South Camden Theatre Company continues its season-long “Laughing through the Storm” theme with Chicken and Biscuits by Douglas Lyons, about a family navigating old tensions at its patriarch’s funeral. A. Lewis reviews.

A. Lewis

Reviews 4 minute read

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Ressler & Soro face each other smiling, wearing flashy 90s clothes. Soro speaks into a mic. They hold American Girl dolls.

The Bearded Ladies Cabaret and FringeArts present Jackie Soro and Pax Ressler’s GIRL DOLLS: The American Musical

A seat at the tea party
GIRL DOLLS: The American Musical, a world premiere show from the Bearded Ladies Cabaret, Jackie Soro, and Pax Ressler, takes on gender, toys, and American childhood with music and humor. Melissa Strong reviews.
Melissa Strong

Melissa Strong

Reviews 4 minute read
In colorful 1920s evening wear, the cast dances on the edge of semicircular stage decorated like a jazz club.

Theatre Horizon presents Fats Waller’s Ain’t Misbehavin’

Celebrating the music of a Harlem Renaissance icon
Theatre Horizon closes the season with Ain’t Misbehavin’, the 1978 jukebox musical set in the 1920s jazz world of prolific Harlem Renaissance composer Fats Waller. An Nichols reviews.
An Nichols

An Nichols

Reviews 4 minute read
Childs, a 57-year-old white woman in a black dress, smiles ruefully as she holds up a purple satin corset.

1812 Productions presents Jen Childs’s She Gets Around

A closet memoir
A new solo show from Jennifer Childs takes audiences inside her closet for the stories that made her the comedy actor she is today, inspired by a lifetime of outfits. Walt Maguire reviews.

Walt Maguire

Reviews 3 minute read
A person in a silky white garment with a long train sweeps it around them, lit by dramatic blue and pink light.

Butch Mermaid Productions presents Ania Upstill and Danielle Levsky’s Sappho's Salon

Recreating a historic queer literary parlor
A West Philly Victorian house becomes a historic salon inspired by Selby Wynn Schwartz’s novel After Sappho, in this immersive performance from Ania Upstill and Danielle Levsky. An Nichols reviews.
An Nichols

An Nichols

Reviews 4 minute read
Liao, in red skirt & patterned jacket, laughs in a salon chair as the other actors on the salon set look worried.

InterAct Theatre Company presents Saymoukda Duangphouxay Vongsay’s Seng’s Hair Salon

The Philly Cycle continues inside a Lao family’s South Philly salon
InterAct premieres the second play in its Philly Cycle program, this time spotlighting our Southeast Asian refugee community in a script inspired by a real-life salon on Ritner Street. Krista Mar reviews.
Krista Mar

Krista Mar

Reviews 4 minute read