Theater
2727 results
Page 205
"Memphis' and the real dawn of rock 'n' roll
Blacks, whites and rock ‘n' roll: Memphis vs. the real ‘Bandstand'
As rock 'n' roll musicals go, Memphis seems unnecessary. The subject of racial integration among music lovers was well covered ten years ago in Hairspray. A far more intriguing tale— how Bob Horn's “Bandstand” brought black music to white Philadelphia audiences in the early '50s— has yet to be celebrated on stage.
Articles
5 minute read
"Ludwig Live' at Kimmel's Innovation Studio
And then in 1822 I wrote…..
Where did Beethoven go wrong? For one thing, he lacked catchy lyrics. For another, he lacked a vivacious sidekick adept at baton twirling and tap dancing. Now he has both.
Articles
2 minute read
"Alexis': Political theater in New York
Where theater and politics meet
How can political theater bring audiences to their feet and change the course of history? Why does it happen in Europe and not here? Motus, a daring new Italian theater company, has provided a vivid model for Americans.
Articles
4 minute read
Annie Baker's "Body Awareness' at the Wilma (3rd review)
Quest for empathy, or: Who are the people in your neighborhood?
Body Awareness plunks us into a snowbound Vermont household whose inhabitants seem as trapped by their dysfunctional relationships as they are by the frost and darkness outside. Yet by disrupting each other's cherished assumptions, each acts as a positive catalyst on the others. The potential implications for the planet are huge.
Articles
5 minute read
Annie Baker's "Body Awareness' at the Wilma (2nd review)
Cabin fever in politically correct Vermont
Mimi Lien's set for Body Awareness permits us to observe the public, domestic and private lives of a family. The snow falling in the background through the windows suggests a cocoon insulated from all foreign forces. It's an effective allusion for Annie Baker's tenderhearted and enjoyable comedy.
Articles
3 minute read
Annie Baker's "Body Awareness' at the Wilma (1st review)
Nobody's perfect
Annie Baker's comedy, Body Awareness, pounces eagerly on its too-predictable targets, and the laughs come a bit cheaply despite good ensemble work by its cast. Theater should ask, and deliver, more.
Body Awareness. By Annie Baker; Anne Kauffman directed. Through February 5, 2012 at the Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad Street. (215) 546-7824 or www.wilmatheater.org.
Articles
3 minute read
"Charlotte's Web' at the Arden (1st review)
A spider your grandchildren can love
My seven-year-old grandson had plenty of opportunities to interact with the Arden's marvelous cast of actors as animals. The grownups had a good time too.
Charlotte's Web. By Joseph Robinette, from the book by E.B. White; Whit MacLaughlin directed. Through February 12, 2012 at Arden Theatre, Haas Stage, 40 N. Second St. (215) 922-1122 or www.ardentheatre.org.
Articles
1 minute read
"Hair' revival at Academy of Music
Radical for the '60s, passé for 2012?
Hair, that '60s celebration of all things hippie, is closing its revival tour just when the Occupy movement threatens to make it relevant all over again.
Articles
2 minute read
1812's "This Is the Week That Is"
Never mind the week. What year is this?
Just when presidential politics are turning ridiculous, Philadelphia's resident satirical troupe turns soft and fuzzy.
Articles
1 minute read
Billington's assault on absurdism
Absurdism isn't relevant? Don't be absurd!
Abdurdism, a European artistic response to the senseless horrors of World War II, has lost its relevance, according to critic Michael Billington. Yet from Greece to the Tea Party to the Occupy movement, millions of people today wander in aimless stupor like the hoboes in Beckett's Waiting For Godot.
Articles
4 minute read