Other Desert Cities

Greg Wood,Susan Wilder, Krista Apple

Walnut Street Theatre, located at 825 Walnut Street, is presenting Other Desert Cities on its main stage through March 2.  It is difficult to know who to applaud first in this production- the design team, the playwright, the actors or the director.  Scenic Designer Todd Edward Ivins has designed a set that is nothing short of breathtaking.  Audience members gasp as they enter the theatre and see the Palm Desert home he has created on the stage.  Prize winning Lighting Designer Thom Weaver has once again designed an award-worthy set.  Multiple lights are brightened and dimmed in the home to indicate passage of time.  Award winning Sound Designer Christopher Colucci has cleverly interspersed sound between scenes and award winning Costume Designer Colleen Grady has designed ensembles for the characters that match their personalities.   Playwright Jon Robin Baitz has been nominated for the Pulitzer, Drama Desk and Tony Awards.  He has not only given life to characters  who have great depth, but has written a story line with a surprising twist as well. The ensemble cast plays very well against each other, building the momentum of the play.  When young novelist Brooke Wyeth returns home after a six year hiatus with a new book, tempers flare and family secrets crumble. Brook must determine if the price of keeping her family together is worth losing her new-found self. This drama is a must-see event.  For more information or tickets, call 215-574-3550 or 800 982-2787 or visit online at www.walnutstreettheatre.org.

Gideon's Knot

Karen Peakes & Alice M. Gatling

InterAct Theatre Company, located at 2030 Sansom Streets, is presenting Gideon’s Knot through February 9.  A keenly stimulating two-woman performance, this piece is set in a 5^th grade classroom during a parent-teacher conference.  Scenic Designer Colin McIlvaine has done an excellent job with the depiction of an elementary school classroom.  As the presentation unfolds, stereotypes are nurtured only to be blasted apart.  Niceties dissolve into acrimony and are replaced once again with solicitude.  Playwright Johnna Adams has intimately crafted a tale that gives us a peek into a ten-year old’s psyche as carefully as one can peel an onion, layer by layer.  In the search for answers following the sudden death of a 10 year old student, his mother, Corryn, played by Alice M. Gatling and his teacher Heather, portrayed by Karen Peakes, each reveal many strata to the core of their existence as well.  The acting in this production is superb.  Karen Peakes aptly plays the inexperienced teacher who tries to protect the majority of her pupils from a student she neither understands nor is certain can’t be a threat.  Alice M. Gatling portrays a much stronger personality who is determined to discover the underlying cause of her son’s death.  Drama doesn’t get any better than this. For more information or tickets, call 215-568-8079 or visit online at www.interacttheatre.org

Beautiful Thing

Ste and  Jamie

Mauckingbird Theatre Company, known for its gay-themed works, is presenting Beautiful Thing at the Skybox at the Adrienne, 2030 Sansom Streets, through February 2.  This 20 year-old tale, written by English playwright Jonathon Harvey, peeks into the lives of dysfunctional families in a rough working–class neighborhood of London’s South End.  As a result, the audience is treated to an insider's glimpse of a blossoming relationship. A teen-aged crush on the boy next-door leads to the emotional stability of the majority of the characters in the cast.  Melanie Julian does a first-rate job of portraying Sandra, the flighty, irresponsible single mother of Jamie. She appears to show some signs of maturity only once her son has “come out” and she has come to terms with who he is.  Griffin Back portrays Jamie and Kevin Murray portrays Ste, the boy next door.  Both young men do a commendable job of overcoming initial awkward situations and coming to terms with their inner psyches. Sophie Yavorsky adds an interesting dimension to the stage as she plays a female teenage neighbor with her own peculiar hang-ups. Scenic Designer Andrew Laine has done an outstanding job with the small stage of the Skybox.  The audience members actually feel that they are a stone’s throw away from every apartment. The bedroom conversion is exceptional. This show has a very short run so don’t delay in getting your tickets.  For further information or tickets, call 215-923-8909 or visit online at www.mauckingbird.org  

