R.I.P., Mum Puppettheatre

Does anyone miss Mum Puppettheatre?

For all Mum Puppettheatre’s unique creativity and intelligence, it just ceased to exist after 23 years— and, sadly, not many people seem to have noticed.

Bob Cronin

Oct 12, 2008 · Articles · 2 minute read

Luna Theater's "The Monster'

Frankenstein, told with contemporary wit

Luna Theater’s season opener, Neal Bell’s The Monster, plays fast and loose with the Frankenstein legend, but not so fast or loose that you won’t recognize its pathos or its moral scrutiny.

Monster. By Neal Bell; adapted from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein; directed by Gregory Scott Campbell. Luna Theatre Co. production through November 2, 2008 at Independence Studio on Three, 825 Walnut St. (215) 704-0033 or www.lunatheater.org.

Lesley Valdes

Oct 12, 2008 · Articles · 2 minute read

"The Persians' at People's Light (2nd review)

What have we learned since Aeschylus?

Ellen McLaughlin’s version of Aeschylus’s The Persians is both timely and dated (it foretold our current quagmire in Iraq). Excellent staging sets this production apart, but the text partly weakens the original play, and the performers, while adequate, aren’t up to the tragic standard.

The Persians. By Ellen McLaughlin; directed by Jade King Carroll. Through October 19, 2008 at People's Light and Theatre Company, 39 Conestoga Rd, Malvern, Pa. (610) 644-3500 or www.peopleslight.org.

Robert Zaller

Oct 08, 2008 · Articles · 5 minute read

"Long Day's Journey' at Villanova

O'Neill's masterpiece:
A web without a spider

Villanova has opened its 50th drama season with a new production of Eugene O’Neill’s masterpiece, Long Day’s Journey into Night. The play opened the Vasey Hall stage forty years ago under Robert Hedley’s direction, and Hedley returned to bring it richly to life again.

Long Day’s Journey Into Night. By Eugene O’Neill; directed by Robert Hedley. Villanova Theatre production September 23-October 5, 2008 at Vasey Hall, Dougherty Drive, Villanova U. (610) 519-7474 or www.theatre.villanova.edu.

Robert Zaller

Oct 08, 2008 · Articles · 5 minute read

Jonathan Larson and "Rent'

Death before his time:
Rent and its creator

Jonathan Larson’s Rent— a musical based on Puccini’s La Bohème and set in New York’s East Village— has finished its Broadway run but continues to tour. But what of its creator, who died before Rent took off?

Rent continues to tour and will visit Philadelphia’s Academy of Music, February 3 through 8, 2009. (215) 893-1999 or www.kimmelcenter.org.

Steve Cohen

Oct 05, 2008 · Articles · 3 minute read

"Rock and Roll' at the Wilma

Stoppard, by way of Blanka Zizka

Perhaps because she’s a Soviet block refugee herself, the Wilma’s Blanka Zizka has made brilliant sense of Tom Stoppard’s incredibly ambitious though very disjointed take on the Cold War and its effects on individuals caught in ideological battles.

Rock and Roll. By Tom Stoppard; directed by Blanka Zizka. Through October 26, 2008 at Wilma Theater., 265 S. Broad St. (at Spruce). (215) 546-7824 or www.wilmatheater.org.

Jim Rutter

Oct 05, 2008 · Articles · 5 minute read

"The Persians' at People's Light

A 2,500-year-old play for all seasons

Ellen McLaughlin’s The Persians is a mesmerizing event for anyone interested in the constancy of human relationships and universal reactions to power.

The Persians. By Ellen McLaughlin; directed by Jade King Carroll. Through October 19, 2008 at People's Light and Theatre Company, 39 Conestoga Rd, Malvern, Pa. (610) 644-3500 or http://www.peopleslight.org.

Anne R. Fabbri

Sep 30, 2008 · Articles · 3 minute read

"The Giant Squid' at Fringe Festival

Science of the absurd

In a brilliant and very funny faux science lecture demonstration, the “class” discovers the life, times and sex life of a 600-ton squid that weighs "the same as the Norwegian Parliament."

Jonathan M. Stein

Sep 24, 2008 · Articles · 1 minute read

EgoPo's "Woyzeck' (2nd review)

Suffering without end (or even religion)

Between them, director Brenna Geffers and Dan Hodge create a terrifying atmosphere that builds up slowly in intensity, forcing you to confront your despair and question your faith in humanity. I doubt that even Barack Obama would find any hope in this production.

Jim Rutter

Sep 23, 2008 · Articles · 4 minute read

Pinter's "Hothouse' at Lantern Theater

Pinter vs. Orwell:

An early Harold Pinter play reveals a flawed but prophetic work that, unlike most revivals, has as much to say about our times as its own.

Robert Zaller

Sep 21, 2008 · Articles · 5 minute read