Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

                                                       Alanna Smith  &  Matthew Amira

Walnut Street Theatre, located at 825 Walnut Street, is presenting  Tennessee Williams’   The
Cat on the Hot Tin Roof  through March 12, 2023. The audience is immediately taken to the sweltering Mississippi Delta, both with the large tree from the plantation, dripping with moss and with the way Maggie disrobes in the heat. Maggie (Alanna Smith) is the Cat who stubbornly tries to gain the interest of her husband Brick (Matthew Amira) who has lost interest in anything outside of alcohol. The family has gathered to celebrate Big Daddy’s( Scott Greer) birthday, but the special day  has a cloud over it. Scott Greer is phenomenal as always. This role was written for him!  Wendy Scharfman  is excellent as Big Mama. Never believing the unkind words Big Daddy speaks, she is the perfect, “little woman.” Alanna Smith has a tremendous task trying to seduce her husband and appear sexy with every move. Although the seduction may be in doubt, her role as a cat on a hot tin roof  is superb. The four young children are delightful. The design staff is brilliant. Roman Tatarowicz designed a set that had several entrances Most of the drama  centers in one room but there are accesses to the outdoors. Sound Designer Christopher Colucci  and Lighting Designer Shon Causer arranged amazing thunder and lightning events. Costume Designer Mary Folino and Wig Designer Carissa Thorlakson prepared clothes and wigs for the 1950’s era. This is a fascinating look at a dysfunctional family where each family member has its own agenda and is just trying to survive. For tickets call 215-574-2550 or visit  walnutstreettheatre.org. or ticketmaster.com 

 

EmpathitRaX

                                                    MAKOTO HIRANO & CLAIRE INIE-RICHARDS

Philadelphia Theatre Company, residing in the Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, is presenting EmpathitRaX through March 5, 2023. All of the actors and designers in this production are Philadelphia based. This  futuristic one-act, in which a person can know how someone else is feeling just by swallowing a pill and touching them, has many scenes which are delineated by a blackout accompanied  by a short musical interlude. The star of the production has to be Stage Manager Leslie Ann Boyden, for while the ensemble cast of Makoto Hirano, Claire Richards and Matteo Scammell all give credible performances, the speed in which the sets are changed is nothing short of miraculous. Scenic Designer Chris Haig has cleverly designed  sets which can be placed in front of one another and then moved. Sound Designer Jordan McCree has  ingeniously designed the sound of a barking dog which appears to emanate from a dog crate on cue. Does this pill really work ? What happens when the dosages wear off? Can you have the same results  by using your imagination? See this fascinating  production for yourself and decide. For tickets, visit www.philatheatreco.org. or call 215-985-0420 or visit the Box Office , 480 South Broad Street.

Come From Away

                                                                 Ensemble

With a remarkably talented ensemble cast of a dozen performers and 6 stand-bys, one of whom, Cailin  Stadnyk,  performed on opening night, Come From Away makes its second appearance on the Kimmel Cultural Campus’ Academy of Music stage. Come From Away tells the extraordinary story of the hospitality of the small town of Gander, Newfoundland, after 38 planes carrying nearly 7,000 passengers of multiple nationalities were rerouted to its airport after the skies were closed due to the dreadful attacks of 9/11. The lighting on the set is phenomenal throughout the duration of the show. The backdrop appears to be a plane some times, but a subtle switch in the projected lens has the audience believing they are  looking at clouds in a sky. The minimalistic set is perfect. Chairs that are once rows in an airplane are successfully rearranged to become seats in a bar for a new scene. The music is uplifting; the choreography is brilliant and this rendition is every bit as excellent as the original Come from Away that appeared on Broadway and as the first touring company that appeared in Philadelphia as part of the Broadway series. Tickets can be purchased by calling 215-893-1999 or visiting online at www.kimmelculturalcampus.org. In person tickets can be purchased daily from 10 a.m.– 6 p.m. at the Academy of Music Box Office located at 240 S. Broad Street.

Sing Hallelujah

 

The Kimmel Cultural Campus presents an evening of Jewish Music with SING HALLELUJAH  on April 26, 2023. Noa, a renowned musician, humanitarian and Israel’s most prominent  cultural advocate, will perform alongside regional choirs. Sing Hallelujah  returns for the fourth time to the Kimmel Cultural Campus. This year’s program will celebrate the 75^th Anniversary of the State of Israel and Israeli singer, songwriter and humanitarian Noa. Noa will perform alongside 175 singers from congregational and community choirs from synagogues throughout the Delaware Valley.  Cantor David  F. Tilman will lead  the assembled choirs  in music highlighting 75 years of Israeli musical tradition. Audiences can sing along with the choir to several renditions such as “Hallelujah”,  Naomi Shemer’s  “Yerushalayim Shel Zahav” “Ani V’Ata” by Arik  Einstein, and  “Oseh Shalom”  by Nurit  Hirsh. Tickets can be purchased by calling 215 893-1999 or by visiting online at www.kimmelculturalcampus.org. Tickets can also be purchased in-person from 10 A.M. – 6 P.M. in person at the  Academy of Music Box Office, located at 240 S Broad Street.