Sideways Stories from Wayside School

Mrs. Gorf turns students into apples

The Arden Theatre Company, located at 40 N 2^nd Street, is presenting Sideways Stories from Wayside School for its first children’s theatre production of the year. This zany show can be seen on the F. Otto Haas Stage through February 15.  As students Rondi, played by Taysha Canales and Myron, portrayed by Robert Hager so aptly explain to their new teacher, “the building should have had 30 classrooms on one floor, but the architect accidently designed the building to be built on its side.” The children are in a class on the 30^th floor.  Children and adults alike will marvel at Scenic Designer David P. Gordon’s flash of brilliance. Everything in the classroom is constructed on its side….from the door which opens up from the floor to the tiled floor on the walls and the ultra-high clock and flag waving from the ceiling. The youngest audience members murmur to their parents about all the misplaced items in the classroom before the show even begins. Older audience members nod to each other in appreciation of the quirky set.  It is not only the set that is sideways. Teaching methods are askew also.  The ultimate threat from the mean Mrs. Gorf is to be turned into an apple for reciting a wrong answer. Everyone in the audience shudders as that warning turns into a reality. The ultimate threat from her gentle replacement, Mrs. Jewls, portrayed by Rachel Camp, is to be sent home on the kindergarten bus.   While this is met with chuckles from most, my granddaughter, herself a kindergarten student, did not get the joke. That is not to say that the show appeals only to older children.  Everyone, from 5 to 95 will find many occasions for side-splitting laughter. All cast members do a great job in bringing this tale to life; however, special kudos must be given to Steve Pacek, not only for  his depiction of Mrs. Gorf, but for his portrayal of 6 other characters as well.  Be sure to make plans to take the young people in your life to this unforgettable experience at the Wayside School.  If you have no young people to take to the theatre, grab a ticket for yourself.  You won’t regret it.  For more information or tickets, call 215-922-1122 or visit online at www.ardentheatre.org.

A Child's Christmas in Wales

mean cat

Lantern Theater Company, located in St. Stephen’s Church, 10^th and Lombard Streets, is presenting a World Premiere Adaptation of Dylan Thomas’ A Child’s Christmas in Wales, through January 5.

 This piece was  co-created by Artistic Director Charles McMahon and interdisciplinary artist  and director Sebastienne Mundheim.  As fascinating as it is to hear the vivid language of Dylan Thomas’s poem and the nostalgic moments of Christmases past it might invoke, it is equally intriguing to discover just how this presentation was put together. Click on the insert for a short video that gives a preview of the delight that will be in store for you when you go to see A Child’s Christmas in Wales.   Performed seamlessly  by an all-star ensemble cast of Charlie DelMarcelle, Genevieve Perrier, Doug Hara and Amy Smith, the captivating language of Dylan’s poem is brought to life on the stage with the help of Sebastienne Mundheim’s creations and the audience’s fond memories of Christmas from childhood days.  The language of the work and the artistry on the stage are enough to induce appreciation of the work even if a flood of memories are not evoked. Include this delight for your eyes and ears when making plans for holiday viewing.  For more information or tickets, call 215-829-0395 or visit online at www.lantern.org. 

NERDS

Woz and Steve Jobs

The Philadelphia Theatre Company located at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 17^th and Lombard Streets, is producing NERDS through December 29.  Having had its world premiere with the Philadelphia Theatre Company in 2007, NERDS received two Barrymore Awards and is back, updated, and stronger than ever with eye-popping visuals,  saucy quips, exhilarating choreography and a cameo appearance of Steve Wozniak’s favorite Segway. NERDS is a satirical look at the travails of rivals Bill Gates and Steve Jobs from their early inventions in a garage and the hoodwinking of a fellow “nerd” for the rights to an operating system to the rarified ranks of millionaires and billionaires  The show is peppered with pizzazz and includes some gut-wrenching moments, all expressed though the electrifying songs performed by Stanley Bahorek as Bill Gates, Matt Bradley as Steve Jobs, Briana Carlson-Goodman as Sally, and Lexy Fridell as Myrtle in addition to performances by the entire company.  Whether or not you were ever a nerd, you must see this funny, delightful, feel-good musical parody.  For more information or tickets, call 215-985-0420 or visit online at PhiladelphiaTheatreCompany.org 

The Big Time: New Vaudeville for the Holidays

Greg Nix & Dave Jadico-mirror image

1812 Productions, operating out of Plays and Players Theatre, 1714 Delancey Street, has a wonderful treat in store this holiday season.  Philadelphia’s all comedy theatre company is presenting The Big Time: New Vaudeville for the Holidays through December 31.  You won’t find a better place to experience the fun of constant in-your-face humor.  The show is a series of skits paying homage to vaudeville styles and well-known comedic routines.  With Greg Nix acting as a stage hand and turning the cue cards to announce each act, the audience thinks it’s aware of the content of each upcoming act but remember... this is 1812’s production and not everything will be as it seems. Burns and Allen had nothing on Greer and Childs and The Smothers Brothers better move over to make room for Nix and Jadico.  Quick costume changes?  There must be magic going on in the back of the Italian bakery. Be prepared to be surprised.  Be prepared to chuckle, laugh and guffaw. Greg Nix, Dave Jadico, Scott Greer and Jen Childs are just that funny.   For more information or tickets, call 215-592-9560 or visit online at www.1812productions.org.