There’s the West of American mythology, a place of open spaces, big dreams and limitless possibilities. Trailblazing heroes went there and discovered gold, made fortunes and invented the movie industry.  Then there’s Sam Shepard’s True West. The open spaces are…

Mark Garvin TREADING WATER: Armando Batista as Elliot Ortiz and Maia DeSanti as Yazmin Ortiz in Arden Theatre Company’s production of Water by the Spoonful. Mark Garvin It makes perfect sense that the Arden Theatre Company would stage Water by…

Paola Nogueras A DORKUS LINE: Kevin Pariseau as IBM CEO Thomas J. Watson (center left) and Stanley Barhorek as Bill Gates in Philadelphia Theatre Company’s production of Nerds. Too perfect. Fifteen minutes after the opening-night curtain was slated to come…

Mark Garvin Jerome Preston Bates as Joe LeVay and Joniece Abott-Pratt as Cheryl The Crazy Family is alive and thriving. I don’t mean in everyday life (though this will be confirmed for many of us in a few weeks at…

Searing and provocative, or pretentious and gimmicky? You’ll have to decide for yourselves about Jackie Sibblies Drury’s We Are Proud to Present. I’m more in the latter camp than the former, but there’s no doubt it’s a show that will have…

Paola Nogueras BI-SPURIOUS: Wes Haskell (left) as John, the confused apex of a sexuality-twisting love triangle, and John Jarboe as his longtime partner M in Theatre Exile’s production of Cock. I doubt I need to tell you this, but Cock is not…

A young man and woman (soon we learn their names are Jonah and Sophie) sit at separate but matching desks, gazing at the audience with confiding smiles. Jonah begins: “This is a true story, a love story, our love story;…

Mark Garvin Strong performances from Ben Dibble, left, and Jennie Eisenhower feature in an effective production at the Arden. Don’t let the cheery title fool you: Parade explores a very dark corner of American history. In 1913, the body of…

Mark Garvin When the lights go up on a Manhattan barrio filled with brick storefronts and fire escapes (the George Washington Bridge is visible in the distance), you may think first of West Side Story. It’s a fair comparison. Lin-Manuel…