 

 

Into The Woods

                                          Ta'Nika Gibson,  Brooke Ishibashi, & Nancy Opel

The Kimmel Cultural Campus in partnership with the Shubert Organization is bringing the critically acclaimed Grammy-winning production of Into the Woods direct from Broadway for a limited engagement from April 4—9 2023. Broadway stars Montego Glover ( the witch ), Stephanie J. Block ( the Baker’s wife), Sebastian Arcelus. (The Baker) and Gavin Creel  ( Prince, Wolf) will reprise their Broadway roles. Into the Woods first premiered on Broadway in  1987, winning 3 Tony Awards, including best Score and Best Book. It became the first hit of the 2022-2023 Broadway season after being off Broadway for 20 years. This production is dedicated to the memory of Stephen Sondheim. For more information or tickets,  call 215-893-1999 or visit online at www.kimmelculturalcampus.org . Tickets can also be purchased daily from 10 a. m – 6  p. m in person at the Academy of Music Box Office located at 240 S. Broad Street.

Cats

Ensemble

The Kimmel Cultural Campus and the Shubert Theatre will be presenting the return of CATS, by popular demand. CATS  will be playing at the Miller Theatre ( March 14 – 19 ).  Composed by Andrew Lloyd Weber and based on T.S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, it is one of the longest running musicals in Broadway history. This new iteration features new sound design, new direction, and choreography. If you have seen the production before, plan to see it again with brand new eyes.  If you have never seen it, prepare to be in for a special treat. Tickets can be purchased by calling 215-893-1999 or by visiting online at www.kimmelculturalcampus.org. Tickets can also be purchased in person at Academy of Music Box office, located at 240 S. Broad Street.

 

The Last Parade

                                                                      Ensemble Cast

InterAct Theatre is presenting the World Premiere of The Last Parade at the Proscenium Theatre at the Drake, 302 Hicks Street, Philadelphia, Pa. through February 19, 2023. The excellent ensemble cast of  Adam Howard ( Borya), Leah Walton (Zoya), Ava Weintzweig (Anya), Tim Moyer (Yasha),and Anthony Lawton (Leon) portray three generations of a Jewish family in post-Soviet Ukraine struggling with where to emigrate in 1991. The family had applied to both Israel and the United States for immigration and are waiting for invitations. Passions run deep among many members of the family and there are several twists in the plot. The design team has skillfully executed a bi-level  set. The stage is centrally raised off the floor, but scenes also take place on the  floor to the side while the central stage is back lit or dark. Adam Howard’s Broya is excellent with his thick accent and his asides to the audience. I have been  following Anthony Lawton for many years and will run to any show that he appears in, but it is Leah Walton’s Zoya that steals this show with the breadth of her emotions. For more information or tickets, visit https://interacttheatre.orgthe-last-parade.

Broads

                                        Melanye Finister, MB Scallen, & Rebecca Robbins

1812 Productions, Philadelphia’s ALL COMEDY Theatre Company, is presenting Broads through February 26, 2023, at Plays and Players Theatre, 1714 Delancey Street. Curated and Directed by Jennifer Childs, Broads stars Melanye Finister, Rebecca Robbins, and Mary Elizabeth Scallen  who goes by  the name “MB”, confiding to the audience that it stands for “ more bourbon. “ This audacious One Act Revue has the three actors onstage for the entire time, allowing two of them a moment or two of respite around a bar when the third one has a solo. Broads are defined in numerous ways- “She takes up her own space. She knows what she wants.”  A tribute is paid  in song, jokes, one-liners, and vignettes to many of the world’s most influential Broads of their time. Mae West wrote books and plays and was a great Vaudeville Act. She wrote a play entitled “Sex” that had horrid reviews which only served to draw in more and more crowds of people. It ran for a year. In her diary she wrote that “good girls go to heaven but bad girls go everywhere.” Sophie Tucker, Belle Barthe, Patsy Abbot and Moms Mabley  are also part of the revue. Moms’ persona was an old woman in a nightgown with no teeth.  She recorded 24 albums including “Has Anyone Seen My Old Friend John?” after the death of JFK. Ms. Finister, Robbins, and Scallon are all  extremely talented women who can tell one-liners with skill as well as belt out a ballad. Tickets for this fun-filled revue can be purchased at 1812productions.org.