The case for cantankerous critics

‘The Wilma papers' (continued): The case for cantankerous critics

The head of the Dramatists Guild of America compared my review of a work in progress to smothering a baby in its crib. Are great artists really so fragile? I say: Any artist who could be smothered in his crib by the likes of me should probably find another line of work.

Jim Rutter

Feb 07, 2009 · Articles · 4 minute read

Lantern Theater's "Sizwe Bansi is Dead' (1st review)

Under apartheid's thumb

The stories of two black men in apartheid South Africa, circa 1974, make for theater at its best, albeit in fragments. It's sort of like watching the first act of two different plays— very good plays, to be sure.

Dan Rottenberg

Feb 05, 2009 · Articles · 5 minute read

PTC's "Resurrection' (2nd review)

Black male despair, pre-Obama

Daniel Beaty's Resurrection contains lovely prose poetry about the pressures and futility of black male life in the ghetto. It speaks of hope, yes, but it's an almost-miraculous old-fashioned hope— not the real, pragmatic hope symbolized by Barack Obama election.

Steve Cohen

Feb 03, 2009 · Articles · 3 minute read

PTC's "Resurrection' (1st review)

The souls of black men (and white theatrical audiences)

Daniel Beaty's Resurrection rests on an original device: It seeks to examine the black male psyche through the stories of six individuals spaced at ten-year-intervals, from age 60 down to age ten. Unfortunately, all this talent and insight is wasted on a script that lacks any dramatic arc; it's not so much a play as a succession of monologues.

Dan Rottenberg

Jan 30, 2009 · Articles · 3 minute read

"The Rant' at InterAct Theatre (1st review)

Truth as the ultimate victim

The Rant is a first-rate production of an engrossing urban drama that never flags for 90 minutes. Unfortunately, it falls short of its purported goal: to offer a sophisticated portrayal of how the truth-and-justice system works in big cities.

Dan Rottenberg

Jan 30, 2009 · Articles · 5 minute read

Luna Theatre's "Orange Flower Water'

Divorce, 21st-Century style

Divorce these days is a routine rite of passage that most Americans accept without revulsion. Luna Theatre's gut-wrenching production of Craig Wright's Orange Flower Water may change your mind.

Jim Rutter

Jan 27, 2009 · Articles · 4 minute read

"My Name is Asher Lev' at the Arden

A battle between good and good

My Name Is Asher Lev is a gratifying play about father-son conflict. In this concentrated form, the play actually turns out to be more intense than the Chaim Potok novel on which it's based.

Steve Cohen

Jan 27, 2009 · Articles · 3 minute read

"Compleat Shakespeare' in Norristown

A little nonsense with the Bard

A play called The Compleat Works of Wllm Shkspr (Abridged) may sound pedantic or trivial. But neither is the case in this sparkling comedy, which respects the Bard but finds fun within his works.

Steve Cohen

Jan 27, 2009 · Articles · 1 minute read

Walnut's "Streetcar Named Desire' (3rd review)

Blanche DuBois' worst nightmare: When the audience roots for Stanley

Streetcar remains a magical piece of theater. But it needs a vulnerable heroine with whom we can empathize. Susan Riley Stevens as Blanche was so robust that she had the audience rooting against her.

Steve Cohen

Jan 25, 2009 · Articles · 3 minute read

Walnut's "Streetcar Named Desire' (2nd review)

A new standard of bare theatrical truth

Yes, Streetcar is dated: It addressed the social upheaval that followed World War II. But it's also timeless: It concerns what happens to human beings that can't be foreseen.

Anne R. Fabbri

Jan 24, 2009 · Articles · 3 minute read