311 stories by "Philip"
In the play running through December 16 at Two River Theater in Red Bank, NJ, a 35-year old African-American woman defends her decision to terminate her pregnancy in an impassioned speech. "…
With a few minor (and one not-so-minor) modifications, producers Andrew De Prisco and Jess Levy and director/choreographer Al Blackstone have given "Annie" a fresh appearance without sacrifi…
You are unlikely to ever see the theatrical title "I'm Not a Comedian…I'm Richard Pryor." Or George Carlin. Or Chris Rock. Or Sarah Silverman. But appending the name Lenny Bruce is altoget…
It is generally true that the decline into dementia is a gradual process. From early symptoms " forgetting names or dates or where one left the keys " to a failure to connect with the real w…
Line readings are a generally under-valued (and under-credited) facet of the actor's craft. As many times as you see "Hamlet," for example, is how many different readings of the "To be or no…
In 2017, Elizabeth Marvel appeared as Marc Antony in the Free Shakespeare in Central Park "Julius Caesar." In 2018 women are playing Caesar as well as Antony and Cassius at the Stratford Fes…
While some introductory background is a de facto requirement in a review of the "Phantom" musical that does not append "of the Opera" to its title, be advised upfront that the production at …
With eight musicians and a cast of fifteen, "Pamela's First Musical" is the most elaborate musical produced by Two River Theater Company over its illustrious twenty-five years. The Stephen S…
"I don't think I know the difference between sexual harassment and flirting" might not seem like a ground-breaking admission, but as spoken by Charlie in Catya McMullen's outstanding new pla…
Near the end of "Getting' the Band Back Together" the (fictional) mayor of (real) Sayreville, New Jersey asks "Who would have thought at the beginning that the Battle of the Bands would come…
Considering the running time of some I've seen, The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey's "Blithe Spirit" comes in at a relatively compact two and three-quarters hours, including intermission.…
The six actors appearing at New Jersey Repertory Company in Long Branch have amassed thirty-five Broadway credits among them, with six Tony Award nominations (and a win) to boot. Lured to th…
There is so much about the The Public Works Shakespeare in the Park's musical adaptation of "Twelfth Night" to praise, it's hard to know where to begin. Kwame Kwei-Armah and Shaina Taub's co…
More people are killed in Shakespeare's "Titus Andronicus" than in his Scottish play and Danish plays combined. "Titus" also preceded "Sweeney Todd" in the bad-guy-pie department by four cen…
The phrase 'less is more' is never more apt than when applied to Irish Repertory Theatre's musical productions. Artistic director Charlotte Moore's thirty-year old company, devoted to explor…
Theater-goers who venture to Stratford, Ontario for the Shakespeare might want to check out the "supporting" plays and musicals as well. While both "The Tempest" and "The Comedy of Errors" b…
You'll know how "Half Time" ends about five minutes in. So what; getting there is the fun part. And "Half Time" is fun. Its premise is simple enough (even to a fault, but anyway): a fictiona…
Country music has never appealed to me. I might leave it on a rental car pre-set, but would never seek it out. If, however, it was all as flavorful as Lauren Pritchard's music and lyrics for…
Playwright Arthur Miller maintained a lasting interest in his own plays, frequently popping in to productions unannounced. (I once spotted him at a performance of "Death of a Salesman" in Ne…
Henry James's 1903 novella "The Beast in the Jungle" is a melancholy treatise on unrealized romance and thwarted passion that unfolds in James's characteristically elaborate prose. The same-…
Last weekend I saw a play about a man who lies about pretty much everything. Despite claiming to be a stand-up guy " ardently religious even " he'd con you out of your socks given half a cha…
[This article was written for Digital First Media’s Michigan newspapers, where it ran on Sunday May 13, with reviews to follow during the summer.] Ontario's Stratford and Shaw Festival…
Tennessee Williams' women tend not to fare very well. Blanche Dubois is led away by kind strangers, and Amanda and Laura Wingate are stuck with each other after being twice abandoned. "Summe…
Playwright Bran Friel has been called "the Irish Chekhov." (Friel died in 2015 at 86.)Â Like the plays of that century-earlier Russian author, Friel's are character-driven rather than sto…
When I commented to Holmdel Theatre Company's  "Much Ado About Nothing" producer that I did not recognize any cast names (except hers) from prior community productions, she explained that…
