So how was the play? I’ll get to that, I promise. But first, let me take a moment to celebrate the exceptional pool of talent we have here in Philadelphia. Eighteen years ago, when the Arden gave the world premiere…

In 1950, Frank Loesser redefined how musical theater looked at New York. Oh, other composer-lyricists – notably Cole Porter— got there first. But theirs was the sophisticated, café society New York. With Guys and Dolls, Loesser and book writers Jo…

Sometimes, even in opera, it’s the orchestra that earns top billing. So it was on Thursday night, in a collaborative, semi-staged production of Richard Strauss’s Salome that brought together Opera Philadelphia alongside the Philadelphia Orchestra under the direction of Yannick…

David Cimetta Among the pleasures provided by EgoPo Classic Theater’s season devoted to Henrik Ibsen has been an opportunity to revel in the astonishing breadth of his work. Psychologist, satirist, poet — master of realism, symbolism, melodrama — the great…

Annapurna seems to be having its moment — in an unusual coincidence, the first Philadelphia and New York productions of Sharr White’s play opened within a day of each other. Off-Broadway, the cast of this two-hander is a highly recognizable…

In the 400-plus years since its first performance, Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream has been a frequent source of artistic reinvention – operas, plays, ballets, films and more have been fashioned from it. One of the most intriguing adaptations is…

Shawn May TRAGEDY TRILOGY: Josh Carpenter as Orin Mannon and Janis Dardaris as Christine Mannon in Mourning Becomes Electra. Somewhere on the list of plays I always wanted to see — but never thought I would have the chance —…

Katie Reing Since the term “rom-com” fills my tiny critic’s heart with dread, let’s start with the good news. Midsummer [a play with songs] is funny, clever and — hallelujah! — a little bit edgy, too. It should delight sentimentalists…

Mark Garvin In the 20-plus years I’ve been attending the Arden, I’ve seen many fine shows. But this one is something special. Faced with the challenge of one of the greatest modern plays in the repertoire, director Terry Nolen has…