InterAct's "House With No Walls'

As a play of ideas and a rumination on the use and abuse of cultural memory, Thomas Gibbons’s new black-themed play about the Liberty Bell Center controversy and the struggle for cultural memory in America hits its marks deftly if with no great subtlety. What it foregoes, perhaps inevitably, is any real penetration of character.

A House With No Walls. By Thomas Gibbons; directed by Seth Rozin. InterAct Theatre production through February 18, 2007 at Adrienne Th

Robert Zaller

Jan 27, 2007 · Articles · 4 minute read

'Pippin' at the Forrest (2nd review)

Pippin is ferociously anti-war and condemns the leaders who invoke God as they send young men off to die. It’s as timely today as it was during the Vietnam-war era when it was written. I’d like to see a production that’s more realistic, but director Gabriel Barre emphasizes the circus and the surreal.

Pippin. Words and music by Stephen Schwartz; directed by Gabriel Barre; choreography by Mark Dendy. Presented by Broadway at the Academy through Jan

Steve Cohen

Jan 16, 2007 · Articles · 2 minute read

"Pippin' at the Forrest (1st review)

The legendary director/choreographer Bob Fosse had a knack for saving even the diceyest productions with the sheer charisma of his aura. Without him, this revival is dead on arrival.

Pippin. Words and music by Stephen Schwartz; directed by Gabriel Barre; choreography by Mark Dendy. Presented by Broadway at the Academy through January 15, 2007 at Forrest Theater, 1114 Walnut St. 215-731-3333 or www.kimmelcenter.org/broadway

Lewis Whittington

Jan 15, 2007 · Articles · 4 minute read

Arden's 'BFG' (Big Friendly Giant)

Some kids in the audience may have missed key plot points in Roald Dahl’s creepy fantasy. But that didn’t prevent them from being completely captivated when Meatdripper, Gizzardgulper, Bloodbottler, Fleshlumpeater or Bonecruncher came on stage.

The BFG (Big Friendly Giant). By Roald Dahl; directed by Whit MacLaughlin. Through January 28, 2007, at The Arden Children’s Theatre, 40 North Second St. 215-922-8900 or

Lewis Whittington

Jan 12, 2007 · Articles · 2 minute read

Chita Rivera at the Merriam

The singer-dancer Chita Rivera is one of the great figures of musical theater. But at 73, the star of West Side Story and Chicago demonstrates little of the fire that made her famous.

Chita Rivera: A Dancer’s Life. By Terrence McNally. Through January 14, 2007, at Merriam Theater, 260 S. Broad St. (at Spruce). (215) 732-5997 or www.merriamtheater.org.

Steve Cohen

Jan 12, 2007 · Articles · 2 minute read

'Chicago' at the Merriam

Chicago the musical is very much like Chicago the city: From the start, it grabs you by the throat. But after ten minutes or so, you might as well be watching a gymnastics class with a sound track.

Chicago. Book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse; music by John Kander; Lyrics by Ebb; directed by Walter Bobbie. Through December 31, 2006 at Merriam Theater, 250 S. Broad St. www.broadwayacrossamerica.com/Philadelphia

Dan Rottenberg

Dec 29, 2006 · Articles · 4 minute read

Prince Theater's "Annie Get Your Gun'

As a theater historian, I’m glad to see Irving Berlin’s original 1946 show virtually uncut, political correctness be damned. But for most attendees, some trimming would be welcome. Andrea McArdle and Jeff Coon are effective with the comic scenes but could put more tenderness into their ballads.

Annie Get Your Gun. Music and lyrics by Irving Berlin; directed by Richard Parison Jr. Through Dec. 31, 2006 at Prince Music Theater, 1412 Chestnut St. 215-569-9700 or

Steve Cohen

Dec 23, 2006 · Articles · 3 minute read

Wilma's 'My Children! My Africa!'

Fans of Athol Fugard will find themselves on familiar ground here— a bit too familiar, for my taste. The problem with My Children! My Africa! lies not with the actors, who are uniformly excellent, but with Fugard’s script, which tends to get in their way and ultimately retraces old ground.

My Children! My Africa! By Athol Fugard; directed by Blanka Zizka. Through January 7, 2007 at Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St. (at Spruce). (215) 546-7824 or

Dan Rottenberg

Dec 17, 2006 · Articles · 4 minute read

Two Irish one-acts at Amaryllis

Amaryllis chose a strange pair to present here: a stark contrast between a story seen and a story told. Blood Guilty is a fantastic, gripping allegory of modern Ireland. By contrast, in The Good Thief, tthe monologue-loving McPherson takes an entertainingly brief tale and weaves it into an hour cluttered by long stretches of boredom.

Blood Guilty, by Antoine O’Flatharta, and The Good Thief, by Conor McPherson; directed by Mimi Kenney S

Jim Rutter

Dec 02, 2006 · Articles · 2 minute read

"42nd Street': Dissenting review

It’s one thing for a musical to hire singers who can’t act well, or actors who sing poorly. But this production employed singers who don’t even want to act, and actors who perform like they don’t enjoy singing.

42nd Street. Music by Harry Warren; lyrics by Al Dubin; book by Michael Stewart and Mark Bramble. Directed by Charles Abbott; choreographed by Mary Jane Houdina. Through January 7, 2007 at Walnut Street Theatre, 825 Walnut St. (215) 574-35

Jim Rutter

Dec 02, 2006 · Articles · 2 minute read