Theater

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Martinez-Briggs, in a green jacket, speaks to the audience while Castaldi sits beside them and plugs his ears with both hands

Arden Children's Theatre presents Greg Banks’s Pinocchio

The kids are part of the magic
A new production of Pinocchio from Arden Children’s Theatre turns kids into active participants, capturing imaginations and pulling back the curtain on the magic of theater. Natalie Layne reviews.

Natalie Layne

Reviews 3 minute read
Childs stands next to Greer, who huddles in an armchair. They both wear thick hats, coats, and scarves indoors.

1812 Productions and Delaware Theatre Company present Bruce Graham’s Flatlanders (second review)

Grounded in the Poconos
This world-premiere production of Bruce Graham’s Flatlanders debuted at 1812 earlier this year, and now the show continues at Delaware Theatre Company. But this script still can’t get off the ground. Gail Obenreder reviews.
Gail Obenreder

Gail Obenreder

Reviews 4 minute read
Miller, wearing a kilt and holding a bloody knife, dodges away from Parkinson, who sits downstage & turns back toward Miller

Quintessence director Alex Burns addresses community concerns about his “all-male” Shakespeare productions

“When does the community get to abort someone else’s creative impulse?”
When Quintessence artistic director Alex Burns announced plans for his latest all-male Shakespeare production, he struck a nerve with the local theater community. He talks with Alaina Johns in defense of his vision.
Alaina Johns

Alaina Johns

Editorials 9 minute read
With luxuriant 70s hair, Ernst & Matarrese sit facing each other over a fancy desk, working on typewriters in a dark room.

Resident Ensemble Players presents Ira Levin’s Deathtrap

Well-deserved screams for the stage
Both movie and live theater audiences love thrillers, so why are frightening plays relatively rare? The University of Delaware’s Resident Ensemble Players delivers with a scary new production of Ira Levin’s Deathtrap. Gail Obenreder reviews.
Gail Obenreder

Gail Obenreder

Reviews 4 minute read
Two teenagers, one in a black hoodie and the other in a yellow hoodie, sit at a table side by side reading a script aloud.

The BSR Podcast, Season 8, episode 4: Talking Philly Theatre Week 2024 with Sabriaya Shipley

Celebrating seven years of Philly's spring theater festival
Podcast host Darnelle Radford sits down with Theatre Philadelphia executive director Sabriaya Shipley to talk all things Philly Theatre Week 2024, and the issues facing our modern arts scene.
Darnelle Radford

Darnelle Radford

Podcast 1 minute read
Ngo, in a white embroidered dress & veil, sits looking thoughtful while a multiracial ensemble crowds around in various poses

The Wilma Theater presents Bertolt Brecht's The Good Person of Setzuan

Reversing Orientalist tropes
Kindhearted Shen Te invents a ruthless businessman alter-ego when her generosity overtakes her wallet in The Good Person of Setzuan, presented in this “radically reclaimed” production at the Wilma centering Asian artists. Mina Reinckens reviews.
Mina Reinckens

Mina Reinckens

Reviews 3 minute read
Zion, in a gray tee, sits on a couch by Hodge, in a plaid bathrobe. Satie, in white sheath & headwrap, stands behind them

InterAct Theatre Company presents Deborah Zoe Laufer’s The Last Yiddish Speaker

Imagining life for Jews after a successful insurrection
Deborah Zoe Laufer’s The Last Yiddish Speaker, getting its world premiere at InterAct, offers a striking glimpse into the specificity of Jewish generational trauma, but it needs something more. Josh Herren reviews.
Josh Herren

Josh Herren

Reviews 3 minute read

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Bergen, in the foreground, shares a park bench with DaPonte. Both men look outward with worried, contemplative expressions

Plays & Players presents Edward Albee’s The Zoo Story

Paper tiger
Plays & Players presents Edward Albee’s The Zoo Story in a flat restaging that fails to capture the play’s primal power. Kiran Pandey reviews.
Kiran Pandey

Kiran Pandey

Reviews 4 minute read
Simpson in sparkling sequin vest and a wizard-like hat holds a guitar above his torso, stands in front of a mic on stage

E.J. Simpson presents Jesus Christ Superstar

Rising through tradition
An 18 year tradition rises differently this time around, as local musician E.J. Simpson prepares to perform their solo rendition of Jesus Christ Superstar. David Block previews.
David Block

David Block

Previews 3 minute read
Parkinson, in a strapless bodice, pulls Miller, wearing a green & blue plaid kilt, seductively toward him face to face.

As a trans actor, I’m dismayed by the “testosterone-driven” concept of the all-male Macbeth at Quintessence

If we don’t break down gender barriers in casting, Philly theater will continue to stall.
A promotional note from Quintessence Theatre Group artistic director Alex Burns about why he’s staging an “all-male” Macbeth drew a strong response from the Philly theater community. Bruce Baldini speaks up as a trans male actor.
Bruce Baldini

Bruce Baldini

Essays 6 minute read