Theater
2727 results
Page 247
Lantern Theater's "Hamlet' (2nd review)
Why did Hamlet hesitate? (A reply to Robert Zaller)
In his review of Lantern Theater's Hamlet, Robert Zaller raises an interesting point: Why didn't the prince succeed to the throne of Denmark immediately upon his father's death? I have an answer.
Articles
4 minute read
Arden's "Something Intangible' (1st review)
The bad, the beautiful and the cartoonist
Bruce Graham brings a Hollywood insider's knowledge and a flair for dialogue to Something Intangible, now in its premiere production at the Arden. You can't treat Tinseltown without a touch of schmaltz— a trap Graham doesn't escape. But this play about Walt Disney and the making of Fantasia, though overwrought for its theme, provides a diverting two hours. Cast and production are excellent.
Articles
4 minute read
Theatre Exile's "American Buffalo' (1st review)
Testosterone for three
Theatre Exile's revival of David Mamet's breakthrough play, American Buffalo, is driven by Pete Pryor's brilliant performance as the testosterone-laced Teach. But while Teach's bullying behavior might have been considered borderline psychotic a generation ago, it's a reflection of daily life today.
Articles
5 minute read
InterAct's "Jihad Jones'
An Arab actor with a problem
A serious Arab actor gets a shot at fame and fortune; all he must do is perpetuate the worst possible Muslim terrorist stereotype. Yussef El Guindi has a fine idea for a 15-minute comedy skit, but its humor soon wears thin, especially given the play's flimsy underlying premise.
Articles
3 minute read
Theatre Exile's "American Buffalo' (2nd review)
Delusions of urban males
David Mamet is a master at capturing the euphemisms and rhetorical devices through which men rationalize and evade the cruelty of their words and deeds. But other writers handle this subject matter even better.
Articles
4 minute read
Lantern Theater's hyperactive "Hamlet' (1st review)
What's Shakespeare's real point? That is the question
The question in Hamlet may be less why the play's hero fails to avenge his father's murder than why he fails to claim his crown. The Lantern Theater's fast-paced production of the play treats it as an action drama but misses its darker drives and subtler shades of meaning.
Articles
7 minute read
Arden's "A Year With Frog and Toad'
The Arden reconsidered: How a frog and a toad made me a believer
After more than ten years' absence from the Arden, it took a children's show to get me there at last and make a believer out of me. What impressed me above all about A Year With Frog and Toad was the enthusiastic attention that the Arden crew paid to even the tiniest detail.
Articles
4 minute read
Luna Theater's "Hot 'n' Throbbing'
When women enable violent men
Are women turned on by abusive men? Anyone seriously disturbed by that possibility should avoid seeing Luna's intense and surprisingly funny production of Paula Vogel's Hot 'n' Throbbing.
Articles
4 minute read
"Jihad Jones' and Arab stereotypes
Bombers, billionaires and belly dancers: What's worse than an Arab stereotype?
In Yussef El-Guindi's comedy Jihad Jones and the Kalashnikov Babes, an Arab-American actor refuses to play stereotypical Arab bomb-throwing roles. And maybe he should. But let's not throw the baby out with the stereotypical bathwater. With a video interview.
Articles
4 minute read
Theatrical readings, and where to find them
A playwright's trial by fire
Theatrical readings are getting a bad rap in Broad Street Review. But as a playwright, I can attest that they're a necessary element in bringing a play from a writer's mind onto the stage. The audience (and even critics) benefit too. And in Philadelphia, there are many opportunities to participate.
Articles
4 minute read